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Posted By John Stone on May 12, 2013

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The Emirate’s has the biggest prolife­ration of travel agencies, causing some problems for the industry.

But in the UK where there is a buoyant travel market as a result of the continued expansion of the economy, many agencies are reporting their best years. At Britain’s largest agency, http://www.apartmentsapart.com/, sales manager John White said business over the past 12 months had been better than before.

Ahmed M. Osman, manager of one of Edinburgh’s oldest holiday rentals - http://www.apartmentsapart.com/europe/uk/edinburgh  warned: “It is true that the market has expanded considerably, but the large number of agencies has levelled off this business. Sea cruises in vogue for Britsbe put on numbers, for the benefit of all concerned.”

Amrat Lal, sales representative of apartments in Hawaii said his agency had been particularly successful recently because of the back-up and experience it offered customers, having been in Abu Dhabi for 10 years. He said: “The package tour market is one side of our business for which we see a much bigger future.”

 

ORDERLY HOUSE

In Kuwait, where around KD85 million is spent annually on travel, more than 100 agencies scramble for their share of the cake. According to Hasan Baddar, manager of Al Bahar Travel Agency, Kuwaitis are enthusiastic travellers.

“Ninety per cent of Kuwaitis travel, and of those 50 per cent are frequent travellers,” he said.

Kuwait’s travel industry keeps its own house in order, said Mr Baddar, through. the Kuwait Tourism and Travel Associa­tion, of which he is a member of the technical committee.

“It is mandatory for any agency which has opened over the past three years to be a member, and there are now 104 members.”

Mr Baddar said: “The main aspect of the rapidly expanding business is the package tour business.

“At present everyone offers their own tours in competition with others. We want to get the tour operators together so that we can negotiate bulk deals abroad to get the best service we can for our customers.”

 

Indian line raises fares

INDIAN Airlines has increa­sed its domestic passenger fares by five per cent, and the fuel surcharge has risen by seven per cent.

And a statement from Indian Airlines added that freight rates are now being revised. The Indian Government has approved the revision of fares and the fuel surcharge, which have been made necessary by escalating fuel and operating costs.

 

Saudia spends $10m on advanced training equipment

SAUDIA has placed a $10 million order for simulator training equipment with British company Link-Miles. According to Link-Miles, Saudia is a leader in the approach to staff training. The British firm’s newsletter commented: “For years the world’s major simulator manufacturers have been arguing the case for a total training concept.

“By that they meant that airlines and military operators should take a long, hard look at their overall training programme before ordering simulation devices — and then buy a series of interrelated and integrated synthetic aids The Review continued: “Saudia is perhaps the first world airline to approach this philosophy in quite so much detail.

Saudia’s order includes a full flight simulator, a cockpit :procedures trainer, four-part task trainers and two safety trainers for intercommuni­cations and aircraft door operation. The four-part task trainers represent the avionic, elect­rical, air-conditioning and pressurisation, and finally the hydraulic systems of the aircraft.

 

SAFETY

Again, each of the trainers is situated in a classroom and involves a sophisticated model board controlled by a SEL 32/7780 computer. Of the two safety trainers, one represents the inter­communication system bet­ween flight deck and cabin crew.

It will enable the crew to practise procedures prior to take off and landing, passen­ger announcements and emergency drills. The second trainer, compri­sing an aircraft main door, is for training cabin staff in the manual and automatic opera­tion of the doors in normal and emergency situations.

 

 

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Posted By John Stone on October 31, 2012

From Riyadh it is only a short distance to the Gebel Dirab Escarpment just to the west of the city. This is basically a stone cliff rising 250 meters above the plains below; it runs parallel to the escarpment along the west coast of Arabia for about 800 kilometres. Gebel Dirab is a place of amazing beauty and it is also a good source for fossils.

Close to Riyadh is the oasis town of Diriyah which was once the capital of the enemy defeated by Abdul Aziz that fateful morning in 1902. A sign welcomes visitors and although now virtually in ruins it is worth while stopping to enjoy the architecture.

Leaving Riyadh behind you and heading towards Jeddah, the road becomes flat and stretches endlessly mile after mile. The occasional petrol station and hamlet and a sea of sand dunes lies ahead. But everything is not always as it seems; stopping en route, the silence is broken by a mechanical clanking noise ­this is the sound of pumps irrigating tiny oases. This central part of Arabia has many semi-Artesian wells which bring the water close to the surface. The pumps are often primitive and are supported by a few poles shaped like teepees. The tiny oases are dotted all over the area, some­times hidden in the valleys made by the dunes which act as wind barriers.

Two large towns slightly off route but worth visiting for their traditional architecture are Unayzah and Buraydah. The houses are largely of the Najdi type built with unfired clay bricks finished with plaster. They usually have a central courtyard and only a tiny entrance to the street to pro­vide privacy and security for the families inside. Buildings have one, two or even three floors and tend to indicate the importance of the family who live there. Often ground floors would be used as stores.

