chrisparkercommunications: Travel PR October 2015 | Page 2

MORE AT DailyRecord.CO.UK Daily Record Saturday, November 1, 2014 Page 39 [email protected] Late deals ■ Flying from Glasgow on January 9, seven nights in Fuengirola, Spain, at the four-star Fuengirola Park on all-inclusive basis, from £379 per person. ■ Flying from Glasgow on January 21, seven nights in Corralejo, Fuerteventura, staying at the three-star Dunas Caleta Club on all-inclusive basis, from £399 per person. ■ Flying from Edinburgh in February or March, seven nights in Lake Como, Italy, staying at the three-star Britannia Excelsior on all-inclusive basis, from £569 per person. ■ For these and other deals, see www.barrhead travel.co.uk or call 0141 222 2223. TIME TO REFLECT   Piran is well worth a visit Get in Toon with a fascinating city RELAXING   Portoroz has its own sandy beach IT'S TYNE TO VISIT   Gateshead Millennium Bridge THIRST CLASS   Inside Korte vineyard MARVELLOUS MUD FOR IT   Drying out in the sun after treatment Facts.. ■ Thomson Lakes (www.ThomsonLakes.co.uk; 020 8939 0740) offers a week’s half board at the four-star Hotel Marita in Portoroz, Slovenia, from £461 per person (based on two sharing) including flights from Gatwick and transfers. Direct flights are available from all major UK airports. ■ Prices start at 18 euros for a 20-minute mud wrap at The ˇ Lepa Vida Thalasso Spa in the Secovlie Salina Nature Park. composer Giuseppe Tartini – Piran’s most famous son – the square may no longer be the bustling marketplace it once was, where fishermen would come and sell their catch straight off the boat. But it’s still the focal point of the community. Children are encouraged to run and play and the stalls selling fresh breads, meats, cheeses and olives are a big draw for visitors and locals alike. After all that walking around, a few hours by the beach is the perfect way to slip back into lazy, holiday mode. Unlike other resorts in Slovenia and Croatia that sit on the Adriatic, visitors don’t have to put up with pebbles or a spot on the rocks, as Portoroz has its own man-made sandy beach. All ages are entertained, from a giant inflatable with all manner of slides for the kids, to pedal boats, kayaks and jet skis for adventurous adults. For those wishing to head out a little farther to sea, regular boat trips leave for Izola, or Venice can be reached in just under three under hours from Piran. No visit to this part of Slovenia is complete without a trip to the hinterland. Just a few miles away from Portoroz lies rolling green countryside, which in recent years has undergone a resurgence. Locally produced food and wine are now helping to put Slovenia on the culinary map. One of these producers is vineyard Korenika & Moškon in the village of Korte. Our guide Matej now runs the vineyard, which has been passed down from father to son for generations. As we wander through the cavernous cellars, lined with huge oak barrels, he gives us an insight into how he is helping to progress wine development in Slovenia by producing organic tipples. With the tour completed, we are invited to tuck into a vast array of meats and cheeses – all sourced locally – washed down, of course, with some of the vineyard's best wines. They include Malvazija and Refošk, two of the most popular varieties with bars and restaurants up and down the coast. One of these is the restaurant Fritolin in Portoroz. Situated next to a busy road, with its modest-looking façade it would be overlooked if it wasn’t for its thriving trade. Loved by the locals, the tables are busy day and night. In fact, don’t be surprised if you have to queue up but it’s well worth it. Waiters scurry about serving only the freshest, tastiest seafood. What better way to round off my trip? After some fantastic mussels, exquisitely cooked mackerel and a glass or two of some chilled Malvazija wine, I think it’s fair to say I have got a taste for Portoroz and everything this region has to offer. Newcastle is a great choice for a short break all year round. Its clusters of bars, restaurants, clubs and pubs make for some buzzing nightlife, while if shopping's your thing, the city is home to the Metrocentre, Europe’s largest indoor shopping and leisure centre. Culture vultures are well catered for. The Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art and the awe-inspiring Sage Gateshead are a short walk across the Tyne in Gateshead, which you can reach via the Gateshead Millennium Bridge – the world’s only tilting bridge. Newcastle has its own cultural quarter, Ouseburn Valley, where you will find attractions including The Biscuit Factory and The Cluny. For our weekend break, my boyfriend and I stayed at Newcastle's Sandman Signature Hotel, a short walk from many of the city's main attractions. This lovely boutique hotel was built on the old Scottish & Newcastle Brewery site, and our bedroom overlooked the home of Newcastle United, St James’ Park – a view that never failed to impress each morning. This proved to be a bonus for us, as we were booked for the club’s latest attraction – a rooftop stadium tour. After a daunting 150ft climb, complete with hard hats and high-visibility vests, we experienced a real Magpie’s view of the stadium and cityscape, before descending pitch side to learn all about the club’s rich heritage. The first attraction of its kind in the UK, it is proving more and more popular with tourists but, Andrea O’Neill [email protected] be warned, it's not for the faint-hearted. Being such a compact city, Newcastle is easy to get around. In just three hours, we took in 2000 years of history as part of a guided walking tour. A monument to former prime minister – and tea namesake – Earl Grey stands at the head of Grey Street in Grainger Town, which boasts the title of "best street in Britai