Sweet smell of Somerset
Lavender is in full bloom in Somerset now. Tours are available until August 16
(Wednesday-Sunday, 11am)until August 16 in the village of Faulkland, near
Frome (www.somersetlavender.com).
Guides will take visitors on an extended tour among the 50,000 plants.
Credit-crunch money-saving tip: Blindfold the kids en route, wear a beret
and, when you arrive, tell them you're in Provence. Voilà, no need for
expensive French holiday.
DEBRIEF
Ladies, who says your Just One Cornetto moments can't come true? The Hotel
Cipriani (www.hotelcipriani.com)
in Venice has launched an in-gondala spa service using coffee oil and peach
milk. The treatment takes place in a “hidden corner” of the lagoon, so you
won't be videoed by hordes of tourists. The 40-minute experience - open to
non-guests, too - costs about £240.
HOT SPOT: BOMBAY
Is it a plane? Is it a beer? Actually, it's both. Kingfisher is India's
premium lager, according to its website, but UK curry-lovers probably don't
know that it is also an airline
that is due to launch flights from Heathrow to Bombay and Bangalore in
September. Both beer and airline are owned by United Breweries, in case
you're wondering about the connection. Perhaps it's a sign of things to
come, so listen out for Old Scrudthumpers' Winter Warmer daily departures to
Spain coming to an airport near you soon.
Viggo's vision
He shoots, he stars. Viggo Mortensen, portrayer of all things dark and broody
in films such as A History of Violence and The Lord of the Rings trilogy, is
a dab hand with a camera. Anyone ambling through Reykjavik before the end of
August can see an exhibition of his work at the Museum of Photography (www.ljosmyndasafnreykjavikur.is).
“His acting,” says the accompanying blurb “is only a part of a larger whole,
as he is recognised for his photography, which he has been doing for many
years, together with painting, poetry and music.” But can Mr Multitask rub
his tummy and pat his head at the same time?
Will Hide
GOLDEN GOAL
The Champions League trophy, the UEFA Cup and jerseys belonging to George Best
and Bobby Moore will be among displays at a football exhibition opening at
the World Museum in Liverpool this autumn. Steven Gerrard, the Liverpool
captain, said: “There is no city in Europe where football means more.”
ACCESS ALL AREAS
European regulations that come into force today make airports responsible for
enabling disabled passengers to board, disembark and transit between flights
at all airports in the EU.
SWITCH OFF
A survey of 4,000 travellers by TripAdvisor.com found that 86 per cent would
prefer airlines to remain mobile phone-free zones.
RED FACES
Benidorm is the most embarrassing place to admit to visiting on holiday,
according to a study by the pharmacist Boots.
HOW TO GET AN ACE
Guests at the Vale do Lobo resort in Portugal's Algarve can see former
Wimbledon champion Bjorn Borg play in a tournament on August 5-6. Tickets
£20.
RIGHT STRIPES
Sunglasses may be in order at a hotel on Edinburgh's Royal Mile run by the
Milan fashion house Missoni, known for its colourful zig-zag designs. Opens
next spring.
HOW TO GET AN ACE
Guests at the Vale do Lobo resort in Portugal's Algarve can see former
Wimbledon champion Bjorn Borg play in a tournament on August 5-6. Tickets
£20.
RIGHT STRIPES
Sunglasses may be in order at a hotel on Edinburgh's Royal Mile run by the
Milan fashion house Missoni, known for its colourful zig-zag designs. Opens
next spring.
HERO'S RETURN
Soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan are being offered “hero's
welcome” half-price rooms - for £59 a night - at Malmaison's 11 hotels
across Britain.
HURLY BURLY
Miss Kittie Klaw, a burlesque entertainer, was at this week's reopening of
Jersey's Grand hotel, performing “bawdy antics, decadence and dance”.
Previously the hotel was best known for having been commandeered by the
Nazis, who burnt furniture as fuel.
AB FAB
Joanna Lumley, who played Patsy in Absolutely Fabulous, would approve of the
world's first all- Bollinger champagne bar at the Stureplan, a new Stockholm
hotel.
Tom Chesshyre
