Jetsettersblog

LOCATED three hours south of Auckland, Peppers on the Point is gracefully set on the edge of Lake Rotorua providing a stunning environment for a summer escape.

The intimate lodge allows guests the luxury of complete relaxation and rejuvenation or an ideal base from which to enjoy many sports related activities or explore the rich culture of the surrounding area.

Once a Maori Pa site, this Rotorua lakeside accommodation is steeped in local history – of ancient battles, love and life – and looks out towards the historic Mokoia Island.

Blending sumptuous food, fine wine and luxurious accommodation, the converted 1930s mansion is filled with beautiful antiques and a choice of 9 spacious, exquisitely furnished suites, most with views of the lake.

Now is the perfect time to visit with summer specials available from NZ$1406* per couple per night including accommodation in a Lodge Suite, two one-hour massages, full buffet breakfast and four course dinner with pre-dinner drinks and canapés.

Based on minimum stays of two nights, the offer is valid to 31 March 2009.

For reservations, phone +64 7 348 4868 or email onthepoint@peppers.co.nz

Upon completion of an extensive resort renovation, Vatulele Island Resort Fiji recently re-opened its new kitchen, bar and restaurant and now guests have an even wider selection of mouth-watering dishes from the a la carte menu on offer for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

In addition, the wine cellar stocked with 250 varietals from around the globe will ensure that guests can pair individual wine selections with their meal Guests will soon have an additional dining experience—Organic Garden Restaurant which will feature a Chef’s table.

The resort has also completed an enhancement program on four deluxe beach bures, creating a new bure category; deluxe bure with a pool.

The renovated bures feature new Six Senses-style environmentally-friendly furniture, private infinity pools measuring eight metres by 2.5 metres, flat screen TVs, DVD players and stereo systems, telephones, wine refrigerators and air conditioning units.

New in 2009 will be two additional deluxe beach bures with their own pools set for completion in February, 2009, eight more deluxe beach bures equipped with AC, wine fridge, flat screen TV, surround sound system (iPod connection) and Six Senses style-furnishings, and three bures partially completed with Six Senses furnishings set for completion in March, 2009.

Plans have been approved for a brand new Spa to come on line later in the year.

Vatulele Island Resort offers guests amazing natural beauty such as one of the longest white, sandy beaches, as well as the largest and most exclusive bures of any resort in Fiji.

When guests are not soaking up the sun, they can partake in a variety of cultural excursions and some of the best diving in Fiji.

Information: www.sixsensesresort/vatulele-island-resort

Mexico is moving forward with a new resort development to attract tourism to its Pacific Coast. Construction began this week for Mexico’s newest resort town, expected to be the biggest project in the last 25 years.

Twice the size of Cancun, located in Escuinapa, 65 miles south of Mazatlan, the resort town will feature top notch infrastructure including highways, hotels, golf courses and marinas.

Although it has yet to be named, the master planned resort has a strong environmental commitment to maintain the ecological balance in the area within its more than 5,800 acres made up of 155 species of birds such as the ibis and tiger eagle as well as four types of mangroves.

Tourism is one of the most important industries in Mexico; revenue generated by tourists reached $13.2 billion in 2008.

The creation of this project is expected to create 150,000 jobs and attract more than 3 million national and international tourists each year with an estimated population of 500,000 by 2025.

 In 2008, Mexico welcomed 22.6 million international visitors.

 That’s a 5.9 percent increase from the previous year, of which, 18 million were Americans. For more information, visit www.visitmexico.com

The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), an organization dedicated to protecting wildlife and wild places, named Costa Rica as the first whole country to receive its Natural Biogem Award. Chosen along with 12 other regions, Costa Rica was honored for its commitment to protecting the more than the 500,000 species of flora and fauna which inhabit the country and for its goal to become the first carbon neutral country by 2021.

This recognition comes as no surprise due to the pioneering move the country made in 1979 to declare 25 percent of the country’s territory as environmentally protected areas.

 Costa Rica is one of the most pristine places on Earth, holding 4 percent of the world’s biodiversity and 3.5 percent of the world’s marine life. The environment is showcased by over 28 national parks, reserves and wild refuges.

Costa Rica committed to becoming the first carbon neutral country by the year 2021.

