Jetsettersblog

NYC & Company, the city’s marketing, tourism and partnership organization, announced the return of On the House, a program to boost ticket sales at 25 Off-Broadway productions throughout Manhattan.

The three-week promotion, which takes place Feb. 8 to 28, offers two-for-one Off-Broadway theater tickets for New Yorkers and visitors alike.

Reservations open now, and complete booking information can be accessed at www.nycgo.com/onthehouse.

Theaters participating in the promotion are scattered throughout Manhattan, including Chelsea, Midtown, the Upper East Side, the Upper West Side, the East Village and the West Village.

Long-running shows such as “The Fantasticks” and “Perfect Crime” join limited-engagement productions such as “Mr. & Mrs. Fitch” (starring John Lithgow) in this year’s promotion. Productions participating in On the House include “A Lie of the Mind,” “Ages of the Moon,” “Avenue Q,” “Awesome 80s Prom,” “Candida,” “Circumcise Me,” “Clybourne Park,” “Equivocation,” “The Fantasticks,” “Fuerza Bruta,” “The Gazillion Bubble Show,” “Happy Nowω,” “MazelTov Cocktail,” “Measure for Measure,” “Mr. & Mrs. Fitch,” “Naked Boys Singing!,” “Perfect Crime,” “The Pride,” “The Scottsboro Boys,” “Signs of Life,” “STOMP,” “The Tempermentals,” “Top Secret: The Battle for the Pentagon Papers,” “Venus in Fur” and “Yank!”

For more information, visit www.nycgo.com/onethehouse

Merlin Entertainments announced a multimillion-dollar investment in the biggest family tourist center in the world with the planned opening of Legoland Florida.

Merlin has purchased the historic Cypress Gardens in Winter Haven, Fla., from property investment company Land South Group and will open Legoland Florida on the site at the end of 2011. The deal to buy the 145-acre site includes the freehold on the current theme park and waterpark as well as an operating lease in perpetuity on the historic botanical gardens.

Merlin plans a significant multimillion-dollar investment over a number of years, up to and beyond opening, in what will be the biggest Legoland to date.

In line with the group’s “resort” strategy for its theme parks, this is likely to include both accommodations and the addition of further branded attractions from the Merlin portfolio.

This will build on the $100 million invested over the past few years in improved infrastructure on the site.

The Florida development will be Merlin’s second Legoland Park in North America and will play an important role in the group’s continued growth in the U.S. It will provide a full-day, year round, theme park experience geared towards families with children between the ages of 2 and 12.

Its design will mirror the successful concept of the four existing Legoland Parks in Denmark, Germany, the U.K. and California.

However, as with the other four, it will also have its own unique “twist” reflecting its stunning location and adding a Florida flavor.

The decision to open a Legoland Park in Florida follows considerable research in the area by Merlin over a number of years.

This indicated a high recognition of the Legoland Park brand and a more than 90 percent intention to visit by families in this target market.

The issue therefore has been to find the ideal site. Cypress Gardens has long been a popular location for millions of visitors.

Merlin believes its central Florida location, approximately 30 minutes from Orlando and also close to Tampa, is the perfect site for a leisure brand as powerful and compelling as Legoland. The development follows the success of Legoland California, which opened in 1999. Legoland Florida will be the biggest Legoland Park ever opened and will offer a unique mix of more than 50 rides, shows and attractions, including spectacular Lego models and other interactive elements for the whole family to enjoy together.

For more information, visit www.legoland.com

Mondrian in South Beach, part of Morgan’s Hotel Group, announced the company’s first condo-hotel offering, presenting boaters with a destination at the Mondrian Marina on Biscayne Bay.

One of only three marinas located on Miami Beach, Mondrian’s Marina offers 26 boat slips that hold up to 65-foot yachts and luxurious onsite services.

To compliment the marina, Mondrian introduces an array of water activities including jet skis and kayaks available for hotel and marina guests.

In a prime location overlooking views of the downtown Miami skyline, guests will have access to surrounding waters such as Government Cut, North Miami Beach, and the serene natural landscape of Key Biscayne, all while being footsteps away from the action of Mondrian’s own Sunset Lounge.

