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tlmthe travel & leisure magazine

March/April 2010 £2.50

WHALES AND WOWSAuthor Joanne Harris in the Azores

GARDEN-BY-SEAMaritime Kent

FLOAT YOUR BOATNavigating Europe’s waterways

FAMILIES AT SEACruise holidays with children

ISTANBULCultured pearl

PLUSGolf in Tenerife, London’s SouthBank and Easter days out ideas

MOUNTAIN HIGHSLakes and mountains holidays

wina £5,000 cruise on aluxury hotel barge.Plus lots moreprizes …

02TLapr-mar10 23/3/10 13:10 Page 1

4 in the frame prize photographs6 getting to know lakes & mountains holidays15 escape to Istanbul – European city of culture21 in your flightbag what to take on the flight

WIN – a handy set of 3 Fizbags, worth £27WIN – a set of 5 Back Roads Guides from DK Eyewitness TravelREADER OFFER – get a 20% online DISCOUNT off Back Roads Guides

22 in your suitcase what to pack for your holidayWIN – one of 3 Rockstar MP3 speakers worth £17.99 eachWIN – one of 3 waterproof zoom lens camera casesREADER OFFER – get a 10% DISCOUNT on Cocorose pumps

25 let’s try European canal and river holidays30 competition WIN – a £5,000 luxury hotel barge cruise in France33 travel update travel news36 all aboard cruising for families + cruise news42 off the beaten track Chocolat author Joanne Harris in the Azores49 pack your clubs golf inTenerife56 competition WIN – one of five copies of Joanne Harris’s new novel,

blueeyed boycoming next what’s in store in the next issue

57 on your doorstep maritime Kent62 london life discovering London’s South Bank + London news67 best for hotel review – Cliveden70 out & about what’s on outside London

WIN – one of 3 sets of family tickets to LegolandREADER OFFER – cut out the attached voucher and enjoy free child entry to Legoland

tlm

c o n t e n t s

EDITORIAL TEAM: Editor Peter Ellegard Editorial assistant JulieThompson Writers Peter Ellegard, JulieThompson, Joanne Harris,Dave Richardson, Sara Macefield, JaneArcher and Melissa Shales Design Nick Blaxill Advertising Team Nick Page and Helen HopkinsProduction June Barnard Publisher Terry Stafford Digital Publisher Peter Lewsey Published bi-monthly by TLM Media LimitedCastle Court, 41 London Road, Reigate, Surrey RH2 9RJ Tel: 01737 735575 Fax: 01737 735001 Email: [email protected]

Printed by BGP ©TLM Media LimitedThe publishers cannot accept responsibility for errors or omissions. Whilst every care is taken, all material submitted to TLM Media Limited is done so at

its owner’s risk and neither TLM Media Limited nor its agents can accept any liability for loss or damage. TLM Media Limited is a completely independentcompany and can hold no responsibility for the actions of outside agents. No part of this magazine may be reproduced without prior written consent. All

private advertisers are totally responsible for their own wording within their advertisement, and TLM Media Limited can therefore take no responsibility asto their content. Please seek legal advice and thereafter verify all the details of your purchase in writing before proceeding.

Front cover photo: KarntenWerbung/Franz Gerdl

Welcome to the new-lookTLM.Aftermany years as The

Travel & Leisure Magazine, wefelt it was time for a change. Sowe have given the magazine anew identity, and freshened it upwith a contemporary design.The content itself is very

much as before, reflecting whatyou have told us you like to read.In this issue, internationalbestselling author Joanne Harrisreveals why the Azores madesuch an impact when she visitedwith her daughter.Our cover feature highlights

ever-popular lakes andmountains holidays, while wealso focus on exploring Europe’swaterways.That will whet yourappetite for our star prize – afabulous £5,000 luxury hotelbarge holiday in Burgundy,courtesy of EuropeanWaterways.We also look at European City

of Culture Istanbul, cruisingholidays for families, golf onTenerife, plus other regularfavourites, including many othercompetitions and special offers.On a personal note, I was

thrilled to be namedTravelPhotographer of theYear for2009 recently in the inauguralTravel Press Awards.Three ofthe winning five photographs hadbeen printed inTLM, underliningour commitment to qualityphotography as well as writing.To further underscore that, thisissue sees the launch of a brandnew photography section calledIn the Frame in the magazineand on our brand new website,www.tlm-magazine.co.uk.Happy reading, happy viewing

and thanks for your support.

March/April 2010 tlm � the travel & leisure magazine 3

from theeditor

the travel and leisure magazine

Peter Ellegard

� Read about cruising Europe’s canals and rivers –and WIN a six-night Burgundy waterways cruiseaboard a luxury hotel barge. See pages 25 and 30.

Euro

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Hot-air balloons soarover karst peaks inYangshuo, in China’sGuangxi province;cave rock formationsare lit up like a fan-

tasy scene in nearby Guilin; tradi-tional feluccas sail into the sunsetat Luxor on Egypt’s Nile river;and tornadic storm clouds take onangry shapes and colours inAmerica’s Midwest.

These five photographs – theNile and tornado cloud onesappeared in TLM – earned TLMeditor, Peter Ellegard, the title ofTravel Photographer of the Yearin the 2009 Travel Press Awards.

They now form the firstgallery for our new In the Framephotography showcase. Look outfor more in the next issue.� To enter your photographs forconsideration, visit the TLMwebsite, www.tlm-magazine.co.uk,and click on the In the Framebutton.

4 tlm � the travel & leisure magazine March/April 2010

in the frame � award-winning pictures

TLM editor’s prize picsNow show usyour best photos!

� Karst peaks, Yangshuo, China

� Reed Flute Cave, Guilin, China

� Green hailcore cloud,Kansas

� Supercell cloud, Kansas

� Feluccason the Nile,Luxor, Egypt

All photos: Peter Ellegard

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getting to know � lakes and mountains holidays



Europe’s lakes and mountains have been a popularsummer draw for British visitors since the SherlockHolmes era. But these days, alpine holidays appeal asmuch to the active-minded as for scenic highs. ForDave Richardson, it’s an elementary attraction

Iwas looking forward to a civilisedholiday in a civilised country, fullof contented cows munchingaway in green meadows, and vil-lages with chocolate box houses.Those were my thoughts as I set-

tled down for a week in the Swissresort of Meiringen, but I had toreflect we were rather mad, too. Whyelse would we scramble up a moun-tainside to celebrate the “death” of afictitious character?Elementary, my dear Watson. The

Reichenbach Falls above Meiringen are

where Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, boredwith his creation, tried to kill offSherlock Holmes during a tussle withhis arch enemy, Professor Moriarty.But as fans of the sleuth know, it

didn’t happen. Sir Arthur had to bringHolmes back from the dead by popu-lar demand, but a plaque marks thespot of the tussle on a remote ledgeabove the falls. Holmes and Watsonhad set out from a hotel called theEnglischer Hof, now the grand BelleEpoque style Park Hotel du Sauvage,and this is where I stayed.

HIGHDAYSand holidays


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� The Kleine Scheidegg and the imposing Eiger north wall

A holiday in the Alps was the height of fashion in the19th Century, often on doctors’ orders. Grand hotelswere built along lakesides to attract the gentry, whodined in elegant coffee houses and spent their eveningsat the opera or listening to an orchestra. Today it is stillpossible to soak up this refined atmosphere, at lakeresorts such as Interlaken, Montreux and Lucerne inSwitzerland.

Switzerland is a particularly good choice if you don’twant to spend time in a car or a bus, as the public trans-port system works so well. Narrow gauge trains takeyou to the top of even the highest mountains (includingthe Jungfrau, at 3,454m, or 11,332ft), in a timetable co-

ordinated with main line trains and lake steamers. Cablecars and rack railways glide effortlessly up mountains,making them accessible to all.

FamiliesSwitzerland, Austria and Italy are the big three for lakesand mountains holidays, and scenery is the big attrac-tion. It appeals particularly to empty nesters who like aquiet holiday in beautiful surroundings with maybe abit of culture thrown in as well – but it’s a mistake tothink you have to be 50-plus to enjoy it.

This type of holiday is also being chosen by anincreasing number of families, who are keen on activi-ties as well as views. Tour operator Inghams has comeup with economically-priced family holidays includingguided walks, an overnight stay in an Austrian mountainhut, mountain biking and archery, and appeals to keencyclists with another tour along the German and Swissbanks of Lake Constance.

High-adrenaline sports are also increasingly popular,with tour operators such as Explore offering trekking,mountain biking, rock climbing and optional paraglid-ing, ice climbing and rafting around Mont Blanc. Theholiday is based at the French Alpine resort ofChamonix, close to the Italian and Swiss borders.

But most of us prefer our activities to be more seden-tary, and we like to enjoy them in increasing comfort,possibly with a spa treatment included to soothe thoseaching limbs. Crystal Holidays has a selection of hotelsit calls The Finest, and some of them are true Alpinegems. Examples in Austria are Hotel Klosterbräu inSeefeld, a former monastery built in 1516 with gourmetdining in four restaurants; and Landhaus zu Appesbach



Eastern EuropeChoosing a destination outside the eurozone could save you a lot of money, andEastern Europe has plenty of appeal. Head for the Carpathian mountains inRomania and you can lap up the Dracula legend – and spot brown bears aroundthe resort of Brasov.

Bulgaria is one of the best-value countries in Europe, and has modern, welldeveloped ski resorts such as Bansko as a base for mountain exploration. Hungarydoesn’t have high mountains but it does have the “inland sea” of Lake Balaton,surrounded by vineyards and is close to Budapest. Heviz, near Lake Balaton, has thelargest thermal lake in Europe where you can enjoy the healing waters.

The High Tatras mountains form the border between Poland (Zakopane is themain mountain centre) and Slovakia (Tatranska Lomnica), a great area for hiking.Poland’s historic former capital of Krakow can be reached from either resort.

Montenegro is a tiny but very scenic Balkan country, where the mountain resortof Kolasin is surrounded by virgin forests yet within easy reach of the sea.

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ChamonixTourism

� Trekking near Chamonix

� Chapel by LakeKonigssee, Germany

� TheGlacier

Express inSwitzerland'sRhine gorge

� Golden Pass panoramic trains serveMontreux, Interlaken and Lucerne

09TLapr-mar10 23/3/10 12:15 Page 1

in St Wolfgang, a former private country house fre-quented by Edward VII with a salon full of Englishnewspapers. Not the tabloids, presumably…

Indoor entertainmentYou’ll find plenty to do even if the weather isn’t kind,as most lakes and mountains resorts were developedwith skiers in mind and have plenty of bars, restaurantsand indoor entertainment from bowling to cinemas.The most popular resorts in Austria include Kitzbuhel,Seefeld and Mayrhofen in the Tyrol, with the city ofInnsbruck within reach for a day out.

The Italian lakes tend to be more popular thanmountain resorts in summer, especially Garda (close toVerona for Roman ruins and the opera) and Como (nearMilan’s great fashion shops). When the sun shines andthe skies are clear you’ll want to be basking by a lakeor hiking in the mountains, but as there are usuallysome wet days on this type of holiday being near a cityis an advantage.

Chamonix, in France, will always be very popularbecause it’s close to Mont Blanc, Europe’s highestmountain at 4,810m (15,780ft). Activities here includeclimbing, horse-riding, 18-hole golf and taking a rackrailway to view the Sea of Ice glacier.

The Alps are the most popular choice for lakes andmountains, especially as you can travel by rail or car asan alternative to flying. But Norway also has plenty offollowers, and it’s no longer significantly more expen-sive.

Here you can admire the azure blue of the deep seafjords set against the mountains, at resorts such asAlesund. Nearby Geirangerfjord is one of the mostbeautiful in Norway, and as Alesund is on theHurtigruten coastal shipping route, you can easily moveon up the coast as far as the Arctic Circle in the north,or Bergen to the south.



OberammergauPassion PlayIt happens only once every 10 years, but ifyou book up quickly it might be possible tocombine a lakes and mountains holiday witha visit to this very special event in a smallvillage in Bavaria, southern Germany.In 1633, the villagers of Oberammergau werebeset by plague and sought divineintervention.They survived, and the PassionPlay was first performed the following yearas thanks. It has been performed everydecade since then and now attracts over500,000 visitors each time.The actors are still amateurs from the

village, and the play is performed on an openair stage. More than 100 performances arescheduled between May and October,starting at 2.30pm and finishing at 10.30pm

with a break for dinner. The village is 30miles from the Austrian border, and can bevisited from Austrian or German resorts.

Accommodation and tickets are in shortsupply, so enquire now.www.oberammergau-passion.com

“It’s amistake tothink youhave to be50-plus toenjoy it”

I certainly plan to return to Switzerland soon, whereI got such a deep suntan that people thought I’d been tothe Mediterranean, not Meiringen. Beware those con-tented cows, however – one mad beast pursued medown a mountain path with bell jangling, but that’sanother story.

MAIN RESORTSAUSTRIA

Seefeld One of the most popular Alpine resorts, it iseasily reached from Innsbruck. Take a ride in a horse-drawn carriage or on the Rosshutte Mountain Railway.

Obergurgl This is one of the highest villages inAustria at over 1,900m (6,234ft). View Tiefenbach andRattenbach glaciers using cable cars, chair lifts andmountain paths.

Mayrhofen This is a really lively as well as prettyresort – proof that having a good time isn’t just après-ski! It’s on the floor of the Ziller valley, with plenty ofwalking and adventure sports.

Kitzbuhel A medieval walled town roughly halfwaybetween Salzburg and Innsbruck, it is a major centrefor festivals and close to Schwarzsee lake.

Zell am Zee Austria’s leading lake resort is right onthe shore of the Zeller, overlooked by Schmittenhohemountain. It is handy for excursions around Austria.

StWolfgang Along with Fuschl and St Gilgen, thisis one of the top resorts in Austria’s Salzkammergutlakes region, near Salzburg. The Sound of Music was

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� Lake Garda

� The OberammergauPassion Play

filmed around here, and St Wolfgang stages regularconcerts. The nearby picture-postcard lakeside villageof Hallstatt is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Salzburg The birthplace of Mozart is set along theSalzach river and one of Europe’s most beautiful cities.Salzburg also has connections with The Sound ofMusic, and days out to the mountains and lakes areeasily arranged.

Innsbruck The capital of the Tyrol is a great historicand cultural centre. Wandering around the old town is adelight and you’re still close to the mountains.

Bad Kleinkirchheim The home ski resort ofAustrian legend Franz Klammer, this pretty littleCarinthia town is also popular in summer for its hotsprings, mountain biking and hiking, plus nearbyMillstatter lake.

SWITZERLAND

Davos A haunt of royalty and the annual WorldEconomic Forum, Davos enjoys a beautiful setting andgood excursion possibilities. It’s easy to get around bytrain and cable car.

Grindelwald One of the most popular of the BerneseOberland resorts, it is overlooked by the Eiger and agood base to go up the Jungfrau by train.

Wengen Here you’re surrounded by toweringpeaks, including the Eiger, Jungfrau and Monch.Road traffic is not permitted but it’s well served bymountain railways.

Interlaken One of Europe’s most elegant lakeresorts, it’s still favoured by Europe’s elite. Enjoycruises on lakes Thun and Brienz.

Montreux At the eastern end of Lake Geneva,Montreux is famous for its jazz and film festivals.Explore the lake on its Swiss and French sides.

Zermatt Overlooked by the Matterhorn, this is oneof the best-loved and most dramatically-situated Swissresorts.

ITALY

Lake Garda The most poplar of the Italian lakes hasa wide choice of resorts including Simione, Desenzano,Bardolino and Limone. Historic Verona is less than onehour from resorts around the south of the lake.

Lake Como Less busy than Garda, it has beautifullakeside towns including Tremezzo, Cadenabbia,Bellagio and Menaggio. Be sure to visit the botanicgardens at Villa Carlotta.

