Jetsettersblog

A brand new country house resort will be opened in July 2009 in the Chianti area of Tuscany, 23 Km from Siena, Castel Monastero. The resort was developed from a medieval village called Monastero dell’Ombrone, dating back to the 11th century and was the home of the noble family Chigi Saracini of Siena and retains many of the original features and decor.

The resort comprises of 76 luxurious guestrooms and suites and a villa and it is set in 4 hectares of unspoilt greenery. Other facilities include a huge spa and wellness centre, two bars, a cellar dating back to the 11th century, 2 outdoor pools and a little church which can be used for weddings.

The restaurant “Gordon Ramsay” is the latest enterprise of the famous British chef and will serve a cuisine inspired by the local tradition and produce. www.castelmonastero.com

Offer “Tea And Sympathy”

Visitors and residents are being encouraged to retreat to cosy tea rooms and cafes to sample a new item on the menu – a dollop of sympathy thanks to a new “Tea and Sympathy” initiative from the Yorkshire Moors and Coast Tourism Partnership. Nearly thirty cosy cafes have come together to offer quality tea, coffee and cakes, friendly service and a little sympathy in the form of “happy” table top tent cards. Each card bears an uplifting or amusing quote from eminent figures such as Oscar Wilde. Visitors are encouraged to spread the happiness by reading them aloud and sharing with family and friends.

David Shields, Development Director, Yorkshire Moors and Coast Tourism Partnership commented:

“We think this area is Yorkshire’s tea shop capital so we’re delighted so many of these fantastic tea rooms have offered to go that extra mile for their customers. Visitors to the area can find out more about participating tea rooms at www.yorkshiremoorsandcoast.com/sympathy

Sophie Smith, manager of award-winning Tea Hee Café in Easingwold said:

“Smiling customers are good for business which is why we loved the idea of “Tea and Sympathy”. We’ve noticed that some of our customers need an extra lift at the moment and we’re delighted to oblige.”

Quotes to bring a smile include: “Some cause happiness wherever they go. Others whenever they go” Oscar Wilde; “Living on Earth is expensive, but it does include a free trip around the sun”; “If at first you don’t succeed, destroy all evidence you tried. When all else fails, read the directions.”; “If they can send one man to the moon why can’t they send them all?”

The Yorkshire Moors and Coast has a huge variety of tea rooms and cafes some of which are in truly unique locations. The newly opened Falling Foss Tea Garden in Malton, is a delightful café in a 17th Century Game keeper’s cottage at the top of the Falling Foss Waterfall. Whilst T Cafe at the Mouseman Visitor Centre allows you to try out the craftsmanship first hand whilst enjoying fine teas, coffees and cakes.

A number of the area’s award-winning art galleries also have cafes. The Back of the Shop Art Cafe in Terrington is a fine example of where art and refreshments create the perfect ambience.

Participating tea rooms include:
Tee Hee, Easingwold
T Cafe, Kilburn
Lewis & Cooper Tea Rooms, Northallerton
Café L’Antico, Northallerton
Pennybank Cafe, Kirbymoorside
Russell’s Café, Pickering
Goathland Tea Rooms and Gifts
Back of the Shop Art Cafe, Terrington
The Fine Food Theatre, Malton
Woodhead the Baker, Malton
The Hidden Monkey Tea Rooms, Malton
Palace Theatre Cafe, Malton


Le Chat Noir, Scarborough
Pinocchio’s, Scarborough
Cafe View, Scarborough
Linda Jane’s Café, Scarborough
Solid Rock Cafe, Scarborough
Station Tea Rooms, Scarborough
Sunrise Cafe, Scarborough
Bothams of Whitby
Crystal Lounge Cafe, Whitby
Glebe Cottage Tea Room, Whitby
Dollys Deli, Whitby
Monks Haven, Whitby
The Staircase Cafe, Whitby
Falling Foss Tea Garden, Whitby

Please visit www.yorkshiremoorsandcoast.com/sympathy  to find out more.

Two new spa centres are opening in Slovenia this spring, further enhancing the country’s varied range of wellness facilities.

The Spa Perla wellness centre opens in March 2009 in Nova Gorica, a casino town close to the Italian border; followed by the Wellness Orhidelia complex, which will open at the Terme Olimia health resort in April.

The Spa Perla wellness centre offers guests a variety of saunas, showers and whirlpools as well as suites with luxury baths for couples, a pool and a fitness studio. Therapeutic and pampering massages, plus a complete range of cosmetic and beauty treatments will also be available.

