The Travel & Leisure Magazine July-Aug 2009. PDF

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T R A V E L
FROM THE EDITOR
HOME OR AWAY?
W
elcome to the
s u m m e r- t i m e
issue of The
Travel & Leisure
Magazine. Traditionally, it
is when we Brits make our
annual pilgrimage to soak
up the sun on distant
beaches. But, according to
several surveys, more of GETTING TO KNOW Thailand bling and buy 6
us are choosing to stay in
the UK this year – either to cut down on the
expense of going abroad, or to enjoy the “bar-
TRAVEL UPDATE Travel news 15
beque summer” promised by the Met Office.
Wherever you head, we hope you will take ESCAPE TO Salzburg – city of music 18
this issue with you. As ever, it is packed full of
ideas for holidays, both overseas and at home. ALL ABOARD Cruising from UK ports + News 23
And with an eye on the weather, we look at
London’s glorious parks and see what’s going
on during the summer beyond the capital.
OFF THE BEATEN TRACK KwaZulu-Natal 28
We head to Thailand, a perennial favourite for
its beaches and good-value shopping, and sing LET’S TRY Escorted coach holidays 34
the praises of music city Salzburg. We also go
on the buses to see how coach holidays have PACK YOUR CLUBS Spain’s Murcia region + News 41
changed. The Channel Islands are the focus for
our look at holidays on your doorstep. Keeping
the theme close to home we highlight cruises
ON YOUR DOORSTEP The Channel Islands 47
from UK ports, which are growing in populari-
ty. And we tee it up in Spain’s Murcia region for IN YOUR FLIGHT BAG 53
our golf spotlight. WIN – A stylish Travelwrap worth over £200
Sit back, enjoy the read – and catch those rays
while they last.
IN YOUR SUITCASE 54
Peter Ellegard PLUS – 5 Yale Travel Safes to give away
BEST FOR Hotels news and review 68
4 The Travel & Leisure Magazine July/August 2009

contents-TLjul09v1-pp04-05:T&L 20/7/09 10:25 Page 5
L E I S U R E
EDITORIAL TEAM
OUT & ABOUT What’s on outside London 56 Editor Peter Ellegard
Writers Peter Ellegard, Keeley Gordon, Sara
Macefield, Dave Richardson, Debbie Ward and
COMING NEXT What’s in store in the next issue 59 Frank Partridge
Design Nick Blaxill
Advertising Team Jeannette Cumbers, Beverley
LONDON REVIEW London’s parks + London news 60 Sennett & Elaine Smith
Admin/Accounts Wendy Barfoot
Production Keeley Gordon, Loretta Prince
Publisher Terry Stafford
Digital Publisher Peter Lewsey
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July/August 2009 The Travel & Leisure Magazine 5

thailand/TLjul09/v1/06-12:T&L 20/7/09 10:48 Page 6
Karst away
in bling and buy paradise
From its gorgeous beaches and craggy karst islands to golden palaces,
jungles and great shopping, it is hardly surprising Thailand is such a
popular holiday spot. Debbie Ward is a Thai dyed-in-the-wool fan…
“T
here’s the big- paddle tour of scenic rock climbing; there’s a
headed ghost” mangroves at Thailand’s cultural side – if you join
said my guide, southerly resort of the monks (and the
flashing the beam Krabi. My small monkeys) at the nearby
of her torch into kayaking party not Tiger Cave Temple;
Main photo and inset:Tourism Authority of Thailand
the upper reaches only took in the “big- and, of course, there’s
of the cave. I could make out a striped headed ghost cave” but some of the world’s most
snake-like creature with a bulge and an eye also tunnels hung with gorgeous beaches to lie
at one end. I did what any tourist would do, stalactites and leafy corri- your towel upon.
I took a photo. dors where brightly-coloured ■ Wat Pho Buddha Low-key Krabi may not be
As I was wearing flip flops and my only crabs crawled up exposed tree Thailand’s most popular resort (it
means of escape was a kayak it’s just as well roots. lags in that respect behind Phuket and
this was no malevolent monster but a 2,000 Krabi could be considered a small-scale Koh Samui) but if your mental image of the
year-old cave painting, given its nickname showcase of the tourist appeal of whole of country is craggy limestone karst islands and
by Thai fishermen. Thailand. There’s adventure – with kayak- long-tail boats decorated with ribbons in a
My brush with ancient spirits came on a ing, jungle hikes to hot springs and even turquoise sea, this is where the photos you’re

getting to KNOW
THAILAND
recalling were mostly likely taken. The icon-

ic karst islands were made famous when one ■ Long-tail boats and karst island off Krabi
was used as a location for the villain
Scaramanga’s hideout in the 1974 Bond film
The Man with the Golden Gun. Now popu-
larly known as James Bond Island, Koh Tapu
(translating as Nail island as it is virtually
vertical) is in Phang Nga Bay and can be
reached on a day trip from Krabi or Phuket.
Island hopping
Krabi’s main strip, Ao Nang, has something
of a waterborne rush hour each morning as
Debbie Ward
long-tails start their noisy outboard motors

to whisk day-tripping tourists into karst-
studded Phang Nga Bay. My partner and I
joined one of the island-hopping excursions By night we enjoyed browsing the restau- By day, when we weren’t on excursions
for a lazy day of sunbathing and snorkelling rants at the quieter eastern end of Ao Nang, we made shorter hops, using the long-tails
on and around five beaches of increasing checking out the catch of the day displayed as a ferry service to the attractive neighbour-
loveliness. Some of the places we stopped on iced trays before tucking our legs under a ing beaches of Railay and, my personal
at were nothing more than sandbars but bamboo table and tucking in to three or four favourite Thai beach, Phra Nang. Here, at
enterprising Thais had turned their long- colourful stir-fry or curry dishes for under one end of the cliff-framed white sand strip,
tails into floating cafes serving milkshakes, £10. Afterwards we’d head for a cocktail at a I found another surprise waiting in a cave –
sandwiches and fruit. bar converted from an old VW campervan. rows of brightly-painted wooden phalluses.

While it may be a giggle for tourists, some

locals believe this cave contains the spirit of
a drowned princess – and I kept a respectful
distance from the devotees offering prayers
before the unusual shrine.
Friendly people
Thailand’s predominantly-Buddhist spiritu-
ality is part of what makes it so famously
friendly. Thais consider it a loss of face to
resort to argument and you’ll rarely hear
raised voices. The short-lived violence at the
government protests of late last year was out
Tourism Authority of Thailand

of character in this usually-peaceful country.
Buddhism also gives Thailand some of its
most colourful sights, such as gold bell-shaped
temple stupas and saffron-robed monks. My
beach shrine was a far cry from the country’s
more glitzy places of worship, the most ■ Relxation, Thai style
revered of which lies within Bangkok’s key
tourist attraction, the Grand Palace. On my visit I had my own lie down for a tance are the Bridge over the River Kwai, the
You haven’t seen bling until you’ve wan- very affordable kneading at the massage so-called Death Railway built by WWII pris-
dered this sprawling complex of gold leaf- school in Wat Pho’s grounds. oners of war, and Ayutthaya, the site of
covered, jewel-encrusted buildings set Bangkok’s other must-sees, the pottery Thailand’s former royal capital. At the sec-
beside the city’s Chao Phraya River. Despite studded temple of dawn – Wat Arun – and ond of these I was charmed to discover the
the crowds it’s a peaceful place to be, with the small Royal Barges Museum are close odd crumbling stone Buddha statue respect-
Thais making incense and lotus blossom by and reached on a river boat tour. Just fully clothed with saffron robes or patched
offerings and kneeling before the precious beware of locals telling you the attraction with gold leaf among the restored temples
statue that’s the focal point of the Temple of you seek is closed for lunch, flooded or oth- and atmospheric ruins. Most people arrive
the Emerald Buddha. Next door to the erwise unavailable and helpfully suggesting at Ayutthaya by road but it’s possible to
Grand Palace, Wat Pho is home to a giant, alternative sights. They’re invariably drum- make a romantic two-night, three-day jour-
reclining Buddha with feet inlaid with moth- ming up business for a mate with a tuk-tuk! ney aboard a converted rice barge
er of pearl. Out of Bangkok but within day-trip dis- (www.manohracruises.com).
● When visiting Bangkok’s Royal Palace wear enclosed

Cultural tips shoes or sandals with straps around the heels to save
queuing to hire appropriate footwear.
● It is considered rude to point your feet at people in ● Be prepared to cover your shoulders and remove shoes
Thailand and especially at images of Buddha.Take care to inside temples.
tuck your feet behind you when sitting on the floor, ● The Thai royal family is highly-revered, so derogatory
particularly in temples. comments about them and disrespectful treatment of
● It’s also taboo to touch someone’s head, or to touch Baht notes bearing the king’s image will not be
monks. appreciated.
■ The Royal Palace, Bangkok

Thai massage ■ Traditional Thai massage. Below

left: Thai massage ingredients
Thailand’s unique and effective form of
massage combines stretches with
reflexology-like stimulation of pressure
points. Much attention is focused on the
feet but the masseur will also pull your
pyjama-clad limbs into slightly scary but
ultimately muscle-easing positions, which is
why this technique is sometimes called
“passive yoga”.
If you’re nervous, start with a foot
massage or the more gentle Thai treatments
involving warm herbal poultices.Whatever
you choose, your relaxation will be aided by
the low cost.While you’d commonly pay £1
a minute for a massage at home, £4 an hour
is more typical in Thailand’s clean street or
beachside centres (look out for the
reflexology charts outside) and as little as
£30 in a plush hotel spa with a range of
international treatments.
All photos:Tourism Authority of Thailand
Cycling tour inside what looks like the belly of a bright from recycled animal feed sacks and eating
On another visit to Bangkok, I made my white space ship. Glamorous skyscraper-top dinner under a chandelier hung with Barbie
escape from the city on one of the capital’s bars such as Sirocco Sky Bar dolls. While not everyone will love the
new cycling tours. Thankfully this didn’t (www.thedomebkk.com) at State Tower or quirkiness of this place there are several
route me through Bangkok’s traffic-choked Vertigo Grill & Moon Bar boutique hotels in the capital where the style
streets; instead, our small group was led by (www.banyantree.com) atop the Banyan is more traditional, meaning you no longer
the guide along quiet paths through nearby Tree offer a different perspective with city have to go large for a bit of city chic.
farming areas, creating our own refreshing views that stretch to the horizon.
breeze as we went. During an enlightening Bangkok’s hotels also pack that wow fac- Bargain shopping
day, we stopped to ask farmers the secrets of tor and nowadays size isn’t everything. I recommend hitting Bangkok last if you
the famously-stinky durian fruit and called I’ve been lucky enough to stay in several can. Not only will you have shed
in at a local infant school to watch an plush marble-lobbied giants on the your jetlag in a more relaxed
English lesson in progress. Flinging our riverfront over the years but, on environment but you’ll
mountain bikes into a boat for a short ride my last trip, I chose to down- have got to grips with
up river, we ended up at Koh Kret, an island size to Reflections Rooms ■ Shop for haggling and the
known for its pottery making and where we (www.reflections-thai.com), local crafts exchange rate
watched freshly-moulded incense burners a bizarre and very afford- before you hit the
being loaded into kilns. able establishment where a capital’s shopping
While the big sights of Bangkok are about host of artists have been highlights.
history, one of its other key attractions – its given free reign with the Most tourists
nightlife – is bang up to date. Among the decor. I found myself beat a path to the
most famous venues is Bed Supper Club crunching my way across my rather seedy streets
(www.bedsupperclub.com), where you can room on silver bubble wrap around Patpong for
dance, or recline to eat and sip cocktails flooring, sitting on a sofa made the ever-popular night

to see Cambodia’s famous Angkor Wat tem-

ples is another great combination.
Here’s a regional round-up of Thailand’s
key resorts:
Andaman Sea
Krabi and Phuket both front the spectacular
island-studded Phang Nga Bay, a scenic
playground of beautiful beaches, caves and
cliffs for lazing, kayaking and snorkelling.
Phuket, Thailand’s most popular resort, is
by far the liveliest of the two. This is the
place to come for big resort facilities, party
action and international fast-food favourites.
The large island, linked to the mainland
by road bridge, has also gained some peace-
ful and stylish retreats in recent years, par-
ticularly on it’s east and north-west coasts.
For divers, Phuket is the gateway to
Thailand’s world-class sites of the Similan
Islands, Surin Islands and Burma Banks.
Quieter Khao Lak, on the mainland just
above Phuket, is even closer.
Classy resorts have sprung up on some of
the islands in Phang Nga Bay, including Koh
Lanta, Koh Racha and day-trip favourite the
Phi Phi islands – famous as the filming site
for The Beach.
Gulf of Thailand
While most of Thailand is best visited in the
winter months, sheltered Koh Samui to the
south of the Gulf of Thailand has an opposite
season. It’s a honeymoon favourite so there’s
plenty of romantic accommodation while
■ Elephant riding in northern Thailand family attractions like a training centre for
coconut-picking monkeys are strung along
the island’s loop road. Offshore, you can
market. While I’ve had fun singing along to bites put paid to the mas- tour around Angthong National Marine Park
Tom Jones impersonators at Radio City bar sage marathon I had or linger on neighbouring islands Koh Pha
and snapping up a few bargains here in my planned on my last visit, I Ngan – famous for its full moon parties –
time, for serious browsing I head to still got to make like a celebri- and Koh Tao, a top spot for beginner
Chatuchak. This colossal weekend market ty by having a Bangkok tai- divers.
(also known as JJs), beside the northern lor (most are concentrated Just around an hour’s drive from
SkyTrain stop of Mo Chit, boasts over around Sukhumvit Road Bangkok, brash Pattaya is a party
15,000 stalls. and top hotels) run resort with big-name facilities. Its
You’ll find bargain silk scarves, hand- me up silk skirts seedier side has been somewhat
made candles, wood carvings and ornate and blouses to my cleaned up in recent years and it’s
cutlery sets but half the fun is the spectacle. own designs. a well-established favourite with
This is where Thais shop for anything from The classic families who stay at quieter
furniture to pets to plastic fruit. I once even Thailand holiday Jontiem beach and enjoy nearby
spotted a monk choosing a hamster! combines Bangkok attractions such as water parks,
If you prefer the air-conditioned comfort with a beach and go-karting, an Elephant Village
of a mall, you’re spoilt for choice with giant sometimes a third stop and Sriracha Tiger Zoo.
shopping centres catering for trendy teens to in the green and cul- Golfers flock to Pattaya, too,
the well-heeled clustered around Siam tural North. The as there are several quality
Square and surrounding streets. country is also courses nearby.
The great thing about buying anything in often linked with Hua Hin and Cha Am,
Thailand is that it’s very affordable. This is its neighbours on also within driving distance
one of the few places in the world I can enjoy tours of South East of Bangkok, are quiet neigh-
my favourite indulgences, cocktails and spa Asia. A Thailand hol- bouring resorts favoured by
treatments, on a daily basis. While mosquito iday with a side trip the Thai royal family, while

Chic & boutique ■ The funky Dusit

In recent years,Thailand’s decorative cultural D2 hotel at Pattaya
traditions have been given a twist and the
country has become something of a hotspot
for chic contemporary design – not least in
its accommodation, with attractive new
boutique hotels making a particular splash.
Just some of the stylish offerings include:
● The funky Dusit D2 brand hotels at
Chiang Mai, Pattaya and, soon, Koh Samui
(www.dusit.com).
● Philippe Starck-designed The Yamu, opening
on Phuket this year with a chocolate room
and a recording studio
(www.theyamu.com).
● Back-to-nature and spa-focused Soneva
Kiri by Six Senses, on the island of Koh
Kood in the gulf of Thailand
(www.sixsenses.com).
● Minimalist The Racha on Koh Racha, off
Phuket (www.theracha.com).
● And the cheery, oriental chintz-themed
Dusit D2
Shanghai Mansion, in Bangkok’s Chinatown
(www.shanghaimansion.com).
the large, up-and-coming island of Koh

