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Ten things you must do in Cádiz

Ten things you must do in Cádiz

Unroll your beach towel at La Caleta FROM sandy beaches to historical buildings and vibrant local bars, Cádiz is worth to discover. ...

Keeping the Maldives magic

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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tropical Vabbinfaru and its reef</td></tr>
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JANE COMMON finds paradise ...and then helps it stay that way.</div>
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IT’S one of the world’s most beautiful nations – nearly 1,200 islands sprinkled like stars across 35,000 square miles of clear blue sea. It’s been the backdrop to thousands of marriage proposals and wedding ceremonies yet the paradise of the Maldives is under threat from rising sea levels and destruction of the coral reefs.</div>
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I have to admit this isn’t at the top of my mind as I arrive at the Banyan Tree resort on Vabbinfaru. Every workaday worry disappears during a 20-minute boat trip from Malé airport, dolphins leading the way. Butter coloured sands and vibrant green palm trees greet us, along with a drummer beating out a salutation.</div>
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When I see my beachfront pool villa my heart starts drumming too. There’s a private garden with pool, Jacuzzi, outdoor shower, four-poster bed and floor-to-ceiling glass doors opening on to my own stretch of beach. A wooden walkway leads to a sala, a wooden hut standing out to sea, where I can doze to the gentle lapping of the Indian Ocean.</div>
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I really don’t want to leave my hideaway but am finally persuaded by the award-winning spa. And the dining options – a restaurant and bar on the beach or a private table on the jetty. I seek even more splendid isolation and take a speedboat to a deserted sandbank for breakfast.</div>
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One of the biggest attractions in the Maldives is the snorkelling. Aquatic adventurers are given a briefing by Moosa at Banyan Tree’s Marine Lab, where the problems in paradise are addressed. Every island is surrounded by a reef, Moosa explains – its house reef – but a rise in sea temperatures caused by the 1998 El Niño, the annual weather pattern that warms the Pacific, bleached 98 per cent of coral on Vabbinfaru’s reef.</div>
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In response Banyan Tree became the first resort to have a marine lab, visited by international experts, and now 40 steel cages are submerged around the island, charged by low electrical currents.</div>
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In these coral gardens fresh coral blossoms. One garden is shaped like a star while another honours Vabbinfaru’s turtles. This is a green sea turtle nesting site and any struggling youngsters are taken to the lab where they’re nurtured before being released back into the ocean.</div>
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Moosa’s words make the privilege of being here even greater, particularly as experts predict this winter’s El Niño could be one of the strongest on record. Then it’s time to discover the reef for myself. We swim a few minutes from shore, don snorkels and are transported to a psychedelic octopus’s garden. The reef is like a magical moss-covered mountain and I smile at the brightly-coloured fish straight from Finding Nemo central casting then gasp as a shark flashes by (no Jaws but a far friendlier 4ft reef shark).</div>
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I later visit the house reef at Velavaru in the Maldives’ Southern Atoll. It is part of the Banyan Tree group, a 40-minute seaplane flight from Malé, the Maldives’ island capital. The flight gives a unique perspective on the vastness of the Indian Ocean and the minuteness of the islands. They appear as turtles, jetties sticking out of little bodies like legs.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sleep to the sound of the sea</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Connect with the wildlife by turtle watching</td></tr>
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In fact, Velavaru (literally, Turtle Island) is two islands, one natural, the other a man-made marvel of 34 wooden villas on stilts. The villas are opulence itself – think the judges’ houses on X Factor – with infinity pools stretching into the ocean. Their glamour makes me giddy and I prefer the natural island, two minutes away on a traditional dhoni boat, which is none too shabby itself.</div>
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There are two restaurants – at one staff happily prepare the red snapper we catch on a night fishing trip – and a spa. Just as at Vabbinfaru, though, there’s an awareness that all this beauty and bounty can’t be taken for granted so I join Solah, from Velavaru’s own Marine Lab, along with other guests and staff on the monthly reef clean-up. As our boat moors beside the house reef, Solah instructs us in how to pick off the “pin cushions”, a type of star fish that suffocates the baby corals.</div>
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“Whoever removes the most will win 100 rufiyaa,” Salah cheers, distributing protective white gloves. Even with the bribe, I don’t find any as they’re so hard to see. Fortunately, Salah and the staff collect bagfuls, 119 in all, to be taken back to Velavaru and turned into sand. Still it’s good to know, as I pay my $1 a night to Banyan Tree’s Green Imperative Fund for environmental projects and initiatives, that I’ve done my (admittedly little) bit. Hopefully in this way, generations of holidaymakers can experience the magic of the Maldives for many years to come.</div>
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<strong>THE KNOWLEDGE</strong></div>
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<em>Abercrombie and Kent (01242 547760/ abercrombiekent.co.uk) offers seven nights at the Banyan Tree Vabbinfaru from £3,250pp (two sharing), full board. Price includes flights from London Heathrow to Malé, and speedboat transfers. Maldives tourism: <a href="http://www.visitmaldives.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">visitmaldives.com</a></em></div>

Keeping the Maldives magic

Tropical Vabbinfaru and its reef JANE COMMON finds paradise ...and then helps it stay that way. IT’S one of the world’s most beau...

