Jetsettersblog

Lufthansa is holding a myChoice mileage promotion for its Miles & More members starting May 1 and running through the end of the year. Miles & More members can boost their mileage accrual with double or triple extra award miles on a favorite route of their choice in Europe. To obtain the additional award miles, members can register their preferred route online at www.miles-and-more.com/mychoice up to 29 April 2011.

On their preferred route, registered passengers in economy will earn double and in business class triple the usual award miles. Each flight qualifies for extra mile credits – i.e. the outbound and return flights each count as a separate route. On a flight from Frankfurt to Paris and back, for example, members in Economy Class will earn 5,000 instead of 2,500 miles and in Business Class 12,000 instead of the usual 4,000 miles. The promotional offer applies to all non-stop flights operated within Europe by Adria Airways, Air Dolomiti, Austrian Airlines, Croatia Airlines, LOT Polish Airlines, Lufthansa, Luxair and Swiss. For more information, visit www.lufthansa.com

JUNEAU, Alaska– Spend three days in Juneau and escape the everyday. A long weekend jetaway is all it takes to enjoy all of the legendary glaciers, wildlife and wilderness experiences that distinguish Alaska. Just a quick 2-hour flight from Seattle on Alaska Airlines transports you to the middle of the 17-million-acre Tongass National Forest and just beneath the 1500-square-mile Juneau Icefield, which creates an environment unparalleled in beauty and adventure. The 38 glaciers of the Juneau Icefield drape themselves over the coastal mountains just behind the city, giving Juneau the most accessible glaciers in the state. Alaska’s capital is also a humpback whale haven with over 700 whales inhabiting the region. Enjoy hiking, biking or ziplining through the forest or kayaking in the quiet inlets along scenic Lynn Canal. And the best part of any trip to Juneau is that everything you want to do and see is close by – no long drives or day-long cruises are needed to find the Alaska you’ve always wanted to experience. For more information on all that Juneau has to offer visit www.traveljuneau.com

Southwest Airlines is celebrating 15 years of service at Orlando International Airport (MCO) with a special anniversary party at the airport. Employees and customers enjoyed food, fun, games, and special giveaways from the airline. Fifteen Southwest employees who worked for the airline when it originally began its operation at MCO in 1996 were recognized for their continued service and loyalty to the airline and to the Orlando community. For more information, visit www.southwest.com

Many avid travelers put South America on their “See Someday” list, but it’s a challenge to find the time and money to get there. It’s important to make the most out of a South American vacation, and Southern Explorations offers unique itineraries that combine South America’s major destinations in one trip, such as a trip that combines Machu Picchu with the wildlife wonderland of the Galapagos Islands. Five of Southern Explorations’ trips combine these two popular attractions in itineraries ranging from 10 to 18 days. Galapagos visitors get a close-up view of the islands’ vast array of indigenous plant and animal species. They may choose from cruise-based tours that offer on and off-shore excursions to observe wildlife or active land-based multi-sport itineraries that include hiking, sea kayaking, snorkeling, mountain biking, and other activities. In the magnificent Peruvian Andes, travelers walk the Inca Trail and explore major archeological sites in the heart of the Inca Empire before reaching its most famous ruins, the hidden city of Machu Picchu. Visitors have the opportunity to shop at the colorful markets of Cusco and Chincheros along the way. “These country combo trips are popular because most people don’t make multiple trips to South America,” said Southern Explorations president, Justin Laycob. “We take travelers off the beaten track for an authentic experience, traveling in small groups with native bi-lingual guides familiar with the destinations. For people with limited vacation time, this Ecuador-Peru adventure to the countries’ best known sights is a unique and cost-effective option.” Southern Explorations arranges scheduled and customized departures. www.southernexplorations.com

