Jetsettersblog

A luxurious new B&B boasting contemporary studio style accommodation with panoramic bushland views is a new addition to Queensland’s picturesque Sunshine Coast hinterland.

Located in the Mary Valley, less than two hours from Brisbane, Melawondi Spring Retreat offers the ideal romantic getaway for two.

Nestled on 30 acres of natural bushland, the stunning studio accommodation features a king bed, modern appliances, raked ceiling, freestanding spa and plenty of luxuries to ensure pure relaxation and ultimate privacy.

At only $295 per night for a two night weekend stay including a bottle of champagne, a range of delicious home cooked goodies and pure essence spa products, this tranquil retreat offers the very best in luxury hinterland accommodation.

Unwind on the spacious deck with a glass of wine as you soak up panoramic valley views or explore the many bushwalking tracks surrounding the property.

With the Mary Valley, Noosa, Eumundi and other areas of the Sunshine Coast at your doorstep, Melawondi Spring Retreat is the perfect romantic escape.

www.melawondispringretreat.com.au

You: Self-proclaimed foodie looking for an once-in-a-lifetime trip. You’ve savored the tastes of Tuscany and sipped your way through Napa Valley – it’s time for something different.

The Trip: Flip your world completely upside down and head Down Under! In Australia, Diving the Great Barrier Reef, observing wild Kangaroos, cuddling Koalas and trekking the Outback are all adventures that serve as a backdrop to a wild culinary experience.

Take a bicycle tour through the Riesling vineyards of Southern Australia, visit Melbourne’s famous food festival or enjoy a sausage at a traditional ‘barbie’ on the beach. Only for the brave: Schedule a traditional walk about with an Aboriginal guide and try a witchetty grub. We hear they taste like cream corn!

Mouth watering yet? Click here for more information on iExplore’s trips to ‘Oz’.

www.iexplore.com

Leading villa specialist Villas De Maitre has expanded its presence in Mauritius with the launch of a superbly appointed privately owned luxury apartments and penthouse overlooking the beautiful turquoise lagoon of Cap Malheureux, on the North coast of the island.

The two ground floor, two first floor apartments (150m2) and the second floor penthouse (250m2) offer a high level of comfort and their covered terraces offer stunning views over the lagoon with the small outer island of Coin de Mire as backdrop.

In the garden is a swimming pool with a large wooden decking area, a bar pool, parasols and sun loungers. Cape Point is located in the exclusive and quiet area of Cap Malheureux and is only five minutes away from the bustling resort of Grand Bay with its array of small restaurants, supermarkets, cafés, banks and chic boutiques of Sunset Boulevard.

Villas De Maitre co-founder Julie Gauthier said she was delighted to be introducing Cape Point as this private property sets a new standard in high calibre ocean-front rentals.

Mrs Gauthier pointed out that the opening of such properties in other seaside locations is a welcome addition to what the island offers as they offer privacy, style and service required by many clients coming to Mauritius on business or for an extended stay.

It is also ideal for families, groups of friends and small corporate groups.

Cape Point offers four spacious and light-filled apartments with three en suite bedrooms (2 doubles king-size and one twin bedroom), open plan living and dining area, American kitchen and large deck area with alfresco dining area with individual gas barbecue.

The Penthouse covers the whole top floor and has four bedrooms (3 doubles king-size and one twin bedroom), 3 bathrooms (2 en suite and 1 shared).

All properties have soft-tone luxurious furnishings, quality linens, WIFI, flat Screen LDC TV in Lounge & all Bedrooms, satellite TV & music channels, DVD with library and IPOD music system, 24/7 security with video surveillance and individual alarm in each apartment & penthouse connected to the security gate

Water sports, spas, bars, restaurants and shops are a short drive from the property. Free daily housekeeping and guest laundry service. Extras like private chef and nannies available.

http://www.villasdemaitre.com/hotelinfo.asp?SupplierID=1662

About Villas De Maitre

Villas De Maitre is a luxury villa reservations company, providing access to some of the most beautiful and exceptional villas in Mauritius and Seychelles.

Villas De Maitre directors personally inspect and evaluate each villa guaranteeing that passion for excellence expected by their clients.

As well as providing accommodation and destination information, Villas De Maitre can tailor-makes villa holidays to suit each client’s needs, whether these be private chefs, nannies, butlers or simply a restaurant recommendation and reservation.

Villas De Maitre, market leader in Mauritius luxury private villa rental, has over 16 years experience of representing some of the most exclusive private luxury villas on the island.

