Jetsettersblog

The Jamaican Tourism Board is promoting its growing inventory of natural, historic and cultural attractions. In addition to beaches and a tropical landscape, Jamaica offers its visitors culture and natural attractions of historical interest.

Interactive plantation tours and detailed replica villages give visitors an insight into the diverse background of the Jamaican people and culture, which makes the island’s motto “Out of many, one people” come to life.

An intriguing network of chambers and passageways, stalagmites and small lakes, Green Grotto Caves is said to have been a haven for runaway slaves in the 18th century. Green Grotto is characterized by numerous chambers and light holes and a subterranean lake — the Grotto Lake — occupies its bowels. It is also said that this was one of the paths used by the fleeing Spaniards when the British took over the island in 1655.

For more information, visit www.greengrottocavesja.com

The Hope Botanical Gardens & Zoo is the largest botanical gardens in the West Indies. This estate was named after Major Richard Hope believed to be the first British owner of the land. Hope is huddled between Long Mountain and St. Andrew Mountain.

One notable moment in the history of Hope Gardens was a visit from Queen Elizabeth II in 1953.

Following this visit, the queen gave her permission for the garden to officially change its name to the “Royal Botanical Gardens, Hope” The gardens are now maintained by the Ministry of Agriculture’s Public Gardens Division and it has undergone some major restoration programs since 1996. For more information, visit www.moa.gov.jm/gardens/hope.php

YS Falls, a nature-based attraction, gives visitors the opportunity to experience the beauty of the falls surrounded by gardens and trees. There are seven waterfalls, several which cascade into natural pools. One natural pool is fed by underground and above-ground springs.

More recent additions to the attractions at YS Falls include canopy rides, which glide from the top of the falls to its base, and river tubing. These adventures are accompanied by experienced guides. For more information, visit www.ysfalls.com

At the Rio Grande Rafting in Port Antonio, visitors hike across wooded areas with panoramic views as they are guided to their river raft. A raft captain steers bamboo rafts down the Rio Grande while riders relax and enjoy the landscape gliding past.

Rafting down the Rio Grande was popularized by Errol Flynn who was known to often raft down the river himself. For more information, visit www.jamaicaexplorations.com

Somerset Falls in Port Antonio lies deep in the gorge of the Daniels River above Hope Bay. Guests take a short boat ride to a hidden series of gentle falls and caves surrounded by dense tropical rain forest.

Visitors can climb a concrete staircase to the top for views of the falls, and guides will escort guests to the top falls while sharing information on the local plants and their uses. The onsite restaurant offers views of the falls where guests can dine on local cuisine.

Guest rooms are also available to those who enjoy the sounds of cicadas, tree frogs, and the river as they rest. For more information, visit www.somersetfallsjamaica.com

Among the cultural attractions are the Charles Town & C18th Coffee Estate Historical Hike, Port Antonio. A two-hour hike ends at the ruins of an 18th century coffee plantation. Its detailed structure gives insight into 18th Century life.

The return hike ends at Quao’s Village, where guests receive a traditional picnic lunch and a swim in the river. Guests round off the day with a visit to the museum at the Asafu Yard.

For groups of four or more a presentation of the traditional Maroon drumming and dancing can be arranged in conjunction with a picnic lunch by the riverside. For more information, visit www.hotelmockingbird.com

The Outameni Experience offers a cultural and historical view of Jamaica through a 90-minute tour.

Interactive tour depicted in small replica villages showing the evolution of Jamaica’s culture through Taino, Spanish, African, English, Indian and Chinese influences.

The attraction offers a blend of music, art, dance, film, drama and an opportunity to sample authentic Jamaican cuisine. For more information, visit www.outameni.com

The Prospect Plantation Tour in Ocho Rios explores a working agricultural property established in the 18th century. Children eight and older can experience their tour on horseback and view a true working Jamaican plantation. (Children ages 8 to 12 must be accompanied by a paying adult). Guests will hear stories of the history of the estate while visiting “secret gardens.”

