Fairmont MYK – Impeccable Service, Great staff  – Love this Property!

On the Riviera Maya, the Fairmont Mayakoba hotel offers an ideal tropical escape. Just steps from the ocean, our luxurious Riviera Maya resort features gracious service and all the excitement of the region. Plan your stay at the official website of the Fairmont Mayakoba.

The Riviera Maya is located in Mexico on the Yucatan Peninsula in the State of Quintana Roo and nests alongside the Caribbean Sea. Situated in the heart of the Riviera Maya, Fairmont Mayakoba is approximately 42 miles or 70 km south of Cancun, within the Mayakoba resort development; a secure, 240-acre gated community surrounded by canals, shoreline and mangrove forests, which is only accesible via one main entrance point.

The mysticism and magic of an ancient culture is still present. Serene sunlight flickers and dances on emerald lagoon waters, and the rolling surf of the Caribbean washes the shore creating a natural symphony of sound and smell.

Fairmont Mayakoba Riviera Maya’s Mexican home is a unique mixture of interwoven cultures. While the host of free spirits and roamers that have long been attracted to this glorious peninsula have lent to the relaxed local culture a European style and flair for gracious living, travelers can bask in perfect solitude on uninhabited beaches, explore eco-parks or enjoy nearby Playa del Carmen’s exuberant nightlife.

Many come to experience Cozumel -one of the world’s premier diving and snorkeling destinations first made famous by famed French marine pioneer Jacques Cousteau- where the warm currents and coral reefs support a breathtaking pantheon of marine life. Others come to explore Chichén Itzá, one of the world’s new seven wonders, and experience the fascinating world of the Mayans, whose mythology, science and culture can still be felt today. Most want a taste of it all: the delicate jungle, the alabaster white sand beaches, the crystal clear turquoise water, the fine cuisine and the spectacular nightlife!

Signature Casita

The design and décor of these suites reflect the depth and richness of the surrounding area’s culture. A Signature Casita Suite is distinguished by its high ceilings and wrap-around balcony for a panorama across lagoons and canals. Appointed with a spacious and elegant master bedroom, a separate living room with sofa bed, these suites provide ample living space.

A luxurious four-piece marble bathroom includes a soaker tub and private glassed shower stall. A second bathroom is incorporated next to the living room, and thoughtfully includes a shower stall. Each suite is equipped with individually-controlled  air conditioning, a 32” LCD television, Bose wave radio and CD player, as well as three dual- line telephones with voicemail, for instant communication.

Bed: One King or two Queen beds
Size: King – 915 sq. ft. / Queen – 1,033 sq. ft.
View: Lagoon and meandering water canals

Restaurants

Between sunrise over the Caribbean and a night sky filled with the same brilliant stars that inspired the Mayans, you have plenty of time to savor the fare at one of four exceptional restaurants at the Fairmont Mayakoba, Riviera Maya, Mexico. Wake up to an energizing breakfast and unwind with a poolside lunch; regroup with cocktails at sunset and wind up with some very sweet endings.

In such an idyllic place, personal gatherings and events take on an unforgettable magic. Whether in the lavish Ballroom – opening to a water and sun filled courtyard – or at unique well-appointed breakout rooms, Fairmont Mayakoba, Cancun promises an occasion to surpass all dining expectations.

Sustainable menus

Fairmont Mayakoba has made a commitment to the environment and to sourcing local, organic and sustainable items wherever possible. As such, we are committed to offering sustainable seafood choices on our menus at our Riviera Maya restaurants.

Fairmont Hotels & Resorts have continually aligned with reputable seafood watch organizations, and use them as a guide when choosing the fish to be offered on hotel menus. At The Fairmont Mayakoba, we work with Ocean Leader S.A., which purchases Caribbean lobster (Panulirus argus) from the Punta Allen co-operative, within the Sian Ka’an Biosphere Reserve. This co-operative applies special techniques to capture the lobster in a sustainable manner, thus being able to maintain and even increase the lobster population in the area. Thanks to this innovative method where young and female lobsters are spared, this kind of fishing is scientifically qualified as sustainable. Through the purchase of sustainable lobster,  Fairmont Mayakoba supports the economic development of the local communities within the Sian Ka’an Biosphere Reserve and offers its guests the best fish and seafood options in the region.

Additionally, Fairmont Mayakoba ensures that its seafood vendors comply with all legal requirements, by asking them for all pertinent permits and refraining from the purchase of products that are seasonally banned.

At Fairmont Mayakoba, we have identified the optimal choices for this region as the Mero (i.e. Grouper), the Huachinango (i.e. Red Snapper) and the Boquinete (i.e. Caribbean Reef Snapper), and proudly serve them on our menu.

Cooking classes

Fairmont Mayakoba Riviera Maya offers guests, both children and adults, who enjoy cooking and want to give their stay a different “taste,” the opportunity to prepare unique recipes with the guidance of the hotel’s Executive Chef David Andrews. Additionally, those who take cooking lessons will be able to take a tour through the hotel’s main kitchen, where they will become familiar with the highest food and beverage standards that characterize Fairmont Mayakoba’s AAA Four Diamond award-winning restaurants. They will learn everything from how to wash their hands, handle foods, cut, cook, to how to serve properly. Furthermore, guests will receive chef hats, apron and gloves to wear and make them feel like true culinary professionals!  So much FUN!

