Jetsettersblog

The America’s Cup duel opens next Monday, Feb. 8, over a 20-mile Mediterranean course off Valencia and the Costa del Azahar.

Tens of thousands are expected to cheer on Alinghi 5, the Swiss defender from Geneva. Just as many more may wave flags for the American challenger, USA, from San Francisco.

Adding to the suspense is the fact that each boat is of a size and speed never before seen in the 159 years of America’s Cup competition.

“This America’s Cup, the experts say, will be the fastest and the most exciting in history,” said Javier Piñanes, director of the Tourist Office of Spain in New York. “And it’s another opportunity to experience Valencia, which rocketed as a destination for Americans when it hosted the America’s Cup in 2007 with such great success.”

The cup competition will be settled in no more than three days of racing, with the remaining matches scheduled for Wednesday, Feb. 10, and Friday, Feb. 12 (the latter if necessary in the best-of-three format). That’s in sharp contrast to the previous America’s Cup, in which the Alinghi team defended against Emirates Team New Zealand, the winner of a 2½-month long series of preliminary matches involving 11 boats.

The duel will re-introduce multi-hull boats to America’s Cup competition.

The Alinghi 5 is a giant, double-hulled catamaran; the USA (sailed by the BMW Oracle team) is triple-hulled, a trimaran. While boat lengths are similar to those of the 2007 single hulls, this year’s multi-hulls measure 90 feet at the beam (compared to 13½ feet in 2007), mount masts of as much as 185 feet (compared to 105 feet in 2007) and can skim across the water at up to twice the speed of the wind.

For visitors, it all begins Sunday, Feb. 7, at Valencia’s Marina Juan Carlos 1, with an opening party for thousands, including music and fireworks. A giant paella (Valencians assert that their paella is Spain’s best because their rice is the best) will be served to raise funds to help earthquake survivors in Haiti.

When the competition begins the next day, visitors will be able to cheer the boats as they leave the marina and to follow the action on a giant screen.

More than 2 billion people worldwide will be able to see the races live on television or online at www.AmericasCup.com 

They’ll also get an eyeful of Spain’s third city, made famous by El Cid, the 11th century crusader; by the huge Fallas bonfires of the Fiesta de San José in March; and by Santiago Calatrava, native son and super-architect of Valencia’s futuristic City of Arts & Sciences. Valencia’s harbor will also be the scene of a second major racing event in August — the Formula 1 Telefónica Grand Prix of Europe auto competition, held over three days.

Valencia was founded and named by the Romans in the 2nd century BC. The Gothic cathedral was begun in the 13th century on the site of a Roman temple in the ancient Barrio del Carmen.

The medieval Silk Exchange is another landmark. Iberia flies to Valencia via Madrid from Boston, New York (JFK), Miami and Chicago, with Washington, D.C. service to begin March 28.

Delta will resume peak-season nonstop JFK-to-Valencia service on May 28.
The Valencia Tourist Card is good for unlimited public transportation, and for discounts in museums and many shops. A three-day card costs less than $30.

For more information, visit www.TurisValencia.es  or www.ComunitatValenciana.com  , or the Tourist Office of Spain at www.spain.info

The BMW Auckland Regatta is a major event on New Zealand’s sailing calendar.

Sailing fans using hotels in Auckland are in for a treat on February 26th, when one of New Zealand’s premier maritime events comes to town.

The BMW Auckland Regatta takes place over three days in the waters of the city’s Waitemata Harbour and off Eastern Beach.

This year, visitors can expect to see one of the biggest fleets to ever congregate in the Kiwi capital, with amateur sailors competing across 17 divisions including keelboats, multihulls and sportsboats.

A hectic schedule of parties, prize-giving ceremonies and other social events means that there is also plenty to keep those without a major interest in sailing occupied.

However, for many people it will be all about the events in the water, with the amateur crews in each division earning the chance to compete for the BMW Sailing Cup.

This is the country’s most prestigious amateur sailing series and also takes place in Auckland.

The winner is rewarded with an all-expenses paid trip to Europe for the world final, which took place at Italy’s Lake Garda last year.

For 2010, the BMW Sailing Cup has been scheduled for March 13th and 14th, so people planning a longer stay in Auckland can look forward to even more top-class sailing action.

The Blue Boar Inn & Restaurant in Midway, Utah, has announced a Bed, Biathlon and Breakfast romance package.

