A long weekend in Lake Annecy: part two

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

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

Foreign Office

From the website:

“What we do

This is where you’ll find information on all our key roles from supporting British nationals overseas to promoting British business to legalising documents. ”

Costa Dorada destination guide

Looking for the perfect beach break? Look no further. Your definitive guide to the Costa Dorada’s best beaches (and beyond) starts here

Celtic Connections Start

In Glasgow on Thursday night, the annual Celtic Connections began with a torchlight parade beginning in George Square. This is the 18th annual Connections and it has found a niche for itself in the often barren cultural attraction time of January. Running until the end of the month, 1,500 performers in 300 plus events will appear in 13 different venues throughout the city.

My Virgin Trains’ Moan

Starving after a long hard day of meetings in Edinburgh, for which I had left my house at 5am that morning, I got on the train in Edinburgh back to Crewe. I knew it was going to be a long, hard day, so had deliberately booked into first class – that way, I could sit back, relax and enjoy a hot meal and a drink and reflect over the days events in peace.Couldn’t I?

Where the Experts say You’ll Holiday

Just before Christmas, we mentioned a few ideas that some of the experts thought would flourish in 2010. Today we have the thoughts of another four groups on what they think, ABTA, IPK, STA Travel and the Intercontinental Hotels chain. You might remember that Mintel thought it would be another year of the staycation with days out and weekend breaks becoming more prominent. And Euromonitor forecast the rise of pop up hotels which could be assembled (and taken down) quickly and which would offer inexpensive accommodation.
ABTA (Association of British Travel Agents) says that Sri Lanka, Mexico and Thailand will see more tourists from the UK than they had in 2009.