Jetsettersblog

One of the most picturesque wine regions in the world, Queenstown, New Zealand, will again play host to the Central Otago Pinot Noir Celebration from the 27th until the 29th of January 2011 – an event that has established itself as a must-do date on the international Pinot Noir calendar.

To celebrate a love of all things ‘pinot’, the Sofitel Queenstown Hotel & Spa has launched a ‘Central Otago Pinot Noir’ package for wine lovers visiting the South Island during the event.

Priced from AU$590 per couple (NZ$750) the package includes one-night at the Sofitel Queenstown Hotel & Spa located in the heart of the city with a welcome bottle of Central Otago wine on arrival.

Guests will also enjoy a five-course degustation dinner with matching Central Otago wines to accompany, concluding with a Central Otago cheese and dessert wine.

The offer is available for sale now and for travel between the 21st and 29th of January 2011 (subject to availability). To make a reservation or find out more, email reservations@sofitelqueenstown.com and quote “Pinot Noir Festival”
Motivated by a desire to reinvent and elevate the guest arrival experience, Sofitel Queenstown Hotel & Spa recently completed a $2 million renovation and upgrade. The result is a transformed hotel, featuring a fresh new lobby and lounge with a resplendent reception enclave that invokes both the panache of Paris and warm hospitality inherent to any Queenstown stay.
The hotel’s ground level upgrade extends to incorporate a leisure business centre and intimate meeting space and the new Left Bank Café – part French kitchen, part tea room – open for breakfast and lunch in charming Parisian style.
The second phase of the hotel’s renovation will conclude in Autumn 2011, revealing a new bar, private club lounge and designer gymnasium. For more information visit www.sofitelqueenstown.com

Sofitel, World Class Hotels & French Elegance
Sofitel is the only French luxury hotel brand with a presence on five continents with 130 addresses, in almost 40 countries (more than 30 000 rooms). Sofitel offers contemporary hotels and resorts adapted to today’s more demanding and more versatile consumers who expect and appreciate beauty, quality and excellence. Whether situated in the heart of a major city like Paris, London, New York or Beijing, or nestled away in a country landscape in Morocco, Egypt, Fiji Islands or Thailand, each Sofitel property offers a genuine experience of the French “art de vivre”.
Discover Sofitel on www.sofitel.com

Discover A|Club at Sofitel, the new worldwide Accor loyalty program on www.a-club.com

A 16-night cruise from Beijing to Singapore aboard super-liner Diamond Princess visiting five Asian countries, and with two-nights pre-cruise in Beijing including a full day tour to the Mutianyu section of the Great Wall and China’s Olympic Village, and a night post-cruise in Singapore, is selling through ecruising.travel from an extraordinarily low $3479pp quad-share and from $3939pp twin-share with cabin upgrades on selected categories.

And this value-price also includes return airfares and taxes from Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane or Adelaide, all transfers in Beijing and Singapore and port charges and taxes.

The 116,000-tonne Diamond Princess will sail from Beijing’s port of Tianjin on March 3 2011, visiting Pusan, Nagasaki, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Nha Trang, Ho Chi Minh City, Bangkok and Koh Samui on her way to Singapore.

Passengers have a choice of Traditional, Anytime, Speciality and 24-hour l Dining in a range of formal and casual venues, complimentary in-room dining service, and a wide choice of lounges and bars.

There are four pools – one of them swim-against-the-tide – hot tubs, spa, gym and fitness area, 9-hole putting course and a jogging track, as well as showroom entertainment, big screen cinema, a casino, library, 24-hour internet café, and kids and teen clubs.

For full details phone toll-free 1300 369 848 or visit www.ecruising.travel

Summer is heating up at Crown’s three luxurious hotels, Crown Towers, Crown Metropol and Crown Promenade Hotel with ‘stay for three pay for two’ packages that make planning that all important summer holiday a breeze. Guests will enjoy a third night free of charge when taking advantage of this limited offer. All packages are available 7 days of the week – valid until 9 January 2011 for as low as $598.00.

