TRAVEL
Robert Walshe is a travel broadcaster with Q Radio Network & Travel Editor for River Newspapers Ireland & Lifestyle Northern Ireland Online - www.robertwalshe.com
Home & Away with Robert Walshe TURKISH Airlines have appointed Rachel Rock as their new marketing director of the Dublin office. Turkish, who already operate to Hurghada and Sharm El Sheikh through Istanbul. plan to inaugurate flights to Luxor and Aswan in the autumn. Meanwhile Luxair have announced that they will resume their 4 weekly service to Luxembourg from March 30 2014.
Holiday Hotspot Four Seasons Mahe , Seychelles www.fourseasons. com Seychelles is an idyllic archipelago nation and the perfect holiday destination. Its 150 plus islands are in the heart of the sparkling blue Indian Ocean, with Zanzibar to the west, Mauritius and Réunion to the south, and the Maldives to the northeast. They have been blessed with some of the most beautiful beaches in the world, many as untouched as when Vasco de Gama first travelled here more than 500 years ago. The islands are a haven for flora and fauna, with six National Marine Parks; a further 40 per cent of the land is protected as National Parks The islands are stunning, and well known as a blissfully isolated honeymoon haven with luxurious hideaways and excellent diving. Mahe is the largest island home to
80.000 people and Victoria is one of the world’s smallest capital cities. It’s a pleasant provincial place with a colourful local market, simple souvenir stores and a handful of bars and restaurants. First established as the seat of British colonial government, it retains remnants of the UK including the roundabout clock tower, modelled on Little Ben in London’s Victoria. There’s enough to merit a few hours’ exploration here including the Botanical Gardens, the National Museum of History and the Victoria Natural History Museum. The splendid Four Seasons Resort perched on the top of Mahe’s breath taking beach at Petite Anse offers peace and seclusion unrivalled anywhere on the globe. Each of the villas and suites enjoy a unique tree-house design on stilts over the jungle with magnificent ocean views. Designed in a traditional Creole style, featuring natural timber each has its own infinity plunge pool and outdoor living space. The architect cleverly styled the villas after the dwellings of local people and the rooms use suitable colours which blend in perfectly with the surrounding. The larger residences are a hidden gem and a unique product in the Seychelles. Perfect for families,
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groups, weddings and events, the range of size and layout options means there is something perfect for every need. The butler service here provides assistance such as breakfast and complimentary afternoon cocktails by a private pool, as well as a personal concierge. The shared public space in the lobby, restaurant and library follow the Colonial histories of the islands with the beach club surrounded by old plantation ruins perfect for a special occasion. There are two fine restaurants at Four Seasons Mahe offering open-air or covered dining options. “ Zez “ has ocean and sunset views from its hillside setting offering Continental and Arabic cuisine while a full American breakfast and specialty dishes are available à la carte. Mediterranean specialties later in the evening include Portuguese, Spanish, Italian, Greek, Turkish and Lebanese dishes which are simply delicious. Creole themed cooking demonstrations take place in Kannel Restaurant, where I had the opportunity to learn all about Seychellois cuisine. We were able to savour mouth-watering creations during the demonstration and take home a selection of spices to try in our kitchen thanks to charismatic chef Sherla. Kannel also offers a variety of Creole and International dishes and
the seafood is exceptional. If lazing about on the nearby beach is too energetic for you, you can always check out the spa situated at the top of the hill with impressive views. Comprising of seven glass-fronted pavilions, all linked by an extensive space exclusively for yoga, the spa includes eight treatment rooms, private sitting areas, steam rooms, rain showers and outside relaxation tubs. Many of the treatments incorporate island herbs and spices such as frangipani and lemongrass, combined in accordance with ancient recipes. The spa also offers Seychelles-own brand YiKing to bring local natural, biodegradable and organic products to guests. Based around the ancient concept of Yi-King more than 4000 years ago in China it teaches us how the organs are linked to the elements, to plants, and to the food we eat. The daughter of famed local artist & resort neighbour Michael Adams, MBE, Alyssa has lived in Seychelles for most of her life, and uses her insight into the local area to create wild
