TRAVEL

Home & Away with Robert WalsheLiving

Egypt is bouncing back from its re-cent troubles, with over 50% of re-spondents to a survey stating that they would visit within the year. A recent survey by travel portal Easyvoyage showed however that tunisia was not experiencing the same recovery, with 80% of those questioned saying that they would not visit in the near future.

Over half of the participants who said they would not go to tunisia in the near future cited a lack of infor-mation on the destination as the main region, rather than the politi-cal unrest.

Meanwhile tourism in the Far East and Indian Ocean is benefit-ing from the ongoing civil unrest in the Middle East and North Af-rica, according to a luxury tour operator.

Cox & Kings said volumes of luxury tour bookings for desti-nations in North Africa and the Mid-dle East had been severely dented since uprisings across the Arab na-tions started last month.

Weekend Hotspotthe Cliff House on the Cork, Wa-

terford border is unique amongst Irish hotels. Sitting over Ardmore Bay and splashing with natural light, its gardens, terrace and bal-conies all blend in naturally to the cliffs.

the property has been in exist-ence since the early 1930’s and was a family run hotel up until its rebuilding and re-opening in 2008 under its present owners. the Hotel was originally a pri-vate house. It was acquired by a Mr Kelly, who was a teacher from Connemara.

He and his wife (a sister of the Fear Mor, the Head of the Irish Col-lege at Ring near Dungarvan) saw an opportunity to take advantage of the beginnings of a tourist trade and started the Hotel business on the premises around 1900.

the hotel stands on the site of the original of the same name, an old building which was demol-ished to make way for this brand new, state of the art construction whose architecture makes the most of its cliff side scenery.

the spac ious entrance lobby compliments the coastal lo-

cation, with shells, natural stone and slate all used to great effect. Since the hotel is located high into the cliffs, the views of the vast expanse of water is stunning.

the interiors draw an extraordi-nary landscape inwards and the palettes of marine blue, fuchsia, aubergine and sea green blend in perfectly.

Each of the 39 rooms balances the colossal view with a crafted coziness manifested in stand-alone bathtubs, linen and glass headboards.

the deluxe sea view room with bay windows, ensuite bath and separate shower, mini bar, Wi-Fi and flat screen tv are wonderful or if your credit card allows choose a balcony room with all this, plus king sized bed and spacious out-door terrace.

Before dinner enjoy a drink in the bar, which looks out over a terrace and the waters of the bay beyond, its décor dominated by large photographs of the original hotel.

the intimate restaurant with its simple modern design and fine linen-laid tables, also offers diners stunning views of the bay from the full length windows.

the House restaurant has al-ready been awarded a Michelin star for the innovative and inven-

tive cuisine prepared by Dutch head chef, Martijn Ka-juiter, whose pedigree includes stints with Marco pierre White and Michel Roux. Ingredients are sourced with care and menus re-flect the seasons and the abun-dance of regional produce with counties Cork & Waterford.

Alongside the luxury of fine food and restful, luxurious accommo-dation, the hotel boasts the Well Spa, a tranquil place to unwind and indulge in a seaweed treat-ment, massage. Founded by St De-clan in the fifth century, Ardmore is a vibrant village on the West Wa terford coast.

You’ll find traditional music and thatched cottages here, but it also lies within easy distance of stun-ning golf courses, sandy beaches and the thriving towns of youghal and Dungarvan. Anchored by per-haps the finest round tower in Ire-land, Ardmore has hosted visitors ranging from JFK to gregory peck, and was home for years to author Molly Keane.

general Manager Adriaan Bar-tels runs a very slick and pro-fessional operation here. the reception staffs are particularly courteous and ready to look after every need.