Thailand facts Chang offers a mountainous interior and
day-trip possibilities around its 50-plus
When to go: neighbouring islands.
Koh Samui is best from June to September and the rest of
Thailand November to March. Thailand’s North

Not everything worth seeing in Thailand
Visa: comes with a sea view. The country’s lush
UK passport holders do not need a visa for stays up to 30 days. and mountainous North is packed full of
adventure and culture.
Getting there: Thailand’s second city, Chiang Mai, is the
Thai Airways (www.thaiairways.co.uk), EVA Air (www.evaair.com), gateway to the North and is famed for its night
British Airways (www.ba.com) and Qantas (www.qantas.com) fly direct. market, handicraft villages and sanctuaries for
You can also go direct to major resorts on charter flights. elephants that once worked in the logging
industry. Farther north, Chiang Rai is a small-
Tour operators: er hub and close to the Golden Triangle where
UK operators featuring Thailand include: Kuoni (www.kuoni.co.uk),Travel Thailand, Laos and Burma meet in scenic
2 (www.travel2.com), Funway Holidays (www.funwayholidays.co.uk), splendour around the Mekong River.
Jasmine Travel (www.jasmineholidays.co.uk), Premier Holidays, You can trek to visit hill tribes in the
(www.premierholidays.co.uk) and Silverbird (www.silverbird.co.uk). North though the tourist path is pretty well-
worn these days. Soft-adventure experiences
Getting around: like mountain biking and white-water raft-
Bangkok Airways (www.bangkokair.com) and Thai Airways ing are also centred in the region as are some
(www.thaiairways.co.uk) have extensive domestic flight networks. good golf courses. To head North in style,
Beat the gridlocked daytime traffic in Bangkok by taking the SkyTrain, take the Eastern & Oriental Express
underground, or river ferries. Iconic three-wheeled tuk-tuks are fun for (www.orient-express.com) from Bangkok
short trips (haggle the price beforehand) but metered taxis (check the to Chiang Mai, or, if you’d rather chill-out
meter is on) are safer and more affordable.Take the less-congested toll somewhere up-and coming, consider the laid
TL
expressways in Bangkok. Cycling tours are offered by Bike & Travel back retreat of Pai in Mae Hong Song
(www.cyclingthailand.com) and Spice Roads (www.spiceroads.com). province.
Ferry services and cheap long-tail boat taxis operate to the islands.
A travel journalist for over a decade,
Tourist information: Debbie Ward writes for numerous
Tourism Authority of Thailand: call 0870 900 2007 or visit publications. She has a wardrobe full of Thai
clothing from her many Thailand visits.
www.tourismthailand.co.uk



Travel/TLjul09v1pp15-16:T&L 20/7/09 10:59 Page 15
TRAVEL update
Does my tum look BIG in this?

W
hen it comes to shopping, highlights the trends in the USA’s top five
women are the natural champi- inbound markets: Canada, Germany, Japan
ons. After all, a girl can never and Mexico plus the UK.
have too many shoes. Or dresses. Or hand- Most British shopping travellers are
bags. repeat visitors, it reveals, and good value and
And that lovely, sparkly jewellery is just variety are the most important elements of
perfect for those new outfits... their shopping experience. New York City is
Yet it seems the tables are turned when the top destination for British shoppers, at
we go on holiday to the USA. New research 39%, followed by Orlando (20%) and Las
shows that men outshop the girls once they Vegas (14%).
cross the Atlantic, and by some considerable Shopping accounts for 25% of British
margin, too. visitors’ spending on US trips, averaging
The International Shopping Traveller $968 out of a total trip spend of $3,845.
Study shows that for almost 50% of British ● Chelsea Premium Outlets opens its
visitors shopping is either the key reason for Cincinnati Premium Outlets in August and
the trip or is a factor in their choice of desti- has just completed The Promenade exten-
nations – with men representing 56% of sion to Camarillo Premium Outlets, near
British shoppers, compared with just 44% Los Angeles. Extra discounts on labels
for women. such as Hugo Boss, Diesel and Brooks
■ Step aside, girls: men are the biggest bargain hunters
The survey, unveiled at the recent Pow Brothers as well as boys toys favourites
Wow international travel trade marketplace company Taubman Centres in partnership Sony and Bose are available by visiting
show in Miami, was commissioned by the with the US Department of Commerce www.premiumoutlets.com and joining
Shop America Alliance and shopping mall Office of Travel & Tourism Industries. It the VIP club.
Flagging up Britain’s Ferry good value – and

Fido can go, too
best beaches Take an Irish Ferries cruise from
Holyhead to Dublin or Pembroke
A
record 184 to Rosslare in July and August and
awards have enjoy a free night and three-course
been given to dinner at Wexford hotel Carlton Millrace and
UK coastal areas in Kildare hotel Carlton Abbey. Prices, from £214
recognition of high qual- per person, include three nights with breakfast
ity under the Blue Flag and return Sunday-Thursday ferry crossings. See
beach award scheme – www.irishferries.com
which is good news for If the dog needs a holiday too, DFDS Seaways
the five million Britons (www.dfds.co.uk) now offers the DEFRA Pet Travel
Valerie Cameron
planning to holiday in Scheme (PETS) on both its Newcastle-Amsterdam

the UK this year. ■ Thanet’s Blue Flag- and Harwich-Esbjerg routes, with pet travel from
Although this year’s winning Minnis beach £19 each way. Pets, which can include rabbits, mice
72 Blue Flags is down by and rats, must be booked in advance and fulfil the
10 on 2008, mainly due respectively), followed ● The Greek island of DEFRA scheme criteria. Call 0871 882 0885.
to flooding, it is still a by Thanet on 11 (seven/ Rhodes has more Blue
huge increase from the four) and, both with 10, Flag beaches than any EARLY BIRDS: Early-bird offers in Funway
45 awarded in 2002. A Southend (three/seven) other European island, Holidays’ expanded 2010 Far East brochure
total of 113 Quality and Scarborough (two/ at 33. Greece is second include a 14-night Thailand tour from £969 per
Coast Awards were also eight). Bournemouth in the world rankings, person this autumn, with three nights in Bangkok
made to British beaches. and neighbouring Poole with 424 Blue Flag and a free city tour, three nights in Chiang Mai and
Top areas, with a total each have four Blue beaches, behind Spain eight in Phuket, with flights, for bookings by
of 14 each, were the Isle Flag beaches. Visit (493). In all, 3,300 September 30. New for 2010 are Vietnam,
of Wight (two Blue Flags www.blueflag.org/uk beaches around the Cambodia, Laos, the Philippines, China, Japan, South
and 12 QCAs) and for a list of all award- world have the presti- Korea and Taiwan. www.funwayholidays.co.uk
Torbay (five and nine winning UK beaches. gious accolade.

Travel/TLjul09v1pp15-16:T&L 20/7/09 11:00 Page 16
TRAVEL update
Maldives
specials
T
he perfect ideal of sun, (approximately £78) per villa
sand and sea, the per night including breakfast.
Maldives are now even www.hilton.co.uk/maldivesirufushi
more accessible – and afford- Nineteen individual houses ■ Save on stays at stylish Naladhu
able – with a new three-times- make up the stylish and exclu-
a-week winter flight series from sive Naladhu resort, visited by (www.sonevaresorts.com) is offers 28 nights in a Soneva Gili
British Airways and special celebrities such as Wimbledon offering 14 extra nights free on top Villa suite from £6,675 per per-
offers from some of the islands’ champion Roger Federer. On its of a two-week stay, in return for son, including flights and transfers
top resorts. own private island and equipped four days of community work at – saving £5,800 per person.
Book a beach villa at the 52- with antique furnishings and a the Soneva Fushi and Soneva Gili ● British Airways also has new
acre Hilton Maldives Iru Fushi personal butler service, you can resorts. Up to December 22, winter services from Heathrow
Resort & Spa private island get 25% off if you book 60 days guests can help by doing things to Las Vegas and from Gatwick
before August 17 to travel in advance. Prices start from including teaching at local schools to Montego Bay (Jamaica),
before August 31 and take $989 per room per night. or hospital volunteer work. Punta Cana (Dominican
advantage of its two-for-one www.naladhu.com Elegant Resorts (01244 897517, Republic), Sharm el Sheikh
offer; prices start from just $129 Soneva by Six Senses www.elegantresorts.co.uk) (Egypt) and Innsbruck (Austria).
■ Atlantis,
The Palm Anyone for tennis?
I
nspired by this year’s Wimbledon
championships? Retallack Resort
and Spa, Cornwall’s five-star self-
catering resort, is offering budding ten-
Dubai kids don’t nis stars the opportunity to hone their
game on holiday. A new tennis coach-
need to buy ing programme provided by experi-
enced Lawn Tennis Association-
licensed coaches costs from £4.50 per
For a family holiday with with two paying parents. person for a group lesson or £37 per
a difference this year, Many restaurants also person per hour for private lessons.
take advantage of the have free kids’ meals. Prices start from £600 a week for a
Kids Go Free campaign Dubai attractions are two-bedroom lodge. Visit
in Dubai. From now also offering free entry www.retallackresort.com ■ Tresco ■ Flying Boat Club cottages
until September 20, to children under 16, for more details. bedroom
Emirates is offering a among them Sega Tennis is also on beach-front houses on
free return flight to Republic, Dubai offer at the stylish new the site of the old Royal
Dubai for one child Aquarium and Under Flying Boat Club on Naval Air Station.
under 16 travelling with Water Zoo and Dubai the island of Tresco, in Guests have use of the
both parents, and 75 top Ice Rink; while Atlantis, the Scilly Isles. Prestige indoor swimming pool,
hotels, including the The Palm is offering free Holidays is offering a gym, steam room and
Ritz-Carlton, Grosvenor entry to its attractions three-night package there free tennis on the Astroturf
House and One&Only and children can eat this autumn from £315 per courts as well as free golf on
Royal Mirage, are free at any Atlantis person, including return helicopter the nine-hole St Mary’s course.
offering three nights’ restaurant when dining flights from Penzance to Tresco and For more information contact
free stays for one child with an adult. heliport transfers. Prestige Holidays on 01425 480600 or
You can rent one of the 12 luxurious visit www.prestigegrouptravel.co.uk


Music
SalzburgTLjul0v1pp18-21:T&L 20/7/09 11:24 Page 18
City of
■ Mozart Dinner Concert in St Peter’s Cellar
From Mozart to the von Trapps, there’s no escaping Salzburg’s

musical heritage. With its beautifully-preserved centre and lots
to see beyond it, you don’t have to be music mad to enjoy a
visit – but it helps. Peter Ellegard sings its praises
V
isit the pretty Austrian ing different genres during the year. Hence – a traffic-free pedestrian precinct apart
alpine city of Salzburg its soubriquet, the Festival City. And even if from early-morning deliveries. Tour groups
and you will find it isn’t you’re not a particular fan, there are plenty swarm in front of the building like bees
just the surrounding hills of other things to do and see which make the round a honeypot, and the rest of the street
that are alive with the city a great escape for a long weekend. also throngs with visitors day and night with
sound of music, it is the There’s far more to Salzburg than its ancient buildings, quaint alleys and hid-
whole city itself. Mozart, of course, but the two are inextrica- den courtyards full of cafes and restaurants.
For Salzburg is not only where much of bly intertwined, as visitors soon discover. The cramped building houses numerous
The Sound of Music was set and filmed, but The imposing Hohensalzburg Fortress, exhibits including his original instruments,
it is also where Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart which stands guard on a clifftop high above letters and family portraits.
was born, in 1756. the ancient rooftops and church spires, may Mozart’s Residence, the family home
The whole city went Mozart mad three be the city’s most visited attraction, but the from 1773, is a more spacious affair in
years ago to celebrate the 250th anniversary next most popular sites are the two museums Markplatz and was where he wrote a num-
of the birth of its favourite son, with a year- set in Mozart’s homes. And even in the ber of his works. It has also been preserved
long series of concerts, operas, exhibitions fortress you can’t escape the maestro. as a museum to him.
and other events. For those with a real appetite for the great
But even though the celebrations are long Quaint alleys man’s music, you can choose from several
gone, the city is still one of the best places to Mozart’s Birthplace, where he lived for 26 themed dinner concerts during the summer
go if you love music. Salzburg has more years, is in the heart of the old city on its tourist season. The Mozart Dinner Concert
than 4,000 music and theatre events cover- historic, narrow main street, Getreidegasse offers a three-course dinner prepared from
Peter Ellegard
Peter Ellegard
Peter Ellegard
■ Hallstatt village ■ Old Town, Salzburg ■ Salzburg Cathedral

ESCAPE to…
SALZBURG
city. Many of its magnificent architectural

landmarks were used, and you can take a
Sound of Music Tour to visit outlying vil-
lages, lakes and mountains where other
familiar scenes were shot.
Whether you are a fan of the musical or
not – and I must admit I am not – it is well
worth a visit to nearby Hellbrunn Palace,
one of the settings used in the movie. Its
ornate palace and beautiful gardens are a
delight for all ages, notably for the ubiqui-
tous fountains which spring many surprises
for the unwary. I won’t spoil the surprise,
other than to advise not wearing your
Sunday best and to visit on a warm day
when clothes will quickly dry. We made the
mistake of visiting on a rainy day…
Year-round appeal
Salzburg can be visited any time of year and
the experience will be just as enjoyable. Key
attractions are open year-round and there
Salzburg Tourist Office

are events in all seasons.
In winter, the rooftops twinkle with fresh
snow – a taster of what lies in store at the
many ski resorts less than two hours away –
and the 500-year-old Christmas Market
(Salzburger Christkindlmarkt) livens up the
recipes of the 17th and 18th centuries, served claim to fame revolves around The Sound of Cathedral Square (Domplatz) in the heart of
in the Stiftskeller St Peter (St Peter’s Cellar) Music. A whole new generation of fans has the Old Town from late November with craft
– the oldest restaurant in Central Europe, been created by the latest stage production stalls, choirs, gluhwein and roast chestnuts
first mentioned during Charlemagne’s visit of the musical, currently touring Britain, and and almonds. The annual 10-day Mozart
in 803 – during the intervals of a recital by the successful BBC series, How Do You Week music festival (www.mozarteum.at)
musicians in period costume. Solve A Problem Like Maria?, which made takes place each January, featuring many
Connie Fisher an overnight success, repris- international artists.
High on Mozart ing the role originally made famous by Julie Spring brings crisp days, flowers galore and
My wife and I opted for an alternative din- Andrews.
ner and concert in the 930-year-old Based on pre-war events
Hohensalzburg Fortress, dining on high which happened to the local von
with stunning views across fields and ham- Trapp family, the movie
lets to the nearby mountains, followed by a was filmed in and
Mozart performance in the elegant State around the
Rooms overlooking the city. A magical
experience, made even more special by
the glorious setting sun lighting up the
rooftops, cupolas and towers with
streaks of gold.
Salzburg’s more recent
■ Mirabell Palace ■ Salzburg and the Salzach River