El Cameleon

Fairmont Hotels & Resorts manages the neighboring 18-hole El Camaleón designed by Greg Norman, site of the only official PGA TOUR event held outside US or Canada, the Mayakoba Golf Classic

El Camaleón was developed with all levels of players in mind, offering unique hazards and challenging greens along with a practice and learning facility and a minimum of five tee blocks on each and every hole. Rightly named for its diverse layout and ever-changing landscape, which bends through tropical jungles, dense mangroves and oceanfront stretches of sand, this masterpiece designed by golf legend Greg Norman serves as the perfect backdrop for an unforgettable golf vacation!

Willow Stream Spa at Fairmont Mayakoba

Located in the heart of a tropical jungle on the area’s natural lagoons, lies an amazing back drop for a mystical spa journey reminiscent of the textures, colors and scents of the ancient Mayan culture.

There are places to rest and reflect close to the elements the Mayans used hundreds of years ago to erect their monuments and temples. They used Conchera, a fossil stone, Sascab as their mortar, natural green marble from Guatemala and the magnificent wood of the Zapote tree. You’ll find the same elements incorporated throughout the spa.

The Riviera Maya forest provides private canopies for the treatment rooms, overlooking the treetops of the mangrove forest. The romantic spa suite is a breathtaking opportunity to spend time with your loved one with side-by-side treatments. The men’s and ladies’ locker areas feature beautiful Mexican gardens with outdoor Swiss showers and whirlpools. On the rooftop, ease your muscles with the healing waters of the signature vitality pool, or find energy in the sea-mineral soaking pool.

You’ll find unique treatments and experiences based on local tradition and flora, ranging from Willow Stream signature experiences to uniquely Mayan traditions featuring local herbs, essential oils, and extracts. One of the most popular is the Cha Chac Rain Ritual, based on the Mayan rain ritual. There is also the amazing Yucatan Healing Retreat, which you get to share with a special friend. For chocolate lovers, discover Cacao with The Food of the Gods Body Nourisher. Whichever you choose, the healing touches of our Willow Stream experience providers will guide you to renewing your energy.  FYI -Try the Honey in the Heart or the Chocolate food of the Gods Treatment!!

Find inspiration at every turn. Find your energy.

Master List of 2010 Openings.

What recession? That has to be what so many hoteliers and real estate developers are forcing themselves to say these days because there is an awful of hotels expected to come “online” in 2010. And we’re keeping tabs on all of them here with our Master List of 2010 Openings.

As always, this is just a starting point. We will keep adding and updating these hopeful hotels as we get the info. And instead of handing you some definitive list that cannot be updated or changed, we’re relying on you, and us, to keep the list ever-changing, expanding, shrinking or whatever the hospitality gods have in store for us.

Some trends we’ve noticed with this preliminary list? New York has a lot of new hotels opening in 2010. Will this mean more closures of the city’s older hotels? Also, China is hot. Most of the hotels on this list are in China, with Shanghai getting seven major new hotels. And we could hardly keep up with Westin’sand Sheraton’s plans for China. We bet they are banking on tons of new SPG members too!

Stateside, the Aloft Hotels franchise machine keeps on trucking with two opening in New York and three in India(!). But we’re more excited for the new U.S. hotels coming from Hotel Indigo, starting with theHotel Indigo Miami Beach next month.

Will all these hotels (and their developers) be happy ever after in the marketplace? Only time will tell.

Know of a different opening date than the ones listed here? Put them in comments below.

UNITED STATES
New York
· Trump Soho: March 1 April 9
· Sheraton Brooklyn: March 15
· Fashion 26: April 15
· Cassa Hotel: April
· The Chatwal: Spring
· W New York Downtown: May 4
· Hotel Eventi: May 15
· The Nolitan: May
· Sheraton Tribeca: June 17
· Gansevoort Park Avenue South: June
· James New York: Summer
· Intercontinental Times Square: July 1
· Aloft New York Brooklyn: July 1
· Aloft Harlem: July 1
· Element New York Times Square West: September 16
· Mondrian Soho: Fall
· Andaz Fifth Avenue: Fall
· The Sanctuary (now open as The Portland Square): Fall

Los Angeles
· Ritz-Carlton LA: March 15

Miami
· Hotel Indigo South Beach: March 18
· Tempo Miami, A RockResort: May
· JW Marriott Marquis Hotel: July
· Hotel Beaux Arts: July
· Cipriani: Summer

Chicago
· Hotel Palomar: April 8 (possibly, probably, earlier.)
· JW Marriott Chicago: September

Texas
· Westin Austin at The Domain: March 11
· Hotel Indigo San Antonio at The Alamo: April 16
· W Austin: December 9

Colorado
· Four Seasons Vail: Summer
· Four Seasons Denver: Fall

Puerto Rico
· W Puerto Rico: March or May
· St. Regis Bahia Bahia, Puerto Rico: October 1

Other Cities
· Fairmont Pittsburgh: March 29
· Hotel Indigo Nashville: April 3
· The Baronette Renaissance Detroit: April
· Aloft Chapel Hill: May 16
· Aloft Winchester (VA): June 3
· Le Meridien Philadelphia: June 30
· Aloft Tulsa: July 1
· Hotel Indigo Downtown Atlanta: July 18
· Hotel Indigo Pensacola Beach: August 1
· Element Omaha: November 4
· Harmon Hotel and Spa, Las Vegas: Late 2010

