Jetsettersblog

For nearly 45 years, luxury travel company Abercrombie & Kent (A&K) has been designing bespoke journeys for the independent traveller. Today one of the company’s most popular features is the unique collection of inspirational experiences available through Egypt and Jordan. Each private itinerary reveals iconic ancient monuments, incredible landscapes and authentic culture with quality service throughout, creating a travel experience never to be forgotten.

A&K on the Nile
The finest way to explore the monuments of ancient Egypt is on a Nile cruise and A&K’s fleet offers the very best there is. The Sun Boat IV has 40 cabins and was extensively renovated in 2006 with cabins now featuring floor to ceiling windows and flat screen TVs. Reflecting a chic contemporary style with strong Art Deco influences, this vessel is the epitome of luxury on the river. Sophisticated touches include teak flooring, Egyptian marble, painted murals and canopied day beds on deck. Three and four night cruises are available on Sun Boat IV.

Sister ship, the Sun Boat III was fully renovated in 2005 to give a comfortable and elegant cruise experience. Warm, earthy tones are used in the décor and much of the furniture is styled on that of the 1920s and 30s. Guests seeking a more leisurely experience on the Nile will enjoy the intimate Sun Boat III with her 7 night sailings and just 36 guests on board.

Inspiring Journeys

Just released, Abercrombie & Kent’s latest brochure Inspiring Journeys 2009 highlights all that A&K represents – refined elegance, exotic destinations, exciting experiences and educational inspiration. The brochure contains a range of exciting and eye opening private itineraries throughout Egypt and Jordan showcasing their history, culture and landscape.

• New for 2009 is the 9 day Egyptian Sojourn which combines a 3 night Nile cruise aboard Sun Boat IV with all the highlights of Cairo and a stay in Luxor’s delightful Old Winter Palace. Additional features are entry to the Mummy Room at the Egyptian Museum, Cheops Pyramid, the Solar Boat and Ramses’ Tomb in the Valley of the Kings. Prices start at AUD$5,295 per person twin share.

• The popular Highlights of Jordan features again showcasing old Roman cities, crusader castles, Petra (the newest Wonder of the World) and the mineral laden waters of the Dead Sea. Prices start from AUD$3,355 per person twin share.

• Topping the list of Egypt’s must-see attractions are the breathtaking temples of Abu Simbel. A&K guests are privileged to see them in style as the company has its own office and vehicles on site and its own English speaking guide. At AUD$550 the 3.5 hour excursion including business class airfare is a steal.

• To complete an experience in Egypt and Jordan a number of recommended extension ideas are published. 5 day Alexandria & Siwa journeys from Cairo to Egypt’s Mediterranean coast with highlights including the Roman amphitheatre, El Alamein, and Siwa’s Bedouin culture. There is a choice of accommodation with prices from AUD$4,240 per person twin share.

• For spectacular scenery and outdoor adventure, A&K recommends the Dana Nature Reserve as an add-on to its popular Highlights of Jordan programme. The area is characterised by valleys and mountains, ancient archaeological ruins, quaint villages and wadis of red and white sandstone cliffs. The area is best explored on foot, with a variety of walks of varying levels. Hike along terraced gardens, meet local farmers, and visit a traditional bakery and a jam factory. Prices from AUD$3,880 per person twin share.

• One of Egypt’s natural wonders is the rugged Sinai Peninsula and the coral reefs of the Red Sea. A beach stay is the perfect way to unwind after a busy stay in Cairo or a Nile cruise. A&K features the 4 day/3 night Red Sea Coast Extension staying either at the exclusive Four Seasons Sharm El Sheikh or the family friendly Hyatt Regency both in seaview rooms. Prices from AUD$915 per person twin share.

A&K’s Australasian Managing Director, Sujata Raman said, “At A&K we have been providing luxury travel within Egypt for over 25 years including operating our own Sun Boats on the River Nile. With Jordan so close by, it offers an amazing opportunity for a truly memorable holiday experience, full of rich culture, ancient history, breathtaking landscapes, all delivered with A&K’s signature style and service.”

