Travel desk: news, deals and destinations with Fionn Davenport

An Offer You Can't Refuse?
In 1960, Marlon Brando bought an island in Tahiti called Teti'aroa (above) because, well, he could. Ten years after his death, his island paradise has been converted into a luxury eco-resort called, conveniently, The Brando – 34 top-end villas spread across a stunning Polynesian atoll. Bookings are being taken now for the hotel that opens in July and will offer an all-inclusive experience: all food and drink, as well as excursions and activities including daily spa treatments, are included in the $3,000-a-night starting price. See thebrando.com

Etihad's Slice of Alitalia
Etihad Airways's president James Hogan confirmed this week that the airline is in the final phase of a due diligence process about an investment in Alitalia that would give the Gulf carrier a stake in one of Europe's biggest travel markets.

Alitalia employs 14,000 staff and carries 25 million passengers a year, but its finances are a mess: a controversial €300 million bailout was required to fend off bankruptcy as the company dealt with debts exceeding €800 million.

For Etihad, investment in Alitalia lays down a serious marker of intent after already taking stakes in Aer Lingus, Air Berlin and Virgin Australia.

Boutique in Berlin
Need a list of all of Berlin's newly opened boutique hotels? A new website launched this month has those needs covered, showcasing the city's newest properties with less than 200 rooms. So far there are only seven hotels, but they're all pretty snazzy and it's only the beginning. Check out boutiquehotelsinberlin.com

The Travel Show...
Next week's Travel Show is a Paris special. Food writer David Lebovitz gives his tips and recommendations on the best of dining, and specialist tour guide Adam Roberts takes us beyond the big-ticket sights and digs out some of his personal recommendations for must-see attractions. The Travel Show is available to listen to on the Irish Times website from Monday. See irishtimes.com/life-and-style/travel/travel-show

Micro-Guide: Bern
STAY Hotel Kreuz (Zeughausgasse 41; kreuzbern.ch; from €100) Modern, designer three-star in the heart of the old town.
EAT Café des Pyrénées (Kornhausplatz 17) The food is decent, the service patchy but the atmosphere is brilliant.
SEE Einstein Haus (Kramgasse 49;
einstein-bern.ch; CHF6) Where Albert lived between 1903-05 and fleshed out E=mc²

1. Biking Bad in Albuquerque

A three-hour bike tour of a dozen locations used in

Breaking Bad

, with five different itineraries, from

The Pinkman Express

to

Walt’s Descent

. Or you can opt for Breaking Albuquerque – a 35-mile “advanced level tour” for the true fan. Tours run every second Saturday from 1-4pm. $50/60 (€37/€44);

[ routesrentals.com ]

2. Boston Movie Mile

Have a drink in the original

Cheers

(aka the Bull & Finch in Beacon Hill), take a load off on the park bench from

Good Will Hunting

and have a look at Nicholson’s hangout in

The Departed

– just some of the highlights of 30-plus Bostonian movie and TV sites. Ninety-minute tours every Saturday at 2.30pm, April to September. $25 (€18.50);

[ onlocationtours.com ]

3. Sherlock London Tour
A three-hour black taxi tour of all the London sites featured in Sherlock. You can lay on the spot where Sherlock faked his own death before visiting the location at 221b Baker St; for an extra £150 (€180) you can visit the unused Underground station used in the series, as well as Skyfall and The Bourne Ultimatum. £330 (€398) per vehicle (up to five people); britmovietours.com

4. Stieg Larsson Millennium Tour
A two-hour amble in the footsteps of Mikael Blomkvist and Lisbeth Salander that also conveniently doubles up as Stockholm city tour. English-language tours every Saturday 11.30am from Bellsmangatan 1 – Blomkvist's home. SEK130 (about €15); stadsmuseet.stockholm.se

5. Sopranos Sites
Explore Barone Sanitation and the Bada Bing strip club, visit Father Phil's parish church and sit in the booth from the last scene of the last episode . . . it's New Jersey as you saw it across six years of the Sopranos. The four-hour tour departs Manhattan every Saturday at 10am. $49 (€36.20); onlocationtours.com

Poitiers-Bound

Ryanair’s new Shannon-to-Poitiers route (one of nine new routes, including five restarts) is good news for those wishing to explore France’s mid-Atlantic coast. Poitiers is handsome enough – its Romanesque churches are some of the country’s finest – but from there, there’s easy access to La Rochelle and the Île de Ré, a more earthy antidote to the yacht-glamour of the Mediterranean. On Poitiers’ doorstep is France’s second-largest theme park, Futuroscope (

[ futuroscope.com ]

), with its 3D rides and 4D effects. Ryanair service begins April 4th, flights from €27.99 each way.

€649

4 nights at the 3-star Excalibur Hotel & Casino, Las Vegas, including flights (based on two people sharing); departing Feb 27. See

[ travelagent.ie ]

€649

7 nights at 5-star Grand Hotel Excelsior in Valletta during Carnival - February 24-March 3. See

[ mercurydirect.ie ]

€734

7-night Croatian Cruise with Contiki Holidays for 18-35s. Departs May 17th; flight to Split not included. See

[ contiki.com ]