Jetsettersblog

Jumeirah is celebrating the 50th birthday of Knightsbridge landmark, the Carlton Tower. The building has stood the test of time in a neighborhood known for its glamour and glitz and is home to the five-star Jumeirah Carlton Tower hotel. This milestone was marked with an employee party and birthday cake by Patissier Eric Lanlard. Derek Picot, regional vice president Europe, Jumeirah cut the cake along with doorman Miroslav Mileusnic, surrounded by hotel employees. The birthday celebrations are also being extended through the year as the luxury hotel Knightsbridge will be running a number of initiatives to keep the momentum of this milestone going.

Jumeirah will be holding a “Fabulous at 50” summer party to keep the birthday celebration going throughout 2011. It has also created a special cocktail called “1961” which will be served in Gilt, Chinoiserie and Rib Room. Jumeirah is also publishing a book, authored by Clive Aslet, which will celebrate 50 years of the luxury hotel in London.

As part of the luxury London hotel special offers, Jumeirah also held a flash sale in January to kick off the birthday celebrations, which saw 50 rooms available for 50 pounds for 50 minutes on one particular day. Jumeirah also allowed one person to win the chance to purchase its Royal Suite for 2011 pounds instead of the usual 7,000 pounds.

Jumeirah Group, the Dubai-based luxury hospitality company and a member of Dubai Holding, operates Burj Al Arab, Jumeirah Beach Hotel, Jumeirah Emirates Towers, Madinat Jumeirah, and Jumeirah Zabeel Saray; Jumeirah Carlton Tower and Jumeirah Lowndes Hotel in London; and Jumeirah Essex House in New York. Jumeirah Group also runs the luxury serviced residences brand Jumeirah Living; the spa brand Talise; Jumeirah Restaurants; Wild Wadi Waterpark; The Emirates Academy of Hospitality Management; and Sirius, its global loyalty program. For more information, visit www.jumeirah.com

Here are a couple of interesting exhibitions that will add an extra spark of interest to an off season Girls Getaway programme that works really well if you can fly into Gatwick. The airport is just 30 minutes north of Brighton which means that at 9.30 you can be knocking on the door of the city’s Royal Pavilion for a private tour of ‘Dress for Excess: Fashion in Regency England’. It runs from now until 5 February 2012, and celebrates the life of George IV as Prince, Regent and King, through the fashions of the late Georgian period. The centrepiece of the year long exhibition is the coronation robes worn by King George IV; the first time they have gone on display in 30 years.

You can then expand the itinerary to include Radical Bloomsbury: The Art of Duncan Grant and Vanessa Bell 1905-25 which is at the Brighton Museum & Art Gallery from 16 April – 9 October 2011. It establishes a new understanding of the pictorial imagination of Bloomsbury by re-evaluating the unique painting partnership of Duncan Grant and Vanessa Bell and explores their relationship with avant-garde art from 1905 to 1925. It demonstrates how these Bloomsbury painters were among the earliest British artists to look at new developments in European art, such as French Post-Impressionist practices, and the importance of their role in modernising British art.

Let me send you the outline for this intriguing tour.

For further information please email Paull Tickner

Paull.Tickner@greatdays.co.uk

Greatdays UK Incoming

-The luxury resort recently-awarded the highly-coveted 2011 Reader’s Choice Award for Best Medical/Thermal/Natural Spa by Conde Nast Traveller U.K. -
SATURNIA, ITALY – Located in the heart of the Tuscan Maremma region of Italy, Terme di Saturnia Spa & Golf Resort, is proud to announce that it was recently named as a 2011 Reader’s SPA Award winner in the Medical/Thermal/Natural Spa category by the distinguished Conde Nast Traveller U.K., as announced by Carla Milos, Terme di Saturnia’s General Manager.

“It is an honor for Terme di Saturnia Spa & Golf Resort to be recognized by the readers of one of the world’s leading travel magazines,” said Terme di Saturnia President Antonello Manuli and Resort General Manager Carla Milos. “Our highly-skilled therapists uphold the highest standards in excellence and our elite team of medical doctors and therapists, led by Medical Director Dr. Piergiorgio Calcaterra, continue to research and develop the most advanced treatments and therapies for guests based on our spa’s unique thermal waters. Being recognized by our guests as one of the top spa destinations in the world highlights our commitment to excellence.”

