Jetsettersblog

Silversea Cruises enhanced its Early-Booking Incentive and Advance Payment Bonus programs for voyages in 2010. The new savings are designed to reward travelers who plan, book and pay for their vacations a year early.

The company’s current Early-Booking Incentive ranges from 10 to 30 percent off the published cruise fare, while the Advance Payment Bonus provides an additional 5 percent savings for guests who make full payment six months prior to sailing.

Starting with voyages in 2010, the Early Booking Incentives will range from 15 to 35 percent and a new Extended Advance Payment Bonus will offer a second savings level of 15 percent for payments made in full one year prior to sailing.

“We recognize that given the current economic environment, travelers may be tempted to postpone their purchase decisions, including vacations,” said David Morris, Silversea’s executive vice president of worldwide sales and marketing.

“Yet it is times like these when people are most in need of an uplifting diversion, so we want to encourage travelers by offering our best deals early. Our enhanced Advance Payment and Early Booking programs are designed to help consumers firm up their travel plans as early as possible in order to take advantage of very generous fare discounts. When guests book and pay in full a year before sailing, they can enjoy savings of up to 50 percent and better appreciate the tremendous value of an all-inclusive, ultra-luxury cruise experience. Ultimately, our goal is to reduce or eliminate the need for additional tactical promotions like our ‘Silver Sailings’ discount program.”

Silversea will announce its 2010 schedule shortly and start accepting reservations on Jan. 12, following a private presale this week to members of the company’s Venetian Society past-guest club. For guests seeking the new Extended Advance Payment Bonus on voyages departing during the first quarter of 2010, an introductory grace period will allow them to receive the 15 percent savings on top of the applicable EBI discount, provided they make full payment by March 31.

Peninsula Papagayo, located in Costa Rica, has opened Phase I of Marina Papagayo. Phase I includes 180 slips capable of accommodating private watercraft ranging from sport fishing boats to mega-yachts.

Upon completion, Marina Papagayo will rival the globe’s most desirable ports of call. Situated below the hurricane belt and naturally sheltered from easterly trades along Central America’s fashionable cruising coastline, Marina Papagayo will serve as both a pleasure stop and strategic harbor.

This natural amphitheater location provides a year-round safe haven on calm, protected waters. Marina Papagayo features include ultra-wide docks with generous slips and fairways; dockside marina concierge; on-site immigrations and customs operations; boat storage, high-speed diesel fueling and service areas; and access to electricity, water, telephone, Wi-Fi and CATV at each slip.

Papagayo’s oceanfront Marina Village will feature day-to-night festivities. The village master plan also calls for luxury hillside residences, a hotel, boutique shops and restaurants in a pedestrian-friendly atmosphere.

At completion, Marina Papagayo will have approximately 500 homes.

For a limited time, ownership amenities include access to Peninsula Papagayo’s private Arnold Palmer Signature Golf Course and the newly opened Prieta Beach Club & Spa, featuring a beachside spa, workout facilities, multiple pools, bars and restaurants in a dramatic open-air setting.

For information on Marina Papagayo, contact Diana Michel, Director of Marketing, Brandy Marine International, at 941-806-0860 or via email at dmichel@brandymarine.com

Ntaba Tours has organized a Viticulture Educational Safari to South Africa scheduled for May 16 to 26.

The tour is designed “for wine connoisseurs, wine makers and anybody with more than just a general interest in wine and wine making.”

It ushers its participants into the world of South African wines, where they will meet South African wine makers, taste the wines and visit the vineyards before exploring the history and scenic beauty of Cape Town, Table Mountain and Cape Point with its most southwestern point of the continent.

Then on to the bush for two days safari near the world famous Kruger Park, possibly encountering lion, leopards, buffalo, rhino and elephant, as well as nyala, impala, monkeys and numerous species of birds.

The tour wastes no time getting into the wines. After arriving in Cape Town, clients spend their first night at Stellenbosch, the heart of the Cape Winelands and second oldest city of South Africa, and an academic center of the country. Much of the old-time charm still remains in the oak-lined streets of the university town. Guests will explore vineyards and wineries and have the chance to learn from many wine experts. Highlights include Franschhoek, the “French corner” where most of the French Huguenots first settled and brought their vineyard craft when they emigrated to South Africa as early as 1671; the Cape Peninsula, with scenic drive along False Bay through the coastal villages of Muizenberg and Fishhoek, and a visit the Boulders’ Beach African penguin colony in the naval town of Simonstown; a Cape Town city tour before visiting the Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens set against the slopes on the side of Table Mountain; and a flight to Hoedspruit, to a private game park, punctuated by game drive to spot the big five: lion, leopard, buffalo, rhino and elephant.

Optional extras during your visit at the Kapama Private Game Reserve include hot-air ballooning, elephant back safari, endangered species center, golfing safari, romantic sleep out or spa in wellness center.

