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HEX-E01-S2 HERALD EXPRESS Thursday, December 1 2011 Wednesday, December 7 2011

HERALD EXPRESS Thursday, December 1 2011 Wednesday, December 7 2011

HEX-E01-S2

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Whats On Travel Late Deals

UK/IRELAND
I CORNWALL: St Michaels Hotel & Spa, Falmouth (01326 312 300) offers three nights dinner and B&B from Dec 19 from 129, with two, three and four-night Twixmas breaks (Dec 27-30) from 79 per person per night. I NORTH YORKSHIRE: Yorkshire Cottages (01228 406 701) offers seven nights self-catering in barn conversion sleeping four in heart of North York Moors National Park from Dec 20 or 28 for 560, saving 90.

Dont miss a note... listings updated daily www.thisissouthdevon.co.uk/entertainment

Dont miss a note... listings updated daily www.thisissouthdevon.co.uk/entertainment

www.thisissouthdevon.co.uk/travel

www.thisissouthdevon.co.uk/travel

Whats On Travel

Paradise island is charmingly

seductive and stunningly beautiful

SHORT BREAKS
I VENICE: Cresta (0844 879 8014) offers three nights B&B at fourstar Papadopoli Hotel from 299, saving 126, ex-Gatwick with easyJet Feb 19. I MARRAKECH: lowcostholidays.com (0800 111 6271) offers four nights B&B at four-star Hotel Kenzi Tichka from 155, ex-Luton Feb 1.

SHORT-HAUL SUN
I ALGARVE: Directline (0800 408 6324) offers seven nights selfcatering from 134, ex-Stansted Jan 11, based on three-star Pateo Village, just outside Albufeira. Baggage incl, transfers extra. I MAJORCA: Directline (0800 408 6324) offers seven nights selfcatering at Club Simo Aparthotel in resort of Cala Millor from 170, exBristol, Dec 8. Baggage incl, transfers extra. I TURKEY: Directline (0800 408 6324) offers seven nights all-incl at three-star hotel in Alanya from 177, ex-Gatwick Dec 13. Hold baggage incl, transfers extra.

LONG-HAUL
I RED SEA: Longwood (0844 770 4898) offers seven nights B&B at five-star Sheraton Miramar El Gouna from 627, ex-Manchester Dec 9. I THAILAND: Virgin (0844 557 3870) offers seven nights B&B at three-star Novotel Phuket Resort from 945, saving up to 307, with Thai Airways deps ex-Heathrow Nov 29-Dec 6. I GAMBIA: Cosmos (0844 573 4261) offers 14 nights B&B at three-star Hotel Seaview Gardens in Koloi for 435, ex-Gatwick Nov 29 and incl transfers. I THAILAND: Hayes & Jarvis (0844 415 1918) offers eight nights B&B at Centara Villas Samui on popular island of Koh Samui from 599, saving 327, ex-Heathrow with Thai Airways on Dec 1 and transfers. I RED SEA: Olympic (0844 576 2386) offers seven nights allinclusive at four-star Harmony Makadi Bay Beach resort, Hurghada, for 329, saving 247, ex-Manchester Dec 13 with transfers.

CRUISES
I EASTERN MED: Cruise Thomas Cook (0800 028 8844) offers 14 nights on P&Os Adonia ex-Venice to Koper (Slovenia), Hvar, Bari, Katakolon, Nauplia, Istanbul, Mytilini, Kusadasi, Rhodes, Santorini and Athens from 729, ex-Gatwick Dec 6.

SKIING
I FRENCH ALPS: Rocket Ski (01273 810 777) offers seven nights catered chalet stay at four-star Chalet Namika, Alpe dHuez from 299, incl return flights ex-Gatwick Dec 10, transfers, afternoon teas, dinners with wine on all but one night.