Conde Nast Traveller U.K. is one the United Kingdom and Europe’s leading travel magazine that aims to profile the very latest on world-wide travel, culture and architecture and design. The annual Reader’s Spa Awards highlight the very best of spas from throughout the world in distinguished categories including hotel spas, day spas, spa retreats, medical/thermal/natural spas and top 25 spa destinations. The awards are distributed based on the reader’s critique of the facilities, individual approach, ambience/design, body & facial treatments, amenities & products, exercise program, cuisine and quality & service of the staff.

This year, the award was given to the spa with the highest rating in each category. Terme di Saturnia Spa & Golf Resort garnered a rating of 92.41 out of 100 in Medical/Thermal/Natural Spa category. The March 2011 issue of Cone Nast Traveller U.K., available on February 3, 2011, will highlight all winners from each specific category.

Terme di Saturnia Spa & Golf Resort, which is a member of Leading Hotels of the World and the exclusive Virtuoso, features 140 guestrooms, a state-of-the-art spa with 54 treatment rooms, two restaurants under the supervision of a three-star Michelin Chef, an Aldo Coppola Hair Salon, a conference center with meeting room for up to 250 people, six outdoor pools and an indoor pool, a replica of a traditional Roman bath house, fitness center, tennis court, practice green, Spa Boutique, Spa Café, an Art Gallery and, coming soon, the Atelier delle Eccellenze featuring the best products of the Maremma-shire. The luxury resort, which is a member of Leading Hotels of the World and the exclusive Virtuoso, offers daily and weekly rates that include use of the resort’s thermal pools, Roman Bath with Sauna and Steam bath, and thermal water falls. The rates also include a guided morning hike, use of the gym, not including classes, and a reserved deck chair and sun umbrella in the pool’s park.

A true medical spa with a staff of 45 therapists and five medical doctors, the spa features therapies for beauty, stress management and thermal and hydrotherapy treatments based on the area’s unique thermal waters which date back to the Etruscan period. The 3,000-year-old thermal pool has been flowing continuously into the natural crater nestled at the center of the resort, containing precious minerals and salts which were found by the ancient Romans to have healing effects on aches and pains.

Terme di Saturnia Spa & Golf Resort is an exclusive resort and member of Leading Hotels of the World and has been certified as a prestigious Leading Spa and Leading Golf from the Leading Hotel Brand. Located in the heart of the Tuscan Maremma region of Italy in the medieval village of Saturnia, the four-star hotel consists of 140 rooms, two restaurants under the supervision of a three-star Michelin Chef, two bars, fitness center, coming soon, the Atelier delle Eccellenze with the best products of the Maremma-shire, Art Gallery, the hair salon Aldo Coppola by Terme di Saturnia, a meeting room for up to 250 people, the Spa Boutique at Terme di Saturnia, a state-of-the-art spa with 54 treatment rooms and the 3,000-year-old thermal pool nestled in the center of the resort. The resort also features an 18-hole championship golf course, practice green and private golf villas. Terme di Saturnia Spa & Golf Resort is a Leading Spa resort dedicated to providing quality spa treatments and to promote complete well being has 54 rooms for beauty, aesthetic medicine, relaxation, massage, thermal treatments and fitness. The spa also offers diet and nutrition programs.

For more information, please visit our website at www.termedisaturnia.com

The Putignano Carnival, with its famous parade of papier-mâché floats, is both the longest and one of the oldest carnivals in the world. The floats all carry contemporary social or political messages so this is no medieval procession. In the last ten years, thanks to the enormous floats, the original satirical masks and the colourful masked groups, the parade on 6th March has been the principle attraction of this extraordinary event.

Accommodation options…

Il Palmento – http://www.essentialitaly.co.uk/puglia_hotels_il-palmento.php
Il Palmento makes up its own delightful hamlet of traditional trulli – the typical coned roofs found only in Puglia. The styishly restored complex is now dazzlingly white making a fantastic impact against the beautiful scenery and blue Pugliese sky. Located in the heart of the famous Valle d’Itria, the rolling hills are covered with impressive vineyards producing some of the most delicious local wines, imposing weathered olive trees with fat black fruit and winding stone walls that criss-cross over the fields.

