Travel writing in the Sunday Times, London
posted by Mark Hodson at 8:04 PM
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posted by Mark Hodson at 7:57 AM
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From Where will you be between midnight and 4am on August 13? If you plan to be tucked up in bed with the curtains drawn, think again, because you might be missing out on a truly cosmic experience – a rare unspoilt view of a spectacular meteor shower.
There is something magical about catching sight of a shooting star as it streaks across the night sky. So imagine the thrill of looking up to see dozens – maybe hundreds – of shooting stars as they rain down from the darkness.
That’s what will happen on the second weekend of August, when the Perseid meteor shower hits earth. At the height of the action, a shooting star will light up the night sky every few seconds.
This astonishing natural firework display occurs as the earth passes through a trail of debris left by the comet Swift-Tuttle, which last swung into our solar system in 1992. Tiny grains of dust and ice will collide with the earth’s atmosphere at speeds of up to 30 miles per second, each creating an arc of incandescent light.
The phenomenon occurs every year, but 2007 will be special because the arrival of the Perseids will coincide with a new moon. Usually, moonlight makes it difficult for the human eye to pick out most of the individual meteors, but against a velvety-black sky the display will be mind-blowing.
To view the Perseids, you don’t need any special equipment or expertise, but you do need to get as far as possible from the light pollution that blights much of modern Britain. With the meteors visible across large parts of the northern hemisphere, it’s worth plotting your whereabouts: countryside or beach; the Highlands of Scotland or the Greek islands?
Dr Francisco Diego, an astronomer at University College London, suggests heading south for longer nights and increased chances of cloudless skies. “Almost anywhere in the Mediterranean should be ideal, as long as you are away from artificial light,” he says. “Morocco and Tunisia would also be wonderful.”
Diego will be in the Canaries to accompany a group of 20 astro-tourists, who will spend three nights on the island of La Palma, viewing the meteors from the rim of an extinct volcano, the site of one of the world’s most important observatories.
The trip is being organised by the tour operator Explore, which says it is taking bookings from amateur astronomers and regular travellers looking for a holiday with a difference. Diego suggested La Palma for the six-night trip because of the island’s reliable climate and almost complete lack of light pollution.
“We’ll be staying at sea level, but viewing from the observatory at Roque de los Muchachos, which is on the rim of the crater at 2,400 metres. It’s an incredibly dramatic location, literally above the clouds. The altitude is a key factor because most of the dust and smoke that normally obscures our view of the night sky is in the lower atmosphere. We’ll be above that.”
Although La Palma promises peerless views of the Perseids, it should also be possible to see them from locations across the UK and Ireland. Rob Edwards, head of science education at the Royal Observatory in Greenwich, says anyone with a “reasonably clear sky” should get a view. “Just go outside with a deckchair, blankets and a flask of coffee. Avoid looking at any artificial lights. It will take your eyes anywhere between 30 seconds and 30 minutes to adapt fully to the dark.
“It’s not essential to go somewhere remote. I expect to see meteors from my back garden in west London.”
The view will improve as the night progresses and the earth turns, pointing us in the direction of the oncoming meteors. “It’s like driving your car into a rain shower,” explains Diego. “You get more raindrops on the front windscreen than on the back window.” Because of this, the best time to see the shower will be between midnight and dawn. Hence the need for caffeine.
Clear, dark skies should also provide sensational views of the galaxy beyond. “If you get well away from city lights, you ought to be able to see the Milky Way clearly – a great cloud of 300 billion stars,” says Edwards. “It’s well worth taking a pair of binoculars and just enjoying the view.” With a telescope you may also be able to study Venus, Jupiter and Saturn.
WHERE TO SEE THE SHOW
Astronomical events are being planned across the country over the four days of galactic activity. The University of Manchester’s Jodrell Bank Observatory, near Alderley Edge (01477 571339, www.jb.man.ac.uk), will host a Perseid Meteor Shower Party on August 11. Admission by ticket only: adults £6, children £5.
In Herstmonceux, East Sussex, the Observatory Science Centre (01323 832731, www.the-observatory.org ) is planning a Perseid Shooting Star Evening on August 11, from 7pm to 10pm, with a guest speaker, barbecue and a chance to use the centre’s telescopes. Tickets £19.50.
How to catch the falling stars
THE PERSEIDS will be visible on clear nights from about August 10 to August 15, peaking on August 13. For the best views, avoid smog, cloud and light pollution. The second half of the night, between midnight and dawn, should provide the best of the action, with two or three meteors visible every minute. The meteors will appear to radiate from a single point in the sky – the constellation of Perseus – well above the horizon, towards the northeast.
Take a deckchair, hot drinks and warm clothes. Use binoculars for stargazing, but the naked eye to scan for meteors. And don’t fall asleep. Viewing conditions won’t be this good again until 2015.
