Temples to Tees

THE South East Asian nation of Cambodia is becoming increasingly popular with foreign tourists, attracting more than five million visitors in 2016 and with around seven million expected by 2020.

#Golf tourism is still very much in its infancy, however. There are currently nine golf courses in #Cambodia: four in capital Phnom Penh including the country’s oldest course, Cambodia Golf & Country Club, which opened in 1996, the Grand Phnom Penh Golf Club course by Nicklaus Design and the IMG-managed Garden City Golf Club, which opened in 2013; three in Siem Reap, including Angkor Golf Resort’s Nick Faldo-designed course which opened in 2007 and former Asian Tour venue Phokeethra Country Club; and two courses on the coast at Dara Sakor Golf Club, forming the first part of a project by a Chinese developer in Koh Kong province.

A further two Faldo Design courses are set to open soon at Vattanac Golf Resort, a development 15km from the centre of Phnom Penh which is being built by international construction group Arup. The first course at the resort is due to open for play by late 2018.

Cambodia’s lure for golfers is underpinned by its appeal as a tourist destination, with the main attraction being the Angkor UNESCO World Heritage Site temple complex near Siem Reap that includes Angkor Wat, the world’s largest religious monument. It was named the world’s top UNESCO heritage site by review website TripAdvisor in November.

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Take a Tryp to Brisbane

TRYP Fortitude Valley Hotel, #Brisbane has recently been rated among the city’s best in the recently announced 2017 Booking.com Guest Review Awards. Featuring striking original murals and artworks by acclaimed artists Beastman, Rone, Numskull and Fintan Magee, the 65-room boutique hotel notched an average review score of 9.3 out of 10 based on customer feedback.

Nestled amid the city’s vibrant cultural precinct, close to iconic bars, restaurants, galleries and other attractions, the hotel’s stylish and well-appointed rooms are adorned with street art and boast coffee pod machines, interactive Lifestyle panel televisions and complimentary Wi-Fi.

TRYP Fortitude Valley has received numerous accolades, including nods to its architecture and interior design from the Australian Institute of Architects, as well as TripAdvisor’s Certificate of Excellence and Travellers’ Choice Award in 2017. 

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Picture Credit: pintrest

bmi expands its Bristol - Paris service

BMI has announced it will be expanding the #Paris CDG service from its Bristol hub, with increased frequencies starting from 14 May 2018. The airline currently flies twice daily between Bristol and Paris but, in response to demand from customers, will be adding a further flight three times a week - on Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. 

bmi offers flights from Bristol to Paris from £70 one way. All fares are inclusive of 23kg of hold luggage, allocated seating, complimentary in-flight drinks and snacks and speedy 30 minute check-ins.

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Rise in Baltic Cruises

GOOD opportunities for local port cities are up for grabs as a cruise shipping boom sweeps the Baltic. Both Rostock and Kiel are already profiting from it. Between them they are expecting 1.3 million #cruise ship visitors during this year’s season – an increase of 12.5% over last year.

The 2018 cruise shipping season on the Warnow River begins on April 8th with the arrival of Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines’ “Boudicca”. This year a total 205 visits by 43 different cruise ships are expected. On the 2018 timetable are 39 visits by very big passenger ships which are more than 300 m long.

In the port of Kiel the 2018 season starts on April 6th and lasts until the end of October. A total of 166 calls by 32 different cruise ships have been registered. The numerical highlight of the year will come on August 11th when five cruise ships will be in the port at the same time. Although Kiel is predominantly a start and end port for cruises, it also expects 23 visits this year by ships on running cruises, whose international passengers will visit Kiel and the surrounding region as well Hamburg and Lübeck. One particular draw is the Kieler Woche sailing regatta, which will take place June 16th-24th. Twelve ocean-going and three inland river cruise ships will be in port to attend that event.

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Picture Credit: 03 Ostseekai Kiel Foto Tom Koerber

Pilgrimage to the Eastern Cape

OVER the next twelve months, South Africa’s Eastern Cape will be a #safari hotspot, with travellers expected to make the pilgrimage to Mandela’s home province, to mark what would have been his 100th birthday. Events linked to ‘Nelson Mandela Centenary 2018: Be the Legacy’ will be held in #SouthAfrica and London, UK (a Nelson Mandela Exhibition running for a fortnight around his birthday in July), and a statue honouring the former president will be unveiled in Glasgow.

It’s bragging rights assured, after landing a much coveted spot on Lonely Planet’s top 10 Best Countries To Visit In 2018, there’s even more reason to visit South Africa, as the Otter Trail (the country’s oldest hiking trail) will also celebrate its 50th anniversary this year.

Cape Town is the jumping off point for Robben Island (where Mandela served 18 years of his 27 year sentence) and the perfect place to feel the Madiba buzz post your Big 5 safari. With stops in the Mountain Zebra National Park, the Addo Elephant Park and Tsitsikamma you can experience a taster of the country’s oldest hiking spot in a single afternoon - the complete Otter Trail is a more serious five day trek. 

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Up in the air . . .

HAWAIIAN Airlines, the only U.S. carrier to serve New Zealand with nonstop flights to Hawai‘i, is celebrating its fifth anniversary on the Auckland-Honolulu route with an increase in flights commencing this month. The airline will expand its schedule between Auckland to Honolulu from three to five services weekly commencing 21 March, 2018. 

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Picture Credit: By Vards Uzvards from San Francisco, CA - Hawaiian Airlines (p4056860),commons.wikimedia.org

Say I do in London

AS the UK gears up for the royal nuptials of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle on 19 May 2018, London’s official visitor guide, visitlondon.com celebrates the very best of the capital’s reigning wedding venues.

Say ‘I do’ at the Zoo! ZSL London Zoo hosts around 40 weddings a year between its two venues, The Mappin Pavilion and Prince Albert Suite – both offering exciting views of the animal residents. Make your day even more special by getting up close and personal with the animals or host a drinks reception in Penguin Beach (or another animal house). You can even stay overnight at a one of the Gir Lion Lodges, where guests are encouraged to sleep with the windows open to soak up the sounds and experience ZSL like no other. ZSL is still available to book on the 19th May!

For those culture vultures, the soon-to-be newlyweds can immerse themselves and their guests in the charming setting of the Dulwich Picture Gallery, against a background of famous works by Rembrandt, Gainsborough and Canaletto to name a few.

Enjoy your day in the beautiful surroundings of Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park with a wedding at the ArcelorMittal Orbit, the UK’s tallest sculpture. Journey to the top of the 262ft viewing platform to say your vows against the stunning panorama of London’s skyline. For a more unusual start to married life, adrenaline-seeking couples can also hire The Slide, the world’s tallest and longest tunnel slide.

For something a bit more historic, the happy couple need look no further than Middle Temple - one of the four ancient Inns of Court. The Elizabethan Hall boasts a soaring, double hammer beam roof, stained glass windows, and comes complete with its own Minstrel Gallery. The Hall was famously the setting for the first performance of Twelfth Night, with Queen Elizabeth I and Shakespeare himself in attendance.

Give your wedding a touch of glitz at the May Fair Theatre at the May Fair hotel, the official hotel to the British Film Institute and London Fashion Week. As well as weddings, the May Fair’s luxury screening room is home to film premieres, screenings and theatrical performances.

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