Included are an Olympic Biathlon experience at Soldier Hollow, the 2002 Olympic venue for Cross Country Skiing and Biathlon, and a European breakfast.

In addition, guests will receive a basket with homemade pastries and sparkling cider to enjoy during their biathlon excursion, a combination of Nordic skiing (or biking in the summertime) and marksmanship.

For more information, call 888-650-1400 or visit www.theblueboarinn.com

With the 2010 Winter Olympic Games set to begin in less than two weeks, Marriott has just launched a Marriott Road to Gold Olympic package which features 12 participating hotels in Seattle with rates starting from just $104 per night.

Located just 140 miles from Vancouver, Seattle is a great option for those Olympic fans who can’t find accommodations in Vancouver or who are traveling on a budget and seek something more affordable.

This package is also a good option for pre- and post-Olympic stays. The Marriott Road to Gold Olympic package is priced from $104, valid through Feb. 29, 2010, and includes accommodations, breakfast, and a $25 gas card.

This promotion is valid Thursday to Sunday and is based on availability.

One gas card will be issued per stay upon check out. A limited number of rooms are available for this promotion. Tax is additional.

The offer does not apply to groups of 10 or more rooms and cannot be combined with any other promotions.

Black-out dates may apply. Advance reservations required. Other restrictions apply.

Rates are per room, per night.

The participating hotels include:

Seattle Marriott Waterfront; Seattle Airport Marriott; Redmond Marriott Town Center; Courtyard Federal Way; Courtyard Lake Union; Residence Inn Redmond; Courtyard South Center; Courtyard Bellevue; Residence Inn Bellevue; Courtyard Bellevue Downtown; SpringHill Suites Renton; and TownPlace Suites Renton. For reservations or more information, call 800-228-9290 and ask for promo code “LPR” or visit THIS LINK.

Cap Cana unveiled the dates for the PGA Tour’s Champions Tour and Cap Cana executives announced that the date set for the Third Edition of The Cap Cana Championship 2010 Tournament to take place is March 22 to 28.

During this week, the Punta Espada golf course, a Jack Nicklaus Signature and Design course, will once again be the venue for golf lovers to meet face to face with the legends of the sport, such as the winners of the first and second edition, Mark Wiebe and Keith Fergus.

Other golf legends who have participated are Greg Norman, Tom Watson, Gary Player, Hay Haas, Craig Stadler, Bernard Langer, Ian Woosnam, Jeff Slumank, Hale Irwin and Eduardo Romero, among others.

During this stroke-play tournament, the professional players will be competing for the Charles Schwab Cup at The Cap Cana Championship Tournament for a $315,000 winner’s prize and an official award of $1.6 million.

The Champions Tour already announced the date and venue for the 2010 season which includes 15 states, the Dominican Republic for the third consecutive year, Scotland and for the first time, South Korea.

The first and second edition of this tournament has positioned it as the major sporting event in the country along with the fact that it is aired on channels such as Golf Channel in North America, Europe and the Caribbean and ESPN Latin America, which allows the world to perceive the Dominican Republic and Cap Cana as a preferred world-class golf destiny.

For more information, call 809-469-7600 or visit www.thecapcanachampionship.com

As the official airline of the Vancouver 2010 Winter Games, Air Canada is offering the following tips to help customers enjoy a smooth travel experience during the upcoming peak travel period, Feb. 9 to March 22, 2010, particularly for travel to Vancouver, host city of the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games.

The busiest travel dates getting to Vancouver are Feb. 5-12, 2010, with Air Canada carrying more than 82,000 passengers system wide each day, including up to 12,000 to Vancouver, per day.

The busiest travel dates leaving Vancouver are Feb. 28-March 5. The peak departure day is March 1, YVR’s busiest day in history with close to 39,000 people departing Vancouver, almost 12,000 on Air Canada.

Air Canada said customers should check the status of departing and arriving flights before leaving for the airport by consulting the Air Canada website www.aircanada.com , using an Internet-enabled mobile device at http://mobile.aircanada.com , or by calling the flight status line at 888-422-7533.

Customers also can keep abreast of how weather or other circumstances may affect their flight by checking the Daily Operational Outlook in the Travel Updates section on the home page at www.aircanada.com

Air Canada customers can receive flight delay and cancellation information directly on their mobile devices or via e-mail. To register, visit www.aircanada.com/en/travelinfo/traveller/mobile/notification_app.html

The Air Canada iPhone App is a free application specifically designed for Apple iPhone users makes travel easier than ever.