Crown Towers, a mecca for high-end luxury, is offering three nights accommodation in the hotel’s upgraded deluxe rooms for $798.00. Guests of Crown Towers have access to the hotel’s iconic 25 metre pool, tennis courts and gymnasium. Guests can indulge in a treatment at Crown Spa during their stay, with therapists able to perform a selection of treatments in the privacy of guests’ rooms for an additional fee.

Crown Metropol’s offer includes three nights accommodation in a Luxe Room for $700.00. Since opening in April 2010, Crown Metropol has quickly made a name for itself as a leader in modern luxury. The 658 room hotel offers everything guests expect from a Crown property including a day spa and gym located on the 27th floor, executive guest lounge ’28′ and the highest level of technology featured in each room.

The uber cool Crown Promenade Hotel’s ‘stay for three pay for two’ package offers accommodation in a standard room for $598.00. Crown Promenade Hotel is stylish, chic and a modern, minimalist’s dream. The hotel features spacious rooms with breathtaking views of Melbourne’s Yarra River, Port Phillip Bay and Melbourne’s CBD. Guests can indulge in contemporary bistro cuisine with a visit to the newly renovated Mesh restaurant and sip on classic cocktails at Tonic bar or relax and unwind at The Deck, which features an indoor pool, two outdoor deck areas, steam room and gymnasium.

Packages can be booked at any of the three hotels by contacting hotel reservations on +61 3 9292 6868 or by visiting www.crownmelbourne.com.au.

With more restaurant accolades under one roof than anywhere else in Melbourne, the precinct has just added yet another premium dining destination. The just-opened Spice Temple, the sister restaurant to Neil Perry’s Sydney based outpost is a must-try for all food lovers and wine connoisseurs alike. It boasts a modern Chinese menu inspired by the provinces of Sichuan, Yunnan, Hunnan, Jiangxi, Guangxi and Xinjiang and a tightly edited wine list of precisely 100 wines.

Alongside the premium restaurants, guests will find many exclusive bars from which to choose including The Waiting Room, located in the lobby of Crown Towers, making it the perfect location for some pre dinner drinks.

Summer hot spot, Breezes, is known for its barbeques, and this year is no different. Guests can relax and enjoy the beautiful views from the terrace whilst indulging in a three course meal including sides and a glass of house wine or draught beer for only $57.00 per person. Ideally located on level three of Crown Towers, Breezes is the perfect location to witness the famed Crown brigades erupt and the perfect way to spend a balmy summer evening. This offer is available on Friday and Saturday nights only until March 26 2011.

The summer months hotel packages offer exceptional value and the perfect excuse to take advantage of the summer sales, live entertainment and provide an opportunity to trial some of Crown’s new dining venues.

Terms and conditions apply, for more information please visit www.crownmelbourne.com.au.

For restaurant reservations, diners can contact +61 3 9292 5777 or book online at www.crownmelbourne.com.au  and follow the links.

Reservations for Spice Temple can be made by calling +61 3 8679 1888. Inquiries for The Waiting Room may be made by contacting +61 3 8679 1800

Conservation Volunteers Australia has been appointed by the Department of Veterans’ Affairs to manage volunteer involvement in the 2011 Anzac Day commemorations in Gallipoli, Turkey. This is an exciting, and strictly limited, chance to be a part of the team delivering the commemorative services. The 2011 program is the 6th consecutive one managed by Conservation Volunteers.

Volunteers will take part in the Dawn Service near Anzac Cove, the Australian service at Lone Pine and the New Zealand service at Chunuk Bair. Volunteers will fulfill a range of roles including handing out information packs and providing assistance to visitors and those with special needs.

Team Leader, Graeme Hickingbotham, said “To experience the Gallipoli peninsula on Anzac Day is special for Australians and New Zealanders. It is made even more special through being part of a team of volunteers at the commemorative services. This experience will stay with you for a lifetime.”

“We would love to hear from adult volunteers who feel they can assist with the program. Volunteers with some experience in caring for elderly or disabled visitors are very welcome, though this is not essential. We are also hoping to include some younger volunteers in the team if possible (minimum age is 18).”