Selva One of Italy’s leading mountain resorts, Selva isoverlooked by the Dolomites. You’re close to theAustrian border with similar architecture on both sides.

FRANCE

Chamonix Overlooked by Mont Blanc, it’s agreat place for activities as well as scenery. Cablecars and mountain railways will get you up themountains, and you can also stay in the quieternearby resort of Les Houches.


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� Ibex in France’s Haute-Savoie

� UNESCO-listed Hallstatt

Talloires This is one of France’s most attractivelakeside resorts, a historic town on the shore of LakeAnnecy in the Haute-Savoie Department of the Rhone-Alps region. Activities include horse-riding, hiking andboating. Geneva is close by, so you can find Swisstraditions such as alphorns in this area.

GERMANY

Garmisch The best-known resort on the Bavarianside of the Alps, it is overlooked by the country’shighest mountain, the Zugspitze (2,962m, or 9,718ft).From the top you can see four countries.

Berchtesgaden Overlooked by Watzmannmountain, it is close to Salzburg in Austria. Hitler’sretreat at Eagle’s Nest is a scenic and historic spot.

SLOVENIA

Kranjska Gora Just across the borders withAustria andItaly, this is the leading mountain resort in a small countrythat was formerly part ofYugoslavia. The JulianAlpsprovide a dramatic backdrop, and Lake Jasna is close by.

Bled This is one of the most attractive lake towns inEurope, and a great base for walking or rides in ahorse-drawn carriage. Visit the church on a tiny islandin the lake, reached by gondola.

NORWAY

Ulvik This is the main resort on spectacularHardangerfjord, in a very peaceful setting. Springwildflowers are spectacular.

Alesund Renowned for its art nouveau architecture,this town on the coastal cruising route is a great basefor day trips.



Dave Richardson has been writing about the highs andlows of the travel industry for more than 30 years. He is abig fan of Europe's glorious lakes and mountain scenery andfrequently pays return visits.

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european lakes and mountains facts

Getting thereResorts in the main destinations are well-served by low-cost airlines withmany regional departures, especially to Geneva (Swiss and Frenchresorts), Zurich (Swiss resorts), Milan andVerona (Italian resorts).Budapest and Krakow also have good flight connections.A disadvantage of flying is that it can then take two or more hours toreach some resorts, by car or coach.Travelling throughout by train is aviable alternative, especially for France and Switzerland, changing stationsin Paris after arriving on Eurostar.You can also travel by car, but anovernight stop en route is recommended.

When to goAny time from Easter to the end of September, butpack some warm clothes in spring (when thewildflowers bloom) and autumn. Resorts can becrowded in July and August, especially if close tocities.Also pack warm clothes if venturing tomountain summits, even in high summer.

Tour operatorsInghams celebrates its 75th anniversary with holidays to 19 countries.Afamily of four can have a one-week holiday in Obergurgl,Austria in July andAugust for a total of £1,974 (020 8780 6680,www.inghams.co.uk).Thomson has a new all-inclusive offer at Lake Garda in Italy from £579 fora week’s stay (0871 230 8181,www.thomsonlakes.co.uk).Thomson’ssister company, Crystal Holidays, has “The Finest” hotels at prices from£459 for a week at Parc Hotel Germano in Bardolino, Lake Garda (0871231 5661,www.crystallakes.co.uk). Explore’s Mont Blanc ActivityWeekholiday in Chamonix, France, costs from £682 (0845 013 1537,www.explore.co.uk). Great Rail Journey’s Jungfrau Express rail holiday toMeiringen, Switzerland, costs from £1,598 for 10 days (01904 521 936,www.greatrail.com). Dertour (020 7290 1104,www.dertour.co.uk)offers a holiday combining Berchtesgaden in Germany with theOberammergau Passion Play, from £1,089 for seven nights. Ffestiniog Travel(01766 772957,www.festtravel.co.uk) has a 14-night escorted SwissLakes and Mountains tour from £1,750.

Tourist informationSwitzerland:www.myswitzerland.com;Austria:www.austria.info;Italy:www.italiantouristboard.co.uk; France:www.franceguide.com/uk; Germany:www.germany-tourism.co.uk;Norway:www.visitnorway.com; Slovenia:www.slovenia.info

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14TLapr-mar10 23/3/10 12:17 Page 1

If my arms were just a few inches longer I couldtouch the floodlit minarets of the Blue Mosque asI hang out of the window, drinking in the impossi-bly romantic scene surrounding me. I’ve been toIstanbul countless times but I never tire of beinghere. After all, this is ancient Byzantium, imperial

Constantinople, the place where the Roman Empiremorphed into the louche decadence of the ByzantineEmpire. As Istanbul, it was the great imperial capital ofthe Ottoman Empire.

This was the place that officially introducedChristianity to the western world as a state religionrather than an underground cult. It was, for nearly 1,000years, the capital of the Islamic world and it was the endof the Silk Road, the greatest trade route on the planet.Istanbul is the only major city that stands at the edge oftwo continents, one foot in Europe and one in Asia,divided by the Bosphorus. It is thousands of years old.And it is stunningly, staggeringly beautiful, if raggedaround the edges.

My hotel, the Mas Evi (Blue House) is one of a posi-tive army of restored Ottoman mansions in the old city.In the pavement cafe below me, a solitary dervish iswhirling in stately, rather sad splendour, his religious rit-ual demoted to a tourist attraction as the backpackersaround him ignore the performance in favour of thehoney-flavoured nargile (hubble-bubble pipes), loungingback on carpeted benches like denim-clad pashas.

A small, rather shaky sign points the way to theMozaik Müzesi, a vast mosaic floor which is all thatnow remains of Emperor Justinian’s Imperial Palace.


escape to � istanbul

Turkishdelight

Marble and minarets, European chic and Asian spice, great age and astounding beauty make Istanbulone of the most exotic places on earth. Melissa Shales fell in love with the city many years ago

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� Topkapi Palace


Over to my right are the heaped ochre domes ofJustinian’s greatest masterpiece, the 6th century basilicaof Aya Sofya, church then mosque and now museum.

I can’t see it from where I am but a few minutes’walk to my right is the sprawling Topkapi, the OttomanImperial Palace, which takes at least a morning toexplore on its own. It’s a sort of babushka doll of a placewith courtyards within courtyards, pavilions tuckedwithin those and maze-like suites of luxurious roomsbehind small insignificant doors. In its day, it was, quiteliterally, the centre of the universe, home, court and gov-ernment – with many thousands living and working hereat the hub of an empire which stretched from the gatesof Vienna across North Africa and deep into Asia.

Down the hill, in the outermost courtyard of theTopkapi, the Archaeology Museum houses another greattreasury of ancient wealth from across Anatolia and

beyond, from the gates of Babylon to the world’s firstpeace treaty, signed in ancient Egypt. All this historyand more just in Sultanahmet, one tiny corner of thishuge city; it is literally breath-taking.

Across the square, where I can see the flicker of theson-et-lumière gearing up for the French show, is the


Getting steamySpas are all the rage, but in Istanbul, head instead for the hammam, atraditional Turkish bath.The two best are both in the old city – Cemberlitas,built by Turkey’s greatest architect, Sinan, in 1584 and Cagaloglu built in 1781.Sexes are separated, but the experience is very public, with you strippeddown to a small pair of briefs and scrubbed ferociously by cackling bathattendants who alternate the loofah with buckets of water before anoptional (vigorous) massage. Subtle it ain’t, but an experience not to bemissed – absolutely. Great fun, and you feel amazing afterwards.� www.cemberlitashamami.com.tr; www.cagalogluhamami.com.tr

“This is acity that isrediscoveringitself ”

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Melissa Shales

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� Whirling dervishes

� Inside the Aya Sofya

� The Grand Bazaar

� A streetvendor inIstanbul

Yerebatan Sarayi (Underground Palace), actually aByzantine water cistern of vast dimensions and grace,much of it built from recycled classical stone so thesoaring columns have unlikely inscriptions. It is a popu-lar venue for concerts.

It should be busy this year – Istanbul is in a fever-pitch of artistic excitement, as one of Europe’s threeCities of Culture for 2010. It was slow to get into gear,

but now the calendar is bulging with special eventsfrom photo and art exhibitions to concerts,open-air festivals and several new museums

including Nobel Prize winner Orhan Pamuk’sMuseum of Innocence (tied in with his book of

the same name).The change in the city has been palpable

since I first start coming here about 20 yearsago. It’s a strange two-way tug. Even while themore religious government is quietly encourag-ing fashionistas to adopt the veil (albeit anextremely glamorous version in silks and satins),

the artistic community is noticeably breaking freeof the strong Islamic tradition which kept it boundfor centuries.

The arrival of wonderful new museums and gal-leries, such as Istanbul Modern and the Sakıp

Sabancı Museum, and festivals including theBienniale, Contemporary Istanbul (each November)

and the City of Culture itself have burst open creativefloodgates, just as the revival of the Turkish economyhas transformed the modern city, creating a new sky-scraper business centre filled with plate glass and slickcocktail bars in the eastern districts beyond Taksim.This is a city that is rediscovering itself, hour by hour,


10 things to do in the evening1. Have dinner at the Çicek Pasaji, off Istiklal

Pasaji, Beyoglu – lots of cheap and cheerfulsmall restaurants and gypsy violinists.Touristy but fun.

2. Son-et-lumière in Sultanahmet Square– the history of Istanbul with afrightfully important-soundingcommentary.

3.Turkish night in the Galata Tower – atypical Turkish feast, belly dancers andthe best views in the city in the ultimatetourist attraction.

4. Go open-air summer clubbing at Reina on theshores of the Bosphorus, with the Istanbul in-crowd.

5. Have a night at the opera or ballet at the Ataturk Cultural Centre,Taksim(www.idobale.com).

6. Head down to Kumkapı for a cluster of over 50 small fish restaurants, plusthe inevitable wandering musicians.

7. Cross to the Asian shore for a different view at upmarket seafoodrestaurant, Kordon, in the Çengelköy neighbourhood.

8. Join the Turks at a local meyhane for a night of traditional mezze, sing-alongfasıl and camaraderie that gets louder with every new bottle of raki.

9. 360, Angelique andVogue are the places to be seen sipping a cocktail – theyall have great views as well.

10. Babylon is fast becoming one of the great names of the club world,attracting international DJs and live acts for late, late nights.

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� The Aya Sofyais now a museum

� Sis kebabs

and watching it flex its wings is truly fascinating.One slight downside to this is that while Turkey is

still good value (outside the eurozone), prices have risensteeply. Getting there is cheaper than ever with theadvent of low-cost flights and there are still plenty ofback-street cafes where you can get a kebab for a coupleof lire. However if you want the views, Ottoman courtcuisine or the increasing array of chic designer restau-rants and clubs that grace the new city around IstiklalCaddesi and Taksim or the shores of the Bosphorus,expect to pay international prices for jetset pleasures.

It’s worth splashing out. While the humble kebabmight dominate, Turkish cuisine is one of the great culi-nary traditions of the world. The aubergine is also ubiq-uitous, but Ottoman chefs had 150 different ways ofdealing with it. Whether you choose to eat köfte (meat-balls) at Hamdi’s near the spice market or sup in style at360 with its trendy international fusion menu and eclec-tic club nights, you can find an element of theatre alongwith your meal.

The same goes for shopping. In the city filled withthe world’s finest flirts and greatest traders, you couldvisit one of the many modern malls in the posher sub-urbs but it’s not nearly so much fun as a trip to the spicemarket or the Grand Bazaar for tea and haggling.Wander the alleyways between the baskets of lucky bluebeads, mounds of saffron and peppercorns and sugarylokum (Turkish Delight), gleaming silver jewellery,leather bags in a kaleidoscope of colours and fakedesigner labels. And everywhere a magical fantasy ofintricately patterned rugs from all corners of Anatolia,souvenirs with memories to last a lifetime.


istanbul facts


When to goAs a major city, there is something goodgoing on at any time of year, but thebest times are in spring and autumn.

Getting thereEasyjet (www.easyjet.com) andPegasus (www.flypgs.com) both havelow-cost flights into Sabiha GökçenAirport on the Asian shore;Turkish Airlines (www.thy.com) costsslightly more but flies into Atatürk International on the European shore.UK tour operators offering short breaks to Istanbul include AnatolianSky (www.anatoliansky.co.uk), Classic Collection Holidays(www.classic-collection.co.uk),The Discovery Collection(www.discovery-collection.com), and Istanbul-based Exclusive TravelTurkey (www.exclusivetravelturkey.com).

AccommodationIf you want to be conveniently located for sightseeing and stay in acharming small hotel, look at staying in the Sultanahmet. If you prefersomewhere convenient for restaurants and nightlife or the larger,glossier hotels, head for Beyoglu (the new city).To escape from thecrowds with a little luxury, look at one of the boutique hotels downnear the water on the Bosphorus.� www.smallhotels.com.tr

More informationTurkish Culture and Tourism Office:www.gototurkey.co.ukIstanbul City of Culture 2010:www.en.istanbul2010.orgIstanbul travel guide:www.turkeytravelplanner.com/go/Istanbul

Useful ReadingIstanbul (DK Eyewitness Top 10 Travel Guide) by Melissa Shales: £7.99.

London-based Melissa Shales is thoroughly spoiled, writingabout the Mediterranean culture, the great African outdoorsand history everywhere. She is also chairman of the BritishGuild of TravelWriters.

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� The Bosphorusat Ortakoy

� Mehmet theConqueror

� Istanbul’sundergroundcistern

March/April 2010 tlm � the travel & leisure magazine19

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tlm � the travel & leisure magazine March/April 201020

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March/April 2010 tlm � the travel & leisure magazine 21March/April 2010 tlm � the travel & leisure magazine 21

in your � flightbag

No more linesMade especially for travel,the new lineless® to go setfrom Dr Brandt Skin Careis a range of products withanti-aging and anti-oxidantformulas providing theessentials for youthful-looking skin anytime andanywhere. Including atravel-sized cleanser, eyecream, line filler andmoisturiser containing

vitamins C and E alongwith Green Tea,White Teaand Grapeseed Extract,this conveniently packagedset is available fromSpaceNK, John Lewis Oxford Street and Peter Jones.www.drbrandtskincare.com

Stay fully chargedKeeping your essential gadgets charged up while onholiday no longer means having to take numerous

large chargers with you – the newV-Man Power Pack fromVarta is an

ideal, pocket-sized solution.Lightweight and stylish, theV-Man comes with a seven-piece adapter kit as well asa special USB adapter andcan be used to chargealmost any gadget, includingmobile phones, MP3 playersand digital cameras, withinone to two hours.With a

long power life of its own, theV-Man Power Pack is an ideal travelling companion andis available from Amazon with an RRP of £34.99.http://tiny.cc/VMAN1Take the back roads

If you are planning ontouring by car in Europethis year, the new Back

Roads series of drivingguides from DK EyewitnessTravel provides around twodozen leisurely drives rang-ing from one and seven daysin each of France, Italy andSpain, as well as GreatBritain and Ireland. Eachguide has a pull-out map ofthe whole country, clearly-mapped itin-eraries including postcodes so that theycan be used in conjunction with sat-navand lists of hotels, guesthouses andrestaurants.

The first five titles areavailable now, priced £14.99each, fromWH Smith,Waterstones and all goodbookstores.� ToWIN a set of all fiveBack Roads guides from DKEyewitness Travel, go towww.tlm-magazine.co.ukand click on competitionsand giveaways. Terms andconditions apply. Closing

date April 30, 2010.� READER OFFER: TLM readers canalso get a 20% discount by orderingonline – go to www.dk.com and enterVIPBONUS in the coupon code box.

