Jetsettersblog

ORLANDO, Fla. — With Grand Cypress Resort’s Eat, Play, Sleep golf package, you’ll tee off each morning with a full breakfast at The Club Restaurant.

Then challenge yourself on 45 holes of Jack Nicklaus championship golf.

Take a break for lunch at the Club or eat as you play.

With luxurious accommodations and endless amount of golf, it is the perfect golf experience.
Package Includes:

• Luxury Accommodations

• Daily Breakfast in The Club

• Lunch from the Hospitality Cart-sandwich, snack and non-alcoholic beverage or in The Club-entree or salad or sandwich and non-alcoholic beverage or Villa Pool Bar-sandwich or hotdog, snack and non-alcoholic beverage

• Round of golf per person per night stayed

• Cart Fee w/GPS

• Rental Clubs

• Range Balls

• Bell Gratuity for check-in and check out

• Free Parking

Dates: Good through Dec. 31, 2011
Price range: $229
For more information,
https://booking.ihotelier.com/istay/istay.jsp?hotelid=73372&packageid=289684

AMELIA ISLAND, Fla. — With an 18-hole golf course renowned for its immaculate year-round condition, and with a location on a grand 13-mile stretch of pristine coastline in northeast Florida, The Ritz-Carlton, Amelia Island is beckoning golfers with an attractive stay-and-play package that is available for booking now.
Starting at $499 per room per night (based on single or double occupancy), and available through Aug. 30, 2012,

The Ritz-Carlton, Amelia Island’s “Beaches and Bunkers” package includes:
• Up to two rounds of golf at the Golf Club of Amelia Island (either two rounds for one person or one round each for two people; green fees and shared golf cart)

• Overnight accommodations at The Ritz-Carlton, Amelia Island, recently ranked among Forbes Travel Guide’s four-star hotels

• Breakfast for two in Cafe 4750, or in-room dining

• Complimentary beach umbrella service
Honored by Conde Nast Traveler among its Top 100 Golf Resorts, the Golf Club of Amelia Island is directly adjacent to The Ritz-Carlton, Amelia Island, which is located on a barrier island off Florida’s northeast coast.

The 18-hole course, designed by PGA Tour legends Mark McCumber and Gene Littler, is challenging, yet forgiving, and with ever-shifting ocean breezes no two rounds seem the same.

The Golf Club of Amelia Island also is home to the Anne Cain Golf Academy, renowned for its personal attention  from LPGA instructor Cain, a GOLF Magazine Top 100 Teacher, whose innovative techniques lead to rapid improvement.

The Beaches and Bunkers package is subject to availability and cannot be combined with any other offer. Advanced reservations are required; rates do not apply to groups.

Rates listed are per room, per night, single or double occupancy, and exclusive of taxes, gratuities and other charges unless otherwise noted.

The hotel will contact guests 30 days prior to arrival to arrange tee times.

To book the Beaches and Bunkers package, or for more information about The Ritz-Carlton, Amelia Island, call (904) 277-1100 or visit

www.ritzcarlton.com/ameliaisland

About The Ritz-Carlton, Amelia Island:

The Ritz-Carlton, Amelia Island is Northeast Florida’s premiere oceanfront resort. Known for its unique natural beauty and warm Southern charm, this luxury resort is home to the award-winning restaurant, Salt, and The Ritz-Carlton Spa, Amelia Island, named one of the top spas in the world by the readers of Condé Nast Traveler. Featured amenities include three pools, on-site golf, fitness center, children’s recreation programs, and 444 guest rooms with private balcony and a view of the Atlantic coastline.

For reservations, please call The Ritz-Carlton toll-free at (800) 241-3333 or visit www.ritzcarlton.com/ameliaisland.  For information on The Ritz-Carlton Company visit www.ritzcarlton.com

A number of top Chinese singers will be performing in Malaysia next month at the Varia Music Chinese New Year Showcase at Resorts World Genting.

PAHANG, MALAYSIA– Malaysia’s Resorts World Genting is playing host to the Varia Music Chinese New Year Showcase, which will feature the talents of some leading local acts.

The charity concert event will be held on January 8th 2012 to welcome in the year of the dragon, with eight acclaimed artists set to entertain the crowds with famous Chinese hits and new year songs.

Among them will be singers such as Ai Wen, Tian Xiang, Fang Ai Ling and Li Hui Jun, all of whom have launched successful music and sometimes acting careers following on from appearances in singing competitions.