They may also feed live ostriches, pet or ride camels, ride on an open-aired jitney or take a leisurely stroll through a butterfly aviary. For more information, visit www.prospectplantationtours.com

For general destination information, call 800-526-2422 or visit www.visitjamaica.com

Sandos Hotels & Resorts, with two resort complexes in the Riviera Maya, Mexico, has added a Senses package to the spa menu.

The package is designed to awaken and rejuvenate the body and mind through aromatic and nourishing treatments. Priced at $217 per person, the package is added on to the cost of an all-inclusive stay and includes a hydrating or balancing facial, an aromatherapy massage, and a deluxe chocolate or deluxe coffee body wrap.

Spa treatments will be scheduled with the spa coordinator upon arrival at the hotel.

For more information, call 866-887-5601 or visit www.sandoshotels.com

Hyatt Regency Bonaventure, located near major business parks in western Fort Lauderdale, Fla., has launched the “Business Plan,” a year-round offer that gives corporate travelers amenities. When booking the “Business Plan,” guests can get business amenities each day of their stay for $10 more than the best available rate.

The amenities include daily full breakfast for one guest at Banyan Restaurant, high-speed Internet access, a complimentary drink at Bar Zen, a daily copy of the Wall Street Journal, and unlimited local, toll-free and long-distance calls to the U.S. and Canada.

For more information, call 954-616-1234 or visit www.bonaventure.hyatt.com

Marrakech’s La Mamounia hotel is set to reopen its doors on Sept. 29 after completing an extensive restoration project led by interior designer, Jacques Garcia.

To promote the reopening, the hotel is launching a series of Unique Experiences, each centered around a theme. The product line is designed to enabling guests to create a personalized journey. The promotion targets “travelers in search of adventure, indulgence and the unknown.”

The first four in the Unique Experiences series have been rolled out. The Very Morocco experience concentrates on Marrakech and includes a tour of the city, a spa treatment, buffet breakfasts and lunches, a tea ceremony and a 90-minute hammam ritual. Prices range from approximately $1,532 per person, per stay. It’s available Oct. 1 to Dec. 9, with a minimum stay of three nights.

The Beauty experience includes a hairstyling and make-up on arrival, a spa treatment, beauty consultation, 75-minute facial treatment, 90-minute body treatment and a healthy lunch at Le Français.

Prices are from approximately $2,100, and the package is available Oct. 1 to Dec. 23, with minimum stay of three nights.

The Flavors of the World experience is for the avid gourmet, including a spa treatment on arrival, an introduction to Alfonso Iaccarino’s cuisine with the chef at L’Italien, cocktail at Bar Italien followed by a gourmet dinner at L’Italien, “Flavors of Marrakech” guided gourmet tour of the city, a 90-minute hamman ritual, a session with chef of Le Français, an introduction to Jean-Pierre Vigato’s cuisine, a cocktail at Bar Churchill followed by a gourmet dinner at Le Français, an introduction to local Moroccan cuisine with the chef at Le Marocain and a cocktail and gourmet dinner at Le Marocain.

Prices are from approximately $3,210.

The package is available Oct. 1 to Dec. 23, with minimum stay of five nights.

The Sensory Experience includes a spa treatment on arrival, turndown each evening using a different scent and iPod sound every night, one full day of trekking in the High Atlas Mountains, a hot stone massage, a 60-minute private yoga lesson, a 60-minute Moroccan wine tasting with the chef sommelier and dinner at Le Marocain with your choice of wine. Prices are from approximately $3,645.

The package is available Oct. 1 to Dec. 23, with minimum stay of five nights.

La Mamounia will re-open with 136 guest rooms;

71 suites, including seven Signature Suites;

and three Riads, each with three bedrooms, Moroccan salons and a private terrace complete with an ozone swimming pool.

