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Meet the Boss: Robert Kidd, See Scotland Differently

Monday, November 23rd, 2009

Robert Kidderi-sunsetvsp-2

Robert Kidd, with his wife and business partner Heather McKinlay, started the travel company McKinlay Kidd in 2003, having had over 20 years experience working for some of the biggest names in the UK travel industry. Their See Scotland Differently holidays offer tailormade self-drive, independent holidays and experiences the length and breadth of Scotland and the islands. They live in Glasgow, but spend as much time as possible exploring Scotland to find new, authentic experiences. Robert is from Northern Ireland and is looking forward to the launch of See Ireland differently in 2010.

• Where did you go on holiday last summer, and why? Any plans for next summer?

We started the year with a week’s escape to Tobago, staying in the very relaxed village of Castara, catching some winter sunshine (and some unseasonal rain). Of course we travel frequently at weekends in Scotland, combining business with pleasure – it’s a real privilege to have some much glorious scenery on tap. Our main holiday this year was to Italy, where we stayed for a week in an apartment in Venice, researching family history, enjoying the Regatta Storica and Venice Film Festival, then to Bergamo, which we used as a base to take in the Italian Grand Prix.

Next year we will  be celebrating our 20th wedding anniversary in our favourite inn in the truly remote north of Scotland, in Sutherland. For our main holiday in November we hope to visit friends in Tanzania and also stay on Zanzibar – we lived in Kenya for a couple of years in the 1990s and look forward to our “Africa fix” every 2-3 years if possible.

• What is your favourite bolthole in the UK, and why?

We bought a cottage near the Mull of Kintyre nine years ago and recently had it fully modernised. It is five minutes’ walk from some glorious empty beaches, and we try to be there as often as possible, just about every weekend through the summer.

• If you could spend a long weekend in any city abroad, which would you pick, and why?

Chicago – all the buzz of New York, with much less hassle, and I enjoy the live music scene there.

• Please tell us three items that are always found in your luggage.

A camera – we take most of the pictures on our websites ourselves, a sunhat (due to my receded hairline!), and a waterproof – I never let the weather stop me getting out there.

• What one thing would most improve people’s overall holiday experience?

Making the most of local knowledge. At McKinlay Kidd we pride ourselves in helping people to find the places you think you might stumble across, but somehow never do. It’s the authentic local experiences that make a holiday special.

• What has been your worst holiday experience?

My only visit to Egypt will be forever tainted by being horribly ill for three days on a Nile cruise ship. However, a weekend in Blackpool a couple of years ago, was absolutely horrific from beginning to end, despite staying in a highly-rated B&B and eating in the so-called best restaurant in the town. All not helped when my football team (Charlton Athletic) were hammered 5 –3.

• Tell us your favourite hotel: in the UK; in mainland Europe; in the rest of the world.

Several in Scotland, probably the Isle of Eriska; the Hotel New York in Rotterdam and Shompole Lodge in the Rift Valley of Kenya.

• What is the most exciting project your company is working on right now?

The launch of See Ireland Differently, which will include holidays in Northern Ireland, where I was born and brought up.

• Thank you, Robert.

Visit the website, See Scotland Differently.

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Meet the Boss: Xavier Schouller, Peak Retreats

Sunday, October 25th, 2009

xavierBoathouse at Steephill Cove

Each week at 101 Holidays we interview one of the people behind the UK’s finest travel companies. This week we meet up with Xavier Schouller, the managing director of Peak Retreats, a specialist in unspoilt Alpine resorts.

After working at the French Embassy in London and for Brittany Ferries, Xavier set up Peak Retreats with his partner Nathalie in 2002. The couple live in Southsea with their two young children.

* Where did you go on holiday this year, and why?

My twin passions are skiing and sailing. I’ve been doing both since the age of five and although I’ve given up the offshore racing, I still need my dose of sailing every year. So we spent a week on the water in the South of France between the Bay of St Tropez and the beautiful unspoilt islands south of Hyeres (Ile du Levan, Port Cros, Porquerolles). I then stayed with my partner’s family and enjoyed a bit of beach and a dose of the French things we miss by living in the UK.

* What is your favourite bolthole in the UK, and why?

The Isle of Wight ,where I first came as teenager on several sailing holidays. I love going back there – it just feels like you are stepping back in time. The pace of life seems so much slower than on the mainland. Ventnor is my favourite place and particularly the Boathouse at Steephill Cove (pictured above). It feels like a little bit of the Caribbean but with UK weather.

* If you could spend a long weekend in any city abroad, which would you pick, and why?

I love the mountains and I love the idea of Kathmandu, a city in the heart of the Himalayas with history and breathtaking scenery . It’s also the ideal base to start some great mountain itineraries. One day I will find the time…

* Please tell us three items that are always found in your luggage.

A Blackberry charger, a plastic carrier bag (in many countries like France you don’t get these any longer in supermarkets whilst in the UK some 13bn are handed to shoppers every year and then take a reputed 1,000 years to decay), and a handheld trekking GPS as I like to know where I am, where I am going and where I have been.

* What one thing would most improve people’s overall holiday experience?

To ignore price for a short moment. These days too many people start their holiday search by focussing on price or a special offer and forget all the important elements that they should be looking for instead. Who remembers how much they paid for a holiday a few years down the line? Experiences make holiday memories, not cost.

* What has been your worst holiday experience?

I have never had a bad holiday as such but my worst holiday memory was getting a phone call from the office whilst on holiday in Northern Spain to tell me that my house had been burgled. We decided to stay on as there was not much to be done but it clearly spoilt the rest of the holiday. In the end it was a happy ending in that there wasn’t that much stolen (apart from all my best bottles of fine French wine). The burglars were caught and most items were recovered – except the wine which they had drunk!

* Tell us your favourite hotel: in the UK; in mainland Europe; in the rest of the world.

I haven’t had a hotel break in the UK for a while as I prefer to stay with friends. Le Normandy in Deauville, Normandy, which is managed by the well-respected Lucien Barrière chain. La Mamounia in Marrakesh, which has just been totally refurbished. The last time I was there a guy called Sarkozy was staying in one of the suites. He has now changed jobs, I believe.

* What is the most exciting project your company is working on right now?

We are working on a new summer holiday programme to France to complement our Ski Collection winter ski programme. It will be under a new brand but I just can’t say any more right now. Watch this space, as they say.

* Thank you, Xavier.

