TRAVEL

Home & Away with Robert WalsheLiving

Mandarin Oriental Paris has re-opened its stunning courtyard garden for the summer season. Providing one of the most charming green spaces within the city for guests and locals to dine, enjoy cocktails and social-ise, the courtyard garden is now open daily from 11am – 2am. Guests checking in with the Luxury Breaks Package priced from £641 will receive credit that can be spent on rooms, dining or spa, mak-ing this the perfect summer break. www.mandarinorien-tal.com/paris

Holiday Hotspot –Aitutaki,

Cook Islandswww.cookislands.travelif you have ever dreamed of

escaping to a semi deserted island, far from the hustle and bustle of the modern world, the Cook islands are the perfect destination and the one you need to visit is “aitutaki” nominated by Tony Wheeler, founder of Lonely Planet Guidebooks, as one of the worlds most beautiful is-lands in 2010 the region was the first in the group to em-brace Christianity when the reverend John Williams of the London Missionary Soci-ety arrived in 1821. Traveling with Williams was a young missionary, Papeiha, from the Society islands, who stayed on when Williams continued his travels and dedicated the rest of his life to his task. The CiCC Church, construction of which started in 1828, is the oldest church here and has a memorial to John Wil-liams and Papeiha. aitutaki-ans believe they descended from ru, the famous seafar-ing warrior who sailed from avaiki, the legendary home-land of the early Polynesians and settled here with his four wives, and attendants of war-riors and beautiful maidens of noble birth landed in a double hulled canoe. Cook islands Mãori or Maori Kuki airani is the most widely

spoken language however the local island dialects dif-fer depending where you go! Cook island Maori is also referred to as ‘Te reo ipuka-rea’ or “the language of the ancestral Homeland’ With a permanent population of around 2000, the island is covered with green hills, la-goons, and sandy beaches, making it a popular destina-tion for visitors looking to spend some time in the Pa-cific. Here you will also find lush tropical rainforest, with small farms and plantations. in the villages, many local people have organic gardens, and keep chickens and pigs, but dogs are forbidden on the island! accessible mainly by air, the region offers resorts, historic sites, and mostly outdoor activities. Perhaps the most appealing aspect of “aitutaki” is the islanders themselves. religious and reserved but never lacking a laugh, they take pride in being hosts whether at one of their cultural dinners in local homes or with a wave along the road where they help out visitors. While there are some who look to hang out on land, the lagoon and its surrounding coral reef offer excellent opportunities to head out on the water. . aitutaki is also fast becom-ing known as a world class spear fishing destination in the South Pacific. Bishops La-goon Cruises are one of the main operators who special-ise in diving and snorkeling in these parts. a typical day out includes stopping to ex-plore and swim, snorkeling or diving and watching tur-tles. a barbeque lunch of freshly caught fish is served on “One Foot” island where you have free time for snor-keling, swimming, walking or just lying on one of the idyl-lic beaches. The clear water, white sand beaches, and co-conut palms make for a set-ting of almost surreal beauty and remember to bring your passport for the obligatory

stamp! Bishops also offer day trips and sunset cruises together with wedding op-tions.www.bishopscruises.com This small island with the big heart offers numer-ous island nights featuring local dancing, drumming and songs. Cook island children learn to dance as soon as they can walk and their show is especially entertaining. ai-tutaki also has land tours to show you more and while vis-iting you climb to the highest point, tour working planta-tions, ancient mares, and learn about history and cul-ture www.aitutaki-walkabout.com.au

The Cook islands are also easy to get around on your own and there are places to rent bikes and scooters to enhance your Polynesian ad-venture. www.popoara.com aitutaki accommodation choice ranges from budget to luxury with guest houses, beach front bungalows, ho-tels, beach huts, boutique villas, luxury resorts, vaca-tion rentals, garden lodges, and much more. The high end properties offer access to the lagoon’s white-sandy beaches and this was one of the most appealing aspects of our stay at Tamanu Beach bungalows. This twin com-plex is the creation of Mike Henry, grandson of the late Prime Minister Sir albert Henry. Both parts have their

own swimming pools and bars, while a restaurant sits between them. The spacious guest bungalows face court-yards that terminate at the beach. Some units have a sep-arate bedroom and kitchens, while others are one-room bungalows with TVs. www.tamanubeach.com The one place you will want to have dinner on aitutaki is Tupu-nas. after a career as dress-maker, florist, and artist, Tupuna Hewett opened the most amazing dining experi-ence, an open-air addition to her home in the middle of the island. Her menu depends on what the local fishermen have caught but be sure to wear the mosquito spray! ai-tutaki a 45-minute flight from rarotonga is a very beautiful island with romance and fun written all over it!! You can visit on a day trip package or for as long as you like! www.cookislands.travel air new Zealand offers the fastest

and easiest way from ireland & the UK to the Cook islands with daily flights from Lon-don Heathrow to Los angeles, and weekly direct Monday connections to raratonga via La. Free of charge stopo-vers in La are also possible if passengers want to have a multi centre trip or to break the journey. Flights from the UK are operated on the award winning 777-300 air-craft where you can try out the economy skycouch or spacious premium economy spaceseat. From dublin fares start from €1356.00 inc taxes and from Belfast £1315.00 inc taxes. www.airnewzealand.co.uk Domestic flights are operated by air rarotonga with daily flights to Aitutaki and scheduled flights to Atiu, www.airraro.com. if you would prefer to book with a travel agency Trailfinders offer a 14 night package from

