Pod n Pedal, Lake District
They're not big but camping pods are definitely clever, swapping flimsy tent walls for solid, insulated, wooden ones with electricity, heating and light, while still providing the outdoor experience you come to the Lakes for.
Sign up to the PodnPedal tour and you'll stay three nights in camping pods on three different award-winning Lake District campsites, riding through the glorious Cumbrian countryside between each one, so that you wake up to the view of a different lake every morning.
After you and your bikes (which can be hired if needed) are picked up from Penrith station, you'll be taken to your first night's pod at the Quiet Site overlooking Ullswater. Day two sees you ride 24 miles to Castlerigg Hall near Keswick, overlooking Derwentwater and Bassenthwaite Lake, before on your third day you ride to Park Cliffe on the shores of Windermere. The next morning you finish your tour with a six-mile pedal to Windermere train station.
Prices: from £120 per person including transfers
Garda Bike Hotel, Italy
Found in the beautiful walled port town of Peschiera del Garda on the southern end of Lake Garda, the Garda Bike Hotel is run by bike-mad brothers Nicola and Alberto under the watchful eye of their parents. The boutique hotel is the ideal place to base yourself for discovering the fantastic mountainous scenery surrounding the lake on four sides, with riding varying from cruising between vineyard visits, to taking on the local climb of Monte Baldo, whose 2,218m summit towers above the edge of the lake. Guided rides every day plus over 50 full carbon Pinarello, De Rosa and Eddy Merckx rental bikes to choose from. Tours include guaranteed Gran Fondo entries to events like the hallowed Maratona dles Dolomitis, and multiple hotel stays in conjuction with partner hotels in Piedmont, Bormio, Cesenatico and near Rome.
Prices: from £780 pp for three days all-inclusive cycling package
Velo Vercors, Drome, France
This hidden mountainous region of France ought to be thronging with cyclists, enjoying its stunning, quiet cornice roads, vertiginous gorges and medieval towns and villages. But it isn't. Instead at Velo Vercours' base in the National Park there is easy access to unforgettable day rides into the gorges and Alpine climbs of the western Vercors, as well as the rolling hills of the Drome and the flatter Isere Valley. Both self-catered and B&B accommodation is available, as well as self-guided and guided rides, including supported sportive entries and day trips to the legendary Tour de France climbs of Alpe d'Huez and Mont Ventoux. All the family will enjoy the friendly atmosphere and the 42km traffic-free Isere Green Route.
Prices: from £60 per person per night B&B
Parador de Las Canadas del Teide, Tenerife, Spain
Located 2,152m above the glittering Atlantic the Parador is the only building inside the volcanic crater of Mount Teide. Not only will you see incredible stars at night from here but as the hotel is used by several professional cycling teams, including British Cycling, it's a good location for terrestrial cycling star spotting too. Not only are the pros there to train in the thin high-altitude air but the mountain but also to access Europe's longest continuous climb - a 2,200m altitude gain in one, long, punishing but spectacular hit. With lava fields, authentic Canarian mountain villages and an incredible variety of landscapes and even climates to experience on the island, this really is an unforgettable place to stay and ride.
Prices: from £69 per room per night
Hotel Bellevue Wiesen, Davos, Switzerland
With the snow melted to reveal an expansive network of trails, the summer season in the Swiss resort of Davos-Klosters is every bit as exhilarating as in the winter. With free use of all cable cars and mountain railways for cyclists, the riding can be as hard or easy as you want it to be. Whether you're an expert downhiller looking to push your limits, or an active family wanting to share some spectacular but easy spinning, this corner of Gisons has it all - not to mention enough challenging road riding for a national tour. Bike Hotel accreditation means the Hotel Bellevue offers a secure bike storage and cleaning area, a workshop and free bike kit washing, as well as ride support, bike hire, group lessons and local event entry.
Prices: from £56 per room per night
Comrie Croft, Perthshire, Scotland
With a farmstead hostel, group rooms, camping, Nordic katas tents, its own bike festival, and its own mountain bike centre of the same name, the Comrie Croft is a fantastic base for exploring the hills and wooded trails of Perthshire. Only an hour from both Glasgow and Edinburgh, the bike centre offers technical hand-built singletrack trails, kids bike demo weekends, a Skills Park and guided group biking for all standards, as well as a fleet of rental bikes from full suspension mtbs to balance bikes for nippers. If you fancy a break off the bike, then why not bag a munro by climbing the one on the doorstep, Ben Chonzie.
Prices: from £20 per person (under 18s free) in private room
Ponent Mar Hotel, Mallorca, Balearics, Spain
Not only is the Balearic island of Mallorca in the western Mediterranean a Mecca for on and off road cyclists but it is also home to one of the most famous English speaking cyclists of all time, the Tour de France winner Stephen Roche. Roche owns two hotels on Mallorca, both of which host cycling packages which combine cyclist friendly facilities like a bike workshop and secure storage, free gym and sauna, with guided riding, high-end bike hire and spa treatments. Classic road cycling through this mountainous landscape, includes the famous switchback climbs and exhilarating descents of the Puig Major and the Sa Calobra.
Prices: from £61 per person all inclusive cycling package in shared apartment
Dolce Vita Hotel Jagdhof, Val Venosta, Italy
The Val Venosta in South Tyrol boasts as many days of sunshine as Sicily, with its season running from March to late autumn so that you can enjoy the surrounding mountains. Mountain and road bikes are catered for as well as cruising sightseeers and families, and with a Garmin test centre at the hotel, there are a dozen GPS devices available to take out and guide you on more than 80 mapped tours from the hotel door. There are daily guided tours with real people too, including the mountain bike evangelistic owner Martin Pirhofer, and a fully equipped in-house bike shop which can kit you out with everything from downhill protection, to bike hire and workshop facilities, and a even a couple of dedicated ipads for route planning.
Prices: from £103 per room per night
Afan Lodge, Port Talbot, South Wales
With its wood-cladding, roaring open fire and mountain top location the Afan Lodge has taken a leaf out of the Swiss book of chalet philosophy, and brought it to south Wales. Set deep in the heart of the Afan Forest Park, the Lodge overlooks the Afan Valley and its 240km of world class trails. Inside you'll find wholesome homemade food, a licensed bar, secure parking and bike storage, access to guided riding and skills courses, a drying room, bike wash area (this is Wales after all), and the expertise and atmosphere that you only get in a place run by people who are just as much into riding as you. All this and its just 6 miles from the M4.
Prices: from £40 per person per night B&B
Silva Splendid Bike Hotel , Italy
Just 60 minutes south of Rome, in the beautiful Lazio region, and surrounded by ancient Roman roads and vineyards, the Silva Splendid Bike Hotel has new landscapes to discover in every direction. From the 1800m peak of Campocatino to the east, to the Serrone mountains in the west, the shrine of the Holy Trinity to the north, and the Santa Serena plateau which rises sharply to the south. On the way you'll visit vineyards, sleepy hilltop villages, and breathtaking landscapes. The hotel will take you to several Granfondo, including the beautiful Granfondo Rome, which starts in the heart of the Italian capital under the walls of the Colliseum. After your efforts you can recover in the luxurious hotel spa. A fleet of Bianchi bikes is available as well as daily guided rides and tours.
Prices: from £142 per room per night including breakfast and afternoon snack
