Category: Western Europe
Glenapp Castle Spring Garden Break, Scotland
By Paul Johnson on Mar 01, 2006 in Accommodation, Europe, Hotels, Regions, Special Offers & Packages, Travel Miscellany, United Kingdom, Western Europe
Named Luxury Hotel of the Year in the Scottish Hotels of the Year Awards at a sparkling ceremony attended by 350 guests in Edinburgh last year, Glenapp Castle in Ballantrae in South Ayrshire is currently offering a Spring Garden Break where you can enjoy a special two night stay from £170.00 per person per night, Shangri-La Hotel, Paris
Shangri-La Asia, parent company of Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts, Asia Pacific’s leading luxury hotel group, has acquired the historic Palais of Prince Roland Bonaparte with plans to convert it to the Shangri-La Hotel, Paris in late 2008, marking the group’s European debut. The Bonaparte family mansion in Paris’ 16th arrondissement will be converted into theWin a stay at Charlton House & Monty's Spa in SOMERSET
By Paul Johnson on Feb 23, 2006 in Accommodation, Europe, Hotels, Regions, Spas & Pampering, Speciality Travel, Travel Miscellany, United Kingdom, Websites, Western Europe
Celebrating the launch of a new website for romantic holidays and the release of “Imagine Me & You” on 31st March 2006, South West England has teamed up with UIP/Universal to give away the perfect romantic gift: 2 nights at the fabulous award-winning Charlton House & Monty’s Spa in Somerset, with 1st class rail travel 
Choco-Laté Belgian chocolate festival
By Paul Johnson on Feb 22, 2006 in Belgium, Europe, Events, Food and Drink, Regions, Travel Miscellany, Western Europe
The town of Bruges is about to host Belgium’s first chocolate fair. Choco-Laté – the first chocolate festival in the country of chocolate – will be an ode to chocolate. The event is the brainchild of the Bruges chocolate museum, Choco-Story. If you’re a chocoholic, don’t miss out! The event runs from 28th April 
Guinness blog launched
By Paul Johnson on Feb 20, 2006 in Europe, Food and Drink, Regions, Travel Miscellany, United Kingdom, Websites, Western Europe
World-renowned brewer Guinness launched a weblog last Wednesday that is created and written by the company’s staff to give you an inside track on Guinness in Great Britain. Tip: just say you’re from the UK when hitting their homepage in order to by-pass some legal mumbo-jumbo that otherwise disallows your visit. 
Condé Nast / Gleneagles offer
By Paul Johnson on Feb 20, 2006 in Accommodation, Europe, Hotels, Leisure Travel, Magazines, Regions, Special Offers & Packages, Speciality Travel, Travel Equipment, Travel Literature, Travel Miscellany, United Kingdom, Western Europe
Condé Nast Traveller readers are invited to live it up at Gleneagles at an exclusive event to be held on 18th-19th September 2006. This bespoke event will include a complimentary clay-pigeon shooting session, a cookery demonstration, a Gala Dinner with accopmanying Scottish entertainment and accommodation in the best rooms at Gleneagles. Price is £785 per 
T+L Design Awards 2006
By Paul Johnson on Feb 20, 2006 in Accessories, Accommodation, Air Travel, Asia, Attractions, California, Central America, Clothing, Europe, Gadgets, Germany, Going Out, Hotels, India, Indonesia, Italy, Luggage, Magazines, Mexico, Nevada, North America, Regions, Resorts, Restaurants, Spain, Speciality Travel, Travel Equipment, Travel Literature, USA, Western Europe, Worldwide
The second Travel+Leisure Design Awards recognise architecture and design from every facet of the traveller’s world – everything from hotels to travel accessories. In fact, there’s 15 categories and the winner of each is as follows: Best Public Space: Terminal T4, Madrid Barajas International Airport Best Small Hotel: Básico, Playa Del Carmen, Mexico Best 
Win a luxury stay on the Greek island of Rhodes
Luxury hotel chain Aldemar Hotels has teamed up with exceptional specialist tour operator, Planet Holidays, to offer you the chance to win a romantic holiday for two in Rhodes, staying at the 5-star Aldemar Paradise Royal Mare Hotel. Set on a terrific sandy beach, six kilometres south of Rhodes Town in the resort of Kalithea,
New Smartphone from HTC
By Paul Johnson on Feb 17, 2006 in Accessories, Europe, Gadgets, Photography, Regions, Travel Equipment, United Kingdom, Western Europe
HTC – the global leader in Windows Mobile-based devices – has unveiled the world’s first DAB-IP enabled Smartphone, the Trilogy. It runs on Windows Mobile version 5.0 and has all the features you’d expect: Pocket Media player, Push Email, Office suite, etc. What is special about this Smartphone, though, is that it can receive Digital 
SkiHaus
By Paul Johnson on Feb 16, 2006 in Accommodation, Adventure Travel, Europe, Regions, Speciality Travel, Switzerland, Western Europe
Ever wished you could have your own house on a mountain? Well, with the SkiHaus from Horden Cherry Lee Architects, you can do just that. This lightweight, all-aluminium structure weighs only 315kg and can be lifted into position by helicopter. Despite its relatively compact size, it can sleep 4 people (in bunk beds). 
Carnival Freedom prepares for the Mediterranean
By Paul Johnson on Feb 15, 2006 in Cruises & Boat Travel, Europe, Greece, Middle East, Regions, Speciality Travel, Turkey, Western Europe
Carnival Cruise Lines’ newest ship, Carnival Freedom, will debut the line’s first-ever itinerary to the Greek Isles and Turkey as well as spectacular Mediterranean voyages. The luxury 110,000-ton vessel will commence its first season in March 2007 with a series of seven 12-day Mediterranean and Greek Isles cruises. Carnival Freedom will also sail a total 
Venice Carnival
By Paul Johnson on Feb 15, 2006 in Accommodation, Europe, Events, Going Out, Hotels, Italy, Regions, Travel Miscellany, Western Europe
Venice claims to have the oldest carnival in the world, with laws establishing the holiday dating to the 13th Century. And this year, the Venice Carnival will run from 17th to 26th February 2006. Events will include masked balls, concerts, gondola parades, formal dinners and children’s celebrations. For ideas on where to stay, check out 
Badrutt's Palace Hotel, Switzerland
By Paul Johnson on Feb 14, 2006 in Accommodation, Europe, Hotels, Regions, Switzerland, Western Europe
If you’re looking for the ultimate getaway for romance, take a train ride from Zurich through the Swiss Alps to the stunning village of St. Moritz, then let the gracious staff of Badrutt’s Palace Hotel pick you up in its Rolls Royce and whisk you to this historic five-star hotel that is a retreat for 
Le Château de Saint Germain, Limousin
By Paul Johnson on Feb 13, 2006 in Accommodation, Europe, France, Real Estate, Regions, Western Europe
If you’ve ever dreamed of owning your own château in the middle of France, then there’s a stunning property in Limousin up for sale through Vladi Private Islands. For $10,000 this splended building comes complete with three lakes, a moat, drawbridge and orangerie. As you might expect, there’s also a number of out-buildings 
Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie stay at Q! Hotel in Berlin
By Paul Johnson on Feb 13, 2006 in Accommodation, Celebrities, Europe, Germany, Hotels, Regions, Travel Miscellany, Western Europe
Currently Hollywood’s most famous couple, Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, recently booked into a suite at Q! Hotel in Berlin. Designed by Graft (known for its work on Brad Pitt’s Hollywood Hills studio), the hotel has a unique design and many unusual features, ranging from bathtubs fused to beds and bent-veneer walls running into benches 
