Jetsettersblog

In Switzerland, the Victoria-Jungfrau Grand Hotel & Spa has opened the first Sensai Select Spa.

Opened early 2010, the Sensai Select Spa at the Victoria-Jungfrau Grand Hotel & Spa in Interlaken, Switzerland, is the first to open worldwide. Sensai Select is the top-shelf line from Japanese brand Kanebo International (state-side, the products can be found in Barney’s and Bergdorf Goodman).

Kanebo chose the Victoria-Jungfrau for its first Sensai Select spa because the hotel is steeped in the Swiss spa world, with its 60,000-square-foot wellness wing (including an ESPA with 16 therapy suites, tennis courts, outdoor saltwater Jacuzzi, and health bar) and location in the Bernese Alps.

The new spa features six therapy rooms, including one specifically outfitted for the three-hour signature treatment, Indulgence in Silk.

Silk is the common theme here, as all treatments utilize Koishimaru Silk, the finest facial and massage techniques blended with traditional Japanese beauty treatments.

All seven treatments (including the Silk Celebration for Men and the Silk Celebration by Four Hands) begin with either a silk bath or foot bath, harkening back to the Japanese hot spring rituals, which warms the body and increases blood circulation, thereby enhancing the benefits of the treatments to follow.

For more information, visit www.victoria-jungfrau.ch

Papillon Airways, Inc. has launched a Hoover Dam helicopter tour.

Departing daily from either the company’s Las Vegas or Boulder City terminal, the tour flies at a low level over Hoover Dam in an EC-130 Eco-Star helicopter.

The tour also flies over Lake Mead, America’s largest man-made reservoir, as well as the tributaries of the Colorado River and the Black Canyon before returning.

The tour includes transfers to and from all major Las Vegas resorts.

Tour duration is approximately 15 to 20 minutes without transfers or two to two and a half hours with transfers.

The price is $99 per person from Boulder City or $119 per person from Las Vegas.

For more information, call 888-635-7272 or visit www.papillon.com

In preparation its opening in October, Jamaica’s new GoldenEye resort has launched a new website at www.GoldenEye.com

An iconic Jamaican resort, GoldenEye was originally home to Ian Fleming and was the location where the author wrote the James Bond novels.

The site features community news, local activities and island information, including details on music festivals, culinary events, fishing tournaments, film screenings and more.

For more information, visit

www.GoldenEye.com

Sea Life Arizona, a 26,000-square-foot, interactive aquarium, has opened in Tempe, Ariz. The aquarium, which is designed with children in mind, covers sea life from an Arizona park lake to the Pacific Ocean.

Features include a bay of rays, a shoaling ring, an indoor play area and a 360-degree viewing tunnel surrounded by water.

The aquarium also has interactive elements such as the Sea Life quiz trail, feeding demonstrations and a touch pool exhibit.

Sea Life Arizona offers more than 30 display tanks in 12 different habitat zones.

Among the more than 5,000 creatures are three species of sea horses; a giant Pacific octopus; black-tip, white-tip and zebra sharks; cownose rays; and freshwater fish native to Arizona.

For more information, call 480-478-7600 or visit www.sealifeus.com

Tropical Villa Vacations is now offering a villa equipped with 60-inch, LED, 3D television, including 3D glasses for adults and children.

The property, called Bella Luna, is located at the Wailea Beach Villas complex and features three bedrooms, four bathrooms and a great room.

Unlimited programming is available from Netflix and can be directly downloaded via the HD BluRay DVD player.

The system includes an iPod dock, a wireless keyboard for Internet use of the television, surround-sound speakers, and a PlayStation 3 (with 3D capability to be added soon).

The newly upgraded villa also features LED HD televisions in the two master bedrooms, a fully appointed gourmet kitchen, a telescope for whale watching, and an oceanview terrace with a Viking gas barbecue grill.

Bella Luna accommodates up to six people.

The nightly rate is $1,840 from July 12 through Sept. 7, and $1,300 from Sept. 8 through Dec. 17, excluding Thanksgiving weekend.

For more information, call 888-875-2818, ext. 206, or visit www.tropicalvillavacations.com

Brendan Vacations is offering Locally Guided Vacations that combine escorted and independent vacation elements designed to provide a culturally authentic independent traveling experience.

One of the Locally Guided itineraries available is Rome, Florence & Venice, an eight-day/seven-night package priced from $1,283 per person double occupancy, land only.

Tour the most interesting cities in Italy with Superior Tourist Class, First Class and Superior First Class accommodations at the Aphrodite Hotel in Rome, Donatello Hotel in Florence, and either the Olimpia or Arlecchino Hotel in Venice.

