A Luxury Travel Blog

The Cove Atlantis, Bahamas, sits atop two of the most beautiful beaches in the world, inspired by the splendour of its natural surroundings. The pools and beach club are the main daytime focus, as is the once in a lifetime opportunity to swim with dolphins and the unmissable Aquaquest, an exhilarating new waterscape of pools, slides and rivers. Perfect for families and couples alike, The Cove’s backdrop of spectacular ocean views, vast array of restaurants and plethora of activities will make your stay a memorable one.

Coco Palm Dhuni Kolhu in the Maldives occupies a private island where white beaches encircle a lush tropical paradise. The villas are luxurious and intimate, blending western comforts with local culture and offering a wide choice of features from open air garden bathrooms, splash pools with private terraces and sunken or spa baths either in the garden or over the lagoon. Rates start from 364 USD per night for a Beach Villa, or from 1,095 USD per night for a Sunset Lagoon Villa.

Set on the cliff tops overlooking the Bay of Funchal and the Atlantic, Reid’s Palace has, for over 100 years, been a standard-bearer for excellence on Madeira and beyond.  Set in ten acres of lush semi-tropical gardens, the emphasis is on traditional style with modern comforts. The Spa at Reid’s Palace is dedicated to the rejuvenation of body, mind and soul, and you will experience the luxury of being pampered and the sensation of timelessness.  Extend your stay with their “One Complimentary Night” promotion where, if booking a minimum of 7 nights, you get one night free.

The areas surrounding Muscat city are diverse in scenery and culturally rich, and for all round sun, luxury and leisure at its very opulent, the Grand Hyatt Muscat is an offer you cannot refuse! A haven for water-sports enthusiasts, Omani waters are home to some of the most amazing marine life in the world, and as the hotel stands on the sandy beach of Shatti Al Qurm, guests can conveniently explore what the ocean has to offer. Historic tombs, monuments and forts are also extremely accessible, with tours to the Wahiba Sands or Jebel Akhdar and Jebel Shams mountains arranged at the hotel, as well as opportunities for caving, hiking and abseiling. The hotel itself reflects the relaxed Omani traditional style, truly enabling guests to really grasp the feel of  their surroundings; whether for adventure or for a relaxing break, Grand Hyatt Muscat has much to offer its visitors.

Looking across the beauty of the Tuileries Gardens, the imposing Le Meurice stands in the most fasionable neighbourhood of Paris with many of the world’s best-loved sights only a short walk away.  Its rooms, decorated in Louis XVI-style, offer calm and luxury, it Espace Bien-Etre was named one of the Leading Spas of the World, while its restaurant is considered to be amongst the very best in town.  Their Da Vinci Package is available for minimum stays of 2 nights and runs until the end of 2008; it includes a private visit of the Louvre Museum and St. Sulpice Church with prices starting from 750 euros for a Superior Room, up to 1615 for a Meurice Garden Suite with a view of the Tuileries Gardens.

Why does luxury train travel have such a low profile compared with virtually every other luxury offering? Is it because many luxury train operators are better at operating the trains than marketing them?  Or perhaps the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express (which most people know as the ‘Orient Express’) simply eclipses most of them through the application of overwhelming sales, marketing and PR resources?  Or maybe it is due to lacking the support mechanism that an association may offer? The whole sector is basically immature, barely in its teens compared with similar business types, having been largely invented by VSOE when it began running in 1982.  It does not have its own suite of best practise models and now needs an injection of new blood so it can make the most of the gathering opportunities. It is ready for consolidation, like the cruise industry in the 1970s. And that low profile? I met over 60 travel professionals last December at the International Luxury Travel Market, Cannes.  Not one of them could name more than five luxury trains; most knew of three.  There are at least 12 by the most rigorous application of a ’standard’ definition, but I would be comfortable with a minimum 15 trains. On this basis, the vast majority of potential travellers cannot be expected to be aware of the range of choice, from a private rail car in the USA or the Pullman Orient Express in Paris (no, not that one) to the ersatz imperial train the Majestic Imperator in Vienna or the ultra-modern Tangula Train in China. In this blog, I will examine what I think will be the future development of the luxury train sector in the coming months; months not years because change is - I believe - imminent.

Simon Pielow is co-founder of The Luxury Train Club.

