Jetsettersblog

AutoEurope Gas Coupon Offer

Auto Europe has extended its offer of a $30 coupon toward renters’ gas with every car rental reservation in Austria, Croatia, France, Germany, Italy and Portugal. The offer is valid with any car category booked, minimum five-day rental period, in Austria, Croatia, France, Germany, Italy and Portugal.

The coupon is redeemable once travel is completed and additional restrictions may apply. The offer is valid only for North American residents. For more information, click the banner below and search AutoEurope.

Düsseldorf’s Breidenbacher Hof Introductory Rates

Following a transformation and May 2008 re-opening, Breidenbacher Hof, a Capella Hotel, in Düsseldorf, Germany is offering special introductory rates.

Through Aug. 31 summer rates start at €225 ($354) for a Standard Room – proving anything but standard – with beautiful views of the hotel’s lush, inner courtyard. During this introductory period, Deluxe Rooms start at €325 ($512), and Capella Rooms, with separate living quarters and guest powder rooms, start at €500 ($788).

Beginning Sept. 1 rates will start at € 275 ($433), € 425 ($669) and €800 ($1,260) for the Standard, Deluxe and Capella Rooms, respectively.

Call 877-247-6688 or visit www.capellahotels.com

Scenic Tours’ Sapphire Cruise ship

Scenic Tours’ new riverboat Scenic Sapphire.  

The 2008 itineraries sail on the Rhine and Danube rivers, between Amsterdam and Budapest on the initial 15-day “Jewels of Europe” cruise.

More than 80 percent of cabins have private balconies measuring over 25 square feet. The superior Danube Deck also features services of a butler, who can be summoned at the touch of a button.

Scenic’s fares are all-inclusive with guided shore tours, gourmet meals, wine with dinner, airport transfers and all gratuities. Each day of the two-week trip offers Scenic FreeChoice, which allows passengers to select their sightseeing option. Since launching in 1987, Australia-based Scenic Tours entered the European river cruising market in 2005 and has invested $100 million to introduce a fleet of new ships in 2008.

For more information, visit www.scenictours.com

Tripwolf Free Guides to Europe

Tripwolf.com, a social travel guide that specializes in Europe but also offers content about other pats of the world, is targeting the U.S. market. It combines professional editorial content with user-generated content from travelers worldwide. Tripwolf is backed by MairDumont, Europe’s largest publisher of travel guides, including Baedeker, Dumont and Marco Polo. Through collaboration with tripwolf, MairDumont has put all of its content - covering more than 200,000 destinations and points of interest - online for free.

For more information, visit www.tripwolf.com

Uniworld Cruises Early-Booking Incentives

Uniworld Boutique River Cruise Collection is offering travelers who pre-plan their cruises additional savings.

With Pay-In-Full and early-booking discount programs, travelers reduce their costs by booking and paying for all or a portion of their Europe cruises in advance. Couples who book a 2009 Uniworld Europe river cruise and pay in full before Sept. 30 can save up to $1,000 per person on select itineraries in Europe. By paying before this date, travelers are protected from any currency fluctuation. Those who place a deposit on a 2009 river cruise can save up $300 per person by booking and depositing by Nov. 30.

For more information, call 800-733-7820 or visit www.uniworld.com

Black Forest to the Danube Package

Explores Germany’s Southern Sights

Tour Visits Historic Highlights of Germany Cities Mainz, Heidelberg, Freiburg, Augsburg and Regensburg

Augsburg, Germany — Historic Highlights of Germany, a consortium of 14 historic German cities, has announced a five-day package that travels from the deep woodlands and rustic villages of the Black Forest in southwestern Germany to the waters of the Danube as it cuts across Bavaria.

Along the way, travelers experience some of Germany’s most ancient and historic cities rich with medieval abbeys and cathedrals, baroque castles and histories dating back 2,000 years to the Roman Empire.

The package includes visits to Mainz, Heidelberg, Freiburg, Augsburg and Regensburg, four nights’ hotel accommodations, breakfast daily, Frankfurt airport transfers, detailed tour information and a choice of an Avis rental car €409 ($645*) or first class rail tickets €509 ($802*) between cities. In several cities, visitors also receive “welcome cards” for free or discounted access to public transportation and many attractions.