Taking the lead in the plan is the Certification for Sustainable Tourism Program (CST), set in motion by the Costa Rica Tourist Board (ICT). Established in 1999, the CST program aims to promote sustainable initiatives within its tourist industry by certifying them for the implementation of sustainable actions within their business model.

The certification rating, based on a five-leaf status, recognizes actions implemented on behalf of the operator on natural, cultural and social levels. Today, there are 99 companies that are certified and it is recognized by the international community as the model for successful and sustainable tourism. For more information on the CST program and its participating operators,

visit www.turismo-sostenible.co.cr/EN/sobreCST/about-cst.shtml

Costa Rica is working with the NRDC and local environmental organizations, such as the Tropical Agricultural Research and Higher Education Center (CATIE), to reforest areas around the country. One example is the “Revive a Rainforest” campaign which aims to sow 20,000 trees in the Turrialba region in order to revive a bare field that once was home of monkeys, toucans and other animals. Costa Rica is in Central America between Nicaragua and Panama, and bordered on the east by the Caribbean Sea and the west by the Pacific Ocean.

This small country represents only .01 percent of the planet’s surface and it shelters almost 4 percent of the existing world’s biodiversity. It has given priority to the conservation of its natural resources, protecting 26 percent of its national territory through the creation of National Parks and other natural areas.

The Costa Rica Tourist Board, created in 1955, is an autonomous institution of the State, responsible for regulating the tourism activity in Costa Rica and promoting Costa Rica’s tourism attractions and destinations both at a national and international level.

For information about Costa Rica, contact the Costa Rica Tourist Board at 866-267-8274 or visit www.visitcostarica.com

The hotel in Corby is located within an up and coming vibrant area, with a busy business park and several dining options within easy walking distance of the hotel.

The hotel offers standard guest rooms with a queen size bed and double sofa bed. There are also accessible rooms for guests with special needs. Additional guest amenities include a free daily hot breakfast featuring a range of inter-changing breakfast items found in the breakfast area.

With the additional flexible mixed seating area, guests will be able to get comfortable, relax and enjoy the bar and food from the snack area, especially for the busy on the go business traveler.

Also on site is a stylish fitness center and meeting space.

For more information, visit www.hamptonbyhilton.com

Hotels continue to be built in Macau. The new properties set to open within the next 15 months are L’Arc New World Hotel Macau; Encore at Wynn Macau; Galaxy Macau; and The City of Dreams. L’Arc New World Hotel will be a five-star hotel, located on the Macau peninsula.

 The hotel will have 301 guest rooms, as well as bars and restaurants that offer a complete range of dining experience. Encore at Wynn Macau will feature 400 luxury suites and four villas along with restaurants, additional retail and entertainment space.

The property will also feature a dedicated spa. In the Cotai area, City of Dreams offers different styles of accommodation, including CrownTowers, Hard Rock Hotel, and the Grand Hyatt twin towers, where you can find casual meals to fine dining. Sociedade de Turismo e Diversões de Macau (STDM), owned by businessman Stanley

Ho, now owns the $200 million Mandarin Oriental Hotel Macau after buying it from Shun Tak and Mandarin Oriental. The Mandarin Group will continue to manage the property for the next two years to ensure a smooth transition.

For more information, visit www.macautourism.gov

AMA Waterways, known mainly for European river cruises, is expanding into the Mekong River starting in September. The seven-night cruises to Vietnam and Cambodia are packaged with pre- and post-cruise land stays for a 15-day package starting at $3,999 per person, including international air from LAX and SFO. The cruises will be operated on the new 92-passenger La Marguerite, now under construction in Ho Chi Minh City, AMA Waterways President Rudi Schreiner told TravelPulse.com.

The 235-foot-long La Marguerite boasts spacious outside accommodations of 226 to 443 square feet. Eighty-two percent of accommodations have balconies.

The 38 staterooms measure 226 square feet, the six Sadec Suites are 284 square feet and two Indochina Suites are 443 square feet.

The eight cabins on the lower Mekong Deck have portholes, while all other accommodations have large windows and balconies. The Indochina Suites also boast whirlpool tubs.

All cabins have air-conditioning, a wardrobe, a writing desk, a sofa, a mini-bar, a safe, a bathroom with shower, a hair dryer, TV and a bathrobe and slippers.