A day trip into Germany’s

Sound of Music country Bavarian Alps can include a
boat trip on Konigsee lake
Fans of The Sound of to St Bartholoma chapel
Music can tour some of and a visit to pretty
the locations in the mountain town
countryside beyond Berchtesgaden with views
Salzburg used in the film, to Hitler’s Eagle’s Nest
which was based on the mountain-top fortress
real-life story of the retreat.
singing von Trapp family. A village north of Salzburg
You can even sing along to has another musical claim
the music as the original to fame.The boatmen’s
soundtrack is played church of St Nicholas in the
during the four-hour tour, village of Oberndorf was
which visits the beautiful where Christmas carol
Salzkammergut lake district. Silent Night was first sung
Highlights include: Salzburg Tourist Office
in 1818.The town was later
Leopoldskron Palace, the moved upstream after a
front exterior of which was lake, as well as the villages devastating flood, but a
used as the von Trapp family of Gosau,Abtenau and Silent Night Memorial
home; Hellbrunn Palace, Golling, and the 9,855-foot Chapel was built on the site
notable for its trick summit of Mount Dachstein, of the original church in
fountains; Fuschlsee lake, Styria’s highest mountain. 1937.A four-hour tour
featured in the film’s Salzburg was founded on takes in the chapel and
opening sequence; the the fortunes of salt, first Silent Night Museum in
pretty village of Gilgen on mined in the nearby nearby Arnsdorf.
the shores of Wolfgangsee mountains by the ancient Zell am See is another
lake; and Mondsee Celts.The 450-year-old popular excursion.A five-
Cathedral, where the Salzwelten Salzburg salt hour trip visits the lake-
wedding scene was filmed. mines at Bad Durrnberg side town and 11th century
Longer tours also visit the are open year-round and a Hohenwerfen Castle, with
World Cultural Heritage guided tour features a raft a cable car ride up to the
Site village of Hallstatt, by ride on a subterranean salt Schmittenhoehe mountain
Peter Ellegard
the shores of Hallstattsee lake. summit.
trees bursting with blossom in and around the vivid reds and yellows of trees adding tlement once stood.
city. And more music, of course. The Salzburg splashes of colour to the city’s majestic Allow plenty of time to explore the won-
Easter Festival (www.osterfestspiele- architecture. The Salzburger Kulturtage derful Old Town area in the heart of
salzburg.at) is an annual celebration of classi- (www.kulturvereinigung.org), a more Salzburg, designated a UNESCO World
cal music and opera. intimate version of the main Salzburg Heritage Site in 1997. Most of it is a traffic-
Summers are usually long and warm, Festival featuring a series of concerts, free pedestrian precinct. I have spent hours
with the odd rainy day. Plus the avant- opera and theatre, takes place in October. wandering through the labyrinth of streets,
garde dance festival, SommerSzene alleyways and squares as well as venturing
(www.sommerszene.net), over 14 days Easy to explore into some of the many stately buildings
in June and July, which also features the- Salzburg is easy to explore, both on foot or which grace the skyline.
atre, films and visual arts as well as music. by bus – and the good-value Besides the Getreidegasse, other lovely
That is followed by the Salzburg Festival SalzburgerLand Card gives free entry to all old streets to amble along, window shop or
(www.salzburgerfestspiele.at), the the city’s major attractions as well as free gaze up at facades include Judengasse,
city’s long-established music and drama travel on the city’s buses and the Goldgasse, Kaigasse, Linzergasse and
festival in July and August which includes Hohensalzburg Fortress cable railway. Steingasse. Their buildings cover the Middle
a concert broadcast on an open-air screen The Salzach River cuts the city into two Ages, Romanesque, Baroque and
in the city’s Kapitelplatz. halves and is spanned by bridges including Renaissance periods, as well as elegant and
Autumn hints at the winter to come the pedestrian-only Mozart, Makart and classical monarchy-era burghers’ houses.
with its cooler days (although October is Mulln footbridges. The left bank comprises You can also take in the Old Town sights on
the driest month) and chilly nights, the the older part of the city where a Roman set- a traditional fiaker horse and buggy.

Salzburg facts
When to go
Any time of year is good to visit Salzburg,
with festivals and events throughout the
calendar. Be prepared for all weathers and
pack a brolly, sweater and warm jacket.
Getting there
British Airways (www.ba.com) and EasyJet
(www.easyjet.com) fly direct to Salzburg
from Gatwick during the summer. Ryanair
Peter Ellegard (www.ryanair.com) flies from Stansted.
Winter charter flights operate for skiers
■ Ornate rooftops
heading to nearby resorts.You can also fly to
nearby Munich, with services operated by
BA, EasyJet, Lufthansa (www.lufthansa.com) and Aer Lingus
(www.aerlingus.com) from London area airports.
Accommodation
There are a number of hotels in the old
part of Salzburg and across the Salzach
River.The Blaue Gans boutique art-hotel
(www.blauegans.at) makes an excellent
base.The oldest inn on the historic
Getreidegasse street, this stylish 74-room
design hotel is set in one of the city’s
oldest houses.
Peter Ellegard
Tour operators
Many operators offer short breaks to
Salzburg, including Kirker Holidays ■ Residence Square
(www.kirkerholidays.com), Inghams
(www.inghams.co.uk), Crystal (www.crystallakes.co.uk), First Choice
(www.firstchoice.co.uk) and Fregata Travel (www.fregatatravel.co.uk).
■ Salzburg has many fine, old buildings
Getting around/attractions
Grand edifices Salzburg is walkable, but it is worth
Squares include Residence Square investing in a SalzburgerLand Card. It
(Residenzplatz) with its ornate equine fountain, combines free entry to 190 sights and
Old Market Square (Alter Markt), University attractions in the city and neighbouring
Square (Universitatsplatz) and Mozart Square SalzburgerLand region, with free use of city
(Mozartplatz), which has a memorial to the buses and discounts off car rental, tours and
musical maestro and a tourist information office. cultural events. A six-day card costs 43
Then of course there are its grand edifices. euros for adults and 21.50 euros for
Besides the Cathedral (Salzburger Dom) and children, with 12-day cards costing 52 and
Peter Ellegard
Hohensalzburg Fortress, must-sees include 26 euros respectively. Buy it online at

the Residence Palace (Residenz), St. Peter’s www.salzburgerlandcard.com, or from
Abbey (Stift St Peter) and its fascinating ■ Hellbrunn Palace local information centres and some hotels.
cemetery, and Mirabell Palace (Schloss
Mirabell) with its romantic gardens on the Tourist information
right bank of the Salzach. This is one of the Salzburg Tourist Office (Salzburg city): www.salzburg.info
city’s most popular places for taking pictures. SalzburgerLand Tourist Office (Salzburg region): www.salzburgerland.com
But perhaps best of all is to relax with a coffee Austrian National Tourist Office: 0845 101 1818, www.austria.info
or beer in a street-side café/bar or beer garden
TL
and just let the world go by as you gaze out across
one of the world’s most beautiful cities.


all ABOARD
cruiseTLjul09/v123-26:T&L 20/7/09 11:32 Page 23
CRUISING FROM THE UK
Home
waters
Forget the hassles of flying off for the
start of your cruise holiday and join the
growing numbers of passengers setting
sail from Britain. The choice of departure
ports and cruise itineraries is
surprisingly large, as Sara
Macefield explains
■ Queen Victoria at Southampton
H
ow do you fancy starting no escaping the buzz and anticipation as the
your next holiday from departure time nears and the ship’s band strikes Cruise tips
Southampton, Dover, up for the traditional “sailaway” party on deck. ● You can take as much luggage as
Harwich or even Tower The excitement grows as the funnel blasts you want on ex-UK sailings
Bridge? Not only will you and the ship starts to move away from the because there’s no baggage limit,
miss out on the stress and quayside. Passengers waving flags and drink- but remember that it’s got to fit in
hassles of flying and battling through airport ing brightly-coloured cocktails add to the your cabin.
security queues, but you’ll be joining the party atmosphere as they celebrate the start of ● Beware the Bay of Biscay. Cruises
growing band of British holidaymakers who a journey which, in some cases, will take from the UK to the Mediterranean
have discovered the benefits of taking a cruise them from UK shores around the world. have to pass through this, so if
from the UK. you’re at all prone to sea-sickness,
After all, what could be easier than load- Where can you go? take precautions.
ing up the car, driving to, say, Southampton There’s never been a bigger choice of cruises ● On Med cruises, pick a ship which
and simply stepping aboard? from the UK. has plenty of onboard facilities so
It really is as simple as that. All you need Holidaymakers who don’t want to fly can you won’t get bored on the sea
to do is drive up to the port terminal, hand now choose from a huge variety of different days spent sailing to and from the
over the car keys to a parking attendant and cruise lines and sailings that start at various UK.
check in. points around the country. ● If you’re sailing south to the sun,
Don’t worry about struggling on with suit- These can range from a two-night mini- remember to take some warm
cases as they get sent to the cabin separately, cruise to Bruges or Amsterdam right up to a clothes as it can still be chilly in
leaving passengers free to go aboard, settle in three-month world cruise or a transatlantic the English Channel.
and explore. crossing to New York.
The holiday starts immediately, and there’s But the most popular sailings are to the
Cunard

Ex-UK cruise facts

■ Deck quoits
is a fun way
Sample ex-UK cruises: to pass the
Fred Olsen Cruise Lines (01473 746175, www.fredolsencruises.com) is time
offering a one-week Norwegian Vistas sailing from Newcastle on September
12 from £647 on its ship Boudicca. It calls at several ports in Norway
including Alesund, Olden, Flam and Bergen.
Specialist website Sail From UK (0808 202 6104, www.sailfromuk.com)
which only sells cruises that sail from UK shores, features a 12-night sailing
to Europe with P&O Cruises on October 5.The voyage, on Oceana,
Fred Olsen
departs Southampton and sails to the Canary Islands with calls including
Madeira, Gran Canaria, Lisbon and Vigo. Prices start at £1,099 and include a
£50 onboard credit.
Other useful cruise contacts:
Celebrity Cruises (0845 456 1520, www.celebritycruises.co.uk)
Cunard Line (0845 678 0013, www.cunard.co.uk)
Crystal Cruises (020 7287 9040, www.crystalcruises.co.uk)
Holland America Line (0845 351 0557, www.hollandamerica.co.uk)
P&O Cruises
Hebridean Island Cruises (01756 704700, www.hebridean.co.uk)
Hurtigruten (0845 225 6640, www.hurtigruten.co.uk)
MSC Cruises (0844 561 7412, www.msccruises.co.uk)
Norwegian Cruise Line (0845 658 8010, www.ncl.co.uk)
Oceania Cruises (01344 772344, www.oceaniacruises.co.uk)
P&O Cruises (0845 678 0014, www.pocruises.com)
■ Artemis in the fjords
Princess Cruises (0845 3555 800, www.princess.com)
Royal Caribbean International (0844 493 4005,
www.royalcaribbean.co.uk)
Swan Hellenic (0845 246 9700, www.swanhellenic.com)
Silversea Cruises (0844 770 9030, www.silversea.com)
Hebridean Island Cruises

St Helena Line (020 7575 6480, www.rms-st-helena.com)
Thomson Cruises (0871 231 4691, www.thomson.co.uk/cruise)
Transocean Tours (0845 430 0274, www.transoceancruises.co.uk)
Voyages of Discovery (0845 018 1808, www.voyagesofdiscovery.co.uk)
■ Hebridean Princess in London
Make sure you check out the website of the Passenger Shipping Association,
which represents all the main cruise lines, at www.discover-cruises.co.uk
Mediterranean or around northern Europe. such as Civitavecchia (for Rome) or Naples such as La Coruna or Bilbao, or French towns
Voyages that go south to the Mediterranean before having to turn back. Cruises of 16 including St Malo, the pretty town of Honfleur
generally last for at least 12 days – they have nights have time to go a little farther east, and and the port town of Le Havre.
to as they need to include the two days it takes will sail as far as Greece. In Germany, stops include Hamburg or
to sail between Britain and the Med at both Other popular ports of call that pop up on Bremerhaven, while the Dutch ports of
ends of the cruise. itineraries include Malaga, Alicante, Cannes, Rotterdam and Amsterdam are popular ports.
Most cruises tend to be for 14 nights and Marseilles and Barcelona. Scandinavian cities such as Copenhagen or
concentrate on the western Mediterranean as Some ships stay in northern Europe and Bergen also feature in cruise itineraries, as do
time simply doesn’t allow for the sail northwards to the Baltic States of the Shetland Isles, and the Channel Islands in
ships to sail any farther east. Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia, sometimes con- the south. In the west, Irish ports such as Cork
Thus ships will generally get tinuing on to St Petersburg. and Dublin add plenty of craic.
as far as Italy, calling at ports Alternative destinations include Iceland, Then there’s good old Blighty itself, where
Norway and its spectacular fjords and ships may call at Tilbury, Greenwich or (if the
Spitsbergen in the Arctic Circle, famous for ship is small enough to get right up the Thames)
spotting polar bears. Tower Bridge for London. Liverpool and
These more northerly ports are particularly Newcastle also feature on cruise ship itineraries.
popular around midsummer when the long Cruise passengers wanting to go farther
Fred Olsen
daylight hours lend themselves to Land of the afield can take their pick from the regular
Midnight Sun cruises. six-day transatlantic crossings by Cunard
Some ships stay closer to home, offering Line’s Queen Mary 2 or, if they want to
sailings around northern Europe that stop escape for longer, round-the-world voy-
along the northern coast at Spanish ports ages offered by P&O Cruises and Cunard.

■ Norwegian Gem at Dover UK cruise departure

ports and cruise lines
(2009)
Southampton – Cunard Line,
Celebrity Cruises, Fred Olsen Cruise
Lines, P&O Cruises, Princess Cruises,
Norwegian Cruise Line, Royal Caribbean
International,Thomson Cruises
Dover – Crystal Cruises, Fred Olsen
Cruise Lines, Holland America Line, MSC
Cruises, Norwegian Cruise Line, Oceania
Cruises, Princess Cruises, Swan Hellenic.
Harwich – Royal Caribbean
Peter Ellegard
International, Celebrity Cruises,
Thomson Cruises,Voyages of Discovery
London (Tower Bridge) – Silversea
Cruises, Hurtigruten
London (Tilbury) – Transocean Tours
London (Greenwich) – Holland
America Line
Portland – St Helena Line, Hebridean
Island Cruises
Portsmouth – Fred Olsen Cruise Lines
Port of Tyne (Newcastle) – Fred Olsen
Cruise Lines,Thomson Cruises
Liverpool – Fred Olsen Cruise Lines
Greenock – Fred Olsen Cruise Lines
Rosyth – Fred Olsen Cruise Lines
Oban – Hebridean Island Cruises
Scrabster – Hebridean Island Cruises
Fred Olsen
■ Boudicca at
Valletta, Malta
As several ships are based in the UK for sailings or long voyages; and Fred Olsen, ports to appear this year is Portsmouth, which
the summer, there’s always the chance to jump which offers Christmas markets sailings and is being offered by Fred Olsen Cruise Lines.
aboard when they reposition themselves to the northern Europe and Canary Island sailings.
Caribbean or elsewhere across the Atlantic for Who are the main cruise lines?
the winter – as long as you don’t mind having Where can you cruise from? Riding the waves of the ex-UK cruise market
to fly back. Southampton is the granddaddy of them all is P&O Cruises, which has six ships that are
Cruisers looking for a different experience when it comes to cruising from the UK. The all based at Southampton, while Cunard
altogether can cruise on the RMS St Helena, South Coast port is easily the most estab- Lines has two ships – the Queen Mary 2 and
the last working Royal Mail Ship that offers lished and the biggest and this is where most the Queen Victoria – based there.
trips from Portland in Dorset to the Atlantic cruise ships are based during the year; some Several American cruise lines, such as
island of St Helena, Namibia and South Africa. are here year-round. Norwegian Cruise Line and Princess Cruises,
Some cruise lines offer British-focused This is where most Mediterranean cruises also have ships in Southampton during the
itineraries. The small, upmarket company, depart from, along with transatlantic voyages. summer.
Hebridean Island Cruises, operates a South Dover is the second-most popular, having The biggest ship in the world,
Coast cruise with calls including Cowes on grown rapidly over the last few years, and it’s Independence of the Seas, owned by
the Isle of Wight, Portsmouth and Dover, from here that lines tend to depart for northern American line Royal Caribbean International,
while Cunard’s QM2 is sailing a special Europe, Baltic and Arctic sailings. is based at Southampton.
Round Britain voyage this autumn, calling at Harwich is probably the third-busiest, with Other major players offering several voy-
ports such as Greenock and Liverpool. a mix of cruises offered from here. ages from UK ports include Fred Olsen
During winter, the number of cruises sail- Some ports are served by just one cruise Cruise Lines, Thomson Cruises, MSC
Discovery and Hebridean Island Cruises. TL

ing from the UK drops rapidly, leaving Cunard line which may only depart on a handful of Cruises, Celebrity Cruises, Voyages of
and P&O Cruises offering round-the-world occasions during the year. One of the new

