A long weekend in Lake Annecy: high thrills and haute cuisine


Catherine Henderson enjoys high thrills and haute cuisine in Lake Annecy – arguably one of France’s most beautiful areas

One size fits all in Australia: part two

Australia accommodates everyone’s idea of a perfect holiday, from four-year-olds to grannies, reports Pippa Jacks

Irish Passport Office

From the website:

“The Passport Office, which is part of the Department of Foreign Affairs, issues passports to Irish citizens.

All Irish citizens are entitled to apply for an Irish passport. Services are provided by the Passport Offices in Dublin and Cork and by Irish Diplomatic and Consular Missions overseas.”

Doing Arran in a day

The Isle of Arran is known as ‘Scotland in Miniature’ owing to its remarkable mix of mountains, rolling hills, charming villages and beautiful coastline. Resident, Claire Richardson, tells us how to ‘do Arran in a day’

Choose One from Eleven (Maybe)

The UK government with the assistance of advisors and the governments in Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales has put forward eleven sites to UNESCO for consideration as world heritage sites. There a committee will vet and visit the chosen 11 before the final decision is made which will join the other 28 sites that have UNESCO status in the UK.

Why can’t we switch off?

A World Travel Market 2011 Industry Report revealed that half of UK holiday makers are ignoring their smartphones while away with roaming charges cited as the main reason for not using them.

Shopping as Tourism

On holiday one of the things that many people like to do is shop. Airports have almost become retailers as well as places to catch flights and when we get to our destinations, there are shops to galore to pander to our whims. In some places it hardly seems as though you are abroad since the names often seem the same. There’s another Gucci, another Yves St Laurent,, another Hugo Boss.
Why go if you can already find it close to where you live. Otherwise the only reason is because it might be cheaper than back home.
So what might appeal would be something different. How about combining shopping and the opportunity to sightsee?
In Miami in Florida there is something called Bayside.