Jetsettersblog

Italian active travel provider Dolomite Mountains is hosting a pre-Christmas ski trip. The cost is 2,580 euros, with most travel components included. The trip begins in Bolzano and ends at Alta Badia. The trip will take place in the crown jewel of the Alps, Italy’s Dolomite Mountains. Optional visits to local Christmas markets are available.

The eight-day/seven-night package is available for a minimum of four guests. Departures are offered any time from Dec. 2 to 22. This tour combines the Christmas markets of Bolzano and Bressanone (with an option to visit Brunico) along with three days of skiing on guide-led, world-class terrain. Participants will choose from a variety of 16 routes through 12 valleys of the Dolomite chain, with runs for all levels of ability. Because there is no set itinerary, each day guests work with their guides to select the day’s skiing.

The price includes an English-speaking UIAGM/IFMGA mountain ski guide, use of a Dolomiti Superskipass, seven nights’ four-star hotel accommodations in Bolzano and Alta Badia, four dinners, transportation, and local medical and evacuation insurance. Dolomite Mountains specializes in providing adventure travel in Italy. For 15 years it has been crafting Dolomite adventures, helping travelers uncover the region’s true spirit. For more information, see www.dolomitemountains.com.

Hotel Nikko Saigon, a new five-star addition to the Nikko Hotels International group, will open Dec. 18 and is now accepting reservations. The hotel, in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, is the second Nikko Hotels property after Hotel Nikko Hanoi, opened in August 1998.

The hotel is located in a new commercial complex, Royal Centre Project. It has 25 floors with a total of 334 spacious guest rooms.

The location is convenient for business and leisure, a seven-minute drive to the city center and a five-minute drive to Cholon, Ho Chi Minh’s Chinatown.

The hotel is surrounded by large shopping malls and outlets in a lively section of the city. Banquet and meeting facilities range from the grand ballroom that holds 600 guests cocktail reception-style, to a smaller meeting room and six function rooms. In addition, in conjunction with its business center, the hotel offers 14 temporary offices, ideal for people preparing to open businesses in Vietnam. Other facilities include a spacious fitness center, an outdoor pool and one of the city’s largest spas. Restaurants will include La Brasserie (all-day dining with both Western-style and Japanese cuisine); Chinese restaurant Ming Court; and a Japanese restaurant.

A special opening package is currently being offered for stays from Dec. 18 through Jan. 31 in two room categories — Deluxe Rooms (king/twin) for $120 per night plus tax and service, and Deluxe Premium King rooms for $140 per night plus tax and service. The package includes buffet breakfast, Wi-Fi in guest rooms, access to the fitness center and outdoor pool, and parking. In addition, guests will receive a 15 percent discount at La Brasserie restaurant. For more information, call 800-645-5687 or visit www.jalhotels.com

The boutique hotel Amansara is the former guest house of King Sihanouk and is located 10 minutes from the Angkor World Heritage site. Of the 24 suites, 12 have private pools set in landscaped gardens. The hotel offers highly competitive packages for both FIT and group experiences.

Options include all-inclusive food and drink deals and buy-outs, in which management will block remaining rooms if clients do not want to reserve the entire 24-room allocation, thereby ensuring that group events have total privacy and confidentiality to maximize conference objectives. The hotel provides a variety of temple tours and cultural walks as part of the guest experience and these can be incorporated into incentive events. For more information, visit www.amanresorts.com

Vietnam opened two new beachside properties. The Mui Ne Resort is a new four-star resort in Phan Thiet that boasts 58 luxury rooms and penthouses. The resort offers a seaside experience with a beach and ocean views. The hotel also has the only roof-top bar in Phan Thiet with panoramic views of Muine Bay. The resort officially opened in August.

The Cha Pa Garden Boutique Hotel and Spa is situated in a fully refurbished colonial villa right in the centre of the town of Sapa. Currently with only four rooms, it is Sapa’s smallest hotel and is able to offer a personalized service unrivalled in the area. Rooms have modern facilities and are decorated with elegant furnishings with simple lines further adding to the sense of calm and serenity. For more information, visit www.muinebeach.net  or www.chapagarden.com

Barceló Hotels & Resorts’ all-inclusive resorts in Mexico, Costa Rica and the Dominican Republic are offering up to 35 percent off early reservations. Travelers can now book vacations to any all-inclusive resort in Mexico and the Dominican Republic for travel between Nov. 1, 2011, and April 30, 2012, or Costa Rica for travel between Dec. 24, 2011, and April 30, 2012, and receive a percentage off based on how early it’s booked.

