Something to declare: islands in the sun; getting to and around Barcelona; the western Channel
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Your support makes all the difference.Destination of the week: islands in the sun
Two new island destinations join the network of Virgin Atlantic (08705 747 747; www.virgin-atlantic.com) this week. The carrier is starting twice-weekly flights from Gatwick to Kingston, capital of Jamaica, and from Heathrow to Mauritius.
Kingston is the gateway to the beautiful east of the largest English-speaking island in the Caribbean. The city is a worthwhile destination, not least for the Bob Marley Museum.
Virgin's new link to Mauritius coincides with the destination being voted the world's friendliest island by readers of Condé Nast Traveller magazine. Their accommodation of choice is to be found at The Oberoi (00 230 204 3600; www.oberoihotels.com). The new flights to the Indian Ocean island are in direct competition with the existing services on Air Mauritius (020-7434 4375; www.air mauritius.com) and British Airways (0870 850 9 850; www.ba.com).
Another francophone island, though, is becoming more difficult to reach. Tahiti, the main island of French Polynesia, used to be easily accessible as part of a South Pacific island-hopping itinerary with Air New Zealand (0800 028 4149; www.airnz.co.nz). But the airline is cutting back its flights across the ocean, leaving Tahiti isolated.
The best alternative is Air Tahiti Nui (0870 066 2050; www.airtahitihui.com) direct from New York JFK, with plenty of connections from the UK. Indeed, starting on Monday a brand-new link from Stansted to JFK begins. Previously, only business-class carriers flew the route, but now American Airlines (08457 789789; www.aa.com) is launching a two-class daily operation from Essex to Long Island.
Warning of the week: getting to and around Barcelona
"The political price of inaugurating the AVE" – that is how one Spanish newspaper headline described the chaos caused in Barcelona in the rush to get the high-speed line to Madrid finished by the promised date of 21 December.
Over the past week, many Cercanias (local and regional trains) have been suspended, including the link between the city's airport and the centre. Fortunately, a good bus link operates frequently from the airport, though services are likely to be more crowded than normal. Longer-distance rail services have also been affected, with buses replacing trains on key routes such as Barcelona-Alicante.
The work is expected to continue for at least another week, putting extra pressure on the roads around Barcelona as commuters switch to their cars. The longer-term benefit, though, will be the completion of the long-promised AVE link between Spain's two principal cities. The journey time from Madrid to Barcelona should fall to two-and-a-half hours, offering a stress-free alternative to the air shuttle. Currently, peak-time flights depart as often as five-hourly; this is likely to fall once the high-speed line achieves full operation.
Bargain of the week: the western Channel
The no-frills airlines have done wonders for the pricing policies of some of the other transport operators – including the cross-Channel ferries. The concept of offering lower fares to fill off-peak capacity, and incentivising travellers who commit well in advance, have been adopted by most of the cross-Channel operators. Now Brittany Ferries (08705 360 360; www.brittanyferries.co.uk) has moved aggressively to offer cheap deals for early booking for next summer, even on peak summer weekend sailings such as 1 August 2008. A car plus four people, sailing overnight from Portsmouth to St Malo, and back during the day, with cabin accommodation outbound, is currently on offer for £538.
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