Jetsettersblog

The first of YTL Hotels global expansion, a warm welcome awaits you at a truly unique hotel arriving in Saint-Tropez this June.

MUSE is your chic retreat minutes from Place de Lices by car, situated on the Ramatuelle ‘route de plages’ road and nestled within an ecological landscape of terraced gardens. Comprised of 15 suites, 10 with pools, most overlooking the terraced gardens created by Sophie Agata Ambroise,

Muse is minutes from the most elegant epicenter in the world.

Each suite is named after one of the muses the hotel has been dedicated to such as ‘Edith’, after Edith Piaf, ‘Catherine’, after Catherine Deneuve and ‘Lauren’ after Lauren Bacall.

Each suite is entirely individual, all however sharing cool stone floors and mamorino wall finishes. A large number have their own spa services room and walk in closets, oversized showers and beautiful, neutral décor along with the latest technology in every suit including a 42” Loewe plasma screen with over 100 channels, Playstation, an iPad and iPhone.

Exclusive guest services will include Bentley shuttles to the beaches, sun-butlers to administer the best sun creams to your skin, and overall a level of hospitality to match the exceptional quality of the hotel.

Access to the most exclusive restaurants and beach clubs in the area will be delivered by the exceptionally connected concierge team.

The hotel will include a beautiful restaurant inspired by the Slow Food philosophy, M, where executive chef Nicolas Le Toumelin, who comes hot from working with Pascal Proyart at One O One at the Sheraton, Knightsbridge, at the helm and consultant chef Clement Bruno of Chez Bruno presiding over an exclusive Truffle Menu.

Dishes will include; Royal King Crab Thermidor style, Red Mullet Tart with Aubergine Caviar and Baby Mozzarella, Scottish Beef ‘Aberdeen Angus’ Fillet with Red Wine Reduction, Sea Bass Baked in a Crust of Salt or Flambéed with Thyme.

The unique and stylish bar at Muse has views over the beautiful out-door sunken pool and gardens. They will offer a range of alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks for guests – should you desire to detox during the day, healthy smoothies and non-alcoholic cocktails such as carrot cleansers, fresh fruit juices and presses will be available.

Should you wish to enjoy drinks at dusk; a range of signature cocktails and aperitifs will be served with delicious and creative canapés. For pre and post dinner this is also the perfect place to relax around a perfectly chilled bottle of wine to enjoy the sublime surroundings with friends.

Muse – a beautiful hotel with a philosophy that will reflect the art of listening, smiling and pleasing from its entire staff that look forward to your visit.

Penfolds ‘Make Your Own Blend’ tour and stay at Novotel for $249 per night

Novotel Barossa Valley Resort and Penfolds have blended together to indulge guests in the ultimate sensory experience this winter.

The ‘Make Your Own Blend package’* allows frustrated vignerons to create their very own blend in the winemakers laboratory on the Penfolds Wines ‘Make Your Own Blend’ tour with overnight accommodation in a superb studio room at the Novotel Barossa Valley Resort including breakfast for two in Harry’s Restaurant for just $249 per couple.

For bookings contact the Novotel Barossa Valley Resort on toll free 1300 657 697 or 08 8524 0000 or visit the banner below.

The first of its kind in the Barossa, the Penfolds Make Your Own Blend tour is a fun, interactive experience for anyone who has wanted to be a winemaker for a day.

Following a walking tour of the winery and cellars, guests are taken through a structured tasting of a range of Penfolds wine styles and varietals, before donning lab coats and trying their hand at blending their own version of the Penfolds Bin 138 from Grenache, Shiraz and Mourvedre.

The Penfolds Make Your Own Blend tour is both an educational and enjoyable experience, blending to suit your own personal taste.

Plus you can to take your wine with you in a personalised bottle to enjoy back at the Resort to accompany the delicious menu at Harry’s Restaurant featuring all local produce including the superb Waechters Dux prepared in a traditional French style.

