Jetsettersblog

Queensland spas have claimed half of the top 10 spots in the 2010 Conde Nast Travellers Readers’ Spa Awards (Australasia and the South Pacific), polishing the Sunshine State’s crown as the Australian ultimate destination for spa-lovers.

Palm Cove beachside spas, the Sebel Reef House & Spa and Angsana Spa, Angsana Great Barrier Reef, claimed the number two and three positions. Reef House Day Spa was also voted in the Top 25 spas in the world.

The Whitsundays also shared the limelight with island-based Spa Hayman and Spa Qualia on Hamilton Island voted number six and seven. The Azure Spa on Lizard Island Resort off Cairns was named number 10.

These awards are highly prized within the spa industry and thousands of entries are received from readers and spa enthusiasts the world-over keen to cast their vote for their favourite spa. The winners were announced at an awards ceremony staged at the Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park in London earlier this week.

More about the Queensland winners

Queensland’s Sebel House & Spa in Palm Cove , named Australia’s top spa n the prestigious survey, offers luxuriously pampering experiences based ancient Aboriginal techniques and medicines, combined with aromatherapy healing methods and Li’Tya natural spa products.

The purpose built-facility embraces different architectural styles from around the world, complete with white-washed walls, terracotta tiles, native timbers and a freshwater moat complete with bridge.

The signature treatment is Mala Mayi – a 90 minute full-body rejuvenation. Guests are cleansed, revitalised, energised and exfoliated, cocooned in Mapi mid while enjoying a Paudi scalp massage. www.reefhouse.com.au

Palm Cove also claimed Australia’s number two position with a spa that boasts air-conditioned beachfront treatment rooms and open-air, sheltered roof-top spa pavilions, both with soothing sights of the Coral Sea.

Angsana Spa’s roof-top pavilions each feature two side-by-side massage beds and a private plunge pool.

Therapists are flown in from the Banyan Tree Spa Academy in Phuket, Thailand, and offer a contemporary holistic, non-clinical range of treatments including Jasmine Frangipani Sparkle, Aloe Sunkisser and Cloud Nine. www.angsana.com

Spa Hayman on the Great Barrier Reef, voted number six, offers guests an expanded range of health and spa therapies, 13 individual treatment rooms including a dedicated wet treatment room and a therapy rooms with peaceful garden views.

The award winning spa also boasts two separate relaxation lounges complete with a mediation suite, a beautiful Hydrotherapy area, separate female and male sauna and steam rooms and a hair salon. Hayman’s signature treatment – the Ocean Massage – allows guests to enjoy the ultimate sensorial experience surrounded by tranquil waters, tropical fish and the warm Whitsunday sun. www.hayman.com

Spa Qualia on Hamilton Island, awarded the number seven position, offers six deluxe treatment rooms complete with Roman baths, a relaxation area with steam room and outdoor tropical shower, and an open air yoga and meditation pavilion. www.qualia.com.au

Rounding out the Queensland award winners is Azure Spa on Lizard Island. The beauty of the Island is infused in every treatment to provide an experience of total harmony between health, beauty to refresh the body, mind and spirit. www.lizardisland.com.au

For more information on Queensland’s award winning spas visit www.queenslandholidays.com.au

Air China has opened a new premium lounge meeting Star Alliance standards at the Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport.

At present, eight Star Alliance member airlines, including Air China, Shanghai Airlines, Singapore Airlines, Lufthansa, ANA, THAI, Egypt Air and Asiana Airlines, are operating in Guangzhou Baiyun Airport, offering over 120 domestic flights and 20 international flights to 20 domestic cities and seven cities abroad.

To support Star Alliance initiatives and to follow the service standards of Star Alliance’s “Move under One Roof” initiative, Baiyun Airport allocated its East Concourse 2 to be exclusive to the Star Alliance member carrier, Air China, and as such, over 90 percent of Air China flights to the airport will be able to dock and connect to the terminal directly, allowing passengers to board and exit with ease.

For more information, visit www.airchina.com

The developers of the new Hampton Inn & Suites on Georgia’s Jekyll Island said they focused on building the barrier island’s first new hotel in 35 years by adopting a “green” strategy.

