| |
 |
 |
| |
| |
 |
 |
 |
|
 |
|
 |
| |
Archive for October, 2009
Thursday, October 29th, 2009
Two-and-a-half years old and she wants to divorce her parents. “I don’t like my Daddy!’ she screams, face puce and feet planted on an uneven stone step overlooking the pastel-washed houses of Fiskardo. “I don’t need my Mummy!” The words feel like gunshots, but our provisional parenting licence (we’re novices) tells us we can’t crumple: show you’re wounded and they’ll think you surrender. In pink plimsolls, pink t-shirt and little white shorts, her big blue-grey eyes and golden curls peeping out from under a floppy blue hat that’s tied in a bow under her chin, she’s a pint-sized-cherub-turned-Exorcist-girl (minus the rotating head and green bile – so far).
Our 50-week-awaited, two-week-long Cephalonian summer holiday had promised to be worth every penny of our savings (just over £3,000): a stunning stone house in an olive grove with an entire valley and a small beach practically to itself; a private pool overlooking Ithaca; our own chickens and their daily eggs; a houseman on hand to clean (and who, on one occasion, held the back end of our hire car up with his bare hands, preventing it from toppling over a precipice while I took my time remembering how to find first); a hillside hamlet just up the road with a couple of really Greek tavernas and where we could find all sorts of inflatables and plastic beach bumph to keep the little lady happy.
But no. “I want to go back to London. I don’t like my holiday”. Admittedly she was getting over a bad throat infection, but we thought if we kept her plied with Calpol and ice cream, she’d see the benefits of being away. According to our miniature travel expert however, the beaches were too “stinty” (pebbly), despite the anti-stint shoes we went to great pains to find for her to toddle about in, in what were actually the most striking, practically deserted bays with cerulean, see-through water we’d ever seen.
 The stunning pool at Hotel Emelisse on Cephalonia All she wanted was to watch Winnie the Pooh, Chicken Run and Madagascar (in that order, over and over again) on the big telly in the sitting-room, and to make patterns with the pieces of the Connect 4 game we found in the cupboard. Seething with frustration, desperate to get our tans on the go, my husband and I sat with her, in silence gazing out of the windows at the green and blue, dazzlingly beautiful outside world, occasionally catching each other’s eye and trying to smile to belie the fact that our souls were under destruction.
By day five I was ready to go home. I even contemplated calling the Greek Islands Club (GIC) rep to find out about flights. I’d liked this lady, Anna, the minute I met her, which was on our first day: she arrived just as our delightful daughter finished having a poo on the terrace. I was mortified. She had (honestly) never done this before – I was having a (short-lived) attempt at potty training and just wasn’t being observant enough. As I ineptly scrubbed at the immaculately swept stone with washing-up liquid and kitchen roll, apologising profusely and assuring her that we were actually very clean, tidy people and would take excellent care of their property, Anna laughed and reassured me with stories of her own children’s embarrassing loo (or lack of) moments.
Anyway, I resisted the urge to call her, thinking that such capitulation on my part may well push my dear husband, so desperate to give his little family a fun holiday, over an edge that he was perilously teetering on. And amazingly, my resistance paid off. On day six, I nervously went into our daughter’s room to wake her up – preparing myself for the abrupt “Go way! I want stay in bed” we’d been greeted with every other morning – and she was sitting in her white sheets, grinning.
And from that moment on, either because she’d finally shrugged off the tail end of her illness, or because a pitying Greek fairy godmother had visited her in the night to perform a personality transplant, we had a relaxed, happy eight days of holiday. She started playing with other children on the beach, swimming in the sea, and even stopped worrying about the stints. We enjoyed early-evening dinners around Fiskardo’s buzzing harbour, and she ate her bodyweight in calamari, Greek salads, meatballs and spaghetti every night. She started sleeping like a log (or a twig, anyway) at night, napping on the beach wrapped in towels under an umbrella after lunch, and, most importantly, hugging us again.
