Jetsettersblog

Regent Hotels & Resorts is offering value-added packages at its hotels in Taipei and Beijing. The Chinese New Year packages allow guests to experience this festive and traditional celebration in each capital city within Regent’s luxury accommodations.

The Chinese New Year Package at the Regent Taipei includes daily breakfast for two; dinner for two at Silks Palace, a restaurant within the National Palace Museum that serves modern Chinese cuisine; private three-hour tour of the National Palace Museum, one of the largest collections of Chinese art and artifacts; Regent Galleria shopping discount voucher for two; and a specialty snack gift set. Rates for the package start at NTD 7,300 ($241), double occupancy, plus 10 percent service charge and 5 percent government tax.

The offer is valid from Jan. 13 to 29. A minimum stay of two consecutive nights is required. The Chinese New Year Package at the Regent Beijing starts at RMB 988 ($156), plus 15 percent tax, and includes two daily breakfasts. The offer is valid from Jan. 19 to 31 and a minimum stay of three consecutive nights is required.

The Bauers Hotel in Venice is offering a front-row seat to one of the world’s most famous festivities, the Venice Carnival. The hotel’s three-day Carnival Experience runs Feb. 9 to 12. Clients can choose between the Bauers Hotel or the boutique property Bauer il Palazzo.

The package includes daily buffet breakfast, bottle of Italian Prosecco, home-made sweets and biscuits on arrival, a dinner and dance ball for two, a complimentary fitting of costumes in the hotel by Atelier Venetia, and late check-out when booking a suite at Il Palazzo (2 p.m., subject to availability). For more information, email booking@bauervenezia.com

A blanket of powder snow has fallen in Davos Klosters over the Christmas and New Year holiday and there are still hotel rooms and holiday apartments available for last-minute winter guests.

All six ski regions are open and the extensive network of cross-country ski runs as well as winter-walking trails, sledge runs and ice rinks are prepared.

In Davos Klosters, all 59 facilities that access 200 miles of prepared pistes will be open from Friday. The classic Parsenn ski area and trendy Jakobshorn offer exhilarating descents and fast runs for carvers and snowboarders. The children’s snowparks will open on the Madrisa family mountain and on Rinerhorn. The fresh snow slopes in the Pischa freeride region are secured against avalanches.

According to Stefan Walser, operations manager of Schatzalp, the “slow-down” ski area of Strela/Slow Mountain will also open for the winter season on Friday, Dec. 23. Cross-country skiers will find runs through remote side valleys and tranquil mountain forests. The tracks for the entire network of over 66 miles of classic runs and 30 miles of skating runs have been laid and are prepared daily. Use of all daytime and night runs is free.

The sledge run from Schatzalp to Davos Platz has existed since 1900. This classic route is already prepared, with the bends floodlit in color every evening until 11 p.m. The sledge run from Madrisa to Saas is the longest of the nine sledge runs in Davos Klosters, all of which are open and in great condition. And for winter walking and strolling, Davos has 66 miles and Klosters 27 miles of freshly prepared trails through a winter landscape blanketed in deep snow.

Davos has Europe’s largest open-air ice rink, 18,000 square meters in area, in the center of the town. This also opens on Friday, Dec. 23. The 400-meter-long circuit makes it popular with speed skaters and gliding around the giant rink is a thrilling experience for everyone else. Evening admission will be free for everyone from Dec. 26 to 30.

Dublin’s newest museum, The Little Museum, tells the story of the city in the 20th century. Located in a Georgian townhouse on St. Stephen’s Green in the heart of Dublin, the museum’s guides tell everything from the visit of Queen Victoria to the global success of U2. The museum features objects on subjects as varied as World War I and James Joyce.

There are items related to famous visitors like John F Kennedy, Marlene Dietrich and Muhammad Ali.

Brazil is fast emerging as a destination for travelers of all kinds, and sea kayakers are no different.

Grant Thompson and his team at Tofino Expeditions have found some waters off the country’s southern coast that they say are as close to perfect for sea kayaking as it gets.

Before setting out to see, clients on Tofino’s Brazil tour will be given a tour of the Rio de Janeiro by a local art history professor who has lived in the city her entire life and knows the very best museums and restaurants.

In the coastal city of Paraty, travelers will share an intimate dinner with a famous Brazilian chef, who will explain how the food is connected to the country’s unique history and culture.

In the fishing village of Pouso do Cajaiba, they will dine and lodge with locals, and learn firsthand about their customs and traditions.

Between each of these destinations, travelers will paddle through the temperate, aquamarine waters of Brazil’s southern coast.

American Safari Cruises will resume visits to Molokai, Hawaii, in January after working with local groups who protested the calls by the 36-passenger yacht Safari Explorer.