Program dates: 19th – 30th April 11.
Program fee: $5,090 inclusive of return international airfares departing, Syd/Mel/Bris/Perth, all meals, hotel accommodation, coach and ferry transportation, battlefield visits, project leaders and some recreational activities.

For more information visit www.conservationvolunteers.com.au or freecall 1800 032 501.

For more information about Anzac Day commemorations visit www.dva.gov.au.

About Conservation Volunteers
Conservation Volunteers was founded in Australia in 1982, and expanded operations to New Zealand in 2006. Involving over 10,000 volunteers every year, Conservation Volunteers is a leader in delivery of practical conservation programs, community involvement and a range of training programs.

Conservation Volunteers has offices in 30 locations around Australia and New Zealand, and offers volunteer opportunities every week of the year. Conservation Volunteers has been recognised with many significant awards, including the United Nations’ Environment Program Global 500, 6 Banksia Environmental Foundation Awards, and Ecotourism Australia’s Ecotourism Award 2009.

Conservation Volunteers Australia is a Registered Training Organisation.
For more information, visit: www.conservationvolunteers.com.au  / www.conservationvolunteers.co.nz

The bubbly is flowing once again in the Cook Islands for the Pacific Resort Hotel Group (PRHG) after walking away with awards for the “World’s Leading Boutique Island Resort” and “World’s Leading Island Villas” at the 2010 World Travel Awards Grand Final event held last night at London’s Grosvenor House.

Pacific Resort Aitutaki has been voted “World’s Leading Boutique Island Resort” for the third consecutive year, while Te Manava Luxury Villas & Spa, Rarotonga has been voted “World’s Leading Island Villas”.

Hailed as “The Oscars of the Travel Industry” by the Wall Street Journal, the World Travel Awards is recognised worldwide as the ultimate travel accolade. WTA 2010 nominations featured 5,000 companies in 1,000 categories across 162 countries. The winners were selected by thousands of industry professionals and consumers worldwide who have been voting online.

Graham Cooke, President and Founder, World Travel Awards, said: “This year, like the last, continues to challenge every strata of travel and tourism. However tonight’s World Travel Awards winners see struggle not as sign of weakness or failure, but as an opportunity for growth and renewal, and a chance to put their business model through the ultimate test.”

He added: “By combining flair and ambition with savvy business acumen, these organisations are spearheading the worldwide recovery of travel and tourism. In doing so they are also reinforcing our industry’s role as one of the mainstays of the global economy.”

Pacific Resort chief executive officer Greg Stanaway says this award is considered to be the ultimate achievement for the Pacific Resort Hotel Group and for the Cook Islands.

Stanaway was quick to share the accolades with all involved saying that “we are seeing the results of a total team effort, the success of Pacific Resort Aitutaki and Te Manava Luxury Villas & Spa owes much to all of the people involved in the experience that is a visit to the Cook Islands, it is our team and the people of the Cook Islands who underpin the success of these outstanding properties”.

Log on to www.pacificresort.com for more information about Pacific Resort Hotel Group – Cook Islands.

About Te Manava Luxury Villas & Spa
The road less travelled…You’re a traveller who appreciates beautiful surroundings and luxurious five star accommodation and you also value your independence. Te Manava Luxury Villas & Spa has been designed just for you. This new Cook Islands concept in luxury accommodation gives you the freedom to personalise your own leisure experience. Set on the beautiful white sand beach of Rarotonga’s stunning Muri lagoon, your private villa awaits. How you choose to use it is completely up to you. For more information visit www.temanava.com

About Pacific Resort Aitutaki
Secluded Luxury…Like a siren of the Pacific, Aitutaki, Cook Islands, beckons you. This magical place, full of South Seas idyll and romance, is home to Pacific Resort Aitutaki, an enclave of privacy, refinement and luxury, that seduces even the most discerning traveller. Pacific Resort Aitutaki member of the Small Luxury Hotels of the World collection has just 27 luxurious ‘absolute beachfront’ bungalows, suites and villas all with their own personal, panoramic view of Aitutaki’s world-famous lagoon, where every sunset majestically captures the colours of the lagoon and the ocean beyond. For more information visit www.pacificresort.com