An added bonus to our new-found holiday happiness was the discovery of the Emelisse Hotel, another GIC property recommended by a couple we met who also had small kids. A boutiquey design property, all serenity and contemporary style, we were utterly surprised it described itself as a ‘family hotel’. But despite the minimalism and mostly coupled clientele, it turned out to be the most child-friendly place (bar Center Parcs) I’d ever been to. The two enormous infinity pools, one cascading into the other, overlooked a breathtaking and expansive view over the calm sea and ‘Ifferker’ (as it became known) – the island whose majestic, mountainous dominance is inescapable in the area. One of the pools came up only as far as her chest, which meant hours of water-winged wading with bucket and spade; and the other had perfect steps for sitting on and colouring in with a watering can.
We stretched out on smart sun-beds, iPods on, ordering Diet Cokes, pretending to amazed onlookers that our daughter was always this easy with non-committal nonchalance. We lunched by the pool on tasty club sandwiches, smoked salmon-filled ciabatta, chips and fresh melon, while our angel, strapped into the latest funky high-chair provided by the hotel, smiled and said ‘efaristo’ to the accommodating waiters, desperate for one of her charming smiles.
Five days were spent in this delicious luxury, and although the pleasure cost us around 45 euros a time, we were just astonished, and incredibly thankful, that such an exceptionally cool hotel allowed children, and day-guests, in at all.
 A picture perfect olive grove on Cephalonia So in the end we had the best of both worlds, times two: the privacy of our own property and the facilities of a hotel; and the (eventual) joy of a family-friendly holiday without having to venture into happy-clappy Mark Warner-esque territory.
As we drove back to Argostoli airport, 90 minutes’ worth of winding and zig-zagging through the mountains, our little friend, after so many days of adorability, without warning took on her Regan-inspired traits again: shouting and kicking in her car-seat, and twisting her head violently (still not rotating though). We stared forward, ignoring her wails, determined we wouldn’t have this again. Then silence, and a repulsive smell. I looked around and she looked at me desperately, dolefully, covered chest to knees in white puke. The guilt! The shame of thinking so little of our girl, when all she was doing was being car-sick.
Thankfully, this came just at the popular viewpoint where you can pull in and marvel at Myrtos Beach (featured in Captain Corelli’s Mandolin). As we stripped her down in front of a coach-load of religious Greek tourists and their accompanying Orthodox priests, I gave thanks to God that we had her back for good. Mischa Mack stayed at Olive Grove, featured in GIC’s portfolio of properties. Mischa Mack.
Tags: Add new tag, AITO, Cephalonia, Greece, Greek Islands, Greek Islands Club, holidaying on Cephalonia, holidays, Holidays in Greece, Sunvil, travel, www.aito.com, www.greekislandsclub.com, www.travelpr.co.uk, “Association of Independent Tour Operators”, “travel pr”
Posted in Experiences, Insider recommendations No Comments »
Friday, October 23rd, 2009
Here’s a vision of 2010 vogue – predictions of the hottest travel destinations in the coming year, made by our most expert clients:
Brittany
Reasoning: Brittany is a fantastic destination for families due to its proximity to the UK and excellent beaches. The summer season during the last two years has been slow, resulting in a notable drop in property rental prices and making it excellent value for money in 2010. A resurgence for this charming region of France seems inevitable, blessed as it is with considerable nostalgic appeal. (VFB Holidays*)
Nicaragua
Reasoning: Nicaragua is set to be the next big Latin American destination du jour. Visitor numbers to the country have been increasing steadily in the last few years, and there are now ritzy hotels appearing. In June, the country’s first boutique hotel, the Contempo, opened complete with marble bathrooms and canopy beds; an all-suite beach hotel on Yankee Beach followed in September, boasting an infinity pool and spa. Still, neither place competes with the remote Corn Island for indulgent isolation. (Tailormade Explore*)
Yala National Park, Sri Lanka
Reasoning: Yala is perhaps the world’s best place for leopard-spotting, but it’s been off the map for many travellers in the last decade due to the Civil War. However, the end of the conflict has seen Foreign Office warnings on the area softened, and so visits are once again possible for UK operators. Sri Lanka generally looks a great bet for 2010, as prices are really low after years of low tourist numbers. Get there before the hordes catch on… (Real Holidays)