The first overnight, in Mainz, allows guests coming from nearby Frankfurt airport the chance to recover from their overseas flight as well as visit the city’s architectural highlights such as the six-towered Cathedral of St. Martin and the 1,000-year-old St. Stephen’s Church. En route to Freiburg — with its Gothic Cathedral encircled by a medieval Old Quarter with narrow, meandering lanes and a vibrant marketplace — participants stop in Heidelberg to take in the city’s castle, among the most important Renaissance structures north of the Alps.

The program continues to Augsburg, nicknamed the “German Renaissance City” for its wealth of buildings from that era, and ends in the UNESCO World Heritage city of Regensburg with its meticulously preserved medieval houses, towers, churches and abbeys, and a City Hall and cathedral that escaped attack during World War II. Hotels throughout the tour are conveniently located near rail stations in each city and include the Novotel (Mainz); InterCity Hotel (Freiburg); Hotel Riegele (Augsburg) and Karmeliten Hotel (Regensburg).

Tours are offered by TOEUROPE GERMANY. For detailed information on these and other German “Dream Routes,” visit Historic Highlights of Germany at www.historicgermany.com  or www.germanydreamroutes.com  Bookings can be made online at www.toeurope.eu  by calling Nonstop Travel at (800) 949-6362 or through local travel agents.

Historic Highlights of Germany is a tourism consortium comprising Augsburg, Erfurt, Freiburg, Heidelberg, Koblenz, Mainz, Münster, Osnabrück, Potsdam, Regensburg, Rostock, Trier, Wiesbaden and Würzburg - cities rich in historic and cultural heritage.

Contact Historic Highlights of Germany at info@historicgermany.com or visit www.historicgermany.com

Germany’s Historic Highlights Package

Historic Highlights of Germany, a consortium of 14 historic German cities, has announced a five-day package that travels from the deep woodlands and rustic villages of the Black Forest in southwestern Germany to the waters of the Danube as it cuts across Bavaria.

Along the way, travelers experience some of Germany’s most historic cities rich with medieval abbeys and cathedrals, baroque castles and histories dating back 2,000 years to the Roman Empire.

The package includes visits to Mainz, Heidelberg, Freiburg, Augsburg and Regensburg, four nights’ hotel accommodations, breakfast daily, Frankfurt airport transfers, detailed tour information and a choice of an Avis rental car €409 ($645) or first class rail tickets €509 ($802) between cities.

In several cities, visitors also receive “welcome cards” for free or discounted access to public transportation and many attractions.

Call Nonstop Travel www.toeurope.eu at 800-949-6362

or visit www.historicgermany.com  

or www.germanydreamroutes.com

Europe’s Two Coolest Cities for style

Helsinki and Vienna; they are two of Europe’s iconic cities, renowned as places where visitors can indulge their senses to the full; traditional and culturally rich destinations that play to the whims of the senses – sound, sight, taste, touch.

The launch of the ‘Odd Couple’ campaign is aimed to highlight that ‘yes’ Vienna and Helsinki are rich in tradition but, importantly, they are vibrant cities of the 21st century; Helsinki – renowned for its cool, cutting edge Nordic image, and Vienna a creative, stylish ‘new wave’ centre of Europe.

In a unique marketing initiative, the VisitFinland (ex Finnish Tourist Board) and the Austrian National Tourist Office have teamed up to promote the contemporary, innovative and laidback side of the two cities – to ‘refresh the senses’ – with a key initiative the launch of a four day ‘Odd Couple’ package in conjunction with Finnair, Beyond Travel, the Vienna Tourist Board and Helsinki City Tourist & Convention Bureau.

They are the ‘Odd Couple’ – the old and yet new – but in fact, set midst the stunning architectural facade of Europe, they are two dynamic and very edgy modern European cities. To combine them both in one package brings together an incredible experience of contemporary Europe for travellers,” VisitFinland local representative Satu Raunola said.

