Holiday with a celebrity

Celebrities are falling over themselves to go on holiday with you ? yes, you! So why not join David Bellamy for a spot of turtle-hunting, or discuss writing techniques with Steven Berkoff in CubaFind turtles with David BellamyThe beardy botanist will be your new holiday buddy on a cruise around the coasts of Costa Rica and Nicaragua. On one day he will lead an excursion to Costa Rica's Playas del Coco, where many species of marine turtle nest, and on others he will give lectures on board the ship. Guests will spend two nights in a five-star hotel in Costa Rica before boarding a tall ship to explore the beaches, cloud forests and wildlife of the Pacific coast.? From �2,239pp for 10 nights with Star Clippers (0845 200 6145, starclippers.co.uk) including flights from London, guided tours and watersports. Departing on 8 December 2011Learn to write with Steven Berkoff or Arthur SmithHe's acted in A Clockwork Orange, Beverly Hills Cop and Rambo, directed Joan Collins, written several plays and books, and now his next project is ... you! Yes, Steven Berkoff will be on hand to get your creative juices flowing on a 10-night writing break in Cuba with alternative holiday operator Skyros.com. After a daily yoga session, you'll put pen to paper under Berkoff's guidance, inspired by excursions into Havana from your hotel, the Habana Libre, talks on Cuban history and culture. Skyros has previously run writing trips by such literary luminaries as Hanif Kureishi, Margaret Drabble and Hilary Mantel, and other teachers this year include philosopher and writer Robert Rowland Smith and comedian Arthur Smith, at the company's usual base on the Greek island of Skyros.? �1,095pp for 10 nights in Cuba in a five-star twin room (01983 865566, skyros.com), including breakfast and two evening meals, but excluding flights. Starts 20 November. Writing holidays on Skyros start at �745pp for 10 daysGet fit with Sally GunnellSally Gunnell is leading a family fitness retreat near La Clusaz in the French Alps this summer. After training with the Olympian, who is passionate about getting kids off their bums, your youngsters won't necessarily become hurdling champions too, but they should have a new enthusiasm for sport and exercise ? after trying mountain biking, kayaking, zip-wiring and more. The holiday includes children's entertainment, a nanny for under-fours, plus a fitness assessment, one-on-one sessions and a massage for adults. The same company is also offering fitness breaks with runner Liz Yelling, decathlete Dean Macey and swimmer Karen Pickering.? From �850pp for adults and �600 for children with Adventures in the Alps (0845 519 3101, adventuresinthealps.com), including full board in a luxury chalet with spa facilities, but excluding flights. Sally Gunnell's fitness retreat takes place from 20-26 AugustLearn history from Mikhail Gorbachev and Lech WalesaOn a 16-day cruise around the Baltic aboard the National Geographic Explorer, you meet the former president of Poland and Nobel laureate Lech Walesa in Gdansk and attend a presentation by Mikhail Gorbachev in St Petersburg, to learn about eastern Europe and Russia past and present. There'll be extra tuition from on-board historians, naturalists and a National Geographic photographer. You also take trips to the Hermitage Museum, the old towns of L�beck, Riga and Tallinn, and explore the Stockholm archipelago by kayak or on a nature walk. Embarking at Copenhagen, you travel on the Explorer, a state-of-the-art, ice-class expedition ship, and spend one night at St Petersburg's five-star Grand Hotel Europe. Warning: hobnobbing with makers of history does not come cheap.? From around �7,300pp (based on two sharing) with National Geographic Expeditions (nationalgeographicexpeditions.com) including full board, but excluding flights. Departures in August and September 2011 (waiting list) and 2012Party with Brotherhood of Man and Bobby DavroOnce upon a time you might have rifled through the Thomson Holidays brochure trying to decide between the hotel with the swim-up bar, the one with a sauna, or the resort with free access to pedalos. This year, though, you'll be racked with indecision over whether you'd most like to spend your hols being entertained by Eurovision 1976-winners Brotherhood of Man, comedian Bobby Davro, or experiencing an audience with Sue Holderness (who played Marlene, wife of Boycie in Only Fools and Horses), to "find out more about Sue's life, loves and what makes her feel lovely jubbly". All these encounters and more are available from the Thomson Gold list of "stars on tour" holidays, in various locations, including the Algarve, Ibiza and Majorca.? Book through Thomson Holidays ( thomson.co.uk/editorial/gold/thomson-gold.html). Prices vary, but a week at the Panorama Hotel in Ibiza for the Brotherhood of Man show in October costs �420pp based on two sharing, including flights Cook with Fergus HendersonWant to make pies with the Hairy Bikers, skewer