Jetsettersblog

Burton upon Trent Railway Station is now a welcoming gateway to The National Forest with new facilities just installed at the station.

Visitors to the station are now able to see the beautifully restored platform wildlife garden and read about both The National Forest and the fascinating brewing history of the town – in which the station has played a key role. A leaflet rack near the ticket office enables visitors to then take information away with them to make the most of their trip to the Forest.

Sophie Churchill from the National Forest Company said: “Hundreds of thousands of people use Burton upon Trent station each year yet may not be aware that it lies at the heart of The National Forest – this bold environmental project that is transforming 200 square miles of Staffordshire, Derbyshire and Leicestershire.

The new facilities will help to raise awareness of the Forest and encourage visitors to explore the area further. The station is a true gateway from which to set off and explore this ‘forest in the making’.”

The new facilities complement information points installed throughout The National Forest as part of a wider Advantage West Midlands (AWM) funded Visitor Infrastructure Project.

The project is designed to promote the wealth of things to see and do across the 200 square mile Forest, and make the connections between one part of the Forest and another.

Nigel Russell, AWM Tourism Policy and Research Manager, said: “Investment in visitor infrastructure is crucial to the long term development of The National Forest as a high quality visitor destination. Advantage West Midlands is pleased to have made a contribution of almost a quarter of a million pounds to The National Forest’s ongoing development programme. The new facilities at Burton upon Trent railway station really add to the experience of visitors arriving here in the ‘capital’ of The National Forest and provide a great welcome to the town and surrounding areas.”

Other sites that feature new facilities as part of the project include the National Forest Maize Maze, Barton Marina, Jacksons Bank on the Duchy of Lancaster Estate, MOTO Service Area Tamworth and the National Memorial Arboretum. Each site has been installed with imaginative information points, ranging from the shelters, panels and benches, to listening posts and touchscreen kiosks.

The project follows the success of the Visitor Infrastructure Project across the East Midlands side of The National Forest, where new facilities were installed at twenty venues including attractions such as Conkers Discovery Centre and Snibston, woodland sites such as Sence Valley Forest Park, Poppy Wood and Beacon Hill Country Park, as well as Donington and Leicester Forest East Service Areas on the M1, and the Tourist Information Centres at Ashby de la Zouch and Swadlincote.

The work across all venues is due to be completed by March 2009.

In the meantime, visitors can find more information on the huge choice of things to do and see in the Forest or places to stay for a brilliant weekend break by contacting the National Forest Company on 01283 551211 or logging on to the website www.nationalforest.org

Indulge your furry friends and book a break to The Four Seasons Hotel in St Fillans, where the resident Pet Butler will cater to your four-legged companion’s every woof.

This service ensures all canines, as well as other pets, are well catered for with a range of satisfying services from as little as £8 per day. Services include:-

• Creature Cuisine

Dogs can choose from their very own, specially-created canine menu which boasts fun treats such as gourmet Pedigree Dog bites including the Fido Beefy Pie, Bugs Bunny and Carrots and Hogs and Heinz flavours, as well as a variety of Bakers dried dog food. Cats, bunnies and other creatures can also choose from their very own menus.

• Pet walking service

You are on holiday too, so let the Pet Butler give you a break and do the early morning walk for you. With many munroes and walking trails and a loch side with stunning views and plenty of exciting nooks and crannies to explore, your four-legged friend will have a blast in the crisp Perthshire outdoors.

• Pet-sitting service

Don’t let a night out ruin the pet’s holiday. You can employ the pet-sitting service to ensure your loved one is well looked after and not sitting home alone as you wine and dine. Or for those with plans for the day, it is also possible to take advantage of the day sitting service.

• Pooches parlour

The Pet Butler can arrange a variety of grooming services including wash and blow drys, nail clipping and ear cleaning. Prices depend on size and breed of dog and this must be booked in advance.

Pampered pets will be welcomed to The Four Seasons Hotel with a complimentary treat and customers can bring their pet’s favourite bedding and bowls along which will then be set up in their room. Or of course, if preferred, the hotel can supply bedding and bowls.

