Jetsettersblog

PORT ANGELES, Wash.- Washington’s Olympic Peninsula has gained attention for its exquisite natural beauty and as the setting for famous novels, including the recently published West of Here. What many travelers may not know, is one of the peninsula’s hidden gems is its culinary bounty. The same microclimates and rich soils which helped to create stunning rainforests also shape a growing viticulture region, extensive organic and sustainable farms, prosperous dairies and creameries, and world-famous lavender farms. Fishermen around the peninsula have also implemented sustainable fishing and shell fishing techniques- leading to the availability of amazing local seafood.

During the warmer months the peninsula enjoys numerous festivals and fetes to celebrate their bounty and Olympic Coastal Cuisine. No matter the month something delicious is waiting to be tasted. April brings Northwest Wine and Cheese tours, while in July fragrant fields of lavender come center stage during the annual Sequim Lavender Festival. Other food and farm festivals include the Dungeness Crab and Seafood Festival, the Red Wine and Chocolate events, the Oyster Festival, and Harvest Wine Tour.

If not visiting during a festival try one of the suggested itineraries on the Olympic Culinary Loop’s website. Travelers can visit organic farms, learn how to make homemade cider, try a wine tasting or two, and of course enjoy plenty of local foods. There are many ways to work up an appetite on the peninsula from scuba diving and kayaking to mountain biking and rainforest trekking.
www.olympicpeninsula.org

GRANTS PASS, Ore.–Southern Oregon is known for its great whitewater rafting, but it’s also very well-known for its fabulous Pinot Noir wines. This new trip, for true wine enthusiasts and nature-lovers alike offered by Rogue Wilderness Adventures, pairs the best in Oregon Pinot Noirs and Oregon whitewater will come together with a journey that includes savoring the stunning Rogue River scenery by day and sampling delectable wines by night. After rafting 34 miles through the Wild & Scenic Rogue River corridor, wine enthusiasts will ‘bed down’ in cozy historic lodges at night. Guests will be treated to a flavorful dining experience by pairing some of Oregon’s finest wines with gourmet, locally inspired cuisine. 3 days/ 2 nights. Cost: $989 per person plus government fees ($36). Departs September 5th, 2011. www.wildrogue.com

SEATTLE–Join Southern Explorations on an unforgettable Argentina tour of two of the country’s most impressive regions: Mendoza, home to Argentina’s world-renowned wines, and Bariloche, the heart of the beautiful Lakes District of Northern Patagonia. Based out of Buenos Aires, the Paris of South America, this Argentina trip takes you to the center of Argentina’s vineyards: the Medoza Region with over 900 distinct wineries. In the foothills of the Andes, you will explore the best of these vintners with two deliciously full days of Argentine wine tours all the while surrounded by impressive landscapes. From Mendoza, continue on to tour Patagonia’s Lakes District. Hike, kayak, and raft through this outdoor wonderland, staying in the resort town of Bariloche on the shores of beautiful Nahuel Huapi Lake. This active Patagonia tour pairs well with a taste of Argentine wine for a weeklong trip any sophisticated adventurer is sure to love. This Argentina Mountains & Wineries tour can also be arranged on a private departure basis. Starting at $2560 pp for 9 days.

BOZEMAN, Mont.–Imagine a girlfriend getaway and walking tour that takes women through the winding streets of a medieval settlement in France, hiking across the rolling hills of the French countryside strewn with beech and oak trees and through lush vineyards. AdventureWomen, Inc is offering a spectacular women’s only France walking tour that gives travelers the chance to breathe in the rich aromas of vineyard soils, marvel at the beauty of historic French chateaus, and photograph the sun-drenched ripening grapes of tomorrow’s Grand Cru vintages. Guests will hike the vineyard trails that connect three prestigious wineries: the Cote de Beaune, Cote de Nuits, and the Maconais in France. Other highlights include exploring historic medieval villages and wineries (a great way to visit with the locals), feast on superb French cuisine, sample Burgundy’s most famous with exclusive wine tastings along the walking trails, learning about the history of this area that was once a famous trade route six centuries ago, and much more. The hikes are easy to moderate and traverse a relatively flat French wine region and include just a few climbs through vineyards and into ageless French villages rich in tradition and history, making it an ideal hike for taking in the scenery and fascinating French culture. Dates: June 3-11, 2011. Cost: $3895 ($800 deposit). www.adventurewomen.com

