TRAVEL
Home & Away with Robert Walshe FRANCE is the most expensive place to take a holiday according to new research despite the public perception that it is cheaper to visit than the Nordic countries, Dubai and Japan. A survey compared the cost of paying for various typical items – including a coffee, a beer, a meal, accommodation in a Marriott hotel and hiring a car from Avis – in 30 different countries and found that the cheapest place to buy these was Cyprus, followed by mainland Greece and South Africa. If the cost of a flight was then included Cyprus and Greece were still the cheapest, followed by Morocco. Flights added considerably to the cost of holidays in far flung countries: although New Zealand was in the bottom 10 excluding flights, it moved up to eighth most expensive when travel was included. The recently opened Ritz-Carlton Shanghai, Pudong will be the luxury hotel brand’s second hotel in the city, and it’s seventh in China. The 285-room property will be the cities ultimate destination for luxury and style and occupies the top 18 floors of the Shanghai ifc South Tower. The design and style of the hotel is contemporary with hints new interpretations of 1930’s Shanghai Art Deco. This gives a great sense of place to the hotel as guest rooms and restaurants embrace magnificent sweeping views over The Bund – the most intact collection of Art Deco architecture anywhere in the world. The Ritz-Carlton Shanghai Pudong will offer a host of exquisite luxury restaurants and a bar with unrivalled views. Located on the hotel’s 55th floor and occupying an area of more than 1,500 square meters, The RitzCarlton Spa by ESPA features 10 treatment rooms, including nine multi-function treatment rooms and a Harmony Suite where two guests may relax and enjoy treatments together. www.ritzcarlton.com
Weekend Hotspot The principality of Monaco is a bizarre little place. Situated to the east of the French Riviera, the country is very small and dominated by the city of Monte Carlo. Everything in the principality caters to the wealthy, so budget travellers
Living
beware. Historically, the Grimaldi royal family has and continues to dominate Monaco. Established in 1866, Monte-Carlo was named in honour of Prince Charles III and is the richest of the country’s four quarters. For years, Monte-Carlo has been the playground of the rich and famous, from Hollywood starlets to royalty, and business people dodging the taxman. It is also one of Europe’s foremost holiday resorts, but certainly not for the humble backpacker. The city has several attractions, such as the Oceanographic Museum ■ Delphi Mountain Resort and Aquarium, the Monaco Cathedral and the Prince’s Palace, several gardens, and other attractions centred on the country’s famous Royal Family, such as an exhibition of HSH Prince of Monaco’s Private Collection of Classic Cars. Monte ■ Monte Carlo Monaco Carlo is the only city of ■ Ritz Carlton Pudong Sha significance nghai Hotel in Monaco. With surfing and kayaking, hill The city is perched above the walking and rock climbing, high ocean and fairly dramatic. There is J u s t ropes and archery, there is something for everyone at Delphi Mounan old Europe charm, but modern make sure you’ve hotels, resorts and so on are blended warmed up your credit cards. tain Resort. A two night stay with a in nicely. No mention of the city Avoid rip off taxi drivers and try the three course meal on the evening would be complete without men- helicopter ride from Nice Airport if your choice starts from just €189 tioning Formula One racing. Every and Columbus Monaco a boutique per person sharing. www.delphiyear, the city hosts the Monaco property overlooking the Princess mountainresort.com Joe Walsh Grand Prix and attending the race Grace garden is special. Aer Lingus Tours has introduced a special is definitely something you should operate daily flights from Dublin to “No Fly Cruise” direct from Dublin do at least once. There are some in- Nice, seven days a week. One-way to Spain, Portugal and North Africa. teresting diversions, such as cata- fares start from €45 excluding taxes A new 9 night cruise leaving direct maran trips, watersports, yachting and charges. For more information from Dublin is now on sale from and the Azur Express tourist train on fares and schedules and to book only €799 departing on the 9th October. that links up the city’s attractions log on to www.aerlingus.com Packages includes: daily breakaccompanied by multi-lingual comWeekly Best Buy fast, lunch & dinner, daytime & mentary. Worth exploring is the Old evening entertainment, lectures Town, with its attractive City Hall, If you have a sense of adventure by food & wine experts and port and of course when one is bored of sightseeing, the best diversion (and and love the great outdoors then taxes. The cruise itinerary takes in; the cheapest) is merely to settle Delphi Mountain Resort is the per- Dublin-Lisbon-Algarve-Gibraltardown with a fancy cocktail and peo- fect place for you! Bring the family Tangier-La Coruna (for Santiago de ple-watch. Monaco and Monte Carlo to the west of Ireland where you Compostela)-Dublin. Book before are definitely worth a one-day trip if can be at one with nature and ex- July 31st and receive up to 10% off! you are visiting the French Riviera. perience the best of Irish holidays! www.joewalshtours.ie
Pet’s Corner...
