Jetsettersblog

Accor has opened the first MGallery hotel in Asia.

The Vie Hotel Bangkok is located close to Ratchathewi Skytrain station, providing easy access to Bangkok’s most popular shopping areas, museums, universities and National Stadium.

The interior of all four room types, deluxe, deluxe suite (one bedroom), duplex suite (two bedrooms) and Vie Penthouse, are contemporary with touches of colorful Thai silk and soft furnishings that contrast the dark coconut wood furniture and hardwood flooring. Generous windows showcase the Bangkok skyline, while the bathroom is designed for full functionality with a separate shower and bath tub.

All 154 rooms come fully equipped with high-end in-room amenities. Contained within the four-story cube at the hotels front is the Vie 39 Exclusive Club, which features Vie Cigar and Vie Wine providing an extensive selection of cigars and wines, topped with a rooftop swimming pool. Vie Dining is an all-day dining venue in a setting with 11th floor views of the Bangkok skyline.

Guests can also enjoy body and mind rejuvenation options, designed to relax you physically and mentally, either at Vie Fit, a fully equipped fitness club with the latest equipment, or the Vie Spa.

For more information, visit the banner at right.

The Best Western Boracay Tropics is now open in Boracay, Philippines, and is located in the middle of Boat Station 2 and a short walk to the white-sand beach.

The 50-room BW Boracay Tropics is a blend of Mediterranean and Asian architecture. Each room opens to its own balcony with most of them overlooking the pool and lush tropical gardens.

The rooms are equipped with air condition, cable TV, mini bar, private shower with hot and cold water and safety deposit box. It has cabanas of six suites complete with reception area.

The premier suites are equally provided with a kitchen and a dining area of its own. The opening of Best Western in Boracay is an addition to the two hotels now in the Philippines – Best Western Astor Hotel Makati and Best Western Hotel La Corona.

On the quiet north-eastern tip of Koh Samui, one of Thailand’s most popular holiday islands,

The Tongsai Bay is a haven of tranquillity and warm Thai hospitality occupying a lush tropical hillside overlooking a secluded bay.

The family-run hotel, now in its 21st year, is delighted to announce the completion of substantial refurbishment to start 2009 including the addition of two new villas, coupled with an enticing special offer to welcome guests this spring.

Extensive renovation work has taken place at the hotel since autumn 2008, particularly the addition of 24 square metre plunge pools overlooking the ocean to two of the existing ‘Tongsai Grand Villas’, to create two new ‘Seafront Pool Villas’.

The villas are nestled in an enviable position on the hillside with commanding views over the Gulf of Thailand. Guests in the villas can now experience all of the previous benefits of the Tongsai Grand Villas, including large open living spaces, a gazebo and a spacious terrace, whilst also benefiting from their own personal plunge pool.

Elsewhere, exciting developments have taken place in the Beachfront Suites, situated adjacent to the beach and main swimming pool.

Each of the suites on the second and third floors now boasts an even larger bathroom fitted with double washbasins, coupled with bright, sea-facing living areas complete with secluded private terrace and outdoor bathtub.

The ground floor suites boast the same renovations with the exception of outdoor bathtubs, opting in stead for direct access to the main pool and beach.

Other refurbishments around the hotel include redecoration of the lobby, main swimming pool and Chef Chom’s Thai Restaurant.

Available guests seeking to escape the grey winter weather and current economic situation,

 The Tongsai Bay is delighted to offer a generous special package including free nights, applicable to all categories of accommodation, including the new ‘Seafront Pool Villas’.

Until 31 March, guests booking eight nights pay only for six, while those booking 14 nights pay only for ten.

Kuoni offers 14 nights at Tongsai Bay with Thai Airways (via Bangkok) from Heathrow to Koh Samui and private transfers.

Approaching its first anniversary this February, glamorous Maldivian resort, The Beach House at Manafaru is offering some fantastic deals to celebrate!

For all new bookings made between 10th January to 15th May 2008, guests can take advantage of the following offers:

Complimentary Nights

Stay 7 nights and pay for just 5 or stay 14 nights and pay for just 10 when staying in a Water Villa with pool or an Ocean Villa with pool.

OR

Stay 7 nights pay for 6 nights or stay 14 nights and pay for 12 when staying in all other room categories.

Please quote C-NITS when making the booking.

Complimentary Transfers

Guests staying in an Ocean Villa with pool or Beach Suite with pool for 10 nights or more on double occupancy when paying for 1 return transfer will receive 1 return transfer complimentary

Guests staying in Grand Pavilions will receive all return transfers complimentary

Please quote TR-50 when making the booking.

