Five peaks in one day
Here's something for the 'been there, done that' brigade: skiing in June at midnight in the strange twilight of an Arctic summer. High above the Arctic Circle, Riksgransen in Sweden is Europe's most northerly ski resort, with good snow well into June when the sun barely dips below the horizon. It's an off-piste paradise and, for those with the stamina, offers a chance to ski five peaks in one day. A five-day heli-ski package to the resort costs from £1,040 per person including flights and is one of an innovative range of short active breaks offered by the Original Travel Company, a new tour operator which goes live this month.
The stylish brochure features 35 trips and co-founder Nick Newbury boldly claims that 90 per cent of them are 'absolutely original, not available in any other brochure'. Newbury's own background working in the City, where two-week holidays were a rare luxury, inspired him to come up with the programme of adventurous quick getaways for young professionals. The trips have been tailored to minimise on jetlag and time out of the office, while packing in activities ranging from rhino tracking in South Africa to scuba diving in Egypt. The Original Travel Company (020 7978 7333; www.originaltravel.co.uk).
On the map...
Croatia may be tipped as Europe's hot new destination for 2003 but the tiny republic of Montenegro will also be basking in the vogue for all things Adriatic. Holiday Options (0870 013 0450; www.holidayoptions.co.uk) has added Montenegro's unspoilt coastal resorts to its Croatia and Slovenia brochure for the first time this year while Inghams (020 8780 4433; www.inghams.co.uk) will feature two resorts in its Lakes and Mountains brochure.
Seattle comes to Brighton
Visitors to Brighton have never had it so good. Hardly has the excitement settled down over the opening of the quite fantastic Hotel du Vin in the Lanes when along comes the Alias Hotel Seattle, which opens in the Marina on 17 February. Like its sister hotels, the Kandinsky in Cheltenham, Barcelona in Exeter and Rossetti in Manchester, the latest addition to the funky and fast-expanding Alias chain of hotels promises a quirky, contemporary style, with sea-views and private decks for many guest rooms and an in-house restaurant and cocktail bar. Double rooms from £95 a night. The Alias Hotel Seattle (01273 679799; www.aliashotels.com).
The open and shut case
This season's must-have piece of luggage is the transparent suitcase from Delsey. To spare your blushes, the tough polypropylene wheelie cases come in a range of colours, with overall effect a modest opaque rather than 'look-at-my-undies' see-through. And yes, you still have to put it through the x-ray machine. The Volume Fresh luggage range will be in shops from March, at £69 for the suitcase and £50 for the matching beauty case. Telephone 020 8731 3530 for stockists ( www.delsey.com).
Cambodia in style
Proving that getting off the beaten track doesn't have to mean roughing it, luxury hotel chain Amanresorts has opened its first resort in Cambodia. After a hot day's sightseeing at the spectacular temple complex of Angkor Wat, guests of Amansara can retire to the former royal guest house in Siem Reap which has been converted into 12 luxury suites with a pool, restaurant and bar. Tour operator Western & Oriental will tailor-make a package combining a stay at Amansara with a tour of Indochina, or combining the Cambodian retreat with a stay at its sister hotel the Amanpuri in Phuket, Thailand. Western & Oriental (020 7313 6600; http://www.westernoriental.com). Amansara ( http://www.amanresorts.com).
