Jetsettersblog

Dan Hotels Voted Best in Israel

The Dan Hotels chain was voted the Best Service Provider in Israel for 2008 in an independent survey carried out by MarkeTest for The Marker, Israel’s business newspaper. The Service Survey is conducted on a population sample similar to the international code used in the American SCSI and the European EUCSI.

With 13 hotels around the country, the Dans scored the highest points in all categories over its three main competitors: Fattal, Isrotel and Sheraton, and above the overall industry score. This is the third year in a row that similar surveys have put the Dan Hotel Chain in first place.

For further information, visit www.danhotels.com

Goway Travel to Egypt

Goway Travel reports increasing demand for Egypt, with its Egypt-Land of the Pharaohs program drawing record numbers. One of Goway’s biggest sellers this year is the Mysteries & Magic of Egypt tour, a 15-day trip starting and ending in Cairo and including extensive sightseeing, a seven-night Nile Cruise and a visit to an oasis, with a starting price of $1,718.

A bonus offer of up to six free nights’ accommodation in a deluxe resort in the Red Sea town of Ein Sokhna is available. The traditional Classic Egypt tour includes Cairo sightseeing and four-night Nile Cruise. This nine-day tour is priced from $1,136 and offers the flexibility of adding extensions to Abu Simbel, Alexandria, Red Sea beach stays or a visit to Israel and Jordan. Easy add-ons are the five-day Jordan tour starting from $717 or the eight-day Holyland tour to Israel.

Some of the new programs being offered this year are the nine-day Highlights of Egypt and Israel tour that starts in Cairo and ends in Jerusalem and includes Cairo, Luxor, the Dead Sea, Massada, Qumran and Jerusalem. Another of the newly introduced tours is the 15-day Pyramids to Petra tour that starts in Cairo, ends in Amman and includes Cairo, Nile Cruise, Sinai, Red Sea, Petra and Amman all starting from $2,198.

AFRICAExperts is the exclusive division of Goway Travel that specializes in exciting safaris and vacations to this amazing continent.

For more information on these and other travel ideas, call 800-245-0920, email info@africaexperts.com or visit www.AFRICAExperts.com

Gate Gourmet in the Middle East

Gate Gourmet, the world’s largest independent airline catering and logistics provider and a member of gategroup, has formed a joint venture with the Western Group of the United Arab Emirates to develop business in the Middle East.

The new company will be called Gate Gourmet Middle East. The joint venture, along with co-investor Sultan International Group, will focus on opportunities for strategic investments and flight kitchen development in the Gulf region. Offices will be established in Abu Dhabi and Dubai.

“The Middle East is experiencing spectacular growth in aviation and we are excited to plant the Gate Gourmet flag in the region,” said Guy Dubois, president and CEO designate of Gategroup. “Other Gategroup companies, such as deSter, eGate Solutions, Harmony, Performa and Elan already are doing business in the Gulf, and we look forward to new opportunities for Gate Gourmet, our core company,” he said.

Dubois noted that Gate Gourmet has successfully built relationships with Middle Eastern carriers, such as Qatar, Etihad, Emirates, Gulf Air and Royal Jet, in other parts of the world and is pleased to bring its expertise into their home territory. “Our reputation for best-in-class performance in airline catering and related aviation services, combined with the regional business expertise of Western Group and Sultan International Holding, will give the venture a solid foundation in which to participate in that booming market,” he added.

Princess Adds European Shore Excursions

Princess Cruises added 110 new shore excursions in Europe this summer. The new options are in addition to Princess’ lineup of 849 Adventures Ashore excursions throughout Europe.

The line also has introduced iPod-guided walking tours in a number of cities, as well as a series of Personalized Experience tours with smaller group sizes. Among the new tour options: For passengers who want to set their own pace or those who enjoy a more personalized tour, two new tour options are available in several ports. Grab an iPod and Go walking tours offer the use of a pre-loaded iPod for the day as well as a customized map.

Travelers can set their own pace as they listen to a detailed narration about the area’s most important points of interest and can follow a suggested walk route or create their own adventure. Walking tours are available in Amalfi, Athens, Barcelona, Cannes, Capri, Corfu, Dubrovnik, Florence, Lisbon, Monte Carlo, Mykonos, Pisa, Portofino, Rhodes, Rome, and Sorrento.

