Jetsettersblog

Variety Cruises will begin operating its 36-cabin mega-yacht Variety Voyager early next year with two new Mediterranean itineraries.

The ship will operate the “Romantic Rivieras” itinerary along the French and Italian rivieras from June to September and the “Treasures of South Italy and Malta” from September to October.

Each seven-night cruise is priced from $2,990 per person.

“Romantic Rivieras” sails from Nice, France, to St. Tropez, Corsica, Elba, Portovenere, Portofino and Monte Carlo.

The “Treasures of South Italy and Malta” sails from Salerno, Italy, and visits Taormina, Syracuse, Agrigento, Cefalu, Capri, Malta and Lipari.

The 223-foot Variety Voyager accommodates 72 passengers and has a 28-member crew.

The cruise fare includes accommodations in double or twin cabins with private bathrooms and air conditioning; American buffet breakfast and two main meals daily; use of fishing equipment; coffee, water or tea; and an English-speaking cruise escort. Port charges are an additional $350 per person.

For more information, call 800-319-7776 or visit www.varietycruises.com

Shangri-La Asia Limited signed an agreement with Huayuan Real Estate Beijing, one of China’s major real estate companies, to open a new hotel in Changsha, capital of Hunan Province in south-central China, located on the lower reaches of Xiang River, a branch of the Yangtze River.

The 460-room luxury hotel, operated by Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts, is scheduled to open in 2015. Shangri-La Hotel, Changsha will be part of the Central, a mixed-use development that includes an office tower, a large shopping mall, an exhibition center and seven residential buildings. The hotel will be located in Tianxin District and within walking distance of Furong and Wuyi Roads, the city’s main financial and commercial streets, adjoining the main dining and entertainment area in Pozi and Jiefang Road. It will be 30 minutes from the airport and 15 minutes from the Changsha high-speed train station.

Shangri-La Hotel, Changsha will occupy the top 20 floors of the city’s iconic 268-meter-high building, overlooking the Juzizhou islet in the middle of the Xiang River, Yuelu Mountain and the city. The lower floors of the building will house offices and the hotel’s food and beverage outlets and meeting facilities. T hotel’s 430 guestrooms will be an average size of 45 square meters and include 90 Horizon Club rooms, with the club lounge set on the top floor. There will be 29 Bay Suites ranging in size between 135 and 225 square meters, and one Bay Presidential Suite spanning over 300 square meters.

The hotel will feature a variety of dining and entertainment options including an all-day dining restaurant, a Chinese restaurant with 15 private dining rooms, a rooftop specialty restaurant, a tea lounge, a bar and a lobby lounge. Recreational facilities including an indoor swimming pool, spa and health club will be available. The meeting and banqueting facilities will include a 2,000-square-meter grand ballroom, a 500-square-meter junior ballroom and 10 function rooms. A Government VIP Room and Bridal Room will also be available. For more information, visit www.shangri-la.com

Greatdays Travel is offering a program featuring a nearly forgotten series of games modeled on the original Olympics. In June 1612, Robert Dover opened what he called the “Cotswold Olimpicks” in the market town of Chipping Campden. Honoring the ancient Games of Greece, the sports included singlestick, wrestling, jumping in sacks, dancing and shin kicking.

The tradition continues to this day and to celebrate this landmark event, Paull Tickner and Associates/Greatdays put together a 400th anniversary tour for all those who are unable to visit the UK in July/August. The net prices are £1,449 per person for groups of 15, and £1,349 per person for groups of 20. The price includes seven nights bed and breakfast; one welcome reception and dinner (first night); one pub lunch; six days coach hire; seven days guide/tour manager; return airport transfers; guided walking tours of Oxford and Bath; and entrances to Waterperry Gardens, Blenheim Palace, Stonehenge, Iford Manor, Avebury, Bath Abbey, Roman Baths, Abbey House Garden, Sudeley Castle, Shakespeare Houses and Coughton Court. For more information, email pjtickner@yahoo.co.uk  or visit www.greatdays.co.uk.

The Hotel Punta Tragara, a five-star cliff-side property on the Isle of Capri from the Manfredi Fine Hotel Collection, has joined Small Luxury Hotels of the World for the remainder of 2011 and 2012. Membership in the collection, which counts more than 520 luxury addresses in at least 78 countries, grants Hotel Punta Tragara status among the top independently operated hotels and plugs the recently redesigned property into the Small Luxury Hotels of the World marketing and sales system.

