Jetsettersblog

Backroads, which first offered biking itineraries among the grand châteaux of the Loire Valley 22 years ago, is offering more than 50 active itineraries in 17 European countries, designed to showcase the distinctive character of each region.

New to the Backroads European roster in 2010 is Dordogne and Bordeaux Biking, highlighted by prehistoric cave paintings at Font du Gaume, the fortified village of St-Émilion (whose history dates back to the Second Century) and bike rides among world-famous Grand Cru vineyards.

On the new Spain Biking trip, cyclists journey from Barcelona to the Pyrénées and on to Costa Brava, with hearty climbs in the mountains, peaceful rides alongside miles of Mediterranean beaches, Catalan cuisine and Salvador Dali’s art.

The new Portugal Biking trip takes Backroads travelers from the region’s pastoral heartland to the Douro Valley, famed for its port wine, while showcasing Roman ruins, Peneda-Gerês National Park and Guimarães, the birthplace of Portugal.

Perennial favorites include biking and multisport trips along Croatia’s Dalmatian Coast;

a biking journey off the beaten path in Hungary, Slovakia and Poland;

a trio of itineraries in Ireland;

walking and hiking in the Czech Republic and Austria;

multisport and hiking trips in Switzerland;

as well as an assortment in Tuscany, in sunny Provence and in Puglia on the Adriatic coast. Clients are offered a choice of Premiere or Casual Inns Trips.

For more information, call 800-462-2848 or visit www.backroads.com

February is Black History Month and to celebrate the contributions African Americans have made to the city and culture of Paris, Air Tahiti Nui is offering a special 10 percent discount on all economy (Moana) class airfare from Los Angeles International Airport to Charles de Gaulle Airport to those who book a “Paris Black Tour” with local tour operator Black Paris Tours.

Bookings must be made by Feb. 19 for travel through Feb. 28, 2010.

Though Paris is rarely spotlighted during Black History Month, a tour with Black Paris Tours’ founder Ricki Stevenson reveals that African Americans have influenced a significant part of the romantic and historic City of Light. On the full-day seven-hour walking/metro/bus tour (a two-thirds day option is also available), travelers begin their learning at the Arc de Triomphe where the 369th regiment “Harlem Hellfighters” were due to receive a hero’s welcome following World War I.

They next continue down the Champs-Elysées to the former U.S. Embassy where in 1787 Thomas Jefferson and the black and beautiful Sally Hemings began their 38-year relationship.

Participants then visit the new monument honoring one of Napoleon’s greatest generals, Haitian-born Thomas Alexandre Dumas, and another memorializing his son Alexandre Dumas, one of the most proliferate writers in French history.

The tour then visits the theater where Josephine Baker, Sidney Bechet and a cast of young African American performers exploded onto stage in 1925.

Following lunch, the group heads north to Barbès-Rochechouart where they stroll through “Little Africa,” an area that resembles Dakar or Abidjan.

The day ends with mint tea and beignets in La Goutte d’Or and a climb to the highest point in Paris, Montmartre, known as the “Harlem of Paris” in the 1920s and 1930s given the expatriate African American community of jazz musicians that thrived in the district and helped turn the city into the major jazz capital it remains today.

The full-day tour starts at $95 euros per person, excluding lunch, and the two-thirds day tour starts at $70 euros per person. Children under 13 are $30 euros.

Upon purchasing the “Paris Black Tour,” travelers will receive their Air Tahiti Nui airfare promo code for the 10 percent discount.

For more information on Air Tahiti Nui and to book the “Paris Black Tour” special, call 877-824-4846 or visit www.airtahitinui-usa.com/parisblacktour

AMA Waterways is offering an opportunity to experience Oktoberfest in Munich.

The “Be Our Guest at Oktoberfest” promotion includes a complimentary two-night stay in Munich on bookings made Feb. 2 to 9 of the line’s new “Oktoberfest Escape” program.

The itinerary, which takes place Sept. 21 to Oct. 1, begins with the stay in Munich at the Le Meridien Hotel or another luxury hotel.

Included are a complimentary city tour, daily breakfast, and the chance to enjoy Oktoberfest as locals mark the 200th anniversary of this famous tradition.

After the stay in Munich, guests will depart on a seven-night cruise on the Danube, Main and Rhine rivers from Nuremberg to Amsterdam aboard the Amalegro.

The “Be Our Guest at Oktoberfest” promotional price starts at $2,699 per person.