Monthly and seasonal marina packages are available.

Mondrian also offers marina guests special rates for guest rooms. For the dock master, call 305-514-1500.

For hotel reservations or more information,

call 800-606-6090

or visit www.morganshotelgroup.com

To celebrate a new beginning for the world’s most famous crystal brand, WWRD Holdings Limited plans to open a new Waterford Crystal Prestige Manufacturing Facility, Retail Outlet and Visitor Centre in June 2010.

Located in the brand’s namesake city of Waterford, Ireland, the high-tech facility will exclusively produce 40,000 hand-crafted crystal pieces using traditional artisan methods.

In addition to serving as a brand laboratory for innovation and modern design, Waterford Crystal Factory Tours will be open to the public seven days a week and all year round.

The Waterford Crystal factory tour features a visual journey of over 225 years of glass making.

Visitors will also be able to see a replica of the Waterford Times Square Ball and other exhibitions themed to Sport, Statement Design or the Faces and Places exhibit which showcases specially commissioned Waterford Crystals pieces that have been presented to famous Celebrities, Presidents and dignities.

The world’s largest display of Waterford Crystal will be showcased in the Retail Experience, including pieces from world famous designers such as John Rocha, Michael Aram and Jasper Conran.

The Waterford Crystal Visitor Centre is located two miles from the city center on the N25 Cork Road in Waterford.

Factory tours are open to the public all year round, Monday to Sunday. Guided Tours are also available seven days a week.

For more information, visit www.waterfordvisitorcentre.com

For more information about Ireland visit http://www.discoverireland.com  or for a free vacation planning kit call the NY office at 800/223-6470. Read Ireland feature stories from Jetsetters Magazine at this link:

One year after the global recession curtailed hospitality developments all over, including the premier resort development strip in Vietnam, Life Resort Danang, and the hotel’s owner Hoang Tra Travel and Trading Co., are in the final phase of construction.

The 187-room resort on Bac My An Beach will officially open March 20.

Forbes magazine has hailed this stretch of beach as one of the world’s finest.

The opening marks a resurgence of development momentum on this storied stretch of coast between Danang and Hoi An.

While many of the major chains have put plans on hold during the recession, one major 18-hole golf course has opened in the past year.

A second is on the verge of play, as well.

This month, Conde Nast Traveler elevated Life Heritage Resort Hoi An onto its prestigious Gold List, one of only three properties in Vietnam to be so distinguished.

Life Resort Danang’s 187 rooms will include nine categories of accommodation, from 67 superior rooms and 91 deluxe rooms to suites and villas and one grand presidential suite.

The resort will also feature the Nang Spa, with 10 treatment rooms, a fitness center, tennis courts, a resort pool, conference facilities, and several food and beverage outlets, including the 300-seat Senses. As a pre-opening gesture, Life Resorts is accepting reservations at $135 per night for stays scheduled between April 1 and May 31.

For more information, call 011 848-3-844-3605, email sales@life-resorts.com  or visit www.life-resorts.com

Air New Zealand said it aims to transform international air travel later this year when it introduces revolutionary, Kiwi designed lie-flat economy and specially designed premium economy seats, together with enhanced comforts for its Business Premier class.

The airline revealed its prototype designs in a full-scale Boeing 777-300 cabin inside its design innovation center in Auckland.

Chief Executive Officer Rob Fyfe said when the airline takes delivery of its first new Boeing 777-300 ER in November this year it will redefine the long-haul travel experience and set a benchmark for competitors to follow.

“Air New Zealand is putting the magic and romance back into flying,” Fyfe said.

“For the past three years we have been designing a new long-haul experience that will reignite the passion of today’s travelers.

For those who choose, the days of sitting in economy and yearning to lie down and sleep are gone.

The dream is now a reality, one that you can even share with a traveling companion.”

The Skycouch, a specially designed row of three seats, has been engineered to create a lie-flat, flexible space all the way to the seat-back in front, providing a place for kids to play or a flat surface for adults to relax and sleep.

