A Luxury Travel Blog

Ritz-Carlton is launching a new brand, Ritz-Carlton Reserve, to cater for those who prefer more unusual destinations. The first such resort within the brand will be Molasses Reef in the Turks & Caicos Islands, scheduled to open in 2008 with 125 suites, 60 villas starting from $2.6 million, two restaurants and a spa. Over 50% of Phase I has been sold and just 13 villas currently remain.

Think what the most popular tourist attraction in the Bahamas is, and you’d be forgiven for saying something like Atlantis Paradise Island or Long Island’s deserted beaches.  However, you’d be wrong.  Apparently, the most popular tourist attraction there right now is the grave of Anna Nicole Smith and it’s bringing visitors over in droves. Such has been the interest that officials at Lakeview Cemetry have closed entry to the general public.

The brand new, 110,000 Carnival Freedom superliner has been officially named in Venice by Kathy Ireland who serves as Godmother. The ship will set sail on its inaugural European tour next week, before going trans-Atlantic in October. From November 2007 until April 2009, the vessel will focus on a series of Eastern and Western Caribbean itineraries.

The 2007 Cricket World Cup Series is just around the corner, and will be held in the beautiful Caribbean in April 2007. But getting between islands to watch your team will be a challenge. The big jets don’t do the inter-island hops. Can you imagine flying from island to island in tiny little planes to get from one stadium to the next? Can you imagine the long lines, the delays, the cancelled flights the lost luggage? Have a look at Celebrity Cruise Line’s Galaxy cruise ship which can take you and your family from island to island, game to game, in sheer luxury.

New lunch and dinner menus at the private island resort of Guana Island showcase pistachio-crusted goat cheese over mesclun, West Indian chicken roti with mango chutney and poached pear with raspberry sauce. And for those really looking to indulge, the spa and yoga centre menus have also been updated with soothing treatments such as the Brown Sugar Scrub and Dead Sea Black Mud Wrap.

In recognition of its level of excellence, Paradisus Palma Real Resort, a five-star, luxury, all-inclusive resort located on the legendary Bávaro Beach in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, which opened its doors in December 2005, has been honoured as a member of one of the world’s most prestigious collection of luxury hotels, The Leading Hotels of the World.

Newly acquired by Victor International and following multi-million dollar renovations, all accommodation at the Biras Creek Resort now consists of non-smoking rooms including 300 thread count cotton linens and Sealy Plush pillow-top mattresses. Luxurious amenities also include Sony LCD TVs and Bose iPod sound decks in the Grand Premier suites, a fitness centre and private dining rooms.

One for all the art fans out there. Des Moines’ Drake University’s Anderson Gallery is hosting “Cuba: Women Artists in the Revolution”, a rare exhibition featuring 50 works by major Cuban artists including Jacqueline Brito, Yamilys Brito, Rocio Garcia, Elsa Mora, Sandra Ramos and Julia Valdes on loan from the Center for Cuban Studies in New York.  The exhibition will run until 16th February 2007.

Once the Marley family summer home (yes, we’re talking Bob Marley here), the Marley Resort & Spa has been designed to combine both African and Caribbean style. It is due to open this Spring and has 16 themed suites, each named after a Marley song title. I doubt there’s anywhere else where you can stay at a place called ‘Kinky Reggae’. Special introductory rates start at $495 per room, per night double occupancy, subject to availability.

Sol Melia Hotels & Resorts are going to enter the Aruba market. They are to renovate the former Bushiri Beach Hotel, which has been closed for some time. The new hotel will include a casino, a spa, a beach club and several restaurants and will comprise part of a larger government-sponsored development that will feature a marina and a shopping complex near the capital of Oranjestad. It is scheduled to open in late 2008.

Richard Whitfield is Managing Director of Half Moon, a beautiful resort in Montego Bay, Jamaica, that has been welcoming guests for over 50 years.  Richard joined the resort as Financial Controller back in 1976 and became Director of Operations in 1986.  Following the retirement of Heinz Simonitsch in 2002, Richard was promoted to the role of Managing Director.

What is it that you do exactly?