Villas De Maitre, 70 Wendover Road, Aylesbury HP21 9LW United Kingdom.
Tel: +44 1296 334138 / Email: info@villasdemaitre.com

Mexican President Felipe Calderon was joined by the Governor of Quintana Roo Felix Gonzalez Canto, and other Mexican authorities in a ceremony to inaugurate Cancun’s new beaches and officially end the destination’s beach restoration project. Cancun’s beaches underwent a $71 million investment, delivering more than two thousand tons of pipeline material to the destination and more than 1.3 billion gallons of sand to replenish all of Cancun’s Hotel Zone seashore, and bringing back 6.5 miles of sand from Punta Cancun to Punta Nizuc. The project, which began on Sept. 4, 2009 and was completed on February 9, was funded by state and federal governments, local municipalities and private investments.

The result is a 131-foot wide beach.

For more information on Cancun, visit www.cancun.travel

A renovated Hurva Synagogue will open to the public on March 15, after an extensive four-year construction project in the Old City of Jerusalem.

Built in 1864 atop ruins of an earlier synagogue, the Hurva Synagogue was the largest and considered the most important synagogue in Jerusalem.

It was destroyed in 1948 during Israel’s War of Independence.

After the city was reunified in 1967, a 52-foot arch was erected on the site to commemorate the giant dome of the destroyed building, and this arch has been incorporated into the dome that is the centerpiece of the new building.

The new Hurva Synagogue features wall paintings based on the building’s original murals, including depictions of the Tower of David, Rachel’s Tomb, the Sea of Galilee and the Cave of the Patriarchs.

Visitors will be able to participate in free daytime tours and nighttime sound and light presentations.

For more information, visit www.jewish-quarter.org.il

For more information on travel to Israel, visit www.goisrael.com

Bonaire’s Windsurf Kids and windsurfing in Bonaire are receiving enormous exposure with Seek Films new documentary, “Children of the Wind.”

The film will tell the story of Bonaire’s Windsurf Kids who’ve journeyed from humble beginnings to international fame through the sport of windsurfing, as well as what they’ve learned in the process.

It will be a story of how powerful change can come from children willing and strong enough to persevere through physical discipline and is a tribute to all Bonaire’s children.

“Children of the Wind,” to be shot this summer on Bonaire, follows the young Bonaireans, who claimed their reputation and captured the world’s heart through the sport of windsurfing.

The crew will shoot on location on Bonaire this summer, and will consist of six people — Co-Creator/Producer Robert McCormick, Co-Creator/Director of Photography Peter Robinson, Co-Creator/Director Daphne Schmon, Media Manager/Assistant Cinematographer Alex Campbell and Principal Photographer/Assistant Cinematographer Richard Schmon.

To view the trailer of “Children of the Wind,” visit www.childrenofthewindmovie.com/trailer.htm  

For destination information, call 800-BONAIRE or visit www.tourismbonaire.com

Alamo Rent A Car announced a partnership with Island Car Rentals, Jamaica’s leading car rental company.

The new partnership will provide Alamo’s valued customers with access to Island Car Rentals’ wide range of ground transportation services in Jamaica.

“We’re excited to announce this strategic partnership that will, for the first time in our history, provide Alamo with an important presence in Jamaica, one of the most popular travel destinations in the Caribbean,” said Ron Cerko, vice president of travel industry relations for Enterprise Holdings. Alamo is one of three major car rental brands operated by Enterprise Holdings, which owns more than 1 million cars and trucks, the largest fleet of passenger vehicles in the world today.

The partnership provides Alamo customers the same level of quality and service they always expect and count on. Island Car Rentals, licensed by the Jamaica Tourist Board, is the inaugural winner of the Tourism Service Excellence Awards, established by the Ministry of Tourism for Jamaica.

As Jamaica’s leading car rental company with a fleet of more than 700 vehicles, Island Car Rentals has two locations at Montego Bay and Kingston Airports.

Alamo customers can make reservations, by calling 877-222-9075, or online at the banner below.

Grand Cayman’s sister islands of Little Cayman and Cayman Brac are offering new accommodations and more dive sites. New hotel offerings from a wide variety of accommodations on Cayman Brac include The Brac Reef Beach Resort, which is once again open for business, with an entirely new building, remodeled guest rooms and five additional junior suites with walk-in showers with dual shower heads, iPod docks, flat-screen TVs and upgraded furniture.

Porches and balconies have been installed.

Sustainable practices have been implemented with the addition of an electronic guest key to conserve energy and the use of environmentally friendly cleaning products.

The Alexander Hotel, Cayman Brac’s most recent development, is also now officially open.

This all-suite hotel, located on the south coast of the island, overlooks the Salt Water Pond Bird Sanctuary, just steps from Cayman Brac’s beaches.

