Newsbytes - September 2009

NEW OPENING! Announcing the addition of Hotel Das Cataratas to Orient-Express Hotels – On the border of Brazil and Argentina, next to the breathtaking Iguaçu Falls (275 waterfalls over 3 miles), the elegant two-story Portuguese colonial building is the only hotel within the national park  – allowing guests of the 193 rooms (+ 15 suites) exclusive access before the park officially opens at 9am. Brazilian cuisine is available at Restaurante Itaipu and the Ipê Bar & Grill serves churrascaria (South American barbecue) with live music for dinner poolside nightly. Opening in late October, the spa will feature products using Brazilian tropical fruits and Amazon ingredients by Natura. Adventurous types can explore via helicopter tours over the falls, boat rides through the rapids and four-wheel drive jungle adventures. Hotel Das Cataratas re-opens October 1 after thorough renovations. Rates begin at US$375* per room per night, including breakfast. www.hoteldascataratas.com 

NEW OPENING! InterContinental Huizhou Resort opens next month, October 2009 - located 90 minutes from Shenzhen and 120 minutes from Hong Kong, InterContinental Huizhou Resort offers 220 executive club guest rooms and villas with contemporary Asian design and breathtaking views of the landscape from private balconies or terraces. For an especially tranquil and private escape, the resort’s luxurious 20 villas offer a dedicated personal butler, private plunge pools and individual pavilions for outdoor relaxation. Five restaurants and bars include Cantonese delicacies (Zhuyuan), Mediterranean flavor (Olives & Herbs) and all-day-dining at Café Veranda. SPA InterContinental offers both Traditional Chinese Medicine and Western therapies by only using natural products. The resort also includes scenic 18-hole Golf Course. www.intercontinental.com

NEW OPENING! InterContinental Kiev opens this month, offering 272 deluxe rooms in the heart of the Ukraine’s capital city – overlooking St. Michael’s Square, and located between three of the most famous churches in ancient Eastern Christendom. Surrounded by the golden cupolas of the cathedrals, the doors open to some of the city’s best-know landmarks in the city. The hotel’s French restaurant, Comme il faut , is inspired by the legendary Café de la Paix at InterContinental Paris Le Grand, and later at night, b-hush, the ultra-modern rooftop Champagne, caviar and seafood bar offers panoramic views from the outdoor mahogany sky terrace overlooking St. Michael’s Square - a nightly destination for both well-heeled residents and hotel guests.  www.intercontinental.com

La Mamounia, Marrakech’s iconic hotel, re-opens its doors on September 29, 2009, and invites travelers around the world to experience the magic of La Mamounia with a series of Unique Experiences, giving guests their own personalized Moroccan journey. Including airport transfers, spa treatments upon arrival, breakfast and lunches, choose from the Very Morocco Experience, the Beauty Experience, the Flavors of the World Experience – and our favorite, the all-encompassing the Sensory Experience, with different signature scent and iPod along with nightly turndown service, guided tour of Marrakech with photographer, full day trek in the high Atlas & recovery dinner in suite, 90-min massage, 90-min hamman ritual, Hot Stone massage, private yoga lesson, “Flavors of Marrakech” guided tour, dinners at L’Italien Le Français and Le Marocain, and a Moroccan wine tasting with sommelier.www.mamounia.com

La Mamounia also welcomes Margaret Bell of Boca Raton, Florida as the resident performer at Le Bar Churchill for the next six months. Evoking the charm of bygone days (when Winston Churchill was a regular) with a distinctive speakeasy/hidden jazz club, Ms. Bell’s live musical performances will keep the festive spirits (no pun intended) high for guests in the evening. Ms. Bell has toured with Carly Simon, Bebe and Cece Winans, recorded with Whitney Houston and Luther Vandross and has performed on Broadway.

Orion Expedition Cruises has released their 2010 sailing schedule, adding shorter sailings (7-nights) to the cruise line’s popular expeditions – allowing travelers to “access the inaccessible” - including the Antarctic, the Kimberley region of Australia, Arnhem Land, Papua New Guinea and New Zealand. New itineraries visit six new destinations in Papua New Guinea, as well as new parts of the exotic Spice and Tanimbar Islands and for the first time, an expedition that includes Irian Jaya, famous for Asmat art woodcarvings. Standouts include: Australia’s Wild Southeast – Voyage of Discovery (7 nights): Orion’s East Coast expedition embarks from Sydney, sailing down the coast to Jervis Bay and the surrounding natural bushland, continuing south to visit Phillip Island’s famous penguins, ending in Melbourne for the first time ever; and Scott & Shackleton’s Antarctica – Ross Sea (20 nights): Leaving from Tasmania, the voyage covers polar regions famously charted during the first race to the South Pole by pioneering explorers Scott and Shackleton and The Ross Sea coast to the tip of Victoria Land and Cape Adare. www.orionexpeditions.com 

