A Luxury Boutique Spa Hotel in Morocco hidden away in the Sousse Massa National Park, on the Atlantic coast of Morocco could be the very place for the stressed executive to unwind. Here there is no reception for mobile phones, so throw your blackberry away, and enjoy a real escape from the blinking light that summonses you all year round!!

Such a place is the Ksar Massa a mere forty five minute drive from Agadir, although you would do well to consider a taxi, and not a car, because the track leading to the hotel is deeply rutted, and a 4x4 will definitely be required especially in the wetter winter months. Arrival at this particular Morocco Boutique Hotel is something you won’t forget in a hurry, as the track to Ksar Massa runs for several miles past children, goats, donkeys, and then suddenly you loop down a steep hillside, and you arrive at the terracotta low building right on the water’s edge that is the hotel.

Entering Ksar Massa is an experience...............

A Mauritius Luxury Holiday, be it a Family Holiday in Mauritius that you want, or a Honeymoon in Mauritius that you are planning, needs careful research.

Recently voted as the Number one Resort and Spa of choice in Mauritius is The Sands Resort and Spa a Flic En Flac Hotel  on the west coast. As there are some amazing hotels in Mauritius including the legendary St Geran, it is worth investigating what has made The Sands so popular amongst visitors.

 

Firstly the situation lends itself to being a luxury romantic vacation getaway, a real hideaway situated on the west coast of  Mauritius, at the southern end of the beautiful Wolmar Beach with spectacular views across the Bay of Tamarin.

The beach itself is ...........

St Barts, is St Barths short for St Barthelemy in the French West Indies and a St Barts Vacation staying at the Eden Rock Hotel is just about as good as it gets, always provided you have very deep pockets. The Eden rock sits on a rock that sticks out into St Jean Bay and has 33 rooms and suites, of which 20 are on the rock and eight suites and five houses stand on the white sand beach next door.

 

St Barts is not an easy place to arrive at, because the twenty seater aircraft has to land on a tiny runway. As a passenger you will be too focused on the proximity of the aircraft to the ground, and even motor cars as it swoops in to land, to notice the jumble of roofs covering a large circular rock that sticks out from a white sand beach.

Be comforted by two things, the first of which is .............

Romantic honeymoon packages to Goa have become popular recently, but many are disappointed by the beach resort they choose. Why not look at a place like Majorda, but don’t look at a Majorda beach resort, instead look at the Vivenda dos Palhacos, and you won’t be disappointed.

 

The Vivenda dos Palhacos is hidden away down a coconut fringed cul de sac in the village of Majorda where life is very peaceful and tranquil, not at all like the hustle and bustle of some of the beaches of Goa. It is a gem of a boutique hotel, set in a restored century old Portugese mansion, and is just a kilometre from the beach, but a world away.

 

The hotel, and that isn’t really the best words to describe the Vivenda dos Palhacos, staying with friends in their private home would be much better, consists of two buildings are six double bedrooms.

If you can, then .............

A Perfect honeymoon vacation in many people’s opinion should be in an hotel which has no children as guests. Listed as one of the top honeymoon vacation hotels in Europe is the Imaret at Kavala in Greece. It doesn’t allow children, and for a number of reasons should seriously be considered as a suitable destination for a romantic honeymoon destination.

 

The Imaret in Kavala in Greece is what is known as a ‘Monument’ hotel. It is a genuine historical restored building which just oozes history from every pore. Built in the early part of the nineteenth century by the Viceroy of Egypt as his gift to the town of Kavala it has been restored as a monument hotel in 2004 ensuring that the building’s character and cultural heritage were preserved. Staying here is like staying in history and feeling part of it. One guest described their experience here as being part of an oriental fairy tale, and you will realise why within minutes of your arrival

This background makes it an ideal ...........

Mention a French Riviera Hotel, La Provence, and one immediately thinks of places like Cannes, St Tropez, Antibes, where the beautiful people go to see and be seen. Not many people outside France know anything much about a place called Porquerolles Island in the Mediterranean off the French Coast near Hyeres.

They know even less about a gem of a place called Le Mas du Langoustier the most isolated and sublimely situated luxury hotel in the whole of the south of France. On an island free of cars, if you arrive by car you will need to leave it at the ferry port of La Tour Fondue before the short journey to Porquerolles Island, where you will be met by the hotel’s shuttle bus.

