Jetsettersblog

Louis Cruises is offering a new a la carte dining option on the Louis Majesty and Louis Cristal that features Greek fusion cuisine. The new Thalassa restaurants are owned and operated by Christoforos Peskias, a Greek celebrity TV chef and restaurateur.

The menu features traditional Greek and Cypriot dishes with a modern twist. Open for dinner only, the alternative eatery carries a cover charge of $29 per person, per meal. Dishes include yellow split pea puree from the island of Santorini enhanced with caramelized onions, truffle oil and grilled octopus. Other options include a braised lamb shank with an olive oil emulsion and marinated chicken souvlaki marinated with muscat wine, lemon, Greek yogurt and mint sauce.

Louis Cruises can be booked through most major tour operators in the U.S. and Canada that pay commission to travel agents. For more information, call 877-568-4787 or visit www.louiscruises.com

Frontier Airlines announced the launch of new nonstop service between Kansas City International Airport and Houston and Las Vegas, beginning Nov. 1.

“We’re excited to expand our low-fare, nonstop service to include two more destinations from Kansas City — including the only nonstops to Houston’s convenient close-to-downtown Hobby airport,” said Daniel Shurz, vice president of strategy and planning for Frontier. With the two new cities, Frontier will serve 18 destinations nonstop from Kansas City, including Kansas City’s only nonstop service to Mexico.

Shurz added that new data from the Department of Transportation (DOT) lists Frontier Airlines as offering the lowest fares on any nonstop in 14 of the 15 markets it served from Kansas City in the first calendar quarter of 2011 — making it the market’s true low-fare leader.

“Over the last 12 months Frontier has inaugurated three key nonstop routes from Kansas City,” said Mark VanLoh, Kansas City director of aviation. “Today’s announcement of new nonstop flights from KCI to Houston-Hobby and Las Vegas further exemplifies Frontier’s commitment to provide the region with low fares and excellent service.”

As a result of the increase in service, Frontier will be expanding its airport facilities to include a fifth gate in Terminal C at MCI. Frontier and Republic currently have 355 employees, more than any other airline, in the city — including customer service personnel, flight crews, aircraft maintenance technicians and others. Kansas City is home to both crew and maintenance bases for Republic.

Introductory fares begin at $59 each way for the new Kansas City-Houston service and $89 each way for the new Kansas City-Las Vegas service. The fares are available at www.FrontierAirlines.com/introfares through Aug. 29, 2011, for travel Nov. 1, 2011, through Feb. 15, 2012. Depending on the fare type purchased, a $20 fee may be charged each way for the first and second pieces of checked baggage. Fares do not include passenger facility fees of up to $9 each way, the September 11th Security Fee of up to $5 each way, or fees of $3.70 per segment (one takeoff/one landing), and are subject to change without notice.

Members of Frontier’s EarlyReturns frequent flyer program can earn double miles for every qualifying trip they take on the new Houston and Las Vegas routes through Dec. 17, 2011. For details and to register, visit www.FrontierAirlines.com/memberoffers.

Service on the new routes will be provided on 99-seat Embraer 190 aircraft, which feature no middle seats and available Stretch seating with up to five inches of additional legroom on every flight. Frontier Airlines is a wholly owned subsidiary of Republic Airways Holdings, Inc. For more information, visit www.FrontierAirlines.com

Small Luxury Hotels of the World (SLH) is offering a new selection of special deals available at a variety of its properties this autumn. Guests can receive complimentary nights, up to 20 percent savings and added-value benefits with a selection of city breaks, exotic beach getaways and countryside retreats when booking through Nov. 14, for travel between Sept. 1 and Nov. 15, 2011. For more information, call 800-525-4800 or visit www.slh.com

V Integrated Wellness at The Andaman in Thailand is celebrating the opening of its hair salon with a promotion that gives guests a chance to explore the health enterprise’s core offerings. Called the V Experience, the three-day, two-night package includes a holistic lifestyle assessment, 50-minute massage, 50-minute holistic treatment, 60-minute Functional Training lesson and 60-minute Personal Mind Body Yoga session.

After the holistic lifestyle assessment is fully examined, a V Integrated Wellness program advisor will develop a program tailored specifically to that guest. V Integrated Wellness debuted at The Andaman in March with a slew of features that capitalize on the Luxury Collection Resort’s setting. The V Experience starts at RM 2,288 ($760) and includes accommodation at The Andaman, lunch and dinner items off the V Healthy Cuisine menu and breakfast daily at the resort’s main restaurant.

For more information, call 011 60 4 959 1088, email info@vintegratedwellness.com  or visit www.vintegratedwellness.com

The team at the Cliffs of Moher Visitor Experience earned a three-star eco-certification through the Sustainable Tourism Eco-Certification Program (STEP). This thorough, independently audited eco-certification is awarded by Sustainable Travel International to tourism businesses around the world who achieve the necessary standards in all areas of their business.

