A Luxury Travel Blog

There have been some interesting uses of Twitter within the travel industry. Whilst JetBlue and United have used the medium to offer discounted flights, Hyatt have been using it as a concierge desk to answer questions from past, present or future guests.  That said, there are still many in the industry who aren’t using it, and many members of the public just don’t ‘get it’.  It’s some way from being mainstream within the industry. Does travel have a future on Twitter?

Banyan Tree Mayakoba, located in the vibrant Riviera Maya and just 40 minutes’ drive from Cancun International Airport, is home to the award-winning Banyan Tree Spa set in a perfect synthesis of modern Asian and Mexican tropical design.  And in another first, Banyan Tree Spa introduces The Rainforest concept to this resort. The Rainforest presents a complete hydrothermal experience combining the best of European spa and hydrothermal therapy with the essence of Asian wellness philosophy to create a romantic haven of serenity, warmth and comfort.

It is designed as a hydrothermal circuit known as The Rainforest Trail, comprising alternating hot and cold thermal cabins with each thermal cabin designed to accommodate up to one couple at each time. Couples can share the experiences together in each cabin guided by a personal therapist or enjoy the moments at their own privacy. To re-create a rainforest effect within the trail, it is all set against a backdrop of earthy tones and offers unique hydrothermal therapy experiences like Rain Walk, Aroma Steam Chamber, Herbal Sauna, Rasul, Brine Cavern, Ice Fountain, Experience Showers and Vitality Pool.

Although many people are having to make cut-backs and are being more careful about how they spend, particularly when it comes to leisure, luxury travellers are in fact finding that many luxury hotels and resorts, cruise packages and flights are much more affordable. Operators within the tourist industry are offering luxury for less whilst significant discounts abound.  Have you managed to take advantage of some competitive pricing?  If so, please let us know!

St. Maarten’s Sonesta Maho Beach Resort & Casino has been honoured with its third consecutive Incentive Magazine Platinum Partner Award for outstanding meetings services. The award has become the benchmark of achievement in the areas of motivation, corporate gifting and incentive travel for the past 17 years.

With more than 16,000 square feet of meeting space, Sonesta Maho Beach Resort & Casino has earned its reputation as one of St. Maarten’s premier resorts for meetings and social events. A medley of options and unique settings are available for corporate meetings, incentive group activities, receptions and dinners. For after-work hours, the Maho Promenade features over 40 shops, restaurants, nightclub, and a world-class casino.

Young travellers and their parents can now experience the new Freedom Trail Suite at America’s longest continuously operating hotel. Along with the brand’s irresistible Omni Sensational Kids program, the Omni Parker House now provides another great ways for children and their families to travel in a unique kid-friendly style while also learning about Boston’s vital role in American history.

The new Freedom Trail Suite consists of a spacious living area adjoined to a fun children’s sleeping nook with bunk beds, bean bag chairs, an activity table, barrel-style nightstands, brightly coloured furniture and children’s colonial style costumes to enjoy while in the suite. One entire wall also features a chalkboard for drawing while another hosts a large, vibrant mural displaying the route and the landmarks of Boston’s Freedom Trail which passes along the front of the Omni Parker House.

Parents can relax in their own connecting room while children enjoy the suite along with their complimentary Omni Sensational Kids backpack filled with playful treasures and are treated to milk and cookies in the guest room the first night of their stay.

Watch the video and tell us what you think of US taxpayers’ money being spent on private jets that will be used, at least in part, to fly members of Congress in luxury. Are you concerned by this? Post a comment and let us know!

The venerable Grand Hotel & La Pace in Montecatini, Italy, has announced the recent opening of a new health centre. The 600-square-metre spa facility features a heated indoor pool and separate wet area with Rasul bath and a relaxation corner for guests to use before and after their sessions. There are also seven treatment rooms, a gym and a private spa suite with its own Rasul bath and Jacuzzi.

Unlike most hotels and resorts that roll out new menus seasonally, the new restaurant at the Princess d’Annam Resort & Spa debuts a new card every single day.

Whether guests voice a hankering for pan-fried snapper, grilled cobia on a lemongrass skewer, bouillabaisse or any of dozens of other dishes in Chef La Thuan An’s repertoire, the experience of dining each evening is as fresh as that day’s catch from the South China Sea. An presides over an 80-seat restaurant where the preferred seats occupy an expansive terrace that takes in views of the bay and its iconic lighthouse. An air-conditioned interior, the pool deck and tables on the beach complement the anchoring terrace as dining venues.

The Princess d’Annam’s kitchen specializes in both Vietnamese and French cuisine. Each evening’s menu includes choices from either tradition. One recent menu included pan fried prawns marinated with lemongrass and seafood risotto as the Eastern option and roasted lamb tenderloin as the Western option. That was on a Tuesday night. On the Monday, the two entrée options were a seafood paella with coconut milk and a roasted duck breast marinated with spices. And on Wednesday, it was stuffed pigeon with mashed potatoes and pan-fried mahi mahi, sautéed artichoke and tomatoes.

Grand Resort Bad Ragaz in Switzerland has completed an extensive renovation and expansion of its spa and wellbeing facilities. Called To B. Wellbeing & Spa, it offers guests selected treatments from around the world – from Tam Tam gong massages from Tibet and Nepal to Hawaiian Lomi Lomi ceremonies to Japanese Shiatsu to its own new signature Sequoia massage. Guests can also experience power napping in the new Napshells®, capsules fitted with mattresses especially shaped to accommodate a wide range of body types, and incorporating visual and acoustic effects within that make it easy to reach a state of relaxation. The 100-square-meter Andeer Private Spa provides a completely private atmosphere where guests enjoy everything from a sauna with champagne to a “cuddle lounge” with sun bed to a home cinema, whirlpool and private garden.

