Jetsettersblog

A new 53,000-square-foot indoor water park, appropriately named H2Oooohh, will make its debut this fall when it opens at Split Rock Resort, the Pocono Mountains’ largest resort facility.

The $19 million water park will enable visitors to extend their summers long after Labor Day has passed with features such as body slides, a family raft ride, a multi-level splash playground and a children’s activity pool. In addition, the complex will feature the FlowRider, the Pocono’s fist indoor, innovative swift-moving water wave for boogie boarding and board surfing.

The H2Oooohh debut bolsters the popular trend of indoor waterpark vacations and joins other such popular amusement destinations across the country.

For more information, call toll-free 800-255-7625 or visit www.splitrockresort.com

The Palazzo Las Vegas is set to open Lavo restaurant and nightclub in August. Developed by the team behind Tao Las Vegas, Lavo derives inspiration from the bathhouses of ancient Mediterranean culture with a menu that highlights the region’s cuisine.

Among the design highlights are 20-foot ceilings of old wood and low chandeliers crowning an area featuring a curved bar, leather seating and Moroccan tables; a glass and wood screened bridge flanked by Turkish water basins; and vaulted, glazed, tile arches opening to a domed ceiling above the dance floor.

Chef Ludo Lefebvre is creating a menu featuring dishes from countries like Spain, France and Italy. The menu is being designed to encourage sampling and sharing among friends. The 300 seat restaurant will include a 180-seat main dining room, a 20-seat private dining room and 100 seats on the outdoor patio overlooking the Las Vegas Strip.

The restaurant will be open seven days a week for lunch and dinner, with late night dining until 2 a.m. The 4,500-square-foot nightclub will feature 40 bottle service tables, audio visual systems and the sounds of resident DJs Vice, Reach, Galleano and Berrie. The nightclub will be open six nights a week from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m.

Call 866-263-3001 or visit www.palazzolasvegas.com

Last March the Museum of Art of São Paulo (MASP) added to its collection 6 new marvelous paintings which were bequeathed by Mrs. Dieuwertje Aaltje Kooiman Meyer. The paintings were part of the private collection of Mrs. Dini Meyer, as she was known to her friends:

1) AUTUMN LANDSCAPE IN HOLLAND, oil on canvas by Jacob van Mosscher (1615 -1655), a Dutch landscape painter;

2) HUNTING SCENE WITH A DOG, oil on canvas by Jan (or Johannes) Fyt (or Fijt) (1611 – 1661), a Flemish animal painter and etcher;

3) INTERIOR OF A CATHEDRAL IN ANTWERPEN, oil on canvas by Pieter Neeffs (1620 – 1675), a Flemish baroque painter;

4) COURTYARD WITH CHICKENS, ROOSTER AND ONE DOG, oil on canvas by Jan Van Oolen (1651-1698), a Dutch painter known for hunting and landscape paintings;

5) SEAVIEW, oil on canvas by Ludolf Backhuysen (1630 – 1708), a Dutch Baroque painter; and

6) HARBOR WITH SHIPS IN BRITANNY, aquarelle by Gerrit Willem van Blaaderen (1873-1935), a Dutch painter.

The Shamwari Townhouse in Port Elizabeth, in the Eastern Cape of South Africa, will be the newest addition to the Mantis Collection of ultra-deluxe boutique hotels and game reserves in August.

Flanked by miles of beaches and near malaria-free nature reserves, including the award-winning Shamwari Game Reserve, Port Elizabeth is an emerging tourist destination. The hotel is in the beachfront suburb of Summerstrand, ten minutes from the airport and 100 meters (328 feet) from the Indian Ocean.

Surrounded by landscaped gardens, the Art Deco façade of the two-story building is reflected in the contemporary interior, with an executive boardroom and a private 16-seat cinema modeled after that in Clarence House, Prince Charles’ London residence. The building is wired for wireless internet service throughout.

The breakfast menu offers traditional and house specialties, while the lunch menu presents and range of cold seafood items as well as more substantial fare.

The seven suites each have a private lounge, butler service, individual business unit and double bathroom. Guests can relax in the comfort of their lounge with a drink from their private bar or with a selection of freshly brewed coffee. In-room dining options allow for a personal five-star meal.

For a sybaritic experience in the hotel’s tranquil surroundings, guests can indulge in specialized body and beauty treatments at the top floor rock spa, or unwind in the adjacent rock garden. And for fitness aficionados there is a well-equipped gymnasium with a breathtaking view of the ocean.

Rates per suite per night are $ 649 double occupancy, including breakfast. For more information, email reservations@mantiscollection.com  or visit www.shamwaritownhouse.com

Key West’s hot-pink taxis have gone “”green.” Five Sixes Taxi debuted 10 environmentally friendly hybrid vehicles as the first step in converting its entire fleet.

According to officials at the Taxi, Limousine and Paratransit Association, Five Sixes is the first taxi company in Florida to roll out hybrids.

The cab company’s officials project that the new fuel-efficient vehicles will get about 38 miles per gallon in the city, compared to the previous vehicles’ 12 to 13 miles per gallon. The company plans to replace its other 13 sedans with hybrids by March 2009, and replace its 23 seven-passenger Maxi Taxis when a suitable hybrid van becomes available.

