Prices start at just £229** per person, for a seven night break on Bulgaria’s Black Sea coast. Also featured are 60 all inclusive properties, lakes and mountains holidays, cruises from Dubrovnik and Split, guided coach tours to Bulgaria’s wine and historical regions, health, spa, and golf holidays. 

A leading tour operator to Eastern Europe for 47 years, Balkan Holidays is also offering charter flights from all major regional UK airports to Bulgaria and from selected airports to Croatia, Slovenia, Montenegro and Romania. 

Other new features include: 

• New highlighted ‘Premier Selection’ Hotels section – with additional benefits including priority transfers and extra luggage allowance
• New hotels in Golden Sands, Bulgaria – the four star Gladiola Hotel and the three star Gladiola/Acacia
•  The addition of the five star luxury Thracian Cliffs Golf and Beach Resort at Cape Kaliakra on the north Black Sea coast,  expanding the Golf Holidays programme to Bulgaria
• A new three star all inclusive property,  the Osmine Hotel in Slano, Croatia, with its own beach and just 30 minutes transfer from Dubrovnik 

The new brochure also features a range of discounts and offers, including:

• A low deposit offer of £70 per person (50% of the full deposit)
• Early booking discounts of up to £402 per couple
• Special offers throughout the season saving customers up to £286 per couple
• 5% loyalty bonus for previous bookers
• Free child places and insurance and child prices from £99
• 20kg standard luggage allowance per person on charter flights and 30kg free luggage allowance on charter flights staying at a Premier Selection hotel
• No single supplements applicable and group discounts available
• Flight only options also available 

Travel agents seeking more information can call 0845 135 1114, visit www.balkanholidays.co.uk  

*The Post Office Holiday Barometer published in April 2012 compares 15 European holiday destinations for meals, drinks and other tourist staples. Bulgaria’s Sunny Beach was found to be the cheapest by far.

**Price quoted is based at the two star Hotel Arda in Sunny Beach, Bulgaria on a bed and breakfast basis staying in May with return flights from Gatwick to Bourgas and transfers included. 

-ends- 

Media enquiries:                                                                                 

Linda Moore/Jo Gaukrodger

Bugsgang & Associates

email: linda.moore@bugsgang.co.uk

Vodafone McLaren Mercedes two British Formula One World Champions – Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton – are both now confirmed to be appearing in action at the 2012 Goodwood Festival of Speed (29 June to 1 July).

 As Festival of Speed regulars, Jenson and Lewis know every inch of the demanding 1.16-mile Goodwood hillclimb, so will be demonstrating the Vodafone McLaren Mercedes MP4-26, plus the McLaren MP4-12C supercar to full and memorable effect.   

The Vodafone McLaren Mercedes F1 team is one of seven current Grand Prix teams expected to attend the Festival this summer.  These will also include the Red Bull Racing team, in action with their reigning F1 World Champion Sebastian Vettel and his team mate Mark Webber. 

Jenson will be present at Goodwood on Saturday 30 June, with Lewis taking to the Hill on Sunday 1 July. 

Tickets and further information for the 2012 Festival of Speed and Goodwood Revival can be found on the Goodwood website (www.goodwood.com/motor sport), or via the Ticket Hotline as follows:

Telephone: +44 (0)1243 755055 

For information about other events and accommodation options in the Chichester area: www.visitchichester.org

Nathan Philpot, Sales and Marketing Director for Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines, said:

“This is a really exciting, innovative development for Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines. While we know that many of our regular cruise guests relish several days at sea, there are many would-be cruisers who are slightly younger and cannot take time for a leisurely voyage, or simply prefer to start enjoying their sun-seeking as soon as possible. The short and easy flight to Tenerife means that guests can start to enjoy their cruise holiday in the sun within hours”

The new fly-cruises will be between seven and 14 nights’ duration, with exclusive charter flights from London Gatwick and Manchester to Santa Cruz, Tenerife. The fly-cruises are available as a ‘cruise only’ option, so that guests have even more choice when booking their Fred. Olsen cruise holiday. This flexibility means that customers can create their own package by flying from their local airport, as Tenerife is served by flights from London Gatwick, London Stansted, London Luton, Manchester, Birmingham, Blackpool, Glasgow, Newcastle, Edinburgh, Bristol, East Midlands, Cardiff, Aberdeen, Belfast, Bournemouth and Doncaster Sheffield. 

