Rent an African villa for an exclusive safari experience

by Kraig Becker on

Renting a private villa, isn’t a new concept for travelers. In fact, many have been doing it for years in a variety of countries throughout Europe. But now, Kensington Tours is bringing the same concept to southern Africa, delivering a unique take on the experience by offering up luxury villas and safari houses for their clients.

According to Kensington travel expert Brad Crockett, a number of luxury villas have begun appearing in both South Africa and Botswana already, and he predicts that it’ll become a very popular option for families or groups of friends traveling together. These rental houses offer all the luxurious (and then some) of home, but in close proximity to some of the best safari destinations on the planet, allowing you to escape to the wild during the day, then return to a comfortable chateau, complete with a deck, pool, modern kitchen, and luxurious beds.

Kensington, who specializes in luxury adventure travel, has a new safari option that includes a stay at the exclusive Ellerman Villa. The ten day trip offers visitors a glimpse at Zimbabwe, Zambia, and South Africa, and includes a number of unique options that aren’t found on any other trip of this kind. For instance, the journey beings with a visit to Victoria Falls and proceeds to South Luangwa, one of the best places in Africa to spot wildlife. Later, back in Cape Town, the travelers will visit the Cape of Good Hope, take a tour of wine country, and trek up Table Mountain. Check out the full itinerary by clicking here.

Having already gone on the traditional African safari a few years back, the thought of gathering up some good friends and renting a villa for a week sounds really appealing. Spending the day on game drives and then retiring to our rental home for the evening for some good food and a bottle of wine sounds like a fantastic escape, and a great alternative to spending the night in a crowded camp site.

Blogger Joel Bullock

by Joel Bullock on

Introducing another new blogger at Gadling, Joel Bullock . . .

Where was your photo taken? My photo was taken at Carowinds in Charlotte, North Carolina. I’m standing in front of a piece of roller coaster track from the Intimidator.

Where do you live now? I live in North Carolina. It’s not only a great place to live, but it’s also within a day’s drive of many of the best theme parks in America.

Scariest airline flown: I’ve flown a good bit for work and for pleasure. Ironically, my first flight ever was by far the scariest. It was a short flight from BWI to Buffalo in a little commuter jet that was being tossed around by a stormy night. I’m sure it didn’t help that it was my first flight, but I haven’t experienced a ride half as turbulent in all my travels since.

How did you get started traveling? I got started traveling to theme parks in my early 20’s. I visited them occasionally as a kid, but I was terrified of roller coasters for most of my childhood. On a trip to my local theme park I was dragged onto the park’s full lineup of coasters by my high school girlfriend. After that day I was hooked. I have now traveled to more than 30 amusement parks all over the United States.

Favorite city/country/place: It’s tough to pick just one. My favorite theme parks are the Busch Gardens parks in Tampa, Florida and Williamsburg, Virginia. Both parks are beautifully themed, have world-class roller coasters, and provide a top-notch guest experience.

Most remote corner of the globe visited: I ventured deep into a wild cave in West Virginia. It was an other-worldly experience.

Favorite guidebook series: I don’t use guidebooks for my trips. I mainly rely on the Web for my theme park travel research.

Most recent trip: My last theme park trip was to Kings Dominion where I rode my 200th roller coaster. I grew up going to the park, but I hadn’t been back in six years. It worked out that Intimidator 305, one of the tallest roller coasters in the World, was my 200th. So, it was a pretty neat homecoming.

The ideal vacation is… I would love to visit all of the great theme parks in Europe. An ideal vacation would be a two-week odyssey where I’d bounce from park to park everyday. It would be the theme park version of The Amazing Race, minus the challenges, prize money, and Phil Keogahn.

Person you’d most like to interview for Gadling? I would love to interview my favorite steel and wooden roller coaster designers. Famed Swiss designers Walter Bolliger and Claude Mabillard (known as B&M) would be my top pick. Their revolutionary steel creations have had a profound effect on the amusement industry. Not to mention, they’re a lot of fun. It would also be a thrill to interview American-based wooden roller coaster designers, The Gravity Group. They’ve found ways to make an old dog, wooden coasters, do some really cool new tricks.

Daily Pampering: Luxury villa properties in Anguilla from $30,000 a week

by Melanie Nayer on

Picture it: You’re relaxing in the Caribbean, overlooking the idylllic white sand beaches and breathtaking cliffs in the distance. You suddenly have an urge for conch fritters and a Hurricane, and thanks to the $30,000 a week you just spent on your private villa in Anguilla, you won’t have to go far to get it.

