Jetsettersblog

Marriott International’s largest hotel brand, Courtyard by Marriott, celebrated a momentous milestone with the opening of its 900th hotel, the Courtyard Bali Nusa Dua, the brand’s first hotel in Indonesia. Located in Bali’s Nusa Dua area, the 250-room hotel, situated along the southern coast of Bali, is owned by PT Peninsula Bali Resort and will operate under a long-term management agreement with Marriott International with Philip Spencer as general manager.

“We are very excited about entering into the Indonesian market,” said Janis Milham, vice president and global brand manager for Courtyard by Marriott. “Global expansion is very important to Courtyard as 25 percent of our pipeline is outside of the United States. We have experienced significant growth in Asia recently where we are serving both business and leisure travelers.”

Over the next few years, Courtyard will enter into several new countries including Cambodia, Romania and Jamaica. The overall portfolio is expected to total more than 1,000 hotels in 40 countries by 2013.

The newest addition to the brand, Courtyard Bali Nusa Dua, features 250 deluxe guestrooms filled with paintings by I Gede Putra Udiyana, a recognized Balinese artist from Denpasar, as well as deluxe bedding, 32-inch LCD panel TVs and satellite channels to ensure that guests are able to enjoy, relax and unwind.

MoMo Cafe, Courtyard’s Asian culinary innovation, presents a menu that blends Western dishes with local favorites. The open kitchen and wood-fire oven produce aromas that create a warm ambiance. MoMo 2 Go is open 24 hours a day.

Courtyard by Marriott by Marriott Bali along with more than 3,400 Marriott-affiliated hotels worldwide, participate in Marriott Rewards, the guest reward program that allows its over 35 million members to earn points or airline miles for each dollar spent during each stay. For more information, call 800-321-2211 or visit www.courtyard.com

Vietnam’s Life Heritage Resort Ha Long Bay set sail the first weekend in March with a fleet of heritage-style junks, each a floating four-star hotel room, ready to drop anchor in breathtaking Ha Long Bay. In its initial weeks on the water, the Life Resort vessels take to the bay in six-hour day cruises, with overnight voyages to follow soon.

“At Life Heritage Resort Ha Long, guests custom-design their trip, choosing where they want to go,” said Chris Duffy, group general director of Life Resorts. Day cruises begin with a check in at Life Resort’s private land-based hub at Tuan Chau Island while a three-member crew makes preparations before guests board their private junk. Crews consist of a captain, engineer and cruise host, who acts as butler to the passengers. Each boat is built and operated to Certified Marine Standards, meeting Vietnam’s shipping registry requirements, VIRES, and is fully equipped with modern maritime emergency features.

Inside, the junk has a fully-furnished 32-square-meter cabin featuring local Vietnamese touches, carved hardwood detailing and wide panoramic windows opening onto the limestone karst formations of Ha Long Bay. Life Heritage Resort Ha Long’s private vessels include a separate lounging area, and the cabin features an en suite bathroom, air conditioning and heating, and is outfitted with an LCD television, CD/DVD player and an assortment of board games. The boat’s kayaks, snorkeling equipment and fishing gear are all complimentary with the $220 day cruise.

The six-hour cruise includes afternoon tea and a set lunch for two, prepared on-board by Life Resort’s expert hosts. A wide spectrum of international wines and chilled beverages are available and pre-ordered before boarding. Guests can also select favorite dishes from Life Resort’s international menu, prior to sailing.

