Hyatt continues global expansion of Andaz hotels

by Melanie Nayer on

Hyatt’s boutique brand, Andaz, is climbing its way up the hotel chain and making an impact on travelers. The response to Andaz has been bountiful, so much so that Hyatt announced today the company will add three new Andaz properties in Sanya Sunny Bay, China; Delhi, India; and Providenciales, Turks and Caicos.

Andaz, which has only been operating for three years, is Hyatt’s new hotel concept that caters to the urban professional seeking a more trendy experience without luxury prices. The new international properties will join Andaz Liverpool Street, London, Andaz West Hollywood, Andaz Wall Street and Andaz San Diego, the soon-to-be-opened Andaz 5th Avenue New York; Andaz Austin, Texas; Andaz Amsterdam; and Andaz Papagayo, Costa Rica.

The 183-room Andaz Sanya Sunny Bay will be the first Andaz property to feature a resort community. It’s located on the southern oceanside of China’s Hainan Island, and will stand next to the 196-room Park Hyatt Sanya Sunny Bay and branded villas. Andaz Sanya Sunny Bay will offer five restaurants, as well as a 2,500-square-foot ballroom and three meeting rooms. The hotel will share a variety of amenities with Park Hyatt Sanya Sunny Bay, including a Spa Village featuring an outdoor swimming pool, beach club, fitness center, extensive spa facilities and treatment rooms, as well as a restaurant, tea house, and bakery.Andaz Delhi is scheduled to open its 323-rooms and 118 Andaz-branded apartments in 2013. The hotel will feature a variety of amenities including a lounge, theme bar, two restaurants, spa, and fitness center. Additionally, the property will offer a 7,000-square-foot ballroom and seven meeting rooms. This will be Andaz’s first project in India.

The last of the three new properties, the 170-room Andaz Turks and Caicos, will open in 2014 and will include approximately 76 Andaz-branded condominium residences and three villas which owners can choose to place into an Andaz-managed rental program. The hotel will feature a variety of amenities including several restaurants, an outdoor pool, spa and fitness center. Additionally, the property will offer several options for events and meetings, including five Andaz Studios, two trellised courtyards, an event gallery, and a studio display kitchen. The hotel, which will be developed by the Cloisters Group, will be located approximately 15 minutes by car from Providenciales International Airport.

Daily Pampering: July 4 at Jumby Bay

by Melanie Nayer on

You could spend Independence Day gathered around the BBQ, watching Uncle Ed perform his new party tricks, keeping the dog from jumping on the food table, and hiding the adult fireworks from the kids. Or, you could spend July 4 at Jumby Bay, a Rosewood Resort on the beautiful island of Antigua, sipping Caribbean cocktails following your oceanside massage. Seems like a no brainer to us…

Jumby Bay created summer packages for travelers looking for a little luxury during travel’s busiest season. The Jumby The American Way offer is a four-night summer getaway spiced-up with Caribbean flare including:

  • Four-nights’ accommodations in a newly renovated suite
  • Roundtrip Airport Transfers
  • Breakfast, lunch, dinner, afternoon tea, cocktails and house wine daily
  • Two one-hour massages at NEW Sense, A Rosewood Spa®
  • Culinary Welcome Amenity – an Antiguan twist on an all-American classic!
  • Package priced from $4,560 (inclusive) in a Beachside Courtyard Suite; rates based on double occupancy.

While you’re here, indulge in board games on the beach, an afternoon ice cream at the Jumby Bay Beach Bar, and the new “Burger Mania” menu featuring exotic takes on the traditional favorite. Jumby Bay will also be offering special theme nights for guests including a sunset cocktail cruise, a lobster bake and bonfire on the beach, a cooking demonstration with Executive Chef Juan Pablo Loza, and a chance to “turtle watch” on Pasture Bay Beach, the site of the resort’s exclusive Hawksbill Turtle Program.

Put away the stars-and-stripes sunglasses, hide the lighter fluid and pack your bags. As for the fireworks? You’re on vacation – make your own!

Want more? Get your dose of Daily Pampering right here.

Rio Mar Beach Resort & Spa debuts “World’s Spiciest Drink”

by Melanie Nayer on

This drink is no joke.

The Fire Pit Bloody Mary is part of the Wyndham’s Rio Mar Beach Resort & Spa’s new “Caliente Cocktails” and the Puerto Rico hotel is already staking claim that it’s the spiciest drink in the world.

The Fire Pit Bloody Mary’s key ingredient is the fiery Indian bhut jolokia chile pepper. It boosts a ranking of more than one million Scoville units (the measurement of ‘spicy’ heat) and the pepper has been ranked by Guinness World Records as the world’s hottest.

“If you think you’ve already tasted the hottest Bloody Mary in the world, you’re wrong,” said Danna Holck, general manager of Wyndham Rio Mar. “If you’re man-or woman-enough to drink one, we’ll give you a second Fire Pit on us.” It’s a nice offer, but after you use the fire extinguisher (which comes courtesy of the hotel when you order a drink) to put out the blaze in your mouth, can you really stand another one? For only $10, maybe you’re brave enough…

For those of you not quite ready to taste this spice of life, the “Caliente Cocktails” menu also includes an assortment of $10 drinks including the Volcano (a concoction of brandy, sweet and sour mix and orange juice); Fire Ball (cinnamon schnapps and Tabasco); and the Fire and Ice (rum, grenadine, vodka and blue curacao).