Complimentary Shui Spa

Stay 7 nights and receive 1 complimentary Head, Neck and Shoulder massage (per room)

OR

Stay 10 nights and receive 1 complimentary Jet Lag Recovery massage (per room)

Please quote CSPA when making the booking.

Complimentary Lunch

For guests staying 7 nights or more in a Water Villa or Ocean Villa complimentary lunch can be provided throughout the entire stay at Four Corners restaurant!

Please quote C-Lunch when making the booking.

All of the above offers are combinable, and subject to availability with certain restrictions applying.

For reservations please contact email reservation@beachhousecollection.com  visit www.beachhousecollection.com or call (960) 6500 400.

2009 celebrates the 30th anniversary o Ancient Future first  concert with the re-release of Planet Passion on www.Ancient-Future.com Records. (Click album cover for instant purchase.)

During these three decades the band has brought forth some of the most enlightening, visionary, spiritual, and evocative heritage-like symphonies, and with much enthusiasm for its fans.

Ancient Future www.ancient-future.com reissued its seventh band recording Planet Passion to celebrate this unique milestone. The ethereal qualities of the tracks are exotic and sensuous and brooding and erotic and mood altering. The captivating and beautiful and mesmerizing.arrangements from a company that incorporates a global listing of artists from India, the Middle East, Asia, South America and Africa.

I envisioned music spilling out of a desert village Kasbah in the Middle East – or lyrically fine tuned strings compelling Salome to dance before King Herod. Even though the CD Planet Passion is modernized and contemporary, the instrumental roots, chords, deft fingerboard phrasing runs deep into antiquity.

The pagan paean is uplifting, and perfectly blended to create a soothing and desirable effect that requires close attention. The beautiful singing is a haunting and nebulous veil laid down over the music in perfect harmony, like fog over the landscape. I am transported to the timeless trade routes, sipping Arabica in a Nabatean merchant tent, watching the  salt caravan move languorously across the desert dune verge while I am entertained by a hand-cranked ipod playing Ancient Future downloads.

Another intriguing celebratory CD from Ancient-Future.com Records is “Sangria”, which fuses Latin Jazz with the unusual extra beats of India syncopations. I believe Herbie Hancock must have weaved portions of Mariah Parker’s interpretations into some of his latest releases because Herbie’s Headhunters band also parallels many aspects of this moving CD. Herbie, after-all, usually keeps more to 3-4 beat arrangements, but recently he performed on the 1st annual Playboy Jazz Cruise with an extravaganza called ‘17’, with 17 beats. The influence is obviously from the ancient depths of primordial musicianship.   Sangria is an aspiring mix that is chopped and pulled into many directions, a timeless and driving rhythmic hybrid that evokes a higher consciousness brain wave pattern.

The third CD in the three disk celebratory release is “Seven Serenades for Scalloped Fretboard Guitar”, by Matthew Montfort. The scalloped fretboard is a modified instrument capable of performing notes similar to the sitar. At first I thought many of the solo pieces were actually a sitar and I had to read the press materials closely to realize the unusual dimensions disguised by this Ancient Future band leader. The soulful character of the tracks were musing and amazingly uncontrived, even though I am certain each fret set was well planned. Even though this is the first CD by Montfort I certainly hope to hear more from this showcased musician. I particularly liked the Celtic Raga that “applies Indian melodic techniques to a prominent scale used in Celtic music.” Music of the ages for all ages!

Seven Serenades For Scalloped Fretboard Guitar

The name says it all – the future of the most beautiful ancient music you will ever hear. All three CDs come beautifully packaged and I am certain you will treasure these enjoyable disks far into the future.

For more about Ancient Future call 888-823-8887 or email info@ancient-future.com  website:  www.ancient-future.com

- Review by Kriss Hammond, Editor, Jetsetters Magazine and www.Webbandstand.com

Gray Line of Alaska is adding two new itineraries featuring Valdez and Homer. The pre-planned self-drive tours include a rental car, a planned itinerary, hotel reservations and select tours along the way such as a glacier cruise.

Most tours consume less than two tanks of gas. Homer by Car is a six-night tour roundtrip from Anchorage with stops in Seward, Alyeska and Homer. The drive from Anchorage to Seward includes a Portage Glacier cruise, Kenai Fjords cruise tour and a visit to the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center (AWCC) which cares for injured and orphaned animals. Guests get an up close look at many of Alaska’s largest land animals.