CRUISE news
CRUISE CLIPS
Have you ever fancied going
behind the scenes to see how
UK cruises make a splash
C
cruise ships function? Princess ruises from the UK have never been so
Cruises and Norwegian popular. The latest market figures show
Cruise Lines are now offering that more British cruisers than ever before
special ship tours that are taking voyages which sail from local ports.
According to industry body, the Passenger
Shipping Association, the number of passengers
opting for a cruise that starts from the UK
increased by 23% last year compared with 2007.
This means that four out of every 10 cruises
now booked by Brits sails from a UK port.
A record number of cruise lines, ships and pas-
NCL
sengers also visited UK ports last year, calling at

promise to take passengers points such as Dover, Tower Bridge and Newcastle
to areas normally off-limits, as part of longer sailings around northern Europe.
such as back-stage in the The popularity of cruising holidays generally
theatre, the galley (kitchen), seems unstoppable with nearly 1.5 million trav-
Peter Ellegard
engine control room, the ellers opting to spend their holidays on a cruise ■ CL’s Norwegian
bridge, medical centre and ship last year. Gem at Dover
even the funnel. Prices start Overall, one in every 12 foreign package holi-
at $55 for a two-hour tour days booked in the UK is now a cruise – 10 years
with NCL and $150 for a ago this figure was just one in every 26. prices have also fallen.
three-hour tour with The Mediterranean remains the favourite cruise More than one-third of all cruises cost less than
Princess. destination, but voyages to northern Europe and £1,000 in 2008 and this year there were expected
the western edge of Europe have become more to be more cheap deals.
Crystal Cruises has come popular and risen to second place, overtaking the “The inclusive nature of cruises with meals,
up with the perfect solution Caribbean. accommodation, entertainment and, of course,
for people who are The good news is that the credit crunch and multiple destinations, means they are great value,”
bamboozled by the latest hi- fierce competition between cruise lines means said PSA director Bill Gibbons.
tech gadgets. It is introducing
“technology
concierges” on
its ships to
train and
Scottish launch for Cosmos
H
educate guests oliday company Cos-
on everything mos Tourama is dip-
from Apple ping its toe into unfa-
iPods and miliar waters with the launch of
BlackBerry its first-ever UK cruise to meet
smart demand from customers want-
Research in Motion
phones to ing to stay closer to home this

wireless summer.
devices and It is offering four-night
navigational Autumn in the Scottish
aides. Highlands sailings this October
Cosmos Tourama
on the MV Lord of the Glens, a

vessel built in the style of a clas-
■ MV Lord of the Glens
Bargain-hunters looking for sic, luxury yacht.
a last-minute deal should go It will sail between Fort
to MSC Cruises’ website at Augustus and Oban in the heart Ness, Loch Linhe, Tobermory and and from Glasgow Central
www.msccruises.co.uk of Argyllshire, travelling past the Neptune’s Staircase, an eight- Station.
where it has launched a Deal dramatic loch landscapes of the stage ship lock. For more information contact
of the Day offering special Great Glen and the picturesque The cruise costs from £609 Cosmos Tourama on 0871 423
offers on specific voyages. coast of the Isle of Mull. and includes full board and 8695 or visit the website:
Cruise highlights include Loch refreshments plus transfers to www.cosmostourama.co.uk


Off the BT/TLjul09v1pp28-32:T&L 20/7/09 11:14 Page 28
ZULU
dawns
ing though it was at the time for the nation.

From its moving Zulu and Boer War battlefield sites, to Never before had a native army taken on and
superlative wildlife parks, stunning beaches and annihilated such a powerful, well-armed and
magnificent scenery, South Africa’s Zulu Kingdom is trained fighting force. Yet, another battle
fought later that day, January 22, 1879, less
a world-class destination, which will soon be welcoming than 10 miles away has gone down in legend.
the world. Peter Ellegard reports
Victoria Cross
That battle was Rorke’s Drift, celebrated for
I
t was one of the most moving place 130 years ago were vividly brought to the fact that 139 British soldiers holed up in
moments I can ever recall. We were life by our guide, using his baton for effect as a tiny, fortified mission camp held off thou-
sat on chairs on a hillside plateau, he reconstructed that infamous day in breath- sands of Zulu attackers for 12 hours until
overlooking a sweeping plain dom- taking detail. A few hundred yards away reinforcements arrived. Eleven Victoria
inated by a craggy hill directly in another group was equally fixated as their Cross medals were awarded to the valiant
front of us and with a long escarp- guide regaled the same desperate tale. defenders, more than for any other single
ment in the distance. For we were on the battlefield of one of battle in history. And it inspired the iconic
Small, white stone cairns dotted the land- the worst defeats ever inflicted on the British 1964 blockbuster film, Zulu, which starred
scape all around us, the highest concentration Empire – Isandlwana. An entire garrison a young Michael Caine. Whereas
around the base of the crag, where there were comprising over 1,000 of the British Army’s Isandlwana, where three VCs were won, was
also several larger monuments. There was a finest had been overwhelmed and wiped out depicted in the follow-up flop, Zulu Dawn.
chill in the December air despite it being by 20,000 Zulu warriors, and the white-paint- So captivating was the recounting, it
summer in the Southern Hemisphere, but it ed stones marked where they had all fallen. almost felt as though we were witnessing the
was nothing compared to the chill I felt in my Few other than historians would recognise battle itself. But then much of it had been
spine as the tragic events of that desolate the name of that bloody episode today, shock- passed down by word of mouth from Zulus

off the beaten TRACK

KWAZULU-NATAL
Roger de la Harpe
■ Zulu dancers
■ Rorke's Drift
memorial
Peter Ellegard
Roger de la Harpe
Peter Ellegard
■ Isandlwana
battlefield site
■ Rorke’s Drift
who had actually fought there. The near eye- Zulu battlefields duty soldier and keen amateur historian.
witness accounts had been collected by his- The Anglo-Zulu War battlefields were There are many Zulu and Boer War bat-
torian David Rattray, who spent many hours among the highlights I had been looking tlefield sites you can visit, particularly
sitting overlooking the battlefield as we did, forward to seeing on my trip to South around Ladysmith (famous for its siege in
talking to an elderly Zulu chief. Africa’s KwaZulu-Natal province, other- 1899) and Dundee, the nearest city to
Tragically, the man locals called the wise known as the Zulu Kingdom. They Rorke’s Drift. Provincial capital Durban is
“white Zulu” was killed in a robbery at the more than lived up to my respectively 235km and 173km from them,
Fugitives’ Drift lodge he ran with his wife expectations and I about three hours or so by road.
Nicky and three sons, near Rorke’s Drift, in would highly With Durban one of the host cities
early 2007. We had lunch at the lodge later, recommend
and met Nicky. I was sorry I didn’t get to anyone think-
meet her husband, especially having listened ing about
to his spellbinding narration from a recorded visiting
radio series while en route to Isandlwana on there to
the bus. include them
On the way to the lodge we had spent an on a tour itin-
all-too-brief 20 minutes at Rorke’s Drift. erary. Months
Having listened to David’s graphic recorded later, I did just
portrayal of events there, the graveyard and that when I was in a
museum were just as emotional an experi- pub in the middle of
ence, even if the original buildings no longer nowhere in Scotland’s Trossachs region and
survive. Perhaps the most poignant sight was overheard the people on the next table being
the bronze Zulu memorial, consisting of a told about the Battle of Isandlwana by an
Roger de la Harpe
leopard resting on a stack of warrior shields. enthusiastic member of their party, an off-

■ Superb beaches for the 2010 football World Cup, this south-
eastern part of South Africa is likely to see a
lot of interest and increasing visitor numbers
in the next year or so.
Durban itself is undergoing a huge ren-
aissance, with many new facilities being
added (including a superb new stadium to
stage the World Cup games) and major
investment in its infrastructure. The beaches
in the city and along the neighbouring coast-
line are some of the best in the world and
they enjoy the warmest sea temperatures in
South Africa, reaching up to 28ºC. Its hotels
are second to none, too. Few places pamper
you as much as the beachfront Suncoast
Hotel & Towers. Sadly, my group’s timing
Roger de la Harpe
could have been better. We played golf near-
by the day we checked in – and our late
arrival meant we just missed the poolside
swimsuit parade at the hotel for the Miss
World contestants, who were in Durban at
Action and the same time as us.
adventure Sharks
That night, we dined alongside a giant
aquarium full of menacing sharks in one of
The Zulu Kingdom is heaven for adrenalin the most unique dining environments I have
Toruism KwaZulu-Natal
junkies. It offers some of the best diving in encountered, set in an imaginative “rusting”
the world, notably for encounters with ship’s hulk at the uShaka Marine World
sharks. park (www.ushakamarineworld.co.za).
Protea Banks and Aliwal Shoals, This coastline is famous for its sharks.
respectively 90 and 45 minutes south of The KwaZulu-Natal Sharks Board
Durban, are the prime shark-diving areas (www.shark.co.za) has been protecting the
off KwaZulu-Natal. Divers can encounter beaches off Durban for swimmers and
species such as non-aggressive ragged- surfers for over 40 years with netting. It is
tooths, known affectionately as Raggies, the only organisation of its kind in the world,
which go to Protea Banks in spring and you can visit its HQ in Umhlanga Rocks
(August/September) to mate and to learn about sharks with an audio-visual
congregate in schools of up to 60 at Aliwal demonstration followed by a live dissection,
from July to October, as well as Zambezis, after which you can view lifelike replicas of
great whites and hammerheads.You can sharks, fish and rays, including that of a
Peter Ellegard
even free dive with dangerous tiger sharks 892kg great white shark.
at Aliwal, where operators “chum” the KZN (as the province is often shortened
water with bait to attract them. to) is known for other wildlife too, and we
Sodwana Bay is Africa’s most southerly got the chance to see some of its most noted
coral reef, and also marks the wildlife which provide the thrills. Besides inhabitants on water and game safaris.
southernmost area where giant whale Hluhluwe-Imfolozi, other game reserves We took a boat tour of the iSimangaliso
sharks are found, their range extending up where you can see them include Phinda, Wetland Park, the new name for UNESCO
to Mozambique. Another incredible Thanda and the Tembe Elephant Park. World Heritage Site the Greater St Lucia
spectacle is the annual Sardine Run And if you want sports action, there is Wetland Park, and got some fantastic
between May and July, when huge shoals golf of the highest calibre on courses close-up views of hippos wallowing in the
up to 15km long migrate up the KwaZulu- including Princes Grant shallows. A short drive took us to
Natal coast. (www.princesgrant.co.za), Durban Hluhluwe-Imfolozi, one KZN’s most cele-
The former Greater St Lucia Wetland Country Club (www.dcclub.co.za), brated game reserves and one of several
Park, now iSimangaliso, has boat safaris to Selborne (www.selborne.com) and where you can see the Big Five. Once the
see hippos and many different bird species. Champagne Sports Resort hunting grounds for Zulu kings, they intro-
On land, it is the Big Five animals and other (www.champagnesportsresort.com). duced the first conservation laws there, in
1895. It was in the reserve that the white


■ Zulu woman
Roger de la Harpe
Peter Ellegard
■ Elephant encounter
rhino was saved from extinction, in the

KwaZulu-Natal facts 1960s.
The weather was so cold as we clambered
When to go aboard our open-sided safari trucks that we
The Zulu Kingdom enjoys a sub-tropical climate with year- needed blankets over our legs to keep warm.
round sunshine, and rain generally in November and March. But we were rewarded with the immediate
Peter Ellegard
Game viewing is best in winter (June and July). Sea sight of an elephant as we entered the gates.
temperatures averaging 22ºC make it a great family destination. And as we were driven around the reserve
we were lucky enough to see another one
Getting there almost within touching distance, but so busy
Durban is a one-hour flight or easy six-hour drive from Johannesburg, eating juicy leaves we were scarcely noticed.
which is served by direct flights from London by South African Airways We also spotted lots of antelope and zebra,
(www.flysaa.com), British Airways (www.ba.com) and Virgin Atlantic some water buffalo, warthogs, giraffes and a
Airways (www.virgin-atlantic.com). Flight time: 11 hours. pride of resting lions with playful cubs.
Getting around Rich culture

KwaZulu-Natal is easy to get around, with excellent roads. Most attractions Arriving for our overnight stay at our near-
are within a three or four-hour drive of Durban and each other. Car rental by hotel, the Protea Umfolozi, we were
companies include Avis (www.avis.co.uk). treated to an energetic display of traditional
dancing by local Zulu boys. You can see
Accommodation dancing and other Zulu culture throughout
You can find top-quality accommodation throughout the province. Among the province, visiting a rural Zulu village or
South African hotel groups with properties are Southern Sun enjoying organised cultural experiences
(www.southernsun.com),Three Cities (www.threecities.co.za) and such as Shakaland or Duma Zulu.
Protea Hotels (www.proteahotels.com).There are also lodges including Besides its battlefields, wildlife and rich
Fugitives’ Drift (www.fugitives-drift-lodge.com) and resorts such as culture, KwaZulu-Natal is rich in natural
Champagne Sports Resort (www.champagnesportsresort.com) and beauty. Nowhere is that more evident than in
Selborne Hotel, Spa & Golf Estate (www.selborne.com). the spectacular Drakensberg Mountains,
where you can go hiking, mountain biking
Tour operators or horse-riding. We were there for another
A number of tour operators feature KZN, including Virgin Holidays activity – golf. Staying at the Champagne
(www.virginholidays.co.uk), Somak Holidays (www.somak.com), Jetset Sports Resort, the mountains reared up dra-
Holidays (www.jetset-holidays.co.uk), Premier Holidays matically just beyond the course and behind
(www.premierholidays.co.uk),Tropical Sky (www.tropicalsky.co.uk), our chalets. With an elevated clubhouse deck
Kuoni (www.kuoni.co.uk) and Audley Travel (www.audleytravel.com). giving sweeping vistas, few golf resorts can
Local tour operator Thompsons Africa (www.thompsonsafrica.com) has enjoy such glorious surroundings.
an extensive programme of KZN tours. All too soon, our week-long stay in
KwaZulu-Natal was over. It was a truly mes-
Tourist information merising destination, yet one I feel I have
TL
Visit the Zulu Kingdom’s website on www.zulu.org.za barely scratched the surface of. One thing’s
for sure – I will definitely be back.


coachtours/TLjul09v1pp34-38:T&L 20/7/09 11:43 Page 34
Cosmos Tourama
■ Cosmos Tourama’s
Platinum Explorer
in Europe
Holidays
on the buses
Coach tours have something of an unwarranted, old-fashioned group, and plenty of names and addresses
were exchanged on the return ferry trip
image – but things are very different these days with vehicles across the Channel.
bristling with the latest creature comforts. Dave Richardson
Old-fashioned image
tells it like it really is … Many people would never think of joining a
coach tour, but I enjoyed it even though I
W
e were told it would Brussels); four nights at Lake Garda, near haven’t yet repeated the experience. Coach
be a long day of Verona; and two nights taking a different tours are stuck with an old-fashioned image,
travelling, with only route back. just like holiday “camps” – especially
a couple of stops Day two was to be the killer, a slog along among people who have never been.
and not to expect Germany’s autobahns and over the Austrian A modern coach can cost up to £250,000
dinner until 9.30pm border to a village near Innsbruck. It was with all the latest comforts, and advanced
– over 12 hours away. I was already cross- boring, but there were three stops and we safety and fuel-efficiency measures. Coach
ing my legs, although there was a toilet on arrived in good time for dinner at 8pm. tour market leader Shearings has bought 45
board. That’s when I realised our two coach drivers new Setra coaches this year of the same type
It was day two of a nine-day Leger were good at psychology – make it seem used for the England football team – no
Holidays coach tour called Verona Opera bad, and if it’s better then you’re happy. wonder it’s saying “Bus it like Beckham”!
Experience, which we had joined near our I was in my mid-40s but I felt young, The hotels used are generally much
home town in Oxford. Two nights would be with all the other passengers over 50 and improved too, and you may well stay at
spent on the way (the first was near many well over 60. But we gelled well as a chain hotels such as Holiday Inn rather than

