Jetsettersblog

China Spree is offering an eight-day, two-city China package for $777 plus tax through February and $888 plus tax in March. The “Tale of China’s Two Greatest Cities” package includes roundtrip, non-stop trans-Pacific air fare from San Francisco, air fare from Beijing to Shanghai, four airport/hotel transfers, daily American buffet breakfasts and six nights’ accommodation in four-star hotels. The price is always $200 more for roundtrip, non-stop flights from New York’s JFK airport.

Beijing and Shanghai are the country’s two most important cities. Beijing, the capital, is full of imperial treasures like Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City (a 9,999-room palace), the Summer Palace and the Great Wall. And Shanghai, China’s financial and cultural center, has everything from the 16th century Yu Gardens and Bazaar and the legendary riverside Bund to the futuristic Pudong with its sky-scraping skyline. All of these attractions, and more, are included on affordable, optional sightseeing tours.

Hotels offered are the new Beijing Huabin International Hotel and the Crowne Plaza Shanghai, which is in the French Concession near the smart department stores and boutiques. Both hotels boast in-room TV, free Internet access, mini bars, international direct dial telephones, hair dryers and coffee makers. A tax of $99 is not included in the price, nor is the cost of a visa. For more information, call 866-652-5656 or visit www.chinaspree.com

Wildlife lovers were delighted to hear the news this week that a new species of lemur has been discovered in the lush forests of Madagascar. Reef & Rainforest Tours (Tel 01803 866965 www.reefandrainforest.co.uk) – the longest established and most experienced UK operator for Madagascar – is offering a special expedition to see the new primate.

The find was revealed on the BBC2 documentary Decade of Discovery, aired on Tuesday 14 December. The fork-marked lemur was discovered by primate expert and president of Conservation International, Russ Mittermeier. Results of genetic testing of samples taken by Dr Mittermeier and team are expected to confirm a brand new species.

Natural history tourism is fast becoming one of the major sources of income for the country and visitors contribute directly to the conservation of its precious remaining forests and wildlife. The habitat of the new lemur is off the beaten tourist path but Reef and Rainforest Tours can arrange a special expedition to Daraina in the far north of the country.

No tour to this region would be complete without a visit to the most important wildlife reserves or time to relax on a beautiful tropical island. Accommodation in the north and west ranges from simple park huts to luxury boutique resorts.

A 14 day tour including mainly full board accommodation and international flights costs from £3,488 per person. Highlights include:
* Day and night wildlife walks in Perinet and Mantadia National Parks
* Full days’ explorations in Montaigne d’Ambre and Ankarana National Parks
* 1 Night/2 Day camping trip to Daraina to track the fork-marked lemur
* Snorkelling boat trip and wildlife walks on Nosy Be island (diving optional)

The newly opened Fullerton Bay Hotel in Singapore is already becoming known for its views of the city skyline and Marina Bay. Located on the top three levels of the hotel are five ethnic-themed suites and the Presidential Suite offering guests completely unobstructed vistas. These six exclusive suites with floor-to-ceiling windows are a tribute to the hotel’s historical location.

The suites are themed after the Chinese, Malay, Indian, Peranakan and Colonial cultures, all very present in Singapore, and are named after prolific ex-governors of the straits settlements — Sir Hugh Clifford, Sir Shenton Thomas, Sir William Cleaver Francis Robinson, Sir John Anderson and Major Gen. Sir William Orfeur Cavenagh. Meanwhile, The Presidential Suite is a combination of the ethnic cultures, colonial influences and cosmopolitan qualities of present day Singapore, a fusion of East, West, past and present. For more information, call 011-65-6333 8388 or visit www.fullertonbayhotel.com

The Anantara Golden Triangle’s Resort & Spa Elephant Camp in Chiang Rai has thus far rescued 32 elephants off the streets and relocated both them and the mahout’s (elephant handler’s) family to the 160-acre property. In Thailand, elephant calves begin their training when they are about 2 to 3 years old. They quickly learn and obey the words of command. They get to know their driver (mahout), and get used to being mounted and dismounted. Unfortunately, many mahouts throughout Thailand still use force to domesticate wild elephants and use them to attract tourist dollars on the busy streets of Bangkok, or in Lychee’s case Pattaya. About 100 years ago there were over 200,000 wild elephants roaming Thailand. Now, there are only 2,000.

