Travel Notes...
What’s new and how to get the best from your holiday
TIPPLE OR TWO
WHITE washing hung out to dry on Skye was once a warning to illegal distillers on Raasay of an approaching tax man. But this summer, the Inner Hebridean island will have its very first legal distillery.
Craft whisky company R&B Distillers is converting a derelict Gothic villa into a distillery, visitors’ centre and accommodation. The first batch won’t be ready until 2020 but you can sip on sample single-malt Scotch Raasay While We Wait (rbdistillers.com).
BETTER TOGETHER
A SWEDISH hotel chain is so confident of its amorous effect that it has launched a ‘relationship guarantee’ on mini-breaks. Couples who divorce within a year of their stay at Countryside Hotels can claim a refund, provided they were already married and slept in the same room. Only court documents are accepted as proof of a split (countrysidehotels.se/en).
CUBA CALLING
CUBA’S on the cards for more British holidaymakers than ever, according to a Virgin-Holidays survey, as a third of us are more interested in visiting than two years ago. Virgin launched a weekly Gatwick to Varadero flight on Sunday. Its twice-weekly Havana route means Virgin is the only UK airline to fly year-round to both destinations (virginatlantic.com).
NORTHERN PRIDE
THE Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are backing the first Northumberland Day — a celebration on May 28 of the county’s history and culture.
The brainchild of Langley Castle Hotel, events over the two weeks straddling the 28th include a medieval fair at Hexham Abbey (facebook.com/northumberlandday).
SKY HIGH
BALLOTS are open for a chance to stay in the world’s first treehouse on a crane. It will grace Bristol’s skyline for four months from May. One night from £185 — profits go to Friends of the Earth (canopyandstars.co.uk/crane29).