Le Mas du Langoustier is situated on the western part of the island, and has a huge reputation ............

A Luxury retreat by its very nature needs obviously to be luxurious, but to be a retreat it also needs to be hidden away, not easy to find, and somewhere you can feel totally relaxed and away from everyday pressures. La Bandita  in Tuscany Italy easily fulfils all these requirements.

If you decide to hire a car or even heaven forbid drive from another European country it is quite likely you won’t find La Bandita at the first or even second time of trying, indeed you will probably need to call La Bandita to get directions it is that well hidden away up a track needing four wheel drive.

 

You can stand outside La Bandita and look to all corners of the compass and you will see nothing but hills, some sheep and perhaps some sheepdogs. Try listening for the roar of traffic, or the sounds of other people in the vicinity, and you won’t hear much if anything at all.

 

That pretty well deals with the retreat aspect of luxury retreat, so now what about the luxury at La Bandita.........

A Luxury Weekend Break to Marrakesh has the real sound of romance and mystery to it, and it is easily possible to find and book a romantic getaway package to a new Riad in Marrakesh called the Riad Noir D’Ivoire.

 

The luxury weekend break will start at the airport where you will be met, and driven the fifteen minutes to the Medina, and then it is a ten minute walk, and the sights and sounds of Marrakesh will overwhelm you immediately.

 

Situated in the north east section of the Medina in Marrakesh this is a real escape from 21^st century life, and a blessed cool relief after the pressures of tourist days in the Medina where you can be pursued for what seems like hours on end!

 

Beautifully decorated, and each with its own feel, there are six rooms of which two are suites, although the double rooms are pretty amazing themselves.

One of the features of all the rooms are how comfortable .............

A Romantic Wedding Destination could be The Four Seasons Tented Camp in the Golden Triangle on the borders of Thailand. It is perfectly legal to get married in Thailand, so it should be perfectly possible to do the deed at the Four Seasons Tented Camp, which after all is an hotel anyway.

Even if the Romantic wedding destination were to be in a hotel in Bangkok, then the Golden Triangle would make such a fabulous romantic destination for a honeymoon.

 

Just getting to the Four Seasons Tented Camp in the Golden Triangle is a journey of which dreams are made of.

Even if it isn’t to be a romantic wedding destination you will be treated like royalty from the moment you arrive at Chiang Rai Airport, and escorted to your Land Rover for the one hour fifteen minute journey on dirt roads through jungle, bags carried refreshments and cold towels as well.

Arrival at a hut on the other side of the river from the Four Seasons Tented Camp, your luggage will vanish and reappear in your tent, life jackets will be donned, and you will board a traditional Thai Boat. You will see the Elephant Camp, where you will spend time with the elephants, and the Burma Bar where you will spend time with the cocktails watching the sunset over Burma!! You will be staggered that ...............

A Family Ski Holiday in France, or more precisely a family ski vacation in the Rhone Alps at Les Gets, staying in the most luxurious hotel that is the Ferme de Montagne is just about as good as it gets.

The Ferme de Montagne manages to create the atmosphere and accommodation of a top class ski chalet whilst in reality it is one of the very best small luxury hotels you may ever stay in.

 

A ski holiday, especially a family ski holiday be it in France or anywhere else, does require some specific things to ensure its success, and this isn’t just snow!! It isn’t even the weather conditions, or the quality of the slopes at the end of the day.

Children by and large will be happy whatever theweather as long as there is snow, and slopes, but for the parents, one of the absolute keys to a successful family ski vacation is the accommodation. This should preferably be luxurious, and as many of the hassles that having children along anywhere should if possible be reduced or even better removed altogether!!

 

It can be a lot less than fun getting children dressed for a day on the slopes, making sure they have all their layers on, boots, skis poles, you name it, there’s bound to be some small unimportant item that you forget like a ski pass. Then of course you will very quickly exhaust yourself carrying skis, queuing , making sure everyone is keeping up, with the result that you are exhausted before you get to ski yourself.

This is where the Ferme de Montagne changes everything .......