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and colourful work that reflects her habitat. She created two limited edition prints in a series called Petite Anse about the beauty and mystery of the jungle that surrounds the resort. The prints are available to buy exclusively for guests as a memento of their stay in this secluded paradise. Four Seasons Mahe also operate a successful internship with the Shannon College of Hotel Management providing students with professional on the job training before graduation and I was delighted to meet numerous students from across the island of Ireland while there. A reminder that Four Seasons Seychelles are offering their “Stay Even Longer – Sixth and Seventh Nights Free “promotion. Complimentary night(s) must be used in conjunction with initial stay. Package can be booked back to back. Daily buffet breakfast for up to two persons is included with the complimentary nights. www. fourseasons.com/seychelles Organised activities on Mahe are limited as most people come to enjoy the beach and do very little – but diving, fishing and boat excursions can also be arranged. A visit to the island is not complete without a trip to the nearby Takamaka Bay rum distillery, situated at La Plaine St. Andre, an old colonial home-
stead on the south east coast. It was built over 200 years ago and sympathetically renovated to showcase its natural heritage. The Trois Freres Distillery itself was built and developed by brothers Richard and Bernard d’Offay in 2002. Since then, the Takamaka Bay family of products has grown to include white rum, & coco rum. www.takamaka. sc Emirates Airline operates a Dublin to Dubai daily service departing at lunchtime. Dubai to Seychelles is a double daily service departing at 2.05hrs or 8.25hrs. The airline’s chauffeur-drive service is available to both First and Business Class passengers across the island of Ireland. All Emirates’ customers can enjoy in-flight telephones, SMS and email and children’s activity packs. Highly trained cabin crews from across the globe, including Irish & UK nationals are on hand to serve gourmet chef prepared meals. www. emirates.com For all travel information to the Seychelles visit www.seychelles.travel
Home and Away Extra The Augustine (www.theaugustine.com) is honoured to have been named one of the Top 100 Hotels in the World in Travel + Leisure’s 2013 World’s Best Awards (coming in at joint-52nd place), as well as being
the fifth-placed “Top Large City Hotel in Europe”, making it the best hotel in Prague. The awards are online at travelandleisure. com now; in addition, they will appear in the August issue of the magazine.
with Kathleen Murray
Things that some people do….wrongly SOMEONE once said “A little bit of knowledge is a dangerous thing” and another person once said “The more you learn, the more you realise how little you know.” People often make decisions based on very little information, or on what someone else, with very little information, told them would work. This can cause so many problems, and in some cases, can be downright dangerous. One example of this is the myth that raw eggs are good for a dog. Raw eggs are not good for a dog... full stop. Your vet will
be happy to tell you about the problems that raw eggs can cause in dogs. Any healthy dog should have a glossy coat (especially a young dog) otherwise it is lacking in the right type of feeding, it is not being brushed enough, it is in need of a worm tablet, or for a variety of other reasons. Next up is the way that some people worm their dogs (and other animals). Worm tablets are supposed to be given according to body weight. Going into a shop and buying worm tablets and then giving them to your dog, without knowing
the weight of the dog, can make your dog suffer a lot for no good reason. The wrong dosage can make the dog sick and cause severe cramps, or not be effective at all. These things are best done under veterinary advice, to make sure you get it right. Playing the vet at home with not enough information can be cruel to an animal. Another thing that is done to dogs, if they have a problem in their eye, is that the eye is washed out with salt and water (sometimes a herbal tea). This is nuts. Try putting some in your
own eye. Ask your vet why this is not the thing to do. I feel so bad for dogs that are treated like this. The needless suffering is awful. So many things from a bit too much chocolate to slug pellets are poison to your dog. It is so important to get the right information. Each dog is an individual and each problem is different. If an animal has been poisoned people often try to treat it themselves. Don’t do this. Ring your vet immediately!!! People that put down poison have a big responsibility to put up a sign stating that there is poison
in that area. Different poisons have different treatments. You could kill an animal by giving the wrong treatment. Ask your vet before you act. If we all know more than the vets, after all the years and money that they had to spend going through college, then we have a problem. They are the experts in animal medical matters... please ask for their advice before you act. It will cost you less in the long run and your animal will thank you for it. If an animal is already
suffering, why add to it? When people take on the responsibility of an animal then these are the things they need to take into consideration. Animals get sick and the vets are not a charity. Showing up without the money doesn’t work. Medicines and time cost money. If money is an issue for you then ring your local charity to see if they can help... and in return how you can help them.