The Forestry Commission is getting together with the Scarborough and Ryedale Astronomical Society to hold a Nightwatch on August 11 at Dalby Forest, North Yorkshire. As well as meteors, there will be a chance to spot bats and owls. Meet at the Dalby Forest Visitor Centre (01751 460295) at 8pm with a torch and warm clothes.
At Cairngorms National Park, mountain rangers will lead midnight hikes to the top of the plateau, leaving Coire Cas Base Station at 9pm on August 11 and 12. The walk is classified as difficult, and only for adults and children over 12 with experience and suitable equipment. Prices from £20; booking essential (01479 861341, www.cairngormmountain.org ).
In Cornwall, Roseland Observatory (01726 813602, www.roselandobservatory.com ), near St Austell, will hold an alfresco star party on August 13, with a presentation and barbecue. You can camp on site, from £12.50 per night (01726 822727, www.courtfarmholidays.co.uk ).
Hotels that experience only very low levels of light pollution include the Lake Vyrnwy Hotel (01691 870692, www.lakevyrnwy.com ), on a forested hillside in Montgomeryshire, which has double rooms from £100, B&B; and the Bay Hotel (01326 280464, www.thebayhotel.co.uk ) in the village of Coverack, on Cornwall’s Lizard peninsula, where £69 per person buys dinner, bed and breakfast.
The trip to La Palma with Explore (0870 333 4001, www.explore.co.uk ), which also includes two nights in Tenerife and a visit to El Teide National Park, costs from £1,175, including flights from London, accommodation and breakfast.
posted by Mark Hodson at 8:17 AM
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From Visitors to the Caribbean and Florida were last week warned to brace themselves for a stormy hurricane season. Experts at the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration predict up to five “major” hurricanes this summer – more than double the average.
Meteorologists fear that this year could see a repeat of 2005, when hurricanes Wilma and Katrina wreaked havoc in Mexico and New Orleans. Thousands of British tourists were evacuated and many more had their holiday plans disrupted.
The official hurricane season runs from June 1 to November 30, and the worst-affected months are usually August and September – but forecasters say weather patterns are becoming harder to predict. The 2005 season actually extended into January 2006.
The map of “safe” islands has also had to be redrawn. It was assumed that Tobago and Grenada lay outside the hurricane belt. However, Grenada was flattened by Hurricane Ivan in 2004, then hit again by Emily in 2005.
Is your holiday at risk? Abta says that any holidaymakers caught in the path of a storm while already away may be moved or evacuated if the operators judge the situation is serious enough. Those booked to travel to an island when a hurricane hits will be offered a refund or an alternative destination.
Things look less rosy for those who book flights and accommodation separately, even if they go through a large operator. Thomson says: “Only if you’ve bought a package will you be covered. If not, there is no guarantee of help.”
In 2005, when Wilma hit the Gulf of Mexico, operators flew holidaymakers home early and gave them pro-rata refunds for all the days affected by the hurricane. Abta says that this was generous: you are entitled to a refund only for days when you are not at your destination, not those ruined by bad weather when you are there.
Don’t expect an insurance payout, either. Most travel insurers cover against injury or damage to personal possessions, but not disruption. The Association of British Insurers says that a few policies may compensate you if your trip is curtailed, but the sums will be nominal.
Some hoteliers, including Sandals and SuperClubs, offer hurricane guarantees: if your trip is washed out, they will offer you a return stay. There are caveats, however. The offers only apply if US authorities classify the storm as a hurricane, and your flights won’t be refunded. And some guarantees cover only the time when the hurricane is passing over – which may be just a single day.
posted by Mark Hodson at 4:14 PM
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From Type “family friendly hotel” into Google and you’ll be offered something in the region of 176,000 results. Can there really be that many?
In my experience, there are plenty of hotels that claim to welcome children. What they mean is that they are not overly alarmed at the theoretical idea of your offspring, providing they’re all on their best behaviour and look like Boden catalogue models. It’s the burping, farting, shouting, tantrum-throwing, snot-nosed reality they’re not so keen on.
I know this because I’m a parent. I’ve watched an Armani-clad waiter serve my daughter a Diet Coke in a long-stemmed wineglass, only to get in a flap when – surprise, surprise – she accidentally knocked it flying. Then there was the five-star hotel in the Caribbean where my son waited three-quarters of an hour for his “special” children’s meal – a lump of well-done steak as big as his foot. If we hadn’t told him he could spit it into his napkin, he’d probably still be chewing it today.
But there are worthy exceptions – hotels that will indulge your kids, tolerate their mood swings, give them things they really want and perhaps even take them off your hands for a few hours.
Here are some of the best child-friendly hotels in the Mediterranean – whether you’ve got tots, tweens or teenagers.
