Many business trips have been put on hold this last year, and with things starting to open up, for many business travellers there is a bit of backlog. In this article, we recommend some of the best places to go on from once at these popular Business Travel destinations. With a return to travel due on the 17 May now is a good time to check your passport is still in date and your traveller profile is up to date with your Travel Management Company. It is important to ensure you have this profile up to date as it can help avoid any costly issues, and your Travel Manager can help you if there are travel delays or changes in restrictions on or during your trip.

Now is the perfect to tag on a ‘bleisure’ (business leisure) holiday to your business travel trip, as very few of us have managed to get a foreign holiday in the past year and many of us have some spare holiday allowance to use up! As Meon Valley Travel has an award-winning holidays team, you’ll get the latest, safest advice for your next holiday and flexible COVID cover.

Business Travel: New York

New York, itself is a worthy inclusion it is an almost perfect example of a weekend getaway. However, if you are looking for a little more beach time, you can use New York as a stepping stone to a more relaxed Caribbean break.

Leisure: With New York being a hub for flights, you have a wide range of options, from relaxed luxury in the Caribbean to enjoy the sunshine on the west coast.

St Martin, Caribbean

Known as Sint Maarten to the Dutch and Saint Martin to the French, this Caribbean island is the smallest landmass in the world to be shared by two different nations. The French side is larger, but the two cultures are evident, along with the Caribbean vibe too!

Beaches, lagoons, a mountain range, luxury hotels, over 500 restaurants and a balmy tropical climate – St Martin is all about relaxing in luxury. If you want to experience all that the island has to offer, we’d highly recommend a boat trip to snorkel with the colourful tropical fish or a trip to Marigot, the French capital, to visit the daily market or climb Fort Louis for amazing views of the island. If you stay longer than a few days, a day trip to Anguilla is a must. It is only 25 minutes by ferry and the British territory is frequently voted as having the world’s best beaches.

Why St Martin over the other Caribbean islands? What sets St Martin apart from its neighbours is its gourmet food culture. With over 500 restaurants across the relatively small island the competition, and the standard, is high.

Direct flights are just under 4 hours from JFK to St Martin. Currently, there are no direct flights back to the UK so you can either return to JFK and fly from there or Delta offers a good option via Atlanta. The currency on the island is US dollars, Euros and Dutch gilders.

Sadly the island was hit by Hurricane Irma in September and although there was a lot of damage caused, a huge amount of recovery work has been done and the island is now open again and is welcoming visitors.

San Diego, California

With pristine beaches, perfect scuba diving conditions, laid back atmosphere, Hispanic heritage and a myriad of local attractions, combined with warm temperatures all year round, this is a popular choice for many.

Direct flights are around 6 hrs 30 minutes from JFK, so we’d recommend at least 3 nights to be able to make the most of it. Flyback via New York if you need to pick up your return flight or directly back from San Diego with BA.

Popular attractions include the San Diego Zoo, Torrey Pines State Park and Balboa Park, home to 1,200 acres of gardens, museums and performing arts venues. Go to La Jolla Cove to kayak with the sea lions and bright orange Garibaldi fish in the protected bay and in the evening, enjoy a drink at the Altitude Sky Lounge, a rooftop bar on the 22nd floor of the Marriott.

If it’s relaxation in luxury that you are looking for, the Fairmont Grande Del Mar Golf and Spa resort is highly recommended (Forbes Five-Star and AAA Five Diamond) our holidays’ team can ensure you get this best value and you will be covered by ATOL and ABTA. With facilities such as the private Tom Fazio designed golf course, the Five-Star spa and exquisite dining, including Southern California’s only Five-Star and Five-Diamond restaurant, it would make the perfect weekend escape before heading home relaxed and refreshed. If you wanted to extend the trip for the whole family, they also offer an Explorer’s Club for kids, nightlife and four pools, tennis courts, yoga and fitness classes. It is also adjacent to the Los Peñasquitos Canyon Preserve which offers 37 miles of hiking, biking and horseback riding trails.

Business Travel: Singapore

Singapore is another great country to tag a couple of days to your itinerary. A culturally rich and meticulously clean city that is leading both green initiatives in Asia is set up for short trips. If however you are regular to the city and want to use it as a place to go on from, Bali is within a 4-hour flight, although not next door, it saves you 11 hours compared with the trip from the UK.

Leisure: Bali (later in the season)

After a business trip in Singapore, Bali is just a 4 hr 45-minute direct flight away (compared to the 16 hours from the UK), a great option to enjoy a few days on the beach.

There are so many places you could visit in Bali, it’s hard to narrow it down to where is ‘best’ to stay. The 5 main resort areas near the airport are Nusa Dua, Seminyak, Kuta, Uluwatu and Jimbaran – all of which are around 45 minutes from each other. Kuta has a lot of tourists visit and we prefer the laid-back feel and great restaurants and hotels in Seminyak.

For brunch, choose from Mulia’s Sunday brunch with free-flowing champagne or La Luciola, famous for its ocean view and Australian-inspired cuisine.

If it’s a traditional luxury holiday that you are after, Body Works offer the traditional Balinese mandi lulur which is an hour massage followed by an exfoliating scrub.

The Samaya Bali hotel is one of the highest-rated hotels in the area and with its amazing beachfront location, 52 private villas and exceptional service, it’s not hard to see why. If you prefer to be a little closer to the nightlife, Alila Seminyak is a five-star hotel that boasts a gorgeous spa and a restaurant looking straight out on to one of the most pristine beaches around, it is also next door to ‘Potato Head’ a beach club renowned for its beach parties.

If this has inspired you to add some leisure time to your business trip, get in touch with one of our award-winning travel team who can give you more ideas and book everything for you.

Julian Munsey – Sales Director
Connect: LinkedIn
Email: [email protected]

Sign up for the Meon Valley Travel Update a monthly update of changes in Business Travel both global and domestic.