paradise. Other than information obtained from our guidebook, my partner and I knew very little about the Cook Islands. It doesnt parade as a typical holiday destination, and the amount of people we know to have been there can be counted on one hand. Straight off the plane and into the tiny arrivals lounge, we were greeted by Jake Numanga, a locally famous native and one-man ukulele band, who has apparently and melodically received every inbound flight, without fail, for 25 years. Great, I muttered cynically, Ive just flown half way across the Pacific to feel like Im in Spain. Stop being a gloomy gus and get in the holiday spirit, my partner retorted as if she was reprimanding a five year old. As much as I hated to acquiesce to her order while suffering from flight fatigue, I had to admit that it was more delightful than tacky . Being a former British protectorate, the international airport on Rarotonga was regally opened in 1987 by the Queen. Accommodating three flights a day, the staff seemed in no immediate rush as they shuffled about in their flowery shirts and leis, expertly looking like they were doing nothing when in actual fact they were busy at work. Ah, so this is island time, I said to myself. On the strength of the greeting and atmosphere on arrival, it wouldnt have been irrational for us to assume we had arrived in a tourist trap as eager to take our money as much as we were to spend it. But proof that assumption is the mother of all mistakes was about to surprisingly reveal itself. Captain Cook would be proud; highrise buildings do not exist on Rarotonga. Neither do an abundance of overpriced restaurants serving fayre seasoned to tourist taste buds, nor bars where its always happy hour. These places exist, of course, but instead they are to be found scattered around the island in clusters of no more than two or three at a time. Consequently, there is no strip to speak of no central hub that satisfies every whimsical need of the holidaymaker. While there are a number of small, privately owned resorts on Rarotonga, there are none with any recognisable commercial name. Perhaps more significant and immediately apparent is that Rarotonga is not a place you go to spend time in a resort, hidden behind typically high, artificial walls built for the purpose of protecting holidaymakers from relentless touts. But there are no touts; it is a place you go to co-exist with friendly and amiable locals, allowing you to experience everyday island life unconstrained. My partner and I rented a selfcontained garden bungalow, which sat within rustic grounds where passion fruit, avocado and coconut grew liberally and enticingly, ready to be picked freely by its temporary inhabitants. Invariably, regardless of the time of day, the beach closest to our bungalow would be deserted and, even with my lack of imagination, it wasnt hard to

OT being someone who likes surprises, I cant remember the last time I was glad to be surprised until I ventured into a South Pacific

envisage that we were enjoying the same unchanged beach that Captain James Cook first came across in 1773. None of the white-sand beaches around the island are privatised. They are not raked, swept or aesthetically prepared with the sole purpose of pleasing the eye of the visitor. Though consequently more rugged, they effortlessly retain their beauty; cartoon palms flawlessly keep guard over crystal-clear water, which behaves peacefully inside the coral wall of its surrounding reef, creating pretty turquoise-blue lagoons. Those islanders in positions of power who have resisted opportunities for development on Rarotonga must be acknowledged; the island is peaceful and quiet because of it, and has subsequently retained its ambience and charm. And it is refreshing that, while a portion of the Rarotongan economy clearly relies on tourism, it is not what holds it up. It is a beautifully unique paradox that simply does not seem interested in the tourist trade as a means for prosperity . Despite our serious lack of experience with motor scooters, my partner and I decided that this would be the best way to explore every inch of the island. How hard can it be? I asked, puffing out my chest and trying to draw on as much testosterone as I could. Oh, so you dont remember the last one we hired, then? my partner said as she looked at me incredulously . Err, no, I sheepishly answered, knowing I was better to assume it was my fault anyway . Well Ill bet the hire company does! she said sharply, seemingly happy with herself for reminding me that it ended up in a hedge. Having been on the compulsory visit to the police station to hand over twenty dollars, I was now the proud owner of a Cook Islands driving licence. A nice souvenir if nothing else, I thought. There is one main road on the island, which circles the perimeter, and another smaller, weathered track which circles the interior. While the outer road accommodates more traffic, the inner road is quieter and allows for the exploration of

PARADISE: The clear waters and white coral sand beaches of Rarotonga at Aitutaki lagoon CAN STOCK PHOTO INC. / CBSVA
intrinsic residential areas and a simple life seldom seen by visitors. I am envious of the societal differences in living on an island of this size; there exists one dentist, one plumber, one television engineer, and so on. Competition is scarce. That is unless youre in the business of baking. Bizarrely, there are three bakeries on the island supplying their share of carbohydrates. Rarotonga is a place where not much happens but life itself, albeit at a much slower pace. There is a reason for this. The island is charmingly seductive and stunningly beautiful, and it is not hard to tell that Rarotongans are proud of it just the way it is. And about as charming as anything on the island is that the two public buses run clockwise and anticlockwise and are, therefore, named as such. And therein lay a perfect illustration of how simple life is there. NICHOLAS BURT

COLOURFUL: The bright backside of a small market stall at Avarua town, capital of Rarotonga, the Cook Islands CAN STOCK

Fact box
Location: South Pacific Ocean, NE of New Zealand Best time to go: Year-round Capital City: Avarua (Rarotonga) Population: 21,000 Number of Islands: 15 Currency: NZ dollar (NZD) Languages: Cook Islands Maori & English Greeting: Kia Orana (Hello) Website: www.cook-islands.com

PHOTO INC. / CBSVA

IDYLLIC: Evening at Muri Laggon, Rarotonga

CAN STOCK PHOTO INC. / CBSVA

CLEAR WATERS: A starfish in tropical waters off Rarotonga

CAN STOCK PHOTO INC. / KWEST19

KEEPING LIFE SIMPLE: Typical transport on Rarotonga

NICHOLAS BURT