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Word Of Mouth Edited by Lisa Scott travel@ukmetro.co.uk
Friday, March 25, 2011 METRO 71 The week in numbers: P&O this week unveiled the Spirit of Britain, the largest and most revolutionary ferry to sail the popular 90minute Dover to Calais route. With space for 2,000 passengers and 170 lorries, the ship will make five return trips each day and prices will start from £35 for a car with up to nine passengers.
That’s W for wonderland ❯ Also check out… Norwegian Wood: Liverpool heads North Liverpool’s legendary Sound City festival packs its bags and heads to the world’s most populous northern city, Tromsø in Norway. On April 15-16, the music, arts and cultural festival debuts in Scandinavia with conferences about film, business, media and more, plus performances from British and Norwegian artists. Known as the ‘Paris of the north’, Tromsø is a bustling coastal port backed by snowcapped peaks. The crime rate is a lot lower than in Liverpool but be warned – Norway’s beer prices are daylight robbery. Tickets from £30 per day www.tromsosoundcity.no Anne Sémonin spas for Britain A favourite with spa-going glamour girls Carla Bruni Sarkozy, Dita von Teese and Cheryl Cole, Anne Sémonin is a byword for
W has it made in Taiwan
The Taiwanese capital of Taipei may not be top of your tourist hitlist but one of the world’s biggest hotel companies clearly thinks it’s worth setting up store there. The recently opened W Taipei is the boutique brand’s 41st property and the city’s first new luxury hotel in 11 years. Taipei has developed beyond recognition over the past decade, according to the hotel’s director of sales and marketing, Ashley Hansen. ‘The W is in the Xinyi district, which ten years ago was all fields,’ he says. The country’s economy, booming with technology manufacturing, has managed to avoid the financial crisis affecting the rest of Asia. And Taipei’s newfound wealth has brought with it high-end shopping outlets and an explosion in café culture. There is
Our weekly page A new W opens its doors in Taipei, Norway gets a blast of Liverpool’s Sound City and Britain gets a luxury rub and scrub at Sémonin spas also a unique mix of styles and influences in the city thanks to the nation’s relatively recent history. ‘Because Taiwan was ruled by the Japanese for 50 years [from 1895 to 1945], a lot of style is borrowed from Japan and there are quirky design shops and very stylish bars and restaurants,’ says Hansen. ‘But since it was taken back by China after World War II there are also heavy American influences.’ In spite of its cultural and historical richness – and the proliferation of temples, festivals and its bustling night markets – tourism is still a small element of the economy. Chinese tourists currently make
Travel Doctor
Q
I’d like to take a sailing holiday in Europe this summer but I’m not so keen on having to crew it myself – to be honest, I don’t really know how to sail. Could you suggest any good sailing holidays that come with crew provided? Amber, 34, London
A
I’d recommend a holiday sailing around the French Riviera, stopping in destinations such as Antibes, Nice, Menton, St Tropez and Porquerolles. You could stay on a boutique yacht with three en-suite cabins – which can be hired for groups or individually – and the crew have their own cabin, too. You can choose to sail as much
up the majority of the W Hotel’s holidaying guests, says Hansen, but its business travellers hail from all over the world. The hotel’s facilities are as plush as you’d expect – a heated rooftop pool with the Wet Bar alongside it, 405 luxurious bedrooms and a 31st-floor restaurant with panoramic views over the city’s skyline, including the nearby tower, Taipei 101 – the tallest building in the world until that title was snatched by Dubai’s Burj Khalifa. Rooms from £200 per night. Tel: +886 27703 8888 www.starwoodhotels.com
Do you have a travel dilemma? E-mail travel@ukmetro.co.uk
or as little as you like and the crew can teach you how to sail from scratch or help you brush up on your sailing skills, so this is ideal for mixed-ability groups. The yachts are usually pretty hi-spec – with air-conditioning, a lounge area, luxurious bedding and complimentary toiletries. Richard Reeves, Essential Sailing (www.essential sailing.com)
Q
I’ve recently been through a divorce and I’m taking my two young daughters (aged seven and five) away on my own this summer. Are there any operators that run single-parent family holidays that you could tell me about? Steve, 43, Brighton
A
There are a few operators filling this niche. I like the look of the camping holidays run by Single With Kids (www.single withkids. co.uk), including a three or fournight break in a Forest of Dean tipi camp from £210 per family. If you’re looking for a longer break, I’d suggest driving to a nearby Eurocamp (www. eurocamp.co.uk) site. While not aimed specifically at single-parent families, it will be great fun for all of you. Small Families (www.smallfamilies.co.uk) also has a variety of longer breaks in Jersey, Portugal, Croatia and Madeira. Tom Hall, Lonely Planet, (www. lonelyplanet.com/uk)
Parisian-style beauty treatments. British women can enjoy the French fancies with three new spas offering luxurious products and tailor-made treatments. At Bath House, on Bath’s Royal Crescent, the established spa will this month offer Anne Sémonin, as will the new Élan Spa at the Greenway in Cheltenham when it opens later this spring, and The Secret Garden Spa at Congham Hall in Norfolk when it throws wide its doors in the summer. Top-to-toe treatments begin from £100. www.annesemonin.com