TRAVEL
Home & Away with Robert Walshe THOMAS Cook has revealed where holiday spending money goes the furthest in its Cost of Living survey 2010. Costs have dropped in a number of locations, including mainland Spain, the Canaries and Balearic Islands. The top seven short and medium haul destinations are as follows 1. Morocco £29.42 Cheaper in 2010 by £6.75, 2. Egypt £30.45 Cheaper in 2010 by £3.56, 3. Mainland Spain £31.27 Cheaper in 2010 by £3.39, 4. Turkey £34.95 More in 2010 by £1.21, 5. Canary Islands £36.18 Cheaper in 2010 by £5.92, 6. Tunisia £36.75 More in 2010 by £3.70, 7. Balearic Islands £38.36 Cheaper in 2010 by £4.14. Top Seven Long Haul Destinations
Weekend Hotspot
Surrounded by mature gardens and rolling fields in the quiet village of Magheralin Co Down. Newforge House offers peace and tranquillity less than half an hour’s drive from Belfast. This Georgian property provides a unique opportunity to stay in an historic Irish country house with luxury accommodation throughout. The property has remained in the Mathers’ family for six generations and son John got permission from his parents to sympathetically convert the family home in 2003 opening it as a guest house two years later. The family ancestors, who owned the local linen mill, built this elegantly generous mansion 200 years ago. The guest house has six en suite rooms room each bearing the matriarchal name of a generation who has lived here over the centuries. Our room, the Spence room one of the largest on the second floor has views over local fields, whilst the rear facing bathroom looks out over the courtyard. This Classic room, with a large bath and separate shower was bright and airy and I slept like a log. Each bedroom is equipped with: wireless broadband access, TV and DVD, alarm clock, tea and coffee making facilities. The luxury white company body products and fluffy towels complete
the elegantly decorated bathrooms. There is a common drawing room and an excellent dining room which is classy and relaxed where guests eat breakfast and enjoy evening meals prepared by John, who is an accomplished chef. He sources the . ■ Suite at Newforge House best local, organic and good quality ingredients from the gardens. at Newforge. I dined over the two evenings of our stay Outlet a discount retail park at and my menu selection included Bainbridge offers savings of up the most wonderful char grilled to 70% on great brands all year asparagus with rocket & parme- round and the Euro is widely acsan, fillet of Northern Irish pork cepted. Newforge House won escalope’s with sage & honey, the Northern Ireland Tourist pear, chocolate & almond tart Board Guesthouse award in 2008 with vanilla ice cream. On night and was winner of the Northern two after hor-douerves I enjoyed Ireland Tourism Awards Non French onion soup with Dan Hotel Accommodation 2009 and Hegarty’s cheddar croutons, is also listed in Good Food Ireseared Irish salmon with tarra- land. Rates offered include Midgon beurre blanc and yoghurt & Week Break (Available Tuesday vanilla pannacota with roasted – Thursday) £350.00. The rate rhubarb yoghurt from Clande- is per room for 2 nights B+B boye Estate, Co. Down. The se- and 3-course dinner based on lections of Irish artisan cheese two sharing one classic room course with local oatcakes are a with ensuite bath & shower. must. The food by far exceeded For weekend breaks (Available my expectations. A three-course Friday, Saturday & Sunday) the seasonal dinner with coffee or cost is £300.00. This includes a tea and homemade chocolates classic room for 2 nights B&B is available to guests Tuesday and one 3-course dinner on Fri- Saturday, from 7pm - 8.30pm. day or Saturday based on two Residents are also welcome sharing. Newforge is also a to invite their own guests to member of Ireland’s Blue Book dinner where Eithne and her a stunning collection of Irish staff are attentive and friendly. Country House Hotels, Manor Northern Ireland is renowned Houses, Castles and Restaufor its friendly people and natu- rants. www.irelands-blue-book. ral beauty and 48 hours in the ie/newforgehouse or www.newprovince will not do justice to forgehouse.com the many visitor experience on offer. The location of NewWeekly Best Buy forge House is advantageous to Kenya is without doubt one discover local attractions like Lurgan Public Park, Brownlow of Africa’s most popular holiHouse, Lurgan Lake, The Lough day and safari destinations. It Neagh Discovery Centre at Ox- is more than just its 59 National ford Island, The historic City of Parks, reserves and private Armagh and nearby Ballydou- sanctuaries teeming with wildgan Pottery. For shoppers The life as Kenya offers some of the
Pet’s Corner...
Pups for sale
■ Drawing
Living
room at New
forge House
.
■ Newforge House exterior.
best beaches in Africa. Mombasa is a tropical paradise of palm fringed white sandy beaches, where the turquoise waters of the Indian Ocean meet beautiful coral reefs; a perfect place to relax after a magical safari. Sunway is offering 7 nights in the 5* MOMBASA SERENA BEACH on a half board basis during the month of June including flights and all taxes and charges from €1520 www.sunway.ie Travelmood have great summer offers including two all-inclusive resorts in Jamaica and Antigua are among the most affordable getaways in the entire Caribbean. Book a stay at the Grand Pineapple resort in either Antigua or Jamaica before the 30th June and receive up to 50% off. Antigua Stay 9 nights at the Grand Pineapple Beach in Antigua with Garden View Room on an all inclusive basis. www.travelmood.ie
Home and Away Extra Tourists in Rome will soon be able to visit the underground of the Coliseums, where gladiators once prepared for fights and lions and tigers were caged before entertaining a bloodthirsty public. The city’s culture officials said today that, after several months of work to make the area safe for visits, the public will be allowed to add the underground section to tours of the arena starting in late summer. No exact date has been set. Celebrity Cruises has unveiled its UK and Ireland brochures for cruises in 2011 and 2012. The line has also revealed a special edition Europe and Mediterranean brochure to cover the five ships that will be based in the region in summer 2011.A worldwide brochure also features cruises throughout the Caribbean, Alaska, and South America. Celebrity Eclipse will return to Southampton in 2011, with more Italian Mediterranean ports of call and longer 16-night cruise options. 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
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.