CANADA
· Thompson Toronto: April/May
· Ritz-Carlton Toronto: Summer
· Hotel Indigo Vancouver: August 13

CARIBBEAN

· Hyatt Regency Curacao: April 20
· Trump Ocean Club International Hotel & Tower Panama: Fall
· Conrad Bimini Bay: Sometime in 2010

MEXICO
· The Westin Campeche Resort & Spa, Campeche: April 1
· The Westin Santa Fe: June 1

EUROPE
· Sheraton Bratislava, Slovakia: February 24
· Hotel Le Seven, Paris: March 5
· Sanctum on the Green (Berkshire): April 1
· Sheraton Batumi Hotel, Republic of Georgia: April 1
· Hilton The Hague: Spring
· Sheraton Rhodes Resort, Greece: May 1
· The Romanos, Costa Navarino, A Luxury Collection Hotel, Greece: May 20
· The Fairmont Savoy, London (a re-opening): Spring/Summer
· Sheraton Milan Malpensa Airport Hotel & Conference Centre: July 1
· W London: Summer
· Aloft Brussells: September 1
· Hyatt Regency Dusseldorf: End of 2010
· Conrad Algarve Palacio Da Quinta (Portugal): Sometime in 2010

SOUTH AMERICA
· Algodon Mansion: March
· Tambo del Inka Hotel, A Luxury Collection Hotel: March 31
· JW Marriott Bogota: June
· Intercontinental Mendoza: Sometime in 2010
· Intercontinental Maracaibo: Sometime in 2010
· Westin Libertador, Lima: October 1

CHINA
Beijing
· Fairmont Beijing: Soft-opened with spa, gym, pool and Fairmont Gold coming soon
· Sheraton Beijing : December 1

Foshan
· Intercontinental Foshan: Sometime in 2010

Fuzhou
· The Westin Fuzhou Minjiang: December 23

Guangdong Province
· Sheraton Guangzhou: July 15
· Sheraton Huadu Resort: September 22
· W Guangzhou: December 1

Hangzhou
· Intercontinental Hangzhou: First Quarter
· Four Seasons Hotel Hangzhou at West Lake: Mid 2010
· Sheraton Hangzhou Wetland Park Resort: December 1

Hainan Province
· Sheraton Shenzhou Peninsula Resort, Wanning City: December 31

Heife
· The Westin Hefei Baohe: December 18

Hong Kong
· Ritz-Carlton Hong Kong: Sometime in 2010

Inner Mongolia
· Sheraton Hohhot Hotel: April 20

Jiansu Province
· Sheraton Jiangyin Hotel: May 1
· Sheraton Wuxi Binhu Hotel: August 27

Macau
· Mandarin Oriental Macau: Summer

Sanya
· Intercontinental Sanya Resort: May 1
Shanghai
· The Fairmont Peace Hotel on the Bund, Shanghai: Spring
· Intercontinental Shanghai Expo: Spring
· Shanghai Renaissance Putuo: May
· Sheraton Shanghai Hong Kou: August 1
· Waldorf Astoria Shanghai: Sometime in 2010
· Conrad Shanghai: Sometime in 2010
· Ritz-Carlton Shanghai: Sometime in 2010

Tianjin
· The Astor Hotel Tianjin, A Luxury Collection Hotel: Mid 2010
· Sheraton Tianjin Binhai: July 1

Zhejiang Province
· Sheraton Qiandao Lake Resort.: March 18
· Sheraton Wenzhou Hotel : May 1
· Westin Ningbo: August 15
· Westin Nine Dragon Resort: December 1
· Sheraton Qingdao: December 1

SINGAPORE
· Fullerton Bay Resort: Spring

BALI
· W Retreat and Spa Bali: September 1 November 1

THAILAND
· The Westin Siray Bay Resort & Spa (Phuket): June 1
· W Hotel Amphur Koh Samui: June 1
· Aloft Bangkok: August 11
· Park Hyatt Koh Samui: Sometime in 2010
· Conrad Koh Samui: Sometime in 2010

THE MALDIVES
· The Beach House, A Waldorf-Astoria Resort, The Maldives: Sometime in 2010

JAPAN
· St. Regis Osaka: October 1
· The Westin Sendai (Japan): August 1

TAIWAN
· Sheraton Hsinchu Hotel: April 4
· Le Meridien Taipei: December 1
· Sheraton Yilan Resort: December 1

VIETNAM
· Sheraton Nha Trang Hotel & Spa: May 15

INDIA
· Aloft Bengaluru: June 1
· Aloft Chennai: June 1
· Westin New Delhi: July 1
· Aloft Coimbatore Singanallur: December 1
· Renaissance Banglalore: December
· Sheraton Bangalore at Brigade Getaway: December 1
· Hyatt Regency Chennai: Sometime in 2010

MIDDLE EAST
Dubai
· Armani Hotel Dubai: March 18
· Conrad Dubai: Sometime in 2010
· Ritz-Carlton Dubai: Sometime in 2010

