However, my week wasn’t over yet. The small mining town of Obuasi has the frightening figure of 90% unemployment, which means certain people will do almost anything for a job...
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I have caught a ‘tro tro’ down from Wa, Ghana where I had been arguing with the immigration services about my visa. There is a moment before each one of these charades where everybody decides which character to play. The aim is to come to an agreement over the price and to get to this various threats are made, your role is to start very reasonable and then get very angry very quickly. Language is not usually a factor in these conversations everyone knows what is going on.
Food, glorious food, is in abundance this week - the perfect elevenses in New York, ethnic cuisine in Washington, Raymond Blanc's restaurants of choice and the Lazio region of Italy steps out of Tuscany's shadow. For city lovers there's Stockholm and Sarajevo, the best iPhone apps for New York and where to bathe in Aleppo. For something a little further afield The Independent explores Bahia in Brazil and The Guardian goes rural in Morocco. This week's categories are City, Escape, Culture and Food.
If you're searching for a little serenity from bustling city life travel writers are recommending the gardens of tranquility in Taiwan, and Con Dao Island in Vietnam - the site of a former prison, but one of Asia's most 'breathtaking getaways'. If you've always wanted to roller-skate down a runway head to Berlin as the new Tempelhof Park has opened and is fast becoming the Berliners' playground. For something a little further afield there's a luxury cruise to Papua New Guinea, mountain climbing in Uganda and walking from Vienna to Budapest. Our extra category this week is all about our favourite tipple...from France to California.
It seems the volcanic ash has drifted into the travel press as we've got an abundance of France focussed articles. Thank god for the Eurostar! There's St. Tropez's double life, simple pleasures in Brittany, the beauty of Belle-Ile-en-Mer, Provence and St. Malo. A few stray writers report from further afield - what's new in Bogota, exploring Zanzibar, Kangaroo Island and why Rwanda is attracting tourists. The Guardian this weekend had a camping special, so our fourth category this week is dedicated to life under canvas. This week's categories are City, Escape, Outdoor/Adventure and Camping.
I'm sped from the airport by a James Bond-style driver dressed all in black. He plays New Age dolphin music, the sort that normally goes with massages and crystals. Is he getting me into the mood for the Sha Wellness Spa, the world's first five-star macrobiotic spa, on the 50 minute drive from Valencia, Spain? Soon the spa looms like an ocean liner stranded among the Sierra Helada mountains, with the Lego tower blocks of Benidorm in the distance. Outside, one of the first of its endlessly solicitous staff welcomes me with a hot flannel. Then we enter the 28,000 square metres of white marble, water features and calm...
Fernando de Noronha is a group of paradise islands just off the North East coast of Brazil. Consisting of 20 small islands and one larger one, the archipelago lies 340km from the mainland coast and covers an area of only 17 km2. On land, there are 2100 residents; the crystal clear waters surrounding the islands are equally occupied, with 230 varieties of fish, five types of shark, two species of sea turtles, 15 coral reefs and, unique to here and the South Pacific, the Spinner Dolphin.
Luxury beach hotels – and by this we mean stunning places to stay with friendly service to match the blue skies outside – are harder to come by than you think. Mistakes happen all too often: you turn up at your dream destination, caught up in visions of white sands and palm fronds only find you’ve paid up for a not-so-special, shoebox-room resort with a back view of a building site. Let it never happen again! Here we round up our pick of our very favourite paradise destinations, where wonderful luxury beach hotels are guaranteed...
The discovery of hidden gems is a common theme that emerges from this weekend's press. From the magical, shifting sands of Aswan in Egypt to the vanishing El Cabanyal quarter in Valencia, and as far off the beaten-track as the Amazon's Orinoco Delta, there are many treats in store. Even one the most iconic cities of all time, Casablanca, gets a reappraisal in two articles – one seeking to redress its unpopular image, and the other showcasing its upcoming arts scene. Sailing in France, going wild in New England, and exercising your way to a facelift in Turkey are a few other highlights. This week's categories are City, Escape, Outdoor/Adventure and Family.
Where to throw a memorable house party for a landmark birthday with an invitation list to accommodate parents, godparents, a clutch of recalcitrant teenagers, another clutch of turbo-charged pre-schoolers and the demands of a bunch of high-achieving closest mates. Does such a villa exist anywhere in the world that will be large enough, special enough and flexible enough to live up to such an occasion?