The only bed and breakfast on Cayman Brac, Walton’s Mango Manor, is a restored traditional West Indian home situated on the island’s North Shore.

A private chapel on the property allows for a Caribbean wedding in a romantic setting.

Featherstone’s House of the Rising Sun, an ocean side rental guest apartment, offers guests access to 1.4 acres of private beach, views of Cayman Brac’s dramatic bluffs and a double sea kayak and bicycles for island adventures. Little Cayman Beach Resort and Southern Cross Club are working to achieve Green Globe Certification, a certification recognizing sustainable practices for the travel and tourism industry. In addition to implementing eco-friendly practices, Little Cayman Beach Resort has just completed major guest room renovations, enhancing the hotel’s look and feel.

Located in Blossom Village, the Little Cayman Marine Museum is the first of its kind, dedicated to the Cayman Islands’ seafaring heritage.

Visitors can view antique equipment, artifacts, and photographs at the museum. The Sister Islands introduced 15 new dive sites, as part of the Cayman Islands’ ongoing “Dive 365” project, which aims to develop and maintain 365 separate moorings. Cayman Brac and Little Cayman offer more than 100 dive sites.

For more information, visit www.caymanislands.ky  or www.divecayman.ky

The latest line of BMW vehicles can be found at The Ritz-Carlton Resorts of Naples.

From now  to April 29, 2010, guests of both resorts will have eight BMWs and one Mini convertible for complimentary use as part of the BMW/Ritz-Carlton Driving Tour.

The resorts are the first in the Ritz-Carlton brand to offer this service. Vehicles may be rented from 30 minutes to three hours based on availability.

Test drives are available from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily.

Guests interested in local restaurant plans can make “Dinner Drive” reservations where keys are picked up at 5:30 p.m. and returned by 11 p.m. Reservations may be made by calling or visiting the BMW/Ritz-Carlton Driving Tour desk in the resorts’ lobbies and can be confirmed up to one week in advance.

The resort concierges are on-hand to provide drive recommendations to the best attractions in the Naples area including the Everglades and the newly renovated Naples Botanical Gardens.

They’ll even customize further by pre-programming directions into the GPS system prior to the drive.

A valid driver’s license card (must be 21 years or older) is required and a BMW insurance waiver must be signed. For full details on the latest amenity from The Ritz-Carlton Resorts of Naples, visit www.ritzcarlton.com/naples

Touted as one of the destinations to lead the UK out of recession, Brighton offers a plethora of activities designed to set you up for a great year.

Appease your weary mind, body and soul in one of the friendliest cities in the UK with an array of outdoor pursuits and entertainment.

From sport to spa treatments, organic food and alternative therapy – including laughter, the best medicine – a trip to the south coast is perfect for that much needed lift.

MIND
Komedia

Escape the cold and enjoy a night full of entertainment at the award-winning Komedia, home to an eclectic mix of comedy, music and cabaret. With acts including the Ministry of Burlesque, Brighton’s Jazz Club and a one man performance by the acerbic Will Self, about ‘Blue Monday’, Komedia shows why laughter is the best medicine with the unique experience that is not to be missed.

For more information visit www.komedia.co.uk/brighton  or www.visitbrighton.com

BODY
NIVEA SUN® Yellowave

Get to grips with some of the most exciting beach sports on the south coast as the NIVEA SUN® Yellowave offers a host of alternative outdoor activities, including high-kicking Footvolly and Ultimate Frisbee to name but a few.

With instructors on hand to show you the ropes, the entire family can hit the sands and enjoy an afternoon of the most enjoyable exertion around.
For more information visit www.yellowave.co.uk  or www.visitbrighton.com

SOUL
Aloka Quality of Life Centre

Whether you have a few minutes or an entire day, the newly opened Aloka Quality of Life Centre offers customers the ultimate in wellbeing underpinned by the unique Aura-Soma® colour system. Spread over five floors, Aloka features a day spa complete with luxury treatment rooms, drop-in yoga sessions, colour workshops and a café offering some of the best vegetarian, vegan and raw food dishes priced by weight and cooked by a dedicated team of vegetarian chefs.
For more information visit www.aloka.aura-soma.net  or www.visitbrighton.com

For information on events in Brighton throughout 2010, contact Carl Steer at Rooster PR or log on to www.visitbrighton.com

About VisitBrighton.com

VisitBrighton.com is the official destination marketing body for Brighton & Hove and it is part of Brighton and Hove City Council.

VisitBrighton.com was established to provide tourists with details of where to stay, what to see and where to visit during their stay.

The website offers comprehensive information on visiting the city, and also provides exclusive offers and discounted rates on attractions, entertainment and accommodation.