Dr Rebecca Tidy

MANCHESTER United ace Harry Maguire stunned holidaymakers last month, when he showed up for a family break at a Haven holiday park in North Wales. Despite being on £190,000 a week, he shunned the typical footie holidays of Dubai and Ibiza for Presthaven Beach Resort near Prestatyn - where 4-night holidays cost from £49.

I sat on the balcony of the St Mawes Hotel with a glass of champagne and admired the bright turquoise of the River Fal. It was a sunny lunchtime in October 2017 and my then-fiancé and I were celebrating that our offer of £450,000 on a cottage just outside the village had been accepted.

Itching to fasten your seat belt for take-off and disembark to the leisurely lunches, balmy beach days and plush hotel linens of a proper normal holiday? You needn’t bide your time ’til May: on Monday the Bailiwick of Jersey reopens to UK tourists, and with the island pretty much back to business as usual.

With its laid-back atmosphere, world-class zoo and castles galore, Jersey’s the ideal place for a getaway with kids. And with Jet2.com increasing its flights there next summer, the Channel Island is more accessible than ever.

This aquatic wonderland makes for an unforgettable family holiday. Discover 65,000 marine animals in the Lost Chambers Aquarium, interact with dolphins at Dolphin Bay or embrace the adrenaline rush at Aquaventure Water Park. This famous five-star resort sits majestically at the crown of the iconic Palm Jumeirah, the biggest man-made island in the world. As you gaze out onto the Persian Gulf or back at the city skyline, you’ll understand why this is one of the most covetable holiday destinations

For those in need of a retreat, the first stop at the Headland Hotel has to be the subterranean spa with hydro pool, sunken hot tub and Cornish salt steam room.