Jetsettersblog

Hotel Missoni, the “stylish” brand of The Rezidor Hotel Group, will soon open in Oman.

The Hotel Missoni Jebel Sifah, featuring 250 rooms and 50 apartments and villas, is scheduled to open in early 2012.

It is the third Hotel Missoni in Rezidor’s portfolio — the first two properties in Kuwait and Edinburgh will welcome the first guests in 2009. Hotel Missoni is the newest member of the Rezidor family, a new genre of life and style hotels developed in partnership with the iconic Italian fashion house of the same name.

The new property will be located in Jebel Sifah, a luxurious resort destination 30 kilometers from the capital Muscat. Jebel Sifah is the result of a partnership between the Omani government and the resort developer Orascom Hotels and Development of Egypt.

Located between the warm waters of the Gulf and Oman’s breathtaking mountains, the area will feature three other luxury resorts, including a Four Seasons and Banyan Tree.

 Future guests will have a wealth of leisure distractions, including a 5 kilometer beach, marinas, an 18-hole golf course, spas, and boutique shopping. For the culturally inclined, the museums, palaces and souks of Muscat are within easy reach. In addition to 250 rooms and 50 apartments and villas, the Hotel Missoni Jebel Sifah will offer two restaurants (including Missoni’s signature “cucina”), a spa, two tennis courts, a private beach featuring an array of water sports, multiple swimming pools, meeting rooms and a ballroom.

BROOKLYN, NY – Brooklyn is on sale this year! Located in New York’s hippest borough, hotel le jolie and hotel le bleu are offering Big Apple bound travelers New York City accommodations for less than a fraction of the price. Valid now through December 30, 2009, weekday BAR or best available rates at the Williamsburg and Park Slope gems start at $129 and $169 respectively and $149 and $179 on weekends.

 Deal rates at hotel le jolie and hotel le bleu require a minimum stay of two nights and must be booked at least seven days prior to arrival. As these rates fluctuate, travelers are encouraged to check the hotel’s website regularly in order to secure the lowest rates.

BAR rates are based on space availability and subject to change; exclusive of hotel taxes and gratuities.

With these rates, guests of hotel le jolie will enjoy complimentary continental breakfast including homemade pastries, muffins, an assortment of cereal, fresh squeezed juices, Starbucks coffee and more.

Travelers staying at hotel le bleu will receive a Welcome Package including an assortment of items such as a Kashi Granola Bar, Frito Lay – Flat Earth Veggie Chips, Nona’s Biscotti, fruit juices, Voss water from Norway and Starbucks coffee.

“We know that economic times are tough for everyone this year,” said Todd Cahill, director of operations for the hotel’s parent company,

Globiwest Hospitality Corp. “Therefore, we wanted to look for ways to deliver a luxury and a unique hospitality experience in New York to travelers without breaking the bank.”

The 54-room hotel le jolie provides a new hallmark of luxury, style and business travel as it refreshes the globetrotter with its rich, contemporary urban living spaces.

Nestled in Brooklyn’s trendy Williamsburg area and providing easy access to Manhattan, hotel le jolie offers comfortable rooms furnished with in-room amenities including 42-inch flat screens, iPod docking stations, mini bars, refrigerators, dual-line telephones, large work desks with no-glare lighting and ergonomic chairs and Wi-Fi and cable high-speed Internet access

Situated on Fourth Avenue in Park Slope, within close proximity of the historic Brooklyn Bridge and also offering easy access to Manhattan, hotel le bleu is the first luxury boutique hotel to open in Brooklyn.

The well-appointed guestrooms are decorated to maximize space and provide the ultimate experience in comfort. Luxury items such as Egyptian cotton bedding, orthopedic mattresses and high-end in-room amenities including Nutura organic spa products and “Touch Me Robes” – which were among Oprah Winfrey’s “favorite things” – offer the ultimate in relaxation.

In 2009, hotel le bleu will welcome a signature restaurant Vue that will feature continental cuisine.

For information and reservations contact hotel le jolie at (866) 526-4097 or www.hotellejolie.com  hotel le bleu at (866) 427-6073 or www.hotellebleu.com

Rates must be made seven days prior to visit, are subject to change, based upon space availability and exclude tax and gratuities. Rates cannot be combined with any other offer.

