Unique luxury hotels, fashionable travel and much more

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

Recently touted as the “perfect break destination”, few tourists even know where the latest Egyptian resort of Soma Bay is. Situated on the western shores of the Red Sea, about 50 km south of Hurghada, it is one of the newest resorts in the area. Unlike other Red Sea resorts however, Soma Bay has an upmarket atmosphere which is hard to find in the party town of Hurghada or on the crowded sands of Sharm El Sheikh.

This desert peninsula was once owned by the Egyptian military and has recently been developed as a premier holiday destination by several leading luxury hotel chains including the Sheraton, Caribbean World and InterContinental. Nightlife revolves around the hotel entertainment – not good for those who suffer from cabin fever – but during the day it is within striking distance of the Temple of Seti I at Abydos, the city of Luxor and the Emerald Mines at Marsa Alam.

With recent scares from shark attacks, now may be a great time to get some winter sunshine by the pool at this new resort at a knock-down price. Flights by Easyjet are currently under ₤100, leaving plenty of spending money for luxury indulgences. With an 18-hole, par-72 championship golf course by Gary Player, a spectacular thalassic spa at Les Thermes Marins des Cascades and a five star Kempinski Hotel on the beachfront, this may well be the place to head for in early 2011, before temperatures rise above the pleasant 20-27C it usually basks in until late April.

by Gillian at Luxique Luxury Hotels

It was way back in October 2008 that I reported on the campaign to free Sammy the Shark from her tank in the lobby of Atlantis, the spectacular luxury hotel in Dubai.

I hear now that she’s finally been returned to the waters of the Gulf, from where she was first picked up.

The freckled whale shark, which is an internationally protected species, was a top crowd puller, but also attracted unwelcome publicity for the hotel after animal rights groups demanded her release. A Facebook campaign attracted 26,000 entries. The American actress Pamela Anderson was among the celebrity lobbyists who branded the shark’s capture cruel, and pushed for her to be set free from the luxury hotel in Dubai.

However, Atlantis said all its marine life was cared for to the highest standard and that valuable research had been carried out while the creature had been in captivity.

It said Sammy had been tagged for monitoring and research before being set free.

by Andy Moreton

Book a luxury hotel in Dubai city through Luxique – we have 11 of the very best.

A debate has been raging in the media about the decision by the cruise line Royal Caribbean International to continue to dock its ships at a private luxury resort in Haiti.

Passengers have been enjoying the beautiful expanse of white sand at Labadee, only 60 miles from the capital, Port-au-Prince, where up to 200,000 people are believed dead in the devastating earthquake.

The burning question has been: Should vacationers relax and have fun with so much suffering elsewhere on the island, or would it be worse to stop the port calls and deprive locals of what they earn from tourism?

One cruise passenger wrote:

“I just can’t see myself sunning on the beach, playing in the water, eating a barbecue, and enjoying a cocktail while [in Port-au-Prince] there are tens of thousands of dead people being piled up on the streets, with the survivors stunned and looking for food and water.”

But Royal Caribbean President and CEO, Adam Goldstein, defended the decision to continue with scheduled stops in Labadee. He said the site had sustained no damage and the Haitian government had welcomed the ship. The country reaped a fixed cost per passenger, plus annual fees and the cash that tourists spent on goods at a market where locals sold trinkets and crafts.

In addition, he said, Royal Caribbean was delivering food and water during every call and pledging $1 million (£620,000) plus net revenue from Labadee to the relief effort.

by Andy Moreton

This is quite the most bizarre special offer I’ve come across. A luxury resort in the United States is offering rooms for $19 (£11) a night, but you have to sleep in a tent and bring your own toilet paper.

The Rancho Bernardo Inn in San Diego, California has introduced what it calls its ‘survival package’. It starts at $219 (£132) a night, but as you take away each amenity, it gets cheaper. Thus the $19 tariff means no bed, towels, toiletries, loo paper or even lighting.

You’d have to be mad, wouldn’t you? Well, apparently when a similar promotion was run in June, 100 people took up the offer.

The declining economy has taken its toll on the Rancho Bernardo, which boasts three pools, a golf course, three restaurants and a spa in a 200,000-acre luxury resort.

“During a brainstorming session, we were talking about discounts and promotions and wanted to come up with something different,” said Rancho Bernardo’s General Manager, John Gates.

“We wanted to do something fun and clever. It’s a way of making the best of these bad economic times and trying to give customers an experience.”

The promotion has again proved so popular that it’s apparently been extended to September.

by Andy Moreton

The island nation of Fiji has begun a drive to boost its visitor numbers.

There’s a new logo and additional funding to try to achieve a ten per cent increase in tourist arrivals this year from 545,000 to 600,000.

The Minister for Tourism, Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum, said the additional funding would enable Tourism Fiji to develop a higher profile in several key emerging markets offering huge potential, including China, India and Russia.

“The increased funding will also allow Tourism Fiji to step up its efforts in attracting niche market, special interest and sustainable tourism business,” said Mr Sayed-Khaiyum. “These include backpackers, conference business, sports tourism, diving and the key romantic travel market - weddings and honeymoons.”

The travel website www.myfiji.com says: “Fiji embodies everything the romance of the South Seas is supposed to – with laidback maritime charm, a warm, tropical climate, friendly people, exotic fruit and vegetables, and strange yet harmless creatures.”

Luxique can offer a choice of two award-winning luxury resorts in Fiji – the Outrigger On The Lagoon, situated in a 40-acre garden on the island of Viti Levu, and Royal Davui, an exclusive adults-only sanctuary in Fiji’s spectacular Beqa Lagoon.

by Andy Moreton