Life Resorts owns and operates three resorts in Vietnam and manages one other. On Vietnam’s central coast, the 94-room Life Heritage Resort Hoi An is within walking distance of the trading port’s Old Town, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. On the south-central coast, the 63-room Life Wellness Resort Quy Nhon is dedicated to the tenets of wellness, from yoga and tai chi to an ample range of spa treatments and anti-stress and detox programs. Four hours from Ho Ch Minh City, Life manages the 84-room Blue Ocean Resort at Mui Ne. For more information, call 011 848 3 844-3605, email sales@life-resorts.com  or visit www.life-resorts.com

There are two weeks left to book one of Travel Indochina’s Asia On Sale packages. Leading Asia specialists are offering $350 off on any 2011 Small Group Journey lasting 10 days or longer. Travelers must book by March 31, for travel between May 1 and June 30. The offer applies to single, twinshare and willing to share pricing. “With its lush landscapes during the spring months, Asia is at its most enjoyable,” said Paul Hole, Travel Indochina co-founder. “Travelers can easily beat the crowds for a more intimate experience at some of the world’s most famed and historic landmarks like the Great Wall of China and the Temples at Angkor Wat.” For more information, call 866-892-9216 or visit www.travelindochina.com/sites/travelindochina/home/global/specials/indexaspx  or www.travelindochina.com

Warwick International Hotels’ Rembrandt Hotel & Towers Bangkok announced the completion of a two-year, 300 million THB renovation. The refurbishments include a total of 405 rooms, the new Spa at Rembrandt, new fully equipped fitness center and refurbished pool area. Improvements can also be seen in all public areas. For more information, visit www.warwickhotels.com

Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts launched Shangri-La Escapes, a collection of specially created packages crafted to please the shoppers, the gourmets, spa and nature lovers and culturally motivated tourists. The packages include VIP services at Shangri-La restaurants, spas and nature reserves or special touring opportunities to unlock exclusive insider access to a destination.

Travelers can explore nature on a private island in the Maldives, in the jungles of Borneo, with the pandas of Sichuan, or even within the city of Vancouver. Adventures of the palette await in a few of the world’s most culinary-obsessed cities — Hong Kong, Beijing and Guangzhou. Amateur historians can marvel at the cultural sites of Chiang Mai and Guilin. Fashionistas and the design cognoscenti can hunt for treasures and bargains in Bangkok and Shanghai. And those looking for a spa retreat can embark upon CHI journeys in Borneo and Penang.

Notable Shangri-La Escapes include a private tour of Island Shangri-La, Hong Kong’s Restaurant Petrus kitchens with Chef Chabbert and a personalized tasting menu with wine pairings; a tailor-made shopping excursion in Shanghai created and guided by a member of Pudong Shangri-La, Shanghai’s concierge team; a visit to a Sichuan giant panda sanctuary and a private audience with Xiang Xiang, Shangri-La Hotel, Chengdu’s adopted panda; or kayaking off the coast of Vancouver, just minutes from Shangri-La Hotel, Vancouver. For more information, visit www.shangri-la.com/en/corporate/press/shangrilaescapes   For general information, visit www.shangri-la.com

Pacific Delight Tours unveiled its new Silver line of luxury tour packages, which offer high-end vacation components similar to Pacific Delight’s Gold Experience but scaled down for a more modest budget. “Our Silver product line is not too far off from the level of luxury traditionally associated with our Gold series,” said Larry Kwan, president of Pacific Delight Tours. “We actually kicked our Gold Experience up a notch or two with over-the-top luxury for affluent travelers, while launching a Silver line that resembles previous incarnations of our Gold program for those who are faced with budget constraints but don’t want to sacrifice quality.”

Several of the Silver tours feature a Yangtze River cruise on a five-star Victoria Cruises vessel in a superior private-balcony stateroom, in comparison to Gold Experience packages, which will now be upgraded to an Executive Suite with concierge service and enhanced VIP amenities. The Silver Experience debuts with five China itineraries and will expand to include other destinations throughout Asia in 2012. The 11-night Historic Cities & Yangtze River Silver Experience starts at $1,899 per person double occupancy, for April 2011 departures, and features comprehensive sightseeing in Beijing, Shanghai, Chongqing and Xi’an, as well as a sailing experience on the Yangtze River.

