Jetsettersblog

The Pride Of Africa

The world’s most talked about golf and safari resort has been hailed the best in Africa after scooping a prestigious tourism award.

Legend Golf & Safari Resort at the Big 5 Entabeni Safari Conservancy in the Waterberg area of Limpopo, has been named Africa’s Leading Tourism Development Project at the 2009 World Travel Awards.

Hailed as the “Oscars of the travel industry”, the World Travel Awards is the most influential and comprehensive awards programme for the travel sector.

The glittering red carpet event, staged at The International Convention Centre Durban, saw global travel professionals acknowledge the uniqueness of the world-class resort situated in the African bush which boasts a signature golf course, an exceptional residential estate, a golf academy, an internationally branded hotel and wellness centre, recreational facilities and a field of legends sports complex.

Peet Cilliers, CEO of Legend Lodges, Hotels & Resorts, said: “We are thrilled to receive such a prestigious award and be named Africa’s Leading Tourism Development Project.

“Our dream is to create one of Africa’s great tourism leisure resorts and, with the recognition of the World Travel Awards, it seems we are well on our way to achieving our dream.”

Legend Golf & Safari Resort, located on the 22,000 hectare, malaria-free Big 5 Entabeni game reserve, is also home to the Signature Course, designed by 18 of the world’s leading golfers, as well as the planet’s most extreme golf hole – the Extreme 19th.

More than a million people across the world have experienced the longest and highest Par 3 on the globe thanks to a short video of former Open Champion Padraig Harrington in a play-off against French tour star Raphael Jacquelin.

To see the footage visit  THIS LINK.

GSE Ecotours is offering new destinations for its Kenyan village homestay tours to rural Kenya. Guests can now enjoy up to 14 nights experiencing the culture and lifestyle of the Taita and Kisii Communities.

To fully absorb local culture and customs, visitors stay as guests with host families and are invited to assist with everyday tasks such as meal preparation, handicrafts and harvesting grass for livestock.

There is also a tree-planting ceremony as part of the programme, to mark the guests’ arrival. Other activities include local language tuition, and the opportunity to work on local community projects, which are funded by revenue generated by the holidays.

The activities are designed to help guests to feel at home in their host community.

Popular with ethically-minded adventurous families and intrepid travelers alike, GSE Ecotours’ homestay tours are designed to offer visitors a culturally enriching experience. The tours also aid local economies and help to protect and sustain natural resources.

Says GSE Ecotours founder, Jackie Kariithi: “Increasingly people are seeking new ways to give something back and experience different cultures.

Village homestays offer the same cultural and ethical benefits as gap year and voluntourism schemes, without the extended time commitment. Staying as the guest of a hand-picked host family in the unspoilt rural Kenyan landscape is an unmissable experience.”

As part of the GSE Ecotours’ package, before arriving at their allocated village, visitors are educated on what to expect during their stay, local etiquette and responsible use of valuable water and amenities. A GSE Ecotours’ guide and translator also stays with each host family to help guests to settle into their new environment and get the most from their stay. To minimise negative environmental impact and to protect community resources, visitor numbers are limited to less than 15 guests per village.

Homestay Package Details:

Community tours to Taita, Taveta District in the Coast Province of Kenya are available throughout July 2009. Community tours to Kisii, Nyanza Province in Western Kenya are available throughout December 2009.

A 7-day tour including: accommodation, all meals, ground transport, guide services, and fees paid to host communities, costs £370 per person (single supplement £27 per night). Discounts are available for groups of 10+.

A maximum of three visitors and one GSE Ecotours guide and translator stay with each host family. Excursions to local national parks and game reserves are included in the itinerary, to allow visitors to appreciate Kenya’s majestic landscape, wildlife and natural habitats.

For more information call 0870 766 9891 or visit www.gse-ecotours.com

The Mamilla Hotel, the newest property from the owners of the David Citadel and designed by legendary architect Moshe Safdie with interiors by Piero Lissoni, will open this month in Jerusalem.

The 5-star hotel will feature 194 rooms and suites overlooking the Old City on Mamilla Avenue, Jerusalem’s new downtown shopping district.

www.MamillaHotel.com

Three species of turtles in extinction danger annually arrive at Panamanian coasts to fulfill the cycle of life.

Every year they meet in Panamanian beaches. They arrive quiet with an objective and they do not leave until to have fulfilled its task of laying thousands of eggs that, between 45 and 60 days later will become small turtles that will run towards the sea as soon as they touch the sand.

In this race the young turtles are vulnerable to the attack of crabs, mammals and birds. With luck, they will survive 20 years to return like adult turtles to the beach where they were born and to initiate the cycle of life again.

After digging a hole with its back fins, they lay eggs in it and soon they cover the nest with sand, moving itself over it.

Before leaving, they advance about one meter and they make a false mark similar to which is in its nest, with the hope to confuse the predators. Fascinating, isn’t it? well it is only a look to this wonderful phenomenon of the nature.

