Babylon restaurant, London

On a sunlit summer's evening in London, there are few more pleasant places to be than on the terrace at Babylon, The Roof Gardens' 7th floor restaurant. Sitting 30m (100ft) above the frantic shoppers of High Street Kensington, and boasting panoramic views over the capital, animated tables of stylish clientele and an equally manicured trio of gardens just below, Babylon offers truly delightful dining.

Looking down upon the charming English Woodland garden, one of the venue's three famous patches of greenery designed by architect Ralph Hancock, we accept our waitress's recommendation of a sparkling pink rosé from Kent, and take in the still evening amid pristine wood and crisp white tablecloths. Inside, shimmering lime green furnishings and soft recessed lighting offer a fresh and modern dining area, exceptionally well tended to by a slick operation of waiting staff.

Any doubt that Babylon might rely on its strikingly unique setting to impress customers vanishes with the arrival of our starters: crab cocktail, a tender portion of Cornish crab atop a pool of avocado and lime purée, and the other, a perfect pair of plump sautéed diver scallops with a sprinkling of smoked bacon on a firm bed of crushed peas and broad beans.

Equally as refreshing as these clean, colourful dishes and rooftop surrounds, is the simplicity of Babylon's menu: a single page of well-conceived and supremely executed dishes, meaning less time menu-trawling, and more spent taking in the skyline.

A chilled glass of Gewurztraminer from Babylon's extensive wine list complimented my sea bass main perfectly, the punchy white wine cutting through the dish's brased fennel and pernod sauce, without overpowering the accompanying black olive tapenade.

My partner's roast lamb rump, sliced and served with an aubergine chutney, spring onions and Madeira jus, came glisteningly tender, and new potatoes and a fresh tomato salad to share were the ideal summery accompaniments.

After filling up on fresh ingredients, a decadent dessert seemed a rite of passage, and the sweet-toothed will find much happiness in the Babylon dessert selection: an array of delectable bites from the restaurant's perfected desserts, including a light and fluffy lemon meringue tart, sugary rum cake, creamy panna cotta, and a devilishly chocolaty chocolate marquise.

Those preferring a savoury end to the evening can choose between a selection of British cheeses, or a mixed cheese board for two, both accompanied by Orkney oatcakes, apple chutney, fresh grapes and celery.

Impressed to the last, we left Babylon with the sun setting over London and The Roof Gardens' club - a popular haunt of the rich and stylish - beginning to fill. Heading back down to street level in the smoothest and quietest lift known to man, and waved off with a friendly cheerio from the door staff, it was clear this place really is outstanding, from start to finish.

Babylon Restaurant
The Roof Gardens
99 Kensington High Street, London W8 5SA, UK
Tel: (020) 7368 3993
Website: www.roofgardens.virgin.com

PortAventura Holidays, Spain

In association with

Take a trip with PortAventura Holidays to the sunny Costa Daurada in Spain - the perfect place for a family holiday.

Escape to PortAventura theme park with its five fascinating lands where you can brave the thrilling rides, take in stunning shows and enjoy relaxing dinners in delicious restaurants.

Cool off in the Caribbean waters of Caribe Aquatic Park; a waterpark that offers fun in the sun and a chilled-out reggae vibe.

Stay in one of the fabulous four-star resort hotels. You can choose from the Mediterranean themed Hotel PortAventura, the Mexican themed Hotel El Paso and the Caribbean themed Hotel Caribe or the new Hotel Gold River opening in summer 2009. All hotel guests have exclusive benefits which include unlimited park entrance amongst other great advantages.

Discover PortAventura and explore the resort’s sunny, beachside location combined with the non-stop fun of the parks that make PortAventura an exciting destination for a fabulous family holiday.

Port Aventura holidays have something for everyone. Take a fascinating journey around the world to the exotic lands of China, Polynesia, the Far West, Mexico and of course the Mediterranean. Each land has rides, shows, shops and restaurants that are themed with native products, plants and artists.