The Novotel’s studio rooms provide a tranquil place to rest and relax, overlooking the spectacular surrounds of the Barossa. Enjoy a glass of wine on your balcony and listen to relaxing tunes from your Ipod through the newly installed docking stations.

Or curl up in the evening with a bold Barossa Shiraz and enjoy a night in after a day of pampering at the on-site endota day spa.

This is the Barossa in winter…

*Package valid until 30 August 2010. Subject to availability. Conditions apply. Rate is per night single, twin or double occupancy in a standard room.

A new state-of-the-art hotel designed to meet the specific needs of business travellers has been officially opened in Christchurch today by New Zealand’s Associate Minister of Tourism, Dr Jonathan Coleman.

The Marque Christchurch is located in the heart of the central business district and occupies 15 floors of one of the tallest building in the South Island. It promises its guests personalised service and modern, stylish functional rooms and technology that’s always on.

All of the hotel’s 171 rooms and suites have easy-to-use free high-speed broadband access for up to a specified limit, iPod docking stations, as well as a desk and a comfortable ergonomic chair, and laptop-sized room safes. Free wireless internet is available in all the public areas and in the Biz business centre.

In the hotel’s lobby guests also have around-the-clock access to a virtual concierge – a 32” LCD touch screen which they can use to search for local attractions, shopping, transport and entertainment. It is interactive and allows guests to book online with instantaneous confirmation.

“Everything has been designed for the comfort and convenience of our guests. We’ve tried to think of everything a business traveller might need and have incorporated that into the design of our rooms and facilities. The result is a hotel that is stylish and contemporary yet practical.

“Our goal is to establish The Marque Christchurch as the number one accommodation choice for business travellers to Christchurch,” said the hotel’s general manager Brad Watts.

The Marque Christchurch is operated by the Singapore-based Rendezvous Hospitality Group (RHG), a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Straits Trading Company Limited.

RHG is working to establish itself at the forefront of the hotel industry in Asia-Pacific and the Middle East, in particular with business travellers, and it has plans to invest $190 million over the next 10 years on building new hotels.

RHG chief executive officer Iqbal Jumabhoy, who is in Christchurch for the opening of The Marque Christchurch, said the hotel sets the new standard for the Marque brand in New Zealand.

“We’re thrilled with this hotel and believe it sets a new benchmark in service for business and independent leisure travellers. They can come here and know they have everything they need at their finger-tips,” Mr Jumabhoy said.

In addition to the well-appointed guest rooms, the hotel has a smart restaurant (‘Fresh’) and hip bar (‘Wet’), a selection of intimate meeting rooms, and a gymnasium. There is a tram stop right at its doorstep and the hotel is just a minute’s walk from Cathedral Square.

“Christchurch is the economic hub of the South Island with a vibrant economy, which makes it a frequent port of call for many business travellers.

They want a place to stay that is centrally located, stylish yet practical, and welcoming. That is what they will find when they walk through the door at The Marque,” Mr Jumabhoy said.

Careful attention has been paid to mitigating the impact The Marque Christchurch has on its environment.

The facade is completely double-glazed throughout and high-grade insulation has been used to reduce the energy costs during the life of the building. The latest energy saving systems have also been incorporated wherever possible.

The hotel’s space-saving car stacker is also a first for Christchurch.

Built to take 93 vehicles, the car stacker is designed to maximise car parking space in the hotel and lessen the impact hotel guests’ vehicles will have on the environment by cutting down the amount of driving they need to do to find a parking space.

The result will be fewer emissions than in a conventional car parking building.

Lead the Way to Great New Holiday Packages
Coinciding with the Air New Zealand direct flights from Sydney to Rarotonga (from 4th July), a host of exciting new Cook Islands accommodation and holiday packages from Australian wholesalers have come online.

The following Australian wholesalers have introduced special Cook Island packages into the market:

• AOT
• Coral Seas
• Honeymoon Worldwide
• Infinity Holidays / Flight Centre
• Omniche Holidays
• Orient Pacific
• Specialist Holidays
• Stella Holidays

There has been tremendous support from Cook Island product suppliers, with properties and attractions offering a fabulous range of value adds to travellers.