In Homer, guests enjoy a Gulf Island Kachemak Bay cruise. In Alyeska, a spectacular trip on the tram includes soaring views, plus lunch at the top.

Valdez by Car is an eight-night tour roundtrip from Anchorage with stops in Valdez, Glennallen, Fairbanks and Denali.

 In Valdez, guests will visit a tidewater glacier on the Columbia Glacier cruise. Time in Glennallen can be used to venture into the Wrangell St. Elias National Park. The main park visitor center is just 10 miles south of Glennallen. In Fairbanks, a tour to Gold Dredge No. 8 includes an opportunity to pan for gold and a traditional miner’s lunch.

After dropping off the car, guests will board the luxurious McKinley Explorer for their journey to Denali National Park. The Denali Natural History tour is included and provides an opportunity to spot wildlife such as bears, caribou and moose. The tour ends with a train ride to Anchorage for one last night.

Gray Line will also offer Alaska by Car, a seven-day self-drive tour roundtrip from Anchorage, and Alaska by Car with McKinley Explorer which adds one day to visit Denali by train.

As with all Gray Line of Alaska tours, these self-drive tour itineraries can also be customized. Gray Line of Alaska specializes in creating custom land tours in Alaska and the Yukon. A division of Holland America Line, Inc.,

Gray Line of Alaska has been the premier tour operator in Alaska for almost 60 years. For 2009, the company offers multiple-day package tours and a la carte touring options for independent travelers, as well as sightseeing tours in Fairbanks, Juneau, Skagway, Anchorage, Denali, Dawson City and Whitehorse, capital of the Yukon.

For more information, call 800-544-2206; www.graylinealaska.com

Mount Washington Resort, in Bretton Woods, N.H., celebrated the opening of the new Presidential Wing with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Jan. 12, 2009. Dr. Susan Lynch, New Hampshire’s first lady, appeared on behalf of the State of New Hampshire to cut the ribbon for the occasion and offered words of support for the revitalization underway at Mount Washington Resort.

 The new meeting facility offers premium meeting space within a two-and-a-half-hour drive of Boston. Mount Washington Resort is undergoing a billion dollar renaissance as part of a long-term master planned community spanning the next decade.

The initial phase, a $50 million investment since 2006, is nearing completion with the opening of the new Presidential Wing. The Presidential Wing represents the first construction at the hotel in over 100 years, and was designed to complement the hotel’s legacy of having hosted the Bretton Woods International Monetary Conference in 1944.

This wing houses Mount Washington Resort’s new 20,000-square-foot Conference Center, 25,000-square-foot spa and new year-round outdoor pool complex.

The resort has completed the refurbishment of many interior areas of the Mount Washington Hotel, including the Great Hall, the Dining Room and many of its 200 guest rooms, along with the restoration of the Mount Washington Golf Course based on the original Donald Ross design of 1915.

The Mount Washington Course reopened for play in August 2008 and is anticipating its first full season of play beginning this spring.

Mount Washington Resort’s new spa, planned to open on Jan. 22, 2009, has 13 treatment rooms and features awe-inspiring views of Mount Washington and the entire Presidential Range.

The spa has incorporated local botanicals into its new “Mountain Mist” line of products and treatments and is slated to become an unsurpassed place to get away, relax and rejuvenate.

The spa has many special features including special spa suites for small groups or couples, a salon and an outdoor lounge with whirlpool.

Mount Washington Resort’s expanded meeting and event space has been designed to accommodate groups of up to 1,000 people and offers intimate boardrooms as well as ballrooms and outdoor venues with unprecedented views of Mount Washington and the Presidential Mountain Range.

The conference center introduces six new meeting rooms named after past presidents represented among the peaks of the Presidential Mountain Range — Washington, Jefferson, Reagan, Monroe, Madison and Adams — the same peaks represented symbolically by the six stars of Mount Washington Resort’s logo.

The new meeting rooms reflect the same style architecture, high ceilings and stately design as the hotel’s existing rooms. The outdoor spaces include the Presidential Garden, located adjacent to the hotel, as well as the Jewell Terrace, the new landscaped rooftop “green roof” that extends from the veranda and forms the top of the new meeting facility.

For more information, call 877-873-0626 or visit www.MountWashingtonResort.com

The Fairmont Chicago, which recently completed a dramatic $50 million transformation, will give new meaning to the traditional “Presidential Suite” with the debut of its top-floor Fairmont Presidential Suite celebrating the city’s own President-elect Barack Obama on Inauguration Day, Jan. 20, 2009. The Presidential Suite will indulge guests with sweeping views of historic Grant Park, Lake Michigan, Millennium Park and the breathtaking Chicago skyline. The Presidential Suite will feature a montage of the incoming president’s life and the 43 presidents prior, displayed in chronological sequence throughout the suite, along with various Obama memorabilia, including campaign buttons, newspaper headlines, and seals of the various offices Obama has held throughout his political life.

