Jetsettersblog

The new Rhine-Rhone high-speed rail line in France will provide the first direct service within France on routes including Paris to Besancon, Belfort or Mulhouse. International high-speed TGV trains will offer direct service between France, Switzerland and Germany on routes such as Paris-Lausanne, Paris-Bern, Paris-Zurich and Frankfurt-Marseille.

Tickets for TGV trains including this newest section of high-speed line are available for sale through Rail Europe’s agent website. “This newest section of high-speed line will make a big difference to the way our clients can travel within France and also between France, Germany and Switzerland in 2012,” said company President and CEO Frederic Langlois. “The Rhine-Rhone high-speed line will offer faster travel times, more frequent and direct trains, and the speed, ease and convenience of connecting between these countries makes for a better travel experience.”

The new high-speed line runs east-west, reducing travel times from the northeastern city of Strasbourg to Lyon to just three hours and 40 minutes. The number of trains on this route will also increase to six roundtrips per day. The line will also run north-south from France into Germany and, beginning in March 2012, travelers can go from Marseille or Avignon in the south of France directly to Frankfurt in Germany without changing trains — which will be a first. For more information, call 888-382-7245.

Qantas will begin offering in-flight Internet on some A380 aircraft flying between Los Angeles and Sydney/Melbourne starting in January. The trial will initially be available to customers traveling in the first and business class cabins and will form part of Qantas’ ongoing strategic evaluation of connectivity options, including the review of next generation technology platforms.

Earlier this year, Qantas also announced it would commence a trial in which it will deliver more than 200 hours of in-flight entertainment options to passengers via iPads provided in each seat of a dedicated B767-300 aircraft.

Air China will fly from Chengdu to Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal, starting Jan. 5. The new service will increase the number of international flights Air China offers out of Chengdu to six. The flights will operate twice a week. The new service eliminates the need to transfer in Lhasa, making what had been a four-hour trip a two-hour trip. Kathmandu has always been a draw for both domestic and international tourists.

Lindblad Expeditions-National Geographic is offering lower pricing on Galapagos cruises from January to early March 2012. The new Galápagos Prime season rates begin at $4,750 per person for a 10-day voyage on the 96-passenger National Geographic Endeavour, and $5,450 per person on the 48-passenger National Geographic Islander.

Those who book an expedition before March 31 receive complimentary roundtrip air on select 2012 departures from New York or Miami to Galápagos or upgrade to business class on the New York/Guayaquil flights for $500 roundtrip. This offer is limited to new bookings only and subject to availability.

France Vacations is offering a Valentine’s Day Paris Package that includes five nights’ hotel including taxes and service charges, private roundtrip airport/hotel transfers, a five-day Metro Pass, a Paris City Tour, a romantic Seine River dinner cruise, a bottle of wine in the room, daily breakfast and tickets to the Paradis Latin Cabaret Show with champagne. The price of the package starts at $1,299 per person for a three-star hotel (Hotel Opera Saint Georges or similar) or from $1,999 per person for the four-star hotel category (Hotel d’Aubusson or similar).

The Paris Discovery City Tour by mini bus includes Concorde Square, Seine River and its bridges, Notre-Dame Cathedral, the Latin Quarter, Arch of Triumph, Champs-Elysees Avenue, Eiffel Tower, the Opera House, and free time in Montmartre (stop near Sacre-Coeur Basilica and the artists’ square, Place du Tertre). The offer is valid for travel on Feb. 2 or Feb. 11, 2012. For more information, call 800-935-5000.

French Country Waterways has published its 2012 brochure. The upcoming year will feature the return of eight-passenger Princess to the Upper Loire Valley and the 12-passenger Adrienne, which will split its season between Champagne and Alsace-Lorraine.

Six-night cruises are also offered in Central Burgundy aboard the eight-guest Horizon II and along Canal de Bourgogne in Burgundy’s Côte d’Or wine-growing region aboard the 12-passenger Nenuphar. Prices for the Sunday departures, April through October, range from $5,095 to $6,695 per person, double occupancy.

