Jetsettersblog

Le Bourget Aero Suites hotel in Bloomington, Minn., joins Ascend Collection from Choice Hotels International. Now, guests can enjoy the engaging amenities of a small boutique hotel, while also earning points towards free nights and other rewards from a world hospitality leader.

For business travelers and family vacationers, Le Bourget mixes high-end amenities with affordable rates, starting from $99 to $129 per night. The all-suite hotel has 160 suites that feature custom beds with pillow-top mattresses, an oversized desk and separate sitting area. Bathrooms are soothing retreats with Spanish granite vanities.

Among the high-tech comforts are free Wi-Fi and large flat-screen televisions. Located just off the lobby, Le Bourget Bistro serves up savory breakfasts and dinners daily, specializing in French-inspired fare.

For mixing and mingling, the Lobby Bar is a Bloomington hotspot drawing travelers and locals. Guests also enjoy a European-style espresso bar, heated indoor pool, fitness center, and 24-hour business center.

Complimentary amenities include Wi-Fi throughout the hotel and shuttle service to and from the airport and area shopping, restaurants and businesses.

For meetings, receptions and private gatherings, Le Bourget houses more than 1,000 square feet of meeting and event space.

The hotel accommodates up to 40 people in its Lindbergh Room and Paris Boardroom. Guests find plush seating and full-service, in-house catering with custom menus for memorable meetings and events.

Backed by powerhouse Choice Hotels, the hotel now offers Choice Privileges, the Choice Hotels rewards program; booking through the reservations and distribution system of Choice Hotels; and an online presence through the banner ad below.

For reservations or more information, call 800-4CHOICE or visit www.ascendcollection.com

Saddle up all you cowboys and girls, because Dolly Parton’s “Dixie Stampede” is going to knock your boots off!

The Dixie Stampede is going on their fifteenth season of its action packed dinner attraction and live show in Branson, Missouri!

I have not had this much fun in years while visiting this phenomenal “cowboy palace”. The show brought loads of fun and entertainment for an incredible experience that I would not soon forget!!

Before entering into the main event, the audience is widely entertained during the pre-show in the authentic western style “carriage Room”. The act is a total “laugh a minute”; watching a comedy filled juggler, and stunt man, rock the house with his unique “oriental” humor, and amazing talent performing center stage.

During this pre-show, for a small price the audience is able to enjoy popcorn, sodas, and non alcoholic mixed drinks and daiquiris from a boot shaped collectable mug to take home.

Once seated in the 35,000 square feet main auditorium, the audience sits surrounding the arena in comfortable seating divided by the “North” and the “South” which goes on to involve a friendly competition and rivalry throughout the entire evening.

As the show begins, the serving does too! Servers attend around 1,100 guests at full capacity with the most remarkable efficient serving I have ever witnessed. A hard working designated wait staff person runs up and down the long bar style isles divided in to sections serving up, coffee, tea, Pepsi products, and a “Down home” four course feast for all to enjoy. You best be ready to eat with your hands during this unique dinner event, as there are no utensils seen at anytime while dining! Wet naps come in abundance, but the food is so remarkable that there is almost sure to not even be a mess to attend.

Your costumed wait person brings out whole roasted chickens, boneless pork loins, fresh cut seasoned potatoes, delicious cream vegetable soup, and corn on the cob. Melt in your mouth biscuits are made from scratch, and last but not least, the meal is topped off with fresh baked apple turnovers sure to tantalize your taste buds!

The show features the thunderous stampede of Longhorn Steer in its full scale arena! You will experience a reenactment of the early American Settlers and their primitive living, a Native American medicine man who calls on “the spirit of the Bird”, bringing forth breathtaking special effects and live stunts performed by an extremely talented aerialist.

Enormous laughter explodes throughout the audience while watching “Skeeters Big Event”, a comedy segment that will bring tears to your eyes, and stitches to your side!

During your dining experience, Beautiful “Southern Bells”, serenade the audience as they emerge from the ceiling above appearing as if they had just descended from the heavens.

Stunt riders perform death defying acts atop perfectly trained horses that amaze and dazzle the entire arena.

Watch out, because volunteers are randomly picked from the audience to participate in an array of crazy games, such as chicken races, stick horse barrel racing, mind boggling magic tricks in wagon “Mix-Ups” and more! My Guest and I just so happened to be so lucky to show our talent by mounting a stick horse together and barrel race against 3 other couple contestants! We proudly walked away with our shiny medal imprinted with the “Dixie Stampede”, a nice token to commemorate the event!

