Jetsettersblog

Take time out in the hectic lead up to Christmas to enjoy the festive fun at selected English Heritage properties and make the most of a special 10% discount on English Heritage gifts and decorations.

Why not leave the crowded high streets behind and experience festive fun with a twist? Join the royal falconers at Battle Abbey, East Sussex as they demonstrate their skills and re-create their roles at Christmas time in Plantagenet England, or discover how the Victorians did it, with a truly Victorian Christmas at Osborne House on the Isle of Wight.

Visitors will delight in traditional side-shows and perhaps even meet the great Queen herself. For a different perspective, take a tour below stairs to the bustling service wing at Audley End in Essex and meet a host of 1880s servants as they busily prepare the big house for Christmas, cooking seasonal dishes and attending to the family and their guests.

For an extra festive treat, keen shoppers can enjoy Christmas shopping at a more relaxed pace in some of England’s most stunning locations at English Heritage’s special shopping weekends.

Take advantage of a 10% discount on exclusive English Heritage gifts and decorations, including handcrafted glassware, children’s costumes and historic cookery books. Meanwhile, Belsay Hall in Northumberland will again be hosting its annual Christmas Festive Gift Fair.

From carol concerts to festive reindeer trails, there are events to suit every family’s needs.

So, wherever you are this Christmas, just log on to www.english-heritage.org.uk  to find your nearest event.

The first U.S. Rolling Stone Magazine venue, a restaurant, bar, lounge and private event space, will open at the Hollywood and Highland Center in summer 2010.

Situated among attractions including the Hollywood Walk of Fame, Grauman’s Chinese Theater and the Kodak Theatre, the multi-level Rolling Stone space will encompass more than 10,000 square feet.

The venue will feature exposed black brick, tufted leather and vaulted ceilings throughout, and an antique iron staircase.

For more information, visit www.rollingstone.com  or www.hollywoodandhighland.com

With plenty of developments in Revelstoke and the Winter Olympic Games in Whistler, interest is high in skiing in British Columbia this year, but across in Alberta, Jasper has quietly been improving itself too!

The Canadian Rockies Express chair lift at Marmot Basin opens this season. The lift is 2.3km long and rises almost 2,000 vertical feet (590m) in just over 7 minutes, making it the longest high speed chair in the Alberta Canadian Rockies.

Due to open in the next few weeks, the lift has already had its first taste of snow, as the attached photograph shows.

Visitors can take advantage of the new lift and stay at one of the many friendly hotels in this truly Rocky Mountain town. Frontier Ski have some excellent offers for travel to Jasper this season.

www.frontier-ski.co.uk ; 020 8776 8709.

Tiroler Zugspitz Arena: the first skiers are already making their first tracks on the slopes. The northernmost glacier of the Alps has already 1,20 metres of fresh snow and offers a playground for every winter activity – the Tirolean Zugspitz Arena is truly a piece of paradise.

Borderless winter fun

147 kilometres of pistes, 52 cable cars, seven ski areas, including one glacier ski area, form a massive ski region with perfect conditions throughout the season. Whether you’re a racing carver or a leisurely skier, a tot on the slopes or a beginner – everyone will find the terrain that best suits their style, their speed and their level of fitness. Thrills for boarders at the Tyrolean Zugspitz Arena as well – head to fun parks and half-pipes for an exhilarating day!

With the ‘Happy Ski Card’, carvers and boarders can use all the lifts in the Tirolean Zugspitz Arena, as well as take advantage of those in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Mittenwald, Grainau and Seefeld.

If you’re not in top shape to cover all the slopes, or need a bit of a refresher lesson, try one of the six alpine ski schools welcoming both children and adults. In just a few days, test out what you’ve learned on the slope that best suits you, whether blue, red, or black for the really adventurous.

“Snow Express” for frequent skiers

Getting around is easy as skiers and snowboarders can switch comfortably between the ski areas in the Tyrolean Zugspitz Arena using the ’Snow Express’ train connection which transports guests for free between Garmisch-Partenkirchen in Germany via the Tirolean Zugspitz Arena to Vils bei Reutte in Austria from December 19, 2009 to April 5, 2010.

