NEWS: LATEST HOLIDAY IDEAS

AirAsia X, the low-cost long-haul extension of AirAsia, is now flying daily between London Stansted - Kuala Lumpur. Since its inaugural flight in March, the airline has operated the route five times a week, but passenger demand from both leisure and business passengers has prompted the increased frequency.

Fares to Kuala Lumpur start from £150 in economy and £398 in XL. Once in KL, passengers can then make low-cost connections to over 100 destinations, including Langkawi and Penang from £4 and even Australia from £40.

If the credit crunch is biting hard and you’re unable to splash out on a long-haul family holiday, but are still hoping to convince your reluctant teenagers to come away with you this summer, Marsdens Cottage Holidays (01271 813 777) may have the answer - entice them with the chance to learn to surf on monster waves rolling in from the Atlantic Ocean in Devon... whilst you roll out the towel, slap on the sunscreen and relax on the golden sands.

The North Devon shoreline bears the brunt of Atlantic swells and often basks in summer temperatures more akin to Mediterranean holiday resorts. As a result, the county has developed several surfing locations, including the 2-mile Woolacombe Bay, where local surf schools can attract teachers from Peru, Brazil, Argentina, California, Hawaii, Chile, Australia and Fiji.

Marsdens has close to 80 properties in and around Woolacombe all of which have easy access to the Bay, and is offering a free private surfing lesson for the whole family (max four people) with Woolacombe’s top surf school when specific properties are booked for a week’s holiday throughout July and August.

Finca Buenvino is a guest-house in the Aracena mountains, Andalucia, where owners Jeannie and Sam Chesterton offer seasonal cooking courses/holidays produce from their organic farm.

They have strong ties to the Ballymaloe cooking school in Ireland and have been mentioned in the popular ‘Casa Moro’ cookbooks by Sam & Sam Clark

Their five day and long weekend courses (for approx 6 - 8 guests) focus on traditional Southern Spanish recipes which are a legacy of the Caliphate of Cordoba. It's a branch of Mediterranean cooking that extends beyond the well-known French and Italian styles.

North African Mahgrebi influences can be felt in the use of spices and nuts and the interplay between sweet and savoury. For example, guests can learn about...

• Working with pulses and nuts: 'Spinach and chickpeas flavoured with Cumin', 'Butter Beans and Clams with Tomato', 'Iced Garlic and Almond Soup'.
  
  
• Cooking the hearty roasts and cocidos and game dishes in the winter and the light cold soups of summer. Baking all types of fresh bread.
  
  
• The use of ground and roast nuts or bread fried in olive oil for thickening stews.
  
  
• Working with fruit in savoury meat dishes such as 'Rabbit with Apricots and Spinach and Pinenuts' or 'Quails with Quinces', or 'Chicken tagine with Olives and Lemons'.
  
  
• Cooking the traditional 'Paella' and the less well known 'Black Rice', made with Squid Ink.
  
  
• Adding a new twist on the refreshing Mediterranean milk and egg desserts; 'Panna Cotta with Saffron', 'Rosemary Sorbet', 'Cardamom and Honey Ice cream', 'Rosemary, White Wine and Chocolate Cream', 'Ginger Custard Creams.'

Courses run throughout the year at specified dates from September to June (stopping in July and August for high summer). Prices will be based on €200 per person per day/night all inclusive, but if you bring your own group of friends to cook, then one of you goes free!

This time of year sees the perfect conditions for exploring The Larapinta Trail in Australia's Northern Territory.

Ranked by National Geographic in the top 20 trekking experiences to be had on the planet, the route extends 223 kilometres along the spine of the rugged West MacDonnell Ranges from the frontier town of Alice Springs to Mt Sonder. Trekkers can complete the entire trail in around fourteen days or tackle shorter one and two day sections of the walk.

The local Arrernte people believe that the ranges were made by giant caterpillars called the Yeperenye who rose up to become the Ranges. Whatever their origins, the trail meanders through scenic waterholes, and rocky outcrops descending into narrow canyons and spectacular gorges and ends with panoramic views from the top of Mt Sonder (1380m).

Trekkers can cool off in one of the many picturesque swimming holes that are found along the Trail - such as Simpsons Gap which offers a permanent pool and is home to native rock wallabies that inhabit the Gap’s rocky ridges - and at night, camp under the stars.