For those travelling without their bouncy buddy, the Pet Butler can lend you one (or both) of the resident canines to take for a walk. Sham and Pagne are The Four Seasons resident dogs and will be happy to offer their companionship to guests, depending on their humour and availability.

Located on the banks of Loch Earn, The Four Seasons Hotel is within easy reach of Edinburgh, Glasgow and the central belt of Scotland and boasts spectacular views of the surrounding Perthshire countryside. Offering the perfect retreat for all the family, there are an abundance of activities and tourist attractions nearby.

The Four Seasons Hotel is also very well placed for exploring the many surrounding walking trails where guests can enjoy Scotland in its full glory with the many changing colours of the hills and woods throughout spring and autumn.

Pets will also enjoy discovering the challenging munroes and tracks of rural Perthshire.

Prices at the Four Seasons Hotel start from £55 per person, per night for bed and breakfast and from £85 per person, per night for dinner, bed and breakfast.

Prices for the Pet Butler vary and start from only £8 per day, per pet.

To book the Pet Butler please contact The Four Seasons Hotel’s reservation team on 01764 685 333.

For more information on The Four Seasons Hotel

visit www.thefourseasonshotel.co.uk

Escape Artist Leaves Island Paradise Up For Grabs

An idyllic island paradise is on offer for anyone looking for a new lease of life.

Long Island, near Schull, off the West Cork coast, has been home to John Abbott for the last 20 years.

However, the reclusive artist, who is now 60, says he has to give up his peaceful existence and return to Manchester to care for his ailing mother.

Abbott – who needs to make the move as quickly as possible – has decided not to sell his home conventionally, but swap it for the right residence in the North West of England, and he’s turned to www.EasyHouseExchange.com  to help him.

Abbott has put his two-bedroom fisherman’s cottage, priced in the region of £300,000 – complete with panoramic sea views and eleven acres of land – onto the website in the hope of finding someone with a property of a similar value to swap with in or around Manchester.

“It will be a wrench to leave Long Island,” says Abbott, “but I need to return home to look after my mother. So if anybody wants to swap a house in the Manchester area, here’s their chance of a life changing experience.”

“Living out here has been incredible,” says Abbott, “it’s so remote and peaceful and so removed from the hustle and bustle of the world.

I can work here and enjoy the surroundings. I am a true escape artist!”

“But I’m getting older now, my health is going sideways and my mother needs me to look after her, so it’s time to pass the legacy on to someone else.”

Abbott has opted to use www.EasyHouseExchange.com

a communal online space for homeowners to meet potential swappers and negotiate a deal in order to exchange homes.

This would roughly equate to a four-bedroom detached property in Cheadle, or a two-bedroom apartment in Deansgate, but Abbott is open to offers.

“I’ve been pretty self-sufficient out here,” says Abbott. “I have a well for my water and a wind turbine for my energy – there’s no shortage of water or electricity on the island but it’s certainly helped me save the pennies.”

Anyone interested in making an exchange should go to www.EasyHouseExchange.com

Belfast is set to see the opening of a new luxury hotel in 2009 aiming for five-star status.

The Fitzwilliam Hotel Belfast opened mid March and is located on Great Victoria Street in the heart of Belfast city.

The design-focused hotel is  the first of its kind in Northern Ireland’s capital, adding a stylish dimension to the city. With a relaxed atmosphere, contemporary and sleek interiors, attention to detail and personal service, the Fitzwilliam Hotel Belfast will be “the place to be seen”, attracting high-profile guests and events.

The Fitzwilliam Hotel Belfast features 130-guestrooms including superior, executive and king rooms as well as six studio suites and a spectacular two-bedroom penthouse overlooking Belfast city. The unusual layout of the bedrooms means guests will be able to lie in their luxurious beds, which will be positioned facing a window wall, and take in beautiful views of the city and surrounding hills.

The hotel bar is expected to become a popular watering hole with intimate booths divided by retro-style screening, offering a lively, friendly atmosphere and the great “Irish craic” which Belfast is famous for.

As one of Belfast’s finest hotels, the Fitzwilliam is gearing up to open a vibrant restaurant with dishes to excite and delight the palate.

The décor will reflect the design element of the hotel and include dining booths which will be divided by rotating oak mobiles.