The vegetable souk in Buraydah is traditional with produce heaped high under multi-coloured umbrellas. Most of the produce is grown in the surrounding area, one of the most fertile in the whole of Saudi Arabia. There are also a number of experimental farms searching for strains of vegetables with high yields and adapta­bility to local conditions. A large amount of pasture is cultivated and used for sheep rearing.

Onwards towards Jeddah the road remains flat, the number of small hamlets and oases begin to decrease until at last Jeddah is reached. Jeddah is known as the ‘Bride of the Red Sea’ and nowadays boasts the largest port on the Red Sea with superb modern harbour. Much of the pic­turesque architecture for which Jeddah was famous has been taken down to make way for modern buildings. The central Hejaz region which includes Jeddah, Ta’ if, Mecca and Medina, shared a common architectural style. Wooden doors, highly carved pointed arches, and white build­ings. The screens are elaborately carved and decorate the front of the houses which also have carved wooden balconies.

 During the Hadj (the holy pilgrimage) pilgrims passing through Jeddah often pay their way by selling goods at the side of the streets and in the souks. Superb car­pets and jewellery can be bought at these times made by craftsmen from all over the Middle East and beyond.

The beaches at Jeddah are mainly rocky and suffer from their close proximity to the port. Care should be taken while swimming since stone fish are common in this area.

 

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Posted By John Stone on October 19, 2012

How much is needed will depend upon the type and length of the journey. Essen­tials such as a good map should always be taken, no matter if travel to barcelona spain or other European city. Saudi has a network of very fast, efficient roads linking all major towns and many villages. But some of the older roads and tracks will offer more interesting scenery and for these it is useful to carry a compass. Cool boxes are useful together with large containers for water. Always carry a First Aid kit and spare petrol is a comfort even if, in the end, they should prove unnecessary. Other items worth considering are reference books on birds, flowers and plants, coral reefs and marine life. Some of the world’s rarest birds are found on the Arabian continent and some of the most perfect coral reefs in the Red Sea.

Whilst living in Saudi Arabia, slow exploration, taken at every opportunity, revealed a people whose way of life remains little changed from the days of Thesiger and his Arabian Sands. Our jour­neys were all by car with our two children aged two and three and much of what fol­lows we saw and photographed. The more we learned the more we became fasci­nated by the indigenous people and our sense of discovery and achievement endeared us to Arabia forever. These recollections are of the other Arabia, not the land of huge industrial ports and rapid technological progress, but the reverse side of the coin.

There are two main journeys which we undertook and any or part of these can be tried as time allows. The first is from Riyadh through the towns of Buraydah and Unayzah to the Red Sea port of Jed­dah. The second journey is from Jeddah round the holy city of Mecca (being non-Muslims we were not allowed inside Mecca) to the resort of Ta’if, the pictures­que town of Abha, the oasis town of Naja­ran (on the edge of the Empty Quarter or Rub-Al-Khali) and finally back to Abha for the journey down the mountains to the town of Gizan, close to the Yemen border. In each town there seemed to be two towns – the old and the new – happily co­existing side by side.

 

FROM RIYADH TO JEDDAH

 Riyadh is an oasis in the middle of the desert, an oasis of civilisation, a mass of huge glass, steel and concrete buildings towering over apartment blocks and small homes. Riyadh has all the trappings of a modern capital city with banks, hotels, govern­ment buildings and shopping precincts. All is new with no expense spared to tes­tify to all the oil riches of recent times. Riyadh lies on the south bank of the Wadi Hanifah and is built on top of the ruins of the ancient city of Hajr. The name ‘Riyadh’ came into use during the 18th century and now the only part of the city to bear the original name is a well in al-Batha street.

The grandfather of today’s King Fand was Abdul Aziz ibn Saud, a hero of the sort that story books are made of and it was he who created the Saudi Arabia we know today. On 15th January 1902, during a brave and daring bid to unite the country, Abdul Aziz set out with a band of forty men to capture his home town of Riyadh. In the centre of Riyadh stands an old mud fortress – the Fortress of Riyadh – and to this day a spear tip is buried deep in its wooden doors, thrown by ibn Jaluwi. The Fortress of Riyadh is the people’s remin­der of the courage of Abdul Aziz ibn Saud and from that night when he captured Riyadh the modern history of Saudi began.

