Paolo's Travel Deal Today

My precious pooch Paolo digs up great air deals daily.

Hong Kong Airfare

$818

Return from Toronto

Air Taxes: $411.09 (approx)

Travel Period:

May 3 - June 27, 2011

Ticketing Until: May 10, 2011

Call: 1-866-929-6688

Good Boy Paolo

Cambridge in U.K. tourist spotlight

Old university town will be getting lots of visitors
now that it's linked to Kate and Will.

When the Queen bestowed the title of Duke and Duchess of Cambridge on her grandson Prince William and his new bride Kate Middleton, she unwittingly – or maybe wittingly – cast the tourist spotlight directly on the university town with the ancient history.

Cambridge is one of the loveliest towns in Great Britain and is sure to become a destination of choice for many tourists wanting to see all things relating to Will and Kate.

So, knowing this, Ted Flett, the congenial Public Relations/Communications Manager for VisitBritain – the U.K.’s fine tourist organization – thoughtfully forwarded me the best attractions Cambridge has to offer tourists. And they are:

- The famed university itself, the second oldest in the English-speaking world, where most guided tours of the city start. A two hour city tour costs about $20 CDN and covers all the major sites. For information, go to: www.visitcambridge.org/TicketServer/DailyTours

- Magnificent King’s College Chapel, which is seen by millions every Christmas who watch the Carols from King’s service. Visits to the chapel usually include a performance by the choir at Evensong. www.kings.cam.ac.uk

- Punting in a square-ended wooden boat on the River Cam – or let a professional do the work and you enjoy the ride.

- The Fitzwilliam Museum, home to a world-class collection of art work that spans centuries and cultures. Highlights of this museum include treasures from the 14th century and antiquities dating back to ancient Egypt and Greece. www.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk

- Kettles Yard, an art gallery displaying modern art in a unique homey setting. www.kettlesyard.co.uk

- Cambridge Botanic Garden, which features over 8,000 plants displayed in 40 of the most pristine acres this side of Eden. The garden is located right in the heart of the city.

- Take a walk along the Cam to the nearby village of Grantchester and the Orchard Tea Rooms, frequented by poet Rupert Brooke and others.
www.orchard-grantchester.com

- Duxford Air Museum, part of the Imperial War Museum, which is located a short distance from the city centre. www.iwm.org.uk

- Note: Cambridge holds a number of festivals annually, one of the most famous being the Cambridge Folk Festival in late July. www.cambridgefolkfestival.co.uk/

- The Scott Polar Research Institute, an amazing place where secrets of the polar explorer are on display.

- The Eagle, a traditional English pub dating back to the 16th century with many historical features, including its RAF bar with its world famous ceiling. It even has a resident ghost.

For more information on the city now ruled by the newly crowned Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, go to www.visitcambridge.org

Paolo's Travel Deal Today

My precious pooch Paolo digs up great air deals each day.

Puerto Vallarta Holiday

$399

Air included from Toronto

Hotel: Holiday Inn

Duration: 7 nights/all inclusive

Airline: Air Transat

Departures: June 2, 9 & 16
Taxes & fees: $343
Call: 1-877-881-5150
Good boy Paolo!

Here's some ideas for the purr-fect African holiday to see some cats

Movies are helping put Africa's big cats in the spotlight.

Two recent Hollywood films, The Last Lions and Disney’s African Cats, have heightened awareness about the Big Cats of Africa and more and more people are heading to the Dark Continent for the purr-fect holiday.

But where in Africa are you assured of seeing cheetahs, lions and leopards?

After all, you don’t want to go all that way and spend all that money and come up empty.

So, I gave some African travel specialists my bucket list of cats I’d like to see before I die in their natural habitat and they put together the following Top 10 list of places I’d be guaranteed to see specific species:

1. Cape Town’s Cheetah Outreach Reserve for cheetahs.

2. Kafue National Park in the Busanga Plains, Zambia for lions.

3. Londolozi, South Africa for leopards.

4. Linyanti, Botswana for lions.

5. Luangwa, Zambia for leopards.

6. Manyara, Tanzania for tree climbing lions).

7. Manyara, Tanzania for leopards.

8. Masai Mara, Kenya for cheetahs.

9. Masai Mara, Kenya for lions.

10- Anywhere in Namibia for cheetahs.

Qantas crew brings 'child' rock star Justin Bieber back 'Down to Earth'

I just found out that Canadian child pop star Justin Bieber was scolded like a child on board a Qantas flight yesterday for leaving his seat while the aircraft was taxing in preparation for takeoff.

According to witnesses, the 17-year-old teen idol and his bodyguard left their business class seats to talk to members of their entourage back in coach as the plane readied for a flight from Sydney to Melbourne, despite the fact the seat belt sign was on.

Bieber is currently touring Down Under.

The cabin crew jumped to their feet and sternly ordered the pair back to their seats.

Witnesses told an Australian newspaper that one flight attendant shouted at Bieber; accusing him of being a “security risk.” She then escorted him back to his seat and told him: “if you want to act like a child, then I’ll treat you like a child.”

Good job Qantas has not introduced mandatory martial arts training for their flight attendants like I reported yesterday Hong Kong Airlines has done for their crews.

It’s nice to see, as one of Bieber’s song titles suggests, that even mega stars can be brought “Down to Earth” by air crews.

Kate, Will heading to Indian Ocean


Everyone has been trying to pin down the honeymoon location Prince William and his new bribe Kate have chosen.

Well, British newspapers are reporting the royal newlyweds are heading to very romantic and very isolated Robinson Crusoe Island in the Indian Ocean, where the stilted villas go for a cool $6,000 a night – but that does include butler service.

When I got wind of their decision, it brought back a flood of wonderful memories that are still vivid years after my visits to two Indian Ocean holiday hot spots, the Seychelles and the Maldives.

The Maldives, where protests against the government in recent days have put that enchanting group of islands off limits to tourists for a while, is one of my favorite islands in the world.

Sadly, most of the islands that make up the Maldives are sinking faster than I can type thanks to global warming. But the two Four Seasons’ hotels on the Maldives where I stayed are two of the most beautiful resorts I have ever checked into.

The Seychelles, where, according to local lore, the original Garden of Eden is located, is a group of islands populated by descendants of slaves brought there from nearby Africa by the French and British before being dispatched

The Seychelles are home to some of the most pristine beaches I have ever walked on and the resorts there are all 5-star.

The Indian Ocean, sandwiched between Africa and Southeast Asia, are often overlooked by North Americans because of the time required to get to them from here. However, it’s time well spent because there is no more romantic place on Earth than the Indian Ocean – especially for honeymooners.

Airline crew taught martial arts

Hong Kong Airlines' crew learn martial arts.

This being the International Day of Laughter, you might think this little tidbit I came across about Hong Kong Airlines a joke. But it’s true.

The Asian carrier has decided to introduce compulsory training for cabin crew in Wing Chun, a form of martial arts perfected by Ip Man, the master who taught the late actor Bruce Lee the ancient Chinese art of defence. Some crew say the training has already helped them take care of unruly passengers – one female flight attendant said her Wing Chun training helped her subdue a drunken passenger on a flight to Beijing recently.

So, if you are ever on a Hong Kong Airlines flight and the flight attendant tells you to buckle up, don’t argue or you may find yourself flying through the cabin.