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indian ocean
What’s new
Operators: Kuoni (
kuoni.co.uk) has a new Sri Lanka tour, Defi nitive Sri Lanka; Cinnamon Air (
cinnamonair.com) seaplane transfers to destinations such as Jaffna; and fi ve new hotels in Passikudah on the east coast, which Commercial and Product Manager Sheena Paton suggests are perfect for honeymoons. Also new for Kuoni is Reunion Island, and Solana and Le Cardinal hotels in Mauritius. New properties for Travel2 (
travel2.com) include
Centara Grand Azuri Resort & Spa (centarahotelsresorts. com), So Sofi tel (sofi
tel.com), in Mauritius, and Coral Strand (
coralstrand.com) and Hilton Labriz Resort &
Spa (
hiltonseychelleslabriz.com) in the Seychelles. Accommodation: In Mauritius, Starwood (
starwoodhotels.com) was due to open Westin Turtle Bay in August; Shangri-La (
shangri-la.com) take over the management of Le Touessrok; and Sands Resort & Spa (
sands.mu) reopen after a refurb (“One to watch this autumn,” says Caribtours’(
caribtours.co.uk) Product Manager Nicola Sweeney). Meanwhile, Royal Park (
royalpark.mu) opens in
September on a 500-hectare nature reserve and Royal Palm (
beachcomber-hotels.com) reopens in November after a full makeover. Staying in Mauritius, Centara (centarahotelsresorts.
com/ccs) opened the second phase of its fi ve-star Centara Grand Azuri Residence & Suites in July, while RIU (
riu.com) is refurbing its recently acquired three-hotel resort in Le Morne, set to reopen in February as the Riu Creole, Riu Coral and adults- only Riu Le Morne — all four-star properties. In the Seychelles the fi ve-star Savoy Resort &
Spa (
savoy.sc) opened on Mahé’s Beau Vallon Beach in May and Avani Seychelles Barbarons Resort & Spa (
avanihotels.com), formerly Le Meridien Barbarons Beach, will reopen later in the year. In the Maldives, Elegant’s Taylor points to the new pools at some of Six Senses Laamu’s (
sixsenses.com/ Laamu) accommodation, backed by a new central pool, while, One & Only Reethi Rah (reethirah.
oneandonlyresorts.com) again has its Ultimate Getaway package this year offering great value for money at
“Opt to stay on the north-west coast of Mauritius when the trade winds hit the island – it receives 50% less rainfall on average. Hotels to recommend would be the Maritim, Oberoi and Trou Aux Biches”
MATTHEW RUSHBROOKE, GENERAL MANAGER, WESTERN & ORIENTAL
one of the best hotels in the world. The Residence Maldives (
theresidence.com/Maldives) has launched a new couples Castaway Island experience on Koduhutta Island. Atmosphere Kanifushi (
atmosphere-kanifushi.com) has opened its Akiri Spa by Mandara and JUST VEG and Teppanyaki Grill restuarants. Niyama is developing a second island, linked to the main island by a footbridge. It is expected to open next February and will include a kids’ club, and a treehouse-style restaurant.
Tourism talk “Arrivals from the UK are down by four per cent compared to last year. The decline is due to various factors such as new
Main picture (previous page): the bar at Jumeirah Vittaveli. This page (from top): the pool at Centara Ceysands Resort and Spa; spa treatments at Savoy Resort & Spa Seychelles. Following page: Atmosphere Kanifushi Maldives.
destinations in the market, extreme special hotel offers from our competitors in the region, budgetary constraints, and a lack of knowledge amongst travel agents to sell the island-hopping experience, which is the essence of the Seychelles. There are also currently no direct fl ights from the UK. However, we have marketing activities in place with our partners, fam trips are in the pipeline and our online agent
sellingtravel.co.uk
DENIS DELIVERS ISLAND MAGIC BY KARL CUSHING “Few places deliver the kind of barefoot luxury Denis Island does so effortlessly. From the moment I landed on the tiny airstrip I was well on my way to recalibrating to island time. With the cheery staff, low guest numbers (there are just 25 cottages) and many repeats it’s like being welcomed into a family. And forget noisy TVs and club nights: the ‘entertainment’ on my first night was a presentation about the owners’ conservation efforts. Pootling along the paths eyeing the birdlife and flora, or visiting the colony of giant tortoises, was a never-ending joy while my villa, secluded amid lush vegetation, was a cosy high-end hideaway that oozed charm. The fact it was fronted by one of the most gorgeous white-sand beaches I’ve ever seen, reefs beckoning beyond amid balmy crystal-clear waters, didn’t go unnoticed either. Add in some spa treatments, kayaking, and truly memorable meals and come leaving time I was totally under the island’s spell. Magic! (
denisisland.com)
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