At a monastery with mod cons. There are numerous converted monastic residences that have been turned into hotels of varying levels of luxury, usually in superb locations. At the top of the scale, for example, is the five-star San Domenico Palace Hotel in Taormina, Sicily (00 39 09 42 61 31 11; www.thi.it), a converted 14th-century monastery. Double rooms start at a not-insignificant ?290 (£207), for a "basic" room without a sea view but including ( Read more... )
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The CAA said the airport's owner, West Midlands Airport Ltd, had today issued a Notice to Airmen informing them of the closure.

The owners had been due to appear in the High Court tomorrow to respond to a winding-up petition.

The airport has not been used for scheduled passenger flights since airline Thomsonfly ceased operations in November 2008.

Since then, Coventry has been operating as a cargo terminal and a base for executive ( Read more... )
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Why go now?

With a mild climate typical of the south of France, the attractive walled city of Carcassonne is an appealing and accessible destination for an out-of-season weekend. The Gauls, Romans, Moors and Cathars have left their mark on the place and contributed to its atmosphere ? but the restaurants and shops ensure that there is more to Carcassonne than just history.

Touch down

The only airline with direct flights from the UK is Ryanair ( Read more... )
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The low-cost carrier confirmed that after a 90-day consultation with staff it will close its base at East Midlands Airport and cut capacity at its home base at London Luton Airport by 20 per cent.

On January 5, the airline will stop its operations at East Midlands Airport.

All 107 affected cabin crew and pilots who requested to transfer to other easyJet bases will be accommodated, a spokesman said.

He said passengers booked to travel after January 5 ( Read more... )
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Why go now?

Postcard-pretty Innsbruck becomes easier to reach today with the launch of a new British Airways service from Gatwick. The capital of the Austrian state of Tyrol is an appealing ski destination but it offers much more, too. This is a striking city in its own right: in the 15th century Emperor Maximilian I made Innsbruck the capital of the Habsburg empire and today his legacy is still very evident in the charming old town. The cobbled streets here look ( Read more... )
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London Paddington has become the first UK railway station to offer international flight check-in services. Heathrow Express has installed flight information screens and self-service check-in at the station. Go to heathrowexpress.com

The ski break

Mark Warner has launched special adult-only ski weeks in January at Val d'Isere and in March at Tignes. The idea follows the success of a summer initiative and will include extras such as social events and excursions. Go to markwarner.co.uk

The ( Read more... )
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Two podcasts and PDF workbooks will be available each week, starting from beginner level. The Independent Spanish podcasts can be downloaded below. Please download the Spanish podcast workbooks here.

Section 1 - Beginners - "I have no knowledge or understanding of the language, other than perhaps a few key words and expressions. I have no real idea about the grammar and have a very ( Read more... )
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As dinner is served, we're joined by the head of the house, wearing a mauve sweatshirt that remains unchanged during the three days I spend in the village. His has the furrowed face of an elderly man, but his body is as lithe as a meerkat's and his broad hands could crack walnuts. Both he and his daughter (my amused pasta partner) have the gentle, feline features typical of those from this part of India. As we eat cross-legged on cushions, they nod and smile at me, and I nod and smile back, and ( Read more... )
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In France, the giant Paradiski region (paradiski.com), which connects the resorts of La Plagne and Les Arcs, offers a range of novel activities, including the chance to whizz down the 1992 Olympic bobsleigh run (00 33 479 09 12 73) either as a passenger behind a professional racer in a "taxi bob" at 120kph/75mph (for ?107/£97) or on a slower "self-guiding" bob raft at 80kph (for ?37). Or you could try "ski joering", where you are towed behind a horse on your skis (?50 for three hours).

Firing ( Read more... )
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In a promotional video on the VoiceSkins website, Snoop Dogg explains, "Really it was because I'd be riding in my car and I'd be hearing that boring ass lady doing it all the time. ...She'd always be turning my music down, going, "Turn left, go right, straight ahead.' We gotta add some flavor to that."

