Romantic waterfronts and promenades in Slovenia

THE heart of social life in Ljubljana, the capital of #Slovenia and the European Green Capital 2016, is the Ljubljanica river embankments, scattered with cafés and restaurants. Take a walk along the riverbanks, designed by the greatest and greenest Slovenian architect, Jože Plečnik. Life in Maribor, Slovenia’s second largest city, also flows together with the river Drava, especially at Lent, the oldest and most magical part of the city.

Explore the Mediterranean coast of Slovenia by bike! Start in Koper, a port city with Venetian charm. A newly opened coastal route leads you through Izola, a romantic fishing village with a picturesque harbour. The journey continues to the most famous town in Mediterranean Slovenia, Piran. The city, with its lovely cobbled streets, has more than 700 years of salt-making tradition. The entire old town is surrounded by medieval walls.

In Slovenia, the Mediterranean is just a short drive away from the Alps. Don’t miss the symbol of Slovenia’s beauty, Lake Bled. The sapphire Alpine lake with the only island in Slovenia offers a breathtaking stroll around its shores. Are you up for a picnic? Discover an Alpine paradise by Lake Bohinj, one of the most beautiful glacial valleys in Europe and Slovenia’s largest natural lake.

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New Orleans a top culinary destination

NEW Orleans continues to be recognized as a top culinary destination, most recently being named as one of the Best Food Cities in the World by the prestigious culinary publication, Food & Wine.

The list was produced after extensive research by Food & Wine, which polled more than 50 travel professionals, including top chefs, critics, as well as their own Food & Wine writers, photographers and contributors. The exclusive list featured six international cities including Florence, London, Toronto, Tokyo, Paris and Hong Kong. #NewOrleans was in good company as one of only four U.S. cities included: Los Angeles, New York City and Charleston.

The ranking as one of the Best Food Cities in the World by Food & Wine is New Orleans' most recent accomplishment in a string of accolades including being named the number four city in the U.S. by Travel + Leisure's 2017 World's Best readers survey.

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UK Airports: Regional airports have highest levels of satisfaction

AS millions of Brits gear up for their big summer holiday, Cheapflights, has once again asked them to share how they score the UK’s airports across more than a dozen categories including shopping, cleanliness, Wi-Fi access, bar and restaurant facilities, check-in and security - even the loos come under scrutiny!

In the second of its annual poll, Cheapflights asked frequent air travellers from across the UK to review London City, Gatwick, Heathrow, Luton and Stansted, Belfast International, Birmingham, Bristol, Cardiff, East Midlands, Edinburgh, Glasgow International, Leeds Bradford, Liverpool, Manchester and Newcastle airports. 

Newcastle emerged as the overall winner, achieving the highest levels of satisfaction across all categories, followed closely by London City, Liverpool, Edinburgh and Bristol. London’s airports, with the exception of London City, continue to lag behind, with Gatwick, Heathrow, Stansted and Luton all trailing their regional cousins.

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Extra tours of Fort St Angelo

HERITAGE #Malta has announced that the upper part of Fort St Angelo managed by the Knights of St John (Sovereign Military Order of Malta – SMOM) will be more accessible to visitors during August and September and the special daily guided tour of this part of the fort will be held also on Sundays.

This part of the fort was leased to the SMOM in 1998, and subsequently restored. This area was made accessible to the general public a few months ago following an agreement with Heritage Malta. Access is restricted to an exclusive daily guided tour capped at 30 participants. These visits are available from Monday to Friday at 11.00am.

However, for the months of August (6th, 13th, 20th, 27th) and September (3rd, 10th) these visits will be held also on Sundays. The limited number of tickets available is assigned on a first come first served basis and costs €5 for adults, €3 for students and seniors, and €1.50 for children between 5 and 11 years.

Sitting atop the highest point of the promontory, the upper part of Fort St Angelo is definitely one of the oldest in the fort’s extensive timeline. It includes the Keep, the most defendable section of the fort, intended to be the place of last resort during the Middle Ages, when the stronghold was known as the Castrum Maris. In this secluded quarter stands the Castellan’s House, its name derived from the tenant who occupied it until 1530; a person of trust appointed by the King in Sicily to oversee interests in Malta.

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Picture Credit: pintrest

Up in the air . . .