Two brand new luxury villa properties, Ani Villas, opened in Anguilla offering guests the feeling of a “private island” experience, with all the luxe amenities of a world-class all-inclusive resort.

The Villas, designed by the award-winning architect Lee Skolnick, are decorated in dramatic contemporary style and feature three master bedrooms and two twin guest rooms. They can be rented together as The Estate, a 25,000 square foot compound or individually (five night minimum); and come with an extensive list of high-end amenities including:

  • Dedicated personal staff
  • Complimentary rental car
  • Alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages
  • House wines, provisions purchasing and more.

Want it? You can have it. Ani Villas in Anguilla are available from $30,000 a week if you book before December 1, 2010. High season rates go as high $40,000 for the week.

Want more? Get your daily dose of pampering right here.

80 gigapixel London panorama breaks city photo record

by Scott Carmichael on

What you see above is the result of an 80 gigapixel panaormic photo of London. The photo was shot in the summer of 2010 from the top of the Centre Point building.

Using 7886 individual images, the creator turned them into a single image. If you look closely at the right image, you’ll barely make out the London Eye – the image on the left if what you see of the London Eye when you zoom all the way in. This shows just how much detail was captured in the picture.

Go ahead and head on over to the site and spend some time browsing your way through one of the most beautiful cities in the world.

Other panorama photos we’ve covered in the past include Prague (18 gigapixels), Paris (26 gigapixels), Dubai (45 gigapixels) and Budapest (70 gigapixels).

[Photo from 360Cities.net / Jeffrey Martin]

Airplane food with a luxurious twist: Lufthansa, Ritz-Carlton team up for in-flight entrees

by Melanie Nayer on

You’re used to fine dining in luxury hotels, but is it possible for fine dining to take place in-flight? First-class travelers are no stranger to white tablecloth service at 38,000-feet – hot meals replace boxed sandwiches and bags of peanuts; wine is served instead of the half a can of Coke you get in coach. Now, a new trend is taking place up in the air – hotels are partnering with airlines to create in-flight meals prepared by top Michelin-starred chefs that represent local flavors in top markets.

Case in point: Ritz-Carlton and Lufthansa.

The luxury hotel group and the German airline have been in partnership for over a year, but recent changes to the airplane food menu mean not only a decent meal, but an impressive marketing campaign. The unique partnership between Ritz-Carlton and Lufthansa gives guests flying in premium seats specially-created dishes by award-winning chefs from various Ritz-Carlton hotels, which in turn keeps the hotels top of mind to flyers.

Chef Bernd Schmitt of LSG Sky Chef team works directly with Ritz-Carlton chefs to create and deliver the unique in-flight meals. Denver, Laguna Nigel, New York City, Boston, and San Francisco hotels have already been presented, and now South Beach joins the mix, added a little Latin flare to the in-flight fun. The Miami in-flight menu features everything from black bean soup and queso fresco to sautéed snapper, spiced tomato “enchilado”, and pepper and tomato “sofrito” stew.The program has been so successful for domestic hotels, Ritz-Carlton tells me they are planning to introduce menus created by chef’s in international markets.

“This past July, The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company expanded its relationship with Lufthansa’s Star Chefs program. Specifically, our hotel and chef in Shanghai has developed First and Business Class menus for flights to and from Germany to Shanghai, Hong Kong, Beijing, Nanjing and Guangzhou,” said Victoria Gottlieb, Director, Partnerships and Strategic Alliances, for The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, LLC. “Asia is a critical region of growth for the Ritz-Carlton so we are very happy to have such a strong presence in Lufthansa’s Asia flight network.”

The menus, which will be created by chefs from The Portman Ritz-Carlton, Shanghai, will be on board for 12-months. Lufthansa’s own sommelier, Markus Del Monego, will consult with the Ritz-Carlton chefs to create a wine list that marries the flavors of the food with the best global vintages.

What pairs well with spiced ceviche, duck confit, sherry vinaigrette; a vegetarian plate of seared watermelon, and goat cheese mousse with a Banyuls glaze and crushed pistachio nuts? That’s for the airline and hotel to figure out. In the meantime, the collaboration between Ritz-Carlton and Lufthansa leaves premium-seat flyers satisfied, and keeps the concept of good food and experience top of mind in-flight.

We want to know what you think: Would you be more inclined to visit a hotel after tasting the chef’s in-flight creations on a flight?