Jetsettersblog

Fort Smith, Ark. – This week’s National Park Getaway takes you to Fort Smith National Historic Site, a bastion of law and order.

Fort Smith tells the stories of the 19th-century West: the federal court system, crime and punishment, U.S. Marshals and the settlement of Indian Territory. Visitors can tour the remains of two frontier forts and the federal court for the Western District of Arkansas.

Fort Smith celebrates its 50th anniversary as a national historic site. FTo plan your visit, check out the article at www.nps.gov/getaways  From the same website, you can access 117 previous articles in the Getaway series.

www.nps.gov

Lima, Peru -: As the gastronomy industry booms in Peru, Aqua Expeditions is excited to announce the launch of a gourmet Peruvian cookbook designed by the company’s executive chef Pedro Miguel Schiaffino.

Chef Schiaffino’s interest in food began at the young age of thirteen, while helping his father on their family farm.

He eventually opened his own Peruvian style restaurant, which prompted CEO of Aqua Expeditions, Francesco Galli Zugaro, to seek his help with the cuisine aboard the M/V Aqua and the M/V Aria.

Because Chef Schiaffino’s cuisine is so heavily influenced by Amazonian produce, it was a natural fit for Aqua Expeditions, whose vessels traverse remote areas of the Amazon River. Schiaffinio prepares most of his dishes using only the freshest local ingredients instilling five-star quality and taste.

The cookbook, From the Kitchens of Aqua Expeditions, offers exclusive interviews with Chef Schiaffino, himself, along with additional famous chefs, restaurateurs, and others who have been on board the first vessel, the M/V Aqua.

“I am very impressed by Pedro Miguel Schiaffino… I’m about double his age, and I can tell that he will change how Peruvian cuisine is perceived throughout the world,” says highly influential chef and restaurateur, Nobu Matsuhisa.

The cookbook includes a plethora of Chef Schiaffino’s Amazonian and Peruvian recipes, from cocktails and starters to main dishes and desserts.

Chef Schiaffino uses flavors from the jungle to perfect each dish that he creates. His main ingredients include sofrito, turmeric and sachaculantro, along with garlic and onions.

The cookbook will be available for purchase aboard the boats as well as www.thetravellerscollection.com.

For more information on Aqua Expeditions, visit www.aquaexpeditions.com.

ABOUT AQUA EXPEDITIONS:

The brainchild of Francesco Galli Zugaro, Aqua Expeditions is entirely unique to the Peruvian Amazon. Trips cater to discriminating, adventurous travelers and explore the more remote and pristine areas of the Pacaya-Samiria Reserve in the upper Amazon River and its tributaries. M/V Aqua, the flagship vessel, is 140 feet long with 12 spacious and luxurious guest suites. All of the suites are 230 to 240 square feet with large outward-facing picture windows and en-suite sitting areas. Launched in spring 2011, Aqua Expeditions’ newest vessel, the M/V Aria, features 16 suites with floor-to-ceiling windows, Jacuzzi, a gym, sundeck, and the same Pedro Miguel Schiaffino-designed menus.

For more information on Aqua Expeditions, visit www..aquaexpeditions.com

Golf manufacturing titans Callaway, Taylor Made and Titleist all have facilities in Carlsbad, making it the epicenter of the US golf industry.

The Crossings at Carlsbad
Designed by Greg Nash and managed by Kemper Sports, The Crossings is situated on 400 acres of undisturbed land and features two distinct nines. The front nine offers ocean views and the back nine a more canyon-style course. The course opened on August 11, 2007 and is one of the most complete high-end golf facilities in Southern California.

The city’s municipal course features a state-of-the-art practice area and a driving range with advanced synthetic turf technology.

The hitting stations are situated in one continuous line on the turf instead of the usual individual mats

. The golf carts have been fitted with Global Positioning System devices that will not only advise players on how to shoot each hole, but will also help them order lunch.

Hyatt Aviara Golf Club

Honored in 2008 as Condé Nast Traveler’s number one golf resort in Southern California, Four Seasons Resort Aviara Golf Club offers superb golf facilities.

The Arnold Palmer designed course is sculpted around natural topography, with water hazards positioned as visual extensions of the lagoon.

The club includes a 32,000-square-foot (3,000-square-metre), two- storey Spanish colonial clubhouse with a complete golf shop.