The hotels was named the best place to stay in Morocco on Conde Nast Traveler’s 2009 Gold List and one of the 17 Up-and-Coming Hotels by Travel + Leisure.

The new La Mamounia features the 27,000-square-foot Mamounia Spa; a state-of-the-art fitness center; tennis courts with tennis academy and scheduled clinics created by global tennis legend, Henri Leconte; indoor and outdoor ozone swimming pools; Ping Pong tables and a “Boulodrome” for games of La Petanque; five bars; and three signature restaurants, headed by Fabrice Lasnon, executive chef of La Mamounia.

Two-Michelin-starred chefs, Alfonso Iaccarino and Jean-Pierre Vigato, have created two unique dining experiences at La Mamounia.

Located on the edge of the walls of the old city of Marrakech, La Mamounia is named after its legendary 200-year-old gardens, originally given as an 18th century wedding gift to Prince Moulay Mamoun by his father, King Sidi Mohammed Ben Abdellah.

Today, the gardens at La Mamounia cover almost 20 acres with an enviable variety of flora and fauna. Since the hotel originally opened in 1923, La Mamounia has been symbolic of traditional Moroccan hospitality and a classic example of the great age of grand hotels.

For more information, visit: www.mamounia.com

The Allison Inn & Spa has opened in Newberg, Ore. The first full-service, luxury hotel in the Willamette Valley wine country, the Allison features a signature restaurant, a 12-treatment-room spa and fitness studio, an indoor pool and 12,000 square feet of meeting space.

The Inn is the first and only Preferred Boutique Hotel in Oregon, located 25 miles southwest of Portland. Each of the 85 guestrooms and suites features a bay window seat, a fireplace and a terrace or balcony.

The rooms range in size from nearly 500 to more than 1,500 square feet.

Each has a spa-like bathroom with a soaking tub and a double sink, as well as linen robes, specialty bath and grooming products, a wet bar and mini-refrigerator, a Bose sound system and other technology.

The Living Room features a wall of windows, a fireplace, original Oregon art and art glass, hand-crafted rugs, and a terrace.

The spa and fitness studio offers men’s, women’s and co-ed lounges with outdoor areas; a private spa suite for small gatherings; a sauna; and a spa pool. Featuring Oregon wine country cuisine is the inn’s restaurant, Jory, is named for a soil type that produces Oregon’s Pinot Noirs.

Features include two private dining rooms for 10 and 18 guests, outdoor dining terraces, a private chef’s table and an open kitchen.

The Allison is going for LEED Gold Certification with solar-heated water and photo-voltaic cells that generate 7 percent of the hotel’s electric needs. No plastic bottles or containers are used in the gym, spa, restaurant, public rooms or guestrooms.

The guest wing roof is covered with a slate-like recycled material; and a sedum plant-covered “eco-roof” tops the meeting space.

Settling ponds will help control run-off. Nightly room rates start at $295. Pets are welcome for a $50 fee per stay, and pets receive special welcome packets.

For more information, call 877-294-2525 or visit www.theallison.com

Porto Cupecoy, the luxury 181-residence development on Saint Maarten, will complete the marina by November. On the western end of Simpson Bay Lagoon, the marina will be the newest and one of the most upscale in the Caribbean.

Homeowners and visitors can dock or moor sailboats and yachts (30 to 300 feet in length) in one of 54 slips, with 11 available for mega-yachts. Slip purchase includes yacht provisioning, onsite car and tender rental, water shuttles to the airport and through the lagoon.

All clients have VIP-vessel concierge services, with electrical, fuel and standard maintenance assistance, and access to the village’s European restaurants and cafes, galleries, designer boutiques, village pool, fitness center, tennis courts and a grocery store, pharmacy, and banking services. Richly appointed one- to four-bedroom residences are listed from $450,000 to $2.5 million, slips from $100,000 to $160,000, with mega-yacht slip pricing on request.

