UBQT is an revolutionary and new social wellbeing app that makes reconnecting along with your individuals in actual life straightforward. The app was formally launched in January 2024 and is now out there for obtain at https://joinubqt.com/
UBQT is not only one other app. It’s an environment friendly digital instrument that applies digital minimalism (no likes, no followers, no feed, no chat) and focuses completely on enhancing human connection by way of reconnection in particular person.
Located in North Lombok, Indonesia between the awe-inspiring Mount Rinjani volcano and the idyllic Gili Islands, The Sira, a Luxurious Assortment Resort & Spa, Lombok is slated to debut fall 2024 as Marriott Worldwide’s first luxurious property on the island.
Overlooking the white-sand Sira Seashore and a crystal-clear turquoise sea, The Sira will introduce travellers to tropical magnificence and enriching experiences. The 60-key resort will characteristic luxurious suites – all with ocean views – and expansive beachfront and personal garden-view villas with their very own non-public pool and terrace. For the last word splendour, visitors can go for the Presidential Suite or the Seashore Home, which offer panoramic ocean views and entry to a private butler to offer a seamless go to.
Hastings Accommodations’ Ballygally Fortress, uniquely positioned on the waters of the Antrim Coast, is thrilled to introduce its newest aquatic expertise, designed to encourage visitors to embrace the chilliness of the Irish shore: ‘Sauna by the Sea’. This newly launched in a single day bundle, very best for autumn and winter stays, allows visitors to refresh and revive the thoughts, physique and soul with an icy dip proper outdoors the charming four-star lodge – instantly adopted by a warming sauna expertise on the beachfront, courtesy of native firm, Scenic Sauna.
This new bundle follows the success of the lodge’s ‘Sea Dips & Hot Sips’ expertise which launched final yr. Alongside the icy chilly dip within the bracing Irish waters, visitors are handled to a shoreside pop-up sauna session to unwind in and showcase the great thing about being proper by the coast. As a part of this invigorating expertise, lodge visitors are supplied with dry robes, slippers and thermos flask full of a comforting heat beverage – which may be taken fireplace when returning to the lodge. Visitors may also have entry to the all ESPA merchandise to take pleasure in in a steaming scorching bathe in addition to a healthful full Irish breakfast for many who courageous the weather very first thing within the morning.
The whole lot you should plan your journey in 2024
Ker & Downey® Africa is introducing a brand new, Final Sensory Expertise. It affords bespoke itineraries from coast to coast in Africa that have interaction all 5 senses by way of unique, personalised adventures.
Visitors can take pleasure in luxurious lodging and personal transfers and revel in tailor-made experiences to their preferences, from artwork excursions to gourmand eating and safari explorations. This 12-14-day itinerary blends the African bush and seashore, promising an unparalleled sensory journey. Bookings are actually out there by way of Ker & Downey® Africa.
InterContinental Accommodations & Resorts model to return to Serbia after 20 years
IHG Accommodations & Resorts (IHG), one of many world’s main lodge corporations, proudly proclaims the return of its InterContinental Accommodations & Resorts model to Serbia after 20 years, in partnership with Delta Holding.
Anticipated to open by the top of 2026, InterContinental Belgrade will characteristic 203 rooms, together with 28 Premium Rooms, 15 Junior Suites, 2 Superior Suites, 2 Government Suites and a Presidential Suite with panoramic views of town, offering luxurious stays designed for each leisure and enterprise visitors.
Persevering with its pursuit of experiences that convey enhanced depth and intention to visitors’ lives, Patina Maldives, Fari Islands has introduced the most recent chapter of its perpetual signature occasions programme, Pathways.
Harnessing the facility of nature, wellness, exploration and creativity, Pathways seeks to encourage progress, relaxation and connection. From September 2024 to January 2025, visitors at Patina Maldives shall be indulged, impressed and invigorated by a Michelin-starred visiting chef; prestigious wines; residencies by a grasp healer, a professional tennis participant and an award-winning sound healer; a trio of unique performances by a famend musical duo; and an Italian meals popup.
Anantara Ubud Bali Resort has confirmed it is going to welcome its first visitors from 1st October 2024. Situated within the conventional hillside village of Payangan, a 1.5-hour drive from Bali’s worldwide airport and 35 minutes from the centre of Ubud by automobile, Anantara Ubud Bali Resort brings Anantara’s distinctive model of luxurious to the island’s lush jungle centre.
Visitors can select from 85 superbly appointed visitor rooms and one and two-bedroom pool villas, every a relaxing haven of serenity impressed by the tradition and traditions of the locale. Those that wish to keep longer have the chance to personal their very own slice of paradise with a selection of 15 Anantara residences, all providing the consolation and high quality Anantara is famend for
Singita has added a chic new five-bedroom residence to its celebrated assortment of exclusive-use villas. Singita Milele’s elevated location on Sasakwa Hill, within the thriving Western Hall of the Serengeti, affords panoramic views and invitations households and teams of associates to expertise the true essence of luxurious – house to unwind, join and have a good time – in probably the most iconic wilderness settings in Africa.
This extraordinary new villa affords uninterrupted views from its hilltop place – and its spacious configuration invitations households or teams of associates to take advantage of a completely immersive wilderness keep whereas in Tanzania.
Lençóis Maranhenses Nationwide Park has been formally designated as a Pure World Heritage Website by the United Nations Academic, Scientific and Cultural Group (UNESCO). This prestigious title elevates the park’s standing on the worldwide stage, underscoring its environmental significance and the crucial for its conservation.