About World Travel Awards
The World Travel Awards were conceived in 1993 to acknowledge and celebrate excellence in the world’s travel and tourism industry. Now in their sixteenth year, travel professionals and discerning travellers have come to regard the World Travel Awards as the very best endorsement that a travel product could hope to receive. With thousands of votes cast by travel professionals from over 170,000 travel agencies, tour & transport companies and tourism organizations in over 160 countries across the globe, winning a World Travel Award has become one of the highest accolades a travel product or organization can achieve. World Travel Awards are especially coveted as, uniquely, the votes are cast globally by fellow professionals. With trophies awarded in over 1,000 different categories, the World Travel Awards are undoubtedly the world’s most comprehensive awards celebration. For more information visit www.worldtravelawards.com

Thanks to organisations like Conservation Volunteers Australia travel can be a rewarding experience. Visitors seeking a holiday where they can give something back can join a new eco volunteering experience participating in Flatback Turtle research at Eco Beach, just one hour South of Broome.

Marine turtles are some of the most ancient species on Earth having survived 215 million years, yet they are in danger of disappearing. Pollution, poaching, predation, seaside development and rising effects of global warming are having a negative impact on marine turtle survival, with many species now listed worldwide as critically endangered.

Working alongside specialist leaders from Conservation Volunteers Australia, visitors can learn more about these marine species and play an active role in Flatback Turtle research. Surrounded by the endless blue waters and breathtaking scenery time is spent patrolling sections of the beach, assisting researchers to record nest and track data, count eggs, and tag, weigh and measure turtles.

“Volunteers play a vital role in our annual turtle research. Without their assistance during daily morning and evening turtle patrols we would not be able to gather the required scientific data across the nesting and hatchling season in the West Kimberley region” says Glenn McFarlane Marine Species Manager for Conservation Volunteers.

Australia’s leading not for profit conservation organisation, Conservation Volunteers offers one week turtle monitoring packages at Eco Beach. Departing from Broome the turtle research season runs from mid November through till early January.

For more information visit www.naturewise.com.au

Hyatt Hotel Canberra – A Park Hyatt Hotel is offering a package where ‘the longer you stay the less you pay’. A short break at Hyatt Hotel Canberra will engulf you in luxury and comfort in one of the hotels’ luxuriously appointed guestrooms.

Your one, two and three night’s packages include overnight accommodation in a Park Room or perhaps a heritage-inspired Park Deluxe Room, located in the hotel’s heritage-listed 1920s’ section. Each package includes an extensive hot and cold buffet breakfast for two in the Promenade Café, complimentary access to the hotel’s Clubhouse Fitness Centre, including the pool, spa and sauna, and free above-ground parking. These packages are priced from AU$305 per couple for one night; AU$590 per couple for two nights and AU$825 for three nights.

There is so much to see and do this summer in your national capital including; Ballet Russes at the National Gallery of Australia; Yiwarra Kuju: The Canning Stock Route on show at the National Museum of Australia and Perspective at the Australian War Memorial presents the unique insight of two contemporary artist responding to the subject of peacekeeping. The National Portrait Gallery is featuring; Close up – German-born American photographer Martin Schoeller’s first exhibition in Australia presents compelling large-scale portraits.

Classified by the Heritage Commission as an historic treasure, Hyatt Hotel Canberra – A Park Hyatt Hotel distills yesterday’s charm with indulgent Park Hyatt touches, a signature that reflects the most rigorous standards of luxury, service and amenities. Rooms are spacious with Art Deco furnishings and magnificent marble bathrooms.

To book your night of luxury, call Hyatt Reservations on 13 1234 or book at hyatt.com

Queensland’s beautiful Bundaberg region has hatched some hot beachside accommodation deals for nature lovers keen to witness one of nature’s miracles – the annual turtle nesting and hatching season at nearby Mon Repos.

Located just 5km from Bargara and 15km from Bundaberg, Mon Repos – French for “my rest” – is Australia’s most accessible sea turtle rookery and the setting for nightly ranger-guided tours during the five-month turtle season ending late March.