Enhanced services like My Flights and My Messages allow customers to manage their Air Canada travel experience from a single location. Users can check in for flight, verify flight status, sign up for real-time flight notification updates, or take advantage of one of the other available options.

Log in at the App Store for the iPhone or from iTunes on a Mac/PC.

Air Canada’s BlackBerry app provides travelers with BlackBerry devices convenient and easy real-time access to a wide-range of flight information.

This includes retrieving electronic boarding passes, tracking flight information in real-time, receiving notification of itinerary changes and obtaining other details about Air Canada flights. The app is available free on-line from BlackBerry App World (www.blackberry.com/appworld ) or on Air Canada’s mobile site (http://mobile.aircanada.com ).

Transport Canada carry-on regulations for flights from Canada to the United States permits one carry-on bag on flights to the United States, in addition to limited personal items allowed in the cabin.

Air Canada recommends that customers flying to the U.S. bring only limited baggage and respect the strict carry-on limits imposed by Canadian and U.S. authorities.

For details on permitted carry-on items please consult the Canadian Air Transport Security website at www.catsa-acsta.gc.ca.

For more information, visit www.aircanada.com

American Airlines is adding additional flights into, and out of, both Miami and Fort Lauderdale to accommodate extra demand for travel to and from the Super Bowl in Miami on Feb. 7.

Additional inbound flights to South Florida on Friday, Feb. 5, include a nonstop from New Orleans to Fort Lauderdale, as well as a nonstop flight from Indianapolis to Miami.

After the big game, additional return flights out of South Florida will be on Monday, Feb. 8, and include two nonstops to New Orleans — one from Miami and one from Fort Lauderdale, as well as an extra flight to Indianapolis from Miami. To book flights now, call 800-433-7300.

Miami Seaquarium is extending a very special offer to park guests;  through Feb. 12, 2010,

Super Bowl and Pro Bowl team fans will receive one admission free for each regular priced admission purchased.

The offer is good for up to six people per party and is not valid with other discounts or annual pass purchase.

Fans of the Indianapolis Colts and New Orleans Saints may claim the special offer by showing their state driver’s license or other official government ID from Indiana or Louisiana at the Miami Seaquarium ticket booths.

For those that are not residents of these two states, Pro Bowl and Super Bowl ticket stubs will be accepted. General admission to Miami Seaquarium is $37.95 and $27.95 for children (ages 3 to 9).

For more information, visit www.miamiseaquarium.com

For 11 days this winter, Miami’s Surfcomber Hotel will be transformed into the Bud Light Hotel. From Jan. 29 to Feb. 8, Bud Light is re-branding the entire Surfcomber property — everything from the towels and mints to the marquee atop the property — and has planned a full lineup of exclusive events, star-studded live concert performances and sports exhibitions making the Bud Light Hotel the place to be on South Beach.

Bud Light provided adult consumers an opportunity to win a stay at the Bud Light Hotel by offering a register-to-win promotion on www.budlighthotel.com

The lucky winners will enjoy the hotel amenities, soak up some sun on the beach and gain access to many of the exclusive hotel events.

The 11-day takeover is divided into three promotional waves allowing a greater number of consumers to experience the Bud Light Hotel.

To help ensure partygoers who participate in the Bud Light Hotel festivities arrive home safely, Anheuser-Busch and its South Florida wholesalers, in partnership with AAA Auto Club South, will offer its Tow to Go program from Friday, Jan. 29, through Sunday, Feb. 7.

Tow to Go provides patrons and their vehicles with a free ride — and tow — home if they’ve had too much to drink, and is available by calling 800-AAA-HELP.

The program, endorsed by the Florida Highway Patrol, has provided more than 11,000 safe rides home to adults in Florida, Georgia and Tennessee.

For more information, visit www.budlighthotel.com

AirTran Airways is holding the Magic 12 sweepstakes for Orlando Magic fans.

The contest offers one winner and 11 friends the chance to watch All-Star center Dwight Howard and the Orlando Magic take on the San Antonio Spurs on March 17, 2010, from the new AirTran Airways Flight Deck.

Participants can enter by registering for A+ Rewards by March 1, at www.airtran.com/magic

If you are not an A+ Rewards member, registering is free and fast at www.airtran.com