Bottled water in cabins is replenished daily.

The ship also has a gym, spa, main lounge, second panorama lounge with library, restaurant with bar, a business center and a sun deck with a bar and a cross between a large hot tub and pool. The main restaurant includes unlimited local beer and house brand spirits with meals. Smoking is allowed only on the Sun Deck.

The 15-day package begins with air on Cathay Pacific to Hanoi, where guests will spend two nights in a hotel and one night on a new, luxury junk — a traditional wooden boat in Halong Bay. Activities in Hanoi include city tour, rickshaw ride and water puppet show. From there, guests fly to Siem Reap, Cambodia, and spend two nights in a hotel, visiting the Angkor Archaeological Park for Angkor Thom and Angkor Wat. Another excursion heads for Banteay Srei and Ta Prohm temple. The hotel stays include buffet breakfast daily and dinner at a local restaurant.

The cruise starts on the seventh day in Tonle Sap Lake.

It visits Kampong Chhnang for a motorboat excursion into lakeside wetlands and a walking tour through a village; Kampong Cham, for excursions to Wat Hanchey, Wat Nokor and Cheung Kok village; Phnom Penh for a city tour, Royal Palace, National Museum and a Killing Fields excursion; and a border crossing with a visit to Preak Dach village.

While calling at Tan Chau, guests visit a mat-making workshop, rice polishing factory and silk coloring workshop and take a channel cruise to visit a fish farm. At Sa Dec and Cai Be, guests will take a boat ride to a visit and visit a local home, then take a local junk trip to a floating market.

On the final night at Ho Chi Minh City (formerly Saigon), there will be a farewell cocktail party and dinner. Guests disembark for a city tour and one night in a hotel.

The new river vessel is owned by three partners representing different companies, Schreiner said, although he is in discussions for part ownership or a partnership.

The owners sailed on an AMA Waterways Holland cruise last year to get a feel for the product North Americans expect.

“They took a lot of insight from the Amadagio,” Schreiner said. AMA Waterways will offer one departure a month in September through December and then biweekly departures of the 15-day cruise-tour in 2010 except for the off-season of May and June. Schreiner said AMA is also offering all dates on a cruise-only basis, noting that groups can build a land program around the voyage.

Schreiner said he has been looking for new river cruise markets and considered the Ganges in India as well as the Mekong. “Finally I decided to go there [the Mekong] and I really was fascinated by the whole program,” he said. “The Mekong is one of the longest rivers in the world, and has scenery, history and beauty.” He also said that a competitor, Viking River Cruises, was working on a Mekong program but dropped it.

“It was a good time for us to become the market leader there,” Schreiner said. “Having the partners in Vietnam means it does not require a heavy investment.” Schreiner said AMA Waterways is finalizing the details of the program as well as the brochures, which will likely be uploaded onto the company website this week.

For more information, call 800-626-0126 or visit www.amawaterways.com

The Shangri-La Hotel, Tokyo officially opened at 10:15 a.m. on March 2 when General Manager Wolfgang Krueger opened the main entrance in accordance with feng shui traditions, following a lion dance ceremony attended by guests of honor and the hotel’s employees. It is Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts’ first hotel in Japan. Shangri-La Hotel, Tokyo occupies the top 11 floors of Marunouchi Trust Tower Main, a 37-floor, mixed-use building adjacent to Tokyo Station and offers views of Marunouchi to the east and Tokyo Bay to the west.

The 202-room hotel contains two restaurants — Piacere, a signature Italian restaurant, and Nadaman, an authentic Japanese restaurant — as well as the Lobby Lounge offering afternoon tea and live entertainment. CHI, The Spa at Shangri-La, the group’s own award-winning spa brand developed from ancient Chinese and Himalayan healing therapies, makes its Japanese debut.

The hotel also features meeting rooms and banquet facilities, wedding facilities complete with a chapel, a health club, an indoor swimming pool and the Horizon Club lounge, which offers an elevated level of service. Shangri-La Hotel, Tokyo is also home to over 2,000 pieces of artwork and more than 50 distinct chandeliers handmade in the Czech Republic by Lasvit, a light design and manufacturing company.