Praa Sands, Cornwall
Reasoning: The village of Praa Sands, centred around an attractive, broad golden swathe, is said to enjoy the longest hours of sunshine in the UK. If that wasn’t enough, its consistent waves make it perfect for savvy surfers, yet is is nowhere near as well known as hotspots like Newquay. A couple of restaurants specialising in local seafood complete the wholesome taste of Cornwall’s south coast. (Classic Cottages)
Papua New Guinea
Reasoning: This autumn’s awesome Lost Land of the Volcano series on BBC1 has placed Papua New Guinea firmly on the radar of intrepid travellers planning their next adventure. And rightly so: this is the place to marvel at masked fire dances, test your mettle amid the dense jungle of the Baining Mountains, snorkel the azure blue waters of the Duke of York islands and camp by an active volcano, Tavurvur. With an experienced guide in tow, travel Ray Mears-style to one of Earth’s last truly untouched regions. (Baobab Expeditions)
Bulgaria
Reasoning: Perhaps better known as a busy Black Sea enclave, there’s a quieter side to Bulgaria just waiting to be discovered. Currently a very inexpensive destination, there’s never been a better time to explore Bulgaria’s impressive array of monuments, monasteries and museums, and beautiful, diverse landscapes. History buffs will be bowled over, too, by the tangible evidence of the many ancient civilisations that have left their mark on Bulgaria – including the Thracians, Greeks and Romans. (Voyages Jules Verne)
Bhutan
Reasoning: Hidden in the Himalayas, Bhutan is eternally overshadowed by its powerful neighbours, India and China. It ought not to be: having been inaccessible for years, Bhutan boasts a unique, traditional Buddhist culture, as well as gorgeous scenery and rich biodiversity. A democracy since 2008, the ‘Land of the Thunder Dragon’ is now much easier to reach, although tourist numbers remain controlled. Smoking-ban stalwarts will love it though: Bhutan is the world’s only country to prohibit the sale of tobacco. (The Traveller)
South-Eastern Sicily
Reasoning: Most of Sicily’s very well-trodden in tourist terms, but much less so the island’s Baroque south-east. This is a region of long sandy beaches, river valleys, Greek heritage sites, sprawling farms and honey-coloured, crumbling towns that stay hot well into October. Whilst Taormina to the north – a great two-centre combination with south-eastern Sicily – has long been lauded, this more rustic corner of the island receives far fewer visitors… for the moment, anyway. (Real Holidays)
Northern Peru
Reasoning: Although less accessible than the south, Northern Peru is deeply intriguing – pre-Inca archaeological sites and cultural treasures are both abundant and still being discovered. Take the Tombs of Sipan: discovered largely intact in 1987, with many precious gold and ceramic artefacts. Other sites include the Huacas del Sol y Luna (adobe pyramids) and the amazing Gokta Falls, while pink dolphins even swim in this region’s section of the Amazon.
(Sunvil Traveller*)
Mirleft, Morocco
Reasoning: Morocco’s always got a trendy new emerging destination, and The Best of Morocco suggests it’ll be Mirleft in 2010. An ancient, traditional village on the country’s southern Atlantic coast, it is an intimate world away from the rainy days and recessions of home, and a great place to relax and reflect. A Saturday morning camel market provides local colour, and daytime temperatures rarely drop below 22ºC.
California by rail
Reasoning: California’s picturesque railroads offer a fascinating way to see America’s Wild West, with giant redwoods, rugged coastlines and historic gold rush towns providing a unique holiday combination. The pristine wilderness of Yosemite and a ride on the renowned Skunk Train – so called because of its gas engine’s distinctive smell – never cease to impress. And an escorted tour with door-to-door transfers from home to airport and several meals included provides excellent value for money. (Ffestiniog Travel*)
Kosterhavet, West Sweden
Reasoning: Sweden’s first marine national park opened in autumn 2009, meaning 2010 represents the first opportunity to see this beautiful area in the height of summer. New experiences will be available, such as hands-on boat trips with a marine biologist to explore the life in the park. Stay at Sydkoster Hotel Ekenas, located on the island of South Koster in the heart of the park, and just 45 minutes by ferry from Stromstad.
