Jetsettersblog

Set on the edge of New Zealand’s Lake Wakatipu, about four miles from Queenstown, Matakauri Lodge will be open for guests on Aug. 27.

The lodge’s 11 suites were designed by interior designer Virginia Fisher. She also designed the main lodge with plenty of dining and living areas to relax in, all with views of the lake and mountains. the lodge gazes up at the peaks of the Remarkable mountain ranges.

A special opening rate of NZ$595 ($420) per person/per night is good through Oct. 31.

The rates include accommodation, pre-dinner drinks, dinner, and full breakfast.

For more information, visit www.matakaurilodge.com

Raffles Hotels & Resorts sails into the Indian Ocean with its first ultra-luxury resort in the Seychelles, on course for an opening in the first quarter of 2011.

Situated on the tranquil Praslin Island, Raffles Praslin is a scenic 30-minute drive from Praslin Airport and is located close to one of Seychelles’ natural treasures and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Vallée de Mai.

The resort features 86 villas with one- and two-villa suite options complemented with the signature round-the-clock Raffles Butler service.

Each villa has a private plunge pool and an outdoor sheltered pavilion fully fitted with a resident bar, while the top villas feature an additional barbecue grill. Villas are built on gentle slopes, ensuring stunning views of lush greenery and the shimmering Indian Ocean from each villa.

Residents can also look forward to a white sand beach, spanning 500 meters, overlooking Curieuse Island.

The spa experience will be exceptional as Raffles Spa features 13 treatment pavilions which are set among natural rock formations and high above the water, offering spectacular views.

Female residents and especially brides-to-be will appreciate the spa’s manicure and pedicure services as well as the bridal beauty salon.

An outdoor spa garden and pavilion is the ideal venue for a rejuvenating session of yoga.

When it comes to dining, residents will have an array of restaurants, bars and countless outdoor private dining options to choose from. Curieuse Restaurant offers an extensive range of fresh seafood and grilled prime cuts;

Restaurant Losean, open for breakfast and dinner, features Mediterranean favourites, regional cuisine and traditional dishes from Creole cuisine; while Losean Deli creates hampers for casual picnics.

Rooftop lounge Takamaka Terrace offers a comprehensive selection of premium cognacs, whiskies, wine, classic cocktails and signature Raffles cocktails.

The landscape at Raffles Praslin is marked by undulating slopes, stunning ocean views and lush scenery; lending itself to creative outdoor dining experiences from lively family picnics atop boulders and sand banks, to romantic dinners at the beach, garden, aboard a yacht or in the villa.

For more information, visit the banner below.

Hilton Hotels has joined the Thai marketing cooperative Golf in a Kingdom:

The Thai Golf Experience (www.golfinakingdom.com).

 As new hotel partners, Hilton properties across Thailand — in Bangkok, Pattaya, Hua Hin and Phuket — are now preferred lodging options, alongside the country’s top golf courses, in variety of stay-and-play itineraries offered and executed by tour operator Golfasian (www.golfasian.com)

The four Hilton properties that have joined Golf in a Kingdom include the Hilton Pattaya, the Millennium Hilton Bangkok, and Hilton Phuket Arcadia Resort & Spa.

By banding together to form Golf in a Kingdom: The Thai Golf Experience, the country’s top courses and hotels have created a cooperative itinerary that matches the most desirable “stay” options with its most desirable “play” options.

Those play options include Banyan Golf Club, Chiang Mai Highlands Golf & Spa Resort, Muang Kaew Golf Club, The Old Course at Siam Country Club in Pattaya, Siam Country Club’s Plantation Course, Thai Country Club in Bangkok, and Black Mountain Golf Club.

For more information on Golf in a Kingdom: The Thai Golf Experience, or to make golf travel plans in Thailand, email info@golfinakingdom.com  or visit www.golfinakingdom.com

Steeped in history, Chomu Palace’s foundations date back to 1606, when it was established as a fort.

Additions were made until its completion 1714, but further changes saw it turned into a palace in the late 1800’s when it had a number of different masters of the house.

Sadly, in more recent years, the property had been empty, and before being purchased by the Dangayach hotel group, lay in ruins with a flour mill running on its premises.

After 3 and a half years of painstaking work, the Dangayach Group restored Chomu Palace back to its original splendour, ensuring that every detail down to the colour and quality of the paint was carefully reconstructed to keep the palace’s age-old glory intact. Chomu Palace opened its doors to guests in December 2008, and has been growing from strength to strength since then.

With 58 luxurious rooms and suites spread over 5.5 acres of land, the property still has the magic and charm of its rich history.

Guests stay in unique, individually-styled accommodation, many with marble fittings, four-poster beds, over-sized bath tubs and ornate gold embellishments.