DENVER, Colo.-Witness the migration of thousands of wildebeest and zebra across the magnificent Manyara landscape to the famous Serengeti Plains and the Mbalageti River with Born Free Safaris’ exclusive The Great Migration Safari tour. Tour dates vary each year as experts track down the most likely pattern and timing of each migration. Adventurers won’t a find a tour more tailored to providing the best views of migratory game in the most spectacular sites East Africa has to offer. In 13 days of unforgettable adventure, take in the majestic snow-capped peak of Mt. Kilimanjaro, the breathtaking and diverse land of Manyara, the marvels of the Elephant Caves, the spectacular depths of the Ngorongoro Crater, the vast wildlife sanctuary of the Serengeti, and the sensational Maasai Mara where hundreds of Africa’s native animals roam the countryside. Travelers will be met with an experienced tour guide for every step of this adventure and are given premier accommodations for nights and meals of unexpected luxury just steps away from the untamed wonders of Africa. Tours can be tailored even more to fit an appetite for adventure- soar above it all in a Hot Air Balloon Safari, stay a couple extra days and go gorilla trekking and see Victoria Falls, or spend a day exploring a village and learning about the natives culture and traditions. The experts at Born Free Safaris do the work so travelers can have the adventure of a lifetime.

Various dates are available from May to Mid-July for The Great Migration Safari tour, and Born Free Safaris offers several other tours to suit the time of year you would like to travel. Call the Born Free office at 800-372-3274 to talk about planning your trip. Costs will vary depending on the dates of travel and include all sleep accommodations, internal flights, most meals, transportation in 4×4 safari cruisers, and activities as outlined in each itinerary. Feel free to visit www.bornfreesafaris.com for more information.

Experience the heart of Africa with the experience and expertise of a Born Free Safaris tour guide. Let professionals handle your comfort, safety, and the practicalities of traveling through Africa while you focus on enjoying the rich and exotic Africa you’ve always imagined.

www.bornfreesafaris.com

HELENA, Mont.,–The term “responsible travel” has become an widely-used term in the adventure travel marketplace today, but finding a truly responsible adventure tour can be a confusing task. Detour, The Adventure Travel Marketplace is an online adventure travel marketplace where travelers can purchase trips to South America, Central America, and Africa that are operated by each destination’s best local travel companies and outfitters at their local prices. Detour makes it easy to get a top-quality, lower-priced trip with a sustainable local travel company. What makes Detour different is that they don’t actually operate any of the trips they sell; instead they use their decades of international tourism experience to select top-quality socially and environmentally responsible local tour operators who operate fantastic trips, making it easy for travelers to choose a great trip that’s considered truly responsible. The companies that offer trips through Detour’s marketplace have gone through a rigorous selection and screening process, ensuring that they offer trips that do not have a negative impact on the local communities and environment. Detour offers competing trips from different companies on one site and includes comparisons of the trips and companies, giving travelers the chance to save time and money in their travel planning by giving them one website that takes care of everything. Detour gives travelers the chance to save money by offering trips that are the same price as if they booked locally within the destination, plus they offer some amazing journeys across the planet. Detour is founded on promoting sustainable tourism, and a big part of that is making sure that the vast majority of the money travelers spend on their trips makes it into the local economy where it employs local people and provides incentives for protecting ecosystems, cultural sites, and the local culture. Visit www.detourdestinations.com

