Jetsettersblog

Quark Expeditions announced that Laurie Dexter, a member of the Order of Canada, will be the expedition leader on the icebreaker Kapitan Khlebnikov’s farewell circumnavigation of the Arctic, July 10 to Sept. 13.

In 1988, for 91 days, as a member of the Soviet-Canadian Polar Bridge expedition, Dexter skied from Russia to Canada via the North Pole. Having lived on Baffin Island for 13 years, he speaks the language of the Inuit, Canada’s northern indigenous people. Since 1993, he has led more than 50 commercial expeditions to the Arctic.

When he is not leading expeditions to the polar regions, Dexter is a marathon runner and mountaineer. Among his feats are running 10 marathons in 10 days and making numerous first ascents of Arctic mountains.

Quark is hosting an online information session with Dexter at 3 p.m. ET on March 15. The 45-minute session focuses on the Northeast Passage, the Russian sea route from Asia to Europe. There are a limited number of seats for the online webinar. Participation is free, but registration is required.

The Northeast Passage is the first segment of the Arctic Circumnavigation, which has two additional segments — a Greenland semi-circumnavigation and Arctic Passage. Travelers can purchase the entire voyage or segments. The per-person price for a twin berth aboard the Northeast Passage voyage begins at $36,690 per person. Quark will archive a recording of the information session for travelers who cannot attend the live event. For more information, visit www.quarkexpeditions.com

New for 2011, Fiesta Hotel Group is to launch a pioneering hotel initiative with the opening of the Ushuaïa Ibiza Beach Hotel – an idyllic proposition for the island’s party people.

The fusion of one of the beachfront properties of the Spanish hotel chain, Fiesta Hotel Group, with the award-winning Ushuaïa Ibiza Beach Club, founded by music industry guru Yann Píssenem, has resulted in a cutting-edge concept designed to appeal to Ibiza’s party people. From May 2011 the Ushuaïa Ibiza Beach Hotel will set the standard for the ultimate combination of relaxation, fashion and the most up to date music on the island, all situated directly on the beach.

Located on the seafront of Playa d’en Bossa, the Ushuaïa Ibiza Beach Hotel, has focused its efforts on creating an innovative, chic venue which combines a VIP ambiance with the best live music performances from top international DJ’s in a beautiful beach-side setting.

Unlike any other Ibiza hotel, the Ushuaïa Ibiza Beach Hotel will offer the guests the option to watch their favourite artists perform on the pool side stage whilst relaxing on their balconies or from a private box. In addition, features such as swim-up rooms, large sun terraces with Balinese beds and a 24-hour wellness service including a giant outdoor Jacuzzi overlooking the sea and a fully equipped gym will enable guests the chance to rejuvenate the body and soul or enjoy the best live music on the island in an intimate setting.

As well as style and comfort, the objective of the hotel is to bring back the spirit of freedom based on the original audience that characterised the island back in the 1970′s when the island was an idyllic place for outside fun. With the combination of a stunning location and a world famous beach club, the Ushuaïa Ibiza Beach Hotel will offer Ibiza’s party people a place to live the dream.

As well an enormous central swimming pool, a ‘lazy river’ swimming pool will run through the lush hotel gardens and can be accessed by guests staying in the swim-up rooms. Guests can also shop at the U-Fashion Boutique which will stock the latest island fashions or seek out new talent at the soundproofed recording studios where amateur DJ’s can record their favourite mixes in the same place where the world’s top DJ’s will be producing some of their best work.

To compliment the whole Ushuaïa experience, a wide variety of cuisine will be available to satisfy the most discerning of palates. Visitors can choose from 3 delicious à la carte restaurants including the U-Sushi & Teppanyaki featuring fusion cuisine or one-of-a-kind sushi; Beach Club Ushuaïa serving up Mediterranean cuisine and hearty breakfasts and the Magic & Chill Garden offering delicious BBQ and grill dishes, fun salads and juices by the pool. Guests can also pick from an elaborate cocktail menu.

Ushuaïa Ibiza Beach Hotel will boast 236 rooms of minimalist décor with natural finishes. Recent collaboration with resident designer Bruno Reymond, founder of the established Ibiza design emporium, Le Maison De L’Elephant has further enhanced the design credentials combining minimalism and comfort with the latest technology and innovation.

Each room features LED light chromotherapy, enabling guests to create an atmosphere that is tuned in to their mood at any time of day, a menu of aromatherapy perfumes, an in-room radio channel to enjoy live events and live DJ music from the comfort of their rooms as well as a 24-hour room service .