Fine dining is served in the grandeur of the Darbar Hall, or on the terrace under the stars, and many guests enjoy the opulence of the “Sheesh Mahal”, the lounge bar where cocktails and aperitifs are served beneath brilliant chandeliers and frescos.

On the doorstep of the bustling town of Chomu, guests can lose themselves in a traditional local village before retreating back to the splendour of their suite when the heat gets too much.

Chomu Palace is an ideal stop on a touring itinerary of Rajastan, as well as being an excellent choice for weddings, conferences or special interest groups.

By appointing full time representatives in the UK, Chomu hope to increase their business from this key market, offering a warm, traditional and grand welcome to those who pass through its doors.

Commenting on the appointment, Chomu Palace Hotel’s Vice President Of Operations, Rahul Lall commented that, “Chomu Palace offers an unparalleled experience in Indian heritage and luxury.

We are confident that our association with The Sandra Leach Company shall do wonders in spreading awareness among the discerning travellers in the United Kingdom, who constantly look for exquisite and exotic experiences”.

The YTL Hotel Group’s multi-billion yen master plan is redefining alpine luxury in Niseko, Japan.

The New York-based firm Champalimaud Design is orchestrating the renovation of the 200-room Green Leaf Niseko Village, slated for completion in time for the ski season end of 2010, and to be unveiled as The Green Leaf Niseko Village, a YTL Lifestyle Resort. The renovation of the ski-in, ski-out Green Leaf is the first of YTL’s multi-phased redevelopment plan for Niseko Village and will re-open its doors to guests on Dec. 1. President and Principal Designer Alexandra Champalimaud said,

“This is a wonderful opportunity to transform a property with an unparalleled location, therapeutic natural onsen and Mt. Yotei views into a modern social space attractive to a youthful and global clientele.”

The Green Leaf Niseko Village houses an extensive collection of artwork by Japanese artist Soichiro Tomioka (1922-1994).

Tomioka’s life-long study and portrayal of crisp forested winter landscapes is broadly represented in the collection with each guestroom, boasting an original work of its own.

Paying homage to his aesthetic, Champalimaud Design has created guestrooms which communicate serenely with the surrounding environment.

Unobstructed views of Hokkaido’s Mt. Yotei can be seen from the elegant corner suites and guestrooms. The Green Leaf Niseko Village will reopen with eight Corner Suites comprised of a parlor room, 40-inch flat-panel television, wet bar, powder room, and accommodations for a family of four.

In addition, 25 deluxe guestrooms will offer king beds, 32-inch flat-panel television and accommodations for three. For families traveling with children, these deluxe guestrooms have been designed to connect to triple rooms for added space. All 200 rooms will include plush bedding, fine linens, quality amenities, multi-language television programming and wireless Internet.

The hotel is a year-round mountain lodge with an array of seasonally changing landscapes for activities ranging from powder skiing to two 18-hole championship golf courses, one of which was designed by Arnold Palmer as well as paragliding, trekking, horseback riding, kayaking and river rafting, tennis and more.

For more information, visit www.ytl.com.sg

The Table Bay Hotel in Cape Town, South Africa, is bringing back its Chocolate High Tea each afternoon from now through the end of August.

The luxurious hotel’s already renowned High Tea will incorporate special chocolate cakes, pastries and desserts into its incarnation of the time-honored English tradition.

Between 2:30 p.m. and 5:30 p.m., guests can enjoy these treats along with a selection of teas in the Lounge at The Table Bay Hotel at a cost of 160 rand per person.

Executive Chef Dallas Orr has created an array of dishes, including special new treats as well as some old favorites.
New gourmet additions, such as lemon macaroons with satin chocolate filling, milk chocolate tiramisu with amoretti cookies, and chocolate brioche with baby pear, beautifully accompany more classic sweets like vanilla and chocolate marble cheesecake, chocolate brownies and chocolate éclairs.

The 329-room Table Bay Hotel, a Sun International property, stands on Cape Town’s Victoria & Alfred Waterfront with views of the working harbor, Robben Island, and Table Mountain.

The Table Bay Hotel is operated by Sun International, which operates resorts and luxury hotels in South Africa, Botswana, Namibia, Lesotho and Swaziland, including The Table Bay hotel in Cape Town and The Palace of the Lost City in Sun City.

For more information, email SAinfo@sun-int.net or visit www.suninternational.com

Stena Line will launch the Stena Britannica, one of two of the largest superferries in the world, in October.

The Britannica will join the Stena Hollandica on Stena Line’s North Sea route to Holland.

Stena Hollandica entered service in May; the two vessels represent Stena Line’s largest ever investment of over 375 million pounds ($596 million).

The ships will together sail the route between Harwich and Hook of Holland, offering daily day and overnight sailings in both directions. Onboard, there are 538 cabins, each fitted with Dux beds, the Swedish luxury brand beds, and en suite bathrooms with Hansgrohe fittings.