 In Riyadh there are two souks worth visiting. The first is the bedouin souk which sells everything from live chickens to orange and green henna. There are bedouin veils and dresses and old jewel­lery which is now highly sought after. Be prepared to bargain and drink a few cups of sweet tea to arrange the final price..The other souk to visit is the silver souk. Craftsmen, mainly Yemeni in origin, make traditional silver jewellery out of Marie Therese dollars and old silver riyals melted down and mixed with a white base metal containing tin. How much silver is actu­ally in the jewellery will depend on who you ask. It is certainly not very much. It is wonderful to see the processes of melting, soldering and shaping. The silver riyal is rather interesting in itself; worth far more than the paper riyal, it has become a col­lectors item in its own right. The dates on the coins don’t go back that far since Saudi did not become a national entity until this century and the coins were minted more recently still.

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Posted By John Stone on September 5, 2012

THE ANASSA CYPRUS

Scattered with Roman mosaics and Hellenic antiquities, and with secluded meditative courtyards at every turn (as well as its own chapel), the hotel has the ambience of a laid-back monastery. My room, with its marble floor and own adorable little pool, had great views of the bay. The bathroom was like an in-room spa—luxurious without being ostentatious, and stocked with Acqua di Parma goodies. The spa specialises in Thalassotherapy treatments (“thalasso” means “sea” in Greek). I emerged, dream-like, after a Thalion mineral-enriched bath, with ESPA nourishing oil for extra kick, and an Essence of Earth Body Wrap followed by a full-body massage. Later, as I lounged on the vast terrace, with senses revived and cocktail in hand, watchingthe sunset, I realised that this is as close as it gets to being a modern-dayAphrodite.

 

HOTEL VICTORIA­ JUNGFRAU INTERLAKEN

Situated between the three mountain peaks of the Eiger, Winch and Jungfrau, this traditional, five-star hotel has been welcoming guests since 1865. The spa experience there, however, is decidedly modern. The hotel has dedicated over 5,000 square metres to your wellbeing, with its new, .28 million ESPA centre, gym, Clarins beauty centre and 10 Asian-inspired spa bedrooms (conveniently situated just above the spa, making it easy to wander around all day from treatment room to swimming pool in just your dressing gown). When you’re not having a treatment, you can relax in the sun-filled therapy rooms, which all have large windows that open out on to the gardens. The ESPA centre is available only to guests having treatments, making it very private (it was booked out while I was there, although I only saw two other people), and it caters to every need—you can even eat (from the special calorie-controlled menu) and drink (try the delicious Ayurvedic teas) there. Should you feel like changing out of your dressing gown and experiencing the fresh mountain air, escaping from your Apartment Berlin and feeling everything from paragliding to hiking is available on your doorstep.

 

VILLA MARIE ST TROPEZ

Nestling among the pine groves overlooking Pampelonne Bay, this is the Cote d’Azur’s secret hideaway. Here you will find elegance, five-star luxury, exquisite food and a small heavenly spa. The Mediterranean architecture, refined French furniture and eclectic interior welcome you in, giving a feeling of comfort that is rare among modern, more minimalist hotels. If it’s glitz, shopping or a day at the beach you crave, then St Tropez is just a 10-minute drive away. However, a more favourable way to spend the day at Villa Marie is drifting from afresh Provencale breakfast on your balcony to a lounger by the turquoise pool overloolding the bay. In the afternoon, be sure to visit the Fermes de Marie spa, with its white treatment rooms set under two umbrella trees and its wooden massage huts in the midst of the forest. The therapists provide basic treatments with Mother     Nature names like the Light Brown Sugar & Honey Body Exfoliation or Himalaya’s Flower Care Facial. The speciality of the spa is the Body Pack treatment — a silkening wrap that takes place on a warm waterbed. Don’t leave without buying some of the Fermes de Marie products ­a skincare line created at the original Fermes de Marie spa in the French Alps. With a high concentration of mountain plants and natural active ingredients such as edelweiss, they are the bottled equivalent of fresh air for the skin and senses.

 

HOTEL DEL MONASTERO

NEAR TURIN/GENOA

If you want to drop two stone in four days, then the Relais San Maurizio, Hotel del Monastero is not necessarily for you. If you want to feel more relaxed than you have done in ages, look noticeably younger, and are into white truffles and red wine, then it is. Perched on a cypress tree-covered hill near Santo Stefano Belbo, in the heart of the Piedmont region, this seventeenth-century former monastery has to be one of the most idyllic settings ever in which to get healthy. Pretty much every treatment in the Caudalie Vinotherapie spa revolves around the grape — two of the best being the Crushed Cabernet Scrub (where a delicious mixture of grape seeds, honey and organic oils is used to exfoliate the body) and the Sauvignon Massage (using oil from the seeds of sauvignon grapes). Testimony to the spa’s efficacy is that we both ate like pigs in the hotel’s Michelin-starred restaurant and got pleasantly sizzled on Barolo every night, and still came home slightly lighter.