Anantara Hotels, Resorts & Spas initially opened in the Thai seaside town of Hua Hin in 2001. It has since been followed by six other Thai resorts with Anantara Bophut and Anantara Lawana in Koh Samui in the Gulf of Thailand; Anantara Golden Triangle in the country’s north; Anantara Si Kao, which lies on the Changlang Beach area south of Krabi; Anantara Phuket, situated on Mai Khao Beach; and Anantara Baan Rajprasong in Bangkok, the first serviced-suites property for the Anantara group. In the Maldives, Anantara Dhigu and Anantara Veli are a 30-minute boat ride from the capital Male, and Anantara Kihavah Villas in the Baa Atoll is poised for its grand opening in January 2011.

Anantara Seminyak debuted in April 2008 on Bali. Late 2008 also saw the opening of Desert Islands on Sir Bani Yas Island off the coast of Abu Dhabi, while Qasr Al Sarab opened in November 2009 in the Liwa desert near Abu Dhabi. 2011 will see a number of new properties across Asia and the Middle East to further enhance Anantara Hotels, Resorts & Spas’ worldwide portfolio, including Anantara Al Madina A’Zarqa in Oman, Anantara Sanya and Anantara Xishuangbanna in China, and Anantara Uluwatu in Bali.

Global Hotel Alliance (GHA) is the world’s largest alliance of independent hotel brands. GHA currently includes brands such as Anantara, Doyle Collection, First, Kempinski, Leela, Marco Polo, Mirvac, Omni, Pan Pacific, ParkRoyal and Tivoli, encompassing over 260 upscale and luxury hotels with over 60,000 rooms in 47 different countries. For more information, visit www.gha.com or www.anantara.com

Ongoing land-rights protests by indigenous Chilean groups are responsible for a decline in tourism to Easter Island, according to a Chilean tourism official quoted in press reports. Rapa Nui groups protesting land rights issues have occupied various properties on the island within the last two months, including museums, government-owned buildings, municipal buildings, the local tourism office and the Hanga Roa Hotel, claiming ancestral ownership of the properties, according to a report from the Merco Press news service. Edgar Hereveri, vice president of the island’s chamber of tourism, said the number of visitors to Easter Island, mainly from Europe, are lower this year compared with 2009, and hotels and restaurants have complained of slow business for the first time. Chile’s government is currently meeting with Rapa Nui representatives regarding the issue.

Following the debut of its first property in Thailand in July; the 74 room Hansar Samui, the
stunning 94-suite luxury hotel, Hansar Bangkok, will open its doors on 4 January, 2011.

Located in upmarket Rajdamri Road, the luxurious Hansar Bangkok is surrounded by high
end properties, elegant shopping areas and the lush greenery of the Royal Bangkok Sports
Club.

Hansar Bangkok is a member of Small Luxury Hotels of the World™ (SLH) and is part of
Hansar Hotels and Resorts which recently opened Hansar Samui, a 74 room beachfront
resort on the Island of Samui.

Hallmarks of Hansar
Hansar Bangkok presents a unique offering to its valued guests through incorporating the
following hallmarks from the core of its brand philosophy into each and every guest
experience.

These include the heart of Hansar, where gracious, sincere Thai hospitality ensures that
every guest receives highly personalized individual service.

Comprising just 94 suites, Hansar Bangkok is small, enabling it to offer a boutique
experience, yet rooms are extremely large. The lead in Studio Suite offers an impressive 60
square meters of extremely spacious ergonomic design and intuitive workspace.

Understanding the needs of its customers, Hansar places particular emphasis on value in its
pricing structure, whether for accommodation, food and beverage, spa, meetings or events.
This enables them to compete most favorably in a highly competitive marketplace, while at
the same time offering a total International 5-star quality experience both in facilities and
service.