Kuwait
· Hotel Missoni Kuwait: Spring
· Intercontinental Kuwait City: Sometime in 2010

Doha City
· Renaissance Doha City: June

Saudi Arabia
· Makkah Clock Royal Tower, A Fairmont Hotel in Saudi Arabia: Summer

AUSTRALIA
· The Cullen Hotels, Melbourne: The Olsen on March 16 and The Blackman in April
· Quay West Resort and Spa Noosa: March 18

AFRICA
· Fairmont Zimbali Resort in Africa: Spring
· Le Meridien Oran (Algeria): October 1
· Mandarin Oriental Marrakech: Sometime in 2010.
· Intercontinental Lagos (Nigeria): Late 2010

RUSSIA
· W St. Petersburg: September 1

by Juliana |Hotel Chatter

Woo-hoo! Another victory for the modern traveler as Amtrak has named this the year of free WiFi aboard their Acela trains. To tell you the truth, we knew this was coming, even that it would be free, but we didn’t know when it would be completed or if we could even count on it.

Well we can count on it! Amtrak announced that installation of WiFi on the Acela trains (which are the express routes on the East Coast) will be completed by March, as part of a celebration of the Acela’s tenth anniversary of service. Other upgrades due for the trains include “leather seats and improved tray tables and power outlets.” Score!

But who knows when we’ll get to try out the WiFi and outlets; the Acelas are too damn expensive. Yeah right like we’re paying $100 for a one-way to Boston when a WiFi and outlet-equipped BoltBus takes almost the same time and costs around $30. Keep trying, Amtrak, but we’re proud of your achievements thus far.

Amtrak travel [Jaunted]
[Photo: pandoralyrael]

Peninsula Shanghai

The Peninsula Shanghai. It officially welcomed its first guests back on October 19, and yet it’s already like a landmark on Shanghai’s Bund—the street of shops, other high-class hotels, and historical buildings right at the bend of the Huangpu River.

The main thing to know about this Peninsula is its relatively low starting room rate: $295. With it, if you can score the deal (and we recommend searching for dates far into the future), you’ll be sitting pretty in a room with the feeling of a suite, as each room is divided into living spaces and even features adressing room in lieu of an itty-bitty closet. More on that dressing room, after the jump.

Best. Hotel Closet. Ever.

The hotel might not have the tourist-attracing grand atrium of the Grand Hyatt Jinmao or the novelty of sleeping in one of the world’s tallest buildings, like with Park Hyatt Shanghai, but the Peninsula is on the other side of the river from them in Puxi, and it does boast some of the largest hotel rooms in the city and seriously, a dressing room has to count for something.

Art Deco with a Residential Feel

There are 235 gloriously comfortable Peninsula Shanghai guestrooms and suites that represent the return of classic luxury to shanghai.  The city’s most spacious, they have it all from Art Deco e;egamce tp breathtaking Hangpu River and skyline views, plus the newest Peninsula room technology.  Every room features a 46-inch plasma TV.  Nespresso coffee machine, iPod docking station, free local and interantional calls and Wifi access.  Four themed suites-the Astor, Majestic, Palace and Peninsula-set new standards of luxury living.

Overview

Against a panoramic backdrop of the snow-capped Andes, W Santiago, Opening November 19, 2009, reinvents style and sophistication in the city’s most fashionabe and trendsetting enclave, a fascinating universe of urban innovation amid cobblestone streets and glitzy skyscrapers.

Destination

Reinvention. From romantic colonial glory to dazzling modern skyline, sensational Santiago, has it all, where cobblestone streets are a foundation for the city’s urban consciousness and glitzy skyscrapers reflect its historical vibrance.

Redefinition. In a city that never stops buzzing, Santiago’s show-stopping scenes begin with a spectacular setting of the Andes’ highest peaks, backdrop to where mesmerizing arts, dining and nightlife take centerstage.

Revitalization. Go from lush parks and gardens to spectacular skiing, colorful crafts markets to chic specialty stores, friendly local cafés to destination restaurants, charming museums and cathedrals to world-class wineries. Just by never missing a beat, take a break from the ordinary and immerse yourself in the rich diversity of Santiago, where every experience wows.

Your scintillating Santiago adventure begins by going with the flow of the Mapocho River, the city’s best point of geographic reference. From El Centro, the historic center home to cultural centers and civic institutions, stroll over to charming Barrio París-Londres, the Latin Quarter of Paris re-imagined, before crossing over to verdant Parque Forestal, where café society holds court. Take it to the top of the world at Bellavista, with sweeping views of the city and a bohemian quarter full of art galleries and Santiago’s finest dining. Back on ground level, watch the revolving diversity of Chilean society cross palatial plazas or explore the Palacio—the only presidential headquarters in the world where you can stroll through interior patios and gardens amid the rush of politicos. After you’ve capped off your day with some indulgent shopping in Providencia, come home to El Golf —”San-hattan”—where modern architecture, upscale antique mansions and vibrant culture brings together the best of all worlds to the doorstep of W Santiago. It’s like being everywhere at once, whether you’re visiting for business, pleasure or happily blending the two.