Winter highlights 2009/2010

Tiroler Zugspitz cable car (Zugspitz plateau)
opened

 Tirolean Zugspitz Arena winter opened

– 23 January 2010: ChillandDestroy Tour – TTR 3star snowboard contest

– 06 February 2010: ChillandDestroy Tour – freeski contest

– 5 to 7 March 2010: alpine deep-snow days

– 12 March 2010: synchrony ski World Cup in Lermoos

Further information: Tirol’s Zugspitz Arena,

Tel: +43-5673-20 000,

info@zugspitzarena.com,

www.zugspitzarena.com

2 Years – 8 Awards/Recognitions Lánchíd 19 Design Hotel, Budapest, Hungary

Lánchíd 19, providing a beautiful view on UNESCO World Heritage sites of Budapest, is situated on the Danube riverbank, Budapest. Its innovative architectural and interior design enabled Lánchíd 19 to receive several Hungarian and international recognitions during its first two years.

- 2007 Hungarian Design Awards (for the interactive façade)

- 2007 Hungarian Design Awards (for the graphic visuals of the hotel)

- 2007 Budapest Architectural Prize

- 2008 Condé Nast Traveller’s Hot List – the best 65 new hotels of the world

- 2008 Wallpaper and Fortune magazines’ Best 50 Business Hotels

- 2008 The European Hotel Design Awards – Best Architecture/Newbuild

- 2008 Hungarian Construction Industry Award

- 2008 Best of Budapest Award

The hotel’s architectural and creative concept is based on the hotel’s relation with its direct neighbourhood, conversation with the past and the active participation of guests.

The hotel’s moveable accordion-like glass façade is an autonomous artwork.

It provides unique pictures in the night, so the hotel stands as a kind of ‘lighthouse’ on the Danube riverbank.

The movement of the glass lamellas that are painted with tiny graphics generally follows the flow speed of the Danube, but based on the signals of the meteo-sensor on the top of the hotel, the movement intensifies in strong wind and smoothes when the wind stops.

In the basement medieval walls and remains of a water-tower were excavated and renovated during the construction works. The water-tower was part of the system providing water to the Buda Royal Castle.

The archaeological remains are visible from the lobby through glass flooring, serving as a section room for smaller events, e.g. wine tasting, exhibitions.

The hotel’s creative concept was made up by many young artists of different fields (e.g. graphic designers, photographers, fashion designers).

This resulted in all the 45 rooms and 3 suites having an individual look.

The walls feature the creative stories inspired by the modern chairs of well-known designers in the rooms, as if the recollections, fantasies and understandings of the guests entering the rooms were projected on the walls.

Some of the rooms invite for a creative play, thus guests have a weekly wardrobe to dress an Erwan&Ronan Bouroullec chair, a George G. Sowden chair to watch a movie with, Philippe Starck’s Louis & Victoria Ghost to have a dance lesson with. Guests may also find themselves in a wedding ceremony, where a white Panton chair is the bride.

Staff uniform is not a confectionery there, the group elected this year’s Fashion Designer of Hungary made up the collection harmonizing with the hotel’s milieu.

Lánchíd 19 offers 45 rooms and 3 suites, all of them with a view at the UNESCO World Heritage sites Pest riverbank or the Buda Royal Castle.

The hotel is located directly on the Danube riverbank, a hundred meters from the Budapest-symbol Lánchíd (“Chain Bridge”). Budapest City centre is within a further hundred meters, the Castle is a ten-minute walk to the top of the Castle hill which emerges literally from the backyard of Lánchíd 19.

Each room provides free internet access, a flat, internet-able TV set featuring international channels, air-conditioning, minibar, safe deposit and phone as basic room fittings.

The specially designed suites offer large panorama terraces. Lánchíd 19 accommodates three conference rooms with a combined capacity of 100 participants and L19 restaurant&bar.

The webpage of the hotel can be reached at www.lanchid19hotel.hu

Warwick International Hotels presented the newly renovated rooms of the Hotel Warwick Geneva.

Following the renovation and the creation of its redesigned Téséo Restaurant & Bar, attentions were turned to the refurbishment of 142 rooms on six floors that were renovated. All rooms now have free access to Internet (LAN), a working desk made of sycamore wood and glass with international electrical outlets, and a complimentary tea and coffee service. The honey colors of the sycamore wood complement the warm and delightful colors of the fabrics, going from almond green to electric gray and mauve, reflecting a cozy and comfortable atmosphere in the hotel.

An exclusive collection of black-and-white pictures, representing astonishing and contemporary views of the city of Geneva, complete the interior design.

For more information, email info.geneva@warwickhotels.com or visit www.warwickhotels.com

The all-new Verdanza Hotel, formerly Holiday Inn San Juan, officially opened its doors on Dec. 4 as the only independent full-service hotel in San Juan.

