Jetsettersblog

The UK’s leading guided walking holidays’ operator, Ramblers Worldwide Holidays, is offering a 16 day holiday to Cuba – famed for its old America limos, vibrant music, lush tropical landscapes, political intrigue and rich colonial history.

As a staging post for convoys of gold-laden galleons returning to Spain, Cuba’s colonial heritage dates back to the arrival of Columbus.

The guided tour begins in Havana (now a World Heritage Site) then travels to the Sierra del Rosario Mountains with three nights at Viñales and one at Soroa where one can enjoy the rare Karst Rock formations.

Next, is a flight to Santiago, Cuba’s second city and then onto to Baracoa, to walk where Columbus landed 500 years ago.

Stopping at Camaguey, one continues the journey to old Trinidad (another World Heritage Site) with stunning walks in the Sierra del Escambray.

Then it’s back to old Havana – one of the World’s most beautiful cities – for a final ‘taste’ of its music, the famous Malecon, and fascinating street life.

Price £1,699 per person includes return flights, transfers, 16 days with half-board, three star accommodation and the services of a dedicated tour leader.

www.RamblersHolidays.co.uk

01707 33 11 33

• Award-winning Ramblers Worldwide Holidays have been established since 1946 and are now the leading guided walking holidays operator in the UK
• The company now operates to over 250 destinations in 90 countries.

• It offers a range of graded walks from leisurely to challenging.

• The operator contributes monies to the Ramblers Holidays Charitable Trust which supports environmental projects in the UK and community projects overseas.

• Their portfolio also includes specialist holidays linked to walking such as, cooking, cruising, birdwatching, rail journeys, photography, singing and flora.
• Ramblers Worldwide Holidays provide a fully protected service as members of ABTA, AITO & The CAA.

Alaska’s newest designated state scenic byway is the Prince of Wales Island Road System.

Covering nearly 300 miles, the extensive road system connects almost every community on Prince of Wales, the third-largest island in the United States.

Travelers can spend a few days exploring the island’s Native communities; fishing in quiet bays and rivers; and hiking in the Tongass National Forest, covering nearly the entire island.

A network of nearby islands and countless coves around the island provide protected water for boaters and kayakers and the rainforest ecosystem makes the environment ideal for watching wildlife, such as bears and eagles. Prince of Wales Island is easily accessible with vehicles via the Inter-Island Ferry Authority from Ketchikan.

Most visitor services are available in the communities of Craig, Klawock and Thorne Bay. For more information, visit www.alaskarainforestislands.org

The Doubletree Hotel Austin has introduced 17 Pure Allergy Friendly rooms, which create an allergy-friendly environment and remove up to 98 percent of bacteria and viruses.

The Pure concept utilizes special purification techniques to remove allergens and irritants from all surfaces, fabrics and air flow. The conversion process designed by Pure Solutions ensures that air-handling units are deeply cleaned and sanitized, and then equipped with the company’s tea tree oil cartridge.

Pure tea tree oil is a natural antiseptic and disinfectant that maintains the sanitary conditions created during the initial conversion process.

To maintain these conditions in the room, an air-purification system is installed, creating air quality that averages four times cleaner than the threshold necessary for asthma patients. Special micro-fiber, hypo-allergenic pillow cases and mattress covers are used to reduce allergies triggered by dust mites.

For more information, call 800-222-8733 or visit www.doubletree.com

Starline Tours has launched a Malibu Stars’ Homes Tour, featuring more than 40 celebrity homes, including those of Leonard DiCaprio, Courteney Cox, Cher, Bruce Willis and Bill Murray, as well as movie locations and a visit to Malibu Beach.

The company uses open-air mini-buses equipped with personal headsets.

The new tour departs three times daily from the Santa Monica Pier at Ocean Boulevard and travels along Pacific Coast Highway with a stop at a scenic overlook for photo opportunities.

Guides point out locations for movies, including “Gidget,” “Planet of the Apes” and “Iron Man.”

Ticket prices are $39 general and $29 for children ages 3 to 11.

Tickets are available at the Starline Tours Box office on the Santa Monica Pier at Ocean Boulevard.

Bookings also can be made by calling 800 959 3131 or visiting www.starlinetours.com

The Holiday Inn Denver East-Stapleton hotel has opened after a rebranding (from a Radisson) and renovation. The hotel was renamed the Holiday Inn in March 2010.

All patio guestrooms have panoramic views of the Rockies and the Denver skyline. Each guestroom also features a Sleep Number Bed, an oversized work station and data ports. Complimentary Wi-Fi is available throughout the hotel.

The hotel’s Quebec’s Cafe serves traditional hot breakfast buffet and to-go yogurt parfaits. There’s also Martini’s Sports Bar, 20,000 square feet of meeting space, an outdoor heated pool, an indoor Jacuzzi, and an onsite massage/skin care salon.