Indulge

Who’s hungry? Presenting a globe-trotting gastronomy of culinary excellence—you’ll taste all over the world without leaving W Santiago. At NoSo, go French with classic reimaginations defined with modern sensibilities, or get fresh with sensational sushi at Osaka, a Peruvian-Asian restaurant that crosses borders. Chill out at our Chilean bistro Terraza where we’re mad about Mediterranean influences, or nibble your way across the tapas with a twist at W Lounge.

Who’s thirsty?  When Rande Gerber brings his fashionable Whiskey Blue to town, it naturally lands at W Santiago, the epitome of the city’s stylish scene. It’s the top of the world at our rooftop bar Red2one, where sparkling glass windows lets the dazzling cityscape set an eclectic background for your cocktail socializing. Complete your Chilean experience at the Wine Tasting Room, where expert sommeliers guide you through the spectacular selection of 1,600 bottles on a soaring wall rack, or relax with a sip of the finest South American beverages in the Tea Library.

Who’s staying in?   Just because you’re getting too cozy in your room doesn’t mean you don’t get to indulge. Our 24-hour in-room dining service, just a buzz away, brings our epicurean offerings to your doorstep.

SOUTHERN LIVING

Follow that dream in 196 luxuriously comfortable rooms and suites, featuring the signature W Bed, fully-wired technology, the delightful Munchie Box and state-of-the-art entertainment, and let our Whatever/Whenever® service take care of all other fantasies.

Overview

Sir Richard Branson’s Private Game Reserve is set in the heart of the Sabi Sand reserve on the border of the Kruger National Park in South Africa. Most of the staff hail from the surrounding villages therefore guests benefit from authentic South African hospitality. They promote from within where they can, and support the local community through their charitable project, Pride ‘n Purpose. The Ulusaba family of 119 individuals includes some of the finest and most qualified rangers and trackers in the reserve who guarantee the experience of a lifetime on  game drive. They delight in going the extra mile for all their guests!

Ulusaba is part of Virgin Limited Edition, Sir Richard Branson’s portfolio of unique retreats.

Location

Ulusaba Private Game Reserve is located in the western sector of the  Sabi Sand Reserve. We’re close to Kruger National Park which is in the Mpumalanga province of South Africa.

Transportation

Ulusaba is approximately a 1 hour and 20 minute flight from OR Tambo (Johannesburg) International Airport (JNB), flying by twin engine aircraft, or 30 minutes from Kruger Mpumalanga International Airport (KMIA). Ulusaba has its own private airstrip and there are daily scheduled and charter flights available. Get a window seat – the view is terrific! You can also come by road from KMIA, which will take approximately two and a half hours. Try and arrive by 1pm – just in time for lunch!

Lodges

Ulusaba has 21 rooms and suites spread over two lodges-Rock Lodge and Safari Lodge. Rock Lodge is ‘Heaven in Heaven’, perched high on the summit of a koppie with views over the South African bush below. Nearly 500 metres away is Safari Lodge, known as ‘Heaven on Earth’. Built along the banks of a dry riverbed, Safari Lodge guests cross swing bridges between the exquisite tree house style rooms. For the ultimate experience, guests can share their time between both lodges.

Activities

When not occupied on a walking safari or twice daily game drive, take a dip in the swimming pools or indulge in a spa treatment. For the more active, there are tennis courts and gyms available. Try a few South African wines from the wine cellar and after dinner enjoy a spot of stargazing at the bush observatory.

Overview

Founded in 1998, Trails of Indochina provides customized travel services for high-end travelers in Southeast Asia. Based in Vietnam, they offer two key advantages:

1. familiarity with the region combined with
2. an understanding of the specialized requirements of up-market travelers.

Our relationship with Trails of Indochina, combined with extensive experience in the travel industry and an unrivalled network of contacts in the region, we can tailor itineraries to meet your diverse needs – and far exceed your expectations.

Here is a sample itinerary of just one of the dozens of excursions we can provide:

Cambodia In Depth

Unforgettable: As you pause to admire the intricate carvings on a temple’s cracked wall, a stone carver engaged in restoration work beckons you over to compare his efforts to that of his 12th century predecessor

Day 1 Phnom Penh: get a feel for Cambodia’s unique art and architecture through visits to the National Museum, Royal Palace and Silver Pagoda—so named for its floor paved in real silver tiles; come face-to-face with some of the millions of Cambodians who died at the hands of the Khmer Rouge in a former torture center, thereby gaining some understanding of these people’s courage and resilience;

Day 2 Udong: drive past fields and stilt-houses to Udong, a forgotten outpost that served as Cambodia’s capital from the 17th through mid-19th centuries; explore this sleepy town’s Buddhist stupas and shrines; pay a sobering visit to the “killing fields”—an area where thousands of the Khmer Rouge’s victims were murdered and buried;

Day 3 In and around Phnom Penh: undo your belt a few notches at the Sunday Food Fair, a vibrant rural market where vendors sell scrumptious local snacks and fruit; sit with women in a traditional weaving village as they explain their age-old techniques; dine on the banks of the Mekong, where old French villas evoke images of long-gone colonial traders sipping sundowners beneath slow-moving ceiling fans;

Day 4 Temple tour: travel by car and boat to view the sixth century temple of Phnom Da, believed to have been erected on the site of Cambodia’s first capital; climb two-hundred steps to reach the bombed temple of Phnom Chisor, its intricate bas-relief sculptures now scattered across two square km;

