Jetsettersblog

with some extra trimmings on top.

The “49 Hours of SF: Holidays” packages feature deeply-discounted rates on hotels when booked at www.49HoursofSF.com, beginning Nov. 1, 2011. These packages include a Westfield San Francisco Centre VIP Passport to Savings for holiday shopping at Westfield San Francisco Centre. Visitors who book a “49 Hours of SF: Holidays” package with an American Express card also receive a $50 Westfield San Francisco Centre gift card.

For additional holiday savings, regional residents who sign up for PIER 39’s “Locals Only” program will receive 50% off at participating PIER 39 merchants during the holiday season.

The “49 Hours of SF: Holidays” website will include itineraries featuring off-the beaten path events and unique San Francisco retailers to make visitors’ holidays in the city extraordinary.

Amtrak is also putting a bow on the holidays with “Kids Ride FREE” on the San Joaquin and Capitol Corridor routes for up to two children under age 15 per adult through February 29, 2011. Tickets must be purchased by December 31, 2011. Terms and conditions apply, visit www.49HoursofSF.com  for details.

The San Francisco Travel Association knows that 48 hours is just not enough time to experience all there is to see and do in the City by the Bay – especially during the holiday season. They have named their new campaign “49 Hours of SF: Holidays” with the goal of encouraging visitors to plan a 48-hour weekend getaway – plus an extra hour. The program is sponsored by American Express, Westfield San Francisco Centre, Amtrak and Pier 39.

The “49 Hours” theme invokes everything from the spirit of the legendary 49ers who came to San Francisco in 1849 seeking gold to the 49 Mile Scenic Drive that winds its way through the city’s 49 square miles.

Complete details will be available beginning Nov. 1, 2011 at www.49HoursofSF.com  or call 415-391-2000.

For general information on hotel packages and reservations; events; activities and transportation in San Francisco, visit www.sanfrancisco.trave l. For lodging reservations, call 800-637-5196 within North America or 415-391-2000 or 415-392-0328 (TTY/TTD) elsewhere.

The San Francisco Visitors Planning Guide is available at the Visitor Information Center, 900 Market St., at the corner of Powell and Market streets, lower level, Hallidie Plaza. A virtual edition of the guide is also available online: http://guides.weaver-group.com/sf/ovg/2011.   A visitor’s kit may also be ordered online at www.sanfrancisco.travel,  by phone at 415-391-2000 or 415-392-0328 (TTY/TTD), by written request to the San Francisco Visitor Information Center, 900 Market St., San Francisco, CA 94102, or via email to vic1@sanfrancisco.travel . Domestic and international shipping charges apply.

San Francisco International Airport (SFO) offers non-stop links with more than 31 international points on 29 international carriers. The Bay Area’s largest airport connects non-stop with more than 70 cities in the U.S. on 16 domestic airlines. For up-to-the-minute departure and arrival information, airport maps and details on shopping, dining, cultural exhibitions, ground transportation and more, visit www.flysfo.com. SFO was voted “North America’s Best Airport” by passengers for its outstanding customer service and amenities.

American Express® is the official credit card partner for the San Francisco Travel Association.

The UNLV Performing Arts Center welcomes Complexions Contemporary Ballet, founded in 1994 by former Alvin Ailey members Dwight Rhoden and Desmond Richardson, at 8 p.m. on Saturday, November 5 as part of the New York Stage & Beyond Series. Based in Manhattan, Complexions mixes methods, styles, and cultures to create a new, exciting vision of human movement through dance.

It is Rhoden and Richardson’s unique career paths that have paved the way for them to re-define dance—as their multifaceted resumes will show, neither has ever been comfortable with his art being placed in a box. Instead, from E! to PBS to VH1, from Cirque de Soleil to the Joffrey Ballet, the two have allowed the transformative power of their art to flow freely throughout the entertainment world—their creative vision restricted by nothing but the limits of the human body itself.

Together, they have created in Complexions an institution that embodies its historical moment, a sanctuary where those passionate about dance can celebrate its past while simultaneously building its future. In the 15 years since its inception, the company has born witness to a world that is becoming more fluid, more changeable, and more culturally interconnected than ever before—in other words, a world that is becoming more and more like Complexions itself.

Tickets to Complexions Contemporary Ballet are $35, $50, and $75 and can be purchased at the Performing Arts Center Box Office at 895-ARTS (2787) or by visiting pac.unlv.edu. Student rush tickets are $13 each and available one hour prior to each event, based on availability and with valid student I.D. UNLV faculty and staff discounts also are available. A $1.25 facilities fee, in addition to the ticket price, is charged on all Performing Arts Center tickets. The box office is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday. Information about all of the season’s performances can be found on the Performing Arts Center website, located at pac.unlv.edu.

