Here’s a round-up of luxury travel stories that have caught the eye this week. To make sure you receive these new weekly alerts in your web browser, please click on the red bell icon in the bottom right hand corner of the page and click ‘subscribe’ (works on desktop only – for other ways to subscribe, please click here). This will also alert you to any other posts on the blog. Should you wish, you can unsubscribe at any time, by clicking on the icon again and selecting ‘unsubscribe’.
National Trust defends Giant’s Causeway charging policy
The head of the National Trust has defended its charging policy at the Giant’s Causeway visitor centre. There have been complaints that official signs have misled people into thinking they have to pay to visit the world-famous stones in County Antrim. The trust’s director general said that money raised was used for the upkeep of the site and other properties it looks after in Northern Ireland… [read more]
Miami Beach the world’s priciest New Year’s Eve destination
Miami Beach is the most expensive destination in the world for accommodation on New Year’s Eve this year, according to a new survey by CheapHotels.org. The survey compared hotel rates in 50 cities across the globe. For each destination, the price for the cheapest available double room for a 3-night stay from 30 December – 2 January was determined. Only centrally located hotels rated at least three stars and with generally positive guest reviews were considered for the survey… [read more]
First ever luxury space hotel to launch
Tourists will soon have a new travel destination as Orion Span plans to open a luxury hotel in orbit 200 miles above the Earth in 2021. The commercial space station will start accommodating guests in 2022. It will include “private suites for two, the most number of windows ever created for spaceflight, weightlessness, and the world’s only authentic astronaut experience”. A 12-day stay aboard ‘Aurora Station’ will start at £7.5m. Refundable deposits of £60k are already being accepted on the website of the company… [read more]
Where to go in 2019: an insiders’ guide
From the deserts of the Empty Quarter to the beaches of Belize, a panel of travel industry leaders pick the hottest destinations for the coming year. Forty years from the end of Khmer Rouge control and 30 years after the withdrawal of Vietnamese troops, Cambodia is emerging as an upmarket destination, tipped by more of our panel than anywhere else… [read more]
Celebrity Edge: What’s it really like on board the $1 billion cruise ship with its own ‘Magic Carpet’?
“Ooh, I love the Edenists,” says the young man watching a nymph-like goddess sing Pink Floyd’s Great Gig in the Sky as an aerialist coils into a crescent moon suspended from the ceiling and a contortionist with a snake tattoo bends his leg behind his head. “They give you names!” We’re in ‘Eden’, a concept lounge and restaurant that feels like Neverland-meets-A Midsummer Night’s Dream, complete with a 20ft ‘living wall’ from which bartenders pluck garnishes for our drinks… [read more]
We really enjoy hearing from our readers and would love to hear your views on any of these stories! Please click on the comments below and share your thoughts. Thank you.
Have a story you’d like to share? Please contact us for details.
Paul Johnson is Editor of A Luxury Travel Blog and has worked in the travel industry for more than 30 years. He is Winner of the Innovations in Travel ‘Best Travel Influencer’ Award from WIRED magazine. In addition to other awards, the blog has also been voted “one of the world’s best travel blogs” and “best for luxury” by The Daily Telegraph.
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5 Comments
Personally I always find Fort Lauderdale a much cheaper place than Miami Beach offering far greater value for your buck. Admittedly I’m not a party animal in my twenties nor a celeb who has to be seen in all the right places but Fort Lauderdale has got a lot of advantages.
I doubt if my travel insurance would cover the space hotel. I can just see this sort of destination resulting in another page of questions on the form.
Do you, or any of your family, plan to engage in battle with Clingons?
Well, I’m in Muscat and it ain’t exactly cheap. Our Club Lounge Room is pushing £300 per night, still that’s a small price to pay for 11 hours interrupted sunshine every day. After a hectic family Christmas it is great to see someone else doing the cooking and clearing up.
Though it’s swings and roundabouts. Got upgraded from a £20 seat to a £90 one at the opera last night. Giving the hotel’s New Year party at £130 per head a miss.
New Year’s an expensive experience wherever you are. Happy to hear otherwise …
Oddly the only cruise that my wife and I ever did was from Miami to the Bahamas. It was just about OK. To be honest we got a bit bored whilst at sea. I just don’t think that would happen on “Celebrity Edge.” Maybe we need to save up and give cruising another chance. After all our last cruise was in another millennium.
I actually support the idea of charging people to visit tourist destinations like the Giant’s Causeway. If people are prepared to pay for travel and accommodation then I feel that it is reasonable to charge them for the attraction itself. Employing people to look after the place and the car park and local environment costs money.
I like the Indian system of letting locals visit an attraction for a nominal fee but charging visitors from afar considerably more. As a Londoner I feel it’s my right to visit the attractions on my doorstep for very little – not that it happens – but I don’t object paying to see the Eiffel Tower or the Empire State Building or the Taj Mahal. Living in London I’m already paying Council Tax for the local facilities so I would like some discount when visiting the Tower of London etc.
