Jetsettersblog

Sydney’s coastline is one of the most beautiful and environmentally diverse in the world, featuring picture-postcard beaches, soaring cliffs and mighty headlands, secret inlets and secluded coves. The city is now promoting this wealth of coastal beauty as Sydney’s Great Coastal Walk and the best guide to the best sections of the Walk, including the full Palm Beach to La Perouseroute, is the new edition of Australia’s bestselling walking guide, Sydney’s Best Harbour and Coastal Walks.

Katrina O’Brien, author of the guide, says “For many Sydney-siders living close to the beach, a coastal walk is part of their daily life.

But few people realise that it is possible to walk most of the coastline from Barrenjoey Head to the Royal National Park”. For those interested in tackling the heart of the walk – from Palm Beach to La Perouse, Katrina suggests the following week’s itinerary:

Day 1: Bus to Palm beach, climb Barrenjoey Head before walking to an Avalon B&B

Day 2: Walk from Avalon to Collaroy staying along Narrabeen Beach

Day 3: Walk from Collaroy to Manly

Day 4: Do the North Head walk in the morning, then catch the ferry to Circular Quay, connecting with the ferry to Watsons Bay before spending the night there

Day 5: Do the South Head walk before heading off along the cliffs to Bondi Beach

Day 6: Walk from Bondi to Maroubra

Day 7: Follow the final part of the route from Maroubra to La Perouse in the morning, and catch the bus back to the city in the afternoon.

Set in Canada’s wine-growing region along the quiet shores of Osoyoos Lake, the new Watermark Beach Resort has officially opened its doors.

From now through March 31, 2010, Watermark is celebrating by offering a special opening rate starting at $92 per night for a studio suite.

Along with the opening of the hotel, the Watermark Wine Bar with its views of the lake is open to greet guests for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Offering a seasonally inspired menu that reflects the produce harvested in this region, the Watermark Wine Bar serves a European Continental Breakfast Buffet in the mornings, and an afternoon and evening service that includes a wide range of local wines to complement the carefully thought out menu. Featuring a variety of light plates, entrees, and a selection of gourmet charcuterie and house made desserts, the Wine Bar prides itself in its relationships with local producers who offer the highest in quality products and produce.

The four-story, 153-suite Watermark Beach Resort consists of a main building and 30 beachfront townhomes.

Each of the penthouse, studio, one-, two- and three-bedroom suites offer all the comforts and conveniences of home, including stainless steel kitchen appliances, deep soaking tubs, flat-screen televisions in the master bedrooms and living areas, and private balconies with breathtaking views of the lake or desert landscape.

Slated to open in the spring will be Watermark’s dining room featuring an open kitchen and waterside outdoor patio, a café, yoga studio, fitness center, and a 1,400-square-foot spa.

Located 246 miles from Vancouver or 284 miles from Seattle and accessible via either Kelowna International Airport or Penticton Airport, Osoyoos boasts Canada’s driest climate with the lowest rainfall and highest temperatures in the country.

For more information or reservations, call

888-755-3480 or visit

www.watermarkbeachresort.com

The hotel division of Grupo Piñero, Bahía Príncipe Clubs & Resorts, unveiled the Riviera Maya Golf Club, a new 36-hole golf course, conceived to provide personal enjoyment to players from around the world.

The facilities have been designed by the Robert Trent Jones II architectural firm.

Once the project has been completed, it will boast a 36-hole course set out on 90 hectares of land, and will become one of the most important in the area.

Play began on Dec. 15, with nine professional holes in play (par 36). By February 2010, Riviera Maya Golf Club will have 18 professional holes and another nine executive ones, which will allow golfers to play a complete round.

The development of the project will hopefully conclude in the spring of next year, with the opening of the remaining nine professional holes and the facilities functioning at full capacity.

This includes the complementary availability of a clubhouse, swimming pools, spa, pro shop, bars and restaurants.

For the development of the course, a flora and fauna recuperation program has been followed, together with the Eco-Bahía ecological foundation.

The program guarantees the conservation and protection of the ecosystem, native species and species in danger of extinction, rescuing and relocating a large number of plant species and conserving the region’s typical landscapes.

Having animals secure in their natural habitats among lakes and springs makes Riviera Maya Golf Club a unique experience for golf lovers and as well as providing a place worth visiting for nature lovers.

For more information, visit www.bahia-principe.com

The Ritz-Carlton, Dove Mountain, situated northwest of Tucson, in the scenic town of Marana, officially opened for business Dec. 18.

The 250-room resort is spread out over 850 acres of Sonoran Desert in the Tortolita Foothills. In attendance for the ribbon cutting ceremony were Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer and community leaders.