A few examples of 5 night flight and accommodation packages using the Air New Zealand direct flights ex Sydney, incl. airport transfers, breakfast and early check-in include:

• Edgewater Resort and Spa from AU$1099 including a NZ$100 resort credit

• Palm Grove Rarotonga (part of the Black Pearl Collection) from AU$1265 including a Black Pearl gift to the value of NZ$250

• Muri Beach Club (another member of the Black Pearl Collection) from AU$1349 including 50% off all food at The Point restaurant

• Rarotongan Beach Resort and Spa AU$1420 including one hour spa treatment and bottle of wine

• Pacific Resort Rarotonga in a Garden Suite AU$1915 inc NZ$300 resort credit

• Aitutaki Lagoon Resort and Spa from AU$2299 inc dinner for two + wine at Aitutaki and a bottle of wine

Adds Carmel Beattie, CEO of The Cook Islands Tourism Corporation:

“We are delighted with the support of the Australian travel industry through these tremendous offers, making our beautiful destination as affordable as ever.

Now that the Cook Islands are only a direct 6 hours away from Sydney, this tropical destination is fast becoming a favourite Pacific holiday spot for Australians.”

More Indulgence @ Medina – be spoilt with a brand new, true blue accommodation experience

Two proudly home grown brands, Medina Apartment Hotels and Trelivings by evodia, have teamed up to create a uniquely Australian accommodation and body care package – More Indulgence @ Medina.

From just $160* per room per night, enjoy an indulgent stay in a stylish one bedroom apartment at any one of Medina’s 23 locations, late check out and a special Kangaroo Island Eucalyptus gift pack from Trelivings by evodia.

Local brand Medina is well known and loved for the lifestyle it offers. All of the apartments have been designed with dedication to elegance and style, ensuring they provide an ideal getaway to indulge in space and sophistication with hotel service. Medina is a home away from home, a place to relax or entertain in great city locations.

The Trelivings by evodia’s Kangaroo Island Eucalyptus body care gift pack includes a body lotion, travel sized hand cream and basin soap. The range features native eucalyptus oil, famous for its cleansing and purifying effects, harvested using traditional methods and envied across the world. Blended with natural plant extracts and delicately infused with a subtle, angelic fragrance, this thoughtful collection is a local beauty and ideal for travellers seeking a little indulgence.

To book the More Indulgence @ Medina package, visit www.medina.com.au  or phone 1300 MEDINA (633 462).

*Minimum 2 night stay applies. Indulgence Package valid until 1 September 2010. One gift pack per stay. Rate is per night, per apartment, subject to availability and excludes peak periods. $160 is the start rate.

About Medina Apartment Hotels

With 23 locations across Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Darwin, Adelaide, Canberra and Wollongong,

Medina is an ideal option for a getaway, whatever the occasion.

Medina Apartment Hotels offer the opportunity to experience the cosmopolitan culture unique to each Australian city. Being conveniently situated amongst theatres, restaurants and cafes makes Medina an excellent choice for a city escape.

About Trelivings by evodia

Trelivings by evodia is an Australian owned company.

All of the products are made in Australia and are not tested on animals.

The Trelivings by evodia range is available at Myer, David Jones, pharmacies and giftware stores or online at

www.evodia.com.au

Vietnam Airlines has officially joined the SkyTeam global airline alliance. SkyTeam is increasing its focus on Asia as a whole, and by welcoming its first member in Southeast Asia, the alliance significantly strengthens its network reach in the region. Joining SkyTeam marks an important step toward Vietnam Airlines’ future growth.

It will bring passengers convenient and seamless service of international standards to a global network covering more than 850 destinations in 169 countries. Vietnam Airlines customers can earn and redeem frequent flyer miles when traveling on flights of all other SkyTeam member airlines.

Customers from the other SkyTeam frequent flyer programs can achieve the same when flying Vietnam Airlines.