??
?
? let’s TRY…
ESCORTED COACH TOURS
Leger Holidays
■ The Burlington Hotel,
Eastbourne
■ Jerusalem’s Dome of the Rock

Shearings
Shearings
■ Coach holidays are relaxing
Faraway tours
Some people who wouldn’t be seen dead
on a coach tour are happy to take an
escorted tour somewhere exotic –
where most of the travel is likely to be
by coach.
The US, Canada, Australia and New
Zealand are particularly popular, while
South Africa, Japan and China are on the
up. In larger countries you will probably
Grand UK
Shearings
■ A Grand UK tour fly over long distances before picking up

■ Shearings has invested in new coachess manager and client a coach again, but you could also use
trains and river boats.
McGrotty’s – especially in cities. There are hotel for most of the holiday with the coach Cosmos Tourama is operating more
still plenty of seaside hotels in Britain where operating excursions. holidays to special events, such as the
the floors creak as badly as their guests’ But there’s still a place for the grand tour, New Orleans Jazz Festival and the Harbin
joints, but most have been smartened up and and with operators such as Snow and Ice Festival in China. Costa
make a genuine effort to please amid the Cosmos, Insight Vacations Rica, India/Bhutan and Mexico have also
faded grandeur. and Trafalgar, that can be a been added.
The entertainment seems to belong to very cosmopolitan experi- The credit crunch doesn’t seem to be
another age, but as the Baby Boomer gener- ence with passengers affecting escorted tours, according to
ation hits 60 you are more likely to hear The from many parts of the another large operator,Travelsphere. It
Beatles in the ballroom rather than the Joe world trying to “do describes its customers as “debt-free,
Loss Orchestra. Europe”. Leger is thrill-hungry culture vultures”, and
The most popular destinations are the also seeing operates over 700 holidays in 80
scenic countries of Europe – especially increased demand countries.
Austria, Italy and Switzerland. Some of the for “Grand
larger tour operators, including Cosmos Explorer” tours
Tourama, can also fly you out to join the like Arctic
coach abroad – cutting out some tiring trav- Circle and
elling, but with airport hassle and luggage The Land of
restrictions to be factored in. Eurostar is an
increasingly-popular option, with high-
speed rail travel as far as Paris or Brussels.
Easy-going trend
There’s also a trend towards more
easy-going itineraries, which
Cosmos calls Leisurely.
Rather than packing and
unpacking every day, you
will be based at one
■ Fall guys: a Cosmos Tourama Platinum

Explorer coach in New England
Cosmos Tourama

Leger Holidays
■ Leger Holidays’ Silver Service
Luxury coaches
Some of the biggest coach operators
offer premium coaches on some
Cosmos Tourama
departures, for a reasonable supplement.
They are generally used on longer ■ A Cosmos Platinum
European or North American tours, but Explorer coach in Europe
could turn up closer to home.
Shearings has the Grand Tourer the Midnight Sun – once in a lifetime expe- has launched a website to encourage
(previously operated by its rival Wallace riences that people want to take despite the younger people to explore family history
Arnold, which it took over) and Euro credit crunch. (www.keepthememoriesalive.co.uk).
Tourer. Cosmos Tourama operates the Many tours nowadays are themed, espe-
Platinum Tourer and Leger the Silver cially short breaks which are a good way of Going for a song
Service coach. seeing if a coach tour is for you. Gardens, Shorter and more-themed tours tend to
The basic premise is the same – steam railways, castles, photography, paint- attract a slightly younger age group, but
remove one or more rows of seats and ing and spas are examples, plus visiting within the UK most coach customers are
everyone has more leg-room. A standard places made popular by TV series such as still 60-plus. It’s no coincidence that
coach usually seats between 48 and 56 Heartbeat or Last of the Summer Wine. Shearings customers have voted Cliff
passengers, whereas Shearings seats 42 in Leger is a leading operator of tours to the Richard’s hit, Summer Holiday (1963), as
a Euro Tourer and only 36 in the Grand World War 1 and 2 European battlefields, their favourite holiday song, and Shearings
Tourer. with an expert guide to visit places such as is making this and other holiday hits avail-
Premium coaches usually have a lounge Flanders, the Somme and Normandy (for able as a download on online music store
area at the back where people can meet, the 65th anniversary of the D-Day landings iTunes.
onboard drinks and snacks, and this year). Interest in battlefield tours is still Shearings expects a lot of people to
entertainment including DVD player and increasing, but Leger switch to a UK holiday this year, and has 49
sat nav display. of its own hotels which you can travel
to independently rather
■ St Basil's
Cathedral,
Moscow
Leger Holidays
Grand UK

Tips
● You don’t need to join in everything,
but if you’re not a sociable person, a
coach tour probably isn’t for you.
● You will generally eat as well as travel
as a group, but some more pricey
tours give you an a la carte allowance.
● Some tours keep down headline
prices by limiting the number of
excursions included, so consider what
you might want to do as it might be
more expensive to buy on the spot.
● If you don’t fancy a long road trip, join
a tour that starts with a flight or rail
journey.
● Some operators make big efforts to
attract single travellers. Romance
might even bloom…
than taking a coach tour. Grand UK

Holidays has nine of its own hotels, in popu-
Grand UK
lar resorts such as Torquay, Skegness,
Blackpool and Llandudno.
Grand UK operates exclusively for the
over-55s and has a high volume of single Coach tour facts
travellers, with no single-room supplements
payable on most holidays and a dedicated
Solos programme so like-minded people can Most coach tour operators are small and local, with
travel together. It offers a complete luggage only a handful of national names.The Coach Tourism
handling service, taking this element of Council (0870 850 2839,
worry out of a holiday, and also offers tours www.coachtourismcouncil.co.uk) is a good way
of Europe including river cruise combina- of finding them as it has nearly 150 operator
Cosmos Tourama
tions. members, both large and small.
Grand UK offers Ruby and Golden wed- Wallace Arnold Worldchoice (0845 365 6747) is an
ding anniversary holidays for couples to agency specialising in coach holidays and operates a
renew their vows, and more than 500 cou- bookable website at www.coachholidays.com
ples have taken them so far.
As I journeyed back from Italy I won- Major operators include:
dered what kind of holidays I might fancy in Shearings (01942 824824, www.shearings.com)
30 or 40 years’ time, and I was reminded of Leger (0844 504 6342, www.best-of-europe-withleger.co.uk)
a distant relative who remarried at the age of Cosmos Tourama (0871 423 8647, www.cosmostourama.co.uk)
90 after meeting his new “gal” on a coach. Grand UK (01603 619933, www.grandukholidays.com)
The psychology was still going strong as Travelsphere (0800 567 7372, www.travelsphere.co.uk)
we left the party, waved off by our cheery
drivers who still had another 300 miles to Sample prices:
go. Leger’s D-Day Landings in Normandy tour costs from £199 bed and
“If you had a good week, we’re Roy and breakfast for four days. A five-day tour from £299 is by luxury Silver Service
Ian,” they said. “If you didn’t, we’re Bill and coach, available on selected dates.
Ben.”
TL
I did, thanks partly to Roy and Ian. I’ll be Best of Western Canada is a 14-day holiday by Cosmos Tourama, costing
back on the road some day. from £2,015 including return flights.Visiting Vancouver and the Rockies, it
includes many excursions plus rail and cruise trips, but not meals.
Dave Richardson started taking day trips by
coach at the age of 12 and was soon taking Grand UK’s North Wales Coast holiday is based at its own Grand Ash
overnight trips to various parts of the country. He Hotel in Llandudno, costing £269 for five days with half-board, including two
went on to try his first coach tour to Europe and
is planning an escorted tour of the US in 2010. full-day excursions.


golfTLjul09v1pp41-44:T&L 20/7/09 11:53 Page 41
pack your CLUBS

MURCIA, SPAIN
Golf with star

appeal
Peter Ellegard
■ La Manga Club hotel
Spanish region Murcia is

synonymous with Brits
favourite La Manga but,
thanks to an explosion of golf
facilities, it is now Spain’s
fastest-growing golf
destination. Peter Ellegard
recently returned to where it
all began…
W
ith my golf bag slung
over one shoulder
and my other arm
clutching golf shoes,
the lift buttons were
tricky to reach.
Thankfully, another hotel guest who got in
behind me spared my contortions, asking
which floor I wanted and pressing the button.
Recognising the voice, I looked round and
suddenly realised who my lift partner was –
just managing to avoid blurting out something
stupid, like “aren’t you Glenn Hoddle?”
It was just after Hoddle’s tenure as England
football manager some 10 years ago and we
were at La Manga Club, in Spain’s Murcia
region. But star-spotting is nothing new there.
For more than 35 years, the sprawling
leisure complex has not only been a byword
for holidaying Brits, but has also been a mag-
net for celebrities. Many have bought luxury
villas alongside its golf courses.
A frequent La Manga visitor, I have previ-
ously spotted actress Patsy Palmer – Bianca
from Eastenders – sunning herself poolside
and seen former F1 world champion Nigel
Mansell, a villa owner, setting off in a golf
Peter Ellegard
buggy for a leisurely round. Other regulars

include David Coulthard, Kenny Dalglish, Sir
■ Driving off on La Manga’s North Course
Cliff Richard and Alan Hansen.

Home from home

The home-from-home feel is hardly surpris-
ing; it was owned and run by British institu-
tion P&O for a quarter of a century until late
2004. To many, La Manga was and is Murcia,
and vice versa.
But La Manga no longer has a monopoly.
Murcia’s golf facilities have expanded rapidly
in recent years. Now Spain’s fastest-growing
golf destination, it has 17 courses with more
under construction or planned.
Newcomers have dramatically enhanced
Polaris World
Murcia’s golf resort scene. They include the 27-

hole Mosa Trajectum resort and resort operator ■ Nicklaus Golf Trail course El Valle
Polaris World, which has linked with golf leg-
end Jack Nicklaus to create the Nicklaus Golf emies, several villa complexes all with their lies also found on its siblings – and large
Trail – a circuit currently comprising four own pools, over 20 bars and restaurants, greens with wicked slopes.
courses and which will eventually boast nine. shops, banks, a pharmacy and even its own The West Course is the prettiest, snaking
Other Murcia courses have designs by the petrol station. A private beach in a rocky cove through a more rural setting of hills and pine
likes of Dave Thomas and Spain’s own Seve overlooked by a restaurant is accessed by a trees, to finish with a towering 18th tee giving
Ballesteros. road blasted through the towering sea cliffs. grandstand views of La Manga and the Med.
All of which is bringing more golfing visi- Top football clubs use its extensive training With numerous blind shots, it demands target-
tors to this south-eastern corner of Spain, facilities and many sports stars take part in golf precision.
tucked between the provinces of Alicante and charity golf tournaments.
Almeria. Most courses are along the coastal La Manga’s three courses are both a joy Nicklaus Golf Trail
strip, known as the Costa Calida. Visitors and a challenge. Easy resort golf it isn’t.
Created by Polaris World with golf legend
arrive via Alicante or Murcia’s tiny San Javier Originally designed in 1971 and remod-
Jack Nicklaus, the Nicklaus Golf Trail is a
airport, just 20 minutes from La Manga. The elled in 1992 by Arnold Palmer, the champi-
unique circuit of courses bearing the stamp of
sleepy little airport I recall from early visits onship South Course features wide, palm-
the Golden Bear. Of the four courses already
now bursts at the seams at peak times. fringed fairways and water hazards on 15 of
open, three are 18-hole layouts. Two more
A brand new airport opens next year at the 18 holes, including some new ones added
courses are under construction and work will
Corovera, 20 minutes from the provincial cap- in a multi-million renovation that I discovered,
soon start on the other three.
ital, the city of Murcia, to cope with the influx. quite literally, on my recent visit. The trail courses open so far are:
The more aesthetically-pleasing but shorter
La Torre Best Golf: a short 18-hole, par 68
Return to La Manga North Course is partly laid out on higher ele-
course with wide fairways, suitable for inter-
A recent return to La Manga gave me the vations, with challenges provided by palm
mediate or high handicappers.
chance to see it for the first time since it came trees, lakes and barrancas – natural storm gul-
El Valle Best Golf: a desert-style, 18-hole,
under Spanish ownership, and since the hacien- par 71 course featuring lakes, waterfalls and
da-style former Hyatt Regency hotel became clusters of bunkers set amid rocks and abun-
the independently-operated La Manga Club dant native vegetation.
Principe Felipe earlier this year. Off course Hacienda Riquelme Best Golf: this larger
I was heartened to see the resort was than average 18-hole, par 72 course enjoys
little changed from my last visit, a Murcia’s coastal stretch, the Costa Calida, offers a Mediterranean setting surrounded by
decade ago; if anything, it was better. unspoilt white sandy beaches, picturesque towns, fishing olive trees with several large lakes.
The hotels rooms were better- ports where you can dine on tasty local catches, natural Mar Menor Best Golf: a nine-hole
appointed than I remembered, and beauty spots, and two seas offering water sports galore – the course currently being extended to
new facilities had been added. Mediterranean and the enclosed Mar Menor, protected by a long 18 holes, its wide fairways and
Among them an impressive spa finger of land edged by beaches.This is La Manga strip, a favourite large bunkers are ideal for begin-
overlooking the vast resort, from holiday spot for the Spanish with hotels, apartments, shops, bars and ners and learners.
where you can truly appreciate La restaurants. Trail courses still to open
Manga Club’s scale. The city of Murcia, the regional capital, claims to have more festivals include: the 18-hole, par 72 Las
Three times the size of Monaco, than any other Spanish city. September’s Moors and Christians Terrazas de La Torre, a desert-style
it encompasses three 18-hole golf parade sees an effigy of the Virgin Mary carried to a mountain course with dunes encasing greens;
courses, a golf academy, an 18-hole shrine and bull fights in the city arena.While Roman the Condado de Alhama, a signature
Par 47 pitch and putt course, 28 tennis stronghold Cartegena – where Hannibal grew up – course designed by Jack Nicklaus him-
courts, football centre with eight pitches, holds a 10-day Carthaginians and Romans Festival self with sharp elevations; and the Bear’s
two cricket pitches, rugby and Gaelic football each September, with camps, battle re- Best I and II 18-hole duo, with differing
facilities, a Junior Club and junior sports acad- enactments and chariot races. styles reminiscent of Florida and the Arizona

