Jetsettersblog

The Eurail Group is bringing out several special edition extended rail passes, offering free travel days good for travel throughout Europe in the spring. With fewer crowds, lower airfares and more availability in hotels, spring is a good time to travel to Europe.

Tourist attractions, such as museums and monuments, are less crowded and the weather is also pleasant. Eurail is launching a special off-peak promotion, offering free travel days on two of its products: the Eurail Select Pass and the Eurail Global Pass.

The Eurail Select Pass allows customers to choose three or more adjoining countries in which to travel, enabling a tailor-made rail pass. For those wishing to cover more ground, a Eurail Global Pass gives travelers access to 21 participating countries from January.

Customers buying a 15- or 21-day Eurail Global Pass will instead receive 21 days or one month, respectively. The Eurail Select Pass 3 Countries, valid for six or eight days within two months, now comes with an additional two travel days.

These passes go on sale worldwide (outside of Europe) from Oct. 1.

To be eligible for the additional travel days, passes must be purchased before the end of November. Travel can start as from March 1 and must be completed by May 31.

All Eurail Passes are available from Eurail’s network of authorized Sales Agents worldwide: ACP Rail International (www.eurail-acprail.com);

Eurail (www.Eurail.com); Flight Centre (www.flightcentre.com);

www.OctopusTravel.com;

Rail Europe (North America: www.raileurope.com,

rest of the world: www.raileurope.fr),

and STA Travel (www.statravel.com)

Launched one year ago, Preferred Golf Club, created by Preferred Hotel Group in conjunction with American Express for its cardholders, celebrates its first anniversary with enhancements to the program, starting with the price.

For an annual membership fee of $295, the Preferred Golf Club affords members the opportunity to Golf Every Stay via a complimentary round of golf for every consecutive two-night stay at each of its participating resorts — a list that includes Ireland’s The K Club, The Lodge at Sea Island Golf Club, The Broadmoor, Mauna Lani Bay Hotel & Bungalows, The Coeur d’Alene Resort, Ginn Reunion Resort, Sandy Lane,

The Grand Del Mar and many more. Program benefits and enhancements include annual membership fee of $295 with the option to Fill Your Foursome with up to three companion membership for $100 each.

The companion feature may be presented as an invitation or a gift from the initiating member; complimentary round of golf with every consecutive two-night stay at participating Preferred Golf Club resorts;

benefit may be used as often as desired, subject to resort and tee time availability; the lowest publicly available room rates at participating luxury golf resorts; resort room upgrades based on availability; use of the Preferred Golf Club Desk which assists in booking complimentary golf rounds and resort stays;

priority early resort check-in and late check-out; quarterly newsletters for members; offers from hotels and golf partners; and automatic enrollment in the I Prefer Guest Benefit Program, which offers the following perks at all hotels and resorts within four of Preferred’s brands, including Preferred Hotels & Resorts, Preferred Boutique, Summit Hotels & Resorts and Sterling Hotels; complimentary Internet access (at most locations; restrictions apply); customized local hotel benefits;

and exclusive offers promoted through the I Prefer newsletter and dedicated members-only website. American Express cardholders can enroll online at www.preferredgolf.com.

For more information, call 888-893-6697 or visit www.preferredgolf.com

Auto Europe has extended its free GPS rental offer in Europe with car rental services.

Travelers will receive a free Gamin Nova 270 or similar for the duration of their rental with routing maps of Western Europe and most of Eastern Europe with car rental services in Italy, France, Austria, Ireland, UK, Switzerland, Germany, Spain and Norway. In addition, Auto Europe is also offering this promotion with any Peugeot Open Europe lease of 17 days or longer and with any long term rental of 21 days or longer. The free GPS offer is valid with minimum seven-day car rental reservations booked now through Sept. 30. The offer applies in Italy, France, Austria, Spain and Norway with any intermediate car rental or larger for travel through Nov. 30.

The GPS offer is valid in Ireland and Switzerland for travel through Oct. 30. Germany is valid with any compact car rental or larger for travel now through Oct. 31. UK is valid with any intermediate car rental or larger for travel through Oct. 31.

Free GPS offer is valid on select Peugeot models with Auto Europe’s Peugeot Open Europe program for travel through Nov. 30, and with any car category booked for 21 days or longer for travel through Oct. 31. Free GPS rental validity dates exclude shipping and handling charge of $40. Optional insurance is available at $1 per day.

Offer is subject to change without notice. Additional restrictions apply.

Costa Cruises inaugurated the new passenger port in St. Petersburg, Russia, on Sept. 10 when the Costa Mediterranea became the first ship to call on the port. The cruise facility was built to accommodate cruise ships and their guests with a public and private investment worth $13 billion.

