FactFile - PRMEDIACO

38
DAILY STAR SUNDAY, August 10, 2014
DAILY STAR SUNDAY, August 10, 2014
TRAVEL
UK CRUISE: A seven-night Best of
■
British cruise on board Thomson
Spirit is £569. Depart from Port of Tyne,
Edited by
VICKY
LISSAMAN
Chilli out with a thrilling mix of hot
LANZAROTE: Fly
■
from Glasgow on
August 27 and enjoy
seven nights’ allinclusive at the four-star
Beatriz Costa and Spa in
Costa Teguise for £575.
Visit thomascook.com or
phone 0844 412 5970.
DUBAI: Pay £699 for
five nights’ B&B at
the five-star Sofitel
Dubai Jumeirah Beach
Hotel. Jet off from
Heathrow on September
2. See lastminute.com or
call 0800 231 5526.
COSTA BRAVA: A
week on all-inclusive
at the four-star Gran
Garbi Hotel in Lloret de
Mar costs £393. Depart
Stansted on August 27.
Book at onthebeach.co.
uk or call 0871 474 3000.
SRI LANKA: Book
by August 31 for
seven nights’ half-board
at the three-star
Tangerine Beach Hotel
in Kalutara from £679.
Fly from Gatwick in
September. Visit ba.com/
srilanka or call 0844
493 0758.
Newcastle, on Saturday. Visit thomson.
co.uk/cruise or call 0871 230 2800.
TENERIFE: Fly from Bristol on
September 3 for a week on all-inclusive at the four-star Hotel Interpalace by
Blue Sea in Puerto de la Cruz for £355.
■
Call 0800 2800 212 or see lowcost
holidays.com.
AMSTERDAM: Fly from Luton on
August 25 for two nights’ B&B at the
three-star Ibis Amsterdam Centre for
£249. Book at crestaholidays.co.uk or
call 0844 879 8014.
WALES: Four nights’ self-catering at
Hafan Y Mor holiday park near
Pwllheli is £379 per family based on six
sharing standard accommodation. Arrive
on August 18. See haven.com or call
0871 230 1900.
NEW YORK: Fly from Heathrow on
September 30 and get three nights’
room-only at the three-star Skyline Hotel
for £799. Visit virginholidays.co.uk or
ring 0844 557 3870.
■
■
■
bars, sizzling nights and beautiful beaches
HEADY BLEND:
■
The beach at
Puerto Vallarta and,
39
FactFile
TWO weeks on all-inclusive basis at the five-T
■
Secrets Vallarta Bay and five-star Iberostar
Playa Mita cost from £1,600 each in February
inset below, a whale
passes by
2015, including return flights on the Dreamliner
from Gatwick or Manchester.
Every Thomson Airways long-haul flight will be
on a 787 Dreamliner this summer.
Book via thomson.co.uk or firstchoice.co.uk.
For more information on travelling to Mexico’s
Pacific Coast visit visitpuertovallarta.com and
rivieranayarit.com.
For excursions visit vallarta-adventures.com.
■
CLASSY:The swim-up bar at Secrets
■
Vallarta Bay hotel and, below, the Pacific
Express restaurant at Iberostar Playa Mita
■
■
399
FLY FROM SOUTHAMPTON, 7nts
or Birmingham, Manchester, B/B from
Gatwick, Bristol, Stansted
HotelVela Azzurra
■
Navene
from just
£399
FREE HALF BOARD UPGRADE
Lake view room upgrade - £50pp
HotelAlpino
Malcesine
from just
HotelCentrale
Riva del Garda from just
£599
£699
£
with FREE tours
toVENICE
&VERONA
FREE HALF BOARD UPGRADE
Lake view room upgrade - £50pp
NO HIDDEN EXTRAS!
TRAVEL OFFER
Only for new bookings made 9th-15th August
italiangetaways.co.uk
Prices are per person based on 2 sharing.
Debit card = NO FEE! Credit card = 2.5% Fee. Tel. 01983 721111
Price you see is the price you pay!
199
CRAZY SUMMER DEALS
Guernsey
NOW from only
Only for new bookings made 9th - 15th August
£
FLY from GATWICK, SOUTHAMPTON, E. MIDLANDS, STANSTED
Add £20 -Bristol Add £30 - Manchester Add £60 - Birmingham,Exeter
airport
1st two nights
Bonus Offer. Book NOW for FREE CAR HIRE from
..
