Escapism
The Oracle Retreat is an annual 11-night immersion in relaxation techniques, hosted by Spa Village Resort Tembok in Bali. Guests while away the days with yoga, meditation and life-therapy, Balinese massage, "foot rituals" and "brain-training" ... and chill out on the black volcanic sands of the north-east coast.
• 27 October, £1,760 in a shared room, £1,952 in a single room, ytlhotels.com
Weird World
Japan is famous for many quirky things – from its divorce-party culture to its fondness for imports such as European boy bands and Jamaican dancehall. However, Europe is now lapping up one of Japan's more unusual exports. Vienna is the first city in Europe to open a neko, a cat cafe, where visitors can eat, drink, and play with a selection of furry friends.
• Cafe Neko, Blumenstockgasse 5
Travel trash
Solving a problem faced by all modern nomads – where to find free internet, ThinkGeek's Wi-Fi detector T-shirt has an electronic logo on the front that lights up when the wearer wanders into a Wi-Fi hotspot.
• £17.99, thinkgeek.com
Where's hot now?
Ibiza, Spain (32c)
A host of parties mark the end of the season. House collective Defected finish their residency at Pacha on 29 September, with DJs including Bob Sinclar and Inner City. Pacha will also host Radio 1's Pete Tong on the 28th for a final Pure Pacha All Gone Pete Tong. The We Are Rockstars (W.A.R!) party with Zane Lowe and Mark Ronson at Ibiza Rocks is on the 21st.
Chopped! Scilly Isles to lose helicopter link
After nearly 50 years, the Scilly Isles is set to lose its helicopter link with Cornwall. British International Helicopters (BIH) says its service, which connects Penzance and the islands of St Mary's and Tresco will end on 1 November.
The firm planned to sell its Penzance helipad to Sainsbury's to raise cash and then move to nearby St Erth. But according to managing director Tony Jones, legal challenges to the move prevented BIH from completing the sale, "and created too many uncertainties for the passenger service to continue". He said its worldwide business had fallen by a third over the past three years.
A lifeline was thrown to BIH when Tesco withdrew one legal challenge to the land deal. But other local objectors have refused to budge.
BIH will continue to run flights from Penzance to St Mary's or Tresco each day until November, with return tickets starting at around £160 for the 20-minute trips. After that, people will still be able to fly to the Scillies on fixed-wing Skybus from Land's End airport from £120 return. Skybus also flies from Newquay and, in summer, from Exeter, Bristol and Southampton. The journey from Penzance by ferry is cheaper (returns from £85), but takes nearly three hours and is prone to weather delays.
However neither option offers the speed and excitement of flying by helicopter. Some islanders believe the planning rows have been used as a smokescreen to allow BIH to close an unprofitable service. Regular visitors will miss the flexibility. Carina Howitt and her family visit every summer. "It's a real shame," she says. "We use it every year – although I am getting nervy in my old age!"
Andrew Healey
What's new?
Mountains
Autumn is perfect for walking in Morocco's Atlas mountains, and the new Berber castle-style Kasbah Angour has launched guided treks for the season, through villages and mountain passes or up Mount Toubkal. A four-day stay before the end of September costs from £299pp with transfers from Marrakech.
• kasbahangour.com, guided hikes from £15pp for a half-day
Festival
Redruth, capital of Cornish mining, is to host the UK's first Cornish Pasty Festival on 21 September. The history of the tasty portable miners' pastry will be told during the three-day event. Its links to Mexico's mining industry will be revealed, with several locals from Redruth's twinned town, Real del Monte – known as Little Cornwall – taking part. Strange-flavoured pasties, from chilli-beef and chocolate to chicken fajita are being created for the do, and there will be a taste test of pasty-flavoured crisps.
• visitredruth.co.uk
Guidebooks
A charming series of 1940s cycling guides to Britain, written by the "Alfred Wainwright of cycling", Harold Briercliffe, have been revised and re-released by Batsford books. Three £9.99 guides, to northern, southern and central England, include original descriptions, photographs and routes with new updates.
• anovabooks.com