La Costa Resort and Spa, A Legend Among Carlsbad Golf Resorts

When you walk the fairways at La Costa Resort and Spa in Carlsbad, CA you are following the same paths that the legends of the game have travelled for more than 30 years.

The two PGA Championship 18-hole golf courses are both beautiful and traditional in design, providing a formidable challenge to a golfers’ shot making ability, both off the tee, and around the greens. Plus four sets of tees provide a golf course length for all players to enjoy.

But to truly appreciate these legendary golf courses, you have to tee it up and experience them firsthand. Then and only then will you understand why La Costa is beloved as a golf resort with a rich history.

La Costa Resort and Spa also provides exceptional golf instruction, including the La Costa Golf Academy and Golf Flexibility classes with Roger Fredericks.

Rancho Carslbad Golf Course

Rancho Carlsbad is a challenging full service golf facility offering an 18-hole executive golf course, state-of-the-art driving range and a short game practice area for chipping and putting. .Rancho Carlsbad offers PGA custom club fitting, private and group instruction and San Diego’s best junior golf program! Rancho Carlsbad is the perfect golf facility for golfers of all ability levels! Rancho Carlsbad strives to provide a first class golfing experience and to promote enjoyment playing and learning the game of golf.

Norwegian Cruise Line announced a partnership with GroundLink, an online private car service, to provide an exclusive transportation service to and from its cruise ships.

Through the pact, cruise guests can book airport-to-pier, pier-to-home and home-to-pier transfers online as part of the cruise booking process.

Services can be booked up to an hour before departure, and GroundLink’s fleet of town cars, SUVs and stretch limousines is available for private transfers at Norwegian Cruise Line embarkation in global ports including Miami, New York, Barcelona and Venice.

For those flying into port cities, GroundLink will track flight and itinerary of guests flying into embarkation ports to make any necessary adjustments.

Upon booking, guests will receive a confirmation email and will be updated throughout the pick-up process, with either a message that the driver is in route or a text containing the vehicle information.

GroundLink transfers can be booked at www.ncl.com (click on “Get Ready for Your Cruise — Getting to the Pier”),

Quark Expeditions will offer six new itineraries and two new activities — snowshoeing and photography courses — among its 2012-13 Antarctica itineraries. The itineraries are highlighted by an in-depth exploration of the South Georgia archipelago, the “Galapagos of the poles,” which features more than 30 types of breeding birds, including four penguin species.

Itineraries range from an eight-day “Fly the Drake” voyage priced at $7,995, to a 16-day “Explore South Georgia: The Ultimate Wildlife Expedition” priced at $10,295. Travelers who book by Nov. 30, 2011, will receive a 15 percent early booking incentive. For more information, call 888-892-0171 or visit www.quarkexpeditions.com.

Disney Cruise Line (DCL) said that, based on the response to its first scheduled Hawaiian sailing in 2012, it is adding a second Hawaii cruise to its schedule next year.

The addition of a second Hawaiian voyage complements a series of DCL itineraries departing from the West Coast, including cruises to the Mexican Riviera, Pacific Coast and Alaska. Most of those West Coast sailings originate from the Port of Los Angeles or the Port of Seattle.

“We listen to our guests, and shortly after we announced our first Hawaiian voyage it was clear our guests wanted more options to visit Hawaii,” said DCL President Karl Holz.

“This second sailing to Hawaii is part of a wide variety of Disney Cruise Line vacation options for families in 2012 including new itineraries, regional homeports and the debut of our newest ship, the Disney Fantasy.”

For the first time, Disney Cruise Line will offer two special voyages to Hawaii from Los Angeles, calling on Kahului, Maui; Nawiliwili, Kauai; Honolulu, Oahu; and Hilo plus Ensenada, Mexico. The 15-night Hawaiian itinerary, which includes nine days at sea, departs April 29, 2012.

The newly-added 14-night Hawaiian itinerary, featuring eight days at sea, departs Oct. 14, 2012.

Rates for the Hawaiian cruises start at $1,800 per person double for a standard inside stateroom.

The Disney Wonder also is scheduled to sail seven-night Mexican Riviera cruises from the Port of Los Angeles for most of year – throughout winter, spring and fall. Rates for the seven-night Mexican Riviera itinerary departing from Los Angeles start at $707 per person double for a standard inside stateroom.