Another reason to toast at Hôtel de la Cité, in Carcassonne – the hotel celebrates 100 years of hospitality since opening in September 1909 with just eight rooms, instead of the 47 offered today. Guests included: Buster Keaton, Walt Disney, Princess Grace of Monaco and Johnny Depp. The Centennial Accommodation Package commemorates the  valid for stays from November 1, 2009 to January 16, 2010, offers guests a special rate for their first night at the hotel - €100 (approx. $143!) when staying two nights or more, and a menu at the Michelin-starred La Barbacane. Standard rates start at €285 per room per night (approx. $407*). To book, enter the promotional code “Century.” www.hoteldelacite.com

InterContinental Paris Le Grand Hôtel announces the third and final pastry in the Love Bites culinary fashion collection. Love3 (love cube), was designed by Marithé and François Girbaud and is prepared by Café de la Paix pastry chef Guillaume Caron. The sweet treat resembles a cubic heart, and has layers of soft white cheese mousse, almonds, chocolate, segments of half-dried grapefruit and raspberry sauce, topped by two sheets of Madagascar chocolate. Shopping after? Have no fear, fashionistas – Love 3 contains only light and low-sugar ingredients. Available exclusively at Café de la Paix from September 16, 2009 – January 12, 2010. www.intercontinental.com

The Perfect Golf Excursion at South Carolina’s Charleston Place joins a round of oceanfront golf for two at South Carolina’s challenging Tom Fazio Links Course at Wild Dunes with two nights at the incomparable Charleston Place Hotel. The package also includes a $50 Gift Card toward use in the Palmetto Cafe, Charleston Grill, Thoroughbred Club, or In-Room Dining. Rates from: $375.00 per room, per night exclusive of taxes, gratuities and transfer to golf course, valid from 9/13 to10/31/09. www.charlestonplace.com

Porto Cupecoy, the Mediterranean-inspired luxury 181-residence development on Saint Maarten announces the completion date of the highly-awaited luxury marina for November 2009. On the western end of Simpson Bay Lagoon, the marina will be the newest and one of the most upscale in the Caribbean. Homeowners and visitors can dock or moor sailboats and yachts (30 - 300 feet in length) in one of white-glove marina’s 54 slips, with 11 available for mega-yachts. Slip purchase includes yacht provisioning, onsite car and tender rental, water shuttles to the airport and through the lagoon. All clients have VIP-vessel concierge services, with electrical, fuel and standard maintenance assistance, and access to the village’s European restaurants and cafes, galleries, designer boutiques, village pool, fitness centre, tennis courts and a grocery store, pharmacy, and banking services. Richly-appointed one- to four-bedroom residences are listed from USD $450,000 to USD $2.5 million, slips from USD $100,000 - $160,000, mega-yacht slip pricing on request. www.portocupecoy.com

Virtuoso® announces the winners of the third-annual Best of the Best Awards – selected by Virtuoso member travel advisors from over 800 world-class properties, these hotels, professionals and chains set new standards in luxury travel: SLS Hotel at Beverly Hills for Best Acheivement in Design; Rossellinis at Palazzo Sasso, Ravello, Italy for Best Culinary Experience – breathtaking water views plus ingredients grown in the kitchen garden; Six Senses Hideaway Zighy Bay, Musandam Peninsula, Oman for Most Innovative Guest Experience – guests can arrive to one of the “rustic chic” pool villas by paraglide;  Park Hyatt Shanghai, Shanghai, China for Hotel of the Year – on the 79^th to 93^rd floors of the Shanghai World Financial Center (one of the world’s tallest buildings) towering ceilings, minimalist decor, and 750 staff for 174 guest rooms set the property apart, along with the world’s highest restaurant, 100 Century Avenue; Fairmont Hotels & Resorts for Most Socially Responsible – outlining their leading implementation in several ‘green’ initiatives; and finally, Singh Kang, Taj Mahal Palace & Tower for Hotelier of the Year -  While under siege in the November 2008 Mumbai terrorist attacks, Mr Kang led his staff courageously to help guests flee danger – despite having lost his wife and two sons in the attack. Best of the Best award winners were revealed at the Hotels & Resorts dinner at Virtuoso’s annual TravelMart conference on August 19 and will be featured in the September/October 2009 issue of VIRTUOSO LIFE magazine (www.virtuosolife.com)

THE BARBADOS BEAT:

The 26^th Annual Powerade Run Barbados Festival takes place from December 4-6, 2009 – hundreds of competitors travel to Barbados to compete in the marathon, half-marathon, 10K and a 5k Fun Run and Walk, followed by a Finishline Party at the Esplanade, with water sports and the best local food, art, and entertainment. Complete schedule at: www.runbarbados.org

It’s not too late to book a Barbados getaway for the holiday season - fantastic package deals are available at: Cobblers’ Cove through 12/19 (www.cobblerscove.com) and The Crane Resort & Residences through 12/20 (www.thecrane.com). For a last-minute Fall escape, the Sea-U Guest House offers rates starting at $109 per night through 10/31 (www.seauguesthouse.com). Daily non-stop flights depart from a number of US cities on American, and JetBlue and US Airways starting 10/1 – book now!