World Expeditions (0800 0744 135) have a 7-day Classic Larapinta Experience, which covers 10 to 15 kilometres a day, starting at the Telegraph Station in Alice Springs and visiting Simpsons Gap, Standley Chasm, Ellery Creek, Serpentines Gorge, Ormiston Gorge and the Finke River (reputed to be the world’s oldest river bed). The price (from £950pp) includes all camping equipment, food and utensils, entrance fees to National Parks, off-road transport from Alice Springs and full vehicle support. Departs Sundays and Wednesdays from April to September and excludes international flights. In addition to the 7-day Classic Larapinta Experience tour, World Expeditions also have a three day Larapinta Experience, a seven day Art Expedition Larapinta tour, and a 14 day Larapinta End to End Tour.

CV Travel (020 7401 1086) has been expanding its collection of British holiday houses and cottages, launched earlier in 2009, with the addition of a new seaside family holiday house near Helston, Cornwall (from £2095 / week, sleeps 10) and a classic London apartment in a red-brick Victorian house in a garden square in Knightsbridge (from £900 / week, sleeps 4).

Clifftop House, close to Porthleven in Cornwall, lives up to its name with 180 degree views from The Lizard to Land’s End. Even the free-standing bath is positioned to look straight out to sea. The house was built above a white sandy beach, in Victorian times for the painter John Peverel Rodgers and is reminiscent of an Enid Blyton family holiday home.

Knightsbridge Flat is 5 minutes from South Kensington Tube Station and Knightsbridge Tube, and is a third floor apartment for 4 to share, overlooking a leafy garden square close to Kensington High Street and the bustle of London’s tourist attractions.

The Victoria and Albert Museum, The Science Museum, The Natural History Museum, The Royal Albert Hall, Harrods and Hyde Park are all a 5 minute walk away.

The apartment has Wi-Fi broadband, satellite flat screen TV, phone and fax and a personal chef can be pre-booked to prepare one or more meals.

French Railways (SNCF) have some kid-friendly TGV trains on their Paris-Marseille and Paris-Montpellier routes this summer, with parent-friendly prices.

The special trains - with characters from Disneyland Paris, game consoles, DVD players, books & comics - will run twice a day from Paris Gare de Lyon between 4 July - 1 Aug ("La fermeture annuelle" - peak holiday time for the French).

There are 4,400 seats on sale, with as much as 60% off for children under 12.

Twitrans is a new translation service for twitterers, who can get their tweet personally translated into one of 14 languages by a native speaker.

The free service is operated by One Hour Translation, who see it as a way to promote their paid-for translation services.

Users insert a 5-letter code in front of the message they want translated and send it to @twitrans (english to russian would be 'en2ru'). The translated message appears back on their home page within the hour.

Miles Morgan Travel, a specialist cruise travel agency in Bristol has chartered Fred Olsen Cruise Lines' ship MS Balmorel to re-create the voyage of the RMS Titanic (without the sinking bit - ed) on the 100th anniversary of that tragic voyage.

The 12-night Titanic memorial cruise departs on 8 April 2012 from Southhampton, following the route of the ill-fated Titanic to Cherbourg (although it won't stop there) and then to Cobh in Ireland, before setting off across the Atlantic on its way to New York.

The plan is to stop over the wreck site of the Titanic for a memorial ceremony before visiting Halifax, Nova Scotia where many of the unclaimed victims of the Titanic were laid to rest at Fairview Lawn Cemetery.

The cruise, themed with 1912 style meals, music & entertainment as well as lectures on the Titanic, ends in New York on 20 April.

Tickets for 1,309 passengers - exactly the same number as sailed on the Titanic - are on sale from tomorrow.

Morocco may be a Muslim country, one subject to Islam's strict prohibition of alcohol consumption, but it's also open-minded (placing its emphasis on personal choice) and incredibly green. So, in the undulating hills of Meknes in northern Morocco, acre upon acre of vineyards flourish under extremely favourable weather conditions. Producing the equivalent of 35 million bottles last year, local wine 'appellations', such as those in France, and Morocco's first self-styled "Chateau", are now in existence.

The specialist tour operator, Best of Morocco, can arrange visits to the vineyards to observe production and to sample the wines, using the nearby city of Fes as a base.

A four-night stay in Fes, where the Medina (old city) has barely altered in 200 years, costs from £800 pp staying at Dar Anebar, a sumptuous riad with a rooftop terrace and large suites. (It is not unusual here to find the owner, Ahmed, in a niche, teaching a guest to play the lute, or inviting guests into the kitchen to either join in or watch the preparation of the meals. He has even been known to take a mule up to the nearby city gates to greet newly arriving guests and to carry their bags.) The cost includes return flights from London, accommodation with breakfast, and private transfers. Vineyard visits cost extra.

Balearic Discovery (+34 971 875 395) has some unique new activities for clients on Mallorca - flight simulation, mixology and wine-hiking.

The company, run by Jane Stanbury, specialises in tailormade holidays and experiences exclusively on Mallorca.