Founded in 1976, the Performing Arts Center at UNLV continues to be Southern Nevada’s premier performing arts venue. Located on the north end of the UNLV campus, the PAC hosts a variety of performances each year in three distinct series – the Charles Vanda Master Series, the New York Stage & Beyond Series, and the UNLV Classical Guitar Series.

Top musicians from Japan, Korea and Taiwan will be playing to packed audiences during the Singapore Sundown Festival next month.
SINGAPORE– Singapore is to play host to some of the most popular musicians in east Asia next month when the Sundown Festival 2011 takes place at Marina Promenade.

The annual event returns for the third year on November 26th and will once again feature some of Japan and Korea’s most sought-after acts, while also introducing Taiwanese acts for the first time.

This year’s roster will include top talents from Taiwan such as superstar Mandopop performer Show Luo and Hebe Tien of girl group SHE, as well as the award-winning Zhang Yun Jing, the former winner of the talent show Super Idol.

Completing the line-up will be five-piece Japanese rock group ViViD and popular South Korean boy band Teen Top.

More than 7,000 people are expected to attend the show, which will be held at the F1 Pit Arena from 17:30 local time, with tickets still available for S$138 (GBP69) but selling out fast.

Those who do manage to snag tickets will be able to roam the streets around the festival venue to sample a wide array of delicious foods from Taiwan, Korea and Japan, served up by authentic street vendors.

Music lovers can browse a generous selection of Singapore hotels at AsiaRooms.com, such as the Fragrance Hotel.

For more information, visit http://www.sundownfestival.sg/.

“Suite Golf” offered by the Old Course Hotel, Golf Resort & Spa has just got even sweeter with the news that Kingsbarns Links has been added to the package which already includes a highly sought-after guaranteed tee time over the hallowed Old Course.

On offer from the start of 2012, the three-night package also features a round over the Kohler-owned Duke’s Course with buggy hire and a fourth round over either the New or Jubilee Course, both Links Trust St Andrews golf courses.

After indulging their passion for the game, golfers can retire to the iconic Old Course Hotel, which overlooks the famous 17th Road Hole, and relax in a luxury suite and enjoy a 50-minute luxury spa treatment in the Kohler Waters Spa.

The Suite Golf package also includes two dinners; one in the Road Hole Restaurant, the Hotel’s award-winning restaurant that boasts three AA rosettes, and one in the more relaxed Sands Grill whilst a full Scottish breakfast is served on a daily basis.

“St Andrews is known as the Home of Golf and the Old Course Hotel, Golf Resort & Spa is without doubt the very best place to base yourself for a few days of golf. You will be guaranteed excellent service and luxurious accommodation, located right on the Old Course itself which will ensure a truly memorable experience,” says David Scott, Manager of The Duke’s St Andrews.

“Not only that, but anyone taking up a Suite Golf package will not be at the mercy of the ballot for a tee time over the Old Course as this is guaranteed. This is a real bonus, particularly as it is every golfer’s dream to play a round over a course that is considered to be at the heart of the game of golf.”

The R&A recently confirmed that The Open Championship would return to St Andrews and the Old Course for the 29th time in 2015, enhancing the cache of playing this iconic course even further. But with tee times only available from May to August, early booking is essential.

In addition to playing golf, visitors can also sample the unique atmosphere and historical coastal setting of St Andrews by visiting the historical buildings of St Andrews Castle, the Cathedral ruins and the University of St Andrews, the most ancient in Scotland. Around St Andrews there are also many picturesque fishing villages, such as East Neuk, Crail and Anstruther, to explore as well as numerous country parks and nature trails.

Suite Golf Package Features:
• One round on the Old Course
• One round on the New or Jubilee Courses
• One round on Kingsbarns
• One round on The Duke’s with buggy hire
• Three-night stay in a luxury suite
• Full Scottish breakfast served daily
• Dinner on one evening in the Road Hole Restaurant
• Dinner on one evening in Sands Grill
• 50-minute luxury spa treatment at Kohler Waters Spa
• Golfers’ gift pack

Rates:
Package starts at £2,110 per person, based on double occupancy. Additional nights available from £495.00 Bed and Breakfast per room per night. Subject to availability. The Suite Golf Package is in association with The St Andrews Links Trust and Kingsbarns Golf Links.

For further details, please call Reservations on +44 (0) 1334 474371, email reservations@oldcoursehotel.co.uk  or visit www.oldcoursehotel.co.uk

STAR STYLE

Be a Baltic VIP in three of Europe’s most dynamic cities

Does travelling with crowds of other tourists leave you cold? Well now you can heat up your holiday in A-list style by designing a tour with Baltic Holidays, the UK’s leading specialist tour operator to the Baltic States. See all the Baltics on a unique nine-night tour of the beautiful Baltic capitals complete with a private car and driver or go one step further and create your own bespoke itinerary.