Carry your duty-free shopping andholiday souvenirs

and head to thebeach in stylishfashion while help-ing the environment– thanks to Fizbags’range of trendy,reusable bags.There are three dif-

ferent Fizbags, all beauti-fully-designed. TheOriginal, in its ownmatching pouch, weighsjust 30g and measuresonly 11cm x 6cm butexpands to 35cm x 40cm,large enough for everydayuse and available in hand-held or shoulder bag style.With twice the capac-

ity, the Big Shopper isideal for taking beachtowels and flip flops tothe beach. The Fizpouchis a 22cm x 14cm-sizedorganiser which fitsinside a large handbagand has compartmentsfor your phone, iPodand sunglasses plus azipped pocket for

money and credit cards.The bags come in a

variety of designs. Choosethe Zebra print, Leopardor Pink Giraffe OriginalFizbag if heading off onsafari or the Shoe HeavenBig Shopper for thoseshoes you just have tobuy! Available fromwww.fizbag.com, theOriginal Fizbag costs

£4.10, the Big Shopper is£4.95 and the Fizpouch is£17.95.� ToWIN an OriginalFizbag, Big Shopper andFizpouch set in Zebraprint, worth £27, go towww.tlm-magazine.co.ukand click on competitionsand giveaways. Terms andconditions apply. Closingdate April 30, 2010.

� The Fizpouch organiser

� The Varta pocket-sized power pack

Bags of use

Ideal for your holidayhotel room while get-ting ready to hit the

town, Rockstar fromUrbanz is a funky, pow-erful speaker which con-nects easily to your iPod,MP3 player, phone orlaptop. Small enough topop into a corner of yoursuitcase, yet with an out-put expected from muchlarger speakers and giv-ing up to four hours’ bat-tery life, Rockstar isavailable in a choice ofblack, silver and nowpink and is availablefrom www.urbanz.co.ukpriced £17.99 includingpostage and a one-yearguarantee.

� You can WIN oneof three of these greatlittle speakers, go towww.tlm-magazine.co.uk

and click on competitionsand giveaways. Terms andconditions apply. Closingdate April 30, 2010.


in your � suitcase

Hair today, gonetomorrowAll women want an easy, fuss-free way to removeunwanted hair when travelling and Australiancompany Nad’s has a great range of products.Theyinclude its popular Natural Hair Removal gel, whichis now available in a smaller, 170g take-anywheretub.The easy-to-useformula, madewith only naturalingredients such ashoney, sugar andlemon juice,smoothes easilyonto legs, arms,underarms andbikini lines and isperfect for keeping your skinbeach-ready at all times. It is available frombranches of Boots and Sainsbury’s for around£9.99.For more information on this and other Nad’sproducts, visit www.nads.co.uk.

Pump up the comfortEven movie stars have to have a day off from theirhigh heels and presenters and nominees at lastmonth’s prestigious BAFTA awards were the luckyrecipients of a pair of CocoRose London’s stylish,foldable ballet pumps in their goody bag.Theseinnovative shoes are perfect to slip into when theheels hurt too much and the accompanyinglightweight shoulder carry bag makes them perfectfor travel. In a range of styles and colours, theshoes are available online from CocoRose atwww.cocoroselondon.com priced fromjust £30.� READER OFFER: TLM readers can get a 10%discount on orders over £28.50 by entering thepromotional code TL at the online checkout. Offervalid until June 25.

Rock your world– and win aRockstar

Some of your best photo opportuni-ties on holiday may come frombeing around the pool, out on a

boat or even maybe snorkelling or wind-surfing, but how do you protect yourcamera from the water? A new com-pletely waterproof camera case fromOverBoard may be the answer.

The Waterproof Zoom Lens CameraCase can still take pictures with a regulardigital camera when submerged down to19ft and the telescopic lens additionmakes this product stand out. The case islargely transparent and keeps your cam-era, or even mobile phone, completelysealed and protected, allowing goodquality pictures in or out of the water.The Waterproof Zoom Lens Camera

Case is available for £19.99 onlinefrom the OverBoard web store at

www.over-board.com, or by calling thesales line on 01932 500 091.� You can WIN one of three water-proof camera cases from OverBoard.Just go to www.tlm-magazine.co.ukand click on competitions and give-aways. Terms and conditions apply.Closing date April 30, 2010.

Watertight

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Iam balancing on a floating jetty in the darktrying to unlock the door to the boat that hasbecome my home this week. If only I had atorch, but needless to say, it was the one thingI never even thought to pack. If a kindFrenchman in a nearby boat had not come to

rescue me and my family, our trip might havecome to a sorry – as in wet – end. Instead, it wasthe start of a fabulously relaxing holiday, onewhere we literally watched the world go by as wecruised from town to village, tying up as and whenthe fancy took us.

If a week messing about on rivers appeals, thereare two kinds of boating holidays to pick from;which you choose depends on how adventurous youare feeling.

There are self-drive boats, like I was on, whereyou are given a quick lesson in operation and navi-gation and then sent off to explore the local riversand canals, or luxurious hotel barges where all youhave to do is relax and enjoy.

These pretty little boats have mostly been builtusing the hulls of barges that used to carry goods onEurope’s waterways. You’ll have seen one if you


Waterways are perfect for holidays at a leisurely pace. JaneArcher examinesthe options of being your own captain or lazing aboard a luxury hotel barge,and where you can go messing about on Europe’s rivers and canals

let’s try � european canal and river holidays

Slowboats

Slowboats

Orient-Express

� Sailing along a tree-lined canal with Afloat in France

watched Rick Stein’s French Odyssey on BBC2, whenhe cooked his way along the Canal du Midi onEuropean Waterway’s Rosa and Anjodi. That’s the life!

Self-drive boating holidaysSelf-drive boats are brilliant for friends and familieswho like the freedom of the open river and are happycatering for themselves. They come in all sizes, sleep-ing from two to 12 people and have various levels ofcomfort, for instance some have en-suite bathroomsand electric flush toilets – believe me, much morepreferable than the usual pump-action loos.

Being in charge of your own boat sounds daunting,but it’s easy, especially as you amble along at a sedate 6-7km an hour. Most rivers have locks, but many aremanned and others are automatic so you just push a fewbuttons and hey presto. Navigational channels are clear-ly marked in the rivers and on the maps supplied so youcan’t even get lost or end up in a river bank.

The only slightly tricky thing is docking, whichrequires team work between the captain and rope man(or woman), who needs to be agile enough to leap off asthe boat comes towards the bank. It sounds scary butyou soon get the hang of it.

Galleys are small but equipped with the basics, suchas a gas hob, oven and kettles. It’s fun to mix and match


tips� When packing, bear in mind that

cabins on self-drive boats and hotelbarges are compact with not muchstorage space.

� Some companies offering waterwaysholidays are not bonded so yourholiday is not protected if somethinggoes wrong.The best advice is topay by credit card as your moneywill be refunded in case of acompany failure.The same adviceapplies if you fly from the UK.

� If negotiating locks doesn’t appeal, askyour boat company to recommend alock-free river.There are a few.

� Don’t expect to travel far or fast. Ispent one week on a one-waycruise, averaging about five hours’sailing a day. It took the taxi thatpicked me up at the end less thantwo hours to get back to base.


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� Self-drive boats give youfreedom of the waterways

� Approaching a lock

� Lunch on deck

� Cabins are compact

� Enjoy the slow pace

� Be as lazy or as active as you want on a hotel barge

– self-cater one evening, moor up outside a riversiderestaurant another and have a break from the washing up.

Hotel bargesIf you prefer a more luxurious holiday, with someone tocaptain the boat, do the cooking and plan excursions, ahotel barge holiday has your name on it.

Barges usually hold between four and 12 people.Youcan book a cabin as an individual or couple, but they arealso perfect for anniversaries – such as a milestonebirthday or wedding celebration – as you can charter theboat and bring along family and friends. In this case,you will be able to make changes to the schedule, stay-ing longer here maybe, or missing going there.

Hotel barges are all about luxury and personal serv-ice. There’s a chef to conjure up gourmet meals, finewines are served with meals and there is an open bar, sono charge for drinks.

What to do?On a hotel barge or self-drive boating holiday you canbe as active or as lazy as you wish.

Most hotel barge operators lay on daily excursions tochateaux, vineyards, private gardens or museums, andyou can go or not as the mood takes you. They alsocarry bicycles so you can get off and pedal to the next

lock, or just have a walk if you prefer.On your DIY boating holiday, you can moor up and

go exploring or have a lazy few days sunbathing on thevessel. You can carry bikes on the boats; most compa-nies have them for hire or bring your own. Or maybe gohorse riding, play golf and visit local markets. It is theultimate in a freedom holiday.

Who goes where?France has 10,000km of navigable waterways – bothrivers and canals – and is the most popular spot forDIY boating in Europe. You can enjoy gastronomycruising the Canal du Midi, take in seaside resorts inthe Carmargue, play golf in the Charente, and discoverFrench/German culture in Alsace-Lorraine. Belgium,Holland, Italy and Germany are less popular but allhave their fair share of waterways if you want some-thing different.

Le Boat, part of TUI Travel, has DIY boating holi-days in all these places, mostly one week, cruising oneway, but you can add seven days and return to the origi-nal base. Short-break boating holidays were launched in2009 and are a great way to get a taste for this type ofholiday.

Boating Europe has both DIY cruisers andPenichette barges, which are small self-drive barges, and



“Hotelbarges are allabout luxuryand personalservice”

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what it costsPrices for self-drive boating holidays usually includetowels and linen, and free parking for your car forthe week.Travel to the base to collect your boat,plus fuel, meals, drinks, excursions and bike hire areall extras, and you might have to pay mooring feesin busy places.

You’ll also have to take out damage waiver coveror leave a deposit when you collect the boat.

Hotel barge operators include all meals, drinks,use of onboard bikes and scheduled excursions inthe price so there is nothing more to pay unless yougo horse-riding, play golf or do some other activity.

Travel from the UK to and from the pick-uppoint – usually a hotel or railway station – is extra.Tips for the crew are usually optional; from 3% to7% of the cruise cost is recommended.

� Costs mayinclude bike hire

LeBo

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also hotel barges in France, Holland and Italy. Forsomething different, Hoseasons has DIY boating holi-days on the Mazurian Lakes in Poland, sailing alongcanals and rivers, and through forests, as well as thefavourite places in Western Europe.

France is also the leading destination for hotel bargeholidays. European Waterways has barges in severalregions (but Burgundy and the Canal du Midi are themost popular) and also in Holland, Italy, Belgium,Germany and Luxembourg. New this year are cruisesfrom Venice along the Bianca Canal to Mantua, visitingVerona on the way, on new barge La Bella Vita.

Afloat in France is part of Orient-Express and, as thename suggests, is only in France – in Burgundy,Franche-Comté, the Rhône Valley and Provence.

For the ultimate in exclusive, check out Saint LouisBarge – literally one barge with room for six passengersand four crew that sails six-night cruises on theGironde, between Toulouse and Bordeaux. Great forcharters but individuals can book it as well.



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� Afloat in France’s Napoleon under way

� You can even take a dip on some craft

When to goThe boating season generally runs from March to November. Obviously,summer months will be the warmest, especially in the South of France.

What to packHotel barges are informal so packwhat you feel comfortable in. If you’regoing on a self-drive boating holiday, apair of non-slip shoes will be useful.You might like to bring some foodfrom home, but it’s easy to pick upprovisions as you cruise.A smalltorch to fit in the handbag is alsohighly recommended! Small suitcases are easiest to store on the boats.

Sample holidays� Le Boat (0844 463 3594; www.leboat.co.uk) has cruises on a six-

person Caprice boat on the Canal du Midi in France in June from£547 per person based on four sharing, excluding travel from theUK.

� European Waterways (01784 482439; www.gobarging.com) offerssix nights in a junior suite on L’Impressionniste in Burgundy from£2,490 in May and June.

� A six-person charter on the Saint Louis Barge (+ 33 685 95 25 41;www.saintlouisbarge.com) costs €16,900 (about £15,250), whichworks out at €2,817 (£2,540) per person.

Other boat and barge holiday operatorsBoating Europe: 01756 701200; www.boatingeurope.com orwww.hotelbarges.co.ukHoseasons: 0844 847 1356; www.hoseasons.co.ukAfloat in France: 0845 077 2222; www.afloatinfrance.comMinervois Cruisers: 01926 811842; www.minervoiscruisers.com

european canal and river holiday facts


29TLapr-mar10 23/3/10 12:12 Page 1

If the thought of leisurely cruising along a canal inBurgundy in the lap of luxury with a gourmetchef and all meals and wine included appeals,then why not enter this competition to win a fabu-lous six-night hotel barge cruise – courtesy ofEuropean Waterways.

Owner of GoBarging, European Waterways is thelargest luxury hotel barging company in Europe, offer-ing six-night/seven-day luxury cruises on its large fleetof vessels in France, Scotland, England, Ireland,Holland, Belgium, Germany, Luxembourg and Italy. Ithas built a reputation for providing high quality bargingholidays on its “floating boutique hotels” to a discerningclientele in search of a truly unique experience.

The hotel barges accommodate between four and 12passengers and are ideal for people looking for either anindividual cruise with other like-minded people, or forthose wanting a whole barge charter for a family orgroup of friends. All vessels are fully crewed with aCaptain, gourmet chef, hostess and a tour guide.

The prize is a six-night cruise for two people aboardEuropean Waterways’ eight-passenger hotel barge Art deVivre on the Nivernais Canal in Burgundy, France. Thecruise includes en-suite accommodation in a twin/dou-ble cabin, all meals, wines, an open bar, chauffeuredexcursions, local transfers to and from the barge, butexcludes travel and gratuities. The cruise will depart ona Sunday and end on the following Saturday.


competition � hotel barge cruise

WIN a £5,000six-night cruisefor two aboard a luxury hotel barge in Burgundywith EuropeanWaterways

� Cruising on the Art de Vivre

All photos: European Waterways

For a chance of winning this wonderful holiday, visitthe European Waterways website www.gobarging.comthen find the answer to the question below.

Question: In which year did European Waterways firststart operating?

a) 1974b) 1977c) 1984

To enter, go to www.tlm-magazine.co.uk andclick on competitions & giveaways. Closing date isApril 30, 2010.


competition � hotel barge cruise

Terms & conditions1) The first entry drawn at random after the closing date will win.2) The holiday must be booked by May 31, 2010.3) The cruise must be taken between June 20, 2010, and May 28, 2011, and is

subject to availability. EuropeanWaterways’ standard booking terms andconditions apply.

4) Travel insurance and spending money are not provided and are theresponsibility of the prize winner.

5) No purchase necessary to enter.The prize draw is open to UK residentsaged 21 years and over, except employees of EuropeanWaterways Ltd,TLMMedia Ltd or anyone professionally associated with the promotion. Onlyone entry per household.

6) The prize is non transferable and non refundable, and has no cash alternative.7) The prize cannot be used in conjunction with any other offer.8) These terms and conditions are correct at time of being printed but may be

subject to change without notice.9) Automated/bulk entries and entries from third parties will be disqualified.10) The Editor’s decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into.11) Entry to the competition implies full and unconditional acceptance of

these rules.12) By entering the competition you are agreeing to allow us to see and share

this information with other companies including for sales, marketing andmarket research purposes and to send you information by mail about ourproducts/services.

13)Winners may also be asked to write or submit photos from prize trips forinclusion on the TLM website.

� Wine service

� Excursions go topicturesque towns

� Saloon

� Fine dining

Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) gives free professional medical care to the people who needit most. In countries devastated by conflict, natural disaster or poverty, our staff battleepidemics, run emergency clinics and provide basic health services.

Find out where we work, what we do and how you can help at www.msf.org.uk English Charity Reg No. 1026588

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Faraway favourites

travel � update

Indian Ocean island nation the Maldives isstill the most popular long-haul holidaydestination, according to the latest travel

trends report by leading tour operator Kuoni.Its annual Long-haul Report shows the

island chain has maintained its position astop-selling faraway destination for 2010 aftertopping the 2009 table – with Thailand andthe US also staying in second and thirdrespectively.

