Jetsettersblog

Setting sail from Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas the idyllic capital of the US Virgin Islands, you will find yourself in shopping heaven before embarking upon a 5 night journey around the Caribbean. Widely known as the duty free shopping capital of the world – Charlotte Amalie, St Thomas combines rich history with some of the world’s best shopping.

SeaDream I is an exclusive & intimate mega-yacht which hosts just 56 couples who are serviced by a team of 95 crew, providing a truly 5 star luxury experience.

Leading cruise holiday specialists ecruising Asia Pacific are providing you with this dream opportunity at a saving of up to 65%. Through ecruising you can enjoy 5 nights aboard luxury mega-yacht SeaDream I for only HK$19,249.00 usually HK$61,000.00

ecruising Asia Pacific is a fully registered and licensed travel agency who are specialists in cruise holidays. Recently launching their regional centre for Asia Pacific in Hong Kong, their team of dedicated customer service agents are providing Asia with a gateway to the world of cruising.

This exclusive package on SeaDream I includes all main meals, complimentary beverages, personal refreshment bar and entertainment. The mega-yacht also features an Award-winning Thai certified Spa (massage rooms, steam shower and sauna), Fitness center with state-of-the-art equipment, Outdoor whirlpool, pool and spa facilities.

Caribbean Itinerary

18 Jan - Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas

19 Jan - Cruz Bay, St. John

20 Jan - Anguilla, British West Indies

21 Jan - Gustavia, St. Barthelemy

22 Jan - Virgin Gorda, British Virgin Islands

23 Jan San Juan, Puerto Rico

Details
For sale until: 16 January 2009
Destinations: Caribbean
Ship: SeaDream I
Embarkation Port: Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas
Duration: 5 Nights
Departure Dates: 18 Jan 2009

Other great cruise holidays available through ecruising Asia Pacific include:

China, Vietnam & Thailand HK$13,499.00
14 nights on board Costa Allegra from Hong Kong to Singapore. Departing 21 Feb 2009
For sale until: 21 February 2009
Destinations: Asia
Cruise Line: Costa
Ship: Costa Allegra
Embarkation Port: Hong Kong, China
Duration: 14 nights
Departure Dates: 21 February 2009

ecruising Asia Pacific can be contacted for information about cruise holiday products here and world-wide by simply visiting

 www.ecruising.travel/hk

or phoning (852) 3711 3238.

The beautiful Caribbean island of St. Lucia has once again achieved the prestigious accolade of the ‘World’s Leading Honeymoon Destination’ by the World Travel Awards 2008.

St. Lucia’s spectacular rainforests, world famous Pitons, sparkling turquoise waters, friendly Caribbean vibe and soft, sandy beaches as well as their world class resorts, makes it a perfect choice for romantic honeymoons.

Hailed as ‘the Oscars of the Travel Industry’, The World Travel Awards is one of the most prestigious events in the travel industry. Awards are voted for by almost 170,000 travel professionals, and the event is attended by the elite of the travel and media world.

“We’re delighted to have won the award for the ‘World’s Leading Honeymoon Destination’ for the eighth year running. St. Lucia has long been recognised as one of the most stunning islands in the world, and every year we’re ensuring we meet the needs of our holidaymakers whilst remaining true to the beauty of the island.” Debbie Melchor, St. Lucia Tourist Board.

St. Lucia boasts a variety of accommodation, from simple St. Lucian style guesthouses and exclusive boutique hotels, to spacious villas and romantic ‘couples only’ all-inclusive resorts.

Honeymooners can’t fail to sink blissfully into married life engulfed in the romantic ambiance of St. Lucia. The extraordinary twin Pitons, the bubbling Sulphur Springs, dramatic scenery and miles upon miles of lush tropical rainforest, set the perfect scene for couples in love.

Travel to this stunning Caribbean island has never been easier, with direct flights three times a week from Gatwick with Virgin Atlantic, as well as a direct flight once a week from Manchester. British Airways now also fly direct to St. Lucia three times a week from Gatwick.

Marriott and Renaissance Caribbean & Mexico Resorts announced the Winter 2008 Partners in Paradise Award recipients: Richard Poitras, strategic planner and founder of Horizons.com, and Carrie Plato, Caribbean strategy and buying leader of the Mark Travel Corporation.

Poitras was recognized with the Meeting Planner Partner Award and Plato received the Travel Industry Partner Award. The highly esteemed Partners in Paradise Awards are presented to the most extraordinary meeting and travel industry partners, recognizing their overall contributions to Marriott and Renaissance Caribbean & Mexico Resorts.