The 5-star deluxe Steigenberger Al Dau Beach Hotel, based on the Red Sea in Hurghada, Egypt, has introduced a Sunshine Guarantee where guests will be able to redeem free nights should the sun not shine.  With Hurghada’s sunny climate and year-round warm weather, guests to the region should be able to expect a stay filled with sunshine and good weather. However, should a complete day not be sunny or should it even rain for more then one hour a day, holidaymakers to the hotel need not despair. A voucher will be awarded for a free night’s stay for every ‘lost’ day, which customers may redeem through booking directly with the hotel. The voucher will be issued to the departing guest at their time of check out and will be valid for one year.

Chateau On The Lake Resort, Spa & Convention Center in Branson, Missouri is offering unique incentives for group bookings.  The AAA Four-Diamond resort, which sits on an Ozark mountaintop overlooking Branson, is offering many enticing incentives for groups booking and holding a new program by 1st May 2010. The 301-room resort boasts one of Missouri’s largest convention centres, with 43,500 square feet of flexible meeting space, and the ability to host groups of 10 to 3,000.

The resort’s new “Value Meeting Package” provides a tremendous value to groups with savings of $200 per attendee per day, with a room rate of $129 per room, per night, plus: the choice of a free break, wine & cheese reception, or continental breakfast; a free Spa Access Pass for attendees; a free meeting room; three free VIP amenities; one free VIP upgrade to a suite at the group rate; free high-speed internet access in the guest rooms of all attendees; free garage parking for all attendees; and free use of paddleboats, kayaks, and canoes (seasonally) at the resort’s marina.

Melbourne’s Hotel Windsor has announced a $260 million development proposal aimed at securing the future of the city’s only 19th Century grand hotel. The proposal aims to re-establish the property as the leading hotel in Melbourne. Highlights of the plan include:

• Refurbishment of the original hotel building and its key historic features. The exterior will be restored more faithfully to its original appearance, including the reinstatement of the Spring Street colonnade.

• A slim and elegant 25-storey tower – set back 25 metres from Spring Street and Bourke Street – that acts as a “curtain” draped behind the original historic hotel building it presents a distinctive form and finish that acts as a backdrop and “frame” for the hotel. The tower will include additional guest rooms and suites, meeting rooms and health and leisure facilities.

• A new corner building to replace the 1960’s north wing addition. The ground level would be fully glazed with retractable openings, allowing al fresco dining and refreshments. The upper levels will include new banquet and function facilities, meeting rooms, guestrooms and an indoor pool.

An official promotional film for the island of Saba in the Dutch West Indies.

Not so much luxury… more just a bit of fun.  The inaugural 2009 Lanka Challenge, Sri Lanka’s first official tuk-tuk rally will take place from 5th to 15th September 2009. Twenty five teams of intrepid competitors from around the world will navigate the 1200km route in auto-rickshaws taking them through mountains, rainforests, tea plantations, coastal villages and busy towns.

The Lanka Challenge will set out to test the participants racing skills in their three-wheeled mean machines and involve the teams in a number of daily challenges along the route involving the local community.  The 10-day Challenge will give the teams of two or three an up close and personal experience of some of the most fascinating historical sites and natural delights Sri Lanka has to offer visitors while raising money for local charities.

The Zambezi Quee is a ‘luxury houseboat safari’ that will cruise along the Chobe river between Namibia and Botswana, just a few kilometres from where four countries meet: Botswana, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe.  Wildlife viewing is done from the Zambezi Queen itself and from her three high-speed aluminium launch boats. There are also two fibreglass fishing boats so guests can try tigerfish and bream fishing in season (May–November).

The 45-metre steel hulled river boat features just 14 suites and master suites. All have private balconies and full-length sliding shutters. There’s an open-plan lounge with a wood-burning fireplace, an astronomical telescope and a stylish bar area. The top deck features a swimming pool, sunbathing area and shaded seating area, where guests can also have massages and manicures / pedicures. On the third floor is the spacious dining room, which offers unobstructed views of the Chobe River.

The W brand’s 33rd hotel, W Santiago is the cornerstone of a larger, mixed-use complex, Isidora 3000, which includes a convention center, boutique office space, and high-end retail shops in addition to the W Hotel and W-branded residences. Developed by the Territoria Group, W Santiago is located in the heart of the fashionable El Golf district of the Chilean capital city and surrounded by the magnificent peaks of the Andes.

For W Santiago, renowned New York designer Tony Chi partnered with native Chilean designer Sergio Echeverria and his studio Echeverria Edwards & CIA to create cutting edge interiors for the hotel and residences that are a cool, contemporary take on the varied Chilean landscape. Their interior design approach sets the stage for W’s signature programming, including Whiskey Blue, an amped-up hotspot on the fourth floor of the hotel, Red2 One, a breathtaking rooftop bar, and W Lounge (W’s take on the traditional hotel lobby), all from famed nightlife entrepreneurs Rande and Scott Gerber of the Gerber Group; Osaka, the Zen-inspired restaurant featuring Peruvian-Asian cuisine by Chef Ciro Watanabe; NoSo and Terraza, two Modern French restaurants by renowned chef Jean-Paul Bondoux; an intimate Tea Library, managed by the talented French chef Sebastien Fontes; a lively Wine Bar; and W Hotels The Store, W’s twist on the hotel gift shop. In addition, hotel guests have access to the adjacent O2 Balance & Wellness Club, which offers 2,000 square meters of high-end equipment for physical training and spa treatment rooms.