Stay three nights in each of the Baltic capital cities, Vilnius, Riga & Tallinn in one of Baltic Holidays many enchanting hotel choices, from charming and cosy three-star accommodation to sumptuous five-star hotels. Then sit back and enjoy the ride as a private car driven by an experienced and entertaining English-speaking driver whisks you comfortably between the cities – a fabulous and very ambassadorial way to see the three capitals and witness the stunning Baltic countryside. Stops can be made on request between each of your destinations if anything peaks your interest during the journey.

To really indulge your VIP fantasies why not lengthen your visit and take the opportunity to stay in some unusual places from castles in the countryside and elegant coastal villas to a grand manor on an Estonian Island – all organized with Baltic Holiday’s usual five-star approach.

A tour staying in three-star accommodation starts from £779 per person, B&B, based on two sharing. Four-star accommodation starts from £949 per person and five-star from £1029 per person. Prices are based on flying into Tallinn and out of Vilnius, or vice versa, on direct flights from a number of UK airports. All hotels on the tour are centrally located. Book through Baltic Holidays (0845 070 5711) www.balticholidays.com).
Authors Name: Phil Teubler (Baltic Holidays)
Telephone: 0845 070 5711 / 0161 860 5248
Email: info@balticholidays.com

Voyages Jules Verne has launched its new Classic Journeys 2011 and 2012 brochure, featuring the latest destinations and travel offers from the company.
LONDON, ENGLAND — Voyages Jules Verne has announced the launch of its Classic Journeys 2011 and 2012 brochure, featuring a host of travel ideas including tours, cruises, trains, resorts and weekends.

In association with their longstanding overseas partners, Voyages Jules Verne is delighted to present this compendium of travel opportunities by air, boat and rail, including special sightseeing arrangements and many VJV special events. Among the selection of worldwide departures available until late 2012 are three new tours: Norway’s ‘Journey to the Arctic Circle’ to the remote regions of Canada; exploring Burma’s Irrawaddy River between Mandalay and Pagan in their ‘Road to Mandalay’ cruise and ‘The Eastern and Oriental Express’, a luxurious train journey aboard the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express including 5-star accommodation in Bangkok and Singapore.

Voyages Jules Verne are also able to offer travellers genuine price reductions of up to GBP400pp on selected tours in Peru, India, The Middle-East and South Africa such as ‘The Indian Maharaja’ travelling Bombay to Delhi, where travellers can save up to GBP300pp on selected dates. ‘The Lost World of the Incas’ tour discovering Machu Picchu through the Andes to Lake Titicaca offers a GBP400pp saving on selected dates.

Similarly, Voyages Jules Verne is rewarding advanced bookings with savings of up GBP300pp on selected tours such as Norway’s ‘Hurtigruten Coastal Voyage’, ‘Med by Private Motor Yacht’ cruising remote islands and the Riviera, plus ‘Cruising Sicily and Beyond’ discovering the breath-taking sights of Sicily, Capri, the Aeolian Islands and Malta.

Solo travellers can benefit from VJV’s on-going commitment to offer a choice of departures without financial penalty in its No Single Supplement programme. Tours with the single supplement removed on selected dates include; ‘Interlude in Interlaken’ to Switzerland, Egypt’s ‘A Royal Steamer Restored’ and the ‘Grand Tour of Sri Lanka’. Travellers should bear in mind that there is limited availability.

For a copy of the new Classic Journeys brochure, travellers can contact Voyages Jules Verne on 0845 404 3120, email sales@vjv.co.uk or visit the company’s website at www.vjv.com/brochures.

About Voyages Jules Verne:
Voyages Jules Verne was founded in 1978 and its range of product encompasses long-haul and short haul, weekends and expeditions, the conventional and the unexpected, a variety of themes and special interests – all underpinned by quality and value for money. VJV offers tours to a number of worldwide destinations including Kenya tours and Jordan tours.

Website: http://www.vjv.com

Lovers of art, design and antiques should find plenty to enjoy at PAN Amsterdam.

AMSTERDAM, NETHERLANDS– PAN Amsterdam, one of Europe’s leading art and design fairs, returns to the Dutch city on Sunday November 20th.

Described by the organisers as “a must for any art lover”, the event runs for eight days at the RAI Parkhal exhibition centre and will celebrate its 25th anniversary this year.

The quality and sheer variety of items on display attracts people in their thousands, with last year’s PAN Amsterdam drawing more than 46,000 visitors.