Day 5 Angkor Wat: (flight Phnom Penh-Siem Riep) begin your exploration of the temples of Angkor, about one hundred of which remain scattered throughout the jungle; find yourself staring into the forbidding stone faces that adorn the fifty towers of Angkor Thom, built by Angkor’s greatest king, the 12th century Jayavarman VII; climb Mount Bakheng to see Angkor Wat’s tiered towers silhouetted against the setting sun;

Day 6 Outlying temples: make your way through crumbling passageways and over the twisted roots of the banyan trees that are slowly strangling the hauntingly beautiful temple of Ta Prohm; stroll across the courtyard of the late 12th century Preah Neak Pean temple, imagining its elaborately carved pools filled with water for the purification rituals that once occurred here;

Day 7 Trekking: rest near a reclining Buddha that lies at the summit of a sacred mountain; trek through old-growth forest to a revered stream, its limestone banks carved with linga fertility symbols, then picnic beside a jungle waterfall;

Day 8 Temples & boating: step from the jungle to discover a temple guarded by strange statues of mythical creatures; take a boat trip to the region’s floating villages, where everything from clinics to schools are on water;

Day 9 Departure: relax in Siem Riep’s quaint cafes, bistros and art galleries until it’s time to fly out

Expect to understand more about the ancient glory and recent devastation of this enigmatic land—a place where the people you meet will leave as much of an impression as the monuments

Overview

The Amazon River is arguably the largest river in the world rivaled only by the mighty Nile in Africa. The Amazon River’s headwaters in South America originate in Peru with the Upper Amazon area in Peru consisting of a series of major river systems that flow North and South into the Marañón and Ucayali (major Amazon River tributaries) and the Amazon River.

At its widest point the Amazon River is 11 km/7 miles wide during the low water season, but during the high water season, when the Amazon floods the surrounding plains, the Amazon River can be up to 45km/28 miles in breadth.

You will start your luxury cruise floating down the Amazon River in Iquitos, a one hour twenty five minute flight from Lima, Peru. Iquitos is so remote that this charming Peruvian city can be reached only by air or water. Once a booming rubber town due to its location on the Amazon River, Iquitos now enjoys a slower pace. You will enjoy touring this lively city, which includes a building designed by Gustav Eiffel, among other highlights.

What you see along the Amazon River depends on the length of your stay. The heart of every visit, however, will be Pacaya Samiria Reserve, a protected wildlife area deep within the Amazon rainforest and jungle. The highlight of each day’s journey on your luxury cruise down the Amazon will be experiencing by small ship, the pristine wilderness areas teeming with the Amazon’s wildlife and amazing plant life, such as the colossal Victoria Regia water lilies. You will also encounter—and have the chance to interact with—local people living in villages along the Amazon River, as they have for centuries. When the day’s sightseeing is over, the comforts of your luxurious floating hotel await you.

Marrying the elegance of a five-star luxury hotel with the breathless excitement of a cruise down the fabled Amazon River, the M/V Aqua provides discriminating travelers with an unforgettable experience.

Guided by experienced naturalists, you’ll begin your journey in Iquitos – an area so remote it can only be reached by air or water – before experiencing the stunning beauty of Peru’s Pacaya Samiria National Reserve, a preserved wilderness area teeming with plant and wildlife.

Accommodations

M/V Aqua is Aqua Expedition’s 130-foot flagship. Its 12 luxury guest suites, designed by an internationally renowned Peruvian interior designer, measure a generous 230 to 240 square feet, and feature large, outward-facing panoramic windows and en suite sitting areas.

All suites are air-conditioned, and four are interconnected to cater to families. Guests can socialize in the dining room, bar, on the observation deck and in the outdoor lounge. There is also a small boutique.

You’ll be served by a crew of 18, plus three skilled guides. Rates include all excursions, meals and wine with meals.

Activities

Every day will bring amazing new wonders, as guests set out with guides in a fleet of three launches to float toward the source of the mighty Amazon. Each day, you will explore the small inlets and various winding river systems that make up the flooded forest.

Pacaya Samiria Reserve, located on the headwaters of the Amazon basin, spans more than five million acres. Twice the size of Yellowstone Park, it teems with wild and aquatic life. Visitors will have the opportunity to see hundreds of species, including the endangered pink Amazon dolphin, the black caiman and the three-toed sloth.

Aqua Expeditions has assembled a talented and experienced team of naturalist and interpretive Amazon River guides and professional crew who are the most important and essential ingredient in our luxury class cruise service on Peru’s Amazon River. Their expert knowledge of the M/V Aqua cruise ship, the Amazon’s wildlife, plants and birdlife and the history of this part of Peru will be the difference between a visit to Peru and an unforgettable life experience on Peru’s Amazon River.

M/V Aqua Naturalist Guides

Three highly trained interpreter Amazon River guides, who know all the flora and fauna of the Amazon, will take you on as many as three expeditions a day, aboard comfortable motorized skiffs. Your English-speaking Amazon guides will give you both the big picture of life on the Amazon, and will point out the multitude of small details that make the region special–a howler monkey hidden in a tree, a vivid butterfly resting on a leaf, a bird, such as the endangered harpy eagle, enjoying the tranquility of the Amazon basin.