The earlier the reservation is made, the greater the value. For reservations made more than 120 days in advance, the offer is 35 percent off; between 90 and 119 days in advance, 30 percent off; between 60 and 89 days in advance, 20 percent off; and between 31 and 59 days in advance, 15 percent off. Participating resorts include Barceló Costa Cancun, Cancun; Barceló Tucancun Beach, Cancun; Barceló Maya Beach & Caribe Riviera Maya; Barceló Maya Tropical & Colonial, Riviera Maya; Barceló Maya Palace Deluxe, Riviera Maya; Barceló Huatulco Beach, Huatulco; Barceló Ixtapa Beach, Ixtapa; Barceló Karmina Palace Deluxe, Manzanillo; Barceló Los Cabos Palace Deluxe Los Cabos; Barceló Puerta Vallarta, Puerto Vallarta; Barceló Langosta Beach, Tamarindo; Barceló Tambor Beach, Puntarenas; Barceló Bávaro Palace Deluxe, Punta Cana; Barceló Bávaro Beach (adults only), Punta Cana; Barceló Punta Cana, Punta Cana; Barceló Dominican Beach, Punta Cana; Barceló Puerto Plata, Puerto Plata; and Barceló Capella Beach, Juan Dolio. The early booking promotion is only valid for U.S. residents and requires no minimum-night stay and cannot be combined with all other offers. Other restrictions may apply. For reservations or more information, visit www.barcelo.com

Danish design is revered for its sleek lines and simplicity and its functionality. The vision that inspired classic Danish design of the 1950s and 1960s is thriving in Denmark today. On Sept. 1, during the Copenhagen Design Week, the Danish non-profit design organization INDEX announced the five winners of its international “design to improve life” competition. The total prize sum of over $700,000 is the world’s largest monetary design award. The five winning designs and the People’s Choice Award design represent work of designers from Chile, India, South Korea, Sweden, Switzerland and the U.S.

The international design week focused on how design can help solve local and global challenges, and plans for the next Copenhagen Design Week are set for 2013. In the early 1950s, the idea of using design to improve people’s lives was an integral part of innovative Danish design. Architects and designers in postwar Denmark were concerned with, for instance, creating affordable quality furniture enabling the average Dane to live better. Today, original Danish Modern furniture and household objects fetch large sums in shops and at auctions.

Finn Juhl would have turned 100 on Jan. 30, 2012. His design legacy is alive throughout the world, but nowhere as much as at Ordrupgaard Museum in Charlottenlund, just outside Copenhagen where his home is preserved just as he left it — filled with furniture of his own design and artwork by the contemporary artists of his day. The home is open to visitors on weekends and holidays year-round. In Ordrupgaard’s shop, you can buy Finn Juhl-designed items such as the Circle Bowl and the Turning Tray. For more information, visit www.ordrupgaard.dk.

At Trapholt museum in the city of Kolding, the “Anniversary Exhibition — Finn Juhl 100 Years” (Jan. 11 through December 2012) will focus on the sculptural qualities of Juhl’s designs and highlight his sources of inspiration. Trapholt has Denmark’s largest collection of 20th century Danish furniture and also offers a visit to the summerhouse of another Danish Modern star, Arne Jacobsen. For more information, visit www.trapholt.dk.

The Finn Juhl Institute is a new organization backed by major players in Danish design. Its English-language website (www.finnjuhl.org) will be ready for 2012. Famous designs by Finn Juhl and the other Danish Modern masters — Arne Jacobsen, Kaare Klint, Mogens Koch, Børge Mogensen, Verner Panton, Jørn Utzon, Hans J. Wegner and many others — can be viewed at the permanent exhibition at Designmuseum Danmark in Copenhagen. The museum also has plans to mark Finn Juhl’s centennial. Finn Juhl’s Pelican chairs can also be seen in the rooms of the female-only Bella Donna floor at the newly opened Bella Sky Comwell Hotel, Scandinavia’s largest hotel. For more information, visit www.bellaskycomwell.dk or www.visitcopenhagen.com/see-and-do/architecture  For general destination information, visit www.visitdenmark.com

The Happo-en resort in Minato-ku, Tokyo has just completed the renovation of four banquet halls that provide first-class MICE opportunities. Titled Nui, Cider, Jasmine and Eternity, the banquet halls’ renovation was not only to renovate the structure of the buildings, but also to unify space, lighting, sound and service so that they can express their Omotenashi spirit in a new and more impressive way.