Istanbul's silent retreat that is fit for a king

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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Blue Mosque with island backdrop</td></tr>
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The Princes’ Islands make a peaceful contrast to Turkey’s bustling capital, says LINDA McKAY.<br />
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Just off the Turkish coast, an idyllic panorama visible from Istanbul, sit the Princes’ Islands. The chain of nine small isles were a place of contemplation and exile in the Byzantine era and are now a place for day trips, a relaxed contrast to the hectic city. Only four accept visitors: Büyükada, the biggest and most popular, Burgazada, Heybeliada and K?nal?ada.<br />
Motor vehicles are banned, making them an oasis of peace and quiet, with horse-drawn carriages and bicycles the main transportation. A variety of boats, from fast sea buses to stately ferries, cross the Bosphorus, costing next to nothing. Then rent a bike and negotiate the winding streets for a glimpse of the secret splendour of the gardens behind the gates of the wooden mansions and villas.<br />
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<strong>BÜYÜKADA</strong></h3>
Covered in pines, the coastline is dotted with white late 19th century villas stretching from the colonnaded Ottoman-style port and in March and April the scent of mimosa plants fi lls the air. In 569 Emperor Justin II built a palace and monastery here, naming it Island of the Prince.<br />
The island was the place of exile for a number of Byzantine empresses. Russian revolutionary Leon Trotsky lived in exile here for four years from 1929 after being deported from the Soviet Union, penning his autobiography in splendid isolation.<br />
The best beach in Istanbul is at Yörükali Plaji, the golden sands littered with colourful parasols. With temperatures hitting 38 degrees in June and July the cobalt blue Mamara sea is tempting.<br />
Trek Büyükada’s wooded southern hill (or take a donkey ride) to the tiny Greek Orthodox Monastery of St George. Its interior is stacked with religious icons. I’m delighted to find a café selling wine made by the monks and a panoramic view of the islands from the ridge. The monastery is a place of pilgrimage and every April thousands flock here, picnicking en route under the sweet-smelling pines. Bushes and olive trees on the incline are sprinkled with multi-coloured threads where visitors tie their ‘wishes’ or invocations to the saint.<br />
Don’t miss the Fethi Okyar, a white, colonial-style mansion. This was the home of a former prime minister in 1925, and it’s likely that President Atatürk, founder of the Turkish republic, was entertained here. The Okyar estate vineyards are tended by the monks of St George.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdjQSWZFVdZ9HTcxmf_4Ghm52Exg3Og0Wp0EX3ZYpXiypU5Es2yQPPmlT6m6N2fvVm9s1RhOT5gmgBvyCUBL4CTdxgl50y3d66G4UmGtBI8C5fPhPlbtNtnkVR39gbQ1sx-LzdxzEo4U4/s1600/Istanbul%2527s+silent+retreat+that+is+fit+for+a+king+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Istanbul's silent retreat that is fit for a king" border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdjQSWZFVdZ9HTcxmf_4Ghm52Exg3Og0Wp0EX3ZYpXiypU5Es2yQPPmlT6m6N2fvVm9s1RhOT5gmgBvyCUBL4CTdxgl50y3d66G4UmGtBI8C5fPhPlbtNtnkVR39gbQ1sx-LzdxzEo4U4/s640/Istanbul%2527s+silent+retreat+that+is+fit+for+a+king+2.jpg" title="Istanbul's silent retreat that is fit for a king" width="434" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The main ‘Princes’ Island’ offers stunning views</td></tr>
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<strong>HEYBELIADA</strong></h3>
Smaller and more peaceful than Büyükada. There’s a big naval training base, hence the huge number of young athletic men thronging the harbourside. Sit and watch them at Heyamola Ada Lokantas?, a simple waterfront restaurant. Decorated in sage green and powder blues with distinctive gourd lights, it is just as colourful as the array of Turkish mezes brought out to my table.<br />