In conjunction with the opening, the resort is offering introductory rates starting from $259.

Two hundred invited guests were on hand to take part in the opening ceremony.

Speakers included owner and developer David Mehl of Cottonwood Properties; Hank Biddle, senior vice president of operations for The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, L.L.C.; and Allan Federer, general manager for the property.

For the remainder of the holiday season, the resort will offer a series of events for the public to enjoy, including a Wine Bar New Year’s Eve gala opening celebration benefiting Angel Charity for Children, Inc.

The 850-acre property features a 250-room hotel, Jack Nicklaus Signature Golf Course, destination spa and luxury homes at The Residences at The Ritz-Carlton, Dove Mountain.

The property also offers adventure programming and world class hiking, and is host to the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championships each spring.

For reservations or more information, call 800-241-3333

or visit www.ritzcarlton.com/dovemountain

Marriott International, Inc. will open its first Residence Inn by Marriott in South America in Ecuador in 2012 with the opening of the 143-room Residence Inn by Marriott Guayaquil.

The hotel will be operated under a management agreement with Furoiani Obras y Proyectos.

The Residence Inn Guayaquil will offer 143 suites, ranging from studio to two-bedroom accommodations.

Designed for stays of five nights or more, each suite includes a fully equipped kitchen and separate living and working area, complimentary high-speed Internet access, flat-screen TV, and Marriott’s highly acclaimed bed and bath linens. Rates vary depending on length of stay.

Other hotel facilities and services include an outdoor swimming pool, fitness center, business center, and a complimentary weekly social hour.

The hotel also offers two meeting rooms designed to accommodate small meetings or events.

Guayaquil is Ecuador’s second-largest city and a major commercial center.

When opened, the Residence Inn Guayaquil will be Marriott’s third hotel in Ecuador. Marriott International is currently represented in the country by the 257-room JW Marriott Quito, and the 144-room Courtyard by Marriott Guayaquil.

Residence Inn is Marriott’s third-largest lodging brand with more than 600 properties in North and Central America.

Sandals Whitehouse European Village & Spa reopened following four months of upgrades and renovations to the Luxury Included resort, on pace with original estimates set in August by Gordon “Butch” Stewart, chairman and founder of Sandals Resorts.

The renovations to the resort further enhance the Luxury Included experience. Following the project, changes to the resort property included upgrades to soft goods and furnishings throughout the property and renovations to all resort restaurants, the main lobby area and treatment rooms at the resort’s exclusive Red Lane Spa.

The top two categories of suites — the One-Bedroom Penthouse Honeymoon Beachfront Suite and the One-Bedroom Walkout Honeymoon Beachfront Suite — were completely refurbished, adding updated furniture, upgraded soft goods and new plasma TVs, offering an enhanced setting for resort guests.

In addition, debuting with the reopening, guests of Sandals Whitehouse will be the first to experience Neptune’s, a new Mediterranean-themed dining concept. Created by Sandals Resorts International, Neptune’s offers Mediterranean cuisine with such dishes as a traditional meze of marinated olives, feta lamb kebabs and tzatkiki to saffron-infused bouillibasse.

Neptune’s will be located in the former Arizona Restaurant and there are plans to expand the concept to other Sandals Resorts in the New Year.

Recently named one of the top hotels in the Caribbean by Travel + Leisure’s World’s Best Awards, Sandals Whitehouse is set within a 500-acre nature reserve on Jamaica’s undiscovered south coast.

The resort features three seaside villages — French, Italian and Dutch with piazzas and Mediterranean cuisine as well as pastry shops and European-inspired architecture.

The 50-acre resort has 360 rooms and suites in nine categories all of which have beachfront views; eight restaurants and six bars; the largest freshwater pool in Jamaica; and a European-style square complete with duty-free shops, formal gardens, a piazza and cafes.

As with all Sandals Resorts Luxury Included vacations, a trip to Sandals Whitehouse includes butler service in select room categories; gourmet dining; unlimited premium brand wine and spirits; championship golf; and a wide array of watersports, including snorkeling and scuba diving.

Guest of Sandals Whitehouse can also take advantage of savings of up to 65 percent off rack rates through select dates in 2010 when they book a minimum three-night stay by Jan. 7.

InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) announced the opening of the InterContinental Paris Avenue Marceau. A stone’s throw away from the Arc de Triomphe and the Champs Elysees, IHG will manage the hotel under a 10-year management contract with Groupe Cible Expansion which owns the hotel. InterContinental Paris Avenue Marceau was until recently the Crowne Plaza Paris Champs Elysees.

The 55-room hotel, which opened in 2008, is located in three heritage buildings from different periods in Paris’ history and overlooks a central courtyard.