Every year, the arrival of the first turtle marks the beginning of the season of egg-laying in sites such as la Marinera beach the at Guánico (in the district of Tonosí, Los Santos Province), Caña Island (to the south of Azuero), Malena Beach in Mariato (in the south of Veraguas Province) and Barqueta Beach (in Alanje, Chiriquí Province).

The turtles – animal in danger of extinction- that arrive here are the turtle caguama or loro(Caretta Caretta) and the golfita turtle (Lepidochelys Olivacea). In 2008, thousands of turtles of these species laid millions of eggs in Panamanian coasts. Environmentalist groups and conservationist in Panamá, have the arduous work to preserve these species.

From the beginning of the season of egg-laying, the volunteers initiate the work to watch day and night the places where the turtles lay eggs, so they move the eggs to artificials nest of one meter of depth, previously dug by the volunteers away from the beach waves.

Like in the natural process, the eggs are covered with sand; next to the nest is placed a wood stake with the date of egg-laying and the probable date in that they will be born.

In some sites, barriers are placed as cyclone fences to prevent that predators like dogs, some birds and humans. When finishing the period of incubation, the volunteers attend the small turtles, from the moment at which they leave the nest, until they initiate a race towards the sea.

Sometimes manage to approach them few meters of the sea, being reduced therefore the danger to be attacked by the predators. Every year, Panamá receives in its coasts this visit, waited for with anxieties by local visitors and loving foreigners of the nature and the eco-tourism. The efforts by the conservation of the species continue and continue growing year after year.

For more information visits: www.marviva.net  and www.anam.gob.pa

Fourth Time – Three other Spanish restaurants have also made into the Top 10

For the fourth consecutive year, El Bulli has been voted as the World’s Best Restaurant by the votes from the S.Pellegrino’s the World’s 50 Best Restaurant voting panel.

Also in the top ten list this year, is Mugaritz and Arzak who remain in 4th and 8th place respectively and newcomer in 5th place is El Celler de Can Roca who made the biggest jump from 26th place in 2008 –

in total, there are four Spanish restaurants placed in the top ten for 2009.

The S.Pellegrino’s World 50 Best Restaurant is in its eighth year and is an internationally recognized event that has established itself as the most credible guide to the best places to eat on earth.

Year after year, the global pool of voters expands, this year by almost 20%, a third of the voters having never voted before.

This year’s results was a total of 4,185 votes casted by 837 restaurant experts – all well-travelled restaurant commentators, chefs or restaurateurs.

Highlights Include Rooftop Bar and Award Winning Restaurant

The Strand, a new 177-room hotel in Manhattan’s fashion district will debut August 2009. Housed within a contemporary metal and glass structure on 37th street off Fifth Avenue, The Strand blends old-world glamour with modern day amenities. The hotel is a new build designed by New York architect Gene Kaufman. Among the highlights: crisp public spaces adorned with vintage fashion photography from the Condé Nast archives; a celebrated restaurant making its New York debut (A Fish Called Avalon, the award-winning South Beach dining fixture for 20 years); and an open-air rooftop bar that features a retractable roof and magnificent views of the Empire State Building. Rack rates for the hotel will start at $325.

The Strand is the latest project of entrepreneur Don Glassie, president of Newport-based Atlantic Stars Hotels and Cruises.

His vision for the hotel is rooted in his knack for creating modern classics – experiences that, whether on land or sea, resonate with the elegance of a bygone era.

To that end, he tapped Lisa Knight of ABI Design & Construction to infuse the hotel with 1930’s Hollywood glamour, yet seamlessly adhere to today’s contemporary definition of comfort and luxury.

From the moment of arrival, guests will be captivated by the lobby’s period details, including dramatic tapered mahogany columns and a two-story water wall that skims behind a contemporary glass spiral staircase leading to a lower lobby and meeting rooms.

Shades of cream, black, gold and aubergine blend with the lobby’s limestone floor and Bogart-style furnishings. Descending the glass staircase, guests find a space accented by a striking tiered amber-hued chandelier that drops through from the upper to lower lobby. The more functional space offers intimate seating areas outside of meeting rooms.

With an eye toward complementing the hotel’s glamorous public spaces, the designers took a deco approach to the hotel’s 177 guest rooms. Knight opted for warm-hued walls and green and black rugs to form an understated backdrop for mahogany furniture with silver detailing, asymmetrical lounge chairs and iconic black & white fashion photography from Condé Nast’s archives including images from Vogue and Vanity Fair.

The hotel’s restaurant, A Fish Called Avalon, will feature an indoor and outdoor garden terrace and sidewalk seating.

Replicating the original restaurant located in The Avalon Hotel, another Atlantic Stars’ property in Miami’s South Beach, the Floribbean seafood grill menu will include Avalon’s signature Bang-Bang Shrimp and Diver Scallops, as well as Pan Roasted Local Snapper, Caribbean Spice Grilled Grouper and Maine Lobster Linguini. The restaurant menu is also available for in-room dining.

