I tried not to smirk too much as we filed out half and hour later, like a spectral corps de ballet. It was definitely time for tea.Thursday afternoon is "tealassotherapy" time at the Biarritz Miramar. In the spa caf?ou'll find well-preserved couples quietly sipping herbal infusions alongside chic thirtysomething women in robes nipped in at the waist tighter than a corset. A stilted conversation with a woman next to me revealed that a certain class of femme Fran?se swears by thalassotherapy for post-natal convalescing; her baby and her dog, she told me, were being attended to by hotel staff.With everything from weight loss to circulation problems, backache to rheumatism said to be cured by saltwater treatments, women are not the only devotees of thalassotherapy. "Most of our customers come as couples," explained spa director Florence Lude over a cup of jasmine tea. "Traditionally they come for two weeks annually - once to prepare for winter and then again to recover from its effects." Still a couple of treatments away from completing my day's session, I couldn't claim to feel anything other than very, very clean.

But one look at my spa partners suggested that there is more to this than sanitation. Current wisdom dictates that French woman don't get fat, despite a diet of pain au chocolat and brie Perhaps there's something in the water. TRAVELLER'S GUIDEGETTING THERERyanair (0871 246 0000; ) flies daily from Stansted to Biarritz airport, which is within walking distance of the city centre. Alternatively, bus number six runs every 30 minutes and costs €1.50 (£1). A taxi costs €15 (£11).STAYING THEREThe Sofitel Miramar (00 33 5 59 41 30 00; ) offers "thalassotherapy discovery" packages from €444 (£305) per person, including two night's half-board accommodation, and three treatments a day. Doubles start at €314 (£224) with breakfast.WHAT TO TAKETreatments are usually taken in the nude, but swimwear including a hat is essential for public areas.FURTHER INFORMATIONTourism Biarritz (00 33 559 22 37 00; ) The French Tourist Office (09068 244 123, calls cost 60p per minute; )..

WHY GO NOW? Click here to enlarge mapWHY GO NOW? Ireland's second city is finally finding its place on the European stage. Cork's year as Capital of Culture for 2005 is getting into gear, and you can find details of events by calling 00 353 21 455 2005 or at Some of the citizens feel that, amid the global celebration, local creativity is not sufficiently represented. But the city is looking finer than it has for decades, and is an ideal weekend destination.TOUCH DOWNYou can fly non-stop to Cork from the three London airports ­ Heathrow (on Aer Lingus, 08459 737747; ), Gatwick (on easyJet, 0871 244 2366; ) and Stansted (on Ryanair, 0871 246 0000; ). In addition there are flights from another 13 UK airports: Belfast, Birmingham, Bristol, Cardiff, Coventry, Durham Tees Valley, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Leeds/Bradford, Liverpool, Nottingham, Plymouth and Southampton. The Bus Eireann Air Coach has a staccato service ­ no departures between 9-10am, then seven in the next two hours - but is the cheapest way to travel between the airport and the city. Tickets cost ¤3.70 (£2.65) single, ¤6 (£4.25) return to the bus station (1) on Parnell Place. A cab to the city centre will cost around ¤25 (£17).GET YOUR BEARINGSThe heart of Cork occupies an island created where the river Lee splits into two channels.