Unless stated, all prices include flights from a London airport and transfers. For regional departures, contact the tour operator
Tots (0-6 years)
THE ALMYRA, Cyprus
The Almyra looks like the kind of designer hotel you’d find in the South Beach district of Miami, not the low-key resort of Paphos. The look is minimalist, with immaculate white sofas, oversized chandeliers and black-slate swimming pools. Arriving with our daughter, who was 11 months old at the time, made me nervous.
I needn’t have been. The Almyra may be hip, with sexy modern furniture and a sushi chef from Nobu, but its owners and staff clearly enjoy the company of young children. Within seconds of our arrival, a grinning receptionist had scooped up our daughter for a cuddle while a waiter handed us fresh juice.
A lot of thought has gone into the way the hotel functions. As well as a children’s pool, a lawned play area and an air-conditioned kids’ club, it offers child-sized versions of mum and dad’s towelling robes and slippers. At bedtime, children can phone reception to order (free) milk and cookies.
But the cleverest wheeze is to allow parents to preorder essential baby holiday paraphernalia, such as nappies, wipes and organic food – at local Mothercare prices – and to provide changing mats, sterilisers, baby gyms and bouncy chairs, all at no extra cost.
We found the staff delightful and the food excellent. Only the beach was disappointing – it was unkempt, with murky water. Most guests, however, were happy sunbathing on the grass or beside the pool, which is ringed by plump day beds and white cotton awnings. And we didn’t get a single dirty look for having dared to procreate. The price: a week, B&B, starts at £719pp in August, or £699pp in September, with Airline Network (0870 234 9916, www.airlinenetwork.co.uk). One child under 12, sharing the parents’ room, adds £212/£192; for children under two, the price is £45 each.
HOTEL L’ONDINE, Corsica
Corsica has some of the finest beaches and most photogenic coastlines in the Mediterranean, but not an abundance of family-friendly hotels.
That’s why Direct Corsica’s Iain and Janet Rankin, who have been organising holidays on the island for more than 30 years, got so excited when they came across the family-run Hôtel l’Ondine, in the quiet resort of Algajola, near Calvi.
The hotel has just 53 rooms – including some designed for families – and a large swimming pool set in luscious grounds. And you’re only a few strides from a long, clean, sandy beach where toddlers can catch tiddlers in rock pools.
You won’t find any Turkey Twizzlers or dinosaur-shaped nuggets at the hotel restaurant, although the chef will happily tweak his gourmet menu for younger palates. And if your youngest has gone to bed before dinner time, you can always use your half-board option at lunch. The price: a week, half-board, starts at £420pp in August, or £303pp in September, excluding flights, with Direct Corsica (07771 953225, www.directcorsica.com). Children under two go free. Fly to Bastia with British Airways (0870 850 9850, www.ba.com), from Gatwick, or Thomsonfly (www.thomsonfly.com), from Bristol, Edinburgh, Birmingham or Gatwick.
LYKIA WORLD VILLAGE, Turkey
When you first have children, you cease to care whether a hotel has 16 brands of mineral water and cotton sheets with a thread count of 350. You’re more interested in the length of the transfer, and whether there’s somewhere you can heat up milk in the middle of the night.
The four-star Lykia World Village, near Oludeniz, might not be the sort of place where fashionistas would go on honeymoon, but it ticks all the vital boxes for stressed parents. As well as the gorgeous sandy seafront, it has a baby pool, a baby play area, a dedicated baby beach (safe, clean and shaded) and a 24-hour kitchen for feeding, sterilising bottles and heating milk. What’s more – and this is the really good bit – the hotel has a supervised club where you can leave children aged between six months and three years for up to nine hours a day, six days a week, free of charge.
There is stacks for older brothers and sisters to do, including a water park with 15 slides and six pools, an arts-and-crafts zone and a children’s theatre, along with judo training, a trampoline, a climbing net and beach football.
Staff? Charming. Grounds? Beautiful. Rooms? Clean and tidy (though nothing special). The price: a week, full-board, costs £832pp in August (£400 for the first child aged 2-16; children under 2 £35 each), or £556pp in September (first child free), with Cosmos (0871 622 4317, www.cosmosholidays.co.uk).
PINE CLIFFS, Portugal
Some resorts fall in and out of fashion, but the Algarve remains a perennial family favourite. Why? Because the journey is relatively easy – three-hour flight, lots of regional departures and speedy transfers – the locals are friendly, English is widely spoken and the quality of the hotels is (mostly) high.
Pine Cliffs is among the best: a Sheraton-run five-star with six restaurants, four swimming pools, all-weather tennis courts, a golf academy and one of the best-equipped children’s clubs anywhere in Europe. It’s set in immaculate grounds atop brick-red cliffs, and there is even a lift to take guests down to the beach.