For more information, call 800-465-4329 or visit www.holidayinn.com/denver-co

Aston Hotels & Resorts is offering trolley service to Oahu’s largest farmers market each Saturday at Kapiolani Community College.

With more than 60 vendors, the Saturday Farmers Market offers a wide selection of fresh produce, seafood, eggs, cuisine, flowers and specialty gifts, such as coffee, locally made tropical jams, honey, snacks and baked goods.

The market takes place year-round from 7:30 a.m. to 11 a.m.

No reservations are necessary for the trolley rides.

Fares are $3 one way and $5 roundtrip during scheduled pick-up times, and payment should be made directly to driver.

Guests staying at any Aston hotel or condominium resort in Waikiki may ride the trolley and can board at the Aston Waikiki Joy (6:50 a.m. and 7:50 a.m.), the Aston Pacific Monarch (6:55 a.m. and 7:55 a.m.), the Aston Waikiki Beach Tower (7 a.m. and 8 a.m.) or the Aston Waikiki Beach Hotel (7:05 a.m. and 8:05 a.m.).

Trolleys return from the farmer’s market, departing Kapiolani Community College at 8:45 a.m. and 9:45 a.m.

For more information, call 866-774-2924 or visit www.astonhotels.com

Hovertravel, the fastest route to the Isle of Wight, took one of their craft into Portsmouth Harbour for the first time on Monday to help promote the speed of the journey from Ryde to Gunwharf Quays.

Neil Chapman, Hovertravel Managing Director, said: “The hovercraft has never entered Portsmouth Harbour before so we thought this was a great occasion for a one off photo opportunity to support our service which enables customers to travel between Ryde and Gunwharf Quays in well under twenty minutes”.

Hovertravel’s service between Ryde and Southsea takes just under ten minutes and the Hoverbus which departs from outside the terminal takes approx four minutes to reach Gunwharf Quays, Hampshire’s only shopping outlet and biggest entertainment complex.

Gunwharf Quays has over 95 designer outlets, 30 bars and restaurants, a health and fitness centre, Vue cinema, Bowlplex, Holiday Inn Express and the famous Tiger Tiger nightclub.

With Hovertravel providing the fastest service between the Isle of Wight and Portsmouth, getting to Gunwharf Quays is a quick and easy experience for anyone looking for a fun day out.

• Launched in 1965
• The fastest Isle of Wight ferry service across the Solent, with the journey taking under 10 minutes and running every half hour
• Only scheduled hovercraft operator in Europe
• The world’s longest running commercial hovercraft operator

About Gunwharf Quays

• Gunwharf Quays has over 95 designer outlets and 30 bars & restaurants
• It is based by Portsmouth Harbour, with the famous Dockyard and Old Portsmouth a short walk away
• Opened 28 February 2001

If you are looking for the perfect spot to have a picnic this summer then North East England could be just the place with its wealth of country parks, miles of stunning coastline, rolling countryside and urban escapes.

One day you could be setting up your picnic hamper with the impressive Bamburgh Castle in Northumberland as your backdrop and the next you could be sitting on top of Roseberry Topping looking over the Tees Valley.

And with only a few days left of national Love Parks Week there is no better time to pack up your hamper and head to your nearest green space. Pack your hamper full of the fantastic range of local produce which can be found in North East England, including Northumbrian Cheese from The Northumberland Cheese Company; or ice cream from Doddington Dairy.

Visit this site.

To help you decide we have pulled together five of the best places to have your picnic while you’re here. (In alphabetical order)

1). Causey Arch is the world’s oldest surviving railway bridge (built 1725-26) and stands over a rocky gorge. Visitors can go trekking through the woodland walk and then enjoy a picnic in the maintained area while overlooking the beautiful surroundings.

www.thisisdurham.com

2). High Force suddenly and spectacularly drops 70 feet into a plunge pool below, making it England’s highest uninterrupted drop of water.

In the grounds of Raby Castle Estate the woodland walk leads to this breathtaking sight. As visitors begin the descent down the gentle slope the well-maintained path twists and turns giving a different view every few yards. After the trek, visitors can relax in the picnic area and take in the beautiful surroundings. Gift shop and parking are available, admission £1.50 adult; concession £1, children under 16, free.
www.rabycastle.com

3). Kielder Water & Forest Park – Europe’s largest man-made lake, England’s largest forest and officially the country’s most tranquil spot, Kielder Water & Forest Park is not to be missed. With plenty of picnic spots and places to eat throughout the park, visitors are spoilt for choice when it comes to spending a day trip, weekend break or holiday in the least light polluted place in England. Nature lovers, water sports enthusiasts, explorers, walkers, cyclists, artists, families … anyone looking to escape, will delight in everything the park has to offer.
www.visitkielder.com

4). Mowbray Park, is one of 55 parks in the North East which have been awarded the Green Flag, which rewards the best green spaces in the UK. This green oasis in the heart of Sunderland has been restored to its former Victorian splendour. And you can have your very own Mad Hatter’s Tea Party under the Walrus sculpture which commemorates Lewis Carroll’s “Walrus and the Carpenter” said to be inspired by the carpenters working at Sunderland’s shipyards.

