TRAVEL NOTES
The ultimate wellness holiday service to launch
Desperate to recharge your batteries but tired of the usual yoga holidays? Enter Electric Bloom, a new, much buzzed-about wellness travel company launching in August. Traditional wellness activities – such as yoga, trekking and Pilates – are combined with fabulous locations and “uplifting” experiences such as opera outings, supper with the Masai warriors, or a memorable encounter with nature. One example is the “Spafari” – a holiday that combines a safari with spa treatments in Kenya. To book, email info@ electricbloom.co.uk, or call 020 8442 1364. www.electricbloom.co.uk will be live from 1 August.
Spend Ramadan in style in Beirut
Combine luxury with a great cultural/religious experience at Beirut’s swanky new boutique hotel, Le Gray. The Ramadan package includes a Souhour for those fasting, access to the PureGray Health Club and Spa and roof-top swimming pool, and fresh fruit and flowers in the room. The hotel’s restaurants and bars will offer special Ramadan menus – the elegant Gordon’s Café will add a traditional Iftar menu on a daily basis and room service will serve both a Souhour and an Iftar menu. Ramadan Package from $345 in a Deluxe room based on two people sharing. Valid 11 Aug–7 Sep 2010. To book, call +961 1 96 28 28 or go to www.campbellgrayhotels.com.
Holiday in the Holy Land with new Discover Israel tour
Superstar Holidays, El Al Israel Airlines’ subsidiary, has launched a fabulous new package for those who want to thoroughly experience Israel’s cultural and historical splendours. Week-long tours are led by supremely well-informed, friendly local guides, who will help you explore Jerusalem’s old city. You’ll also see Mount Zion, the Western Wall, Stations of the Cross, and far more. Then you’ll go to the biblical strongholds of Massada, the Dead Sea and the Sea of Galilee, Nazareth, Jericho and Acre; and to Haifa, Tel Aviv and Jaffa. £1,067 per person, including flights with El Al, half-board for seven nights, transfers and entrance fees. To book, call 020 7121 1500, www.superstar.co.uk.
Mandarin Oriental Singapore’s idyllic new swimming pool
Singapore’s premier business hotel has a new and improved swimming area that will make your stay more like holiday than work. The revamped 25-metre pool, with Italian glass mosaics and underwater benches, is surrounded by a lush tropical landscape with views of Singapore’s skyline. Lining the upper deck of the swimming pool are five well-appointed, Oriental-inspired private cabanas, each one equipped with controlled dimmer lighting, a ceiling fan, iPod dock, Wi-Fi connectivity and an on-call button for the food and beverage service. The perfect office, in other words. www.mandarinoriental.com/singapore.