The simulator, which is based in Llucmajor, about 15 minutes from Palma, offers the full motion experience of flying a Boeing 737NG. Customers are given a thirty minute briefing on how the simulator will work, and are then invited to take control of the instrumentation and enjoy the thrill of flying a full on airliner. The simulator can hold up to four people at one time including the trainer and provides the opportunity to experience at first hand what is normally reserved for professionals. Clients can book for one to four hours exclusively or share the simulator with other aviation enthusiasts. Visitors to the simulator are expected to include private individuals looking for an unusual experience, or corporates looking for an alternative team building exercise that incorporates mental and communicative challenges. (Experience available from £150 per person based on four sharing.)

Other new services that have been added to the Balearic Discovery portfolio for 2009 include an in-house cocktail training evening where guests can discover the history and development of some of the world’s most famous cocktails. Clients can also develop their own cocktail creations. Also added is a hiking and bodega trail where guests trek for the morning finishing up at a vineyard for a full wine tasting and lunch. For budding chefs in house cookery lessons can be arranged with the professional chef spending the day at the guests villa explaining and demonstrating the finer points of Mediterranean cookery.

The Brandenburg region around Berlin is rich with museums and memorial sites, guided tours and events that provide a fascinating historical insight.

The traces of the Cold War are well-maintained and accessible to visitors, such as the Brandenburg bunkers including a nuclear bunker for the leaders of the National Army, once one of the best kept secrets in the GDR. The 20 years on from the fall of the Berlin Wall city tour in Brandenburg’s capital Potsdam takes visitors through the 'Forbidden City' of the KGB and includes Cecilienhof Castle where the Potsdam Conference made world history in 1945.

The Brandenburg part of the 'Berlin Wall Trail' is a reminder of where the Wall stood and leads across the Glienicke Bridge, the former spy exchange spot and a symbol of the separation and re-unification of two different worlds. On 10 November 2009, a public festival on the bridge will commemorate the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Wall.

Visitors can also book tours and explore Wandlitz, a "forest enclave" where the political leaders of the GDR lived up to the fall of the Wall, or Eisenhüttenstadt, the former "Stalin City" - a classic example of socialistic settlement patterns in the 1950’s and 1960’s. The city’s documentation centre of daily life in the GDR displays 50,000 everyday items from private households, businesses and public authorities, all in typical GDR design.

Brandenburg Tourism are promoting a special hotel package 20 years since the fall of the Berlin Wall, which offers two nights for two people in a double room, incl. breakfast, complimentary book 'The Wall and its history from 1961-1989', city tour 20 years since the fall of the Berlin Wall including guided tour of Cecilienhof Palace, and one GDR-themed three-course menu for €335.

Or a 3-night city break in a 4-star hotel in Potsdam including breakfast for two people in a double room starts at €255.

A brand new Best of Burgundy tour - for independent cyclists - is on offer from specialist walking and cycling operator, Belle France (01580 214010).

Graded easy with daily cycling of up to 25 miles using quiet lanes, cycle tracks and tow paths, the route from Beaune travels through idyllic countryside, taking in vineyards – with household names – and pretty wine villages.

Starting on any Wednesday, Thursday or Friday from April to October, the cost is from £849 per person, based on two sharing, including cycle hire, six nights' – mainly half board accommodation – in characterful hotels featuring delicious menus and luggage transfers between overnight stops.

Add around £50 each for return channel crossing for car and passengers or £200 per person for return rail travel from St Pancras International and onward connections.

To traverse the Northwest Passage is fairly amazing in itself. Remarkably however, in August of this year both expedition ships operated by Hapag-Lloyd Cruises - MS Bremen and MS Hanseatic - will sail this route.

Approaching from opposite directions the two vessels plan to meet for a celebratory event in the heart of the Canadian Arctic.

A brand new luxury resort hotel has opened in spectacular surroundings on the Canadian Pacific coast. The Black Rock Oceanfront Resort has been built on a promontary at Ucluelet on Vancouver Island, British Columbia.

The resort comprises of a main lodge with 71 guest suites and 62 beach suites, and a spa which is due to open in the spring. Each of the studio, one and two-bedroom suites offer spectacular views of the ocean or surrounding old growth forest. Spa-inspired bathrooms and state-of-the-art kitchens ensure that guests looking for a quiet retreat will have all the luxurious comforts and conveniences in their home away from home. Beyond the serenity of the guestrooms, the hotel features three hot pools overlooking the ocean and natural black rock cliffs.

The area around Ucluelet offers a range or year-round activities. From hiking the Wild Pacific Trail, kayaking, fishing and whale watching, to quiet walks on the beach taking in the sights and sounds of the ocean.

