British holidaymakers lead the world when it comes to false compensation claims – and now travel companies are fighting back. What has caused these nasty ‘gastroenteritis wars’ being fought across the Mediterranean? In October 2013, Sean and Caroline Bondarenko spent a week at the five-star Caldera Palace hotel in Crete. Then they returned home. Three…
Jar-swapping exercise could spread, as security staff stock up with 70g containers for passengers intent on taking their favourite foods on holiday A UK airport has declared a “Marmite amnesty” today, after the popular savoury spread was found to be the number one branded food item confiscated from passengers’ hand luggage. In an unusual move,…
Liz Boulter didn’t know she was off to Porto until she got to the airport. All part of Dutch company srprs.me’s new holiday concept ‘He’s picked out restaurants for us already – even knows what he’s going to order.” My friend was talking about an upcoming city break meticulously planned by her husband, and while…
Spain decamps to the coast in the summer and life revolves around the chiringuitos where a meal, cold beer or just a break from the sun are what’s needed Tumbao, a cool spot without pretension and imbued with something of a “Californian-days-of summer” vibe, offers everything anyone might need on a beach, from good company…
The ingredients of this meaty rice dish may vary but the beloved central Asian dish always comes in massive portions In a small, unremarkable restaurant on Firdavsi Street in Samarkand, the plov arrives at our table. At its most basic, plov is rice with onion and carrots, plus either mutton, lamb or beef, cooked slowly…
West Jutland is bringing old Norse culture to life with interactive attractions alongside historic sites. Mother and daughter immerse themselves in a land of legend The longhouse is warm and dark. Embers smoulder in a fire-pit in the centre of the hall; above it hang blackened joints of meat. The air is thick with wood…
A new fast train goes from Paris to Bordeaux in just over two hours, bringing France’s wine country even closer As I crossed the hot, crowded concourse of Gare Montparnasse, Paris, I walked past a jazz band blasting out Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This). Approaching the ticket barrier, I was alarmed to see that…
She went with low expectations and a healthy dose of scepticism, but diving with dwarf minke whales in Queensland surprised and delighted Elle Hunt It’s a rare – and foolhardy – tourism operator that talks in guarantees. Your satisfaction is staked on forces outside their control and their TripAdvisor review hangs in the balance –…
The Adriatic island of Korčula is home to a unique wine … perfect for sipping after a day visiting its scenic villages and beaches At 10.30am, I thought it might have been a bit early for a wine tasting. But the eight people sitting in the cool stone tasting room at Bire Winery were already…
It took the novelist a while, but she learned to love the chaos and joy of Greece’s third-largest city When I visited Patra for the first time, I was baffled. Driving in from Athens through the modern sprawl along the coast, I couldn’t understand how the third largest city in Greece could be so lacking…