Jetsettersblog

Are you a devoted angler looking to spend a week relaxing on the water’s edge this summer, but have a family that’s not too keen on the idea? All is not lost, the traditional French alpine village of Méribel offers not only quality Fly Fishing within the Vanoise National Park, but also a varied selection of extreme sports and bespoke spa treatments that will keep the whole family entertained.

So while the wife is enjoying a relaxing hay-bath, body peel and thermal water treatment and the kids are off on a backcountry mountain biking adventure, you can be basking in summer temperatures that rarely fall below 30˚c and marveling at the panoramic views (including the ice-capped Mont-Blanc, Beaufortain and Vanoise mountain ranges, fields of glaciers, dense evergreen forests and meadows), whilst relaxing with rod in hand.

The freshwater fishing takes place at Lake Tueda – home to Rainbow, Fario and Mountain trout amongst other breeds – which operates on a sustainable ‘no-kill’ basis. Licenses are compulsory and cost €15 pp/per day from The Méribel Tourist Office.

And with so many budget airlines now flying from regional UK airports to Geneva (just two hours from Méribel) getting a family to the Alps has never been easier or better value.

With 360° mountain views, the modern and luxurious Altiport Hotel is perfect for those who want to indulge themselves. Situated at the foot of the Altiport lifts on the edge of the Fontany Forest and right next to Méribel’s award winning golf course. Facilities at the hotel include a hot tub, sauna and gym. A week’s stay at the Altiport Hotel this summer starts from just £413 pp (half-board). Based on two adults and two children sharing two rooms.

Alternatively, the Boulevard Apartments (sleep four) are situated in the centre of the resort and a week’s stay over the summer months costs from just £275 (total) – under £69 pp (based on full occupancy). Price includes seven-nights’ accommodation on a self-catering basis.

Other activities available across the Trois Vallées include white water rafting, rock climbing, canyoning (which involves traversing cliff faces, by a mixture of climbing down and across the mountain face and wading in ice-cold rock pools), paraponting, archery, swimming, horse riding and tennis. There are also a wide range of shops, bars, night clubs and a number of Michelin star rated restaurants scattered throughout the valleys.

For further information, or a copy of the 2008 Summer Brochure, please telephone The Méribel Tourist Office on 00 33 479 00 50 00 or visit the website at www.meribel.net

Miami-based Omega Commercial Finance Corp. executed a “non-binding plan of merger agreement” with the owner and operator of a casino cruise ship enterprise in the Gulf of Mexico. If the merger goes through, the company plans to move the vessel to international waters about three miles from New York City.

Omega plans to upgrade the vessel to start business in early 2009. The vessel was most recently deployed in Florida’s offshore casino cruise industry in the Gulf of Mexico. The vessel was constructed in 1982 and has about 40,000 square feet of gaming space.

After the merger, the ship would be semi-permanently moored in international waters about three miles from New York. U.S.-flagged shuttle boats would transport casino clientele to the ship. Omega is a public holding company with subsidiaries engaged in consultation, management and the finance of structured commercial real estate projects.

For more information, visit www.omegacapitalfunding.com

Cape Grace unveiled its new way to see Cape Town – by private yacht.

Available exclusively for Cape Grace guests, the Spirit of the Cape is a 56-foot Aicon fly-bridge luxury motor yacht docked in Cape Town’s yacht marina, directly in front of the hotel’s Bascule Bar with private access for hotel guests. Excursions on the yacht include gourmet picnic lunches prepared by Cape Grace’s team of chefs.

Guests dine while taking in views of Table Mountain and Lion’s Head on the way to Clifton or Camps Bay Beach. For a more romantic option, guests can savor a Champagne and oyster sunset cruise down the Atlantic seaboard comfortably accommodated on the teak-covered deck.

The five-star charter vessel holds up to ten guests with two crew members who cater to every whim. The sleek interior is crafted by Sicilian designers and is complemented by the silhouette and high-performance hull, whose design earned international recognition from the first launching. Cape Grace Guest Liaisons will assist with yacht bookings at a fee of $650 per hour with a minimum charter duration of two hours.

For further information, visit www.capegrace.com

The town of Greenwich, bordering London, will open a 180foot observation wheel that offers panoramic views past St Paul’s Cathedral, Canary Wharf and of the Maritime Greenwich World Heritage Site.

The wheel will be situated within the grounds of the Old Royal Naval College in front of the Pepy’s Building Visitor Centre and will be open to the public from June 21 June to Sept. 28. Ticket are priced at adult £7 ($14) and children £4.50 ($9).

Visit www.greenwich2000.com

The Bushcamp Company in the South Luangwa National Park, added Zungulila, a new walking trails camp located south of Kapamba bushcamp, to its portfolio.