Black Rock Oceanfront Resort is offering special opening rates till 5th March, starting from Can $135.00 (£78.23)for a Standard Studio Suite.

Exodus has published its latest walking and trekking brochure. The programme features over 150 walking and trekking holidays worldwide, ranging from a gentle stroll in Italy, to a challenging climb on one of the world’s classic peaks, Mt Kilimanjaro (see video), or on the slopes of Mt Everest.

New holidays for 2009 include Californian Walking & Wine, a Wild Flowers and Walks in the Bernese Oberland itinerary, and a Cyprus Crusader Castles Walk exploring the history, rugged mountains and coastline of Northern Cyprus, and for the energetic....ok, 'fit'...there is a new trip to the region around Annapurna Chitwan and Everest, and a new eight-day Slovakian High Tatras itinerary.

Drayton Manor Theme Park has a new £1 million attraction for the 2009 season - a 4D cinema.

The 152 seat theatre will feature numerous "immersive special effects" such as seats that move, slide and rumble in sync with the action on screen, water spray, air blasts, leg ticklers, aroma, low smoke and bubbles released at key moments.

Swash buckling adventure, The Curse of Skull Rock, which was crowned winner of the Best Children’s Animated Film award at the prestigious Stuttgart Film Festival, will be the first feature to be shown.

The 4D cinema will be housed in an existing building which Drayton Manor will re-fit with a 1930's, Art-deco style frontage. The theme park will open for the 2009 season on Saturday 21st March.

PGL (08700 507 507), the kids adventure camp specialists, have come up with two new ideas to reassure both parents and children who are considering their first-ever holiday apart...

'Introductory' short breaks include three full days of programmed activities, evening entertainment and two nights’ full-board accommodation for children aged between seven and 16 years (Price: £99 per child). They are available at six of PGL’s UK adventure centres during Easter, May and October half-terms.

'First Timer Only' holidays are intended to be reassuring to youngsters who may be a little nervous about being away from home for the first time, because all their new friends are first-timers at PGL too.

'First Timer Only' four- and seven-night holidays are available for selected July and August dates at nine adventure centres. (Prices are from £305 per child for four nights’ full-board accommodation, all activities and evening entertainment.)

The RMS St Helena is celebrating 30 years of being the world's last remaining Royal Mail Ship - famous for maintaining the only lifeline for one of the world's most remote communities, the islanders of St Helena in the South Atlantic.

The 128-berth St Helena was built in 1989 specifically to supply the island of St Helena with passengers, mail and freight. Her 31-day cruise from Portland in Dorset takes her to Tenerife, Ascension island in the Mid-Atlantic, then to St Helena where she usually stays for up to 10 days before continuing on to Cape Town, where passengers fly back to the UK.

Lying 1,500 miles from the coast of Cape Town, St Helena is an Overseas Territory of the United Kingdom, with its own legislature and a high degree of internal self-government. The 47 square mile (122 sq.km) island is perhaps best known as the place of Napoleon’s exile.

Guests aboard the ship, (who include St Helenians, or "Saints" as they are known locally, travelling home) are well looked after around the clock with two bars, full service dining room, a sun deck, shop, swimming pool, gymnasium and library to keep passengers entertained. The nostalgia found on board the Royal Mail Ship is a world away from the glitz of big cruise liners but informative talks, quizzes, film nights ensure the entertainment is perfectly balanced. Many of the 56 officers and crew have worked on the ship for years and are characters in their own right.

The sports brand, Animal, is running an eco-centric Animal Snowcamp based in the luxury BoardnLodge Ecolodge in the French Alps. It will be a chance for keen snowboarders and skiers to sharpen up their skills on the snow alongside some of Animal’s top pro-snowboard and ski team during four exclusive week-long camps in January and March.

For the first time this year the Animal Snowcamp is opening its doors to skiers. Skiiers and snowboarders will ride side by side on this mixed week (21 – 28 March) and can expect to try out some freestyle manoeuvres and a bit of powder hunting.

The BoardnLodge Ecolodge hosting the Animal Snowcamp is just outside Bourg St Maurice - base camp to Les Arcs, La Rosiere, Val D’Isere and Tignes, enabling the group to pick the pistes each day according to the conditions. The accommodation offers a sauna & gourmet cooking, and and a low-carbon footprint to assuage any guilt. Their minibus is powered by restaurant waste oil and electricity comes power from a green energy provider. This year campers are being encouraged to reduce their carbon footprint still further by making the journey by train to Bourg St Maurice, for which they are rewarded with a 5% discount.

Family holiday let specialist, Tots to Travel is expanding its portfolio of child-friendly properties to the UK.