Organisers have promised an afternoon with something to offer the whole family, while funds from the concert will be donated to local not-for-profit health organisation Sau Seng Lum, to aid the operation of its stroke rehabilitation centre in Petaling Jaya.

Tickets are available now to WorldCard members, who can use their membership to redeem vouchers for entry to the show.

The one-off performance will commence on the Sunday afternoon at 15:00 local time.

Music lovers have a huge selection of Malaysia hotels available to them at AsiaRooms.com, such as the Maxims Genting.

Find out more about the event and venue at http://www.rwgenting.com

Hong Kong visitors will be treated to amazing physical feats and performances during the International Festival of Kung Fu and Dragon Dance 2012.

HONG KONG– Hong Kong will be playing host to an amazing array of martial artists and traditional Chinese performers when the International Festival of Kung Fu and Dragon Dance 2012 is held next month.

The festivals will run from January 1st to 15th 2012 and will encompass a number of different events that will appeal to martial arts enthusiasts.

Among the programme highlights will be the World Hong Kong Luminous Dragon Dance and Lion Championship 2012, which is held on January 7th and 8th and will feature high-calibre practitioners of the famous Chinese performance art.

Following this will be the International Kung Fu and Special Weapons Form Championship on January 14th and the Poi Oi Martial Arts General Assembly on the 15th, showcasing kung fu at its very best.

The event comes in the same month as the Chinese year of the dragon celebrations and is organised by the Hong Kong Chinese Martial Arts Dragon and Lion Dance Association.

As with its other regular events, it is designed to help increase the popularity of martial arts and to bring together practitioners from around the world.

Cultural enthusiasts can find a wide selection of Hong Kong hotels at AsiaRooms.com, including the Kings De Nathan.

Ao Chalong Yacht Club will be launching the first ever Champagne Run sailing race from Phuket.

PHUKET, THAILAND– Visitors to Ao Chalong in Phuket will be able to witness the start of a new sailing race event called the Champagne Run next month.

Launching on January 7th 2012, the race is being organised by the Ao Chalong Yacht Club and will see a variety of different types of boat setting sail from Ao Chalong Bay towards Langkawi in Malaysia.

The race is a feeder event for the Royal Langkawi International Regatta, which is held from January 9th to 14th, with expressions of interest from potential participants currently being solicited.

Prizes will be presented to the fastest times recorded by monohull and multihull vessels, while all competing racers will be given a bottle of champagne and a medallion for taking part.

After departing from Ao Chalong, the racers will arrive the following day at Telaga Harbour in Langkawi, with the presentation ceremony being held at 19:00 local time.

This is one of many sailing events taking place at Ao Chalong Yacht Club, the clubhouse for which is located at Soi Phon Chalong on Chaofa Road East Phuket.

It organises Sunday races twice a month and has been operating in the area since the early 1990s.

Sailing enthusiasts can find a massive selection of Phuket hotels at AsiaRooms.com, including the Patong Merlin Hotel.

Acts such as Metronomy, Bombay Bicycle Club and The Naked and Famous will be playing at Singapore’s first edition of the popular Hong Kong event The People’s Party.

SINGAPORE– The People’s Party, a popular music festival that has gained fame in Hong Kong, will be coming to Singapore for the first time next month.

Following its success in the Chinese city in 2009 and 2010, the event is expanding for its latest edition to include two days at the Scape Playspace in Singapore on January 14th and 15th 2012.

A number of high-profile international acts will be playing at the Lion City during the mini-festival, including 2011 UK Mercury Prize nominees Metronomy and acclaimed British indie rockers Bombay Bicycle Club.

Other headlining performers include New Zealand’s The Naked and Famous and Unknown Mortal Orchestra plus The Jezabels from Australia, while local acts such as In Each Hand a Cutlass and Plain Sunset will also be playing.

The People Party will run from 15:00 to 22:00 local time on each of the two days at Scape, which is located at 2 Orchard Link at the centre of Singapore.

Tickets cost S$108 (GBP53.50) for a single-day pass or S$178 for both days, with each of these prices also requiring the addition of a S$3 booking fee if purchased in advance.

Partygoers can find a massive selection of Singapore hotels at AsiaRooms.com, including the Fragrance Hotel.

Book tickets to the party at http://www.sistic.com.sg

Game and Fish now accepting applications for pronghorn and elk hunts

PHOENIX — The Arizona Game and Fish Department announced today it has posted the 2012 Pronghorn Antelope and Elk Hunt Draw Information regulations booklet at www.azgfd.gov/draw

Hunters can now start applying for a hunt permit-tag issued through the drawing process.