Lhasa China isn’t everybody’s idea of a vacation destination although Lhasa remains one of the most apparently remote mysterious, and even romantic places on earth. Once completely inaccessible it still isn’t easy to get to, and then when you do, there is the question of where do you find a decent Lhasa Hotel.

 

The House of Shambhala could well be the perfect answer, and whilst it may not be the perfect example of a luxury boutique hotel it nevertheless by anyone’s standards it is a unique small boutique hotel only recently opened in Lhasa Tibet, now of course in China. It is certainly vastly preferable to the faceless Chinese hotels to be found in Lhasa.

 

The House of Shambala is quite unlike anything that most people have ever seen in terms of it being an hotel.

It is situated in the Barkhor area in the historic heart of old Lhasa, and it looks like .............

If you are looking for an absolutely top French Riviera Hotel then look no further than the Chateau de Chevre d’Or perched high up in  the very heart of the very pretty village of Eze. In fact it seems to be almost just below cloud level, and has probably the finest views in all of the Mediterranean as it sits seemingly perched between the mountains and the sea.

 

What Riviera Hotel can possibly be its equal with a panorama such as this. The Chateau de Chevre d’Or   has its rooms and suites scattered through the village, and you are unlikely to find more elegant accommodation anywhere else in this part of the world.

If you decide to book the Chevre d’Or then take full advantage of what the hotel has to offer. It is the ideal place for a couple seeking a long getaway weekend, or a romantic break, or just a battery recharge for a few days. It is probably not a long stay family holiday place, if for no other reason it is jolly expensive but equally you certainly get what you pay for. The price has been described as .........

The Kruger National Park South Africa has long been the place to visit on a South Africa Safari Vacation. Then there is only one place to stay, and that is the Royal Malewane when you are on a South Africa Game Safari.

Yet having said that Game Drives are not the only reason to come here.

 

Royal Malewane will give you a range of actitivities from game drives to bush walks, spa treatments, and wonderful new gymnasium, and game watching from the verandah or the swimming pool. This is a real haven of peace and quiet  whilst being completely surrounded by the African Bush. This is why people who value their privacy come here.

 

Seclusion is the best word to describe the suites at the Royal Malewane. They are simply enormous with canopied King size beds, window sized Victorian baths, and indoor and outdoor showers, with views to die for from the suites. In addition they are air conditioned, and yet have a fireplace. There are six one bedroomed suites, and the two bedroomed Royal and Malewane Suites with their own personal butlers. Each suite is unforgettably old colonial Africa in concept.

To sit on your verandah and watch the splendours of Africa unfold in front of you is bewitching, because the fact that all the suites are raised up on stilts gives you the elevation to improve your view no end. The plunge pool of the suite might even be used by passing elephants to sneak a drink from it is that close up and personal.

Elevated walkways link...........

A Mauritius Luxury Holiday is a dream for most of us, and recently Mauritius has become a real place for a honeymoon. To honeymoon in Mauritius or to make a decision about which hotel to choose for your Mauritius Luxury Holiday can be tricky.

Shanti Ananda  originated in the Himalayas as a world class destination spa  which has transported itself to delightful Mauritius. Here in 36 acres at St Felix at the southern end of Mauritius, about 40 minutes from the airport, there is a heady combination of activity if you want, leisure if you don’t. There are fitness programmes, spa therapies, but the most important thing is that this is a real vacation getaway, a real escape from the pressures of life and probably one of the most perfect places to spend your honeymoon in Mauritius.

 

Shanti Ananda has a great choice of accommodations from forty four  junior ocean view suites,  then five  villas with pools, and a presidential villa,  with breathtaking views of the Indian Ocean, and surrounded by densely wooded hills.

All as you would imagine all are quite beautifully furnished and have all the modern equipment including plasma televisions and broadband internet connections.

Any honeymoon in fact any luxury holiday is made or ruined by the cuisine, and if you have chosen ..........

Jade Mountain Resort is a recent addition to the Luxury Hotel in St Lucia market, having been open since late 2006.

It is one of the most perfect places imaginable as a honeymoon resort, and whilst St Lucia can lay claim to be one of the world’s leading destinations, and a top honeymoon destination anyway, there is little doubt that for years to come Jade Mountain Resort will be the place for your St. Lucia Honeymoon.

