Warning signs of holiday 'deals'

It's that time of year when tempting-sounding holiday deals start oozing on to the market, promising something for nothing in an attempt to boost sales: perhaps to fill rooms in out-of-season destinations (ie, the Caribbean), or shift a sluggish early-summer fortnight.

A popular ploy is the "two weeks for the price of one" promise. It's logical to take this to mean a half-price holiday. It isn't - the first week's rate comprises flight and accommodation, the second week merely the room. This is because many hoteliers reckon it's better to have a full house, even if it means giving accommodation away, than have suites empty - clients invariably haemorrhage cash in the hotel bar/restaurant/gift shop, delighted that they've "struck gold" with the booking.

Here we've dissected eight "great two-for-one" offers - decide for yourself if they're real deals.

Ralph Lauren's retreat

The deal: 14 nights at Lauren's favourite Jamaican hidey-hole, Round Hill, 25 minutes from Montego Bay, sunk in 100 acres of plantation that once produced pineapple, coconuts and allspice and a haunt of literati and glitterati (No?l Coward, Oscar Hammerstein) since the 1950s. Rooms in the Pineapple House overlook sea and pool while superior, deluxe and master villa suites dot the hillside.

Full whack: £1,950pp in a superior Ocean Front, room only, with flights.

To you: £1,285.

Saving: £665 (ie, seven free room nights).

Book it: 1 May-20 July and 27 August-31 October through Abercrombie and Kent (0845 0700613).

Cool Jamaican five-star

The deal: two weeks at the romantic, rambling, low-rise resort of Half Moon Bay, beloved of the late Princess Margaret. On the north coast of Jamaica, about 20 minutes from Montego Bay, its cottages and villas are seductively submerged in bougainvillea. Keep active with horse riding, golf, watersports and tennis, or dine on every kind of food from Italian to trad Caribbean.

Full whack: £1,835pp (room only) in a superior double, including flights.

To you: £1,230.

Saving: £605 (ie, seven free room nights).

Book it: 1 May-30 June through Elegant Resorts (01244 897999).

St Lucia villa resort

The deal: a fortnight at the luxury Windjammer Landing resort - villas in red-roofed Mediterraneanvillage mode (rattan furniture, sunburst tones) in tropical gardens above the white-sand Labrelotte Bay. Private plunge pools and sun terraces, and spectacular island views from rooms. Phytomer spa, tennis courts (private instruction available), free water skiing, fitness centre and golf at nearby St Lucia Golf and Country Club.

Full whack: £3,118pp, all-inclusive in a one-bedroom villa, with flights.

To you: £2,313.

Saving: £805 (ie, seven free room nights).

Book it: 1-30 June, 1- 30 September, through British Airways Holidays (0870 4423815).

Mauritius designer hideaway

The deal: 14 nights at the Aman-style Prince Maurice - the Naomi Campbell of Mauritius resorts. Sleek, teak-stilted bungalows, a floating restaurant and a spectacular infinity pool with tiny tiles that mirror the changing sky. Grab a lounger and don't move - or, if you're that way inclined, make for the Belle Mare Plage championship golf course 10 minutes away.

Full whack: £3,025pp in a standard double, including flights.

To you: £1,946.

Saving: £1,079 (ie, seven free room nights).

Book it: between now and 15 July through Cox and Kings (020 7873 5006).

Gorgeous Greek island villa

The deal: two weeks in Cephalonia at Villa Stavros, a hillside Venetian-style merchant's house, dating from 1925. Reworked with state-of-the-art features, including DVD and air-conditioning, it is set in Agia Yerousalim, a tiny village overlooking the coast with two tavernas and a mini-market. Slob beside your own freshwater pool, or check out the action in Fiscardo town, a 10-minute drive hence. Sleeps six.

Full whack: £400pp approx (villa £2,400), flights extra.

To you: £200pp (villa £1,200).

Saving: £200pp (villa £1,200).

Book it: weeks beginning Sunday 5, 12 and 19 May, through Tapestry Holidays (020 8235 7788).

Affordable Crete apartment

The deal: a fortnight's self-catering for two in the seaside village of Almirida. On the northwest coast, 45 minutes from Chania airport, Apartment Nereides is a pink-painted, standard new-build, simply furnished with overlooking gardens, swimming pool and views of distant hills. Some apartments have views of the beach a few minutes' walk away.

Full whack: apartment £920, including flights.

To you: £774.

Saving: £146 (ie, seven free room nights).

Book it: 30 April through Sunvil Holidays (020 8568 4499).

Fab farmhouse in Tuscany

The deal: 14 nights in Chiodo, a Tuscan farmhouse with pool high in the hills between Lucca and Pisa, surveying the valley below. Meticulously restored by the owner, the property is a traditional beamed-ceiling affair, with terracotta tiled floors, exposed brickwork, furnished with French antiques and bedrooms with own bathrooms. Sleeps 12.

Full whack: £495pp approx (villa £5,950) for two weeks' self-catering.

To you: £247.50pp (villa £2,975).

Saving: £247.50pp (villa £2,975).

Book it: 13 July to 31 August through Italian Chapters (020 7722 0722).

Family walking in the Alps

The deal: two weeks' self-drive for two adults and two children in the Austrian Alps and Italy - seven nights in the Tyrolean mountain village of Neustift (half board at the four-star Hotel Stubaierhof) for gentle walks and scenic drives; then seven based in the Italian town of Selva at the eastern end of Val Gardena, its skyline dominated by the craggy Dolomites (room only at the Chalet Brigitte).

Full whack: £1,707pp, including ferry crossing to Calais for a car and four passengers.

To you: £830

Saving: £877 (ie, seven free room nights).

Book it: 29 June through Esprit Alpine Sun (01252 618 300).