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THE new Hard Rock Hotel in

Riviera Maya, Mexico, had a
grand opening with rocker Bon
Jovi helping the celebrations.
The fourth Hard Rock hotel
opened on May 4 and featured a
live beachside concert by Jon Bon
Jovi and The Kings of Suburbia and
a VIP after party at Club Heaven.
The Hard Rock Hotel Riviera Maya
has 1,264 rooms, outdoor pools, a
private beach, nine restaurants, and
eight bars and lounges.
Child-friendly parts include HIT
Entertainments Little Big Club, and
the Teens Lounge & Club, while the
adults-only section includes the
Hard Rock signature Rock Spa,
bars, and a premium nightclub.
See hrhrivieramaya.com.
CLUB TROPICANA: Seven
nights self-catering in Ibiza at
the 3H Tropicana Studios in
San Antonio Bay is from 333
per person. Leaving Glasgow
June 21. See easyJet.com/
holidays or call 0843 104
1000.
. . . SOL ABOUT THE
MONEY: Seven nights self-
catering at 3H Nuriasol Apart-
ments in Fuengirola on the
Costa Del Sol is from 329 per
person. Leaving Edinburgh
June 23. See jet2holidays.
com or call 0800 408 5594.
. . . BIT OF A MALTESER:
Seven nights self-catering at
the 3H Sunseeker Apart-
ments in Bugibba, Malta, is
from 175 per person. Leav-
ing Glasgow June 3. See
maltadirect.com or call 0845
604 0035.
. . . TURKISH DELIGHT:
Seven nights all-inclusive at
the 4H Marmaris Palace in
Icmeler, Turkey, is from 629
per person. Leaving Glasgow
June 25. See thomascook.
com or call 0844 412 5970.
. . . ACHOUSA! BLESS YOU:
Seven nights self-catering at
the 3H Achousa Hotel Apts in
Faliraki, Rhodes, is from 189
per person. Leaving Glasgow
May 28. See olympicholidays.
com or call 020 8492 6868.
. . . REINA IN SPAIN: Seven
nights self-catering
at the 4H Blau
Punta Reina
Resort, Porto
C r i s t o ,
Majorca, is from
338 per person.
Leaving Glasgow June 7. See
loveholidays.com.
. . . WHAM, VAN, THANK
YOU SANDMAN: Seven
nights at the Sandman Van-
couver hotel is from 639 per
person. Leaving Glasgow
June, September and Octo-
ber. See canadianaffair.com.
. . . BAIA, BAIA: Seven
nights B&B at the 4H Baia
Azul Hotel in Funchal,
Madeira, is from 409 per per-
son. Leaving Glasgow June
9. See barrheadtravel.co.uk
or call 0141 222 2223.
. . . PANORAMA DING
DONG: Seven nights all-
inclusive at the 4H Iberostar
Creta Panorama, Crete, is
from 561 per person. Leav-
ing Glasgow June 10. See
firstchoice.co.uk or call 0871
200 7799.
. . . ORLANDO MILK AND
HONEY: Seven nights room
only at the 4H Park Inn by
Radisson Orlando, Florida, is
from 575 per person. Leav-
ing Glasgow June 6. See
lowcostholidays.com or call
0800 1116271.
. . . ON THE PROTUR: Two
weeks self-catering at the 3H
Protur Floriana Resort,
Majorca, is from 303 per per-
son. Leaving Glasgow June
7. See thomson.co.uk or call
0871 230 2555.
ITS 31C in
ORLANDO
seven nights at
the 3H Main-
gate Lakeside
Resort is from 669pp.
Price is based on a room-
only basis and includes
flights from Glasgow on
June 7 plus car hire. See
virginholidays.co.uk or
call 0844 557 3870.
LAS VEGAS is
37C five
ni ght s at
Planet Holly-
wood Resort &
Casino is from 799pp.
Price is based on a room-
only basis and includes
flights from Glasgow, via
Philadelphia, on June 10.
See magicholidays.com
or call 0207 580 5000.
EXPLOREISLESBEAUTY FROMBOUTIQUEHIDEAWAY EXPLOREISLESBEAUTY FROMBOUTIQUEHIDEAWAY
LATE
BREAKS
5 pages
of holidays
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RECENT research from travel
site Momondo has found Brits
favour three and four-star hotels for
their travels.
