TRAVEL
Home & Away with Robert Walshe AER Lingus has announced the addition of new routes and increased frequencies to its summer 2012 schedule.The airline will introduce Verona and Stockholm to thealready extensive summer schedule on offer which has holiday options for everyone, whatever your budget or taste. Along with these fresh new sun and city break destinations, Aer Lingus is also set to increase frequency on thirteen of its other routes, including Faro, Perpignon and Zurich. www.aerlingus.com Meanwhile the visits of US President Barack Obama and Queen Elizabeth to Ireland last year helped boost visitor numbers to the Guinness Storehouse by 10pc, bosses have said. Some 1,025,677 people passed through the doors of the St James’ Gate attraction in Dublin, making it Ireland’s top fee-paying international tourist draw. Paul Carty, managing director of the Storehouse, said one in every two visitors to the capital have the brewery on their itinerary.
Weekend Hotspot
The London Victoria & Albert Museum is well-known all around the world by its shortened recognition - V&A. The V&A in London city is a treasure of design and attractive fine art items. It is home to a compilation of over 4.5 million fine art items. . Its derivation goes back to the year 1852 as the South Kensington Museum. The Victoria and Albert Museum in London is extended above twelve and half acres of land, and is home to 148 art galleries in its bosom. It has a wonderful collection of art and design objects straddling from 5000 years old works of art, passing from olden to recent times. Its superb set of art and design things are varied traditions like North Africa, Asia, Europe and North America. V & A in London has for its neighbours, world famous organizations like Natural History Museum and the Science Museum. When visiting for the weekend the splendid Westbury Mayfair Hotel is one of my favourite places to stay. This exclusive deluxe property is the only hotel on Bond Street. The Westbury boasts
Versace, Tiffany’s, Armani, Sotheby’s and Burberry as neighbours and is very close to the main shopping areas of Oxford and Regent Street. Shopaholics will naturally be delighted by these nearby shops but there is also something for everyone in the area, be it restaurants, bars or tourist attractions don Delux Suite. ■ Westbury Mayfair Lon such as Piccadilly Circus. The first Westbury was opened in 1927 in New York City lotine of foie gras by the polo playing Phipps family. filled with prune and Banyuls Later in 1955 The Westbury Lon- wine and served with toasted don was opened, becoming the brioche. Main courses include first 5 star American hotel in the fillet of red mullet with aromatic capital city. Bond Street views are couscous, green olives and althe highlight of the guestrooms mond tapenade or lobster with which have been designed to re- baby leeks, potato gnocchi, kumflect the decadence and elegance quat and lobster dressing. of the hotel! For four decades, the The pasta section offers papPolo Bar has been a favourite Lon- pardelle with wild boar ragout, don rendezvous and a location, cooked in red wine and fresh making it a perfect place to meet. herbs or velvety langoustine The intimate setting and warm, ravioli with fennel and tomato inviting ambience of The Polo Bar confit. An incomparable dessert make it one of Mayfair’s leading selection includes almond-indestinations. With its extensive fused pannacotta with macerated range of champagne, classic and cherries, amaretti crumble and modern cocktails, sumptuous bar sour cherry sorbet; and Valhrona snacks and a pianist to set the dark chocolate and olive oil parmood, it is no wonder that the fait with caramel cream and warm bar is popular with both London- honeyed figs. ers and guests alike. Today, the The Gallery also boasts a casual new look Polo Bar has a contem- bar that is the perfect setting for porary, vibrant yet sophisticated a leisurely lunch along with a sestyle. The finishes of the bar in- lection of fixed price options and clude Swarovski crystal and styl- daily specials. www.westburymayish Gucci furnishings. The Gallery fair.com Restaurant enjoys a glamorous Weekly Best Buy French inspired period décor with Trinity Capital Hotel on Dublin’s glittering chandeliers, mirrored walls, velvet chairs and a beauti- Pearse Street has been award four star status! To celebrate this ful mosaic floor. Crafting high-end European achievement, they are offering a dishes acclaimed chef Brian special Four Star Treat Package Fantoni brings expertise from at only €89. The Four Star Treat The Savoy and Claridges to the Package is bed & breakfast for two, kitchen. The menu at this all-day plus one of the following lucky dip dining destination includes fresh ‘4 Treats’ picked at check in– a langoustine ravioli, or rabbit with complimentary upgrade to one of polenta and raisin dressing. Dinner the Trinity Capital’s lavish Execucould begin with starters of pork tive Suites, a bottle of bubbly on and pistachio terrine with Italian arrival, complimentary dinner in lardo and mustard fruits or bal- Café Cairo Restaurant and a pre-
