Jetsettersblog

Several Orient-Express Hotels are offering special packages for Valentine’s Day 2009. Among the participating properties is the Inn at Perry Cabin www.perrycabin.com , in Maryland, where the three-night Valentine’s Day package includes dinner for two in Sherwood’s Landing Restaurant, a candlelight turndown, a couple’s spa treatment and yoga class, room service breakfast for two, and a romantic movie delivered to the room as well as a late check-out at 3 p.m. Rates start at $1,590 for arrival on Feb. 13, 2008. Other Orient-Express Hotels with similar Valentine’s Day Getaways include Keswick Hall, Charleston Place and Casa de Sierra Nevada.

For more information, visit www.orient-express.com

Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park, London is offering a complimentary bottle of Jo Malone Red Roses Bath Oil for Valentine’s Day and throughout February.

The Romance and Roses package includes one night in a deluxe room sprinkled with fresh rose petals, a wrapped and packaged gift of Jo Malone Rose Oil, and a full English breakfast. Based on double occupancy, Romance and Roses is priced at GBP 309 valid for Valentines Day and throughout February 2009, exclusive of VAT and 5 percent discretionary service charge, subject to availability. Reservations can be made by contacting the hotel directly on 011-44-(0)207-201-3773, or through the direct on-line reservations service, www.mandarinoriental.com/london

Mandarin Oriental, Munich is delighted to introduce a special Kandinsky Package which celebrates “Absolute Abstract”; an extraordinary Wassily Kandinsky’s retrospective taking place at The Lenbachhaus in Munich.

The package, which is available until 22nd February 2009, includes one night’s accommodation in one of Mandarin Oriental, Munich’s recently renovated guestrooms, a sumptuous breakfast in-room or at the hotel’s award winning restaurant Mark’s and tickets for “Absolute Abstract”.

For the first time since 1966, The Lenbachhaus in Munich, is showcasing the entire collection of Wassily Kandinsky’s prints and graphic art at a major retrospective; Absolute Abstract. The exhibition, which features over 90 pieces by Kandinsky, has been made possible following a collaboration between The Lenbachhaus in Munich, The Centre Pompidou in Paris and The Guggenheim Museum in New York; who between them, hold the three largest collections of artwork by the world-renowned artist.

Kandinsky was a pioneer of abstract and modernist art, and his artistic innovation blossomed whilst he lived in Munich in the early 20th century. Here he became the co-founder of an important expressionist art movement called “The Blue Rider”. The show “Absolute Abstract” finishes on 22nd February when it moves to Bonn and then to Paris and New York.

As one of Europe’s premier art capitals with three outstanding museums the Alte and Neue Pinakothek and the Pinakothek der Moderne, visitors to Munich can indulge in a heady dose of painting and sculpture from Albrecht Dürer to Andy Warhol. Mandarin Oriental, Munich’s talented concierge team will be delighted to put together an art lovers’ itinerary for guests, that showcases the best the city has to offer.

The “Kandinsky package” is available through 22 February 2009. Priced from Euro 389 per room for single occupancy and Euro 483 per room for double occupancy, the package includes:
• One night’s luxurious accommodation at Mandarin Oriental, Munich
• A la carte or buffet breakfast at the hotel’s restaurant Mark’s or in-room
• Tickets for the Kandinsky retrospective

About Mandarin Oriental, Munich

Quietly tucked away in a side street yet centrally located near the famed Maximilianstrasse, Mandarin Oriental, Munich is an elegant gem of Neo-Renaissance charm, providing the highest levels of personalised service in the city in addition an award-winning restaurant and bar.

The spacious, newly refurbished 48 guestrooms and 25 suites offer the finest in contemporary luxury and, as does the stunning rooftop pool, feature views that stretch across the picturesque surroundings of the old town district.

COMO Shambhala Urban Escape at the Metropolitan London is launching a range of new day spa packages to include holistic treatments, healthful cuisine and gorgeous gifts to continue wellbeing experience at home. The space itself, located off Park Lane, is the perfect haven for meeting up with friends or to take time out on one’s own.

