Trendjetter Scotland’s first travel trend magazine for those who want that jet set life
£3.00
Motorbiking through the West Coast of South Africa Route 66 and Chapman’s Peak Drive exclusive
City Breaks to London and Paris The best of what each city has to offer
Spend Your Summer In Sunny Salou A perfect resort in Costa Daurada Spain
City Breaks
Hotel Reviews
Travel Features
Pick up one of our BIKES and hit the road!
The BEST Adventure Motorcycle routes in SOUTHERN AFRICA, Guaranteed !
Trendjetter Magazine, May 2013 Letter from the Editor Hi all welcome to Trendjetter, scotland’s first travel trend magazine which focuses on the latest trendy destinations to visit and travel trends. I created this magazine for a university magazine module however enjoyed writing it that much i have decided to take it forward and pursue its potential. In this issue you can read about the best of what London and Paris has to offer as two ideal city breaks. This month’s cover story is a travel exclusive on motorbiking in down the west coast of South Africa, a story inspired by real life motorbikers. On page 11 there is a hotel review on the New County Hotel in Perth a worthy stay there if your planning on visiting the Fair City. Hope you enjoy reading the first issue of Trendjetter. Please e-mail your comments to sneddonlauren10@yahoo.com
Contents What Kind of Traveller are you ? p3
Tale of Two City Breaks: London V Paris p4&5 Spend Your Summer in Salou p6&7 Take your hobby on holiday, South Africa exclusive
p8,9&10 New County Hotel Review, Perth p11
GO,SEE,LIVE
What kind of tr aveller are you ? The word traveller defines someone who visits new places and see’s what the world has to offer. The question is what kind of traveller are you? Reading this piece will help you discover the type of traveller that applies or appeals to you. • Are you someone who likes to book an all-inclusive package holiday for two weeks in the sun? Then you’re known as a holiday maker – someone who likes to get away for a holiday abroad. • Does the term City Slicker term suit you? Would you say you’re someone who likes to be amongst a city crowd say like in New York or Barcelona? Yvonne Strachan from Earnock goes at least one city break a year said: ”I love city breaks and have been to lots including New York, London, Barcelona and Rome. I like visiting cities to asbord their culture and history.” •Or are you neither these kind of travellers but someone who likes to arrange their own holiday including flights, accommodation and destination. If so then you are an independent traveller. Paul Downie from Hamilton who has been to twenty-four countries within Europe and the Middleast as an independent traveller, said: “I like the freedom of being able to organise my holiday according to my own schedule without being dependent on a tour guide or restricted to other people’s demands.”
Tale Of Two Cosmopolitian Cities London V Paris LONDON and Paris are two metropolis’s which share a love of cosmopolitan culture, making them both ideal city breaks. There is only two hours flight distance between the two, however both cities have shopping, eating out history and sightseeing on offer. London, the UK’s capital offers a shopping experience like no other city in Britain with the luxurious department store Harrods, where you can buy anything from perfume to a 4D television. Oxford Street is one of London’s most famous streets and is home to 548 shops making it a haven for retail therapy and where you will find Selfridges department store. If Oxford Street doesn’t satisfy your shopping needs, then head to Covent Garden where the surrounding streets are full of High Street brands and Independent Shops. Paris has a different shopping scene to London as you will struggle to find alot of High Street brands there. Instead you will come across parisian boutiques and vintage shops. One place where you will be able to get your hands on some brand names is the Galeries Lafayette in the city’s Boulevard Haussmann an expensive shopping scene in Paris. Both cities are different in sight seeing too as their historic tales are the reason behind many of the landmarks that exist in London and Paris today. At the time when the London Bridge was constructed in 1886 King George III was in reign of the British Monarchy. Over in Paris a year later the Eiffel Tower was built in 1887 by Gustave Eiffel for the World Exhibition, which was held in celebration of the French Revolution in 1789. The Eiffel Tower is available to tourists from 9.30am to 11.00pm where you can take a high speed lift up to the second level then if you change lift there, one will take you up to new a height - where you will see Paris in its entirety. Paris has another big attraction in the form of the Arc de Trimophe which is situated at the end of the Champs Elysees - the cities most famous street. The street is 1.91 km full of high end shops, cafe’s and the iconic horse chesnut trees which line the avenue on both sides.