Pet’s Corner... IN many houses the dog is put outside because the owners find it too time consuming, too dirty or too much hard work... some end up in the pound. It’s always good to ask yourself why you have a dog. Unless it was a stray, the dog did not suddenly appear in your life on it’s own. Someone spoke to it, fed it or bought it and took it in. A person is the reason why the dog is there, so why does the dog become the one to pay for that? So many dogs have good lives and as with everything there will be the ups and downs. There will be days where things go well and days where it all goes wrong but in general most people give their dogs a reasonable life. Unfortunately, it’s not that way for all dogs. Enjoying a dog
is about the little things. Like every relationship it’s the little things that help with the bonding and the memories. Big things are not as important, so buying your dog an expensive bed is not as important as knowing what he likes and what he doesn’t like. It’s about being interested in your dog. My old dog won’t be around for much longer. She’s nearly 15 years old and the times that I have had with her have been great. I wouldn’t change a thing. She has been like my right arm since I first met her. She’s a collie and has worked with me all her life. She was the most obedient, wise, intelligent and pushy little creature I ever met. Once when I was training a sheepdog pup years ago, I was using ducks to teach it the com-
■ Queen Eliz
abeth & Pri
nce Philip
at Guinnes
s Storehous
e.
■ Verona Opera from Aer Lingus.
dinner drink, or a 40% discount voucher off the bed & breakfast rates of your next stay. All this for just €44.50 per person sharing. It’s a true 4 star celebration. www. trinitycapitalhotel.com Start 2012 with a break to the North West to the 4-star Castle Dargan Resort, located just minutes from Sligo town. Enjoy a ‘Golf or Pamper break’ offering guests two nights accommodation in one of the resort’s luxury bedrooms with dinner on one evening and the choice between a round of golf on the resort’s Darren Clarke designed golf course or an Elemis spa treatment (back, neck & shoulder massage or facial) in the hotel’s oasis of relaxation, the Icon Spa. Available from €129 per person sharing. www.castledargan.com Robert Walshe is a freelance contributor / broadcaster and guest travel writer for River Media newspaper titles across the island of Ireland
Home and Away Extra With the opening of the “Das Tirol”, Kempinski Hotels finally opened its first property in Austria. The luxurious hotel has a lot on offer: it is the only five-star-hotel in Kitzbühel and the surrounding area that has direct access to the slopes. Kempinski The Spa is an oasis where guests can feel at ease and relax and was labelled as a Leading Spa. Moreover it belongs to the distinguished circle of The Leading Hotels of the World – being the only hotel in this sought after ski resort. The property boasts 118 superior double rooms, 13 junior suites, 16 suites and one Penthouse suite. Two restaurants with distinctive menus on offer: The Steinberg and the Sra Bua by Wini Brugger restaurants. Down-to-earth cuisine from the Tyrolean mountains and surprising taste sensations from Asia. A special opening offer is valid until 25 December – the superior double room starts at € 200 a night including breakfast. www. kempinski.com
Do you enjoy your dog?
with Kathleen Murray
mands. I had already trained my dog to work with sheep and the
Living
ducks were her pals. I told my dog to stay at the house (bot-
tom of the field) so that the pup could learn without distraction. As we worked, the pup scattered the ducks and was over excited so I went to regroup the ducks and settle the pup down when all of a sudden my dog jumped out of the hedge (where she was hiding), rounded up the ducks and left them at my feet and then jumped back into the hedge again so I wouldn’t send her back to the house. Today she is kept going on heart tablets, and attention. She is in the early stages of dementia, she is half deaf, half blind, and swaying at the back end now and then when she gets a bit dizzy from circulation problems (like myself), but when I open the fridge door she’s right there beside me. She’s no less
intelligent or pushy when she’s in tune with the rest of the world and she still makes me smile when I see the things she comes up with. If she’s not hungry she puts a lot of effort into hiding her food in case one of the other dogs gets it. She has raided waste paper bins and covered the food bowl with papers or has taken the blanket off her bed and covered the bowl with that. Parts of her are only half there but she’s still on her feet and staying a step ahead of the posse. She’s actually very healthy, doesn’t have any joint problems or arthritis, but she’s winding down as the months go by. She’s great company. It’s important to enjoy your dog. It won’t always be there.