Jetsettersblog

Thailand

Although most of Thailand is ‘connected’ there are still a few islands in the south where travelers can completely unwind and not hear the phone ring.

Visitors can view such fabulous wildlife as 91 types of birds; 22 types of mammals, including 12 types of bats; six types of reptiles; and coral reefs filled with fabulous fish and sea turtles. Throw those cell phones and Blackberrys into the Andaman Sea and enjoy the pristine beaches, quiet coves, small guest houses and wonderful hospitality of the Thai people.

For more information about the Similan Islands, visit: THIS LINK.

 For more information on Mu Ko Surin National Park, go to: THIS LINK.

For more information on Thailand, see www.tourismthailand.org

The Moorings will open a new base in Phuket, Thailand for the 2009 sailing season.

The Moorings base will offer three different ways to sail from bareboat (captain yourself) sailing and power yacht charters, to their luxury crewed yacht product which is an all-inclusive vacation with a professional captain and chef.

The fleet will consist of the award-winning Moorings 4600 catamaran, and new generation powercats The Moorings 474PC and 372PC.

The new base in Phuket is located on the west coast of the Thailand peninsula and provides immediate access to some of the most beautiful cruising grounds in the world.

There are over 50 islands and countless anchorages to choose from in this diverse cruising ground. It’s a short cruise to Phang Nga Bay, a marine national park featuring the towering limestone islands of Koh Phanak and Koh Hong with their many caves to explore.

South are the Phi Phi islands which offer undersea life with opportunities for snorkeling or diving among the numerous reefs and limestone islands.

According to Cheryl Powell, chief operating officer of The Moorings, the base is easily accessible with flights connecting from Bangkok or direct flights to Phuket from Singapore and Hong Kong.

The base is located 20 minutes from the Phuket airport at the new Ao Po Grand Marina.

The marina offers state-of-the-art floating docks with water and electricity available at all slips.

The marina is located within 5 minutes of several resort hotels which can provide customers with a range of options for pre or post charter accommodations.

The master plan for the marina village includes additional services such as restaurants, bars, retail and luxury villas to be completed over the next two years.

The Moorings will also offer the option of one-way charters from Phuket to Langkawi, Malaysia for an additional fee. This will open up a cruising ground extending 140 miles south of Phuket and will include the 104 islands that make up the Langkawi group. Arrangements must be made in advance to allow this itinerary.

For more information, call 800-535-7289 or visit www.moorings.com

Healthy Travel Media and the Tourism Authority of Thailand have teamed up to announce the launch of “Patients Beyond Borders:

Thailand Edition.” The book is being published in English for international distribution in September. Produced in collaboration with the Tourism Authority of Thailand and supported by hospitals and related government and private organizations, the 222-page guidebook offers an in-depth overview of Thailand’s international hospitals, selected health travel agents, nearby recovery and guest accommodations, and area travel information.

“As one of the original countries to support and promote medical tourism, it’s easy to see why Thailand’s excellent health care system and unsurpassed hospitality have positioned Thailand as a robust destination for medical and wellness travel,” said Josef Woodman, CEO of Healthy Travel Media.

“Thailand has emerged as one of the world’s major destinations for medical services.

The combination of first-class medical facilities, five-star hotels and serviced apartments, spas, wellness clinics and myriad tourist attractions have contributed to Thailand’s popularity,” said Juthaporn Rerngronasa, deputy governor for marketing communications, Tourism Authority of Thailand.

“We are pleased that our partnership with Patients Beyond Borders will further advance awareness of Thailand as an important destination for medical tourism.” For more information, visit www.patientsbeyondborders.com.

U.S.-based tour operators Ultimate Dive Travel and Trip-n-Tour are offering dive packages for Palau, where divers can observe large schools of sharks, manta rays, colorful soft corals and experience wall dives and drift dives.

Located in the westernmost corner of Micronesia,

Palau is an archipelago of more than 586 islands with about 20,000 inhabitants. Consistently ranked as one of the world’s best dive destinations, Palau has some of the most spectacular water features and beaches as well as the world famous Rock Islands and Jellyfish Lake, more than 1,400 species of fish and 500 species of coral.

Ultimate Dive Travel’s Resort and Dive Package is valid for travel through Dec. 20.

With a garden view room, it is priced $1,740 per person double occupancy.