There are just tons of laughs and hysterical outbursts throughout your entire evening at the Dixie Stampede!

The show consists of 30 riders and several different breeds of horses that are groomed to the fullest extent. Belgian Draft Horses pull heavy wagons with their 2000 pounds of muscle bound strength, Appaloosas, Paints, and Western work horses name just a small few of what you will find at the show.

A spectacular patriotic finale concludes the event as the “North” and the “South” unites together, after a fun-filled evening of Horse back riding, singing and dancing, comedy acts, audience participation episodes, pony races, and more!

I definitely advise all who are lucky enough to ever experience Branson, Missouri, to check out this tremendous dinner show. It will leave you walking away happy, amazed and light hearted, an absolute family delight!

There are currently three Dixie Stampede attractions located in Pigeon Forge, T.N.; Myrtle Beach, S.C. and Branson M.O.

For information on these spectacular shows please call,

1-800-520-5544, or visit the website at www.dixiestampede.com

- By: Lisa L. Fellows, Jetsetters Magazine Missouri Correspondent.

The Beverly Hills Hotel will open two new bungalows by November 2010, bringing the total to 23. The new bungalows will be designed to fit the Mediterranean character of the property, with tile roofs, intimate gardens and pink stucco.

The bungalows will offer a blend of traditional and modern design, with walk-in closets, freestanding tubs, private outdoor showers, limestone fireplaces and custom-designed furniture.

Each new bungalow will measure 3,500 square feet and offer three individually keyed bedrooms, a great room/dining room with a full kitchen, and a study. Additional perks will include hardwood floors and rugs throughout, hand-troweled plaster, vaulted ceilings, and glass walls.

Oversized sliding glass doors and French doors will lead to each bungalow’s private pool and outdoor courtyard, dining and living areas.

Technological amenities will include flat -screen TVs and BluRay DVD players in virtually every room and MP3 player docks with built-in speakers (including underwater speakers in the pool) in all rooms and outdoor spaces. Lights, drapes, fireplaces and all media options will be accessed through a single remote control and the nearest television.

Both wireless and wired data access will be available throughout. The new bungalows will also provide closed circuit cameras at every entrance and panic buttons installed throughout the space.

For more information, call 800-283-8885 or visit www.beverlyhillshotel.com

Passengers aboard the Amtrak Blue Water (Port Huron-East Lansing-Chicago) and Wolverine Service (Pontiac-Detroit-Chicago) trains can now travel directly to New Buffalo, Mich., with two daily roundtrips to a new downtown station near the lakefront.

“We are confident the increased frequency and greater reach by this new service into Central and Eastern Michigan will result in additional passengers on Amtrak trains,” said Michael Franke, Amtrak assistant vice president, policy and development, noting the new service replaces the single daily roundtrip previously offered by the Amtrak Pere Marquette (Grand Rapids-Chicago), which will no longer stop in New Buffalo.

He added that this project is the result of private initiative and public support between Amtrak, the City of New Buffalo and the local property owners who funded the construction of the new station at 225 North Whitaker St.

Amtrak and Four Winds Casino Resort also announced that complimentary shuttle service for Amtrak passengers arriving in New Buffalo will begin Nov. 1.

The Four Winds Shuttle will take passengers to the casino and also return them to the Amtrak station for each of the four Blue Water and Wolverine arrivals and departures.

For the fiscal year ending Sept. 30, 2009, a total of 3,952 passengers used the now-closed former station at 517 South Whittaker St. Last fiscal year, Amtrak carried 27.2 million passengers, making it the second-best year in the company’s history.

With 21,000 route miles in 46 states, the District of Columbia and three Canadian provinces, Amtrak operates more than 300 trains each day at speeds up to 150 mph to more than 500 destinations.

For more information, call 800-USA-RAIL or visit www.Amtrak.com

Beijing’s new JingCheng Expressway has now been completed, making hiking trips to the Great Wall more convenient for travelers.

The new motorway stretches south from Beijing to Chengdu and passes the base of the Jinshanling Great Wall, where the most famous hike begins from there to the Simatai Great Wall.

The China Guide, (www.TheChinaGuide.com) , an American owned and operated tour agency, will now use the new JingCheng Expressway to get visitors to the famous hiking destination in a safer and timelier fashion.

Before completion of the JingCheng Expressway, the drive to Jinshanling for hiking was slow and unpredictable with traffic. Judy Huang,

The China Guide’s travel manager, said, “It was a common problem to be slowed down by heavy traffic and large trucks using the narrow road. Now, we can plan more efficient schedules and travelers have more time for hiking and sightseeing.”

