Monarch Blog

Ah, Graceland! The stately mansion of poor-boy-made-good Elvis Presley was once a byword for star-studded excess. I love to peek at how the other half live, so when I recently found myself in Memphis, Tennessee, I just had to visit Graceland. I arrived expecting big things, but left realising that the extravagances of the Presleys pale in comparison with [...]

After a rather unpredictable summer, the recent heavy rainfall and gale force winds have left us in no doubt that we’re in for a typical British winter. For many of us, the colder weather and shorter days can bring on a mild form of depression, with 17% of Brits admitting to suffering from ‘winter blues’.  Sunlight and exercise are [...]

Monarch Airlines and the French ski region of Les 3 Vallees are offering one lucky family the chance to go from beginners to experts in one ski season – a prize worth £30,000! The ‘Easy Rider’ competition gives the chance for a family of four non-skiers to fly out to the Alps with Monarch five times during this winter. [...]

Around 24,000 passengers travelling on-board our 55 flights operating today had the opportunity to take part in Monarch’s World’s Highest Coffee Morning at 38,000ft. This special event was in aid of Macmillan’s ‘World’s Biggest Coffee Morning’, raising money for this very special charity. Monarch passengers were able to purchase a cup of half price Kenco coffee on-board, with all [...]

A little investigation on Facebook recently (that font of all information!)  has given me the feeling that change is coming. People back home in the UK are starting to shift their summer clothes back up to the loft and dust off their winter boots. Along with that goes a whole lot of deep sighing and pessimism about the beginning [...]

Autumn reveals Turkey’s mellow side. Summer’s scorching days are over, but top temperatures still hover around the high teens to mid-20s, making it easier on little ones who are easily exhausted in the heat. Even better, the biggest throngs of tourists have headed home, so getting around is simpler, and cheap flights and deals on accommodation are plentiful. During [...]

If you’ve not yet escaped our grey nation but are still keen to catch some rays before the onset of autumn, there are plenty of destinations within four hours of most UK airports where the sun continues to shine in October for much of the day. Granted, it may not be warm enough to spend hours baking on the [...]

Skiing is a sport that can be thrilling, exciting and scary. With so many benefits, don’t let fear stand in the way of experiencing this exhilarating sport. Age Lots of people think they have missed the boat to try this fabulous sport of skiing – they may think they are too old, not fit enough or might get hurt. And [...]

Come September, there’s nowhere I’d rather be. Visiting Venice, even for a weekend, is like stepping into another world. In fact, its one-of-a-kind atmosphere makes it one of the best European city breaks within easy reach (Venice flights are just 2–2.5 hours from the UK). I’m fresh from my own whirlwind weekend in Venice, where I picked up these [...]

They’re the three great mainstays for beach holidays in mainland Spanish: the Costa Brava, Costa Blanca and Costa del Sol. Each is a beautiful coast in its own right, but is it the right one for you? Here’s the lowdown on each Costa, to help make choosing your next sunshine break simple: 1. Costa Brava The Costa Brava was [...]