From late January, the company, which currently specialises in properties in France & Italy, will offer a range of child-friendly properties in various parts of the UK, with an initial concentration in Anglesey, Cheshire, Yorkshire and Shropshire but with the view to expand nationwide. The property locations will offer good old-fashioned bucket and spade holidays, countryside escapes, eco retreats and farm stays, typically off the beaten track.

Tots to Travel was set up by Wendy Shand, mum of two, in April 2006. They make a point of personally visiting and vetting every property according to CAPT (Child Accident Prevention Trust) guidelines with a strong focus on safety features. All properties are also fully kitted out with all the baby and child equipment families need, from cots and highchairs, to sterilisers, blenders, toys, potties, etc. Also, babysitting is available at most properties.

Canvas Holidays (0870 192 1159) are introducing gypsy style caravans in four holiday park locations across France for 2009.

The purpose built caravans emulate the style of 'Roulottes de Campagne' but with up-to-date insulation, hot water and mod cons, for up to five people.

Canvas Holidays' managing director Paul Carter said: " Children will love the Roulottes as they give a real sense of adventure, there is something almost fairy tale about them".

The Roulottes are available at four new intimate rural sites: Corrèze, Limousin, Vienne, Poitour-Charantes, Gers, Midi Pyrénées and Allier, Auvergne. Prices start from £24 per person per night based on a seven night stay for two adults and three children.

If you are travelling between Boston & New York there is a third transport option for those who like to travel in style. Instead of taking the plane, or the high-speed train (Acela), you could opt for the Limoliner.

Aimed principally at business travellers, Limoliner is a luxury 28-passenger coach with reclining leather seats and plenty of electronic ammenities like TVs, laptop power and wireless internet access. It does the journey in 4 hours.

The German adventure park, Europa Park has announced a new high-tech, high-speed thrill ride for 2009.

The new roller coaster will have the highest loop in a catapult launch coaster in Europe. At launch, riders will be accelerated from 0 to 100 km/h (60mph) in 2.5 seconds to a height of almost 40 metres before completing a 32 metre high loop and a series of turns, humps and 3 x 360° rolls.

Europa Park is in SW Germany just outside Frieburg.

Bridge & Wickers (020 7483 6555) has added a new cattle droving tour in South Australia to its holiday options for 2009.

They are anticipating increased demand stimulated by the new Baz Luhrmann epic Australia, starring Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman, which will appear in cinemas on Boxing Day.

Luhrmann's inspiration for Australia came after a trip on the 2005 Great Australian Outback Cattle Drive when thousands of cattle were herded as in the legendary cattle drives of old. The next opportunity to experience the Great Cattle Drive is not until 2010, but Bridge & Wickers' new trip will offer a taster.

The 3-night itinerary, called Sunsets, Saddles & Shiraz, combines the romance of cattle droving with gourmet food and wine, native wildlife and the stunning scenery of the Flinders Ranges.

Two nights are spent camping or sleeping under the stars in a 'swag' around a campfire, another in the award-winning Parachilna's Prairie Hotel, renowned for its speciality 'feral food' including kangaroo, emu, camel, native limes and bush tomatoes.

The tour costs £1,795 per person including all meals and drinks, live entertainment and a Wallaby Watch tour. Departure dates are available in March, May, July and October.

European Rail (020 7619 1083) are offering a classical music package to the Lucerne International Piano Festival.

Tickets to Alfred Brendel's concerts, scheduled in November during the Lucerne International Piano Festival, promise to be among the most sought-after ever. The renowned pianist will be making his final appearances before the public and European Rail has a block of the best seats in the building, Lucerne's spectacular concert hall.

Michael Birtles, Managing Director of European Rail Ltd, says it is a unique package combining the most in-demand events with travel, excellent accommodation and local transfers and that he has deliberately chosen this rare occasion to launch his project.

Tickets for Jean-Yves Thibaudet are also available.

Stop Press: The Financial Times will be running a prize draw for a free package to see Alfred Brendel. Readers have to collect two of the three vouchers appearing in the 31 October, 01 and 03 November editions, to be eligible.

According to the Minister of Tourism, Abdulla Mausoom, the number of British visitors to the Maldives slumped by 18.9% in July compared to July 2007. Maybe this promotion will win them back.

Bailey Robinson (01488 689 700) are so confident of sunshine at the exclusive resort of Naladhu that they will hand back US$600 per villa should it rain... for more than three hours between sunrise and sunset every day that this might happen.

The offer doesn't really live up to its headline. Not only does 'no rain' mean 'rain more than 3 hrs', but also the money back comes in the form of a credit which can only be spent at the resort.