The kids’ club, Porto Pirata (www.luxurycollection.com/ portopirata), is like a hotel within a hotel, with its own pool, 18-hole mini-golf course, volleyball court, sandpit, climbing frames and cycle track. The staff are hugely enthusiastic, there’s a children’s buffet laid on from 5pm and – nice touch, this – the hotel runs a free laundry service for kids’ clothes. The price: a week, B&B, costs a total of £2,120 in August, or £2,040 in September, for two adults and one child, with ITC Classics (01244 355527, www. itcclassics.co.uk). Porto Pirata costs £70 a day for ages six months to three years, £47 for 3-4s and £41 for 5-8s, with discounts for three or more days.
Tweens (7-12 years) Teens (13-18 years)
IL PALMENTO, Puglia
There is a theory that if you take your children to a beautiful hotel, they’ll behave beautifully. It’s an appealing idea, and it might occasionally work, but in order not to tempt fate, here’s a better one: take your children to a beautiful hotel in Italy, where even the most unruly bambini will be welcomed with open arms.
Set amid the wild, arid countryside of Puglia, Il Palmento (www.ilpalmento.com) is a small, privately owned four-star hotel with 12 plush suites set in restored trulli (stone farm buildings with distinctive conical roofs).
It has a restaurant that serves Puglian specialities at sensible prices, tennis courts, a children’s playground and two swimming pools – one for kids – that overlook olive groves. You can hire bikes, arrange baby-sitters, call room service 24 hours a day or ask the hotel to set up riding lessons nearby. If you feel adventurous, rent a car and explore the nearby towns of Locorotondo and Alberobello, the caves at Castellana and the stylish clifftop resort of Polignano a Mare. The price: a week, B&B, based on a family of four sharing a suite, costs £651pp in August or the October half-term week (under12s £347/£391), excluding flights, with Discovery Travel (01889 882170). Ryanair (0871 246 0000, www.ryanair.com) serves Brindisi and Bari, both of which are about 50 miles away; British Airways (0870 850 9850, www.ba.com) flies to Bari.
FORTE VILLAGE, Sardinia
Forte Village is the Marmite of Mediterranean beach hotels. A lot of British families love it so much, the first thing they do when they get home is book their next visit. Others can’t see what the fuss is all about, and moan about the high prices and noisy children.
Before you commit, you need to weigh up a few things. This is not the “real” Sardinia. Most guests at Forte Village never leave the confines of the resort. And, while the beach is lovely – white sand, turquoise water – it’s not the most spectacular on the island. You may also find that during high season, the whole place feels a little crowded. That’s how the Italians like it.
Not that you’ll hear your children complaining. They’ll be too busy splashing in the pools, taking part in football tournaments or checking out the go-karting. If they get tired of all that, they can hang out at the seven-lane bowling alley or the outdoor skating rink.
What makes Forte Village ideal for the “tween” age group is the independence it gives them. Safe from the outside world, they can skip between beach and pool, tear around on bikes, play tennis with their new friends and, in the evenings, watch fashion shows and live bands at the “village square”. All of which leaves mum and dad to have a jolly nice time by themselves. The price: a week, half-board, costs a total of £4,290 in August, or £3,296 in September, for two adults and two children under 12 sharing a family cottage at the four-star Il Villaggio, with Citalia (0870 909 7554, www.citalia.com). The resort closes before October half-term week.
HOTEL PRESIDENTE, Ibiza
If your idea of a good time in Ibiza is to writhe around in foam until 5am while listening to thudding techno, don’t go to Portinatx. Far from the fleshpots of seedy San Antonio, it’s a quiet family resort with three sandy beaches wedged between pine groves and sparkling blue seas.
One of the beaches, Es Portitxol, has sheltered waters, perfect for snorkelling and swimming. Rent a car and you can explore the winding coast road, visiting tiny coves framed by green hills, and the hippie market at Es Canar.
The north of Ibiza is dotted with secret beaches, among the finest of which is Cala Mastella. Climb over the rocks at one end of the cove and you’ll find a rustic waterfront restaurant where you can lunch on guisat de peix, a fish stew cooked over a wood-fired stove.
You’ll want to stay at the Hotel Presidente, which gets glowing reviews from families. Overlooking a pretty beach, it offers a packed menu of activities and a Kidzone club, free for children aged 3-12, run by the tour operator Thomson. The price: a week, half-board, starts at £584pp in August, or £465pp in October half-term. One child under 16 sharing goes for £384/£279; a second adds £484/£379. Book at www.takethefamily.com or direct with Thomson (0870 162 5661, www.thomson.co.uk).