Visitors to Berlin, Florence/Pisa, Naples or Rome can opt for a more intimate shore excursion with a new Personalized Experience tour, featuring smaller groups and the opportunity for more personal interaction with the tour guide. Personalized Experience tours feature “Berlin of the 20th Century,” Florence & Pisa,” “Amalfi Coastal Drive & Pompeii,” and “Rome,

The Eternal City.” Grand Overland tours offer the opportunity to go further afield to visit cities and attractions away from the port areas. This choice adds a Moscow option to select Scandinavia and Russia voyages. This new Grand Overland Tour to Helsinki, Moscow and St. Petersburg offers the opportunity to visit three cities in one tour. Visitors tour Helsinki before traveling overnight by train to Moscow, where they spend a full day and attend a ballet performance.

Another overnight train takes them to meet with the ship in St. Petersburg, with time to visit the city’s palaces and museums. Other Grand Overland Adventures include Jerusalem, Bethlehem and Galilee, as well as the pyramids and antiquities of Egypt.

Princess’ Distinctive Options include “Exploring Stockholm by Rooftop,” where participants are buckled into safety harnesses before they step out onto the roof of the city’s Old Parliament Building to navigate the narrow, iron-railed path as a guide narrates; “Hunt for Treasure” (Dubrovnik, Croatia, and Naples, Italy), where travelers can search for hidden treasure in teams through the streets of Dubrovnik or the ruins of Herculaneum;

“Finnish Icebreakers (Helsinki), which features a guided tour of an icebreaker ship; and “The Concorde Experience (Edinburgh), a visit to Scotland’s National Museum of Flight. Culinary tours include “A Taste of Bornholm (Bornholm, Denmark), a tour of the region’s food and drink, featuring a visit to Lille Gadegaard Vineyard, Hallegard (an 80-acre working farm noted for its organic gourmet sausages), the Svaneke village brewery, and the Siemsens Gaard Hotel; “Bracciano Lake & Pasta Party (Rome), featuring a pasta-making demonstration followed by a five-course lunch with three courses of pasta, accompanied by Tuscan wines; and “A Taste of Cadiz – (Seville, Spain), an opportunity to learn about sherry production at a bodega.

Additional new excursions include “Swedish Fairytales” (Stockholm), featuring the Junibacken Museum and the award-winning Astrid Lindgren’s books for children; “Venetian Churches Chorus Pass” (Venice), where passengers have the opportunity to purchase a chorus pass to 16 of the city’s most important churches and potentially view more than a 1,000 works of art;

“The Sporting Life (Dublin and Liverpool), a behind-the-scenes at the local sport stadiums; “Helsinki by Jopo Bike the gearless, unisex red bicycle created in the 1960s; and “Nordic Walking in Finland” (Helsinki), which uses specially designed poles to exercise the upper body during a fitness walk. Shore excursions can be reserved in advance through the line’s Cruise Personalizer on its website.

CIE Tours Expands Faith-Based Travel Programs

CIE Tours International expanded its repertoire of group travel arrangements to places of pilgrimage and religious significance in Europe in response to growing popularity. Sample itineraries to the holy places of Ireland and Italy as well as faith-based travel ideas to Fatima, Lourdes, and Medjugorje, are outlined in CIE Tours’ new Group Travel Planner 2009-Ireland, Britain, Italy, Europe.

Designed to simplify the selling and booking process, the new 20-page planner is a tool for travel agents to boost group sales for faith-based travel. The planner also provides selling points for small family groups as well as scheduled and customized groups. All prices include accommodations at first class or superior first class hotels in rooms with private bath/shower, most meals, fully escorted sightseeing program, admission charges, entertainment, and more — all for the one basic price.

CIE Tours’ policy of no optional extras insures that a tour director is totally focused on client welfare. To talk to a group travel specialist, call 800-223-6508.

For copies of the Group Travel Planner 2009, call CIE Tours at 800-243-8687 or visit www.cietours.com

Rotana Regal Style in Egypt

Rotana invites you to holiday in Regal Style in Egypt – recently visited by Prince Andrew

Enjoy a luxurious five-star break with Rotana in Sharm el Sheikh, Egypt; the ultimate destination for travellers looking to enjoy the royal treatment and be pampered in paradise.

After a gentle day lazing by the pool or exploring the exhilarating underwater delights on a diving trip, visitors can indulge their tastebuds with a fusion of exotic cuisine, ease away the stresses of daily life in Zen the spa at Rotana or doze on a hammock swaying in the gentle breeze at the luxury five-star Grand Rotana Resort & Spa – recently host to Prince Andrew, Duke of York. Enjoy a stay with Rotana and encounter the magic of Arabian hospitality for yourself.