For more information or a copy of the 2009 Inspiring Journeys brochure, contact
Abercrombie & Kent on 1300 851 800, or visit www.abercrombiekent.com.au

For further comment please contact Sujata Raman, Abercrombie & Kent, Managing Director
T: +61 (0)3 9536 1800 or E: sraman@abercrombiekent.com.au

Information received from the ET offices in Kampala indicates that from end October onwards they will fly six times a week from Addis to the West African destination, using a B757 aircraft. The flights will be routed via Accra and Abuja, although Lome is also still a possibility for a stopover.
Ethiopian Airlines, together with Kenya Airways, offer the most comprehensive inter African networks and are largely responsible to not only connect Africa within but also connect Africa to the rest of the world.

If the idea of nearly a third of a year off to go cruising sounds like your sort of a holiday, consider an amazing 101-nights from New York to Sydney and back to New York aboard Cunard’s grand Queen Mary 2 in 2010.

This ultimate in special anniversary, birthday or even retirement gifts to yourself (or an employee,) will visit 32 ports in 21 countries between January 4 and April 15 2010 and is selling through ecruising.travel at over 30-per cent below previously advertised prices.

A hotel night in New York pre-cruise, all 5-star onboard dining throughout the 101 nights cruise, a special World Cruise Celebration Dinner and complimentary World Cruise Gift, nightly Broadway-style shows and late-release movies, complimentary room service, gratuities, port charges, and transfers in New York are all included.

As well, an onboard spending credit of up to US$1000pp (depending on cabin category) is included in the price that starts from $24,999pp twin-share – a saving of $10,750pp – with free cabin upgrades on select cabin categories, and an additional 5% off for past Cunard guests.

Air travel and taxes are additional; for full information and a detailed itinerary phone 1300 369 848 or visit www.ecruising.travel

ITINERARY DETAILS: Queen Mary 2 will sail 7-nights across the Atlantic to Southampton, then Lisbon, Civitavecchia for Rome, Port Said (Cairo,) Safaga for Luxor and Karnak, Muscat, Dubai, Mumbai, Phuket, Penang, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, Ho Chi Minh City, and Hong Kong where she will overnight.

From Hong Kong she sails on to Shanghai, Nagasaki, Yokohama for Tokyo, Guam, Rabaul, the Whitsunday Islands, Auckland, the Bay of Islands, Sydney (overnight,) Adelaide, Perth, Port Louis in Mauritius, Durban, Cape Town (overnight,) St Helena, Rio de Janeiro, Barbados, Fort Lauderdale and New York.

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Country Walkers, a small-group walking tour provider, is offer many adult education opportunities on its 2009 adventures. Here are some examples: Egypt — The Legendary Nile à la Carte:

Country Walkers’ 10-day land and river excursion through Egypt explores the heart of Cairo, the Pyramids of Giza, Luxor Valley and the Nile in the company of an eloquent and expert Egyptologist.

 The package is priced from $6,598 per person.

Nepal — Annapurnas & Chitwan Safari à la Carte: A 10-day journey that visits shrines, Buddhist temples and Royal Chitwan National Park, a wildlife sanctuary where endangered species of elephant, rhinoceros, tiger, monkeys, and a myriad of birds are protected.

The package is priced from $3,998 per person.

Mexico — The Real Baja à la Carte: Journey deep to discover Baja, Mexico’s unique history on this seven-day adventure – now available à la carte for guests who want to customize their experience with more cultural options. Walk the Sea of Cortez, explore ranchero life, and enjoy Pacific Coast beaches by horseback.

The package is priced from $3,198 per person.

Panama — The Canal, Highlands & Islands à la Carte: Now available à la carte, this eight-day tour is a journey of wonder and discovery. Take walks in varied ecosystems, including rainforests and volcanic hills, snorkel among coral reefs, and identify exotic wildlife in the Chiriqui highlands.

The package is priced from $3,298 per person.