I have the privilege of representing as Managing Director the 800+ men and women who serve the guests of Half Moon, a 400 acre resort in Rose Hall, Jamaica, with warm Jamaican hospitality and true professionalism.

At Half Moon our mission is to exceed our guests’ expectations and so we set about providing the very best products and services to our clients.

What do you enjoy most about what you do?

I enjoy the genuine enthusiasm and dedication of our staff to take care of our guests.  I enjoy receiving feedback from our clients on things that went well in their experience and also commentary on how they would like to see their experience improved.  As we always strive to be the best at what we do, our guest feedback is essential to achieve that goal.

I also enjoy taking a tour of the resort on a daily basis, seeing our staff in action, seeing our guests enjoy this atmosphere that we have created and working with our managers on staff in fine tuning the product.

What would you say are the 3 best places you’ve ever stayed?

1. Excelsior Palace Hotel in Rapallo, Italy.  The food was exquisite and it was further enhanced by the setting overlooking a placid lake.
 
2. Ritz-Carlton Hotel, Osaka, Japan – seamless in their presentation.
 
3. Four Seasons Hotel, London – impeccable service.

What’s been your most memorable dining experience to date?

Excelsior Palace Hotel.

Have you rubbed shoulders with the rich and famous, either through your work or your travels?

Half Moon has been privileged to host many of the world’s elite, including HRH Queen Elizabeth II, HRH Princess Anne, His Serene Highness Prince Reiner and his family among many others.  In fact Jacqueline Kennedy, when she visited with then Senator John F. Kennedy in the 1960s, penned one of her wills on Half Moon stationery; a copy of which now hangs in our lobby.  I personally have had the privelge to meet The Queen, her daughter Princess Anne, the Prime Minister of Canada Mr. Paul Martin, among other world leaders and celebrities.

What currently ranks highest on your travel wishlist?

The tented hotels of Jaipur, India.

Thanks, Richard.

Jumeirah is expanding its presence in the Americas with a new luxury resort in Bermuda.  As part of the Dubai-based group’s plans to extend its international portfolio to 40 luxury hotels and resorts by 2009, the Jumeirah Southlands Resort will cater largely for the North American market and will have 300 spacious balcony suites (including 17 “incomparable” two-story suites built into beach cliffs), as well as five restaurants and bars, a spa and numerous pools, a nightclub and outdoor entertainment space, a complete spa, and access to over 1,700 feet of beach.  It is expected to open midway through 2008.

Occidental Hotels & Resorts in Aruba, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic and Mexico are offering a Grand Romance Package that’s perfect for celebrating Valentines Day. The packages are available to any couple who books a deluxe or better room for at least three consecutive nights at any of the group’s all-inclusive resorts, and includes a bottle of Champagne or wine upon arrival, breakfast in bed the first morning, one romantic dinner on the beach, a one-hour in-room couple’s massage, 10% discount on spa services, and chocolate-covered strawberries. Depending on the property, rates start from $96 (Occidental Grand Puerto Plata, D.R.) to $279 (Occidental Grand Aruba) per person per night.

Escape from those long, cold winter days and enjoy the warm, tropical paradise of Peter Island Resort in the British Virgin Islands with the Spa Escape Package. Discover healing hands and spa treatments that will rejuvenate, revitalize and renew your mind, body and soul. This package includes 5-nights in the accommodation of your choice, use of the many package amenities and culinary experiences and 5 spa treatments: Tropical Lime and Ginger Buff (80 minutes); Seaweed Remineralizer (80 minutes); Peter Island Sea Spa Pedicure (75 minutes); Peter Island Custom Facial (75 minutes); and Frangipani and Coconut Moisturizer (80 minutes).

A weekly pick of luxury travel links for your perusal…

• Unparalleled service from The Executive Connection
• Get the low-down from Dolce Vita magazine
• Discover the Caribbean’s finest with Definitive Caribbean
• Luxury villa rentals from Villas of Distinction

Scheduled to open in late 2007 on Scrub Island, Mainsail Resort, Marina & Spa is the first luxury resort development in the British Virgin Islands in more than 15 years and will be fully equipped with ocean view suites, villas and residences, a world class spa, marina, restaurants, retail shops, amphitheatre, nature trails, and an astronomy observatory.