Top 10 Valentine’s breaks

Boutique hotel experts Mr & Mrs Smith have sifted through the schmaltz to find Valentine’s packages that will really set hearts aflutter (and won’t involve soggy petals clogging the plughole). Here are 10 hot properties that offer something a little bit different…

A day in… Dundee

Dundee is transforming its waterfront, to draw visitors in. Adrian looks at what there is for the short break tripper

Identity and Passport Service

From the website:

“The Identity and Passport Service is responsible for issuing UK passports and identity cards and for the registration of births, marriages and deaths in England and Wales. It is an executive agency of the Home Office.”

Adrenalin Rush

I must have reached a point in my life where clearly there was an urgent need for some adrenalin rush because last week I bought a V8 engine’d gas guzzling MG that has your eyeballs pinned to the back of your skull when your right foot inadvertently applies too much pressure to the go-faster peddle and this week I find myself in a country that I have never been to before and that speaks a language that just as well be Martian!

Gatwick takes off

More passengers chose to take off from Gatwick rather than its bigger London rival, Heathrow, throughout November. Gatwick reported that it saw an extra 12,800 fliers last month – representing a rise of 0.6 percent.

More of us Visit Turkey

It may not come as much of a surprise to you to know that more of us are visiting Turkey. As one of the “best value” destinations for us this year, it has drawn visitors away from usual places such as Spain and other countries inside the euro zone. 11% more of us visited it that we did in 2008 and with Istanbul being 2010 European Capital of Culture next year, the numbers will probably continue to rise.

Credit Crunch Camping: part 2

£100 for a long weekend (four days) away? Yes, it is possible! We found a basic (but extremely clean) campsite just outside Bristol, which only cost £15 for three nights.  After pitching the tent, we went for a quick walk in the surrounding woodland, before bed. The next day (Saturday) we set off for the [...]