STOP PRESS.GER
FOOT PASSEN
DEAL
LOW PRICE
Paris & Prix de L’Arc de Triomphe
Escorted Holiday by Rail - afternoon departure
4 days £369pp
Champagne
Check-in
Departs 3rd October, 2014
QUOTE: PP10-STA
The Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe is the flagship event of the European flat-racing calendar,
attracting the world’s finest thoroughbreds. The event is the wealthiest horse race in Europe
with €2,000,000 going to the winner. Our break starts with a glass of bubbly at St Pancras’
Champagne Bar before taking the Eurostar to Paris. Our Tour Manager will give you a real
Parisienne adventure by metro, taking in Longchamps (race entry included), Notre Dame,
Eiffel Tower and Sacre Coeur. We also visit the magnificent Chateau of Versailles (entry
included) by coach.
INCLUDED: Escorted throughout • Champagne Check-in at St Pancras • Return rail travel from St
Pancras (from Ebbsfleet on request) to Paris • 3 nights hotel B&B in Paris • Excursions and
admissions as stated • Transfers abroad
Call
01895 83 33 33
GN Voyages
ABTA Y0291
Open 9am to 5.30pm weekdays, 9.30am to 12.30pm Saturdays. Closed Bank Holiday weekends.
MORE GREAT OFFERS AT
www.gnvoyages.co.uk/star
10 AUGUST 2014
JOIN THE
MEXICAN
WAVE
£249
ONLY
■
FILL YER
BOOTS:
A local brew,
above, and fish
barbecue, inset
below
OR BY SEA: YOUR CAR ON FAST FERRY FROM WEYMOUTH/POOLE
L’Eree Bay Hotel
7ntsDepartures
BY FERRY
9 Aug-7 Oct
2nts 3nts 4nts 7nts
£199£229£259£299
8 Oct-16Dec £139£159£179£199
La Trelade Hotel
Departures
MEXICO doesn’t have to mean
the margarita-infused mayhem of
Cancun on the Caribbean coast.
Thanks to the long-range capability of
Boeing’s new 787 Dreamliner it’s now
possible to fly direct to Mexico’s not-sowild west from the UK in just under 12
hours.
The thrilling mix of beautiful beaches,
buzzing bars and daring adventure activities
on offer around Banderas Bay on the Pacific
coast have made it a popular choice for
Americans and Canadians for years.
This 100km horseshoe-shaped bay backed by
the jungle-covered Sierra Madre mountains is
sub-tropical with temperatures averaging
28-30C.
I stayed at Secrets Vallarta Bay in Puerto
Vallarta, a luxury, all-inclusive resort.
Opened in 2012, it is split into two sections –
one for couples, the other for families. All
rooms have sea views and there is a sumptuous
spa.
The resort is within walking distance of
downtown Puerto Vallarta, which has more
than 300 restaurants and stages regular food
events, including the Puerto Vallarta
International
Gourmet
Festival
every
November.
Look out for cenaduria, the restaurants
which serve typically Mexican food such as
corn, chilli peppers, tacos, tortillas, salsa,
guacamole and beans. You’re also spoiled for
choice when it comes to seafood. Mahi-mahi,
marlin, tuna, shrimps, oysters, red snapper
and octopus are all caught locally.
In Puerto Vallarta I can recommend La
Palapa for variations of Pacific Mexican
favourites such as coconut shrimp, tortilla
■ by GARETH HERINCX
soup and seared tuna. Or try the family-run
River Café which serves roasted mahi-mahi.
Cocktails are also a major part of the Mexican
experience and you can combine a stunning
Puerto Vallarta sunset with a mojito at the
Vista Grill.
The state of Jalisco is the birthplace of
tequila, which is made from the blue agave
plant native to the area.
To find out more about the world’s
favourite party drink, we joined the
Hidden Mexico Tour from
Vallarta Adventures.
It involved visiting a familyowned tequila distillery where
we sampled various vintages.
Go for the reposado, which is
aged from two months up to a
year. It has a richer taste,
providing
a
smoother
experience.
We also enjoyed a Rhythms
Of The Night excursion – an
evening boat trip across the Bay
of Banderas to the secluded cove of
Las Caletas for a meal under the stars
and a unique live performance.