Murcia GOLF facts
Peter Ellegard
Tourist information
For information about Murcia and its golf courses, visit the Murcia Tourist
■ La Manga’s South Course Board website, www.murciaturistica.es/PORTAL/
Weather
Murcia’s semi-arid, sub-tropical climate is ideal for golf year-round, with an
average temperature of 21ºC and more than 300 sunny days a year.
Hacienda del Alamo
Getting there
Many flights by charter airlines, scheduled airlines and low-cost carriers go
to Murcia’s San Javier airport and nearby Alicante. Monarch
■ Hacienda del Alamo (www.monarch.co.uk) serves both, with flights to Alicante from airports
including Gatwick and Luton, and flights to Murcia from Gatwick and other
desert but both featuring replica holes from regional airports. Fares start from £46.50 one-way (£76.99 return) to
some of the 240 Nicklaus Design courses. Alicante and £52.99 (£88.50) to Murcia.
Polaris World offers extensive self-catering
accommodation as well as two five-star Golf packages
InterContinental hotels, overlooking the Mar Tour operators offering Murcia golf packages include Your Golf Travel (0800
Menor and La Torre courses. 043, 6644, www.yourgolftravel.com). La Manga prices start at £295 per
person for three nights’ bed and breakfast at the Hotel La Manga Club
Eco-golf Principe Felipe, with three rounds of golf, or £229 on the same basis at the
Three nine-hole layouts (Stone, Olive and Las Lomas Village apartments or townhouses.Three nights’ self-catering at
Pine) giving three 18-hole combinations are Polaris World with three rounds of golf on the Nicklaus Golf Trail cost
on offer at Mosa Trajectum Golf – Murcia. from £130 per person. Prices exclude flights.
Each nine is different in character. The resort
also has a nine-hole, par 3 Challenge Course.
Mosa Trajectum claims to be Spain’s first
completely-ecological golf course, with a
drainage system which collects all rain and
Polaris World
Peraleja Golf
waste water and diverts it to the resort’s own

purification plant. ■ Wildlife abounds at Peraleja ■ The Nicklaus Trail will have nine courses
Of Murcia’s other courses, Dave Thomas
designed Roda Golf Course, part of the De Courses Roda Golf & Beach Resort
Vere Hotels-managed Roda Golf and Beach La Manga Club www.rodagolf.com
Resort where a hotel opens in 2010, the semi- www.lamangaclub.com
private Altorreal set on hills above Murcia city, Hacienda del Alamo
and Hacienda del Alamo. Surrounded by cit- Nicklaus Golf Trail www.clubdegolfhda.com
rus, olive and almond groves, a second course www.nicklausgolftrail.es
is planned there. Altorreal Golf
Wildlife is a key feature of Seve Ballesteros- Mosa Trajectum Golf – Murcia www.golfaltorreal.es
designed Peraleja, which opened in 2007. More www.thekey.es
than 60% of the resort’s 780-acre area is pro-
tected, with resident bird species including Peraleja Golf
Bonelli eagles, red kites and eagle owls. A five- www.peralejagolf.com
star hotel and spa opens soon.
Peter Ellegard
Future openings feature several big-name golf Hotels

designers. Among them are: two Greg Norman- Hotel La Manga Club Principe Felipe
designed courses at the 3 Molinos Golf Resort; www.lamangaclub.com
the Jose Maria Olazabal-designed Corvera Golf
& Country Club course opening in 2010, which Hotel Intercontinental Mar Menor Golf Resort
will become the winter HQ and overseas base for www.intercontinental.com/marmenor
the PGAs of Europe; and Novo Carthago, a
resort alongside the Mar Menor featuring two Hotel InterContinental La Torre Golf Resort Murcia
Robert Trent Jones Jr courses. www.intercontinental.com/latorre
er 10 years before I go back to Murcia. TL

One thing is certain; I won’t leave it anoth-

golf NEWS
GOLF CLIPS
The K Club, Ireland’s 2006
First brochure
E
Ryder Cup host resort, is urope’s fastest-growing breakfast with two rounds of
celebrating its 18th birthday golf travel company has golf at Belmont Lodge Hotel &
with some special offers.They launched its first Golf Club in Hereford. Overseas
include bed and breakfast in a brochure. More than 180 holidays cost from £115 per per-
superior room for £180, with resorts, hotels and golf courses son for three nights in an apart-
18 holes of golf or 180 in 19 destinations around the ment on Portugal’s Algarve,
minutes of spa treatments. world are featured in the inau- with three rounds.
Peter Ellegard
The offer is valid all year. Call gural 2009 brochure from Your Your Golf Travel managing
00 353 1 601 7200 or visit Golf Travel, which was previ- director Andrew Harding said:
www.kclub.com ously online only. ■ Your Golf Travel offers Celtic Manor breaks “We wanted to build on the phe-
As well as UK and Ireland nomenal growth the company
Dubai’s Majlis Course has breaks, the brochure offers holi- tured are China’s Mission Hills, has enjoyed since its inception
been voted the top golf days in European golfing the world’s biggest golf complex in 2005 and launching this
course in the Middle East by hotspots France, Portugal, with 12 courses, Players brochure is the best way to do
leading US golf publication Spain, Turkey and Cyprus. Championship venue Sawgrass that.”
Further afield, it offers South in Florida, 2010 Ryder Cup host For a copy of the brochure,
Africa, Morocco, Tunisia, Celtic Manor in Wales and 2014 call 0800 043 6644, and for more
Egypt, Mauritius, the Caribbean, host Gleneagles in Scotland. information, visit the website
the US and China. UK breaks start at £36 per (www.yourgolftravel.com),
Among notable courses fea- person for one night’s bed and which has over 1,500 venues.
Join the club

Dubai Golf
■ 8th hole on the Majlis
Golf Digest. Designed by Karl
W
Litten and opened in 1988, ith Florida property
the course is part of the prices at their low-
Emirates Golf Club and hosts est for years and
the PGA European Tour- the dollar still good value,
sanctioned Dubai Desert British golfers might not have a
Classic, won this year by better opportunity to buy a
Rory McIlroy. home there with top-notch
www.dubaigolf.com courses on the doorstep.
One of south-west Florida’s
A new rooftop deck has most prestigious country clubs
been added at the Old is aiming to attract more over-
Course Hotel, Golf Resort & seas members, particularly from
Spa in St Andrews.The terrace the UK.
completes the luxurious Grey Oaks Country Club, in
Naples, already has several
British members. Director of
Peter Ellegard
membership Ann Marie Ashline

believes its beautiful setting,
■ Grey Oaks’ Palm Course
home-away-from-home atmos-
Kohler Co
■ The Old Course Hotel’s rooftop deck

phere and extensive facilities –
which include three golf cours- at Grey Oaks, where three-bed- facilities. Members get 80% of
fourth floor of the hotel and es, one by top architect Bob room villas sell from around the current equity value back if
guests can enjoy a drink or Cupp – particularly appeal to the $800,000, but it also offers equi- they resign.
meal while looking out over British. Other facilities include ty golf membership for non-res- Interested British golfers are
the Old Course,West Sands two clubhouses, two driving idents. That costs $175,000 welcome to try out Grey Oaks’
and Firth of Forth. ranges, tennis, social events and (Grey Oaks property owners pay golf as guests. Call 00 1 239 262
www.oldcoursehotel.co.uk a fitness centre. $150,000) plus annual dues of 5550. More information:
Many members have homes $11,400, giving full use of all www.greyoakscc.com

on your DOORSTEP
Doorstep/TLjul09/v1pp47-50:T&L 20/7/09 12:09 Page 47
CHANNEL ISLANDS
tranquillity
Fortresses of
Depending on your viewpoint, they’re a little piece of France
■ Fort Grey, Guernsey
that will remain forever English, or an extension of the
Normandy coast that are French in all but name. The fact is,
writes Frank Partridge, the Channel Islands have a character
and style all of their own
I
was enjoying a round of golf on the each other, and coveted by the Third Reich
island of Alderney, third largest of as stepping stones towards European domi-
the Channel Islands and so close to nation, Alderney and its two bigger sisters,
France that you can make out the Jersey and Guernsey, have been floating
traffic on the coast road of the fortresses for centuries. Now, at last, peace
Cherbourg Peninsula, when I was reigns in this lovely corner of Europe.
faced with a tricky “blind” shot to the Tourists can clamber safely over the military
green. “No problem,” said my local com- relics as they’re gently reclaimed by nature –
panion, “just aim for that gun emplacement and (good) golfers can use them to sharpen
Visit Guernsey
up on the high ground there, just left of the their aim.

observation tower.”
These aren’t the sort of landmarks that Bygone traditions
come into play on a golf course in, say, Peace and quiet – of a kind southern Britain
■ A painter on Surrey or Hertfordshire, but in Alderney hasn’t experienced since the 1950s – is the
Jersey’s north they define the landscape, nearly 70 years special quality of Sark and Herm, the fourth
coast
after Hitler’s occupying forces fortified the and fifth islands of the group. Spectacularly
island in readiness for an Allied attack that beautiful Sark jealously preserves its
never came. bygone traditions and unhurried pace of
I took aim, sliced my shot into thick life. Cars are banned in this dreamy place of
bracken, and spent five minutes looking for hidden coves and beaches, luxuriant vegeta-
my ball and considering the accidents of tion, tea and craft shops. It would have been
Jersey Tourism
geography and history that make the the perfect location for an Enid Blyton
Channel Islands unique. Stuck between two novel, and is best explored on bike or foot.
great powers who were forever warring with Sark’s most striking feature is the narrow,
Main picture: Visit Guernsey

■ Horse and
cart transport
in Sark
Visit Guernsey
■ Jersey’s Battle of Flowers
■ The Durrell
Wildlife Centre
Festivals & events
Battle of Flowers
Both Jersey and Guernsey celebrate their
main export with spectacular floral
processions, when locals compete to
Jersey Tourism
build the best mobile float. Jersey’s
carnival (www.battleofflowers.com) is
from August 13-14; Guernsey’s
(www.visitguernsey.com) is August
26-27.
■ Floral
Guernsey
Alderney Week
130 events and entertainment for all ages
in the island’s annual carnival, from
Jersey Tourism/Stuart Abraham
August 1-9. www.alderneyweek.net
Sark Celebration of the Sea

Visit Guernsey
Seafood, music, family entertainment and

fireworks from noon to midnight on
September 12.
natural causeway that links the two halves on Herm, including some shops, holiday cot- Guernsey, which means they’re effectively
of the island, running nearly 300 feet above tages, a school and a post office, is run as a governed from the island’s capital, St Peter
the waves on either side. There are sturdy business by a tenant family, who ensure that Port. Jersey is also a bailiwick (derived from
hand-rails, but it’s no place to go if you suf- litter and noise are kept to a mini- an old French word meaning an
fer from vertigo. mum, and that everyone without area of jurisdiction) and the
Herm is less than two miles long and a a permit to stay overnight is two big islands have a
mile wide, with a population of less than 100 safely on the last ferry back remarkable degree of
that swells twenty-fold in the summer to Guernsey, 20 minutes independence. Each
months. Some are content to stay within the away. Outside July and has its own constitu-
luxurious confines of the island’s only hotel, August, this is the ulti- tion, parliament, tax
but the day-trippers make a bee-line for two mate get-away-from-it-all system, currency,
of the finest beaches in the British Isles: retreat. stamps and excise
Belvoir Bay and Shell Beach. The latter’s bril- duty. The UK is
liant white surface is a beachcomber’s delight, Independence responsible only for
with an unending supply of shells deposited Herm, Sark and Alderney all ■ Dancers at Jersey’s their defence, as depend-
on the island by the Gulf Stream. Everything belong to the Bailiwick of Battle of Flowers parade encies of the British Crown.
Jersey Tourism

■ Children rock
pooling on Jersey ■ A German
coastal artillery
observation tower
at St Brelade
Jersey Tourism
Did you know?
● The island that became world-famous
for its “Guernsey Toms” built its first
giant greenhouses in 1792 - for the
production of grapes.Tomatoes
weren’t introduced until the 1860s.
● Assuming victory in World War II,
Adolf Hitler planned to turn Jersey
into a giant holiday camp, as part of
the Third Reich’s “Strength through
Joy” programme.
● Herm has a unique set of regulations.
Visitors are forbidden to pick
flowers, own a house, play loud music
on the beach, or wash their clothes
between noon and midnight – to save
electricity, which the island generates
itself.
● Alderney has the only working
railway in the Channel Islands, and
one of the oldest in the British Isles.
A diesel locomotive pulls two former
London Underground carriages,
which celebrate their 50th birthday
Jersey Tourism
this year.
It didn’t feel like that in 1940, when the Occupation reminders military museum and hospital, and an
Nazis earmarked the Channel Islands as a On the golf course, and pretty much every- Occupation Museum depicting the day-to-
key brick in their defensive Atlantic Wall, where else, you’re reminded of the four day grind of island life in those desperate
that stretched from Norway to Spain. years and 10 months of occupation, when times. Emerging into daylight, they make
Britain, at the height of the Blitz, was in no food ran so short that the German soldiers the elegant, quaint streets and alleys of St
position to help, and the islands were aban- were reduced to eating domestic cats and Peter Port look all the more beautiful,
doned to the enemy without a shot being dogs. Alderney is an easy-going place now, although Guernsey has nothing quite to
fired. The Germans brought in slave labour with its notably relaxed attitude to the match Elizabeth and Mont Orgueil castles
from Eastern Europe to shore up their licensing laws giving rise to the saying that on Jersey – the two most imposing buildings
defences; Alderney was virtually cleared of it’s “two thousand drunks clinging to a of the Channel Islands, dramatically floodlit
people to make way for four concentration rock”, but it was a grim place in the war at night.
camps. Churchill was advised that recaptur- years, and the period is superbly captured in
ing Alderney alone might cost a quarter of a the island’s museum in St Anne, the quaint, Gallic influence
million Allied lives, and the “dear Channel cobbled capital. Jersey is the biggest, wealthiest and most
Isles”, as he called them, were left to fend Guernsey has plenty of evocative war populous of the islands, and although its
for themselves. memorabilia too, including an underground capital, St Helier, lacks the charm of the

Channel Island facts

Getting there
There are at least 12 flights per day to Jersey and
Guernsey from London. Aurigny Air Services
Jersey Tourism
(www.aurigny.com) flies to both Jersey and
Guernsey from Gatwick and Stansted, and to
Alderney from Southampton, and operates between
the three main islands.
Flybe (www.flybe.com) flies to Jersey and Guernsey from Gatwick and
Southampton, with additional services to Jersey from Luton and Southend.
Blue Islands (www.blueislands.com) flies from Southampton to Jersey,
Visit Guernsey
Guernsey and Alderney, plus inter-island services. New weekly Air
■ St Peter Port, Guernsey Southwest (www.airsouthwest.com) flights serve Jersey from Oxford.
other main towns, there are plenty of beauty Condor Ferries (www.condorferries.com) operates a fast car ferry
spots within easy reach. Nearly half the service year-round from Poole and Weymouth to Jersey via Guernsey, and a
island’s 50-mile coastline is sandy beach, direct service from Poole to Jersey in summer. A traditional ferry sails from
and 350 miles of narrow, hedgerow-fringed Portsmouth to Jersey, with a journey time of 10 hours 30 minutes.
roads make it seem much larger than it is.
There’s a speed limit of 20mph most of the Accommodation and information
way, but the byways are so mazy and divert- All the islands have a wide range of accommodation,
ing that you’ll be pushed to exceed it. from luxury hotels to self-catering cottages and
Rainy-day highlights are the Jersey well-appointed campsites.The islands’ tourist
Museum in St Helier, where the star attrac- information websites have details of current
tion is Lillie Langtry, the island-born vacancies and deals, as well as online search
socialite who scandalised London in the late facilities and email booking services.
Jersey Tourism
19th century, and the world-famous zoo, Jersey: www.jersey.com
founded 50 years ago by Gerald Durrell, Guernsey: www.visitguernsey.com
who was a generation ahead of his time in Alderney: www.visitalderney.com
realising that exotic wildlife must be pre- Sark: www.sark.info
served, and not merely caged. Herm: www.herm-island.com
“French yachtsmen Health insurance

Because the Channel Islands are not part of the EU, visitors are not
sail over for lunch covered by the European Health Insurance card and need to ensure they
have adequate personal insurance in case they need health treatment.
at French-owned
Attractions
restaurants” Jersey
● Jersey Zoo (www.durrell.org) celebrated its 50th birthday on July 12.
Jersey is just 14 miles from mainland ● Jersey Museum & Art Gallery (www.jerseyheritage.org) – a quarter
France, so it’s no surprise to find a strong of a million years of history and some fine Surrealist art under one roof.
Gallic influence in its cuisine, dialect and ● Mont Orgueil Castle, Jersey (www.jerseyheritage.org) – stunning
place names. French yachtsmen sail over for views and 600 years of history at the island’s most photographed site.
lunch at French-owned restaurants. The most
celebrated incomer to the islands was the Guernsey
French Romantic writer, Victor Hugo, ● Hauteville House, St Peter Port (www.victorhugo.gg) – Victor Hugo’s
whose exotically-decorated house in Guernsey home from 1856-70 features an astonishing display of
Guernsey is open to the public. But don’t be eccentric furnishings, and is preserved by the City of Paris.
misled. In a dozen visits to the islands, I’ve ● German Military Underground Hospital (www.visitguernsey.com) –
seen a forest of Union flags and scarcely a an eerie reminder of the wartime occupation, the Channel
Jersey Tourism
single French tricolour. The Channel Islands Islands’ largest construction was hewn out of
TL
might feel like abroad, but their heart will the rock by thousands of slave workers.
always be close to home.
Alderney
Frank Partridge writes and broadcasts ● Wartime memorabilia helps tell the island's story
about travel and will happily visit any at the Alderney Society Museum
country with a golf course and a vineyard (www.alderneysociety.org)
within easy reach. He frequently misses
planes and knows certain airports –
especially Luton – like the back of his hand.