For more information, call 800-626-0126 or visit www.amawaterways.com

St Valentine’s Day would be undeniably flat without the fizz of Champagne, so here are three wildly romantic suggestions for sampling the many delights of the Champagne-Ardenne region itself (www.tourisme-champagne-ardenne.com) and indulging in the nectar of the Gods !

Mediaeval romance at the Largest Castle in Europe (French Ardennes)

The impressive Château Fort of Sedan is the largest castle in Europe with 30 metre ramparts boasting panoramic views across Sedan and the majestic Meuse Valley.

This historic monument dates from the 15th century and offers a beautifully renovated 54 room hotel in the interior of the castle, blending comfort and contemporary design with original features and a stylish gourmet restaurant.

PRICE: From 113,50 Euros pp – B&B, ‘Tasting Menu’ dinner (excludes drinks) + welcome gift valid throughout February. See www.hotelfp-sedan.com

A Romantic Romany Escapade (Aube)

For an unusual Valentine’s love nest, snuggle up in a romantic gypsy caravan at the charming Auberge de Sainte Maure.

In a glorious riverside setting, the 3 caravans have beautiful wooden interiors including plasma TV, minibar & phone, with a shared pontoon over the River Melda. There’s even fishing equipment for you to while away the hours at this rural Inn.

This is an ideal base to explore the surrounding vineyards and the hidden charms of the mediaeval city of Troyes, an easy 45 minute train ride from Paris or 3.5 hour drive from Calais. The lovely old inn boasts a renowned restaurant with original beams and a chimney place for cosy dinners à deux.

PRICE : 120 Euros pp – bed & breakfast plus gastronomic dinner with drinks. See www.auberge-saintemaure.fr

Charm & Romance on the Champagne Route (Marne)

Be a princess for a weekend in the magical 17th century Château Etoges visited by Napoleon and Louis XIV.

Now a 3 star hotel, it retains much of its original charm and is surrounded by a moat and 20 hectares of parkland.

The hotel has a fine gourmet restaurant in The Orangerie and sits on the edge of a pretty rural village just 15 minutes from the famous vineyards of Epernay where you can learn all about Champagne production.

See www.etoges.com

PRICE : From Euros 148 pp for one night, available all year round.

Includes bed & breakfast ;

gourmet dinner (excluding drinks) ; maps & information ;

vineyard & cellar visit with tasting

For more information, downloadable brochures and a host of suggestions for weekends and short break ideas in the region, see award-winning website

www.tourisme-champagne-ardenne.com

or call Tel: (00 33) 3 26 21 85 80.

Insight Vacations launched a follow-up to its Fly for Free promotion which allows companions to fly to Europe for $99, beginning Jan. 30.

Under terms of the deal, book two clients traveling together on an air-inclusive 2010 Insight Vacations European and the second traveler flies for $99. Booking and full payment for entire vacation package must be made by Feb. 26.

The offer is valid for new bookings made from Jan. 30 to Feb. 26. Travel must be completed by Oct. 21.

The companion rate to Cairo, Egypt, is $399. Offer applies to new bookings only. Not valid for travel from/to LAX in July or Chicago in May and June.

Offer not valid on Israel, Jordan or Morocco tours.

The offer is valid on British Airways, out of British Airways U.S. gateways only.

Fuel surcharges are included in quoted rate, additional taxes and fees are additional and cost approximately $80 to $200.

For more information about taxes and fees, visit www.insightvacations.com/taxesandfees

“We have seen a tremendous surge in bookings since October,” said Marc Kazlauskas, president of Insight Vacations.

“It’s so important to keep the momentum going. I believe our outstanding product sells itself but the air promotions certainly help to close the sale. The more an agent has to offer their clients, the better their chances are of making the booking. It’s important for agents to have a tool that enables them say to their customer — book now for the best deal.” Insight groups are limited to 40 passengers.

For more information, call 800-582-8380 or visit www.insightvacations.com

Paris’s 16th arondissement, home to the Arc de Triomphe and Champs-Elysées, saw the opening of the new Villa & Hotel Majestic on Jan. 12.

The property offers a choice of 52 guestrooms and suites, the MajClub Wellness Centre, Le Premium Bar and a restaurant. In addition to the property’s custom-designed décor, wellness and sustainability are guiding philosophies, from the Majclub Wellness Centre to the selection of materials, fabrics and fixtures chosen according to ethical and eco-conscious positioning.