New Castle Hotels & Resorts, a hotel ownership and development company and third-party manager, and co-developers Jekyll Ocean Oaks, LLC, an affiliate of the ownership group of the island’s existing Jekyll Island Club Hotel, followed an extensive set of guidelines, adopted by the Jekyll Island Authority, that require developers to respect and preserve the unique natural environment and historic character of the island.

Developers applied a range of conservation practices throughout the building process, and incorporated sustainability practices into the hotel’s operation, including building the new hotel on the existing footprint of an older motel in order to avoid cutting old growth trees on the five-acre site.

They also mapped tree locations and evaluation of their health and relative importance by a certified arborist.

They planted new live oak trees to replace a dozen trees removed to accommodate redevelopment of the site, and more than two dozen trees that were in poor health.

They recycled materials like steel, copper, concrete and aluminum from the demolition of the older motel.

They mounted elevated exterior downlighting on existing trees to avoid the cost and energy use related to manufacturing and installing aluminum poles for parking areas.

To provide hotel guests with beach access and still preserve the forest and dune area, developers built an elevated wooden walkway. Hotel operations employ a host of sustainable practices, including:

Rainwater is collected from the 25,000-square-foot roof and stored in a cistern for irrigating landscaping.

The hotel’s laundry system recaptures final rinse water moisture from the dryers for reuse as wash water, conserving both water and energy.

The system also scavenges waste heat from the dryers and reuses it to preheat water for the washing machines, recovering up to 90 percent of the waste heat and reducing overall energy consumption in the laundry by more than 50 percent.

Solar thermal panels are used on the south-facing roof to preheat water for hot water systems that service guestrooms, restrooms and kitchens.

The system reduces the burning of propane, a fossil fuel, to produce heat, thus reducing the total amount of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases produced by the property.

The 138-room Hampton Inn & Suites Jekyll Island opened in January 2010, the first new hotel to be built on the island in 35 years.

For more information, visit www.jekyllisland.com  or www.hamptoninn.com

ING Clarion Partners announced the branding of The Blue, a recently opened 240-room luxury condo hotel in suburban Miami, as Hyatt Miami at The Blue, with the addition of Davidson Hotel Company as the hotel’s new operator. The hotel is owned by ING Clarion Development Ventures II (CDV II), a fund advised by ING Clarion Partners. The property is Davidson’s first project with ING Clarion and its third property licensed under a franchise agreement with Hyatt and managed under the full-service Hyatt brand.

The 17-acre self-contained resort in Doral, Fla., is located among some of the most famous golf courses in the United States, just minutes from Miami International Airport.

The tropically-landscaped property includes 15 three-story villas, each with 16 hotel suites comprised of studios with more than 700 square feet, one bedrooms with over 1,000 square feet, and two-story, three-bedroom units with over 2,000 square feet of space.

Each suite has its own terrace with views of golf fairways, as well as fully equipped kitchens with stainless steel appliances, marble baths with rain showers and separate Jacuzzi bathtubs, large LCD flat-screen televisions, DVD players and iPod docking stations.

The condo hotel residences are being marketed to individual buyers, who are able to place their units in a voluntary hotel rental program.

Condo owners, who enter the rental program, also have the option to participate in the Hyatt Vacation Club, which provides its members with vacation ownership opportunities, by exchanging their time among 15 Hyatt Vacation and Residence Clubs, trade their time for Gold Passport points, Hyatt’s frequent guest program for travel within the Hyatt system, or exchange their time at properties within Interval International, a third-party exchange company with over 2,200 resorts worldwide.

In addition, unit owners have access to membership in surrounding golf and resort facilities, as well as membership in the international Nikki Beach Club with its beachfront location in nearby South Beach.

The hotel’s amenities include a fitness center and full-service spa, as well as a heated swimming pool with sundeck overlooking the golf course.

Dining options include 5300 Chop House, the hotel’s signature restaurant and popular business lunch destination, as well as a poolside cafe and bar.

Wireless Internet and 24-hour room service complement the staff services. Davidson will oversee hotel operations, the condo association, as well as the integration with the Hyatt Vacation Club.