Caliente Cocktails are only available at the hotel’s new fire pit – the inspiration for the new drink menu – which is located at Wyndham Rio Mar’s Tiki Grill overlooking the beach. If you’re brave enough to taste this concoction, let us know how it was (and how you’re feeling).

Five idyllic Caribbean backwaters

by Alex Robertson Textor on

Beyond the Caribbean’s all-inclusive resorts, casinos, overpriced restaurants, and huge crowds are a handful of islands that have escaped mass development. These quiet islands, with their tiny populations and scattered tourist facilities, are not headed for mass-tourism overdevelopment anytime soon, and for a range of reasons-in some cases, the absence of an adequate expanse for a large runway; in others, proximity to more developed islands, or local governmental resistance, or even a decently profitable traditional economy that generates more money than tourism. For whatever reason, these backwaters should remain charming and relatively quiet for some time to come. Let your castaway fantasy flag fly.

1. Anegada, British Virgin Islands.

Geographically and geologically apart from the rest of the Virgin Islands, Anegada is a limestone-based island with enormous stretches of perfect white-sand beaches. It’s hard to top Anegada’s Loblolly Bay or Cow Wreck beaches for their achievement of ideal beach status. There may be things to do on the island above and beyond lazing on the beach in a rum haze, but you’ll surely never need to discover them. Think Anguilla without the crowds (let alone the celebrities) and you’ve got a good sense of the island. Anegada can be reached by ferry from Tortola or charter plane.

2. Barbuda, Antigua & Barbuda.

Barbuda boasts some of the Caribbean’s best and least-trafficked beaches, a noteworthy frigate bird preserve, a fascinating cave complex, and Lighthouse Bay, one of the Caribbean’s most thrillingly perfect resorts. That the island hasn’t been developed to pieces seems a miracle when one contemplates how many Caribbean islands with less remarkable beaches manage to be vastly more developed. Barbuda can be reached by air and ferry from Antigua-or, if you’re lucky enough to be a guest of Lighthouse Bay, by helicopter.
3. Little Cayman, Cayman Islands.

A far cry from Grand Cayman and its densely-packed Seven Mile Beach district, Little Cayman boasts utter and complete quiet. With fewer than 200 residents, it is a backwater by any standard. Most visitors come to dive or check out the island’s interior nature preserve. The island’s beaches are not the region’s best, although locals will help direct visitors to good swimming and sunning spots. Little Cayman can be reached by air from Grand Cayman and Cayman Brac.

4. Marie-Galante, Guadeloupe.

Mass tourism has never taken off on rum-producing Marie-Galante, a quick flight (or turbulent catamaran ride) from Pointe-à-Pitre. There are a handful of hotels on the island, though it is Marie-Galante’s friendly gîtes, operated by local residents, that really stand out. Activities include countryside exploration, rum distillery visits, and of course the island’s truly extraordinary beaches (see above.) The only downside of this relaxed rural idyll is the formidable mosquito population. Be prepared.

5. Mayreau, St. Vincent & the Grenadines.

Tiny Mayreau is situated halfway down the Grenadines archipelago. The island boasts an extraordinary stretch of beach and a hilltop stone church with phenomenal views. Accommodations are restricted to one upscale resort and a cluster of simple locally-run guest houses. There is no airstrip on Mayreau. The island can be reached by ferry, water taxi, or private boat.

(Image: Flickr/origine1)

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Florida hotels fend off concerns about oil spill; offer volunteer programs for cleanup efforts

by Melanie Nayer on

As news of the Gulf of Mexico oil spill continues, Florida businesses are working to reassure travelers it’s safe to visit the Sunshine State.

Environmentalists, scientists and engineers are working on solutions to stop the spill, and now Florida hotels are jumping in to help rebuild the disastrous effects the spill has had on tourism to the area. While the BP oil spill has been somewhat contained to a section of the coast, the entire state of Florida has weathered the storm of panic from travelers. Lemon Tree Inn, for example, has had cancellations due to the oil spill but the hotel’s location in Naples, Fla. is no where near the oil spill.

So, what’s the reality of the spill? There’s no denying that the oil spill is a huge environmental issue, but the good news is that many of Florida’s beaches aren’t affected, which means travelers should think twice before canceling their vacation plans.

Hotels in the Florida Keys like Ocean Key Resort and Little Palm Island Resort are using their Facebook pages to update travelers and guests on the status of nearby beaches. Little Palm, for example, has posted photos of their beaches on Big Pine Key, and even included snapshots of guests swimming and kayaking in the water. Representatives from Lemon Tree Inn tell me that if the oil hits, the hotel will create a volunteer package for guests to help the cleanup efforts.

Meanwhile, some Florida hotels are already hosting volunteer packages to aid in the cleanup efforts. Morgans Hotel Group in South Beach is offering 25 percent off to guests who volunteer with the oil spill cleanup efforts. Contribute at least 20 hours to a local environmental group working with the oil spill and you’ll get 25 percent off at South Beach Mondrian, Delano and Shore Club. All volunteers who book under this package will also experience their discounted stay green-style in a carbon balanced room. Mondrian Delano & Shore Club have purchased renewable energy from EarthEra® who will carbon balance every room booked under this special. Every penny spent with EarthEra® is used to build more renewable energy facilities across the nation.

Want to help? To volunteer call 866.448.5816.