Destination Resorts Hawaii is offering a Honua Makuahine (Mother Earth) package, valid from 1st April to 15th June 2008, to the tropical paradise of the Aloha state.  This five night package offers a $250 carbon credit which will help off-set 3.5 round trip flights from the West Coast, a complimentary Dollar rental car and free parking.  Destination Resorts Hawaii is the largest provider of luxury vacation rentals in the prestigious Wailea and Makena resorts on Maui.  For more information or to book, click here and mention GREENPKG.

The Tourism Authority of Thailand has launched a new Web site called Amazing Thailand to tell us there’s more to Thailand than just lots of beautiful beaches.  With categories for ‘Thai-ness’, ’Nature’, ‘Treasure’, ‘Festivities’ and more, the site promotes more than 300 special deals for inbound travellers and lists more than 2,000 travel products such as hotels, attractions, tours, etc. 

The remodelled Hyatt Regency Miami now boasts signature Grand Hyatt beds, ergonomic work stations, flat-screen televisions, and more. The new lobby will soothe the most discerning traveller with the glow of candles, and the relaxing sound of a new water fountain.  All this forms part of $20 million worth of upgrades to celebrate the hotel’s 25th anniversary.

Madinat Jumeirah - The Arabian Resort of Dubai, is a magnificent tribute to Dubai’s heritage styled to resemble an ancient citadel. Luxurious and ornate, it combines the height of opulence with an overwhelming sense of tradition. Two grand boutique hotels, courtyard summer houses, a tradinational souk, the magnificent spa and unlimited recreational facilities make Madinat Jumeirah one of the most fascinating resorts in the world.

VIA Rail, Canada’s national rail system, is offering significant spring savings effective immediately.  Deals include discounts of up to 50% about VIA Rail’s Canadian line traveling between Toronto and Vancouver, the Ocean line traveling between Montreal and Halifax, and the Chaleur line traveling between Montreal and Quebec’s Gaspe region.  Trains feature sleeping car accommodation that include bedrooms with duvet bedding, towels, showers, and turn-down chocolates.  All trains boast elegant dining cars that serve regional cuisine and wine.

Spring is in full bloom and great spring deals are blooming all over. Hawks Cay on Duck Key in the Florida Keys is offering special rates through the peak of the season. Special savings are featured with up to 40% on newly redesigned resort rooms and up to 20% on two-bedroom villas during April and May 2008. The newly renovated barefoot luxury island resort entices travelers with sophisticated services and amenities as well as a variety of family and adventure-focused activities. This “Spring of Things” package is available Sunday to Thursday in April and May 2008.

This Raffles Resort is located on Canouan Island in the heart of the Grenadines, just 40 minutes from Barbados. Nestled on 300 lush acres with white sand beaches, it is surrounded by one of the world’s largest coral reefs.  High on a hill with sweeping views over the resort is the exclusive Villa Monte Carlo, a European-style casino and La Varenne, a European gourmet restaurant.

Xudum Delta Lodge and Xaranna Tented Camp, CC Africa’s two new luxury lodges in Botswana, are set to open in August 2008 on a private 25,000 hectare concession in the heart of the Okavango Delta. The lodges will be built with a light footprint showcasing CC Africa’s commitment to responsible luxury.

Moscow is the barometer and nucleus of the changes sweeping through Russia. Nowhere are Russia’s contrasts more apparent than here - ancient monasteries and ultra-modern monoliths stand side by side, and ‘New Russian’ millionaires and poverty-stricken pensioners walk the same streets. With this in mind it is natural that the Ararat Park Hyatt Moscow’s architecture harmoniously blends contemporary character with tradition. The ‘Café Ararat’ restaurant for example is a replica of the historical Café Ararat, a landmark of Moscow during the 1960s, whilst the innovative style and comfort hotel offers more than the usual standards of a contemporary five-star hotel. Located in the very heart of the city, within immediate vicinity of the Bolshoi Theatre and only a few minutes walk from the Kremlin, Red Square, the Parliament house and the central business district Ararat Park Hyatt Moscow is a timeless, world-class, residential style hotel; one of the best in this popular city.

Maybe Gordon Ramsay’s Plane Food wasn’t the best idea for a name for a fine dining restaurant in London Heathrow’s new Terminal 5, but rest assured that we are talking about ‘plane food’ here, and not ‘plain food’. Currently managed by staff from his Box Wood Café in Knightsbridge, it will open on 27th March 2008.  With sweeping views of the runways, Plane Food promises to be a great way to start a vacation in style.