Happo-en, whose name “Garden of Eight Views,” reflects its beauty viewed from any angle, and features a magnificent garden that has maintained the natural beauty of Edo Japan down through the centuries and bequeathed it to present-day Tokyo.

For more information, visit www.happo-en.com/english

Lindblad Expeditions is enhancing its culinary attributes with a program called Columbia & Snake Rivers Journey: Harvests, History and Landscapes, set to debut in 2012.

A new onboard dining program features a menu dominated by local and sustainable foods in addition to a selection of wines and craft beers that have gained the region international acclaim.

Scheduled to launch next September with the 62-passenger National Geographic Sea Bird and National Geographic Sea Lion, this natural, cultural and culinary seven-day/six-night adventure will unveil a landscape millions of years in the making and a vibrant patchwork that encompasses high art, fine foods, award-winning wines along some of the route Lewis & Clark followed on their Corps of Discovery Expedition.

Highlights will include a trip to The Gorge White House, a 102-year-old working family farm that features breathtaking and panoramic views of both Mt. Hood and Mt. Adams.

Guests will be hosted by the farm’s owners, Jerry and Camille, multigenerational farmers who grow heritage pears, apples, berries and greens using environmentally respectful and innovative techniques.

The visit will culminate with a delicious meal using farm ingredients, and served on the property’s garden patio.

Guests will also tour and taste the fruit of the vines from leading Columbia Gorge wineries. The focus on Pacific Northwest viticulture will continue back onboard, where an array of award-winning regional wines will be served, specially selected by Executive Chef Gary Jenanyan (former executive chef at Robert Mondavi Winery).

The journey will begin by navigating the Columbia to the mouth of the river at Astoria.

At Fort Clatsop, where the explorers hunkered down for the wet winter of 1805-06, guests can walk through the full-scale reconstructed fort. The voyage will also offer plenty of chances to enjoy the region’s trademark natural splendor, adjusting itineraries to allow for even more time to take in the majestic sights of Multnomah Falls, Crown Point and other landmarks.

The package offers options ranging from hiking and kayaking adventures to Zodiac cruises in the Lewis and Clark Wildlife Refuge or Palouse River.

Lindblad Expeditions and the Food Alliance will work together to highlight a variety of the region’s leading providers, including Country Natural Beef, a cooperative of 120 family ranches in 13 Western states;

Tillamook Cheese, made up of 110 dairy farms committed to animal welfare and dating back to 1909; and Draper Valley Farms, the pioneer of Washington- and Oregon-raised fresh chicken since 1935.

The partnership is consistent with both Lindblad’s history and its mission.

Each Lindblad expedition is linked to the health of the ecosystem, designed so that its passengers can enjoy the company’s destinations today and contribute to others’ enjoyment of them for years to come.

And by working with Food Alliance, Lindblad is ensuring a succession of ecological responsibility, supporting those fishermen and farmers who, in turn, help to support some of the most beautiful places on earth.

There will be 10 weekly departures in 2012 from Sept. 14 to Oct. 27.

Rates begin at $3,990 per person based on double occupancy for a Category 1 cabin for September and October 2012 expeditions.

For more information, call 800-EXPEDITION or visit

www.expeditions.com

Key to Costa Rica, an ecotourism company that offers adventurous, enjoyable and educational vacations throughout Costa Rica, is offering a 10 percent discount on fall Costa Rica itineraries departing through Nov. 30, 2011.

For more information, visit www.keytocostarica.com

The Ritz-Carlton, Dallas has launched two packages for 2011, with one focusing on the nearby Dallas Arts District and the other providing savings on a multi-night Club Level stay.

The Discover With You package is priced from $349 per room, per night, and includes a $50 hotel spending credit, American breakfast for two at Fearing’s Restaurant, and two tickets to the Nasher Sculpture Center and to the Dallas Museum of Art.

The Treat You package features a free fourth night in Club Level accommodations from $349 per night. Also included are $50 hotel credit per night, valet parking and daily Internet access.

For more information, call 800-241-3333 or visit www.ritzcarlton.com/dallas