Located steps from the beach in the Isla Verde tourism district, the boutique property has 222 rooms with 20 suites, three restaurants, a pastry shop, and more than 15,000 square feet of meeting and banquet space. Verdanza opens its doors with a focus on the personalized details that today’s traveler desires. Customized perks include personal bike taxi transport to and from the beach, made-to-order picnic beach lunches, a pillow menu, in-room coffeemaker with premium Puerto Rican coffee, luxury eco-friendly bath products and pet-friendly guestrooms.

A Verdanza signature music mix, created by local DJ Baron Lopez, will be available for free download for each guest as a souvenir.

The arts are extremely important to Verdanza, hence the birth of “Art and Friends,” which celebrates the diverse artistic expressions of Puerto Rico providing a forum for new talent and experimental art. Verdanza’s opening kicks off a two-week “Art and Friends” celebration of daily events for guests and the community featuring live concerts, video artist performances and exhibits.

With its launch, Verdanza Hotel will become the only independent full-service hotel in the San Juan Metropolitan area of Puerto Rico.

According to recent research published in the Ypartnership/Yankelovich Inc. 2009 National Travel Monitor, travelers are more likely to prefer an independent hotel or motel that offers personalized service. Verdanza Hotel has been acceptance to Summit Hotels & Resorts, a collection of more than 150 independent properties worldwide.

For more information, visit www.verdanzahotel.com

A two hour, brand new and unique adventure activity action opens next month as Ziptrek Ecotours launches its flying fox operation from Skyline on Bob’s Peak overlooking Queenstown.

Ziptrek was founded in Whistler, Canada, where it is a must-do, award-winning adventure ecotourism business famed for delivering an awareness and appreciation of the natural environment along with a good dollop of adrenaline.

The company has been planning its Queenstown launch on iconic reserve land on Bob’s Peak for over four years and is now completing the low impact specialist infrastructure required to send guests soaring between the trees high above Queenstown.

Company director Trent Yeo of Queenstown is delighted to finally plan a start date for the eco adventure.

“We’ve been building up to this for some years now and truly believe Ziptrek Ecotours will be a fantastic addition to Queenstown’s adventure portfolio.

The Skyline location is perfect for Ziptrek because the views from Bob’s Peak are recognisable around the world and the tall Douglas fir trees lend themselves to our tree based architecture. Ziptrek’s flying foxes offer all sorts of people the chance to enjoy the iconic views of Queenstown through a completely unique frame.”

Mr Yeo says the Queenstown operation will retain strong ties with Whistler a resort that has many synergies with Queenstown.

“Like Queenstown, Whistler is recognised the world over as a true four season resort. It is a ski and mountain biking Mecca and also shares a community will for sustainable practice and a huge affinity with the natural environment. The tourism and adventure market in Whistler has some key similarities with the market in Queenstown.”

The Queenstown operation opens in December from treetop platforms carefully constructed in the forest canopy. Guests will enjoy an interpretative, fully guided tour that begins and ends at the top of the Skyline Gondola. The tour is suitable for families, corporate groups, individuals and anyone who wants to enjoy the forest and its sensitive development.

“Our tours are adventure but not high adrenaline. We like to refer to ourselves as an all weather, all abilities, all year operation offering eco exhilaration.

It’s great for families, particularly those with teenage kids (how easy is it to find something that both age groups will enjoy?), and fantastic for companies as a team building activity.”

For Mr Yeo, the attraction is setting up a business that has a low impact and promotes respect for the environment.

“Being immersed high in the forest is pretty special. Ziptrek is really about harmonious integration with nature and having fun in the natural environment.”

Guests will be able to book at Ziptrek’s Shotover Street office in downtown Queenstown or can make their way up the gondola or Ti Ki walking track to book at the Ziptrek tree hut just 100 metres to the left of the gondola top station.

“You can leave the bustle of Queenstown and just a few minutes later be playing in a beautiful peaceful environment.”

The 2010 Hanging Rock Racing Season kicks off on Friday 1 January 2010 and V/Line will help you get there in comfort and style, from the station to the race course and then back again.

There is no need for a convoy of cars and obligatory designated drivers – with V/Line you can relax and enjoy the beautiful Victorian countryside on the trip up. And when the day is done, you can rest your weary feet as V/Line brings you home again.

