Hilary Doling
Sun Herald
Sunday April 20, 2003
Holidays for a cause
ANYONE sick of the usual package tour fare should think of volunteering for a conservation experience. Imagine helping survey nesting turtles on Rosemary Island off the coast of Karratha in Western Australia, building a boardwalk around Uluru or undertaking water quality testing at Kings Canyon an amazing way of exploring the environment, gaining a unique perspective into Aboriginal scared sites or the natural world. Between May and September, Conservation Volunteers Australia is undertaking a whole range of projects across Australia.
Each Conservation Volunteers Australia project is lead by an experienced and qualified team leader who provides the volunteers with all the skills and training they need. Volunteers contribute their time and $25 per night, which includes transport to the project, all meals and accommodation. For more information on any of these projects phone 1800 032 501 or see www.conservationvolunteers.com.au .
The clean regime
HOTELS in Hong Kong are getting desperate to attract custom as the SARS epidemic puts off international travellers. One five-star hotel, the Great Eagle in Tsim Sha Tsui , is determined to put guests' minds at rest. It has started what it calls a ``clean regime". Every hour, housekeepers thoroughly disinfect every single door and toilet, plus fixtures and fittings in public areas from telephones to handrails and tables. Restaurants, guest rooms and offices are also disinfected daily as are telephones, ashtrays, mirrors, handrails, doorknobs, furniture, tables and chairs anything a guest or member of staff is likely to have touched. ``We have absolutely no cases of the disease reported at the hotel, nor any reason to believe the risk to our guests is anything other than minimal [but], we aren't taking any chances," general manager Nigel Roberts said.
For further information see www.gehotel.com .
High-tech passports
IF your passport is up for renewal after December this year you'll probably be issued with a new high-security replacement. Called the M-series, the new passports will include special tamper-proofing, designed to expose any alterations made on the passport. And there is more technology to come. The government is researching the use of biometrics which entails storing secret photographic images of the holder on microchip for comparison with whoever presents the passport.
The British Tourist Authority has undergone a name change but VisitBritain can still give you information for a trip to the old country. Phone VisitBritain on 9021 4400 or 1300 85 85 89 or see www.visitbritain.com.
LOWDOWN ON THE DIVES
THE top 10 island resorts listed in Rodale's Scuba Diving.
1 Garden Island Resort, Taveuni, Fiji.
2 Cobalt Coast Resort, Grand Cayman.
3 El Presidente Inter-Continental, Cozumel, Mexico.
4 Little Cayman Beach Resort, Little Cayman.
5 Paradise Villas, Little Cayman.
6 Manta Ray Bay Hotel, Yap, Micronesia.
7 Southern Cross Club, Little Cayman.
8 Royal Reef Resort, Grand Cayman.
9 Brac Reef Beach Resort, Cayman Brac.
10 Scuba Club Cozumel.
ALMOST FAMOUS
NAPLES' oldest hotel, Grand Hotel Parker's has been hosting royalty and celebrities since the 19th century. An Englishman, George Parker, bought the hotel when the previous owner had to sell because of gambling debts. There is still a touch of English service and tradition about the place. For example, its 800-volume library has mostly books written in English, many given to Parker by friends such as Oscar Wilde, who stayed at the hotel. David Bowie (pictured) comes here for some sophisticated R&R when he's in Italy. He loves the food at Georges, the hotel's restaurant, which bases some of its dishes on 19th-century recipes.
Grand Hotel Parker's
Corso Vittorio, Emanuele 135, Naples, Italy .
Phone: +39 081 761 2474.
See: www.grandhotelparkers.com.
Rates: from $550.
© 2003 Sun Herald
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