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’.
A new cruise with $175,000 ocean-view suites will begin voyages to all seven continents in 2021 — here’s an inside look at the luxury ship
One of the world’s newest cruise ships will stop at all seven continents. According to Robb Report and Travel + Leisure, SeaDream Yacht Club has announced its newest luxury cruise ship: the Innovation. The ship is the first new vessel the yacht club has unveiled since its origins in 2001 — and it’s equipped for both tropical and polar expeditions… [read more]
Thailand: Tropical bay from ‘The Beach’ to close until 2021
A Thai bay that was made famous by its appearance in the film The Beach is to remain closed until 2021. Maya Bay, on the island of Phi Phi Leh, was temporarily closed last year after officials said a sharp rise in visitors had severely damaged the environment. Before it closed, up to 5,000 people were visiting the bay every day and most of its coral died as a result. Authorities have now extended the ban on visitors by two years to give more time for Maya Bay’s ecology to recover… [read more]
Terror in Gwadar as gunmen storm luxury hotel
Three security guards were killed and four people were injured when gunmen stormed the Pearl Continental Hotel here on Saturday. Official sources said that the attackers wearing uniform of security forces and armed with modern weapons barged into the hotel and opened fire after taking the hotel staff hostage. Security guards deployed at the hotel offered resistance but three of them were shot dead by the attackers… [read more]
Liverpool fans booking private jets to Madrid for Champions League Final
Following last night’s dramatic win by Liverpool FC against Barcelona, private jet companies are seeing a surge of demand for travel from Liverpool to Madrid for the Champions League Final. PrivateFly , which also sent Liverpool fans to Kiev for last year’s Champions League Final, is seeing LFC supporters snap up Barcelona fans’ private jet cancellations. While availability is already low, PrivateFly has told the ECHO that fans are benefiting from cancellations by ‘overconfident’ Barcelona fans… [read more]
Billionaire superyacht showdown: who’s who at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival
There was some concern last month that this would be the sleepiest Cannes Film Festival in years, but in true dramatic fashion the festival added not only Elton John with his premiere of “Rocketman” but also Quentin Tarantino with the premiere of “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” which all but guarantees a star-studded Cote d’Azur and a hopping superyacht party schedule… [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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9 Comments
Is the tide turning? How significant is the fact that Maya Bay will remain shut? I doubt that many authorities would have been able to shut down a tourist destination a decade ago. The profit motive would have been too strong. Perhaps we are just beginning to realise that we have to look after the environment.
Following up on the private jet story on getting to the Champions League Final in Madrid you’ve got to agree that it is ridiculous that maybe 70,000 fans are going to fly and drive from the U.K.
I know that many people will say that these things are arranged in advance but the environmental costs of all that travel will be huge. Surely we could have avoided all those miles?
Lorraine, I get your point. Back at the start of the season Madrid was a sensible choice for a European Final. No one would have complained too much about a Bayern Munich v Barcelona Final being played in Madrid. No one would have thought that there would be two English teams playing.
I think even more alarming and ludicrous is all the players and fans going to Baku in Azerbaijan for the Europa Cup final.
Two clubs (Arsenal and Chelsea), that are less than 10 miles apart, will make a return journey of almost 6,000 miles. Where is the sense in that?!
Surely UEFA can say something like the final will in place X but is subject to change if it is later deemed sensible to review the venue based on who makes it to the final.
They could be saving a huge amount of expense by choosing a different venue, not to mention have a far smaller carbon footprint. I’m sure Extinction Rebellion would have a thing or two to say about it all!
On the one hand I can see the need to keep countries happy and share the finals around. Though, on the other hand, if we really are going to take our environmental responsibilities sensibly we are going to have to make dramatic changes.
Why not have a longer spell between semi finals and final to arrange a mutually convenient location? It would also give supporters the chance to get their travel plans together.
Yes… but Azerbaijan?! 95% of the country’s population reside in Asia so it seems a particularly strange choice for the Europa Cup final, regardless of where the eventual finalists were to be from. :-)
Are there any other people out there like me who have any ambition to visit all 7 continents? Surely it’s got to be on the bucket list for many people?
Apart from paying for it another problem must be knowing what to pack. You are going to need a huge variety of clothing for some very diverse climates.
Life seems to have come full circle for Elton John or Reg as he may not wish to be known. Wasn’t the glamorous video for “I’m still standing” filmed on the Cote d’Azur? I just hope that the biopic “Rocketman” does his immense talent full justice. Can’t wait to see it, difficult to explain how excited I am.
Sounds like there are lots of eager Liverpool fans out there if they’re already booking private jets!
The news about Gwadar is awful. I find it odd and actually really sad that it hasn’t made the headlines in UK press, unlike many other terrorist attacks, especially those in tourist destinations. Such a beautiful place, touched by such evil acts and senseless loss.
I’d heard about Maya Bay being severely damaged by tourism but I hadn’t realised it was going to remain closed until 2021. Another example of a beautiful place on earth touched by humanity in a destructive, albeit totally different, way. Hopefully it can be nurtured and regenerated so the ecology can thrive once again.
I’d certainly like to put my name day for a trip on the Innovation. Visiting all seven continents…That’s incredible, it would be absolutely amazing to go on that adventure!