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Meet the Boss: Fi Lowry, Kudu Travel

Monday, October 19th, 2009

cape-town1salt-hotel-bolivia

Each week at 101 Holidays we meet one of the people behind the UK’s finest travel companies. This week we speak with Fi Lowry, Director of the cultural walking tour specialist, Kudu Travel.

Fi’s role at Kudu is very much ‘hands on’, still leading some trips herself. Brought up overseas, she has done ornithological research in Senegal, Israel and Ascension Island, played in the National Symphony Orchestra in Baghdad, taught English in Greece, nursed in Iceland, guided tours to see gorillas in Uganda and Zaire and spent two years in the Sultan of Oman’s Armed Forces. After 9 years as a freelance tour leader, she set up Kudu Travel to put all this experience to good use. Fi lives in a winemaking village near Lake Orta in Italy.

* Where did you go on holiday this year, and why?

I went to Lake Skadar, which straddles the border between Montenegro and Albania, for birdwatching, wine-tasting and exploring the mediaeval monasteries on rocky islands in the lake.

* What is your favourite bolthole in the UK, and why?

Skokholm island in Wales – for its remoteness, peace and quiet, the sea, walking and birdwatching. It’s also one of only three places in the world (the others being South Africa and the French West Indies) where I have managed to catch the elusive ‘green flash’, the perfect excuse for sitting gazing out to sea at sunset.

* If you could spend a long weekend in any city abroad, which would you pick, and why?

Cape Town (pictured top left) because of its incomparably beautiful setting, the marvellous Kirstenbosch Botanical gardens, fabulous restaurants and wines, good opera and ballet and excellent museums (including the Cape Malay heritage and Nelson Mandela’s prison on Robben Island) – and because you can climb Table Mountain and go whale-watching on the same day and still fit in some live jazz on the Waterfront in the evening.

* Please tell us three items that are always found in your luggage.

Binoculars, my iPod loaded with Handel’s operas, and walking poles (years of mountain walking have given me very creaky knees).

* What one thing would most improve people’s overall holiday experience?

Being clear in their own minds about what they want to gain from their holiday so that they choose a destination, a standard of accommodation and an activity range that will meet, or exceed, their expectations and hopes.

* What has been your worst holiday experience?

Yemen, almost 30 years ago, when during a single month exploring on my own I was shot at twice, arrested three times, narrowly avoided kidnap and ended up ill with Giardia for weeks.

* Tell us your favourite hotel: in the UK; in mainland Europe; in the rest of the world.

I haven’t stayed in a hotel in the UK for years so cannot comment; Schloss Kapfenstein in Austria; the Chedi in Muscat.

* What is the most exciting project your company is working on right now?

A new trip to Bolivia (pictured top right) to attend the Baroque Music Festival in the Mission churches – members of the indigenous Bolivian tribes performing music commissioned by the Jesuits during the Spanish colonial era – plus visiting the reed boat-building villages on Lake Titicaca, witnessing mirages on the extraordinary salt flats and staying in the improbable salt hotel, tracking jungle wildlife and walking in the Andes.

* Thank you, Fi.

Visit the Kudu Travel website.

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Meet the Boss: Peter Kerkar, Cox & Kings

Monday, September 28th, 2009

peter-kerkar1Maharajas’ ExpressOrange County

Each week at 101 Holidays we meet one of the people behind the UK’s finest travel companies. This week we speak with Peter Kerkar, Managing Director of Cox & Kings Travel.

Peter was brought up in Mumbai, educated at Stanford University and took up his current role at the age of 24. He has since built the company from a niche independent tour operator into a global player with headquarters in India, America and Japan, as well as London. Although he travels extensively, Peter is based in London and is married with two daughters.

* Where did you go on holiday this year, and why?

I went to the Ring of Kerry in southwest Ireland. We have a small house there, and spend our summers there every year with family and friends. It feels far removed from city life and offers a winning combination great scenery, lots to do as a family, very friendly locals, good places to eat (wonderful fresh seafood) and great golf which I’ve become addicted to. The weather tends to be the only let down.

* What is your favourite bolthole in the UK, and why?

As an area I’m very fond of Devon, with its gentle and wild countryside.

* If you could spend a long weekend in any city abroad, which would you pick, and why?

Almost any Italian city – maybe Florence or Rome in springtime if I had to narrow it down. I’m a real foodie and find Italian food to be the most consistently enjoyable of all cuisines when it’s kept simple with the best fresh ingredients. Combined with the great art, architecture and history it makes for a great break.

* Please tell us three items that are always found in your luggage.

Three good books – I’m a voracious reader on long flights.

* What one thing would most improve people’s overall holiday experience?

If airports consistently had enough resources to minimise the amount of queuing at check-in, security, passport control, baggage reclaim etc. it would make a big difference. Airports are generally the first and last experience people have on a holiday and far too often they get holidays off to a bad start or a sorry end. I have been impressed with Heathrow Terminal 5, though.

* What has been your worst holiday experience?

Fortunately, I’ve never had a really bad holiday experience – a few of my holidays have been brought to an abrupt and premature halt by work, which is always depressing.

* Tell us your favourite hotel: in the UK; in mainland Europe; in the rest of the world.

I love Ballymaloe House just east of Cork in Ireland. They have great locally-sourced food and a cookery school, very friendly service, a lovely Georgian house, and lots to do locally. In the UK, I’d recommend St Petroc’s in Padstow, Cornwall. In mainland Europe I enjoyed the Mandarin Oriental in Prague. In the rest of the world I think Orange County (pictured top right) in Coorg in southern India has a lovely setting and feel.

* What is the most exciting project your company is working on right now?

Cox & Kings is working in partnership with the Indian Railways to create a new luxury train called the Maharajas’ Express (pictured top left). It is a unique public / private partnership in India and we hope to create the most luxurious train in the world, offering one-week journeys initially between Delhi and Mumbai, and Delhi and Calcutta. It is being built at the moment and it’s due to start operating in January 2010.

* Thank you, Peter.

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Meet the Boss: Annie Long, founder of Long Travel

Monday, September 21st, 2009

ray-annie-longtrullo-azzurroil-glicine

Each week at 101 Holidays we meet one of the people behind the UK’s finest travel companies. This week we meet Annie Long who, with her husband Ray, founded and operates Long Travel, a small independent specialist to Southern Italy, Sicily and Sardinia.

The couple first met when they both worked together as teachers, and set up the company in 1988. They have blazed the trail in carrying out sensitive restorations of traditional trulli (stone buildings with conical roofs). They live and work in the Shropshire countryside with a team that includes Ray’s son Alex, and his wife Laura.