All-suite Luxe
Expansive spaces and sleek contemporary design are combined with a hint of surprise and
artistic delight. All suites feature free wi-fi, flatscreen TVs, DVD players and iPod docking
stations, blissful king-sized plus beds, rainshowers and free-standing terrazzo bathtubs.

Design
Unrivalled in architectural elegance and timeless style, Hansar Bangkok was designed by
Singapore based WOHA. The building is a monument of iconic design rising up through the
Bangkok skyline, with lush greenery cascading from the pool level on the eighth floor. Ivy-
trimmed edges stretch upwards into the sky, while at night, the lights from Bangkok’s city
streets shimmer and reflect off flashes of glass and chrome.

Spacious interiors are chic and inviting with plush carpets, warm wood and soothing silk
panelled walls. Sliding doors give way to the bedroom, where oversize beds feature soft
feathery bedding and unique individually hand-beaded headboards by Chiang Mai artisan
Kachama. Stunning bathrooms are masterpieces of elegance and space, a harmonious
marriage of wood, water and stone.

Gastronomy
Sumptuous culinary offerings will breakfast venue Shine, and the Zest juice bar; as well as
the elegant Café Boca for casual dining, delectable delicacies and bites-to-go.

As the sun sets, the lobby will come alive with the natural buzz of Bangkok’s newest hot
spot, the bar Vue.

Eve, the soon-to-be starlet of Bangkok will attract a clientele with a desire for irresistible
mystique and unquestionable good taste as she woos global epicures and local foodies alike
with her sophisticated design and inventive French-inspired menu.

Pleasurable pursuits – Pool, Spa and Fitness
Plug in your favourite tunes and crank up the speed to log a few miles on the treadmill as
you gaze out onto the green surrounds of the Royal Bangkok Sports Club, or chill out at the
sky-bound infinity-edge swimming pool and Jacuzzi.

Discover a temple of restoration and renewal in the heart of the city at Hansar’s own LUXSA
Spa. Inspired by ancient Thai remedies and balanced natural energy, the spa offers both
therapeutic massage and beauty treatments with the latest international restorative
techniques.

Meet and Mingle at The Landing
The grand staircase leads to The Landing, Hansar’s innovative reinvention of the executive
level. The Landing will encompass both business facilities and lounge spaces, providing
places for guests to meet and mingle, or simply unwind.

Meetings and Events
The Alcove and The Cube are Hansar Bangkok’s private event facilities, with full audio-visual
and conferencing capabilities for elegant boardroom style meetings, events, or product
launches.

If your needs require for group gatherings whether formal or casual, there are additional
meeting facilities on the 8th floor, catering for events of many kinds for up to 150 guests.

Hansar Bangkok’s Sky Terrace is the city’s newest outdoor rooftop events space, with a
private outdoor deck overlooking the city and indoor bar and reception area. From morning
brunches to afternoon weddings to intimate evening soirées, allow Hansar style to infuse
those special moments with joy.

Promotional Rate
Hansar Bangkok is offering a promotional rate of Baht 4,500 per night for a Studio Suite,
inclusive of breakfast for two, for a limited period. Rates are subject to applicable service
charge and government taxes.

For enquiries and bookings, please contact
Manfred Ilg, General Manager
Hansar Bangkok
3 Rajdamri Road
Bangkok 10330
Thailand
Email: gm@hansarbangkok.com

www.hansarbangkok.com

In the heart of Bangkok, moments from the city’s business and shopping hubs, Anantara Bangkok Sathorn hotel provides the perfect urban sanctuary for both leisure and business travellers. Unwind in the seclusion of the hotel’s fastidious designer surroundings. Explore the city’s most vibrant, traditional and contemporary areas. Replenish mind and body with a host of world-class services and facilities.

Come and have a sneak peak at Anantara’s latest urban sanctuary in Bangkok. Enjoy a saving of 35% on future rates for stays until end February 2011 when we will celebrate our official reopening as Anantara Bangkok Sathorn.

Choose between the oversized Deluxe Room featuring extensive living space, or our 2 Bedroom Suite offering a large living room, master bedroom and guest bedroom. All rooms provide a sense of residential space and offer contemporary design.