The Maldives even ranks second for fam-ily holidays, and Kuoni says the destinationhas “so much to offer clients, from a roman-tic getaway, diving and spas to honeymoonsand renewal of vows, there is no surprise itis so popular.”

Sri Lanka moves up from sixth to fourth,

displacing Egypt, as it returns to favour. Kuonisays its outlook is very positive, with growth intouring and tailor-made holidays as well as“huge demand” for traditional beach holidays.

Meanwhile, China and Hong Kong havemoved into eighth place, with Kuoni sayingthat 2010 is seeing more creative itinerariesand adventurous multi-centre, tailor-madeholidays.

Destinations bubbling under Kuoni’s top 10and tipped to watch out for are India, Oman,Indonesia, Mauritius and Cuba.

Top five wedding destinations for 2010 areSri Lanka, the US, Mauritius, St Lucia andThailand, while the top five places to honey-moon are the Maldives, Thailand, Sri Lanka,the United Arab Emirates and the US.

New mums can get away from itall with their babies, thanks to anew five-night Italian villa

break.The Mum and Baby Experience,

claimed to be the first of its kind, offersstays at a five-bedroom Tuscany villa onselected dates in May, June andSeptember. Owner, and mum, RitaKobrak says: “New mums would love toget away for a few days, but don’t wantto leave their babies behind. We providethe perfect environment for them torelax and recharge their batteries, withtheir babies.”

Activities include yoga, swimming,baby Italian, baby Latino and baby mas-sage. Massages and beauty treatments areavailable and there is an Italian cookeryclass. Babysitting is also offered, somums can take time out on their own.

The Mum and Baby Experience catersfor five mums plus babies and toddlers,and costs from £700 per mother and babyfor a room, excluding flights. Toddlers upto three years old cost an extra £100.Dads can even go, too, for an additional£300. Breakfast and dinner is included, asare Perugia airport transfers.

For information, email Rita Kobrak on:[email protected] call 077855 71292 or 020 7384 2431.www.mum-and-baby-experience.co.uk

READER OFFERTLM readers can get a 10% DISCOUNToff Mum and Baby Experience breaks.Just quote TLMMagazine when booking.

Coach websiteA new website – www.findacoachholiday.com –promotes tours by coach.The most comprehensiveguide to coach tours, it features more than 100 UKcoach tour operator members of the Coach TourismCouncil (CTC), which promotes travel and tourismby coach. It is a simple, user-friendly guide to findingan excursion, short break or escorted coach holidayto anywhere in the UK, Europe or beyond.

Take a hikeA free Hiking Programme for guests staying inAustrian alpine town Innsbruck or its 25 holidayvillages includes guided hikes, a free hiking bus andeven free boots and rucksack for those without theirown. Guests must have an Innsbruck Card, which alsooffers reduced or free admission to attractions andcosts from 25 euros for 24 hours.ww.innsbruck.info

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� Sri Lanka is enjoying a revival in fortunes

� Spend quality time with your baby

� A new coach holiday website has launched

� Relax in aTuscany villa


travel � update

See some of Scotland’s best scenery fromtwo former fishing vessels, now con-verted into luxury mini-cruise ships.

The Majestic Line operates cruises aboardtwo traditional craft, the Glen Massan andGlen Tarsan, both of which accommodate amaximum of 11 people.The 2010 sailing season is being expanded

with the addition of two new six-night westcoast and Hebrides cruises, departing fromOban in July and September. They will sailthrough the Sound of Mull, pass the islands ofRum, Eigg and Muck and sail around the Isleof Skye, taking in sights such as Eilean DonanCastle.Strong demand for the cruises means the

award-winning Scottish company will also addat least two more Skye and Inner Hebrides

cruises for the 2011 season.Meals are all freshly-prepared using locally-

sourced ingredients, and the ships have a salonarea at the rear so guests can relax on deck.Wildlife that can be seen from the deck andtrips ashore includes eagles, otters and seals.

The Skye and the Inner Hebrides cruisesdepart Oban on July 10 and September 4 andcost £1,565 per person, fully inclusive exceptfor spirits.Go to www.themajesticline.co.uk or call

0131 623 5012.

Is your wine expertise lacking?Now you can combine a holi-day in Bordeaux with learning

what makes the French region’swines so special.Three different courses are on

offer at the city’s Ecole du Vin deBordeaux (Bordeaux WineSchool), with classes held inEnglish by local wine experts.Open to everyone, they comprisein-depth tastings, practical exer-cises and visits to nearbychateaux.A two-day beginners’ technical

course (May 14-15 and October15-16; 350 euros) involves tastingover 30 wines and learning aboutsoil types, grape varieties, classifi-cations and different appellations.After completing that level, a

two-day practical course (May 16-

17 and October 17-18; 335 euros)helps students improve theirwine-tasting ability and learn theprinciples of successful food andwine matching.The Grand Crus level course

(May 18-20; 600 euros), for stu-dents who have completed eitherof the other courses, is a three-daydiscovery of the Bordeaux vine-yards and their wines, visitingfour areas – the Medoc,Sauternes, Graves and Saint-Emilion.A two-hour introduction

course, again in English, is helddaily except Thursdays andSundays in July and August.Prices do not include flights or

accommodation. For details, visitwww.bordeaux.com and clickon Wine School.

Steamed upA full-size, steam-billowingHogwarts Express engine willgreet guests at Universal OrlandoResort’s new theme park,TheWizardingWorld of Harry Potter,when it opens this spring.TheFlorida park will feature multiplethemed attractions, shops and arestaurant.The Hogwarts Expresstrain transports students to aworld of magic and wonder inthe Harry Potter books and films.www.universalorlando.com

Malaria awareThe Malaria AwarenessWeek,from May 10-16, will highlightmalaria risks when travelling andwill urge UK travellers to visit

their GP six to eight weeksbefore going abroad to ensurethey have the correct protection.With malaria hotspots changingfrequently, it is important tokeep up to date.Visitwww.malariahotspots.co.ukto check your intendeddestination on a new-lookinteractive map.

Pacific trioLuxury tour operator TailorMade TravelfeaturesthreePacifichotelsopeningthisspring.The QuayWestResort & Spa Noosa, onQueensland’s Sunshine Coast,opens in March. April seesSamoa’s totally-rebuilt SinaleiReef Resort & Spa reopen afterthe devastating Septembertsunami and the opening of eco-friendly Hangaroa EcoVillage &Spa on Easter Island.www.tailor-made.co.uk

Over the sea to Skye

Get schooled in wine

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� The Glen Massan

� Easter Island

� Hogwarts Express

� Cosy dining room

� BordeauxWine Schoollesson

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35TLmar-apr10 26/3/10 18:29 Page 1

Taking a cruise these days is simply child’splay. Never before has there been such achoice of family-friendly ships bursting at theseams with exciting activities and facilitiesfor younger cruisers. Whether it is scaling aclimbing wall up the side of the ship’s funnel;

gliding across an ice-skating rink; flying through the airon a trapeze; or partying with Mickey Mouse; there issomething to appeal to all ages.

Youngsters are no longer confined to fun and gamesin the kids clubs – good though they are. Some shipshave dedicated deck areas for younger passengers, whileothers offer supervised excursions for older childrenwho want to shake off mum and dad for a few hours.

There are sports courts where youngsters can let offsteam, mini-golf courses for a quick nine holes, tabletennis and even giant movie screens where they cancatch a film while playing in the pool. Some larger shipsalso have water parks complete with water slides.

Then there are themed parties, talent shows and trib-ute bands, plus family-friendly restaurants and specially-designed cabins designed to accommodate parents andup to three children.

Cruising, it seems, has finally thrown off its reputa-tion for appealing mainly to the retired set – and wherefamilies are concerned, it is growing up fast.

But the key to happy holidays afloat rests on choos-ing the right ship as facilities can vary and some vesselsare better for certain age groups.

Babies and toddlersTiny tots are welcome on cruise ships, but most companiesdo not accept children under six months, while the mini-mum age for kids’ clubs tends to be two or three years.

Only a few lines have nurseries on their ships and oneof these is Cunard, where nannies take care of childrenon its two ships, Queen Mary 2 and Queen Victoria.

all aboard � family-friendly cruises


Happy families

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� Movies under the stars with Princess Cruises� Water fun on MSC’s Fantasia � Carnival’s Water Works

With new cruise ships boasting everything from nurseriesand kids clubs to surf simulators and circus workshops,cruising really is a family affair now. Sara Macefieldlooks at who offers what to keep youngsters of all ageshappy afloat

“Some shipshavededicateddeck areasfor youngerpassengers”� Mickey Mouse helps young cruiserskeep fit on Disney Magic


Disney Cruise Line is another that takes little ones,and probably has the lowest age limit – just 12 weeks inits onboard nurseries – while P&O Cruises’ family shipsalso have onboard nurseries.

On Royal Caribbean International ships, special par-ent-child playgroups are held for little ones, while thecompany’s largest ship, Oasis of the Seas, has its own“babies and tots” nursery.

Norwegian Cruise Line is another good choice fortoddlers as some of its ships have water-themed playareas or dedicated baby pools. Evening group baby-sit-ting is also offered.

Under 12sFamily-friendly ships have kids clubs, split into differ-ent age groups, that offer an action-packed programmeof activities such as pizza-making classes, ice-creamparties, teddy-bear picnics, pirate parties and discos.

The range of onboard activities has grown too. SomeRoyal Caribbean International ships have climbing walls, surfsimulators and ice-skating rinks, while Norwegian CruiseLine has bowling alleys and water slides on some ships.

P&O Cruises’ newest family-friendly ship, Ventura,boasts circus workshops, Scalextric Grand Prix-styleraces and a Rock School for kids who want to emulatetheir favourite pop stars.

Disney Cruises has a head-start when it comes tofamily cruises. In addition to the kids clubs, there isplenty of Disney-inspired entertainment. Its Studio Sea

family cruising tips� Each ship is different – so check the facilities carefully and assess which one willsuit your children best.

� Check the sleeping arrangements – some ships have inter-connecting cabins,others have special family cabins with sofa-beds or bunks that come down fromthe ceiling.

� What are the dining arrangements? Ensure there are enough flexible options –buffet restaurants are normally the best bet.

� If your children aren’t confident swimmers, look for ships with dedicated kids’pools.

� Check the opening times of the kids clubs, any extra charges and whether youcan leave your children on-board if you want to go ashore.

� For older kids, buy a soda package, which gives them a set amount of drinksmuch cheaper than if bought separately

� Above: CocoCay water activities

� Left: happy campers at CampCarnival

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Royal Caribbean International


family club looks like a film set and hosts various showssuch as cabaret and talent contests for the whole family.

On Princess Cruises and Costa Cruises ships, childrencan catch their favourite film on giant poolside moviescreens, while Royal Caribbean International’s newestship, Oasis of the Seas, even has a dedicated children’stheatre where youngsters can put on their own shows.

Lines such as Ocean Village, Carnival Cruise Lines,Island Cruises, Thomson Cruises and MSC Cruises alsooffer a good range of activities for children.

TeensProbably the hardest age group to please, yet energeticteens can opt for the plethora of activities on RoyalCaribbean International, while those wanting to dotheir own thing can try Ocean Village’s teen-friendlyexcursions to hike up Mount Vesuvius or tourBarcelona’s famous Nou Camp football stadium with-out their parents.

The line also has special teen TV presenter work-shops and Girls Night In pampering packages.

Several ships are armed with the latest technotemptations to keep young cruisers happy with X-Boxand PlayStation games plus video arcades and teen-only nightclubs.

Music fans can even cut their own CD in a fully-equipped recording studio aboard Costa Cruises’ ship,Costa Pacifica, or take the plunge with a privatemusic lesson.

On Holland America Line ships, youngsters up to 17can enjoy the funky Loft area, resembling a NewYorkstyle artist’s studio and the fabulous Oasis adult-freedeck zone with hammocks and a waterfall.

Where to goOnce you’ve chosen the ship, it’s a question of decidingwhere you want to sail to. One of the easiest ways oftravelling with young children is to jump on the growingnumber of ships now sailing from the UK, which cuts outthe hassle of taking flights.

The obvious place to go is the Mediterranean, whichscores highly with children of all ages as there are somany different ports.

Even if you decide to join one of the many cruisesdeparting from European cities such as Barcelona,Palma or Venice, flight times are still short.

Farther afield, the Caribbean is a popular cruisingspot and tends to be a sun, sea and sand option with amore relaxed pace. However, the major downside is theflight, which is around nine hours.

The Far East offers a tempting combination of cul-ture, experiences and beautiful beaches, but with a 13-hour flight this again is one for older children who canmake the most of the shore activities.

Less-obvious destinations for older children includeAlaska, which offers adventurous excursions such asbear spotting, climbing glaciers or snowmobiling, andthe Baltic, rich in history and culture.

all aboard � family-friendly cruises

� Royal Caribbean’s Flowrider

� Below: On high at sea

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family cruise facts

Sample cruisesNorwegian Cruise Line (0845 201 8912;

www.ncl.co.uk) has one-week round-tripsailings fromVenice to the Greek islands thissummer. Prices are from £3,156 for a family offour for a May 22 departure, including flights.

P&O Cruises (0845 678 0014;www.pocruises.com) is

offering a 14-nightWesternMediterranean sailing onVentura from £6,370for a family of four which includes a £50onboard credit per adult. It departsSouthampton on August 14 and ports of callinclude Cannes, Palma, Livorno and Gibraltar.

Royal Caribbean International (0844 493 4005;www.royalcaribbean.co.uk) has a nine-nightWestern Caribbean fly-cruise, departing on July 10, on the world’s largest cruise ship, Oasis ofthe Seas, from £6,316 for two adults and two children.The priceincludes return flights to Florida, a one-night hotel stay pre-cruise andthe seven-night sailing.

More information� The Passenger Shipping Association represents the main cruiselines and its website www.discovercruises.co.uk gives details of theseand contains a section on family cruises.

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Kenwood Travel FP 25/3/10 12:17 Page 1


all aboard � cruise news

CRUISE CLIPSHurtigruten, which offerscruises to the Norwegianfjords and Arctic Circle isoffering 20% savings onpopular sailings on selecteddates between May andSeptember. Prices now startat £655 per person for a six-day Voyage South sailing,cruise-only.

Virgin Holidays Cruisesclaims to be the first cruiseagency to offer a free door todoor “Luggage Chauffeur”service for customers sailing

with P&O, Princess orCunard from Southampton.Passengers can send one bagof up to 30kg free of charge,and extra bags cost up to £35each way.

Hearty English fare suchas mushy peas, steak andkidney pies,Yorkshirepuddings and sausage rolls isto be served up on CelebrityCruises’ newest shipCelebrity Eclipse, which willbe based at Southampton thissummer, to appeal to Britishpalates.

Tipping has long been a confusing issueamong cruise-goers and in recent years it hasbecome controversial.

With the arrival of American ships in the UK andEurope, British customers have had to get used totipping rates as high as 18% – something that hasn’talways gone down well.Royal Caribbean International, which bases its

ship Independence of the Seas at Southampton, isreviewing its tipping policy because up to a third ofits UK customers were not paying gratuities.US lines generally charge a daily rate of around

$10 per person which can be automatically debitedfrom each passenger’s on-board account, though pas-sengers can ask to have this removed.

UK cruise companies either include tips in theoverall price or suggest amounts that should be givento staff at the end of the holiday, which are lowerthan those paid on their US counterparts.Another thorny issue has been the high price of

drinks on ships. A recent survey showed that RoyalCaribbean International and Norwegian Cruise Linecharged the highest prices for a beer.Online travel agency Cruises.co.uk, which con-

ducted a study of 10 cruise lines, claimed passengerswould pay as much as £3.95 on Royal Caribbean and£3.61 on NCL for a bottle of Becks.Yet on Fred Olsen Cruise Lines and P&O Cruises

– which were the cheapest - they would pay only£2.20 and £2.35 respectively.