The hike from Jinshanling to Simatai Great Wall is famous for its picturesque mountain scenery, renowned to photographers.

This Great Wall section stretches along the mountain tops and hikers pass through more than 30 watch towers along the way.

The China Guide describes the hike as moderately difficult in some places but achievable and fun for all travelers aged eight and older.

“Hiking from Jinshanling to Simatai is the best and most beautiful option and just two hours out of Beijing,” Huang said.
“Hikers get an authentic experience and aren’t surrounded by other tourists as the destination is more remote. On most days, hikers will only see a handful of photographers capturing the famous scenery.”

Hikers can enjoy the local village atmosphere at the base of the Wall before heading up the mountain. The hiking time from Jinshanling to Simatai is from three to five hours, depending on the pace. The hike can be done at a relaxing speed with many stops along the way for the endless photo opportunities. Sunrise and sunset are the ideal times for photographers and hikers are eager to catch this portion of the day.

The China Guide offers hiking day trips from Jinshanling to Simatai that include transportation using the new expressway, private guide and driver, tickets and a good local lunch at the Simatai Wall when finished. Overnight trips are also available during the warmer months, March to October.

Travelers have the option to stay overnight in a Jinshanling courtyard hotel or camp out on the wall under the stars, making it ideal to catch the morning sunrise.

For more information, visit www.TheChinaGuide.com

To showcase the destination’s growing offering of deluxe category properties, the Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention & Visitors Bureau has created the Lauderdale Luxe Collection, featuring best in-market hotels and resorts.

The Lauderdale Luxe Collection includes 13 destination properties that share the common attributes of four-star, four-diamond or better ranking, full-service restaurant and on-premises spa or dedicated/contracted services.

Membership in the Lauderdale Luxe Collection is by invitation only, and many of the properties included are either new or have recently been updated.

Additionally, Greater Fort Lauderdale’s luxury lodging product now has its own cyber-home: www.sunny.org/luxe

The Lauderdale Luxe microsite has dedicated categories for the hotels in the Luxe Collection, along with a section on dining and insider information on the area’s finest culinary experiences, such as dockside dining along the Intracoastal Waterway.

It also includes a “pursuits” section that showcases Greater Fort Lauderdale’s beyond-the-beach casual sophistication with information on spas, vibrant nightlife, high-end shopping, and more.

Following is a listing of Greater Fort Lauderdale’s Lauderdale Luxe Collection properties: The Atlantic Hotel; Harbor Beach Marriott Resort & Spa; Hilton Fort Lauderdale Beach Resort; Hilton Fort Lauderdale Marina; Hyatt Regency Pier Sixty-Six Resort & Spa; Hyatt Regency Bonaventure Conference Center & Spa; Lago Mar Resort & Club; The Pillars at New River Sound; The Ritz-Carlton, Fort Lauderdale; Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino; and W Fort Lauderdale; and The Westin Beach Resort, Fort Lauderdale; and The Westin Diplomat Resort & Spa.

For more information on the Lauderdale Luxe Collection, visit www.sunny.org/luxe

The National World War II Museum’s gleaming new complex, comprised of The Solomon Victory Theater, Stage Door Canteen and The American Sector restaurant, is readying for its debut.

When the doors open on Nov. 6, 2009, the museum’s $60 million newest addition to its $300 million expansion will become the most significant attraction to the city’s cultural scene since Hurricane Katrina. Groundbreaking for the 70,000-square-foot building occurred on April 7, 2008.

Designed by architects Voorsanger Mathes, LLC, the three attraction’s centerpiece is the 250-seat Victory Theater.

A state-of-the-art venue, the theater boasts a 120-foot-wide screen with technology designed to thrust audiences into the titanic struggles of the “War That Changed the World” via a 4-D cinematic experience entitled “Beyond All Boundaries.” Executive Producer Tom Hanks has worked with Phil Hettema, former senior vice president of attraction development for Universal Studios and now president of the Hettema Group, to create a unique and overwhelming immersive journey into World War II that will appeal to everyone — from the Greatest Generation to those who have grown up with Facebook and Xbox.

The four-year project incorporates Hollywood special effects, digital animation and original war footage, all created specifically for the theater that is being built to house it.

Following the end of on the 40-minute performance, theater-goers can visit the Stage Door Canteen, a recreation of the wartime venues found in New York, Los Angeles and other cities that entertained the troops during the war.

Patrons will be able to hear the old songs, laugh at the jokes and grab a bite, a soft drink or a cocktail while discovering the sights and sounds of the era.