Short Trip Tips provided by Travel 2 Educate Gives Parents Economic Stimulus for Vacations

Many parents are looking at travel with a skeptical eye on the economy. While the anticipation of vacation travel starts right after the holidays for most families, skyrocketing gas prices coupled with the increasing cost of travel accommodations presents a budgetary nightmare for parents. “When we think of travel and vacations, we forget that there are many places close to home that provide excellent day tours or field trips with educational opportunities for children to learn and interact. Travel 2 Educate seeks to help parents plan the adventures of learning that their children will grow from and cherish for years to come without breaking the bank,” notes Rachel Kokosenski, co-founder of Travel 2 Educate of the recent release of the parent popular free white paper, “Educational Adventures in an Economic Crunch.”

Although well-known for their helpful tips and tricks articles widely published throughout the web instructing and exciting parents about the best ways to created educational travel for children, Travel 2 Educate has taken the extra step of defining the best ways to travel with children on a smaller scale.

By approaching educational travel from an economic standpoint, Travel 2 Educate is seeking to stimulate pocketbooks as well as young minds through the enrichment of discovery through experiencing new locations. Parents cannot control the economy and finding money for the extensive trips can be difficult in a time when everyone is worried about the job market.

“It is easy, however, to network with other parents to find the best ways to cost-effectively entertain and educate children with day trips to various destinations with the forums of Travel 2 Educate. This is our mission,” points out Kokosenski about the goal of Travel 2 Educate, “to help parents find the perfect place to enjoy enlightening and instructive short trips for their children without spending every cent expending their resources. It really is a win-win situation.”

With diversely informative articles like “5 Ways to Turn Air Travel into Education” and “Utilizing Learning Styles to Help Improve Educational Travel,” Travel 2 Educate is seeking to raise the standards over vacation involve a calendar of 365 days of affordable escapes and adventures aimed at helping parents supply their children with the foundation for a lifetime of learning.

About Travel 2 Educate

Travel 2 Educate is the one stop learning and travel resource for educational travel. Travel 2 Educate focuses on providing families with exceptional educational travel information. Going beyond the typical “family vacations” focusing on theme parks, beaches, and skiing, we aim to assist the reader with information about unique locations and educational programs that encourages development in children.

By providing parents with exciting information, facts, stories, and research tools to enhance their children’s learning potential in all aspects of their lives, Travel 2 Educate offers forums for sharing pictures and travel information, newsletters profiling enlightening vacation destinations, and tips for making learning a lifelong adventure.

The boutique 4.5 star hotel Urban Brisbane is the city’s newest accommodation that has recently opened following a multi-million-dollar refurbishment of the former Gazebo Hotel. Urban features plenty of quirky touches, from king size Urban Snorer beds to the signature Tie Me Up Tightly bathrobes and Slow Down slippers. Urban Brisbane is located close to the city centre, offering views of the city skyline and surrounds, including Mount Coo-tha Mountain Ranges.

 From A$215 (approx £99) per night based on two sharing.

www.urbanbrisbane.com.au

A unique new natural wetland experience in north-western New South Wales will open this month allowing visitors access to 3,000 acres of significant natural wetland habitats.

Home to rare and endangered birdlife, Bunnor Farm and Wetlands Experience is part of an 18,000 acre working property.

Accommodation options include an eco-lodge for ten people, a cottage for three and a number of campsites. Activity options include The Gwydir Wetlands Education Centre, camping and day tours.

www.bunnorwetlands.com.au

Hidden Secrets Tours has recently launched a new way of discovering the intricate laneways of Melbourne – the Vintage Outing Tour. Betty and Miss Shirley are the hostesses of the nostalgic journey that takes in some of Melbourne’s best kept ‘vintage’ secrets and visits eclectic boutiques.

Betty discovers the design classics to furnish your home, while Miss Shirley is always keen to show you where she finds her favourite vintage frocks.

Your chauffeur, Harold Hoover, will ensure that you cruise in luxury in a restored 1960′s Fiat 1500s.