In the Villa, the interiors combine classic French style with contemporary abstract artwork and furnishings resulting in a modern aesthetic throughout the public spaces and guestrooms.
Each individually decorated accommodation uses a mix of earth tones, silvers, grays and clean whites with splashes of color.

The 27 spacious villa accommodations are equipped with kitchenettes including an oven, refrigerator, washing machine, coffee maker, and cooking and dining utensils, making it a good choice for extended stays.

Many accommodations are complimented with extended private landscaped terraces.

The 25 bedrooms and suites offer period antiques.

In-room amenities throughout the entire property include flat-screen televisions, iPod docks, DVD player and Wi-Fi.

The MajClub Wellness Centre devotes 4,800 square feet to beauty, relaxation and body care offering a sprawling fitness center, treatment rooms, hammams, infrared saunas, and a heated, indoor swimming pool with teakwood lounge chairs.

The center also features “Clé des Champs,” an organic line of products and treatments inspired by traditional Chinese medicine that reflect the changing seasons.

Founder Céline Claret Coquet, has also created an innovative face lifting treatment though the use of acupuncture and gold needles, exclusive to the MajClub. Villa & Hotel Majestic rates begin at 500 euros ($705) per room, per night.

Rates include tax and service charges.

For more information, call 011-33 (0)1 45 00 83 70

or visit www.majestic-hotel.com

With the Festival de Cannes quickly approaching May 12 to 23, the Palais Stéphanie, the newest hotel in Cannes, which sits on the original site of the Palais des Congrès where the first Film Festivals were held, has been newly renovated and granted its fifth star by the commissioner of the Alpes-Maritimes département in southeast France.

Accredited experts based the hotel’s new classification upon extensive appraisals and surprise audits encompassing 124 mandatory and a hundred optional criteria.

These procedures ensured that Palais Stéphanie met the strict standards of exceptional customer service, sustainable development, amenities and food services.

“Through the recent restoration, this classic hotel was transformed into a vibrant and fashionable destination reflecting its glamorous film heritage,” said General Director Richard Duvauchelle.

The redesign of the hotel pays tribute to the legendary film stars of festivals past, such as Sophia Loren, Brigitte Bardot, and Liz Taylor.

Palais Stéphanie’s recent 38 million euro renovation transformed its 261 rooms and suites with upgraded flat screen TVs and high-speed Internet access; a heated rooftop swimming pool, Jacuzzis and Panorama bar; a full casino offering 150 slot machines and 19 gaming tables.

Additional amenities and services include an 820-seat auditorium and flexible meeting space a shopping gallery, concierge, luggage room, and car rental.

The hotel is c within walking distance of the old city, Palais des Festivals and the old port and approximately 30 minutes by car from the Nice International Airport.

Guests are also less than a mile from the Cannes TGV train station for convenient travel within Cannes and other destinations.

For more information, call 011-33 (0)4 92 99 70 00 or visit www.PalaisStephanie.com

Gault Millau, one of France’s most influential restaurant guides, tested and liked what they tasted of Romantik Restaurant Chef Ralph Zimmermann’s cooking.

Awarded 14 points and one toque (chef’s hat), he will be included in the upcoming 2010 edition of the Gault Millau guide.

To be accepted after the first visit by Gault Millau testers is not unheard of, but not very common either. Out of many hundred applicants, only 54 restaurants in the German state of Hessen, which includes Frankfurt, were accepted by the testers.

For over 50 years the Romantik Hotel Zimmermann has been one of the top lodging addresses in Limburg.

In 1997 Ralph Zimmermann joined his parents in running the Romantik Hotel Zimmermann and convinced his father, that a top hotel should also have a top restaurant. Zimmermann honed his cooking skills at some of Germany’s finest restaurants, such as the “Ente von Lehel,” “Nassauer Hof” in Wiesbaden and “Brenner’s Park Hotel” in Baden-Baden.

Gault Millau is most famous for its rating system, on a scale of 1 to 20. Restaurants below 10 points are almost never listed.

The points are awarded strictly based on the quality of the food with any comments about service, price or the atmosphere of the restaurant given separately.

Based on this rating, high-ranking restaurants may display one to four toques.

In common with the Guide Michelin, but unlike many other guides, Gault Millau does not accept payment for listing restaurants.

For more information, visit www.romantikhotels.com

Every month on board its A380, Air France offers a specially designed video exhibition in partnership with some of the world’s most famous and renowned museums and cultural centers.

La Première (First) and Affaires (Business) passengers can discover them in the “gallery,” a special area dedicated to culture and the arts located on the aircraft’s upper deck.

