Jetsettersblog

“Alltracks is the perfect way to combine fantastic skiing, new friends and a great social life – without doubt a once in a lifetime experience.” Mike Smith, 2008 ALLTRACKS client

Those taking a Career Break or Gap Year are now gearing up for revolutionising their skiing and snowboarding techniques on one of ALLTRACKS Academy’s courses in Whistler, Revelstoke and Banff, which range from three week improvement courses to four or 11 week instructor courses, from which successful clients will gain internationally recognised qualifications. Armed with these qualifications, the mountainous world is your oyster.

With tuition from some of Canada’s finest Level 4, sponsored ski and snowboard instructors, UIAGM mountain guides and sensational freestylers, ALLTRACKS boasts a great training team.

These skilful, patient and enthusiastic instructors go the extra mile to make sure clients gain professional qualifications and ALLTRACKS goes out of its way to help clients carve out a career in the mountains, using its worldwide reach and database of unbeatable contacts in both the Northern and Southern Hemispheres.

A passionate, family-run company, ALLTRACKS offers value for money with virtually everything covered in the price of its courses.

We’re talking return British Airways flights, your all-important season pass, hand-picked, centrally-located accommodation, overnight backcountry tours, avalanche safety AST1 courses, hearty meals and first aid courses not to mention 1-1 private lessons with your top notch instructors as well as weekly individual feedback sessions.

Commenting on the instructor course, Jonathan Drew, a past ALLTRACKS client says: “I was totally blown away by how much ALLTRACKS Academy’s coaches enhanced my ability and helped me to achieve my goal to ski steep powder runs with confidence and ease and to handle almost all terrain.

Time spent off the slopes was just as good! Having qualified as a ski instructor, I look forward to getting back to Canada next season.”
www.alltracksacademy.com ; 01794 388 034

Beijing – Beijing has never seen anything like XIU before – a traditional Chinese style pavilion, located on the terrace of a city skyscraper that offers dining and entertainment options galore.

XIU; the new outlet managed by Hyatt; is located on the over 3,800 square metre roof top garden on the sixth floor of Park Life, Beijing Yintai Centre. The traditional Chinese style roof itself is part of the attraction, an elegant wooden structure that houses a variety of classy bars and lounges.

XIU is like nothing the Chinese capital city has seen before – a strikingly designed venue that has an eclectic range of options：including a lively lounge with a funky live band, a wine bar, a wood-fired oven for cooking Peking Duck, a bar that specialises in Martinis and vodkas, a quiet retreat where cigar-lovers can puff away while relaxing in art deco-style chairs and an executive lounge for private chats. Wide outdoor terraces allow people to enjoy drinks and freshly barbecued food while surrounded by the neon-lit, high-rise cityscape of booming Beijing.

Wooden pavilion

All of the five different XIU zones are housed under an extraordinary traditional Chinese wooden pavilion, built in the style that is more commonly found in ancient courtyard-style dwellings or temples, and based loosely on the architecture of the Song Dynasty.

First-time visitors will be astonished when they step out of the elevator and encounter a wooden building that looks as if it has been beamed down from a different century.

They will be even more amazed to discover that inside the elaborately carved main pavilion, made from wood carefully retrieved from demolished traditional buildings in different parts of the vast nation, are trendy bars and lounges that would not be out of place in New York, Paris, London or Tokyo.

Glass walls

The lavish use of glass walls allows plenty of light to filter into the rooms. Designers SuperPotato from Japan looked to traditional Chinese dynasties, particularly the creatively inclined Song Dynasty, for inspiration, and included a traditional bamboo garden. The walk-through concept is a nod in the direction of Beijing’s traditional hutongs, or alleyways, which link different neighbourhoods.

Plentiful options

XIU is certain to attract the movers and shakers of Beijing, and discerning people of taste who appreciate the finer things in life, whether it is French wine, Russian vodka, wood-roasted Peking Duck or barbecued Australian steaks.

During the coming summer months, XIU patrons also have the option of sitting outside in comfortable sofas and armchairs, a real novelty in Beijing where alfresco options, particularly in the CBD, are limited. Inside, during the summer and winter months, the warm feeling will be accentuated by lavish use of wood and the flickering of flames behind strategically placed glass panels.