They are two hip cities, loaded with inspiring architecture, innovative fashion and design and ultra-chic cafes, restaurants and bars.

HELSINKI: ‘hear’ cutting edge bands such as HIM, The Rasmus and Nightlight, Finnish jazz at the Storyville Jazzclub, cool Finnish tango; ‘see’ the famous Design District Helsinki with its 25 streets full of fashion stores, art galleries, design studios and designer hotels; ‘taste’ haute Finnish cuisine at Michelin star restaurants NEMO, G.W Sundmans and Chez Dominique ; ‘touch’ designer labels such as IVANAhelsinki, and Hanna Saren, Globe Hope and Tia Vanhatapio.

“Walking down Helsinki’s Esplanade is to experience a real microcosm of both Finnish and international design – it is old world grandeur juxtaposed with Finnish minimalism – from the five star 19th century Hotel Kamp (where Mick Jagger regularly lays his head when in town) to the stark Artek Academic bookstore with its sharp bare facade,” Raunola said.

“Just walking around Helsinki you can pick up the vibe – there is a lot of youthful, innovative energy there.”

VIENNA: ‘hear’ the downbeat rhythms of electronic music of the so called ‘Vienna Sound’, Europe’s finest Hip-hop DJs and famous clubs like Flex and OST Klub as well as record labels like Couch Records (which contributed music to ‘Sex and the City’); ‘see’ the MuseumsQuartier cultural district – one of the largest cultural complexes in the world that is home to Austria’s largest collection of contemporary art as well as chic eateries such as Cafe Leopold and Milo; ‘taste’ the new restaurant scene of Naschmarkt – a fine food haven of over 170 market stalls including Naschmarkt Deli which also dishes up electronic DJ vibes on Saturday afternoons; ‘touch’ the shopping districts of the 4th and 7th suburbs with their new wave designer clothing, that has also been given a presentation platform with the ‘festival for fashion and photography’ held each June.

“The young creative scene has injected a strong avant garde theme throughout the city – it has made it refreshing, new and young while still in one of Europe’s grand destinations,” Astrid Mulholland-Licht, Director of the Austrian National Tourist Office said.

“It is a fascinating combination of tradition and energetic innovation,” she said. And now Vienna and Helsinki, through the ‘Odd Couple’ campaign, have been brought together for the ‘ultimate’ European city holiday!

To experience this contemporary, creative side of Europe, Beyond Travel is offering a four night ‘Odd Couple’ package competitively priced from $2,100 per person which includes return economy travel on Finnair to Helsinki and Vienna, two nights in Helsinki at the three star Sokos Hotel, two nights in Vienna at the Starlight Suite Hotel, breakfast daily, a Helsinki Audio tour & 48 hour Helsinki card and a 72 hour Vienna card that includes free public transport, free drinks, shopping and attraction discounts. There is a free bonus upgrade in Helsinki to a four star hotel for weekend stays.

Travellers can also go in the draw to win a fantastic trip to Helsinki and Vienna valued at $8,500 per couple. Enter the competition at www.austria.info/au

“The package captures the best of the contemporary European experience – two of the coolest cities in Europe,” Raunola said.

South Tyrol News and Deals

- More contemporary spa hotels to choose from than ever before -

Nestled in the Italian Alps between Verona and Innsbruck, the bilingual province of South Tyrol will witness a number of new hotels and attractions this summer. Visitors can luxuriate in hay baths in contemporary surroundings, celebrate the anniversary of Reinhold Messner’s oxygen tank-free ascent of Mount Everest, indulge in a five-course culinary experience or worship with the Pope in Bressanone. Always a hotspot for stylish accommodation South Tyrol has seen an upsurge in new design hotels over the past few months, from spa hotels decked out in walnut and natural stone to architectural gems whose geometrical design sympathetically reflects the surrounding Dolomite landscape.

Accommodation news

One of the newest hotels in South Tyrol, the four-star Hotel Gartner (hotelgartner.it) opened this April and is located in the village of Tirolo / Dorf Tirol above the spa town of Merano/Meran.