For more information, call 800-464-WALK (9255) or visit www.countrywalkers.com

Don’t know if we can mention the ‘c’ word at this stage, but for walkers hoping to spend the festive season (still can’t say it!) in warmer climes, Walks Worldwide emphasises the need to book early. Their 12-day Libyan Explorer guided walking holiday offers the exotic and unusual, plus with guaranteed winter sunshine and inspirational desert scenery, it will more than fill the bill. Tour departs London 19th December

Towering sand dunes, shimmering palm-fringed lakes, volcanic mountains, prehistoric rock art, remarkable Roman remains and a long and fertile Mediterranean coastline are just fragments of what makes Libya such an inspiring destination. In Tripoli the welcome is warm, with smiling faces all around and streets lined with images of a triumphant (and sometimes smiling) Colonel Gaddaffi.

 Explore the city’s ancient medina, as charming as the one in Marrakech but without the usual hassles, allowing travellers to browse in peace.

One of the highlights of Walks Worldwide’s tour is the remarkable UNESCO World Heritage Site of Jebel Acacus, in the south-west of the country. Comparable to Jordan’s stunning Wadi Rum, its Saharan landscapes, inhabited by the nomadic Tuareg, reveal sand and rock towers, many examples of rarely-seen rock carvings and paintings, and desert wildlife. Walks Worldwide spend five nights here trekking amongst the dramatic Acacus rock formations and sand dunes, stopping to camp in a different location each night.

Other highlights include visits to the Roman cities of Sabaratha, boasting one of the finest theatres in antiquity, and magnificent Leptis Magna, without doubt the best Roman ruins outside of Italy. Here, explore the well-preserved colonnaded streets, baths, arches and amphitheatre of Africa’s greatest Roman cities.

The tour costs £1,515 p/p (December departure) and £1,395 p/p (October departure) including scheduled flights, transfers, hotel and camping accommodation, most meals and expert guiding.

Walks Worldwide
01524 242000
sales@walksworldwide.com
www.walksworldwide.com

Libya Travel MapA map from ITM is an all-in-one travel resource, and perfect for todays travelers These attractive and information-rich maps cover an entire countryregion in splendid detail. Useful information such as elevation, major transportation routes, and national parks is clearly displayed. Of particular use to travelers is the tremendous attention paid to road designation and the extensive labeling of physical features such as mountain ranges, valleys and peaks. Each map comes with an inset of a major city, national park, or area of historical significance. To round out these tremendous products, each map has an area of text giving the reader an overview of the countrys history. From cartography, to text, to a few unique photographs, ITM maps are a travelers best friend

Next month the Red Sea resort, El Gouna, will sponsor a Ferrari in the Nuerburgring leg of the prestigious Ferrari Challenge 2008 from the 3 – 5 October.

The sponsorship deal falls in line with El Gouna’s branding as a resort destination offering a plethora of sporting activities for adventure seeking visitors as well as highlighting El Gouna as a Luxury Leisure Destination.

The Ferrari Challenge has been taking place across Europe since March and will conclude with the finals taking place in November.

The El Gouna team are holding high hopes for this year’s tournament, with their eyes set firmly on a podium place. Unfortunately, last year an accident ruined their plans to secure a finishing position.

Hopefully the fact that the driver Cristiano Uva enjoyed a short break in El Gouna before the beginning of the new season will spur him on to the finishing line.

El Gouna has no shortage of its own exciting adrenaline boosting attractions on offer including go-karting, quad biking, kite-surfing and world class diving.

 The self-contained resort town has a range of accommodation, from apartments and villas to 3, 4, and 5* hotels. Just 14 miles from Hurghada airport (a 4-hour flight),

 El Gouna’s guaranteed sun, year-round, make it a popular choice for British couples or families.

For more information on El Gouna visit

 www.elgouna.com

Orient Lines has revamped its rate structure in response to the current financial crisis. The line’s owner, entrepreneur Wayne Heller, has launched a new Leadership Pricing initiative, with 11-day Europe cruises priced from $1,799 per person, based on double occupancy. “The economy is still in a very, very precarious place,” Heller said.