• Where did you go on holiday this year, and why?

Firstly we took a couple of trips to Southern Italy, including stays in Sicily and Puglia. Sicily is a great love of ours and we try to find at least one week every year, to completely get away from it all, in our favourite “hideaway”, right in the middle of Sicily, Il Glicine (pictured above right). There are two cottages, with a pool, in the most glorious natural setting, run by two of our dearest friends. Staying there puts the balance back into our lives, helping us to totally relax.

Then we went to our own home in Puglia, Trullo Azzurro (pictured above centre). Recognised as one of the best Trulli in the area, we are immensely proud of it and absolutely love being there.

Amazingly enough, after years of not having the time to go anywhere other than Italy, in November we set off for Sri Lanka (if the human rights issues are resolved), The Maldives and Dubai. We are so looking forward to it and have gone for pure luxury – the “trip of a lifetime” idea. Knowing us though, we’ll spend the whole time in the luxurious bits wanting to de-tassel and un-luxe everything. We’ll see!

• What is your favourite bolthole in the UK, and why?

Being Welsh, I look for any excuse to go back to Wales. Porthcawl, Laugharne, the stunning Gower Peninsula and anywhere in South Wales are great by me. I can’t understand why people struggle all the way to Cornwall, on blocked roads, to expensive, busy resorts, when they could reach The Gower easily from the M4, have beaches and cliff-top walks to rival Sardinia, to themselves at times, and have a really genuine Welsh welcome from some of the warmest and friendliest people on the planet.

Ray likes to get back to his roots in Yorkshire and is particularly fond of Harrogate, his hometown, but, having said that, we live in our favourite bolthole. Shropshire is beautiful and undiscovered and the food is fantastic.

• If you could spend a long weekend in any city abroad, which would you pick, and why?

Naples or Palermo. Both are the epitome of Italy’s north/south divide and are totally unlike other cities. We love the vibrancy, the decaying splendour, the food, the people, the sheer excitement of these very special cities.

• Please tell us three items that are always found in your luggage.

This depends on whether you’re talking outbound or homeward-bound flight, but coming home from Italy, we practically always have local cheese, nuts and “pasta secchi” cakes – oh, and my lipstick, of course.

• What one thing would most improve people’s overall holiday experience?

Liking the people they travel with – and a quicker acceptance and adaptability to the local way of life. We moan about our hectic pace of life, when in the UK, so, when faced with everything closed in the afternoon or restaurants that would simply never contemplate feeding the kids separately at 6pm, accept it – have a glass of wine and a snooze, to prepare for the late night eating out. You’d give anything to be able to do that at home, so enjoy it.

• What has been your worst holiday experience?

We haven’t really had one. Life is never perfect and we don’t expect it to be, so when things have been less than ideal, we look for the positives and enjoy those. We do our best to leave the “Grumpy Old Man and Woman” at home.

• Tell us your favourite hotel: in the UK; in mainland Europe; in the rest of the world.

Fairyhill Hotel, on the Gower, is a dream. A manor house, with only 8 bedrooms, it is luxurious, but unpretentious. The setting is lovely, with beautiful grounds. The food is absolutely delicious and the welcome is warm and genuine.

The Hotel Villa Cheta, in Maratea, Southern Italy, is an all-time favourite of ours. We love the location, food and wine, the ambience and the exceptional service. In fact, we love it so much that we would probably choose this for our favourite in the world too.

• What is the most exciting project your company is working on right now?

Two things – our new brochure and more renovation of trulli in Puglia.

We always get very intense and passionate about our brochure, but for 2010 we plan a complete change and are slightly nervous and extremely excited. We have a great website and even considered relying on that totally, but, we see our brochure as our real “shop window” too and many clients have told us that they keep all of our brochures, using them almost as “coffee table books”. So we will try to produce something even more worthy of that status.

Our trullo renovation adventures continue. This year, we have added another pool to our basket of properties to rent. As usual, this involved masses of dry stone walling, moving of mature and ancient olive trees and lots of landscaping. We still have three Trulli to renovate, too, and these could potentially be the best yet, as their location is a dream. Never short of ideas and design concepts, Ray and I will have plenty of time to refine these, as this year will see us embarking on the long and wonderful Italian process of planning permission. We enjoy every minute of it.

• Thank you, Annie.

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Meet the Boss: Andy Perrin, Esprit Holidays

Monday, September 14th, 2009

andy-perrin-esprit-holidaysChalets in AvoriazBailiffscourt Hotel

Each week at 101 Holidays we meet one of the people behind the UK’s finest travel companies. This week we chat to Andy Perrin, managing director of the independent specialists Esprit Ski, Ski Total and Santa’s Lapland.

Andy started in the ski business in the 1980s as a post-university gap-year resort rep in Austria. He worked for Crystal Holidays for 20 years, until it was sold, and joined Esprit in 2002. Andy lives with his wife, Sue, and two children in West Sussex.

• Where did you go on holiday this year, and why?

We have two teenage children, and finding the ideal holiday to tick everybody’s boxes isn’t always easy. This year we cracked it, though, with a safari and adventure week in Tanzania, followed by a few days bolt-on beach break in neighbouring Zanzibar.

And when it comes to winter, we’ve got our eyes on this year’s new Ski Total chalets in Avoriaz (pictured). The busy winter for the business means we can only ever ski as a family right at the very end of the season, so we need to go high, and skiing literally to and from the doorstep is at the absolute top of my wife’s wish-list.

• What is your favourite bolthole in the UK, and why?

We love Bailiffscourt Hotel (pictured top right) in Climping on the Sussex coast. It’s close enough that a quick break is not ruined by the journey either end, has a lovely relaxing atmosphere, great food, and they also welcome dogs – even monster ones like ours. And the hotel grounds directly adjoin the beach and sand dunes, so you can walk for miles without having to drive somewhere first.

• If you could spend a long weekend in any city abroad, which would you pick, and why?

The journey time would make it a very long weekend indeed, but at the first opportunity, we’re heading back to Sydney. We’ve two sets of close friends living there now – one ex-pat English family and one Australian – that we last visited a few years back, and loved Sydney’s unbeatable setting, its multi-cultural buzz, and being hosted by friends who know the city inside out.

• Please tell us three items that are always found in your luggage.

My camera, tripod and flash-gun. Photography is my one real hobby, and I enjoy the challenge of trying to find a defining image that captures the heart and soul of a place, without being postcard-predictable.