Rooms are priced from 130€ per night (double standard room in low season) to 1,090€ per night (presidential suite in high season) based on two people sharing on a bed & breakfast basis. For more information or to book please see www.ushuaiabeachhotel.com

El Al Israel introduced El Al Vacations, a vacation packaging unit for the airline, being touted as “A New Way to Plan Your Vacation to Israel.” Travelers can book their getaway to Israel via the El Al Vacations website, www.elal-vacations.com, or via www.elal.com.

El Al Vacations offers excellent prices on packages combining air from the U.S. with the finest centrally located hotels in Israel, leading international car rental companies, escorted tours and more. From adventure and beauty in the Red Sea resort town of Eilat to the hip culture of Tel Aviv and the archeological wonders of Jerusalem, there is no end to what there is to discover in Israel. Travelers just need to pick a date and El Al will take care of the rest.

Celebrating more than 60 years of service, El Al, Israel’s national airline, offers the most nonstop flights between New York (JFK/Newark) and Israel as well as the only nonstop service from Los Angeles. Worldwide, El Al flies to more than 40 destinations from Israel and serves dozens of other destinations throughout the world (including the U.S.) via partnerships with many other leading carriers. Only El Al has first-class service on nonstop flights between the U.S. and Israel. The airline has annual revenues of about $2 billion and carries 3.6 million passengers every year. For more information, call 800-223-6700 or visit www.elal-vacations.com or www.elal.com

Luxury wholesaler Classic Vacations partnered with Italian Global System to bring new services and activities to their clients traveling in Italy. With Concierge Italy, travel advisors can now enhance their clients’ vacation itinerary with services beyond Classic’s current portfolio, and fulfill special requests such as dinner reservations, entrance and venue tickets such as private museum and Vatican visit and train tickets.

Concierge Italy is a powerful tool providing online access, booking, payment, and documentation for services and activities previously requiring separate transactions with local vendors. “Booking Concierge Italy services is as easy as logging on to the request form, selecting services from drop-down menus, and then submitting the form,” said Greg Bernd, co-president of Classic Vacations. “The price quote will take between 24 and 48 hours, based on the research time that may be required, plus the nine-hour time difference from the West Coast.”

Agents can complete the transaction by following the links to book the services and then making payment on the secure payment module. A confirmation of payment is sent containing details of the services for the client. Commissions are paid at the end of each month after services are provided. To access the new tool and book with Classic Vacations, visit www.classicvacations.it.

Classic Vacations offers a full line of luxury accommodations (including suites, villas and residences), first-class and private transportation options, and unique tours and excursions in Hawaii, the Caribbean, Mexico, Costa Rica, Europe, Tahiti, Fiji, Australia, and New Zealand. For more information, call 800-221-3949 or visit www.ClassicVacations.com

TourCrafters is offering an eight-day/seven-night Rome and Umbria Special that includes four nights in Rome at the Hotel Oxford with an arrival transfer, a half-day city tour and a free gelato, and three nights in Perugia’s historic center at the Relais dell’Olmo, plus daily breakfast, roundtrip air from New York and the fuel surcharge, for $1,319. (From July 1 to Sept. 30, you can have an extra night at Relais dell’Olmo for $1 more.) The package is valid until Oct. 31.

Also included is a four-day car rental so you can drive from Rome to Perugia, stopping on the way to see the cliff-top town of Orvieto’s fabulous striped cathedral and have lunch and a glass of white wine in a trattoria. From Perugia, it’s easy to drive around Umbria, called “the green heart of Italy”; to the medieval town of Gubbio; to Spoleto, famed for its summer arts festival; and to picturesque Assisi’s Basilica of St. Francis. It’s even possible to slip over the border into Tuscany, to visit Cortona, Siena and the surrounding Chianti vineyards. All prices are per person, double occupancy, are subject to availability and do not include airport taxes of approximately $115. Reservations must be paid for within 72 hours of booking. Add-on air fares are $106 from Boston, $68 from Washington, D.C., $150 from Miami and Chicago, and $244 from Los Angeles. For more information, call 800-482-5995 or visit www.tourcrafters.it.

The Northern Quest Resort & Casino in Spokane, Wash., is offering a 3-for-2 package. Guests who book a two-night stay in any guestroom receive the third night free. Also included are area-wide transportation, roundtrip airport transfers, overnight parking and garage service, wireless Internet access and access to the property’s fitness center. For more information, call 877-871-6772 or visit www.northernquest.com

Banyan Tree Hotels and Resorts will open Macau’s first five-star, all-suite urban resort in the heart of Cotai City, 15 minutes from Macau International Airport. Banyan Tree Macau will open May 15 as part of the city’s newest landmark, the $1.9 billion Galaxy Macau. The 136-acre integrated resort complex will offer the city’s widest and most diverse choice of Asian and international cuisine, as well as the world’s largest sky wave pool, with an artificial 500-foot white sand beach complete with automatic crashing waves.

