Travel news roundup: Wales, sailing and eco-luxury in the Galapagos
EscapismA flash new camping and hiking experience has landed in Sydney this month. Zoo2Q includes a harbour cruise, a night at Taronga Zoo's glampsite, a 15km guided hike in the Sydney Harbour national park and one night's luxury hotel accommodation at Q Station in Manly, on the city's north shore.
From £667 for three days including all meals, activities and transfers, zoo2q.com.au
How much ?!
Fancy yourself as 007? You can be … at a price. Exsus is offering Bond experiences with ex-special forces members who helped train Daniel Craig. You'll dash across Europe by sports car, speedboat and helicopter and "rescue" hostages. Martinis included; Bond girls probably not.
From £6,624pp for one day in the Welsh mountains to £198,000pp for four days in Europe, exsus.com
Welsh coast
The Gower in Wales has a new rival: the Llyn peninsula. This spit of land, west of Snowdonia has a new National Trust centre and hopes to draw visitors to the area. Attractions include 150km of coastline, seaside resorts such as Abersoch, the lost village of Nant Gwrtheyrn and peaceful Bardsey island.
nationaltrust.org.uk
Eco-luxury in the Galapagos
Artist's impression of Pikaia Lodge Galapagos
A new eco-lodge on the crater of an extinct volcano on Santa Cruz in the Galapagos Islands, Pikaia Lodge combines luxury – 14 spacious rooms, spa, restaurant, two yachts – with sustainability. It aims to be carbon-neutral in five years, sources local food, employs 70 islanders and supports the village school.
From £2,720pp for four nights full-board, with excursions, and use of kayaks and mountain bikes. Book through rainbowtours.co.uk
Sailing holidays
Imaginative Traveller has a new range of summer sailing trips. They include a voyage along the Dalmatian coast from Dubrovnik to Split (from £633pp for eight days) to island-hopping in Burma's Myeik archipelago (from £851 for nine days).
imaginative-traveller.com
Travel trend
Croatia is the latest country to consider scuttling, or deliberately sinking, ships as a tourism strategy. The practice is said to create habitats for sea life and attract divers, but environmental groups have concerns about its impact. Scuttling has been proposed around the Kvarner gulf, near Rijeka. The idea has recently been tried in Thailand, Portugal and the US, among others.
Cheap date
Stay cheaply and centrally in 35 university cities in the UK, plus several in Europe, North America and beyond, with Universityrooms.com. The site allows you to book accommodation left empty during the holidays. Don't expect dingy digs – options include deluxe rooms in Oxford colleges and modern apartments in Dublin.
B&B in Oxford from £30 a night, universityrooms.com
Travel trash
VW camper car
With the new "camper car", your hire car doubles as accommodation. Spaceships Rentals has converted small Volkswagen vans, with a double bed in the back seat and a tent-like side awning. Bedding and curtains, camping stove, cool box and cooking utensils are all provided. Basically, it's a campervan in disguise.
From £39 a day from London and Edinburgh, spaceshipsrentals.co.uk
Activity
National Go Canoeing Week (24 May to 1 June) aims to get as many new people paddling as possible. You can try a starter session at your local club; go on a guided tour; try a one- or three-mile "challenge route"; and log your miles on the website – the collective target is 11,073 miles collectively, the total distance of circumnavigating the British coastline.
gocanoeingweek.org.uk