• What one thing would most improve people’s overall holiday experience?

The one thing I’ve seen spoil people’s holidays over the years is unrealistic expectations. Holidays are just too valuable to ruin them before you’ve even started, by setting out with expectations so unfeasibly high that you’re doomed to disappointment from day one. My belief is that the benefit of ‘travelling light’ applies just as much to the stresses you take with you as it does to your luggage.

• What has been your worst holiday experience?

Making the mistake of picking up a cheap late deal to Mallorca when the children were very young. The so-called “family hotel” was anything but, turning out to be full of drunken youngsters who thought the long, echoing, concrete corridors were the best place for prolonged and noisy goodnights throughout the early hours of the morning. One sleepless night with mounting blood pressure was enough, so we moved out the next day, and were lucky enough to find the ‘real’ Mallorca a few miles away, in a smaller hotel on its own tiny beach, surrounded by priceless peace and quiet.

• Tell us your favourite hotel: in the UK; in mainland Europe; in the rest of the world

We’re not great ones generally for going back to the same place over and over again, but recent favourites have included St Martins Hotel on the Isles of Scilly. Another friendly hotel with a terrific restaurant, where you can walk straight from the hotel doorstep into beautiful scenery, or hop a boat from the jetty to head off and explore the other islands. It’s one of those places where you can get four seasons’ weather in a day, but when the sun is out, you can’t beat it.

In Europe, we all love the Stanglwirt in Going in the Austrian Tirol. It was our ‘local’ when we lived in Austria for several years, and we’ve watched it grow into an iconic institution over the intervening time, still with traditional Tirolean charm and character, but now combined with genuinely world-class sports, leisure and spa facilities.

Worldwide, we stayed in several great places while travelling around Australia, but the most memorable was the Daintree Eco Lodge in Queensland. The ‘rooms’ are tree-houses set up in the canopy, all beautifully fitted out, and linked by rope bridges and walkways. Walk five minutes in any direction, and you can’t see it or hear it – it’s a real ‘get away from it all’ place, and we’ll never forget it.

• What is the most exciting project your company is working on right now?

2009/10 will be a tough year for skiers, as indeed it already is for everybody just now. Recognising that, we’re developing a whole range of ‘Crunch-Buster’ money-saving deals and added value offers for our guests, on both the Esprit and Ski Total programmes, to make sure keen skiers don’t miss out this winter. The deals on Esprit for example mount up to savings of over £1,000 for a family of four, so we’re excited by the prospect of really making a difference as to whether or not our guests can afford to ski this season.

• Thank you, Andy.

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Meet the Boss: Ash Sofat, Somak Holidays

Monday, September 7th, 2009

ash-sofat1hemingways-watamublakes

Each week at 101 Holidays we meet one of the people behind the UK’s finest travel companies. This week we turn the spotlight on Ash Sofat, chief executive of Somak Holidays, the independent long-haul specialist.

Ash joined his father at Somak in 1989 and founded the holidays division. Today he has overall responsibility for every aspect of the business. He manages a team of 40 at the company’s HQ in Middlesex, and local offices worldwide. Ash lives in Northwood, Middlesex, with his wife Rohini and 16-year-old son Arjun.

· Where are you planning to go on holiday this year, and why?

I’ve just bought a Nikon D300S and will be going to Kenya to try it out on the endemic wildlife. I’ve spent so many holidays in Africa searching for game, and I never get bored of waiting for the occasional sighting of a leopard lazing in a tree, or a pride of lions prowling or scanning the horizon. I will stay once again at Ashnil properties in Samburu National Reserve, and Tsavo East National Park. Both are in prime positions to see game, even from the lodges themselves.

· What is your favourite bolthole in the UK, and why?

I take my wife to The Chequers Inn in Buckinghamshire. It was built in the 17th Century as a coaching inn, in one of the prettiest areas of England, in my opinion. It’s a family-run business and we enjoy really good food there. I particularly recommend their almond plum crumble and vanilla cheesecake! There’s a magnificent oak tree in the garden and sometimes we go for a summer barbecue, weather permitting.

· If you could spend a long weekend in any city abroad, which would you pick, and why?

I would choose Cape Town because although it’s long haul, there’s no jet lag to deal with. As long as we avoid July and August, the weather is sunny and warm. I like to try the new hotels there, such as the One&Only, and am looking forward to the new Taj opening this year. My wife enjoys the shopping, the winelands are not too far away, and the choice of evening entertainment and food is immense.

· Please tell us three items that are always found in your luggage.

A biography of a big character such as Barack Obama, or a business guru; my iPod loaded with all sorts of music; and a penknife, packed safely away in my suitcase.

· What one thing would most improve people’s overall holiday experience?

It’s all about the people that deliver the service you receive. Kenyans are just wonderful, spirited people who have a genuine interest in visitors. Elsewhere, hoteliers really need to invest hugely in training and developing staff to deliver personal service with a smile.

· What has been your worst holiday experience?

When I was a child I travelled with my younger brother Anil and our mother. Our flight was rerouted via Rome because of a problem with the aircraft. We had the most miserable stopover ever in a seedy, grotty Roman hotel. It was a hotel miles from the airport, I got bitten by who-knows-what all night, and we were not given any breakfast. No wonder I’ve always been a fan of luxury long haul travel.

· Tell us your favourite hotel: in the UK; in mainland Europe; in the rest of the world.

I like Blakes (pictured top left) by Anouska Hempel, in South Kensington. It was one of the first boutique-style hotels and it exudes character and charm. It’s a little piece of home in the heart of London. In Europe, I really appreciated the hotel we stayed in for the ABTA convention in Marbella – the Puento Romano. Good attention to detail and good service.

My favourite hotel is Hemingways (pictured top right) in Watamu, on the Kenyan Coast. I’ve even spent Christmas and New Year there with my family. It’s quite different to any other hotel. The surroundings are so picturesque with most of the action on the water, either snorkelling or diving or fishing. The food is amazing, but above all the service is personal. We’ve been friends with the owner for years.

· What is the most exciting project your company is working on right now?

We are about to launch a new brochure featuring weddings overseas. It’s a long time since I got married, but if I were to renew my vows I’d do it in Kenya. Eighteen staff, me included, have been out on the road seeing agents, and we intend to repeat that process in the autumn. It’s crucial to understand how we need to work with agents to make progress. Once again we’ll hold our very special Kenya evening in November.

· Thank you, Ash.