Bags/TL jul09v1pp53-54:T&L 20/7/09 12:04 Page 53
in your FLIGHT BAG

Ultra hip with a Flip
T
he Flip Ultra is the world’s
first point-and-shoot cam-
corder and a hit with celebri-
ties such as Oprah Winfrey and
Stella McCartney.
You can record 60 minutes of
footage, connect directly to your com-
puter via the flip-out USB arm and
upload to YouTube, MySpace etc. The
Flip Ultra comes in black, silver, orange
or pink and retails at £99.99.
For the man who
Available from Amazon.co.uk,
Carphone Warehouse, Play.com, has everything
Currys, PC World, Firebox.com and The Travelwrap for him is so luxurious it will make
iwantoneofthose.com even the hardest person to buy for feel special.
For further information go to The classic look and sharp colours will never go
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Scottish cashmere will make everyone feel at
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Freshen up your gums black and an eclectic choice of charcoal/silver

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take onboard a flight, cruise or simply for relaxing
F
eel fresh onboard air- Gingidex toothpaste with anti- at home or in the garden.
craft with this oral bacterial agents and aloe Travelwrap for him is the deluxe wardrobe
health travel kit vera, a natural ingredient investment for the discerning man and will soon
from Sunstar. Featuring well known for its hydrating make it to the top of his list of favourite travel
top quality dentally rec- properties, to help protect items, along with the comfy T-shirt, the linen
ommended products, the and maintain healthy gums. trousers and the vintage leather wash bag.
transparent, waterproof The GUM Travel Kit is The Travelwrap costs from £191 and comes with a
wash kit contains: the available from selected phar- protective linen bag beautifully wrapped in the
GUM travel brush, macies and online from signature Travelwrap Company box – a gorgeous
coated with an anti-bac- www.dentalshop.co.uk or gift for someone special. Or maybe you would like
terial protection; a mini spool contain- by calling 01677 424 446. to treat yourself – Travelwrap is also available for
ing 10m of GUM expanding dental For details of all the GUM products women and children. Go to
floss; and a tube of the latest GUM go to www.sunstargum.co.uk www.thetravelwrapcompany.com for further
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Beautiful, stylish – and eco-friendly! WIN a stylish Travelwrap
E
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are ideal for keeping in your are 100% waterproof and washable and to offer one lucky reader
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of designs from the feminine florals of www.envirosax.com Travelwrap from the
the Botanica range to the bold and Eclectic Collection, worth
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Envirosax bags can cope & giveaways.Terms &
with up to 20kg of shopping per conditions apply. Closing
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Bags/TL jul09v1pp53-54:T&L 20/7/09 12:04 Page 54
in your SUITCASE
Smokin’ look – with Ergo sums it up to take
minimum make-up a weight off your mind
Impress with less with the
new Smokin’ Eyes Kit from
B
Benefit, which is beautifully eing overweight gage item and lift it off
compact and includes can be costly – at the ground to get an
everything you need for the least with your accurate reading (within
sexiest smoky eyes and luggage. 0.1kg). You can then
beautiful brows. If your suitcase is just arrange your souvenirs
The kit contains: one kilo over the airline’s and gifts in the comfort
● Three smokin’ shadows: weight allowance, it of your hotel room rather
pink highlight shadow, could cost you, on aver- than in front of strangers
pewter base shadow, age, an extra £5 at the at the airport!
deep charcoal shadow check-in desk. Weighing just 229g and
● Smokin’ liner, dark black pencil But now the measuring a small
● Brow zings, shaping wax Balanazza Ergo helps
● Eye bright, cream eye brightener you take control before
● Fluff shadow/hard angle brush you fly.
● Tiny tweezers for discreet touch-ups The Balanzza Ergo
● A lesson to talk you through each step digital luggage scales
So don’t waste your luggage allowance on lots of can help avoid
heavy make-up, when all you need is Smokin’ Eyes! excess weight sur-
Smokin’ Eyes is priced £26.50. For stockists go to: charges, by enabling
www.benefitcosmetics.co.uk you to weigh luggage 13x7x2.5cm, the Ergo is The Balanzza Ergo
before heading to the air- perfect to pop into your is available online at
port. Simply attach the suitcase to be there when
Keep your valuables safe strap securely to the lug- you really need it.
www.balanzza.co.uk,
priced £19.99.
on your travels
The security experts at Yale have introduced a
handy new portable Travel Safe that can be
Head to Boots for those
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or while you’re out and about to keep your
holiday necessities
belongings safe.
B
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Designed to fit in your handbag or travel bag, Caribbean. The Soltan
the safe comes with a four-digit combination lock mini sunscreen is ideal
and has a strengthened casing for further for keeping in your bag
protection against attack and theft. throughout the summer
The Travel Safe retails at £9.99 and is available months.
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● We have five Yale Travel Safes and, with UVA & UVB
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Thinking 4-in-1 Wipes Extracts Mini Body or in your beach bag.
(30 wipes) £6.90; Boots Washes, 75ml £2.45. www.boots.com

Out & About/TLjul09v1pp56-57:T&L 20/7/09 12:16 Page 56
Out about
Hamilton launches Mercedes
Driving Academy for youngsters
& What’s on... and where
B
ritish Formula One world champion
Lewis Hamilton has opened the
world’s first Mercedes-Benz Driving
Academy at Mercedes-Benz World, in
Weybridge, Surrey.
With young drivers among the most vul-
nerable on the roads, the academy promises
to coach its students to become good driv-
ers, not to just pass their test.
Young people from the age of 12 (with a
minimum height of 1.5 metres) can now
learn to drive on the handling circuits at
Mercedes-Benz World, following a curricu-
lum-based programme which is built on rec-
ommendations from a series of EU road ■ Lewis Hamilton with young
safety research projects. It also includes peer drivers at Mercedes-Benz World
group discussion sessions, real-life scenario
role play on the track and psychological For further information on the Mercedes- take a walk around the exhibitions and get
evaluation. Benz Driving Academy, go to up close to the famous Gullwing and
The Mercedes-Benz Driving Academy www.mbdrivingacademy.com Maybach.
offers three main modules: pre-road module Mercedes-Benz World offers the perfect In the cinema, you can learn about the
(age 12-17), provisional licence module (age day out for the family aside from the driv- history of the Mercedes-Benz brand and in
17+) and post-test module (for those who ing experience. You can have lunch in the the simulator you’ll be transported down a
have already passed their test). Prices start at Gullwing Restaurant overlooking the cir- production line. To plan your day, go to
£40 for a half-hour session on the track. cuit, get hands-on with the latest models, www.mercedes-benzworld.co.uk
forest home completes the day

Tickets for LaplandUK 2009 are on sale now and because parents or
guardians have already
LaplandUK, Kent’s award- gingerbread in Mother provided Father Christmas
winning, magical Christmas Christmas’s kitchen, go ice- with all the information he
experience for families, will skating, meet husky dogs, see needs (via the website), he
open for the second year reindeer, send a postcard from “magically” knows everything
running next November. the North Pole Post Office, about his little guests.
The magic begins when work with the elves in the toy LaplandUK is open from
children receive a personalised factory and visit the mystical November 14 until Christmas
letter from Father Christmas Sami for traditional Nordic Eve and tickets are priced from
requesting their help to make storytelling at their woodland £57.50. Bookings must be
■ Santa returns to Kent this year
toys with the elves in the encampment. made in advance, either online
snowy, “Arctic” landscape of Estate, in Kent. A personal visit to Father at www.laplanduk.co.uk or
LaplandUK, at Bewl Water Children can decorate Christmas himself in his snowy by calling 0871 221 9627.

Out & About/TLjul09v1pp56-57:T&L 20/7/09 12:17 Page 57
out and ABOUT

Battle of ■ Is it a bird?
No, it's a birdman
the airshows
V
isitors to the world’s biggest
free seafront airshow will have
four chances to see crowd
favourites the Red Arrows as the
famous fast jets zoom through the
Eastbourne skies on every day of the Flying high!
town’s Airbourne event.
Not to be outdone, Bournemouth, Spectators can watch Taking place over the
with three appearances from the Red in amazement and weekend of August
■ Eastbourne Airbourne 2008
Arrows, is the region’s premier event horror as 48 human- 22/23, the Worthing
for this year’s Fly Navy 100 celebra- powered flying International Birdman
tions for naval aviation’s centenary. More Bus Bournemouth Air machines throw event attracts over
This is how they line up: Festival, August 20-23 themselves from a 25,000 people to the
Airbourne: Eastbourne Inter- Bournemouth’s fun will continue into specially-constructed seafront and it is free
national Airshow, August 13-16 the evening with Night Air. Taking platform on Worthing for spectators.
Eastbourne is keen to uphold its reputa- place in the Lower Gardens, this will Pier – many of them To find out more
tion as the biggest international seafront include a hot-air balloon show accom- attempting to fly over about the Birdman
airshow with displays from the F16 US panied by a laser show on Friday and 100 metres with the event and to meet
fighter – known as the Fighting Falcon Saturday night, displays by the Royal possibility of winning Wilde the Birdman
– plus the Eurofighter Typhoon, mak- Marines Combat Display Team and the jackpot of mascot, go to
ing it a truly international event. fireworks on Saturday night. £30,000. www.worthingbirdman.co.uk
For more information go to For more information visit
www.eastbourneairshow.co.uk www.bournemouthair.co.uk
Posh picnics
Kids go free in August Relax this summer
with a classic English
at RHS gardens
picnic concert at
Kenwood House,
London and Audley
End, Saffron Walden.
F
or the second year running, the ■ Pirates and Arrive at the English
Royal Horticultural Society is pansies at the Heritage venues from Last Night of the
RHS
offering children aged 16 and 2.30pm and 5.30pm to Kenwood Proms
under the chance to discover the fun of enjoy the grounds and features one of Britain’s
frolicking in the garden free of charge. gather friends for a top tenors,Alfie Boe. It
From pirate fun and treasure trails to picnic on the lawn. takes place on August
teddy bear picnics and storytelling, Artists include 22 and also concludes
there are plenty of free activities to Carr, Harrogate, August 29. If you are Russell Watson, Simply with a spectacular
keep children entertained at RHS gar- heading to Yorkshire, kids can dress up Red, Jools Holland and fireworks display.
dens throughout August. as a pirate on Pirate Day as part of the Will Young, while the Advance tickets are
Plant Hunting and Pirate Family Fortnight, from August 16-31. Last Night of the available through The
Spectacular: RHS Garden Wisley, Adult admission: £7. Audley End Proms on Times box office on
Surrey, Bank Holiday Weekend, www.rhs.org.uk/whatson/gardens/ Sunday, August 2, is 0844 209 1922, through
August 29-31. Visiting families will harlowcarr/index.asp headlined by Katherine See Tickets on 0844 412
get a treasure map to follow a trail of Teddy Bears Picnic: RHS Garden Jenkins and features a 2706 or via Ticketmaster
great Victorian plant explorers, finding Hyde Hall, Essex, August 23. Bring thrilling Spitfire display. on 0844 847 1637.You
clues and battling pirates, leading to your teddy bear for a picnic with story- All concerts at can also visit
their plant treasure. Adult admission: telling, garden games and a special Audley End conclude www.picnicconcerts.com
£8.50. www.rhs.org.uk/whatson/ teddy bear’s hospital. Adults: £5.50. with a stunning for tickets and more
gardens/wisley/index.asp www.rhs.org.uk/whatson/gardens/ fireworks finale.The information.
Pirate Day: RHS Garden Harlow hydehall/index.asp


Coming next-TLjul09v1-pp59:T&L 20/7/09 12:22 Page 59
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London-TLjul09v1pp/60-62:T&L 20/7/09 12:25 Page 60
Park
Life London’s Royal Parks
■ Strolling by the
Serpentine in
London’s Hyde Park
visitlondonimages/
britainonview
Escape the blur and There are eight Royal

Parks in London and one
Open: All day, year-
round.
enjoy green days cemetery that is looked

after by the Royal Parks
agency
Event/activity: Guided
Walk – Mansions of
Green Park, August 24,
(www.royalparks.org.uk). 1-2pm. Limited places;
L ondon is the greenest city in the

world – thanks to its open spaces,
heaths, commons and greens, with
park, with something for everyone. It
has 350 acres of historic landscape, over
4,000 trees, a lake, a meadow, horse
They are:
St James’s Park
book through the park
office on 020 7930 1793.
eight Royal Parks leading the way. You rides, a playground, an education centre Hyde Park
visitlondonimages/britainonview
can actually walk from the Houses of and a range of catering outlets. Tube: Lancaster Gate &
Parliament to Kensington Palace, a dis- Acquired by Henry VIII from the Marble Arch (Central
tance of about three miles, just through monks of Westminster Abbey in 1536, Line), Hyde Park Corner
Royal Parks. Hyde Park was a private hunting ground & Knightsbridge
Start in St James’s Park, London’s until James I permitted limited access. (Piccadilly Line).
oldest Royal Park and surrounded by Charles I opened it to the general pub- Open: 5am-midnight,
three palaces – Westminster (the lic, in 1637. Tube: St. James’s Park year-round
Houses of Parliament), St James’s Before reaching Kensington Palace, (District/Circle Line). Event/activity: Punch
Palace and Buckingham Palace, where savour the delights of Kensington Open: 5am-midnight, and Judy, August 17-21,
you can catch the daily Changing the Gardens, once part of Hyde Park. year-round. 11am, 1pm, 3pm. Free
Guard ceremony in spring and summer. Queen Caroline, wife of George II, cre- Event/activity: Feeding with admission to the
Next is a royal favourite, Green Park. ated the Serpentine and the Long Water the pelicans. Wildlife Lido (£4 adult, £1 child
King Charles II acquired land between from a stream in 1728, resulting in the officers feed the park’s age 3+, £3 concessions
Hyde Park and St James’s so he could gardens’ present form. pelicans daily at 2.30pm. and £9 per family).
travel between them without leaving A well-loved feature is the bronze
royal soil, put a brick wall around it and statue of Peter Pan standing on a Green Park
called it Upper St James’s Park. Today, pedestal covered with climbing squir- Tube: Green Park
the park is a peaceful refuge from the rels, rabbits and mice. The Diana, (Jubilee, Victoria &
blur and bustle of modern London and Princess of Wales Memorial Piccadilly Lines), Hyde
is popular with walkers and joggers. Playground and seven-mile Memorial Park Corner (Piccadilly
Cross to Hyde Park, the people’s Walk were both opened in 2000. Line).