Patrons can choose whichever area suits their mood for the evening or glide between the different zones, sampling the ambience in each one. A typical XIU evening crowd might include a group of colleagues enjoying boisterous rounds of Happy Hour beers, a group of businessmen cracking open a bottle of vintage bubbly to celebrate a deal, couples enjoying a quiet dinner and party-lovers breezing in around midnight to partake of a malt whisky nightcap.

As well as enlivening the evenings in the CBD, XIU will be a welcome addition to lunchtime options in this busy, office-packed area of Beijing.

Different vibes

At XIU, people can come in and enjoy beers, wines, cocktails, light meals and snacks at regular lounge prices, while those who really want to push the boat out can ask the waiter to bring Chateau Lafitte to accompany a meal based around exquisite Peking Duck, cooked in a wood-fired oven, or barbecued tenderloin steak.

There are lighter snacks, such as Sichuan Spicy Wings, Chicken Nuggets and Spicy Beef Fried Rice, all the way up to full-scale meals that feature Australian beef tenderloin or jumbo prawns. Diners are encouraged to mix and match – there is no formality in XIU, where a casual, relaxed atmosphere will always prevail.

Connoisseurs of all kinds of drinks will appreciate the vast range on offer at XIU. Fans of the world’s most popular alcoholic beverage can choose from a range of 35 beers, while Martini-lovers can browse through a menu that features the house specialty, the XIU, mixed with Absolut citron, Cointreau, orange juice and pineapple juice; the China-inspired Watermelon with Absolute citron, watermelon liqueur and fresh watermelon; or the cheekily named Double Vision, comprising Grey Goose vodka, Sky 90, apple juice and lime.

If a celebration is called for, there are nine different champagne options, including Moët & Chandon, Dom Perignon and Taittinger. Wine aficionados can browse from affordable reds and whites from Chile, Australia and New Zealand, or splash out on a truly special Bordeaux from such revered names as Chateau Lafitte.

For a fun night out, there are pick-me-up cocktails whose bright and breezy names need little explanation … the Baby Woo Woo, the Slammer, the Lemon Drop and the Flamingo are among the options.

XIU is designed to put a smile on everyone’s face, whether it is the subtly appreciative smile of someone enjoying a classy bourbon, or the loud laughter of a group out for a boisterous night on the town.

Liquid

Inside XIU, there are different atmospheres to suit different moods – the most explosive one, for sure, will be found in the main bar, where the high-energy band Liquid is set for a four-month stint. This seven-piece North American band has an impressive musical pedigree and a wide range of musical styles that include disco-era classics, hip hop hits and complex jazz tunes.

In short, they can mix the music to suit the crowd. If it is a party crowd, Liquid can go through its catalogue of dance-floor classics; if the mood is more mellow, the band can slide into music that is more suited to smooching. In fact, the Liquid style is perfect for XIU: seamlessly switching between the past and present, presenting and interpreting the best of yesterday and today.

XIU, a modern-day creation built in homage to the exquisite traditional Chinese style, may even become a tourist attraction in its own right. The word unique is often overworked, but Beijing has never seen anything remotely like XIU before, a slice of architectural tradition designed for 21st century use and located in the capital city’s most dazzling new high-rise building.

It is, to coin a phrase, a very modern treasure with distinctively traditional characteristics.

XIU
6F, Park Life, Beijing Yintai Centre, 2 Jianguomenwai Street, Chaoyang District, Beijing
Telephone +86 10 8567 1108

Operation Hours
Lunch: 11:30 am to 2:30pm (Monday-Friday)
Dinner & Bar: 5:00pm-2:00am (Sunday-Wednesday)
5:00pm-3:00am (Thursday-Saturday)

Bangkok-based Reign International Travel just launched their newest tour program,

Lifestyle Tours of Bangkok, which include plenty of shopping opportunities and meals in authentic Thai restaurants.

The seven-day Wonderful Bangkok tours Wat Pra Kaew, the Grand Palace, Chatuchak Market, Panthip Plaza (the best place for IT shopping in Thailand), the Platinum Fashion Mall, Jim Thompson’s House and Museum, Siam Paragon, the Siam Ocean World (the largest aquarium in South East Asia), the Ancient City, Dammoen Saduak Floating Market, Thai boxing at Lumpini Stadium, Vimanmek Palace (a former royal palace in Bangkok), Canal Tour, the Royal Barge Museum and a cruise on the Shangri-La Horizon River Cruiser.