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Meet the Boss: Mikael Krafft, Star Clippers

Monday, August 31st, 2009

Star ClippersStar Flyer

Each week at 101 Holidays we interview one of the people behind the world’s finest travel companies. This week it is the turn of Mikael Krafft, the Swedish environmentalist and owner and founder of Star Clippers.

Mikael’s love of the sea began at the age of 10 when his father gave him a 18ft sailing boat. Following a successful maritime career, he launched Star Clippers with three tall ships in the early 1990s. He runs the company from its Monaco base with his wife Ann, daughter Marie and son Eric.

• Where are you planning to go on holiday this year, and why?

I am planning to set sail from Rhodes to explore Southern Turkey in order to prepare and fine-tune a new itinerary for one of the Star Clippers sailing vessels next summer.

• What is your favourite bolthole in the UK, and why?

My favourite UK getaway has to be sailing in the Solent; visiting all the nice little villages and wonderful pubs in the area.

• If you could spend a long weekend in any city abroad, which would you pick, and why?

Bonifacio in south west Corsica. It is stunningly beautiful with nice small hotels, restaurants, secluded beaches, fantastic water and fascinating sea grottos. It also has a great golf course with stunning panoramic views, where you can see the entire archipelago of Bonifacio in the horizon.

• Please tell us three items that are always found in your luggage.

Luggage essentials are swimming gear, sun screen and dive mask.

• What one thing would most improve people’s overall holiday experience?

I believe that there should be more offers of itineraries away from mass tourism.

• What has been your worst holiday experience?

Spending a vacation packed together with thousands of other holidaymakers.

• Tell us your favourite hotel: in the UK; in mainland Europe; in the rest of the world.

In the UK: I would go for Rocco Forte’s Brown’s Hotel in London. In Europe, I enjoyed my recent stay at the Hotel Papadopoli in Venice, and in the world, the Hotel Atlantic Kempinski in Hamburg.

• What is the most exciting project your company is working on right now?

The preparation of a new itinerary for our vessel Star Flyer. During the winter season 2010/2011 we plan to explore the unspoilt waters and breathtaking natural environment of Costa Rica’s Pacific Coast.

• Thank you, Mikael.

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Meet the Boss: Alastair Donnelly, Inside Japan Tours

Sunday, August 23rd, 2009

alastair-donnellyTokyoHotel Louis C Jacob

Each week at 101 Holidays we interview one of the people behind the UK’s finest travel companies. This week we meet Alastair Donnelly, director of the the specialist operator, Inside Japan Tours. Alastair founded the company with his business partner, Simon King, after they had both spent time living and teaching in Japan. Alastair is single and lives and works in Bristol

• Where are you planning to go on holiday this year, and why?

In June I spent two weeks visiting my girlfriend in Texas, which was quite an experience. If I didn’t know Sarah I wouldn’t have even considered Texas as a holiday destination but having been I can see the appeal – pretty much guaranteed sunshine, lots of outdoor activities – I got out on a horse, kayaking in Austin and tubing down the Guadalupe – good food, really friendly people and events like rodeo. A guy in a burger joint even paid our bill for us, which I don’t think has ever happened to me before.

• What is your favourite bolthole in the UK, and why?

I don’t tend to do much bolting. I have a season ticket for Bristol City so perhaps you could call Ashton Gate my bolthole – a place where I can really get away from it all.

• If you could spend a long weekend in any city abroad, which would you pick, and why?

When I travel I love to eat great food and nothing beats Tokyo. I get such cravings for grilled “yakitori” chicken sticks under the railways tracks, freshly-made sushi served in tiny restaurants and the cries of “Irashaimase!” (“Welcome!”) when a customer steps through the door. And then there is great nightlife, some of the best bars in the world, amazing shopping and just outside the city, beautiful mountains and hiking up at Mt Takao.

• Please tell us three items that are always found in your luggage.

My hat. I don’t go anywhere without my hat. Sadly this means each one only generally has a shelf life of a couple of years before it gets left at airport security or on a train due to my tendency to forget things. My laptop, which is a touch sad, but I don’t go anywhere without it. And finally, my swimming shorts. I always pack them and basically never use them, which is daft because, in theory, I love swimming.

• What one thing would most improve people’s overall holiday experience?

Better maps! What is it with cities and their maps? Guide books often have poor maps but the ones that get me most are the ones provided by the city government. My pet hate is maps that are not in the orientation you are. So I look at the map, expect something to be directly in front of me (because that is where it is shown on the map) but actually it’s behind and to the right because that is where north is. Grrrr!

• What has been your worst holiday experience?

A year and a half ago I went to the States for Christmas and New Year. The whole thing was a disaster. I got to Amsterdam and they wouldn’t let me on the plane as I didn’t have a US visa. Having flown back to the UK to get a new passport I finally made it to Chicago two days late. I then spent 24 hours on a train to New York in complete agony with toothache. My bags failed to turn up in Chicago and I subsequently found they had been returned to my home in Bristol by KLM. The removal of the offending tooth a couple of days later cheered me up somewhat but a cancelled flight back to Chicago and 14 hours at JFK soon got me back feeling sorry for myself. Basically, the whole trip was a nightmare. A bit embarrassing for a travel professional, but there you go. We all make mistakes!

• Tell us your favourite hotel: in the UK; in mainland Europe; in the rest of the world

I haven’t travelled much in the UK and I either camp or stay with friends. In mainland Europe it is the Hotel Louis C. Jacob (pictured top right) on the outskirts of Hamburg. I stayed there one February and it was simply magical. We arrived late in the evening but the following morning woke up to a beautiful snow covered scene on the banks of the river. We spent all day in the bar curled up in huge leather armchairs chatting and watching the view.

Last year I stayed in the Lamp no Yado on the Noto Peninsula in Japan. This is a secluded Japanese inn located at the bottom of a cliff on a sparsely populated bit of the Japan Sea coastline. Lying in my natural open-air hot spring bath with the waves crashing against the rocks as a storm blew in was a magical moment and like nowhere else I have ever been.

• Thank you, Alastair.

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Meet the Boss: Philip Price, P&O Cruises

Monday, August 17th, 2009

Danieli, VeniceAndaman hotel, Langkawi

Each week at 101 Holidays we interview one of the people behind the UK’s finest travel companies. This week we turn the spotlight on Philip Price, head of brand marketing at P&O Cruises. Philip is a keen golfer and sailor and lives in Southampton with his wife, Liz, and their two daughters, aged 12 and 14.

• Where are you planning to go on holiday this year, and why?