Designed by Bruno Borrione, part of Philippe Starck’s team, the hotel is a mix of French classical and urban contemporary design.

It has two penthouse suites, including a terrace suite with a private roof patio looking onto the Eiffel Tower.

InterContinental Paris Avenue Marceau is one of 28 hotels in the city, and 63 hotels across France, operating under one of IHG’s seven brands, including Holiday Inn.

The hotel will complement the existing InterContinental Paris Le Grand, which originally opened as a hotel in 1867 and has been flying the InterContinental flag since 1982.

InterContinental Paris Le Grand reopened in 2003 following a multimillion-euro restoration.

Aimbridge Hospitality announces the opening of the Aloft Milwaukee Downtown hotel, located at 1230 Old World Third St. in the heart of Milwaukee’s downtown and business district.

Owned by Milwaukee River Hotel LLC and managed by Aimbridge Hospitality, the new lifestyle brand by Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. features 160 loft-like rooms, accessible technology and a social atmosphere.

The Aloft Milwaukee Downtown is the eighth managed Aloft Hotel in the Aimbridge Hospitality portfolio and its fifth Aloft to open this year.

It also is Aimbridge Hospitality’s second managed property in Milwaukee.

The company also operates the Doubletree Hotel Milwaukee/Brookfield. Milwaukee River Hotel LLC is comprised of local Milwaukee investors.

The new hotel will soon feature 4,600 square feet of meeting and banquet space, scheduled for completion by March 2010.

The hotel is just steps from the Riverwalk, a scenic stretch lined with shops and restaurants leading directly to the Historic Third Ward.

For more information or reservations, call 877-GO-ALOFT or visit www.aloftmilwaukee.com

Pangu 7 Star Hotel is set to become Beijing’s most luxurious hotel and a remarkable new icon for the Chinese capital

The 234-room Pangu 7 Star Hotel is the Chinese capital’s most privileged address since emperors and empresses occupied the Forbidden City.

The opulent hotel combines a prestigious location overlooking the 2008 Beijing Olympic Park, an auspicious East-meets-West design built according to ancient Chinese feng shui principles, and unique services befitting its distinguished international clientele of diplomats, high ranking executives and royalty.

Beijing’s New Axis

Pangu 7 Star Hotel is part of the stunning Pangu Plaza development which will also comprise luxury offices, residences and the flagship stores of the world’s most luxurious brands.

Located on Beijing’s new axis of prestige and power, the complex sits adjacent to the historical central axis that stretches from the Forbidden City to the 2008 Olympic Park, and offers jaw-dropping views over the capital’s new national icons: the ‘Bird’s Nest’ National Stadium and the ‘Water Cube’ Aquatic Centre.

The Water Cube is just 180 metres from the hotel and is connected by a Ruyi footbridge over Pangu Gardens. Situated beside Beijing’s Fourth Ring Road, the hotel also enjoys convenient access via new highways to Beijing Capital Airport and all the city’s major attractions.

The iconic and imposing dragon-shaped Pangu Plaza was built by world-renowned Taiwanese architect C.Y. Lee, whose portfolio includes the 508-metre Taipei 101 Tower, the second-tallest building in the world. So important is the Pangu Plaza development to the city of Beijing that local building laws were altered to accommodate the 39,361 sqm structure.

Designed in Lee’s trademark Chinese postmodernist style, the landmark plaza comprises five towers connected by a 411-metre-long Dragon Corridor and supported by 66 square granite columns.

Atop each column stands a three-metre dragon carved from five-million-year-old granite and holding a pearl in its mouth. The building’s 191-metre coiling ‘dragon’s head’ houses a 45-floor 5A office tower, the ‘body’ contains luxury residences and a high-end shopping mall and restaurants. Occupying a 21-storey tower, the Pangu 7 Star Hotel is the pinnacle of Pangu Plaza.

East Meets West Design

The Pangu 7 Star Hotel’s interiors were created by Milan-based Italian-Brazilian designer Ricardo Bello Dias. Opulent but welcoming, the design strikes a masterful balance between Chinese classical tradition and contemporary European glamour.

No expense has been spared in the creation of the hotel. The swathes of marble throughout the building are entirely imported from Italy, and often embellished with traditional Chinese motifs hand-engraved by local craftsmen. The contemporary furnishings, lighting and technology were designed by leading global brands such as Baga and include Italian lighting consultants Metis, who work with Bvlgari hotels, luxuriant furnishings from Moroso adorn the restaurants while guest rooms are outfitted with Baker furniture, as featured in the American Presidential White House.

Pangu 7 Star Hotel is also the only hotel to have been granted permission from the Palace Museum to reproduce priceless artworks from the Forbidden City.

