Travel
You can now stay in a chocolate-themed hotel with choc fountains, wine and plenty of free truffles
Mmmmm….
There’s a chocolate-themed hotel where you can get chocolate hampers in your room and learn the art of chocolate making.
The Chocolate Boutique Hotel in Bournemouth offers guests a unique experience in a chocolate themed hotel, with stays from £34 a night.
You can add on extras to your room for the ultimate chocolate experience, including chocolate hampers, fountains and even cooking classes.
You might recognise the hotel from the BBC’s Interior Design Master last year where it was renovated.
There are 15 bedrooms all decorated in browns and creams to really drive home that brown chocolate theme.
Instead of breakfast, guests can opt for a ‘Grab and Go’ breakfast bag that includes a croissant, yoghurt and chocolate brownies, as well as some orange juice.
You can have a chocolate fountain in your room or a chocolate hamper filled with seven kinds of snacks and sweets for £35 each.
If you want to go all out you can add on the Romantic Package that includes the whole shebang – a chocolate fountain, bottle of Cava, two small bottles of chocolate wine and a chocolate love heart.
If you fancy learning some chocolate skills, you can opt for a 90-minute truffle making class (£45) or go for chocolate portrait painting, chocolate shoe making or chocolate and wine tasting.
Their newest addition to courses includes a minute chocolate cheesecake making class for £59 where you’ll go home – or back to your chocolate themed room – with three mini cheesecakes in your paws.
If you fancy it you can book here.
Or if you want to go a little further afield (all the way to Switzerland), Lindt just launched a MASSIVE chocolate museum and it has a huuuuuuuge chocolate fountain.
Travel
Passport fees are rising tomorrow for second time in 14 months
Things are getting more expensive, again…
In bad news for holidaymakers, the cost of getting a new passport is set to rise once again.
The Home Office has confirmed that passport fees are set to rise by more than 7% from tomorrow, under new proposals.
This means the cost of online applications within the UK, for anyone aged 16 and over, will increase from £82.50 to £88.50.
Mikey / Flickr
Children under 16 will also see an increase in passport costs, with the price rising to £57.50 from £53.50.
Overseas and postal applications will also rise at a similar level, with postal increasing to £100 for adults and £69 for children, and an online overseas application rising to £101 for adults and £65.50 for children.
The new charges will officially be in place from tomorrow, Thursday April 11th.
Last year passport fees increased by around 9%, back in February 2023.
Ethan Wilkinson / Unsplash
The Home Office said in a statement: “The new fees will help ensure that income from these applications better meets the cost of delivering passport and associated operations, reducing reliance on funding from general taxation.
“The Government does not make any profit from the cost of passport applications.
“The fees contribute to the cost of processing passport applications, consular support overseas including for lost or stolen passports, and the cost of processing British citizens at UK borders.
“The increase will also help enable the Government to continue improving its services.”
Travel
Passport fees to rise within weeks as Home Office confirms new prices
Things are getting more expensive, again…
In bad news for holidaymakers, the cost of getting a new passport is set to rise once again.
The Home Office has confirmed that passport fees are set to rise by more than 7% next month, under new proposals.
This means the cost of online applications within the UK, for anyone aged 16 and over, will increase from £82.50 to £88.50.
Mikey / Flickr
Children under 16 will also see an increase in passport costs, with the price rising to £57.50 from £53.50.
Overseas and postal applications will also rise at a similar level, with postal increasing to £100 for adults and £69 for children, and an online overseas application rising to £101 for adults and £65.50 for children.
While the changes are still subject to parliamentary approval, if passed they will be in place from April 11th.
Last year passport fees increased by around 9%, back in February 2023.
Ethan Wilkinson / Unsplash
The Home Office said in a statement: “The new fees will help ensure that income from these applications better meets the cost of delivering passport and associated operations, reducing reliance on funding from general taxation.
“The Government does not make any profit from the cost of passport applications.
“The fees contribute to the cost of processing passport applications, consular support overseas including for lost or stolen passports, and the cost of processing British citizens at UK borders.
“The increase will also help enable the Government to continue improving its services.”
Travel
Wizz Air launch mystery holiday deal where you find out destination when you land
Enter the competition to win a ticket
If you’re dreaming of catching a jet plane to just about anywhere, well Wizz Air have launched a holiday deal where the mystery location isn’t revealed until you land.
The Hungarian airline will take a plane full of holiday hopefuls from London Gatwick for a four-day mystery getaway as part of its #LetsGetLostwithWIZZ campaign.
Those who win a ticket to the unknown location, will turn up to London Gatwick on March 7th to board a Wizz Air flight for ‘four days of fun, including cultural, culinary and adventure activities’ – it could turn out to be the trip of a lifetime!
To be in with a chance of winning a seat on the flight, UK residents can visit the Wizz Air’s Instagram page and follow the prompts on the Let’s Get Lost London pinned post.
“Entries close on February 22nd at 00.01am”, the low-cost airline says.
The lucky chosen ones will be able to bring a plus one on the trip and winners will be contacted via Instagram.
In a post shared to its official Instagram page, the airline put: “It’s time to get onboard our latest venture to the unknown with Let’s Get Lost London, departing from London Gatwick to…
“Do this by the 22nd February and you could be in with a chance of departing with us on an exciting flight to the unknown.
“The trip will take place between 7th – 10th March. Open to UK residents only, please make sure you’re following WIZZ on Instagram and that your profile is public.”
If you’re wondering whether you’ll need your bathing suit, suncream, hiking boots, rain coat or winter woollies, don’t worry, the 35 lucky winners will be told the climate to pack for a few days before the trip.
No other clues will be given away until touch down in the unknown destination.
UK Wizz Air Managing Director, Marion Geoffroy said: “We love connecting our passengers to new countries, allowing them to meet new people and try new experiences.
“Going on a flight to an unknown destination is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and we are pleased to be able to offer this to lucky winners here in the UK.
“Let’s Get Lost is our way of saying ‘thank you’ to our British passengers and we hope to continue serving them as they travel the world and make new memories.”
Wizz Air flies to more than 70 destinations from the UK. Last year, the most popular destinations among Brits included Morocco, Cyprus, Greece, Turkey and Spain.
It is unclear whether the airline will jet the 35 lucky ticket holders and plus ones off to one of its more popular destination choices, or whether it will choose to take them somewhere a little more alternative and secluded.
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