For more information, visit www.ingclarion.com  or www.davidsonhotels.com

Cayo Espanto, a private island off the coast of Belize, is expanding its offerings with the addition of Casa Solana, a romantic villa set to open July 1, 2010.

Rated the number one honeymoon destination in the world by Mr. and Mrs. Smith, a highly respected boutique hotel directory, Cayo Espanto’s newest villa caters to couples seeking the ultimate romantic getaway.

Casa Solana is secluded on the western tip of the tiny, four-acre island, allowing guests to bask in the warm glow of Cayo Espanto’s best sunsets while lounging in their private swimming pool.

The one-bedroom villa’s distinctive Caribbean architecture celebrates the harmony of the Caribbean with floor to ceiling views of the ocean and lush tropical landscape of the island.

Its tropical décor features bold accent pieces that are inspired by the organic beauty of Cayo Espanto, creating a refreshing and relaxing atmosphere for guests to unwind. Casa Solana has five-star amenities, including plush fine linens, a personal houseman and customized meals prepared by Cayo Espanto’s award-winning chef. Other villa features include an expansive verandah and private dock.

Cayo Espanto is now accepting reservations for Casa Solana at a special introductory rate of $995 per night. Based on double occupancy and valid for stays between July 1 and December 15, 2010, the rate includes all meals, non-motorized activities and use of a personal cell phone and laptop, among other amenities.

Taxes are not included.

For more information or reservations, call 888-666-4282 or visit www.aprivateisland.com

Great Wolf Resorts, Inc., the indoor waterpark resort company, unveiled its first of three new waterslides this year.

The Triple Twist, which opened at Great Wolf Lodge at Kings Island, is a first-of-its-kind-in-the-world slide.

New slides at two other resort locations will open by the end of March. The Triple Twist is a five-story waterslide featuring a high speed drop into a huge funnel, followed by twists and turns, and two more funnels.

Great Wolf Lodge in Kansas City is scheduled to open its version of The Triple Twist on March 12, with Great Wolf Lodge in the Pocono Mountains scheduled to open Double Barrel Drop on March 26.

The new Pocono Mountains attraction, which will be the first indoor waterslide of its kind in the world, is a six-story adventure that starts with a high speed drop into a huge funnel, a 450 degree turn into a dark vortex tunnel, and then a second funnel. All three new waterslides will include lighting and special effects to enhance the rider experience.

To celebrate these three new attractions, all 11 Great Wolf Lodge locations will participate in an attempt to break a world’s record on March 26-27.

The Great Wolf Lodge “World’s Largest Waterslide-athon” will take place over 24 consecutive hours with one designated slide per resort.

Every slider who descends the designated slide will count toward breaking the record for longest distance traveled on waterslides over a 24 hour period.

The current Guinness World Record for this attempt was set in Germany in 2007 with a total distance of 843 miles.

Participants in the Great Wolf Lodge “World’s Largest Waterslide-athon” will be asked to donate $1, with proceeds from the company’s U.S. locations going to Big Brothers Big Sisters of America, the company’s charity of choice.

Great Wolf Resorts will be matching each donation, up to $50,000.

The grand opening celebration and Guinness Record attempt at the end of March will include the three “First Families,” winners of a sweepstakes held earlier this year to promote the new attractions. The First Families of Great Wolf at King’s Island, Kansas City, and Pocono Mountains will be the first to have their rides down the slides count toward the Guinness World Record attempt at those locations.

 For more information, visit www.greatwolf.com/worldrecord

Beaches Turks & Caicos Resort Villages & Spa has expanded resort programming for persons with disabilities and now offers a tailored disabled scuba diving program.

A team of 12 dive instructors from the resort, under the guidance of Mark Rausch of Poseidon Handicap Scuba Adventures, underwent an intensive training course that will allow guests to participate in three specialized programs.

Through the Handicap Scuba Association (HSA), guests can become certified in the HSA Basic Open Water Scuba Diving, the HSA Junior Open Water Scuba Diving and the HSA Open Water Dive Buddy.