The tour also includes the sights of inner Bangkok from an electric city tram. Clients stay at the Arun Residence, an intimate Sino-Portuguese style boutique hotel at Ratanakosin Island, in the heart of Thailand’s historic and architectural area.

It also includes a Thai Spa at Leyana Spa Bangkok.

For more information, visit

www.reigntravel.com

The Golden Nugget Las Vegas will start taking reservations for its new Rush Tower beginning Aug. 1 for stays beginning Nov. 20.

The $150-million tower is the newest addition in the downtown Las Vegas hotel’s renovation and expansion, which has totaled more than $300 million.

Rush Tower will add nearly 500 guestrooms and suites.

Rooms will range from 439 square feet to one-bedroom parlor suites at 1,326 square feet – about 20 percent larger than the hotel’s North and South Tower rooms.

All rooms will be non-smoking and feature pillow-top mattresses, feather down comforters, 42-inch plasma televisions and contemporary décor.

Many rooms will offer views of the Las Vegas strip.

The new tower will also offer a new restaurant, Chart House Aquarium restaurant, which is based on owner Landry’s Restaurants’ nationwide eateries of the same moniker but with a 50,000-gallon tropical aquarium.

The Chart House Aquarium restaurant will offer Chart House menu items, as well as specialty dishes unique to the Golden Nugget location.

A swimming pool with six cabanas and covered lounging areas will also be a part of the new tower and will adjoin the third floor of The Tank pool.

The new tower also will expand the Golden Nugget’s casino offerings, adding more table and slot games, and bring three new retail venues, including a jewelry shop and high-end boutique apparel to the property.

A new reservation desk, porté cochere and valet, and a million-dollar landscaped entrance at First Street and Carson Street are also part of the expansion.

Call 800-634-3454 or visit www.goldennugget.com

The Condominium Connection, a Hawaii condominium wholesaler, is among the first wholesalers to offer the new Trump International Hotel Waikiki Beach Walk, which is slated to open this fall. Opening rates through the Condominium Connection start at $288 per night, double, including taxes for Studio Beach Walk accommodations for travel Dec. 1-21.

Holiday rates start at $435 Dec. 22 through Jan. 3.

These land-only rates are subject to availability, may change without notice, and cannot be combined with any other offer or promotion.

Blackout dates availability and restrictions may apply.

Call 800-423-2976 (U.S.) or 800-821-3901 (Canada), or visit www.condoconnection.com

The Halekulani hotel in Waikiki is slated to open Table One restaurant in August.
The restaurant, overseen by Executive Chef Vikram Garg, will be surrounded by orchids and offer views of Diamond Head and the Pacific Ocean. Table One will be a restaurant within the restaurant, with seating for four to six people, set within the atrium of the property’s existing Orchids restaurant. It will offer a five-course ($95 per person) or seven-course ($125 per person) tasting menu with wine pairings.

Each menu features regionally inspired global cuisine using local seasonal ingredients.

It will be open for dinner Tuesday through Saturday at 6:30 p.m., with lunch service available upon request. Table One guests will also receive complimentary valet parking. Collared shirts and slacks for gentlemen and evening attire for ladies are required. Reservations will be taken starting Aug. 1, with first service Aug. 15.

For reservations, call 808- 923-2311. For hotel information, call 800-367-2343 or visit www.halekulani.com

The Greenbrier, in West Virginia, has announced key plans for the new casino.

The property has introduced a new vice president of casino operations and unveiled the location for an interim casino.

In addition, the Greenbrier has preliminary schematics of the casinos design, as prepared by Shope Reno Wharton of South Norwalk, Conn. Todd Fishon was introduced as vice president of casino operations for The Greenbrier.

Fishon began his career at the Showboat Hotel and Casino in Atlantic City, New Jersey and opened Foxwoods Resort and Casino in Connecticut.

Later, he joined Sol Casinos in Tucson, Arizona as director of operations.

The Greenbrier plans to break ground on the casino in the near future, with an opening slated for April 1, 2010.

In the meantime, Greenbrier guests and members will be able to enjoy this new amenity, including slot and table games, in a temporary venue, 38*80, a lounge in the resorts Virginia Wing.

The facility’s projected opening date is September 15.

For more information or reservations, call 800-624-6070 or visit www.greenbrier.com

Aquanauts Grenada is adding technical diving and diving with closed circuit units to its repertoire.

“Diving with rebreathers is like having gills – you don’t make any bubbles and come very, very close to marine life such as eagle rays, jacks, sharks and even the tiny jaw fish” said Peter Seupel, owner of Aquanauts Grenada.