All the same, it does display some confidence in the weather, and the setting is pretty spectacular. Located on the Maldivian sandbar of Velighandu Huraa, Naladhu (means "beautiful island") has 11 Ocean Houses and eight Beach Houses with private pools, each named after a Maldivian plant. All houses have their own stretch of beach or private beach cabanas with swaying palms and endless turquoise water. There's deep-sea fishing and scuba diving on offer, or you can spend your time sailing, snorkelling, or taking an Ayurvedic massage on the beach.

Seven-nights in a Beach House at Naladhu on a bed & breakfast basis, costs from £3,395 per person and includes international flights with Sri Lankan Airlines and speedboat transfers. The promotion is valid until December 19, 2008. Restrictions apply and cannot be combined with any other promotional offer.

Eurolines (08717 818 177) are promoting their low-cost £33 fares to Oktoberfest in Munich and suggesting some other money-saving tips.

The Oktoberfest (which confusingly starts on September 20th and ends on October 5th) claims to be the largest folk festival in the world. For two weeks the city's Weisn is transformed into a giant festival site with waitresses in traditional costume serving a staggering 100,000 people a day in 14 immense beer halls. There is also a fairground and market. The whole event is weighed down with impressive statistics: 6 million visitors a year consume an improbable 1.5 million gallons of beer steer, almost half a million roasted chickens, and over 200,000 pairs of sausages.

Eurolines' practical tips are:

• Beer halls - There are only two ways to get into these without waiting in a long queue. Best is to book a place in advance (www.oktoberfest.de) or failing that get up early every day to beat the crowds; Try the smallest hall Hippodrom with capacity for a mere 3,400 or the 9,300-seat Schottenhamel.
  
  
• Tactics - Get organised. Inside the beerhalls you’ll only be served if you are sitting down. Once you’ve worked that out you’ll be fine, even if you stand for the rest of the time.
  
  
• Save money on accommodation. You don't need an expensive hotel, just a simple less expensive one will do. The whole idea of being there is to be out in the thick of the fair. Cheapest of all are hostels like Eurohostel (www.euro-youth-hotel.de) or one of Munich's many campsites (www.campingplatz-muenchen.de or www.the-tent.com).
  
  

And, naturally...(!)

• Take the coach - the overnight Eurolines coach is going to save you the cost of at least one night's accommodation.

Three of the stylish Firmdale hotels in London have their own luxurious film screening rooms. On weekends, The Soho Hotel, Covent Garden Hotel and Charlotte Street Hotel operate a "Film Club" for hotel guests and members of the public. The package includes afternoon tea or dinner in the hotel restaurant followed by the movie of the week.

First Choice are introducing direct flights to the island of Aruba just off the coast of South America, aimed at UK couples who want a perfect Caribbean beach wedding.

The new fortnightly direct flights to Oranjestad, Aruba's colourful capital, will be operated over the winter season from 1 Nov 2008 - 30 Apr 09, from Birmingham. London Gatwick and Manchester, which are already serviced by First Choice during the summer months, will also have a fortnightly winter flight to Aruba.

The Dutch Caribbean island's powder white sand beaches and turquoise shores provide the ideal setting for a dream white winter wedding. Civil ceremonies take place at Aruba’s Civil Town House before a blessing on the beach or in the hotel grounds.

All First Choice wedding packages include planning and administration, a wedding ceremony at the Civil Town House with transportation for four people, venue decoration, marriage certificate and registrar fees, wedding cake, sparkling wine for the bride and groom, and a bouquet and button hole.

Fourteen nights staying at the Tamarijn Aruba All Inclusive on an all-inclusive basis departing on December 10, 2008 costs from £1,352 per person from London Gatwick and from £1,127 per person departing from Birmingham based on two people sharing. Wedding packages at the Tamarjin Aruba All Inclusive start from £639.

Venice's Regatta Storica is held on the first Sunday of September each year, which this year is 7th Sept. The highly photogenic event brings the city to a standstill save for its canals, crammed with 13th century boats and its banks, bursting with spectators. There are four separate competitions, the most exciting of which features the double-oared gondolas.

Sunvil (020 8758 4747) are offering a chance to watch from the Hotel Monaco & Grand Canal, a former 17th century Palazzo on the banks of the Grand Canal. A three-night stay is from £790 pp (two sharing) including BA flights from London to Venice and accommodation with breakfast. Private water taxi transfers can be arranged at a supplement.

The Edinburgh Festival Fringe is barely over (another 5 days) and already next year's programme is being highlighted.

