Five of the best group holidays for party people

 


His is article titled "Five of the best group holidays for party people" was written by Will Coldwell, for theguardian.com on Thursday 27th October 2016 05.30 UTC

Get sloshed in a chateau

Party holiday company G&T Weekends was founded in 2014 after friends Gillian Scatliff and Tess Stokes (G and T - geddit?)organised a 60-person break for pals in the Peak District. Now they run all-inclusive party weekends in fancy houses around the world: next up are a New Year’s break in an Icelandic lodge and an Easter adventure in a Moroccan villa The holidays are pitched at those “in limbo between the hard partying years of your early 20s and the serious couples trips of your late 30s”. It’s like booking a holiday home with a big group of (rather well-off) mates but not knowing who’s going to be there – which is obviously a risk. Cue: lots of drinking.

I was invited to join them for three nights at a chateau in the Loire Valley with marble staircase and several floors of honeymoon-style suites with four-poster beds, as well as a library, huge dining room and turrets. It was a beautiful, tranquil, rural retreat, punctuated every so often by a six-foot-something bloke sprinting across the lawn towards the back entrance of the house and bellowing: “We need more rosé!”

The drill for each weekend is relatively similar: big-group catered meals (these were actually pretty great), parties each evening and activities in the day, with plenty of free time to explore the area, or go for a walk with a bottle of champagne, or just sit down and drink a bottle of champagne – it’s your holiday, after all. On my weekend, activities included horse riding and French cooking. Because of its roots as an extension of its founders’ social scene (they’re from Canada and Australia) the bulk of the guests that weekend were expats.

The weekend took place in a chateau in the Loire Valley

It was a formidably boozy weekend - did I mention that already?The free, limitless bar proved too much to resist for pretty much everyone, myself included, especially the girl who tripped backwards into the fountain. With so much drama in such a fanciful, filmic setting, the weekend felt like being in a glossy Hollywood rom-com – somewhere between Meet the Parents and the Wedding Crashers. The guy with an unquenchable thirst for rosé even looked like Vince Vaughn ...

Best for: people who like good food, lots and lots of drink and have a twang to their accent.

• This trip was provided by G&T Weekends. New Year in an Icelandic lodge from £720pp for three nights. Easter in a Moroccan villa from £720pp for four nights. Both trips include all meals, unlimited drinks, accommodation in a shared room and transfers from Reykjavik/Marrakech airport; flights extra
  

OTHER PARTY HOLIDAYS

Ski party, French Alps

Le Paradis club, Morzine

From airstream caravans at Croatian music festivals to party villas in Ibiza, Rude Leisure Group has upbeat accommodation in Europe covered. The company began running ski chalets in Morzine, and for those looking for a house party atmosphere on the slopes, the Rude Lodge is a safe bet. With room for 37 people, the budget B&B was previously owned by one Madame Laury, a dancer at the Moulin Rouge, who had a reputation for running legendary parties at the lodge.

Her spirit has been kept alive in its latest incarnation: Le Paradis club - a popular and “wild” nightlife spot for locals and visitors - is beneath the lodge, sp guests definitely won’t need to worry about the walk home. It has a range of twin and dorm rooms, all en-suite, and a cafe and bar serving snacks and drinks, and aterrace overlooking the town’s river which is ideal for après ski. As for skiing (this is, after all, the main reason to come here), the Super Morzine lift is just 600 metres away.

Best for: late-night ski junkies who think hitting the slopes is the best cure for a hangover.

• From £35pp room-only, rudechalets.com

Christmas and New Year in India

Spend Christmas Day at the luxurious Castle Bijaipur, Rajasthan

As festive getaways go, a two-week trip to India is a pretty epic one. But if you have the cash to buy your way out of the stress and miserable weather of the holiday period, Wild Frontiers has the tour for you. Its Alternative Christmas in India is a small-group tour through Rajasthan’s best-known sites, followed by five days at the luxurious Castle Bijaipur, where guests can enjoy yoga, horse riding and, on Christmas Day, poolside champagne. On New Year’s Eve, entertainment by snake charmers and fire eaters will spice up the cocktails.

Best for: sociable culture vultures who want to share a toast with others escaping a family Christmas.

• Departs 19 December, £2,075pp (£3,000 including flights from London) for 15 days full-board (optional single supplement £495),wildfrontierstravel.com

Boat party, Croatia

Want a taste of life on a yacht? Sail Week Croatia explores the Dalmatia coast, with a personal skipper sailing the boat from island to island and – perhaps more importantly – party to party. Book just a bed on a boat sleeping 8-10, or book the entire yacht for a group of friends. Depending on the departure date, up to 10 boatloads of revellers set sail together, stopping at the same spots for parties and at clubs each night. The company says guests should consider their yacht a “floating hotel” for a week of “Party. Sail. Repeat”.

Best for: anyone looking for fun in the sun (and those who don’t get seasick).

• From £495pp for seven nights including breakfast and lunch, sailweekcroatia.com

Bus to festivals in Europe

Benicassim festival in Spain. Photograph: Alamy

If you want to roll into one of Europe’s biggest festivals with a big group of partygoers, Busabout, which specialises in driving backpackers around the continent, has it covered. The company runs a lively hop-on-hop-off bus service which gives independent travellers cheap, flexible travel between 46 of Europe’s most popular destinations. Trips can then be customised with various festival packages, which Busabout also organises. It’s possible to book just for one festival, such as Hungary’s huge Sziget festival or Benicassim in Spain, so revellers can party – and explore the surrounding area – with a crew of new companions.

Best for: backpacking revellers looking for budget fun.

• Sziget package from £379pp including festival pass and three nights’ accommodation, Benicassim package from £259pp including festival pass and four nights’ accommodation. Busabout hop-on-hop-off ticket from £285, busabout.com

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