The cruise ship Braemar, which in previous years has been based in the Caribbean over the winter, will be based in Tenerife from January to March 2013. Braemar will depart from Southampton on 6^th January 2013, on her repositioning cruise of seven nights, and will return to the UK on 24^th March 2013.

Prices for the new fly-cruises start from £799 per person, based on M1305FC, a seven-night cruise departing from London Gatwick/Manchester on 17^th February 2013, visiting Lanzarote, Madeira, La Palma, El Hierro, La Gomera, with return flights from Tenerife. Prices include accommodation, all meals and entertainment, as well as flights, and airport taxes.

The most popular fly-cruise is 14-night ‘Cape Verde, Senegal and The Gambia’, calling at Fuerteventura, Cape Verde, Senegal, The Gambia, and Gran Canaria, from £1,299 per person.

For further information on Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines’, visit the website at www.fredolsencruises.com You can book online, by calling Reservations on 01473 742424, or through any ABTA travel agent.

Balkan Holidays, the specialist ski operator to Bulgaria, Romania and Slovenia for 47 years, has launched its Winter Ski & Board programme for 2012/13 which features a new five star hotel and spa in Bansko, Bulgaria.  

Called ‘Premier Luxury Mountain Resort’*, the new hotel is situated at the foot of the Pirin Mountains and is within walking distance of Bansko’s gondola ski lift and the historic Bansko town centre. Features include two restaurants, a bar and a Spa and Wellness Centre complete with heated indoor pool and outdoor Jacuzzi. 

Other highlights in the new brochure include:

• New flight programme from Luton to Ljubljana, Slovenia
• Three and four night ski weekends departing on Thursdays and Fridays from Gatwick to Bulgaria from January 2013
• Value for money breaks with prices from £219** per person for 7 nights
• Free night skiing in Pamporovo, Bulgaria, staying at the Hotel Perelik
• Free lift passes in Bansko & Borovets, Bulgaria
• Free ski/board storage in Bansko, Bulgaria
• 50% off Ski and Board packs in Borovets when staying at the Hotel Rila

Booking incentives include:

• A low deposit of £70 per person
• Early booking discounts of up to £150 per couple
• A 5% loyalty discount for customers who have previously booked with Balkan Holidays for the past two years
• Free child places – a great choice of family and child discounts
• Free luggage allowance of 20kg on Bulgarian charter flights 

Departures are from seven regional airports – London Gatwick, Heathrow, Bristol, East Midlands, Manchester, Newcastle, and Edinburgh. 

For bookings go to www.balkanholidays.co.uk or Tel: 0845 130 1114 

*Premier Luxury Mountain Resort is a member of Small Luxury Hotels of the World. Seven nights at the hotel start from £484 per person including flights from London, transfers to the resort and accommodation on a bed and breakfast basis. Price quoted is for end of March, 2013 and includes free lift pass.

** Lead in price is for the three star Castle Apartments in Pamporovo, Bulgaria for 7 nights in a two bed self catering apartment, based on 6 people sharing, departing March 16/17 2013. Price includes accommodation, flights from London and transfers.                                                                                                        

 Media enquiries and photo requests to:

Linda Moore/Jo Gaukrodger

Bugsgang & Associates

E: linda.moore@bugsgang.co.uk

Available throughout April, the £140 per person Chocolate Indulgence break comprises an overnight bed and breakfast stay in one of The Goodwood Hotel’s newly refurbished Signature rooms, including a taster bar of carefully selected Montezuma’s chocolate. 

To complete the experience, for just £35 per person, guests can dine in the hotel’s award winning Richmond Arms restaurant and enjoy a unique 3-course Chocolate Indulgence menu, with each course subtly infused with a taste of this decadent ingredient and with a taster selection of Montezuma’s chocolates to take away. 

Montezuma’s Chocolates is based just a few miles south of Goodwood, producing all of their chocolate near the beaches at the Witterings. 

They specialise in crafting the finest quality chocolate including bars, truffles and drinking chocolate using exceptional cocoa and spices, herbs and essential oils. 

To book telephone 01243 775537 quoting Chocolate Indulgence Break or visit www.goodwood.co.uk/hotel 

Celebrate Easter past at The Weald and Downland Open Air Museum

The Weald and Downland Open Air Museum in Singleton has an action-packed line-up of activities throughout the Easter weekend, including traditional arts, crafts and pastimes such as egg painting, face painting, candle rolling, and more. 