On select nights, patrons can enjoy dinner and a spectacular new signature live show or local music performances.

Lastly, and literally, on the menu, is The American Sector, a Chef John Besh Restaurant. Besh is the celebrated New Orleanian known to the nation for his James Beard award-winning restaurants and through appearances on TV shows like “The Next Iron Chef” and programs such as “The Today Show.” His is also a former Marine who fought during Operation Desert Storm. For The American Sector, the original name of the historic New Orleans district known today as the Warehouse District, Besh plans a menu inspired by the simpler fare of the 1940s, but with a flair found only in New Orleans.

The restaurant interior will have a bar and an outdoor patio overlooking newly landscaped Magazine Street. It is certain to become a great new addition to the city’s culinary landscape, making a trip to the museum a must for visitors to New Orleans. The museum is proceeding apace with building the new six-acre, 300,000-square-foot campus, of which the Solomon Victory Theater complex is only the first phase. When completed by 2015, the museum will boast four additional exhibition buildings as well as space for traveling collections and a parade ground, in addition to its existing facilities.

For more information, call 877-813-3329 or visit www.nationalww2museum.org

Thomas Cook is to offer travel packages to the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

The company has become an official supporter and sponsor of the games in a deal that will see it provide short breaks including accommodation, transport and event tickets.

It is estimated that more than a 250,000 tickets will be sold by Thomas Cook with short break and accommodation packages within the UK.

Tickets and packages for the London Olympic Games will go on sale in 2011.

Sebastian Coe, of the London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games, said: “Our ticketing strategy is based on the principles of affordability and accessibility – we want to fill our stadiums in the summer of 2012 with sports fans and make it as easy as possible for families to travel to the Games.

“Our deal with Thomas Cook will do just that – offering ticket and accommodation packages.

Thomas Cook is the perfect partner for us and will help us deliver our promise to make sure as many people as possible can see the action in 2012, no matter where they live“.

Thomas Cook group CEO Manny Fontenla-Novoa said: ”More than a century after Thomas Cook escorted British travelers to the first modern Olympic Games in Athens in 1896, it is a privilege to once again have the chance to give British families and sports fans the opportunity to experience such a rare and special event in their own country.

“As a company we are incredibly proud that Thomas Cook will be a leading brand in this most prestigious global event.

“The Olympic and Paralympic Games in the UK is such a rare and fantastic opportunity and will further enforce our position as the UK’s oldest and most trusted name in travel.”

Registration has been opened for those wishing to keep up to date on Thomas Cook packages to the London Games.

Those registering before December 20 this year at a Thomas Cook branch or online at www.thomascook.com will be entered into a draw for an exclusive family weekend in London including a tour of the Olympic Park.

International Passenger Survey statistics indicate that 4 percent of visitors to Britain polled indicate the primary reason for their trip is visiting religious sites or religious places of interest. “Religious tourism” is a growing trend with the World Religious Travel Association reporting that the faith tourism industry amounts to $18 billion with 300 million travelers annually.

And Wales is positioned as an attractive religious tourism destination combining Christian significance with both St. David and St. Patrick reputedly born in Wales, and an intriguing Celtic heritage encompassing Neolithic sites throughout the country.

Dedicated spiritual and religious tours are offered by local tour companies.

So important was Wales’ patron saint, St. David, to the spread of Christianity, that in 1220, Pope Calistus II declared that two pilgrimages to St. David’s equaled one to Rome.

Following in the footsteps of St. David has been a tradition for centuries, with the English Kings William I and Henry II among the early pilgrims. With cathedrals in St. David’s, Llandaff (Cardiff) and St. Asaph (reputedly Britain’s smallest), historic religious sites such as the sacred Bardsey Island off the Llyn Peninsula and St. Illtyd’s Church in Llantwit Major with its collection of ancient Celtic stones, agents can plan itineraries using a newly released “Factfile of Religious Tourism,” available at www.travelwales.org/religious

For visitors wanting a more structured tour, two companies that have responded to the growing interest in spiritual travel to Wales are Cambrian Routes and Pilgrim Travel. Cambrian Routes, a Welsh family-owned business, has created “Of Saints and Stones,” a chauffeur-driven tour that explores Wales’ Celtic Christianity centering on Pembrokeshire, the home of St. David’s. Founded by St. David in the 6th century as a Celtic monastery, St. David’s is Britain’s smallest city with a population of 1,800, the spiritual heart of Wales and one of the great historic shrines to Christendom.