With an ocean view room, it’s priced $1,930 per person double occupancy. The package includes seven nights accommodations at Palau Pacific Resort, daily breakfast, lunch on dive days, five days of two-tank boat diving with Fish ‘n’ Fins, tanks, weights, seven weight belts, roundtrip airport transfers and hotel taxes.
Trip-n-Tour is offering a Neco Marine Package valid for travel through July 31 and Sept. 1 to Dec. 20. It’s priced from $3,195 per person double occupancy (airfare included).

The package includes roundtrip airfare from Los Angeles (other departure cities available), eight days/seven nights luxurious accommodations at Palau Pacific Resort, five days of two-tank boat dives in the Rock Islands with Neco Marine, free Nitrox for Nitrox-certified divers, Rock Island/Jellyfish Lake permit, roundtrip airport transfers, hotel taxes and service charges.

Trip-n-Tour’s Ocean Hunter III Package is valid for travel through Dec. 31.

It includes seven nights from $4,793 per person double occupancy (airfare included).

Catering to the most discerning divers, Ocean Hunter III is a live-aboard experience that includes photo and tech diving expertise and a gourmet chef.

The package includes roundtrip airfare from Los Angeles, seven nights in an air conditioned cabin, up to five dives per day, all gourmet meals, full technical diving and photo support and roundtrip airport transfers

Palau Pacific Resort is the only luxury resort in Palau featuring 160 deluxe rooms and world-class amenities on a private, 1,000-foot stretch of white sand beach.

Amenities include two restaurants, a beachside bar, pool and Jacuzzi, shops, activity center, tennis courts and spa. Lush landscaping, including a fishpond with exotic marine life provides a tropical setting for relaxation and exploration.

For information about Ultimate Dive Travel, call 800-737-3483, e-mail udive@ultimatedivetravel.com  or visit www.ultimatedivetravel.com/pages/specials.asp

For information about Trip-n-Tour, call 800-348-0842 or visit www.trip-n-tour.com/Destination/Micronesia.aspx

For information about Palau, please visit www.visit-palau.com

The Hanalei Colony Resort on Kauai’s north shore has launched a luau every Tuesday at 6 p.m. at the Mediterranean Gourmet Restaurant.

The traditional dinner and show takes place in the oceanfront restaurant with seating limited to 80 people.

The evening includes a buffet dinner with traditional luau foods including lomi lomi salmon, taro rolls, poi, fresh island fish, kalua pork and haupia cake.

The program continues with a performance of Hawaiian and Tahitian dances by fire knife dancer Coppin Colburn and his family.

Prices for the luau are $69 for adults, $56 for children ages 12 to 17, $25 for children age 3 to 11 and free for children under 3.

Advance reservations required by calling 808-826-9875 or emailing kauaigourmet@yahoo.com

For hotel information, call 800-628-3004 or visit www.hcr.com

Atlantis Adventures provides passengers with immersive audio tour experiences 100 feet below the sea off of Waikiki Beach, Hawaii.

Atlantis Submarines International, Inc. in partnership with AudioConexus Inc. today announced the launch of new audio tours on its submarines operating off Waikiki Beach, Hawaii. Featured in National Geographic specials, passengers embark on an underwater ocean adventure, ferried by boat to battery powered submarines where they descend to 100 feet underwater to see real marine life close up.

Atlantis Adventures introduces “Let Us Show You Our Hawaii”, where underwater reefs and ocean life become the backdrop for submarine audio tours that provide passengers with entertaining and educational stories in English, Spanish, Japanese and Mandarin.

With no buttons to push on an audio guide, stories are automatically triggered in multiple languages simultaneously by an Atlantis Adventures professional guide, providing passengers with instant access to the narration of the underwater adventure experience in their own language in real time.

The Atlantis Waikiki dive site is home to many Hawaiian fishes, coral, sea turtles, sharks and thousands of other creatures of the deep.

Known for its quality and safety, Atlantis is an eye-opening experience that takes passengers beyond the classroom to learn about coral, reef life and submersibles while visiting sunken shipwrecks, airplane and other artificial reefs.

Passengers explore an amazing underwater world, where they’ll learn about an amazing and unique ecosystem and its inhabitants through captivating stories, music and sound effects – in a Coral Garden under the sea.