Delights include smoky griddled aubergine and tomato, emerald green samphire with garlic salt, and sea bass cooked in cream. My favourite is tender octopus baked in olive oil, chili fl akes and thyme, washed down with admirable Turkish white wine.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyuX-7qrdvooNqB93VP-SOhyphenhypheny1d2PRgY5RF-sstAE3CgFGTQhpthoG8wVAQs9MnXntgl1gs95IAeYEQyngBLVmMIaj0mb0EqSc7yjatLZE0dAdQCrdVJmRGIPFTLTmGjakEfKg1uE_m54/s1600/Istanbul%2527s+silent+retreat+that+is+fit+for+a+king+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Istanbul's silent retreat that is fit for a king" border="0" height="378" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyuX-7qrdvooNqB93VP-SOhyphenhypheny1d2PRgY5RF-sstAE3CgFGTQhpthoG8wVAQs9MnXntgl1gs95IAeYEQyngBLVmMIaj0mb0EqSc7yjatLZE0dAdQCrdVJmRGIPFTLTmGjakEfKg1uE_m54/s640/Istanbul%2527s+silent+retreat+that+is+fit+for+a+king+3.jpg" title="Istanbul's silent retreat that is fit for a king" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ayasofya Hu?rrem Sultan Bath</td></tr>
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<strong>MAINLAND</strong></h3>
My hotel, the Tria, overlooking the Bosphorus, in Sultanahmet (Old Istanbul), is a short tram ride from lively ferry port Kabatas. It is perfectly situated for exploring the delights of the city and the islands.<br />
I dine al fresco on freshly-caught squid as I gaze over the twinkling waters. My room is a traditional world of dark wood, cream linen and bejewelled lamps and from my terrace I am treated to a son et lumière illuminating the domes of the Blue Mosque to the left and Hagia Sophia to the right.<br />
I wake at sunrise to the sound of the call to prayer and then delve into the Byzantine and Ottoman eras on a tour that includes the remains of St Sampson’s hospital, half-buried behind a busy café. When Emperor Justinian became ill, Sampson was the only one to offer a cure and as a reward was allowed to establish a hospital for the poor. It became the largest free clinic in Constantinople.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuGR-oA7-GRE4eI9Jm_tbbWKwtwDCIngg0YJXR4RV5dkAiFmoAG3UU4clMNTmGJs88WDjbEw9x7xhi_xa3g03jqa1sqrv2gDSUArO0OMOYmGv1TponwaJW-e0JlTeEhwHz6vgEdn1Cc-8/s1600/Istanbul%2527s+silent+retreat+that+is+fit+for+a+king+4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Istanbul's silent retreat that is fit for a king" border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuGR-oA7-GRE4eI9Jm_tbbWKwtwDCIngg0YJXR4RV5dkAiFmoAG3UU4clMNTmGJs88WDjbEw9x7xhi_xa3g03jqa1sqrv2gDSUArO0OMOYmGv1TponwaJW-e0JlTeEhwHz6vgEdn1Cc-8/s640/Istanbul%2527s+silent+retreat+that+is+fit+for+a+king+4.jpg" title="Istanbul's silent retreat that is fit for a king" width="430" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">There are no cars in Bu?yu?kada</td></tr>
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I delve underground into the Basilica Cistern, marvelling at vast Byzantine columns and the huge carp swimming lazily between them; this sunken treasure served the city with water for centuries. As well as classic sights (Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia and the Topkap? Palace), we head for the tiny Mosaic Museum. Hundreds of thousands of miniature tiles, some of them picturing mythical creatures like the griffin, date from the 5th century.<br />
I take a Turkish haman at the historic Ayasofya Hürrem Sultan Bath, between the Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia. Twin domes house softly-lit white marble male- and female-only spas. It was originally named after Roxelana, powerhungry wife of Suleyman the Magnificent, longest-reigning sultan of the Ottoman Empire. I revel in the traditional bubble wash and body scrub followed by an aromatherapy massage with Judas tree oil.<br />
Lemon and pistachio Turkish delight is served in the relaxation lounge. A delight indeed…<br />
<strong>THE KNOWLEDGE</strong><br />
<em>Direct Traveller (0844 414 3071/ <a href="http://www.directtraveller.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">directtraveller.com</a>) offers three nights at the Tria Hotel Sultanahmet from £229pp (two sharing), B&B. Price includes return flights from Stansted to Istanbul. Return journey can be delayed to take in seven nights in a luxury apartment on Heybeliada (0745 501 5754/ <a href="http://www.karamanyan.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">karamanyan.com</a>). Unison Turkey (<a href="http://www.unisonturkey.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">unisonturkey.com</a>) offers tours including Stories of Istanbul. Turkey tourism: <a href="http://www.goturkey.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">goturkey.com</a></em>

Istanbul's silent retreat that is fit for a king

The Blue Mosque with island backdrop The Princes’ Islands make a peaceful contrast to Turkey’s bustling capital, says LINDA McKAY. Jus...

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