FEATURE LUXURY HOLIDAYS
luxury holidays lately, what with a marriage proposal during an opulent tented safari in Kenya and a luxurious honeymoon in the Seychelles (which boosted enquiries about the Indian Ocean island by 250% according to one online travel agent). But you don’t need to be a prince or princess with pots of money to afford a five-star holiday because up-selling clients from four-star stays to a higher bracket has never been easier. A combination of the fragile economy and political turmoil in some countries means that tour operators and hoteliers are offering some great deals to lure luxury seekers. For example, the Caribbean islands continue to expand and improve their luxury offerings. Sandals Emerald Bay in the Bahamas has undergone a million-dollar renovation to add 249 rooms, including 18 luxury suites with butler service, and a new gourmet French restaurant, La Parisienne. Sandals Grande St. Lucian Spa & Beach Resort will complete St Lucia’s first over-the-water suites by late 2012. This summer AMResorts opens Secrets Huatulco Resort & Spa while in November it will welcome the Sunscape Dorado Pacifico Ixtapa. Two developments underway in Puerto Vallarta, Secrets Vallarta Bay Puerto Vallarta and Now Amber Puerto Vallarta, will open in 2012. Further south, Ecuador is South
T
he Duke and Duchess of Cambridge (aka Kate and Wills) have been doing their bit for
the chance to take Star Clippers’ one- off cruise to Central America, hosted by David Bellamy, departing in December. Or suggest a cruise down the Mekong Delta from Vietnam to Cambodia on new luxury cruise boat, The Jahan, which launches in late 2011 (book with Travel Indochina: 0800 0224 302). Luxury safaris are also faring well,
"Consider different types of luxury holidays, such as long-haul luxury city breaks as well as traditional beach stays"
America’s latest hotspot. It is spending £10m on a UK advertising campaign and there are some great new luxury hotels opening up. Mashpi Lodge, in rainforest near Ecuador’s capital Quito, opens in July and is perfect for bird- loving clients. City lovers will enjoy Casona de San Miguel, a sumptuous mansion in downtown Quito, opening in July as a 31-room boutique-hotel, or Casa Gangotena, a 16th century mansion house which opens in September. Elsewhere in South
America, Western & Oriental has a new wine route through some of Argentina’s best small vineyards from Salta to Cafayate. Clients who love to ski should look at Puma Lodge, a Chilean luxury eco-lodge with wine cave, spa and yoga room, opening in July. It is surrounded by superb powder covered mountains for great heli-skiing. Peruvian luxe hotelier Inkaterra will open La Hacienda Concepción later in 2011 for memorable jungle stays. In cruising, nature-lovers will jump at
according to some sources. In Malawi, Mkulumadzi is a new luxury safari lodge due to open in mid-July while award-winning Kaya Mawa, on Lake Malawi, is a post-safari haven. White Pearl Resorts is a new beachfront property in southern Mozambique with 22 ocean-facing suites with private plunge pools. Nomad Tanzania opened Lamai Serengeti, overlooking the Maasai Mara, at the end of June, featuring 12 tents in two exclusive camps. In the Indian Ocean, Beachcomber
hotel Trou aux Biches in Mauritius has finished work on its public areas and the new suites will be ready by the end of September. In the Far East, Cambodia’s Song Saa Private Island resort opens late in 2011 – and offers an unspoilt paradise in the Gulf of Thailand. As for Kate and Wills, at the time of writing it was rumoured they would be staying at the Beverley Hills Hotels’ new bungalows on their trip to California and Canada in July.
Shangri-La's Tanjung Aru Resort and Spa, in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia, has a private beach with views of coral islands
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