It began innocently enough … a passenger dropped her mobile phone as her holiday jet came in to land at Murcia in Spain.
But the consequence was a delay of three hours for holidaymakers who were scheduled to fly on that aircraft back to Newcastle in north-east England.
The problem was that the woman accidentally kicked the phone as it fell to the floor and it slid out of sight into an air vent. Because it had been switched on, Jet2 airline bosses refused to allow the plane to take off until it had been located.
That was the cue for the cockpit area and three rows of seats of the plane to be dismantled while passengers waiting to board sat in the departure lounge. The phone was eventually retrieved.
A spokesman for Jet2 thanked the passengers for their patience. He said:
“Any mobile or similar communications device that is switched on would need to be removed from the aircraft in order to ensure maximum safety for our passengers. We would like to remind all those travelling by air not to switch their phones on until they reach the airport terminal.”
When this story was run by the Daily Mail in the UK, there were no fewer than 114 comments. Said ‘Christine’:
“Is the same care given to a lost piece of luggage?”
by Andy Moreton
A waxworks museum in a popular tourist area of Thailand has been forced to cover up a roadside billboard featuring a saluting Adolf Hitler.
The poster, put up on the main road into the seaside resort town of Pattaya, was condemned by the country’s Israeli and German ambassadors as ‘utterly tasteless’ and ‘totally unacceptable’.
The billboard reading in the Thai language ‘Hitler Is Not Dead,’ was part of an advertising campaign to promote the opening next month of the Louis Tussaud waxworks museum.
The manager, Somporn Naksuetrong, apologised. He said the idea had come from an advertising agency and was neither meant to cause offence nor to celebrate Hitler, merely to point out the infamy of an historic figure.
by Andy Moreton
Luxique is delighted to offer the best rates at more than 25 luxury hotels in Bangkok and other parts of Thailand.
I’ve written before about messages-in-bottles, but one found on a beach in Cornwall in south-west England is the ultimate in romance and heartache.
Coastguard Martin Leslie was clearing debris from the shore at Praa Sands when he found the bottle, sealed with candle wax.
It contained a lock of hair and a three-page letter in French, dated September 25th. In it, an unnamed woman pours out her feelings for her lover, who, it’s clear, has returned to his wife.
She understands the inevitability of the situation, and recalls happy times:
“These magic moments are pure secret. The secret of life and pleasure without limits. In twenty years, it will still be here, the previous moments of happiness. When life gets dreary, we will be able to tap into these memories to remember what it is to live again.”
She finishes by saying she hoped to find another man like him with whom to live ‘a beautiful life’.
There was no address or any other clue to her identity, but it’s reported that the French media are on the case.
by Andy Moreton
A new exhibition which opened last week at the Palace of Versailles outside Paris celebrates the life of Louis XIV, the Sun King.
The exhibition explores the paintings, sculptures, furniture and jewellery that helped France’s most famous and flamboyant monarch shape his all-powerful image. Some of the 300 pieces have not been seen publicly since the French Revolution in 1789.
Born in 1638, Louis ascended to the throne at the age of four and reigned for 72 years until his death in 1715.
It was Louis who decided to turn his father’s hunting lodge at Versailles into the dazzling centre of his universe, moving his court, government and military command there. The exhibition includes a 17th century painting of the reconstruction of Versailles, which has been loaned by Queen Elizabeth II.
Perhaps the most surprising portrait of Louis is a profile made from a wax mask of his face, dating from around 1705. He’s seen toothless and frail at the age of about 66.
Louis XIV, the Man and the King runs until February 7. Details are on the Versailles website.
by Andy Moreton
Versailles is about 12 miles south-west of the centre of Paris and a visit there is a pleasant way to spend a day while staying in the city. Luxique can offer the pick of the luxury hotels in Paris, as well as the elegant and newly refurbished Trianon Palace, which nestles in woodland less than a mile from the Palace of Versailles.
One of the most famous tourist attractions in the world – the Sydney Harbour Bridge – was turned into a giant picnic area last weekend.
Six thousand people, who’d won their places in a lottery, settled down to enjoy breakfast on the bridge, which had special turf laid on it for the occasion. The 100,000 drivers who normally use the eight-lane bridge every day had to make alternative arrangements.
The picnic was part of a month-long festival of food, art, comedy and outdoor living and it might now become an annual event.
A government spokesman said: “I don’t think we were ever doubtful of the success of this event today. It was a unique world first for this iconic attraction. This type of event typifies the Australian personality.”
by Andy Moreton
The Harbour Bridge, the Opera House … there’s so much to see in Australia’s liveliest city and Luxique has a varied selection of the finest luxury hotels in Sydney.
It’s the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall next month, and the occasion will be marked by various events in the city.
When the East German government built the wall in 1961, it didn’t take into account the ingenuity shown by those who were prepared to take any risk to try to escape the oppressive communist system.
While some flew over the barrier in hot air balloons and others were smuggled in secret compartments in cars, several hundred took advantage of the soft, sandy soil under Berlin to tunnel their way to freedom.
