A Luxury Travel Blog

Etihad Airways, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates, is expanding the range of services it offers business and leisure travellers with the launch of a new destination management company – Hala Abu Dhabi. The new company will be based in the nation’s capital but offer travel products, services and activities throughout all seven Emirates of the UAE.

Flying hotels… the future of luxury travel?  Who knows? But an aircruise concept from Seymourpowell in association with Samsung looks to be little more than a publicity stunt to us here at A Luxury Travel Blog.  Not only does it look an unlikely shape for such a vessel but the choice of hydrogen gas to get it airborne leaves us wondering whether the people behind it have ever even heard of the Hindenburg disaster.  Still, it did manage to ’suck in’ all kinds of media interest, including the likes of CNN and The Independent who you would hope might have known better than to take the bait.  Enjoy the video but don’t expect to see one of these things any time soon!

Ever dreamed of experiencing the excitement of heli-skiing, but weren’t sure if you had the skills, or even how to go about it? This coming February Four Seasons Resort Jackson Hole presents the How-to-Heli Ski Camp, a special three-day, four-night camp offered in partnership with Jackson Hole Mountain Resort and High Mountain Heli-Skiing.

Recommended for the strong, intermediate or expert skier, the on-snow experience focuses on powder techniques and off-piste etiquette, and introduces snow safety education – all necessary preparation for big-mountain heli adventures. The camp culminates with participants having the opportunity to test their new skills on a privately guided heli-skiing adventure with High Mountain Heli-Skiing, where they will experience stunning scenery and breathtaking runs on virgin snow.

Individually tailored expert instruction is provided by Jackson Hole Mountain Resort’s Professional Alpine Guides on their premier training grounds to give skiers the skills and confidence they need to fulfill their powder fantasies. Combined with the best on-mountain environment and the world renowned Four Seasons service, How-to-Heli Camp is an unmatched elite skiing experience.

In addition to two days of on-mountain instruction, two days of lift tickets and the final day of heli-skiing, the How-to-Heli Camp includes four nights’ accommodation at Four Seasons Resort Jackson Hole, a welcome reception including cocktails and canapés, two mountaintop lunches at Couloir Restaurant during instruction, a gift bag and a closing dinner at the Resort for all participants.

How-to-Heli Camp rates are from £1,782 per person and £2,889 based on double occupancy. The camp runs from 3rd to 7th February 2010.

Blink has recently opened a base in Geneva to allow those in central Europe to benefit from its low prices, and has launched an advance purchase scheme – Blink Foresight. The Foresight scheme is much like jetcards that are offered by private jet firms such as NetJets. However, they differ in that Blink charges per mile and landing fees are passed on at cost.

I’ve talked previously about innovative ways the travel industry is embracing Twitter and one of the latest comes courtesy of Lufthansa. With MySkyStatus they are allowing users to update their Twitter (or Facebook) accounts with their whereabouts whilst in flight.  While you’re in the air, MySkyStatus automatically sends altitude, location, departure and arrival updates.  And the service isn’t just limited to Lufthansa – it can be used for any commercial airline. The idea has lots of potential (with the ability to update loved ones of your progress) and it’ll no doubt prove a big coup for Lufthansa to have got there first.

Whether travelling for business or pleasure, take the time to indulge in some serious retail therapy at Heathrow this Autumn. Catering for your every want and desire, the airport is home to a wide collection of premium brands including Paul Smith, Prada, Harrods, Gucci and Sony – all at airport prices. Here are their picks for the ultimate in luxury and opulence this season.

Enjoy travelling through time with the elegant Cartier Ballon Bleu watch. Available to purchase from Harrods Heathrow stores for £23,000, the 18 carat white gold timepiece features a case set with round-cut diamonds and Cartier calibre 057 quartz movement.

Put pen to paper with the limited edition Montblanc Skeleton A380. Made with 750 white gold and adorned with 42 diamonds, this investment scribe is available to purchase from The Pen Shop and costs £11,086.95.

Add the colourful characters of The Dalmore (home to the oldest maturing stocks of any single Highland malt) to your drinks cupboard with the The Dalmore Sirius 1951 available exclusively from the World Duty Free store in Terminal 5 for £10,000. Relish the aromas of intense citrus and honeyed chocolate followed by roasted coffee, crushed walnuts and hints of liquorice spice. With just twelve bottles made, and five already sold, ensure you don’t miss out by going online to World of Whiskies where a limited number are available to pre-order.

With thigh-high boots remaining the must-have footwear for Autumn, be sure to check out the sumptuous Paulitta boots from Bally. A step above the rest, these black stretch suede and leather boots cost £1,435 and feature a 130mm brass lace ‘cage’ heel and gilt edge platform.

