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ESCAPE FROM
THE WORLD IN
THE HIGHLANDS
Where: Loch Ewe, Scotland
Event: Romantic getaway
STRETCH OUT IN STYLE
IN YOUR VERY OWN
FOUR-POSTER BED
Need seclusion or a double dose of
romance after a family Christmas?
Well, bolt-holes don’t come any
better than this boutique gem.
Situated on the shores
of Loch Ewe in one of
the most spectacular
corners of the Scottish
Highlands, the Pool
House combines
effortless chic and fine
dining with the warm
hospitality of a
family-run venture.
A regional HQ for
the Royal Navy high
command during the
Second World War,
it’s got a wonderful
old-world grandeur,
while the sumptuous
rooms are named
after vessels from the
North Atlantic Campaign.
The hotel’s New Year package
doesn’t stint in luxury: champagne
Bolt-holes don’t get any
better than this boutique
gem on Loch Ewe
and chocolates await in your room,
while in the evening there’s a six
course extravaganza conceived by
award-winning chef John Moir.
If you can tear yourself away
from the luxury, a 10-minute drive
away is Old Inn in Gairloch for
real-ale heaven, or take a lifeaffirming
(and hangover clearing)
stroll in the scenery of Wester Ross.
Three nights at the Pool House over New
Year (30, 31 December and 1 January 2010)
costs from £525 per person based on two
people sharing. See pool-house.co.uk or
call 01445-781272 for more details
PARTY ON THE
PISTE IN TIGNES
Where: Tignes, France
Event: Rave in the snow
With temperatures expected to dip
as low as -20 this winter it’ll be
chillier than Ibiza, but the French
ski resort of Tignes won’t be lacking
in party spirit thanks to its annual
outdoor rave on New Year’s Eve.
After a triumphant set from
David Guetta last year, organisers
are going for the ‘if it ain’t broke...’
theory, relying on some more
home-grown Gallic talent to end
the decade from behind the decks.
This time it will be Toulouse-born
Laurent Wolf – winner in the DJ
category at the 2008 World Music
Awards – who will be providing the
fuel to keep 15,000 people dancing
through the night (no doubt to burn
off all those fondues and raclettes).
Not that there aren’t other ways to
get the adrenaline flowing before
and after the big night.
Part of the linked ski area known
SKI ALL DAY AND DANCE ALL
NIGHT IN THE MOUTAINSIDE
RESORT OF TIGNES
as L’Espace Killy, Tignes
shares its slopes with Val d’Isère
and offers over 300km of piste for
you to whizz down after a large vin
chaud. For après-ski action, park
your boots in L’embuscade and
Bagus Bar, or if you don’t fancy
full throttle, kick back in
restaurants such as Clin
d’oeil and Le Caveau, and
check out the twiceweekly
market selling
local delicacies and
interesting trinkets. Not
that you’ll need stocking
fillers for a while....
Hotel Levanna’s (levanna.
com) half-board prices start
at ¤145 per person based on
two people sharing. Return
flights from Gatwick to
Grenoble on EasyJet (easyjet.
com) from £125 per person
GO�REGAL�AT�A�
VIENNESE�BALL�
Where: Hofburg Palace, Vienna
Event: The Kaiserball
New Year knees-ups don’t come
much more regal or bizarre than
the black tie Kaiserball at Vienna’s
Hofburg Palace. It’s one of the
Austrian capital’s most enduring
traditions and heralds the start of
the city’s elaborate ball season.
It begins with the changing of
the guard at the Hofburg Palace,
where the ball is held followed by
waltzing to Strauss and Mozart.
Then, when the clock strikes
midnight, a couple dressed as
Empress Sisi and Emperor Franz
Joseph (the former rulers of the
Austrian empire) get the party
started. It’s decadent, and batty.
Away from showpiece events
like the ball, DJs and bands perform
around the centre of town, while
during the day take a Segway tour of
the city and have a lazy lunch in
Palais Coburg, which has such cool
wine cellars you’ll be drunk all day.
A four-night, New Year stay at the Le
Meridien with tickets to the Kaiserball
costs from £1,285 per person
(austriatravel.co.uk). Return flights from
Gatwick with Aer Lingus start at £150
THE ELEGANT HOFBURG IN
VIENNA, THE VENUE FOR THIS
YEAR’S KAISERBALL
NEW YEAR'S EVE HOTELS
GET READY FOR THE
KAISERBALL IN THE
LE MERIDIEN HOTEL
The Kaiserball is
one of Vienna’s most
endearing traditions
HIRE A DESIGNER
CITY-CENTRE
CRASHPAD
Where: Deansgate, Manchester
Event: Clubbing in the city
As a role-call of party animals from
Peter Hook of New Order to Shaun
Ryder and the Gallagher brothers
proves, it's well known that
Mancunians are not averse to
a bit of a shindig.
The legendary Hacienda night
club might be long gone, but the
city still moves to one of the
most vibrant nightlife pulses in
the country – and you can be
right at the hub.
Forget hotel rooms; for digs that
suit the occasion, these open-plan
one-bed apartments near Deansgate
are the place to stay.
Designed by acclaimed architects
Stephenson Bell, they’re kitted out
with designer prints and furniture,
and have alluring extras such as an
THIS DESIGNER FLAT
COULD BE ALL YOURS
THIS NEW YEAR'S EVE
iPod deck and a huge flatscreen
television that will have you uttering
that immortal line: “Back to mine
for a nightcap, anyone?”
On NYE, either stay in and cook
up a storm or let your heels take you
to chic cocktail bar Ithaca or Cloud
23 to people-watch and admire the
cityscape and fireworks.
Up for something livelier? The big
event is at The Warehouse Project
at Piccadilly Station where DJs
including Alex Metric and Cassette
Jam will be pplaying until 5am
(tickets cost £25
in advance).
Either way, your
luxury crashpad’s
so close, you don’t
need to stress
about getting
a taxi home.
From £145 per night
based on two people
sharing. Contact
Staying Cool
(0121-643 0815,
stayingcool.com )
for more details
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