As we tucked into grilled steak, chicken and
fish and handmade tortillas, we enjoyed a show
depicting ancient civilisations by one of
Mexico’s contemporary dance troupes.
For the second leg of my trip we stayed at the
Iberostar Playa Mita up the coast in Riviera
Nayarit. Launched in December last year, this
is a family-focused resort built for relaxing and
enjoying the facilities.
The hotel’s four themed restaurants include
the Tsuba Japanese eatery and the Pacific
Ideal ★★ Town Centre Hotel
Departures
2nts 3nts 4nts 7nts
£199 £239 £279£349
8 Oct-16Dec £189 £229 £269£389
9 Aug-7 Oct
Now Only £12!
Now Only £12!
person per night
person per night
HALF BOARD per
HALF BOARD per
Superb ★★★ Hotel close to scenic bays
Express where a la carte dishes are served in a
railroad car-style diner. The hotel is perfectly
positioned for excursions and boat trips.
I had my first surfing lesson at Lunazul in
Sayulita and, thanks to a patient tutor, I was
standing up (briefly) within half an hour. A
group lesson costs £24 each for 90 minutes.
Go between December and March and you’re
into Mexico’s prime whale-watching season
when humpbacks migrate to Banderas Bay
and the Riviera Nayarit region to mate and
give birth.
If you fancy getting up close and
personal
with
the
whales,
dolphins, king angelfish and
giant manta rays, take a halfhour boat trip to the Marieta
Islands National Park where
you snorkel to the hidden
beach.
For more sporting action
try
kayaking,
paddleboarding and snorkelling at
the Costa Sur Resort and Spa
which has its own private beach
and lagoon.
And if you’re a thrill-seeker head
to the foothills of the Sierra Madre
mountains to the longest and fastest zipline
circuit in Mexico.
You can reach speeds of 60mph on the 1,200metre wire.
The latest in watersports, flyboarding – where
you hover above the surface of the sea propelled
by jets of water – is available at Nuevo
Vallarta.
With its heady blend of beach life, sizzling
nights and exciting excursions, the far-flung
holiday paradise of the Mexican west coast is
now just a Dreamliner away.
Captain Cook Hotel
L’Eree Bay Hotel
Popular ★★ Hotel by the sea
2nts 3nts 4nts 7nts
£279 £319£359 £479
8 Oct-16Dec £199 £229£259 £299
9 Aug-7 Oct
St Pierre Park Hotel
Luxury ★★★★ Hotel in scenic 45 acres
Departures
2nts 3nts 4nts 7nts
£299£359 £419 £549
8 Oct-16Dec £249£299 £299 £449
9 Aug-7 Oct
Now Only £15!
Now Only £20!
person per night HALF BOARD per person per night
HALF BOARD per
MANY OTHER HOTELS AND DEALS AVAILABLE!
www.islandgetaways.co.uk
BOOKING HOTLINE 01983 721111
All prices per person based on 2 sharing. Booking fee £12 per person. ATOL/TOPP FEE £2.50 per person.
BARGAIN 7 NIGHTS
£299
Great hotels, B/B included.
Fast Ferry from Weymouth/Poole
Traditional Ferry from Portsmouth
or FLY from a choice of airports
3★★★Water’s Edge Hotel
2nts 3nts
4nts 7nts
£249£259£269£299
From
only
only for new bookings made 9-15 August
islandgetaways.co.uk
BOOKING HOTLINE:
01983 72 1111
All prices per person based on 2 sharing. Booking Fee £12 per person. ATOL/TOPP FEE £2.50 per person.
s in
Christma FSEUSEPTAEIVKRBSE
SPAIN
BR
STIVE
SUPERB FE
BREAKS
Departs 23 December
Incl. Flights, Airport transfers in Spain,
top ★★★★ Hotel Florida Park, H/B,
ensuite rooms, Gala Christmas Eve Dinner,
Festive Christmas Day lunch, FREE tours
to Barcelona / Montserrat / Catalonia.
ONLY
ALSO AVAILABLE
5nts
★★★★
LUXURY
BY AIR
£799
£SA599
VE £200!
NOW
ONLY
spanishgetaways.co.uk
899 10nights
£
(incl. NEW YEAR)
Call 0198372 11 11