Weekends hotel deals

Two or three nights away, usually out on the Friday and home before Monday. The point is a change of scene without using leave, so travel time matters as much as the hotel: anything that eats half a day at each end turns a two-night trip into one real day.

The deals on this page are all short-stay properties with live rates, so it is the quickest place to start for a Friday or Saturday arrival. Filter by the destination you can reach easily, then check the room type and board on the deal page before clicking through to book.

In leisure destinations the weekend costs more, because everyone travels at the same time. In cities that run on business travel the opposite is true and Friday to Sunday is when rooms are discounted. That difference is why a midweek break and a weekend break in the same hotel can be priced very differently.

Dublin, Edinburgh, Brighton, Liverpool and Amsterdam work because you can be there in a few hours and the centres are walkable. For a two-night trip, reaching the hotel by early evening on Friday matters more than the destination being new. The Best destinations block above shows the live options.

As a rule, somewhere you can reach in about three hours door to door. Beyond that a two-night trip loses most of its first and last day. A short flight or a fast train opens up more than a long drive, since you can use the journey time.

Two to six weeks ahead for most city and spa hotels, and earlier for weekends attached to a public holiday or a big event, which sell out first. Rates for a fixed weekend rarely improve as it approaches, so booking late only pays off when your dates are flexible.

Public holidays are the easy route, since one day off turns two nights into three without touching your leave. Many hotels also price the third night lower than the first two. Compare the total rather than the nightly rate when you weigh a two-night stay against a three-night one.

Often, and it makes a real difference on a two-night stay. Most hotels extend check-out by a couple of hours when they have space, sometimes free and sometimes for a fee, and midweek or quiet Sundays are the easiest times to ask. Raise it at check-in rather than on the morning you leave.