If your keen on heights then London has two impressive sightseeing opportuities. The London Eye (see picture above) was built in 2000 as part of the Milleumn project and will take you on a tour of London’s skyline from inside one of the viewing pods. It takes a full hour to go round the cycle giving you a spectacular view of the city - so don’t forget your camera. On February, 1, 2013 London’s newest attraction, The Shard,opened its observation deck to the world allowing tourists to see London through digital state of the art telescopes. Tickets will set you back, £24.95 if your an adult and £18.95 for a child. Compared with Paris it is cheaper to go on the Eiffel Tower than to visit the Shard as it costs 13.40 Euros for Adults and 9.30 Euros for children to visit the top floor of the Eiffel Tower. The more money you can save on attractions in Paris, the more you can spend on food as it can be pricey. When it comes to fine dining, Paris is where the experts of haute cuisine are born and where you will find no shortage of nice restaurants. Café Procope is a traditional French restaurant and is called the oldest restaurant of Paris, established in 1686. If you manage to get a table there you will receive the ultimate French dining experience and can choose typical French courses like Coq au vin from the menu. Like Paris, London has no shortage of eating places and has more multicultural restaurants on offer. Near Russell Square in London you can find an eating place on a variety of nationalities such as Indian, Italian,
French, Chinese and even Vietnamese. The Trattoria Verdi restaurant is a particularly good Italian with a lovely relaxed atmosphere and great menu. There is also a separate wine menu which offers plenty of Italian wines to quench your taste buds. Expect a sting in your purse stringsthough, as it is an authentic Italian restaurant. A two course meal for four people and two bottles of wine will cost you around £150. With so many differences between the two cities, the only real similarities lie in transport and geography. Both Cities have a river running through the center, the River Thames in London and the Seine in Paris with river boat trips available to tourists, providing a unique way of seeing each city. London and Paris also have two user-friendly underground transport systems allowing people to get across both cities in a speedy, less time consuming way. The London underground celebrated its 150th anniversary and has 287 tube stations and the metro line has run underground in Paris for over a century now. So there you have it two exciting cities too chose from. The question is which will you go for?
Words and Photograph of Eiffel Tower by Lauren Sneddon The Galeries Lafayette and London Eye photo both from Getty Images
Spend Your Summer in Salou
Salou is the main resort in Costa Daurada in Spain meaning “Golden Coast” and you will see where it gets its name from, as there is no shortage of sandy beaches there. It is the perfect spanish destination for families, couples and young adults as it’s packed full of fun activities. The average temperature in Salou during the summer is 23o, so expect plenty of relaxing days in the sun. There are alot of hotels that are ten minute walk from the palm tree fringed promenade such as the H10 Europa Park and H10 Salou Princess. If you are a beach person, then you will have more than one beautiful one to choose from. The main beach, which is situated along Salou’s promenade, is known as the Llevant Beach (see picture above) and is popular with families as it has showers, toilets, volleyball courts and a children’s play area. If you love the sea then this beach is for you as there are plenty of water activities available including the banana boat. This will take you on a bumpy ride along the water or if you’re more adventurous jump on a jet ski’s where you can skim across the sea at high speed. If your after a more quieter and relaxed beach then head for Cap Salou, West of Salou where you will find three little coves in a backdrop of pine trees making it look like a scene from a post card. You can take the kids there to build sand castles without someone troding over them as the
other beaches get particularly busy during the summer season. After you’ve had a couple of beach days why not pay a visit to Port Aventura, Salou’s biggest and best theme park it’s a day trip in itself as there is loads of rides to go on. Port Aventura is home to three thrilling rollercoaster’s: Dragon Khan which has one of the tallest vertical loops in the World and is super exciting, the Furius Baco which you will find as soon as you go through the main entrance, it has a top speed of 83.9 mph. The Shambhala is not for the faint hearted, It’s the tallest and fastest rollercoaster ride in Europe with a 78m drop, 2m of which is underground. Pack a picnic or you can eat at one of the many restaurants and café’s in the theme park, as you will get hungry queuing for the rides. SesamoAventura is a small part of the amusement park and is aimed at Kids with a Sesame Street theme, it has eleven rides including: Tami-Tami, a rollercoaster for children and CocoPilioto, a monorail around the park. There are several ways to get to Port Aventura from main Salou, you can either take one of the Autocars Plana buses which is a 30 minute bus journey or you can hop abroad the Noddy Train (Mini Road Train), which costs three Euros. Salou has a water park nearer to the main promenade, called Aquapolis, which will save you a trip to Port Aventura - perfect if you prefer fun in the water.
