TRAVEL
Home & Away with Robert Walshe Inquiries about holidays to the Seychelles have rocketed since it was revealed that the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge had chosen the islands in the Indian Ocean for their delayed honeymoon. TripAdvisor said interest in the Seychelles tripled earlier this week while Skyscanner said searches of flights to the exotic island chain were up more than 200% compared with a rise of 23% for all long-haul flights. Britain’s new celebrity couple have already holidayed together in the Seychelles in 2007, when they stayed on Desroches Island. When they touched down in the capital Mahe earlier this week, their ultimate destination was being kept a closely guarded secret but they are believed to have chosen a £4,000-a night villa at the exclusive Fregate Island Private. Scandinavia hosts several pride festivals each year, making it a great travel destination for the gay and lesbian community. The Pride festivals, held every year in June, July and August are the highlight of the year in the Scandinavian gay calendar. The best pride events in Scandinavia include the Stockholm Pride Festival in late July now the highlight of the year for many gays, lesbians and transgenders. It is the largest event for GLBT in Scandinavia. There are many international p performers, activities, and other events to keep you busy. Other summer festivals include the Copenhagen Pride Festival in August and the Oslo Pride Festival in late June Scandinavian Airlines fly 24 times a week direct from Dublin to Oslo, Stockholm, Copenhagen and onwards to Scandinavia and the Baltic’s from as little as €65 one way including taxes. www.flysas.ie
Holiday Hotspot
Bulgaria is one of the newest countries to enter the family of European Union members and bring with it a rich and varied historic and geographical landscape for visitors to explore and enjoy. For this season, Concorde Travel features 3 of the more renowned resorts of the Bulgarian Black Sea Coast: Sunny Beach, Golden Sands, and Nessebar. There is sunshine enough to bask for ten or eleven hours in the summer months. During the day, a breeze blows from the sea to the shore and at night the direction is reversed. Shallow beaches with warm sea and the lack of tidal movements of any force make the Black Sea an ideal place for children and family holidays. The wide variety of entertainment for all age groups makes these four resorts great places for you to enjoy your summer holiday. Concorde Travel
features two of Bulgaria’s best known resorts - Sunny Beach and Golden Sands. Situated on the southern shores of the Black Sea, Sunny Beach is Bulgaria’s best known resort and boasts clean waters and miles of golden sandy n Seychelles beaches. While the more exclusive Golden Sands resort is located on the northern Black Sea coast, 17 km from Bulgaria’s Black Sea capital, the historic city of Varna. It is a magnificent resort with richly wooded hills sloping down to the white golden beaches and clear waters of the Black Sea. Featuring the exciting resorts of Sunny Beach and Golden Sands, Concorde Travel has the following great deals to this Balkan hotspot. Bulgaria offers for 2011 with Concorde Travel 3* Happy Apartments on a self-Catering, Sunny Beach, from €530pp 3*+ Hotel Ivana Palace on a B&B basis, Sunny Beach, from €504pp 4* Hotel Chaika Beach on a B&B basis, Sunny Beach, from €544pp 4* Hotel Victoria Palace on a B&B basis, Sunny Beach, from €574pp 5* Hotel Barcelo Royal Beach on a HalfBoard basis, Sunny Beach, from €724pp Concorde Travel’s 2011 Bulgaria program runs until October (ex Dublin) and from 20th June to 22nd August (ex Cork). www.concordetravel.ie
Weekly Best Buy
The new Game Drive Package at Bilila Lodge Kempinski offers adventure seekers to explore the vast plains of the famous Serengeti National Park Tanzania and to experience the thrilling wild African bush. The package rates start from $400 (approx. £250) per person per night, in a Savannah room, on full board basis and it includes one game drive per day (morning or afternoon) and roundtrip airport transfers. The package is valid until December 31, 2011 and requires a three night minimum stay. Nicknamed “The Greatest Show on Earth,” an abundance of wildebeest
