Getting the flavour of…
The wild side of the Canaries
Fuerteventura is the Canaries’ “emptiest island”, says Linda Cookson in The Daily Telegraph. Driving through its interior, you can go for miles through “spaghetti western” landscapes of rippling volcanic fields without seeing a soul. Far away from the “hurly burly” of the south coast, you’ll stumble on “enchanting” villages and gaze out over “eerily beautiful vistas” under vast open skies and a relentless sun. The town of Corralejo on the north coast is the perfect base from which to explore the island’s “most famous” natural wonder, the “creamy shifting sands” of the coastal Corralejo Natural Park. Also worth a “pilgrimage” is Cofete Beach – a huge, wild, hard-to-reach expanse of sand that was used as a location in Solo, the next Star Wars spin-off, out in May. There are direct flights to Fuerteventura from several UK airports.
A mini retreat in Mauritius
Ayurveda is “the original wellness trend”, says Condé Nast Traveller. Its proponents follow the “right diet, the right lifestyle and the right treatments”. A “full-on” 21-day retreat is not for everyone, but at Shanti Maurice on Mauritius there is a four-day “taster” version. A doctor gives you a “once-over” and asks “probing” questions to see how your dosha energies are balanced. Then the treatments begin: perhaps “nostril breathing” in the morning followed by a “four-handed massage”. More energetic activities include kitesurfing and “zayaking (a kind of see-through snorkelling board)”. The stricter menus are optional, although you are advised to eat “darker foods” and avoid “cold things”. But even if the only rule you obey rigidly is to “‘take red wine over white’, it’s a start”. Abercrombie & Kent (01242-386482; www.abercrombiekent.co. uk) has seven nights from £1,990pp, plus a four-night spa package for £600pp.
Avoiding the crowds in Snowdonia
The trouble with famous landmarks is everyone wants to visit them – and the “A-list mountain” that is Snowdon is no exception, says Phoebe Smith in The Guardian. Wales’s highest peak “attracts hordes” of walkers who clog up the car parks and form orderly queues up its slopes. The summit is so crowded with selfie-takers, there’s no room for quiet contemplation of the scenery. So it’s time to “stop being a height snob”. To the south of Snowdon is the relative hillock of Yr Arddu, and here there is no one bar the sheep, so you can beat your own trail like a “proper explorer”. Its peak is modest, but the views are still glorious. Gaze over at Snowdon, swarming with “dots of Gore-tex”, and doubly enjoy the thrill of being “quite alone”. Visit www.visitwales.com for further details.