These will work as dynamic screens which diners can spin to open up.

In addition, the Fitzwilliam Hotel Belfast will have three conference rooms, an oak-panelled private dining room with a series of dramatic brass chandeliers, state-of-the-art fitness suite for hotel residents, valet parking and a business centre.

Designed by London-based, Christopher Ash from Project Orange, the Fitzwilliam Hotel Belfast will reflect the “baronial modern” style of the renowned Fitzwilliam Hotel Dublin. The themes and look will combine that of a grand, stately baronial mansion house with cutting edge modern décor.

The opening of the Fitzwilliam Hotel Belfast in March ties in with a number of exciting events taking place in the city. For those with an interest in the arts and music, the Belfast Film Festival takes place until 4 April. The following month, step back in time at the Titanic Made in Belfast Festival 11 – 19 April which commemorates the city’s most famous creation and celebrates Belfast’s maritime heritage.

For further information on the Fitzwilliam Hotel Belfast please visit www.fitzwilliamhotelbelfast.com   For more information about Ireland visit http://www.discoverireland.com or for a free vacation planning kit call the NY office at 800/223-6470. Read Ireland feature stories from Jetsetters Magazine at this link:

The new Celebration Cruise Line is expected to start offering two- and three-night Bahamas cruises from Port Everglades on Fort Lauderdale.

The new line is operated by many executives who ran Imperial Majesty Cruise Line, which is no longer operating.

According to the South Florida Sun-Sentinel, Celebration spent $10 million renovating a 1,500-passenger ship, originally built in 1981 as Prinsesse Ragnhild.

The ship, now called Bahamas Celebration, will offer two-night cruises departing Monday and Wednesday and three-night voyages on Fridays. Both cruises visit Nassau.

According to the company website, included dining options include a classic American restaurant serving five-course meals, an all-you-can-eat Brazilian-style steakhouse and buffet and a casual Italian restaurant.

A fourth restaurant, the Cove, is open for dinner only with reservations required and an additional charge of $25 per person.

The ship also has a casino, pub, piano bar, karaoke lounge and a two-level nightclub. Children’s facilities include Club Coconuts for children age 3 to 10 with supervised activities such as arts and crafts, Xbox, Dance Dance Revolution and Guitar Hero. Club Wave is for 11- to 14-year-olds with activities and games, including Xbox, DDR, Guitar Hero, PlayStation and Wii. Open Water is designed for teens age 14 to 17 with video games, a dance floor and computers.

The pool area also features a 180-foot water slide.

Fares are expected to range from $119 to $199 per person.

Imperial Majesty operated the 56-year-old Regal Empress, which was pulled from cruising last year to temporarily house relief workers in Galveston, Texas.

The ship’s owners faced costly upgrades to meet new safety requirements going into effect in 2010, and so apparently retired the ship, which left Port Everglades on March 14, the Sun-Sentinel reported.

The future of Regal Empress has apparently not been determined, reports Maritime Matters, a website for fans of old liners.

For more information, visit www.bahamascelebration.com

Casting has been announced for the Las Vegas production of Disney’s “The Lion King” at Mandalay Bay Theatre, which opens May 15 with preview performances beginning May 5.

For the Las Vegas production, Disney hand-selected an international cast of performers who have won acclaim in productions of “The Lion King” around the world, including New York, Taipei, South Africa, London, Los Angeles, Australia, Toronto, Shanghai, Paris and Holland.

The cast includes nine South African natives, as well as three ensemble members from Las Vegas. Tickets are now available, with prices ranging from $53 to $113.50.

VIP packages, which include premium seating, a souvenir program and a VIP show merchandise item, will be available for $168.50. Tax and service fees are included in all prices.

Tickets are available at the Mandalay Bay Theatre box office; at the Ticketmaster banner at the right and online via www.mandalaybay.com  

For groups of 15 or more, call 877-632-7505 or email wwwlionkingsales@mandalaybay.com

. For hotel information, call 877-632-7000 or visit www.mandalaybay.com

Great Hotels of the World announces the opening of Atrium Prestige Thalasso Spa Resort & Villas on May 27. Part of the Atrium Hotels group, the 254-room Atrium Prestige Thalasso Spa Resort & Villas is located 45 miles from Rhodes Town in Lahania Bay on the South-Eastern coast of Rhodes.