Onboard dining features locally purchased pastries and breads, classic French cuisine prepared with fresh ingredients, a selection of Grand Cru and Premier Cru wines, and six new cheeses each day. Each route also features a dinner at a Michelin-starred restaurant, including Auberge des Templiers in les Bezards, Le Cerf in Marlenheim, Lameloise in Chagny, Les Crayères in Reims and Le Relais Bernard Loiseau in Saulieu. The cruises also include daily sightseeing excursions and private wine tastings.

Compagnie du Ponant is offering reduced prices on an 11-day Venice roundtrip departing Aug. 10. Reduced prices range from $3,430 to $9,073 per person, double (regularly $4,900 to $12,962).

The cruise on the 264-passenger L’Austral visits 10 ports of call along the Dalmatian Coast.

Eight-day Adriatic sailings are also available from May through September at prices from $2,950 to $9,856.

The ship will visit Rovinj, Trogir and Dubrovnik, Croatia; Kotor, Montenegro; Otranto, Italy; Parga, Greece; Korcula; and the coastline of Šibenik.

The Fijian government will grant the nation’s first exclusive gaming license to One Hundred Sands, Limited, which plans to build a $290 million, five-star luxury casino resort on Denarau Island.

The first phase of development will see 190 luxury rooms and suites, three restaurants and a sports grille, with the second phase of development to include added accommodations, a nightclub, and other entertainment venues.

Gaming options will include 500 slot machines and 54 table games in the casino, while the 1,500-seat convention center will feature fully equipped banquet and catering capabilities, and provide ample space to accommodate corporate retreats and conventions, popular entertainers, sporting events, international awards shows and more.

“This undertaking is a union of both economic and cultural endeavors,” said Larry Claunch, chairman of the board of One Hundred Sands, Limited. “One Hundred Sands has taken care to strategically partner with the Snoqualmie Tribe from Washington state and Seventh Generation LLC, a Native American company with demonstrated excellence establishing new casinos and affiliate entities around the world while maintaining the integrity of the environment, and supplementing — not supplanting — the existing economy.” The groundbreaking for the gaming facilities, new convention center and luxury hotel is tentatively set for March 2012.

Hyatt Hotels Corporation and Abu Dhabi National Exhibitions Company (ADNEC) announced the opening of Hyatt Capital Gate Abu Dhabi, located on the top floors of the Capital Gate building, which leans a record-breaking 18 degrees.

Occupying floors 18 to 33 of the Capital Gate building, Hyatt Capital Gate Abu Dhabi includes 189 guestrooms and suites featuring floor-to-ceiling glass windows. Each guestroom is unique with its own configuration and size, giving guests the experience of staying in a “new” room each time they check in to the hotel. Guestrooms have an open plan with seamless living, sleeping and bathing areas, which help to make the room feel spacious and welcoming. Accommodations offer high-speed wired and wireless Internet, spacious work areas, and power outlets at desk level in addition to rain showers and separate oval bath tubs.

The hotel’s signature restaurant is 18° and The Lounge offers a library area as well as café-style refreshments. Located on the ground floor, Profiterole caters to the adjacent exhibition center and the executive office floors located within the Capital Gate building. Profiterole offers a unique à la carte menu that revolves around small baked pastries with sweet or savory fillings. The bar Privé serves premium beverages and gourmet tapas. Within the hotel are four boardrooms, while Privé can be used as a breakout venue for refreshments or casual light lunches.

The adjacent ADNEC offers 19 meeting rooms, two conference rooms, a large banquet hall and 785,000 square feet of interconnected exhibition space. The hotel also offers the Rayana Spa as well as a fitness center on the 19th floor. The hotel is located adjacent to the thriving Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre, within walking distance of the Embassy District and 15 minutes from the international airport. Rates start from AED 1,050 per night, plus tax and gratuities.

For Valentine’s Day, Hotel Fouquet’s Barrière in Paris is combining food and romance in the Sweet Valentine’s Day package, which includes one night’s accommodation in a luxurious room or suite; American breakfast; a Valentine’s Day dinner at Le Fouquet’s restaurant; VIP “Valentine Room,” including a bottle of Pop Earth organic Champagne and Fouquet’s caviar; and access to the hotel’s U Spa, including swimming pool, aqua slimming trail, gym, sauna and steam room. Based on double occupancy, the offer is priced from 900 euros ($1,173), and is valid from Feb. 5 to 20, 2012.