Thanks to the extensive use of walnut, leather, glass and steel juxtaposed by natural stone floors, also has a very contemporary and clean feel. The individually furnished rooms all boast a private terrace, balcony or garden. Guests can take a refreshing dip in the hotel’s pool, which leads outside into the Mediterranean garden to take in the stunning views of Merano and the surrounding mountains.

The hotel also offers an outdoor Jacuzzi, a vast wooden sunbathing terrace and a dining room with show-kitchen, as well as a bar and library. The spa features products by well-known brands such as Etro with signature treatments including the “power caviar” deluxe facial. Half-board accommodation starts from just €81 (approximately £63) per person for a double room palm terrace.

The four-star Landhotel der Küglerhof (kueglerhof.it), also in Tirolo, is located on the sunny slopes above the centre of the village and underwent a renovation and expansion in April. In the midst of a spacious park, the Panoramic Lodge offers breathtaking views of Merano, the surrounding mountains and nearby nature reserve and forest.

The hotel is furnished in an elegant country-house style and the gastronomy is based on fresh, locally-sourced farm produce, with light, local and Mediterranean cuisine on the menu. Thanks to the recent expansion, the hotel now boasts 12 junior suites, all over 40 m2 in size, elegantly furnished with modern comforts. The health and fitness spa has also been completely refurbished with three saunas, one of which is an organic hay sauna, plus a Kneipp basin, sun shower and a Jacuzzi.

Accommodation prices start from €85 (approx £66) per person per night (including buffet breakfast and dinner) for a north-facing double room with balcony.

Opening this month and located on a steep hillside in Sesto / Sexten, about 70 miles northeast of Bolzano, the newly-built four-star Strata Hotel (stratahotel.it) has been built as series of interweaving timber strips and free-flowing topography designed to mirror the surrounding natural environment.

The design, by East London-based architects Plasma Studios, winners of the ‘Pipers Award 2008 - Young Generation’ maximises its rooms’ exposure to the sun and comprises continuous horizontal lines with balconies blurring into the natural landscape. The Strata’s main building, distinctly different from the remainder of the hotel, is divided into two parts.

The guest accommodation in the right wing of the hotel has balconies directed towards the vista and the sun and large glass windows, whilst the left wing functions as the private home of the owners. The Strata’s guestrooms have all been developed as family apartments, providing space for a living and dining area which is divided by a piece of furniture from the parents’ sleeping area, whilst the children get their own small sleeping space.

The furniture also exudes a sense of South Tyrol’s nature, with an abundance of local larch wood and a series of wooden poles used throughout the interior. Stays at the Strata start from €80 per person per night on a half-board basis.

Known as “Garten” (garden), the recently opened Hofstätter (hofstatter.com) wine bar and restaurant in the South Tyrolean village of Termeno / Tramin inhabits a picturesque location in the village centre. The new Hofstätter Garden vineyard, which was the brainchild of the estate’s owner Martin Foradori-Hofstätter, is designed to offer visitors and locals an idyllic spot to savour both wines and authentic local delicacies. The vineyard, wine lounge and converted wine shop officially opened late in May 2008.

The wine shop seeks to introduce visitors to wines, grappa, sparkling varieties, and a number of smaller wine-related products with everything available to taste. The newly built wine lounge, situated behind the wine shop and beneath the vineyard, has been conceived as an open room offering various facilities: a bar, gourmet eatery and relaxation area all in one.

“Everest Unmasked” in Bolzano (suedtirol.info and messner-mountain-museum.it)

This summer sees the 30th anniversary of South Tyrolean Reinhold Messner’s conquest of Mount Everest as the first person, together with Austrian Peter Habeler, to scale the world’s highest peak without oxygen. Messner’s achievement, regarded at the time as a physiological impossibility, is being celebrated until 30 November at the MMM Firmian in Bolzano / Bozen. There are paintings by the expedition’s local Sherpa and extracts from Messner’s diary, which he kept throughout the arduous journey. The exhibition also observes Messner’s 1978 solo ascent of the Himalayan peak of Nanga Parbat, the world’s ninth highest mountain and one of the deadliest of the 8,000m climbs.

