Jetsettersblog

16 days, departing Kochi 14th February 09.

Explore the peaceful trails of India’s Western Ghats where cool mountain air is heavily spiced with the sweet scent of tea, descend through fragrant valleys of cardamom, mango and coffee and cruise along the Keralan waterways, past rice paddies and rubber plantations, watching local fishermen catch supper.

 Walks Worldwide’s 16-day guided Keralan Spice Trails walking tour in Southern India is available at a very special rate of £1,145 p/p (normally £1,395).

The tour cost includes transfers, hotel, camp and houseboat accommodation, porterage of luggage, entrance fees and expert guiding.

Flights are extra.

Walks Worldwide
01524 242000
sales@walksworldwide.com
www.walksworldwide.com

The location of the Ballantrae Albany hotel is a treat in itself – the capital’s two main shopping streets: the elegant George Street and the vibrant Princes Street being just a few minutes walk away. Besides the prime location the hotel offers top-quality, three-star bedrooms that have recently been refurbished.

The rooms have it all to make your stay comfortable and to make you feel at home away from home: en suite shower and toilet, LCD television screen, wireless internet access, AM/FM radio, luxury towels and toiletries.

As the ultimate indulgence try the Albany’s massage and beauty treatments. Champagne and flower packages are available, too.

Besides the beauty treats prepare yourself for culinary pleasures as well! The adjoining Haldanes restaurant, proud owner of 2AA Rosettes, is a prime example of true Scottish cuisine of the highest standard. Their mouth-watering dishes include warm salad of wild rabbit, sweetbreads & green beans with truffle dressing, wild mushroom risotto with fresh parmesan & white truffle oil and autumn berry parfait with marinated brambles. The delicious dishes are made by the head chef who was named “City Chef of the Year”.

The amazing location, the high quality rooms and the authentic cuisine all make the Albany hotel the perfect destination for families and couples as well as for conferences.

Where The Mountains Meet The Sea

CRIQUES DE PORTEILS – WHERE THE MOUNTAINS MEET THE SEA

Where the Pyrénées meet the crystal clear waters of the Mediterranean Sea you’ll find Criques de Porteils – Eurocamp’s latest French destination.

Brand new for 2009, the parc is nestled on a rocky Languedoc cove on the southernmost coastline of France. It’s just a short walk from the picturesque harbour village of Collioure and 15 miles from both Perpignan and the Spanish border.

A small, truly authentic parc, Criques de Porteils boasts several small private beaches ideal for sunbathing and snorkelling. This makes it the perfect setting for a cultural, relaxing holiday just a short drive away from the larger nearby resorts and attractions of Argelès Plage.

With a warm Mediterranean climate – of mild winters, hot summers and refreshing coastal breezes – Collioure enjoys an average 320 days of sunshine each year.

Open from 4 April to 26 September 2009, Criques de Porteils is an ideal Easter holiday destination as well as during the summer and after the children go back to school.

Parc facilities include: small pool; shop; bar; takeaway; restaurant and barbecues equipment are provided. To keep the children amused there’s an animateur, as well as basketball; fishing; tennis; volleyball; internet access and WiFi facilities for the whole family.

Reflective of its beautiful surroundings – and with the origins of Catalan ‘art de vivre’ based in Collioure – Criques de Porteils also runs art classes for adults.

For your complete flexibility, choose from self-drive, car hire, TGV rail from Paris to Perpignan and flights to Perpignan–Rivesaltes airport – serviced from the UK by low cost airlines BMI Baby, Ryan Air and Fly Be.

Eurocamp’s Chris Hilton says: “Situated in the most unique location, you can do as much or as little as you like at Criques de Porteils.

Simply by opening the door you’ll get to experience the breathtaking freedom of the outdoors and beautiful scenery.”

A seven night break during May half term for a family of two adults and up to three children, staying in a two bedroom ‘Superior’ mobile home, including decking and air-conditioning at Eurocamp’s Criques de Porteils’ parc in Languedoc, Southern France starts from £613, accommodation only.

Ferry crossings, fly drive packages, rail travel and overnight stops – at hotels or parcs en route – can also be arranged through Eurocamp at a supplement.

For further information on Eurocamp please call 0844 406 0552

 or visit www.eurocamp.co.uk

The Riviera South Beach, located at 2000 Liberty Ave. in Miami’s South Beach, opened this week to the public with a special opening promotion of 50 percent off nightly rates, valid through Jan. 7, 2009. The hotel debuts with 54 one-bedroom apartment-like suites complete with gourmet kitchens. The hotel is the second all-suite hotel to join the growing hotel group following the 2007 opening of the Metropole South Beach. A $25 million project, the property has undergone a complete renovation and restoration of its 1940s architecture and design and is now the South Beach Group’s premier hotel. Set against a backdrop of gold, navy and ivory tones, the 54 suites average 700 square feet and are complete with gourmet kitchens, and separate living and dining areas. The common areas of the hotel including the main lobby and hallways keep true to Dorothy Draper’s signature style with the use of wide stripped walls, intense eye-popping color and thick textured carpets.