Price: From £62 per person per night B&B.

Masseria Due Torri – http://www.essentialitaly.co.uk/puglia_hotels_masseria-due-torri.php
A traditional 17th century stone farmhouse set in the heart of the Pugliese countryside which has been converted into a wonderfully comfortable B&B with apartment accommodation. The elevated location is perfect with fantastic views of the countryside and the sea. The recently finished room renovations are surrounded by the most beautiful gardens with impressive age-old olive trees which encompass the pool.

Price: From £70 per room per night B&B.

Flights: RyanAir flies from Stansted to Bari from £100 per person return.

Essential Italy
Tel: 01223 460100
info@essentialitaly.co.uk
www.essentialitaly.co.uk

LONDON, ENGLAND – For the first time in more than 20 years, The British Art Show will be held in London.

While the capital hosts many of the biggest exhibitions to hit the UK, the honour of staging this particular touring event has fallen to other cities in the country over the past two decades.

The British Art Show 7 will be on display at the Hayward Gallery from February 16th to April 17th 2011.

Among the anticipated highlights are an outdoor installation by Keith Wilson, a bell created by Christian Maclay and Sarah Lucas’s series of sculptures.

Admission to the exhibition costs GBP8, although there are concessions available.

Those using the London Underground to reach the gallery should alight at Waterloo or Embankment.

The installation is open from 10:00 to 18:00 GMT every day except for Thursday and Friday, when the collection can be viewed until 20:00.

If art enthusiasts heading to the show wish to locate a London hotel for their stay in the capital, they could find an array of options on Hotels-London.co.uk, which recommends accommodation including the Tophams Belgravia Hotel London and the Knightsbridge Green Hotel London.

Find out more details about this event on http://www.britishartshow.co.uk/ or call the Hayward Gallery on 020 7960 4242.

Editors Notes

Hotels-London has been a specialist provider of hotel rooms in London for over 10 years, with over 600 hand selected hotels in the capital to suit every budget from bed and breakfasts to 5 star boutique hotels. For budget conscious customer there is a selection of over 200 hotels to choose from, and the more discerning customer can select from a wide range of boutique, luxury and five star properties.

Hotels-London customers can take advantage of discounts of up to 70% off the published room rate by booking online 24 hours a day, or calling the dedicated team of London experts who are always happy to help make bookings and offer advice about where to stay and what to do in the capital.

As well as accommodation, Hotels-London also helps people make the most of their stay by offering airport transfers, theatre tickets and sightseeing tours – helping you plan your trip down to the finest detail.

OFFERING GUESTS ACCESS TO ATTEND LEGENDARY LADIES DAY & TO WEAR HATS BY CELEBRATED MILLINER STEPHEN JONES, OBE

Guests can enjoy Afternoon Tea with millinery-inspired tea cakes & a pop up hat salon

(London) – Dorchester Collection’s new luxury country house hotel and spa, Coworth Park, offers guests an inspired menu of opportunities to celebrate the 300th Anniversary of Royal Ascot in June 2011. Guests who book suites at Coworth Park can attend the legendary Ascot Ladies Day and not stress about packing their hat box with an invitation to borrow one of Stephen Jones’s limited hats from the Coworth Park Couture Millinery Collection.

Just a 15 minute drive from Coworth Park, the Royal Ascot racecourse has become a national institution and the centerpiece of the British social calendar, as well as being the ultimate stage for the best racehorses in the world. Ladies Day has become a fixed part of the social season when ladies vie to wear the finest hats.

Coworth Park is inviting guests to celebrate Ascot’s 300th Anniversary with a Pop Up Hat Salon, the chance to wear one of Stephen Jones’s original Coworth Park designs and attend Ladies Day, a signature Ascot tea and take home Ascot Hat Cakes. The full range of celebrations includes:
Stephen Jones will be holding a Pop Up Hat Salon at Coworth Park on Friday April 15 to advise the best way to choose and wear a hat and also learn 2011 millinery trends. Tickets for the morning salon will include lunch and a goody bag, and one-on-one appointments will be available in the afternoon subject to availability.
Suite guests can attend legendary Ascot Ladies’ Day on Thursday, June 16, and will be invited to borrow one of Stephen Jones hat designs from the Coworth Park Couture Millinery Collection, subject to limited availability. One of these hats was first worn by model and designer Jasmine Guinness at Ascot Ladies Day in 2010. Suites are priced from £555 excluding VAT, and tickets to Ladies Day can be secured on request, subject to availability.