Zungulila is dedicated exclusively to walking safaris and will be available for private use for parties with a minimum of four guests starting July 1, 2008. Zungulila is situated on a raised knoll; four chalets overlook an expansive plain, which contains year round natural springs.

The plains game that gathers around the springs to drink can be viewed from each individual tent’s large private veranda. All tents have en suite facilities, with hot and cold running water. Rates at Zungulila start at US$ 450 per person, based on double occupancy. Rates include accommodations, meals, game activities, drinks (excluding imported wines), laundry, park fees, airport transfers, taxes and service charges. Children over the age of 12 are welcome at the Bushcamp Company.

For more information, call +260-6-246041, email at info@bushcampcompany.com  or visit www.bushcampcompany.com

The Baltic Sea region reports that the growth of the cruise industry in its region has by far outpaced the overall growth of the industry during the last six years.

A recent review of information from members of Cruise Baltic-the network of 10 countries and 26 destinations-give an up-to-date view on the positive state of cruising in the Baltics.

The number of cruise passengers to Baltic cities has increased by an average of 12 percent per year since 2000, and the Cruise Baltic members expect the increasing trend to continue in 2008. Although the number of calls and turnarounds declined slightly in 2007, they are expected to increase again in 2008, said Thomas Odgaard of Incentive Partners.

Baltic destinations are filling four of the top five places of the ports that are attracting the most passengers in Northern Europe. The most popular ports of call are: St. Petersburg, Tallinn, Stockholm and Helsinki. Copenhagen ranks as the largest turnaround port, expecting a record-breaking 147 turnarounds in 2008.

“We are proud of the wide recognition we are achieving. In the latest Seatrade report, we are mentioned as an enthusiastic promoter and perhaps the ultimate example of a cruise network,” said Bo Larsen, director of Cruise Baltic. “We are thrilled about the figures for 2008, and we definitely see Cruise Baltic as a long-term cooperative, aiming continuously to improve the attractions of cruising in the Baltic Sea region.”

For more information, visit www.cruisebaltic.com

Sol Meliá Vacation Club (The CLUB) announces the opening of its latest CLUB resort,

The Reserve at Paradisus Punta in the Dominican Republic, which features 192 luxury oversized one-bedroom suites and one-bedroom master suites with amenities such as plasma TVs in the living room and bathroom, hydro massage showers, private balconies, Jacuzzi for two, fully-equipped kitchenettes, lagoon style swimming pool, children’s pool and children’s recreation area, and world class spa. CLUB members have access to all services and amenities of the 550-suite Paradisus Punta Cana resort complex, including its 10 restaurants, seven bars, casino, golf course and 24-hour room service.

It’s the third CLUB location in the Dominican Republic for the Orlando-based company, which is part of Spain-based Sol Meliá Hotels & Resorts. In 2008, Sol Meliá Vacation Club will also open new projects in the Canary Islands, Spain, Dominican Republic and the second phase of Sol Meliá Vacation Club at Gran Meliá Puerto Rico.

Call 407-370-3671 or visit www.smvc.com

Wyndham Hotels and Resorts announced that a 497-unit luxury Wyndham resort now being developed at Cap Cana, an oceanfront community on the eastern tip of the Dominican Republic near Punta Cana, is scheduled to open during the fourth quarter of this year.

Green Village at Cap Cana, A Wyndham Grand Bay Resort, will feature luxury one-bedroom bungalows, two-bedroom villas and four- to six-bedroom residences constructed by Cap Cana S.A. and managed by Wyndham Hotel Management Inc.

Featured amenities will include an 18-hole Jack Nicklaus signature golf course; 5,000 square feet of meeting space with access to an adjacent convention center; 3,550-square-foot Wyndham Blue Harmony spa; fitness center; three-meal casual American restaurant; Spanish Mediterranean-themed restaurant; the Wyndham brand’s new combination café, barista and food mart, three bars and lounges; two swimming pools; infinity-edge pools at individual villas; and a host of recreational activities including tennis and scuba-diving.

The resort is located 10 minutes from the Punta Cana International Airport, which offers direct flight connections with major U.S., Latin American and European cities.

One of the best-known brand names in Uganda’s hospitality industry, the Windsor Lake Victoria Hotel in Entebbe, is now reported to changed its name to Libyan Hotel, possibly reflecting their new ownership vested in the Libyan Africa Investment Company (LAICO). However, marketing circles in Uganda have swiftly denounced the move blaming the new owners of “knowing nothing about brands and tradition” and throwing out a well-known age old brand name for self glorification.

It is expected that the general public will continue to refer to the hotel as the “Lake Vic” irrespective to the new owners’ desires, as it has been fondly nick-named by its many patrons over the decades. This is something the new owners may struggle to come to terms with as being the market reality in Uganda.