The Fringe organisers have announced they are supporting Scotland's Homecoming celebrations in 2009 by encouraging performers who have who have appeared at the festival to "come home" and join in. Theoretically that could mean a line-up including the likes of Stephen Fry, Hugh Laurie, the Foo Fighters, Razorlight, Jude Law, Christian Slater, Emma Thompson, Ricky Gervais, Craig Ferguson, David Schwimmer, Rachel Weisz, Hugh Grant and Gerard Butler - who have all appeared in the Fringe line-up over the years.

Homecoming Scotland 2009 will be a year long celebration of Scottish culture, heritage and some of the many great contributions Scotland has given the world. It marks the 250th anniversary of Scotland’s national poet, Robert Burns. The programme features over 100 events taking place across the length and breadth of Scotland, between Burns’ Night 25 January and St Andrews’ Day 30 November.

With one eye on the popularity of the DreamWorks film Kung Fu Panda, Peregrine Adventures (01635 872 300) have put together a new all-action 10-day family holiday starting in Beijing on 28th September 2008 (though how you will be able to get the kids out of school for that long, we're not sure - Ed).

"The Great Wall is the first stop on the tour and an excursion from Beijing chooses a quieter section of this mighty fortification for a guided stroll. Back in the capital, explore the courtyards, temples and residences of the Forbidden City, built more than 500 years ago and off-limits to commoners for most of this time. Then do what the local kids do… fly a kite in Tiananmen Square. Next, visit the historic Summer Palace before taking to the water and crossing Kunming Lake in a Dragon Boat. Leaving Beijing, board an overnight sleeper train to the beautiful city of Luoyang and the remarkable UNESCO-listed Longman Grottoes - housing 100,000 statues, including an impressive 17.2m Buddha. Travelling on to Shaolin, visits include the famous Shaolin Temple whose monks famously seek inner peace whilst simultaneously beating the bejesus out of each other en route to mastery of Kung Fu. The monks train novices of all ages there's an opportunity to watch a Kung Fu demonstration by the students. Kids will undoubtedly be thinking Kung Fu Panda whilst, if they’re honest, parents may own up to memories of Kwai Chang Cain walking on rice paper… A domestic flight precedes the next tour highlight - the Giant Panda Breeding Research Base at Chengdu. Pandas have recently been returned to the facility after their precautionary removal to Beijing following this year’s major earthquake. The research base continues to dedicate its work to panda conservation through captive breeding, and is currently home to over 60 Giant Pandas. Close observation of these iconic endangered creatures will undoubtedly provide an enduring memory of the whole holiday. The tour's final two days are spent in Shanghai, staying in a hotel close to the famous Bund waterfront area, the best place to see the remnants of the city's colonial past whilst also to embracing its startling modern development. There's plenty of time for shopping, sightseeing and to catch a performance during a special visit to the Children's Palace of Shanghai, an arts school for gifted children."

The holiday costs £873 per adult and £764 per child (6 to 11 years) including airport transfers, domestic land and air transport, accommodation, some meals, sightseeing as per itinerary and the services of a local English-speaking Peregrine tour leader. International flights are not included.

Loch Lomond Seaplanes is the UK's only commercial seaplane service. It operates a programme of sightseeing tours and a daily service from a specially constructed terminal next to Glasgow Science Centre on the River Clyde to Oban Bay and Tobermory on Scotland`s stunning west coast.

A survey of the top 10 ways to spend a perfect day north of the border was recently carried out by VisitScotland, the country's national tourism organisation. Visitors to the website were asked to list their personal favourites out of a possible 108,000 activities. Loch Lomond Seaplanes was among the popular experiences, with the Scots themslves voting it the country's top "must do" activity.

There's a YouTube video of their operations.

Feather Down Farm Days (01420 80804) have expanded to France. Their first farm offering holidays in eco-friendly, luxury tented 'cottages' is La Ferme de La Folivraie, a biological dairy farm in Normandy, a mile inland from Omaha beach.

The Feather Down Farm Days concept was orginally brought over to Britain in 2006 by Dutch entrepreneur Luite Moraal who launched Centre Parks in the UK. The cosy 1930's style tents with wood burning stoves and not a tv/computer screen in sight, have been a big hit with families whose children can play freely, discover that milk comes from cows not cartons, and source their breakfast eggs from a chicken house, not a fridge.

The farm, dating back to the 14th century, is situated in the village of Louvières between the Normandy coast and the beautiful nature reserve 'Marais du Bessin'. It is a small-scale family farm on 40 acres of farmland with wooded banks.

The Switzerland Travel Centre (0207 420 4900) has put together a walking trip through scenery of mountains, valleys, lakes, pastures and waterfalls in the footsteps of 'Heidi'.

The eight-night trip in Heidiland - a small, picturesque area in eastern Switzerland portrayed in Joanna Spyri's much-loved childrens' books - is available throughout August and September and costs £538 per person.