With this new service facilities are offered for traveling rebreather divers – scrubber material, 2 and 3 L tanks for rent, O2 supply through a booster pump and washing/storage space.

As of November, Trial Dives and CCR certification course can be booked. Provision for Trimix will be ready as well.

Come to Grenada to explore the deep walls on Grenada’s west coast. Diving on closed circuit units also allows for extended bottom times on Grenada’s deeper wrecks and reefs. Mike Fowler president of Silent Diving, who conducted the training, said:

“The Grenada dive sites are perfect to dive with a rebreather; for their depth and marine life.”

The technical diving is further complimented by TDI courses such as the Advanced Nitrox course and decompression procedures. Aquanauts features dedicated rebreather weeks, where boat and guide are only for the silent divers.

The first courses will be held from Sept. 27 until Oct. 3.

More information and prices may be found at www.aquatecgrenada.com. More information on complete holiday packages, including accommodation at True Blue Bay Resort, can be found by calling 800-513-5257 or visiting www.grenadadiveresorts.com

Mexico’s Riviera Maya is thriving with new hotels, events, real estate developments, attractions and other novelties to enjoy. The latest of them is Xplor (www.xplor.travel), a theme park located next to Xcaret, which opened its doors just this month and which offers four activities to lovers of nature and adventure: ziplining, cavern rafting, jungle exploration and underground river navigation.

Azul Fives Hotel (www.azulhotel.com) by Karisma, set to open in late summer 2009 in Playa del Carmen, will offer 360 luxuriously designed one-, two- and three-bedroom suites (1,125 to 1,900 square feet), each with private marble bathrooms featuring rainforest showers and oversized balconies or terraces. Penthouse suites and presidential penthouse suites will boast private rooftop lounge decks featuring deluxe double jacuzzis and large lounging areas. Glamorous two- and three-bedroom penthouse suites (1,300 to 1,500 square feet) with separate living rooms, kitchens, powder rooms and more will accommodate up to eight people.

Capella Bahia Maroma Riviera Maya (www.capellabahiamaroma.com)  from Capella Hotels & Resorts will feature individual villas opening out directly to the Caribbean, an Auriga Spa, a beach club, gourmet restaurants and luxurious residences as well as the only private, championship 18-hole golf course by renowned golf architect Rees Jones in the Yucatan.

Grupo Grand Coral, a developer backed by prestigious Spanish financial houses including Bancaja and Banco de Valencia, has broken ground on the Grand Coral Riviera Maya (www.grandcoral.com.mx) , a US$2.5 billion retail, hotel and real estate development located five minutes from Playa del Carmen, spanning 561 lush oceanfront acres and combining hotels, expansive resorts, entertainment and retail/restaurant outposts.

The development’s 18-hole golf course will be designed by Hall of Fame golfer Nick Price. In what will be a first for Price, the project will feature the Nick Price Residences, 123 residences available for full or fractional ownership and located adjacent to the clubhouse with views of the course.

More than 75 percent of the land will be kept in its natural state or turned into recreational parks and gardens in order to contribute to the preservation of the environment.

Kanai (www.amytis.com.mx) , an eco-conscious development situated on the 302-km marker of the Chetumal-Cancun highway, will span 966 acres and 1.1 miles of seacoast and include 847 hotel rooms, two golf courses (36 holes) and a residential area.

Marriott International has announced that in the next five years it will nearly triple its presence in Mexico, including the Riviera Maya, investing more than US$1 billion.

The luxurious 450-room JW Marriott Milla de Oro Resort & Spa and the upscale 150-room Renaissance Milla de Oro Resort are expected to open in the Riviera Maya in 2011.

Xcaret (www.xcaret.com) , an eco-archeological park located in Playa del Carmen, announced several new and upcoming attractions: Vino de Mexico is a wine cellar that opened in June 2008 for the purpose of showcasing Mexican wines.

The space offers a Sommelier’s Store, featuring exclusive wines and private tastings; the Regional Hall, housing a historical Mexican winemaking exhibit and Mexican wines organized by region; and the tasting and matching room, accommodating 25 guests and offering the services of an on-site sommelier to explain how to taste Mexican wines and match them with food.