PortAventura Park offers more than 30 rides to suit both adrenaline junkies and small children. Test your nerves on the eight-loop Dragon Khan ride which reaches speeds of over 112 km/h (70mph), whilst the Hurakan Condor stands at over 91m (300ft) and lifts its riders slowly to the top before plunging them to the ground in freefall. Or try out the new roller coaster Furius Baco in the Mediterranean area of the park. This ride speeds from 0 to 135 km/h (83mph) in less than 3.5 seconds. To make it even more exciting it drops to ground level, runs through trenches, tunnels and even skims across the Mediterranean lake.

And for the little ones, PortAventura Theme Park has a wealth of roller coasters, teacups, swings and more.

But it's not just about rides. PortAventura Park has over 100 performances each day of dazzling shows; from Can Can dances, to Chinese Acrobats, Polynesian tribal dances and FiestAventura - a stunning midnight firework spectacular which takes place on the Mediterranean lake.

The park has a wide variety of restaurants in each land. You will find restaurants serving a la carte menus with full table service as well as fast food outlets for those who would rather not stop, and the little ones will just love the children's specialties.

Caribe Aquatic Park

The water park guarantees non-stop fun for hours on end. Enjoy whizzing down breath-taking slides and rapids, surfing the waves in the wave pool, or winding your way down the lazy river. Lush Caribbean surroundings are filled with palm trees, beach huts and cool reggae music. While the bars, restaurants and gardens will whisk you away to the heart of the tropics.

Beach Club

The exclusive Beach Club is an idyllic spot which will make your stay at PortAventura an unforgettable experience. Close your eyes and imagine an exclusive destination right by the sea in a unique Mediterranean setting. Take a relaxing dip in the pool, enjoy a refreshing fruit shake, or take a quiet stroll along Salou's Playa Larga.

Hotel PortAventura

Discover Hotel PortAventura - the perfect holiday village with all the charm of the Mediterranean. Sit back and relax in comfortable rooms, magnificent gardens and large swimming pools. The hotel's wide range of restaurants will delight you with their tasty Mediterranean dishes. And with direct access to the PortAventura theme park, this is the ideal combination for theme park lovers of all ages.

Hotel El Paso

Ideal for families, the Hotel El Paso is a traditional Mexican hacienda where the authentic looking décor and charming gardens will take you back to the days of colonial Mexico. Lie back and relax next to the hotel's enormous pool which features a sunken pirate ship where children can splash around for hours. Relax in comfortable lounges as you take in all of the excitement of this hotel which lies just minutes from the gates of Port Aventura Theme Park and Caribe Aquatic Park.

Hotel Caribe

Portaventura Hotel Caribe is a unique tropical paradise comprising huge open spaces and low-rise buildings set around a picturesque central lake. The hotel has four pools, a children's club, wellness area and an entertainment venue. Relax with a cocktail on the wicker loungers surrounding the lake whilst the children enjoy one of the many facilities on offer. The hotel with its landscaped surroundings is a charming Caribbean paradise just a stone's throw from PortAventura Park.

Geocaching in the Yorkshire Dales

"Vg fbhaqf nf vs guvf pnpur vf orarngu lbh!" the clue reads. But, while it may look like an attempt to represent the sound of a stifled sneeze in the written word, for geocachers - proponents of a new high-tech treasure hunt sport - it could mean the difference between discovering the prize or walking away empty-handed.

Unfortunately, for my inaugural geocaching hunt, I forgot to print out the code used to crack the clue. Bletchley Park it wasn't, but, stood in a damp churchyard in the middle of the Yorkshire Moors, I realised the scale of my school boy error.

Origins of geocaching

Geocaching was devised by gadget geeks in 2000 when the global satellite positioning system was opened up to mere mortals (as opposed to the military). A guy in Oregon hid a ‘cache' - a small box - in the middle of the woods and gave his friend the coordinates. Using a GPS receiver, he followed the directions, just like on a sat nav, and found the prize. Thus was born geocaching - after thinking twice about calling it ‘stashing'.