In February 2010, the presentations are Punta della Dogana and Palazzo Grassi, an invitation to the heart of contemporary art in Venice.

Air France will present a virtual guided tour of the exhibition called “Mapping the Studio: Artists from the François Pinault collection.”

In Venice, 300 masterpieces of contemporary art by 60 different artists are presented here.

This exhibition is shown simultaneously at Punta della Dogana and Palazzo Grassi following renovations by the Japanese architect Tadao Ando.

In March, the show will cover the Louvre and Russia, with works from the exhibition “Holy Russia: Russian Art from the Beginnings to Peter the Great.” Every month, there will be a different cultural exhibition exclusively on board Air France’s A380.

For more information, call 800-237-2747 or visit the banner at right.

French Country Waterways is featuring $250 price savings during its April departures.

For those who are celebrating quinquennial wedding anniversaries (which take place every fifth year), the company is offering discounts that equal the number of years – 5 percent for the fifth anniversary, 15 percent for the 15th year all the way up to 50 percent for the golden anniversary.

April fares, reduced by $1,000 per person for the shoulder season, will now range from $4,845 to $5,245 per person double, a savings of 20 percent.

The “Quinquennial Anniversary” program comes off the regular fares of $5,095 to $6,495.

The cruises have weekly departures from April 4 to October 31; the offers cannot be combined and are subject to availability.

The eight-passenger Horizon II takes in “Historic Burgundy,” the route between Tanlay and Veneray-les-Laumes on the Canal de Bourgogne.

Highlights include Auxerre’s St. Etienne Cathedral and historic quarter; the Abbaye de Fontenay, one of the best-preserved Cistercian monasteries; the Forges de Buffon, founded by the 18th-century naturalist, Georges-Louis de Buffon; and the splendid Renaissance château of Ancy-le-Franc; as well as enjoy a private wine tasting in the vineyards of Chablis and dinner at the three-star Le Relais Bernard Loiseau in Saulieu.

The recently-renovated 12-passenger Nenuphar has moved to the Canal de Bourgogne in Burgundy’s fabled Côte d’Or wine-growing region for 2010.

Her route follows the narrow 18th-century Canal du Centre overlooking vineyards of the Côte de Beaune, the meandering River Saône and the Canal de Bourgogne between St. Léger-sur-Dheune and Dijon.

Daily escorted sightseeing excursions include Dijon’s Ducal Palace and elegant shops; the privately-owned 18th-century Château de Longecourt; medieval Clos de Vougeot, surrounded by vineyards dating back to the 12th century; and a tasting of renowned Burgundies in the private cellars of a local vintner in Santenay. The Michelin dinner is enjoyed at the three-star Lamelois in Chagny.

The 12-passenger, all-suite Adrienne sails the Champagne region, where she cruises between Maizy and Château-Thierry on the Canal Latéral à la Marne, Canal de l’Aisne à la Marne and the River Marne.

Besides dining at the two-star L’Assiette Champenoise in Tinqueux, guests visit the Cathedral of Reims, which served as the setting for the coronation of kings; the cellars Moët & Chandon, with 17 miles of tunnels; and the wheat fields and farms of Belleau, site of the American Cemetery and World War I battlefields.

French Country Waterways offers the highest standard in personal service, quality, comfort and safety for luxury barge cruising.

The attentive and friendly crews, averaging one crewmember for every two passengers, are fluent in English and French and happily pass on their extensive knowledge of the wines, cheeses and history of the regions.

Signature characteristics of the cruises are a lunch ashore and a dinner at a Michelin-starred restaurant; creative cuisine prepared by talented young chefs, who blend classic cooking techniques with the trend to lighter cuisine; four-course candlelit dinners accompanied by Grand Cru and Premier Cru wines; daily sightseeing excursions to nearby medieval towns and churches, châteaux and famous vineyards; time for relaxing on the sun deck, walking or bicycling along canal towpath and shopping in nearby villages; and no smoking inside the barges and coaches.

A festive dinner will mark the anniversary.

The cruise need not coincide with the wedding date but a couple must have gotten married between 1960 and 2005 in a year ending in zero or five and submit a copy of the wedding certificate. Early booking is recommended since space is limited.

The barges are available for individual bookings and for charter by families, friends and groups of eight to 12 persons. Smoking is not permitted in the interior of the barge or on excursion coaches. Special room rates are offered at several deluxe hotels in Paris.

For more information, call 800-222-1236 or 781-934-2454, or visit www.fcwl.com