Be Captivated By The Stunning Beauty, Exotic Wildlife, and Fascinating Culture Of Both Uganda and Rwanda
KAMPALA, Uganda;–Volcanoes Safaris, the only tour company to have built its own exclusive safari eco-lodges near three of Africa’s gorilla parks, is offering an amazing 8 day journey that takes travelers on a timeless journey to see the great apes of Rwanda and Uganda in their natural habitat. Highlights of this once in a lifetime journey include fascinating cultural encounters, four opportunities to go gorilla tracking, visiting famous Dian Fossey’s grave, tracking the golden monkeys in Mgahinga, climbing the Muhavura or Gahinga Volcanoes, a nature walk in the Bwindi Inpenetrable Forest, community walks, and much more. Guests spend 3 nights in the newly refurbished Virunga Lodge that overlooks the stunning Virunga volcanoes and shimmering Ruhondo and Bulera Lakes, 2 nights in the cozy Mount Gahinga Lodge, and 2 nights at Bwindi Lodge, across from the primeval and enchanting Bwindi Inpenetrable Forest. Visitors will be enchanted by the sights of sleeping volcanoes shrouded in mist, thrilled by their first encounter with a gorilla in the wild, and captivated by the beauty and grace of the local people of these two countries and their fascinating communities. Prices start at $5406. www.volcanoessafaris.com

CELESTUN, Mexico, On a pristine 3-mile sandy beach filled with shells perfect for nature lovers and beachcombers, Hotel Eco Paraiso, is the perfect location for a friends and family summer vacation. Situated on the Northern Gulf of Mexico, in the safe State of Yucatan, the hotel is offering special rates for a variety of inclusive packages. Starting at $425 person sharing in a double for the “3-Day Scape” (2 nights, 3 days), all packages include breakfast, lunch and dinner, 2-way transfers from Merida and many assorted tours, extras and taxes. Packages include: Flamingos in Celestun – $625 per person (3 nights, 4 days); Contact with Nature – $895 per person (4 nights, 5 days); Exploring Yucatan – $960 per person (4 nights, 5 days); Honeymoon in Paradise – $1,090 per person (5 nights, 6 days); and Fascinating Yucatan – $1,150 per person (6 nights, 7 days). The secluded hotel, which features 24 individual cabanas all with private terraces, complete with hammocks, providing expansive views of the Gulf of Mexico, offers unlimited use of kayaks and bicycles. The area is a main feeding ground for the Pink Flamingo and many other sea birds as well as a breeding ground for sea turtles. As well as the Xixim restaurant, which features day-fresh local seafood and Chef Elia Cordova’s ceviche specialties, the hotel includes the bar El Santuario plus a fresh water pool overlooking the Gulf, a health bar featuring delicious juice therapy and a gym. The sandy beach provides plenty of water sports for all ages and the resort offers multiple choices for local tours, many of which are included in the packages, allowing guests to explore the Mayan ruins at Uxmal as well as the archaeological wealth and unique ecosystem of the remote northern Yucatan Peninsula. Hotel Eco Paraiso is best accessed through the international airport in Merida, which has easy flights direct from the U.S. as well as through Mexico City with arranged transfers.

www.ecoparaiso.com

Asia Transpacific Journeys is offering three new tours that transport travelers to a world beyond the ordinary to truly exotic destinations in Asia and the Pacific. On one tour, guests stay in Cambodia at boutique hotels such as La Residence D’Angkor and Four Rivers Eco Lodge, which is comprised of 12 luxury tented villas on the Tatai River, accessible only by boat.

Asia’s Frontiers: Laos, Cambodia and Thailand is a 19-day tour departing Oct. 8. Guided by veteran tour leader and recognized expert on Asian culture Gordon Marsh, travelers will visit unique destinations which have only recently become accessible. They will meet secluded hill tribe villagers who still practice their traditional ways of life that have endured for thousands of years in the farthest reaches of Southeast Asia. Travelers will also immerse themselves in local activities such as a northern-Thai cooking class, learning about the work of mahouts (elephant caretakers) at an elephant conservation park in Laos and later enjoying an elephant ride into the beautiful Laotian countryside.

