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’.
Luxury hotel in Kenya reopens after extremist assault in January
After experiencing a deadly attack from Somalia’s al-Shabaab militants in January, the five-star dusitD2 hotel in Nairobi has re-opened its doors. The attack in January was carried out by the al-Shabab group, demonstrating their protest against US airstrikes increasing in Somalia under President Donald Trump’s regime. During the attack, several gunmen stormed the dusitD2 complex, wreaking havoc until Kenyan police ended the siege the following day. More than 700 people were evacuated during the incident. 21 people were killed… [read more]
Franky Zapata: French hoverboard inventor successfully crosses the Channel for the first time
A French inventor has successfully crossed the Channel on his jet-powered hoverboard for the first time. Franky Zapata took off from Sangatte in northern France at 7.15am and landed at St Margaret’s Bay in Dover around 25 minutes later. It was the second attempt at the 21-mile crossing for the inventor, who failed his first effort back in July after encountering problems at a refuelling station. But after making some necessary changes to his refuelling arrangements, the 40-year-old former jet ski champion was able to make his second attempt a success… [read more]
Dubai’s Jetex to be ready for electric private jet flights next year
Electric private planes could be flying over the skies of the UAE as soon as next year as part of a partnership between Dubai-headquartered Jetex Flight Support and US start-up Wright Electric, according to Jetex CEO Adel Mardini. The partnership, first announced last year, will see Jetex install electric charging infrastructure for electric jets in its global network of FBOs [fixed-based operators] and invest in the production of the first electric private business jets… [read more]
It’s all in the (fine) details for upscale hotels seeking to elevate guest experiences
When Randi Friedman walked into her room at Las Alcobas, a boutique hotel in St. Helena, Calif., she felt like every detail had been planned just for her. The layout offered unobstructed views of the vineyard outside. The balcony had a gas fire pit and two rocking chairs; the fire could be turned on with the press of a button. Waiting at the minibar was a French press with a tiny jar of coffee next to it. The grounds were already measured; all she had to do was pour them into the press in the morning… [read more]
A photo of a $400 million yacht rumored to be owned by Jeff Bezos went viral, but Amazon says it’s not his
A representative of Amazon told INSIDER Saturday night that, despite reports that a mega-yacht spotted off the coast of Turkey in early July cost $400 million and was owned by Jeff Bezos, the Amazon CEO does not own the yacht, and the company doesn’t know who it belongs to. Photos of the mega-yacht in question began circulating on Twitter Saturday, with rumors and media reporting that the vessel belonged Bezos, although it was unclear whether he was onboard at the time it was spotted in Turkey… [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
Congratulations to the brave and record-breaking Mr Zapata. He has shown us all the way to beat queues for the ports and threatened pilot strikes. Twenty five minutes for a Channel crossing is impressive too.
Najib Balala’s words, “We cannot be intimidated by terrorists,” must be the mantra for any society that suffers a terrorist activity. However, we must hope that Kenya’s Tourism and Wildlife Minister also has worked to put in place improved security.
Also all credit to Dusit Hotels for maintaining a brave presence in Nairobi. It must have been very tempting for them to make an investment in a safer environment.
I’m torn on hotel security. I have stayed in hotels, with armed guards, where you have to pass through airport style security every time you go in. Paradoxically, I find this quite disturbing.
I know that it is illogical but I actually feeler safer when there is no security. I suppose when you don’t have security you probably fool yourself into thinking that there’s no threat.
The Hotel in California sounds uber luxurious but I’m concerned about the “tiny” jar of coffee. Why can’t hotels provide copious quantities of tea and coffee? Plus fresh milk please.
Why do hotels ration tea and coffee? Is it unreasonable to ask for more than 2 cups of tea or coffee per day?
I just don’t get it. They spend millions of dollars on refurbishments but can’t give you more than a handful of tea bags or coffee sachets.
It says much about the murky world that we live in when we can not even track down who owns a whopping great $400m yacht. It’s so easy to cover your tracks with holding and shell companies. Though I would have thought that the paparazzi ought to have been able, with their long lenses, to get a shot of who owns it.
There’s only one certainty in all of this – it ain’t mine!
It is astonishing that the electric planes flying out of Dubai will be yet another high tech innovation beginning from the UAE. Incredible when you think that 50 years ago there wasn’t much more than sand and camels around the Creek.
When you read the piece about Frank Zapata and his board don’t get too excited about easy Channel Crossings. Just remember that he is a ski champion and probably much fitter than most of us. Also don’t forget that he failed on his first attempt. There are going to be drier crossings.
It’s awful to read about the militant attack on the dusitD2, but it’s brilliant they’ve reopened and shown they won’t be defeated. I wish them much success, and peaceful times for the future.The Las Alcobas hotel is the type of place I’d love because I find the small details make any stay so much more comfortable and enjoyable. It really shows care on the part of the hotel, too, like they genuinely want each and every guest to have the best stay possible. As for a $400 million mega yacht? More money than sense springs to mind!