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and other grazing herbivores attracts visitors from all over the world during the annual Great Migration. The journey buzzes past the Bilila Lodge Kempinski each June/ n Serengetti National Park Tanzana July and October/November, but visitors trekking the plains anytime of the year can easily see why the Serengeti is considered one of the natural wonders VisitBritain’s internet profile went through the roof in the of the world, and the ideal backdrop to lead up to the royal wedding, with its twitter feed entercapture. Bilila Lodge Kempinski boasts ing the top 1% most influential users. The national tourism the most spacious accommodations in agency said its Facebook page Love UK also saw an almost the entire Serengeti. Each of the Lodge’s doubling of fans in the five days leading up to the big day, rooms overlooks the plains of the national from 255,000 to 1.3 million. The agency says discussion park, allowing guests to observe wildlife started by its Twitter hashtag #VisitBritain and mentions from their personal sun decks. www.kemof royal wedding articles on the VisitBritain super blog pinski.com/serengeti With a choice of reached more than two million in 48 hours which pushed San Diego, San Francisco or Los Angeles, the feed’s Klout score, the standard measure of influence, there is something for everyone to do in over 71 – putting it in the top 1%.Global internet service California. Sunway are offering great deals provider Akamai also states that the royal wedding was the including San Diego – 4 Nights staying at sixth largest web event in history. The BBC says more than the 3*+ Handlery Hotel for 4 sharing from two billion people watched the event globally. Airlines have €659 or 2 sharing from €739. In San Frangrown increasingly strict about imposing excess baggage cisco stay at the 3* Best Western Americharges it seems most people appear to have become more cano for 4 sharing from €679 or 2 sharing disciplined about what they bring on holidays but nearly from €745 ( 4 night duration ) or the wonone in five travellers was hit with excess baggage charges derful Los Angeles for 4 nights staying at last year, a new study has found. The survey, carried on by the BW Hollywood Heights for 4 sharing travel website lastminute.com, found that just over 15 per from €685 or 2 sharing from €789. www. cent of Irish people incurred charges for exceeding their sunway.ie baggage allowance in 2010 and collectively paid out €28 Robert Walshe is a freelance contribmillion to airlines with the average charge imposed standutor / broadcaster and guest travel ing at €55 per traveller.It advised people to invest in new writer for River Media newspaper titles lightweight luggage and to make the most of hand luggage across the island of Ireland through the use of vacuum packing bags which shrink clothes to allow more space for bulkier items.
Home and Away Extra
with Kathleen Murray
PUPS FOR SALE with Kathleen Murray: Animal Behavioural Therapist
Unfortunately ads don’t always show the real situation with the pups they are advertising. There are a few things to watch out for when choosing a pup. If you are looking for a mongrel (cross breed of any kind) then you should not have to pay money for it unless you are getting it from a charity where they have spent money on it (vaccinations etc), and even then it is a small price that is asked, not hundreds of Euros. A mongrel (cross breed) is any two breeds that have produced pups. These dogs do not have papers and are not registered with any kennel
club. They are mostly accidents because the owners did not get their dog neutered and then it mated with another dog, not of the same breed. This is not something that you should pay for. This is the irresponsibility of the owner and they should be very happy to get the pup a good home without asking you to pay for their mistake on top of that. A Bishon Frise/Poodle cross is a mongrel dog. A Collie/ Poodle cross is the same. It is a mongrel dog. A jack Russell/ West Highland Terrier cross is a mongrel dog. Pedigree crosses have no status whatso-ever other than they are
very pretty little dogs. If you want a poodle then buy a poodle (with papers), if you want a Bishon Frise then buy a Bishon Frise (with papers). If you are looking for a pure bred dog then don’t buy a dog that has no papers. People often advertise that the dog is cheaper without the papers. It is often too expensive in the first place with the papers. If you buy a dog without papers then you cannot register that dog with the kennel club in your name. The dog is no good to you for showing or breeding. You should not charge money for anything
that this dog produces because anything it produces will have no papers or status to prove that it is legal and above board. When you buy a pedigree pup it should have a vaccination card with it. There should be an official veterinary stamp on the vaccination card. Some breeders vaccinate the pup themselves but this doesn’t stand for anything when you bring your pup to a vet to have a booster. You will have to start over again and be charged for that. Only buy a pup that is still with its mother. Pups need
their mothers until they are eight weeks old. The mother will not be feeding them at this stage but she will be teaching them very valuable life lessons that the pups need to learn. Pups that are taken away from their mothers too young can develop behaviour problems when they are about
1 year old. Pups need to be wormed every two weeks up until they are 12 weeks. There are people that “Breed” dogs that don’t know much about dogs, but they know a lot about making money from other people that don’t know much about dogs either.