Travel Notes...
What's new and how to get the best from your holiday
ICY RECEPTION
ICEHOTEL, which is built from ice each winter in Jukkasjarvi, Sweden, will soon have a permanent yearround neighbour: Icehotel 365.
Solar panels will generate power from the midnight sun to cool Icehotel 365 during the summer. Its 20 ice suites include nine deluxe rooms with an en-suite bathroom, sauna and warm changing area.
It’s expected to open in mid-November. Breaks start from £1,043pp for three nights, discoverthe-world.co.uk/icehotel-holidays
AGE NO BARRIER
CALLING thrill-seeking grandparents: Thorpe Park has just launched a half-price Old Aged Coaster (OAC) pass for over-65s.
The theme park has seen a 4 per cent increase in pensioners visiting this year.
The discount is based on walk-in adult costs (£51.50 per person) and is available until November 2, 2016, thorpepark.com/oac-pass
NORTHERN SOUL
THE Zetter Group of hotels has snapped up its first property outside London — Manchester’s iconic London Road Fire Station — set to be the fourth in its hotel collection. It hopes to transform the building into ‘Manchester’s first truly international boutique hotel’ using its signature quirky design and adding a world-class cocktail bar, thezettergroup.com
IT’S A STEEL!
HEAD to Sheffield for the best value UK city break, says TripAdvisor. Its TripIndex UK Cities report ranked the steel city as the cheapest from the 20 most popular cities, taking into account costs of hotels, meals and attractions.
A three-night break costs an average £706 — almost two-thirds less than London. Leeds is the second best value destination, followed by Blackpool.
QUEUE THE MUSIC
IF YOU find airport security stressful, take your next flight from London City Airport — the first in the UK to play music as passengers and their hand luggage are screened. The playlist includes Ed Sheeran, Ben Howard and Adele. The idea is to boost holidaymakers’ mood, londoncityairport.com
PAWS FOR THOUGHT
DON’T let a pet hold back your holiday plans. trustedhousesitters. com links pet owners who are going away with animal lovers who want to house sit. So far the website has facilitated one million nights of pet-sitting across 140 countries and it recently won a Richard Branson VOOM Export Award for business innovation. Members pay a £79 annual fee, but it’s cheaper than kennels and your faithful friend gets to stay on home turf.