Katherine Webster, director of the Cliffs of Moher Visitor Experience, said, “We’re proud of the many changes we’ve made, from the sustainable technologies built into the underground visitor center, to the turbo hand dryers in the toilets that use less energy and avoid use of paper hand towels; from the use of local suppliers and contractors, to the increased use of online marketing and communication with the local community. Eco-tourism isn’t just a project — it’s a way of doing business.”

Some waste and energy management initiatives undertaken by the Visitor Center were simple, like the use of see-through trash bags for recycling areas, and the addition of pictorial signs on bins to help non-English speaking visitors. Signs have been added to the site, which encourage staff to turn off appliances and equipment. The company recently took over the café operation and refocused the food offering on more local products and suppliers, which visitors to the Cliffs have been very excited about. The visitor center also undertook an exercise in 2011 to measure its carbon footprint, and has achieved carbon neutrality through reductions in energy efficiency and the purchase of offsets.

The Cliffs of Moher have collaborated with STI since 2009, including a project with an STI-sponsored research student based at Sligo Institute of Technology, who worked alongside the Cliffs of Moher Green Team to develop and implement the required policies and procedures. The Cliffs of Moher is one of the first Irish tourism businesses to achieve STEP eco-certification. This achievement comes on the heels of being awarded the 2010 Green Award for the Entertainment & Leisure industry.

The Cliffs of Moher is also a member of the Burren Ecotourism Network, a group of tourism businesses committed to the principles and actions of ecotourism in the North Clare area. This group has been working together to promote the area as a premier ecotourism destination.

For more information, visit www.burrenecotourism.com  www.sustainabletravelinternational.org  or www.responsibletravelreport.com

Eastwolf Heliski, an Austrian company, is offering exclusive heliskiing trips to the Caucasian mountains of Gudauri, Georgia. Eastwolf Heliski is the first company in the Caucasian area which caters to small groups and provides Austrian safety and quality standards. The pilots, technicians, guides are from Austria and use the powerful and modern Eurocopter. This package provides extraordinary premises for powder runs and exclusive skiing experiences within small groups.

The Helibase is situated in the skiing resort Gudauri (6,560 feet above sea level). The region provides mountain tops of more than 16,400 feet above sea level. The company offers packages for a week or upon request also three-day packages. For more information, call 011 43 660 76 411 76, email wolfgang.gratzel@eastwolf.at  or visit www.eastwolf.at

The Stafford London by Kempinski is offering a new event series, “Pub Talk.”

This series of interactive lectures, starts Aug. 23 and will offer the chance to rub shoulders with leading experts in an array of fields.

Participating in “Pub Talk” is an exclusive opportunity for guests and London locals to get free, intimate access to experts in almost every kind of field, from food to fashion to photography. It’s a chance to try something new or indulge a passion while learning from the best and most highly admired in the field.

The events are complimentary and open to the public; they begin Aug. 23 and continue through October.

For more information, visit www.kempinski.com/london

This Oct. 7, BT, the platinum selling artist, producer, film composer, technologist and 53rd Grammy Awards nominee for Best Dance/Electronic Album, will join forces with fellow Grammy nominee and U.S. Billboard No. 8 Dance/Electronic artist, Poet Name Life, for a performance under the stars surrounded by the ocean at Huvafen Fushi in the Maldives.

Huvafen Fushi, located in the North Male Atoll, is a private island setting featuring 44 naturally modern bungalows and pavilions, and is home to the world’s first underwater spa.

Managing company Per Aquum Retreat, Resort and Residences is dedicated to the sustainable development and resources of the Maldives.

For more information, call 011 960 6644 222; email reservations@huvafenfushi.com  or visit www.huvafenfushi.com

Stray Boots has launched “LA: The Game” interactive city tours that participants can access and play via their cell phones.

Conducted through text messages, the three preliminary, self-paced walking tours cover Hollywood (www.hollywood.com ), Venice Beach (www.venicebeach.com ) and Beverly Hills (www.lovebeverlyhills.com ) at a fraction of the cost of traditional walking tours, according to the company.

The tours provide information on well-established attractions and sights, as well as off-the-beaten-path locales.

Participants discover them through the game clues and facts given at the completion of each challenge.

Participants register for a tour by visiting www.lathegame.com and purchasing a ticket for an introductory fee of $12.

Once payment is confirmed, a message is sent to the user’s email address with an activation code and the tour’s start location.

Following text-message prompts, participants are guided with riddles, puzzles, photo ops and trivia questions to points of interest along the tour’s route.

Each user’s response in the journey earns points, making it possible to compete between groups of friends, family members or pre-assigned teams.

Each tour takes approximately two to three hours, and once activated, participants have one month to finish the tour.

For more information, call 877-787-2929 or visit www.lathegame.com  or www.strayboots.com

Merlin Entertainments Group, which purchased Sydney Attractions Group late last year, will open a Madame Tussauds franchise at Sydney’s Darling Harbour in May 2012. Madame Tussauds Sydney will feature a range of Aussie celebrities immortalized in wax, including Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman. The $14 million project will be the fifth Asia Pacific Madame Tussauds, and the 13th worldwide.

For more information, visit www.madametussauds.com