The Disney Wonder also will sail four seven-night Pacific Coast cruises from Los Angeles (on Sept. 16, Sept. 23, Sept. 30 and Oct. 7), calling on San Francisco, San Diego and Ensenada, Mexico.

Rates for the seven-night Pacific Coast itinerary departing from Los Angeles start at $770 per person double for a standard inside stateroom.

Beginning May 28, 2012, the Disney Wonder will sail 14 seven-night cruises from the Port of Seattle to Alaska, including stops at Tracy Arm, Skagway, Juneau and Ketchikan, Alaska, and Victoria, British Columbia. DCL works closely with Alaskan tour operators to create exclusive-to-Disney port adventures that allow guests to best experience Alaska’s natural beauty and rich history.

Rates for the seven-night Alaska cruise itinerary, departing from Seattle, start at $917 per person double for a standard inside stateroom, based on double occupancy. Sailings depart May 28, June 4, 11, 18, 25, July 2, 9, 16, 23, 30, Aug. 6, 13, 20, 27.

Beginning Sept. 22, 2012, the Disney Magic will sail 12 seven-night cruises from the Port of Galveston to the Western Caribbean, calling on Grand Cayman and Mexico’s Costa Maya and Cozumel. Guests spend three days at sea and three days in port.

Rates for the seven-night Western Caribbean cruise itinerary departing from Galveston start at $840 per person double for a standard inside stateroom. Sailings depart Sept. 22, 29, Oct. 6, 13, 20, 27, Nov. 3, 10, 17, 24, Dec. 1, 8.

Beginning May 25, 2012, the Disney Magic will sail a total of 20 cruises from New York – including eight-night cruises to the Bahamas and five-night cruises up the New England coast to Canada plus two-night cruises that will give a sampling of the DCL experience over a weekend: Eight eight-night Bahamas cruises will include a day at Disney’s private island, Castaway Cay; Nassau, Bahamas; and Port Canaveral, Fla., with an opportunity to visit the nearby Walt Disney World Resort.

Nine five-night cruises up the New England coast will call at Halifax, Nova Scotia, and Saint John, New Brunswick.

Three two-night cruises (June 15, July 13 and Aug. 10) are designed for a quick weekend getaway.

Finally, Disney Fantasy will depart on her maiden voyage March 31, 2012, and will sail out of Port Canaveral on seven-night Caribbean itineraries, with a stop at Disney’s private island, Castaway Cay. The Disney Dream will sail three-, four- and five-night cruises from Port Canaveral to the Bahamas and Disney’s private island, Castaway Cay.

United Vacations is giving travel agents access to an exclusive fare sale on United Airlines and Continental Airlines flights with a new fall sales promotion for Mexico and Caribbean vacation packages from Chicago, Denver, Houston, Los Angeles, Newark, San Francisco and Washington, D.C. to specific destinations, including Acapulco, Bermuda, Bonaire, Cancun, Cozumel, Curaçao, Huatulco, Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo, Los Cabos, Manzanillo, Mazatlán, Mérida, Nassau, Puerto Vallarta, St. Maarten, and the Turks & Caicos.

Clients earn up to 2,000 MileagePlus or OnePass bonus miles, as well as credited flight miles with the package.

United Vacations is the official vacation brand of United Airlines and offers customizable vacations via United and its worldwide partners. United Vacations provides the convenience of booking flight and hotel together with the lowest available airfares, and offers a best price guarantee, discounted hotel rates, bonus miles for travelers through the United Airlines Mileage Plus frequent flyer program and special offers to over 250 leisure destinations.

Travelers can choose from a variety of add-ons such as car rentals, sightseeing excursions and other activities, in addition to creating specialty vacations such as luxury vacations, destination weddings and honeymoons, ski vacations, and group travel programs. United Vacations is managed, operated and marketed by MLT Vacations, one of the largest providers of vacations in the United States.

For information, call 888-854-3899 or 800-727-1111 or visit www.unitedvacations.com  or www.worldagentdirect.com

Down Under Answers introduced a new series of packages called Southern Splendor utilizing Qantas Airways’ recently launched nonstop flight from Dallas/Forth Worth to Brisbane.

“The new route to Brisbane has essentially made it easier to access the southern states of Australia from the U.S.,” said Kirk Demeter, president and CEO of Down Under Answers. “Before the Dallas to Brisbane route was introduced, travelers from the Midwest and eastern U.S. would have to first fly to Los Angeles before boarding their onward flight to Australia.