a prawn with Mark Hix or griddle offal with Fergus Henderson? Head to Temple Guiting, a manor house in the Cotswolds where all these rent-a-chefs can be hired to teach you and your friends how to cook well on a bespoke course for your private group. The owner, cookery writer Sophie Conran, can also arrange wine tasting with Oz Clarke or a make-up course with Ruby Hammer, one half of beauty brand Ruby and Millie.? From �2,200 to hire the house (sleeps up to 10) for two nights with Mr and Mrs Smith (0845 034 0700, mrandmrssmith.com). Includes breakfast; courses extra, from �100pp Stroll around Stockholm with Kate AdieKate Adie may have thought she had it tough reporting from all those war zones, but after five days leading a group of British tourists around Sweden she may change her mind. The former BBC correspondent has a degree in Scandinavian studies and has lived in Sweden, so there is a reason for she is accompanying this trip to the Swedish capital, which takes in the sights of Gamla Stan (the old town), a night at the opera in Drottningholm Palace, the island of Djurgarden, and cruises around Stockholm's waterways. Hopefully the only conflict she'll witness on this assignment will be of the dumplings vs gravadlax variety, but if she turns up at the airport in a flak jacket you might want to turn around and go straight home.? �1,590pp based on two sharing, with Ace Cultural Tours (01223 835055, aceculturaltours.co.uk), including flights, accommodation in a four-star hotel, breakfast and three dinners, excursions and admissions. Runs 2-6 AugustGee-up with Richard DunwoodyFormer jockey Richard Dunwoody now leads riding holidays for an adventure travel company. Don't worry ? you don't have to drop to seven stone in weight to take part. These are horeseback treks, and the next is a two-week trip to Mongolia in June. Starting (on foot) in the city of Ulaanbaatar, the group heads north towards the Siberian Taiga, camping under the stars with nomads and riding up to 56km a day across mountain passes and vast steppes, cooling off in the lakes and rivers of the remote Darkhad Valley. Dunwoody will even introduce you to a local shaman (though asking him who the next Grand National winner will be is a no-no).? �2,795pp with Wild Frontiers (020-7736 3968, wildfrontiers.co.uk), excluding flights, departing 12 JuneStrut your stuff with the Strictly starsWe can't promise a thumbs-up from Brucie, or a spin with Felicity Kendal, but some of the stars of Strictly Come Dancing, including Ian Waite and Camilla Dallerup or Darren Bennett and Lilia Kopylova, teach short-break courses for Warner Leisure Hotels in June and July. Guests learn steps, watch a dance demonstration and take part in a competition judged by Craig Revel Horwood. All together now: keeeep dancing!? From �389pp for three nights (0800 138 2633, warnerleisurehotels.co.uk) at Cricket St Thomas Hotel, Somerset (3 June), and Holme Lacy House Hotel, Herefordshire (1 July). If you prefer to go further afield, Saga (0800 096 0084, travel.saga.co.uk) offers Come Dancing holidays in Malta, with seven nights from �669ppChallenge Jeremy Bates to a game of tennisLessons at your local tennis club not doing the trick? If you really want to ace your opponents, sign up for tuition with Jeremy Bates, the former British number one. On a week's course on the Caribbean island of Antigua, Jeremy will take morning coaching clinics, after which you're welcome to practise on the floodlit courts. Or you could use the spa and gym in your luxury hotel, Carlisle Bay, which is set between mangroves and the white sand beach. There is a competition and prize-giving dinner at the end of the week to spur you on.? From �2,675pp for seven nights with Seasons (01244 202 000, seasons.co.uk), including flights, half-board accommodation and five days of coaching. Departures on 10 July and 13 NovemberGet gardening tips from Christine WalkdenGreen-fingered fans of TV presenter and gardener Christine Walkden can attend two garden tours that she is leading in the UK. Sharing her knowledge of gardening techniques, soil and climate, the gardening expert for BBC's The One Show and former presenter of Gardener's World is hosting a seven-night trip around Somerset and north Devon in June will take in gardens such as Marwood Hill, Heddon Hall and Hestercombe. The second is a four-night tour to the Cotswolds in October, taking in the gardens of Bourton House, Hidcote Manor and Sudeley Castle.? �849pp for the seven-night tour and �499pp for four nights with HF Holidays (0845 470 7558, hfholidays.co.uk), including full board at a country house hotel, transport, garden visits and evening activitiesLuxury travelCelebrityCruisesTennis holidaysGardensFood and drinkCaribbeanCornwallSteven BerkoffCubaMongoliaStockholmFergus HendersonRachel Dixonguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2011 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds

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