VILA VITA PARC, Algarve
Here’s proof that a hotel can bend over backward to look after its youngest guests while still clinging to its treasured five stars. Vila Vita Parc is a classy place with imposing Moorish architecture, subtropical gardens and direct access to two small beaches.
There are plenty of facilities to keep families amused, including a tennis centre, a nine-hole pitch-and-putt course, three swimming pools and a spa and diagnostic medical centre. Although the hotel has 182 rooms, it never feels crowded.
The ideal age for children here is 4-12: that’s when they can sign up to Annabella’s, a free supervised club with its own playground, football pitch and trampoline. Activities include T-shirt painting, magic shows, pyjama parties, fashion modelling, nature walks and an excursion to Zoomarine, a sea-life park with dolphin and seal shows. It’s a cut above the usual. The price: the biggest family suites at Vila Vita Parc sleep up to six people and cost £5,000 a week. But there’s a less pricey option: take a standard room with Cresta Holidays (0870 161 0950, www.crestaholidays.co.uk) and you pay £1,471pp for a week, B&B, in August and £1,075pp in October half-term. At least one child under 12 can share at no extra cost and, depending on the children’s ages and the size of the room, the hotel will try to accommodate a second free of charge.
LA CASELLA, Umbria
If you fancy a break from buckets and spades, why not take the kids riding in the hills of Umbria? La Casella is a farming estate set in 1,000 acres of unspoilt countryside near Orvieto. Four farmhouses have been converted to accommodate 32 guest rooms, and there is a riding school with 40 horses.
Children aged 4-10 can sign up for lessons at the pony club. They even get the opportunity to try their hand at dressage if they’re up for it.
La Casella also has a playground and playhouse, an adventure field with a rope bridge, canoeing, archery and mountain bikes for hire, as well as swimming pools and a tennis court. Families eat together, Italian-style. The price: a week, full-board, including wine with meals, costs £567pp in August or £518pp in October half-term with Real Holidays (020 7359 3938, www.realholidays.co.uk). Children under 13 sharing their parents’ room add £343/£308 each. Airlines flying to Rome, about 100 miles away, include British Airways (0870 850 9850, www.ba.com ), Ryanair (0871 246 0000, www.ryanair.com), EasyJet (www.easyjet.com) and Alitalia (0870 544 8259, www.alitalia.com).
IONIAN BEACH CLUB, Greece
For active, outdoorsy families there is no better place than a Mediterranean beach club: think Mark Warner, Club Med, Neilson or Sunsail. The problem is that prices rocket during the school holidays. At Mark Warner, a week in August for a family of four can cost more than £5,000.
There are more affordable alternatives. The Ionian Beach Club, in the northwest Peloponnese, has 80 air-conditioned bungalows set in 10 acres of gardens alongside a gorgeous sandy beach. It’s not as all-inclusive as its better-known rivals, but it does have an impressive sailing club, equipped with dinghies, catamarans and windsurfers. Twice-weekly sailing tuition is included, and there’s also tennis, table tennis, mini-golf, a swimming pool and a bar. The price: a week, half-board, costs £599pp for both adults and teenagers in August, or £499pp in October half-term, with Seafarer Cruises (0871 423 5548, www.seafarercruises.com).
LE MERIDIEN LIMASSOL, Cyprus
Not even the surliest, most ungrateful teenager could affect indifference to Le Meridien Limassol’s myriad charms. Even if they aren’t impressed by the 300yd stretch of beach or the beautiful grounds, they can’t deny the handiness of a games room, internet cafe and bowling alley open until 11pm.
That’s not all. The hotel has a dedicated teen centre, kitted out with a football pitch, basketball court, tennis courts, volleyball and table tennis. Oh, and there’s a disco three nights a week.
Parents like the place because it’s closed to nonresidents, which keeps out the riffraff. And while their children shoot hoops or text their mates, mum and dad can relax in the thalassotherapy centre or kick back beside the adults-only pool. The price: a week, B&B, based on a family of four sharing interconnecting rooms, costs £1,162pp (under18s £1,034) in August, or £1,178/£1,060pp in October half-term, with Prestige Holidays (01425 480400, www.prestigeholidays.co.uk).
LA MANGA, Spain
Nothing to do with Japanese comics, La Manga is the ne plus ultra of family sporting holiday destinations. It’s a place where you can bond with your teenagers over golf or tennis; or, if they’re really keen to hone their ball skills, they can sign up for an academy course.
La Manga runs five-day tutorials in football (for under16s), tennis, rugby and golf, with English-speaking coaches. The tennis is particularly tough, with five hours of intensive training a day for junior tournament players. The football academy is regularly used by top European clubs for winter training.