Banyan Tree Macau will be the area’s first resort to feature private indoor relaxation pools in all 246 suites, which overlook the city. All suites and villas will feature Asian design, high ceilings and ornate furnishings with vermillion red accents. Suite options include Grand Cotai Suites, at 1,076 square feet, and Grand Macau Suites, at 1,615 square feet, along with similarly sized Spa Suites, featuring individual treatment rooms, and a 7,212-square-foot split-level Presidential Suite with two bedrooms, a dining room, kitchen and in-suite relaxation pool. Ten Pool Villas, ranging from 4,844 to 10,230 square feet, feature both private pools and air-conditioned cabanas with sliding glass doors opening directly onto their own gardens on the Beach Resort Deck. Among the Pool Villas are expansive Sanctuary Pool Villas, ideal for family or group retreats with two bedrooms, a living area, kitchen, spa treatment room, private pool, garden and on-call Resort Host service.

The Banyan Tree Spa (Macau’s first) will debut with 21 treatment rooms offering the spa’s signature beauty, health and wellness therapies and products steeped in holistic Asian healing traditions alongside two tropical pools. Four restaurants include the signature Belon Oyster Bar & Grill, complemented by a Banyan Café, Cabana Pool Bar and Banyan Lounge, offering a wide range of gourmet experiences. Guests also have access to over 50 restaurants and bars within the Galaxy Macau complex. Resort facilities also include a Banyan Tree Gallery showcasing indigenous art and crafts from community projects worldwide, a state-of-the-art gym, and meeting facilities with a grand ballroom and two conference rooms for seminars, weddings and social gatherings. “Banyan Tree Macau is designed for travelers looking to immerse themselves in the excitement of Cotai’s entertainment district, but still desire a private retreat for ultimate relaxation,” said Rudy Oretti, general manager. “We’ve brought together the best Banyan Tree touches to offer a ‘Sanctuary of the Senses’ for our guests in this exciting new destination.”

From May 15 to Sept 30, Banyan Tree Macau will offer an introductory rate from $311 (plus 10 percent service charge and 5 percent tax) on accommodations in a Grand Cotai Suite, including breakfast for two, and a certificate for a one-night complimentary stay on future weekday visits. Guests booking two nights receive an additional $110 resort credit to apply to food and beverage or Spa treatments. Guests booking three nights receive a complimentary 90-minute massage treatment for two in addition to the complimentary weekday stay and $110 resort credit.

The Banyan Tree Group manages and/or has ownership interests in close to 30 resorts and hotels, more than 60 spas and more than 80 retail galleries, as well as three golf courses. For more reservations or more information, call 853-8883-8833, email reservations-macau@banyantree.com  or visit www.banyantree.com/en/upcoming_destinations.

The beachfront Hanalei Colony Resort on Kauai’s north shore has reintroduced its Rainbow of Savings program for two-night minimum stays through Dec. 21. The program includes 20 percent off room rates, 10 percent off spa services at Hanalei Day Spa, 10 percent off food and beverages at Napali Coffee House & Art Gallery, and 15 percent off food at the Mediterranean Gourmet Restaurant. In addition, a seventh night is free after six consecutive paid nights. For more information, call 800-628-3004 or visit www.hcr.com

The oceanfront Shelter Cover Lodge and Shore Cliff Lodge in Pismo Beach have become recognized as Best Western Plus accommodations, the middle of three categories of lodging in the company’s new tiered rating program. Best Western Plus hotels offer a little something extra, like well-appointed rooms and modern amenities.

The Shelter Cove Lodge and the Shore Cliff Lodge’s upgraded amenities include spacious rooms, spa-grade baths, free Wi-Fi, daily continental breakfast, and a fitness center (Shore Cliff Lodge). For the Shelter Cove Lodge, call 800-848-1434 or visit www.bwsheltercove.com . For the Shore Cliff Lodge, call 800-441-8885 or visit www.shorecliff.com

Red Mountain Resort in St. George, Utah, is offering a four-night “mancation” package called the Red Mountain Challenge Retreat. The package is priced from $280 per person, double and must be booked by May 31. Included are a choice of a 50-minute massage or facial and a choice of a kayaking or rock climbing adventure, as well as the resort’s all-inclusive amenities. For more information, call 877-246-4453 or visit www.redmountainspa.com