We always aim to get some time as a family on one of the P&O Cruises ships. This year we spent May half-term on a 7-night cruise in the Norwegian Fjords. We are also going to a friend’s villa in the Algarve, inland of Alvor, near Lagos. It’s easy to get to, we love the area, the beaches are world-class and the people are still so welcoming. No holiday there would be complete without a visit to Chicken George’s restaurant. The only thing on the menu?… you guessed it.

• What is your favourite bolthole in the UK, and why?

It’s a beach hut on the beautiful sand spit at Mudeford in Dorset. We were very lucky that my parents have owned one for some time – they sell for ridiculous amounts of money now. The location is amazing, with Christchurch harbour on one side, the Needles and Isle of Wight on the other, and it’s so peaceful – no roads or electricity, just you, the hut and your boat, which is of course essential for catching mackerel for the barbie. Paradise.

• If you could spend a long weekend in any city abroad, which would you pick, and why?

Sydney. The outdoor lifestyle, combined with an appreciation of great food and wine is pretty unbeatable. There is such a relaxed air of confidence about the place, it’s hard to not enjoy it.

• Please tell us three items that are always found in your luggage.

A white shirt, (normally linen), a Blackberry and amber cufflinks, because you never know what occasion might arise.

• What one thing would most improve people’s overall holiday experience?

Take out the whole airport experience. There’s nothing quite like leaving for far-flung destinations from the port of Southampton. It takes so much stress out of the whole affair, especially for families.

• What has been your worst holiday experience?

As a student in London, 3 friends and I were given free flights to Cologne by a travel agent we got to know in the local pub in Lancaster Gate. This was on the condition that we distributed some marketing material for his fledgling agency in Cologne which we duly tried to do, but unwittingly got caught up in a nasty neo-Nazi demonstration right outside the splendid cathedral – and we all ended up rather the worse for wear.

• Tell us your favourite hotel: in the UK; in mainland Europe; in the rest of the world.

My favourite hotel in the UK is the Greenway In Cheltenham, which is beautiful, serene and unpretentious. Liz and I held our daughters’ christenings there. In Europe it has to the Danieli (pictured, top left) in Venice, which is highly pretentious, but just a stone’s throw from St Marks Square. Part of the hotel dates back to the 14th Century and the rooms are exquisite. For this you can forgive a rather disappointing restaurant. And for the rest of the world I think it would be the Andaman (pictured, top right) in Langkawi – a remarkable setting and an unforgettable spa.

• What is the most exciting project your company is working on right now?

The introduction of Azura, our new superliner built and designed exclusively for the British market and due to be with us in early April 2010. We are going “back to the future” with Azura and imbuing her with everything that is associated with an authentic and luxurious holiday at sea – open decks, elegant dining rooms, an atrium with a dance floor and a theatre for classic West End style shows.

• Thank you, Philip.

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Meet the Boss: Amanda Marks, Tribes Travel

Monday, August 10th, 2009

amanda-marks1sarara-campmarrakech

Every Monday at 101 Holidays we meet one of the people behind the UK’s finest travel companies. This week we turn the spotlight on Amanda Marks, of Tribes Travel.

Amanda and her husband Guy had both worked as tour leaders for an adventure overland company before they founded Tribes Travel in 1998.

The company pioneered the idea of Fair Trade Travel. “We wanted to start a travel company where the people in the destinations were not sidelined by the industry, but could make a good living from tourism. At the time, that was still a fairly new idea,” says Amanda.

The couple continue to run the company from rural Suffolk, where they also live with their two sons aged 8 and 12.

• Where are you planning to go on holiday this year, and why?

We are going to Jordan later this year – the Red Sea, Petra, the desert at Wadi Rum, and the Dead Sea. We wanted to take the kids to experience a culture they have not yet come across, and Jordan really does have some fabulous sights, which even our boys are sure to love. And nothing is very far away, so travel is not a big issue when you’re there.

• What is your favourite bolthole in the UK, and why?

I am a lover of North Yorkshire. I don’t mind if it’s the moors or the Dales, I just love walking in this area. The landscape is fabulous, there are some great places to stay and you can always find good food.

• If you could spend a long weekend in any city abroad, which would you pick, and why?

Marrakech, for sure! It’s not too far, it’s very culturally different, it has great food, wonderful riad accommodation and shopping which ranges from bartering in the souk in the medina to yearning for more expensive luxuries in the new town shops. Many of the riads also have hammams and spas, so it also works as a place to relax. I love it.

• Please tell us three items that are always found in your luggage.

I always take my homoeopathic first aid kit wherever I go. I’m a qualified homoeopath, so I prefer to rely on homoeopathy than conventional drugs.  I also always take my Akubra – an Australian bush hat. It has travelled the world with me for years now and although it’s battered, it’s still going strong. Lastly, walking boots. I’m not a beach girl, so my holidays and work trips invariably include walking or hiking.

• What one thing would most improve people’s overall holiday experience?

A sense of humility. How much more would we see and understand and experience if we travelled with an open mind and heart? I see too many tourists who feel that their way and beliefs are the only acceptable ones. I don’t understand why people with such views bother travelling at all.

• What has been your worst holiday experience?

Malta was pretty bad! I’d never go back. The hotel was dire (very Fawlty Towers), there wasn’t a decent meal to be had on the whole island, it was crowded and the Blue Lagoon was choking with exhaust fumes from the boats. The only saving grace was that it was my honeymoon, so we laughed a lot and had a good time anyway!

• Tell us your favourite hotel: in the UK; in mainland Europe; in the rest of the world.

I really don’t have a favourite hotel in the UK or in Europe. I tend not to stay in them on holiday here (I do more camping, or small guest houses). In the ‘rest of the world’, my favourite hotel is not really a hotel. It is Sarara Camp (pictured top left), a simple, remote, rustic camp in the northern Laikipia region of Kenya. I went there 2 years ago and would love to go back. It’s in a fabulous setting near the Mathews Ranges and is owned by the local community. The game viewing is excellent but it’s also relaxing and quiet. It’s a very special place.

• What is the most exciting project your company is working on right now?

We’ve started offering Mauritius recently so getting that going is quite exciting. However I’m currently more ensconced in looking at how we present our company as a whole. We’ve been going for over 11 years now, and it doesn’t hurt to re-look at how your company might be seen by clients and make some changes.

• Thank you, Amanda.