Make the most of Anantara Bangkok Sathorn’s amenities – relax on the sun-soaked pool deck surrounding an infinity-edge swimming pool, or at the expansive fitness centre; enjoy local and international cuisine at 100�East restaurant or Crust pizzeria by the pool; or pamper yourself with the Senses Silk Massage signature treatment at Senses Spa.

PACKAGE INCLUDES:
* Accommodation in a Deluxe room or 2 Bedrooms Suite
* Daily breakfast for two people
* Complimentary in-room WiFi internet access

NOW – FEBRUARY 28, 2011

Deluxe Room Rates start from THB 2,900
2 Bedroom Suite Rates start from THB 5,900

All rates are in THB and subject to a 10% service charge and 7% applicable government tax.
The rates quoted are per night, subject to seasonal variations and change without notice.
Offer cannot be combined with any other promotion.

The InterContinental Hong Kong will celebrate Chinese New Year 2011 (Year of the Rabbit) on Feb. 3. Clients booking at least seven days in advance for a stay between Jan. 23 and Feb. 18, will receive Early Bird Red Packet savings of more than 60 percent off the hotel’s published room rates. The special room rates start at $242 plus 10 percent (HK$1,888 plus 10 percent) service per night for a Superior Plazaview room. For more information, call 011 852 2721 1211, email hongkong@interconti.com  or visit www.intercontinental.com  or www.hongkong-ic.intercontinental.com

Dolce Hotels and Resorts has introduced a special rate plan called Dolce Winter Escape that features a discount of up to 50 percent off best available rate and breakfast for two adults and their children up to 12 years old at participating hotels and resorts.

Available until 20th April 2011, Dolce Winter Escape can be booked at www.dolce.com  by selecting a destination and entering the rate code D W E.

“Dolce Winter Escape provides a wonderful opportunity for vacationers to renew themselves during the long winter months and reconnect with the warmth of family and friends,” said Barry Goldstein, the company’s chief revenue officer. “Many of our hotels and resorts offer nearby skiing and other winter sports, spas and exercise facilities near metropolitan destinations.”

For example, Dolce’s Aspen Meadows Resort offers world-class Colorado skiing and snowboarding at nearby slopes including Aspen Mountain, Aspen Highlands, Snowmass and Buttermilk. The hotel also can arrange other outdoor winter adventures including back-country ski tours, dog-sled rides, romantic sleigh rides and ice-climbing.

“All Dolce hotels and resorts specialise in the culinary arts, featuring a wide variety of healthy, natural foods and signature specialties prepared fresh every day by world-class chefs,” Goldstein said. “Dolce Winter Escape provides even greater value to traveling families by extending breakfast to their children. It’s the perfect way to get energized for a full day of winter activities.”

Many Dolce destinations offer spas, championship golf, spacious accommodations, indoor swimming pools, complimentary parking and free wireless internet service, among other services and amenities. “Dolce Winter Escape provides an excellent value for families and friends looking to enjoy a weekend or a holiday gathering away from home,” Goldstein said.

Dolce Winter Escape is subject to availability, non-retroactive and cannot be combined with other offers. Blackout dates may apply, and discounts and facilities vary by property, as described online. The offer does not apply to meeting and other group bookings. Breakfast is offered exclusively at designated hotel and resort restaurants and excludes in-room dining.

Detailed terms and conditions are available at www.dolce.com or by calling individual hotels and resorts directly.

Dolce Hotels and Resorts, a privately held operator of 27 upscale hotels, resorts and conference hotels in North America and Europe founded in 1981, is majority-owned by Broadreach Capital Partners. The company, headquartered in Montvale, N.J., employs more than 4,000 worldwide. Additional information is available at www.dolce.com.

Dolce’s portfolio includes properties in New York, Connecticut, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Georgia, Michigan, Minnesota, Colorado, California, Ontario, Texas, Nevada, Belgium, France, Spain and Germany.

The company’s vision is to create inspiring environments that bring people together, and its mission is to delight its guests, challenge its associates, reward its owners and serve as a role model in its communities.