Beirut, Lebanon
Reasoning: Whilst Lebanon’s popularity as an escorted tour destination has increased recently, it’s still a relatively undiscovered gem for the independent traveller. The fascinating history and beautiful coastline are reasons enough to visit its vibrant capital Beirut, but what’s less well-known is the emergence of quirky boutique-style residences – an appealing alternative to the anonymous chain-style hotels of old. Combine these with improvements in infrastructure, and now’s the perfect time to enjoy a Beirut break. (Kirker Holidays*)
Isle of Youth, Cuba
Reasoning: The Isle of Youth’s always been underestimated: a lack of gold lost Columbus’ interest, while Spanish conquistadors merely built a prison there in 1928, one that later housed Castro. Post-revolution, young Cubans (hence the name) cultivated the island, establishing the varied plantations that today provide many of Cuba’s fresh vegetables. And now tourists are arriving – in 2009, the Hotel Colony was refurbished, making visits to the Isle’s perfect beaches, ecological zones, cave paintings and crocodile farms that much more attractive. (Captivating Cuba)
The Faroe Islands
Reasoning: Nestling within the Gulf Stream in the North Atlantic, the unique and stunning Faroe Islands boast the highest sea cliffs in Europe, a virgin landscape unlike anywhere else on earth, and a unique culture and architectural heritage. As a tourist destination, the islands are little known, but with an increase in direct flights from London planned for 2010, that’s likely to change. (Sunvil Discovery*)
Tien Shan Mountains, Kyrgyzstan
Reasoning: After the success of its Mt Damavand hike in Iran, new in 2009, adventure specialist Explore is introducing another Kilimanjaro alternative in another unheralded walking destination. The Tien Shan Trek follows nomadic routes across remote mountains, travelling through blue fir and juniper forests, red sandstone canyons and alpine flatlands. There’s wild camping en route, and the shepherds you meet will offer a glasses of kumyz (fermented mare’s milk) to those lacking pep.
*This company is a member of the Association of Independent Tour Operators (AITO): 140 independent and specialist travel companies providing an unrivalled collection of holiday ideas that cover every corner of the world. Consumers booking with AITO are assured of 100% financial security, high-quality holidays and excellent personal service.
Tags: "hot destinations", 2010, cool, experts, hip, tips, “travel pr”
Posted in Insider recommendations, Travel PR Round-Up 3 Comments »
Thursday, October 15th, 2009
The Paul Morrison Guide Awards (www.wanderlust.co.uk) recognise just how important the role of a tour guide can be in the overall holiday experience. The presence of such luminaries as bestselling writer Bill Bryson, wildlife broadcaster Mark Carwardine, Telegraph Travel Editor Graham Boynton, Rough Guides founder Mark Ellingham and co-founder of Wanderlust magazine Lyn Hughes amongst the award judges reinforces this view.
Whether you have a city guide for just one day, or travel with a guide for a month, their knowledge and passion for their home patch makes the difference between just a holiday and a truly inspirational travel experience.
Reflecting on the role played by guides made me think back to my own time as a tour leader some 35 years back. It was then, as it is now, about making the whole trip enjoyable by juggling problems and priorities behind the scenes, so that guests simply enjoyed themselves and weren’t aware of the damage control scenarios enacted on their behalf. But today, with their customers often having travelled extensively, guides have to know so much more. They need an understanding of the different nationalities that they host, a good grasp of environmental initiatives and the political skills of a diplomat – plus a whole lot more.
My congratulations go to all the top three guides at the award ceremony this week – Bronze award winner Tejendra Singh (India, working with Intrepid Travel), Silver award winner Yamaan Safady (Jordan, working with Walks Worldwide) and Gold award winner Diego Torres (Ecuador, working with Explore). Diego himself, nominated four years running for the awards – a testament in itself to his guiding skills - summed up his overall win very sensitively. To paraphrase, he said: “This award is for all guides worldwide - and it is for everyone who cares about our world”. He plans to use his £5,000 bursary to help support a charity (www.proyectodcr.com) working with vulnerable street kids in Quito – “it gives children the potential to take charge of their futures. Instead of having to beg on the streets they can have a life with more dignity.”