Bathrobes and free mini bars are
some of the amenities that can
usually be enjoyed by upgrading to a
five-star hotel. However by shunning
these, Brits appear to be saving cash
to spend on other luxuries whilst
away. Momondo found that between
January 16 and the April 20 this year,
well over three out of ten Brits
booked three or four-star hotels for
trips, with less than one in 10 Brits
booking a five-star hotel. And 15 per
cent of Brits booked a hotel with a
two-star rating.
Q HOW BRITS BOOKED: 3 stars (35%); 4 stars
(33%); 2 stars (15%); 5 stars (8%); 1 star (4%)
HEARD the one about the
idiot driving to Skye who
followed his Sat Nav to the
closed ferry port instead of
the road bridge?
No? Well, you have now.
When I sheepishly broke the news
to my wife that we still had another
120 snow-covered miles to travel
(minutes earlier Id assured her we
were half an hour away) I fully
expected to be thrown in the waters
off Mallaig.
Fortunately Lesley-Anne contained
her anger the classes seem to be
working and we journeyed back to
Fort William before taking the cor-
rect route to Kyle of Lochalsh and
then over to the Isle of Skye itself.
The detour, or little adventure as I
put it, added over two hours to an
already long jaunt from Glasgow.
But it was all worth it when we
finally arrived at the magnificent
four-star Duisdale House Hotel
deserving winner of a host of indus-
try awards in recent years including
UK Best Small Hotel of the Year
2013 and Scottish Hotel of the Year
2013-14.
Manager Rose and her team
greeted us with soup, sandwiches
and beer. Not a bad start.
Barman Matt brimmed with pas-
sion as he told us the best places to
visit the following day. He even
drew a map. I wish hed been in the
car a few hours earlier!
Top-notch and
plentiful food
Our room, one of 18 in this bou-
tique hideaway, had a four-poster
bed and bay windows overlooking
tree-filled grounds.
Next morning we enjoyed a hearty
breakfast in the conservatory. The
food, as with all meals we had, was
top-notch and plentiful.
Skye is a mecca for outdoors
types and we headed out to see for
ourselves.
Its also a wonderful place to
drive and we opted to spend the
afternoon enjoying the sights
along the famous Loop Road across
the centre of Sleat.
Along the way we explored the
ruins of Dunsgiath Castle, strolled
along the sandy beach at Ord and
narrowly avoided a confrontation
with an overly-protective bull at
Point of Sleat.
For the record, it was us who
backed down!
Back at Duisdale we enjoyed a
couple of drinks in the well-stocked
bar (Id recommend trying some
beers from the small island brewer-
ies) before heading through to the
restaurant for what was to be a
superb meal.
Pre-starter was black pudding bon
bons with a mackerel mousse and a
mini cut of local salmon. Then it was
poached egg with pea puree, broccoli
and pancetta, before the leek and
potato soup with assorted breads. I
opted for island scallops while Lesley-
Anne went for Highland beef.
The talented French chef cooked
the dishes to perfection and the low
lighting and cosy atmosphere in the
room made for a perfect evening.
Had we been staying at Duisdale
later in the year (as youre reading
this) we could have spent the Sunday
sailing in the owners luxury yacht.
In high season Ken and Anne are
captain and crew of the Solus a
Chuain and guests can enjoy a five-
star lunch while touring the island.
Instead we took a drive through
more stunning landscapes from our
base in the south of the island to
the harbour town of Portree in the
north.
It rounded off a wonderful couple
of days surrounded by natural
beauty and being spoiled by the lux-
ury on offer at Duisdale House.
We may have arrived as a couple
of stressed-out travellers, but we
left feeling wholly refreshed.
DAVID WYNN
HOT
SPOT
HOT
SPOT
A B&B stay at Duisdale
House Hotel costs from just
83.50. The hotel is in Sleat, Isle of
Skye, IV44 8RE.
See www.duisdale.com or call 01471
833202
GO: SKYE
BREATHTAKING . . .
scenic view of Skye
and, left, Hotel of the
Year Duisdale House
Saturday, May 24, 2014
55 1S