Papua New Guinea: Kundu Festival is a 15-day trip departing Oct. 25. On this adventurous exploration, including a ride in an Alotau Canoe and a visit to the Kundu Festival in Milne Bay, travelers will attend local festivities where hundreds of tribes assemble for a spirited and colorful celebration and competition of dancing, costumes, and other tribal arts. Travelers will also meet the exotic Huli Wigmen, explore sacred Spirit Houses and cruise the legendary Sepik River to venture further into this mystic country. Cultural interpretations by an expert on local customs, wildlife and conservation, combined with fantastic birding opportunities, tribal art galore and the country’s best eco-lodges round out this superb tour.

India: A Jungle Book Journey, a 17-day trip, departs Dec. 3. On this wildlife-themed tour, where travelers stay at eco-lodges and colonial-era hotels, guests can track the rare Bengal tiger in Bandhavgarh National Park, the setting that inspired Kipling’s “Jungle Book,” and visit the Taj Mahal. The itinerary explores remote areas of Kaziranga and Kahna National Parks on elephant back for a chance to see one-horned rhinos, clouded leopards, sambar deer, wild elephants, boars, jackals, foxes, bison, monkeys and langurs. Clients will visit fortresses and mosques that are part of the UNESCO World Heritage Program, experience cultural performances within sacred temple grounds and see bustling Old Delhi on a rickshaw ride.

Asia Transpacific Journeys in Boulder, Colo., is a leading Asia tour company specializing exclusively in custom journeys and small group trips in the Asia/Pacific region founded in 1987. For more information, call 800-642-2742 or visit www.asiatranspacific.com

Celebrity Cruises has introduced new Asia itineraries for winter 2012-13, its first season in the region. The itineraries will be aboard the Celebrity Millennium, which Celebrity plans to “Solsticize” in April 2012. In Asia, the ship will visit nine countries new to the brand, including Vietnam, Thailand and China. Celebrity’s inaugural Asia season will consist of a series of 14-night, open-jaw cruises between Singapore and Hong Kong. Overnight stays will include Singapore; Bangkok; Ho Chi Minh City and Halong Bay, Vietnam; and Hong Kong. The season also will include two 14-night sailings roundtrip from Singapore with overnight stays in Bali, Indonesia, in January 2013.

Bookending Celebrity Millennium’s core Asia season will be two trans-Pacific voyages. The westbound cruise will coincide with the total solar eclipse in November 2012. Guests will be able to view the eclipse while at sea, when sailing from Fiji to New Zealand. In April 2013, Celebrity Millennium will reposition from Hong Kong to Shanghai on a cruise featuring overnight calls in Hong Kong and Beijing (Tianjin), China. The ship will then continue eastbound across the North Pacific to Alaska and will call at various ports in China, Japan and Russia.

The ships also will offer cruise tours, which combine a cruise with a five-night pre- or post-cruise escorted land package out of Hong Kong. The cruise tours will feature trips to Xian and Beijing to view the Terra Cotta Warriors and the Great Wall of China. All of these packages are escorted by a local tour director and include hotel accommodations, transportation, select activities breakfasts and some additional meals.

While sailing, a variety of shore excursions will be available, including overnight stays in port. Examples of these include a two-night overland experience from Bangkok to Siem Reap to visit Angkor Wat in Cambodia. During cruises that include an overnight stay in port at Halong Bay, an overnight shore excursion includes a visit to the Old Quarter of Hanoi.