“These two, dynamic professionals have been selected to receive Marriott’s top industry honor for displaying qualities that exemplify the ideal Marriott partner — organization, leadership, flexibility, creativity and enthusiasm,” said Steve Cook, area director of sales and marketing for Marriott and Renaissance Caribbean & Mexico Resorts.

Launched in 2006, the bi-annual Partners in Paradise Award program is a way of recognizing individuals whose contributions to Marriott and Renaissance Caribbean & Mexico Resorts properties go above and beyond the financial opportunities alone.

Twice a year, the sales team nominates one meeting planner and one travel industry partner to receive this prestigious award. Winners are not only featured on ParadiseByMarriott.com and in a newsletter that is distributed to travel and meeting trades, but they also receive a personal letter, an engraved plaque and a $500 American Express gift certificate.

MLT Vacations added three popular island destinations in the Caribbean through the company’s NWA WorldVacations and Continental Airlines Vacations brands. The tour operator began offering Antigua, Turks & Caicos, and St. Lucia vacation packages Dec. 18.

NWA WorldVacations will offer all three island getaways while Continental Airlines Vacations will offer the islands of Antigua and Turks & Caicos. Vacations package components will include round-trip air, accommodations at a Sandals or Beaches Resort, and ground transportation.

Rental car options and more lodging selections will be announced in the spring of 2009, and optional car rental. More accommodation options are coming in spring 2009.

MLT Vacations, one of the largest providers of vacation packages in the United States, manages multiple package vacation brands, including NWA WorldVacations, Worry-Free Vacations, and Continental Airlines Vacations.

NWA WorldVacations offers vacation packages via scheduled air service on Northwest Airlines, Delta Air Lines and other airline partners, with convenient connections from many U.S. and Canadian cities, to destinations in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean, Europe and Asia, including luxury vacation packages and destination weddings and honeymoons.

Worry-Free Vacations offers charter vacation packages from several U.S. cities to destinations in Mexico and the Caribbean. Continental Airlines Vacations offers vacation packages via scheduled air service on Continental Airlines with convenient connections from many U.S. and Canadian cities, to destinations in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean, Europe and Asia.

For more information, visit www.worldagentdirect.com

Due to popular demand and current trends, St Lucia’s award winning boutique hotel, Coco Palm, has launched a single rate of £75 inclusive of Continental Breakfast and local taxes per night for travel up to 22 December and for most dates in January.

Catering to the savvy independent traveller, Coco Palm is located in the heart of Rodney Bay Village with over 30 bars and restaurants within walking distance, ideal for exploring the authentic Caribbean.

This offer will be resumed after Easter through to December 2009 with limited blackout dates applied for St Lucia Jazz Festival.

For further information, contact Feolla Chastanet FChastanet@coco-resorts.com

Once the New Year celebrations are over the January blues soon set in as everyone returns to normality post the festivities, however in 2009, The Landings St Lucia, a luxury RockResort in the Caribbean, will be offering travellers the chance to escape to tranquil surrounds and enjoy its January ‘sails’. Various water excursions will be available for budding sea-goers, in addition to excellent accommodation rates, offering savings up to 30% off normal packages.

The January ‘sails’ promotion at The Landings will be available to guests booking seven night breaks at the resort by 31 December 2008 and providing the trips take place during January 2009*. The five star resort will be offering deluxe villa suites from £220** per suite, per night. This includes breakfast, as well as a complimentary sailing lesson to help find your sea legs before heading off to hire a sailboat from the private harbour at The Landings.

However, if you would prefer to sit back and sip a gin and tonic and leave the sailing to the professionals, the hotel can arrange a captained sunset sail or day charter to cruise around the island and take in the breathtaking views of the striking Pitons mountains.

January is a perfect time to visit The Landings as it coincides with the opening of the next phase of suites and amenities at the resort. The Landings officially opened in December 2007 with 62 spacious and luxuriously appointed villa suites and 12 months later another 60 villa suites have been unveiled to meet the growing number of guests staying at this luxury resort.

In addition to the new suites, two new pools (an adult only serenity pool and a family friendly pool), tennis courts and a resort boutique will also be available to guests.

The villa suites which offer the most spacious accommodation on island are perfect for couples and family alike. One, two and three bedroom suites are available and they offer fully equipped kitchens, two large balconies, or landscaped terrace and many also boast heated, jetted plunge pools. The Landings is situated in the north coast of the island, very close to Rodney Bay and spans 19 acres and nearly 800 feet of the island’s most stunning beachfront.