Milliner Stephen Jones and Executive Chef John Campbell have collaborated to create millinery inspired tea cakes which will be served during a special Ascot 300th Anniversary Afternoon Tea at Coworth Park, priced from £26.00 per guest (or £39.00 for Champagne afternoon tea), from Saturday June 11 to Sunday June 19.

Full size Ascot Hat Cakes are available for guests to enjoy at home, neatly presented in a Stephen Jones hat box, priced from £75.
Deluxe rooms at Coworth Park are priced from £480 excluding VAT, over Ascot dates which are from Tuesday, June 14 – Saturday, June 18, subject to availability.

Milliner Stephen Jones commented, “Millinery extravaganzas have always been de rigeur for Royal Ascot and are part of its heritage. With this year’s hat trends for the soft and floral, nowhere could be more inspiring than Coworth Park’s sprawling natural meadow bursting with field flowers.”

Director of Cuisine John Campbell added, “Stephen and I collaborated on this year’s Coworth Park Ascot Afternoon Tea to create cakes that celebrate the fresh romance of a summer straw hat, and by contrast, the rakish traditional Top Hat. Coworth Park will be buzzing for Ascot this year, and it will be in keeping with the hotels whimsical nature to offer something different.”

Coworth Park Couture Millinery Collection:
There are four hats available to be borrowed from the Coworth Park Couture Millinery Collection each representing a different aspect of the Coworth Park experience:

“The Royal Ascot”
Inspired by the rich equestrian heritage of Coworth Park, the only hotel in the UK with its own polo fields and stabling for horses, “The Royal Ascot” hat is a modern interpretation of a ladies top hat but in lacquered straw, complete with snood, veil and a cockade of blush honeysuckle.

“The Park”
A naturalistic peach blossom branch but rendered in satin and organza with twinkling highlights, this hat captures the essence of the English countryside and the 240 acre estate in Royal Berkshire where Coworth Park is situated.

“The Décor’hat”
With a nod to the woodland setting that inspired Coworth Park’s renowned interior designers, Fox Linton Associates, Stephen has created a fashion-now fascinator featuring the natural colors and textures of the hotel in linen, leather and copper.

“The Spa”
A translucent rippled resin splash boater, gilded with precious metals, hints at rejuvenation for mind and body, echoing the eco-luxury spa and pool to be found at Coworth Park.
Coworth Park is a 70-room luxury country house hotel and spa set in 240 acres of picturesque Berkshire parkland just 45 minutes from central London and 20 minutes from Heathrow airport. Its location, unrivalled in the UK for ease and convenience of its transport links, is also enhanced by its own helipad. The estate itself boasts an equestrian centre eco-luxury Spa at Coworth Park with indoor pool and three restaurants overseen by Michelin-starred chef, John Campbell.

Stephen Jones spearheaded the fashionable revival of British Millinery in the early 1980’s. Using unusual materials and daring designs, his exquisitely crafted hats have continued to push boundaries of hat design. He was named an Officer of the Order of the British Empire or OBE in the 2009 New Year Honours list to recognize his services to British millinery. In 2010 he became the fashion ambassador for Coworth Park and was a judge on the UK panel of the Dorchester Collection Fashion Prize. He was also honoured with the Fashion Group International Star Honoree in New York and held a major exhibition at the V & A showcasing the universal appeal and delight of wearing hats. In addition to his own innovative collections, he continues to design for the world’s leading fashion designers including John Galliano at Dior, Giles Deacon, Vivienne Westwood and has created hats for a wide range of celebrity clients.

The Enchanted Palace offers something for all the family in London.
A fascinating new show at London’s Kensington Palace could appeal to anyone interested in fashion, history or fairytales.

Enchanted Palace allows visitors to learn about the seven princesses who have lived in the royal property.

Performers from the Wildworks theatre company are on hand to tell weird and wonderful stories about its history and the fairies that supposedly used to reside there.

In addition to this, there is a host of stunning garments created by top designers such as Vivienne Westwood and Zandra Rhodes on display.

With so much going on at the Enchanted Palace, there really is something for all the family to enjoy.