 

This is an exclusive resort with a slight difference in that it is a luxury exclusive resort within a luxury resort. What that means is high above the Caribbean Sea yet still within the famed Anse Chastanet Luxury Resort.

Jade Mountain Resort is a really romantic place to be, and as a setting it is without equal in St Lucia, with 24 spectacular suites, starting with the Star, then the Moon, followed by the Sun, according to the floor space and the position, and therefore the price. The Sun has the best views.

Each suite is known as .........

A Great Mexico Travel Special should include time spent on the Mexico Caribbean Coast, where you will find so much to do and so many things to enjoy. You can easily organise a Mexico Vacation Package that will allow you to travel around Mexico seeing some of the Country’s amazing sights and then allow you to finish with a relaxing time on the Mexico Caribbean Coast.

Mexico there are spellbinding soft white sand beaches, and clear unpolluted turquoise blue seas. There are lagoons, coves and inlets, and that is the reason for the popularity with tourists, and many many thousands of Mexico vacation packages are sold every year to the Yucatan Peninsula. That is not to say it is all like Cancun and Cozumel, busy and energetic, because there are many other places of great charm..........

Finding the best lodges to stay in when you are on a Kenya Tanzania Safari is obviously a priority and fortunately very close to the border between the two countries is Shompole Lodge.

It sits on the Nguruman Escarpment overlooking the vast plains and volcanic hills of the Great Rift Valley in Kenya. In fact it is also very close to the soda Lakes Natron and Nagadi, and lies in the arid no man’s land between Kenya and Tanzania in a private conservancy in over thirty thousand acres, overlooking riverine forest and sun baked plains.

 

If eco tourism is something that matters to you, then the partnership between the owners of Shompole and the local Maasai people is beginning to show results in the goal of creating self sustaining tourism, and the animals are beginning to return in some numbers..

There are eight tented cottages, consisting of four doubles, two twins, and two suites with water being a feature. It flows from a natural spring through each room .................

An Egyptian vacation brings up images of the River Nile, the Valley of the Kings, and the thronging buzzing crowds, the heat, and the dust. The challenge is that with so many hotels to choose from, where do you stay.

This difficult choice has been settled once and for all since the Al Moudira rose out of the desert about five years ago, and has rapidly developed such a great reputation that it is now the place to stay when you pass through Luxor. It is a real luxury boutique hotel, without any equal in the whole of Egypt.

You should forget about the modern palaces you may have experienced before in Egypt, because at the Al Moudira you are going to feel you have taken a step back in time. The Al Moudira is like a cross between an old Beiruit Palace, and a Turkish Harem. 

Al Moudira is situated on the West Bank of the River Nile, and is an all suite property, with ................

The Otahuna Luxury Lodge in New Zealand, is hidden away in Tai Taipu just twenty minutes drive from Christchurch and is undoubtedly one of New Zealand’s finest hotels. It sits at the head of a secluded valley  and is a place to go to completely escape relax and unwind, and is a must stay at destination on any New Zealand Vacation.

Otahuna is an ideal stopping off point on your way to the Southern Alps, or the best place to stay to visit Christchurch and not be in the hustle and bustle of a city.

 

If you get the right time of the year then Otahuna is famous for its display of 20,000 golden daffodils in the springtime.

Otahuna Lodge has been named in the Tatler magazine as one of the world’s top 101 hotels.

The accommodation consists of................

The perfect family vacation has to be affordable, preferably luxury, and you have to be sure that the hotel you choose really does cater for your children, and even better gives the impression it likes them as well.

Le Beauvallon is such an hotel, and has been described as the best kept secret on the Riviera. It is just across the bay from St Tropez and is like being transported back in time. Le Beauvallon is an old world elegant hotel which will give you the perfect family vacation.

 

Le Beauvallon sits in the exclusive residential enclave of Beauvallon near Sainte Maxime overlooking the Bay of St Tropez. It sits in 10 acres of lush gardens, so you have plenty of space and tranquillity. The service here is very personal and you also have complete privacy. It is hard to believe you are in the heart of the Cote D’Azur.

If you feel the need, then the hotel has a speedboat which will .............

A Honeymoon Vacation Special requires very careful planning, and Cambodia may have been a place you haven’t considered. The Vietnam War and the Khmer Rouge are long gone and Cambodia is emerging as a holiday destination and it could be a very special place to spend a honeymoon.