Here you’ll find one of the Southern Hemisphere’s conservation success stories – where more than 400 loggerhead turtles visited the coastline to lay their eggs last season, a 48% increase on the previous year, with a bumper season expected this year.

A fabulous range of holiday deals, ranging from beachside cabins to an eco island escape, are available to help the holiday dollar go further. Here’s a taste:

Kacys Bargara Beach Motel, a four-star oceanfront motel situated five minutes from Mon Repos, is offering pool view studios from $99 a double until 10 December, 2010. Two- and three-bedroom units are also available.

The beachfront Elliot Heads Holiday Park has sites from $20 and cabins from $85 per night (rates based on two people) and valid from now to December 12 and from January 22 to 31, 2011, The cabins sleep up to four people.

Bargara Blue Resort is offering a Stay 4, Pay 3 deal in a one-bedroom apartment from $155 per night, valid until March 31, 2011 (surcharge applies for Christmas and January bookings). Two- and three-bedroom apartments are also available. Located at Kelly’s Beach, the resort’s facilities include swimming pool, spa, tennis court and sauna.

In nearby Bundaberg, the three-star Bundaberg Coral Villa Motel’s weekend package includes twin-share accommodation for two, a “turtle tour”, hot breakfast daily, complimentary in-house movies, wireless internet and access to bbq and swimming pool. The package is valid to January 14, 2011.

Lady Elliot Island’s Pay 4 Stay 5 nights package includes five nights’ accommodation, full buffet breakfast and dinner daily, one complimentary glass bottom boat/snorkel tour per person, complimentary use of snorkel equipment and free island activities and tours as well an Environmental Management Charge from $632 per person twin share. The offer is valid from now until March 31, 2011 excluding the peak season from December 16 to January 29, 2011.

Bookings are essential for the popular Turtle Experience Tours which depart nightly throughout the season, except Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and New Year’s Eve. For bookings call Bundaberg Visitor Information Centre on (07) 4153 8888, email bookeasy@bundabergregion.org or visit www.bookbundabergregion.com.au.

For more information on Queensland’s turtle season, including these packages and others, visit www.queenslandholidays.com.au/turtles

Peregrine is making new overtures into epic overland journeys with the release of a series of transcontinental adventures in its 2011-12 China, Central Asia and Japan programme – and is offering an Early Bird 10 per cent discount for bookings made by December 20.

From Europe across Asia to the Far East, from Istanbul and St Petersburg to Beijing, and taking in the ‘Stans’ along the way, the trips utilise a mix of trains and private vehicles to traverse a region that has seen few foreigners for decades.

The 38-day Istanbul to Beijing Overland dips into the culture and historical legacy of the fabled cities and monuments of the Silk Road, including Esfahan, Merv, Bukhara, Samarkand and Xian. Beginning with Aya Sofia and the Grand Bazaar’s 4500 stalls, the group departs Istanbul on the Trans-Asia Express, a three-night train trip bound for Tehran via Cappadocia and Lake Van.

From Tehran, the itinerary traverses Iran by train and private vehicle to Esfahan – the jewel in the crown of Persia – and Iran’s holiest city, Mashhad. It crosses the border to Turkmenistan’s capital, Ashgabat – the ‘City of Love’ – and travels via ancient desert citadels to Uzbekistan. Two full days are included to explore World Heritage-listed Bukhara, one of Asia’s holiest cities and one of its most beautiful, with many of the mosaic and majolica-decorated mosques restored to their original splendour.

To the east lies Samarkand, the city that evokes the romance of the Silk Road perhaps more than any other. From its foundation in the 5th century BC, this crossroads of cultures, religions, peoples and languages has been a centre of artisans and traders as well as the prize for many a conquering army.

Crossing into Kazakhstan, the trip visits Aksu-Dzhabagly Nature Reserve – Asia’s oldest. It lies at the end of the Talassky Alatau range, which is a continuation of the mighty Tian Shan range. Its glacial peaks and waterfall-fed valleys are home to lynx, brown bear, ibex and 238 species of birds.