Other activities include mountain-biking, snorkelling, water-skiing and scuba-diving. There is plenty to do in the evenings: as well as discos and karaoke, there’s a Games Zone for over12s, with multiplayer Xbox, pinball, table tennis and table football, open until 1am. The price: a week, B&B, starts at £930pp in August, or £760pp in October half-term, with Elegant Resorts (01244 897515, www.elegantresorts.co.uk).
There are more affordable alternatives. The Ionian Beach Club, in the northwest Peloponnese, has 80 air-conditioned bungalows set in 10 acres of gardens alongside a gorgeous sandy beach. It’s not as all-inclusive as its better-known rivals, but it does have an impressive sailing club, equipped with dinghies, catamarans and windsurfers. Twice-weekly sailing tuition is included, and there’s also tennis, table tennis, mini-golf, a swimming pool and a bar. The price: a week, half-board, costs £599pp for both adults and teenagers in August, or £499pp in October half-term, with Seafarer Cruises (0871 423 5548, www.seafarercruises.com).
LE MERIDIEN LIMASSOL, Cyprus
Not even the surliest, most ungrateful teenager could affect indifference to Le Meridien Limassol’s myriad charms. Even if they aren’t impressed by the 300yd stretch of beach or the beautiful grounds, they can’t deny the handiness of a games room, internet cafe and bowling alley open until 11pm.
That’s not all. The hotel has a dedicated teen centre, kitted out with a football pitch, basketball court, tennis courts, volleyball and table tennis. Oh, and there’s a disco three nights a week.
Parents like the place because it’s closed to nonresidents, which keeps out the riffraff. And while their children shoot hoops or text their mates, mum and dad can relax in the thalassotherapy centre or kick back beside the adults-only pool. The price: a week, B&B, based on a family of four sharing interconnecting rooms, costs £1,162pp (under18s £1,034) in August, or £1,178/£1,060pp in October half-term, with Prestige Holidays (01425 480400, www.prestigeholidays.co.uk).
LA MANGA, Spain
Nothing to do with Japanese comics, La Manga is the ne plus ultra of family sporting holiday destinations. It’s a place where you can bond with your teenagers over golf or tennis; or, if they’re really keen to hone their ball skills, they can sign up for an academy course.
La Manga runs five-day tutorials in football (for under16s), tennis, rugby and golf, with English-speaking coaches. The tennis is particularly tough, with five hours of intensive training a day for junior tournament players. The football academy is regularly used by top European clubs for winter training.
Other activities include mountain-biking, snorkelling, water-skiing and scuba-diving. There is plenty to do in the evenings: as well as discos and karaoke, there’s a Games Zone for over12s, with multiplayer Xbox, pinball, table tennis and table football, open until 1am. The price: a week, B&B, starts at £930pp in August, or £760pp in October half-term, with Elegant Resorts (01244 897515, www.elegantresorts.co.uk).
Labels: Algajola, Almyra, Forte Village, Hotel Presidente, Ibiza, Ionian Beach Club, La Casella, La Manga, Lykia, l’Ondine, Oludeniz, Palmento, Pine Cliffs, Vila Vita Parc
posted by Mark Hodson at 7:29 AM
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From Forty miles south of the equator, on the southern tip of the Maldives, Hulhudhoo is a sleepy, sun-baked village where few tourists have ever ventured. The streets are made of crushed coral and lined with palm trees, and there is a small harbour where flatbed fishing boats are brought in for repairs.
Overlooking the water are a mosque and an open-air cafe with wooden chairs and white tablecloths. When the sun sinks low in the sky, you can – as I did – repair to the cafe for hedhikaa, the savoury snacks traditionally served with afternoon tea.
Beneath the shade of a breadfruit tree, I tucked into curry puffs, boakiba (spicy deep-fried fish cakes) and masroshi (tiny pancakes filled with fresh tuna, chilli and grated coconut). It was delicate, explosive food and, tea included, cost a total of 40p – about the price of the foam on a glass of beer at a five-star resort hotel.
Mingling with the locals and eating at street cafes has never been part of the tourist experience in the Maldives. Most visitors are content to be whisked off to remote islands where they can lie on beaches and paddle in the shallows. The arrangement has also suited the Maldivian government, which, though happy to reap the financial benefits of tourism, has regarded western influences as pernicious – alcohol, for instance, is permitted only on tourist islands.
This state of affairs will change later this year with the opening of a 300-room hotel on the island of Herathera, a short walk from the village of Hulhudhoo. You might expect, at this point in the story, the sensitive travel writer to decry the advancement of package tourism and the likely damage such a hotel will cause to the fragile local environment. Far from it.
The hotel on Herathera is the first of 15 resorts to be built and run by a new public-private partnership, the Maldives Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC). Part of its aim is to share the wealth created by tourism throughout the country, and to bring jobs to impoverished islands.