One of the hotel’s signature features is a retractable roof-top lounge on the 21st floor of the hotel boasting stellar views of the Empire State Building.

Designed by Lydia Marks, best known for decorating the sets of “Sex and the City” and “The Devil Wears Prada,” the space consists of a series of large planters creating an urban oasis among the concrete buildings of the garment district.

Other special features of the hotel will be a multi-use event/meeting space accommodating up to 350, a fitness center with massage services, and a comfortable and well-stocked library and espresso lounge with a daily selection of international newspapers.

For more information on The Strand please visit www.thestrandnyc.com  or call 212.448.1024.

The Strand is part of Atlantic Stars Hotels & Cruises, a hospitality company comprising hotel properties, harbor cruises and overnight cruising along the Atlantic Seaboard and the Caribbean.

Its holdings include the Avalon Hotel and South Seas Hotel in Miami’s South Beach; the Park South Hotel in Manhattan; the Harborside Inn, Jailhouse Inn and Yankee Peddler Inn in Newport, RI; the Pequot Hotel on Martha’s Vineyard; as well as harbor cruises aboard the Rum Runner II and Madeleine in Newport, RI and extended overnight cruising aboard the S/Y Arabella.

Kealakekua Bay on Hawai‘i’s Big Island is becoming a hot spot for adventure with two new attractions.

Bottom Time Hawaii recently added two new vessels to its fleet. The 34-foot Hale Kai is designed specifically for divers and is now
sailing in the evenings for a night dive adventure underneath the stars in Kealakekua Bay. The Big Kahuna is a new 70-foot catamaran equipped for a full day of ocean fun including an in-water trampoline and complete with snorkeling equipment.

For more information, visit www.BottomTimeHawaii.com

The new Captain Cook Historical Cruise by Body Glove Cruises takes visitors on a cultural journey to Kealakekua Bay, the storied site where Captain Cook first arrived in Hawai‘i. Along the way, visitors can catch a glimpse of other historical sites along the Kona Coastline including Ahu’ena Heiau, Pao ‘Umi, the Hölua Slide, and Kuamo‘o Battlefield, and even spot a spinner dolphin, turtle, or manta ray, and a humpback whale in the winter.

For more information,
visit 

www.BodyGloveHawaii.com

The Outrigger Kanaloa at Kona (Hawai‘i’s Big Island) welcomes a new
restaurant Akoni’s at Kanaloa to its property. Akoni’s provides guests an
affordable dining option with delicious home-style and local favorites and
spectacular ocean views. Open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, there is a dish to satisfy all tastes. For something different, try Chef Anthony Farace’s signature

Akoni Cobb Salad, or the homemade ice cream, which comes in flavors of vanilla, strawberry, chocolate, and tropical pina colada.

For more information,visit www.OuttriggerCondos.com

The Broadmoor Cottages are the newest addition to The Broadmoor’s accommodation space and are available now

. Forty-four cottage bedrooms line the 18th fairway of the East Course with views of Cheyenne Mountain. The Cottages consist of five eight-bedroom buildings and one four-bedroom building — six total buildings offering up to 6,300 square feet per complex.

Premium cottage style interiors, designed by TAG Galyean and Johnson David Interiors, feature parlors with high beamed ceilings, wood accented chandeliers and wood floors. Handcrafted area rugs complement natural stone fireplaces, and custom stone and ceramic baths feature five-fixture baths and heated floors. Premium surround sound systems in spacious wood paneled parlors, large flat screen TVs, and desk systems with the latest in-room technology blend seamlessly into this casual and spacious design. Additional outdoor space is found through window doors that open to verandas with oversized wicker chairs and rockers, with mountain and golf course views.

A large common outdoor patio area includes an outdoor fireplace suited for year-round use, a lawn bowling green and entertaining area. The Cottages are versatile in design and can form anywhere from single room suites up to eight-bedroom suites.

For more information, call 800-634-7711 or visit www.broadmoor.com

Port Everglades has updated its website to provide more information for cruise passengers sailing from Fort Lauderdale.

The site allows travelers and agents to book a hotel room and plan pre- and post-cruise vacations at www.porteverglades.net and through the main Broward County web site at www.broward.org/port . “Within a five-mile radius of Port Everglades, our cruise guests have access to beaches, upscale shopping, golf courses, fishing, waterside tours, fine dining and an international airport.

It makes sense that we should be promoting all of Broward County through our web site and not just our seaport,” says Port Everglades Director Phillip C. Allen. “Our goal is to promote jobs and economic well-being to our community, and this is just one more step towards making that happen.” New sections are called “Cruise and Play” and “Get A Room.”

“Cruise and Play” features special offers for cruise guests, sightseeing options near Port Everglades, upcoming special events and dining deals.

“Get a Room” is an online booking engine for hotels with connections to flights and car rentals.

For more information, visit www.porteverglades.net

Read the Jetsetters Magazine feature about Jazz Cruises departing from Ft. Lauderdale on the Holland America Line.