“This is the time for Orient Lines to take a leadership position in the industry and truly do something that helps consumers. Our new Leadership Pricing translates to savings of up to $5,000 per cabin off brochure rates.” Heller purchased the assets of Orient Lines and is resurrecting the destination specialty line. Under the new rate structure, two 11-day Mediterranean cruises are priced from $1,799 per person, double, reduced from $2,999. Two 16-day Baltic cruise-tours, which include an overnight hotel stay and sightseeing in Berlin, are priced from $2,999 per person, double, reduced from $4,649.

The 11-day Aegean Odyssey departs Port Said, Egypt, on April 29, and visits Cyprus, Rhodes, Antalya, Didim and Kusadasi and Istanbul.

Overnights are scheduled for Cairo and Istanbul. Black Sea Explorer is an 11-day roundtrip from Istanbul departing May 9. Ports of call include Trabzon, Turkey; Batumi, Georgia; Sochi, Russia; Yalta, Sevastopol and Odessa, Ukraine; and Nessebar, Bulgaria.

The round-trip Istanbul voyage includes an overnight aboard ship before departure. The line’s 16-day Great Baltics I and II cruise-tours operate between Dover (London) and Szcezin, Poland, and include a one-night hotel stay and city tour in Berlin. The highlight of the cruise is three full days in St. Petersburg, Russia. Ports of call include Amsterdam; Travemunde (Lubeck), Germany; Copenhagen; Stockholm; Helsinki; Tallinn, Estonia; and Riga, Latvia.

Savings are also offered on fall voyages. The Passage to Rio, departing Nov. 8, 2009, is a 20-day cruise from Barcelona to Rio de Janeiro, priced from $1,799 per person, double. Ports include Malaga and Cadiz (Seville) in Spain; Casablanca and Agadir, Morocco; Lanzarote, Canary Islands; Sao Vicente, Cape Verde Islands; and Salvador de Bahia, Brazil. An overnight is scheduled aboard ship in Rio de Janeiro.

As part of Orient’s Leadership Pricing initiative, the number of air gateways has doubled to 40 in North America. Round-trip economy class air add-on fares to Europe are priced from $695 from the East Coast, $795 from the Midwest and $895 from the West Coast. The maiden voyage of the Marco Polo II is set for April 15. The classic 650-guest Marco Polo II features four open-seating dining venues, six bars, a show lounge, cinema, casino, library and Internet center, card room, fitness center, spa with indoor pool and outdoor swimming pool. Experts from the fields of academia, politics, science and the diplomatic corps will be featured on every voyage.

On longer voyages, gentleman hosts will be along to dance and dine with unescorted female travelers. For more information, call 800-333-7300 or visit www.orientlines.com

• Emaar Properties in conjunction with Armani S.p.A unveils exclusive beachfront residences in Egypt’s most historic beach in a picturesque, unspoilt setting
•Villas embody Armani’s philosophy of stylish simplicity

Cairo, Egypt; August 27, 2008: Emaar Properties PJSC in partnership with Armani S.p.A have announced the highly sought-after Armani Residences in Marassi, Emaar’s flagship resort development in Egypt. Personally designed by fashion icon Giorgio Armani, this will be the first villa offering under the Armani Residences collaboration.

Taking the ‘Live with Armani’ philosophy to Egypt, the Armani Residences, Marassi will be set on the Sidi Abdel Rahman Bay, one of the most picturesque and historic beaches in the country.
This exclusive destination will be a distinctive Mediterranean lifestyle experience that builds on the maiden beachfront ambience of the location and offers connoisseurs from around the world the opportunity to experience Mr Armani’s style of understated elegance and simplicity.

The resort-style residences featuring a combination of stacked villas and three- and four-bedroom villas, all facing the Mediterranean Sea, will be an integral part of Marassi, the EGP9.92 billion (AED6.39 billion; US$1.74 billion) master-planned community developed by Emaar Misr, the wholly-owned country subsidiary of Emaar.

Spread across 1,544 acres of tourist land, Marassi is an all-year round destination and enjoys the unique location advantage of being in the best stretch of beach on the North Coast. The 6.25 million sq m gated community has premier leisure amenities including a world-class beach resort, a vibrant town centre, marina, golf course and hotels set amidst lush greenery and lagoons.