Luxury hotel in Kenya reopens after extremist assault in January
After experiencing a deadly attack from Somalia’s al-Shabaab militants in January, the five-star dusitD2 hotel in Nairobi has re-opened its doors. The attack in January was carried out by the al-Shabab group, demonstrating their protest against US airstrikes increasing in Somalia under President Donald Trump’s regime. During the attack, several gunmen stormed the dusitD2 complex, wreaking havoc until Kenyan police ended the siege the following day. More than 700 people were evacuated during the incident. 21 people were killed… [read more]
Luxury hotel in Kenya reopens after extremist assault in January
After experiencing a deadly attack from Somalia’s al-Shabaab militants in January, the five-star dusitD2 hotel in Nairobi has re-opened its doors. The attack in January was carried out by the al-Shabab group, demonstrating their protest against US airstrikes increasing in Somalia under President Donald Trump’s regime. During the attack, several gunmen stormed the dusitD2 complex, wreaking havoc until Kenyan police ended the siege the following day. More than 700 people were evacuated during the incident. 21 people were killed… [read more]
Franky Zapata: French hoverboard inventor successfully crosses the Channel for the first time
A French inventor has successfully crossed the Channel on his jet-powered hoverboard for the first time. Franky Zapata took off from Sangatte in northern France at 7.15am and landed at St Margaret’s Bay in Dover around 25 minutes later. It was the second attempt at the 21-mile crossing for the inventor, who failed his first effort back in July after encountering problems at a refuelling station. But after making some necessary changes to his refuelling arrangements, the 40-year-old former jet ski champion was able to make his second attempt a success… [read more]
Dubai’s Jetex to be ready for electric private jet flights next year
Electric private planes could be flying over the skies of the UAE as soon as next year as part of a partnership between Dubai-headquartered Jetex Flight Support and US start-up Wright Electric, according to Jetex CEO Adel Mardini. The partnership, first announced last year, will see Jetex install electric charging infrastructure for electric jets in its global network of FBOs [fixed-based operators] and invest in the production of the first electric private business jets… [read more]
It’s all in the (fine) details for upscale hotels seeking to elevate guest experiences
When Randi Friedman walked into her room at Las Alcobas, a boutique hotel in St. Helena, Calif., she felt like every detail had been planned just for her. The layout offered unobstructed views of the vineyard outside. The balcony had a gas fire pit and two rocking chairs; the fire could be turned on with the press of a button. Waiting at the minibar was a French press with a tiny jar of coffee next to it. The grounds were already measured; all she had to do was pour them into the press in the morning… [read more]
A photo of a $400 million yacht rumored to be owned by Jeff Bezos went viral, but Amazon says it’s not his
A representative of Amazon told INSIDER Saturday night that, despite reports that a mega-yacht spotted off the coast of Turkey in early July cost $400 million and was owned by Jeff Bezos, the Amazon CEO does not own the yacht, and the company doesn’t know who it belongs to. Photos of the mega-yacht in question began circulating on Twitter Saturday, with rumors and media reporting that the vessel belonged Bezos, although it was unclear whether he was onboard at the time it was spotted in Turkey… [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.
Congratulations to the brave and record-breaking Mr Zapata. He has shown us all the way to beat queues for the ports and threatened pilot strikes. Twenty five minutes for a Channel crossing is impressive too.
Najib Balala’s words, “We cannot be intimidated by terrorists,” must be the mantra for any society that suffers a terrorist activity. However, we must hope that Kenya’s Tourism and Wildlife Minister also has worked to put in place improved security.
Also all credit to Dusit Hotels for maintaining a brave presence in Nairobi. It must have been very tempting for them to make an investment in a safer environment.
I’m torn on hotel security. I have stayed in hotels, with armed guards, where you have to pass through airport style security every time you go in. Paradoxically, I find this quite disturbing.
I know that it is illogical but I actually feeler safer when there is no security. I suppose when you don’t have security you probably fool yourself into thinking that there’s no threat.
The Hotel in California sounds uber luxurious but I’m concerned about the “tiny” jar of coffee. Why can’t hotels provide copious quantities of tea and coffee? Plus fresh milk please.
Hear! Hear!
Why do hotels ration tea and coffee? Is it unreasonable to ask for more than 2 cups of tea or coffee per day?
I just don’t get it. They spend millions of dollars on refurbishments but can’t give you more than a handful of tea bags or coffee sachets.
It says much about the murky world that we live in when we can not even track down who owns a whopping great $400m yacht. It’s so easy to cover your tracks with holding and shell companies. Though I would have thought that the paparazzi ought to have been able, with their long lenses, to get a shot of who owns it.
There’s only one certainty in all of this – it ain’t mine!
It is astonishing that the electric planes flying out of Dubai will be yet another high tech innovation beginning from the UAE. Incredible when you think that 50 years ago there wasn’t much more than sand and camels around the Creek.
When you read the piece about Frank Zapata and his board don’t get too excited about easy Channel Crossings. Just remember that he is a ski champion and probably much fitter than most of us. Also don’t forget that he failed on his first attempt. There are going to be drier crossings.
It’s awful to read about the militant attack on the dusitD2, but it’s brilliant they’ve reopened and shown they won’t be defeated. I wish them much success, and peaceful times for the future.The Las Alcobas hotel is the type of place I’d love because I find the small details make any stay so much more comfortable and enjoyable. It really shows care on the part of the hotel, too, like they genuinely want each and every guest to have the best stay possible. As for a $400 million mega yacht? More money than sense springs to mind!