National Trust defends Giant’s Causeway charging policy
The head of the National Trust has defended its charging policy at the Giant’s Causeway visitor centre. There have been complaints that official signs have misled people into thinking they have to pay to visit the world-famous stones in County Antrim. The trust’s director general said that money raised was used for the upkeep of the site and other properties it looks after in Northern Ireland… [read more]
National Trust defends Giant’s Causeway charging policy
The head of the National Trust has defended its charging policy at the Giant’s Causeway visitor centre. There have been complaints that official signs have misled people into thinking they have to pay to visit the world-famous stones in County Antrim. The trust’s director general said that money raised was used for the upkeep of the site and other properties it looks after in Northern Ireland… [read more]
Miami Beach the world’s priciest New Year’s Eve destination
Miami Beach is the most expensive destination in the world for accommodation on New Year’s Eve this year, according to a new survey by CheapHotels.org. The survey compared hotel rates in 50 cities across the globe. For each destination, the price for the cheapest available double room for a 3-night stay from 30 December – 2 January was determined. Only centrally located hotels rated at least three stars and with generally positive guest reviews were considered for the survey… [read more]
First ever luxury space hotel to launch
Tourists will soon have a new travel destination as Orion Span plans to open a luxury hotel in orbit 200 miles above the Earth in 2021. The commercial space station will start accommodating guests in 2022. It will include “private suites for two, the most number of windows ever created for spaceflight, weightlessness, and the world’s only authentic astronaut experience”. A 12-day stay aboard ‘Aurora Station’ will start at £7.5m. Refundable deposits of £60k are already being accepted on the website of the company… [read more]
Where to go in 2019: an insiders’ guide
From the deserts of the Empty Quarter to the beaches of Belize, a panel of travel industry leaders pick the hottest destinations for the coming year. Forty years from the end of Khmer Rouge control and 30 years after the withdrawal of Vietnamese troops, Cambodia is emerging as an upmarket destination, tipped by more of our panel than anywhere else… [read more]
Celebrity Edge: What’s it really like on board the $1 billion cruise ship with its own ‘Magic Carpet’?
“Ooh, I love the Edenists,” says the young man watching a nymph-like goddess sing Pink Floyd’s Great Gig in the Sky as an aerialist coils into a crescent moon suspended from the ceiling and a contortionist with a snake tattoo bends his leg behind his head. “They give you names!” We’re in ‘Eden’, a concept lounge and restaurant that feels like Neverland-meets-A Midsummer Night’s Dream, complete with a 20ft ‘living wall’ from which bartenders pluck garnishes for our drinks… [read more]
We really enjoy hearing from our readers and would love to hear your views on any of these stories! Please click on the comments below and share your thoughts. Thank you.
Have a story you’d like to share? Please contact us for details.
Personally I always find Fort Lauderdale a much cheaper place than Miami Beach offering far greater value for your buck. Admittedly I’m not a party animal in my twenties nor a celeb who has to be seen in all the right places but Fort Lauderdale has got a lot of advantages.
I doubt if my travel insurance would cover the space hotel. I can just see this sort of destination resulting in another page of questions on the form.
Do you, or any of your family, plan to engage in battle with Clingons?
Are you planning to undertake any space walks?
Well, I’m in Muscat and it ain’t exactly cheap. Our Club Lounge Room is pushing £300 per night, still that’s a small price to pay for 11 hours interrupted sunshine every day. After a hectic family Christmas it is great to see someone else doing the cooking and clearing up.
Though it’s swings and roundabouts. Got upgraded from a £20 seat to a £90 one at the opera last night. Giving the hotel’s New Year party at £130 per head a miss.
New Year’s an expensive experience wherever you are. Happy to hear otherwise …
Oddly the only cruise that my wife and I ever did was from Miami to the Bahamas. It was just about OK. To be honest we got a bit bored whilst at sea. I just don’t think that would happen on “Celebrity Edge.” Maybe we need to save up and give cruising another chance. After all our last cruise was in another millennium.
I actually support the idea of charging people to visit tourist destinations like the Giant’s Causeway. If people are prepared to pay for travel and accommodation then I feel that it is reasonable to charge them for the attraction itself. Employing people to look after the place and the car park and local environment costs money.
I like the Indian system of letting locals visit an attraction for a nominal fee but charging visitors from afar considerably more. As a Londoner I feel it’s my right to visit the attractions on my doorstep for very little – not that it happens – but I don’t object paying to see the Eiffel Tower or the Empire State Building or the Taj Mahal. Living in London I’m already paying Council Tax for the local facilities so I would like some discount when visiting the Tower of London etc.