Dining

We offer a world class dining experience about the M/V Aqua with specially selected unique Peru recipes and cuisine. Noted Chef Pedro Miguel Schiaffino, one of Peru’s top ten chefs, has created our exclusive menus. Guests aboard the M/V Aqua will enjoy a menu of fresh, delicious Peruvian cuisine (with a bit of continental influence), whether served on board in our elegant dining room or out and about on a luxury cruise excursion in the Amazon jungle. Dinner each evening promises to be a Peruvian culinary feast for the senses, paired with premium South American wines.

Excursions

3 Night

Join us in Iquitos, Peru for a 3 night Amazon River luxury cruise exploring the Tahuayo River and the Yacapana “Iguana” Islands, Charo Lake fishing and visits into the Amazon jungle to view Amazon monkeys, three-toed sloths and caimans at home in their habitat. Enjoy watching the infamous Amazon pink dolphins at play in the Amazon. Journey to the Amazon’s headwaters and learn from our naturalist guides about the diverse Amazon wildlife in thePacaya Samiria National Reserve.

4 Night

Join Aqua Expeditions in Nauta, a short flight from Lima, Peru for a 4 night journey by luxury cruise down the Amazon River exploring the many highlights of the Amazon jungle. Learn about the birds of Yanallpa Lake, meet the fishermen of the majestic Ucayali River, enjoy night excursions by skiff, explore the Pacaya River and Yanayacu Lake and photograph the wildlife within the Pacaya Samiria National Park and Reserve.

7 night

We highly recommend our seven-night Amazon River Expedition Cruise where you will enjoy our most luxurious and comprehensive Amazon journey and on which you can experience the Amazon River’s three powerful tributaries: the Marañón, the Ucayali, and the Puinahua as well as several hidden black water lakes. Combine this cruise with a pre-departure or post-cruise Peru tour of Machu Picchu, Lima and Cusco and you have the makings of an unforgettable Peru luxury vacation.

In the wilderness near Tofino, Vancouver Island, British Columbia

Remote — Refined — Remarkable

An enclave of 20 luxurious great white canvas family and suite tents located in the Clayoquot Sound World Biosphere Reserve, Clayoquot Wilderness Resort is renowned for its soft adventure and soft beds. Its sumptuous interiors transform Clayoquot into one of the most exclusive and unique vacation offerings in the world.

Clayoquot Wilderness Resort offers five-star food and beverage service, world-class amenities and adventure opportunities that are limited by imagination alone.

About the Resort

Clayoquot Wilderness Resort promises discriminating travelers an ultra-luxurious eco-destination, four-star accommodations, other- worldly coastal cuisine, super natural adventure, and some of the most breathtakingly beautiful wilderness frontier left on the planet. Inspired by late 19th century Great Camps, the Wilderness Outpost at Bedwell River is where childhood wishes and grown-up dreams come true.

Renowned for its soft adventure and soft beds’ program, it is one the most exclusive and unique vacation offerings in the world. National Geographic Traveler magazine calls the resort “rusticating luxury”.

An enclave of 20 great white canvas guest tents and 3 additional tents for massage and treatment, dining and lounge are set in a pristine environment. A massive timber cookhouse offers a delicious paradox of indulgent luxury and remote, untamed wilderness. Featuring world-class amenities, sumptuous interiors, and supernatural adventure, the resort leaves nothing wanting, no detail undone.

Location

Designated a Biosphere Reserve, Clayoquot Wilderness Resort is situated at the mouth of the Bedwell River, where it spills into a nine-mile-long fjord.

It is located near the seaside village of Tofino, British Columbia and was founded in 1997 by Clayoquot Wilderness Resort Ltd.

Accommodations

Guest tents, like the lounge and spa tents, are roomy, great white canvas prospector-style quarters built on discreetly-situated raised wooden platforms, connected by cedar boardwalks. Placed under canopy of the rainforest and along the water’s edge, beautifully designed Adirondack-style beds are outfitted with luxuriant down duvets for warmth and comfort. Remote-controlled propane woodstoves, antique dressers and tea tables, opulent rugs, oil lamps, heirloom china and silver accessories, and an abundance of candles, complete the offering.

Off-site generators provide hot water to private showers and washrooms, and provide power for essential comforts like electric light, hairdryers and wireless internet.

Dining

Offering a five-star food and beverage service, guests will be served critically-acclaimed, trademark “modern natural cuisine” under direction of Chef Tim May.

Breakfast is prepared by pastry chefs and breakfast cooks who create a banquet of fresh sweet and savory favorites like wild blueberry and cornmeal griddle cakes, rosemary scones, and pacific smoked salmon eggs benedict with pea-meal Canadian bacon.

Wilderness adventurers take ultra-gourmet backpack lunches along for the ride — or the hike, while loungers can visit Chef May in the cookhouse. Guests can settle in at the bistro or family dining tent, in the cookhouse dining room, or at Chef’s open-kitchen bar.

Chef May tempers classical training and sophisticated technique with a firm belief in letting ingredients speak for themselves. His legendary table d’hote tradition, where guests are served a four-course dinner featuring Chef’s choices, began at the Quait Bay resort in 1997 and evolved to include remarkable B.C. wine pairings.

Activities

Clayoquot’s guided activities and self-guided exploration transports you to a true wilderness playground where the opportunities for adventure are limited by imagination alone.