For more information, visit www.portocupecoy.com

Directski.com, the UK’s fastest growing winter holiday company, have come up with their pick of the top ten ski destinations, for families, skiers, non-skiers and groups….

1. Best beginners’ skiing – Arinsal, Andorra

60% of Brits fall into the `beginner’ category so an unpretentious resort like Arinsal, away from the glare of Europe’s superior skiers and prices that are among the best value in western Europe is ideal.

A week’s skiing, with self catering accommodation in the Club Daina Apartments can be booked for £279 per person, based on 6 sharing, with return Gatwick flights (Manchester from £289) and transfers. www.directski.com

2. Best group ski resort – Söll, Austria

The Tyrolean resort of Söll is a great choice for a group of skiers travelling together. There is a good selection of properties that take groups and they vary from half board hotels to self catering apartments. All offer fantastic value for money. As well as this you can enjoy the lively après ski while ta

king advantage of the short transfer to resort and the 250km of marked piste.

A week’s skiing in the centrally located Schindlhaus Apartments can be booked from as little as £279 per person, based on 4 sharing on a self-catering basis, with return Gatwick flights (Manchester from £329) and transfers. www.directski.com

3. Best family ski resort – St. Johann, Austria

St. Johann is a great choice for a family, it’s main advantage being its location, just a little over an hour from Salzburg airport, with centrally located hotels, excellent English speaking ski schools and crèche facilities .

The ski lifts, ski school and ski crèche, which operates in conjunction with the adult ski school, are all located within 100 metres of the centre.

A week stay at the centrally located Sporthotel Austria costs from £1,857 for 2 adults, 1 child under 12 years and an infant staying a spacious family room, departing from Gatwick on 9th Jan 2010. Full details can be found at www.directski.com

4. Best value skiing – Pas de la Casa, Andorra

The prize for best value ski holidays and best value après ski has to go Andorra for its duty free pricing, inexpensive, great value resorts. The happy hours, discos, lively cafes and restaurants also give the Andorran resort of Pas de la Casa its reputation as one of the liveliest resorts in the mountains.

A week’s skiing with self-catering accommodation at the Frontera Blanca apartments can be booked for just £249, with return Gatwick flights (Manchester £259) and transfers, based on 6 sharing. www.directski.com

5. Best advanced skiing – Val d’Isere, France

Val d’Isere is a traditional village that is now a world famous draw for skiers from around the world. Home to the men’s downhill in the 1992 Olympics it offers extensive, world-class skiing, amazing powder and great opportunities for off-piste adventures.

A week’s skiing costs from £279 per person, based on 4 sharing a self-catering apartment in the Residence Le Villeret with return Gatwick flights (Manchester £289) and transfers. www.directski.com

6. Best après ski – Livigno, Italy

Start early and finish late in the tax-free Italian resort of Livigno, with its reputation for great skiing, lively après ski and numerous watering holes. The resort has access to over 100kms of pistes and even more bars, clubs and reasonably prices restaurants.

A week’s stay at the 3* Casa Pozzi can be booked for just £309 per person, based on 2 sharing an apartment on a self catering basis, including return Gatwick flights and transfers. www.directski.com

7. Best ski & spa – Bad Gastein, Austria

The Austrian spa town of Bad Gastein is world renowned for the healing powers of its natural thermal waters. Its snow record is pretty good too, which makes it a perfect ski and spa combination for those looking to relax after pounding the slopes.

With its excellent facilities the Hotel Alpina offers a week’s skiing, based on 2 sharing, on a half board basis from just £489 per person including return Gatwick flight (Manchester £539) and transfers. www.directski.com

8. Best glacier skiing – Tignes, France

Tignes is one of Europe’s premier destinations for glacier skiing with the Grand Motte glacier dominating the surrounding area giving it one of the longest ski seasons in Europe. The resort is served by the large well linked L’Espace Killy ski area and offers access to over 300km (190 miles) of pistes.