 

Cambodia of course is the well known home of Angkor Wat with its magnificent temples, and the classical city of Phnom Penh but what many people don’t realise is that it has some fantastic beaches on the south coast and a great hotel in Sihanoukville called The Sokha Beach Hotel, and this is worth investigating as a great place to finish any Honeymoon vacation Special in Cambodia.

The Sokha Beach Hotel sits in 15 acres of beachfront garden on over a mile of the best white sand beach in Sihanoukville, and is the best hotel in Sihanoukville. It was voted amongst the best ...........

A beach vacation in Cambodia is just about the last thing you think of when the word Cambodia is mentioned . Your mind immediately goes to the magnificent Angkor Wat , or the palaces and war memorials of Phnom Penh.

Unbeknown to many on the south Coast of Cambodia are some great beaches, some as yet undeveloped beach resorts and some great hotel accommodation.

The beach resorts of Cambodia really must be part of any holiday in Cambodia.

 

Making a start in Sihanoukville where you will find an empty white sand beach, a clear blue sky and a blue-turquoise shimmering ocean. Cambodia once war torn is now at peace, and tourism is now a large part of the economy, but when the name Cambodia is mentioned, most people think of temples, and Angkor. At last the government in Cambodia has begun to see the huge sense in diversifying their tourism to include some wonderfully still unspoilt beaches.

First and foremost, to get to the south coast beaches from Phnom Penh it will take

Many people are looking for a Mexico Vacation Special but the brochures have too many choices, so before making any decision you need to check out the Maroma Resort  on the Mayan Riviera Mexico

 

You first realise that the Maroma Resort in the Mayan Riviera in Mexico is an absolutely top class Mexico Vacation Special is when you finish a short but quite worrying five minute ride through thick jungle on an unpaved road, once you leave the main tarmac road.

You really wonder quite what you will find at the end of the track, when you suddenly emerge into a courtyard that instantly reminds you of a Mexican hacienda, with white walls, and glimpses of thatched turrets. If you arrive in the dark, the floodlit courtyard is truly stunning, and the personal greeting by name further reinforces that this is somewhere special.

You see the sun shining off the pool, and are suddenly aware of a group of what you assume to be staff members awaiting your arrival, and it is only then that you realise they are staff members, and that this is the Maroma Resort  probably one of the absolutely best ...............

A Brazil Travel Package isn’t everyone’s first thought when planning a romantic getaway. The name of Buzios in Brazil may not be a familiar one to you, and yet it is a well known destination for the rich and famous about three hours north of Rio by car on the tip of a long peninsula. Once a sleepy village it lies alongside some of the most beautiful dune lined beaches, in fact there are twenty five of them in all, and each one picture postcard beautiful. Buzios was made famous in the sixties when Brigette Bardot named it as her favourite beach retreat.

Buzios also is the home of the delightful luxury boutique hotel called the Casas Brancas, which is a ................

All inclusive Family Vacation Packages and Luxury Holidays don’t somehow lie easily together. Most people’s vision of an all inclusive package is one of a large somewhat garish 21^st Century all singing all dancing hotel containing lots of people you wouldn’t want to be with.

 

What we have here is somewhat different.

Manda Bay is a small, very intimate, luxury resort set on an island close to Lamu on the Indian Ocean in North East Kenya. It only has sixteen spacious and secluded bandas, so even with this limited information, it is quite obviously a totally different prospect to the gin palace of nightmares.

 

If in your opinion all inclusive means big, and that means beautiful, then read no further because Manda Bay is the stuff that dreams are made of, but families who make this choice need to be aware that this is laid back luxury, but whilst there is plenty to do, there are no discos, night clubs, but rather peace, tranquillity and great unspoilt natural beauty. Best of all if this is your idea of heaven, then you will find the other guests are very much like you!!

The great thing about Manda Bay is not only ................

The perfect honeymoon getaway package could well be the romantic Four Seasons Hotel Sultanahmet Istanbul. It has everything a romantic honeymoon getaway hotel needs apart from ‘situation, situation, situation’, and it has that in abundance. You see if you choose Istanbul for your honeymoon getaway you need also to position yourself in the right place, and Sultanahmet is certainly all of that. Here you are right in the heart of historic old Istanbul so the unmissable spots like the Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia, the Hippodrome plus the Grand Bazaar are only a short distance away. Topkapi Palace is also close by and the Istiklal Cadesi with its multitude of small bars and tavernas beckons.