€3,899 pp includes interna-tional flights with Air New Zealand from dublin (Cork or Shannon via London Hea-throw & Los angeles) or from £3,469per person ex Belfast for 7 nights at the 4+* Little Polynesian resort, raratonga in a Garden Pia Tiare room with transfers & continental breakfast and 7 nights at 3+* Tamanu Beach, aitutaki, in a Garden Studio with continen-tal breakfast & flight / road transfers. These prices are based on two people sharing travelling for 1 to 30 nov 2012 departures, subject to avail-ability. Other dates available. www.trailfinders.ie

Robert Walshe is a free-lance contributor / broad-caster and Travel Editor for River Media newspaper titles across the island of Ireland. www.robertwalshe.com

Pet’s Corner... with Kathleen Murray

Home and Away ExtraThe ritz-Carlton Hotel Company new

mobile application just launched goes well beyond basic hotel search and reservation functionality, initiating a distinctive experi-ence before a hotel visit has even begun. But the unique aspects of the app don’t stop at exclusive tips and tours. GPS technology also allows the application to recognize when a guest has arrived at a ritz-Carlton

and can provide location specific advice, in-formation and even exclusive offers. With the tap of the finger, guests can learn more about local area culture and customs, con-cierge tips and even the hotel’s art collec-tion. Guests can also easily keep up with a resort’s activity calendar at Powersourt so they’ll never miss a wine tasting, or activ-ity. www.ritzCarlton.com/app

n Tamanu Beach Aitutaki, Cook Islandsn Bishops Cruises Aitutaki, Cook Islands.

Pedigree v. Mongrel – the choiceWhat is the right dog for

me? What are the advantages of getting a pedigree dog and what are the advantages of get-ting a mongrel dog? if you buy a pedigree dog then you have a history of where the dog came from.

The pedigree form has the names of several generations of your dogs relatives on it. You will know the mother and father, the grandparents etc. You will know if any of the dogs on the pedigree form have won anything at dog shows (if they are champions).

Pedigree dogs are bred for specific purposes. Some are herding dogs, some are gun

dogs, some are “toy” dogs (lap-dogs) etc. so you will know what the dog is most likely to be attracted to e.g. a springer spaniel like to run over to hedges and bark, a border col-lie likes to herd things even children, a husky likes to run, a terrier type dog likes to hunt mice etc. dogs work with the instincts that their type is bred to work with. Some pedigree dogs are prone to certain types of medical problems. Please don’t ignore this fact as veteri-nary costs can be quite high. Money-wise alone, pedigree dogs can cost a lot of money. First you have to buy the dog, then you need to pay attention

to grooming. Some dogs need a lot of grooming and this is an-other frequent and regular bill for you to allow for.

Pedigree dogs often develop behaviour problems as their owners think of them as more than a dog (because they paid a lot of money for it) and this can lead to trouble. Mongrel dogs have their ups and downs also. You can get beautiful cross breed (mongrel) dogs at dog shelters or dog pounds. Mongrels tend to have fewer medical problems than pedi-gree dogs. Because their blood lines are more hap-hazard they can go their whole lifetime with only the necessary trips (vac-

cinations and neutering etc.) to the vet.

Mongrels can have any kind of behaviour as the breed-ing is unknown. This is not a bad thing. They tend to have friendly personalities and can be very intuitive and playful (if brought up properly, like any dog). i have a “Joe Soap” aver-age looking collie (sheepdog).

She is not a pedigree dog. She is 13 years old and that little dog has been the greatest com-panion anyone could want. She has worked her whole life to make life better for other dogs by demonstrating to farmers, children in schools, private individuals etc. what dogs are

capable of. She has never been sick in her life although her heart is weak now as she is older. She is in great form, sharp as a button and i wouldn’t part with her for anything.

She will be a great loss when she goes. i also have pedigree dogs (given to me) which have cost a fortune over time in vets bills and in grooming care, so getting a

dog is a very personal thing. One is as good as the other if brought up the right way. no matter what dog you pick please make sure you get it neutered if you are not an above board, full time breeder, otherwise you risk adding to the population of unwanted dogs as your dog will breed with some “ship that passes in the night”... or day.