The land price is $2,775 per person double. Airfare is $2,350 per person, Washington, D.C./Johannesburg/Cape Town/Johannesburg/Hoedspruit/Johannesburg/Washington, D.C.) Land and air total is $5,125 per person double.

For more information, visit www.ntabatours.com

The Village Experience has arranged a Jordan Bedouin Adventure which provides the opportunity to experience Jordan through its Bedouin culture and get up close and personal with local villages.

Clients will spend the night under the stars in a Bedouin desert camp, share stories by the campfire, and explore during the days via camel and 4X4 vehicles, as well as to learn about local community development projects and donate to much needed organizations along the way.

Trip highlights include a visit to Petra; a day visit to the Dead Sea and Mount Nebo; a camel safari and 4×4 adventure through the Wadi Rum;

a scenic tour of Amman and Madaba; overnight in the only eco-lodge in all of Jordan; volunteer work with community development projects;

tea and conversation with nomadic Bedouin families;

and learning about carpet-making from a women’s weaving cooperative.

For more information, contact Kelly S. Campbell, founder and partner of The Village Experience, at kescampb@yahoo.com

 or visit www.experiencethevillage.co

Sunsail, a yacht charter company, is opening of a new base in Pula, northern Croatia.

The new base, Sunsail’s third in Croatia alongside Kremik and Dubrovnik, will open in May with a fleet of monohulls available for bareboat or skippered charter.

Pula is located on the Istrian Peninsula, which borders Slovenia and is close to Italy.

Pula will offer a range of yachts 39 to 47 feet, including the new Sunsail 44i by Jeanneau.

The Sunsail base is a 15-minute drive from Pula airport in Marina Veruda, a facility with a number of bars and restaurants, showers and a supermarket.

For more information, call 800-772-3500 or visit www.sunsail.com

Taj Lake Palace in Udaipur, India, recently launched the Jiva Spa Boat, which sails along the waters of Lake Pichola.

The spa experience recreates the royal traditions of the House of Mewar and the rejuvenating treatments of the Jiva Spa.

Inspired by the style of the old palaces in Udaipur, the Jiva Spa Boat fuses historical and regal references with contemporary design, featuring a spacious, air-conditioned double spa suite, a relaxation lounge, steam bath and shower.

The suite opens out onto a large sky deck, which has a soak bath, a lounging bed and dining area with views of the Aravallis, the oldest fold mountains in the world. Guests can choose personalized spa experiences to suit their mood and needs.

All products used at Jiva Spas are natural and uniquely developed from Indian herbs, essential oils and special ingredients.

Several packages are available on the Jiva Spa Boat.

For more information, visit www.tajhotels.com

InterContinental Hotels Group opened the doors of Hotel Indigo London Paddington — the first Hotel Indigo outside North America — and announced a deal to open three more Hotel Indigo properties in the city.

Hotel Indigo is IHG’s boutique hotel brand. With 21 hotels open in North America, and 56 hotels in the global development pipeline, the opening of the Hotel Indigo London Paddington marks the start of the global brand roll-out. The 64-room Hotel Indigo London Paddington, owned by London Town Hotels, is a row of nine converted Georgian townhouses in London Street just minutes from the station with views over Norfolk Gardens.

IHG also announced that it has signed a contract with City Site Estates to open three more Hotel Indigo properties in London by 2012 — Cannon Street, a 38-room, five-story townhouse with a roof garden, a gym and a restaurant; Philpot Lane, a 43-room, five-floor conversion with a street front restaurant, bar and gym; and Kensington Church Street, a 51-room, four-story conversion with a restaurant and gym.

In November 2008, IHG announced plans to open Hotel Indigo Shanghai on the Bund in Shanghai, China.

The 180-room hotel will open in time for the Shanghai Expo in 2010.

New York City’s Jumeirah Essex House unveiled its presidential suite, a 2,500-square-foot space offering an exclusive art collection and picture-postcard views of Central Park. International designer Khuan Chew of KCA International, who is known for designing Jumeirah’s famous Burj Al Arab in Dubai, transformed the residential-style suite.

The new Presidential Suite has a streamlined look with modern influences in art and accessories.

The entrance featuring taupe silk wall coverings and redesigned ceilings leads into the living space. Tables, white leather chairs and a beige sofa grace the living space while bronze curtains and pale chartreuse and deep celadon accent pillows embellish the suite.

The Presidential Suite offers one master bedroom and one guest bedroom. The bathrooms have been completely refurbished with dark marble, rosewood and Italian mosaic tile murals in different shades of blue and gray. A master closet with cedarwood paneling, a security room with video surveillance of all the corridors, a kitchen featuring modern appliances and an express elevator directly to the 26th floor adds to the suites’ distinctions.

