Unique luxury hotels, fashionable travel and much more

The recent World Travel Awards, known as the Oscars of the travel industry, recently announced the winners of their comprehensive awards program. Luxury hotels in South Africa were the talk of the event with the Legend Golf and Safari Resort at Limpopo winning an impressive double. They scooped not only the award for Africa’s Leading Sports Resort, but also made it a double celebration by being recognized as South Africa’s Leading Golf Resort for the second successive year.

Located two hours’ drive north of Johannesburg in the Limpopo Province and within striking distance of the Kruger National Park, their unique “world-in-one” Signature Golf Course is a must-play for serious golfers. Each of the 18 holes has been designed by a world golfing legend. However, the most talked-about hole is the Par 3, the Extreme 19th. Set high up on the impressive Hanglip Mountain, the hole is accessible only by helicopter and played to a green the shape of Africa some 1,300 feet below. It boasts a unique golfing experience complete with adrenaline rush!

Despite its remote location, Peet Cilliers, CEO of Legend Lodges, Hotels & Resorts, said, “The resort is proving to be a great success and increasingly popular with tour operators, conference and event organizers and travellers from around the world. And we continue to strive to deliver a truly 21st century experience in the heart of the African bush”.

by Gillian

The Dutch are innovators at overcoming rising tides and for practical purposes they need to be. Dutch Docklands, who specialize in floating architecture, have just come up with an idea which may be a godsend to the Maldives – luxury resorts on floating islands. Their first project, at a cost of $500 million, is to build three islands and float them out to the Maldives where they will be seeded and landscaped to create 27 holes of idyllic golf.

Water hazards make take on a new significance but the government approved scheme should be implemented with no damage to the pristine coral reefs. Some hazards which have already been addressed by the planners include avoiding pesticides entering the sea and sourcing desalinated water for irrigation. The run-off from the course will be collected and recycled in freshwater lakes within the golf course, and then reused to irrigate.

The state-of-the-art golf course will be accessed from the clubhouse via underwater tunnels – a little like the underwater aquaria at places like SeaWorld – only this time the scenery will be truly authentic with corals, anemones and fish swimming by in the ocean. The golf course will be ready for play at the end of 2013 and the full development of luxury hotels and villas will follow shortly after.

by Gillian at Luxique Luxury Hotels

Donald Trump, the New York-based billionaire, has won his battle to be allowed to build an exclusive £1 billion ($1.58 billion) golf resort on an area of outstanding beauty on the Aberdeenshire coast in Scotland.

The local planning committee originally turned down the scheme, but the Scottish government, led by the Scottish National Party (SNP), has now overturned that decision.

The First Minister, Alex Salmond of the SNP, said the project would create 6,000 jobs – including 1,400 permanent positions. “In tough economic times, substantial investment of this kind is at a premium,” he said.

Detailed proposals will be drawn up over the next few months for what’s been dubbed a ‘golfopolis’ featuring two championship courses, 500 exclusive homes, 950 holiday apartments and a 450-bedroom ‘modern gothic’ hotel.

Environmentalists, who fought against the development, are dismayed. Part of the course will be on an area of shifting sand dunes which have been declared a site of Special Scientific Interest under European Union habitat regulations.

The planning inspectors ruled that the damage to the dunes would be outweighed by the resort’s substantial value to the economy - a judgment challenged by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB), among others.

“It appears that the desires of one high profile overseas developer - who refused to compromise one inch - have been allowed to override the legal protection of this important site,” said Aedan Smith, head of planning for RSPB Scotland.

The development will, however, be subject to a series of environmental checks and controls to ensure that remaining plant species and wildlife are fully protected.

Trump said he was honoured and promised the scheme would be ‘a tremendous asset and source of pride over many generations for both Aberdeenshire and Scotland.’

by Andy Moreton

If you’re thinking of visiting this part of Scotland, check out the Marcliffe At Pitfodels, a five-star luxury hotel and spa set in 11 acres of woodland and with a bar boasting more than 100 malt whiskies.