The cabins will have larger windows and extra touches, such as the complimentary Piper-Heidsieck Champagne in the Captain’s Class cabins.

The Stena Line Superferries offer free Wi-Fi, mobile reception throughout the crossing and satellite television in lounges and cabins.

There are also buffet and a la carte restaurants, a cinema, bar, lounge, media room and Internet corner.

There are children’s and teen zones, plus 12 kennels for dogs and a wooden-decked sundeck.

Each vessel is capable of transporting 230 cars, 300 freight vehicles and 1,200 passengers.

Designed to have a low environmental impact, each Superferry is built in line with Stena Line’s Energy Savings Program.

Eco-friendly features on the new Superferries include catalytic converters, an improved hull design, highly efficient engines and better combustion rates, all helping to reduce environmental impact.

The ferries have facilities to recycle glass, cardboard and food waste onboard, while solar film on all windows excludes up to 82 percent of the sun’s radiant heat, reducing the energy used by the onboard cooling system.

Departing twice daily, the crossing takes approximately 6½ hours with a choice of day or night sailings in each direction.

Departures from Harwich leave at 9 a.m. and around 11:45 p.m. each day, and at 2:30 p.m. and around 10 p.m. from the Hook of Holland, with early boarding possible.

Lead fares start at 49 pounds ($78) one way for a car and driver, plus 12 pounds ($19) per additional adult or 6 pounds ($10) per additional child (up to 15 years, kids under 4 travel free).

Cabins are compulsory overnight and optional for day sailings, and start at 14 pounds ($22) per person one way, based on two sharing.

For more information, visit www.stenaline.co.uk

Meliá Hotels & Resorts announced a new program for kids at the Meliá La Quinta and Meliá Marbella Banús hotels, both in Malaga, which allows children to enjoy their own “adult” vacations at the hotel.

Kids & Co by Meliá is an original concept which uses the language used by the kids themselves to help present a program of activities, amenities and exclusive services which help make the kids the stars of the show on their vacations.

On arrival, kids get to use their own mini check in, where they also get a welcome letter and the program mascot, the dolphin Splash.

The surprises continue in the room where the children get more gifts as well as their own line of bath towels, amenities and bed linen to make their stay even more fun.

The room is also scented with fruits of the wood and the mini bar includes flavored milk shakes. At night, just before they go to sleep, kids also get a glass of milk and cookies to make them feel more at home.

During their stay the kids can enjoy breakfast with program characters before starting a day packed with entertainment activities — cookery classes, make-up and face-painting, fancy dress, movie night with popcorn, and much more.

They even have their own personal “passport” which proves they are members of Kids & Co by Meliá, and for which they get stamps for every activity they do that they can later swap for baseball caps and T-shirts with drawings of the program characters. There are also theme parties and activities for all the family including parents.

The Kids & Co by Meliá experience will soon be implemented in more Meliá hotels to better respond to the needs of families in resort destinations, 19 percent of the total number of guests at Meliá Hotels & Resorts.

For more information, visit www.solmelia.com

Starting in September, the five-star Royal Spa Kitzbühel Hotel will offer the new metabolic balance program.

The holistic metabolic program is being offered as part of an 18-day package under medical supervision.

The combination of holiday and surroundings helps participants achieve balance and more energy away from the daily routine.

The program focuses on a balanced nutrition and deliberately distances itself from conventional diets. Under medical supervision, a fully balanced and individually tailored nutrition plan is developed based on the participant’s blood values and personal details.

The idea is that people only feel well in their bodies when all body functions work together in harmony.

The first two of the four phases are the most intense.

This is the time covered by the 18-day metabolic balance program at the Royal Spa Kitzbühel Hotel — the preparation phase, in which the body adjusts to the new nutritional situation, plus the strict phase, where discipline is required to follow the individual nutrition plan.

Two licensed Austrian physicians, Dr. Lisa Mailänder and Dr. Nicole Harfmann, are in charge of the medical care and consultation at the Royal Spa Kitzbühel Hotel.

The metabolic balance program is being first offered from Sept. 22 to Oct. 9 and from Oct. 20 to Nov. 6.

The hotel, which opened in Jochberg in December 2009, features 144 rooms and suites and offers direct access to the hiking trails and ski runs of the Kitzbühel Alps. In June of this year, its Mountain Health Spa, was accepted for membership in Leading Spas. Mountain Health means that the healing power of nature plays an important role in all treatments and applications.

The Mountain Health Spa also values privacy — for exclusivity and seclusion, there are three private spa suites to choose from: the Crystal Spa Suite, the Pearl Spa Suite and the Kitz Spa Suite.

For more information, visit www.kitzbuehelroyalspa.com  or www.vi-hotels.com/en