5). Roseberry Topping is a distinctive hill on the border between North Yorkshire and the Tees Valley. Its summit has a distinctive half-cone shape with a jagged cliff.
From the summit on a clear day you have a fantastic and impressive view of the Yorkshire Dales in one direction and the North Sea to another, an idyllic spot for a picnic. www.visitteesvalley.co.uk

If these aren’t enough why not head to one of these special picnic events in the North East.

Teddy Bear’s picnic Raby Castle – 4th Aug – Bring along your favourite teddy bear for a picnic in the grounds of this stunning 14th century castle. www.rabycastle.com

Teddy Bear’s picnic Botanic Garden – Durham – 4th and 18th Aug – Enter your bear into the most loved teddy bear competition, enjoy a bear story between 2pm and 4pm and create some ‘bear-y’ good artwork on this special day. www.dur.ac.uk/botanic.garden

For more information on North East England and the region’s wide range of quality places to stay, eat, drink and visit go to www.visitnortheastengland.com

Sandals Resorts International (SRI) recently announced its new partnership with Demerara Distillers Limited, providing El Dorado aged rum to all properties across the resort company’s extensive portfolio. Demerara Distillers Limited is one of the oldest and most respected rum distillers in the world, produced in the Anglophone Caribbean country of Guyana for over 300 years.

The partnership will bring the El Dorado Rum’s flagship fifteen year-old beverage to twenty one properties across five Caribbean islands. The El Dorado brand aligns with SRI’s philosophy of providing guests with the finest, most comprehensive holiday experience in the Caribbean.

The recent addition of El Dorado distilled rum is yet another milestone for Sandals Resorts International’s Luxury Included® experience.

In 2005, SRI partnered with California’s celebrated Beringer Vineyards, allowing guests to indulge in four house varietals of Beringer wines as part of the resort company’s comprehensive holiday experience.

The Beringer and recently introduced El Dorado partnerships seamlessly complement Sandals Resorts International’s extensive and ever-expanding F&B program.

For more information call 0800 742 742

or visit www.sandals.co.uk

Grasshopper Porridge has team up with myhotels group to add a little something extra to their hip boutique hotel experience.

Now when you stay in any one of the award winning Bloomsbury, Chelsea or Brighton establishments, you will spy Grasshopper Porridge pots available in each room.

The luxury organic brand, created by sisters Fleur and Abi, sits well with the values and openhearted attitude of the myhotels team. Grasshopper reflects the girl’s honesty, creativity and sense of humour.
Grasshopper Porridge is a really simple idea – organic (licensed by the soil association) instant porridge in a one-portion pot (which is recyclable, and even the wrapping is made from sweetcorn).

For hotel guests, it is the perfect quick fix breakfast – no bowl, saucepan or fresh milk is needed. Just add hot water, stir and contemplate the interconnectedness of all life for 5 minutes (or make a cup of coffee, or have a shower…).

Andy Thrasyvoulou is the founder of myhotels group:

“It’s amazing to be working with such a unique and sustainable brand – Grasshopper’s product reflects the personalities of the fantastic people behind the concept. The supporting of nutritional and sustainable products is key to our own philosophy – and it’s incredibly tasty too!”

Grasshopper porridge is a kind of brownie project that took on a life of its own (like the cake mix in ‘Sleeper’). We made instant porridge pots because we were always out and doing things that made us really hungry. After being on/in/under, the water I wanted hot food but could never get it together because I always stay in the water until my hands cannot move (AKA the claw). In London Fleur was always trying to find food that was hot and good to eat but didn’t come from a chain of shops whose name ends in ‘bucks’. Grasshopper porridge started out homemade, we made it for our friends and printed labels with messages or pictures on.

The name ‘Grasshopper’ comes from the TV series ‘Kung Fu’ that we love almost as much as ‘The littlest Hobo’. Actually, Fleur loves it and I think it is rubbish but we couldn’t call the company ‘Bagpuss’! It turned out that many different types of people enjoyed our porridge and asked to buy it so we said ok and started selling it to cover costs. Nearly a year later, we are still selling it except now we are making and developing more flavours and have big plans. Now making Grasshopper porridge is our job, which is a very happy and surprising thing for both of us.For more information on Grasshopper Porridge please contact – Abi Hillier, Team Grasshopper Ltd on 07894 904575 or abigail@teamgrasshopper.co.uk