Now, that secret tunnel network has become one of the most popular attractions for tourists and locals alike. And their guide is often Hasso Herschel, who, in the 1960s and 1970s, helped dozens escape through the secret tunnels, some of which he dug with his own hands.
Mr Herschel, who escaped to West Germany with a forged passport in 1961, dug several illegal tunnels under the wall, the first in September 1962. It’s reckoned that about a fifth of the estimated 71 projects were successful. Often they were discovered by troops or secret police before they could be used. Others collapsed, were flooded or buried by loose soil.
Details of the underground tours can be found at http://berliner-unterwelten.de/
and for information on the city’s anniversary celebrations, go to http://www.mauerfall09.de/
by Andy Moreton
Whether visiting for the anniversary celebrations or at any other time of the year, Luxique can guide you through the best of the luxury hotels in Berlin.
The UK’s most visited paid-for tourist attraction, the London Eye, made its biggest profit last year: £25 million ($40 million).
About 3.85 million people enjoyed the panoramic views from the 32 pods of the Millennium Wheel, which stands on the South Bank of the Thames.
Figures for 2009 are also looking good, boosted by a strong euro and the decision of many British tourists to take their holidays at home – the so-called staycationers.
David Sharpe, Divisional Director for the owners, Merlin Entertainments London, said: “Since opening in 2000, the London Eye has welcomed more than 35 million people – that’s more visitors a year than the Taj Mahal and Pyramids of Giza and a true testament to its success.”
The London Eye is currently undergoing a £12.5 million ($20 million) upgrade to be ready for the summer Olympics in London in 2012. Flight prices have edged up over the years and are now approximately 70 per cent higher than when the Eye was launched. A half-hour trip currently costs £17.50 ($28) for adults and £8.75 ($14) for children.
by Andy Moreton
All the 71 luxury hotels in London offered by Luxique have been carefully selected by our travel experts. There’s a wide range of styles, but each has a character and uniqueness to make your trip extra special.
A hotel that’s been unused and unloved for 22 years may finally be able to welcome some guests.
The Ryugyong Hotel in the North Korean capital, Pyongyang – once described as ‘the worst building in the world’ – was started in 1987 and originally scheduled to be completed in 1989, in time for the World Festival of Youth and Students.
But endless building problems, safety concerns and a shortage of money meant the hotel, shaped like a three-sided pyramid, was never completed and became a source of embarrassment to North Korea’s leaders.
Now, though, officials are determined to finish the building by April 15th 2012, the 100th anniversary of the birth of Kim Il Sung, the founder of the nation.
The building was designed to have 3,000 rooms as well as seven revolving restaurants in a 45-yard wide circular structure on top of the pyramid. A further six floors above would look out across the rest of the low-rise city. It was by far the largest building in the country and would have been the tallest hotel in the world.
North Korea has always pursued a policy of isolation and I was a bit surprised to hear there’s a tour company specialising in organising visits there. Koryo Tours, based in Beijing, arranges both independent and group tours. The company reckons that only around 1,000 Americans have visited North Korea in the past 50 years.
by Andy Moreton
France has said it will return to Egypt five relics stolen from a tomb in the Valley of the Kings in Luxor and sold to the Louvre museum in Paris.
A special commission of the French museums agency decided unanimously to give back the five painted wall fragments from the 3,200-year-old tomb. They were taken in the 1980s and ended up at the Louvre in 2000 and 2003.
Egypt’s antiquities authority had accused Louvre officials of knowing the pieces had been illegally imported when they bought them. The museum insists they were acquired in good faith.
Relations had become so strained that the Egyptians announced that they would suspend co-operation with the Louvre, which would have stopped work on an archaeological dig on the necropolis of Saqqara, south of the capital, Cairo.
by Andy Moreton
If you’re travelling to Luxor to see the wonders of the Valley of the Kings, check out Luxique’s two selected luxury hotels: the Old Winter Palace and the Hotel La Moudira.
The Catalonia region of Spain – which includes Barcelona and the Costa Brava resorts – has announced a crackdown on the supply of cheap drinks in bars and clubs.
Among other things, it’s banned the ‘Happy Hour’ promotion, in which people are typically offered two drinks for the price of one, and the practice of clubs supplying free drinks after payment of an entrance fee. Violations could result in a fine of up to £6,000 ($9,800).
Barcelona is a popular destination for young Britons holding pre-wedding stag (bachelor) and hen (bachelorette) parties, but these sometimes end in drunkenness and debauchery.
But it’s likely that the new measures are equally aimed at the young Spaniards who engage in what are known as botellones – drinking jamborees in which students crowd public squares, drink heavily and disturb the peace.
“We must protect citizens,” said Catalonia’s public health director, Antoni Plasencia. “We want to impede the uncontrolled consumption of alcohol.”
by Andy Moreton
Luxique has a wide and varied selection of luxury hotels in Barcelona, as well as in other parts of Catalonia, including Tarragona and Girona.