Home and Away Extra Four Seasons’ property in central London is to be positioned as a “new hotel” when it opens at the end of the year. The Park Lane property has been closed for refurbishment, but Jane Burnell, Four Seasons’ regional vice president of sales for Europe, the Middle East and Africa, said it will have undergone so many changes behind its facade that it can be deemed a new hotel. Four Seasons Hotel London is having an entirely new floor added which will allow for a rooftop spa overlooking Hyde Park. All 192 rooms and suites will be completely redesigned and the hotel will feature a new bar and updated restaurants. The group’s Marrakech hotel is due to open in the first quarter of 2011 and Burnell said that will add a new level of service standards to the destination. The low-rise villa concept property will be 20 minutes from the city’s Medina. This July Newcastle Gateshead and Tyne and Wear are set to wow visitors with a jam-packed and sizzling summer programme kicking-off the school holidays in style.SummerTyne returns to The Sage Gateshead with five days of American inspired music and events, 22-26 July. The Americana theme has proved popular in the past and is back with a mixture of performances. Taking to the skies above nearby Sunderland – the city by the sea – will be a host of award winning aerial display teams at the 21st Sunderland International Airshow, 23-25 July. www.visitnewcastlegateshead.co.uk Robert Walshe is a freelance contributor / broadcaster and is guest travel writer for River Media newspaper titles across the island of Ireland
with Kathleen Murray
with Kathleen Murray: Animal Behavioural Therapist
Pet birds – do some homework IN RECENT times the demand for pet birds has risen as people think that they are very cute, and the fact that some can talk is very entertaining. There are lots of birds to choose from and they are easily got which is a problem. Some of these birds are very expensive and have been taken from their natural environment by poachers, for cash. This is no reflection on pet shops, by the way, as they know where their birds are coming from, and can trace them back to source. If there is a bird that you are interested in then do some homework
first. Find out more about this type of bird in a book or on the net. Find out where it comes from and what it eats in it’s natural environment. If you have a bird already or have lost a bird because someone has let it out by accident then you’ll know the downside to having a bird in your home. Cute as they are they need exercise like any other animal and some can be destructive. They need space to flap their wings and fly. You need to have a very safe place for them to do this. If we lived in a very warm sunny country then getting out by accident wouldn’t be as big a prob-
lem than getting out here on a cold windy day. Keeping these birds in a central heated house and then losing them to the elements outside is very upsetting as they can’t withstand the cold or feed themselves without danger. They are used to having food in a certain place every day (provided for them) and then suddenly they are in a world that they don’t know, where there are other birds with territorial issues that won’t be so generous with the food if your bird arrives to eat with them. Pet birds are very trusting and don’t know the dangers of the outside world
so enemy number one is the local cat. As our cat population is enormous due to cats not being neutered in time (6 months) the bird won’t be around for long. Safety plans are very important when you have a bird in your house. Summertime is the most dangerous as we have our windows and doors open for fresh air. If you are out and about in the garden in the summer you can take the bird out there in the cage with you and put it up on a table or somewhere that you can supervise it. Protect it from the strong sun by putting a towel over the top of the cage. Being
in the sun is fine but if you are stuck there for a lengthy period of time, in a cage, with no way to get to a tree for shade, then it is not fine any more. If there are children in the house then they must be taught not to leave doors open when they go in and out when the bird is “loose”. Children should always be supervised around any animal as they don’t know the right way to behave around animals. They often bring problems onto themselves by just simply being children. Birds are intelligent. They can be trained to do many things and adapt to many situations,