Vampire-inspired hols are bite special

Bleedin' heck! Vampire blockbuster New Moon has got fans flying to the Forks where it was based, as we told you earlier this month.

But there's no shortage of other places to visit inspired by the blood-sucking creatures.

Like Count Dracula's home patch of Transylvania. It's a must-see for vampire enthusiasts, being linked to 15th century villain Vlad III Dracul of Wallachia, who had unsavoury habits which involved impaling his victims on stakes.

And it's also where Bram Stoker set his Dracula novel. The tourist board reckons that Transylvania is the most romantic region in Romania. Love bites aside, its medieval towns often sit in wooded valleys with high-roofed churches and legendary castles.

But there are also modern wonders in the ski resorts and health spas.

ResponsibleTravel.com can do B&B with a Transylvanian count - you'll only be coffin up from 36euros a night, or 115euros for a full-board deal with wine and excursions which include bear and wolf-tracking, horse sleighs and hiking. See responsibletravel.com

Still in Europe, Serbia's mulos are über-vampires who not only suck the blood of victims but feed off their flesh.

But these evil creatures are victims themselves, of the fashion variety, with a preference for white clothes. Deeply impractical for their lifestyle but then so are high heels so who are we to criticise?

Belgrade, which is built on a group of hills with the rivers Danube and Sava running through them to the sea, is not as fashionable as Prague or Budapest, so it's not choc-full of tourists either.

From the fortress of Kalemegdan to the height of the ancient royal estate in Topcider, going through the bohemian quarter of Skadarlija, there's plenty to see as you wander through cobbled streets sampling fragrant coffee. Return flights from Glasgow to Belgrade are showing on Skyscanner.net at £243 including taxes.

Despite their love of darkness, even sunny places have vampires - the loogaroo are Caribbean females who suck blood to give to the devil. You can stay safe by leaving a pile of rice or sand at your door - their weakness is OCD, they need to count each grain.

You too can obsessively count the grains of white sand, but from the comfort of a lounger on the perfect beaches with a rum cocktail to keep your stamina up. With its rich music history, Jamaica's a good choice.

It's from £1,267 for a week at Sandals Grande Ocho Rios Beach & Villa Golf Resort, including return flights from Glasgow in October 2010. Call 0800 742 742 or visit sandals.co.uk.

More females baddies appear in Mexico - the cihuateteo are vampire witches who steal children and cause seizures and madness. Which isn't nearly as scary as swine flu, obviously.

Tourists are flocking back to the country thanks to its ancient Aztec wonders and beautiful beaches. Its Caribbean resorts are loved by families and couples alike, while the spectacular Pacific coast attracts surfers and adventure seekers. Return flights direct from Glasgow to Cancun are showing from £359 including tax on skyscanner.net.

In India, rakshasas are partial to a drop or two of blood and commonly go the whole hog to cannibalism. The shape-changing supernaturals can appear as animals with human features or humans with animal features, but they still suffer from that vampire weakness for daylight.

This, and the fact that they are mainly preoccupied with desecrating graves and harassing priests, means they are unlikely to trouble holidaymakers in Mumbai. And tourists in turn may be far too distracted by the amazing sights in this city of 15million people to look them out. It's hard to keep pace as traffic honks and shoves its manic way through an exhilarating mix of colonial relics, temples, swish bars and restaurants, ancient bazaars, modern malls, skyscrapers and slums.

Return flights from Glasgow to Mumbai are showing from £467 on Skyscanner.net including taxes.

Fang-cy a trip to beautiful Montepulciano in Italy? The 15th century walled city, famous until now for its wine, was the Italian town of Volterra in New Moon.

Its main square is said to be one of the most impressive piazzas in Tuscany and the town hall, cathedral and clock tower are amongst the treasures packed into the narrow stone streets.

Cresta Holidays has three nights' B&B from £308 at the four-star Hotel Garden in nearby Sienna, leaving from Edinburgh in March and April. Call 0844 800 7018, see crestaholidays.co.uk or visit a Thomas Cook or Going Places shop.

Even in Scotland we have freaky female vampires known as baobhan sith. These beautiful young women seduce young men and invite them to dance before eventually feeding on them.

So, a lot like WAGs - only the supernatural sort favour long green dresses to hide their cloven feet while WAGs prefer minis, don't mind showing their bunions in stilettos and are supernatural only in the surgically enhanced sense.

Baobhan sith are said to be found in the Highlands, especially wooded areas. The picturesque Lovat Hotel at Loch Ness has just made it into the 20 Best British Hotel Discoveries in the Good Hotel Guide. The independent 28-bedroom hotel in Fort Augustus, overlooking Loch Ness, was refurbished in 2007.

Sitting at the southern tip of the mysterious waters of Loch Ness, it's ideally placed for exploring the beautiful area.

The Great Glen is tipped to be a World Heritage site, placing it up there with the Grand Canyon, Great Barrier Reef and the Taj Mahal as a world wonder.

The Victorian hotel's modernisation made it not only eco-friendly but children and pet-friendly too. Its winter warmer deal of three nights for the price of two applies in December, from £48 per person for dinner bed and breakfast. See thelovat.com or call 0845 450 1100.

This article has 0 comments