For state of the art eyewear, look no further than the new Pit Boss sunglasses from The Oakley Elite Collection. Available exclusively from the World Duty Free store in Terminal 5, these shades have taken four years to develop and seamlessly blend the world’s most advanced optical technologies with truly unique aesthetics. There are three lens and frame colour combinations to choose from each costing £425 per pair.

As I’m sure you are aware, there are a number of flight comparison sites out there.  You would think they would all essentially do the same job, but they do have notable differences.  Many airline tariffs – particularly those of the budget airlines – are complicated by extra charges. This makes it very difficult for comparisons to be made, particularly since different travellers have different requirements.

The moral of the story?  Try out a few comparison sites – and even visit the websites of the airlines themselves (and sign up to their newsletters). You would think it does but a flight comparison site does not, unfortunately, negate the need to shop around for the best price.

Tell us what sites you use and why.  What are your tips for finding the best fares?

IHG’s (InterContinental Hotels Group) Priority Club® Rewards has unveiled a new reward option: Flights Anywhere™. This new program lets members redeem Priority Club® points, or combine points and cash, to book flights on more than 400 airline carriers worldwide without restrictions on availability.

It’s the first and only hotel loyalty program to offer the flexibility to redeem points and cash for flights, and there are no blackout dates or limits on available tickets whatsoever. It is available to consumers in nearly 20 countries, including the U.S., Canada and most countries in Europe.

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?

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!

Take a step back to the romantic appeal of the ‘Golden Age of Aviation’ as you travel through southern Africa in a DC-3. Experienced 4th generation local guides tailor the voyage to the interests of a select group of 14 travellers as you explore Zululand, Zambia, Malawi, Mozambique and South Africa with Travcoa Flying Safaris. You¹ll be a distinguished guest at a private ceremony, the Zulu King¹s Reed Dance. This is a once-in-a-lifetime privilege to observe a celebration of 20,000 African maidens rekindling their people¹s pride in dance and traditional culture.

The results of the World Airport Awards from Skytrax are out. Congratulations go to Incheon International Airport in Seoul which beat last year’s winner (Hong Kong International Airport) into second place.  The top 10 were as follows:

1. Incheon International Airport
2. Hong Kong International Airport
3. Singapore Changi
4. Zürich
5. München
6. Kansai
7. Kuala Lumpur
8. Amsterdam
9. Centrair Nagoya
10. Auckland

What is your favourite airport in the world and why?

The previously untouched southern Maldives is to get its first boutique luxury resort. Alila Villas Hadahaa will open in the Gaafu Alifu (North Huvadhoo) Atoll in August 2009, an atoll which is rich in history yet unknown to all but the most intrepid divers. It is one of the largest natural atolls in the world and the deepest in the Maldives with a central lagoon plunging about 90 metres down. Despite its size, though, it encompasses only 250 islands over a lagoon area covering 2,800 square kilometres, resulting in the sparsest distribution of individual islands in the country.

The new resort will feature 14 stilted over-the-water Aqua Villas with panoramic views and 36 Island Villas, 20 of which come with a private plunge pool. All villas are designed to enhance the Maldivian experience. It is accessible via a 55 min domestic flight from Male to Kaadedhdhoo Domestic Airport, where you board a 55 foot Luxury Azimut Power yacht for a 1 hour 15 minute cruise to the resort.

United Mileage Plus members earn double miles when staying at participating Hyatt hotels in Europe, Africa, the Middle East and Asia Pacific between 15th March and 15th June 2009. You must mention the offer code UA309 when booking and provide your Mileage Plus membership number at check-in.

A new air service took off in the UAE this month with twice-weekly flights linking Abu Dhabi with Sir Bani Yas Island; phase one of the Desert Islands project in the emirate’s Al Gharbia western region. The service, provided by private operator Empire Aviation, can also be chartered on demand as part of the accommodation package offered by Anantara Desert Islands Resort and Spa.  Operating two eight-seater Cessna Caravans, the flight to Sir Bani Yas Island – home to the Arabian Wildlife Park – will take approximately 50 minutes as opposed to a two and a half hour car journey from the UAE capital.

SWISS will be gradually introducing a new First Class cabin from this Spring onwards, in parallel with its fleet renewal programme. The centrepiece of the new cabin product is the new SWISS First Seat, which offers exclusive design, top inflight comfort and extensive privacy and can be individually adjusted to travellers’ specific wishes and needs. The new ‘suite above the clouds’ marks a further milestone in SWISS’s ongoing quality drive.

The SWISS First Seat can be reclined at the touch of a button into a totally lie-flat bed that is more than two metres long. It is also equipped with a down-filled duvet, and incorporates an innovative pneumatic air cushion whose softness can be adjusted to individual preferences in any seating position. Further extras include a 23-inch (currently the world’s biggest) inflight entertainment screen and generous work surfaces and storage facilities. In visual terms, the new seat picks up on the design elements and colour scheme that have already been adopted for the new SWISS Lounges.