“After working with state and federal authorities and local groups, an amicable agreement has been reached to allow the yacht unimpeded visits to the island on its seven-day adventure cruises,” the company said in a statement.

“The yacht will return to its regularly scheduled two-day visits Jan. 21 to 22.

This agreement is a result of many long hours of spirited discussions about tourism and development on the island with all participants sharing the underlying desire to preserve Molokai’s unique character, history and traditions.”

The impasse started Nov. 26 when local protestors in small boats and on surfboards blocked the Safari Explorer from entering Kaunakakai Harbor.

The protestors said they feared cruise ship visits could harm the peaceful, rural feeling of Molokai. American Safari suspended visits until things could be worked out.

American Safari Cruises said its small-group travel philosophy strives to educate guests, be responsible stewards and make a positive impact on communities visited. On Molokai, the yacht purchases fresh produce, meat and coffee, and contracts with locals for tours.

“We are grateful to the wonderful people of Molokai for their true Aloha spirit. We hold tremendous respect for their unwavering desire to preserve their traditional lifestyle for future generations,” said American Safari CEO Dan Blanchard.

American Safari operates seven-night active cruises from October through May to Lanai, Molokai, Maui and the Big Island. Itineraries sail between Maui/Lanai and the Big Island; a scenic ferry ride connects guests between Maui and the yacht on Lanai.

The Balearia Bahamas Express fast ferry service between Fort Lauderdale and Grand Bahama Island was officially launched Dec. 20.

The ship, Pinar del Rio, offers fast ferry service from Port Everglades with fares starting at $49 per person one way, based on a roundtrip purchase.

The vessel is owned primarily by the Spanish group Balearia and its local partner, the Capo Group.

The ship will make the 76-mile trip in 2.5 hours and will operate daily except Wednesday.

It has a capacity of 450 passengers.

Amenities include an eatery/bar, duty-free shop and audiovisual equipment.

A ceremonial exchange of plaques held in Port Everglades was attended by Gerardo Capo, chairman of Grupo Capo; Pilar Lecha, area manager for Balearia Group; Francisco Jimenez, captain of Pinar del Rio; Jack Seiler, mayor of Fort Lauderdale; Phil Allen, port director and chief executive of Port Everglades; and Dale V.C. Holness and Chip LaMarca, Broward County commissioners.

Bermuda’s The Reefs hotel is offering low winter rates for its two- and three-bedroom luxury club condos. Couples can stay for $299 per night (regularly $849) in a 2,000-square-foot, two-bedroom condo with a private balcony and hot tub, spa bathrooms, spacious living spaces and ocean views.

Four guests can stay in the two-bedroom condo for $399 per night (regularly $1,099), or six guests can stay for $499 per night (regularly $1,449) in a 2,500-square-foot, three-bedroom condo.

Club condo guests at The Reefs enjoy infinity pools overlooking the Atlantic Ocean, direct access to the resort’s beach, a fitness center, a rooftop putting green, a lounge with pool table and concierge services.

A pre-arrival grocery shopping service is available for guests to stock the in-room gourmet kitchen and the concierge can arrange dining reservations at nearby restaurants.

The Reefs’ club condos are available through March 15, 2012; no minimum stay is required.

Daily rates are quoted on a room-only (EP) plan basis and are subject to tax and service charges.

For more information, call 800-742-2008.

The Ritz-Carlton, Bachelor Gulch is offering a series of winter packages through April 8. The four-night Hit the Slopes package includes two three-day adult ski passes for Beaver Creek and Vail Mountains from $2,596 per room, double.

The Treat You package features a fifth night free on the Ritz-Carlton Club Level, an all-inclusive hotel within a hotel. The package also includes valet parking. The starting nightly room rate is $749.

The Luxury on the Go package includes Club Level accommodations, exclusive use of a Mercedes Benz GL450 or Range Rover HSC for the duration of the stay, valet parking and roundtrip airport transfers from a nightly room rate of $1,348.

For reservations, call 800-241-3333.

The Bermuda Department of Tourism will celebrate its annual “Feel the Love Month,” from Jan. 16 to March 3, 2012. The promotion offers romantic couples opportunities to enjoy the island’s cultural attractions through dedicated daily activities, including a “love” cruise, champagne and strawberries museum reception, and salsa dancing nights.

Travelers can also earn a free night when booking a minimum three-night stay at participating hotels during Feel the Love Month. Accommodations range from luxury resorts and boutique hotels to beach clubs and historic ocean front properties, and the promotion also provides access to exclusive deals and rates with a special Traveler’s Price Card redeemable at more than 50 Bermuda retailers, including water sports shops, retail stores, restaurants.