Rooms feature complete floor-to-ceiling silk draperies and windows. All suites have espresso hardwood floors and are outfitted with a combination of custom designed wood and ivory tufted leather furniture. Bedrooms offer pillow-top custom beds made from 100 percent organic cotton. Bathrooms feature full rain head showers and separate entrances to both the bedroom and living room. Kitchens feature stainless steel appliances and granite counter tops complete with a premium top-shelf bar. Each living room is equipped with a deluxe sleeper sofa to accommodate up to two guests. Technological features include two flat-screen televisions, iPod docking stations and complimentary wireless Internet access.

A VIP concierge is available to assist with coordinating grocery delivery service and personal chef and catering service. The hotel also offers complimentary cocktails served daily from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m., VIP club passes to South Beach’s hottest nightclubs and complimentary limousine airport transfer service to and from Miami airport. The all-suite Riviera South Beach will also house an intimate tropical courtyard pool with an outdoor grille and bar and private cabanas, a lobby lounge, a restaurant, meeting space, rooftop private multi-function event space, a state-of-the-art spa and yoga room and a breathtaking rooftop sun deck with sweeping views of the city and ocean.

For more information and reservations, call 877-762-3477 or visit www.rivierahotelsouthbeach.com

CuisinArt Resort & Spa introduced its new Venus Spa & Fitness Center in time for holiday travelers. The resort’s Venus Spa is reopening after a $10 million expansion that tripled the size of the facility to 27,000 square feet with additions that include 16 new treatment rooms, Men’s Club Room, VIP suite, an expansive fitness center, relaxation room with sea views, couple’s suites and the first aqua therapy pool of its kind in the Caribbean.

One of the most luxurious additions of the expansion is an exclusively designed indoor aqua therapy pool, called the “Healing Waters Pool.” The aqua therapy pool features built-in lounges and soothing hydrotherapy jets where guests can soak in warm nutrient and mineral enriched salt water known for its healing properties. Signature water treatments include the Aqua Massage and Aqua Reflexology, which is a blending of therapies translated into the medium of water.

Among the Venus Spa’s 16 new treatment rooms are wet rooms, lavish massage and facial rooms, a VIP suite, two couple’s suites featuring specialty showers, men’s and women’s hammams and oversized tubs. The new facility also offers a zen-inspired relaxation room with views of the sea, as well as a Men’s Club Room to provide male guests with a private setting for their treatments which include anything from a deep tissue massage to the Gentleman’s Facial and Hot Towel Shave.

The new fitness center nearly doubled in size, and offers new TechnoGym equipment and Kinesis System weight training. CuisinArt Resort & Spa is a member of The Leading Small Hotels of the World.

For more information, call 800-943-3210 or visit www.cuisinartresort.com

Algodon Wine Estates, an Argentinean wine and golf estate in San Rafael, Mendoza, created a unique wine barrel program where customers can craft their very own wine brand via the company’s website.

The customer gets to choose the type of barrel (French or American oak), has complete creative control of the design and name of the label and, once bottled and labeled, the wine is shipped to the customer’s preferred location. Each barrel provides approximately 300 bottles of wine and can be filled up to three times, and the program also includes a two-night stay at the lodge located on the estates. Grape varieties include Argentinean classics such as Bonarda — known throughout Argentina for its full body — and Malbec, as well as Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Chardonnay.

Located in San Rafael, Mendoza, a region often referred to as the “Napa Valley” of Argentina, Algodon Wine Estates offers luxury accommodations for travelers, as well as the opportunity to actually own a piece of the estate’s vineyard and a custom wine label. The future home of Argentina’s tennis elite, Algodon Wine Estates’ 2,050-acre grounds already boast two guest lodges and an 18-hole golf course.

Additionally, there are plans to open a high-end hotel, more than 300 private home sites, a polo field, an equestrian center and a luxury spa and fitness center by the end of 2009.

For more information, visit www.algodonwines.com/barrelprogram/index

Venice Suites has opened on the Venice Beach Boardwalk.

The property consists of five converted Boardwalk-style buildings. Each suite features contemporary furnishings; high-tech amenities; a fully equipped kitchen with a coffee maker, a dishwasher, and cookware and dinnerware; a flat-panel TV with cable television, including premium movie channels;

T1 Internet access; hardwood floors; and recessed lighting. The property also features rooftop barbecues. The Venice Suites family of vacation accommodations includes The Venice Suites, The Venice Admiral Suites, The Venice Breeze Suites,

The Venice Horizon Suites and The Venice Paloma Suites.

For more information, visit www.venicesuitesproperties.com

Maui-based zipline company Skyline Eco-Adventures has launched the Ultimate Zipline Adventure Combo for $219 per person. The excursion includes the original Haleakala Skyline Tour, which combines a short hike at Haleakala Volcano with five zipline crossings and a swinging bridge; and the new Kaanapali Skyline Adventure, with an off-road tour above Ka’anapali and eight ziplines over streams and waterfalls.

With the Ultimate Zipline Adventure Combo, visitors can participate in two zipline adventures and see two different parts of Maui via zipline over two days. (Tours must take place within a 14 day window.) The discounted rate is only available at the time of original booking, and advanced reservations are required.