Just over an hour from Melbourne, the annual Hanging Rock race meetings have attracted big crowds over their 120-year history. The course is lined with elm trees creating a spectacular natural amphitheatre for picnicking racegoers to sample local food and wine.

The first of the race days is held on New Years Day, with plenty of free activities to keep the kids entertained and an array of food, wine and local specialties on offer.

The second of the main race days is held on Australia Day. Expect a relaxed day, where you can get close to the racing and enjoy great country hospitality.

While the country races have a more relaxed feel than the city events, racegoers are still encouraged to frock up and be part of ‘Fashions on the Field’. Everyone can enter and there are fabulous prizes on offer.

V/LINE HANGING ROCK RACES DEAL:

For only $32.80 ($26.40 Conc.), V/Line’s Hanging Rock Races deal includes: an economy return ticket with V/Line from Melbourne (Southern Cross Station) to Woodend; shuttle transfer to the racecourse and entry to public areas of the racecourse.

PURCHASING V/LINE TICKETS

• Call 136 196 (6am-10pm AEST)
• At V/Line stations, through V/Line agents or premium metropolitan stations – see vline.com.au/wheretobuy

MORE INFORMATION
• For more information about these special deals visit www.vline.com.au/racing
 • For more information about country racing please visit www.countryracing.com.au

Jumby Bay, A Rosewood Resort reopened Dec. 1 following a $28 million resort-wide transformation. Closed since June 2008, the luxury private island resort off the coast of Antigua has its first-ever Sense, A Rosewood Spa; 28 new suites; new dining experiences in open-air Verandah and bistro-style restaurants developed by Executive Chef Juan Pablo Loza; and a pair of new Estate Homes.

Jumby Bay now offers several new luxury services and amenities as part of a new “Privileges of Privacy” menu, which features couples’ exclusive escapes like private stargazing. In addition, the resort now has an enhanced welcome experience at the Jumby Bay dock featuring a cool signature-scented towel to refresh and seasonal fruit juice infused with local herbs and spices.

The resort’s renovation combines innovative elements and modern luxuries while staying true to its colonial heritage of the West Indies. Sense, A Rosewood Spa, provides Jumby Bay with its first-ever stand-alone spa, inspired by the island’s sugar mill ruin.

The open-air retreat welcomes guests to a unique sanctuary offering such signature treatments as the Rumba Scrub and Massage using rum, sugar and coconut.

Designed by Robert Moreland of MCM Design, the spa features five personal spa suites, including a special Duet suite, all with individual showers and personal relaxation terraces.

Jumby Bay also has enhanced 40 guest rooms, including 28 newly built and 12 updated suites, just steps from Jumby Bay Beach.

Designed by Miami-based IDC, accommodations capture the spirit of a tropical hideaway in romantic British Colonial style.

The rooms feature vaulted ceilings, four-poster hand-carved mahogany beds, and al fresco bathrooms with rain showers and deep soaking tubs set amid private gardens.

Key to the transformation of Jumby Bay is newly appointed Executive Chef Juan Pablo Loza, who previously served as chef of sister property Las Ventanas Al Paraíso, A Rosewood Resort in Los Cabos. Chef Loza serves Mexican and Spanish cuisine combined with a uniquely Antiguan flare that highlights locally grown spices, produce, and freshly caught seafood.

More than a restaurant and bar, The Verandah is the crossroads of Jumby Bay Island, the unofficial clubhouse and hub of the resort.

The old Verandah has been replaced with the newly built Verandah Restaurant, now overlooking the beach. Jumby Bay Culinary Experiences, a schedule of hands-on gastronomic classes, will be led by Chef Loza and local Antiguan Chefs in the new display kitchen.

The new Verandah Bar and accompanying lounge areas face the sea, creating an air of casual beach chic under cooling ceiling fan.

The new bistro-style Pool Grille restaurant – the resort’s third dining option – is the place for simple yet healthful fare and refreshing beverages ranging from cocktails to mocktails.

The restaurant is located between the Caribbean Sea and Jumby Bay’s dramatic new Oceanfront Infinity Pool.

The renovation of Jumby Bay adds two new Estate Homes to the island.

Stretching at least 9,750 square-feet, each Estate Home is distinctively designed to complement the classic Caribbean style of the resort, with pools, state-of-the-art kitchens, expansive outdoor space, and use of resort services and amenities included. Reopening rates start at $1,150 per night and are all-inclusive.

For more information or to reserve a room, call 888-ROSEWOOD or 268-462-6000, or visit www.jumbybayresort.com