This eight-day getaway includes one guided tour of the main attractions in each city, including a Hop-On-Hop-Off tour in Rome, a visit to the Galleria dell’Accademia in Florence and St. Mark’s Square in Venice.

The tour includes roundtrip airport transfers; superior tourist class, first class and superior first class accommodations; hotel taxes; service charges; breakfast daily; services of an English-speaking local host in Rome, Florence and Venice; train transportation in Rome, Florence and Venice; sightseeing with local guides in Florence and Venice; hop-on-hop-off tour in Rome; portfolio of travel documents.

The tour must be booked by June 30.

For more information, call 800-421-8446 or visit www.BrendanVacations.com

Following the announcement by the Department of Homeland Security on the elimination of the paper arrival/departure form (Form I-94W) for authorized travelers from nations participating in the Visa Waiver Program (VWP), U.S. Travel Association President and CEO Roger Dow called the change, “an important step in streamlining the entry process for international visitors.”

“The U.S. travel community applauds Secretary Napolitano and her team at the Department of Homeland Security for taking an important step in streamlining the entry process for international visitors,” Dow said.

“Today’s announcement that Visa Waiver Program travelers with an approved Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) will no longer need to submit the paper I-94W form upon arrival at a United States port of entry will help reduce confusion and increase the speed of processing for millions of our guests.

With full implementation of the Electronic System for Travel Authorization, the United States is proving that it can simultaneously strengthen security and improve our customers’ experience.

“We will continue to work in support of Secretary Napolitano’s efforts to make America’s entry process both safe and welcoming.”

For more information, visit www.ustravel.org

first International Hotel Launched in New Zealand’s Home of Sauvignon Blanc

New Zealand’s premier wine district and the global pacesetter in the production of sauvignon blanc, Marlborough, is now looking to boost its tourist numbers following the launch of its first internationally-branded hotel – the Mercure Picton Marlborough Sounds.

Boasting stunning harbour and ocean views, the Mercure has been launched following the re-development of the former Yacht Club Hotel Picton. 17 rooms were added to the hotel’s original 31, giving the hotel greater capacity to accommodate couples, families and groups.

The hotel offers a diverse range of stylish accommodation including deluxe Pool View rooms, Ocean View rooms and some luxurious apartments overlooking the entrance to the Queen Charlotte Sound.

Located on Picton’s harbour front, the hotel is just 1km from both the ferry terminal (which brings visitors from Wellington) and train station, minutes from the local airport and in walking distance of the Picton CBD and foreshore.

The Mercure provides an ideal base for visitors discovering the Marlborough Sounds area, with internationally-renowned wineries such as Cloudy Bay, Oyster Bay and Hunter’s just over 15 minutes drive away. The Mercure’s Chartroom Restaurant and Boatshed Bar feature a wide selection of the region’s finest wines.

There are also a vast number of water activities on the Mercure’s doorstep, with the nearby Queen Charlotte Track attracting over 30,000 trekkers annually, including a large percentage of Australian visitors.

The hotel and its prestigious location make it the perfect venue for enjoying the best of New Zealand’s natural and man-made attractions.

A new state of the art conference venue makes it the perfect venue for conferences, corporate retreats, product launches and incentive programs for up to 100 delegates.

Other facilities include a pool and pool bar.

Announcing the launch of the Mercure, General Manager Stefan Kracke said that the worldwide recognition of Marlborough’s wines had put the region on the world tourism map, but hotel accommodation hadn’t kept pace with demand.

“The phenomenal success of Marlborough’s wines, particularly in the Australian market, has created a significant increase in demand for the region, but until now there just hasn’t been a suitable quantity or standard of accommodation, so travelers have tended just to pass through, rather than stay for a few nights and discover the attractions of the region,” he said.

“The Mercure brings international branding along with new accommodation and million-dollar views to this idyllic location. Marlborough wine has had an incredible impact in the wine world, we are now confident that the Mercure will add even more magic to the Marlborough experience.”

Rates start from NZ$130 per night. Bookings (Australia) 1300 65 65 65 or www.mercure.com

For more than 35 years, within the Accor Group, Mercure has exemplified expert hospitality and personalized service. Operating in more than 50 countries around the world, Mercure boasts hotels with distinctive personalities carefully preserved through the type of services offered and the decor, both of which vary from one hotel to the next.

The hotel managers and staffs of the 690 Mercure hotels are hospitality professionals. Attentive and available, they are ready to listen and make sure their guests enjoy a stay full of genuine moments of pleasure and relaxation in a truly warm and comfortable setting.
 

Australian Tourist Park Management (ATPM) has announced the opening of three waterfront villas at Port Campbell Holiday Park. The two-bedroom villas are part of ATPM’s first stage of improvements to the park and form part of their vision to create a first class holiday park for Port Campbell.

