Down on the Farm
Rachel Hamada travels to the faraway Philippines for a stay at The Farm, an award-winning centre for holistic healing, wellness and lifestyle enhancement.
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A visit to Shangri-La
Catherine Beattie visits the Shangri-La Barr Al Jissah Resort and Spa – the luxury resort that introduced the Gulf state of Oman to the concept of the quality holiday experience – and finds much to her liking.
Read MoreWTM 2012 and a sting in the tail!
As well as being Bonfire Night, the 5th November was the first day of World Travel Market 2012. It was also the tenth year WTM has been held at Excel and I’ve attended most years, usually driving around the M25 and parking free in the adjoining car park. So, we (Alec attended this year) were dismayed to find a £80 parking fine notice stuck on the windscreen when we returned our car in the evening. I called the organiser’s office only to be curtly told we should have parked in the Purple section, not the Orange. Oh, for the days when WTM badges were posted out with useful maps and parking information. I’d made few appointments so I could spend the maximum time browsing the stands especially those in the Asia Pacific section – gathering information for my first...
Read MoreHeavenly Hideaway
One of the perks of travel writing is visiting some of the world’s most exotic destinations – like the Maradiva Villas Resort and Spa on the island of Mauritius.
Read MoreOman
My 2011 travels have started in spectacular style with a visit to Oman, where the cloudless blue skies and sunshine are in marked and welcome contrast to the UK’s current cold weather. I’m here with the Guild of British Travel Writers courtesy of the Oman Tourist Board, who are generously hosting our 2011 AGM. After an overnight flight with Oman Air (the only airline in the world that allows inflight use of mobile phones) I and 90 other travel writers, photographers and broadcasters arrived in Muscat, short of sleep but keen to make the most of our limited time. Our visa formalities completed, we sped off in three large coaches accompanied by talkative and enthusiastic guides wearing a bright red T-shirts, which made them easy to spot when we were in crowded areas. First stop had to be the...
Read MoreSouth Africa
With winter arriving with a vengeance in the UK this week, I was looking forward to escaping the big freeze with a short trip to South Africa and Zambia. Unfortunately our outgoing flight with South African Airways was delayed by a whole day because of technical problems. Instead of an overnight flight to Johannesburg, we spent the night (minus our luggage still on the plane) in an airport hotel and didn’t get away until 5pm the following day. Unfortunately, this meant missing the first day’s itinerary including our spa treatments. We landed in a murky and overcast Johannesburg at 5.30am and went straight to our hotel (The Westcliff). There was just time to shower but not to sleep, before we were whisked off to the inspirational Apartheid Museum for a two hour tour. After this we had lunch at...
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