Capt. Anelito Montesarchio was the first person to disembark from the ship and was welcomed by the governor of St. Petersburg, Valentina Matvienko. The opening of the new port was celebrated with a performance by the Catalan theater group Fura del Baus.

In addition to the governor, the inauguration of the new facility was attended by Alexander Davydenko, deputy minister of transport of the Russian Federation; Mario Martini, senior vice president of sales and marketing for Costa Crociere; and Shavkat Kary-Niyazov, president of Marine Faade, the company that managed the construction of the port.

The new passenger port in St. Petersburg is the first in Russia that is able to accommodate the latest generation of cruise ships, whose length exceeds 900 feet. Situated on the western side of Vasiljevskiy Island, it is near the old town and convenient to the main attractions of the city.

The project will occupy 400 hectares and entails several stages of development, with work scheduled for completion by 2010. Upon its completion, the new passenger Port of St. Petersburg will become the largest cruise and ferry industry project in the world. By the time it is finished, the port will have seven berths, three cruise terminals and one ferry terminal.

The new port’s capacity will be 12,000 passengers a day and 1.2 million passengers a year. For the time being, one cruise terminal and two 300-meter berths are operating. The project will also incorporate business centers, exhibition halls, residential development and other facilities that will change the view of the St. Petersburg waterfront.

St. Petersburg is Russia’s busiest cruise port and one of the main cruise destinations in Northern Europe. The number of cruisers has increased from 163,000 in 2003 to an estimated 400,000 in 2008. “Being able to inaugurate the new passenger port of St. Petersburg with one of the ships in our fleet is a great honor and a great opportunity for us — this new port facility is vitally important to the future development of cruise shipping in Russia, and is clear testimony to the attention being paid to the cruise industry by the government of the Russian Federation and the local authorities in St. Petersburg,” Martini said.

Costa’s ships first sailed to St. Petersburg back in the early 1970s, with North Sea cruises on the Federico C and on Costa�s historic flagship Eugenio C. Today, Costa Cruises is the leading cruise line for the Russian port in terms of both the number of ship calls and the number of cruise passengers.

This year, Costa’s ships will make 28 calls in St. Petersburg, bringing about 50,000 cruisers and accounting for around 12 percent of the port’s cruise passenger traffic. Direct expenditure by Costa in St. Petersburg in 2008 amounts to about 8 million euros. There are four Costa vessels that have been deployed in St. Petersburg in 2008 — the Costa Mediterranea, Costa Atlantica, Costa Victoria and Costa Marina.

In 2009, the new Costa Luminosa will call on St. Petersburg along with the Costa Mediterranea, Costa Atlantica and Costa Magica. The Costa Luminosa, Costa Mediterranea and Costa Magica will offer new itineraries to the Baltic cities, including an overnight stay in St. Petersburg.

Uniworld Boutique River Cruise Collection is making Europe even more tantalizing in 2009 with the debut of their Epicurean Adventurer Program in which guests can indulge their passion for fine wines and gourmet foods.

Guests aboard a Uniworld cruise featuring the Epicurean Adventurer Program will enjoy a host of culinary delights including private wine tastings, special wine and food pairings, cooking demonstrations and unique onshore excursions.

With our new Epicurean Adventurer Program, we’re giving our guests the ultimate in entertainment and education,” said Guy Young, president of Uniworld. “Now they can explore regional foods and wines in an entirely new way.”

Uniworld’s intimate boutique, hotel-style ships offer the perfect setting for an in-depth discovery of the preparation and pairing of premier foods and wines. On each Epicurean Adventurer cruise, guests enjoy a special dinner prepared with the region’s freshest ingredients and learn how to select the perfect wine to complement the meal.

Guests will also have the opportunity to participate in cooking demonstrations led by master chefs who reveal trade secrets and techniques to help ‘students’ create their own gourmet dishes. Guided shore excursions will take guests into castles and vintners’ homes for private wine tastings, or to local open-air food markets to sample regional treats. Overall, the new Epicurean Adventurer Program is designed to give Uniworld’s guests, as they journey through Europe, even more memories to savor.

Uniworld’s Epicurean Adventurer Program will be available on the following 2009 cruises:

Danube Discovery. Travel from Vienna to Nuremberg in nine days with fares starting from $2,099 per person

Rhine Discovery. Travel from Nuremberg to Basel in nine days with fares starting from $2,099 per person.

Grand European Discovery. Travel from Basel to Vienna in 16 days with fares starting from $4,049 per person.

