HIGH SEAS WIRELESS
Royal Caribbean Lines has gone full steam ahead on its plan to bring fast, unlimited internet access to its fleet of ships. The ElevenOS platform was installed on 22 of its ships and offers tiered bandwidth options, so users have a choice of pricing plans. Day-rate pricing will be in the $10-$15 range. At the top end, the service is fast enough to allow for seamless video streaming – important for passengers who want to download movies or access their Netflix accounts. The availability of high-speed internet is seen as a game-changer in the industry, as it means that passengers will be able to maintain online connections as if they were on land – all-important when looking to spread the appeal of the cruise experience. The platform is managed by Portland-based OS Wireless, which operates a cloud-based system across nearly 2,000 hotels and convention centres worldwide.
MEXICAN METRO-CISE
Mexico City (right) has found a novel way of tackling the city's growing obesity problem: travellers on the underground can now ride the metro for free if they do 10 squats. The Ministry of Health has installed 30 squat machines at the 15 most heavily transited metro stations throughout the city and has been giving out free pedometers as part of a broader slimming campaign.
Moscow did something similar in 2014, offering free metro tickets to commuters who could do 30 squats in under two minutes. But when it comes to health incentives it's Dubai that takes the cake. In 2013 the emirate offered its citizens one gram of gold for every kilo of weight loss.
GET AWAY AT HOME
Looking for a little spring in your step? Ballyvolane House (ballyvolanehouse.ie) in Fermoy, Co Cork has been voted Best Fishing Hotel in the Good Hotel Guide Editor's Choice Awards in London and is celebrating with a Quickie package for €399 per person that includes one overnight B&B, a full day's fishing tuition with master angler Norman Gillet, a packed picnic lunch and a four-course dinner. Carton House (cartonhouse.com) has a Spring Sensation package for €109 per person sharing that includes a one-night stay plus dinner and a €20 credit for either a round of golf or a spa treatment. The offer is valid from Sunday to Thursday until the end of April. Culintra House (cullintrahouse.com) in Inistioge, Co Kilkenny has a Pets, Walk & Dine package for €150 per person sharing that includes two nights' B&B and two dinners – and pets are most welcome, in the B&B and on the farm where the property is located. The offer is valid until May 31st.
LOOKING FOR FAWLTY
Fancy owning a seafront hotel in Essex? The Hoyles of Harwich want to retire after 18 years in the hospitality business, but rather than sell their beloved Continental Hotel, they have decided to raffle it to find new owners.
The winners will get to channel their inner Basil and Sybil with a 14-room hotel at Marine Parade, Dovercourt Bay, where each of the bedrooms is individually styled. The biggest local attraction is Britain's oldest treadwheel.
Tickets for the raffle cost £1,000; for terms and conditions, and to enter, see winahotel.co.uk
MY TOP FIVE HOTELS in HONG KONG
Chinese New Year is in full swing, with most of China and Southeast Asia in the middle of a two-week celebration marking the passing of the Year of the Horse and the beginning of the Year of the Goat. Here are five Hong Kong hotels that don't kid around:
Hyatt Regency Tsim Sha Tsui (18 Hanoi Rd, Tsim Sha Tsui; hongkong.tsimshatsui.hyatt.com; rooms from €440). Occupying 21 floors of Kowloon's tallest skyscraper, this is every bit a five-star hotel, with huge, plush rooms commanding beautiful views of the city below. There's everything you could possibly want from a top-class hotel, including a shopping mall directly beneath it.
Langham Place Hotel (555 Shanghai St, Mong Kok; hongkong.langhamplacehotels.com; rooms from €230). Right in the heart of bustling Mong Kok, the Langham stretches elegantly skyward, a business hotel par excellence that caters equally to the luxury leisure traveller. There are great views from the rooftop bar and lounge and the Ming Court restaurant has two Michelin stars.
Mira Moon (388 Jaffe Rd, Wan Chai; miramoonhotel.com; rooms from €160). A boutique hotel designed around a Chinese fable about the Jade Rabbit and the Moon Goddess. The rooms here are contemporary interpretation of traditional Chinese style. Oversized lanterns and floor mosaics combine with a host of mod-cons (including free mobile phones for guests to use during their stay).
Peninsula (Salisbury Rd, Tsim Sha Tsui; peninsula.com; rooms from €450) The city's signature hotel – as famous as Bangkok's Mandarin Oriental or Raffles of Singapore – the Peninsula is colonial Hong Kong at its most elegant. The 300-odd rooms leave little to be desired, but you have a choice between the spectacular marble-infused luxury of the main building or the sensational views of the harbour from the newer rooms.
Upper House (88 Queensway, Pacific Place, Admiralty; upperhouse.com; rooms from €460). This luxury boutique hotel by André Fu is all about the zen-like tranquility of an exclusive private home: the rooms are a combination of sophistication and minimalism, the service is efficient and discreet and there are free yoga classes in the garden.