Last year, almost 2m shares in the MTDC – 55% of the company – were sold to the public. Individuals could invest as little as £40 and no more than £400, with the result that 10% of all Maldivians are now shareholders. When the company goes public, possibly later this year, share values are likely to soar in value.
However, the project will bring more than monetary reward. For many people in the Maldives, the most pressing issue of the day is not global warming or cultural imperialism, but the fragmentation of families. Most of the workers on tourist islands – the waiters who serve your drinks and the boatmen who take you on excursions – get to visit their wives and children only once a year.
This has caused the collapse of close-knit island communities, as young people leave in search of work and families up sticks to move to the already overcrowded capital, Malé. By building hotels near densely populated outer islands, rather than around Malé, the MTDC hopes to reverse this.
Hulhudhoo certainly had a ghostly air. Many of the coral-built cottages appeared abandoned or unoccupied, and the streets were empty save for a few children riding bikes and a group of old men sprawled on armchairs beside the harbour wall.
According to Mohamed Salih, MD of the MTDC, however, some of the villagers who had left Hulhudhoo are beginning to return. Many more are expected back when the hotel starts recruiting for a planned opening in November.
Salih gave me a tour of the hotel site, where teams of workers were building luxury wooden villas between tall coconut palms. All of the work was being carried out by Maldivians, he said. “Most contractors use workers from Bangladesh, but we decided to use local people. We pay, and treat, them well. Many of them are shareholders.”
The island of Herathera forms part of the rim of Addu Atoll, the most southerly of the 26 atolls that make up the Maldives. Herathera is three miles long, and so narrow in places that hotel guests will be able to walk a few steps from the turquoise lagoon inside the atoll to the inky-blue Indian Ocean on its perimeter. If they can drag themselves away from this idyllic setting, they will be able to rent bicycles, pedal along to Hulhudhoo and stuff themselves full of curry puffs.
Most of Addu can be explored by bike. Unlike the majority of atolls in the Maldives, which are made up of tiny spits of sand dotted in the ocean, the islands that make up Addu are relatively large, and connected by causeways. You can spend many happy hours pottering along perfectly flat roads, exploring villages, boatyards and bird sanctuaries.
The place to start is Gan, a half-hour boat ride from Herathera and one of the most extraordinary islands in the Maldives. Used as an RAF base until 1976, it has a large airfield, an abandoned golf course, an art-deco cinema, a second world war memorial and low-rise military buildings dating to the 1950s.
The former officers’ mess buildings have been converted into a cosy little hotel, the Equator Village, which attracts an intriguing crowd of independent travellers and experienced divers.
The coral around Addu is among the best in the Indian Ocean, with little sign of the bleaching that has devastated reefs elsewhere in the Maldives. Sightings of sharks and 6ft-wide manta rays are numerous.
The British are remembered fondly. On the frangipani-lined road that leads to the airport, I met three old men employed to keep the island spick and span. Keen to practise their rusty English, they greeted me with, “Good afternoon, how are you today?” and “See you soon, sir”. One had worked as a groundsman at the golf course, and grabbed a broom to show off his swing.
Gan may be a curio, but neighbouring Feydhoo is a place of real charm. In the island’s only village, I found neat rows of houses with names such as Valentine and Villadelight, and gardens crammed with potted plants and banana trees. Teenage girls played badminton in the street and young children waved, giggled and yelled “Hello!” as I cycled past. Curry smells wafted over the low coral walls.
Several children implored me to take their photograph, and one young man invited me into his home, where we chatted – bizarrely – about Champions League football as his mother hastily prepared tea and fresh mango. It was a life-affirming experience.
For dinner, I went to Center Park, a roadside restaurant where I sat in the garden under the stars and ate the most sensational Maldivian food – a subtle and intense fish curry, rice, chapatis with a large glass of fresh lime juice, all for £3.
Next day, I visited Mohamed Abdullah, who worked as a batman for British officers and now, at the age of 70, runs a cafe near the Equator Village. If he likes the cut of your jib, he may invite you back to his home in Feydhoo, where he keeps an exhaustive collection of RAF memorabilia, including photographs, press cuttings and handwritten references (“Mohamed is an honest man who knows how to make a decent cup of tea,” says one).
With his wife now on tea duty, I asked Mohamed how he felt about the prospect of the British returning to Addu as tourists. I imagined his disappointment at seeing baseball caps and sunburnt thighs where once had been crisp blue uniforms and waxed moustaches. But he smiled widely. “That would be really quite marvellous,” he sighed.