It’s an overnight train from Almaty to Urumqi in western China: the capital of Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, a multi-national province with many languages, customs and ethnic traditions and widely regarded as ‘the city farthest from the ocean’. Another overnight train brings the group to Xian to see the Terracotta Warriors before a final sleeper train to end in Beijing.

The 38-day Istanbul to Beijing Overland has departures from Istanbul in April, May, August and September, 2011 and normally costs $8795, per person, twin share, including all transport and accommodation; many meals, entry fees and Peregrine leaders. For bookings made before December 20, Peregrine is offering a 10 per cent Early Bird discount off all the 2011 departures of this trip, bringing it to $7916.

Variations on the epic overland theme include the St Petersburg to Beijing Overland and Tashkent to Beijing Overland.

While Peregrine is venturing further off the beaten track than ever before in Asia, there are also more conventional offerings, with new variations on the company’s existing popular routes.

The 18-day Essence of China is a journey from Hong Kong to Beijing, incorporating scenic Yangshuo, visiting the Giant Panda Breeding Research Centre at Chengdu; cruising the Yangtze; and visiting the Terracotta Warriors of Xian, the Great Wall and historical monuments of Beijing. It departs fortnightly, year-round and costs $3665. For bookings made by December 20 for trips departing by September 30, 2011, the Early Bird discount applies, bringing the cost to $3318 per person, twin share.

For further details and bookings, contact your travel agent or Peregrine Travel Centre on 1300 854 500 or visit www.peregrineadventures.com

The Kingscliff dining precinct at Salt has a new Season added to its social calendar, with a new-look restaurant opening within Peppers Salt Resort & Spa.

Offering a deliciously fresh focus on local produce, and a whole new way to enjoy casual dining with friends and family, the new Season restaurant has been extensively refurbished and replaces what was formerly Roughie’s Restaurant and Bar.

Season now offers breakfast and dinner for locals and guests of Peppers Salt Resort & Spa, Peppers Bale Salt and Mantra on Salt Beach.

“When it was Roughie’s, it was quite an intimate dining experience, whereas now there is a lounge bar and cafe style food and the dining experience is much more relaxed which is what people like on this part of the coast,” says Jim Logan, Food and Beverage Manager.

Clever use of space also allows more diners than ever before, with stylish and inviting décor including furnishings shipped in from Italy, due to arrive in the next couple of weeks.

As for the menu, there is plenty of fresh local and organic ingredients from the rich and diverse Gold Coast Hinterland and Northern Rivers produce-belt.

“It means the food is fresher and the quality is better, plus we also like playing a role in supporting local suppliers like pork from Bangalow, and growers like Buck Buchanan out at Chillingham Bush Tucker for instance, who we get our native produce from,” says Season’s Executive Chef, Reuben Radonich.

Overall, he says Season aims to deliver a world-class dining experience that takes guests on a culinary journey where the produce-trail merges New South Wales and Queensland.

Restaurant and Bar Manager Dirk de Beer says Season’s tempting new menu was well priced and the restaurant’s vibe would appeal to everyone.

“People can come for lovely cocktail at the bar or try the tapas and chat – there are not many places in Salt Village that let you have that experience,” says Dirk.

Some samples from the new menu include entrees of Marinated Cuttlefish, Dukkah Crusted Ricotta, Truffle and Organic Alstonville Free Range Chicken Terrine, and Tweed Coast Tiger Prawn and Crisp Wonton Salad, priced from $14.

Mains range from Oakleigh Ranch 200g Wagyu Sirloin Steak Marble 5/6, Spring Goat Loin, and Chillingham Yuzu Marinated Bangalow Pork Cutlet, to BBQ Marinated Mooloolaba King Prawns, priced from $28. Desserts are priced from $12 ranging from Lemon Verbena Cream, Elderflower Jelly and Blueberry Trifle to the indulgent Baked Milk Chocolate Tart, Dark Chocolate and Kahlua Mousse, with Chocolate Hot Shot and Chocolate Truffles.

Season is located at Peppers Salt Resort & Spa, Bells Boulevade, Kingscliff. For bookings call 02 6674 7777.