There will be a children’s trail to follow, taking in some of the most beautiful areas of the Museum’s 50 acre Downland site. Children will also be able to try traditional games including quoits, a coconut shy, hopscotch, skipping, hobby horses, and hoops and sticks. And for those wanting to make a last minute Easter card, there will be a chance to design and make one to take home. Easter Monday sees Easter Bonnet-making and an Easter bonnet parade. 

Plus, the school holiday period (4-11^th April), is a great time to visit – with spring in the air, newborn lambs, horses at work on seasonal tasks. For information tel: 01243 811348 or visit: www.wealddown.co.uk.  Admission: adults £10, 4-15yrs £5.40

Eggs in Space at Petworth House

This Easter, to celebrate its links with early astrologer and moon mapper Thomas Harriot, visitors to Petworth House are invited to dress in their wildest alien outfit and join an ‘Eggs in Space’ chocolate Easter trail around the Pleasure Grounds of this glorious National Trust property.  As well as the chocolate hunt, children can enjoy an amazing planetarium show in an inflatable dome, plus create and launch their very own rocket. ‘Eggs in Space’ runs 7-9 April (11am-4.30pm) the trail costs just £5 per child, with admission to the Pleasure Grounds £4.50 per adult and £2.30 per child. For more information please call 01798 342207 or visit www.nationaltrust.org.uk/petworth 

For information regarding other events and accommodation options in the Chichester District www.visitchichester.org

Cruise guests aboard Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines’ four ships can expect a mood of romance on board this coming Valentine’s Day, Tuesday 14^th February 2012.  

Whilst at sea, guests will be able to enjoy the atmosphere of St. Valentine’s Day; the bars and restaurants will be decorated in St. Valentine’s-themed decorations – such as red and white balloons. There will be a St. Valentine’s-themed quiz held during the day, and the flavour of this theme continues during the ‘Show Time’ in the evening. There will be heart-shaped cakes, pastries and chocolate delights served at the St. Valentine’s Grand Tea Dance during the afternoon. Special St. Valentine’s cocktails will be available, and the St. Valentine’s formal dinner in the evening will carry a ‘Hint of Red’ dress code.

There is limited availability on Fred. Olsen’s 15-night ‘Brazilian Amazon’ fly-cruise (M1203), departing from London Gatwick or Manchester airport on 2^nd February 2012, to join Braemar in Bridgetown, Barbados. Ports of call include: Santarem (Brazil), Parintins (Brazil), Manaus (overnight stay. Brazil), and Scarborough (Tobago), returning to Bridgetown (Barbados) for the flight back to the UK. Braemar will be at sea on St. Valentine’s Day, arriving in Scarborough on 15^th February 2012.

Prices for this cruise start from £1,019 per person, based on an inside, twin-bedded cabin, subject to availability, and include return charter flights, all food and entertainment on board Braemar, port and airport taxes, and all transfers.  

For further information on Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines’ cruises, visit the website at www.fredolsencruises.com  To book, call Reservations on 01473 742424, or see your local ABTA travel agent.  Bookings can also be made online.

Balkan Holidays, www.balkanholidays.co.uk the leading tour operator of winter and summer holidays to Bulgaria, Croatia, Montenegro, Slovenia and Romania, has launched a new state of the art mobile phone website.

Downloadable onto iphones and other handsets, the website can be used to check availability for Balkan Holidays 2012 ski-ing and snowboarding holidays to Bulgaria, Slovenia and Romania as well as the 2012 summer programme, which additionally features Croatia and Montenegro, while on the move. Direct flight information can also be accessed flying from a choice of 20 regional UK airports.

Bookers can scan the QR code below to gain access or visit the mobile phone website via m.balkanholidays.co.uk

For further information www.balkanholidays.co.uk Tel: 0845 520 1263

The Chichester District is gearing up for some fun festivities and learning opportunities this Christmas.  Highlights include:

November/December

Tours of the Historic Kitchens, Petworth House, Petworth, West Sussex

12 and 13 November, 10 and 11 December (12-12.45pm and 2- 2.45pm)

As seen in the recent BBC4 documentary series, as well as containing the National Trust’s finest collection of pictures, the late majestic 17th-century mansion, Petworth House, also has some fascinating historic kitchens, including a copper batterie de cuisine of more than 1,000 pieces. At selected dates in November, visitors to the house can join a private tour of the kitchens and hear about domestic life above and below stairs. Prices £4.50 adults and £2.30 children, booking essential.  For more information call 01798 342207 or www.nationaltrust.org.uk/petworth