Paper applications can be submitted now either by U.S. mail to Arizona Game and Fish Department, P.O. Box 74020, Phoenix, AZ 85087-1052, or hand-delivered to any Game and Fish office.

The online application service for this draw is expected to be available by early to mid January 2012.

The deadline to apply is Tuesday, Feb. 14, 2012 by 7 p.m. (MST).

For those mailing their application, remember, postmarks do not count.

A 2012 hunting license is required to apply in the draw, and hunters are reminded that licenses purchased through the draw will not be mailed out until after the drawing process is completed.

Licenses can also be purchased online at the Game and Fish website, or you can purchase your license at any Game and Fish office or more than 300 license dealers statewide. Please keep in mind that you must have a working printer handy if you purchase your license online.

The online system is self-fulfilling and you must print your license at time of purchase.

Apply early to take advantage of the “correction period.” If your application has an error and is received before 5 p.m. on Jan. 20, 2012, you will receive up to three phone calls from Game and Fish in a 24-hour period to help get the application corrected. After that date, mistakes can cause your application to be rejected.

The printed Pronghorn Antelope and Elk Hunt Draw Information booklets are anticipated to be available at department offices and at license dealers statewide around mid January 2012.

The Arizona Game and Fish Department does not receive any of the state’s general funds (tax revenues) to operate. Wildlife conservation and management of the state’s game animals, which also benefits many nongame species, is made possible through the direct sale of hunting and fishing licenses, big game tags, and matching funds from the Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration program, a federal excise tax on certain hunting and fishing equipment.

CELEBRATES HAWKING AND HISTORY

Guests enjoy the “sport of kings” while surveying the timeless ruins at Dromoland Castle

Newmarket-on-Fergus, IRE.— Dromoland Castle is world-renowned for its status as perhaps the finest castle resort on the Emerald Isle. And rightly so, as its lavish interiors, fine dining, deluxe accommodations, spectacular amenities, and wealth of outdoor recreational opportunities offer relaxation and stimulation alike.

Perhaps less well known are two other unique features that set this luxury destination resort apart: the falcons of The Dromoland School of Falconry and the ruins of the largest hillfort in all of Ireland. To celebrate the romance and power of these seminal symbols of Ireland, Dromoland Castle is pleased to offer a special package featuring not only its famous “Hawk Walk”, but the opportunity to take a lesson in flying one of these magnificent creatures while exploring Mooghaun Hillfort, right there on the estate.

The “Ancient Icons” package includes the following:

Two nights’ accommodation in a deluxe guestroom

Full Irish breakfast daily

Dinner at the Earl of Thomond restaurant

A Hawk Walk with the School’s falconer, who will provide a hands-on instruction in how to fly a hawk

A visit to Mooghaun Hillfort, which dates to 1260-930 B.C. and features three circular ramparts and stunning views of the River Shannon estuary.

The package, which costs € 350.00 EUR total per adult sharing for two nights, is available until April 30, 2011. (VAT and service charges are included.) Advance booking of the Hawk Walk is recommended.

The Dromoland Collection’s Dromoland Castle: where guests experience history at every turn

About Dromoland Castle:

Dromoland Castle, located in Newmarket-on-Fergus, County Clare, was built in the 16th century. Majestically set on the shores of Lough Dromoland, it is surrounded by over 410 acres of breathtaking scenery, including a championship parkland golf course. Lavish interiors, fine food and superb wines complement the deluxe accommodations of the Castle’s 99 guest rooms, while Dromoland Castle Golf and Country Club, an intimate spa and traditional outdoor recreational opportunities ensure a unique guest experience.

Dromoland Castle is located at Newmarket-on-Fergus, Co. Clare, Ireland.

The hotel can be contacted at 011 353 61 368144 or 1-800-346-7007; website www.dromoland.ie

. Reservations can be made through the hotel (sales@dromoland.ie); through The Dromoland Collection at www.dromolandcollection.ie; or through Preferred Hotels & Resort at 1.800.323.7500 or www.preferredhotels.com.

The Dromoland Collection comprises Dromoland Castle and Castlemartyr Resort, two of Ireland’s finest and most celebrated hotels.

The hotels in this collection embody the legendary Dromoland tradition of incomparable hospitality complemented by exquisite surroundings, yet each possesses a distinctive style, character and charm all its own.

