Take me there: Adagio Aparthotel, Liverpool
One of Liverpool's best-loved buildings, the former Lewis's department store re-opens this weekend as the Adagio Aparthotel. Liverpudlians will be relieved to see that many of the building's original features remain intact, including the colourful 1950s tiled mural which graced the fifth-floor cafeteria and the statue of a naked man (known locally as Dickie Lewis) over the entrance. The 126 apartments are equipped for self-catering, but guests also have access to hotel-style services, such as 24-hour reception, free internet service and housekeeping. A studio apartment costs from £70 a night, with cheaper rates available for longer stays (adagio-city.com)
It's a good time to... celebrate Midsummer
If performing dawn rituals at Stonehenge sounds a bit too druidy, there are plenty of other ways to let your hair down on the longest day.
Nobody does midsummer better than the Swedes, dancing round maypoles and lighting bonfires. But the next best thing to getting on a flight to Stockholm next weekend will be to head to London's Victoria Park where a pop-up Swedish-style "summer house" will be dispensing cider cocktails and hot dogs with wild lingonberry ketchup (£10, 21 June-5 July, facebook.com/RekorderligUK).
Elsewhere, the longest day will be celebrated with evening hikes and solar viewings. In Scotland, you can join a summer solstice wildlife hunt for bats and barn owls at Brodick Castle on Arran, followed by the chance to gather round an open fire in the Bronze Age roundhouse (21 June, nts.org.uk/events).
The Neolithic ruins at Bryn Celli Ddu on Anglesey will be hosting a family open day with rock-art workshops, living history displays and Neolithic food tastings (22 June, cadw.wales.gov.uk). And, in case you need reminding what the sun looks like, the Huddersfield Astronomical Society will offer an evening of solar-gazing through specially filtered telescopes (21 June, huddersfieldastronomy.org).
Give me a break: the week's best deals
Home: Southwest savings Blue Chip Holidays is offering savings of up to 20% on summer holidays at its luxury self-catering houses in the West Country and the Isle of Wight. A week in June at Chisel Barn Foxditch, a five-star barn conversion sleeping four in Dorset, can currently be booked for £510, a saving of £119. Bookings must be made before the end of June (bluechipholidays.co.uk)
Away: Setting sail Children can travel for free with Irish Ferries on all sailings booked before 27 June. The offer applies to under-16s travelling with an adult by car on the Holyhead to Dublin and Pembroke to Rosslare routes for the rest of the year, including peak July and August dates – a saving of £30 per child on a return journey. One-way self-drive ferry fares start at £79 for a car and driver (irishferries.com)
