Jetsettersblog

Even if people pretend it does not apply to them, a simple fact relating to human nature is that most of us are fascinated by death, horror and the macabre. The tourism industry has reacted to this by giving us such places like the Rwanda genocide museum, the Tuol Sleng genocide museum in Cambodia, museums of torture, Hitler trails, tours of the Berlin Wall and visits to Auschwitz.

Now, Warsaw has joined in the act and has started to make tours of its famous ghetto available to tourists. This is certainly not a tour for the romantic, yet opens tourists’ eyes in terms of the horrors, which went on during World War II behind the walls of the ghetto. It goes to prove that not only the gondolas of Venice and romance of Rome attract tourists. The opposite end of the emotional scale can prove just as much an attraction.

Before the war, Warsaw was the largest Jewish city in Europe. However, by the mid 1940’s, this fact was no longer valid and half of the Jews killed in the Holocaust were of Polish origin. Most associate the mass killing and horror with the concentration camps situated in places such as Auschwitz or Dachau, yet Warsaw’s ghetto was another scene of pure horror.

It seems to be quite big, yet the thought that 450.000 people were crammed behind its walls suddenly reduce its size dramatically. 100.000 people died of either starvation or disease, as depicted by the 21 current commemorative plaques with gruesome photographs.

Wartime Warsaw was a horrific city of isolation and death, especially for those in the ghetto. Some of the photographs on the trail bear memory to the 7.000 people who were burned alive during a month-long revolt. Poland’s only synagogue to survive the Nazi occupation, Nozyk synagogue, is also available for viewing en route. The whole tour has been developed by the Jewish Historical Institute in cooperation with the Warsaw City Hall.

Inntravel, who specialize in walking, cycling, skiing, horse-riding and touring holidays for `individuals who like to take their time to get to know a region’, have introduced Slovakia to their 2009 programme for the first time.

The company, who features holidays in Europe and North America, has added the new 7 night self-guided walking holiday with an itinerary that takes guests on walks through the Low and High Tatras Mountains and the Slovensky Raj National Park.

Categorised as a `grade 2 – 3’ (ie. Including mountain walking and some days up to 20km), the itinerary is a three center discovery holiday, with two nights at the Hotel Fim in Jasna, three nights at the Hotel Amalia in Nová Lasná and 2 nights at the Hotel Flora in Cingov. An optional add-on stay in Bratislava at the start or end of the holiday is offered.

Prices start from £448 per person, based on 2 sharing a double room on a half board basis, with rail transfers between the various centers. Guests are provided with maps and detailed walking notes outlining the routes each day.

For more information visit www.inntravel.co.uk

Eden Rock – St Barths is unlike any other resort on the French island of St Barths – often referred to as the Saint Tropez of the Caribbean. Situated on a rock high above the ocean and surrounded by turquoise waters and white sand, Eden Rock – St Barths provides the ultimate in service and quality and offers a quiet haven for uninterrupted relaxation by guests, clients and friends.

Eden Rock – St Barths, boasts a wide range of accommodation, from individually designed diamond suites to the brand new Villa Rockstar (which launches in January 2009) and is an ultra luxe 6 bedroom beachside villa.

Designed for luxury living, Villa Rockstar will rival any villa in the Caribbean; with 16,000sqft spread over three floors, facilities will include a screening room, a private gym, a business office, use of a couple of house cars being a mini cooper and a Landrover, dining facilities for 12 people, a pool table and sports area, lawns for croquet, two pools and a fully equipped recording studio. Guests will also have a dedicated butler service to look after their every need.

The same goes for next door brand new Villa Nina which is available now and comprises about 6,000sqft of ultra luxury living and with just two suites and a private art gallery and a couple of pools – and much else besides…

Eden Rock – St Barths has an ongoing relationship with key figures in the music industry with the sound engineer partner for the Villa Rockstar recording studio being the market leading Oceanway, Sunset Boulevard, Hollywood which studio recorded the ‘Thriller’ album for Michael Jackson and very much else besides. Oceanway’s proprietor – Allen Sides – links the legendary work of Frank Sinatra with that of Paul McCartney…

At Eden Rock – St Barths music, art and food combine to be three creative sources joining perfect accommodation and friendly affirmative staff in making for a uniquely world-class holiday resort.

