By
Lucy Miller
2 min read
Chabad UK is running a sponsored trek along the Inca Trail in Peru from May 17 to 25. The trek, which features 50 miles of walking, overnight camping, meditation, Kabbalah classes, barbecues, farbrengens and a Shabbat in the mountain town of Cusco, is a fundraiser for Chabad House in Hendon, north-west London. Sponsorship is £2,500 plus a registration fee of £500 (www.jewpro.co.uk).
● If you yearn to know how to make authentic Italian dishes, Silvia Nacamulli — one of the JC’s brilliant team of cookery writers — is running two cookery courses in Italy, from May 31 to June 5 and from June 19-22. Pupils will stay at a lovely farmhouse in lush countryside close to Amelia, just 90 minutes north of Rome. There will be a daily cookery class, as well as wine tasting, truffle hunting and learning how fresh mozzarella is made. There will also be visits to charming medieval hilltop towns and time to relax beside the large outdoor pool. All classes are vegetarian except one with kosher meat brought from Rome (www.cookingforthesoul.com).
● Fans of Leonard Cohen whose ranks have been swelled since the release of his soul-stirring Hallelujah by X-Factor winner Alexandra Burke, is giving just one mainland UK concert this year. If you fancy being at the Liverpool gig on July 14 (the other is Belfast, July 26), the boutique hotel Malmaison Liverpool is offering bed and breakfast for two at £99, which includes a limited edition Hallelujah cocktail. Offer is subject to availability. Reserve direct with Malmaison Liverpool (0151 229 5022; dpaul@malmaison.com; quote “Leonard Cohen Offer”).
● easyJet has announced a partnership with HostelWorld.com, which provides an online reservation service for low-cost accommodation including hostels, B&Bs and guesthouses. EasyJet customers can now make an instant reservation at one of the 20,000 properties in 170 countries on Hostelworld.com’s inventory. And while easyJet is not yet flying to Israel, HostelWorld.com lists accommodation in 15 Israeli towns and cities (www.easyjet.com).
● Activity holiday specialist PGL is offering “Family Active” holidays for single parents this summer, at eight locations in England and Scotland, including the Caythorpe Court adventure centre in Lincolnshire where a seven-night stay in August costs £309 for an adult, £249 for children aged six-to-18 and £150 for the children aged two to five, based on sharing an en suite family room. There is also a four-night, mid-week stay at Boreatton Park in Shropshire over May half-term which costs £219 per adult, and £199 and £120 for children. Prices include full-board, evening entertainment and activities such as abseiling, raft building, canoeing and motorsports (08700 507 507; www.pgl.co.uk/families).
● Business airline bmi — which has just begun its second daily flight to Tel Aviv — has unveiled a new premium check-in area at Heathrow’s Terminal 1. The new area located on the main concourse provides a fast, hassle-free check-in for business class and premium economy customers as well as bmi Diamond Club gold and silver card holders. And more good news for those using its Tel Aviv route, bmi is offering businessclass customers a 30-minute check-in promise (www.flybmi.com).
● More good news on Tel Aviv flights from London, in addition to El Al’s extra near-daily flights from Luton, and bmi’s second daily flight from Heathrow, BA has announced it is to operate an additional weekly flight for this summer. Leaving Heathrow on a Thursday and returning on Friday morning, the new service will commence in June. Fares are from £298. (www.ba.com; 0844 493 0787).
● Ultra-luxury cruise line Seabourn is offering late availability savings of up to 50 per cent on its 11-day cruise from Dover to Copenhagen, aboard Seabourn Pride. The cruise, which departs on May 12, calls at Lundy, the unspoilt island off the Devonshire coast; Waterford, Ireland; the enchanting Isles of Scilly and St Peter Port, Guernsey, before crossing the Channel to visit Honfleur, Ostende and Amsterdam and traversing the Kiel Canal. Prices start from £1,999 per person, including all meals, tips and gratuities, fine dining, open bar and fully stocked mini bar but not flights (www.seabourn.com; 0845 070 0500).