Furious Baco Ride in Port Aventura theme park
This Month’s Cover Story
Take Your Hobby on Holiday Motorbiking and Elephant Riding in South Africa Forget Route 66 in the USA as South Africa has the next best thing - Route 62 outside Cape Town. Motorbikers Jim and Sandra Mckechnic from Hamilton, Scotland took their hobby on holiday and embarked on a motor biking trip of a lifetime along the Langkloof Route 62 for Jim’s 60th birthday. They arrived in Cape Town after flying on the overnight flight via Heathrow from Glasgow Airport by British Airways. They picked up their motorbike from Cape Rentals BMW Motorbikes and checked into their hotel. There are a lot of hotels in Cape Town and one’s to suit all budgets. During their time in the metropolis they stayed at the Colona Manor House which is a luxurious villa style hotel in the hillside near Table Mountain. With only eight rooms in the guest house it is a peaceful and inviting place to stay, where you will get a wonderful view of Cape Town and can look up towards Table Mountain. After their brief visit to the city they didn’t intend to stay long as Jim and Sandra were keen to hit the road and see what the west coast had to offer in terms of its geography and scenery. Jim Mckechnic in Champan’s Bay next to his cape rentals BMW motorbike
From their own wonderful experience they said the best way to see South Africa: “is on the back of a motorbike driving past beautiful bays such as Camps Bay and Hout Bay.” One of the best motorbiking routes in Cape Town is the Chapman’s Peak Drive which is situated along the Atlantic Coast between Hout Bay and Noordhoek in the Cape Peninsula. With their helmets securely on and Jim’s hands gripped tight to the handles of his motorbike, whilst Sanrda made a home for herself in the side car - they set off for the Cape of Good Hope. The first stopping point was Cape Point which is the tip of the Cape Peninsula and is located 60km South West of Cape Town. It’s a popular route for motorbikers all over the world as the scenery of Cape Town is truly spectacular. Chapman’s peak has adopted the nickname ‘chappies’ from motorbikers across the world and has a distance of 5km. The route is also a hot spot for hikers and runners due to its dynamic scenery. For those who don’t like the idea of motorbiking
transport in the form of a big grey elephant. Not content with motorbiking down the West Coast of South Africa the Mckehnic’s wanted to give Elephant back riding a go. They stayed at the Knysna Elephant Park Lodge, near Kysna a town in the Western Cape province of South Africa. The Knysna Elephant Park is a conservation area for orphaned elephants where elephant back riding is on offer to tourists staying at the lodge or for people who have a booking. The ride lasts two hours and will take you through the indigenous Cape fynbos, a fine bush area of the western cape of South Africa. Jim spent the morning of his birthday in true safari style by riding on the back of Sally the Elephant, which he described an unforgettable experience. Sandra decided to join her husband on an elephant back ride too so a guide took them on a wildlife trek where they seen spectacular views of the Outeniqua Mountains. At Kynsa Elephant Park you get to see Elephants up-close and living in an environment similar to their natural habitat unlike in a Zoo. South Africa is not just for motorbikers and people that are interested in safari there is loads to see and do in Cape Town. The city is home to trendy restaraunts, cool bars and quirky shopping markets like Green Market Square. If you like heights then a trip on Table Mountain’s famous cable cars is a must when visting the city. The last part of Jim and Sandra’s trip was their visit to the Wilderness area of South Africa, where they stayed at the Pink Lodge on the beach. It is a family run guest house which is painted pink all over hence the name. It overlooks the waterfront of wilderness beach in the seaside town of Wilderness which is situated in the Garden Route of South Africa - a scenic stretch of coast between Mossel Bay in the Western Cape to the Storms River. I wonder when Jim Reaches 62 if himself and Sandra will embark on the Langhoof Route 62 for yet another ride on the wild side. Getting there - British Airways run flights from most UK airports to Cape Town International Airport or check out Cheapflights.co.uk where you can get ones as cheap as £619
Chapman’s Peak Drive
Photo Highlights From Jim and Sandra’s Trip Table Mountain, Cape Town
Elephants at the Kynsa Elephant Park
Hotel Review
The New County Hotel THE NEW COUNTY HOTEL is an award winning three star hotel in Perth and is the ideal place to stay when visiting the Fair City. Its location is perfect as it’s situated at the end of Perth High Street which is a five minute walk from the main bus station and a ten minute walk from the train station. The hotel is beautifully decorated inside full of neutral colours giving the place a fresh and pleasant ambiance. The reception area has big comfy sofas which you sink into as you sit and is furnished with cream and black curtains, classic gold mirrors and trendy black lamps. When I entered my room I was impressed by how nice and clean it was there was not one thing out of place. There was a flat screen TV on the wall with and a seat at the dressing table which had a book on Perth and tea and coffee making facilities, which are things expected in any good hotel. The beds were comfy and furnished with cushions and a throw and the heating was on which was a good sign as it was a cold, rainy night in March. Once I got outside the Hotel to explore my first time in Perth I found myself wanting to go back to the hotel as it was so warm and cosy and more inviting than Perth High Street.
It has a well run café called Gavin’s Bistro and Bar and restaurant called the Opus which serves in my opinion the best food in Perth. I am not the only won that thinks that as it won the Bar Food Award 2012 for Gavin’s Bar and Bistro. I had the Aberdeen Angus Rib eye steak, which was accompanied by a choice of sauces, chips or wedges and vegetables. The menu has a wide variety of starters, main courses and desserts to choose from so you will be spoiled for choice. The hotel bar has an impressive drinks menu and has several cocktails on offer, I ordered the Vodka Martini which was shaken and stirred. A short but sweet stay and a wonderful time spent there, I am struggling to think why it is a three star hotel when it truly deserves a fourth star.
My overall rating: 8/10 Words and photo of inside of hotel by Lauren Sneddon Photo of Hotel building from Tripadvisor