GRAND ROTANA RESORT & SPA

An excellent choice for adults and children alike is the Grand Rotana Resort & Spa situated on the shores of the Red Sea at Sharm El Sheikh. One of the ‘Great Hotels of the World’, the resort is set amidst 30 acres of lush, tropically landscaped grounds with over 2000 palm trees, water fountains and a 450m long private beach.

The resort boasts exceptional facilities including world class restaurants, ‘Zen the spa at Rotana’ and a magnificent lagoon-style swimming pool equivalent in size to three Olympic pools! A Kids Club with children’s pool provides plenty of fun and entertainment on a daily basis and the Kids Café is a supervised outlet exclusively for children between ages 4-12.

Grand Rotana Resort & Spa, Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt

For more information on the Grand Rotana Resort & Spa, please visit www.rotana.com

Kuoni Travel (see banner above) offers seven nights at Grand Rotana Resort & Spa, Sharm El Sheikh on a bed and breakfast, basis in a superior room from just £912 per person, based on two sharing. Price includes flights with Egyptair from Heathrow via Cairo with transfers in resort. Departures throughout July 2008.

Longwood Holidays (0208 418 2525 or www.longwoodholidays.co.uk)  offers seven nights at Grand Rotana Resort & Spa, Sharm el Sheikh on a bed and breakfast basis, in a premier beach front room, from just £2,948 for a family of four. Price includes return flights from London Gatwick with Monarch Airlines, transfers, taxes and surcharges. Departures throughout August 2008.

Crew Wanted For 600 BC Sailing Expedition

Phoenicia Fact Sheet The search is on for keen sailors to take part in an ambitious expedition which aims to recreate the first circumnavigation of Africa believed to have been completed by Phoenician mariners almost 3,000 years ago.

The Phoenician Ship Expedition will set sail this summer from the ancient Syrian port of Arwad, which is where the 70 ft replica vessel is being built.

Led by Philip Beale who successfully headed the Borobudur expedition in 2003-04 sailing a replica 8th century Indonesian trading vessel from Indonesia to West Africa, this latest venture is more ambitious and will see the ship cover 17,000 miles over 12 months before she arrives in London.

“You don’t have to be Ellen MacArthur to take part in this project, although she’d be most welcome. We’re looking for people who have a sense of adventure and curiosity to be part of a small team in what will inevitably be challenging circumstances. We want a multination crew and obviously not everyone can take so long away from work and family commitments so we’d welcome applications from people who could come for part of the voyage” said Beale.

The Phoenicia team are in need of specialist skills such as medical, culinary, IT and photographic expertise as well as experienced and novice sailors. Applications forms are available to down load from the projects website www.phoenicia.org.uk

Low cost winter Tel Aviv flights put on sale

Thomsonfly has put winter flights to Israel on sale at a lead-in of £89.99 one-way.

The carrier will maintain a schedule of three flights a week from Luton and Manchester to Tel Aviv.

Frequencies will reduce between January 7 and February 9 to two flights a week on Thursdays and Sundays from Manchester.

Those using the flights are also entitled to one day’s free Budget Car Rental car hire in Israel.

The airline started flights to Tel Aviv last November and operates Boeing 737-800 aircraft on the route with extra legroom seating and hot meals, including kosher, pre-bookable online.

Commercial director Guy Stephenson said: “Tel Aviv has a growing reputation as a stylish and lively choice for city breaks, but also as an important destination for cultural exchanges between schools and religious groups, religious and history-based leisure breaks, visiting friends and relatives and as a place for doing business.”

A Male Centric Approach at Willow Stream Spa

DUBAI, UAE - Willow Stream Spa at the Fairmont Dubai announces the launch of a new exclusive spa line entitled ‘Just For Men’. This latest addition to the signature spa menu features five treatments designed with a male centric approach to health and wellness.

According to the International Spa Association, a growing number of men are partaking in an experience that was once dominantly in the purview of women. Further research also indicates that this growing demographic now represents a third of all spa goers. With this in mind, Willow Stream Spa’s dedicated male treatment menu features a range of spa experiences from invigorating massage treatments to cleansing facials that are attuned to men in such a fast paced and bustling city.

The Total Tune Up (150 minutes/Dhs 950)

Combining three treatments - Aromatic Body Polish, Willow Stream Deep Muscle Massage, and the Quick Fix Facial - this experience relieves the stress and strain of a long day. An extensive deep tissue massage combined with ginger and black pepper essential oils relieves tension. A warm mud mask covers the back and a foot and scalp massage encourages relaxation. The face is also cleansed, exfoliated and massaged, prior to the application of facial masks and serums.