“ATPM has been delivering caravan park services, development and operational improvements to the industry for the last 16 years,” says Managing Director Steve Billett.

“Last year we launched the Escape2 brand, a dedicated arm of ATPM to focus on delivering the highest quality parks in Australia.”

ATPM acquired the tender for Port Campbell Holiday Park from Parks Victoria in May 2008 and, under the new Escape2 brand, will deliver the park master plan. Mr Billett said the planned works would create a park that is an asset to the region.

“Twelve new ensuited studio rooms have been released with the villas to provide guests with a range of accommodation options. We have also just completed a refurbishment of park amenities and a new 2-storey multi-service building, combining amenities, camp kitchen and TV/games room will be completed in the next 6 months.”

“The park provides accommodation options for all types of travelers in a unique, relaxed setting. We want the park to be as great as the location is and we are keen to work closely with the local community and businesses to best promote, and serve, the region.”

The park is located on Victoria’s famous Great Ocean Road, between Apollo Bay and Warrnambool. Visitors sampling the new deluxe villas can expect luxury inclusions as standard:

• FREE wireless internet access
• FREE Austar
• Queen bed and two singles
• Microwave
• Two burner stove
• Ensuite bathroom
• Air conditioning
• Ceiling fan
• Outdoor dining table
• BBQ on front verandah
• Large flat screen TV in lounge
• Second TV in main bedroom
• Linen for all beds

Bookings can be made online: www.pchp.com.au  or freecall 1800 781 871.

Guests staying at the park will receive a FREE Escape2 coupon booklet for use at any Escape2 Park until September 30 – representing over $500 worth of savings.

Explore Kangaroo Island in style.

Introducing Expedition Kangaroo Island 2010

Baillie Lodges is excited to introduce the inaugural ‘Expedition Kangaroo Island’ at Southern Ocean Lodge in July 2010.

The week-long program departing 24 July 2010 promises days and nights filled with adventure and learning in the company of like-minded travellers and with Southern Ocean Lodge as ‘luxury base camp’.

The program has been designed to allow guests, as ‘expeditioners’ the chance to explore first-hand a complete experience of the beautifully wild Kangaroo Island, showcasing its abundant native wildlife, spirited art, delicious local cuisine and fascinating history. In true expedition style, the week will be filled with interactive ‘hands-on’ adventures, guided walks, marine–based activities and informative presentations.

Widely regarded as Australia’s Galapagos and brimming with diverse flora and fauna, a rich heritage and world class food and wine culture, Kangaroo Island offers endless opportunities for exploration and adventure.

An abundance of native wildlife thriving in freedom has earned the island the unofficial title of a ‘zoo without fences’.

July is the ideal time for the expedition as daytime temperatures are perfect for exploring, wildlife is active and evenings promise delicious cuisine and superb South Australian wines enjoyed by freshly stoked fires, wintry seas churning beyond.

We are excited that the renowned naturalist Craig Wickham of Exceptional Kangaroo Island with whom we have worked closely since opening in 2008 will join us as Expedition Kangaroo Island leader.

Southern Ocean Lodge proprietor Hayley Baillie and the Lodge’s own team of naturalist guides will be part of each day’s itinerary, promising a very personal guided experience of the island.

Expedition Kangaroo Island is modelled on the much-loved Expedition Lord Howe programs run at sister property Capella Lodge over the past five years in cooperation with Aurora Expeditions, who are excited to be involved in the project again this year.

Our Lord Howe expedition leader, the esteemed island naturalist Ian Hutton will also venture south to join the ‘KI’ contingent.

The Expedition’s itinerary spans the western regions of the island, home to such wildlife celebrities as the Australian Sea Lions at Seal Bay, Australian and New Zealand Fur Seals in the Flinders Chase National Park, kangaroos, wallabies, goannas, echidnas and koalas in their natural habitat.

We meet local artist Indiana James, creator of wildlife sculptures from discarded farm machinery including ‘Sunshine’, the kangaroo commissioned for the Lodge, and explore the north coast with historical highlights including the Cape Borda Lighthouse Station and its cemetery.

We meet with Dr Peggy Rismiller, the island’s own expert on the Short-beaked Echidna and Rosenberg’s Goanna.

Get up-close and buzzing with the Ligurian bees and take to the Southern Ocean in a marine zodiac to encounter penguins, sea birds, dolphins and seals.

Rates: Expeditioners can select their preferred luxury suite at Southern Ocean Lodge.

Rates commence from $6,900 per person twin share and are inclusive of all dining, all beverages, guided experiences and guest lectures, flights to and from Kangaroo Island and much more.