Guests will also find a selection of books throughout the suite, including those penned by Obama himself, including “Dreams from My Father:

A Story of Race and Inheritance”;

“The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream”;

and “Change We Can Believe In:

Barack Obama’s Plan to Renew America’s Promise.” Additionally, the suite will showcase “The American Journey of Barack Obama,” by the editors of Life magazine and “Michelle:

A Biography,” written by Liza Mundy. Distinctive Obama periodicals will also be in rotation throughout the suite on a monthly basis. For a more personal touch, suite guests will receive fresh flowers and a special welcome amenity that includes some of Barack and Michelle Obama’s favorite snack foods.

The Fairmont Chicago created their own “Presidential Suite and Hometown Tour Package,” which includes drives along the lakefront heading south along Lake Shore Drive toward Hyde Park; breakfast at Valois Restaurant, an Obama family favorite; visits to the Obama’s 1910 Georgian revival home;

the University of Chicago where Obama taught as a law professor from 1992 to 2004; South Shore Cultural Center, where the Obamas were married; the basketball courts at Hayes Drive, where Obama and his brother-in-law often play; United Center, home to the Chicago Bulls and Chicago Blackhawks;

dinner at R.J. Grunts in Lincoln Park for the best burgers in town; strolls around Hutchinson Field in Grant Park; Chicago’s lakefront Museum Campus, which includes the Field Museum, Adler Planetarium and Shedd Aquarium; dinner at Topolobampo, a frequent date spot for the Obamas;

Blues at Buddy Guy’s Legends; shopping at Maria Pinto’s West Loop boutique, a Michelle Obama favorite; and dinner at Spiaggia, where the Obamas enjoyed a private dinner for two to celebrate the election victory.

The “Presidential Suite and Hometown Tour Package” also features round-trip airport transportation or complimentary valet parking, fresh floral arrangements prior to arrival, fully-stocked Butler’s Pantry, personal concierge to assist with reservations, museum passes and basketball or baseball tickets, $500 in mySpa gift certificates and $250 food and beverage credits to use towards The Fairmont Chicago’s restaurants, bars or in-room dining.

The two-night package is available for $8,244 plus taxes and gratuities. The Presidential Suite can be reserved by special invitation only starting Jan. 20, 2009. Nightly rates for the suite without the package start at $3,900 per night and can accommodate receptions for up to 75 guests.

For more information, call 800-441-1414 or visit www.fairmont.com/chicago

New Canadian Resort Opening

Special Opening Rates Apply
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THE SPECTACULAR BLACK ROCK OCEANFRONT RESORT OPENS ITS DOORS IN UCLUELET, BRITISH COLUMBIA

Featuring special opening rates available from now through March 5, 2009

The highly anticipated Black Rock Oceanfront Resort opened January 16th, in Ucluelet, British Columbia. Perched on a promontory jutting out onto the Pacific Ocean on the West Coast of Vancouver Island, this West Coast masterpiece is set to redefine luxury.

From the moment that a guest enters Black Rock, they can’t help but be amazed by the surroundings. Greeted by stunning views from the four-story window looking out on to the Pacific Ocean, Black Rock will surely take anyone’s breath away.

Designed by renowned architect Ron Lea, the foremost vision for Black Rock was a unique respect for the land and landscape upon which the resort is built. Details such as using rock from the site in the finishings and removing as few trees as possible are just a couple of the carefully thought out design elements.

Rock, water, glass, steel, wood, expansive space, intimate details, careful attention to views and natural light are hallmarks of this West Coast contemporary design approach that complements and contrasts the wild Pacific surroundings.

Consisting of a main lodge with 71 guest suites and 62 beach suites, Black Rock Oceanfront Resort was designed to soothe and inspire. Each of the studio, one and two-bedroom suites offer spectacular views of the ocean or surrounding old growth forest. Spa-inspired bathrooms and state-of-the-art kitchens ensure that guests looking for a quiet retreat will have all the luxurious comforts and conveniences in their home away from home.

Beyond the serenity of the guestrooms, the hotel features three hot pools overlooking the ocean and natural black rock cliffs.