Santa Specials By Boat, Chichester Ship Canal

26 November to 24 December

Pay a visit to Santa and travel in style on the Chichester Ship Canal’s daily, hour long boat trips with the great bearded one. Tickets cost £9 per person, including festive refreshments for the grown-ups and personalised presents for the kids. Tickets in advance Tel: 0845 653 0210 or www.chichestercanal.com 

Christmas comes to Chichester, 26/27 November

Throughout the weekend, Chichester City will be alive with music, dance, street theatre and a Christmas market.  After the Dean of Chichester Cathedral blesses the city’s tree, at 5pm there will be a huge gathering at the central Cross with the official switching on of the lights and spectacular firework display, using the 900 year old cathedral as a backdrop.  For more information www.chichestercity.gov.uk or call 01243 788502.

December

Christmas Tree Dressing, Weald and Downland Open Air Museum, Singleton, West Sussex

4 December, 10.30am-5pm

With its origins in the Green Man legends and other ancient customs celebrating the life-giving properties of trees and the natural world, the Weald and Downland Museum’s annual Christmas Tree Dressing event enables visitors to enjoy traditional songs, dances, plays and stories about trees and the countryside. Visitors are invited to bring a jam jar and make a lantern during the afternoon which is then lit for the final procession. The lanterns are hung in the aspen trees making a spectacular display of colour and light to brighten the museum’s beautiful parkland site in the South Downs.  Tickets: £9.50 adults, £5 children.  For more information www.wealddown.co.uk or 01243 789 829.

The National Open Art Competition 10 – 29 December

Living up to its tag as the “City of Arts” by virtue of the number of arts and heritage facilities in the area, Chichester will be exhibiting the winners of the 2011 National Open Art Competition at The Minerva Theatre in December and subsequently at Pallant House Gallery in January 2012. The competition, sponsored by Towry, the Wealth Advisers, was set up to promote creativity and excellence and with £40,000 of prizes on offer, a high level of quality entries are attracted. For further information visit: www.thenationalopenartcompetition.com

Where’s Rudolph? Petworth Park, Petworth, West Sussex

17-18 December, 11.30am – 1pm and 2pm – 3.30pm

Petworth House has its own ‘Capability’ Brown landscaped 283-hectare (700-acre) deer park and, in celebration of Santa’s hoofed helpers, at the ‘Where’s Rudolph’ event children can make their own set of reindeer antlers and a glowing red nose while listening to a story about a very special deer that lives at Petworth Park. To add to the fun, they can follow a trail of carrots into the Deer Park in search of Rudolph himself. Tickets cost £4, booking essential. For more information call 01798 342207 or www.nationaltrust.org.uk/petworth

A Sussex Christmas, Weald and Downland Open Air Museum, Singleton, West Sussex

26 December to 1 January

For a nostalgic peek at Christmas past, visitors can discover how our ancestors enjoyed the festive season at the annual Weald and Downland’s Sussex Christmas event. Many of the museum’s houses and buildings are decorated for Christmas in the style of the period from which they were originally built.  Crackling log fires, festive feasts, music and stories from Tudor to Victorian times add to the atmosphere. Tickets £9.50 adults and £5 children.  For more information www.wealddown.co.uk or

Tel: 01243 789 829.

Creative Christmas at West Dean’s ‘Make a gift days’ West Sussex,

Various courses in November and December

A handmade 3D stitched winter berries brooch, a wood turned bowl, an exquisite silver spoon or a ceramic plant container – are just some of the options available on West Dean’s popular ‘Make a gift days’. Plus, for those wanting to get ahead with Christmas preparation, other popular one-day courses include festival floral arrangements for your home or traditional homemade Christmas foods such as mincemeat and Christmas puddings.

The artistically inclined might fancy a weekend course in botanical painting, learning how to paint holly leaves, berries and mistletoe – the perfect opportunity to create a personalised image for a homemade Christmas card.

With its large country house style, West Dean College, which is located in the middle of the 6,400 acre West Dean Estate, within the South Downs National Park, West Sussex, offers a creative educational environment enabling students to escape the pressures of daily life and immerse themselves in a favourite hobby or learn a new skill.  To book a place on short course please visit www.westdean.org.uk/college,e-mail bookingsoffice@westdean.org.uk  or call 0844 4994408

For more information on the Chichester District including accommodation suggestions: www.visitchichester.org

Balkan Holidays Launch 2^nd Edition Winter Brochure 2011/12 Featuring Bulgaria, Romania and Slovenia

Balkan Holidays, www.balkanholidays.co.uk has launched its Winter Ski & Board 2^nd edition brochure for 2011/12 with prices from £199* per person and new accommodation choices in Borovets and Bansko, Bulgaria.   