OSA PENINSULA, Costa Rica—Tucked away in the jungle of the Osa Peninsula in Costa Rica is El Remanso Rainforest Wildlife Lodge , a nature-lovers paradise set on a 185 acre private reserve that offers “foodies” a truly authentic Costa Rican culinary experience with inspired dishes prepared in the local tradition, with wholesome and organic ingredients. Believing that experiencing great cuisine is paramount to any travel experience, the owners of El Remanso have a unique way of approaching their culinary programs. El Remanso hosts a different internationally trained chef who stays on-site at the lodge for a full year to train the cooking staff in order to share ideas and impart unique culinary “tricks of the trade”. This year, the Executive Chef at El Remanso is Alex Mendez, an international chef from Mexico who was formally trained in France and worked at the 3 Michelin-Star restaurant L’Arpege in Paris for 3 years. Even more authentic than having an annual guest chef and totally local kitchen staff, El Remanso uses completely fresh, local ingredients whenever possible to create their masterpieces. The spectacular menu combines these local, tropical ingredients with international inspiration, making for a delectable, tropically-infused culinary experience. Guests feast on dishes like juicy pineapple tuna, free-range Costa Rican beef tenderloin served with fried plantains, Casado de Carne, coconut fish, and deserts like homemade caramel flan and banana crepes. Menus are available. www.elremanso.com

Every bride wants a wedding that is really special. A perfect day that she will remember forever, a day that is a little bit different… and you can’t get more different than getting married under water!

An underwater marriage ceremony in Fiji is an experience like nowhere else in the world and new for 2011, the Koro Sun resort in Vanua Levu is offering happy couples the chance to get hitched beneath the waves in what is described as “the soft coral capital of the world.”( www.korosunresort.com.)

For those not wanting to be that different on there wedding day Fiji has 333 beautiful islands to choose from offering fine white sandy beaches, turquoise clear waters and lush tropical scenery, Fiji is the jewel in the South Pacific. Exotic, tropical, romantic.

The best time to visit Fiji is in the dry season, between May to October – making it the perfect location for a summer wedding or honeymoon. Fiji has a warm tropical climate with temperatures at this time ranging from a maximum of 29º to a minimum of 19c – though Fiji is warm all year round.

Whether you want a sunset wedding by the beach or a traditional ceremony in a local village, the Fijian culture, traditions and the spirit of the people will bring a totally unique flavour to a wedding.

So what to expect from a Fijian wedding ceremony?
Many of the ceremonies take place on the beach at sunset. The bride, seated on a thrown made from palm leaves and draped in garlands of tropical flowers, travels to the wedding in a Fijian Bili Bili (bamboo raft). When she arrives – announced by the blowing of conch shells and the beating of Lali drums – bare foot Fijian warriors will literally sweep her off her feet and carry her up the beach to the waiting groom.

After exchanging vows, accompanied by the harmonies of a traditional Fijian choir, the wedding is celebrated with a Kava ceremony – an ancient tradition where a drink called Kava, made from the crushed roots of pepper plants, is drunk from a coconut shell. The bride and groom then float off across the bay in their raft to a candlelit dinner on the beach.
Wonderful wedding and honeymoon resorts.

Fiji is home to a host of uber-romantic island resorts for all budgets. Hotels are small and intimate, many with just a few bungalows or bure’s nestled on perfect beaches only accessible by boat or seaplane. Or you can even choose to stay in a tree house! Among the most popular resorts are:

• Likuliku Lagoon Resort is the ultimate romantic location. A couples’ only resort with Fiji’s only over water bures or bungalows, Likuliku is set on a beautiful turquoise lagoon. This spectacular resort also houses the luxurious Tatadra Spa, nestled against the green slopes of the island with beautiful views out to sea. LikuLIku is in the Mamanuca islands, easily accessible from Nadi International airport.

• Royal Davui Resort: Voted Most Romantic Island Hideaway in the South Pacific, Caribbean and Atlantic by Conde Nast for two years running, Royal Davui is the ideal location for a wedding or honeymoon. An exclusive adults-only 5 * sanctuary on Fiji’s spectacular Beqa Lagoon, 16 exquisitely appointed bures nestle around 10 acres of lush tropical landscape ensuring the ultimate in privacy, personal service and relaxation.

• Matangi Private Island Resort is an intimate hideaway where you can stay in a honeymoon tree house! The resort, set on a unique horseshoe-shaped bay, boasts 240 acres of virgin tropical rainforest, white sand beaches and volcanic rock faces rising from crystal clear water and fringing coral reefs. There are nine beachfront and ocean view bures, and three honeymoon tree houses, all really romantic and private.