The Spa Perla will sit alongside the Traditional Thai Massage Centre and the Face and Body Care Centre at the Hotel Perla, which is renowned for its first-class casino and entertainment facilities.

The new Wellness Orhidelia centre at Terme Olimia has been designed to fit in with the natural landscape – sunk into the ground, with a green roof and surrounded by a park. The centre includes both indoor and outdoor pools featuring geysers, whirlpools, a flowing river, light cave and a music pool.

The centre also includes an extensive sauna area, open-air terraces and a nightclub.

To find out more, visit the Wellness link at www.Slovenia.info

Slovenia’s most visited Karst landmark, Postojna Cave, is hosting an exhibition of Cretaceous fossils and dinosaur skeleton replicas until 3rd May 2009. Skeletons of the mamenchisaurus, the biggest animal to ever tread Eurasia, and the psittacosaurus, one of the smallest dinosaurs, will be on display alongside a moulded nest of dinosaur eggs, a mould of the largest known seashell and numerous fossils unearthed in Nanos and Hrušica, two Karst plateaus above Postojna.

The Karst landscapes of Slovenia encompass a network of vast caves and subterranean geological features. The formation of the Karst took place at a time when dinosaurs already started to face extinction, illustrating just one period in their remarkable history.

Ice Age mammoth hunters inhabited Postojna Cave as early as 10,000 years ago, while signatures dating from the 13th century tell of the first visits to the cave. The development of the cave for tourism purposes dates back to the 19th century, when railway tracks and Slovenia’s first electric lighting system were installed inside. Since that time, Postojna Cave has welcomed more than 32 million visitors from around the globe.

For more on Postojna Cave, see www.postojna-cave.com

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Radisson Hotel in Tianin, China

TIANJIN, CHINA – Radisson Hotels & Resorts, one of the world’s leading upscale, full-service hotel brands, will open its doors for business in China’s third largest city, Tianjin.

The 270-room Radisson Plaza Hotel Tianjin, a premium extension of the Radisson brand, is a joint investment between Tianjin Urban Construction Group and First Eastern Investment Group (Hong Kong). The hotel is operated by Carlson Hotels Worldwide, one of the world’s leading hotel companies.

Situated on Xinkai Road, to the West of Tianjin Railway Station and East of Tianjin Airport, Radisson Plaza Hotel Tianjin is located in the new financial hub of Hedong District, close to Tianjin’s Central Business District, the Tianjin Economic Development Area, the Binhai New Area, as well as many tourist sites and shopping malls.

The city of Tianjin is also 29 minutes from Beijing by bullet train.

“There are currently five Radisson properties in China, and as we continue to expand our presence in the China market, we are pleased to introduce the premium Radisson Plaza brand to Tianjin. Radisson Plaza Hotel Tianjin will be the first of six new Radisson properties in China,” said Jean-Marc Busato, managing director – Asia Pacific, Carlson Hotels Worldwide.

“The 23-storey high-rise building, with its unique, iconic design and architectural style, is expected to become a landmark destination for visitors and a symbol of Tianjin’s transformation into a thriving financial centre for business travellers from around the world,” he added.

Radisson Plaza Hotel Tianjin will be the latest addition to Tianjin’s rapidly developing hotel industry and will offer high-quality urban living and facilities to guests. These include a spa, a health club, an indoor heated swimming pool, complimentary high speed internet access in guest rooms and function rooms, as well as extensive conference and meeting facilities.

“An increasing number of foreign companies are moving into the Hedong District, as part of the city’s strategy to shift its economic centre further east. This hotel will provide Tianjin with a fresh, modern design and give a boost to the city’s new financial hub,” said Kjell Rognoy, general manager, Radisson Plaza Hotel Tianjin.

The hotel will have panoramic views of downtown Tianjin, three executive floors, as well as an executive lounge occupying the entire 23rd floor of the hotel. Its signature restaurant, Kushi, is an Asian Grill inspired by a Japanese Robatayaki, and will offer a mix of Western and Asian meat and seafood dishes.

The hotel will also have an all day dining restaurant, Cafe@66, which offers European Brasserie style buffet and à la carte service.

The China Station Chinese restaurant specialises in Northern Chinese cuisine, while ‘Purple’ one of the city’s trendiest cocktail bars will be the place to be, and the place to be seen at.

Set beside the hotel lobby, Lounge@66 will be the perfect place for a relaxing afternoon tea, or an aperitif before dinner, with Happy Hour promotions a popular daily feature at the lounge.

