One week starts from around £147 per person, including flights from regional airports and staying in a four star hotel near the sea in Malta.

Choice Holidays who are offering these deals are taking advantage of Ryan Air flights, and combining them with their own hotel purchasing power to give people good deals. And I’m absolutely for it! If someone else has the headache of booking Ryan Air flights for you, then it’s not a bad idea to take advantage of it.

I’m not sure whether Choice have managed to negotiate anything with the airlines themselves. It’s not uncommon for travel agents to buy up large numbers of seats at a reduced fare, and then bundle them with hotel deals and mark them up. Since Ryan Air’s business strategy is so different from many other airlines, I’d be interested to know if that’s what’s going on.

However they manage to do it, it’s got to be a pretty good deal. Just remember to check out the TripAdvisor website before you book! Oh, and check on Kayak to make sure you’re not getting ripped off. At these prices though, that’s unlikely.

Choice Holidays > Malta deals

I’m not retired yet, but if I was then I can imagine worse ways of spending the winter than to be on a mild island in the middle of the Mediterranean. For most tourists, Malta is a scorching summer destination, but if you’re prepared to travel out of season there are some staggering deals to be had.

Typically, if you commit to two weeks or more in a hotel your room can cost as little as £15/night. Most hotels also include heated swimming pools and access to local facilities. It might not be hot enough to lounge on the beach, but it’s a pleasant 20 degrees, and a lot nicer than snow-blotted Britain!

Run a search for Malta extended stay hotels to get some ideas, and also have a look on Kayak. The other thing worth doing is ringing up the hotel directly, telling them that you want to stay for a longish time and see what deal they’ll offer you. It will usually be cheaper than the websites.

Airlines are also conspiring to make Malta a much cheaper destination than it was previously, with several budget carriers flying there (including Ryan Air) as well as the country’s national airline, Air Malta. You can find return flights from London in winter for as little as £50.