 Gold Award Winner Diego Torres speaks at the Wanderlust Awards AITO (www.aito.com) is proud to have supported the bursaries awarded to the winning guides and congratulates all those who were nominated by their customers. The importance of these awards is the fact that they recognise, uniquely – as the only such international guide awards - the unsung heroes of the travel industry. As such, they are a fitting legacy and memorial to Paul Morrison, co-founder of Wanderlust magazine, and to his passion for travel. Derek Moore – Chairman, AITO, and founder-director of Explore
Tags: Adventure, AITO, Bill Bryson, bursaries, charity Proyecto DCR, Derek Moore., Diego Torres, Ecuador, Explore, Graham Boynton, India, Intrepid Travel, Jordan, Lyn Hughes, Mark Carwardine, Mark Ellingham, Paul Morrison, Rough Guides, street kids, Tejendra Singh, The Paul Morrison Guide Awards, The Telegraph, Walks Worldwide, Wanderlust magazine, www.aito.com, www.travelpr.co.uk, Yamaan Safady, “Association of Independent Tour Operators”, “travel pr”
Posted in Adventure, Client news 2 Comments »
Friday, October 9th, 2009
The Sporades, an archipelago off the east coast of mainland Greece, caught my attention this year. A ‘so bad it’s good’ film has put the spotlight on Skopelos, a tiny pinprick in the Aegean with pine-clad vertiginous peaks that’s about as green as the Greek islands get. Luckily the terrain has deterred the Greeks from building an airport here, and after a white knuckle landing at Skiathos (the runway, flanked by the sea at both ends, is the shortest I’ve ever seen!) and a speedy hop by ‘flying cat’, we’re in peaceful Skopelos.
 The stunning view of Skopelos from our villa Travelling in late September means that the temperatures are in the mid twenties, ideal for walking and snorkelling. Our villa – booked through my client Greek Islands Club - is perfect: nestled on its own on a hill, it faces west and overlooks the amphitheatrically-built Skopelos town and harbour – the views and sunsets mesmerising. It’s not long before we settle into island life buying Barbouni (red mullet) straight off the boats in the morning for dinner, before tackling the island’s hilly trails. My keen birdwatcher partner is in heaven when he spots bee eaters, Bonelli’s eagles, Eleonora’s falcons and wind chats. We hit the picturesque beaches in the afternoon - a favourite was Limonari, just far enough from the town that it wasn’t too busy with some good snorkelling and a nice taverna serving hearty Greek dishes.
Before long, we’re off to Alonissos which offers an altogether wilder and more remote experience, with its crystal clear waters, heather-clad hills and beautiful rugged bays with very few people. It’s just as lush here as Skopelos and the walks are impressive – overwhelming wafts of thyme and heather; fig, mulberry, pine and almond trees aplenty and an excellent guide in Chris Browne who knows the island inside out. This time, we’re lucky enough to stay right on the beach at the charming Fisherman’s Cottage with its wonderful views of Peristera, an uninhabited island well worth exploring by boat if you like secluded beaches all to yourself. The nearby idyllic fishing villages of Steni Vala and Kalamakia satisfied our yearnings for fresh fish.
 One of the cats on Alonissos drops by to say hi Alonissos is home to Greece’s only National Marine Park primarily set up to protect Europe’s largest colony of one of the most endangered mammals in the world, the Mediterranean Monk Seal. Day trips into the park by boat are possible, although don’t expect to see any seals! Dolphins are more common though, and after pausing at the renowned ‘blue cave’, the boat stops at a charming monastery with a solitary working monk. One of our more unusual spots here – the monk, his cassock covered in dust, was working a cement mixer when we arrived! On our last day we discover an ancient resident – a great big wild tortoise plucked out of the undergrowth for inspection by my partner. An Alonissos veteran, it would seem that she sets the pace on this sleepy, beguiling island. Sarah Belcher
 An ancient resident of Alonissos slows us up
Tags: Alonissos, Alonissos national marine park, birdwatching, Chris Browne, dolphins, Eleonora’s Falcon, Greece, Greek Islands Club, holidays, Mamma Mia, Mediterranean Monk Seal, Skopelos, Sunvil, The Sporades, tortoise, travel pr, www.travelpr.co.uk, “travel pr”
Posted in Experiences, Insider recommendations No Comments »
Thursday, October 8th, 2009
I need to qualify this blog because bmi is an airline that I’ve used for many years almost entirely without trouble with excellent cabin crew, helpful ground staff, spotless aircraft and flights typically on time – generally speaking they get it right. So my experience with the airline over the past weekend was certainly an aberration and hopefully just a one off, a bad day at the office.