Legendary Rhine & Moselle. Travel from Amsterdam to Basel in 14 days with fares starting from $3,599 per person

Paris & the European River Romance. Travel from Paris to Nuremberg in 11 days with fares starting from $1,999 per person.

Paris & the Heart of Europe. Travel from Paris to Vienna in 18 days with fares starting from $4,059 per person

Paris & the Grand European Waterways. Travel from Paris to Bucharest in 32 days with fares starting from $7,259 per person

Burgundy & Provence. Travel from Arles to Chalon in nine days with fares starting from $2,059 per person.

Grand European Explorer: Travel from Basel to Bucharest in 30 days with fares starting from $8,199 per person.

About Uniworld Boutique River Cruise Collection

Los Angeles-based Uniworld Boutique River Cruise Collection, the premier river cruise company, was recently named to Travel+Leisure’s World’s Best Top 10 Small Cruise Lines, Condé Nast Traveler’s 2008 Gold List and their Reader’s Choice Awards for World’s Top 10 Small Cruise Lines.

Uniworld features intimate boutique, hotel-style cruise ships with an average capacity of 134 guests, and a ratio of one staff member for every three guests, world-class cuisine, and expertly planned itineraries with custom-blended shore excursions. The company offers over 500 departures on more than 35 itineraries sailing on 12 rivers in over 20 countries throughout Europe, Russia, China and Egypt.

Culloden Estate and Spa, Northern Ireland.

As the nights become longer and the temperature begins to plummet, the sunshine and warmth of summer can quickly become not much more than a distant memory. All the doom and gloom of winter takes its toll on your body which is exactly why the Slieve Donard Resort and Spa and the Culloden Estate and Spa have devised the “Wrap up this Winter” package to bring you in from the cold, restoring and soothing your mind and body to see you through the long, dark, winter days.

This package is available from £105 and includes two of the following:

A ESPA Body Envelopment (Wrap)
A ESPA Full Body Massage
A ESPA Holistic Foot & Leg Treatment with Hot Stones
A ESPA Holistic Hand & Arm Treatment with Hot Stones

Guests will also be able to take full advantage of the multi-million pound facilities available at the Spa, plus a light healthy lunch.

This offer is available from 1st November – 28th February 2009.

Why not treat yourself to an overnight stay as well? Nights at the Slieve Donard Resort & Spa start from £70 per person on a B&B basis based on two sharing. Nights at the Culloden Estate and Spa start from £80 per person

.Upgrades are available on request. Subject to availability (excluding Christmas and New Year). Single supplements apply.

For reservations, contact Hastings Hotels on 028 9047 1066, or visit www.hastingshotels.com For more information about Ireland visit http://www.discoverireland.com  or for a free vacation planning kit call the NY office at 800/223-6470. Read Ireland feature stories from Jetsetters Magazine at this link:

Creator of the Best Homemade Video will Receive $3,000 “Around the World” Travel Voucher

Dublin, Ireland – Hostelworld.com, the online leader for hostel reservations, is holding a contest for the most creative, unique and original homemade travel video. The winner will receive a $3,000 travel voucher from Airtreks.com that can be used to travel anywhere in the world.

“As travel enthusiasts we’re excited to offer Hostelworld.com users an opportunity to see and explore the world,” said Niamh Ni Mhir, Hostelworld.com’s Chief Marketing Officer. “This is a terrific way for ‘flashpackers,’ tech-savvy individuals who carry many electronics such as a video camera, an opportunity to showcase their adventures and hopefully encourage others to partake in similar travel experiences.”

The idea for the contest came from the success of a video made by Hosteworld.com’s Editor Colm Hanratty titled “Around the World in 156 Seconds.” Hanratty also recently released “10 things you need to know about Dublin,” the first in a series of “10 Things You Need To Know About…” videos.

Anyone can enter a homemade video which must be about their own personal travels and be original content. The contest is open for participation from August 11, 2008 to October 31, 2008. The winner will be announced on November 1, 2008. People interested can go to http://www.hostelworld.com/videocomp/ for more information.

About Hostelworld.com

Hostelworld.com is a leading provider of online reservations to the budget, independent and youth travel market. It offers confirmed online reservations for over 18,000 hostels and budget hotels in 170 countries worldwide. The site also offers budget travelers free podcasts, customized city guides, a travel social network and more. Hostelworld.com is headquartered in Dublin and is fully owned and operated by Web Reservations International Ltd (WRI).