Now, travelers have a convenient international gateway from the U.S. that offers additional seating capacity to Australia to connect with flights to regional Australia.”

The DUA Southern Splendor vacation packages include such getaways as a 12-night air and land inclusive vacation from $2,599 per person. According to Demeter, “The Southern States of Australia are the most lush and scenic part of the country, and offer the greatest value and experiences for travelers. Packages like these with options for travel through much of the peak season are not often seen.” Prices are subject to currency fluctuations and seasonal surcharges.

Down Under Answers, established in 1992, provides vacation packages to Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, Tahiti and the Cook Islands. The Bellevue, Wash.-based tour operator offers a variety of travel package options ranging from escorted tours to self-drive vacations, adventure travel, island escapes, groups and special interest travel, as well as customized independent arrangements. For more information, call 800-889-1464 or visit www.duatravel.com/south

Best Western, building on what it calls the success of its three new product descriptors — Best Western, Best Western Plus and Best Western Premier — in North America, is introducing its Best Western Plus hotel type internationally.

The company now has 41 Best Western Plus properties open outside of North America, with more than 60 additional Best Western Plus hotels expected to be open internationally by the end of 2011.

The largest concentration of Best Western Plus properties are currently in Europe, with 28 currently welcoming guests.

There are also eight Best Western Plus hotels in Australia and at least one Best Western Plus hotel open in Asia, South America and Africa.

Best Western Plus hotels were initially introduced in North America in February, 2011 as part of the brand’s descriptors program, which classifies Best Western’s more than 2,200 North American properties into one of three types based on the hotels’ product experience: Best Western, Best Western Plus and Best Western Premier.

The adoption of descriptors has been the biggest change in Best Western’s 65-year history and helps provide travelers a better understanding of what is offered at each individually owned and operated Best Western hotel so they can choose the right hotel for every type of trip.

Best Western Plus hotels are upper midscale properties that offer a superior accommodation experience, offering enhanced additional services and amenities. Travel agents and guests can learn more about each descriptor through virtual tours, extensive photos and enhanced search functionality at www.bestwestern.com/hotel-types.

Stray Boots Tours launched Portland: The Game series of tours. The game uses mobile technology to immerse players in informative self-guided, interactive tours. The tours are structured like a scavenger hunt with sights, history and insider knowledge.

The game is played by text message using virtually any U.S. mobile phone.

Players are guided with text messages that include riddles, puzzles, photo ops and trivia questions as they tour the points of interest along the route.

Each response earns points, making it possible to compete between groups of friends, family members, or pre-assigned teams.

And since Portland: The Game is a completely self-guided experience, players can start when they want and set their own pace as they go.

Each tour takes about two to three hours to complete. For a video demonstration, visit www.youtube.com/watch?v=SK_2YZPwxCk.

Portland: The Game offers two tours designed to delight Portland locals and tourists alike with intriguing facts and amusing activities. Portland: The Game tours cover the major Portland sights and attractions, but also include insider and off-the-beaten-path gems.

The Old Town/Chinatown tour takes players on a trek through the cobblestone streets of the neighborhood for a taste of the Old West with a little bit of Eastern spice.

The tour includes historic buildings and back alleys, Wild West shops, a passage through the Chinatown gate and a visit to the legendary Voodoo Doughnuts.

The Pearl District tour combines the hip with the historic, including Powell’s City of Books, music shops, antique stores, award-winning breweries and other curiosities.

Additional tours will be added this fall, including a trip through the Portland Art Museum and a jouney through of Downtown Portland.

Portland: The Game is being offered at a special introductory price of $12 per ticket. Tickets can be purchased online at www.strayboots.com/locations/portland.

Stray Boots is also offering a special free ticket promotion to the first 50 people who sign up to take the tour within the first month. Free tickets can be acquired for a limited time by visiting http://portlandthegamegiveaway.eventbrite.com

Stray Boots was created to deliver the cure for the boring tour. Stray Boots’ interactive, cell phone-based tours challenge users as they see the city, learn interesting facts and have some fun along the way.

Programs are available in Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, New York, Philadelphia, Portland (Oregon), San Francisco, Seattle and Washington, D.C. More cities are coming.

For more information, visit www.strayboots.com.