I’ve seen Monty Python sketches less amusing than the chaos of check in at Terminal 1 and more common sense at my two year old daughter’s nursery (remember her age for later). So where did it all go wrong?
As a family we checked in online 24 hours in advance to select our seats because as the bmi website gushes “Online Check-in is designed to make your journey easier. The simple and convenient process allows you to choose your seat and eliminate the need to queue.” That’s an admirable concept in theory and tends to work for most airlines but what floats the boat of the marketing team doesn’t seem to have filtered through to the bmi ground staff at Heathrow. When we arrived at the spacious new check in area at LHR, there was a queue called “Fast Bag Drop” or some such misnomer about 30 passengers deep and a queue for the rest of the economy passengers being slightly shorter. Now get this, there were seven (yes, seven) desks dedicated to the shorter economy queue and only one for the supposedly faster bag drop. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to see where this is going, the economy queue moved along merrily, always hovering at about 20 as passengers were processed quickly while the supposedly fast line moved at a glacier pace. At this point, common sense from staff had entirely gone out the window as for some reason they refused to take people from our queue and insisted on carrying on with one desk for the fast queue which by now was getting longer with very irate passengers. Simple and convenient? Something indeed was simple but it wasn’t the queuing system.
The first queue supervisor I questioned was a caricature throwback to the good old union days, “not my problem mate, see the check in supervisor”, no attempt whatsoever to understand the problem let along solve a very simple situation. Off I toddled to the supervisor then, I stood in front of her for a full five minutes and she studiously ignored me, (she was on the phone which was fair enough) but she didn’t lift her eyes once from her screen and attempt to even acknowledge my presence, so no joy there either. By now the smoke was coming out the ears of the entire queue as flights were getting closer to departure time, kids were crying etc. By now the fast queue was three times the length of the other queue.
Another queue supervisor now materialised, we now had two queues and two supervisors and she did at least speak to some check in desks and allocate us three desks in total, but predictably the check in staff ignored her and refused to call people from the normal queue, prompting her to come back and have a rant at them to do what they’re told! The foreigners around us glanced around for a surreptitious candid camera as they pondered the merits of the British pastime of queuing. Eventually we made it to the check in desk and the subsequent security line was a welcome respite from the chaos. Normal bmi service was resumed once onboard as the cabin crew restored my faith in bmi with a flawless service as usual.
Remember I said to keep my daughter’s age in mind (she’s two)? On the return check in the following morning there was an amusing postscript. Being a glutton for punishment I checked in online yet again on the premise that lightning doesn’t strike twice. This time I did it on a Blackberry that sent a very impressive barcode confirmation to my phone, it was incredibly simple and efficient. However when we got to Belfast airport, the check in agent asked for a mobile phone for each person to check the barcode, the folly of his request slowly dawned on him while he glanced at my daughter . “Hmmm”, he agreed that the system obviously needs finessing as it didn’t state while checking in that each person on the booking needed a separate mobile phone. It wasn’t a problem for us as he promptly printed traditional boarding passes but it seems that the facility is more aimed at business travellers than families.
Hopefully normal service will be resumed at Heathrow regarding check in. Such rigidity is crucial in an airline when dealing with passenger safety but flexibility is key on the ground to solve problems. As I mentioned earlier, I’ll put this down to just a bad day at the office but bmi please empower people to use their common sense and take a look at what is happening around them, it will make the overall experience much better for everyone. Ian Bradley.
Tags: airlines, Belfast, bmi, British Midland, comment, Heathrow, holidays, London Heathrow, poor customer service, queuing at Heathrow, Terminal 1, travel, www.travelpr.co.uk, “travel pr”
Posted in Experiences, News & comments No Comments »
Thursday, October 1st, 2009
Amsterdam’s canals were particularly pretty in the August sunshine, and the waterways offer a great way to see some of the key sights. We admired the skill of our captain, manoeuvring what was a wide and heavy traditional barge from one canal into another – some nifty wheel-turning and spot-on judgment was called for!