To extend the themes found in the commissioned artwork in the lobby, and to continue the hotel’s commitment to art and culture, Katherine Gass, the hotel’s curator, assembled a curated collection of American paintings and photographs exclusively for the Presidential Suite. The collection illuminates the hotel’s motto, “Always in touch with the Park; Never out of touch with the City,” in an intimate way. Each piece complements the elegant design and unmatched views of Central Park while the subjects and motifs are all inspired by the urban environment, its architecture and the vibrant pulse and rhythm of life in New York City.

A 24-hour butler service provides a customized experience from check-in to check-out. An Inncom energy management system has been installed to turn the suite into a “smart room” controlling all lighting and temperature settings with an occupancy sensor. Touch pads are situated throughout the suite controlling the drapes and audio/visual functions.

Other highlights include Sharp LCD televisions, a Bowers and Wilkins sound system and innovative manufacturers such as Kallista and Toto which can be in the bathrooms. Personal preferences such as in-room snacks and beverages, reading materials and movies will be filled in advance allowing for a tailored experience. Cornelia bath and beauty products will be enjoyed by hotel guests.

For more information, visit www.jumeirahessexhouse.com

A new look website released today by Port Douglas & Daintree Tourism will attract a higher traffic level which will translate into visitor conversions, says PDDT executive officer Doug Ryan.

“The new www.pddt.com.au website will offer visitors a more accurate and enticing picture of our region, giving them reasons to visit and answering their questions. The new site utilises widescreen, has a new booking feature Bookconfirm and offers an improved Hot Deals page so browsers can easily access members special offers,” said Mr Ryan.

To attract browsers, the site is launching with a ‘Click to Win’ viral campaign where users can win a $9,000 luxury holiday to Port Douglas.

Full optimisation of the site will also increase traffic flow. “Interestingly, the word ‘weather’ was in the top 5 search words used. Having full analysis has improved the site’s optimisation dramatically.

We have also altered some of the framework of the website to enable browsers to navigate it more easily and increased the overall content which will be key to the site getting more results through Google, ” said Mr Ryan.

Descriptions of PDDT member business have been increased significantly (from 200 spaces to 250 words) which will improve the content of their listing and the message they are able to get across to visitors by improving their chances of getting a match on Google.

The new site also includes a new page dedicated to weddings designed to encourage and promote the growing destinations wedding market in the region.
For more information and media enquiries, please contact :
Doug Ryan
Executive Officer
Port Douglas & Daintree Tourism
Phone: 07 4099 4588 Tel: 0417794875
Email: doug@pddt.com.au
Web: www.pddt.com.au

PEPPERS has expanded its presence in Australia’s premier escape destinations with the addition of a stunning new Tasmanian property to the portfolio.

The group is delighted to announce the launch of Peppers York Cove Tamar Valley which sets a new standard in holiday experiences on the waterfront at historic George Town, 30 minutes from Launceston.

Peppers York Cove Tamar Valley offers a stylish and sophisticated haven of relaxation at the mouth of the pristine Tamar Valley, famed for its cool climate wines, fresh local produce, breathtaking natural scenery and unique old-world charm.

A place to recharge the batteries and make lasting connections with one of Australia’s great beauty spots, the resort offers luxurious accommodation opening to a heated pool and spa and overlooking the tranquil cove and river.

A boat-enthusiast’s paradise Peppers York Cove Tamar Valley provides an ideal base for scenic cruising along Australia’s longest navigable river or off-shore sailing in Bass Strait, featuring its own securely positioned marina with long and short term berthing facilities.

In the true spirit of Peppers, the resort is dedicated to first rate dining experiences. The Cove Bar and Restaurant offers the best in Tasmanian food and wines in a relaxed setting with views over the cove and the wide reaches of the Tamar River.

Designed for business as well as pleasure, the resort is an ideal venue for intimate meetings and conferences, offering a state of the art conference room catering for up to 55 delegates in a class-room style setting.

Peppers York Cove Tamar Valley is Peppers’ third property for the Island State, complementing Peppers Seaport Hotel in Launceston and Peppers Calstock in Deloraine.

Together, Peppers operates almost 30 indulgent retreats, resorts and hotels throughout New South Wales, Queensland, the Northern Territory, Tasmania, Victoria and New Zealand and is expanding its range steadily as the demand for luxurious getaways increases.

Peppers Group General Manager Tomas Johnsson said Peppers York Cove Tamar Valley was an exciting addition to the portfolio.

“Peppers York Cove Tamar Valley fits perfectly into our expanding collection of uniquely local experiences in the most extraordinary destinations throughout Australia and New Zealand,’’ he said

“It embodies the Peppers’ philosophy of casual sophistication in a dream location at the mouth of the picturesque Tamar River, an area which offers a tantalising blend of history and natural experiences.’’