Local: Morecambe, Lancashire

In the 1850s, the cabinet-maker and temperance worker Thomas Cook began organising "grand circular tours" of Europe that were arguably the first package holidays. The concept of fun in the sun – at an affordable price – caught on and by the 1970s we were abandoning British seaside resorts in favour of sunnier stretches of sand. In 2006, over 16 million people holidayed in Spain each year.

But this year our travel plans are set to come neatly full circle. Growing concerns about the environmental cost of air travel and dramatic improvements in food and accommodation in the UK mean that more of us will be choosing to holiday in Britain once more – most fashionably beside the seaside in one of several re-energised resorts.

If you really want to be on-trend, swap Malaga for Morecambe. This June, the refurbished Midland Hotel (left) is re-opening on Lancashire's self-styled "Sunset Coast". Take a guided hike across the sands, enjoy an old-fashioned cuppa at Brucciani's or lie back and dream of sharing cocktails with former guests Coco Chanel and Laurence Olivier. Rhiannon Batten

From £109, 01524 424 000, www.midlandmorecambe.co.uk