Mark Almaraz, General Manager, Atlantis Adventures said “As an innovative organization, we needed state-of-the-art technology to deliver audio tours in our highly unique submarine environment. AudioConexus worked closely with us to achieve our goal – to share our Hawaii in an immersive underwater adventure that offer visitors to Waikiki Beach outstanding audio theatre experiences 100 feet below the ocean’s surface. We’re setting a new standard of excellence at Atlantis Adventures by providing high-quality, fun, entertaining and educational experiences for our guests.”

“We are thrilled to launch multilingual audio tours with the most technologically advanced vessels of their kind, absolutely real submarines that carry passengers to depths of 100 feet and beyond. Atlantis Adventures is an amazing experience and we’re excited to be a part of its magic,” said Jonathan Stanley, President and CEO of AudioConexus Inc.

“We worked closely with Atlantis Adventures to create engaging tours that supported their mission, brand and interpretive message. By involving Atlantis Adventures in every aspect of the tour, it elevated our team’s standard of excellence and created new best practices. This is what great partnerships do.”

“Let Us Show You Our Hawaii” is delivered in multiple languages simultaneously using the guidePORT System. guidePORT offers unparalleled flexibility, further enhanced by guidePORT’s lightweight and rugged receiver (with individual volume control), engineered by Sennheiser. Tours are available in English, Spanish, Japanese and Mandarin.

About Atlantis Adventures

Dennis Hurd is the president of Atlantis Submarines International, Inc., the company responsible for taking more than 12 million passengers on undersea adventures aboard its 48 and 64 passenger submarines.

A fleet larger than that of many national navies, Atlantis subs are now found in Grand Cayman, Barbados, Aruba, Guam, Cozumel, and on the Hawaii Islands of Kona, Maui and Oahu.

The Atlantis XIV, which operates off Waikiki Beach, Hawaii, accommodates 64 passengers, spans more than 100 feet, and is the world’s largest passenger submarine. Hurd launched his first battery-powered, nonpolluting Atlantis Submarine in December 1985 off the coast of the Cayman Islands.

The high-tech nature of the vessel, the air-conditioned, pressure-controlled cabin, and the underwater beauty of the reef made the attraction an instant hit.

A design engineer who once captained a 20-ton schooner from Nova Scotia to the Bahamas, Hurd came up with the idea of recreational submarines during his tenure at International Hydrodynamics (“Hyco”).

Visitors to Waikiki Beach in Hawaii can experience Atlantis Adventures in the depths of a real aquatic eco-system while being captivated by undersea audio tour experiences that intertwine with rich ocean life and magnificent artificial reefs.

The Turtle Bay Resort on Oahu’s north shore has launched eco-friendly kayak tours featuring the new Peekaboo from Ocean Kayak, which allows for a stable platform for above-water viewing and has a Plexiglas window on the floor.

The kayak tours are operated by Shaka Kayaks. Tours depart daily from the Turtle Bay Resort lobby, where guests are transported to the kayaks located at Kawela Bay. After a brief demonstration on proper kayaking techniques, guides assist in launching kayakers from the beach.

Kayak tours last about two hours.

Rates start at $100.

For more information, call 808-381-4121

or visit www.shakakayaks.com.

For hotel information, call 808-293-6000 or visit www.turtlebayresort.com

HOTEL32, located on Monte Carlo’s top floor, is set to open Aug. 10 in Las Vegas as an exclusive boutique hotel offering a celebrity VIP experience available to all.

Guests will be whisked from the airport in a limo, arriving at the grand porte cochere at Monte Carlo, where a suite assistant will be waiting to personally them to HOTEL32 via a private, express elevator, accessible by key card only.

There is no check-in desk and guests proceed directly to their suite and check in privately within the comfort of their room.

The suite assistant provides a tour of the room’s features, amenities and services.

HOTEL32 offers a collection of five room types, ranging from studios to two-bedroom penthouses, allowing choices to fit every occasion and budget.

Each room’s sleek architecture will be paired with contemporary furnishings and luxurious amenities. Comfy, oversized custom furnishings along with a variety of hand-selected stone surfaces, including marble, onyx and granite, will create a place where guests can hang out and feel like a VIP.

Providing a serene, spa-like sanctuary, each suite will feature hydrotherapy soaking tubs; a shower with modish overhead panels producing a gentle rainfall throughout the enclosure; and chromatherapy, the use of colored lights for added relaxation.