For further information please contact:

Ramnett Aulak

Tel: 01892 619 100

Email: Ramneet.aulak@daviestanner.co.uk

To promote its themes of wellbeing, medical tourism and spas in 2011, the German National Tourist Board has published three brochures: Wellness holidays: Germany – Land of Wellbeing; Health travel: Spas & health resorts in Destination Germany; and Medical Travel – you’ll be well-looked after in Germany: The first covers the broad characteristics of Germany’s spa resorts, treatments and the organizations responsible for ranking and critiquing the facilities.

The second provides detailed information about Germany’s spa towns and categorizes them by their locations, treatments and local expertise: mineral and thermal springs; peloids (mud and clay); climatic health resorts (mountains and seaside); those that offer treatments unique to Germany, such as Kneipp, Felke, Schroth, Heilstollen (air in disused caves and mines) and radon (naturally occurring gas) treatments; and Thalassotherapy, which uses genuine sea water and seaweed and massages with Ruegen’s medicinal chalk or body wraps with sea-buckthorn.

Finally, the various specialties and practices available to international patients and their families at university clinics are detailed in the third brochure on medical travel. Together these brochures provide a comprehensive look at the immense resources Germany offers for well-being and excellent medical care. Suffice it to say, there is much to read and many deals and packages to be had! www.germany.travel

Wellness in Germany – A Seriously Relaxing Matter!

Getting healthy and enjoying the process are two sides of the same wellbeing coin in Germany. The currency has value as many people, not just Germans, seek holistic experiences whereby they feel and look good both inside and out. Germany’s spa hotels are especially well-oriented to this multi-faceted approach as they combine physical programs with exercise and diet as well as spiritual retreats along with opportunities for fun. You can sip champagne at the end of a long day of exercise and yoga. For business travelers a trip to the day spa is an excellent way to experience a wonderful health regime in Germany. Day spas are often located in major cities where conferences and trade fairs take place. www.germany.travel

In the Wellness Holidays brochure produced by the German National Tourist Board, Lutz Hertel, the founder and CEO of the German Wellness Association, says, “Internationally wellness is associated with the promotion of health and a healthy way of life. But in Germany we equate wellness with pampering, relaxing massages, beauty treatments and saunas.”

There are several different organizations that organize, define, rank and rate wellness hotels in Germany. Michael Altwischer, the CEO of one such group, Wellness Hotels Deutschland, says “We are the first port of call for wellness in hotels. For more than a decade, we have been selecting discerning wellness hotels from the many in existence.” The organization has at least nine established criteria, some of which include: four to five star quality; gourmet menus created for well-being and vitality; full trained and friendly staff.

Another group, Wellness Stars (www.wellness-stars.eu), has been around for over six years and has three categories: Wellness Stars hotels, Wellness Stars thermals baths and Medical Wellness Stars. There are currently about 55 hotels in the group and all have to adhere to strict quality criteria, including authenticity, competence and high-quality products, the range of saunas and pools. Bavaria established WellVital (www.wellvital.by) as a trademark for its wellness hotels that have to meet a rigorous set of criteria, including high quality packages with exercise and relaxation and regional cuisine. The Bavarian wellness glossary includes terms such as a Kraxenofen hay bath, an Alpine mud bath, a hops bath in a wooden tub, a bread bath and a goat’s butter cream bath! Natural cosmetics are growing in popularity and are often associated a particular hotel, such as the Alpenhof Murnau in the Bavarian foothills.

Also organized by state, “IchZeit,” or MeTime, is a group of wellness hotels in the Rhineland Palatinate that emphasize escaping the stress of everyday 21st century living. The concept rests on three legs: slow down, wellness and medical wellness: less is more, indulgent pampering or medically supervised exercise. Lower Saxony offers a plethora of unusual wellness hotels and locations from the flat North Sea coast to the Harz mountains in the south and the Luenburg Heath. Germany’s most famous spa town of Baden-Baden nestled in the Black Forest in the southwesterly state of Baden-Wuerttemberg is where treatments have gone on for decades and where rich and famous have been pampered at the likes of Brenner’s Park Hotel. Of course not all spas in the Black Forest are for the super-rich, many beautiful and competent facilities cater to budget-minded travelers and can be researched at www.blackforesthighlands.info.