In homage to the city of Tokyo, glass carved into the shape of ginkgo leaves — the symbol of Tokyo — decorates various chandeliers throughout the hotel. In addition, a 10-meter-long chandelier illuminates a grand staircase connecting Levels 27, 28 and 29. Shangri-La’s unique brand is exemplified through a grand staircase, elegant chandeliers and bold carpets, complemented with a distinct Japanese influence.

In addition, flower arrangements by Nicolai Bergmann, one of the most celebrated foreign artists in Japan renowned for his contemporary floral designs, feature prominently within the hotel.

Shangri-La Hotel, Tokyo is the first hotel in the world to feature Bergmann’s works in all areas of the hotel, from public areas and guestrooms to wedding facilities.

In celebration of its opening, Shangri-La Hotel, Tokyo offers “Discover Shangri-La,” a special stay package. Until April 12, guests can have a deluxe room at JPY 110,000 ($1,130) per night (tax and service charge excluded), including breakfast and an opening commemorative gift.

 Robbe & Berking, one of the world’s leading and most exclusive silver manufacturers, created the premium, commemorative gift, which is not on sale commercially in Japan. Rates at the hotel begin at JPY 56,000 ($618).

For more information, call 011-81-3-6739-7888

Introduces New Package

To better reflect its destination along with comprehensive fitness and wellness offerings, Red Mountain Spa is expanding its name to Red Mountain Resort & Spa. Along with its new name, the resort is introducing new customizable package options, while maintaining the same all-inclusive value for which it’s known.

Guests may now add-on as many amenities and activities as they like, or none at all, and are no longer bound to minimum-night stays.

With a fresh moniker and new packages that include The Signature, Stay & Dine, À La Carte and The Premium, Red Mountain Resort & Spa continues to adjust to meet the needs of every guest with its newly structured menu of offerings.

 The core program starts at $199 per person and includes accommodations with high-speed Internet service; three meals daily; daily guided morning hikes; unlimited fitness classes including yoga, Pilates, Chi ball and Drums Alive;

 healthy life classes and events at the Wellness Center; personal discovery activities including meditation hikes, fire ceremonies, Tai Chi on the Rocks and more;

Eat Well, Feel Well Cooking demonstrations; and use of resort facilities, including indoor and seasonal outdoor pool, bicycles, walking trails, strength and cardio studios.

Also available is a Stay & Dine package, for which rates start at $159 per person; the A La Carte package, for which rates start at $179 per room; and The Premium, which costs $379 per person.

For reservations, or more information, call 877-246-HIKE or visit www.RedMountainSpa.com

Virgin Trains has teamed up with Eurostar to offer improvements in journey times to Paris and Brussels and extend the range of bargain thorough fares.

Eurostar introduced its new timetable, following completion of Eurotunnel’s repairs to the Channel Tunnel after the fire last September. Combined with the full introduction of the Virgin Trains timetable last week, journey times to the Continent have been slashed, some by around two hours.

By booking ahead, customers can take advantage of the cheapest deals, which are subject to availability. Selected North Wales stations have recently been added to the list of places offering bargain through fares to Paris / Brussels. North Wales return prices start from GBP83 ($120) from Bangor, Colwyn Bay, Llandudno Junction and Rhyl.

Other stations on the Virgin West Coast network offering the through deals are Chester and Wrexham General, return prices start from GBP81 ($117); Midlands, return prices start from GBP73 ($106); Birmingham New Street, Birmingham International, Coventry, Milton Keynes Central, Nuneaton, Rugby, Tamworth and Wolverhampton; Stafford & Stoke-on-Trent return prices start from GBP80 ($116). North West return prices start from GBP81 ($117) from Crewe, Macclesfield, Manchester Piccadilly, Runcorn, Stockport, Warrington Bank Quay, and Wigan North Western; Liverpool Lime Street return prices start from GBP83 ($120). Northern England: Carlisle, Oxenholme Lake District and Penrith North Lakes return prices start from GBP87 ($126). Lancaster and Preston return prices start from GBP89 ($129).

Scotland return prices from Glasgow Central start from GBP94 ($136). These special through fares include travel with Virgin Trains to London Euston, one-stop Underground travel to Kings Cross St. Pancras, and Eurostar travel to Paris or Brussels.

They can be booked through Eurostar’s Contact Centre on 011-08705-186-186

or visit www.eurostar.com

or www.virgintrains.com