To commemorate the 60th anniversary of D-Day, The Orangery restaurant at Kensington Palace and the New Armouries restaurant at HM Tower of London will feature, for one year only beginning June 2004, special World War II menus. The wartime menus, using limited amounts of ingredients as in times of rationing, will be available alongside the more modern menus.
VisitBritain has a new brochure on beautiful and historic gardens of Britain. It includes info on events and festivals (2004 is the “Year of Gardening” in Britain); insider tips from head gardeners; garden tours and holidays; courses throughout Britain, and seasonal information on which gardens to see and when.
The brochure is available free from VisitBritain’s Travel Center, 551 Fifth Ave., Ste. 701, New York, NY 10176-0799; phone 877/899-8391 or e-mail travelinfo@visitbritain.org.
The resort Gleneagles is celebrating its 80th birthday in 2004 with “Classic Scottish Sojourns,” in which guests can explore Scotland via private chauffeur-guided tours.
The 3-night/4-day program costs $1,800 (guaranteed in U.S. dollars), based on double occupancy, and includes accommodation, full Scottish breakfast daily, one full-day tour OR two half-day tours and 17.5% VAT. Also included are one round of golf, one whisky tasting and one massage for each guest.
The free guide “Stay on a Farm 2004” lists more than 1,100 farms in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland offering bed and a hearty breakfast at an average cost of £25 (near $46) per person per night. The majority have en-suite bathrooms, and many provide an evening meal.
The 162-page guide has photographs and details of each property plus information on farms with self-catering accommodation or caravan and camping facilities. It is available from VisitBritain overseas offices, by calling 012271 336141 or via www.farmstayuk.co.uk.
The Landmark Trust is a preservation charity which restores architecturally interesting and historic buildings in Britain and offers them as self-catering holiday homes. Prices vary according to the size of the property and the season, averaging about £25 (near $42) per person per night.
The 20th edition of the “Landmark Trust Handbook” lists 178 properties and costs £9.50 (refundable against a booking) including postage and packing. Call 01628 825925 or visit www.landmarktrust.co.uk.
The home of a 19th-century cartoonist and his family has reopened in London after a 3-year renovation. A middle-class townhouse of the period, Linley Sambourne House was the home of the Punch magazine illustrator Edward Linley Sambourne from 1875.
The home is crammed full of period artifacts, including porcelain, etchings and statuettes. Visitors are taken around the house by a costumed actor who plays the part of Mrs. Sambourne, their son or the domestic maid.
Hidden behind closed doors for over two centuries, the Royal Academy’s suite of Fine Rooms has been restored to its Neo-Palladian glory and in March opened to the public for the first time.
Cruise passengers arriving at St. Kitts’ Port Zante pier will see an 8-foot-tall column that has a welcome message on one side and, on the other, an invitation to return and use Freestay Coins. St. Kitts is one of eight islands participating in the Freestay Caribbean Coin program, geared to encourage visitors to return and stay over.
The coins — and each island has its own coin design — entitle the bearer to discounts at shops, hotels, restaurants and attractions. The St. Kitts coins are imprinted with a toll-free number and website URL offering more info.
Seaborne Airlines, based in St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands, and the Road Town Fast Ferry, based in Tortola, British Virgin Islands, now offer a high-speed, 2-hour connection between St. Croix and Tortola.
The “Road Town Connection” package includes a Seaborne flight from St. Croix to St. Thomas and a 50-minute ferry ride to Road Town, Tortola, for $150 round trip.
Departures from St. Croix are at 7:15 and 11:15 a.m. and 3 p.m.; return trips leave Tortola at 7 and 10 a.m. and 2:30 p.m.
The 39th annual Carriacou Regatta will take place July 25-Aug. 2, 2004. The most southerly of the Grenadines, Carriacou is the largest of the chain of islands between Grenada and St. Vincent. The festival is a salute to its sister island of Grenada’s art of boatbuilding, handed down by Irish and Scottish ancestors.