As of 16 July 2009, there are 849, 790 caches hidden in more than 100 countries, and on all seven continents. There are thousands of urban caches in London, New York, Paris, Toronto, and many more camouflaged in countryside across the world; I would be fairly certain there is at least one within half an hour from where you're sitting. You can find one in your lunch break.

What's the prize?

Geocaches can contain all manner of whimsical items, pieces of information, coins that have moved around the world and you plant somewhere else, or, at its simplest, a log book and pencil. The idea is that you can take any prize and replace it with a like-valued item. But for geocachers, the prize is the least important element. It is an excuse to go places you may never have seen.

In urban areas, you can find a new coffee house, boutique shops, or in the country, a new walking or mountain biking route. But at its core is forcing the geocacher into the unknown. You become a 21st-century flâneur, guided on the whim of 27 GPS satellites. Well that, or maybe it's just a good fun treasure hunt.

Getting started

1. All the caches are logged on www.geocaching.com. Register for free and type in your postcode, or the town where you want to start your quest from. This will draw up a list of caches.

2. Click on the name for more information about the cache. It will also give coordinates of either the cache's location or a starting point. Read the clue carefully, sometimes a maths quiz is thrown in to work out the coordinates, sometimes the information given in the first cache will lead you to the second and so on. And then maybe another coded hint. Print out the page - all of it.

3. Find a starting point, tap in the coordinates to your GPS. A specific outdoor handheld receiver is best, but a sat nav and GPS enabled phone (there is an excellent Geocaching application for the iPhone) will do the job just fine. A good OS map can be useful for footpaths, or finding the cache old school style.

4. When you find the exact location for the cache, this is where the hint comes in handy. The caches are usually in plastic weatherproof boxes, or in cities, they could be a film case. And eureka! Inside each cache must be a log book. Jot down your details and ponder the prizes. Geocaching etiquette says you must replace the prize with some of like value.

5. Sit in a nearby pub and relish in the joy of finding the treasure.

6. Log your find on www.geocaching.com.

7. Go plant your own.

Cathedral of the Dales

After following these steps, I arrive in Maham - a small village under the brooding Yorkshire Moor skies. Hikers and mountain bikers scurry around as I head into one of the Yorkshire Dales National Park Centres. The park authority has been instrumental in promoting geocaching in the UK and was an early adopter. So much so, that today, there is a computer dedicated to geocaching with guidelines. You can even hire an outdoor handheld GPS receiver for £5 a day and £50 deposit.

I choose a cache called Cathedral of the Dales in nearby Kirkby Malham. Up hill and down dale, I plod through the sun-dappled countryside passing abandoned farmhouses, ruined abbeys and stop at country pubs to read the history of the St Michael the Archangel, the Cathedral of the Dales. Briefly: built 1490, Oliver Cromwell was the witness at a wedding here, original stocks still in churchyard. The coordinates gradually count down.

Once I find the exact coordinates, I start to hunt. Behind gravestones, in some poor folk's garden (cue odd looks from passers by) cursing the fact I didn't print the second page off with the code. What the devil does "Vg fbhaqf nf vs guvf pnpur vf orarngu lbh!" mean? Arrgghh. Twenty minutes later, and getting considerably frustrated, my wife notices an oddly placed rock underneath a tree (was she once in the SAS?), lifts it and there it is. A little Tupperware box, filled with a doll, a purse, a key ring and a notebook.

I write ‘Daniel Neilson, 11 July 2009, www.worldtravelguide.net'. At least 50 people have found it earlier, including one the day before. Happy we head into the pub next door. When I return I work out the clue: "It sounds as if this cache is beneath yew!". See what they did.

South Africa World Cup 2010

With anticipation mounting ahead of the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa, and the first phase of ticket sales already gone, we bring you the low-down on match destinations, getting hold of those precious tickets and exploring the country's top sights to keep you ahead of the game.

Host cities:

Cape Town
With its stunning location, tucked into the arms of a broad bay, surrounded by wild, white-sand beaches and set against the canvas of Table Mountain, Cape Town is one of the most beautiful cities in the world. Green Point Stadium has been purpose built for the World Cup, and is a mere stone's throw from the centre of Cape Town.

