HELEN and Brian Heaton must have been as surprised as anyone when Castlewood House, their 12-bed guesthouse in Dingle, was last week named the sixth best hotel in the world by TripAdvisor.

ONLY THE most foolhardy of tourists opt to drive in India, it takes a particular kind of daredevil personality to negotiate the tangle of cars, tuc-tucs, scooters, motorbikes, rickshaws, push bikes and gaily painted trucks with an occasional camel or bullock cart as well. The cows are sacred so they just amble nonchalantly through it all unruffled by the endless tooting of horns.

INDIA keeps calling me back. Few places on earth offer the diversity of experiences that this intriguing country delivers — a lifetime is not long enough to know it.

Elizabeth Hurley swore at a photographers as she had her documents checked at an Indian airport this week.

Britain and India today held talks that Prime Minister Tony Blair said would yield agreements on allowing more flights between the countries and boosting co-operation between their film and oil industries.

India and Britain plan to sign deals to allow more flights between the countries and boost co-operation between their film and oil industries, Prime Minister Tony Blair said today.

The Indian state of Rajasthan is to launch a luxurious airliner dubbed the Palace on Air to draw rich tourists to its ancient palaces, forts and camel fairs.