Jetsettersblog

Compagnie du Ponant’s Le Levant will sail the Black Sea and the Mediterranean from April 27 through October.

The seven- and 10-night voyages visit ports in 13 countries — Bulgaria, Croatia, France, Greece, Italy, Monaco, Montenegro, Romania, Slovenia, Spain, Tunisia, Turkey and Ukraine.

Carrying 90 guests in 45 outside staterooms, the 330-foot Le Levant features two restaurants, a lounge, several bars, a library, a swimming pool, a 4,300-square-foot Sun Deck, and a beauty and fitness area with sauna.

The Le Levant has a staff-to-guest ratio of 1:2 as the company wants to help guests feel like they are sailing on their own yacht.

Le Levant will kick off its European season on April 27 with three “Magical Black Sea” cruises sailing to and from Istanbul and calling at ports in Bulgaria, Romania and Ukraine.

On Aug. 26 and Sept. 2, Le Levant will offer the same itinerary. The seven-night “Eastern and Western Civilizations” will depart May 18 and Sept. 9 from Istanbul to Rome through Greece’s Corinth Canal. The 10-night “Mediterranean Circle” itinerary will depart May 25, June 24, Sept. 27 and Oct. 7 from Venice to Livorno, Monaco, Barcelona, Mallorca, Tunis, Naples and Palermo.

The seven-night “Dolce Vita and the Greek Islands” cruise departs June 24 while “Secret Islands of the Aegean Sea” departs July 1, July 8 and Aug. 19.

These voyages visit Capri, Taormina, Santorini, Paros, Mykonos, Delos, Patmos, Chios and Limnos.

The seven-night “From the Corinth Canal to the Grand Canal” departs July 15 and Aug. 12 while “Dalmatian Colours” departs July 22, July 29 and Aug. 5.

These voyages visit five UNESCO World Heritage sites and off-the-beaten-track islands in Croatia, Montenegro and Slovenia such as Dubrovnik, Hvar, Kotor, Trogir, Sibenik, and Split.

The six-night “Bridge” itinerary departs Sept. 16 to Amalfi, Positano, Elba and Corsica.

The seven-night Rome-to-Nice “Discoveries in the Tyrrhenian Sea” cruise departs Oct. 17 while “Arts of Italy” departs Oct. 24 and is a Nice round-trip calling at popular Italian ports.

Le Levant’s Zodiacs allow guests to explore coves and islets, and they can jump into the Mediterranean for a swim from the vessel’s marina platform. On Nov. 15, Le Levant will depart Nice for Cayenne in French Guyana on a 15-day repositioning voyage. Highlights of the winter schedule are: a 12-day Amazon River itinerary (Nov. 28), four cruises along the Orinoco River departing from Fort de France (Dec. 13, Dec. 20, Feb. 22 and Feb. 29) and six Panama Canal sailings in January.

Ranging from 205 to 161 square feet, staterooms are air-conditioned with king size or twin beds, a desk, dressing table and marble and teak baths with showers and L’Occitane amenities.

The staterooms have flat-screen satellite TVs, DVD/CD players, satellite direct-dial telephone, Wi-Fi and mini bar.

From April 27 to Oct. 24, all but eight cruises are seven-day itineraries.

Starting at $2,915 per person, double occupancy, for a Champlain Deck stateroom and ranging up to $6,000 per person, double for a stateroom on Bougainville Deck, cruise prices include all wine, beer, mineral water, soft drinks and specialty coffees served with meals. Compagnie du Ponant offers travel agent commissions ranging between 10 and 15 percent.

For more information, call 888-400-1082 or visit www.ponant.com

Viceroy Hotel Group will unveil the newest addition to its growing Viceroy Hotels and Resorts collection with the December 2010 opening of Viceroy Maldives.

The property is being developed by Maldives-based, luxury hotel developer, EoN Resorts, in partnership with Mubadala Development Company. Viceroy Maldives, a luxury resort, is currently under construction on the crescent-shaped island of Vagaru, located in the Shaviyani Atoll, one hour north of the capital Male.

This property will be the first Viceroy to open outside of the Americas and follows the recent successful launches of Viceroy Miami, Viceroy Snowmass in Colorado and Viceroy Anguilla in the Caribbean.

The Viceroy Maldives resort will feature 61 villas, situated both over water as well as on the beaches that ring the 17-acre Vagaru Island.

The villas will boast from 1,345 to 3,300 square feet of indoor space, with generous outdoor private areas, all including plunge pools.

The resort will also offer five food and beverage outlets, a spacious over-water spa and fitness center, a signature cantilevered pool and pool deck and a full-service dive and watersports activities center, allowing Viceroy guests to take advantage of diving, fishing and snorkeling available in the resort’s house reef and beyond.