Johannesburg
The city has progressed far beyond the status of a mere gold rush settlement, and has grown quickly into a vibrant, pulsating hub that is now the economic powerhouse of sub-Saharan Africa and the largest urban space in South Africa. Located in the centre of Johannesburg, Ellis Park stadium has hosted many epic sporting events and has a seating capacity of 62,000. The second World Cup venue in the city is Soccer City stadium, which is regarded as the heart of football in South Africa. It will host the first and final matches of the World Cup and has a seating capacity of 80,000.

Durban
Durban's sweeping golden beaches entirely justify the city's status as one of Africa's major resorts. Here, the Moses Mabhida Stadium will host one of the World Cup semi-finals and has been designed with the South African flag as inspiration. Seating 70,000, the venue has a cable car to a viewing platform for stunning views over the pitch and Durban skyline.

Port Elizabeth
Port Elizabeth is surrounded by pristine beaches as well as some beautiful architecture dating back to the 19th century, such as the Opera House. The city is a great base for exploring the Eastern Cape and the sunshine coast. Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium will be built for the 2010 FIFA World Cup on the North End Lake, and will host the third and fourth place play-off.

Nelspruit
Nelspruit is the a great base for exploring some of the country's stunning game reserves, such as the famous Kruger National Park. Head to the village of Botshabelo to visit the preserved culture of the Ndebele people. The Mbombela Stadium in Nelspruit is being built for the World Cup and will hold 46,000 people. The stadium is 12km (7.4 miles) from Kruger-Mpumalanga Airport, and is also close to various game parks.

Bloemfontein
Bloemfontein is the capital of the Free State Province and is situated in central South Africa. It is home to some of the country's most enthusiastic football fans and the Free State Stadium is currently having a second tier added to raise capacity to 45,000. The compact city is centered on the Waterfront and Mimosa malls, where most of the restaurants and bars can be found.

Polokwane
Vibrant and colourful, Polokwane is situated at the heart of the Limpopo Province and is an area of scenic mountains, seas of grassland and fascinating culture. Polokwane will be building the Peter Mokaba Stadium ready for the World Cup which will seat 45,000 people. The stadium is named after Peter Mokaba, a political activist during apartheid, who was renowned for his fighting spirit.

Rustenberg
At the heart of the savannah bushland, Rustenberg is a city in the North West Province at the foothills of the stunning Magaliesburg Mountains. Royal Bakokeng Stadium in Rustenberg is a 25 minute drive to the premium holiday resort of Sun City and 30 minutes to the Pilansberg. It is 12kms (7.4 miles) from the Rustenburg city centre.

Pretoria
The administrative capital of South Africa is steeped in heritage and has a great collection of museums, monuments and arts and crafts markets, as well as two nature reserves. Loftus Versfeld stadium is situated in the heart of Pretoria and has a seating capacity of 46,000 people.

Tickets:

Although the first sales phase of tickets has passed, don't panic. Many more tickets are being released in phases during these periods:
Second sales phase: 4 May 2009 - 16 November 2009
Third sales phase: 5 December 2009 - 22 January 2010
Fourth sales phase: 9 February 2010 - 7 April 2010
Last sales phase: 15 April 2010 - 11 July 2010

To buy your World Cup 2010 tickets visit www.fifa.com

You can avail elite rooms at affordable prices in Dublin

Dublin is well known for its Irish charm and century old tradition. A visit to this place will take you through landscaped parks, historical attractions, and museums amidst variety of cultural offerings. The general feel of the city can make touring a wonderful experience.

Dublin is a great destination for food lovers. You can savour the delights of local preparations in top restaurants of the city. Sipping in pubs, chatting with citizens or watching stage performances are experiences quite unique to the city.

To facilitate your stay, the city offers a wide range of hotels at great rates. You can avail elite rooms at affordable prices.

The city is linked with direct flights from the USA and Europe.