LONDON Review
PARKS
Did you know? ● Royal Parks hosting London 2012

Olympics events are: Greenwich
Garden squares
● In 1665, many London citizens Park (Olympic & Paralympic Garden squares are a great way for city workers to
fled the city to camp at Hyde equestrian events; modern pen- enjoy London’s open space and are perfect for
Park, to escape the Great Plague. tathlon elements), Horse Guards lunchtime escapes. Lincoln’s Inn Field, the largest public
● The chapel on the Fulham Road Parade (beach volleyball), Hyde square in London, is a short walk from Covent Garden
side of Brompton Cemetery was Park (triathlon; open water swim- and is a popular picnic spot for office workers.
used in GoldenEye (1995), Pierce ming) and Regent’s Park (road Postman’s Park is a small memorial garden created in
Brosnan’s first Bond movie. cycling). 1880, near St Paul’s. A wall in the park has 47 hand-
● Richmond Park is London’s ● King Charles II introduced the painted tiles paying tribute to everyday people who
largest Royal Park, covering 2,500 game of Pelle Melle, with players sacrificed their lives helping others and was featured
acres, and is home to 650 free- using a mallet to hit a ball through in the movie, Closer.
roaming deer. From its heights a hoop, from France. The courts www.visitlondon.com
there is an uninterrupted view of in St James’s Park gave their
St Paul’s Cathedral, 12 miles
away.
names to present-day Pall Mall
and The Mall.
Heaths and commons
The rugged landscapes of London’s heaths and
commons offer a less formal way to enjoy the
Kensington Gardens Fresco, August 9, begin- outdoors. Originally an agricultural resource, they are
Tube: Lancaster Gate & ner classes 1-2pm, social now a haven for wildlife and perfect for lazy sunny
Queensway (Central dancing 2-6pm, The afternoons and energetic mornings.
Line), Bayswater Broadwalk. £10 for class All offer different qualities and facilities, from outdoor
(District Line), High and social dancing. swimming at Hampstead Heath or
Street Kensington (Circle www.tangoalfresco.com Tooting Common to the pretty
& District Lines). village, shops and pubs that
Open: 6am-dusk, year- Bushy Park surround Blackheath.

round Train: From Waterloo to www.visitlondon.com
Event/activity: The Teddington/Hampton
Serpentine Gallery, fea-
turing modern and con-
Wick/Hampton Court,
then a short walk.
Large parks
temporary art, has a per- Open: 24 hours for London has plenty of large parks worthy of a whole-
manent display dedicated pedestrians (8am- day visit.They include:
to its former Patron, Open: 6am for pedestri- 10:30pm September & ● Hampton Court Palace Gardens, East Molesey,
Diana, Princess of Wales. ans, 7am for traffic. November). Vehicle Surrey (Train: Hampton Court). www.hrp.org.uk
Open daily during exhi- Closing times vary. access 6:30am-dusk, ● Eltham Palace, Greenwich (Train: Eltham &
bitions, 10am-6pm. Free. Event/activity: 7pm in winter. Mottingham). www.elthampalace.org.uk
Heatwave – a family cul- Event/activity: The ● Syon House and Gardens, Brentford, Middlesex
Richmond Park tural feast from noon- park has a distinct rural (Train: from Waterloo to Kew Bridge then bus.
Tube/Rail: Richmond 6pm on July 26, The character. Spot wildlife Tube: District Line to Gunnersbury then bus)
Station (Rail or District Bandstand. Take a blan- including red and fallow www.syonpark.co.uk
Line), then 371 or 65 bus. ket and picnic. deer, sandpipers, herons, ● Royal Botanical Gardens, Kew, Richmond (Train:
Open: From 7am in woodpeckers, warblers Kew Bridge.Tube: Kew Gardens). www.kew.org
summer and 7.30am in Regent’s Park and finches.
winter, until dusk. Tube: Regent’s Park
Event/activity: Caters (Bakerloo Line), Great Brompton Cemetery
to sports including Portland Street Tube: West Brompton Picnic spots
cycling, orienteering, (Hammersmith & City, (District Line). Family fun: Dulwich Park, SE21. Open: 9am-6pm.
cross-country running, Circle & Metropolitan Open: 8am-8pm sum- www.southwark.gov.uk
rugby, horse-riding, golf, Lines), Baker Street mer, 8am-4pm winter. Hidden secrets: Battersea Park, SW11. Open:
fishing and power kiting. (Hammersmith & City, Info: The only Crown 8am-dusk. www.batterseapark.org
Circle, Jubilee, Cemetery covers 16.5 Sunday farmers market: Alexandra Palace Park,
Greenwich Park Metropolitan & Bakerloo hectares in the Borough N22. Open: All day. www.alexandrapalace.com
Tube/Rail: North lines), St John’s Wood of Kensington and Fountains and sunken garden: Thames Barrier
Greenwich (Jubilee Line) (Jubilee Line), Camden Chelsea. Among those Park, E16. Open: From 7am. Closing times vary.
then 188 bus, Greenwich Town (Northern line). buried in this haven of www.thamesbarrierpark.org.uk
(Rail or Docklands Light Open: 5am-dusk, year- peace and beauty are 13 Open-air theatre: Holland Park,W8. Open:
Railway), Cutty Sark round. holders of the Victoria Dawn-dusk. www.rbkc.gov.uk
(DLR) Event/activity: Tango al Cross.

LONDON Review
NEWS & WHAT'S ON
New Covent Garden walking tour Th e a t r e r e v i e w

A
self-guided tour of the Visitors will be guided past
UK’s first-ever public historical sites such as the café I believe in fairies
square, dating back to where legendary author Charles JM Barrie’s Peter Pan
1630, has been launched in col- Dickens wrote his weekly mag- Kensington Gardens
laboration with world- azines, the eerie site of the first Until August 30
renowned historian and novel- plague victim’s burial and the Stars: Ciaran Kellgren, Abby
ist, Peter Ackroyd. Lamb & Flag pub where fero- Ford and Jonathan Hyde
The Covent Garden Walking cious bare knuckle boxing once
Tour highlights the area’s fasci- took place. Fly through the
nating heritage and breathtaking architecture and The Walking Tour can be downloaded from air as the magic
details enthralling events witnessed throughout www.coventgardenlondonuk.com or you can of Neverland
its history. pick up a copy from the Market Building. comes alive in
this new
production of Peter Pan,
Anyone for Cricket?
taking place in a state-of-the-
L ondoners are being bowled

over this summer with out-
door screenings of the Ashes
art theatre pavilion,
constructed in Kensington
Gardens.
battle between England and Be amazed by the
Australia. Part of a Great breathtaking 360-degree
British Summer themed pro- projected scenery as you fly
gramme of events taking place over London with Peter,
across three of London’s shop- Wendy, Michael, John and, of
ping and entertainment destina- ■ The first capsule being replaced by the dummy pod course, the fiery Tinkerbell,
tions, it is completely free – just who is possibly the scariest
turn up, pull up a deckchair and Eye pod shuffle little fairy I have ever seen!
enjoy the atmosphere. A £12.5 million upgrade is underway for the London Eye, with The show is fairly long at
For daily screening times check the first of the attraction’s 32 capsules replaced by a sheathed, just over two hours (including
the websites of the three locations: non-operational one. Each of the capsules will be removed and interval) and I think it would
● Cardinal Place, Victoria refurbished in turn over the next three years, being floated be best seen with children
Street, SW1. down the Thames to Tilbury for the cross-country journey to (over five) but if you believe
www.cardinalplace.co.uk the Worcester workshop and replaced by the dummy capsule. in fairies you will love it
● New Street Square, New anyway – and the flying scene
Fetter Lane, EC4. see hit shows such as Wicked, definitely has a wow factor.
www.newstreetsquare.co.uk Hairspray and the brand new The theatre seats 1,100
● Bankside Mix, Southwark musical in town, Sister Act. people and it’s 100%
Street, SE1. The ticket deal is simple – one rainproof. Restaurant, bar and
www.banksidemix.co.uk child aged five to 16 will be able picnic facilities open two
After England scraped a draw to go free to any participating hours before the show for
in the first Test Match, the remain- show when accompanied by a you to enjoy.
ing dates are: Second: July 16-20; full paying adult, and another two Keeley Gordon
Third: July 30-Aug 3; Fourth: Aug children can go for half price.
7-11; and Fifth: Aug 20-24. Go to www.kidsweek.co.uk Travel from the dark depths of When: Tues-Sat 7.30pm;
and sign up to the Family the forest floor to the heady Tues,Thurs & Sat matinees
Kids go FREE to top Bulletin to find out all the latest heights of the tree canopy and 2pm; Sun 3pm
London shows Kids Week news and booking experience the magic and beau- Tube: Lancaster Gate
information. Booking lines are ty of live butterflies and other (Central Line)
N ow in its 12th
year, Kids
Week offers chil-
now open.
Flutter by the jungle

rainforest creatures.
Tickets to this exciting new
exhibition are now on sale. For
Ticket prices: £47.50;
£42.50; £32.50; £22.50.
Under-16s get 25% off all
dren the opportu- more information go to: ticket prices, except Sat
nity to experience
in London www.nhm.ac.uk/butterfly-jungle Tickets:
the magic of London theatre for
FREE! From August 14-28,
head to London’s West End for
D iscover the secrets of the
rainforest with a visit to
the Butterfly Jungle at the
When: Daily until September
27, 2009, 10am-6pm.
Admission: Adult £5.40, child
www.visitlondon.com/peterpan
or See Tickets, on 0871 386
1122
a fortnight of theatre fun and Natural History Museum. £3.50, senior £3.50.






BEST for…
Best for/TLjul09/v1/68:T&L 20/7/09 12:32 Page 68
HOTELS ★★★
★
The spa’s the star HOTEL NEWS
Checking out: The

Quay Hotel & Spa,
Conwy
■ How rooms at the Park Plaza
F
or a truly indul- Westminster Bridge will look
gent break, a stay
at The Quay Hotel London’s biggest new hotel
& Spa is a must. in 40 years will soon welcome
From the moment guests with stunning views
you enter the over the Thames to the
hotel you are immersed in lux- Houses of Parliament and Big
ury, style and quality. Set on the Ben.The Park Plaza
idyllic Conwy peninsula, there Westminster Bridge London
are breathtaking views of the opens in early 2010 on the
magnificent North Wales South Bank, just minutes from
scenery and it is in easy reach the London Eye, National
of Snowdonia National Park. It ■ View from The Vue restaurant Theatre and Royal Festival
is easily accessible from Hall. It will offer 1,021 rooms,
Chester and the North West. including 54 suites and
With ESPA as its partner you penthouses.Amenities will
can be guaranteed a truly relax- include six restaurants and
ing, luxurious experience in the bars, a spa and fitness centre,
spa, with a large range of high- with a 15-metre pool.
quality treatments on offer, www.parkplaza.com
including relaxing facials and
massages. The adjacent swim-
ming pool and Quay gym offer
activities to suit all levels of fit-
ness and motivation, for the
more energetic.
Each of the well-designed
bedrooms offers sumptuous fur-
nishings combined with the lat- ■ Spa treatment room ■ Fritton House
est technology, including inter-
active TV and wi-fi access, with Suffolk brewer Adnams
many offering views of the
peninsula. The well-appointed factbox has taken over Fritton House,
a 16th century former coach
bathrooms offer a range of com- The Quay Hotel & Spa house near Lowestoft which
plimentary luxurious toiletries to Deganwy Quay reopened as a “restaurant
use during your stay. Deganwy, Conwy with rooms” in July.There are
The Vue restaurant offers a North Wales Ll31 9DJ seven double rooms and one
wide range of award-winning Tel: 01492 564100 ■ Hydrotherapy pool suite. Double rooms cost
culinary treats against back- www.quayhotel.com from £120 mid-week. In the
ground views of the dramatic, centre of Fritton Country
UNESCO heritage site of Best for Park, the lake and acres of
Conwy Castle and the Isle of ● Stunning views woodland and parkland offer
Anglesey. The delicious food is ● Relaxing spa break plenty of activities including
complemented by the extensive ● Delicious food rowing, cycling and
wine list and combined with Could do better horseriding. More information
excellent service offers a memo- ● The room key system at www.adnams.co.uk
rable dining experience. could be improved ■ Hotel exterior
Peter Lewsey

Travel and Leisure Directory

Cornwall Essex
Hampshire
Devon
Kent
Norfolk

Norfolk West Wales Highlands & Islands Channel Islands

Glenurquhart ALDERNEY, CHANNEL ISLANDS
Lodges L’HARAS GUEST HOUSE

Newtown Road,Alderney
Situated between Loch Ness and Glen Affric Channel Islands GY9 3XP
in a spectacular setting ideal for walking,
touring or just relaxing in this tranquil location. All rooms have CH, H&C water,
Four spacious chalets all fully equipped for six tea/coffee-making facilities and
people set in wooded grounds. Owner’s hotel
adjacent where guests are most welcome in colour TV; most are en
the restaurant and bar. suite.Contact Mrs Jansen.
Near Drumnadrochit, Inverness IV63 6TJ Tel/Fax: 01481 823174
Tel: 01456 476234
Email: carol@glenurquhartlodges.co.uk lharas@internet.alderney.gg
www.glenurquhart-lodges.co.uk www.lharas.internet.alderney.gg
Sussex South Wales

Canary Islands
Channel Islands

Canary Islands Florida
Cyprus

France Portugal
North Cyprus
Spain

Caravan & Camping Caravan & Camping
PRIMROSE COTTAGE CARAVAN PARK

Golden Hill, Whitstable, Kent CT5 3AR
01227 273694 campbell_brian@btconnect.com
Small, quiet site with views of the sea. Superstore, chemist and cafe close
by, coach/bus stop walking distance. Pitches for tents and touring
caravans with electric hook up points, level site. Pets welcome.Toilets,
showers, chemical disposal unit. Tourist information. Agent for Calor Gas.
PLUS! 6/7 berth static caravans for hire

Caravan & Camping Travel Accessories
Museums & Days Out
Budget Accommodation


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Don’t forget the

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Whilst every care is taken, all material submitted to Travel

& Leisure Magazines Limited is done so at its owner’s

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Marrakech riad for two in a luxury

actions of outside agents. No part of this magazine may be

July/August 2009 The Travel & Leisure Magazine 5

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recalling were mostly likely taken. The icon-

long-tails start their noisy outboard motors

July/August 2009 The Travel & Leisure Magazine 7

While it may be a giggle for tourists, some

Tourism Authority of Thailand

● When visiting Bangkok’s Royal Palace wear enclosed

■ The Royal Palace, Bangkok

8 The Travel & Leisure Magazine July/August 2009

Thai massage ■ Traditional Thai massage. Below

All photos:Tourism Authority of Thailand

10 The Travel & Leisure Magazine July/August 2009

to see Cambodia’s famous Angkor Wat tem-

July/August 2009 The Travel & Leisure Magazine 11

Chic & boutique ■ The funky Dusit

the large, up-and-coming island of Koh

Thailand November to March. Thailand’s North

12 The Travel & Leisure Magazine July/August 2009

July/August 2009 The Travel & Leisure Magazine 13

14 The Travel & Leisure Magazine July/August 2009

Does my tum look BIG in this?

Flagging up Britain’s Ferry good value – and

planning to holiday in Scheme (PETS) on both its Newcastle-Amsterdam

July/August 2009 The Travel & Leisure Magazine 15

16 The Travel & Leisure Magazine July/August 2009

July/August 2009 The Travel & Leisure Magazine 17

From Mozart to the von Trapps, there’s no escaping Salzburg’s

■ Hallstatt village ■ Old Town, Salzburg ■ Salzburg Cathedral

18 The Travel & Leisure Magazine July/August 2009

city. Many of its magnificent architectural

Salzburg Tourist Office

Salzburg Tourist Office

■ Mirabell Palace ■ Salzburg and the Salzach River

July/August 2009 The Travel & Leisure Magazine 19

A day trip into Germany’s

the shores of Hallstattsee lake. summit.

20 The Travel & Leisure Magazine July/August 2009

Hohensalzburg Fortress, must-sees include 26 euros respectively. Buy it online at

July/August 2009 The Travel & Leisure Magazine 21

22 The Travel & Leisure Magazine July/August 2009

CRUISING FROM THE UK

■ Queen Victoria at Southampton

July/August 2009 The Travel & Leisure Magazine 23

Ex-UK cruise facts

Hebridean Island Cruises

24 The Travel & Leisure Magazine July/August 2009