Mubadala is a 50 percent shareholder in Viceroy Hotel Group, and is actively driving the expansion of the luxury Viceroy Hotels and Resorts brand into key gateway cities and destinations across the globe.

For more information, visit www.viceroyhotelsandresorts.com/maldives

For more information on Viceroy Hotel Group, visit www.viceroyhotelgroup.com

Pan Pacific Nirwana Bali Resort opened its doors this week in Tabanan, Bali, Indonesia.

Owned by PT Bali Nirwana Resort, the 103-hectare integrated resort is located on Bali’s southwest coast and features views of the island’s volcanic mountains and the Indian Ocean.

With 278 rooms including luxury suites and villas, the resort offers recreational and banquet facilities including indoor and outdoor meeting spaces for up to 300 guests.

The property also has an 18-hole Greg Normal golf course.

Over the next 12 to 18 months, Pan Pacific Nirwana Bali Resort will undergo a series of enhancements to its rooms, restaurants and landscaping. Pan Pacific’s signature Pacific Club, an exclusive, premier executive club where guests can enjoy butler service access to a Pacific Lounge and its amenities, will also feature at the resort.

For more information, visit www.panpacific.com

Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts announced the soft opening of the Mövenpick Resort & Marine Spa Sousse in Tunisia on March 31, 2010.

The Mövenpick Resort & Marine Spa Sousse comprises of 618 rooms.

This beachside hotel is located in the heart of the city along the lively coastline. This port city is located some 130 kilometers south of Tunis, and Monastir International Airport is a mere 20 minutes’ drive away.

Moreover, North Africa’s largest international airport is already operating in Enfidha, 30 minutes from Sousse.

The new resort is situated in a prime location directly on a beautiful sandy beach, in the immediate vicinity of the bustling town center. A modern shopping mall is a few minutes’ walk away and it’s only a short drive to the 36-hole golf course.

The Mövenpick Resort & Marine Spa Sousse comprises 583 rooms and 35 suites with views over the Mediterranean.

Guests will be able to enjoy five restaurants and six bars.

One particular highlight is the Marine Spa with its indoor seawater swimming pool, a modern health and fitness club and a wide selection of treatments offered in over 23 rooms and generous gardens.

Guests can also choose from a vast program of sports and entertainment that includes recreation programs and a lifestyle venue with nightclub.

For the soft opening, parts of the hotel only will be opened, including the lobby area, lobby food and beverage outlets (Tapeo, Breeze, First), the main buffet restaurant, Mosaique, the Sendai Japanese Restaurant, the Aga Café, approximately 280 rooms in the south wing, the outside heated pool, garden and terrace area as well as the beach.

For more information, visit www.moevenpick-hotels.com

The Kasbah Bab Ourika, located in the Ourika Valley of the Atlas Mountains in Morocco, is now an Arteh Hotel. Only 35 minutes from Marrakesh’s airport, the Kasbah Bab Ourika strands at the top of the Ourika Valley, over the entrance of the Atlas mountain range with panoramic views of the mountains and the river that runs through the valley.

Built with ecological considerations and using old Berber techniques, this small hotel in earth tones and traditional thick walls seems to have grown out of the rocks, integrating itself perfectly in the dramatic landscape that surrounds it.

Guests can relax next to the concealed swimming pool, in the rooms with a chic, rustic atmosphere with comfortable fireplaces, in the broad rooms with terraces or while experiencing a massage in the gardens.

The chef is a specialist in Berber traditional recipes, but also in international cuisine, and uses the freshest ingredients supplied daily by the small surrounding villages. You’ll be able to delight yourself with his dishes in the restaurant, in the gardens or even in the privacy of your room.

To see more of Morocco, guests can visit the Berber big market in the town of Tnine Ourika and the farms that supply herbs and flowers to the herbariums and perfumers, without missing the discovery of the Medina souks of Marrakesh.

The more energetic traveler will also want to experience an endless number of adventure sports, advised by the hotel’s friendly and professional team.

Arteh Hotels and Resorts is an Independent Soft Brand Hotel Chain dedicated to the promotion, marketing of charming, luxurious, design and historical boutique hotels and resorts.

For more information, visit www.arteh-hotels.com

Emperum Club is offering discerning travellers a refined choice of high-end leisure activities to amplify their vacation experiences in the world’s top destination hotspots.

With a selection of nearly 200 private tours to whet the appetite, Emperum Club is enhancing its portfolio with exciting pastime adventures in unusual settings.