Fans of Dora the Explorerand Sponge Bob SquarePants will be able to set sail

with these and otherNickelodeon characters onNorwegian Cruise Line’s newestship, Norwegian Epic, whichlaunches this summer.They’ll be able to get together

with them at character breakfasts,meet and greets, interactive shows– or even have their favouritecharacter tuck them in at night.And this isn’t just confined to

Norwegian Epic as Nickelodeoncharacters will also be based onone of NCL’s other ships,Norwegian Jewel.Single travellers can also sail

off in style aboard NorwegianEpic as it is targeting innovative

new studio cabins at solo cruisepassengers, with prices to match.

Tipping point for cruisers

Epic time with Dora and Bob

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� Ahoy there, it’s Sponge Bob Square Pants

� UK cruisers generally tip less

� Virgin offers free luggage delivery forcruise passengers

� Drinks are cheapest on P&O and Fred Olsen

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41TLmar-apr10 26/3/10 19:17 Page 1

Islands have always appealed to me. The smallerand more remote the better. My favourite bookswere full of them – from Robinson Crusoe to TheSearch for Atlantis – and so it is with a strangesense of deja vu that I now land with my daughterAnouchka in Sao Miguel, the largest island of the

Azores, a group of nine volcanic islands strung outacross six hundred kilometres like some fabulousnecklace, half the Atlantic Ocean away.

The islands are clustered into three groups; theEastern group of Sao Miguel and Santa Maria; theCentral group of Terceira, Graciosa, Sao Jorge, Pico andFaial; the Western group of Flores and Corvo. From theair, they look exactly as I imagined them; skirted withsea-foam at the edges, excitingly pockmarked with vol-canoes of all sizes (some still smoking), and showingvast expanses of brilliant green.

Arrival at the airport finds it reassuringly quiet. Foralthough a description of the Azores reads likeAnouchka’s list of the 10 Coolest Things to Find In OnePlace (brilliant sunshine, active volcanoes, killer whales,bubbling mud lakes, swimming with dolphins, pineap-ple plantations, a sea bluer than the movies and thethrilling possibility of seeing a Portuguese man-o’-war,the biggest, deadliest jellyfish in the ocean), tourismseems as yet to have made little impact on the islands.

Life here exists at a slower pace; strangers are wel-comed with genuine delight; there is little nightlife andhardly any crime; and the small scale and informalnature of island trips comes as a glorious change fromthe cattle-truck tours of the concrete Costas.

Our stay is due to last a week, and to take in three ofthe islands; Sao Miguel, Faial and Pico. Sao Miguel isthe largest island, and its capital, Ponta Delgada,


Best-selling author Joanne Harris swapped the French village setting of her Chocolat novelfor a visit to the tiny Azores archipelago with her daughter – and found a timeless naturalwonderland still untouched by tourism

off the beaten track � the azores

receives most of the visitors. It is a charming place,looking as Madeira did 50 years ago, with its marina, itscastle, its cobbled, palm-lined streets, its market andshops and friendly little cafés.

FestivalsThe Azores are part of Portugal, and there is a strongCatholic identity to the place, with incense and icons ofthe saints on sale in every little corner shop. ButAzorean saints are a cheery lot; there are festivalsalmost every day, and on our first night in PontaDelgada, Anouchka and I are gaily dragged by localsinto one of their many street galas, with dancers, musi-cians and acrobats.

Any excuse for a party, they say, when I ask themwhosefestival this is. Here, you know, there’s so little to do…

The next day, we set off to find out how little therereally is. Our friends of last night were being modest;the island is glorious in every way. Incredibly green, itis a paradise for gardeners; agapanthus, ginger lily,thyme and hydrangeas grow wild, and any abandonedbuilding or fallen tree is quickly devoured by the purple



Sunvil

� Main picture, Azoreswhale-watching

� The Faial caldera� JoanneHarrris andher daugherin the Azores

Sunvil

morning glories that swarm over everything with near-tropical speed.

Over the next few days, we visit pineapple and teaplantations; we sip strawberry juice by a volcano crater;we see the famous twin lakes – one green, one blue – atSete Cicades and hear the sad, romantic tale of how theywere formed (the Azoreans are great tellers of tales, thesadder and the more romantic the better).

We visit the sulphurous Furnas, with its boiling pools ofmud and water, reminding us that although the volcanoesof theAzores may be dormant, they are far from extinct.

At Tony’s restaurant in Furnas, we eat locally-grownpineapple, and blood-sausage baked with yam under thehot earth in the traditional way; and we bathe in thethermal pool of the old and genteel Terra Nostra Hotel,where the spring water is so charged with minerals thatmy swimsuit actually goes rusty.

Blue IslandOn the third day we fly to Horta on Faial, in the Centralgroup of the Azores. It takes about an hour to fly fromSao Miguel, and if anything, this smaller island seemseven closer to perfection.

Living here is like being in love, says our guide; and Ican definitely see what he means. Known as the BlueIsland for its hedgerows of hydrangeas, Faial offers a

spectacular range of scenery over a very small area, withgreen valleys on one side, and the apocalyptic results ofrecent volcanic activity on the other. There is a light-house half-buried in volcanic ash; a stretch of desert likea Martian moon; and all around the island there are fabu-lous places to swim; for although there are few beacheshere, the tumbling lava has formed wonderful naturalswimming places, sheltered from the open sea, whereAnouchka can spend hours diving, climbing on rocksand inspecting the sea life trapped in the many pools.

In the evening, the famous marina is the place to be.Nightlife is sociable rather than sophisticated, and thereis a variety of restaurants and bars. Food in the Azores isbest when it is simple. Hotel and restaurant food herecan often have a kind of school-dinnerish quality, butcafes and bars often serve excellent inexpensive food,and the Cafe Sport bar in Horta, on the seafront, is thelocals’ favourite, serving seafood kebabs, excellentsteaks, grilled wreckfish and salads, with good bread,local cheeses and Portuguese wines.

Whale-watchingPico is only a heartbeat away, and Horta’s skyline isdominated by its perfect cone. You can walk to thesummit of the volcano, although it takes time (two tofive hours for the ascent, depending on the weather,and half as much again for the descent), and requires aregistered guide.

An island tour by taxi gives a short, but tantalisingtaste of the island, including extraordinary views fromthe peak itself, lakes, smaller caldera and the famouswhaling museum – though Anouchka and I both agreethat there are much more enjoyable ways to see whaleson Pico.

Whale-watching is a unique experience, and we aretold that Faial is the best place to try it. Our motorisedboat seats only eight people, and the organisers are verycareful to ensure that the whales are not stressed by thepresence of observers. More than one boat is notallowed; we keep a respectful distance at all times. I’m


“Tourismseems as yetto have madelittle impacton theislands”


Azores tips� Don’t forget: sunscreen; sunhat; camera film or spare memory cards and batteries

(not always readily available locally); waterproof clothing; comfortable shoes;binoculars; sandals; swimming costume, towel or wrap.

� Drink plenty of water – the wind and sun means that it’s easy to get dehydrated,especially on boat trips.

� Tipping isn’t essential, but it’s always appreciated – 10 euros per person to small-tour guides (swimming with dolphins, etc) will ensure maximum goodwill andtime flexibility.

� Eat outside your hotel as often as you can. Grilled fish is good here (wreckfish,sea bass, mackerel). Also try: locally-produced cheeses; blood-sausage baked withyam or pineapple; fried squid; local beef.

� There isn’t a lot for tourists to buy, but you can take home pineapples (declare onarrival in the UK) or pineapple liqueur from local plantations; handicrafts (enameljewellery, hand-painted scarves, corn dollies) or leather goods.

� Health and safety is still in its infancy here – so keep an eye on children, especiallynear the hot springs! Az

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� Hot springs atFurnas, Sao Miguel

� Horta harbour, Faial


45TLmar-apr10 26/3/10 18:45 Page 1

impressed at the care and sensitivity shown here by ourguides, and I am very conscious of what a rare privilegeit is to see these giant mammals in their natural habitat.

The marine life of the Azores is spectacularly varied;some 25 different species of whale visit the islands, andon our first trip we see sperm whales, beaked whales,pilot whales and dolphins.

Swimming with dolphinsOur next trip is, if anything, more exciting – for return-ing to Sao Miguel, we are booked to actually swim withthese creatures. The boat takes up to six people; andalthough no more than two swimmers are allowed in thewater at once, we all have several chances to swim. Butfirst we have to find the dolphins, and we pray that theywill be in playful mood. Any sign of anxiety, and wemust leave them alone – our guides make it clear that itis they, and not we, who are in charge.

It takes us an hour to find our first school. Anouchkaand I take the first swim, lowering ourselves carefullyinto water that is a luminous blue and almost tropicallywarm. The depth here is between 1,000 and 2,000metres, and clear right down to the bottom. I can see thedolphins some distance below. And they are singing – along, resonant note that cuts through the water.Anouchka gives me a big thumbs-up; she can hear themtoo, and we follow them for five or more minutes untilthe school moves on and we return to the boat.

We repeat the experience six times that day, andanother five the next. We encounter bottlenose dolphinsand spotted dolphins, and swim with both. Some ofthem come very close to us. But nothing beats that firstcontact with another species in its own element. It’s aneerie, intimate, almost religious feeling, which I knowwill stay with me for a very long time.

CharmBut how long can this idyll last? I find that on leav-ing this magical place I’m almost reluctant to writeabout it, as if by keeping them secret I could helpthese islands preserve the Brigadoon-like qualitythat gives them their charm.


azores facts

You see, it’s the scale of things here that makes theAzores so different and special. With only a few dozentourists at a time, it’s perfectly acceptable for a restaurantto serve food cooked in an underground pot halfway upa mountain; or for a sightseeing company to expend sixhours, a boat and two members of staff so that four orfive people can swim with dolphins. But try any of thison a larger scale, and soon it will no longer be possible.

So I can’t help feeling that in some way I’ve wit-nessed the last days of Atlantis – blissfully free (but howlong for?) from the excesses of the 21st century. And itis with a heartfelt prayer to the god of small things thatAnouchka and I board the plane home – to please keepthese islands just as they are. Perfect. Forever.

Reader offerWIN one of five copies of the latest novel byJoanne Harris – psychological thriller blueeyed boy– which is published on April 1. See page 56.

“Strangersarewelcomedwith genuinedelight”


When to goThe Azores islands lie almost 1,000 miles westof Lisbon in the middle of the Atlantic Oceanand enjoy a temperate climate thanks to thewarming influence of the Gulf Stream.Averagetemperatures range from highs of 17ºC inJanuary to about 25ºC in August. Showers aremore frequent between October and April.

Getting thereAzores airline SATA (www.sata.pt) flies direct from London Gatwickto Ponta Delgada on the island of Sao Miguel.

Getting aroundSATA operates regular flights between the islands of Faial, Pico, SantaMaria, Sao Miguel and Terceira.You can rent cars, bikes and mopeds onall the main islands, and there are also taxis.

AccommodationThe islands have a range of accommodation, including hotels,guesthouses and farmhouses.

Tour operatorsOperators include Sunvil Discovery (020 8758 4722;www.sunvil.co.uk). Itoffers a seven-nightThree IslandTour to Sao Miguel, Faial and Pico from£1,187 per person, including direct flights from Gatwick, seven nights’ b&baccommodation, internal flights and transfers, entrance tickets to botanicalgardens and museums, and guided excursions.ArchipelagoAzores (01768775672;www.azoreschoice.com) offer tailor-made holidays to theAzores.

Tourist informationVisit the Azores Tourism Association’s website onwww.azorestourism.com or the Portuguese National Tourist Officewebsite:www.visitportugal.com.

Sunvil

Sunvil

� Azores dolphin-watching

� Sao Miguel

Best known for her romantic novel, Chocolat, whichwas turned into a hit film starring Juliette Binoche andJohnny Depp, Joanne Harris has written more than adozen other books.This article was originallypublished in theTelegraph.

Swarovski FP 24/3/10 16:40 Page 1


48TLmar-apr10 27/3/10 09:58 Page 1


Golf on the Island of

pack your clubs � tenerife, canary islands

It was one of those moments you dread. Only ashort par 3, but uphill and over a cactus-stud-ded valley from a tee perched high above theAtlantic swells. I didn’t feel comfortable as Iteed up, especially with the Ladies EuropeanTour pro I was playing alongside in the

Tenerife Ladies Open Pro-Am patiently waitingwith her caddy after effortlessly sending her shotclose to the pin.Nerves jangling, I swung. Hard. And the

inevitable happened – I shanked the ball, sending itsideways and almost taking out Australia’s former toplady amateur, Frances Bondad.Thankfully, my indiscretion was forgiven with a

gracious smile. After blanking that hole, the rest ofmy round was a marginal improvement, allowing meto relax and enjoy the beautiful Costa Adeje course.It is one of eight golf courses on Tenerife, the

largest of the Canary Islands. A natural paradise ofmountains, lush vegetation, towering cliffs, verdantvalleys and black and gold sand beaches 300km offthe African coast, Tenerife is popular as a sunshineholiday destination thanks to its year-round temperate

Great courses, a superb climate, top-notch hotels and plenty of off-courseattractions makeTenerife heavenlyfor golf…if you can avoid the shanks.Peter Ellegard tees it up

� Buenavista Golf course

EternalSpring

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climate. Not for nothing is it known as the Island ofEternal Spring.

As a result, Tenerife is heaven for golfers. And it isgreat for non-golfing partners, too, with high-qualityhotels, many having extensive health and spa facilities,lively nightlife and extensive sightseeing, shopping andactivity options besides the beaches.

Spain’s highest mountain – the coni-cal-peaked Mount Teide, standingover over 12,000ft (3,718m)and snow-capped in winter –dominates Tenerife anddivides the island’s verdantnorth from the more aridsouth. But nowhere is morethan about an hour awayfrom anywhere else.

Towering cliffsThe north has two courses. Real Club de Golf deTenerife, not far from Canaries capital Santa Cruz deTenerife, is Spain’s second-oldest golf club and wasfounded 75 years ago. It can be played on weekdaymornings.

Also in the north, Seve Ballesteros sculpted the stun-ning Buenavista course from a wild and beautiful sec-tion of rocky coast in the heart of Teno Rural Park,flanked by the towering cliffs of the Teno Massif.Several holes on the back nine are set right on the shore-line, giving the impression you are playing shots into thesea itself, with spray from waves crashing into adjacentrocks as golfers putt on some greens. A large lake andtumbling waterfalls in front of the clubhouse feature onthe 9th and 18th holes. Stands of graceful palm treesand sharp-spiked cacti edgemost fairways.

Afterwards, you canreflect on your glorymoments and near missesfrom the upstairs restau-rant and terrace bar inthe clubhouse while tak-ing in the magnificentvista of this Seve master-piece, the rocky coastlineand the brooding Atlanticbeyond.

Buenavista hosts theTenerife Ladies Open thisyear and now boasts a newluxury hotel alongside.

Golfers have more choice inthe south, including Golf del Sur.It staged the island’s first profes-sional golf tournament, the TenerifeOpen, in 1989, two years after thecourse opened, the winner being JoseMaria Olazabal.

Originally designed by Pepe Gancedo in1987, Golf del Sur’s 27 holes were remod-elled in 2005 and 2006 by fellow Spaniard

Tenerife has a wealth of options awayfrom its courses. One of the mostpopular tours is to the volcaniclandscape of Teide National Park, themost visited national park in Spain.Tours from the north go up throughthe Oratava Valley, and those from thesouth often include the picturesquetown of Puerto de la Cruz.