Mr Mohamed Ali Alabbar, Chairman, Emaar Properties, said: “Armani Residences, Marassi blends the advantages of a spectacular location with the world’s most elegant and refined home designs. Sidi Abdel Rahman Bay is a historic Mediterranean beach destination where Emaar Misr, through Marassi, is bringing in a new lifestyle. Armani Residences will be a superior value addition to Marassi, as these elegant homes have the personal touch of Giorgio Armani.”

Mr Giorgio Armani said: “While designing the Armani Residences, Marassi I integrated several elements that capture the serenity and calm of beachfront living. I was also keen to present residents with personalised living spaces that conveyed the comfort, simplicity and understated elegance - cornerstones of the Armani Residences offering.”

In designing the Armani Residences, Marassi, Giorgio Armani responds to the equitable climate and location advantage by creating classical spaces qualified by space, light and structural order. Cutting away from confusing stylistic notions, the architecture of the homes are based on the functionality and aesthetics of volume, light and surface. As a lifestyle experience, this translates to living in close harmony with nature by maximising the benefits of the beachfront ambience.

Mr Sameh Muhtadi, Chief Executive Officer, Emaar Misr for Development S.A.E, said: “Marassi has several distinctive features that make it a prized resort development including one of the region’s largest Marinas. A beach club and hotel are already operational and work on the resort is progressing ahead of schedule. The Armani Residences at Marassi will further build its appeal as an unparalleled Mediterranean destination on par with Greek, Italian or French beach resorts.”

The villa sizes range from 250 to 500 sq m with each unit featuring a private pool. Common area amenities include retail outlets, boardwalk lounge, health club, reflective pool, resort club, screening room, swimming pools and pool deck. There will be designated reception and drop-off points for the convenience of residents and guests.

The furnishing and bespoke finishes of all homes are master-designed by Mr Armani himself. An exclusive range of Armani/Casa home furnishings – a variant of which is used at Armani Residences, Burj Dubai – will give elegant sophistication to the residences. These exclusive residences will also feature automated systems for security, temperature and drapery control, lighting and air-conditioning.

Following roadshows in several international markets, the world’s first Armani Residences located in the iconic Burj Dubai, the world’s tallest building, were launched end 2007 to overwhelming international investor response. The Armani Residences redefines modern living by creating warm, welcoming, harmonious and luxury spaces combined with elegant designs and furnishing.
The Marassi homes will also be promoted internationally, thus adding more appeal to Egypt as a resort investment destination.

Emaar is also developing the Armani Hotel Dubai – one of the first to be opened as part of the collaboration between Emaar and Giorgio Armani S.p.A – also to be situated in Burj Dubai. Several Armani Hotels and Armani Residences are being planned in the world’s most prominent international cities.

Marassi, two hours by road from Cairo, is accessible from the Burj El Arab and El Alamein airports, both offering direct connections to major European and Middle Eastern cities.

Emaar holds 30 per cent equity in Dubai Bank, focused on retail and commercial banking. Emaar is also the largest shareholder in Amlak Finance, UAE’s leading Islamic home financing company.

 For more information, visit www.emaar.com

Virgin Holidays Cruises showcases its best cruise holidays ever in the new 2009 brochure packed full of ideas, from sunny Caribbean Cruises to chilly Alaska.

New cruises for 2009 include:

 New York City breaks, followed by a Puerto Rico Stay & Cruise from £1,499 - for the perfect blend of shopping and sunshine - and a cruise of the Nile, with a choice of three pre-cruise stays from £899.

The brochure will be displayed in eight Virgin Holidays information points in Tesco and Debenhams stores nationwide and features highlights of Virgin Holidays Cruises portfolio.

The full product range can be found online at www.virginholidayscruises.com

Cruising has seen a huge increase in popularity, with the Passenger Shipping Association forecasting that over 1.5m Brits will cruise in 2008.

Virgin Holidays Cruises offers the perfect holidays to suit everyone – from first-time cruisers to seasoned pros.

There’s a world of destinations to choose from too, with Virgin Holidays Cruises offering cruises in six of the seven continents.

Visit www.virginholidayscruises.com

 to book or call 0871 781 9893