The price includes land and cruise accommodations, domestic intra-China airfare, meals as per the itinerary, comprehensive sightseeing and the services of an experienced, English-speaking guide. International airfare is not included, but can be purchased from Pacific Delight Tours at competitive rates from all major gateways. Airport transfers upon arrival and departure are included only when international air is purchased from Pacific Delight Tours. For 40 years, Pacific Delight Tours has been offering tours to China and Asia. The company is a long-standing member of the United States Tour Operator Association. For more information, call 800-221-7179 or visit www.PacificDelightTours.com

The Sofitel Phnom Penh Phokeethra will make its debut on March 29, 2011. The hotel features eight restaurants and bars, expansive meetings facilities, spa, sports club and executive lounge. Located on the banks of a canal, with panoramic views of both the Mekong River and the Bassac, the Sofitel also features a 45-meter swimming pool, ample pool decks and So Spa, a wellness concept that debuted in London last year. The hotel’s executive quarters, Club Millésime, and its 1,800-square-meter ballroom are lures to corporate business. Indeed, the hotel was put to the test during the recent Asean Travel Forum during a sit-down dinner for 1,200.

The $50 million hotel development is third in a group that includes the Sofitel Angkor Phokeethra and the Sofitel Krabi Phokeethra. Accommodation ranges across seven classes, from 121 Superior rooms to 45 Luxury, 23 Junior Suites, 11 Prestige Suites and one Opera Suite. More than 150 of the hotel’s rooms overlook the Mekong. Food and beverage options include Le Bar; La Coupole, which features Indochinese and French cuisines; Do Forni offers Italian fare; Fu Lu Zu is the Chinese restaurant; Hachi features Old World Japan; and Chocolat, the Belgian patisserie. Show kitchens anchor several of the hotel’s restaurants.

Shows will also take place in the hotel’s ballroom, where a $2 million investment has equipped the facility with audio-visual technology. In addition to two squash courts, the grounds feature four floodlit tennis courts and two locales for workouts. So Fit is a haven for fitness and well-being exclusively for in-house guests. The Phokeethra Sports Club is a sophisticated gym for guests and local members. Likewise, the hotel’s two pools — one in the hotel building itself and the other in the adjacent sports complex — cater exclusively to guests and to both guests and members, respectively. On the 12th floor, Club Millésime caters to the hotel’s executive guests in the first purpose-built facility of its kind in the region. For more information, visit www.sofitel.com

Developed by the Sanya Zhonggang Fishery Co., Ltd., the Renaissance Sanya Resort & Spa is located in China’s southernmost city. The property, designed by WATG, features a lobby with touches of Oriental design, including 14-meter-high ceilings offering panoramic views of the South China Sea.

The resort offers seven food and beverage outlets, linked by a theme of stars. Star Anise is a Chinese dining experience with 14 private dining rooms, including six on “floating islands,” where Cantonese specialties and local delicacies can be accompanied by fine wines. Red Star Cafe, the 320-seat, three-meal restaurant, is anchored by floating red glass box kitchens, each one specializing in a different Chinese cooking technique. The Starfish Market & Bar offers more-casual dining with luxury touches, where guests can choose their meat, fish and locally sourced vegetables, cooked to order. All guest rooms come equipped with wireless and High-Speed Internet Access (HSIA), iPod docking stations, flat-screen TVs and state-of-the-art technology. The rooms include modern and luxurious touches, and begin at an impressive 58 square meters, including a six-meter balcony. Most rooms include a view of the South China Sea, and some guest rooms boast direct access to the hotel’s lagoon pool. In addition to its guest rooms, the hotel also boasts 97 suites and 10 private two-bedroom villas with a personal pool. The resort’s Presidential Suite, accessible by private elevator, offers more than 1,000 square meters of accommodation, including four bedrooms, two swimming pools, and a private dining room for 12 with floor-to-ceiling windows.