There’s shopping and city tours incapital Santa Cruz de Tenerife, whosehistory dates back to 1492. A day tripcan be combined with nearby AnagaRural Park and Teresitas beach, one ofthe most beautiful in Tenerife. Sunworshippers have numerous beachesaround the island.Another popularouting is to Teno Rural Park.Toursgenerally take in the historic costaltown of Garachico and the inlandvillage of Masca. Other sightseeingfavourites include the town of Icod delos Vinos with its thousand-year-oldDragon Tree and the spectacularroadside viewpoints in the Isla Baja areain the north, and the Los Gigantos Cliffson the west coast.

The Loro Parque wildlife park inPuerto de la Cruz in northern Tenerifeand the Parque Las Aguilas – JunglePark in the south, are both popularattractions.Wine lovers will enjoyFrontos Theme Park in Granadilla deAbona, a rural attraction whichhighlights Tenerife’s wine culture andshows both traditional and modernwine-producing methods. Europe’sbiggest water park, Siam Park, openedin the south in 2008 with 25 Thai-themed buildings, thrill rides including aflume tube through an alligator pooland aWave Palace with a three-metre-high artificial surfing wave.

The adventurous can ride camels, gohiking, mountain biking, caving andclimbing amid Tenerife’s natural sceneryor try water sports including kite-surfing, sailing, sea canoeing and divingin the warm, clear Atlantic.

And resorts such as Playa de LasAmericas and Playa de Los Cristianosoffer great beaches, excellent shoppingand eating out as well as pulsatingnightlife.

Off-course attractionsPe

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� Beach at Playa de Las Americas

� Historic Garachico � Playa de Las Teresitas

“Tenerife isheaven forgolfers”

Manuel Pinero, who brought out the ravine-edgedcourse’s natural element more; its wealth of flowers,cacti and palm trees are in stark contrast to its blacksand bunkers and the ravines.

Longest driveThe course has a notable claim to fame; it was whereBritish golfer Karl Woodward set two world records for

the longest drive in 1995 – his second sur-passing 408 yards, all carry! Nearbyhotels include the San Blas and HotelVincci Tenerife Golf.

Amarilla Golf is another courseright on the ocean. Designer DonaldSteel teases players with the approachshot to the green of the par-4 4th,with the sea immediately behind. Then

he taunts golfers with a tee shot rightover the waves on the short but spectacu-lar, par-3 5th. A marina forms the backdrop

to several holes and there is also a horse rid-ing club at Amarilla.

Tenerife’s biggest resort, Playa de Las Americas,has a great golf course on its doorstep. Golf LasAmericas is a green oasis nestling in a naturalamphitheatre. The course encircles the large clubhouseand is interlaced with lakes and water channels, makingfor some testing challenges right from the first hole. TheHotel Las Madrigueras is among hotels situated right byGolf Las Americas, while the recently-renovated, luxuryHotel Sir Anthony and adjacent Hotel Cleopatra Palace


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� Costa Adeje

� Mountain backdrop at Golf del Sur

� Flowers and water at Amarilla � The Abama course and hotel

Tenerife Tourism Corporation

The neighbouring island of La Gomera also has an18-hole course. The Donald Steel-designed Tecina Golfcourse is set on a clifftop on the island’s southernmosttip, and is reached by a 40-minute fast ferry trip fromLos Cristianos.Tenerife is one of my favourite golf destinations, and

I am sure it won’t be long before I am back yet again. Ijust hope it won’t be a case of shanks for the memorynext time…

are part of the Mare Nostrum Resort just a few minutesaway. The Hotel Europe Villa Cortes, another golfer-friendly property, is also close by.Water is also a strong theme at Tenerife’s newest

addition, Abama, which opened in 2005 in Guia deIsora, on Tenerife’s west coast. There are 22 lakes tonegotiate, complete with cascading waterfalls, on thisDave Thomas design which overlooks the sea and hasviews to La Gomera. The course, Tenerife’s longest, islaid out amid luxuriant flora and including many 90,000palm trees. But its most striking feature is the luxuryAbama hotel and villas, a pinkish-brown architecturalmarvel which resembles a Moorish citadel. It loomsinto view with the Atlantic behind on the downhill, par-5 10th and sits alongside the next two holes. The hotelfeatures eight swimming pools, a spa and its own pri-vate beach.

TerracesJust down the coast is 27-hole Golf Costa Adeje, thescene of my Ladies European Open horror shot.Another Pepe Gancedo layout on the site of a formerbanana plantation, the original 18-hole Old Course,which opened in 1998, uses the natural contours of theland to good effect, including on its wide greens. Itincorporates old stone farm terraces on fairways whichslope down to the sea and offer superb views of LaGomera. Looking seaward, they are all but invisible,yet look back and you can see the original dry stoneterrace walls puncturing the fairways.The 9-hole Los Lagos Course is shorter but serves

up more of a technical challenge, with six lakes forgolfers to negotiate. Hotels near here include the turret-ed, five-star Gran Hotel Bahia del Duque Resort, HotelJardin Tropical, Iberostar’s Grand Hotel El Mirador andGrand Hotel Anthelia, and the Sheraton La CaletaResort & Spa.As well as Tenerife’s 18-hole courses, there is also

the 9-hole Centro de Golf los Palos facility. Designedby Jose Maria Olazabal’s company, Integral GolfDesign, it is a par-27 layout with lakes and streamswhich is ideal for beginners or those wanting to workon their short game. It includes a clubhouse, restaurantand children’s playground.



tenerife golf facts

Tourist informationVisit the Tenerife Tourism Corporation website atwww.webtenerifeuk.co.uk or call freephone: 00 800 100 101 00.

WeatherNorth-east trade winds and warm Atlantic waters keep Tenerifetemperate year-round, with temperatures averaging 23ºC.

Getting thereTenerife is served by direct flights fromseveral UK airports.Among airlines,Monarch (www.monarch.co.uk)operates from airports includingGatwick and Luton with fares,including taxes, starting from £77.50one way (£138.99 return). Seats can bepre-booked at £8.50 per one-way andextra-legroom seats are available for £25.

Golf packagesTour operators offering Tenerife golf packages include Premier Iberian(0845 600 3391,www.premieriberian.com),Your Golf Travel (0800

043 6644,www.yourgolftravel.com), Golf Breaks(0800 279 7988,www.golfbreaks.com),Supertravel (020 7459 2984,www.supertravel.co.uk) and GolfAmigos (0845 230 3100,www.golfamigos.co.uk).You can alsocruise and play golf in Tenerife andother islands in the Canaries with theFlagship Golf programme of Fred OlsenCruise Lines (01473 746175,

www.fredolsencruises.com).

CoursesGolf Costa Adejewww.golfcostaadeje.com

Amarilla Golfwww.amarillagolf.es

Golf del Surwww.aymerichgolf.com

Golf Las Americaswww.golf-tenerife.com

Abama Golfwww.abamahotelresort.com

Buenavista Golfwww.buenavistagolf.es

Real Club de Golf deTenerifewww.realclubgolftenerife.com

Tecina Golfwww.tecinagolf.com

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� Mount Teide

� TecinaGolf Course


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Many golfers might consider a cruise holiday the last thing they would want to do – being at sea instead of on the green just doesn’t appeal. However, Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines has put together the perfect package to enable golfers to enjoy every aspect of the game, including some top-class tuition from a PGA professional, and

courses, while at the same time sampling all the other delights of life at sea. It is also the ideal holiday for golfers with non-playing partners, who can revel in the cruise experience, whilst the golfers get down to some serious play. They then get together after to enjoy the social activities on board.

One of the best parts of the world

Islands. The islands boast so many superb courses – well-designed, challenging yet enjoyable, and taking in some stunning scenery – along with a balmy and mild climate year-round. Fred. Olsen’s Flagship Golf package features on many Canaries cruises and some of these also take in North African ports like Agadir and Morocco.

The Flagship Golf package is made up of no fewer than four rounds of golf ashore, plus onboard tuition and practice sessions, with social activity for golfers and their non-playing partners. Green fees and transfers between ship and course are also included. There is a PGA professional in residence on each of the Fred. Olsen cruise ships, who will host the programme. He or she offers one-to-one tuition for

those taking part in the programme. You can also use the onboard nets for practice, in between going ashore to play. In each port with a Flagship Golf session planned, you and your fellow players will be transferred to the course to enjoy a round at one of the superb courses featured in the programme, before re-joining the ship. In addition, there will be fun competitions, a cocktail party and a get-together for prize-giving at the end of the cruise. Partners are welcome at all these social events.

Here are just a few of the superb courses included in the Canary Islands Flagship Golf programme:-

Agadir – Golf Club Med Les Dunes A well-landscaped course of international standard with three loops of nine holes, this course is a fair test of any golfer and very enjoyable to play.

Casablanca – El Jadida Royal GolfSet in a 300-acre site on the Atlantic coast, this is an exceptional course with superb views.

Casablanca – Mohammedia Royal Golf ClubThis has a fairway between pines and eucalyptus trees surrounded by a restless sea and white dunes. It is a windswept and challenging course.

La Gomera – Tecina GolfThis course is on the south side of the

Santiago. It boasts balmy temperatures, soft winds and wonderful views of nearby Tenerife.

Lanzarote – Golf Costa TeguiseA lush green course, like an oasis on this island of volcanic rock, the green fairways are fringed by swaying palms. It is an 18-hole, 72-par course with level terrain for easy walking.

Las Palmas – Campo de Golf de MaspalomasA course bordered by dunes with light breezes, this course boats an innovative two-storey driving range with a reach beyond 300 metres.

Madeira – Palheiro Golf10km east of Funchal, with great views of the town and bay, this 18-hole 72-par course is set in the estate and parkland of Quinta do Palheiro and offers a worthy challenge for all handicaps.

Full details of all the courses and the cruises offering Flagship Golf can be found on the website at www.fredolsencruises.co.uk The full Flagship Golf package is charged at just £375 per player on Canaries cruises. It must be pre-booked and golfers are

ADVERTISEMENT A

Combine a cruise to the glorious Canary Islands with some world class golf

Tenerife


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glorious Canary Islands olf

welcome to bring their own clubs, or they can hire them at the various golf clubs if they prefer (but they MUST have their own golf shoes).

On those rare occasions when you are not playing golf or practicing on board, the small but elegant Fred. Olsen ships offer many attractive facilities and activities. There are spacious, elegant lounges for relaxing or taking in the entertainment, ample deck space to stroll or just enjoy the views in warm weather, plus swimming pools, hot tubs,

spa treatment rooms – not to mention an internet room, card room, library and much more. A full programme of activities – quizzes, deck games, lectures and talks – is offered on board daily. There are also many shore excursions in each port of call, so non-playing members of your party can explore the pretty white-washed towns and take in the striking volcanic scenery of the islands.

Sumptuous meals are served in elegant dining rooms – there are both formal and informal options – and every night there will be a programme of entertainment to enjoy encompassing all kinds of music, comedy and dance.

Sample cruise:-Braemar has a 13-night cruise to the Canary Islands from Dover departing 5th October 2010, which offers the Flagship Golf package. This cruise visits Madeira, La Palma, Tenerife, Gran Canaria, Lanzarote and Lisbon, returning to Dover. Funchal, Madeira’s capital, is famed for its beautiful botanic gardens and also the cathedral where Columbus prayed before setting off to cross the Atlantic. Tenerife is also a very popular island, with its black sand beaches, sheer cliffs, tropical forests

3,700 metres high looms over the islands. In La Palma there are Spanish-style whitewashed houses with ornate balconies and shady courtyards and the island is a delight to explore.

Prices for the cruise (excluding Flagship Golf) start from £1,124 per person, based on two sharing an inside twin cabin. The price includes all meals and entertainment on board and port taxes. Flagship Golf is an extra £375 per player.

To participate in Flagship Golf you must have relevant golf insurance, as well as a

Braemar

Gran Canaria

Don’t miss out on theMay/June 2010 issue of

getting to know the Greek IslandsGreece is the word

off the beaten trackAmerica’s spectacular PacificNorthwest region

escape to AmsterdamFocus on “the Venice of the North”– from clogs to canals

pack your clubsSwing across the Channel to thecourses of Northern France

on your doorstepThe Scilly Isles – an island paradise

let’s tryVoluntourism

PLUS – all our other regular features,special offers, competitions and giveaways

Out May 2010

WIN one of fivecopies of the newthriller, blueeyedboy,by Joanne Harris

If you enjoyed readingthe Azores feature byJoanne Harris and are a

fan of her bestsellingnovels, which includeGentlemen and Playersand The Lollipop Shoesas well as Chocolat(which was turned into amovie starring JulietteBinoche and JohnnyDepp), you will love herbrilliant latest novel.A gripping

psychological thriller,blueeyedboy is a darkand cleverly-plotted taleof synaesthesia; deceit;revenge; a chillinglydysfunctional family; ablind child prodigywho “sees” music and a murderer who is not what heseems.BB, or blueeyedboy, is a middle-aged man in a dead-end job,

who lives with his mother in Malbry, theYorkshire town firstencountered in Gentlemen & Players. To escape his humdrum life,BB re-invents himself online and plays out his murderous fantasiesby means of a website called badguysrock. Through this virtualcommunity he manipulates online friends and enemies alike.The scope for deception and fantasy offered by the internet fits

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a dash of black humour, this is Joanne Harris – with a twist.Published onApril 1 by Doubleday, blueeyedboy costs £18.99.

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How to EnterFor your chance to win one of five copies of blueeyedboy, simplyanswer the following question:

Question: What is the name of Joanne Harris’s teenage daughter?

To enter the competition, please go to www.tlm-magazine.co.ukand click on the competition & giveaways button. See the websitefor terms & conditions. Closing date is April 30, 2010. The firstcorrect entry drawn will win.


coming next + competition

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Subscribe toTLM and saveWant to guarantee getting every issue of TLM? Then take out asubscription: just £10 for 6 issues – a saving of over 30%. Go towww.tlm-magazine.co.uk for details.

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� Santorini island, Greece

For as long as I can remember I have gazedacross the wide expanse of the ThamesEstuary at it; the low hills and green fieldsbeckoning, the lights of Whitstable twinklingat twilight just beyond Sheppey’s easternedge, and on clear days the twin towers of

Reculver’s ancient church visible in the far distance.I even cut my teeth on that view. As a lad we lived on

Southend seafront, and while looking out across theThames one day I slipped and chipped my front teeth onthe pebbledashed window ledge.

Essex born and bred I may be, but Kent, and particu-larly its coast, has always filled me with fascination.And, OK, envy. Whenever winter brings snow off the

North Sea, the clouds always seem to skirt my little cor-ner of East Anglia and dump their load on Kent, piling ithigh on fields and roads while all we get is sleety orsnowy drizzle – what we call snizzle. Conversely, insummer, the sea breezes keep us cool while over in Kentthey bask in tropical heat.

My first visits were back in the days of the paddlesteamers from Southend Pier, which took day trippers toHerne Bay, Ramsgate and Margate. On school trips Isailed across to the Medway, marvelling at Rochester’scastle.

The Medway towns still draw me back. Urban sprawlmay have grown around Chatham, Gillingham andRochester, but there are still hidden gems to discover.


on your doorstep � maritime kent

CoastalsirenThe beguiling charm of Kent’s coast has long held Peter Ellegard under its spell, despite living allhis life across theThames in Essex. It’s an affair of the heart, he readily admits

Visit

Kent

� Rochester’scathedral and castle

On a recent visit south of the Dartford Crossing (whyisn’t it the Thurrock Crossing?) I spent a delightfulevening exploring the pretty village of Upnor. It is onlyjust downstream from Chatham across the Medway as itsweeps round in a huge arc, but it felt a world away as Isat with my pint in a pub garden by the sea wall andwatched the warm sunset glow light up the mooredboats bobbing on the river.

