38 METRO Thursday, January 19, 2017

What’s that down there? Oh, you know, just the Great Barrier Reef. as sleep-outs go, this one really

takes some beating. australian tour operator sunlover

Reef Cruises has relaunched overnight stays on a floating platform above the Great Barrier Reef, 30 miles off the Queensland coast.

Up to 18 guests are able to spend the night on Moore Reef Pontoon, snorkelling and riding glass-bottomed boats atop the world’s biggest reef (and largest living organism), before settling down to dinner and then dozing off in ‘deluxe swags’ – portable and comfy australian bedrolls with foam mattresses.

so why should you go? Firstly, for the serious bragging rights on offer: while there are live-aboard vessels that moor above the reef, this is one of just two pontoons above the reef with a sleepover option.

that means an opportunity to see what others cannot. ‘Moore Reef supports more than 10,000 fish and marine species, but it’s only at dusk that predatory fish – giant trevally, barracudas, reef sharks – come out to play,’ says resident marine biologist Pablo Cogollos. ‘We do a private snorkel and boat tour before sunset, and then watch Captain Nemo-style from the pontoon’s underwater observatory, with the water floodlit.’

award-winning caterers provide gourmet fodder, including cheese and fruit platters at sunset, and a three-course barbecue dinner with cube roll steaks and grilled fish.

after dessert you relax, sip cocktails, listen to lapping waters and gaze up at a billion stars. temperatures rarely dip below 15C so don’t worry about shivering. Morning involves cooked buffet breakfasts followed by another chance to explore the deserted reef ahead of day-visitors’ arrival.

Departing from Cairns, the Sunlover by Starlight experience costs £304 per

night, full board, sunlover.com.au

Up close: There are 10,000 marine. species on the Great Barrier Reef.

Enjoy a GreatEscapeEscapeEscapeEscape

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Bed down on a floating platform on Australia’s spectacular natural wonder, says Richard Mellor

For... Air New ZeAlANd The Kiwi carrier topped airlineratings.com’s annual list of the world’s safest mainline – so not low-cost – airlines for the third year running. ANZ, which hasn’t suffered any significant incidents for two decades, saw off 424 rivals. For... The isle oF MAN Chosen to host this year’s UK National Road Championships from June 22-25, the Isle Of Man’s glorious glens, hills and seasides have two-wheeled previous: Olympic cycling gold-medallists Mark Cavendish and Peter Kennaugh both grew up here.

For... ToroNTo’s squirrelsCriminal squirrels, specifically. After suffering about 50 chocolate-bar thefts by rogue rodents who simply waltz into the shop, Luke’s Grocery’s vexed owners have requested deterrent advice on Reddit. Latest suggestions include pet cats and, er, closing the shop door.

For... The PioNeer CAbiN TreeReckoned to be more than 1,000 years old, this giant, beloved sequoia in California’s aptly named Calaveras Big Trees State Park was felled by a vicious storm. Other than a neighbouring cedar, no one was hurt.

GooD week

BAD week

Thursday, January 19, 2017 METRO 39

A revolutionary road to BoliviaThis October is the 50th anniversary of Ernesto ‘Che’ Guevara’s death, and south American specialist RealWorld holidays has unfurled an unusual tailor-made tour to celebrate. This tourist trail focuses not on the classic sites in Cuba, but rather on the remote jungles and ravines in southern Bolivia’s Quebrada del Yuro region – the doomed scene of El Che’s final guerrilla uprising. Combinable with longer trips and available any time, RealWorld’s four-day field trip takes in Che’s camp and place of execution (from £1,095pp including transport, full board and guiding, but not flights).

realworldholidays.co.uk/bolivia/che-guevara-tours.aspx

End of the road:. A statue at the site of. Che Guevara’s death.

snOW’s finally falling in the French Alps. hurrah! however, with bookings slow until now, so too are prices. sleeping six to eight in twee Tignes Les Boisses, new Chalet Alpinium 2

blends contemporary shininess with snug pine finishes. Floor-to-ceiling windows, a sauna

and – be gone, Dry January! – unlimited wine and beer await. save £299 per person on a seven-night stay, chalet board (that means breakfast and afternoon tea daily, plus canapés, three-course dinner and a cheeseboard on six nights), including return flights from Gatwick and transfers. Valid for departure on January 29. From £590pp.

snowchateaux.com/catered-chalets-tignes/chalet-alpinium-2

Chic: The Alpinium 2 chalet.

Hamburg’s ElbpHilHarmoniE

concErt Hall in numbErs

EscapeEscapeEscapeEscape

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Barrier sleep

Awesome: Get to snorkel and see rare sights. Ocean colour scene: The tour.

includes gourmet food and drink.

The cost of the striking and much-delayed concert hall,

which has finally opened in the northern German city.

£692,000,000

The capacity of its Grand hall. steep terraces ring the stage,

ensuring that all seats are within 30m of the action.

2,100

The number of minutes it takes to ride up The Tube – the world’s first-ever curved escalator – to its 37-metre-high observation

deck overlooking the neighbouring harbour.

2.5i t ’ s a l l w h i t e n o w