Celebrity also recently announced additional expansion in the Eastern Hemisphere. The 2,850-guest Celebrity Solstice will be the newest Celebrity ship to sail a full winter season in Australia/New Zealand in 2012-13. More details will be available on April 8, when bookings for Celebrity’s new 2012-13 Asia itineraries will open for booking. Members of Celebrity’s Captain’s Club loyalty program will be eligible to receive up to $600 savings per stateroom when booking 2012-13 Asia itineraries before July 29, 2011. For more information, call 800-437-3111 or visit www.celebritycruises.com

The five-star Corinthia Hotel Budapest, the only hotel in Hungary to make TripAdvisor’s list of the top 25 hotels in Europe, announced a special offer to mark the launch of the new direct, daily flight on American Airlines from New York City (JFK) to Budapest, starting April 6. The Escape & Enjoy package at Corinthia Hotel Budapest includes accommodations for two people for four nights in a superior room starting at 690 euros ($982 at current conversion rate).

Those who take advantage of the Escape & Enjoy package will have complimentary entrance to the Corinthia Hotel Budapest’s Royal Spa center, which was first opened in 1886. The spa has been beautifully restored to the original splendor of the 19th century, while offering the latest state-of-the-art features of the 21st century, such as a 15-meter swimming pool, several relaxation areas, saunas, steam bath, Jacuzzis, a fitness room, multisensory shower, as well as a variety of therapeutic and massage treatments. The package also offers guests a complementary two-hour long Duna Bella River Cruise along the scenic Danube River, boat transfer from Margaret Island (the popular recreation area in the middle of the Danube) to the City Center, unlimited use of all Budapest Transport Limited public transport, and discounted prices in restaurants, museums, shops, cultural and folklore programs. This package is valid until March 21, 2012, and is 10 percent commissionable for travel agents.

The Corinthia Hotel Budapest, also known by its historic name, the Grand Hotel Royal, is a city landmark. Its neo-classical façade, adorned with statues, columns and cupolas, has graced Budapest’s fashionable thoroughfare, Erzsébet Avenue, for well over a century. It was reopened in 2002, having been faithfully restored to its former glory as Budapest’s leading luxury hotel, featuring a magnificent ballroom and the most extensive conference facilities in the city. For more information, visit www.corinthia.com

Today, Exclusively.In, the members-only private sale site for Indian fashion, jewelry and décor, is launching its new luxury travel section – giving its members discounted rates at some of the hottest hotels and resorts from India to Thailand.

Exclusively.In’s first travel sale “From Palaces to Paradise”, launching this week, offers consumers everything from a stylish royal hospitality experience, to an authentic Indian safari adventure. Exclusively.In has put together four distinctive itineraries that will be sure to satisfy every kind of traveler.

Since its launch in June, Exclusively.In has made a name for itself as an exclusive retailer of high-fashion Indian designers and distinctive saris, clothing and jewelry – bringing India to American consumers with a click of their mouse. Now the site is expanding, offering its members unique and exclusive deals on exotic travel and one-of-a-kind vacation deals.

“We listened to our customer base and the consistent message was an interest in finding a unique way to explore Asia with luxury accommodations but at savvy prices,” said Sunjay Guleria, CEO of Exclusively.In.

The “Palaces to Paradise” travel sale lets you choose from four interesting experiences:
1) A stay at Fateh Garh hotel, a heritage hillside boutique hotel in Udaipur, Rajasthan; 2) A stay at the Singiwana Jungle Lodge located in Kanha National Park, Madya Pradesh, India; 3) A stay at Neeleshwar Hermitage – a holistic beachside resort in Kerala, India; and 4) Villa Michaela, a holiday villa located in Koh Samui, Thailand.

Exclusively.in is the first web destination to bring Indian-infused fashion, jewelry and decor to a global audience, and is now offering luxury travel sales to their customers. The members-only site delivers the best of Indian fashion and travel direct to the door of U.S. consumers, and will soon be launching to more countries. The site recently became the largest online Indian apparel retailer in the U.S., and has been growing in members by 50 percent month-on-month.

To book your unique luxury adventure, sign up at www.Exclusively.In

About Exclusively.In

Exclusively.In offers the best in Indian fashion, jewelry, home decor and travel.