The resort will continue to offer the Professional Association of Diving Instructors (PADI) certification in addition to the Handicap Scuba Association certification.

Michael Clark, Beaches Resorts’ water sports manager, said, “Scuba diving is the sport where gravity is not an issue. We are delighted to be able to offer our disabled guests the full value of our ’Luxury Included’ facility including equal water sports opportunity that caters to their special needs.”

Handicap Scuba Association is made up of over 4,000 underwater educators with disabilities and supporting members, located in over 45 countries. Beaches Turks & Caicos is the first in the Beaches Resorts chain, as well as the island of Turks & Caicos, to receive HSA certification training and marks an important milestone in disabled programming at the resort.

As with all Luxury Included Vacations, a trip to Beaches Turks & Caicos includes deluxe accommodations, fine dining options, premium brand liquor, nightly entertainment, water sports, airport transfers and all resort taxes and fees.

For more information, call 888-BEACHES or visit www.beaches.com

Couples wishing to get married in St. Maarten can engage the services of on-island wedding planners who can assist with making arrangements for a ceremony, and caterers who can plan the reception for the couple.

Several hotels on St. Maarten offer complete wedding packages. To get married in St. Maarten, couples must submit requests at least 14 days prior to the scheduled ceremony to be conducted by the registrar as well as arrive on island one week prior to the wedding date. Marriages are performed Monday through Saturday.

There is a fee of $410 which includes the civil ceremony, marriage book, stamps and certificate. In addition to the fee, the following notarized original documents must be submitted to the registrar: a full abridged birth certificate for the bride and groom. Documents should have an “Apostille” stamp, which can be obtained at the Secretary of State’s Office in the various U.S. states.

In the event persons are not of Dutch nationality, a valid passport is required, as well as a declaration of marital status, no older than three months.

Persons must be 18 years of age or older. Minors must have parents’ written permission.

Addresses and professions of the bride and groom must be provided, as well as names of parents, their dates of birth, places of birth, mothers’ maiden names, and the parents’ professions.

If a widow, a death certificate is necessary, and if divorced, a divorce certificate or a final judgment decree with “Apostille” stamp is needed.

The bride and groom must have six witnesses if the marriage is performed outside of the Marriage Hall and two witnesses if the ceremony takes place in the Marriage Hall. Foreign witnesses must present a valid passport or a birth certificate with valid photo identification.

Original documents in languages other than English or Dutch must be translated into Dutch.

Documents can be officially translated on-island by Cheryl LaBega, certified official translator, Government Administration Building, Clem LaBega’s Square in Philipsburg.

Translations could take up to two weeks.

St. Maarten offers couples traditional honeymoon vacation options highlighted by romance packages from resorts across the island or non-conventional getaways that couples create themselves based on their interests.

Starting with hotel accommodations, travelers can choose to stay at an expansive resort, hotel complex, intimate guesthouse or inn, as well as everything in between.

For a complete list of wedding and honeymoon options, visit the official site of the St. Maarten Tourist Bureau at www.VacationStMaarten.com

This month saw the unveiling of the latest sculpture for Grenada’s Underwater Sculpture Park. Since its inception in 2006, the Underwater Sculpture Park at Molinere Bay by British sculptor Jason Taylor has encapsulated Grenada’s history and folklore and has brought a unique dimension to both diving and snorkeling in Grenada.

The park has received international acclaim and been featured in top international newspapers, magazines and television shows. It has become one of the “must see” attractions for visitors to the island.

Recognizing the success and future potential of the park both to the environment and to the island’s economy, a motivated action group of local people have made a personal commitment to the ongoing maintenance and development of the park and ensuring its sustainability.

Their focus is on the concept of a renaissance for the park, embracing local talent, ideas and expertise to ensure the park continues to develop as an attraction Grenada can enjoy and be proud of. The placement of this latest sculpture is a key step in working towards these goals.

The new sculpture, titled “The Silent Cry,” the first of a series of seven planned sculptures, is the work of local sculptor Rene Froehlich.

The artwork was produced by Froehlich and local craftsman Jefferson Thomas (know as Buju of Grenville) at his roadside studio and workshop in Westerhall, Grenada.