For more information about The Landings January ‘Sails’ package, please call 0800 731 8137, or visit www.rockresorts.com

This year’s annual St. Lucia Food & Rum Festival will take place in the heart of Rodney Bay from January 15 – 18, 2008. The Food & Rum Festival attracts some of the best chefs, rum connoisseurs, food critics and gourmands from not only the Caribbean, but also internationally. The Festival aims to teach participants about the diversity of Caribbean food and the excellence of Caribbean rum.

Coconut Bay Beach Resort & Spa has recently opened the Caribbean’s first paintball facility, The Zone. Additionally, the resort has just announced the completion of a renovation to its fourth-floor guestrooms and a new pool bar.

Ti Kaye Village Resort will open the Kai Koko Spa in November 2008. Built at the cliff’s edge with dramatic views of the silver sands of Anse Cochon and the azure sea below, the spa will include three treatment rooms crafted from coconut and local bamboo trees and a relaxation/meditation room with a private Jacuzzi tub. Treatments will feature indigenous, organic ingredients from around the island (www.tikaye.com)

Air Canada has recently increased service from Toronto to St. Lucia through the fall and now offers weekly non-stop service on Sundays and Mondays into Hewanorra International Airport. From Friday, December 14, 2008 through the winter, the flights will run four times per week on Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays and Mondays.

Additionally, Air Canada will begin non-stop service from Montreal on December 22, 2008. The airline will fly weekly on Mondays into Hewanorra International through April 16, 2009.

ITC Sports Unveils Shorter Options On West Indies Cricket Cruise

If time is of the essence but you’re still keen to catch the action of England’s upcoming tour of the West Indies in February, ITC Sports may have the answer – two shorter luxury cruise options. Cricketing fans can now join the luxurious Silver Shadow, exclusively chartered by ITC Sports, for a 9 night cruise taking in the First Test in Jamaica or an 8 night holiday featuring the Second Test in Antigua. Prices for both options start from £3,950 per person. For those with ample time, there is still limited availability for the full 16 night cruise, prices from £6,995 per person.

In addition to taking in world-class cricket and an array of glamorous Caribbean islands, guests on board the Silver Shadow will have the chance to brush up their cricketing know-how with their celebrity hosts. ITC Sports has brought together a unique, star-studded line up of cricketing celebrities and entertainers, including David Gower, Darren Gough, Derek Underwood, Christopher Martin-Jenkins, David Lloyd, Allan Lamb, Paul Allott, celebrity chef Antony Worrall Thompson (who will be offering cookery demonstrations) and Mike d’Abo of Manfred Mann. These onboard Hosts will be joined by many other special guests, meaning that evenings on board will be a highlight of the trip, with “State of Play” discussions, interviews with celebrities, live entertainment, and sumptuous dining.

Silversea’s “six star” Silver Shadow offers all-suite accommodation, a vast array of facilities, and the highest standards of personal service and attention to detail. Little wonder that Silversea has won award after prestigious award for small ship, luxury cruising.

9 Night Cruise Itinerary
2 Feb Fly London to Miami with BA and board Silver Shadow
3 & 4 Feb At sea – with first day of First Test shown on ship
5-7 Feb Test Match in Kingston
8 Feb Either final day of Test Match or cruising round to Port Antonio
9 Feb Day at sea
10 Feb La Romana, Dominican Republic
11 Feb Disembark at San Juan and board flight to London

8 Night Cruise Itinerary
10 Feb Fly London to San Juan for 1 night bed and breakfast at the Sheraton Old San Juan
11 Feb Transfer and board Silver Shadow for 7 nights all-inclusive
12 Feb St Barths
13-17 Feb Second Test Antigua
18 Feb Fly Antigua to London

Prices from £3,950 per person – based on all-inclusive, all-suite accommodation on Silversea’s Silver Shadow, international flights, cricket hospitality facilities, all transfers, celebrity hosts and entertainment.

Land Based Tours
For those who prefer to keep their feet on dry land, ITC Sports is also offering an extensive programme of Celebrity Escorted Tours, staying in excellent accommodation and offering exceptional itineraries that include welcome drinks, cricket transfers, cricket forums, farewell dinners and fabulous touring and sightseeing – plus guaranteed access to official match tickets.

Any of ITC Sports’ suggested itineraries can be personalised by its team of Caribbean specialists to suit individual requirements.

For reservations and further information please contact ITC Sports
(01244 355527; www.itcsports.co.uk)