Shed Some Stress (120 minutes/Dhs 890)

Combining two treatments - Men’s Maintenance Facial and Real Aromatherapy Massage - this revitalising experience focuses on enhancing the texture of your skin and for soothing the mind and body. The treatment begins with a cleansing and revitalising facial experience designed to repair and protect the skin. To complete the experience, the power of essential oils (selected from a hand-blended range to suit your mood) is applied with a specialised neck, back and shoulder massage inspired from the traditions of the East.

Executive Experience (120 minutes/Dhs 750)

A balancing and nourishing experience designed to soothe the body and revitalise the skin, this treatment begins with an invigorating back treatment using a blend of orange flower and lavender plant extracts, and essential tea tree oil to improve the skin’s texture. A cleansing and gentle facial helps to refine the pores, condition the skin and restore the balance of natural oils.

Executive Deep Cleansing Facial (90 minutes/Dhs 480)

This treatment includes a combination of specialised techniques to restore the skin’s natural oils. The face is deeply cleansed and exfoliated to draw out impurities and to re-mineralise the skin. This is followed by a facial using the antiseptic properties of lavender and essential tea tree oil. A purifying mask is then applied, while an invigorating massage and a soothing scalp massage leaves the skin glowing and revitalised.

Men’s Maintenance Facial (60 minutes/ Dhs 420)

This deep cleansing facial experience was developed to repair and protect the skin with orange flower and lavender plant extracts, and essential tea tree oil. This treatment is further enhanced with the application of a fresh mud mask to remove dead skin cells and to create a well balanced complexion.

For more information or to make a reservation, please call 04 311 8800 or e-mail willowstreamdubai@fairmont.com. Advance reservations are recommended in order to accommodate your preferences.

Willow Stream Spa

The Willow Stream Spa at Fairmont Dubai is a unique destination created to inspire, nourish, and guide guests on a journey to find their personal energy in a location that reflects their cultural and environmental surroundings. The spa covers over 40,000 square feet and features separate male and female sections, an opulent Jacuzzi area with Turkish Hammam inspired steam rooms and a fully equipped health club, complete with two rooftop swimming pools that offer unfettered views of both the sunrise and sunset over a dotted skyline.

Play Top Professionals On A World-Class Course

Taba Heights International Pro Am: 27-29 November 2008

Golfers should start planning their trip to Taba Heights this November, where they can play golf in guaranteed sunshine against some of the UK and Europe’s top professionals on a world-class course. If that is not enough, a backdrop of mountains and views across the sea towards three countries, opportunities for snorkelling, diving, and general fun in the sun must be one of the most appealing prospects a golfer can imagine.

Following the sell-out 2007 debut of the Taba Heights International Pro Am, dates have been set for a repeat 54 hole event from 27 – 29 November this year.

Teams of three amateurs, accompanied by one professional, can join the event to play against the defending title holder and runner up, British golfers David Lynn and Gary Evans, former Ryder Cup golfer, Gordon Brand Jnr and trick and long drive specialist Paul Barrington.

With many repeat bookings already confirmed from last year, when 80 golfers from 19 countries made up the 20 team event, keen golfers are being urged to sign up quickly, although the event has being widened this year to meet the anticipated demand.

The Taba Heights Pro Am’s sponsor, Heineken, ensures that the event’s social scene will once again be singularly jovial, with their refreshing beverage freely available both on and off the course. Social activities commence with the opening cocktail party, and will reach their peak at the Gala awards dinner. Other evening activities include floodlit night golf, where amateurs can challenge pros and trick and long drive specialist Paul Barrington will be demonstrating his skills.

Located on the east coast of the Sinai Peninsula, the Taba Heights Golf Resort is in the middle of the desert, towered over by mountains and with vistas looking across the Red Sea to the coast lines of Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Israel. Still regarded as a hidden gem among courses, the success of the Pro Am event, and participation by leading professionals, has recently thrust this challenging and exciting golf course into the international spotlight.

Longwood Holidays can make all travel arrangements from the UK. The price for amateur golfers is just £899 per person. This includes seven nights at the five star Hyatt Regency Taba Heights, departing from the UK on 24th November, the welcome cocktail party and Gala dinner, return flights from London Gatwick, transfers and unlimited golf including the 54 hole Pro Am event.

Call 020 8418 2570 or visit www.longwoodholidays.co.uk to book.

For more information on the Taba Heights, visit www.tabaheights.com