Twenty-two sets of Skycouch seats will be available in the first 11 window rows in the Economy Class cabin.

For two adults traveling, purchasing the Skycouch will be based on buying two seats at standard prices with the third seat at approximately half price.

Full airfare details will be announced when it goes on sale from late April.

Air New Zealand’s Premium Economy cabin has also had a dramatic makeover.

“Most airlines’ Premium Economy offering leaves travelers with economy-style food and service,” said Fyfe. “By complete contrast, our new Premium Economy cabin with uniquely Kiwi designed Spaceseats will offer unparalleled comfort and legroom with new shared-meal experiences more familiar in tapas restaurants or bistros than at 35,000 feet.”

Air New Zealand’s Business Premier cabin is also being enhanced with complete on-demand food and beverage service more akin to premium dining and an enhanced sleep experience.

The new interior design scheme includes a move away from traditional blues and greens to a more luxurious blend of chalk and deep ink colors.

Fyfe said each of the three zones in Air New Zealand’s long-haul aircraft of the future will be a step ahead of competitors from a comfort perspective and the experience will be further underpinned by the world’s most innovative food and beverage service and state-of-the-art entertainment system.

Being able to order a steak, medium rare in Business Premier, a pizza for two in Premium Economy or a late night snack in Economy, whenever you want, will be a very cool experience,” he said.

“New oven technology that will cook food from scratch rather than simply reheating and a new digital in-seat ordering service will make this truly the first time real food has been served at 35,000 feet.”

The 340 seat 777-300 aircraft will be configured with 246 in Economy (including 66 seats creating 22 Skycouch combinations), 50 in Premium Economy and 44 in Business Premier. The first routes to offer travelers the next generation of long-haul travel will be on selected NZ5 and NZ6 services between Auckland and Los Angeles from December followed by dedicated return services on NZ1 and NZ2 between Auckland and Los Angeles and through to London from April 2011. Air New Zealand also expects to also refit its fleet of eight Boeing 777-200 aircraft from mid next year, with all Asian, North American and U.K. services to have the new product by around 2012. For more information, visit www.airnewzealand.com

Cambodia and Vietnam have agreed to reduce the official restrictions of cross-border navigation on Mekong waterways to allow freedom of navigation on the river between the two countries.

It is expected to increase access to the river system for foreign vessels.

Both governments say that the move will free-up regional and international trade, help avoid delays and make river-based customs and immigration procedures more efficient and straight-forward.

The Mekong River Commission (MRC) facilitated the agreement by assisting a legal task force in both countries, with funding provided by the governments of Belgium and Australia.

The agreement will also put in place a range of measures ensuring river traffic safety and regulate the transportation of dangerous goods.

For more information, visit

www.tourismcambodia.com  or

www.vietnamtourism.com

Tourism Malaysia is promoting Cameron Highlands, a region located about 120 miles north of Kuala Lumpur, as a weekend getaway from the city.

Cool weather, rolling hills covered with tea plantations and strawberry fields attract an increasing number of visitors and an increasing amount of accommodations to cater to the growing demand. Visitors can choose from many hotels, guesthouses, lodges, bungalows, and resorts such as Strawberry Park, Equatorial, and the Cameron Highlands Resort. The Time Tunnel, a local museum at Jalan Sungai Burung in Brinchang houses over 1,000 artifacts and features a gallery of monochrome pictures displaying the Highlands’ development and history.

Markets, farms and nurseries make up the majority of the attractions.

Nature lovers have a choice of 14 different trails of varying lengths and difficulty to explore the jungle of the Highlands.

The 220 million-year-old Mossy Forest, located at the peak of Mount Brinchang, sits at 6,666 feet above sea level.

On a clear day, the Straits of Melaka can be seen from the observation tower of Mount Brinchang.

Among all the attractions in Cameron Highlands, tea plantations are one of the defining points that distinguish themselves from the rest of the hill resorts in the country.

There are a several tea plantations in Cameron Highlands for visitors to choose from.

To offer visitors a holistic experience of tea, the BOH Tea Centre was officially opened in 2007 on a hilltop of the Sungei Palas tea garden.