French cuisine is brought to a new level at the two Eden Rock restaurants ‘On the Rocks’ and ‘The Sand Bar’. On The Rocks has become a landmark destination offering first class service and perfectly executed cuisine in a glorious setting high above the coral reef and the Caribbean ocean beyond. Since opening, the restaurant has achieved a loyal following of guests and visitors and friends and celebrities. The menu interprets timeless French favorites and includes new ones of delicate flavour devised by Head Chef Jean-Claude Dufour. The Sand Bar’s lunchtime approach to food offers healthy cuisine made from the most beautifully fresh and well chosen ingredients. For instance most of the fish is flown in ice (not frozen) via Air France from Paris…

Janes Gallery and its art is another highlight and passion of Eden Rock – St Barths. Set on the beach next to the ocean Janes Gallery is the perfect relaxed place to exhibit art collections which range from young scholarship artists participating in the Eden Rock ‘Artist in Residence Program’ – to exhibits of some of the most successful artists in the world today. Guests too are invited to paint… or perhaps arrange lessons for their children who are able then to combine art and beach…

For St Barths frequent visitors and guests, Eden Rock also invites people to join its limited fractional ownership development – The Eden Rock Owners Society (EROS). Also, the society provides the opportunity to own part of one of five newly built one, two or three bedroom houses. Owners have the right to stay in their vacation home for four weeks a year for a period of 71 years, which affords them all the benefits of owning their own beachside property in St Barths without the hassles of day to day management – and at a fraction of the cost and commitment of buying a house in the hills on the island.

For further information please contact chloe@quintessentiallyestates.com

Opened in October 2008, Desert Islands Resort & Spa is situated on Sir Bani Yas Island the once-private Royal Nature Reserve established by the late ruler and founder of the United Arab Emirates, His Highness Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan. The exclusive resort is surrounded by the wild vastness of the island, transformed into an ecologically-viable, wild-life rich natural preserve and scenic retreat.

At the Desert Islands Resort & Spa, experience a unique brand of service inspired by the local traditions of hospitality and culture. Situated along the resplendent coast line of Sir Bani Yas Island, the hotel-resort offers 64 luxuriously designed rooms with living quarters decked out in state-of-the-art amenities and styled with eye-catching Arabian touches like marble bath-fixtures. Here, wake-up to the alluring melodies of a thousand bird songs and the spectacular view of the distant sea and surrounding natural reserves; while your enclave slowly gets drenched in the warmth of the island’s natural sunlight.

For the ultimate royal indulgence choose one of Desert Islands Resort & Spa’s regal retreats – the two Royal Villas and two Beach Villas come equipped with the best standards of luxury services including a 24/7 butler. These airy abodes feature two bedrooms, living and lounge space, kitchenette, dining area, private splash pools and boast direct access to the beach.

The beautiful and supremely intimate Safaa Spa has four treatment rooms – two for couples and two for individuals – each of them spacious and all offering a wide range of world-renowned luxurious indulgences. Choose from an array of natural treatments – Thai massage, aromatherapy, Ayurvedic therapies, rich facials, and lavish body treatments and scrubs all using the finest ingredients – as well as treatments based on the healing and beautifying properties of gemstones and precious metals. Facilities include a private outdoor relaxation area, separate male and female changing areas, sauna and steam rooms.

Benefit from the well-informed local staff in scoping out pursuits of all sorts throughout the resort. For those with gastronomic adventures in mind, relish the joys of a delectable seafood menu and a waterfront view at Desert Islands’ signature restaurant Samak. Or sample the local cuisine and take the taste buds on a mouth-watering global trip at the tropically-inspired Palm Restaurant.

For lighter bites stop by The Deli and indulge in an outstanding variety of gourmet coffee. Enjoy your favourite beverage and the rich and colourful sea views in the tranquil and private Lounge Bar , situated on the Mezzanine level.