For more information, call 808-878-8400 or visit www.zipline.com

Canvas Holidays is further ramping up its 2009 accommodation offering with an exclusive collection of magical Fairytale ‘Hansel and Gretel’ style Cottages at Dol-de-Bretagne in Brittany and Treehouses at Pierrefitte in The Loire Valley, whilst also expanding its Deluxe Lodge range near Paris.

The new Fairytale Cottages will sleep up to seven people and come complete with all the creature comforts including heating throughout, bathroom, cooking and dining area plus TV monitor and DVD player.

Canvas Holidays managing director Paul Carter commented: “There is something a little bit magical about the Fairytale Cottages that children will love, especially with their location set against a woodland backdrop. And for all those grown ups out there that don’t really want to grow up, the cottages will be the perfect escape from the daily grind”.

Additionally, in response to the rising demand for affordable luxury combined with outdoor living, Canvas is also more than doubling its range of Deluxe Lodge with eight new four bedroom models for 2009.

Paul Carter continued: “To date, requests for this type of accommodation have increased by 20% year on year, so to tap into the demand for affordable luxury we have added this range of four bedroom models, ideal for extended families travelling together”.

Accommodating up to ten people, the new four bedroom wooden Deluxe Lodge is a real “home from home” including trendy kitchen with microwave and dishwasher, kettle, toaster and gas barbecue.

And to further fulfill childhood dreams, Canvas is introducing treehouses at its Pierrefitte campsite in The Loire Valley. Families and couples can sleep in the tree tops, giving a real sense of adventure. The treehouses include bedrooms and an outdoor living area, and are designed to fit in with the natural surroundings.

Book by 31st January and seven nights at Camping la Croix du Vieux, Berny Riviére in France for arrivals onsite on 16th May costs from £1,031 per family with accommodation for up to ten people in a Deluxe Lodge.

Alternatively, seven nights at Camping Château des Ormes, Dol-de-Bretagne in France arriving 16th May costs from £937 per family with accommodation for up to seven people in a Fairytale Cottage. Prices include a return crossing from Dover to Calais for a car and passengers.

For more information on Canvas Holidays see www.canvasholidays.co.uk or call 0870 192 1159.

There is so much more to London than its famous landmark sites. Visitors wanting to discover a real feel for the capital should visit Belgravia, a silent stone’s throw from Victoria, Knightsbridge and Park Lane. Here the classic regency squares, streets and crescents created by Thomas Cundy and Thomas Cubitt are now home to boutique hotels, bespoke specialist food and fashion retailers, galleries, restaurants and cafes.

The Grosvenor family has owned the 200 acres of Belgravia since 1677, when Sir Thomas Grosvenor married Mary Davies, heiress to part of the Manor of Ebury. The conversion of the nearby Buckingham House into a palace for George IV in 1826 was the catalyst for the development of Belgravia into one of the most fashionable and desirable residential areas of central London. Famous names to have made their home in Belgravia include Matthew Arnold, Stanley Baldwin, Neville Chamberlain, Dame Edith Evans, Ian Fleming, Vivien Leigh and Alfred Lord Tennyson.

Elizabeth Street, in the heart of Belgravia, offers visitors a stylishly different shopping experience. Sophisticated, edgy and often extravagantly quirky in style, the bespoke specialist retailers invite visitors to put the hurly burly and sameness of the high street behind them and discover an eclectic mix of original and interesting shops offering an inspired choice of goods and gifts – oysters and champagne, exquisite chocolate truffles, couture fashion, jewellery and perfume boutiques. Home of so many famous signature shops that highlight the pages of the fashion and lifestyle glossy magazines – Philip Treacy, Jenny Packham, Erickson Beamon, De Vroomen, Ben de Lisi, Les Senteurs, TomTom Cigars and designer pet shop Mungo & Maud. Visitors will be tempted by the coffee shops and delis including specialist French baker Poilâne, Jeroboams fine wines and The Chocolate Society, the source of British haute couture chocolate. The many bars and restaurants offer a welcome respite from the business of shopping. This is Elizabeth Street – a ‘must visit, want to stay’ kind of place.

A stroll away is Motcomb Street with its picturesque cobbled streets, mews and courtyards. This is a secret shoppers paradise; home to some of London’s best specialist fashion and accessory shops, health and beauty salons, art and antique galleries, specialist food shops, restaurants and cafes. Visitors can browse the art and antique galleries and then go on to enjoy lunch or dinner at the Michelin-starred restaurants Zafferano, Nahm or award winning Amaya.

Mosimmans and Motcombs Bar & Restaurant are local institutions; for more discrete dining book a room in Motcombs Private Town House. Specialist food shops include Rococo chocolate, delicatessens Zafferano Deli and Ottolenghi. Shopping in Motcomb Street is an experience to be savoured.
www.inbelgravia.com
www.motcombstreet.co.uk

Local hotels include Tophams, Lime House Hotel, B & B Belgravia and Jumeirah Lowndes Hotel. Prices range from £55 per night through to £500 per night .