Medical Travel – Excellence in All Cases

In its new brochure, Medical Travel, the German National Tourist Board presents leading German hospitals that offer a broad range of treatments in various disciplines. There are over 2,000 hospitals in Germany, including 37 university hospitals, 700 public-sector and church-owned hospitals and 500 hospitals belonging to private networks. At least 10 percent of them have a practice dedicated to helping visitors from abroad. About 68,000 patients from 169 countries underwent inpatient treatment in Germany in 2008.

Internal Medicine in Dresden and Mainz
The beautiful baroque city of Dresden on the Elbe is home not only to the Frauenkirche and the Zwinger museum but also to one of the world’s top diabetes centers. Over 100 doctors practice and research at the Medical Clinic and Policlinic III housed in the University Clinic Carl Gustav Carus. In Mainz, famous for the annual Carneval and home to the Gutenberg Printing Press and Chagall’s stained glass windows, the University’s endoscopy program is well-advanced in detecting many pre-cancerous states.

Heart Treatments in Munich and Hamburg
Munich is well-known for several different kinds of procedures and practices. It is first and foremost a leading cardiovascular center. The German Heart Center in Munich (Deutsches Herzzentrum) is renowned for its minimally invasive techniques. In Hamburg, the city of the Alster Lakes, the Hamburg Ballet, fabulous shopping and the incredible harbor and immigration museum, Prof. Dr. Thomas Meinertz, the Director of the University Heart Center of the University of Hamburg-Eppendorf specializes in non-surgical options as well as pediatric vascular surgery. With 14 centers and 1,369 beds, the University of Hamburg-Eppendorf is world-class in many categories.

Stem Cell Research and Urology in Hamburg and Liver Transplants in Kiel
The University of Hamburg-Eppendorf is world renown for its stem cell transplant work as well as for its treatment of diseases related to the blood and lymphatic system. Further north, the University Clinic of Schleswig-Holstein, Campus Kiel has a nearly 100 percent success rate in living donor liver transplants and also specializes in kidney and pancreas transplants even when blood type between donor and recipient are incompatible.

Cancer Treatments in Hamburg and Duesseldorf
Hamburg also comes up at the top of the list with the pancreas center and cancer research and surgery whereas in Duesseldorf, the Universitaetsklinikum, or University Clinic, specializes in malignant tumors of the digestive tract, thyroid and lungs.

Neurosurgery in Nuremberg and Berlin, Orthopedics in Berlin
In Nuremberg, the Neurosurgical Clinic has years of experience and great expertise in the surgical treatment of diseases of the brain and central nervous system. The city has just seen the opening of the new Nuremberg Trial Court Memorial but it is just as well known for the Duerer Museum and its Christmas market.

Germany’s cultural capital is not only a center of museums and galleries but also a top notch research and medical destination. The expertise of the Neurosurgical Clinic of the Charite University Clinic Berlin in the field of neuro-oncology, vascular neurosurgery and spinal neurosurgery is well respected. The Center for Muscular-Skeletal Surgery (CMSC) offers a wide range of treatments, including trauma surgery, an endoprosthetic center and is well known for its treatment of spinal diseases and injuries and tumors of the muscular-skeletal system.

Pediatric Cancer Care
The University clinic at Muenster (the clinic and polyclinic for children’s oncology) is known for treating children with cancer. They have an international facility offering holistic treatments that include special services for the family, accommodation, food preparation and translators among other services.

Gynelogical Care for Women in Munich
The Technical University in Munich is a specialized breast cancer center and is known for its focus on early detection with its close collaboration among mammography screening centers.

Well qualified doctors, highly specialized nursing staff, excellent diagnostics and a superb medical infrastructure. Many hospitals also cater to family members, including offering professional translators and booking of hotel rooms close to the hospital. The extensive range of tourist activities near the hospitals especially those in major cities of Berlin, Hamburg and Munich are tantalizing. The brochure lists many of Germany’s top clinics as well as the treatments and facilities available to international patients and their families.