After a day of exploration, enjoy a refreshing beverage from Al Shams Pool Bar over-looking the cerulean waters of the Arabian Sea or relax in the one of the shaded quarters of the hotel pool – cool, private nooks sheltered and divided by exotic plants for visitors to unwind in privacy. For those with extra energy, other facilities include tennis courts equipped with night-playing technology and a health club that’s open around the clock.

The Desert Islands Resort and Spa tastefully merges a luxurious lifestyle experience with a memorable life experience. Combining the beautiful natural reserves of Sir Bani Yas Island and the demand for quality destination activities, the resort is at the forefront of environment based tourism featuring guided tours along some of the region’s most exciting trails and snorkeling into the pristine reefs. Desert Islands Resort & Spa can arrange a number of pursuits ranging from snorkeling to mountain biking to kayaking, tailored to each guest’s specific physical and recreational requirements.

Discovery, Adventure, Culture and Luxury define the Desert Islands experience

 

Avail of any of the luxurious Talise Wellness signature rituals and receive a complementary Talise robe worth AED 650.

Talise Wellness Day Pass
Enjoy a whole day of relaxing and pampering at Talise Wellness spa with a 50 minute Fingerprint Facial or Fingerprint Massage, beach access, and a two-course lunch or dinner at Magnolia.

Pricing: AED 795 per person

Talise Wellness Morning Ritual
Start your day with yoga on the beach followed by a relaxing 50 minute Fingerprint Massage.

Timings: starts at 8.00am
Pricing: AED 465 per person

For more information, please contact Talise Wellness at Madinat Jumeirah
Tel. No: +971 4 366 6818
Email: mj-talise@jumeirah.com

 

World’s Most Luxurious Hotel receives two prestigious World Travel Awards and two Luxury Travel Advisor Awards on the same day

Dubai: The celebrated Burj Al Arab, flagship hotel for Dubai based luxury hotel company Jumeirah, collected two much-coveted accolades at the 15th Annual World Travel Awards, held in the Turks & Caicos Islands on Tuesday. The hotel was also recognised elsewhere on the same day at the Luxury Travel Expo in Las Vegas with two Luxury Travel Advisor Awards.

The World’s Most Luxurious Hotel was once again recognised as the World’s Leading Hotel as well as the World’sLeading All Suite Hotel at the 2008 World Travel Awards, for the commitment to luxury, convenience and a highly personalized service for every guest, enhanced by private reception desks on every floor, as well as in-suite check-in and a brigade of exclusive butlers that provide around the clock assistance.

The inaugural Luxury Travel Advisor Awards in Las Vegas named Burj Al Arab as Best Hotel/Resort in the Middle East and the hotel also collected the award for Top Luxury Suite in a Hotel/Resort Worldwide for the Royal Suites. The Royal Suites are located on the 25th floor of Burj Al Arab and the award–winning features include an extravagantly appointed Majlis style lounge, a spacious library, luxurious dining room, a master bedroom with rotating four-poster canopy bed, spacious dressing room and adjoining marble bathroom complete with spa bath and walk-in shower, and a second bedroom with a luxurious bathroom similar to the master bathroom. The suites also contain a private elevator and private cinema.

Heinrich Morio, General Manager of Burj Al Arab, commented: “We are proud to have been recognized at the Annual World Travel Awards yet again this year, and are delighted at the support from readers of Luxury Travel Advisor. We believe that Burj Al Arab symbolizes the very essence of Dubai, embracing the best of the new alongside traditions of the past and setting new standards of luxury, service and comfort.

At Burj Al Arab, as with the rest of the Jumeirah Group, we are truly committed to our guests, and our promise to STAY DIFFERENT™. We would like to thank all of our Jumeirah colleagues for their continued hard work and dedication to surpass guest expectations.”

BREMEN – When the Swissôtel Bremen opened last summer, the Hanseatic city gained not only an international 5-star hotel, but also a new top-class restaurant. Hillmann’s inside the hotel is set to become one of the city’s gourmet restaurants.