The former South Molle Island Resort in the beautiful Whitsundays has been transformed and reopened as The Koala Adventure Resort for guests aged 18 and over.

The former South Molle Island Resort has been renovated and now features Balinese-inspired massage beds, bamboo day beds and thatched pergolas along the beach and foreshore area.

Surrounded by 405 hectares of National Park, palm fringed beaches and inlets, Koala Adventure Resort opened on March 26 to offer a new and affordable holiday destination in the Whitsundays.

There are plenty of activities to choose from including sailing, diving, snorkeling, fishing, bushwalking, tennis, beach volleyball and nightly entertainment.

www.koalaadventureisland.com

GolfAsian, Indochina’s largest specialist golf travel operator, announced 3 new recession busting golf tours that make it now possible for golf enthusiasts from around the world to visit and play the premier courses in Thailand, Vietnam, and Cambodia and receive value-added benefits at costs 42% lower than other comparable golf tours.

Mark Siegel, Managing Director of Golfasian said, “These new golf tours have been developed for the discerning golf traveler with the global recession in mind. Not only is it now possible to golf at favorable rates in Thailand, Vietnam, and Cambodia, but golfer holidaymakers do not have to sacrifice luxury.” Siegel went on to day,

“We have negotiated super low rates and special value added services with all of our golf and resort partners and packaged them together into 3 great new golf deals.”

The “Best of Indochina Golf Tour” is a 15 day trip that makes stops in the cities of the 3 premier golf destinations in Asia, namely Thailand Vietnam, and Cambodia. The ‘Vietnam & Cambodia Golf Culture Tour” is a 10 day itinerary that includes golf and sightseeing on alternate days.

This allows first time visitors the chance to learn about the rich culture in Vietnam and Cambodia, while still golfing at each of the 2 countries best golf courses.

Finally, for golf history enthusiasts there is the one-of-a-kind 10 day “Cambodia Golf & History Tour” which includes detailed historical excursions in the one of the world’s best undiscovered golf destinations, Cambodia.

Costs for the new tours start at $1,240 US Dollars and include all green fees, deluxe accommodations, authentic guided excursions, domestic airfare, and private transfers. Golfers who are looking for a unique and affordable golf tour should consider one of these newly announced golf tours.

For more information contact Golfasian on the web at http://www.golfasian.com

With thousands of islands fringed by sparkling white sand beaches, and legendary resorts such as Boracay and Amanpulo, it is little wonder that the Philippines are often regarded as one of the world’s hottest beach destinations.

But this exotic archipelago has so much more to offer those who are prepared to dig a bit deeper.

Far East specialists Bamboo Travel have just launched a series of private tours to explore the variety of marine and bird life, rare and colourful flora, striking natural wonders and rich culture of these wonderfully diverse islands. These exciting new itineraries include the UNESCO protected rice terraces at Banaue, a luxury kayaking ‘safari’ exploring a chain of small tropical islands, the striking landscape of Bohol looking out over 1,268 ‘Chocolate Hills’, trekking to the summit of Mount Pinatubo, a visit to Taal Volcano – the world’s smallest, visits to local fiestas, whale watching in the Visayas and bird watching on the ‘last frontier’ of Palawan.

Founder of Bamboo Travel, Tim Milner, adds

“Those looking for a different and exciting destination to visit should consider the Philippines.

“With excellent natural and cultural sightseeing, great beaches and very friendly locals, what more could you want?”.

Holidaymakers looking for a stylish-yet-affordable holiday can look East and head to Hong Kong: a renowned destination, Hong Kong offers such a varied combination of attractions to enjoy for absolutely ridiculously low prices, if not for free – below are some classic Hong Kong experiences that won’t break the bank:

- For around £2, take the Peak Tram that climbs 373m to the top of Victoria Peak to soak up the stunning views of Hong Kong’s skyline and the lush green countryside.

- The iconic Star Ferry is a must-do and an alternative way to explore Victoria Harbour, with tickets costing around 20 pence. For a double treat, travel after 8pm to enjoy the Symphony of Lights, the world largest permanent light and sound show displayed daily over 40 buildings.

Take advantage of the substantial discount opportunities on offer at the Ladies Market for inexpensive handbags, clothing and paintings, or the mile-long Temple Street Night Market, a smart choice for street side food, watches, bric-a-brac stalls and silk embroidery.