For more information, visit www.ghotw.com/atrium-prestige-thalasso-spa

Lighthouse Bay Resort, a private island getaway in Barbuda, Eastern Caribbean, a 15-minute flight from Antigua, is offering boaters sailing through the area in their private boats, sailboats and yachts a special day pass for boaters priced at $85 per person (including tax and service) which features access to the resort’s swimming pool, beach, changing facilities and lunch with choice of wine or beer.

Price does not include transportation to and from the resort. Boaters wishing to stop in to Lighthouse Bay Resort are asked to call 268-720-4084 with 24-hour notice.

For more information, call 888-836-5427 or visit www.lighthousebayresort.com

Taj Safaris’ fourth jungle lodge, Banjaar Tola, is now open, marking the completion of India’s first tiger circuit. Situated on the edge of the Banjaar River overlooking Kanha National Park, Banjaar Tola was designed with a light footprint and the charm and luxury for which all andBeyond safari lodges are known. Banjaar Tola is a collection of two camps (each with nine tented suites), spacious guest areas, swimming pool, comprehensive library and plenty of places for al fresco dining.

Locally crafted furniture and textiles designed in tones of saffron and muted green, with rich block-printed Madhya Pradesh cottons and silks, adorn the guest areas.

Each suite has a contemporary feel with sweeping canvas roof and walls, pressed bamboo floors, and glass doors leading out onto a veranda overlooking the river.

Daily safari excursions include interpretive morning and evening drives in the jungle with expert andBeyond-trained naturalists and tiger viewing by elephant. Kanha is one of India’s largest national parks, covering 750 square miles, located in the Maikal Hills of the Satpura Hill range in the southeastern part of the state of Madhya Pradesh. In 1973, when Project Tiger was launched to save the tiger, Kanha was one of nine reserves selected for the project.

It is prime tiger viewing country and is the project’s star success story. Within the park’s borders, approximately 22 animal species are regularly spotted, including the more unique species such as the three-striped palm squirrel, common langur, jackal, wild pig and black buck.

Striped hyena, leopard, mouse deer and porcupine also reside here, as do the chinkara and ant-eating pangolin. Kanha features 70 different trees and is a birdwatcher’s paradise with over 200 recorded bird species.

Guests visiting Banjaar Tola fly from Delhi to Jabalpur, followed by a five-hour chauffeured journey by road to the lodge.

Alternatively, fly from Mumbai to Nagpur, followed by a five-hour chauffeured journey by road.

The circuit consists of Mahua Kothi (Bandhavgarh National Park), Baghvan (Pench National Park), Pashan Garh (Panna National Park) and Banjaar Tola (Kanha National Park). AndBeyond, formerly CC Africa, owns and operates 46 luxury lodges and camps in South Africa, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Tanzania, Kenya and India, in conjunction with Taj Hotels Resorts and Palaces.

The company was established 18 years ago with a commitment to world-class hospitality, sustainable responsible travel and community empowerment.

For more information, visit www.andBeyond.com

Papillon Inc., parent company of Papillon Helicopters and Grand Canyon Airlines/Scenic Airlines, opened the $9 million Boulder City Aerocenter.

The terminal will house all of the family-owned company’s Nevada operations under one roof, including Papillon Grand Canyon Helicopters, Grand Canyon Airlines/Scenic Airlines and Canyon Flight Trading Company.

The 30,000-square-foot terminal will enable guests to seamlessly check in for all flights and tours.

The terminal will feature 26-foot-high ceilings and modern décor, with the center rotunda adorned by a large, avant-garde propeller with 24-foot-long blades that slowly turn above passengers as they wait to board.

Additional touches include air-conditioning vents that resemble airplane engine exhaust ducts.

Guests can leave belongings in a secure storage area and purchase food, beverages and gifts inside the terminal.

Outside on the ramp is space for Papillon’s local fleet of 15 helicopters and Grand Canyon Airlines/Scenic Airline’s 16-airplane fleet.

For more information, call 888-635-7272 or visit www.papillon.com.