Special culinary mountain-inn trekking holiday packages (hotelturm.it)

Between 6 and 12 July 2008 South Tyrol’s Romantikhotel Turm is offering the chance to hike from one mountain inn to the next throughout the Dolomites. Starting with a welcome drink on the terrace and a romantic four-course meal - including strudel and cheese buffet - and ending with the chance to luxuriate in a traditional local spa bath, the holiday package costs €930 (approx £737) per person on a half-board basis and encapsulates the essence of a stay in South Tyrol. In the evening guests can enjoy a drink in the herbal garden and a five-course dégustation menu of “wild herbs and flowers” accompanied by a number of high-quality wines.

Cycling and endurance running extravaganzas this summer (maratona-dolomites.com)

One of the most important events in the annual cycling calendar, the 110mile / 175km Maratona dles Dolomites (Marathon of the Dolomites) takes places on 29 June and is set to attract amateurs from all over the world. The event, which has seen over 7,000 competitors participating in the past two years, comprises no fewer than seven gruelling Dolomite passes and includes a 4,190m change in altitude. Other cycling highlights during the South Tyrolean summer include the Sella Ronda Bike Day on 6 July (sellarondabikeday.com), offering cyclists the chance to experience the oft-skied Sella Ronda track, and the Stelvio Bike Day (stelviopark.bz.it) on 30 August.

During the Sella Ronda’s third annual Bike Day all four passes around the Sella Massif will be closed to motorists with access for cyclists only. A Nirvana for mountain cyclists, the 55km Sella Ronda course will attract amateur cyclists who can seek sustenance from refuges and restaurants in the area, whilst the Stelvio Bike Day expects around 6,800 participants, with the Stelvio Pass closed to motorists for the day.

Enjoy a sanctified stay in South Tyrol! Pope Benedict XVI holidays in Bressanone this summer (brixen.org)

Between 28 July and 11 August Pope Benedict XVI will be holidaying in Bressanone / Brixen. The Pontiff will be praying the Angelus Domini at midday in the Domplatz outside the cathedral during the two Sunday services of his stay. As a large turn-out for these two masses is anticipated the cathedral will also have two large screens in the Acquarena / Parkplatz Priel to allow more followers to watch.

Getting there

British Airways (ba.com; 0870 850 9850) offers daily flights to Verona from London Gatwick from just £118 return including taxes and easyJet (easyjet.com; 08717 500 100) flies to Innsbruck from London Gatwick, Liverpool and Bristol with prices from £22.99 one-way (incl. taxes) and return from £45.98 (incl. taxes). Bolzano in South Tyrol is approximately a 90 minute drive from Verona and Innsbruck. Low-fare transfers run from Innsbruck and Verona airports to Bolzano in South Tyrol from €17 each way (www.lowcostcoach.com www.suedtirol.info/lowfare)

For more information on South Tyrol visit www.suedtirol.info

14 Nights Cruising For The Price Of 10

Leading boating holiday specialist the Le Boat group is offering 14 night holidays for the price of 10 nights for all cruising holidays taken in 2008. This special offer is available on boating holidays in France, Italy, Belgium, Holland, Germany, Ireland, Scotland and England.

A two week cruise allows you more freedom to explore a region and time to re-visit your favourite stop off points on route. No previous boating experience is required as the boats are easy to operate and helpful base staff ensure you are comfortable at the helm before setting off on your holiday.

Including the saving, prices for two weeks start from just £197 per person based on four people sharing a two cabin cruiser in Brittany or the Charente. This offer is valid for bookings made by the 16th July 2008. Le Boat’s cruisers sleep from two to twelve people and flexible durations mean that itineraries are available for short-breaks, one-week holidays or longer stays.

Comprising the renowned brands Crown Blue Line, Connoisseur and Emerald Star, the Le Boat group has been providing self-drive river and canal holidays for over 40 years.

For more information call 0844 463 3577 or visit www.leboat.co.uk