These Tang, Ming and Qing dynasty masterpieces, by revered names such as Ren Renfa and Yun Bing, were recreated on copper panels in Italy and are visible in all guestrooms and public spaces.

Drenched with natural sunlight, the lobby is dressed in warm golden tones with creamy Italian travertine and yellow dragon carpets that reference the Chinese Imperial colours. Overhead, murals carved from precious rosewood depict scenes from the classic story A Dream of Red Mansions.

To ensure the utmost comfort and privacy for guests, check-in at the Pangu 7 Star Hotel is conducted entirely in the guestrooms.

The hotel boasts 234 guest rooms, including 140 suites, ranging in size from 45 sqm up to a 488 sqm Presidential Suite. Soaring 3.5-metre ceilings heighten the sense of spaciousness, and the rooms are decorated with cream, deep-pile carpets and polished blonde woods. Chinese design influences include vermillion walls, moon-shaped door handles and painted dragon lampshades. On the king sized Sealy mattress beds, 600-thread-count Egyptian cotton bedding by Frette offers an unforgettable night’s sleep.

Enhancing the auspicious feng shui of the rooms, a circular, recessed ceiling feature with molded motifs represents ‘heaven above earth’. A colourful round glass piece leading to the bathroom is engraved with two dragons at play. Each room also features a long, flickering faux fireplace with dramatic marble mantle custom designed by Bello Dias, adding a homely feel to the grandiose rooms.

The spacious bathrooms are equally impressive, featuring hand-sculpted dual washbasins, monsoon rain showers and Ferre and Hermes bath products. A mirror beside the bathtub turns into a TV screen at the flick of a switch, and heated towel racks warm the luxuriant Frette bath towels.

High-tech in-room amenities include flat-screen TVs, a Bose surround sound speaker system and automatic light and curtain controls. Advanced IP phones allow guests to receive messages and even check their hotel bill, and the minibar is stocked with complimentary juices, soft drinks, beer and Evian water. For any other requests, guests can simply summon their personal butler.

Continue reading Pangu 7 Star Hotel Beijing…

Two Nights at ‘The Opposite House’ And Pampering at ‘Coolest Bath House in China’- ‘A Tale of Two Houses’ promotion in Beijing with GREEN T. HOUSE Living

Spend two nights at The Opposite House in Beijing and continue the retreat with a decadent spa experience at GREEN T. HOUSE Living—internationally acclaimed as the “coolest bath house in China”.

The package themed “A Tale of Two Houses” twins two of Beijing’s most fashionable venues— Swire Hotels’ cutting edge flagship design urban hotel and a “lifestyle pavilion’ on the outskirts of Beijing which immerses guests in Chinese culture and cuisine.

The package of two nights or more at The Opposite House includes a 4-hour GREEN T. HOUSE Living spa experience for two, consisting of a scrub, bath experience, hydrating facial, face massage and two hour ’2-hands’ massage. Rounding up the treatment is a green tea-inspired lunch.

With rates starting from RMB 7,688 for two nights in a Studio 45 room, The Opposite House will throw in transfers between both houses in a Maserati Quattroporte, including a breakfast for two, complimentary mini-bar and wifi, and unlimited access to workout and pool facilities, as well as flexible check-in/check-out times.

The imperial-style GREEN T. HOUSE Living pavilion uniquely combines wellness with a teahouse, restaurant, gallery, cultural events space and inspiring meeting place.

Its new Bath House Residence is inspired by a Tang dynasty emperor’s bath house, complete with a rooftop hot tub for indulgent bathing even when it snows. Pampering immerses guests in “a world of body, mind and soul, senses and sensuality”.

Opened last August 2008, The Opposite House is designed by world-renowned Japanese architect Kengo Kuma and home to an intoxicating blend of restaurants and bars conceived by celebrated chef restaurateur David Laris. Sureño, Punk and Bei located in the basement level were designed by Shanghai-based Neri + Hu Design and Research Office—each outlet complemented by a fresh and innovative approach to service.

The 99-room intriguing urban hotel is located at The Village in Sanlitun, a vibrant new open-plan shopping, dining and entertainment destination developed by Swire Properties.

The hotel’s 99 guest studios, including 10 spacious suites, are amongst the largest in Beijing. More than half of all the rooms are over 70 sqm and all are strikingly simple with natural wooden floors and subtle touches of Chinese décor.

“We love what JinR has created in Shunyi. It is the perfect blend of art, design and relaxation, and when combined with our unique hotel, provides our guests with a very interesting experience.” Says General Manager, Anthony Ross.

Bookings can be made directly via the hotel’s website www.theoppositehouse.com  by phone at +8610 6417 6688 or through www.PreferredHotels.com