For more information about Five Sixes Taxi, call 305-296-1800 or visit www.keywesttaxi.com For more information on the Keys, call 800-LAST-KEY or visit www.fla-keys.com

Tiberias’ Scots Hotel, originally established in 1894 as a hospital, is now offering a unique collection of boutique wines grown locally including selections from Chateau Golan, Dalton, and Tabor and Golan Wineries.

Special to the region, the wines are stored in a one-of-a-kind underground wine cellar and preserved at precise temperature and humidity.

The hotel’s wine cellar previously served as a hospital storeroom. The underground space is tunnel-shaped and its 19th century basalt stone dates from the hotel’s construction in 1894.

Also used as a dining room for holiday parties, wine workshops and tasting evenings, the Scots Hotel’s cellar offers a memorable experience with tasting of the finest wines that Israel has to offer.

For more information, visit www.scotshotels.co.il

The Betsy, located on Miami’s South Beach, is scheduled to open its doors after a complete renovation in this fall. One of The Betsy’s many assets are the floor-to-ceiling windows that stretch across the façade.

The colonial design of the lobby is obtained by the use of wooden plantation style shutters as dividing walls, which separate the hotel lobby and guest reception from BLT Steak. The Betsy Hotel’s 63 rooms and suites are all located beachside. Every room features dark black walnut hardwood floors, white lacquered dressers, cabinetry and desks, and poster beds. The oversized bathroom mirrors by Electric Mirror incorporate high-definition, LCD-TVs and back-lighting that simulates natural light. Beds are topped with Frette linens, and guests may select from a menu which includes everything from hypoallergenic to down.

Plush robes and slippers are standard in each room. The Betsy Hotel is a member of Small Luxury Hotels and is located at 1440 Ocean Drive in Miami.

For reservations, call 305-531-3934, or visit www.thebetsyhotel.com

Want to cure the triple-digit fidgets?

Trout fishing in the cool pines is a refreshing remedy

Want a cure for the triple-digit fidgets as record heat assaults the deserts? Trout fishing in the cool pines is a refreshing remedy.

“Escape the heat and yet celebrate the first days of summer with a trip to Arizona’s magnificent high country. Catching a trout in one of our sparkling waters is the most enjoyable remedy available for the triple-digit fidgets,” says Rory Aikens, the editor of the Weekly Fishing Report for the Arizona Game and Fish Department.

If you want to know what’s biting, where, and even what to use, visit the department’s new Fishing Blog at www.azgfd.gov or www.azgfd.net/fish

“We instituted the Fishing Blog this year to provide a single place for all the pertinent fishing information. It’s one-stop shopping for the best fishing information,” Aikens said.

Aikens advises visiting the high country now before the summer heat raises lake temperatures and trout activity patterns slow down. “Summer may have officially started, but the great spring bite is still underway – but not for long.”

For the desert lakes, Aikens suggests getting up early and fishing at or even just before first light. “At most of our large desert impoundments, anglers should be able to find aggressive bass feeding on shad at the surface, creating what we call ‘boils.’ This provides some of the most exciting fishing of the year.”

Aikens suggests using topwater baits, crankbaits, casting spoons or in-line spinners such as Mepps and Rooster Tails.

The Hongkong and Shanghai Hotels, Limited entered into a heads of agreement (HOA) with Qatari Diar Real Estate Investment Company for a proposed hotel development in Paris.

The building is located on Avenue Kleber, in the heart of Paris’ tourist and business districts.

Built in the early 20th century, the building was, until 1936, home to the Majestic Hotel.

Under the HOA, the company has agreed to purchase a 20 percent minority interest in the asset from Qatari and to subsequently jointly re-develop the building into a Peninsula hotel.

The financial commitment of the company in respect of the purchase of the minority interest in the asset, together with its share of the re-development costs, is expected to be in the region of approximately 140 million euros.

The expected date of opening is mid-2012.

For further information,

 visit www.hshgroup.com

or www.peninsula.com

Nikki Beach has chosen the island of Koh Samui in Thailand to launch a new Nikki Beach Club this December. Partnering with Nikolsons, a Thai real estate and resort entrepreneurs, Nikki Beach Koh Samui will be located on the west coast of the island at Lipa Noi Beach.

The signature Nikki Beach Club and pool bar will be enhanced with a sunset terrace lounge with opium beds. Nikki Beach Koh Samui will also host an Ultra Lounge VIP Club, high-end retail shops, beauty salon and massage spa and gourmet deli.

The beach club, pool bar and sunset terrace lounge will open in December 2008 with retail operations following in the first quarter of 2009. Phase two of the project will unveil a private enclave of l6 two-bedroom beach and garden villas adjacent to the Nikki Beach Club.

The villas will range in size from 2,152 to 2,691 square feet with housekeeping and concierge service provided by Nikki Beach. The villas will also include private plunge pools, outdoor natural rock tubs and tropical landscaping for ultimate privacy.

The villas are scheduled to open by July 2009, with one spectacular VIP villa of more than 8,611 square feet on the premises by the end of 2009.

Phase three will culminate with the grand opening of the official Nikki Beach Resort complex, consisting of 80 furnished one-, two- and three-bedroom condo-hotel residences and four penthouse suites.

Completion of the condominium construction phase is scheduled for the end of 2010. Nikki Beach condominiums and select villa residences will be offered for purchase to investors at special pre-construction prices starting September 2008.

For more information, visit www.nikkibeachhotels.com