• Taveuni Palms, a resort on the Northern Island of Vanua Levu, is a private honeymoon hideaway like nowhere else on earth. Described by Forbes.com as “One of the world’s most luxurious honeymoon destinations”. Each luxury villa at Taveuni Palms sits on its own private acre of absolute beachfront and boasts its own private pool, beach and personal staff of seven – on call to provide you with exquisite food and wine, and indulge you.

• Yasawa Island Resort re-opens in January after a major refurbishment. The essence of understated elegance, each of Yasawa’s 18 bures has a thatched beach hut, a hammock strung between the palms, a pair of shaded outdoor day beds and a discreet open-air shower, all nestled along the pristine beachfront with uninterrupted ocean views.

Barefoot Weddings. There are several resorts in Fiji that offer a more affordable wedding option.
• BeachComber Island Resort offer a special wedding package of $F1300 (around £450) that includes the Minister, venue decoration, wedding licence, wedding bouquet and headdress, single-tiered wedding cake, island choir, photographer and one roll of film, candle-lit champagne dinner for two.
• Anchorage Resort also offers a range of wedding packages from as little as (£279) $F799. A hillside resort with its own secluded palm fringed beach, set amidst lush tropical gardens, Anchorage Beach Resort is a popular destination for Fiji weddings. – many of who decide to wed on top of the hill at “Cupid’s point” with its’ breathtaking views over the mountains and Nadi Bay.

The legal bit
Ceremonies in Fiji are recognised worldwide, and there are no complicated residency laws. You can collect a wedding certificate just 36 hours before the ceremony by showing a minimum of paperwork. The license costs from F$30 and hotel packages range from approximately F$250 – F$3000. There are currently around 3F$ to 1GBP(£).

Many resorts offer the services of a wedding co-ordinator to tailor the day to the couple’s requirements, whether it is a private celebration for two, or a more extended wedding party. Fijians speak excellent English and are known for their warmth and hospitality.

There is also no need for vaccinations for visitors from the UK.

Getting there
Fiji is located in the heart of the South Pacific, 3 hours flying time north from New Zealand, 4 hours from Australia and 10.5 hours from Los Angles.

Affordable flight access to Fiji has never been better. Air New Zealand (www.AirNewZealand.co.uk ) code shares with Air Pacific via Los Angeles or direct via Auckland; Air Pacific (www.airpacific.com ) flies direct to Fiji from Hong Kong, Los Angeles, Australia and New Zealand; Korean Air flies via Seoul. Air Pacific also flies in conjunction with Virgin Atlantic, British Airways, Qantas and Cathay Pacific.

Tour Operators
Turquoise specialises in luxury tailor-made honeymoons and weddings in the South Pacific. They offer ‘Treehouses and Overwater Bures’ honeymoon itinerary – combining Matangi Private Island Resort in northern Fiji with Likuliku Lagoon Resort in the Mamanuca Islands. www.turquoiseholidays.co.uk:  01494 678 400
Other tour operators specialising in Fiji weddings include Kuoni (www.kuoni.co.uk ), Transpacific Holidays (www.transpacificholidays.co.uk)  and Carrier (www.carrier.co.uk)
For further information on Fiji visit www.fijime.com

The city-by-the-sea celebrates a standout programme of arts this May

Brighton and Hove continues to challenge Edinburgh as the UK’s premier festival city, and 2011 could well be the year that the city-by-the-sea finally steals the crown from the Scottish capital.

May is the pinnacle of Brighton’s incredible year-round festival calendar, with the Brighton Festival, Brighton Festival Fringe, Artists Open Houses, and the Great Escape all running concurrently. Delivering over 1,000 performances at venues across the city, events range from dance to art and theatre to comedy.

This year the Brighton Festival, looks set to deliver the UK’s most thought provoking festival programme of 2011 as it welcomes former Nobel Peace Prize winner and Burmese human rights activist Aung San Suu Kyi as Guest Director. The underlying theme of the festival will be liberty and freedom of speech.