7 nights self catering in the 3* Borsat IV apartments, based on 4 sharing, costs from just £299 per person including return Gatwick or Manchester flights and transfers. www.directski.com

9. Best ski weekend – Lillehammer, Norway

The former Winter Olympic ski resort of Lillehammer has all the ingredients of a great ski weekend, with guaranteed snow from November through to April, great skiing, lovely hotels and a short airport transfer. Non-skiers can enjoy tobogganing, luge, sleigh rides, ice-skating and snowy walks.

A 3 night trip to Lillehammer costs from £439 per person based on 4 sharing. This includes self-catering accommodation at the 3* Birkebeineren Apartments, return flights from Heathrow and transfers. www.Directski.com

10. Best non-ski activities – Zell am See, Austria

For non-skiers and those wanting to take a break from the slopes Zell am See has masses to offer, including tobogganing, bowling, a sports centre with indoor pool, ice-skating, snow shoeing, sleigh rides and cinema.

7 nights half board accommodation at the 3* Hotel Seehof costs from £429, based on 2 sharing, with return Gatwick flights and transfers, £459 from Manchester. www.directski.com

Winston Churchill – inspiring politician, leader, soldier, orator, writer and artist. ACE Study Tours’ new cruise along the River Thames on board the magnificent Spirit of Chartwell, offers a truly unique insight into this great man.

This is the only tour and the only vessel to explore the route from Weybridge to Chatham in such style and luxury, yet with the flexibility to step off at landing (as opposed to mooring) points and see places from an amazing new perspective.

Highlights include:

• Evening reception on board Havengore – the boat that carried Sir Winston Churchill along the Thames during his state funeral in 1965. This is followed by a stunning dinner cruise along the Thames with the lights of London as the backdrop, mooring overnight at Tower Bridge.

• Excursion to Cliveden House. Once popular with monarchs, politicians and celebrities, it was the hub of a hectic social whirl where guests included everyone from Charlie Chaplin to Winston Churchill, and President Roosevelt to George Bernard Shaw. It is also infamously associated with the Profumo Affair!

• Drink in the atmosphere of Tilbury Fort, protector of London from the 16th century through to World War II. It is only a few miles from London and yet as Paul Pattison, Senior Archeological Investigator at English Heritage says, “It has that isolated wild feel about it.”

This is a cruise steeped in England’s rich past, and more recent, history with visits to the War Cabinet Rooms, Blenheim Palace, the Royal Observatory in Greenwich and more, much more…..
8 departures in July, August, September 2010. 5 nights.

Costs from £950 per person, inclusive of all meals, all entrances, crew gratuities, based on two sharing.
 More information ACE Study Tours, 01223 835055, www.acestudytours.co.uk

InterContinental Huizhou Resort will open next month some 90 minutes from Shenzhen and 120 minutes from Hong Kong. It will offer 220 executive club guest rooms and villas with contemporary Asian design and views of the landscape from private balconies or terraces. The resort’s 20 villas offer a dedicated personal butler, private plunge pools and individual pavilions for outdoor relaxation.

Five restaurants and bars include Cantonese delicacies (Zhuyuan), Mediterranean flavor (Olives & Herbs) and all-day-dining at Café Veranda. SPA InterContinental offers both Traditional Chinese Medicine and Western therapies by only using natural products.

The resort also includes scenic 18-hole Golf Course.

The InterContinental Kiev is also scheduled to open this month, offering 272 deluxe rooms in the heart of the Ukraine’s capital city overlooking St. Michael’s Square, and located between three of the most famous churches in ancient Eastern Christendom.

Surrounded by the golden cupolas of the cathedrals, the doors open to some of the city’s best-known landmarks in the city.

SHOWCASING ‘BRILLIANT BLEND’ FOR THE FASTEST-GROWING TOURISM MARKET

New websites in both traditional and simplified Chinese have been launched promoting tourism to South Australia.