Directions include "Come on man, let's get this thing cranked up" and a suggestion to play Snoop Dogg music while going "round and round" at a roundabout. For an extra small price, users can ( Read more... )
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The Aquaventure water park in Atlantis, the Palm (atlantisthepalm .com) offers a cool retreat from Dubai's searing heat. It has 42 acres of waterslides and rides, the most famous of which is the 98ft Leap of Faith, which shoots bathers along a transparent tunnel that passes through a shark-filled lagoon. For more thrills, sand skiing (nettoursdubai.com) has become one of the latest ? and most bizarre ? crazes for thrill-seekers here. Simply strap on sandboards and surf the huge dunes. And don't ( Read more... )
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We were conceived in the early Noughties, after James Lohan and his now-wife, Tamara Heber-Percy, discovered first hand how hard it was for style-savvy urbanites to work out where best to squeeze the most out of their precious off-duty time. Sexy hotels that tick all the form and function boxes are still surprisingly thin on the ground if you want the whole shebang: slick design, home-from-home comfort, snappy service and first-class eating and drinking.

Soho House came up with a great ( Read more... )
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Most sky dives, bungee jumps, or jet boat adventures pass off without incident. But things can go wrong and when they do, some of the biggest problems are when people did not realise their insurance didn't cover them for the activity concerned. If you're seriously injured, getting back to the UK without insurance can be ruinously expensive.

Each year, around 280,000 Brits travel to New Zealand. Being half a world away, most British travellers put plenty of thought into ( Read more... )
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Chhatra Sagar, Rajasthan

The majestic location of these 11 hand-stitched tents is a 119-year-old dam, overlooking a bird-filled reservoir that regularly attracts buffalo, deer and pelicans. Following the Rajput tradition of roving luxury camps, the tents contain comfortable sitting rooms, stone bathrooms, henna-painted bedrooms, locally crafted furniture ? and the modern concession of Wi-Fi. Activities include birdwatching and village tours.

Chhatra ( Read more... )
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Ski Independence

£1,418: Panorama, British Columbia

Includes Air Canada flights departing Heathrow on 30 December and self-catering accommodation in a Gold studio. "Panorama is a superb resort, renowned for its quality ski-in/ski-out accommodation and its great snow record, so with 50 per cent off the accommodation, and 2-for-1 on transfers, this is a perfect solution for the January blues," says Ski Independence's Philli Swindale. (0131 243 8097; ( Read more... )
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Until recently, Nairobi's luxury hotel scene was stuck in this rut, the likes of the Norfolk and Stanley being good at what they do (offering five-star service in opulent surroundings) but rarely offering excitement. Now, Tribe has provided Nairobi with an injection of contemporary cool. Despite a name that appears to hark back to the past ? Tribe's motto is in fact "one tribe, the human race" ? the hotel is utterly modern, fusing slick Manhattan loft interiors with an earthy ( Read more... )
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In travel terms, South Africa 2010 is unlike any previous tournament. Flying is the only realistic way for the vast majority of fans to get there, and air and rail links within South Africa will be stretched. Accommodation has been at a premium ever since the qualifiers for the finals were known.

The event's organisers anticipate more supporters from England than from any other nation ? and the airlines expect to clean up. Within minutes of the draw, prices for flights ( Read more... )
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Lanzarote

Lanzarote's most famous son, the artist and designer César Manrique, was a man with a strong sense of place. "I believe that we are witnessing a historic moment," he said in 1987, "where the huge danger to the environment is so evident that we must conceive a new responsibility with respect to the future." But words were not enough; he'd decided to do something about it.

Manrique was born 90 years ago in Arrecife, Lanzarote's capital. He studied ( Read more... )
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But that is precisely why it's a great time to visit. The frenzy of speculation over its financial viability hasn't touched the things that lure tourists to Dubai. The hotels are still first-rate, the sun is still guaranteed to shine, and the warm water of the Gulf remains attractive to visitors.

And for me, the best sights aren't even in Dubai. They're in the peach-coloured dunes and jagged canyons beyond the city, which form some of the best camping grounds to be ( Read more... )
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Doors also flung open this week at the Vdara Hotel and Crystals retail and entertainment complex. And there's more to come. The Aria gaming resort opens December 16, unveiling its 61 stories and more than 4,000 guestrooms and a residential tower scheduled for occupancy on January.

Owned by the MGM Mirage, the multi-use CityCenter provides a total of 18 million square feet (1.6 million square meters) of space. One of its prominent features is the green status of its environmentally-friendly ( Read more... )
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