Highlights include:

• New accommodation choices in Bansko, Bulgaria – four star Villa Roka (half board) and Hotel Tanne (bed and breakfast) 
• New accommodation choices in Borovets, Bulgaria – Apartments Villa Park Mountain Residence (self catering) and Hotel & Villas, St George (half board/selfcatering)
• New half price ski and snow board packs in Borovets, Bulgaria
• Free night ski-ing in Pamporovo, Bulgaria

Booking incentives include:

• A low deposit of £70 per person
• Early booking discounts of up to £150 per couple
• A 5% loyalty discount for customers who have previously booked with Balkan Holidays for the past two years
• A 7.5% discount for web bookings
• Buy one get one free lift passes in Bansko and Borovets
• Free ski or board storage in Bansko 
• Half price ski or board equipment carriage
• Free ski child places

Departures are from seven regional airports – London Gatwick, Heathrow, Bristol, East Midlands, Manchester, Newcastle, and Edinburgh.

*Price quoted is based on a seven night break in a two bedroom self catering apartment in Pamporovo, Bulgaria, March 2012

For bookings go to www.balkanholidays.co.uk or Tel: 0845 520 1263

 

’Allo ’Allo!’s Herr Flick and Private Helga join

Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines’ award-winning Vistas programme

Two stars of the BBC’s much-loved Second World War comedy, ’Allo ’Allo!, Herr Otto Flick of the Gestapo (Richard Gibson) and Private Helga Geerhart (Kim Hartman), are to join two Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines’ cruises in 2012. Both actors will be lecturing and performing on the theme of ‘Comedy’, as part of the cruise line’s award-winning cruise enrichment programme, Vistas. They will be taking centre stage on board Boudicca’s 14-night ‘Canaries & Morocco’ cruise, D1201, in January 2012, and on board L120141, a 25-night sector of Balmoral’s epic ‘New World’ cruise, in March 2012.

The hit comedy ’Allo ’Allo! ran from 1982 to 1992 and has been much repeated ever since. Many of its catchphrases have become part of the language, with legions of fans still delighting in the comic-sounding accents and clueless antics of the French resistance, the farcical Gestapo officers, and the ‘stiff upper lips’ of the two British airmen, along with the  flamboyant and exaggerated Italian Captain, Alberto Bertorelli.

The search for ‘The Fallen Madonna with the Big Boobies’ goes on: Richard Gibson and Kim Hartman will reprise their memorable roles for onboard sketches, talks and Q&As on the two Fred. Olsen cruises in 2012…although it is hoped that Herr Flick will not be telling guests that “You vill be shot!” and that Private Helga will ignore her family motto of “Honesty is not always the best policy”, at least for the course of these two cruises!

Boudicca’s ‘Canary Islands’ cruise, D1201, is a 14-night cruise, departing from Southampton on 5^th January 2012. It calls at the islands of Madeira, La Gomera, Tenerife, Gran Canaria, and Lanzarote, then Agadir in Morocco and a final call into Lisbon, Portugal before returning to Southampton. Prices start from £1,189 per person, based on two adults sharing an inside twin cabin, Grade ‘H’, and include all meals and entertainment on board, as well as port taxes.

L120141 is a 25-night sector of Balmoral’s epic ‘New World’ cruise. This sector is from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on 9^th March 2012 to Southampton, also calling at Salvador, Recife, Fortaleza and Santarem, Amazon (all in Brazil), then the Cape Verde Islands and, finally, Funchal, Madeira, before reaching Southampton on 3^rd April 2012. Prices for this exciting cruise sector start from £2,684 per person, based on two adults sharing a superior outside twin cabin, Grade ‘B’, and include all meals and entertainment on board, as well as flights from London to Rio and port/airport taxes.

There is no extra charge for enjoying the company of ‘Herr Flick’ and ‘Private Helga’.

Fred. Olsen was recently named ‘Best for Educational Cruises’ for its Vistas onboard enrichment programme in this year’s ‘Cruise International Awards’, voted for by the readers of Cruise International magazine, and also Fred. Olsen’s legion of loyal supporters, who also voted it ‘Cruise Line of the Year’.

Find out more about Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines’ cruises by visiting www.fredolsencruises.com and about the Vistas programme at  www.fredolsencruises-vistas.com You can book online, by calling Reservations on 01473 742424 or through any ABTA travel agent.