The simplified version serving the mainland China market is now online at www.southaustralia.com/cn , is complimented by a traditional Chinese version, www.southaustralia.com/hk

The online initiative by the South Australia Tourism Commission (SATC) responds to China becoming one of the state’s fastest-growing tourism markets, which compliments an anticipated surge in visitors fascinated by this year’s Hollywood blockbuster epic, “Australia”.

The twin Chinese portals promote the same’Brilliant Blend’ of attractions as South Australia’s established English website www.southaustralia.com

An innovative itinerary planner and self-drive holiday guide is being introduced, along with key information on South Australia’s back-to-nature adventures, some of the world’s premier wine regions, diverse shopping and colour yet dynamic festivals and events.

Being the fourth largest of the six Australian States, South Australia shares borders with all the other mainland States and is the junction of the major north-south and east-west road, rail and air corridors.

South Australia is a State of remarkable contrasts noted for its spectacular scenery and unspoiled nature, unpolluted environment and as the source of some of Australia’s finest and most famous wines and food products, especially fresh seafood. Here are some of its key regions:

Adelaide

(www.southaustralia.com/AboutAdelaide.aspx )
Adelaide is the well-planned capital city of South Australia, and also known as the ‘capital of good living’. Its warm Mediterranean climate, splendid landscapes, accessibility to the State’s main tourist regions, shopping and fabulous range of food and wine make up the ‘good life’.

It is the only city in the world where passengers can choose to board one of two trans-continental railways – The Ghan which travel north and south between Adelaide and Darwin, and The Indian Pacific (at 4,352km one of the world’s longest train journeys) travels east and west between Perth and Sydney, stopping in Adelaide.

Adelaide Hills

(www.southaustralia.com/AdelaideHills.aspx )

Located only 20 minutes from the city of Adelaide, the Adelaide Hills provides a wonderfully relaxing holiday destination full of truly memorable experiences.

The Adelaide Hills is home to the famous Hahndorf main street, Beerenberg Strawberry Farm, Mount Lofty House, Melba’s Chocolates and Confectionary and Cleland Wildlife Park, etc.

Barossa (www.southaustralia.com/Barossa.aspx )
With famous wines, numerous festivals, a lively heritage, and only a 60-minute drive north of Adelaide, the Barossa is an ideal destination for a day trip.

It is the wine capital of Australia. More than 20% of Australia’s wine is made in the Barossa. Some of the internationally renowned vineyards in Barossa, include Jacob’s Creek, Penfold’s, Seppelt Winery and many more!

Kangaroo Island (www.southaustralia.com/KangarooIsland.aspx )
Only 15 kilometres from the South Australian mainland, Kangaroo Island is four times the size of Hong Kong.

Widely regarded overseas as ‘Australia’s Galapagos’, it is one of Australia’s national landscapes, with amazing native wildlife and natural sceneries.

The popular attractions on the island include Admirals Arch, Parndana Wildlife Park, Seal Bay and Remarkable Rocks, etc.

Kangaroo Island is increasing its focus on sustainable tourism development. The A$15 million Southern Ocean Lodge offers guests an eco-attraction and accommodation with an exclusive luxury travel experience, incorporating the best of South Australia – great food and wine, wildlife, nature and lifestyle.

Limestone Coast

(www.southaustralia.com/LimestoneCoast.aspx )

Forged over 26 million years by the primal forces of the ocean and the movement of tectonic plates, many terrains on Limestone Coast were formed by the natural forces, such as the Blue Lake at Mount Gambier and the spectacular caving sites at Naracoorte Caves. These forces also created the Coorong National Park, with its sandy coast and lagoons.

Limestone Coast is in honour of the bedrock that provides a natural filter for its vineyards. In decay, the limestone also gives the region the unique terra-rossa soil of the Coonawarra, which produces some of the world’s best red wines.

For more information about South Australia please visit www.southaustralia.com