THE City of Palm Springs is pleased to announce Frontier Airlines will soon begin new seasonal nonstop service from Denver, Colorado to and from Palm Springs International Airport, beginning November 10, 2017.

The new flights will operate on an Airbus A320 and will run Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday.

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International figures peak thanks to British & Irish Lions tour

INTERNATIONAL visitor arrivals from the UK and Ireland peaked at 23,400 in June thanks to the British and Irish Lions tour.  It was the highest number of combined monthly visitors to New Zealand from both countries since the last tour in June 2005.

Tourism New Zealand’s Chief Executive Stephen England-Hall says, “The Lions tour was a demonstration of exactly what we are trying to achieve - visitors travelling to different parts of the country in our off-peak months.

“It’s also a great example of why we support major events like this which bring benefits to the New Zealand economy overall and to local communities that benefit from the influx of tourists.

“A big part of the Lions tour success was down to amazing Kiwi hospitality. The incredible welcome extended to the fans that travelled the country for six weeks was manaakitanga at its very best.”

The latest data released by Statistics New Zealand today also shows strong holiday arrivals growth on the previous year from Australia (9.7%), Indonesia (48.1%), Malaysia (53.6%) and Singapore (9.0%).

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Solo travel top 5 destinations from Flash Pack

SOLO travel adventure holiday specialist Flash Pack was founded in 2014 by 30-somethings Radha Vyas and Lee Thompson, who were both frustrated by the lack of appealing group travel tour companies for single travellers their age.

Current bookings and recent search data show that certain destinations are top of the list for single travellers, who seek off the beaten track, small group adventures with like-minded travellers in their 30s and 40s.

1. Vietnam and Cambodia (60% female)

This 14-day adventure was one of the first tours launched in 2014 and continues to be the best seller. Each group has 14 people and a mix of Brits, Americans and Australians. Highlights of this tour include hiking the bamboo forests in Sapa, where few tour companies can go, a Hanoi street food tour, kayaking through limestone caves in Halong Bay, a Vietnamese cooking class and spending the night onboard a traditional junk boat.

2. Stunning Sri Lanka (80% female)

Rapidly catching up with Vietnam and Cambodia, is the popular Stunning Sri Lanka 11-day tour launched in 2015. It is a shorter trip and more appealing to people that haven’t travelled solo before. Flashpackers love the boutique hotels, visiting four UNESCO World Heritage Sites (Galle Fort, the Citadel of Polonnaruwa, Kandy and Sigiriya Rock Fortress), the wildlife safari in Yala National Park, bathing a local elephant in Amaya Lake, releasing baby turtles at a turtle-hatching project, and cycling through the ruins of Polonnaruwa by bike.

3. The Peak of Peru (50% male/50% female)

Since launching late 2016, each new date released of this 12-day tour is sold out within two weeks. The adventure level on his tour is higher as it includes challenges such as climbing the 5000m high Rainbow Mountain. Other highlights include exploring the capital city of Lima, boarding a traditional Amazonian boat into the jungle for a trek, cruising down the Madre de Dios River at night, strolling the charming streets of Cuzco, discovering Machu Pichu, cycling through the highlands of the Sacred Valley, and enjoy delicious Latin American cuisine washed down with potent Pisco sours.

4. Myanmar (40% male)

This unique 12-day tour attracts a different type of solo traveller to the other trips as it takes visitors completely off the beaten path to places where there are no other tourists. As an emerging destination, this tour is popular with well-travelled solo travellers. The best part is travelling down the Inle Lake toward Loikaw and meeting the Kayah’s Long Neck Karen tribe after a jungle picnic. Other highlights include a tour of Bagan’s temples by electric bike, a private cruise on the Ayeyarwady river, exploring Shwedagon Pagoda at sunset, trekking across Green Hill Valley and a visit to a Snake Temple.

5. Spain Vespa (50% male/50% female)

With so many ‘wow’ moments on this long weekend around the Segovia region of Spain, this is definitely the most instagrammed trip. Highlights including learning to ride an iconic vespa and feeling free whilst zooming through rural countryside with magnificent mountain views, visiting the stunning medieval villages of Riaza, Sepulveda and Pedraz, and enjoying local cuisines paired perfectly with local Spanish wines.

www.flashpack.com

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