FortressAt the bottom of the cobbled High Street is UpnorCastle, a well-preserved Elizabethan artillery fortresswhich is open fromApril to October. Its guns failed tostop the Dutch sailing up the Medway in 1667 andattacking the British fleet at anchor off Chatham.With its 113ft (34m) high keep, the tallest in

England, Rochester Castle is even more impressive. Itsgardens and moat area host events throughout the year,including open-air concerts. Both castles are run byEnglish Heritage (www.english-heritage.org.uk), asis Temple Manor, a 13th century Knights Templar housein nearby Strood. Rochester Cathedral is England’s sec-ond-oldest, with 1,400 years of history.No longer a working naval port, Chatham’s maritime

heritage is preserved in the Historic Dockyard(www.thedockyard.co.uk), which marked its 25thanniversary in 2009. Set in 80 acres of Georgian andVictorian architecture, costumed guides help brings its400 years of maritime history alive for visitors.Attractions include the three-masted sloop, HMS

Gannet, built downriver at Sheerness in 1878, as well asa submarine and the destroyer, HMS Cavalier, which isberthed where Nelson’s flagship, HMSVictory, wasbuilt. You can also see how rope was made, watch steamengines and sail on venerable paddle steamer KingswearCastle (www.kingswearcastle.co.uk), which operatesMedway cruises and even occasionally visits Southend.Shopaholics have bags of choice at the Dockside

Outlet Centre (www.docksideshopping.co.uk) atChatham Maritime, next to the dockyard, with morethan 40 brand-name shops offering discounts.Charles Dickens spent part of his childhood in

Chatham and the last 13 years of his life living nearRochester, and he is celebrated at Dickens World(www.dickensworld.co.uk), also alongside the dock-yard. This indoor complex is based around the life,books and times of Dickens, taking visitors on a journeyback to the streets, sounds and smells of the 19th centu-ry. More Dickens history can be seen at the freeGuildhall Museum in Rochester(www.medway.gov.uk/tourism).

OystersHop across to market town Faversham to tour Britain’soldest brewer, Shepherd Neame, which has been brew-ing since 1698 (www.shepherd-neame.co.uk). Youcan go sailing for a day on the veteran, 1892-builtThames Barge, Greta (www.greta1892.co.uk), fromFaversham.Whitstable, on the North Kent coast, is famous for its

oysters (it has the country’s largest commercial hatch-


Coastal gatewayCanterbury has always been the principal gateway to the Kent coast and pilgrimshave flocked to its ornate cathedral ever since Archbishop Thomas Becket wasmurdered there in 1170.Today it is tourists who come in pilgrimage, for its 12thcentury spire and stained glass, and the tomb of the Black Prince. CanterburyCathedral (www.canterbury-cathedral.org) is a UNESCOWorld Heritage Site,along with St Augustine’s Abbey and St Martin’s Church.Step back to medieval Canterbury and join Geoffrey Chaucer’s pilgrims on theirjourney from London at the Canterbury Tales attraction(www.canterburytales.org.uk).Take a guided walk or self-guided tour of the city’s maze of side streets, visiting theoldest Franciscan building in Britain – Greyfriars – and ruined Norman castleamong other treasures, or take a boat tour on the River Stour.Just outside the city is Howletts (www.totallywild.net), a 90-acre animal parkwith gorillas, elephants, tigers, bison and rare monkeys.


� View ofCanterburyCathedral

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ery) and you can sample them on the beachfront at theWhitstable Oyster Fishery Company(www.oysterfishery.co.uk). On balmy summer days,nothing beats a picnic on the beach looking across toEssex followed by a promenade stroll and a pint at theOld Neptune pub (www.theoldneptune.co.uk) or alocal brew from a seafront kiosk. Buy fresh oysters andfish at the harbourside fish market and browse the workof local artists at the next-door harbour market.You can also walk or cycle the Crab &Winkle Way;

it traces the route of the world’s first regular steam pas-senger railway, which linked Whitstable Harbour withCanterbury between 1830 and 1952 and was engineeredby George Stephenson and his son, Robert.Beyond Herne Bay and Reculver lies Thanet, the

sticky-out corner of Kent that takes in the county’s threetop seaside resorts – Margate, Broadstairs andRamsgate. Between them, they offer 15 sandy beachesand bays, 10 of the beaches holding the European BlueFlag award, as well as the longest continuous stretch ofchalk cliffs and the only Royal Harbour (at Ramsgate) inBritain. Explore quaint streets, hunt out boutique bar-gains and laze over coffee at seafront cafes.

Roman invasionJust south of Ramsgate is one of Britain’s most impor-tant, yet unsung, historic sites. Almost 100 years afterJulius Caesar’s first expeditions to Britain in 55 and54BC, the Romans invaded in AD43 on the orders ofemperor Claudius.They landed at a site called Rutupiae (now

Richborough), on the Wantsum Channel which then cutthe Isle of Thanet from the rest of Kent and linked to the

� St Margaret’s Bay

� Oysters atWhitstable harbour

� Whitstable beach

� HMS Gannet at the Historic Dockyard, Chatham

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Thames Estuary at Reculver. Forts were built at both.Two miles from the sea today, Richborough was thegateway to the new Roman province of Britannia andwas the starting point of Watling Street. It became abusy town and port, built around a massive triumphalarch clad in white marble which was erected in AD85.But by AD275 the town had been cleared and the archpulled down to incorporate into the walls of the fort,and by the early 5th century troops were no longer sta-tioned there.

Today, the thick fort walls, foundations and ditchesare all that remains of this once-vital link in the RomanEmpire. It is managed by English Heritage.

Sandwich also owes its existence to the WantsumChannel, which created the natural harbour that helpedit become a major port, notably between the 11th and13th centuries. It was one of the five Cinque Ports,along with Dover, Romney, Hythe and Hastings. Theywielded power and wealth third only to the Crown andthe Church. Sandwich later became a weaving centreand market town. Its rich heritage includes remnants ofthe Old TownWall, Fisher Gate and its Elizabethan-eraGuildhall. A stroll through its narrow, medieval streetsyields delights such as Holy Ghost Alley.You can alsotake a cruise from the quay.

White cliffsNearby Royal St George’s Golf Course is oneof England’s premier courses and hosts TheOpen for the 14th time in 2011. Also close byis the Rare Species Conservation Centre(www.rarespeciesconservationcentre.org),home to a unique collection of rare and endan-gered animals.

Deal and Walmer castles were built byHenry VIII in the shape of a Tudor rose, as wasSandown Castle north of Deal – now all butgone. Visit Dover Castle and explore secretwartime tunnels deep in the cliffs below. Allthe castles are English Heritage. This part ofthe Kent coast is White Cliffs Country(www.whitecliffscountry.org.uk), andDover’s famous cliffs offer wonderful walks onthe National Trust-managed clifftop chalkgrasslands. St Margaret’s Bay, where NoelCoward and Ian Fleming both lived, hides an

enchanting little treasure at the foot of the toweringcliffs. Watch the ferries bustling in and out of Dover asyou feast on exquisite local food at the Coastguard pubrestaurant (www.thecoastguard.co.uk). But leavespace for the cheese platter .

Beyond Dover lies Folkestone, Hythe and Lympne,where the Port Lympne Wild Animal Park(www.totallywild.net) has the largest herd ofcaptive-bred black rhinos outside Africa.

Then there is the flat expanse of Romney Marsh,best enjoyed from the miniature carriages on theRomney, Hythe & Dymchurch Railway(www.rhdr.org.uk). It runs to Dungeness, where youcan climb the Grade II-listed Old Lighthouse(www.dungenesslighthouse.com) for glorious viewsof the Channel and countryside.

I’m not sure what it is about this coastal siren thatkeeps drawing me back, but I know one thing; fromwhere I sit, the grass is definitely greener over inKent.


maritime kent facts

Getting thereRail: Southeastern trains serve the Medwaytowns, north and east Kent coasts from London.High-speed trains also now link Medway withLondon’s St Pancras International station.www.southeasternrailway.co.ukRoad:The Kent coast has easy access via the M2/A2and M20 motorways. National Express coaches run fromLondonVictoria to the region. www.nationalexpress.com

Getting aroundA car is easiest way for getting around, but you can explore theMedway area on Arriva’s Medway Mainline bus services with the ArrivaInner Medway Ticket allowing you to hop on and off at various places.Tickets can be bought from bus drivers or at the MedwayVisitorInformation Centre in Rochester. www.medwaymainline.co.uk

AccommodationKent’s coast has accommodation to fit everybudget, from luxury hotels to seaside B&Bs andself-catering. Get a real local flavour by staying in apub. Just outside Sandwich in the pretty village ofWorth is the St Crispin Inn, a traditional 15thcentury pub offering four-star B&B accommodation insix rooms and home-cooked food.www.stcrispininn.com

EventsThere are many festivals and other events around Kent’s coastal region.Rochester (www.medway.gov.uk) stages an annual Sweeps Festival(May 1-3 this year), celebrating chimney sweeps’ traditional May Dayholiday, and an annual Dickens Festival (June 4-6).The Sandwich Festival(www.sandwichfestival.org.uk) is a week of cultural, music, sportyand fun events in August (2010 dates tba).

InformationFind out more information on Maritime Kent fromVisit Kent(www.visitkent.co.uk).

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Peter Ellegard

� RichboroughFort ruins

� Broadstairs

� Sandwich

� St Margaret’sBay

61TLmar-apr10 23/3/10 19:17 Page 1

things to do

The MerlinEntertainmentsLondon EyeRiverside Building,County Hall, SE1 7PBOne of London’s favouriteattractions, this iconiclandmark is a must-do forunrivalled views of thecity. All tickets now

include the new 4DExperience, a 3D filmfeaturing spectacularin-theatre effects such aswind, bubbles and mist,and adding an amazingfourth dimension.Throughout March to cel-ebrate the Eye’s 10thbirthday, all 10am flightscan be booked for £10 peradult and £5 per child.

Open: October-March,daily 10am-8pm;April/September, daily10am-9pm; May/June,Sun-Thurs 10am-9pm, Fri& Sat 10am-9.30pm;July/August, daily 10am-9.30pm.Cost: £17.88 per adult,children 4-15 years £9.50.Family tickets £49.28.Book online and save 10%.

Tel: 0871 781 3000www.londoneye.com

SEA LIFE LondonAquariumRiverside Building,County Hall, SE1 7PBThe jewel in the crown ofthe UK’s SEA LIFE cen-tres, the LondonAquarium has beenredesigned with new dis-

plays including a stunningglass Ocean Tunnel where


london life � the south bank

Some of London’s most iconicbuildings line the south side ofthe River Thames. From theLondon Eye to the OXO Towerand Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre,and with a wealth of attractions,

shopping and restaurants, not to mention avibrant arts and cultural community, theSouth Bank is an area of unique contrasts.Originally isolated and defined by the

Thames, the South Bank developed very dif-ferently from the affluent north side, moving

from a marshy expanse of slum housing towarehouses, factories and entertainment ven-ues in the 18th and 19th centuries, with therailway dominating the area.SecondWorld War bombing raids devastat-

ed the area but, ultimately, were responsiblefor its regeneration when the bombed-outriverside was cleared and built on for the siteof the Festival of Britain in 1951. The RoyalFestival Hall remained as a permanent legacyand after a recent major refurbishment nowmakes up part of the 21 acres of the South

Bank Centre, along with the 1960s-builtHayward Gallery, the largest public art exhibi-tion space in the country, reopening afteressential repairs on June 19 with the ErnestoNeto exhibition. Other essential art viewing isat the imposing Tate Modern, formerly apower station.From shopping and meeting friends for

lunch, to a riverside walk taking in the viewsof the city or indulging your artistic side at themany arts and theatre venues, the South Bankis an area destined to be explored.

Thebeautiful SouthLondon’s South Bank show is a real eyeful

� The London Eyeand County Hall lit

up at night

� The Tate Modern gallery

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visitors can admire grace-ful green turtles. The tun-nel leads to a dramaticshipwreck, and the nailbiting Shark Walk offers afitting finale to your visit.Don’t miss feeding thestingrays.Open: Open daily exceptChristmas Day. Mon-Thurs, 10am-6pm, Fri-Sun 10am-7pm.Cost: £17.50 per adult,children 3-14 years£12.50. Family tickets£54.00.Tel: 0871 663 1678www.sealife.co.uk/london

BFI Imax1 Charlie Chaplin Walk,SE1 8XRImmerse yourself in theultimate cinema 3D expe-rience; with a screen over65ft high, plush seats,including double ones forvery close friends, 11,600watts of digital surround-sound and the mostsophisticated motion-pic-ture projection system inthe world, you will literal-ly feel like you are in thepicture.Costs and film times vary,check with BFI Imax forfull details.Tel: 020 7199 6000www.bfi.org.uk

restaurants/dining

Think of any dining expe-rience and you can find iton the South Bank. Stopfor an alfresco lunch orsnacks at Gabriel’s Wharf,

be a theatre lovey takingdrinks or a pre-theatresupper at one of the manyarts centres, or enjoygreat views from theOXO Tower.

OXO Tower WharfBarge House Street,SE1 9PHA riverside landmarksince the 1930s, the OXOTower’s renowned restau-rant bar and brasseriemakes an ideal meetingspot for drinks or dinnerwith friends with fabulousviews over the Thames.Tel: 020 7803 3888www.harveynichols.com/output/Page128.asp

Pieminister11 Gabriel’s Wharf,56 Upper Ground, SE1 9PPOpen seven days a week,Pieminister’s branch atGabriel’s Wharf servesdelicious, award-winninghandmade pies from just£3.75, or £5.50 addingmash and gravy. A Britishtradition to be upheld!Tel: 020 7928 5755www.pieminister.co.uk

shopping

From the splendour ofHarvey Nichols to aneclectic mix of boutiquesand arts-related shops,shopping on the SouthBank is an unqualifiedpleasure.

David AshtonG2 OXO Tower Wharf,Barge House Street,

SE1 9PHHigh-quality, precisionhandmade jewellery madeusing primarily diamonds,sapphires and rubies, withpieces being made oncommission.Tel: 020 7401 2405www.davidashton.co.uk

Game of Graces6 Gabriel’s Wharf,SE1 9PHLuxurious ladies wear forany occasion designed byIrena Lane and featuringelegant 1950s style dress-es and vintage skirts,tops, jackets andaccessories.Tel: 020 7928 4050www.gameofgraces.com

getting there

Train:Waterloo,Waterloo EastTube:Waterloo(Bakerloo, Jubilee andNorthern lines),Southwark (Jubilee Line),Westminster (Circle,District and Jubilee lines)

staying there

Watch those pennies:Premier Inn LondonCounty Hall, CountyHall, Belvedere Road,London SE1 7PBTel: 0870 238 3300www.premiertravelinn.com

Splash out: LondonMarriott Hotel CountyHall, County Hall,Westminster Bridge RoadLondon SE1 7PBTel: 0207 928 5200www.marriott.co.uk

Brand new: Park PlazaWestminster Bridge, 200Westminster Bridge Road,London SE1 7UTTel: 0844 415 6780www.parkplaza.com/hotels/gbwestmi


london life � the south bank

Did you know?� The London Eye is the fourth-tallest structure in

London at over 440ft, the equivalent of 64 redtelephone boxes piled on top of each other. Its spindleand hub weigh in at 330 tonnes – over 20 timesheavier than Big Ben.

� The letters that spellout OXO on the OXOTower are in factstained glass windows,and were designed tocircumvent strictexterior advertisinglaws.

� Most of the labour onthe currentconstruction ofWaterloo Bridge,opened in 1945, was carried out by femaleworkers due to labour shortages.

� The original operating theatre of St Thomas’s Hospitalwas built in the roof space of St Thomas’s Church,purpose-built to maximise the light from above.