It offers guided tours of the tea factory that has been operating since the 1930’s to gain an insight into the natural and simple process of tea processing, manufacturing and packaging.

For more information, visit www.tourismmalaysiausa.com

A new audio tour launched Nov. 18 in a remote corner of Indochina tells the story of America’s secret war in Laos. Between 1964 and 1973 America, which was at war with North Vietnam, secretly dropped more bombs on neighboring Laos than were dropped on Europe in the whole of World War II.

Over 20,000 people in Viengxay in northeast Laos survived by living in an elaborate network of caves which are now open to the public.

Many of the caves had specialist functions such as hospital, bakery, school, shop, theater or government office. A new audio tour of the caves is now available to tourists visiting Viengxay, which is a scenic mix of abrupt limestone mountains and green valleys with rice paddies and hamlets.

The 90-minute audio tour combines eye witness accounts and a narrative that explains the wider conflict of the Vietnam War. Throughout the 1960s and ’70s as the Cold War dominated geo-political thinking around the world, the “domino theory” compelled decision makers in Washington, D.C. who were trying to contain Communism in Indochina. The consequences were dire for Laotian villagers, most of whom were subsistence farmers.

The audio tour, priced at $6.50 per person, covers events from late 1950s to the end of the bombing raids in 1973 when peace accords were signed in Geneva.

The audio tour also explains the legacy of unexploded war bombs in the fields of Laos today.

The Laotian government says unexploded ordnance kills about one person a day in Laos. Many of the casualties were farmers, or their children playing in the fields. The project, which is also covered in a new Viengxay website, required international sponsorship. The United Nations World Tourism Organization, the PATA Foundation, SNV (Netherlands Development Organization), the Australian Embassy in Laos, and private companies in the country all contributed funds or support in kind.

Flights from Vientiane are now available three times per week to Xam Nua, a 45-minute drive from Viengxay. The nearest airport with daily flights from Vientiane is Xieng Khouang, a six-hour drive from Viengxay.

An increasing number of budget travelers have been finding their way to Viengxay from both Luang Prabang and Xieng Khouang on Laos’ public bus system. Some tourists prefer to be driven in from the Vietnamese border, 30 miles away.

Visas on arrival are now available at Nam Meo, the nearest Vietnam border point to Viengxay. The caves are an eight-hour drive from Hanoi. A growing number of tour operators take groups through the region, many passing from Laos into Vietnam and onto Hanoi.

For more information, visit www.tourismlaos.gov.la or www.ecotourismlaos.com

Leading Surfers Paradise resort, Mantra Sun City, has taken relaxation to a higher orbit with the opening of a decadent new day spa.

Holidaymakers can now splash out on the ultimate in Gold Coast indulgence with leading massage and beauty company Calmertherapies opening its doors at the property.

Adding an extra dimension for guests looking to be pampered in paradise, the day spa offers a tempting range of body treatments and pamper packages to soothe the mind, body and soul.

Located in the resort lobby, the day spa offers rejuvenating deep tissue, relaxation, pregnancy and hot stone massages plus a choice of cleansing facials utilising the finest French marine-based products from Algologie.

Full body scrubs, deluxe pedicures and manicures, Mother’s Rewards and Men’s Treats is just a small example of what is waiting to be enjoyed, all in a serene and soothing setting.

Open for appointments seven days a week by phoning 07 5584 6000, the day spa has soul soothing spa treatments starting from just $75.

Offering an idyllic haven to rejuvenate in privacy and contemporary comfort, Mantra Sun City is the perfect choice for couples and families alike.

Featuring Aztec-inspired designs and architecture set amidst lush tropical gardens, Mantra Sun City, offers a range of luxury hotel rooms and one, two and three bedroom suites overlooking beaches, canal waterways or the surrounding hinterland.

Resort facilities include the popular Sayas Restaurant and Sayas Poolside Bar & Café, indoor swimming pool, outdoor swimming lagoon with sand beach, sauna and steam room, two tennis courts, gym, kids’ games room and two water slides.

For bookings or further information call 13 15 17 or visit www.mantra.com.au