In the very latest edition of the Gault-Millau guidebook, Hillmann’s has already been awarded 13 points. “We are naturally very proud that Hillmann’s has scored so many points just a few weeks after it opened,” says Rogier Hurkmans, General Manager of the Swissôtel Bremen. “That is an incredible achievement for our entire kitchen and service team. But our aim of course is to gain even more points next year”.

Executive chef, Matthias Serwill, who previously worked for famous hotels such as the Kempinski Hotel Fürstenhof in Leipzig and the Parkhotel Bremen, is responsible for the culinary success of the restaurant. Fresh herbs play a leading role in Matthias Serwill’s cuisine, which is firmly focused on regional products. “Every product has the right to retain its own unique taste”, is the philosophy of Executive Chef, Matthias Serwill. “Every dish is only as good as its ingredients and we make no compromises here. Only the best is good enough!” To this first-class chef, freshness means the products must be no more than 24 hours old. This is why he prefers Queller (saltwort), a type of algae native to Sylt, to algae sourced from Brittany. “It goes straight into the pan raw and, with the addition of some olive oil, salt, pepper, lime juice and lemon, gives an absolutely fresh and flavoursome taste of the sea”.

The success of each individual menu at Hillmann’s stems from experience and expertise in the fine art of taste.

The effect of herbs and aromas from local fields and waterways is also significant, as is the way they combine with the latest products of selected growers. Typical winter dishes from the cuisine of Matthias Serwill include: “Leg of veal pralines with chanterelle wild mushrooms and apricot-mint chutney” or “Two different cuts of local milk-fed pork with caraway crumble, beer and vinegar jus and lovage-infused vegetable cream”.

The name “Hillmann’s” stands for the long history and great tradition of the Hillmann’s Hotel, which stood on the site of the present hotel and was the finest establishment of its time. Celebrities such as Caruso, Crown Prince Wilhelm and Theodor Fontane were all guests there. The restaurant is on the first floor of the hotel and stands out for more than just its excellent cuisine.

The sophisticated ambience and tasteful design of the restaurant also give Hillmann’s the ideal credentials to become one of the city’s top restaurants.

The Swissôtel Bremen is situated on Hillmann Square, just a few minutes away from the historical city centre. It has 230 elegant rooms and suites with state-of-the-art amenities and offers all the accoutrements of a five-star hotel.

www.hillmanns-restaurant.de

Not only was Kununurra, in the Kimberley of Western Australia, the set for Nicole Kidman’s new epic romance, Australia, but apparently its waters aided the ‘miracle’ conception of her daughter… For the opportunity to discover WA’s epic natural environment, ‘fertile’ liquids and develop a ‘love affair’ with Australia, Peregrine Adventures’ NEW 8-day Bungle Bungles Up Close journey combines driving, hiking and cruising into the parts of Purnululu NP and the Kimberley that can’t otherwise be reached! Selected departures from Kununurra between May and September 2009.

The tour begins from Kununurra, a 6000-inhabitant town founded to administer the Ord River irrigation project in the 1960s. From here, head west to world-renowned, million-acre Kimberley cattle station, El Questro, to hike into Emma Gorge and a soak in the remote thermal pools of Zebedee Springs.

For those wanting a more challenging walk, continue deeper via sheer cliffs into El Questro Gorge, where lush tropical vegetation and limpid pools await. Later, gain an alternative perspective, and a first glimpse of the Bungle Bungles, during a scenic flight, before setting up camp at the permanent Wilderness Camp inside UNESCO World Heritage Site of Purnululu National Park.

 2 days are dedicated to exploring the iconic ‘tiger-striped bee-hive dome’ formations, dramatic gorges, tropical pools, stunning caves and Aboriginal rock art of the Bungle Bungle Range.

Discover Echidna Chasm, a narrow gorge towering 100m with palm trees and unique rock markings, experience the echoing acoustics of Cathedral Gorge’s natural amphitheatre, and a further boulder-strewn gorge filled with Livistona Palms at Mini Palms Gorge. Enjoy a final glimpse of the spectacular landscape including the Argyle Diamond Mine and Dam during the return flight to Kununurra.