At seven feet in height, it will be the largest sculpture to go in the park to date.

Constructed of stainless steel and concrete, the sculpture captures the feel of the great trees of the Grenadian rainforest with a representation of a sinuous organic root system and the impression of a human form within.

The design’s concept was to “encapsulate the peace, tranquility and weightlessness of the underwater environment. It is a place where you can be still and enjoy the grace and movement of the water, leaving all of life’s threats and problems at the surface, should you wish to take a silent cry where no one will hear,” according to Froehlich.

For more information, call 800-927-9554 or visit www.grenadagrenadines.com

Largest Resort in City Welcomes Guests with Special Offer San Juan, Puerto Rico (March 1, 2010) – The renowned Caribe Hilton hotel in San Juan, Puerto Rico – birthplace of the piña colada – is known for yet another distinction: being the largest resort in the city.

With the opening of 96 new units at the Condado Lagoon Villas, Caribe Hilton is now home to 910 rooms, and is welcoming guests with a special offer.

Travelers can indulge in all the villas have to offer with a very special limited time deal.

With rates starting at $241* per night based on double occupancy and a fourth night free, guests save 25% and can experience Caribbean living at its best.

The package includes: – One bedroom villa accommodation- Fourth night free with three paid nights- Buffet breakfast for two adults and two kids – Casino match-play coupon** – 20 percent off on spa treatments

This offer can be booked March 15 through April 30, 2010 for travel April 12 through June 30, 2010.

The Condado Lagoon Villas, designed by architectural firm Jimenez & Rodriguez Barceló and designer Iglesias Lucero, feature 264 villa units. This latest addition of 96 units completes the Condado Lagoon Villas project.

The 1,560 square foot villas boast a spacious master bedroom with a stunning marble bathroom, featuring shower and oversized bathtub.

Some units offer a living room, dining room, and a fully equipped kitchen complete with refrigerator, stove, and microwave.

The large villas can also be divided into three separate units: a studio with a bedroom with two queen size beds, full bathroom and kitchenette; two bedroom unit; and one bedroom unit.

All villas have modern tropical furnishings, private balcony with spectacular views of the Atlantic Ocean, the Condado Lagoon, or San Geronimo Fort, and a full array of luxurious amenities.

Guests of the Condado Lagoon Villas are welcomed by a separate lobby with exclusive check-in, and enjoy a secluded pool area with Jacuzzi, gazebo, and the Garden Terrace, serving breakfast and light fare daily.

For reservations at the Condado Lagoon Villas, please visit http://www.condadolagoonvillas.com  or call 1-877-GO-HILTON and request the Spring Escapes offer or reservation code P2.

*Offer and rate subject to availability. Rate is a starting rate only, is based on double occupancy, and does not include taxes, resort fees, gratuities, or incidental charges. Breakfast included for children under 12 when accompanied by adult.

Other restrictions apply.**Match play coupon to be used at Conrad San Juan Condado Plaza. Restrictions apply. ### About Caribe HiltonCentrally located just minutes from the heart of Historic Old San Juan and 15 minutes from Luis Muñoz International Airport, the Caribe Hilton sits beachfront on an exclusive peninsula, made up of 17 acres of lush tropical gardens.

Already famous for being the birthplace of the piña colada, the resort is also known as the city’s largest hotel with a total of 910 guestrooms, including suites and the Condado Lagoon Villas, featuring fabulous ocean or garden views.

For the leisure minded, the resort features a secluded beach, beautiful oceanfront swimming pools, whirlpools, beachside hammocks, a children’s club, and a full-service Olas Spa offering a wide range of relaxing body treatments. The resort is also home to an array of boutiques and a peaceful bird sanctuary.

For those traveling on business, the Caribe Hilton offers Executive

Floor rooms with lounge access, business center, and the most complete meetings space.

For dining, the options are plentiful with restaurants and lounges featuring everything from local to international cuisine, including the renowned Morton’s Steakhouse, Starbucks, and the unique Lemongrass Pan Asian Latino. What’s more, Puerto Rico is a Commonwealth of the United States and does not require U.S. Citizens to carry a Passport.