One other hotel operator in Entebbe was smiling with glee when talking to this correspondent about the development. He said: “If they want to mess up their name that is good with all the rest of us, we will exploit it. Just look at their renovations, they took over 10 years and still do not compare with new hotels in Entebbe, they changed so many managers and had many problems with strikes, let them learn their lesson the hard way if they do not know better, we others shall appreciate their mistakes.”

Amsterdam – The Dutch hotel group citizenM announced the grand opening of their first hotel at Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam.

The doors officially opened for all mobile citizens of the world – frequent travelers that are globally aware, value conscious, contemporary and tech savvy. According to the group’s bold founding philosophy of “Affordable Luxury for the People,” citizenM hotels are tailored to meet the discerning expectations of today’s modern traveler – a high quality and unique design experience at reasonable prices, starting at 69 Euro per room and night.

Designed by award winning Dutch architectural firm Concrete, citizenM’s first property jumps into the hotel arena with an ultra stylish splash. Situated at one of Europe’s most important airport hubs, the team has designed a fully forward-looking 230-room hotel using the innovative “Industrial Flexible Demountable” (IFD) design concept. IFD means that all rooms are fully created and assembled offsite – from the flooring to the lampshades. Only the ground floor is built in the traditional way, with the rooms then stacked above. By manufacturing the rooms at their own factory, citizenM is able to accelerate the building process, outfit the rooms with high-end materials and furnishings and still reduce costs – savings that are passed directly on to the guest.

Transparency and light play a pivotal role in the interior concept, which is inspired by accommodations on luxury yachts and private jets. Space is maximized in the 14 m2 rooms through bright colors and sleek materials such as Corian®, glass and steel. The themes of airyness and coolness are offset by dark Zebrano wood flooring and juicy red Vitra furniture to create a cozy atmosphere.

A floor to ceiling window allows the room to be flooded with natural light. The super king-size bed dressed with the finest pillows and Frette linen, guarantee a perfect nights rest. Magnificent to-the-point functionality and design eliminates the need for extra fixtures and furniture. A revolving stainless steel frame contains a full-length mirror on one side and a make-up mirror with theatre lights, storage compartments for beauty supplies and international plugs on the other side.

The power rain shower is contained within a translucent cylinder, and a white Corian® cylinder comprises the washbasin and extra space for toiletries. In-room entertainment includes free movies on demand shown on a large Philips LCD TV, free high-speed internet access, and VOIP (Voice over IP) telephone rates.

A highlight is the touch-screen mood pad exclusively designed by Philips. It allows guests complete personal choice in lighting, temperature and music and provides them with an unprecedented level of simplicity and customization, completely altering their hotel experience. Mood lighting ranges from ‘romance’ to ‘relax’, with six theatrical settings. The audio features include an alarm clock that can be programmed with options such as ‘wake me gently’ and ‘wake me wildly’. Once personalized, guests benefit from their own key card, which stores personal room settings for future visits.

Refuge from the bustling city can be found by stepping through a red glass box into the lobby, which features three distinct areas. Situated next to this entryway is a cutting-edge and easy to use system of self check-in terminals that speeds the process of arrival. Specially-designed living rooms cater to both business and casual travelers, offering environments with bright lighting and workstations or cushy sofas and coffee tables. citizenM’s exclusive partnership with design giant Vitra turns this place into a revolving showroom, regularly renewed with masterpieces from the latest collection and renowned design classics created by legends such as Eames, Panton and Prouvé. Bold color contrasts turn this vibrant and versatile space into the social heart of the hotel.

Relax and reload would be the perfect motto for canteenM. A lively, upscale eatery, with oversized bar tables provides guests on the hop with fresh, fast and healthy dishes day and night. What is a bright red coffee bar in the morning offering custom made drinks by the team of in-house baristas, evolves into a stylish evening lounge serving only fine spirits, champagne and cocktails.

The six-story building is a gleaming metal box, dominated by the glass windows of the rooms that protrude at different angles and distances. Specially commissioned artwork adorns the exterior of the property with two huge pieces created by up-and-coming local talents.

citizenM knows that today’s traveler is very discerning, seeking modern luxury combined with sustainability and awareness. With their mission of “Affordable Luxury for the People” the Dutch hotel group has paved the way for international expansion.

The first priority of the roll-out strategy is the European market. The aim is to open 20 hotels in prime metropolitan locations such as London, Berlin, Barcelona, Paris, Milan, Moscow and Stockholm during the next five years. Their second property in Amsterdam’s city center is already under construction and will open early next year; a first-rate location in central Glasgow has just been confirmed. citizenM continues development plans further afield in the Americas, Asia, Australia and the Middle East.