“We are extremely honoured to have Aung San Suu Kyi’s inspirational vision guide our proceedings for what promises to be possibly the most memorable Brighton Festival in its history” says John Carmichael, Marketing Manager, VisitBrighton.

“As the UK’s most liberal city, Brighton is the ideal place to showcase a range of art, theatre and debate that celebrates freedom and democracy.”

Running alongside the main curated festival is Brighton Festival Fringe, now the world’s third largest fringe festival. The event brings a heady mix of hundreds of events and performances to the city’s streets and venues including pubs, churches, cafes and former courtrooms. A new addition to this year’s Fringe is the “Hendricks’ Horseless Carriage of Curiosities”, a converted 19th Century rail carriage that will host a range of literary themed events under the guidance of author Damian Barr.

Making up the other half of Brighton’s ‘Fab Four’ festivals in May are Artists Open Houses, the south coast’s biggest free visual arts event with over 1,500 artists displaying their work in over 250 houses, and the Great Escape, the annual ‘curtain-raiser’ to the summer music festival season bringing over 300 bands to over 30 venues across the city.

For more information on Brighton’s festivals go to www.VisitBrighton.com

Highlights of Brighton’s Month of Festivals:
• 45th Brighton Festival, 7 – 29 May 2011, various locations
Expect powerful and engaging works of art, theatre, dance and debate from a range of national and international artists. Highlights include a discussion with Julian Assange entitled ‘Article 19′ on the Freedom of Information, Kutluğ Ataman’s ‘Mesopotamian Dramaturgies’ works and ‘The New World Order’ being performed by Hydrocracker throughout Brighton Town Hall. For more information visit www.brightonfestival.org or go to www.VisitBrighton.com

• Brighton Fringe Festival, 7 – 30 May 2011, various locations
The third largest Fringe Festival in the world has something for everyone with cabaret, comedy, classical concerts, club nights, theatre and exhibitions, as well as lively street performance. For more information visit www.brightonfestivalfringe.org.uk or go to www.VisitBrighton.com

• 30th Artists Open Houses, weekends in May 2011, various locations
2011 marks the 30th anniversary of Artists Open Houses and to celebrate this annual festival of art there will be a retrospective of the work of Ned Hoskins; whose idea to open his home to visitors became a national phenomenon. For more information visit www.aoh.org.uk  or go to www.VisitBrighton.com

• The Great Escape music festival, 12 to 14 May 2011, various locations
This music industry bash has morphed into one of the coolest music festivals of the year.
Over 300 local, national and international bands in 34 different venues over three days. Friendly Fires and Katy B headline this year. For more information visit www.escapegreat.com or go to www.VisitBrighton.com

The antipodean artiste brings the movie magic of the Great Gatsby to his homeland

Sydney is taking centre stage as Baz Luhrmann once again highlights his homeland in the brand new remake of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s classic novel.

Starring Leonardo DiCaprio and captured in 3D, pre-production for the Great Gatsby will begin this month, with filming commencing in August.

Austravel, the leading Australasia tour operator is applauding the decision, which sees Baz Luhrmann once again using the country to provide a stunning film background, following the success of Australia.

The new production joins a host of movies filmed downunder recently, including Red Dog in Western Australia, The Hunter in Tasmania as well as the eagerly anticipated new production of The Hobbit to be filmed in New Zealand.

“The Great Gatsby is poised to bring Sydney firmly into the hub of the ever-increasing trend for ‘set-jetting’,” says Joel Saunders, Managing Director – Flight Led Businesses at TUI.

“Austravel’s customers are frequently inspired by destinations featuring on both the big and small screen and we’ll expect a surge of enquiries to Sydney when it serves as a superb backdrop.”

For anyone inspired to do a bit of ‘set-jetting’ themselves in spectacular Sydney, Austravel offers a seven night package from £1,049 departing on 9 May 2011 including:
• Return flights from London Heathrow to Sydney with Qantas
• Seven nights accommodation at the Travelodge in central Sydney

For flights to Australia or to book this package, visit www.austravel.com  or phone 0800 988 4834.