Mark Hodson travelled to the Maldives as a guest of Hayes & Jarvis
Travel brief
Travel details: Herathera Island Resort (www.herathera.com) is due to open on November 1, with discounted rates until December 17. With Hayes & Jarvis (0870 850 3565, www.hayesandjarvis.co.uk), a week, all-inclusive, in November starts at £1,315pp, including flights from Gatwick or Manchester to Malé with First Choice Airways, a connecting flight to Gan, then a speedboat transfer to the hotel. Other operators include Airtours (0871 664 7657, www.airtours.co.uk) and Kuoni (01306 747002, www.kuoni.co.uk). The Equator Village (www.equatorvillage.com) has simple bungalows, a small pool and a narrow, sandy beach with great snorkelling. A week, all-inclusive, starts at £859pp with Cosmos (0871 622 4317, www.cosmos.co.uk). Or try Elite Vacations (01707 371000, www.elitevacations.com).
Labels: Addu, Equator Village, Feydhoo, Gan, Herathera, Hulhudhoo, maldives
posted by Mark Hodson at 7:05 AM
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From At the time it sounded such a good idea. Join the British Airways Executive Club and, as well as pocketing a smart blue membership card, I’d earn BA Miles every time I booked a flight. But five years on, I’m ready to throw in the towel. Despite crisscrossing the Atlantic and buzzing around Europe on BA, I’ve still only managed to accrue 7,175 miles – not even enough to claim a return flight from London to Manchester.
Why such a paltry total? Partly because, contrary to popular belief, the airline doesn’t give me a BA Mile for every geographical mile I fly. It would if I paid full fare, but, like most passengers, I book the cheapest available flights. These earn only about a quarter of the real miles flown. A recent return trip to Geneva (total distance 920 miles) was worth just 250 BA Miles.
Last year, BA responded to criticism by reducing the number of miles needed to claim free flights. The minimum amount required for the shortest hops was cut from 12,000 to 9,000 miles. If, like me, you’re still short, BA lets you buy extra miles, or pay part-miles, part-cash. What it doesn’t tell you is that both these options can work out more expensive than simply booking the flight at www.ba.com.
I tried booking a flight to Paris in November through the Executive Club and was quoted 3,000 miles plus £15 and £34.80 in taxes. Total: £49.80. I then logged out and tried again, masquerading as a humble non-executive. Total price for the exact same flight, with taxes: £43.80.
Next up, a return flight to Venice. For this, I was told I would need an additional 7,825 miles. I could buy these from BA at a cost of £16 per thousand (plus a cheeky £15 “processing fee”). Buying the extra miles would cost £143 plus £47.40 in taxes. Grand total: £190.40 (plus my hard-earned miles). But if I’d booked the flights at www.ba.com, I would have paid just £78.40.
Even frequent business travellers who have accumulated piles of BA Miles report problems in redeeming them. David Murr, of Yateley, in Hampshire, saved enough miles to fly his wife Club class to Australia for their 40th wedding anniversary. When he had trouble finding available dates, he was advised to book as soon as the seats came on sale – 350 days in advance.
He called the Executive Club exactly 350 days ahead, only to be told that all the seats allocated to BA Miles holders had been sold for that month. “They suggested I fly to Hong Kong with BA Miles, then pay another carrier to take us on. It is an absolute disgrace that BA markets the benefits of BA Miles when it’s almost impossible to get a seat,” said Murr.
BA admits that caps are placed on the numbers of seats it exchanges for miles, but won’t reveal exact figures. “Popular destinations and times are limited,” it said, adding that 500,000 customers a year do manage to redeem their miles.
BA has also upset some of its exec members by introducing an expiry date on miles. If an account is not used for three years, all the miles are lost.
Despite this, there are plenty of miles sitting around in accounts, doing nothing. One report said that at the end of 2004 the worldwide total of unredeemed frequent-flyer miles was... wait for it... 14 trillion.
MAXIMISE YOUR MILES
There may be pitfalls with BA Miles, but they can be worth having if you know how to work the system. Here’s how:
— If you buy BA flights for family members, open a household account and you can claim their miles too.
— Look for late deals. BA recently had returns to Geneva, Dresden and Zurich for 4,500 miles, reduced from 9,000 miles.
— You can convert Tesco Clubcard points to BA Miles (250 Tesco points equal 600 miles). Avis, Travelex and Hilton also pay BA Miles.
— Consider collecting Airmiles instead. Although Airmiles is owned by BA, its points are worth more. That return to Venice would have cost 600 Airmiles plus taxes, rather than 15,000 BA Miles.
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So welcome back to celebrity travel news. Yeah, I know, I should be more highbrow, but I was intrigued to read that Madonna is apparently planning to take baby David to the Maldives - just like Tom and Katie did! Poor kid, hasn't he racked up enough air miles lately.Labels: celebrity, madonna, maldives, tom cruise, travel
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I'm a freelance travel writer for The Sunday Times in London. I also do SEO for travel websites. My latest project is 101 Holiday ideas, with another site to follow about short breaks. I also offer website copywriting.