From pieces of modern art and contemporary furniture to valuable antiques and paintings by old masters, the fair aims to offer something to suit every taste and budget.

In addition, each object is vetted for authenticity, quality and condition by a team of experts before the event gets underway.

The list of exhibitors for this year’s fair has now been confirmed, indicating that visitors can look forward to browsing antique Dutch silver and period jewellery, contemporary art from Asia, art deco furniture and Japanese screens.

Entrance to PAN Amsterdam is priced at EUR15 (GBP13) and tickets are available to buy online.

To reach the RAI Parkhal, visitors can take the Amstelveen express tram 51 or tram 4 from Amsterdam Central Station.

Visit http://www.pan.nl/DesktopDefault.aspx?tabid=20&lg=en  for more information on this event.

For stays 21 October – 29 December 2011 or between 2 – 7 January 2012:
2 nights in a double room for just £120 per night on half board based on 2 sharing. Family suites just £225 per night based on 4 sharing half board..

For stays 30 December 2011 – 1 January 2012:
2 nights in double room double room £170 per night half board. Family suite £325 per night.
Prices include free use of hot tub and sauna!

Podere Il Cogno, Chianti – http://www.essentialitaly.co.uk/tuscany_hotels_podere-il-cogno.php

Located in the heart of Chianti, Podere Il Cogno is just the place for those looking for peace and quiet with sweeping views, comfortable home-from-home accommodation, wonderful food and superb hospitality.
Offering standard rooms and suites, the hotel will cater perfectly for guests wanting to celebrate the Christmas and / or New Year with serenity, warmth and friendship. Breakfasts, light lunches and dinner are delicious feasts, and the stylish country atmosphere is perfectly complimented by the owners family hospitality.

Location: Castellina-in-Chianti 6kms, Siena 15kms, Florence 45kms

Price:
For stays 21 October – 29 December 2011 or between 2 – 7 January 2012:
2 nights in a double room for just £120 per night on half board based on 2 sharing. Family suites just £225 per night based on 4 sharing.

For stays 30 December 2011 – 1 January 2012:
2 nights in double room double room £170 per night half board. Family suite £325 per night.
Prices include free use of hot tub and sauna!

Essential Italy
Tel: 01223 460100
info@essentialitaly.co.uk
www.essentialitaly.co.uk

Berlin’s annual celebration of short films will take place from November 15th to 20th.

BERLIN, GERMANY– The International Short Film Festival returns to Berlin on Tuesday November 15th.

Also known as Interfilm, the event was established back in 1982 and traditionally sees more than 400 short movies screened at cinemas in the German capital every year.

The 2011 festival will run until Sunday November 20th and is set to feature six competitions, with prizes bestowed in categories such as best international production, best German film, best documentary and best viral video.

There will be a special focus on filmmaking in south-east Asia and Switzerland, as well as a celebration of music video culture and local movie critics discussing their favourite German-language films.

Elsewhere, visitors can enjoy special events such as Sound and Vision, which will involve live musicians creating new soundtracks for films on stage.

Festival passes are available for a discounted price of EUR40 (GBP35) before Sunday November 6th. Those who purchase their pass after this date will have to pay EUR50.

Passes provide access to all screenings and events, although individual tickets are also available.

Film fans seeking places to stay in Berlin will find LateRooms.com offers a wide range of accommodation, such as the Melia Berlin.

This hotel is located in the heart of the city, on the banks of the River Spree.

Visit http://www.interfilm.de/en/interfilm-de.html  for more information about the festival

Take a nighttime tour of the Zoo’s spookiest corners.

LONDON, ENGLAND– With a long history stretching back some 180 years, London Zoo is a place with some tales to tell. Many of these stories are perfect for their scary Halloween Ghost Tours, and visitors can join in with this on October 28th.

The tour will take in some of the creepier corners of the Zoo, perfectly normal in the day but positively eerie after dark. Guests can experience the animal houses with only the moon to guide them, giving a whole new perspective of the Zoo.

Staff past and present will be on hand to share their stories, whether it is the rumour about the guest who never left, the so-called Curse of the Reptile House or simply a strange occurrence that happened to them when they were working late alone.

As these tours are around for one night only, places are very limited so visitors would be advised to snap them up quickly. They cost GBP16.66 and are for over-18s only. The tour itself lasts for one hour.

Hotels-London.co.uk can offer a full range of accommodation options for anyone wishing to stay in London. The Cumberland Hotel near Marble Arch and Macdonald Hotel in Kings Cross are two examples of what to expect.

To find out more about Halloween Ghost Tours at London Zoo, visit http://www.zsl.org/info/support-us/gift/experiences/halloween-ghost-t … 20.AR.html