A new cruise with $175,000 ocean-view suites will begin voyages to all seven continents in 2021 — here’s an inside look at the luxury ship
One of the world’s newest cruise ships will stop at all seven continents. According to Robb Report and Travel + Leisure, SeaDream Yacht Club has announced its newest luxury cruise ship: the Innovation. The ship is the first new vessel the yacht club has unveiled since its origins in 2001 — and it’s equipped for both tropical and polar expeditions… [read more]
A new cruise with $175,000 ocean-view suites will begin voyages to all seven continents in 2021 — here’s an inside look at the luxury ship
One of the world’s newest cruise ships will stop at all seven continents. According to Robb Report and Travel + Leisure, SeaDream Yacht Club has announced its newest luxury cruise ship: the Innovation. The ship is the first new vessel the yacht club has unveiled since its origins in 2001 — and it’s equipped for both tropical and polar expeditions… [read more]
Thailand: Tropical bay from ‘The Beach’ to close until 2021
A Thai bay that was made famous by its appearance in the film The Beach is to remain closed until 2021. Maya Bay, on the island of Phi Phi Leh, was temporarily closed last year after officials said a sharp rise in visitors had severely damaged the environment. Before it closed, up to 5,000 people were visiting the bay every day and most of its coral died as a result. Authorities have now extended the ban on visitors by two years to give more time for Maya Bay’s ecology to recover… [read more]
Terror in Gwadar as gunmen storm luxury hotel
Three security guards were killed and four people were injured when gunmen stormed the Pearl Continental Hotel here on Saturday. Official sources said that the attackers wearing uniform of security forces and armed with modern weapons barged into the hotel and opened fire after taking the hotel staff hostage. Security guards deployed at the hotel offered resistance but three of them were shot dead by the attackers… [read more]
Liverpool fans booking private jets to Madrid for Champions League Final
Following last night’s dramatic win by Liverpool FC against Barcelona, private jet companies are seeing a surge of demand for travel from Liverpool to Madrid for the Champions League Final. PrivateFly , which also sent Liverpool fans to Kiev for last year’s Champions League Final, is seeing LFC supporters snap up Barcelona fans’ private jet cancellations. While availability is already low, PrivateFly has told the ECHO that fans are benefiting from cancellations by ‘overconfident’ Barcelona fans… [read more]
Billionaire superyacht showdown: who’s who at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival
There was some concern last month that this would be the sleepiest Cannes Film Festival in years, but in true dramatic fashion the festival added not only Elton John with his premiere of “Rocketman” but also Quentin Tarantino with the premiere of “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” which all but guarantees a star-studded Cote d’Azur and a hopping superyacht party schedule… [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.
Is the tide turning? How significant is the fact that Maya Bay will remain shut? I doubt that many authorities would have been able to shut down a tourist destination a decade ago. The profit motive would have been too strong. Perhaps we are just beginning to realise that we have to look after the environment.
Following up on the private jet story on getting to the Champions League Final in Madrid you’ve got to agree that it is ridiculous that maybe 70,000 fans are going to fly and drive from the U.K.
I know that many people will say that these things are arranged in advance but the environmental costs of all that travel will be huge. Surely we could have avoided all those miles?
Lorraine, I get your point. Back at the start of the season Madrid was a sensible choice for a European Final. No one would have complained too much about a Bayern Munich v Barcelona Final being played in Madrid. No one would have thought that there would be two English teams playing.
I think even more alarming and ludicrous is all the players and fans going to Baku in Azerbaijan for the Europa Cup final.
Two clubs (Arsenal and Chelsea), that are less than 10 miles apart, will make a return journey of almost 6,000 miles. Where is the sense in that?!
Surely UEFA can say something like the final will in place X but is subject to change if it is later deemed sensible to review the venue based on who makes it to the final.
They could be saving a huge amount of expense by choosing a different venue, not to mention have a far smaller carbon footprint. I’m sure Extinction Rebellion would have a thing or two to say about it all!
On the one hand I can see the need to keep countries happy and share the finals around. Though, on the other hand, if we really are going to take our environmental responsibilities sensibly we are going to have to make dramatic changes.
Why not have a longer spell between semi finals and final to arrange a mutually convenient location? It would also give supporters the chance to get their travel plans together.
Yes… but Azerbaijan?! 95% of the country’s population reside in Asia so it seems a particularly strange choice for the Europa Cup final, regardless of where the eventual finalists were to be from. :-)
Are there any other people out there like me who have any ambition to visit all 7 continents? Surely it’s got to be on the bucket list for many people?
Apart from paying for it another problem must be knowing what to pack. You are going to need a huge variety of clothing for some very diverse climates.
Life seems to have come full circle for Elton John or Reg as he may not wish to be known. Wasn’t the glamorous video for “I’m still standing” filmed on the Cote d’Azur? I just hope that the biopic “Rocketman” does his immense talent full justice. Can’t wait to see it, difficult to explain how excited I am.
Sounds like there are lots of eager Liverpool fans out there if they’re already booking private jets!
The news about Gwadar is awful. I find it odd and actually really sad that it hasn’t made the headlines in UK press, unlike many other terrorist attacks, especially those in tourist destinations. Such a beautiful place, touched by such evil acts and senseless loss.
I’d heard about Maya Bay being severely damaged by tourism but I hadn’t realised it was going to remain closed until 2021. Another example of a beautiful place on earth touched by humanity in a destructive, albeit totally different, way. Hopefully it can be nurtured and regenerated so the ecology can thrive once again.
I’d certainly like to put my name day for a trip on the Innovation. Visiting all seven continents…That’s incredible, it would be absolutely amazing to go on that adventure!