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Meet the Boss: Mandy Nickerson, Bales Worldwide

Monday, August 3rd, 2009

Mena House Hotelmandy-nickersonHotel Alfonso XIII in Seville

Each week at 101 Holidays we interview one of the people behind the UK’s finest travel companies. This week we turn the spotlight on Mandy Nickerson, managing director of Bales Worldwide.

Mandy joined the family business aged 19, working in travel agency sales. At that time her mother, Molly Bales, was MD. Mandy progressed through the ranks, reaching her current position in 2000. The company is still family-owned and specialises in long-haul travel including tailor-made and escorted group tours.

• Where are you planning to go on holiday this year and why?

I’m off for a couple of weeks over the summer with my family to Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos. I’m especially looking forward to cruising down the Mekong Delta and, of course, visiting the magnificent temples at Angkor. Later in the year Steve, my husband, and I travel to Nepal for an action-packed holiday of white-water rafting, trekking and wildlife. I’ve made it my personal mission to work through all the Bales brochures and I am loving it. Next year we plan to climb Mount Kilimanjaro, so I guess I need to start training.

• What is your favourite bolthole in the UK and why?

It’s my mum’s cottage on the edge of Dartmoor. We have had some great holidays there and it’s the perfect base for walking, great pubs and fantastic local food. What more could you need from a UK break?

• If you could spend a long weekend in any city abroad which would you pick and why?

It has to be Cairo. I’ve been there 70 times but I never tire of it. I’m always looking to discover something new about the city, venturing out into the desert for a dawn horseback ride, or visiting the lesser-known pyramid of Dahfur – it still gives me a chill when I stare up at that amazing structure. My favourite hangouts are Oberoi’s Mena House Hotel (pictured top left) with its incredible views over the Pyramids and the new Villa Belle Epoque, Cairo’s first boutique hotel. The food there is delicious and they have just started Egyptian cooking lessons so maybe this is something for my next visit.

• Please tell us three items that are always found in your luggage.

Too many clothes. Despite my frequent travels, I still have not managed to conquer the ability of travelling light. Plus a good book, and Diet Coke – I am officially addicted.

• What one thing would move improve people’s overall holiday experience?

Travelling with a company that cares about you and treats you as an individual – there are still some of us left out here.

• What has been your worst holiday experience?

Tenerife – I loathed it.

• Tell us your favourite hotel in the UK, mainland Europe and the rest of the world.

UK – the Savoy in London.
Europe – Hotel Alfonso XIII in Seville (pictured top right).
Rest of World – Hotel Titilaka, Lake Titicaca, Peru.

• What is the most exciting project your company is working on right now?

We have just won the contract to organise the travel for 4,000 people to go to Scandinavia in 2011 for the Scouts Jamboree.

• Thank you, Mandy.

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Meet the Boss: Philip Davies, Real Travel

Monday, July 27th, 2009

La SelvaPhilip Davies Real HolidaysJamaica Inn

Each week at 101 Holidays we interview one of the people behind the UK’s finest travel companies. This week we turn the spotlight on Philip Davies of Real Holidays.

Philip worked as a teacher and pop promoter before 1989 when he launched Real Holidays, an independent travel agency in Islington, North London, that pioneered the promotion of small specialist tour operators. Using his team’s hard-earned knowledge of Italy, Greece and other destinations in Europe and Asia, Real Holidays now also puts together its own trips to hidden gems overlooked by the big tour companies.

• Where are you planning to go on holiday this year, and why?

Too often my holidays are inextricably linked to our growing tour operations and I’ve just come back from a few days looking at new properties in the Pelion, my favourite part of mainland Greece. To balance that, and demonstrate our Grecophile credentials further, my wife and I are sneaking off for a week next month to unspoiled Milos in the Cyclades to relive memories of the 1970’s. Then it’s a family and friends week in the Marche in late August before a big trip to southern India after Christmas where we have our Indian portfolio, although this will be covering a route I last took in 1980 – just upgrading the accommodation several notches this time round.

• What is your favourite bolthole in the UK, and why?

It’s got to be north Cornwall where my wife’s family are from. On a clear day the views around Trevose Head are equal to anywhere, and as her brother (Rick Stein) has several restaurants in Padstow, I get to eat like a king.

• If you could spend a long weekend in any city abroad, which would you pick, and why?

I went to New York for the first time last year and know I’ll be going back for more but that sort of amphetamine rush has to be taken in doses, and it is Italian cities that are more within my comfort zone. Naples and Palermo win on liveliness and food, Rome on walking through different eras of history, but it’s got to be Florence as the front runner with so much art to see and that lovely feeing of renaissance ghosts walking alongside you through its squares and over its bridges.

• Please tell us three items that are always found in your luggage.

I’m a sucker for guide books – one of those sad tourists you see comparing the Cadogan Guide’s description of the Duomo in Orvieto with that of the Blue Guide.  My wife can’t believe how many polo shirts I pack too, but they can look smart enough for a meeting and relaxed enough for the beach. Lastly, you’ll find vast amounts of steroids that keep me alive, as I have Addison’s disease.

• What one thing would most improve people’s overall holiday experience.

Delays at the larger airports in the UK are a price most people are prepared to pay for getting to their holiday destination, but not the appalling customer experience and service that go along with that thanks to bankrupt BAA’s poor management, cost cutting, and outsourcing. Grrr! I would force BAA to sell its airports.

• What has been your worst holiday experience?

Many years ago I was hitching back from Yugoslavia, as it then was, and after walking miles through the Karavanke Tunnel, I emerged in the mountainous Austrian border country in a midnight thunderstorm. Soaked to the skin, starving and nearing hypothermia, I clambered up the mountainside to a small farmhouse where I could see a light. Met by a double barrelled shotgun toting farmer speaking no English, I was ready to give up travel and life for good. Several plates of goulash later, and a night sharing the family bed (I remember at least four others bodies), I left refreshed the next morning convinced of the essential kindness of the human condition.

• Tell us your favourite hotel: in the UK; in mainland Europe; in the rest of the world.

My brother-in-law’s Seafood Restaurant in Padstow wins for its food and views of the Camel Estuary, but last time I stayed at his simpler St Petroc’s in the bed just vacated by the fragrant Delia Smith, which was equally satisfying.

It’s a couple of years since I’ve been, but a stay at Le Silve di Armenzano (pictured top left), surrounded by the beautiful autumn colours of the Monte Subasio Natural Park near Assisi provided that rural simplicity that restores the heart and soul.

It’s old fashioned in so many ways, and hipper Caribbean rivals like Carlisle Bay may leave it looking more so, but the lovely setting, sophisticated style, and charming staff of Jamaica Inn (pictured top right) would call me back any day I could afford it.