Ranging from city, wine, boat, and helicopter tours to a variety of sports, cultural activities and scenic excursions, the Club is continuously evolving to meet the growing demand for extraordinary vacation experiences, suitable for the laidback, the daredevils, and anyone in between.

The tours are diverse in scope and nature, and can be customized to fit specific needs and desires.

Members have the opportunity to soar over the Swiss Alps in a private helicopter, land on a glacier for a refreshing aperitif, or choose to be their own pilot.

Other activities include venturing on a subterranean boat tour through glow-worm caves in New Zealand, visiting world renowned wineries in the South of France, or playing golf at the world’s best country clubs in spectacular settings of medieval castles, breathtaking mountain terrains and ocean sceneries.

The Club also offers private classes, such as cooking in Gordon Ramsay’s first-rate restaurant kitchen in London or a professional tango lesson in an elegant ambiance in Buenos Aires.

Emperum Club remains strongly focused on delivering personalized services at the highest level.

Professional guides are provided to help enhance local knowledge and share insights.

To learn more about Emperum Cub’s private tours, visit http://www.emperumclub.com  and check the Services and Benefits for each destination, or contact us directly.

Emperum Club is the world’s premier business and leisure destination club offering its members top-notch services and benefits in luxury travel.

With a global network of the industry’s preeminent service providers, Emperum Club members gain year-round access to a prime choice of all-inclusive services carefully selected to enhance vacation experiences: sumptuous suite accommodations at legendary five-star hotels and resorts, deluxe airport transfers, haute dining, and a wide selection of riveting tours in world-class cities and exotic island destinations.

River Expeditions today announced the construction of two new Deluxe Cabins and four new Luxury Cabins on their New River Gorge Bridge site in West Virginia.

River Expeditions today announced the construction of two new Deluxe Cabins and four new Luxury Cabins on their New River Gorge Bridge site in West Virginia.

Deluxe Cabins are expected to be complete in early May, while Luxury Cabins are set to open in July. Reservations are required for both options and complete information on river lodging and rafting vacation reservations is available at www.raftinginfo.com

Deluxe Cabins sleep up to eight guests with a two-night minimum and start at $169/night for four guests and $20 for each additional guest.

Linen service is offered for three or more nights.

Each cabin features four double beds upstairs, seating area, bathroom/shower, fridge, coffee maker, heat and a/c, linens and towels, gas grill on porch, fire ring and outdoor picnic table.

Luxury Cabins offer five queen bedrooms, full kitchen, two baths, sofa, fireplace, satellite, DVD player, wireless internet, heat and a/c, linens and towels, private hot tub, gas grill, fire ring and outdoor picnic table.

Sleeping up to 10 guests with a two-night minimum and linen service with three or more nights’ stay, Luxury Cabins start at $379/night for four guests and $20 for each additional guest.

River Expeditions will continue to offer Rustic Cabins, starting at $65/night, Sun.-Thurs., and $75/night, Fri.-Sat. Rustic Cabins feature six bunks, each double-size foam mattresses, electricity, lights and a porch. Guests are asked to bring their own bedding/sleeping bags.

Camping is also available at spacious, wooded campsites with designated festive and quiet areas. Campsites feature picnic tables and a fire ring and are just $10/person/night, Sun.-Thurs. or $15/person/night, Fri.-Sat.

Six new and improved RV Sites are also available, offering water and electric hook ups and even a dump station on-site. RV Sites are $35/night, Sun.-Thurs. and $40/night, Fri.- Sat.

Platform Tents are also offered. Perched on raised wood platforms and covered with a tin roof, these tents are already set up when guests arrive.

Equipped with four foam mattresses, guests need only bring a sleeping bag or bedding and a pillow. Platform camping is $40/night, Sun.-Thurs. and $45/night, Fri.-Sat.

Tents are limited, so travelers are encouraged to make advance reservations.

All Basecamp Lodging is an easy walk to a new shower house with clean, modern restrooms, dining area, pool, hot tub, Fire Creek Lodge and Conference Center, Outfitters Store, Red Dog River Saloon and Welcome Center.

Pets are welcome at River Expeditions, provided that they do not disturb other guests and are kept on a leash at all times.

Rafting and Basecamp Camping Packages are also offered and include:

- Day of rafting
- Two nights of camping
- Light breakfast each morning
- Round-trip River Shuttle
- Delicious riverside deli lunch
- Complimentary beverages after rafting
- Hot showers
- Deluxe dinner cookout after rafting

Conveniently located 4 miles south of the world-famous New River Gorge Bridge in the heart of West Virginia’s New River Gorge National Park, River Expeditions guests Experience America’s Best Whitewater.