Cost A$245 (approx £110) per person for 4.5 hours; includes a Vintage inspired shopping bag, tea, homemade treats and Betty & Miss Shirley’s personal journal. www.hiddensecretstours.com

A new walking experience through Sydney’s National Park is the latest of the city’s secrets. The Coast Track guided walks combines the finest food and wine with breathtaking views of eastern Australia’s pristine coast line, relaxing massages and tented accommodation.

Guided walking trips are available from half day to three days in Sydney’s beautiful Royal National Park which, established in 1879, is the world’s second oldest national park – after Yellowstone in the USA, and only 30km from Sydney city.

Prices from A$850 (approx £385) per person for the Highlight Tour of two days/one night. www.thecoasttrack.com.au

Eco Beach Wilderness Retreat, set on the stunning and untouched coastline in the Kimberley, is due to open on 1 July 2009.

 Just one hour’s drive south of Broome, the retreat offers guests a perfect combination of beach and bush with the comfort and class of a resort. Guests can choose from self-sustaining eco villas or luxury safari style eco tents.

Designed to provide an authentic travel experience, guests can enjoy the natural beauty of this special place in a responsible way.

Prices range from A$230 (approx £105) for a garden view eco tent to A$750 (approx £340) for an ocean front eco villa per night; both based on two sharing. www.ecobeach.com.au

EcoTraining Australia provides the only extensive practical guide training course in the country, so for those wanting to retrain or to learn another skill Australia is now the ideal place to do it. EcoTraining is a conservation and training organisation dedicated to preserving the world’s wilderness areas which has now set up camp in Kakadu National Park.

The courses range from 7 day holidays to 28 day certification courses providing hands on knowledge of what it takes to become a professional guide.

EcoTraining Australia encompasses all aspects of the bush, including indigenous culture history, flora and fauna, 4WD’ing, geology and astronomy among others, resulting in a guided experience.

The full 28 day course costs A$4950 (approx £2255).

www.ecotrainingaustralia.com.au

The Laotian capital of Luang Prabang witnessed the Villa Maly launch of the Nava Mekong, offering the first, regular dinner cruise opportunity along the Mekong River.

The cruise embarks daily at 5:30 p.m., motors downstream to moor nearby at a traditional village for dinner and music, and returns at 9 p.m.

Widened at the beam to accommodate 10 four-top tables, the traditional Lao river boat also embarks at 10:30 a.m. for a four-hour lunch cruise that takes in the Pak Ou Caves.

“The joys and serendipity of Luang Prabang are not peculiar to the town itself,” said Marie-Helene Machevin, general manager of the Villa Maly.

“The river is magnificent, an inspiration, especially at twilight and especially when you’re out in the midst of it, eating traditional Lao food served by staff in traditional Lao garb.”

During the afternoon cruise, the Nava stops at the Pak Ou Caves for adventuring among the 5,000 sacred Buddhist statues and images scattered about the two limestone grottoes.

On the evening cruise, traditional Lao dancers from nearby villages perform age-old sets that include interpretations of the royal ballet, rural life, folk tales and legends.

On board the Nava, servers dish out stuffed citronella, fried ginger pork, chicken soup with coconut milk and other Lao specialties.

Through April, the Nava will charge $30 for dinner and $35 for lunch (operational fees are higher on the longer lunchtime cruise).

 Stay two nights at the Villa Maly and the cruise is complimentary.

Villa Maly, the scrupulously refurbished former residence of a Lao prince and princess, opened in October. The 33-room boutique property is anchored by the 1938-built residence of Princess Khampieng and Prince Khamtan, a grandson of the 19th century’s King Zakarine.

The residence is located in a neighborhood of garden homes that was once a royal enclave and today ranks as one of Luang Prabang’s most exclusive development zones. The hotel features four classes of rooms, with 28 superior rooms and five deluxe rooms giving up views of either the pool or garden.

Three hours up the Mekong by boat, Villa Maly’s sister property, the Kamu Lodge (www.kamulodge.com), features a suite of deliberately rustic bungalows at the heart of a genuine eco-tourism experience.

For more information, call 011-856-71-253-902,

email resa@villa-maly.com

 or visit www.villa-maly.com