COMO Shambhala Ritual Package is priced at £175 per person and is a holistic experience for mind, body and face. It starts with a COMO Shambhala’s signature soothing fresh tea – ginger and manuka tea. Afterward, guests will enjoy a COMO Shambhala Ritual, which is an indulgent two-hour holistic treatment that includes a COMO Shambhala massage utilising long soothing strokes and herbal boluses for the back, plus a Purify Holistic Facial stimulating the skin through a synergy of purifying skin preparations, lymphatic massage and Asian-inspired techniques.

COMO Shambhala gift set, inclusive of Invigorate body lotion, balm, bath salts and sea scrub, will be given to the guests, followed by COMO Shambhala Cuisine Lunch or Afternoon De-Light. Guests can choose from a range of healthful dishes on the COMO Shambhala Cuisine menu in the Lobby Lounge or opt for the waist-friendly but ultra-chic version of afternoon tea with low-gluten scones, low fat cupcakes and no-bread sandwich pots.

COMO Shambhala Mum-to-be Reviver is another new package, which is priced at £110 per person and is perfect for celebrating the prospect of a new arrival. Guests will be welcomed with the arrival ginger and manuka tea, followed by a COMO Shambhala Pre-natal Massage – a one-hour full body and relaxing facial massage using support cushions to ensure complete comfort at all times. This package is also inclusive so COMO Shambhala gift set and COMO Shambhala Cuisine lunch or Afternoon De-Light.

Both packages will be available from 1st January 2009 by contacting COMO Shambhala Urban Escape on +44 (0)20 7447 5720.

These packages, only available at the Metropolitan, will also be available as a gift certificate to purchase at www.shop.como.bz

JUMEIRAH GIVES UAE RESIDENTSREASON TO CELEBRATE

To mark the 37th anniversary of the United Arab Emirates, Jumeirah Group, the Dubai-based luxury hotel company and a member of Dubai Holding, will join in the national celebrations and acknowledge the spirit of the UAE and its residents by launching a special rate.

The rate will offer UAE citizens and residence visa holders 15% off the best available room rate. The rate will be available starting December 2nd to UAE citizens and residence visa holders in any Jumeirah Hotels & Resorts in the United Arab Emirates.

Reservations can only be made by calling the Jumeirah central reservation toll free number on 800 58634724

.This offer is valid until April 17th 2009.

Guests will be asked to present a UAE passport or passport with a valid UAE residence visa upon check in.

British brides seeking an intimate, friends and family-focused wedding, will be queuing up to say ‘I do’ thanks to a new bridal experience package launched by much talked-about boutique hotel, the Fallen Angel, in Durham.

Britain’s most opulently themed hotel, which opened its doors in October 2008, is enticing couples with an offer of an exquisite bridal penthouse suite as accommodation and a fabulously indulgent suite of wedding services.

Together these are a marriage made in heaven. The bride and groom’s bridal suite is a Dr Zhivago inspired, stunning cream and bamboo paradise, with fur accents, totally luxurious furnishings and all the romance of revolutionary Russia.

The happy couple can lounge on a huge sofa, relax in a glass-fronted sauna, or wallow in a wonderfully roomy bath, as well as enjoying views across the city of Durham to the World Heritage Site, comprising Cathedral and Castle.

This penthouse suite can be hired at a cost of £300 per night, for couples wanting to indulge in luxury once they have tied the knot.

The package backing this is a not-to-be-missed opportunity to hire The Fallen Angel Hotel for the exclusive use of the wedding party. All ten rooms, including the bridal suite, can be booked for £2300, with a complimentary half bottle of champagne in each room.

A three-course meal for forty, in the beach café themed restaurant with terrace overlooking the River Wear, can be enjoyed for £25 per head. Flowers, cake and photography can also be arranged.

Classic cars can be hired individually, or as a fleet of three. The immaculate vehicles on offer are valued at over £125,000 as a trio and are a 1930 Rolls Royce, a Rolls Royce Corniche convertible and a 1957 Chevy Belair.

All three can be hired for £1200, or one for £400, if the couple wish to have a classic, traditional or rock and roll feel to their big day. The cars can be hired solely for use in photography, at a cost of £58 each.

