A Luxury Travel Blog

ITTFA, the International Tourism Trade Fairs Association, welcomes its newest member, Luxury Travel Expo. Luxury Travel Expo is the industry’s largest gathering of luxury travel professionals in the  U.S. and during its last show in Las Vegas, December 2005, it attracted 4,376 visitors and 486 exhibitors over three days, serving both international and domestic markets.

Tanda Tula is a luxurious, East African style tented camp, located in the Timbavati Private Nature Reserve, adjacent to the Kruger National Park.  It offers the epitome of luxury and seclusion.  A true bush experience is complemented by excellent service and expert staff offering a range of activities from bush walks to private dining on your deck.

Just 20 minutes from Cape Town, marvel at spectactular views of the Constantia Valley from this fabulous hotel.  Constantia Uitsig is set among the vineyards of its own private wine estate and has 16 luxurious garden rooms, each offering peace and privacy.  Also on-site is an award-winning restaurant with its own distinctive and clearly defined style.

Tsunami-stricken coastlines are making a big comeback this year, particularly in the Maldives. In addition to the W Maldives, Como Hotels has re-opened its rooms designed as high-end fishing cottages on Cocoa Island; the Four Seasons has unveiled a new resort, Landaa Giraavaru, its second on the island; and the Taj Exotica Resort & Spa, in the Maldives, welcomed guests last December to its 62 thatched villas, starting at $850.

Business travellers who occasionally have the need to scan material when on their travels might be interested in this one from Plustek.  It’s a super-slim, sheetfed scanner that can be conveniently powered from the USB port. Known as the Plustek OpticSlim M12 Sheetfed Scanner, it retails at $179.

Shangri-La Asia, parent company of Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts, Asia Pacific’s leading luxury hotel group, has acquired the historic Palais of Prince Roland Bonaparte with plans to convert it to the Shangri-La Hotel, Paris in late 2008, marking the group’s European debut. The Bonaparte family mansion in Paris’ 16th arrondissement will be converted into the capital’s first luxury hotel fully owned and operated by an Asian hotel group.

The much-hyped Bulgari Resort in Bali is finally opening its oceanfront offering this Spring.  Adding to a new breed of couture hotels that already includes Ferragamo’s Hotel Lungarno in Florence and Palazzo Versace in Queensland, Australia, the Bali Bulgari Resort is set on a 500-metre high plateau overlooking the Indian Ocean. It has a pristine, private beach suitable for long walks along the oceanfront.

Step back to the roaring Twenties with a stay at the glorious InterContinental Chicago. One of the city’s Art Deco landmarks, it’s a fabulous place from which to explore the majestic architecture, superb shopping and vibrant nightlife of this scintillating city. The newly designed Zest Restaurant, together with innovative cuisine, takes fine dining to another level with a bird’s eye view of famous Michigan Avenue.

Stay at Boardwalk Lodge between 15th April and 31st May 2006 and get the season’s lowest rate. The season spans Alaska’s peak Steelhead season and for just $495 per day you can be a part of it. Float plane, fishing license, tax and gratuities not included. Alaska’s Boardwalk Lodge is a sportsman’s paradise and has exceptional facilities and commitment to excellence.

The full title of this book - Luxury Travel for the Unrich and Unfamous: How to See the USA in an Affordable Way: A Family Guidebook - gives a fuller insight into what this paperback is all about. It is a handy guide for anyone looking to save time and money in the US, without going budget. Includes some useful tips on how to keep fellow travellers happy, intermixed with elements of humour. The book is available on Amazon.

The W950i Walkman from Sony Ericsson is a slim and stylish 3G phone with an advanced digital music player and large touchscreen for optimal ease of use. Using the W950i is easy. A touchscreen and stylus are a comfortable way to choose and open menu items. The keypad of the slim W950i is smooth and flush with the surface, and the dedicated music player keys and other controls have one-press-to-open functionality, and the device can hold up to 1,000 songs in its 4GB internal memory.

With an idyllic location in a coastal forest reserve, this wonderful retreat just 40 minutes by road north of Durban, offers horse riding in the forest or on the beach and an 18-hole championship golf course.  But it is the superb spa and full butler service that makes Zimbali Lodge truly excel.

The TUMI Electric Adapter makes going international easier now with this innovative design: it has 4 adaptor configurations in one unit. The adaptor works for laptops, cell phones and small appliances in 150 countries and features a replaceable electric fuse and convenient case. The product is priced at £45.

For the next four days, until the last day of the month, one million people will gather in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The centrepiece is the Sambadromo parade, when neighbourhood groups compete for the title of best samba school; flashy floats and fancy costumes will no doubt feature prominently. The Masquerade Ball is almost as breathtaking, and another to look out for.

In perfect coordination with the Dior Vintage collection, this fine Dior Homme Classic iPod Travel Case protects and neatly stores your iPod during your travels. The tonal Dior logo exterior unzips to secure compartments for your iPod, headphones, and other accessories. Made in Italy and available for $295 through eLuxury.

InterContinental Hotels Group said it has signed four new management contracts with Shanghai Greenland Group, one of the top real estate and property management companies in China. The deals include an InterContinental hotel in Nanjing, a Holiday Inn property in Xian and two Express by Holiday Inn hotels in Shanghai, representing a total of more than 1,400 rooms. The 450-room Intercontinental Nanjing luxury hotel is scheduled to open in 2010, while the 380-room Holiday Inn Greenland Xian is set to open in 2007 and the two Express by Holiday Inns will open in late 2006 and early next year.