The exhibition is taking place in the State Apartments until June 30th 2012, while the rest of the building undergoes major refurbishment work.

Admission costs GBP12.50. Opening hours are between 10:00 and 17:00 GMT until February 28th and 10:00 to 18:00 from March 1st onwards.

If tourists want to stay in Park Lane Hotels during their visit to the capital, they can use Hotels-London.co.uk to find accommodation such as the Park Lane Mews Hotel London and the Grosvenor House Hotel London.

More information can be found at http://www.hrp.org.uk/KensingtonPalace/  or by ringing the venue on 020 7376 2452.

Goway is offering a range of worldwide boutique small vessel cruises throughout the South Pacific, Asia, Africa and Latin America, as well as unique destinations such as the Galapagos and Antarctica.

In the South Pacific, Goway offers expedition cruising aboard Orion, a purpose built vessel offering five-star experiences.

Orion offers expeditions throughout the year to Australia’s Kimberley, Arnhem Land, Queensland’s Great Barrier Reef, Papua New Guinea and New Zealand. Five-night itineraries onboard the Orion on the east coast of Australia start at $3,160 per person twin share.

Also available are the Coral Princess & Oceanic Discoverer, expedition ships large enough to provide all the comforts of larger ships yet small enough to access reef and island sites not available to other vessels.

Carrying no more than 72 passengers, these ships offer environmental cruise experiences that are both personal and memorable.

Prices for a 12-night cruise around New Zealand start from $7,198 per person.

Orion has recently commenced cruises in Asia, including Borneo, Thailand and Indochina, plus Japan and Russia.

For more information on these cruises, request Goway’s 2011 Asia Travel Planner.

Cruising in Fiji is one of the best ways to visit the island destination.

Three-, four- or seven-night itineraries cruising through the Yasawa Islands offer air conditioned accommodation, all meals and the option of many activities, including village visits, snorkeling and water sports.

The onboard atmosphere is casual and relaxed, the sunsets are spectacular and cuisine is superb.

A four-day cruise starts from $1,163.

Clients looking for a truly unique destination may consider cruising Antarctica past towering mountains, white and azure bergs, penguins nesting by the thousands, and the vast wilderness.

Antarctica is at its best during the brief but brilliant summer season, visiting stunning penguin rookeries, historical ruins and volcanic islands.

With six full days on the Antarctic Peninsula, cruises allow ample time to enjoy some of the most spectacular scenery in the world.

Prices start from $9,710.

For more information, call 800-387-8850 or visit www.goway.com

The Napa Valley Destination Council has won the Adrian Awards Platinum honor in the digital marketing category for its Visit Napa Valley mobile iPhone app.

Designed to provide guests with insider access to the Napa Valley, the app is a mobile guide that allows travelers to plan and navigate their vacations before and during their stays.

Among the features are an online visitor guide, a fully searchable winery guide, interactive GPS-enabled maps, an events calendar, and access to exclusive offers.

The app is free and can be downloaded from Apple’s iTunes Store or by visiting www.LegendaryNapaValley.com

Android and iPad versions are scheduled for release soon. For more information, call 707-226-5813 or visit www.legendarynapavalley.com

Rail Europe is offering early savings on Eurostar, the high-speed passenger service connecting Paris and Brussels to London. Exclusive to travelers booking with Rail Europe, the “Eurostar High Speed Deal,” offers 20 percent off Eurostar Standard Premier tickets from Paris or Brussels to London, as well as special discounts on additional rates.

From now through March 31, the special Eurostar promotion will allow travelers to purchase tickets at 20 percent off the regular price with fares beginning at $142 for one way and $250 for roundtrip. The offer is available to travelers in the U.S., Canada and Mexico with travel valid between March 1 and Aug. 25.

Tickets are non-refundable and non-exchangeable.

Eurostar connects Paris to London in two hours and 15 minutes and Brussels to London in one hour and 51 minutes.

The high-speed train also features daily services to Disneyland Resort Paris.

Eurostar’s Standard Premier Class offers spacious seating in addition to a selection of complimentary newspapers and magazines. Standard Premier is the choice for travelers who want to stretch their legs and take advantage of at-seat meal service.

Travelers can have a light meal and a drink, as they sit back and unwind.