One of the more unusual sights was a multi-storey bicycle park – along the same lines as a multi-storey car park, but for bicycles… Quite how the owners ever located their bikes on their return was beyond me – there were thousands upon thousands of bikes all crammed in together. The houseboats lining the canals were pretty impressive, too, with floating decks moored adjacent to the boats to allow their owners outside space for a spot of sunbathing and relaxation; it looked very soporific to be rocked by the wake of passing craft, although not exactly private! My favourite mooring was the floating cat sanctuary, De Poezenboot (puss in boots). An odd mix, cats and water, but the residents seemed unfazed and calmly watched the world drift by from their respective perches on board.
 Staying on the down low in Amsterdam I remembered the Indonesian “rice tables” – a legacy from Dutch adventurers visiting the Far East - from a previous visit to Amsterdam, probably 30 years ago. This time around, we sampled oysters and sophisticated seafood treats overlooking a large inland sea at Restaurant Nevy for lunch and a sumptuous evening repast at the Silver Mirror restaurant (De Silveren Spiegel), in a building dating from the early 1600s. Similar to Anne Frank’s story – but with a happier ending - an entire family had escaped the Germans during the war by hiding in a tiny space in the restaurant’s attic while the Germans caroused below. The family’s grandmother died while in the attic and they had to wait until late at night to take her body out and arrange it on the pathway to look as if she’d keeled over and died on the spot. In today’s free and easy Amsterdam, it’s very hard to imagine the privations suffered by many during the war-time years. Sue Ockwell.
Tags: Amsterdam, Anne Frank, canal boat, city breaks, De Poezenboot, floating cat sanctuary, Holland, multi-storey bicycle park, sightseeing, The Netherlands, travel, travel pr, www.travelpr.co.uk, “travel pr”
Posted in Experiences, Fun stuff 1 Comment »
|
|
|
|
|
Signup to our RSS
AITO predicts Black Sunday for travellers with the introduction of increased APD charges
Tuesday, October 27th, 2009The Association of Independent Tour Operators (AITO, www.aito.com) slams the Government for its insistence that APD (Air Passenger Duty) is an environmental tax.
The introduction of increased level of APD (Air Passenger Duty) charges on Sunday, 1st November highlights the lack of transparency in the government’s environmental policy and misleadingly targets travellers under the guise of an eco-tax. This coming Sunday will be a black day for travellers as costs are expected to rise significantly, especially on long haul travel.
Treasury Minister Lord Myners has admitted that APD is “primarily” designed to raise money while Transport Secretary Lord Adonis has admitted revenue raised by APD is not “ring-fenced” for environmental schemes. Just to further rub salt into the wound, APD is calculated against the distance between London and the capital city of the country concerned and not each individual city. This brings about the farcical situation where a flight from London to Cairo (2,100 miles) qualifies for Band B (2001-4000 miles), the same as a flight from London to Los Angeles (5,400 miles), despite the fact that it is less than half the distance.
Derek Moore, AITO Chairman (Founder & Associate Director of Explore), comments: “Using the environment as a pretence for raising revenue for the Treasury and targeting travellers is a very short-sighted policy. Many AITO travellers are eco-conscious and happy to play their part, through carbon offsetting and contributions to related projects, but they take issue at having to hand over additional funds in the form of a stealth tax when even Government Ministers admit they cannot guarantee that the money raised will go towards environmental schemes. At least when the Conservative Government introduced APD in the early 1990s, it clearly admitted that it was a tax-collecting proposal.”
AITO very much advocates environmental awareness and requires all 140 members to engage in Responsible Tourism. AITO also operates a ratings scheme – very useful for interested customers - with members awarded between one and five stars based on their environmental performance. AITO members operate a large number of environmental projects around the world where they make a telling contribution to local communities. Ian Bradley.
Tags: Add new tag, Air Passenger Duty, AITO, APD, CAA, comment, Derek Moore., Explore, government, holidays, taxation, www.aito.com, www.travelpr.co.uk, “Association of Independent Tour Operators”
Posted in Client news, News & comments No Comments »