- For a historical and cultural tour, board the legendary 100-year-old Tramway (otherwise known as Ding Ding to the locals), one of only three in the world still operating double-decker trams. Costing only 18 pence for adults, it travels through some of Hong Kong’s hot spots, including Central, the classic ‘East meets West’ part of the city.

- Take the Central Mid-Level escalator, the world’s longest outdoor covered escalator climbing 135m, which offers an alternative way of travelling to Lan Kwai Fong and SoHo and an excellent sightseeing experience.

- Hong Kong also hides many treasures, with more than 260 outlying islands: Lantau Island, the largest of all the outlying islands, is a good place to start (a £1.95 ferry ride), stretches of pristine beaches and dense sub-tropical jungle waiting to be explored.

To make your pound go even further, here are some more recommendations to enjoy Hong Kong on a budget:

- For an active and relaxing start of the day, join a Tai Chi Class, an absolutely free revitalising work-out involving the control of movements and breathing.

- Get out for an urban tour on foot using the six-themed, self-guided free walking tour booklet.

- There are several museums that showcase Hong Kong’s history, arts and culture; these are usually for free or under £2.

- Stroll along the Avenue of Stars on Kowloon’s waterfront – not only is it free but also offers scenic views of Hong Kong’s stunning skyline and a great place to view the Symphony of Lights.

- Show off your Chinese cooking expertise back home by joining one of the free Chinese Cake making Classes to learn how to bake your own mooncakes.

- Hong Kong Wetland Park: for under £3, get outside the city for a fun and informative wetland adventure in the company of birds and other animals.

For further ideas on how to make the best of your time in Hong Kong without blowing the budget and more travel information on visiting Hong Kong please go to

http://www.discoverhongkong.com

The Atlantic Coast – Sun And Sand, Sails And Seawater

With over 250 miles of beaches, the coastline of the Western Loire offers the ideal seaside holiday: an excellent sunshine record, clean, sandy Blue Flag resorts, an unspoiled, natural landscape. But there is an extra dimension: fun!

As well as swimming and sunbathing, the Pays de la Loire’s sea and sand provide a huge playground for sports that we Brits haven’t even thought of yet!

• Sand yachting: like sailing on sand. Learn in minutes, have fun for hours.
• Speedsailing: think skateboarding with a sail – or windsurfing on the beach.
• Power kiting, landboarding, kiteboarding: all the above – with a kite.
• PLUS: the world’s most natural spa treatments.

LIFE’S A BEACH

Want endless sand or a tiny cove, sheltered by cliffs? A backdrop of scented pine forest or rugged rocks? A practical modern resort or the charm of a fishing village? The Pays de la Loire has 42 Blue Flag beaches – one-fifth of France’s total – and two marinas.

Nowhere is grander than La Baule with its three-mile crescent of beach; nowhere has more charm than Le Croisic, where fishing is still a way of life. Further south is Les Sables d’Olonne, one of the world’s great yachting centres, the start and finish point of the Vendée Globe Round-the-World Race.

Overlooking the sands are boardwalks and cycle trails, dunes and golf courses.

IT’S A BREEZE

When the tide goes out, it leaves behind miles of firm sand – perfect for sand-yachting. With its Blue Flag beaches, St Jean de Monts is one of many attractive seaside resorts along the Vendée coast.

For this easy-to-learn sport, spend a weekend here on an introductory course in spring and autumn. Clubs take youngsters as young as seven and teach them how to use the sail to pick up the breeze. Get the hang of it in 10 minutes; go solo in two hours.

Then you are off! Only inches above the sand, you are safe even when you are going at 30mph …but it feels so much faster!

GREAT DEALS

Duration: 3 days/2 nights in St-Jean-de-Monts in a 2-star hotel

When: February-June, September-November

Details: Vendée Tourism, www.vendee-tourisme.com  0033 2 51 47 88 20

AAAH… SAY SPA… Thalassotherapy: a real tonic

It’s such a long word that the French shorten it to ‘thalasso’, the French way to relax and to recharge your batteries. Using clean, mineral-rich seawater straight from the Atlantic, thalasso centres offer stylish spa treatments, ranging from seawater showers and underwater massages to seaweed wraps and the latest treatment techniques.

Add in the guaranteed fresh seaside air at La Baule, Pornichet, Pornic, Saint-Jean-de-Monts and Les Sable-d’Olonne and you know that you’ll leave your stress behind and return home refreshed and relaxed.

http://www.westernloire.com/en/guide/listeOffreMoteur.asp?IdSSTheme=0401&Kw=thalasso