Finally, an afternoon cruise on the Ord River allows for opportunities to spot crocodiles and observe diverse birdlife before the tour concludes.

The tour costs from £1,670 p/p (twin share) including transport, accommodation: 2 nights hotel, 2 nights luxury tented camp and 3 nights wilderness camp, most meals including all breakfasts, wildlife cruise, local scenic flights, National Park entrance and fees and the expertise of a Peregrine local wilderness guide.

Peregrine Adventures
01635 872 300
sales@peregrineadventures.co.uk
www.peregrineadventures.co.uk

California Academy of Sciences Offers Visitors ‘Insider Tips’

The new California Academy of Sciences, opened in September 2008, is proving to be enormously popular. Their staff offers the following tips for visitors to make the most of their Academy visit:

Pre-purchase tickets online to confirm a preferred admission date.

To avoid crowds, consider a mid-week visit or plan to arrive when the doors first open at 9:30 a.m. Monday-Saturday, 11 a.m. Sunday.

The Music Concourse Garage often fills to capacity on weekends and holidays. Public transit is highly recommended. For more information on transit, visit www.511.org.

The 74X CultureBus ($7 all day) offers direct service from downtown San Francisco with stops at Yerba Buena Gardens, Union Square, Civic Center and Golden Gate Park. Visitors who arrive by public transit and present a valid transfer and/or by bike receive $3 discount off general admission.

Visitors who wish to see the planetarium show should arrive early in the day and head straight to the kiosk at the planetarium’s south entrance to pick up show passes. Passes are distributed on a first-come, first-served basis.

Located at 55 Music Concourse Dr., Golden Gate Park, the California Academy of Sciences is open to the public every day of the year except Thanksgiving and Christmas: Monday-Saturday 9:30 a.m.-5 p.m., Sunday 11 a.m.-5 p.m.

 For information visit www.calacademy.org or call 415-379-8000.

STILLER WINNER

Nestled in Shanghai’s “new Xintiandi”—the Cool Docks, at the southern end of the Huangpu River—the recently opened Stiller’s restaurant makes its mark as the city’s first upscale German restaurant. The brainchild of celebrity chef Stefan Stiller, the airy eatery dishes up hearty mains alongside an indulgent degustation menu with all the trimmings. And if you like what you see, you can pick up a few tips at Stiller’s regular cooking classes, held in the kitchen onsite.

DO VISIT DOMUS

Down a small hutong alleyway adjacent to the Forbidden City in Beijing, Domus is as stylish as it is tasty. The new duplex restaurant (located opposite its sister establishment, long-time favourite Tiandi Yija) offers creative international cuisine: the upstairs café focuses on finger food and quick bites, while downstairs the divine degustation menu can be enjoyed with a side of live entertainment courtesy of energetic chefs in the open kitchen. After your meal, take to the lounge and relax in uber-modern sofas and armchairs courtesy of Italian designers.

THE KEE TO THE CITY

One of two high-rolling membership clubs to open in Shanghai in recent months (the other being M1NT), Kee Club follows in the footsteps of its older sister in Hong Kong, inviting the bold and the beautiful to become part of an exclusive new party set. Located in a 1920s mansion, the club is a fusion of antiques and modern art. The food is equally eclectic, ranging from French fine dining to Chinese banquets and Japanese kaiseki.

AQUATIC ADVENTURE

A quartet of new establishments round out the offerings at Beijing’s stylish Legation Quarter, all from Hong Kong-based restaurateurs, Aqua. First off the bat is avant-garde Japanese restaurant Shiro Matsu, adjoining Goth-styled Hex Bar. Head up to the first floor for tasty tapas and Spanish wines at Agua, or enjoy bubbles with a view on rooftop bar Fez. And there’s more to come. Management promises that early 2009 will see the opening of a nightclub, a steakhouse, and a Chinese restaurant on the Legation premises. So much food, so little time.