For families and children, the resort features “R-Cade,” which includes a 10-pin bowling alley, private cinema and individual Wii, Xbox and PlayStation zones. “R-Kids” is a Renaissance-styled kids club offering eight designer-styled zones of entertainment. The hotel also offers a Quan spa with individual treatment villas, as well as a fitness center. The resort meeting space is designed to host conferences and events by offering more than 2,500 square meters of banquet space, including a 1,430-square-meter grand ballroom. The resort also offers a junior ballroom and four additional meeting rooms, all equipped with audio visual facilities. For more information, visit www.marriott.com

Sol Meliá announced an agreement to open a new hotel in Indonesia, Meliá Adhiwangsa Surabaya, increasing its presence in the Asia-Pacific region, a key focus for company growth strategy since it announced its globalization and diversification strategy for emerging markets. The hotel will open in 2013 and is located in Surabaya, the second-largest city in Indonesia, located on the north coast of the island of Java.

The new Meliá Adhiwangsa Surabaya will form part of a major leisure development which includes a shopping mall and golf course, both already open to the public. The hotel will provide 300 rooms, all fully adapted to the standards of the Meliá brand, and will thus help consolidate the positioning of the Spanish brand in Indonesia. Among the facilities provided by the hotel are a spa, swimming pool, children’s area, two restaurants and extensive facilities for meetings and event, in addition to the golf course. The fifth hotel for Sol Meliá in Indonesia is owned by the Bukit Darmo Property Group and will be operated by Sol Meliá under a management agreement. Indonesia is the country where Sol Meliá opened its first hotel outside Spain over 25 years ago — the Meliá Bali, thus kicking off a globalization process which now sees Asia-Pacific back at the heart of the company’s growth objectives for the coming years. For more information, visit www.solmelia.com

By Combining Costa Rica’s Veranito Season with Off-Beaten-Track Destinations

SAUSALITO, CA,– Costa Rica’s “Veranito” season in July is a wildlife lover’s dream, a month-long break in the rainy season that showcases the wildlife expertise of Wild Planet Adventures http://www.wildplanetadventures.com/ with increased chances of seeing rare and highly endangered wildlife.

A 14-day Costa Rica Ultimate Wildlife Eco-Tour during this season is $4,398 per person double occupancy (single supplement $798) for a program combining jungle lodges and private reserve accommodations, meals, guides, entrance fees to over eight national parks and all activities, including whitewater rafting, a canopy tour, sea kayaking with dolphins, night snorkeling in bioluminescence and more. Dates coinciding with Veranito are June 25 – July 8, July 2-15, July 9 – 22, July 16-29, July 23 – Aug 5, and July 30 – Aug 12. Nine-day itineraries from $2,798 are also offered. See:

http://www.wildplanetadventures.com/content/view/12/50/

Josh Cohen, director, notes that the secret of the “Ultimate Wildlife” itinerary is that it visits some of the country’s most remote and rarely frequented destinations, thereby allowing highly experienced guides to find more rare and endangered species than any other tour company. One such location involves paddling on a particular flat-water stretch of the Puerto Viejo River that runs through a remote section of La Selva Biological Preserve in Barullio Carillo National Park.

“Very few people run this lush stretch of the Puerto Viejo River; we have seldom, if ever, seen other paddlers there,” he notes.

This tour combines wildlife viewing with multi-sport adventures in over eight national parks, reserves, cloud forests and rivers that 20 years of tracking have shown to reach their annual peak of wildlife sightings during Veranito.

Cohen adds that during Veranito days are cooler, off-peak airfares are often less, and the flowering trees and fruits attract an abundance of wildlife – including more rare and endangered species than any other time of year.

The coast-to-coast adventure follows a trapezoidal route east from San Jose starting with the little known Cahuita National Park on the Caribbean (excellent for primates) then north to Sarapiqui, Arenal and Monteverde Cloudforest, then stopping at a number of Pacific coast beaches on the way down to the remote Corcovado National Park. Accommodations en route that are anything but cookie-cutter take inspiration from their mountain or coastal locations and often themselves offer wildlife sighting possibilities that run the gamut from sloths to primates to endangered sea turtles to Resplendent Quetzals.

For information on all of Wild Planet Adventures’ Costa Rica vacations please visit

http://www.wildplanetadventures.com/content/view/11/30