The hotel, which was designed by the French-Swiss architect Le Corbusier and overlooks the Faraglioni sea stacks, is one of only two Small Luxury Hotels of the World on the Isle of Capri. The 44-room seaside retreat is owned by three generations of Italian counts and is currently overseen by brothers Leonardo and Goffredo Ceglia Manfredi.

A grand Mediterranean villa, the property features a salmon-hued terracotta exterior weaved with rich marble interiors. Enjoy relaxed-yet-sophisticated dining at Monzù Restaurant or dip into one of the hotel’s two onsite seawater swimming pools, followed with a cocktail from La Pergola Pool Bar during sunset. Signature Thalassotherapy treatments using advanced sea salt and algae products are offered at UNICA Beauty & Spa. For more information, call 011-081-837-0844 or visit www.manfrediproperties.it

Connoisseurs Scotland’s Turnberry Resort. a 5 Red Star resort, normally closed during the holiday season, is opening its doors to offer guests an eight-night “Festive Experience” featuring a full program of activities from Christmas Eve to New Year’s Day, and accommodation in one of the hotel’s 150 stylish guest rooms.

Those preferring a more private affair can choose a seven-night self-catered holiday in one of the eight fully-equipped Lands of Turnberry Apartments. Guests choosing either package can relax with ESPA spa treatments, participate in adventurous outdoor activities such as off-roading and clay pigeon shooting, dine in the 1906 restaurant or simply take in the stunning views of Ailsa Craig and the snow-capped mountains of Arran afforded by Turnberry’s location overlooking the Ayrshire Coast.

The eight-night “Festive Celebration” kicks off with a night of Christmas Eve activities, including carols and mulled wine around the grand piano, a three-course dinner in 1906 and an optional midnight service with mince pies and hot chocolate upon your return. Guests awake to personalized stockings and a Scottish breakfast on Christmas morning, followed later in the day by a champagne reception, Christmas lunch, showing of the Queen’s Speech and an evening buffet and quiet drinks.

Boxing Day features a drinks reception followed by a gala dinner with at-table entertainment, a live band and dancing. The centerpiece of the holiday is Hogmanay, where a champagne reception precedes a black-tie celebration featuring a lavish five-course meal, dancing, live ceilidh music and traditional Scottish activities. Children can participate in a Young Explorers’ Club with face painting, games, and arts and crafts; Hogmanay Party with music, dancing, food, drinks and games; and a sleepover service until 3 a.m. on New Year’s Eve. Pricing is £2,615 ($4,089) per classic room, double occupancy, for an eight-night stay between Dec. 24 and Jan. 1 and includes a full program of meals and entertainment.

Lands of Turnberry offers a range of two- to six-bedroom self-catering apartments that offer the privacy of home with the benefit of having luxury resort amenities within walking distance. Each of the eight apartments has spacious bedrooms with en-suite bathrooms, fully-equipped kitchen and dining area, large living room with fireplace, TV with Freeview and DVD, Wi-Fi and washing machines. Visitors have VIP access to Turnberry’s collection of championship golf courses and unlimited use of the spa facilities, which include swimming pool, sauna, steam room and relaxation lounges.

Aside from the amenities offered by the hotel year round, guests staying in the private apartments during the holiday season will also have the option of participating in any of the hotel’s celebrations, such as the gala events on Boxing Day or the black-tie dinner on Hogmanay, on an a la carte basis. Pricing for a seven-night stay starts at £995 ($1,556) for a two-bedroom apartment, based on up to six occupants, and includes full Scottish breakfast daily. Additional bedrooms can be added to the apartment for a rate of £385 ($602) per bedroom for the seven-night stay. For more information, visit www.luxuryscotland.co.uk

Ashford Castle, a historic five-star castle hotel in Ireland, welcomes guests this Thanksgiving with a special two-night program, and a third night on the house. Ireland’s Shannon airport is a five-hour flight from New York, making Ashford Castle an easy escape for Thanksgiving weekend.

The Thanksgiving program is available the nights of Nov. 22, 23 and 24, and includes two nights’ accommodation in a Corrib room; full Irish breakfast for two each morning; Table d’Hote dinner for two in the George V dining room one evening; traditional Thanksgiving dinner on Nov. 24; and a complimentary third night, with breakfast for two included. Based on double occupancy, the package is priced at $1,110 per room, and upgrades are available at an additional cost. For more information, visit www.ashford.ie

A new imaging method has revealed an as-yet-unknown portrait underneath the layers of Goya’s masterpiece, “Portrait of Don Ramón Satué,” which is the only painting by the Spanish artist in the Netherlands. The hidden portrait, which can almost certainly be attributed to Goya, was revealed by means of a new imaging method developed by the University of Antwerp and Delft University of Technology, called scanning macro X-ray — fluorescence spectrometry.