For more information, visit www.stdavids.co.uk

For more information on Cambrian Routes, visit www.cambrianroutes.com/saints-stones

Pilgrim Travel has created an in-depth, scholarly tour tracing the routes of St. David and his better-known fellow Celtic saint, St. Patrick. Pilgrim Travel’s 13-day “In the Footsteps of St. David and St. Patrick” features many of Wales’ treasured sacred sites including St. Govan’s Chapel, the most spectacular and romantically sited of the hermitages remaining in Wales; Caldey Island, home to a Catholic Cistercian community of the strict observance; Porth Mawr-Whitesand Bay, St. Patrick’s point of departure for his mission to Ireland; and the St. David’s Peninsula with a visit to St. Non’s, commemorating David’s mother and the legend of his birth. The last stop in Wales before heading to Dublin is the Isle of Anglesey-Ynys Mon — the pre-Roman intellectual center of Druidic Britain.

For more information, visit www.pilgrimtravel.com

In addition, Country Lane Tours, specializing in personalized tours for individual travelers and small groups, offers a “Hidden Wales” Tour that features religious sites in Wales. For more information, visit www.countrylanetours.com/hidden-wales-tour.htm

For general destination information, visit www.travelwales.org

The Five-star Jaz Almaza Beach Resort will feature in Thomson’s Beach Club Collection while its sister Five-star Jaz Oriental Resort will be included in the Thomson Platinum Collection.

Along the same stretch of white sand beach, the five-star Jaz Crystal Resort features in the First Choice all-inclusive programme for 2010.

The Thomson and First Choice holiday programme to the three Jaz properties at Almaza Bay resort will be offered on an all-inclusive basis with new direct weekly flights from both Gatwick and Manchester to Mersa Matruh from 4th May 2010.

The three luxurious Jaz resorts in Almaza Bay offer fantastic value for money and extensive facilities in this emerging destination on Egypt’s northern coast, with links to Cairo and Alexandria.

Catering particularly
Jaz Hotels, Resorts & Cruises has launched a new Egyptian Mediterranean beach holiday destination to the UK market in partnership with Thomson and First Choice. Almaza Bay Resort near Mersa Matruh on Egypt’s Mediterranean North Coast is home to three luxurious Five-star Jaz resorts that will be featured in the Thomson and First Choice Summer 2010 brochures as part of Tui UK’s expansion in to new resorts of Egypt.

For families and couples alike, the resorts are located in a fabulous and tranquil beach front setting with family rooms, kid’s clubs, choice of restaurants and plenty of leisure and beach activities.

The powdery white sand of Cleopatra’s Beach is close by while Mersa Matrouh itself is the perfect base for sight-seeing excursions to the battlefields of El Alamein, the Biblotica in Alexandria or the Pyramids and Sphinx of Cairo.

For those with a sense of adventure, a range of cultural experiences include traditional Bedoin Tea, quad biking through the desert or a tour of Matrouh by night.

Peter Grace, Vice-President, Jaz Hotels, Resorts & Cruises, said, “opening up Mersa Matruh to the UK market represents a new and exciting proposition for Jaz and we are delighted that Thomson and First Choice have chosen to feature Almaza Bay in their new 2010 programme and commence new charter flights in May 2010.

The destination will be a very attractive proposition to a whole new generation of beach and cultural seekers or for those still discovering Egypt, Mersa Matruh offers the combination of a luxury beach holiday with access to the historic and cultural sites of Alexandria, Siwa or even Cairo.”

About Mersa Matruh

Nestling on a bay on the shores of the Mediterranean Sea, Mersa Matruh is less than 149 miles west of Alexandria.

Founded by Alexander the Great, it was used as a port by the Egyptians of Ptolemaic times, the Byzantines and the Romans.

It’s justly renowned for its four and a half miles of exquisite soft white sand beach and the calm, gentle, azure waters of its bay which is enclosed and protected by a natural rock harbour.

Almaza Bay is just a short drive from Mersa Matruh and the international airport, and is the perfect location for all inclusive Egypt holidays. It’s a relatively unspoilt and tastefully developed Egypt holiday resort that offers virtually constant sunshine and calm waters.

In addition to Jaz Hotels’ three resorts at Almaza Bay, the Almaza Bay project is a major development in planning which will feature a championship golf course, new hotels and 3,500 residences comprising Elegant Villas, Town Houses, Studios and Apartments, inspired by a Mediterranean style of architecture.

Marsa Matruh is well connected to other towns and cities like Alexandria and Cairo by road and rail. The town enjoys a lively, relaxed, night life and atmosphere boosted by the fact that it’s becoming popular as a get-away for residents of Cairo escaping the capital city’s sweltering summer months.