Global hospitality group Golden Tulip has launched operations in Phuket with the opening of the luxury Golden Tulip Mangosteen Resort and Spa, the tropical island’s only location to experience ancient Ayurveda Spa techniques.

The all-villa resort’s location in Phuket’s mountains offers unrivalled views of Phuket Town, its surrounding bays and out to the islands of the Andaman Sea.

Villas offer privacy with outside garden bathrooms and rain showers, private Jacuzzis and quiet terraces with hammocks.

The resort is minutes away from beaches and shopping districts from its tropical hillside location.

The former Mangosteen Resort & Spa has undergone a re-fit since Golden Tulip re-flagged the property.

With nearly 50 years experience as a hotel franchisor, Golden Tulip Hospitality Group, with its head office in Amersfoort, Netherlands, is a worldwide hospitality company offering services in the mid, upper and luxury scales to over 255 hotels representing 27,000 rooms in more than 38 countries.

For more information, visit www.goldentulip.com

The Anantara Hua Hin has added three new features — a garden walk, pool bar and poolside restaurant.

The hotel’s garden features hundreds of plant species indigenous to Thailand.

The garden walk brings many of their stories to the guest with an intuitive and descriptive map that is also a lesson in Thai culture and history.

Adjacent to the garden, a new pool bar, called Loy Nam, offers snacks and beverages without ever having to leave the water.

The venue is flanked by a collection of charcoal-colored day beds, all of which are shaded by a massive palapa.

On the other side of the pool, Rim Nam Restaurant serves authentic Thai and traditional regional dishes.

Guests can also order Inventive fusion combinations. Designed and built in the image of an ancient Thai village, Anantara Hua Hin opened in 1921, when a railway station and hotel were erected to service elite train travelers between Bangkok and Singapore.

Today, Hua Hin is the full-time residence of Thailand’s King Bhumibol Adulyadej and a haven for golfers, water sports mavens, spa goers and wine enthusiasts.

For more information, visit www.itsinhuahin.com

Victoria Cruises’ new five-star Victoria Jenna is now being used for all departures of Avalon Waterways’ 12-day “Magical China & Yangtze River” and 16-day “Heart of China & the Yangtze River” programs.

Victoria remains the exclusive provider of Yangtze River cruise segments for Avalon. The Victoria Jenna has 198 staterooms and a passenger capacity of 396.

Avalon’s “Magical China & Yangtze River” itinerary features a five-day sailing along the temple-lined Yangtze River on the Victoria Jenna, accommodations at world-class properties, intra-China flights, some meals and shore excursions and cultural sightseeing in Shanghai, Xian and Beijing.

Pricing begins at $2,929 per person, double occupancy, for departures Aug. 29 through Oct. 3, and does not include international air transportation.

Globus, a sister company to Avalon, offers add-on airfare from most U.S. gateways.

Avalon’s “Heart of China & the Yangtze River” program features many of the same highlights as the “Magical China” tour but adds Hong Kong and Guilin.

For more information, call Avalon at 877-797-8791 or visit

www.avalonwaterways.com

or www.victoriacruises.com

With optional airport transfers in a 1938 Rolls Royce, guests staying at Rockhampton’s Denison Boutique Hotel will definitely roll into the new luxury accommodation in style.

Originally built in 1885 as the administration office for Queensland Rail, Denison Boutique Hotel offers luxury accommodation that will take you back in time.

Starting with arrival in a 1938 Rolls Royce, guests are transported to the majestic and historic building boasting four and half metre high ceilings, ornate period-style furnishings and Victorian rose and partier gardens.

Opened on June 2, the recently-renovated building stays true to the era in which it was constructed while also providing many modern comforts.

Each room features a king size four poster bed, two person spa and shower, 42 inch plasma TV, air conditioning, balcony and wireless internet.

The hotel also offers guests a full gourmet breakfast and is within easy walking distance of the Fitzroy River, shopping mall, local restaurants and bars, and the train station.

www.denisonboutiquehotel.com.au