An evening bar and buffet can also be arranged, with entertainment options including table magic, a piper under the magically-lit tree, piano music, a wedding themed quiz, party games or a murder mystery night for smaller groups. Fireworks, fire juggling and trapeze can be staged in the garden.

A highly memorably, truly quirky or simply exquisite evening event can be accessed for £2000. A package can also be tailored to suit lower budgets.

Exclusive hire of this unique, exquisite and theatrical hotel, cake, cars, flowers and photography and both daytime and evening events can cost less than £9000, if the hotel is booked on a Sunday or mid-week.

Friday and Saturday weddings would increase the cost by £3000, for two nights in the bridal suite and hire of the restaurant, or by £5000 to include this plus all rooms for two nights.

Having exclusive use of the Fallen Angel Hotel would be a dream come true for many brides and grooms and an irresistible treat for guests.

As well as making decisions on menus and table plans, brides could also have added fun allocating rooms. Determining who is best suited to Cruella, who could go off the rails in the Edwardian Express room, or who should sauna in a garden shed in Le Jardin, could only be outdone by assessing who should ride the 3-speed rodeo saddle in New York, or enter the Tardis, in Sci-Fi.

Possibilities are endless at the Fallen Angel and couples arriving in the Jules Verne themed reception will most certainly have the journey of a lifetime ahead of them.

For more details on the Fallen Angel Hotel and its wedding packages, visit www.fallenangelhotel.com  or call 0191 384 1037.

Faithful to the motto, “All around the world, Unique in the world”, Relais & Châteaux has decided to turn its 2009 Guide into a veritable, unique work with a new format, new layout, new column and the exceptional contribution of an ambassador of international renown: Douglas Kennedy.

The new format of the guide has been increased 20% in order to further enhance the 480 Relais & Châteaux properties in 56 countries.

The new layout features personalised pages for each property (the page layout has been the same for all properties in the previous editions of the guide)

The new column “Unique in the world” highlights the truly unique character of each property: a truffle field with 600 oak trees, a beach reserved for children, a double jacuzzi on the roof of a small bastide. A Relais & Châteaux member is not like anything else, not even another member…

Crafted with the support of Young & Rubicam, 800,000 copies of the Guide will be distributed in 6 languages in 60 countries.

Douglas Kennedy, a successful writer who divides his time between Paris, New-York, London and Berlin, agreed to be the first ambassador of Relais & Châteaux 2009. He contributed to the Guide by putting his name to the completely original preface. He will attend press conferences in Paris, London and New York.

For Jaume Tàpies, International President of Relais & Châteaux: “This is not a new Guide but a completely new work. Relais & Châteaux is undoubtedly today the most beautiful way of discovering the world. When leafing through the pages, the reader will be able to draw inspiration and select his next destinations from amongst the 480 unique experiences proposed by Relais & Châteaux in 2009 all around the world”.

For Douglas Kennedy, the 2009 ambassador of Relais & Châteaux: “We are all searching for places which enable us to see the world from a different angle, even if only for a moment. When leafing through the pages of this Guide, you can’t help but think that there’s nothing wrong with escaping from time to time: it’s even a necessity”.

About Relais & Châteaux

Relais & Châteaux is an exclusive collection of 480 of the finest charming hotels and gourmet restaurants in 56 countries. Established in France in 1954, the Association’s mission is to spread its unique art de vivre across the globe by selecting outstanding properties with a truly unique character.

Furthermore, Relais & Châteaux is also a family of hoteliers and Grands Chefs from all over the world who share a passion for and a personal commitment to ensuring their guests are privy to moments of exceptional harmony, an unforgettable celebration of the senses.

From the vineyards in Napa valley to the beaches in Bali, from the olive trees in Provence to the lodges in South Africa, Relais & Châteaux offers all the stops on the finest route for discovering each special place and country.

The Relais & Châteaux signature reflects this ambition:
“ALL AROUND THE WORLD, UNIQUE IN THE WORLD

Avail of any of the luxurious Talise Wellness signature rituals and receive a complementary Talise robe worth AED 650.