LITCHFIELD HILLS, CT – Honey bees foraging at Winvian www.winvian.com in the Litchfield Hills of Connecticut this season are tasked beyond making honey.

They are expected, as with all details at this world-class stunner, to bear the standards of a AAA 5-diamond kitchen and 5-diamond resort.

An international celebrity in the apiary world, Marina Marchese, is collaborating with Winvian’s Executive Chef Chris Eddy whose own foraging efforts continue to bring delectable to its highest art form, including honey from Winvian’s own diamond-dusted bees.

Queen bees won’t reside in Winvian’s 18 exceptional private cottages, though they will enjoy their own eco chic accommodations in two traditional Lanzstroth wooden and hand-stained beehives with fancy copper topped outer covers. The colonies arrived at Winvian in May and reside close to the kitchen gardens (where visitors can see their comings and goings) and have free reign to forage on pollens early morning and on nectars later in the day on the resort’s 113 sustainable acres and gardens that support Eddy’s farm-to-table menus.

Winvian’s honey will also be featured in the newly launched Cooking School at Winvian, which Chef Eddy presides over.

The Cooking School offers weekend, three-night midweek and six-week extensive culinary retreats. A gleaming state-of-the-art appointed culinary kitchen / classroom can accommodate up to 12 students.

The school includes a classic two-hour introduction class on mastering savory pasta dishes or delicious pastries and treats as well as more in-depth, longer courses, Dishes will evoke the feeling of a cozy French bistro, Italian trattoria or a friend’s vacation home in Provence.

Guests will cook with herbs, salad greens and vegetables from Winvian’s garden and with seafood and game sourced as locally as possible.

Eddy, who helped earn Winvian’s restaurant the AAA Five Diamond award, the only new USA restaurant to achieve this honor in 2011, will lead all classes.

Winvian, the private and whimsical AAA Ten Diamond retreat – the property also received Five Diamonds for its accommodations – ideally located just two hours from NYC, houses 18 luxe cottages and one suite on 113 acres of meadows and woodlands.

Nightly rates at Winvian start from $650 for two a la carte (breakfast included) and from $1,250 for two all-inclusive (full breakfast, room service, lunch, picnics, spa snacks, afternoon tea, cocktails, dinner, after dinner petit-fours). A 13% gratuity and 9% CT State tax will be added per night to the room rate.

The entire property is available for special celebrations and weddings with rates upon request.

For additional information on the Cooking School at Winvian and class schedules, or to book reservations, please visit www.winvian.com  or call 860-567-9600.

YMCA of the Rockies
CONTACT: Laura Field
TEL: 970-215-4222
Lfield@ymcarockies.org
 www.ymcarockies.org 

WINTER PARK, Colo.- YMCA of the Rockies’ Camp Chief Ouray in Granby, Colorado is already daydreaming of summer and has officially opened registration for the 2012 camp season. Campers who register before January 1, 2012 will receive 2011 rates as well as the chance to win a free week of camp.

During the summer months, Camp Chief Ouray, CCO, hosts traditional overnight camps, shorter mini camps, Challenger programs, and three adult camps at their location in Granby, Colorado. Youth camps are open to children ages 7-17.

New for traditional campers this year is gaga ball: an updated version of dodge ball played in an octagonal pit with some rules slightly modified. Campers 13-15 will also have the opportunity to join a two-week Challenger Program with activities like ropes course, mountain biking, ultimate frisbee, and campouts.

Away from the CCO facilities, teen campers have the opportunity to explore Colorado’s backcountry via multi-day backpacking, rafting, mountaineering, or pack trips known as Wilderness Adventure Camp Sherpa Trips. Trekker Trips, also for teens, take place outside of Colorado, with campers heading to California and Utah for surf and turf activities or as far away as Peru for service and cultural learning.

Towards the end of summer, CCO invites adult campers to participate in Family Camp, Women’s Fitness Camp, and Active Older Adults Camp.

Camp Chief Ouray has been hosting campers for over 100 years. It officially joined YMCA of the Rockies and moved to its current Snow Mountain Ranch location in 1980. In 2011 over 1800 kids attended CCO camps, many in thanks to generous donations and scholarships. To learn about donating and the power of camp visit http://www.campchiefouray.org/donate.htm .

For questions about Camp Chief Ouray or to register for camp visit http://www.campchiefouray.org/  or call 970-887-2648