A family-owned and operated business, River Expeditions offers more than 70 years of combined outfitting experience in rafting, mountain biking, ATV touring, horseback riding, rock climbing and rappelling.

On-site RV and tent camp sites, outfitter and camp stores, Fire Creek Lodge and Conference Center, message therapy, dining area, outdoor pools, hot tubs, paintball and The Red Dog River Saloon add to the guest experience. River Expeditions’ rafting season runs annually April-October.

Complete information, event schedules, directions and reservations are available at www.raftinginfo.com  or (800) 463-9873.

WASILLA, Alaska – Join Alaska Outdoors for the first Classic Alaskan Tour of the 2010 summer season departing on June 6, 2010.

This specific trip is being lead by the founder and owner Mark Reiser, as well as their new guides.

This will be a special offering with Mark leading the trip, with over 20 years of experience there are sure to be unique learning opportunities throughout!

Alaska Outdoors allows visitors to engage in and experience Alaska in an affordable and experiential way.

The 7-Day Classic Alaskan Tour makes it possible to explore Alaska for less than $200 a day.

At only $1095 per person, this trip includes a professional naturalist guide; camping equipment; a night at a hotel; and all but two meals, and the itinerary features Denali National Park, Kenai Fjords National Park, and Kenai National Wildlife Refuge.

Activities include canoeing; hiking opportunities; and a full day wildlife tour in Denali National Park.

Flexibility throughout the trip is of great importance.

While most travel companies have a standard tour in Alaska, the knowledgeable guides at Alaska Outdoors encourage travelers to see the real Alaska on this wonderful trip.

PORT ANGELES, Wash –The Olympic Discovery Trail, when complete, will stretch 120 miles from Port Townsend in the east along Hood Canal to La Push in the west on the Pacific Ocean.

Portions are complete for walking, hiking and biking in both Clallam and Jefferson Counties. Port Townsend’s Victorian downtown buildings create a unique backdrop for the trail along the waterfront.

The trail through Sequim Dungeness Valley passes through pastoral farm land with views of the Olympic Mountains, among sections fragrant with lavender and over an historic railroad bridge.

The trail skirts the harbor in Port Angeles with views of Vancouver Island, Canada, and the Olympic Mountains.

Some segments of the trail are equestrian friendly.

An exhilarating ride with incredible vistas awaits on the designated, 25-mile Adventure Route, one of the most scenic adventures available in the area.

It winds its way through aromatic forests of cedar, hemlock and Sitka spruce with views of the Strait of Juan de Fuca, Vancouver Island and the Elwha River Valley with snowy peaks of the Olympic Mountains watching over the ride.

For more information, visit

www.OlympicPeninsula.org

PORT HARDY, British Columbia – Watching grizzly bears munch on fresh sedge, care for their young or fish for salmon is one of the most moving and fascinating experiences a person could have.

To do so in the middle of their natural habitat; with a floating eco-lodge as your temporary home; no cell service; no access to internet and guided by experts who know local grizzly population as well as they know their own family would make this trip just like heaven. So, slide grizzly bear tours in between swimming with sharks and sky diving on your bucket list.

Where: One of the best places to view grizzly bears in their natural habitat is on the central coast of British Columbia in the Great Bear Rainforest. Here, the grizzly bear population is protected and, thus, abundant.

A Claw Full of Heaven: Imagine a place undefined by tweets, Facebook friends, text messages and Smart Phones.

Plant yourself in the dense, pristine Great Bear Rainforest, on a floating eco-lodge that is 50 miles by floatplane from the nearest town, standing so close to a group of grizzly bears you can almost imagine touching them.

This is a piece of nature that can’t help but inspire even the most technologically dependent person to slow down and take in the natural entertainment the planet still has to offer.

Who Will Get You There: Great Bear Nature Tours is the only grizzly bear viewing company offering tours on this stretch of the Great Bear Rainforest.

They offer tours in spring, summer and fall. The ecolodge includes five rooms, a common area and a natural wood deck that encompasses the lodge.

Guests partake on three excursions each day and enjoy decadent homemade meals created with fresh, local ingredients. And, Great Bear Nature Tours offers exclusive, intimate journeys by limiting groups to ten people.

Get to Know the Grizzly: Grizzly bears are on top of the food chain, although they primarily eat berries, plants and fish. They once lived in much of western North America and even roamed the Great Plains, but settlement gradually eliminated tens of thousands of the bears. Today, about 1,300 grizzlies remain in the continental U.S., where they are protected by law. Yet, many still roam Canada and Alaska.

Visit www.greatbeartours.com  for more information or call 1.888.221.8212.