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Posted By John Stone on September 4, 2012

THE BULGARI HOTEL, MILAN

After a hard day’s shopping, The Bulgari Hotel, a converted convent tucked away in Milan’s Brera district, is the perfect place to recover. Italian architect Antonio Citterio designed the clean-lined hotel and private garden, where you can relax duringthe day or dine by lantern light at night. We stayed in the Bulgari Suite, which has a huge Turkish stone bath and “Bath Menu” of perfumed oils, background music and fruit teas to sip, all arranged by housekeeping. The spa, which offers a comprehensive list of SPA treatments, has a covered outdoor relaxation area, Turkish bath and swimming pool with gold and emerald mosaics. You will feel like living in your own Milan apartment.

CHOUPANA HILLS MADEIRA

Once at Choupana, you feel you’ve arrived at the top of the world: the climate is different — it’s slightly cooler, sometimes romantically shrouded in cloud— quieter, and calmer. With the resort’s moodily lit “Zen” interiors and tropical landscaping, you could easily be 10 hours’ flying time further east. Accommodation is in wooden bungalows on stilts, furnished in a contemporary/exotic style. The spa has a heated outdoor infinity pool that offers spectacular views, while its indoor pool, with counter-current, jet massage and Jacuzzi, is surrounded by loungers and has the feeling of a solarium. Enjoy the hammam before your reflexology, aromatherapy massage, wrap, facial or Rasul mud treatment. Food is gourmet fusion (foie gras, tempura prawns) —make sure you wash it down with a glass of Madeira.

HASSELUDDEN YASURAGI, SALTSJO-BOO STOCKHOLM

Half an hour from Stockholm, this spa blends Japanese Yasuragi healing methods with Swedish detoxification techniques for a unique place to unwind from your Apartment in Amsterdam. The central focus of Yasuragi is water. There are invigorating hot springs inside and outside, and a glorious pool set in the rocks. In addition to the Japanese bathing rituals on offer, there’s Qi Gong, Zen meditation, yoga and various forms of massage. The food is superb: in particular, the Teppanyaki restaurant —where a chef cooks all your food in front of you at your table — is an unmisssable experience. We stayed in the Mezame suite, with its incredibly comfortable futons and enormous bath. After a hard day’s spa-ing, the balcony overlooking Stockholm’s magnificent archipelago provides the perfect backdrop for a cold spritzer and a lungful of the freshest air you’re ever likely to breathe.

 

HOTEL MARTINEZ CANNES

The rooftop Givenchy spa at the Martinez (the only Givenchy spa in France) is as glamorous as its setting on the Croisette. Its scrubs, wraps, massages (four-handed Asian-style, slimming, lymphatic drainage) and hot-stone treatments are seriously pampering and therapeutic. The spa itself is sleek and chic, with polished wooden floors, rattan chaises, and buttermilk-coloured upholstery. Unlike many hotel spas that have dimly lit rooms for relaxing in, here the apres-treatment spot is a sunny, outdoor terrace scented with jasmine and lavender, grown in dramatic, oversized tubs. If ever a rooftop spa could ground you, then this is the one.

 

LA RESIDENCIA MAJORCA

La Residencia, a handsome converted finca in Dela, 45 minutes’ drive from Palma, has a smart new spa with treatment rooms that are like a simpler version of the hotel’s bedrooms— soothing white washed sanctuaries with terracotta tiled showers, church candles and dark wood shutters to keep the sun out but let in the orange blossom-perfumed air. This is the place for sophisticated body treatments using Guinot products, or knot-busting full-body massages using Aromatherapy Associates oils. But the spa isn’t the only reason to come: the hotel’s mouthwatering pastries and locally caught fish are irresistible.

 

MASSERIA TORRE COCCARO PUGLIA, ITALY

The Masseria Torre Coccaro — a converted sixteenth-century watchtower—has struck an ideal balance. It is organic without being pretentious, and raw but by no means tatty. Like many of the rooms, the Aveda spa is housed in a beautiful old “cave” along with a Turkish bath, fitness room and a small rock pool. Among the extensive list of treatments is a mask made from mashed capers, extra-virgin olive oil and aromatic herbs that makes the hair exceptionally shiny. One of the hotel’s best qualities is the silence—only if you listen very carefully can you hear the 700-year-old olive trees rustling in the breeze.

 

SAN CLEMENTE PALACE VENICE

An exhilarating 30-minute boat ride from Venice airport, this private island in the lagoon only has two buildings: a 350-year-old monastery and a luxurious spa hotel, set in four acres of immaculate gardens. The spa itself is a fragrant oasis of calm offering facials, massages, pedicures and body treatments. If you tire of all the attention, pick up the shuttle boat, which leaves every 20 minutes, to whisk you to the excitements of St Mark’s Square. After you have explored the backstreets and canals, and, of course, done a spot of shopping, you’ll be glad to get back to the peace of San Clemente.

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