• What is the most exciting project your company is working on right now.

No secret project, but as that strange hybrid creature of travel agent and tour operator with our growing Indian and Italian Portfolios and budding Pelion  programme, it’s getting the balance right between building up our tour operating arm and tailor-made holidays, and providing excellent service as a traditional travel agent, that is taking up our creative energy right now.

• Thank you, Philip.

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Meet the Boss: Lesley Rollo, Thomson Tailormade

Monday, July 20th, 2009

hyatt-parislesley-rollo thomsonbali

Each week at 101 Holidays we meet the movers and shakers behind the UK’s leading tour operators. This week we chat to Lesley Rollo, Programme Director of Thomson Tailormade. Lesley has worked in the travel industry for 12 years and lives in Surrey with her husband Steve and two daughters, aged 3 and 8.

• Where are you planning to go on holiday this year, and why?

Singapore and Bali – a great combination of vibrant city and tranquil beach. Quite an ambitious itinerary with two young children but the overnight flights in both directions to me are easier than a few hours in the air during daylight.

I haven’t ever holidayed in Bali – I’ve only ever visited in a work capacity checking out hotels and negotiating contracts. However, I always vowed to return on my own holidays as the people are so warm and friendly. Bali has a unique spiritual atmosphere.

• What is your favourite bolthole in the UK, and why?

I am originally from Newcastle and I love spending time up on the North East coast in Northumberland. The beaches are white and sandy and the views from the clifftops quite breathtaking. There are some wonderful towns and villages to explore, lots of castles and plenty of great pubs and restaurants to stop in along the way.

• If you could spend a long weekend in any city abroad, which would you pick, and why?

Paris is my favourite city – having lived there as part of my university course, I like to think I know a lot more places to go than the average tourist, which I think makes for a better experience. It is a very walkable and compact city which I love and also the accessibility is second to none with the Eurostar on our doorstep – I don’t think I would ever fly to Paris again.

• Please tell us three items that are always found in your luggage.

Sun cream – lots of it. I cannot bear sunburn, having suffered in my teenage years when I was obsessed with coming home from holiday with a tan.

Pashminas of various colours – wherever I go in the world, I always worry that it may get chilly in the evenings – I may never use them but I always take them.

At least one unknown item that one of my children has slipped in secretly – a toy, book, teddy or similar…

• What one thing would most improve people’s overall holiday experience?

I would say, don’t be afraid to be a bit more adventurous than you would normally – if you are taking the step to travel long haul I would always encourage people to try and take in more than one place, whether a combination of city and beach, or a safari plus a beach. Given the excellent value around at the moment, with many airlines offering free stopovers, the cost is often less than you think.

• What has been your worst holiday experience?

I don’t think I have had one recently as I always think you can make the best of something, wherever you are. However if I think back many years, there was the time when I went to the Dordogne with my parents and brother. Although it was August, it rained and rained the whole time – a disaster!

• Tell us your favourite hotel: in the UK; in mainland Europe; in the rest of the world.

In UK, it is the Mandarin Oriental, London. In the rest of Europe it is the Park Hyatt Vendome in Paris (pictured top left). And the rest of the world: Raffles in Singapore.

• What is the most exciting project your company is working on right now?

It’s difficult to pinpoint any one thing at the moment (or to divulge any top secret projects!) However, we have an exciting new Latin America programme in the making and lots of enhancements to our website to make sure customers can easily navigate and find the holiday suited to them at the right price.

• Thank you, Lesley.

Please visit the Thomson Tailormade website.

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Meet the Boss: John Dixon, Prestige Holidays

Monday, July 13th, 2009

Casa Dell Artejohn-dixon-prestige-holidaysCambridge Beaches Bermuda

Each week at 101 Holidays we interview one of the people behind the UK’s finest travel companies. This week we turn the spotlight on John Dixon, chairman and managing director of the independent luxury tour operator, Prestige Holidays.

John began his career on the high street and by the age of 25 was managing a large travel agency in London’s West End. From there he moved to Cadogan Holidays where he rose to deputy MD. In 1989, John left Cadogan with two colleagues to found Prestige Holidays. He lives in Hampshire with his wife Cheri.

• Where are you planning to go on holiday this year, and why?

I am off to Canada with my wife and some very dear friends this summer. We will be staying in our friend’s beautiful log cabin that is lost in the woods on an obscure lake in the wilds of Nova Scotia. It’s the perfect place to relax, unwind and enjoy the peace. It’s also a great place to go walking and see the wildlife. We will start the holiday with a few days in Montreal and on the banks of the St Lawrence River.

• What is your favourite bolt hole in the UK, and why?

Lainston House near Winchester because it’s a gracious, very relaxing hotel in beautiful countryside with a fine restaurant and it’s just 45 minutes from home – what more could you ask for?

• If you could spend a long weekend in any city abroad, which would you pick, and why?

New York as it’s one of the most exciting cities I have ever been to. It offers something for everybody from shopping, to fabulous restaurants, great theatre, music and of course museums; my favourite is the Museum of Modern Art.

• Please tell us three items that are always found in your luggage.

One or two paperbacks, an iPod (I am a classical music lover), and photographs of my wife, son and dog

• What one thing would most improve people’s overall holiday experience?

The willingness to open up and interact with the local community. I always find it fascinating to learn how other people think and live.

• What has been your worst holiday experience?

A trip to Malta years ago staying in a five-star hotel before the season began. The weather was unusually bad; I travelled with my wife and son, who was five at the time, and my mother-in-law. We all went down with flu-like symptoms and had an utterly miserable time.

• Tell us your favourite hotel: in the UK; in mainland Europe; in the rest of the world.

The Stafford Hotel in the UK, as it offers the feel of a luxurious country house in central London. The hotel has a great history and offers excellent service.

In Europe, Casa Dell Arte (pictured above, left) is a gorgeous boutique hotel near Bodrum. This features in our new Turkey programme and I chose it for its location, sheer luxury and superb staff.

In Bermuda, the luxurious cottage colony, Cambridge Beaches (pictured above, right) , is set on a 30-acre peninsula  offering stunning ocean views, 5 great beaches and 3 fabulous restaurants – the perfect romantic getaway.

• What is the most exciting project your company is working on right now?

A new long-haul destination, which must remain confidential, in a very large country that offers every conceivable kind of holiday imaginable – watch this space!

• Thank you, John.

Please visit the Prestige Holidays website.

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