• Hostelworld.com was launched in 1999 and today has more beds and more availability than anyone else.
• Hostelworld.com has more than 1 million user generated reviews alongside customized city guides, downloadable pocket travel guides, podcasts and social networking, myworld.
• Hostelworld.com is headquartered in Dublin and is fully owned and operated by Web Reservations International Ltd (WRI).

Further details on hostels worldwide, plus photography, is available upon request.

Dublin has been awarded the title of European Poker Capital 2008 by Bluff Europe Magazine. The Irish capital piped last year’s winner, London, to the post — with Vienna, Amsterdam and Barcelona named third, fourth and fifth places respectively.

Dublin has been awarded the title of European Poker Capital 2008 by Bluff Europe Magazine (www.bluffeurope.com). The Irish capital piped last year’s winner, London, to the post — with Vienna, Amsterdam and Barcelona named third, fourth and fifth places respectively. Bluff Europe praised Dublin’s lively and friendly poker scene, as well as the wealth of poker clubs and tournaments available to the poker playing public.

Dublin has a fine selection of card rooms and, poker is also growing steadily on a grassroots level in the city through poker societies and pub poker leagues. Each year exciting new tournaments spring up with buy-ins to suit all pockets. Dublin is also home to the Irish Open, the oldest and most revered tournament in Europe.

Last year’s contest saw Dublin come in a respectable second to London but this year the Irish capital was the city that most impressed the Bluff Europe panel. “Last year, in recognition of the inaugural WSOPE and the general health of its burgeoning poker scene, we chose London as the place to be. This induced a lot of snickering from across the Irish Sea, where they’re rightfully very protective of their fantastic poker scene,” said Philip Conneller, Editor of Bluff Europe. “But this year there was really only one candidate.”

“Gentleman” Liam Flood, who has been a stalwart of Irish poker since he helped introduce Hold’em to the Emerald Isle in the Seventies, was delighted with the news. “It’s because of the craic,” he explained, when asked him to describe what he felt was special about poker in Dublin. “There’s a sense of community. We find that a few drinks after the game helps you relax, too.”

All data compiled by editors at Bluff Europe - Europe’s leading poker magazine.

For more information about Ireland visit http://www.discoverireland.com  or for a free vacation planning kit call the NY office at 800/223-6470. Read Ireland feature stories from Jetsetters Magazine at this link:

Leading ski website offers more ways of finding accommodation for independent travellers.

In response to this, the leading ski website chaletsdirect.com has grouped together a variety of services to form a new interactive area for people looking for ski and snowboard breaks. Called simply Chalets Direct Interactive, the new section provides holidaymakers with more tools to find their ski accommodation, in addition to traditional searching and browsing. Visitors can also use the interactive area to find and research holidays.

Chalets Direct Interactive includes message boards, resort reviews, a ski blog and The Solutions Room, where users can post up their holiday requirements and wait for offers to come back to them. The site also provides a Promotions area where visitors can view promotions and special offers for specific dates or resorts. The aim is to give independent skiers and snowboarders a better choice when looking for their winter holiday and to provide more ways of getting results.

Some key features of the interactive area include the Solutions Room, a unique bulletin board where people looking for holiday accommodation can say what they\’re looking for. Chalets Direct members can then reply to them to either match their requirements or propose alternatives. Launched in 1999, the Solutions Room has proved a useful tool for both holidaymakers and advertisers. A post made in the morning will usually have attracted several replies within a few hours, by the evening there will often be more than 20 proposals for the enquirer to choose from. Further development of the Solutions Room is currently taking place and enhanced features will be introduced later this autumn.

The Resort News and Reviews area means visitors can see what others are saying about resorts. This section is also an area to get news “as it happens” – with current bulletins about weather and snow conditions or upcoming events.

The Ski Blog, launched this summer, is a general discussion area focusing on ski industry events and news, with useful advice and hints for booking holidays in the mountains. The What Makes a great…Beginners Week post for example, gives helpful hints for first time skiers and snowboarders.

Chalets Direct Interactive also has a jobs board and Q & A area for people wanting to do a ski season or a long term let.

The interactive features can be found by clicking on the home page of www.chaletsdirect.com

Rentalo.com is suggesting off-season travel and one of their vacation rental apartments as a way to combat high prices. Apartments with fully-equipped kitchens also mean you can make your own breakfast, pack your own lunch and even cook some dinners. Rentalo’s new website design makes it easier with a photo slide show of each property, as well as a new property map, complete description, prominent contact information and an availability calendar — all on the same wider page.

Some of the European properties listed include a Barcelona apartment sleeping four from $259 per night, a Paris apartment sleeping four from $244 per night, or a Florence apartment sleeping 10 from $288 per night.

For more information, visit www.Rentalo.com