Suits you� For families: combine a visit to the London

Aquarium with a Thames river cruise.� For couples: take a romantic champagne night

flight on the London Eye.� For value: view the best in British art for free at

the Tate Modern.� For luxury: enjoy the fabulous five-course Chef’s

Tasting Menu at the OXOTower Restaurant.

� The South Bank

� Gabriel’s Wharf

� The OXO Tower

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london � news

Naval gazingDiscover the colourful past of the Old Royal NavalCollege and Maritime Greenwich in the new £6million contemporary cultural venue, DiscoverGreenwich. Opening March 23 and using state-of-the-art interpretation techniques, the story ofMaritime Greenwich and 500 years of historyfrom HenryVIII’s Tudor Palace,Wren’s RoyalHospital for Seamen and the Royal Naval College

is explored through displaysof historic objects onshow for the first time.Highlights include thereconstruction of aTudor window fromHenryVIII’s palace usingoriginal stonework andthe installation of eightgiant copper brewingvessels at The Old

Brewery, a new restaurant and bar containing amicro-brewery. It continues the ancient tradition ofbrewing on the exact spot of the 1832 brewhouse.www.oldroyalnavalcollege.org

Theatre & show newsThe annual Night of 1,000Voices event celebrates its10th birthday at the RoyalAlbert Hall on Sunday, May 2with tributes to musicaltheatre and Stephen Sondheim.Hosted by Aled Jones in aid of theLeukaemia and Lymphoma Research charity, ticketsstart at £17.50 from www.royalalberthall.com.

For an evening with a difference, visit theWamBam Club at the Cafe de Paris on Piccadilly Circusany Saturday in March and April for comedy, magic,music and burlesque in a fresh, fun and wildlyunpredictable show.Tickets start at £35 online or£50 on the door, with dinner packages alsoavailable.www.wambamclub.com

As London gears upfor the 2012Olympics, plans

have been outlined for theLondon 2012 OlympicPark which will transformeast London after theGames. With workalready underway to cre-ate the largest new urbanpark in the UK for over100 years by creatingaround 250 acres of park-lands, further plansinclude “hanging gar-dens” above the foot-bridge from StratfordCity with meadows,lawns and shrubs and

rows of trees at theentrance to the park.� For more information

on how plans for London2012 are progressing, go towww.london2012.com.

It’s not every day that a visit to OxfordStreet could also mean encountering adiplodocus or a stegosaurus in a Jurassic

forest but the new Dinosaurs Unleashedanimatronic attraction at Parklife OxfordStreet brings 24 life-size creatures to thestreets. This full-scale lifelike prehistoricexhibition is ideal for all the family, partic-ularly young budding palaeontologists,with interactive games and displays andcreatures from the Triassic, Jurassic andCretaceous periods as well as the world’sfirst prehistoric aquarium.

Running until April 30, DinosaursUnleashed tickets can be pre-bookedonline or over the phone, saving £1 perticket, although a booking fee is payable.Pre-booked tickets also give priorityentrance. Prices start from £15 per adult

and £11 per child aged 4-14.Dinosaurs UnleashedOpen: 10am-6pm Tues-Sat, 11am-6pmSun, 10am-6pm March 29, April 5 andApril 12 (allow 30-90 minutes; this is awalk-round experience and not a show).Parklife Oxford Street33b North Row, W1K 6DETel: 0844 847 1770www.dinosaursunleashed.co.uk

Olympic parklands

Dino might on view

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� Old Royal Naval College, Greenwich

� The stegosaw us? Inset:

Dino fan

� Artist’s impression of Olympic Park

� Glass painting at Greenwich

� RoyalAlbert Hall

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The Household Cavalry Museum Horse Guards, Whitehall, London SW1A 2AXwww.householdcavalrymuseum.co.uk

2 for 1 entryon a £6.00 adult ticket with this advert.Offer ends 31/08/10

Experience the Household Cavalry Story in London’s Royal Heartland

Open daily from 10am

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It has burnt down twice, beenhome to three dukes, an earland a Prince of Wales, andhas played host to virtuallyevery British monarch sinceGeorge I. It was where the

world’s rich and powerful came tostay and party. And it was the set-ting for one of the biggest scan-dals to rock British politics.As the home of American

Socialite Nancy Astor it was asocial hub, entertaining guestsincluding Charlie Chaplin,President Roosevelt and GeorgeBernard Shaw. Winston Churchilllearnt to punt on the Thames,which flows past the extensivegrounds, while staying there.But today, anyone can stay at

the grand Italianate mansion, asCliveden is one of the jewels ofthe von Essen Hotels collection.

House guestsActually hotel is the wrong wayto describe it. When you reach theside gate – the main gate is usedby National Trust visitors, as thehouse and grounds are owned bythe National Trust with the houseleased to von Essen – a smallnotice next to the automatic gatewelcoming “house guests” is theonly sign that you have arrived atthe right entrance.

And what anarrival! The grav-el drive sweepsyou past thelavishly-carvedFountain ofLove and onup the grandavenue towardsthe 1851-built,Grade I house, whereyour bags are promptlywhisked away by footmen (note,not bellboys). Again, inside just asmall plaque discreetly welcomeshouse guests

The interior isyet more ornate.You are ledthrough thesumptuousGreat Hall,complete withdark oak pan-elling, rich tap-estries and itsrichly-decorative

16th century stonechimneypiece, up oak-pan-

elled stairs with newel poststopped by carved figures.A terrace looks out over the

parterre (formal garden) and

down to the Thames below, aswell as the beautiful Berkshirecountryside beyond. This stretchof the river, between Windsor andHenley, is said to be the prettiest.In weather warmer than duringmy stay, you can cruise from themock-Tudor boathouse onCliveden’s fleet of vintage launch-es for a riverside picnic.Close by is the Tudor-esque

Spring Cottage, which you canrent complete with personal but-ler. Showgirl Christine Keelerwas staying here in 1961 whenshe met married Cabinet ministerJohn Profumo and they began asexual relationship.

ChandeliersDining is an epicurean experi-ence. I ate in the Terrace DiningRoom, resembling a great librarywith chandeliers. There is also theflagship restaurant, Waldo’s, orthe less formal Club Room.Outside, Cliveden’s walled

garden and heated outdoor pool,adjacent to the chiming clocktower, also featured heavily in theProfumo scandal. A Pavilion Spahas since been added, with anindoor pool, hot tubs, saunas,steam rooms and whirlpool spas.There are also indoor and outdoortennis courts, and a gym. Or youcan simply work off your mealwith a stroll around the gloriousgrounds, while red-tailed kiteshover in the wind above treesswathed in mistletoe.

Peter Ellegard


Checking out: Cliveden,Taplow

best for � hotels

factboxClivedenTaplow, Berkshire SL6 0JFTel: 01628 668561www.clivedenhouse.co.ukwww.vonessenhotels.com

Best for� Romantic escapes� Pure indulgence� Feeling like royalty� Fine dining

Could do better� Fix those clanking pipes

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� The Terrace dining room

� Terrace statue

� The Great Hall

� View of Clivedenon arrival


for luxury day spaand retreats

The Lorrens Ladies Health HydroCary Park, Torquay 01803 329994

www.lorrens-health-hydro.co.uk

Situated in the centre of Banchory the hotel is ideallylocated for touring the North East of Scotland and the Cityof Aberdeen. The hotel is within easy walking distance ofBanchory Golf Club and numerous local attractions. Ampleparking to the rear.

* 18 en-suite bedrooms* 2 lively Bars serving Bar Meals* 2 Function Suites for Weddings, Dinners and Parties* Wining and Dining in the restaurant to suit all tastes.25 High Street, Banchory, Aberdeenshire AB31 5TDTel: 01330 824944 [email protected]

www.burnettarms.co.uk

Best Western

� Inclusive half board short breaks� Beautiful secluded setting� Spectacular Solent views� En Suite Chalet Accommodation� Live entertainment & cabaret� Leisure Facilities� Exclusively for adults� Ferry inclusive breaks available.� Weekend breaks from just £139pppb, quote 22TG8

Norton GrangeCoastal Resort

Halletts Shute, Yarmouth, Isle of Wight PO41 0SDTel. 01983 760323 Fax. 01983 760468

www.nortongrange.co.uk

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out & about � what’s on and where

If you have any budding JackSparrows in the family, set sail forLEGOLAND® Windsor to visit the

new Pirates Landing, the park’s thirdnew land in three years. As well as thenew Jolly Rocker swinging pirate ship, ahuge LEGO galleon that swings to near-ly 60 feet (18 metres), wannabe piratescan take to the high seas on the PirateFalls Dynamite Drench water ride andexperience explosive effects and watercannons.Children can learn swashbuckling and

seafaring skills at Pirates Training Campand watch the exciting new stunt show,Pirates of Skeleton Bay.As well as over 55 interactive rides,

live shows, workshops and drivingschools, LEGOLANDWindsor has 55million LEGO bricks, all set in 150 acresof parkland.Go to www.legoland.co.uk for open-

ing times and prices.� For the chance to WIN one of threesets of four one-day tickets to the park,

valid from March 20-November 7, go towww.tlm-magazine.co.uk and click oncompetitions and giveaways. Terms andconditions apply. Closing date April 30,2010.

READER OFFERCut out the voucher below to get a FREEchild entry when accompanied by a fullpaying adult:

Shiver your timbers – and win

FREE LEGOLAND®

family tickets

Little chefsGet your children into the kitchen with a series ofcooking classes for children at two of the UK’s mosthistoric coaching inns while they are off school.TheOlde Bell in Hurley, near Henley-on-Thames, hasbeen an inn since the 12th century and this Easterwill see the first two of eight cookery classes takingplace during the 2010 school holidays.Bread will be the focus in the first class, on April 6,

followed by chocolate on April 13, with chocolatefondant the featured recipe. Future classes will focuson sugar, vegetables, fish, pasta, fruit and potatoes.TheCrown, a 16th century inn in Amersham, has a breadcookery class on April 15. It is also offering eggblowing for children at 11am on April 3, at £10 perchild.The cookery classes are suitable for children of all

ages.They start at 11am and cost £10 per child. Only15 places are available, so early booking is essential.Call the Olde Bell on 01628 825881 or the Crownon 01494 721541. Go to www.coachinginn.co.ukfor more information on the inns.

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� The bar at the Crown Inn

� The kitchen at the Olde Bell

Spend a spooky night as museums, galleriesand heritage sites across the UK includingthe South East open their doors for the annu-

al after-hours Museums at Night events. Over theweekend of May 14-16 you can investigate a mur-der, tour a cathedral and sleep in a bunker. Go towww.culture24.org.uk/museumsatnight formore information. Events include:

A Murder in the MastHouse Ghost InvestigationThe Historic Dockyard, ChathamThe Historic Dockyard in Chatham hosts anovernight Ghost Investigation in the MastHouse and Mould loft, reputed to be hauntedsince a murder there in 1875. This overnightstay looks into the murder and offers the

chance to experience possible ghostly goings-on. May 14-16, 9.30pm-3am, £30 per person(not suitable for children). Tel: 01634 823814.

Cathedral Tour andGuildhall SleepoverNorwichCathedral/ GuildhallTake a night time tourof the cloister andlabyrinth ofNorwich’s 900-yearold cathedral or wit-ness a mock trial of aProtestant martyrburned for heresyduring the 15th century, part of a spooky

sleepover in the medieval Guildhall.Cathedral tour, May 14, 8-10pm £2.50 perchild, adults free (suitable for over 8s). Tel:01603 218320 or 218327.Guildhall Sleepover, May 15, 7pm-9am,admission tbc. Tel: 01603 599577.

A Night in the BunkerChurchill Museumand Cabinet WarRooms, WhitehallSpend the night inChurchill’s atmos-pheric World War IIshelter beneath thestreets of Whitehall.As in the Blitz, par-ticipants must bring their own sleeping bagand pillow. The evening includes dinner,breakfast and a cash bar.May 14, 6.30pm-7am, £45 per person (over18s only). Tel: 020 7930 6961.


out & about � what’s on and where

Punt and huntFancy an Easter treasure hunt with a difference?Then board a punt in Cambridge for an AdultsEaster Challenge or Children’s Easter BunnyHunt.The children’s event leads teams to theirown chocolate bunny or egg by answeringquestions located in town and on the river. Foradults, the Easter Challenge follows a punting andwalking route with questions and team tasks.Organised by Scudamore’s Punting Company

andVisit Cambridge, the treasure hunts take placefrom Friday, April 2, to Sunday, April 18.TheEaster Bunny Hunt costs £35 per group per puntfor up to 75 minutes self-hire punting and anedible prize, while the Easter Challenge is £50per group per punt for up to 90 minutes plus aprize. Go to www.scudamores.com for detailsand conditions.� Readers can get a £5 DISCOUNT on ticketsin advance by calling 01223 359750 and quotingTLM.

Eggciting Easter eventsEaster events abound in the South East,including several in Essex country parks.Take your pick from these:

� Go Easter Ori-egg-teering atHadleigh Castle Country Park, nearSouthend, and navigate your way roundthe park to find the eggs and chicks.April 5, 11am-1.30pm, £4 per child, toinclude a prize.Tel: 01702 551702;www.hadleighcountrypark.co.uk

� Marsh Farm Country Park at SouthWoodham Ferrers has an Easter fun

weekend with hunting from egg to egg,a chance to meet the bunnies and makean Easter bonnet to take place in theparade.April 2-5, 10am-5pm.Tel: 01245 321552;www.marshfarmcountrypark.co.uk� The 15th century, moated OxburghHall, near Kings Lynn in Norfolk, has anEaster trail as well as egg and spoonracing and traditional egg-rolling.

April 3-5, 11am-4pm, £1.50 per child forthe trail.Tel 01366 328258;www.nationaltrust.org.uk/oxburghhall� Bletchley Park in Milton Keynes, his-toric site of secret British code breakingactivities duringWorldWar II, is holdingan Easter Eggstravaganza family eventincluding Easter egg competitions, gamesand toy workshopsApril 5, 10.30am-5pm.Tel: 01908 640404;www.bletchleypark.org.uk

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� Hadleigh Castle

� Marsh Farm Country Park

� Norwich Cathedral

� Churchill's bedroom

� Oxburgh Hall

� Punting onthe River Cam


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travel and leisure directory

Channel Islands France

Motor Homes

Budget Accommodation

Devon

Channel Islands

Northern Cyprus

Sailing Holidays

To advertise in the travel& leisure magazine please call

01737 735587

Perfect for exploringNorth Devon and CornwallCottages sleeping 2 to 8, set in a 1.5 acre site, with good facilities

situated in picturesque parish ofWelcombe. Only half a mile fromlocal beach and pub. Good network of footpaths, taking you throughDevon wildlife conservation areas with plentiful wildlife and 'ora toobserve, and coasting of Outstanding Natural Beauty.Please contact for specialdiscount quotingTLM

ALDERNEY, CHANNEL ISLANDS

L’HARAS GUEST HOUSENewtown Road,AlderneyChannel Islands GY9 3XPAll rooms have CH, H&C water,

tea/coffee-making facilities and colourTV;most are en suite. Contact Mrs Jansen.

Tel/Fax: 01481 [email protected]

www.internet.alderney.gg/lharas/

Motorhome hire in Scotland

Brown’s Motorhome Hire, Garrion BridgeLarkhall ML9 2UD (nr Glasgow)Tel/Fax: 01698 886255

2, 4, 5 and 6-berth motorhomes.Ideal for touring within Scotland and further

afield. All vehicles are fully equipped (beddingoptional). Our package includes unlimited

mileage, full insurance, AA cover.End-of-season motorhome sales

For brochure contact

WWW.A1SAILING.LTD.UKTel: +34 971 547 986

Email: [email protected]

Warm breezes, crystal sea & sunshineModern high specification yachts from

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• RYA practical & theory courses• Beginner to Yachtmaster

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A1 Sailing Mallorca Sea SchoolLuxury Sail & Motor Yacht Charter

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