The scans clearly show how Goya (1746-1828) painted his portrait of the Spanish judge, Ramón Satué, over a more formalized portrait of a man. The honors and distinctions embellishing his uniform tell us this man had reached the highest ranks of an order of knights, established by the then-king of Spain and brother of Napoleon, Joseph Bonaparte. Accordingly, the hidden portrait dates back to between 1809 and 1813.

Goya’s portrait of Satué was signed and dated in 1823. Although the face of the portrait’s subject is unrecognizable, the painting most likely depicts a French general who accompanied Joseph to Madrid. Another distinct possibility is that the portrait depicts Joseph Bonaparte. Goya’s portrait of Ramón Satué will be on display at Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen in Rotterdam, The Netherlands until the opening of the main building of the Rijksmuseum in 2013. For more information, visit www.rijksmuseum.nl  or www.holland.com

Island Routes Caribbean Adventure Tours was appointed the exclusive tour provider for www.HoneymoonWishes.com, a honeymoon bridal registry. “Offering only the best-of-the-best experiences and proactive, knowledgeable customer service are both our priorities,” said David Shields, general manager of Island Routes.

“Island Routes’ hand-picked and certified excursions in our five island destinations are created for every personality type and will fulfill the dream adventure for honeymooners or wedding parties seeking a romantic experience, rugged excursion, or those looking for a taste of the culture of each unique destination.”

“We are the only honeymoon registry where wedding and honeymoon couples will be able to receive any of the Island Routes Tours adventures as a wedding gift,” said Kristin Stark, president of Honeymoonwishes.com.

“With adventure travel growing and more and more couples wanting to get out and experience the destination, we are thrilled to be able to offer our couples the best tour choices and service in the Caribbean to fulfill all their honeymoon wishes.”

Under the new partnership, registrants at HoneymoonWishes.com will have a choice of more than 200 Island Routes Caribbean Adventure Tours excursions in five destinations — Jamaica; Saint Lucia; Antigua; Great Exuma, Bahamas; and Providenciales, Turks & Caicos. From helicopter rides and ziplines, to whale watching and catamaran sails, more than one tour is sure to make an appearance on each and every personalized registry.

Our Honeymoon Wishes is a San Diego, Calif.-based company specializing in online gift registries established in 2003 now operating www.HoneymoonWishes.com, www.CelebrationWishes.com and www.AnniversaryWishes.com as well as 108,000 affiliate sites.

For more information, call 877-699-5884. Island Routes Caribbean Adventure Tours offers Caribbean destination experiences in Jamaica; St. Lucia; Antigua; Great Exuma, The Bahamas; and the Turks & Caicos Islands. For more information, call 877-768-8370 or visit www.islandroutestours.com

Grenada’s La Source resort is commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Bianca C sinking — during which 750 cruise ship passengers were rescued and housed by the local people of Grenada – with daily dives to the site throughout the week of Oct. 22, 2011. The ship sank in Grenadine waters on Oct. 22, 1961. The local community housed the ship’s passengers as there were no hotels or resort developments on the island at that time.

The site has since drawn dive enthusiasts from around the world. LaSource’s dive partners will offer daily dives as well as exclusive snorkeling excursions.

LaSource also offers holistic activities, including tai chi, pilates and yoga. One 50-minute spa treatment is included each day, excluding arrival and departure days.

For more information, call 888-527-0044 or visit www.theamazingholiday.com.

JetBlue Airways will start San Juan Luis Munoz Marin International Airport’s (SJU) twice daily service to St. Thomas (STT) and daily service to St. Croix (STX) International Airports — the airline’s 69th and 70th destinations — Dec. 12, three days earlier than originally scheduled.

JetBlue’s inaugural service between Boston’s Logan International Airport (BOS) and St. Thomas will operate for the winter season with five weekly departures beginning Dec. 15, 2011, and will operate nonstop on the southbound flight and direct via San Juan on the northbound flight to Boston.

To further celebrate the launch of the airline’s new service to the U.S. Virgin Islands, customers booking travel through Sept. 30, 2011, to St. Thomas or St. Croix from Boston, San Juan or via connecting service from New York’s John F. Kennedy (JFK) can also receive $50 off any JetBlue Getaways vacation package by using promotion code USVI50 at checkout.

Travel must take place Dec. 12, 2011, through Feb. 15.

For more information, visit www.jetblue.com