Ice driving in Finland
It's scary, expensive and thoroughly macho. Perfect. Dream Escape, the niche travel company that caters for energetic daredevils, has teamed up with performance motoring brand Audi for a four-day high adrenalin getaway. Groups of up to 20 can try their skill (and nerve) with ice driving on a frozen, extremely slippery lake in Northern Finland, 200 km beyond the Arctic Circle. There's expert tuition on ABS braking, bend combinations and slalom with side activities like husky safaris, ice-karting and snowmobiling through the forest. You don't have to slum it or rough it as there's business-class travel, five-star hotel accommodation, chauffeur and helicopter transfers and even a private dinner in a remote log cabin. From £4,800 per person, available from January - April 2008. For bookings and information contact Dream Escape on 01368 850 788 or visit www.dreamescape.co.uk
Off piste skiing and boarding
Learn to ski advanced and extreme off-piste terrain with a dynamic young ski-guiding company based in Klosters and Davos, swissfreeride. It offers inclusive weeks of accommodation and guided skiing/boarding to help you build confidence and technique for an exhilarating all-mountain skiing experience. The 2008 season starts on 6th January with freeride weeks (five nights) and advanced level 2 POS instruction - the revolutionary method of tuition, Progressive Off-Piste System. Davos and Klosters share an immense ski area with reliable snow conditions and long runs with tours to Arosa and Gargellen. You'll discover large tracks of virgin powder snow and be able to visit places like Engelberg and Disentis, accessible only to expert off-piste skiers and boarders. All the guides speak English and are trained to the highest international standards including a rigorous three-year course in ski touring, ice- and rock-climbing as well as off-piste skiing and avalanche prevention. You'll even get a souvenir CD with the best images from the week. Visit www.swissfreeride.ch
Chalets de Vanoise
Mountain chalets have reached a level of sophistication and comfort that can rival top hotels and two perfect examples are Chalet Marmotte (sleeps 10) and Chalet Chamois (sleeps 14) in the peaceful beauty of the Vanois National Park. Quite literally on the slopes of Courchevel 1650, they offer ski-in, ski-out luxury with sunny terraces, ensuite bedrooms, fully-equipped modern kitchens and plenty of room for dining and relaxing around open fires in the cosy living areas. Each chalet is arranged over three floors with heated marble floors, plenty of natural stone and wood for an agreeably rustic feel, elegant china, stemware and linens, and handsome furniture. The chalets are built to a traditional Swiss design but all the facilities are up to the minute. Hi-tech entertainment and wi fi internet are standard and there are purpose-built ski-rooms to keep your kit safe and dry. The chalets are owned and run by the classy English hotel and restaurant group, Le Poussin, based in Hampshire. For more details email info@chaletsdevanoise.com or visit www.chaletsdevanoise.com
The Lodge, Verbier
With all his headline-hogging antics, Richard Branson sometimes masks the splendid things that Virgin gets up to. The luxury travel angle is a really desirable part of the business and now there's an even more enticing way to spend your bonus - the Lodge at Verbier in Switzerland, a deeply cool and sexy Alpine escape that opens in December. There are 10 lavish suites, large living, dining and entertainment areas, a swimming pool, spa and treatment rooms, plus stunning views over Verbier and the mountains. The Lodge has been designed by Fiona Barratt, a fairly recent arrival on the decorating scene but thoroughly at home with wealthy lifestyles. The blonde bombshell was head of interior design for Kelly Hoppen, herself no stranger to glamour and luxury. The new Chelsea-based company, Fiona Barratt Interiors, has been concentrating on posh residential projects and the Lodge is her first commercial property. The future looks bright. For more information about The Lodge at Verbier, call 0800 716 919 or visit www.virgin.com/limitededition. For more information about Fiona Barratt, visit www.fionabarrattinteriors.com
Coastline Villas
To banish winter blues, make sure you get a copy of the new 2008 brochure from Coastline featuring a mouth-watering collection of 24 exclusive villas in Corsica, Ibiza and Mallorca. All villas have private swimming pools and are within easy reach of some of the Mediterranean's finest beaches. Coastline is just two years old but it has set new standards for tailor made holidays suitable for couples, families or groups of friends. There are many little luxuries including twice-weekly maid service and linen change, daily bread and newspaper delivery and air-conditioned car hire. There's an extensive menu of treats and services from in-villa beauty treatments and massage to private nannies and chefs. Nannies are available on a weekly, daily, or half-daily basis and Coastline's resident childcare manager can advise you on which properties best suit your needs. Call Coastline on 0844 557 1020 or visit www.coastline.co.uk
Gran Hotel Son Net in Mallorca
No hassle, no tourists, just peaceful countryside and a glorious hotel. Seven miles from the island's capital, Palma, is a village dominated by Son Net, once the home of a nobleman with extensive lands and a vast ancient olive press. The site has been occupied for a thousand years though the present building dates back to the 17th century. It had fallen into sad decline until snapped up by David Stein, founder of the Stein Group of distinguished hotel and resort properties. Son Net has been converted into a luxurious hotel, a glamorous, secluded hideaway on the hillside of the Tramuntana mountain range. Special offers are available from 1st October - 31st December. Taste of the Mallorca Countryside includes 4 days / 3 nights in a double room or suite, from 975 euros; Romantic Getaway includes 6 days / 5 nights in a deluxe room, 2105 euros or a Grand Suite Villa, 2905 euros. For more information and to make reservations, visit www.sonnet.es
Opinion is divided. Soak up the sun or scare yourself silly racing down a black run? Whatever your taste, holidays are the answer to gloomy days and long, long nights. Even planning one makes you feel better.
Must Try
If you want to experience modern India and you're bored of all that elegiac Raj stuff, (palaces, elephants, gaudy turbans, William Dalrymple etc), try the new and fashionable group The Park Hotels with properties in the booming cities of Bangalore, Chennai (was Madras), Kolkata (was Calcutta), New Dehli and Navi Mumbai. These hotels appeal to the younger, educated, prosperous middle class who are looking forward not backwards over their shoulders. Park is bringing the boutique hotel concept to India for the first time and several properties are part of the internationally-trusted Design Hotels consortium. There is also an ocean resort property at Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh, and in early 2008, Park Hotels will launch their first property in Kerala, a luxury lake cruiser "Aspara" with just eight cabins. Park has launched its own spa brand Aura which embraces Ayurvedic principles and quality ingredients indigenous to each local area so you don't find yet another big name from Europe or America on the other side of the world. www.theparkhotels.com
Kerala also features in a gourmet trip to India in March next year, led by well-known chef Valentina Harris. The 14-day culinary tour to southern India features hands-on cookery sessions in Cochin, plantation home-stays, a stay at the legendary Cardamom house and several other locations in and around Kerala. There's also plenty time to explore the culture and cuisine of this fascinating part of the Sub-Continent that's often eclipsed by the British passion for Rajasthan. Amongst other dishes, you'll learn to make a traditional Keralan Festival meal called a Sadya, and a traditional Thoram, made of finely chopped vegetables and pan-fried with various spices, mustard seed, a dash of coconut shreddings and chopped chillies. The group will be a maximum of 16 guests and costs from £2,400 per person including international flights, accommodation, breakfast daily, guided ground transport, visits to the local sights and lots more. For information call Colours of India on 0208 343 3446 or visit www.colours-of-india.co.uk; email: info@partnershiptravel.co.uk