I look forward to my return.

the Cliff House is a member of the prestigious Relais & Chateau and are offering midweek specials including one night’s deluxe accommodation in a sea view room with full Irish breakfast the next morning and dinner for two people in the bar restaurant from €260.00 Sun-day to thursday, based on two adults sharing and from €315 on Friday and Saturday based on two adults sharing. www.cliff-

househotel.com

Weekly Best Buy you’ve survived the winter blues,

so why not reward yourself with a mini break to the luxuriously relax-ing Slieve Donard Resort and Spa, Co Down, for a great value break to suit you.

take a break to the Slieve Don-ard for one of their fantastic win-ter retreat packages from as little as £80 per person sharing.

Choose from a 3 night, 2 night or 1 night stay including your fantas-tic accommodation, dinner in the Oak restaurant, a full Irish Break-fast, and full use of the indulgent spa facilities with a £10 Spa dis-count voucher thrown in.

Nestling at the foot of the Mourne Mountains, the Slieve Donard Re-sort and Spa stands in six acres of private grounds, and is one of the leading County Down Hotels.

Following a recent major £15 mil-lion development, extension and refurbishment programme, the su-perbly maintained Victorian hotel is now home to one of Europe’s finest resort spas.

Offer available Sunday to thurs-day only, subject to availability. www.hastingshotels.com

Pet’s Corner... with Kathleen Murray: Animal Behavioural Therapist

with Kathleen Murray

Grumpy Old DogsDOgS go through changes in their lives just like us. they develop in a certain way at certain stages in their lives. When they are very young, life is all about leaning les-sons and having lots of fun.

As they get older they will start to settle down a bit and become more knowing about things. they will have had many experi-ences and will not be as excited, or distracted by things that pups would be excited or distracted by.

When dogs reach middle age which is about 6 or 7 years old then many of them become less tolerant of unruly pups jumping on them, or children pulling at them.

they just want some order in their lives. It is at this time that some of them growl at other dogs or maybe snap at children if left unsupervised.

Some dogs live longer than oth-ers so middle age comes a little later for some.

the average age that a dog lives for is about 13. Some die younger and some live till they are 19 and older. Small dogs tend to live longer than large dogs.

It is always good to supervise dogs in the presence of children no matter what age the dog is and, as dogs get older and more feeble they need to be supervised more, and protected from things that they would have taken in their

stride when they were younger. Heart problems, arthritis and

other medical complaints can cause dogs to appear grumpy. this is because the dog is frail and needs to be handled in a gentle way. It can be painful for a dog to have a toddler fall on it or pull it around when it is not well.

Very often, an owner doesn’t see the problem until something hap-pens.

Never take a dog for granted. It is an animal that is capable of anything given the right circum-stances.

please watch out for signs of change in your dog as they age. grumpy old dogs need a quiet and peaceful retirement.

n Cliff House Ardmore

n Cliff House Suite

CElEBRIty Eclipse will mark its third consecutive summer season out of Southampton with sailings to new destina-tions such as Reykjavik and the Azores. the return of the ship in 2012 will see a revamp of its cruise itineraries and voyage durations, including a series of eight and fourteen night cruises. Also new for 2012 is the Norwegian Fjords and Iceland cruises, which include ports of call such as the Faroe Islands. Meanwhile Crystal Cruises has unveiled a series of new land excur-sions to celebrate its return to Alaska since 2005. Over half of the 100 planned excur-sions are new for 2011, includ-ing private catamarans, white water rafting and a WWII duck vehicle, sledding or travelling by motorcycle or private hum-mer. Families will be able to pan for gold, play golf or cre-ate 24 karat gold glass-blown art, and cooking classes will also be given. Meanwhile, the cruise line is also offering a complimentary volunteering excursion, with guests able to assist with the operation and maintenance of a salmon hatchery. Crystal Symphony will make nine 12-night sail-ings round-trip from San Francisco from May through August to Victoria, Vancou-ver, Sitka, Juneau, Kethcikan and either Hubbard glacier or glacier Bay.

Robert Walshe is a freelance contributor / broadcaster and is guest travel writer for River Media newspaper titles across the island of Ireland

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