 

A great honeymoon getaway hotel does need more than exquisite neighbours, and the Four Seasons Hotel Sultanahmet has this and more as well.

It was created from a century old prison, and has just 65 guest rooms and suites which surround an open courtyard.

That in itself isn’t enough, but it is in the sheer quality of everything else from your suite to the attention to detail that sets the Four Seasons apart.

Get yourself picked up at the airport by the BMW 7 Series the hotel will send for you. You do want to impress on your honeymoon getaway, and there is nothing quite like being greeted by a man in uniform at an airport arrivals hall, complete with ...................

Istanbul the best known city in Turkey is without doubt Europe’s most exotic city, and is the ideal place to escape to for a weekend city break, or a romantic weekend getaway.

Istanbul  may be in Europe, but it has the greatest Mosque you may ever see.  It is split by huge expanses of the Bosphorus where Asia and Europe meet, and it isn’t expensive so is ideal for a cheap getaway.

 

It is important to see all the sights in Istanbul, and so your weekend Istanbul vacation needs careful planning, and you should plan to arrive in Istanbul as early as you can on a Friday, leaving as late as possible on a Monday, because you really need four days to see the sights whether it is for a weekend getaway or a romantic city break.

On day one .................

Many young couples have a tropical honeymoon vacation, and some take an African Safari Honeymoon to Tanzania or Kenya, and then urgently seek a peaceful quiet escape for the last few days, and this is where an Indian Ocean Island in the Mafia Archipelago off Tanzania called Chole comes in.

 

There are few better places to finally end up in than Chole Mijini Lodge which is the epitome of a romantic honeymoon getaway. This is never more true if you are very conscious of the damage that new holiday developments can do to the local environment or population, because Chole Mijini Lodge has developed with the best principles of eco tourism and benefiting local communities.

 

Chole Mijini Lodge is on a tiny fertile island called Chole, some twenty minutes sail from Mafia. It has been set up as a partnership with the owners Jean and Anne de Villiers and the people of Chole Village. In fact $10 per night per guest goes to resource community development projects, and this is working extremely well.

This has so far resulted in..........

If you are searching for an Exclusive Luxury Resort in Thailand that would be just right as a Honeymoon resort, or could be suitable as a family vacation resort, and you don’t want to be with masses of other people then you should take a close look at the area of Pran Buri close to Hua Hin, and particularly at the Aleenta Resort & Spa

 

The Aleenta is a small and intimate hotel with a variety of accommodation, from the Pool Suites which means a romantic bungalow by the sea with your own plunge pool, ideal for a romantic getaway or a honeymoon. There is the beachfront splendour of the Beach House, ideal for a party of four, or the Ocean Suites with indoor and outdoor living space. If you really want it special, then there is the Penthouse, totally romantic for honeymooners.

The Grand Villa with all the comforts of home, with the trappings of an exclusive luxury resort which is Aleena Resort & Spa.

For families there is...............

Old fashioned Caribbean accommodation is becoming rare, the Caribbean Inn or Guesthouse has not vanished entirely it isn’t often you will find one as charming as Julie and Isola’s Guest house on Bequia in the Grenadines.

 

Julie’s Guest House is in actual point of fact two guesthouses, one behind the other, and it is situated not far from the ferry landing pier in Port Elizabeth on Bequia., almost just across the road.

 

Typically Caribbean accommodation is simple, and perfect for the traveller who wants to visit the Caribbean, but doesn’t have much money to spend, but wants to experience the old fashioned holidaymaker’s lifestyle as opposed to the five star resort comforts and the life in a bubble that you get there.

 

Julie and Isola’s Guesthouse does exactly that. The accommodation is Caribbean, simple, clean and family run, in this case by the McIntoshes.who do a brilliant job from their own special rum punches to what is possibly the best kitchen on Bequia.

To stay at Julie’s which by the way is very famous throughout the Grenadines will cost $39 for a double with no meals, $54 if you include breakfast, and $78 including dinner, all figures in US$.

The meals are....................