Available in several suite types, a Crestron remote system will make for an easy, one-stop control of the room’s drapes, lights and electronics;

a BluRay player; and a TV integrated into the bathroom mirror. HDTV flat-screen plasma television, use of an iPod touch with mobile concierge application, and iHome clock radio with an iPod docking station will be standard in all HOTEL32 accommodations.

For business travelers and people who want to stay connected, laptop computers will be available upon request, and a tech-savvy workstation will feature complimentary high-speed wireless Internet access and dual phone lines.

Other complimentary amenities will include fax services, local and toll-free calls as well as daily fitness center passes, newspaper and water.

All HOTEL32 guests will have exclusive access to the dedicated suite assistant, who will provide butler and concierge services throughout the stay.

The suite assistant will provide everything from a curbside greeting and a custom itinerary to fit individual interests to bath services and complimentary clothes pressing. HOTEL32 also will feature a welcome amenity, a signature turndown gift and a pre-stocked refrigerator based on the guest’s preferences.

HOTEL32 will provide stunning views of the Las Vegas skyline with a delectable assortment of refreshments and evening cocktails at lounge32, located on the 32nd floor and available to all HOTEL32 guests. Rates begin at $250 per night, excluding tax and fees.

For reservation or more information, call 877-576-3232 or visit www.hotel32lasvegas.com

Creede, Colo —With a tough economic situation and family travel budgets shrinking, Colorado’s legendary, temperate summertime weather and close proximity to southern states that suffer from smoldering hot summers, make it an ideal vacation for outdoor enthusiasts, and an economic travel solution for families that are within driving distance.

The historic 4UR Ranch offers families an easy and all-inclusive vacation spot complete with plenty of outdoor adventure.

Aside from the legendary fishing opportunities, there is a multitude of other ways to soak up the Colorado sunshine and bring back a suitcase full of memories on this vacation. 4UR Ranch offers family activities like horseback riding, shooting some trap or sporting clays, swimming, hiking, jogging, and mountain biking.

There’s also private golfing on a spectacular 18-hole championship golf course at the nearby Rio Grande Club, available by special arrangement to guests of the ranch. Explorers can take a quick trip into nearby Creede, one of the very last miner’s boom towns that sprung up in Colorado.

Today, visitors can mine this charming town’s shops for local crafts, or catch a musical at the renowned Creede Repertory Theatre.

Not all the activities at the 4UR are quite so active. Guests can feel free to soak in the famous hot spring spa.

At the turn of the century, people took the railroad to this Colorado haven of sublime soaking. Word then was that a little time in the hot springs could cure anything. Today, most people have more realistic goals like profound relaxation, which is why another activity could be a soothing massage right at the ranch.

www.4urranch.com

Santa Fe, NM — Bishop’s Lodge Ranch Resort & Spa has a full slate of activities for kids and families at Camp Appaloosa. The staff provides creative activities and careful supervision for kids ages 5-11 in 1-, 4- or 5-hour sessions.

Activities include nature hikes, sports, camping, arts and crafts, pool play and horseback riding. Kids will play water games, compete in potato sack contests, go fishing from the shore of a small pond, do scavenger hunts, or other fun recreations.

Camp sports include tennis lessons, skeet and trap shooting lessons (for ages 8 and up), horseback riding, basketball, volleyball, swimming, and hiking. Saturdays a Dive-In Movie offers a movie at the swimming pool.

Camp Appaloosa Programs:

1. Day session: 8:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. The cost for morning activities is $67 per child and includes lunch.

2. Additional activities are scheduled from 2:30 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. and parents can join in activities with their child, like fishing in the pond. Usually a free outdoor activity.

3. An Evening Round-Up is offered from 5:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m. every day except Sunday and it includes games, crafts and other activities. Kids can choose their own dinner from the Kid’s Menu and the cost is $52 per child, including dinner.

Reservations are required and can be made by contacting the Concierge at 800-732-2240, or 505-819-4022.

The Bishop’s Lodge Ranch Resort & Spa has been ranked by Travel & Leisure magazine as one of America’s premier retreats, and is listed among Top 100 Family Resorts by Away.com. The Sh?Nah Spa and Wellness Center has been honored with Cond? Nast Johansens’ “Most Outstanding Spa Award in North America and the Caribbean.”

Bishop’s Lodge Ranch Resort & Spa is managed by Prism Hotels. To make resort or spa reservations call 800-732-2240 or visit www.bishopslodge.com