This twin share price includes return flights from Heathrow or London City, rail transfers, accommodation with breakfast, plus four dinners, in small hotels, luggage transfers on six days, detailed hiking itinerary, maps and suggestions.

The trip also includes an overnight stay in a mountain hut (shared accommodation, with running water only!) where visitors can experience crystal clear, star-strewn skies.

The average walking time ranges between three and a half and six hours per day and the terrain covered includes meadows, valleys and lake shores. There is also a degree of high alpine walking - above and below tree level - so visitors must be physically fit and have some experience of hiking.

The Riding Company (020 7917 9880) have an itinerary touring the historic castles of southern Tuscany on horseback.

"Wander through vineyards, olive groves and cypress trees, gallop over golden undulating hills and along the shores of sparkling lakes. Stop for lunch in a medieval piazza; savour a simple but delicious Italian meal, all washed down with a glass of the local Chianti.

Back on your horse, you venture further into the unspoilt Italian countryside until you catch site of the venue for the first and second night's stay; the Castello di Proceno, a 12th century castle surrounded by its own tiny walled village, overlooking a flower garden and pool in the shade of cypress trees. It has a superb wine cellar in the medieval vaulted cellars and a restaurant by the pool. The second castle is the Castello Santa Cristina, set in its own extensive grounds and still in the hands of the original owners. Beautiful gardens with large swimming pool with terrace.

At the end of the week, you will welcome the sight of the Fortress of Sorano, perched high above this unique Etruscan town. The rooms are built into the fortress walls and all have spectacular views down the canyon beyond the cliffs dotted with ancient Etruscan tombs. However, you are just a few steps from the centre with its cobbled passageways lined with traditional shops and cafés. The rides are guided by the charming Cristiano Dolcetti, a competitive endurance rider who breeds horses for the famous Palio bareback horse race in Sienna. Cristiano is also incredibly knowledgeable about the Etruscan and Roman history of the area in addition to the flora and fauna. He also knows the best places to eat and what to order!"

Visit Copenhagen is highlighting the Copenhagen Fashion Week in August as a good opportunity to visit the city for a short break and do some shopping.

They say Copenhagen ranks "among the top ten fashion centres in the world and a cool number one in Scandinavia, Denmark has gradually risen to a high level of fashion consciousness, hosting two annual trade-only fashion fairs known in the Fashion world as Copenhagen Fashion Week".

Running parallel to Copenhagen Fashion week is an open party for all fashion lovers. Wonderful Copenhagen, in cooperation with Danish Fashion Institute and Copenhagen’s City Centre presents, for the second running, Copenhagen Fashion Weekend 6-10 Aug.

Fashion conscious shoppers can choose between a wide range of eye-opening and fun-filled events throughout the five days. Many of Copenhagen’s shops and squares offer activities outside the ordinary. You can watch a street level fashion show, get a makeover, hear about new trends and participate in contest for exclusive tickets to shows and after parties. What is there to wait for? We can all at last share the fashion vibe and take a close look at what is going to be hot over the next year.

There's also the shopping! Names to look out for include...

• Day Birger et Mikkelsen have their flagship store on the corner of Pilestraede and Antonigade. All seven lines of their collections are here, ladies wear, menswear, children's clothing, lingerie, jewellery, accessories and home furnishings.
  
  
• Desigers Remix , has an outlet in the Illum Department store in addition to its own store in Pilestraede.

Other names to check-out include...

Baum und Pferdgarten, Henrik Vibskov, Wood Wood , Hubsch, Trine Kryger Simonsen, Mads Norgaard, Designers Network - which features many of Danmark's up-&-coming young designers.

Also they suggest you head for the area around Kronprinsens gade street just off the main shopping street Stroget, and the up and coming area around Oksnehallen in Vesterbro district. This area is brimming with cool bars, restaurants and new fashion. For street fashion, take in the theatre of it all in around Studiestraede street.

Specialist adventure operator, Windows on the Wild (020 8742 1556), is offering a 7 night action-packed holiday in 'Wolf Country', Saskatchewan, Canada.

The tour begins at The Land of the Loon Resort on the edge of the spectacular Prince Albert National Park where guests stay in a log cabin on the edge of an ice-bound lake. Facilities in a well-furnished cabin include a cosy, wood burning fire and private bath.

From this 'base camp' there are a range of excursions which include, travelling to several large lakes in search of wolves, a snow shoe search for wolves and other wildlife (moose, otter, fox, elk and others); dog-sledding across lakes and forest with evenings gathered round a bonfire watching the northern lights and listening to the sounds of the night; and cross country skiing, ice-fishing and ice-skating.

The price 1 December 2008 to 31 March 2009 is £795