The sea turtle exhibition offers visitors the chance to see live sea turtles and even witness their births while it showcases Xcaret’s extensive efforts to protect endangered species. A one-hour swim with mother dolphins and their calves offers a unique opportunity to experience the loving care given to the park’s dolphins. Xcaret’s lagoon is the place to pet, feed and swim with nurse sharks and rays.

The Museum of Popular Mexican Arts will open this summer with an extensive exhibit celebrating the creativity and craftsmanship of Mexican artisans.

The adventure tour company Alltournative (www.alltournative.com) offers a new half-day tour called Rio Secreto, or Secret River. Equipped with helmets, flashlights, wetsuits and life jackets, a small group descends into an underground river to explore hidden caverns, stalactites, stalagmites, corals and other natural treasures.

Hidden Worlds Cenotes Park (www.hiddenworlds.com/default.aspx) , which offers exclusive access to some of the Riviera Maya’s finest cenotes (sinkholes), offers a new and unique attraction called SkyCycle, a cable bicycle suspended at the treetop level of the rainforest, allowing visitors to pedal leisurely through the air while they take in the overwhelming beauty of the jungle. SkyCycle then leads down into and through enchanting caverns filled with natural rock formations. The attraction continues with a snorkeling tour through a natural underground river system.

Aktunchen Park (www.aktunchen.com), which features cave and cenote tours and wildlife encounters, just launched Canopy Adventure, offering a unique view of the jungle canopy from 10 ziplines and two suspended bridges.

Bahia Principe Riviera Maya Residential Golf Resort (www.bahiaprincipegolf.com)  will feature a 27-hole, 717-acre golf course designed by Robert Trent Jones II. There will also be a 9-hole, par three world-class golf course, practice course and golf academy, all constructed while preserving the wildlife and nature around them.

For more information on the Riviera Maya, visit www.rivieramaya.com

At the more than 100 dude ranches that make up The Dude Ranchers’ Association, guests are sure to find the All-American Western vacation they have been dreaming of—days spent in the saddle, enjoying stunning scenery and breathing fresh country air, and evenings enjoying tasty down-home cooking and ranch entertainment.

Today, as it did over a century ago, the western dude ranch experience offers relief for both the body and spirit of those seeking refuge from the pressures and routine of modern life.

Dude ranch vacations are based on a lifestyle that stretches back more than a century.

By the end of the 1800s, most of the American West had been explored and the stories of its natural wonders had spread throughout the Eastern portion of the country as well as Europe. Lured by the promise of awesome beauty, a spirit of romance and adventure, and the honest simplicity of the western way of life, travelers headed west in search of a respite from the crowded, noisy squalor of fast-paced cities.

Most dude ranch guests are looking for that same experience today—a chance to rejuvenate their souls and refresh their spirits. And with the impressive array of activities found at these dude ranches, everyone—Mom, Dad, kids, grandparents, couples or singles—can find something that interests them.

Dude ranches are ideal places for kids and families to re-discover each other. Without the typical distractions of TV, phones, computers and electronic games, families spend time together, riding, hiking, playing games or simply talking. And while dude ranches are a popular destination for families, couples, singles and groups of all types love this unique traveling option as well.

Most ranches offer a wide variety of activities such as horseback riding, fly fishing, river rafting, swimming pools, children’s programs, cattle drives, cookouts, line dancing and plain relaxing on the porch swing, so everyone in a group is sure to find something that appeals to them. And since the cooking, cleaning and planning is all taken care of, everyone enjoys a true vacation.

Since 1926 The Dude Ranchers’ Association has been helping folks find quality ranch vacations by establishing and enforcing high standards for its members. Dude ranches applying for membership go through a rigorous two-year inspection and approval process, including a close review of their application, a review of references from former guests, an appearance before the board of directors and on-site inspections during actual dude ranch operations.

Typically, only 70% of the ranches that apply meet the high standards of the Association. When guests book a vacation at a Dude Ranchers’ Association member ranch, they can be assured that it is actually a ranch and not just a hotel with horses.

The Dude Ranchers’ Association’s original membership of 35 ranches from the Yellowstone area has now grown to 100-plus member ranches in 12 western states and 2 Canadian provinces.

In spite of this growth, the Association today remains dedicated to preserving the beauty, natural resources, and the original western ranch experiences that attracted the first visitors.

Now is the time to take advantage of shoulder-season discounts.

For more information about the unique experience of a dude ranch vacation or to request a brochure, call 1-866-399-2339 or visit www.duderanch.org