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

Spotlight on San Francisco

Ahead of the Golden Gate Bridge’s 75th birthday on May 27, San Francisco has never looked more golden writes Kaye Holland. Read her guide to the city with its head in the clouds, here

Irish Aviation Authority

From the website:

“The Irish Aviation Authority (IAA) is a commercial state-sponsored company which was established on 1 January 1994 to provide air navigation services in Irish-controlled airspace, and to regulate safety standards within the Irish civil aviation industry through…”

A Day in…Chichester

To people outside the south east of England, Chichester is one of those places that sounds like many others. If anyone has heard of it then it is probably due to the fact that it is where a theatre festival is held, because it is near Glyndebourne or because it is the county town of West Sussex. For those more local it is a well visited centre for day visits either because of the shops, the cathedral or the nearby Roman ruins at Fishbourne (the largest Roman palace yet discovered in the UK) where one of the finest mosaics is to be found.

Walking for Japan

This Sunday, March 11 sees the anniversary of the earthquake, tsunami and accident at the Fukushima nuclear power plant in Japan. Just one year ago at about breakfast time the news came through of the catastrophe. And a year on, Japan is using the opportunity to thank individuals and the 163 countries that helped out during the emergency.

A Different Hotel Stay

I write this rumble kneeling on the floor with my laptop on top of a small chest of drawers pushed up against the television. Why? No chairs in this hotel room so you sit on the bed or the floor. A small problem set against all the benefits. This hotel is small, old and completely untainted by modern hotel management thinking. No massive deference to me, the guest, just ordinary civility.

Breakfast this morning was just that. “Do you want breakfast,” I was asked. No choice just bacon, sausage, mushroom, baked beans, fried egg and toast. Whether I should have some fruit and satisfy those health soothsayers who are warning of my imminent demise didn’t come into it. No choice between white, wholemeal or brown bread. But there was orange juice!

Long Haul – Budget Airline Style

So how to get to Indonesia reasonably cheaply at a time when fuel costs have rocketed, passenger demand depressed with global recessions and airlines racking up multi million dollar losses? Fares have risen by close to 50% in many cases from 2006/07 especially on longer haul routes with low competition.