One of the resort’s many highlights is the dining experience celebrating the renowned culinary talents of local chef Andrew Springett. Fetch welcomes guests for breakfast, lunch and dinner in a spectacular setting where each and every seat offers stunning views of the surrounding rocky headlands.

Fetch’s menus were carefully crafted to create an artisan inspired culinary experience featuring the freshest and finest of the region. Float Lounge with its floor to ceiling windows overlooking the open ocean, is the perfect place to sit back, relax, and enjoy one of their house inspired cocktails and beverages.

For wine tastings and pairings, chef’s table and custom private dinners and private events, the resort’s dramatic signature feature, the Wine Cellar, overlooks the inside an active surge channel with exploding waves and surrounding coastal features for a truly unforgettable experience.

Scheduled to open in the spring, the Drift Spa will offer a locally inspired experience using certified organic seaweed products made on Vancouver Island. Hand-harvested from the cold clean Canadian Pacific Ocean, the all-natural wild seaweed products are nutrient rich with vitamins, minerals, and trace elements creating the most nourishing, healthy and vital seaweed products on the market.

Located 444 km (276 miles) northwest of Victoria on Vancouver Island, Ucluelet offers a wide array of activities, all year long.

From hiking the renowned Wild Pacific Trail, kayaking, fishing and whale watching, to quiet walks on the beach taking in the sights and sounds of the ocean, Ucluelet truly is a place that shouldn’t be missed.

From now through March 5, 2009, Black Rock Oceanfront Resort is offering special opening rates starting from $135.00 for a Standard Studio Suite. For more information about Black Rock Oceanfront Resort or for reservations, call 1-877-762-5011 or visit www.blackrockresort.com

Boutique Hotels & Resorts of British Columbia delivers unique experiences in iconic destinations around British Columbia. Specializing in upscale hotels, lodges and resorts, the Boutique Hotels & Resorts collection includes the Cove Lakeside Resort in Westbank and The Oswego Hotel in Victoria, Nita Lake Lodge in Whistler, The Outback Resort in Vernon, Black Rock Oceanfront Resort in Ucluelet, L’Hermitage Hotel in Vancouver, and the upcoming Watermark Beach Resort in Osoyoos.

For more information, visit www.bhrbc.com

Pays De La Loire Has It All For Families

With accommodation that varies from historic chateaux to ‘Qualité’ labeled campsites, a coastline boasting 140km of beaches, from playparks to aquaparks, country cycle trails to tree top zipwires, the Pays de la Loire is bursting with family holiday ideas to suit every budget:

Sand sailing and speed sailing on the Vendée Beaches

For a truly exhilarating family holiday, head for the long, sandy beaches of the Vendée with its perfect wind conditions and try out the latest sport crazes – sand sailing and speed sailing.

Sand sailing involves sailing a boat across the beach which children as young as seven can master whilst speed-sailing – windsurfing on land – which is even faster and suitable for those over 12.

The Nantes Elephant – Machines de I’Ile de Nantes
Children of any age can enjoy seeing the beautiful city of Nantes from a novel perspective – upon the back of a 12-metre high, 8-metre wide Elephant which is part of an extraordinary workshop exhibition which includes The Heron Tree – a 28-metre steel tree topped by two herons which will carry passengers through hanging gardens.

Le Loire a Velo – treasures at every turn!

Cycling trails, dedicated green lanes and side roads…cycle your way around the Loire with unrivalled views of one of the UNESCO world heritage landscapes at every turn;

 Fontevraud Abbey, Saumur, Angers and beyond… or alternatively head for the new stretch along the coast from Mauves-sur-Loire to Paimboeuf via Nantes.

Treetop Cabins

The leafy woodland of Le Bois Lambert, already popular with families for its paintball centre and forest zip-wire attraction, has five wooden cabins for rent perched in the tree tops. Accommodating two adults and two children, the tree houses promise an above-it-all experience with modern facilities, while every morning, breakfast is delivered to a basket below the tree house ready to be hauled up with a rope each morning when you’re ready to eat!

Cruising à la River Loire

Climb aboard a river cruiser and enjoy an unforgettable and leisurely tour along the charming network of rivers.

Two rivers are ready to welcome visitors – the 95km from The Erdre and the Nantes to Brest Canal and the 280km-long Maine network, including the Mayenne, Sarthe, Oudon and Maine.

More accessible than ever with low cost flights direct to Nantes from all major regional airports and via Rail Europe and Brittany Ferries, the Pays de la Loire region stretches from the Atlantic coast to Le Mans and is intersected by the famous River Loire with its many tributaries and waterways.

For further information visit www.westernloire.com