Talise Wellness Day Pass
Enjoy a whole day of relaxing and pampering at Talise Wellness spa with a 50 minute Fingerprint Facial or Fingerprint Massage, beach access, and a two-course lunch or dinner at Magnolia.

Pricing: AED 795 per person

Talise Wellness Morning Ritual
Start your day with yoga on the beach followed by a relaxing 50 minute Fingerprint Massage.

Timings: starts at 8.00am
Pricing: AED 465 per person

For more information, please contact Talise Wellness at Madinat Jumeirah
Tel. No: +971 4 366 6818
Email: mj-talise@jumeirah.com

 

Complimentary Meals for Children

Introductory Weekend Package at Futian Shangri-La An “Introductory Weekend Package” at the Futian Shangri-La, Shenzhen is now available offering accommodation for two persons in a Deluxe room for just RMB1,280, plus complimentary meals for accompanying children at Café Zen, one of the hotel’s signature eateries.

The “Introductory Weekend Package” includes complimentary breakfast for two persons, late check-out at 4 p.m. and free upgrade to the next available category of room. The package is valid from Friday to Sunday until 31 January 2009 and prices are subject to a 15 per cent service charge.

As a part of the offer, a maximum of two children aged six or under accompanying parents are entitled to complimentary meals at the hotel’s Café Zen, which incorporates a dedicated dessert spread that will keep children entertained with creative lollipops, gummy bears, chocolates and ice cream.

Modelled on the successful concept highlighted by a theatrical show kitchen, Café Zen features a line-up of chefs specialised in noodle-making, Peking duck and dim sum, as well as Hong Kong-style dai pai dong favourites and popular Asian and international dishes.

Headed by Australian Executive Chef Michael McCalman, the team combines years of culinary know how and experience. Leading the individual cooking stations is Melvin Kong from Malaysia; Australian Grill Specialist Robert Davis;

award winning and globe trotting Australian Executive Pastry Chef Anthony Collar and Hong Kong Master Chef Ng Wing Kun.

Café Zen is the ideal place for a family dinner, lunch or brunch.

On level one of the hotel with a mezzanine floor, it combines a relaxed environment, outdoor seating and children’s entertainment with first class food and service.

The newly opened Futian Shangri-La, Shenzhen is located in the heart of the city’s vibrant new business district, adjacent to the Shenzhen Convention and Exhibition Center and Shenzhen Civic Centre, with easy access to Futian Port and the Huanggang border crossing to Hong Kong.

Medina Apartment Hotels, Vibe Hotels, Travelodge Hotels

Australian-owned Toga Hospitality has just launched online gift certificates for Medina Apartment Hotels, Vibe Hotels and Travelodge Hotels - just in time for Christmas.

Convenient and sure to please that tough-to-buy-for friend or relative, a Medina Apartment Hotel, Vibe Hotel or Travelodge Hotel gift certificate is a wonderful gift - giving that someone close to you the chance to take a break.

To purchase an online gift certificate, simply log on to www.medina.com.au, www.vibehotels.com.au, www.travelodge.com.au or www.togahotels.com.au and follow the links to gift certificates. Once the required information such as dollar amount, chosen brand and payment details has been entered, the gift certificate will be emailed to the purchaser instantly. The gift certificate is valid for 24 months and can be used in any hotel across Australia for the brand purchased.

To redeem, the guest can simply book via our central reservations or at their hotel of choice and present their gift certificate upon arrival at the hotel.

For more information, please see any of the following websites:
www.medina.com.au
www.vibehotels.com.au
www.travelodge.com.au
www.togahotels.com.au

About Toga Hospitality

Toga Hospitality is one of Australia’s largest accommodation providers, currently operating 46 strategically located hotels and apartment hotels in Australia, New Zealand and Europe. The hotel brands include Medina Apartment Hotels (22 locations across Australia), Vibe Hotels (six locations in Australia) and Travelodge (15 locations across Australia and New Zealand) and boast over 5,800 apartments and hotel rooms. In Europe, Adina Apartment Hotels are located in Berlin, Copenhagen and Budapest (three locations).