Adventure begins in the thousands of pristine acres, hundreds of miles of abandoned roads and old-growth forest trails, volcanic beach scapes, alpine valleys, lush fern gardens, and inter-tidal waterways. Horseback riding, kayaking, canoeing, whale and bear watching, hiking and fresh and salt water fishing are a few of the activities at your disposal.

Zen in the Wilderness

Clayoquot Wilderness Resort is home to the Healing Grounds, an eco-safari style massage and therapeutic treatment centre. Four massage and treatment tents, three wood-fired cedar hot tubs, a wood-fired cedar sauna, outdoor showers, seawater baths and wrap-around sun decks artfully compose a rest and relaxation destination of intimate proportions.

Near to the Healing Grounds is a small fitness facility complete with stair machine, rowing machine and free weights. Next “door” is the yoga studio complete with heated floors and scheduled morning classes.

On the northern Musandam Peninsula of the Sultanate of Oman, Sixth Senses Hideaway resort provides an enchanting atmosphere of Omani style and eloquence mixed with the area’s natural beauties. Nestled in a fishing village between the Hajar Mountains and 1.6 kilometers of white sandy beaches, modern luxuries await the most particular traveler.

The Resort

Musandam is the Wild West of Oman. Cut off from the rest of the country by the United Arab Emirates, Musandam has a live and let live spirit unusual for this part of the world. Perhaps it has to do with the distance and physical disconnection from the main part of the country, perhaps with the geography of sharp mountains that have traditionally made land travel difficult. The unique character of Musandam will please visitors seeking a taste of an Arabia that is being lost elsewhere in the Gulf region. One advantage for travellers thinking of coming to Zighy Bay is the dispensing of the need for an Omani visa, which makes spur of the moment visits for visitors to neighbouring UAE an easy option.

Accommodations

At Six Senses Hideaway Zighy Bay, the luxury of space is primary. All the accommodation is bigger than expected, from the studios to The Reserve, a private compound popular for corporate and family retreats. The two-storey pool villas are extremely spacious and private, though the many features unique to the property (thatched pool wall that opens to the other side, both Western- and Eastern-style poolside relax areas, an outdoor shower in a second private area) do not confine, but rather bring the outside world into your own private world.

‘Casual luxury’ is one of those risky phrases that can conjure images of rattan furniture and plant-print wallpaper, but when it’s done right, it can be splendid. Six Senses does casual luxury right, removing the artifice of the silly-serious aspects of modern life (which designer purse goes with which designer gown?) and gets guests back to a basic focus: you. The name of the place is not just a gimmick; emphasis is given over to stimulating the senses, all six of them, and reminding visitors that all is not lost in the contemporary urban existences in which most of us live.

Dining

Take that all-important sense, taste. Sometimes these isolated places are a little lacking when it comes to food, and we forgive that because of the logistical difficulty of brining in the produce necessary for fine cuisine. Such exoneration is not necessary at Zighy Bay; the fare is spectacularly tasty and diverse, with a choice of Indian, modern, beachside barbecue, or Arabian cuisines that will leave you wishing you had a bigger stomach. Breakfast buffets are a world apart from the scrums experienced at other hotels; with exotic juices and traditional Arabian food prepared to order and served by staff who themselves look good enough to eat, don’t be surprised if you find yourself lingering around for one last mouthful of pomegranate juice. The aromas alone are very satisfying.

As for hearing, there are choices of suave chillout music or the waves breaking on the shore. Whatever you do, don’t watch television even though the satellite options are many. Seeing the beauty of the isolated location is wonderfully restorative, and this being a Six Senses spa, the touch of the massage therapists will bring another level of physical awareness to your own tired body. As for the sixth sense, that one is up to you.

Adventure

The adventure that starts at Zighy Bay and allows you to experience the reviving culture of Oman and the buzz of the United Arab Emirates including the traditional and modern adventures that both countries have to offer. Unique adventure experiences from a creative list of the best of the best we can offer. Combining creative tours to suit both the active guest and the guest who prefers to sit back and relax , take in the scenery and culture that these two countries have to offer.

L.I.F.E. service style is attentive, personalized and caring with the hosts being extremely passionate about the safety, knowledge, experience and gourmet offerings.

All of our experiences are designed tastefully and artfully using basic luxury elements that create a complete equilibrium between the natural bounty and man made beauty; providing a rustic but elegant feel and a memory of a L.I.F.E. time.

Choose to snorkel, dive, or relax fishing. Even paraglide, boat, or bask in the sun along the beach. The opportunities to indulge in luxury vary as greatly as does one’s preferences. Perhaps best of all is the Sixth Sense’s Spa. The “Sensory Journey” offers an amazing rejuvenating signature massage. If you have a sense for the finer things in life, the Hideaway in Oman certainly can satisfy your appetite.

Spa

The Six Senses Spa is a holistic oasis nestled into the Zighy Bay mountainside which provides nine treatment rooms, a juice bar and two Arabian Hammams inspired by centuries of tradition. The spa’s wide-ranging menu of regional and Six Senses signature treatments focuses on holistic and pampering therapies using only natural products. Treatments are administered by skilled international therapists and specialist practitioners who combine Eastern and Western techniques with modern day lifestyle programmes to balance the senses.