The UNESCO committee introduced the designation, putting Lençóis Maranhenses alongside seven different acknowledged websites in Brazil. The park’s distinctive magnificence and its distinctive pure phenomena have been key components in attaining this honor. Marcelo Freixo, president of the Brazilian Company for Worldwide Tourism Promotion (Embratur), emphasised Maranhão’s distinguished place amongst prime worldwide vacationer locations in Brazil, notably for nature and journey tourism in Lençóis Maranhenses.
Sofitel, the worldwide French luxurious lodge model which is a part of Accor, has revealed the primary glimpse of the $60 million AUD transformation of landmark Australian lodge, the Sofitel Sydney Wentworth. The lodge is at the moment going by way of a lavish refurbishment, which incorporates upgrading its 436 visitor rooms and suites and creating a brand new eating precinct that includes two eating places and two bars.
A brand new luxurious conceal, one designed particularly to hide wildlife photographers from their topics, is ready to open in October at Mashatu, positioned inside Botswana‘s Northern Tuli Sport Reserve.
The Lala Limpopo Sleepout Conceal (Lala means sleep), described as a “one-of-a kind” sleep-out safari suite, is a joint mission between Mashatu and C4 Photograph Safaris. Constructed into the bottom at a waterhole previously referred to as Pete’s Pond, the conceal affords ground-level views of animals coming for a drink, usually only a few ft away.
AMANO Covent Backyard is thrilled to announce that Penelope’s, its famend in-house restaurant, has been named Greatest Luxurious Restaurant on the prestigious sixth Annual British Restaurant Awards. The occasion, held on Wednesday twenty eighth August 2024, at The Crown London Lodge, celebrated the best in UK eating, with Penelope’s standing out as a premier luxurious vacation spot within the coronary heart of London.
Situated within the vibrant Lodge AMANO Covent Backyard – the primary UK property from Berlin’s famend AMANO Group – Penelope’s affords a novel culinary expertise that brings collectively daring Spanish and Center Jap flavours. Led by Government Chef Fez Ozalgan, the menu is impressed by the Co-Founder’s upbringing between southern Spain and Tel Aviv, leading to dishes filled with creativity and coronary heart. Whether or not tucked into a comfortable sales space for an intimate dinner or sharing full of life moments with associates, Penelope’s creates a heat, welcoming vibe.
The brand new Wilderness Desert Rhino Camp is open! The reimagined camp continues to embrace its spectacular Damaraland surrounds, whereas celebrating its outstanding conservation achievements in serving to to safeguard one of many world’s final free-roaming populations of Critically Endangered black rhinos.
Providing an unique desert sanctuary, the camp additionally offers visitors with distinctive alternatives to trace rhinos on foot and by car with SRT guides. This immersive expertise allows nature-lovers to actively assist the conservation of Namibia’s black rhinos whereas experiencing the area’s numerous biodiversity, together with strong populations of Hartmann’s mountain zebra, southern giraffe, gemsbok (oryx), springbok, kudu and black-backed jackal. Sometimes, elusive predators equivalent to cheetah and leopard are noticed, in addition to an array of fascinating reptile and fowl species.
Minor Accommodations, a number one hospitality group with greater than 550 inns in 56 international locations, has introduced the arrival of the primary NH Accommodations & Resorts branded property within the Indian Ocean, with NH Maldives Kuda Rah Resort set to open its doorways on 01 September 2024.
Situated in South Ari Atoll, roughly 25 minutes by seaplane from the capital Malé, NH Maldives Kuda Rah will provide marine lovers unparalleled entry to among the world’s most spectacular diving and snorkelling websites. Proper of their yard holidaymakers will discover the legendary Kuda Rah Thila, an underwater pinnacle teeming with vibrantly colored gentle corals and frequented by majestic marine life like blue striped snappers, turtles, napoleons and even the occasional white tip or gray reef shark.
Viking® has introduced six new itineraries in Asia that can increase unique entry for visitors to Japan and China, with Tibet (Xizang) in 2025. The brand new voyages vary from 15 to 22 days and discover iconic locations in China, together with Shanghai, Beijing, Xi’an and Lhasa in Tibet (Xizang), in addition to Osaka, Japan.
The itineraries will proceed to spotlight rarely-seen locations and ports in China to which solely Viking has entry. Every voyage will provide visitors immersive destination-focused experiences, insightful lectures and regionally impressed delicacies. Now open for reserving, the brand new itineraries will function from September 2025 to November 2025 on the Viking Yi Dun—previously the Viking Solar—a sister ship that includes the identical award-winning design and repair as all different ocean ships in Viking’s fleet.
Pakistan introduces free visas for 126 international locations
Pakistan has launched free visas for 126 nationalities, in main modifications to the nation’s software course of. Beforehand it price round $60 and the system recurrently encountered delays and vacationers confronted unpredictable ready instances.
This could now change, with the Pakistani authorities additionally promising to cope with and reply to functions inside 24 hours. The overhaul comes as tourism is on the rise in nation and authorities figures present there was a 115% improve in worldwide guests in 2023, in comparison with the earlier yr.
The extremely anticipated Aurora season has begun in Fairbanks, as soon as once more providing guests and locals alike the chance to witness the awe-inspiring northern lights. Spanning August 21 to April 21, this eight-month viewing interval permits numerous alternatives to expertise the aurora borealis in all its glory.
Aurora season in Fairbanks is constant annually as a result of space’s prime location beneath the Auroral Oval, the place aurora exercise is concentrated. This advantageous place ensures that Fairbanks stays among the finest locations on Earth to view the Northern Lights, whatever the photo voltaic cycle.
Holland America Line is opening bookings for its 2026 Alaska cruise season. With six ships within the area, the cruise line is filling every voyage with experiences designed round vacationers’ prime causes to go to Alaska: an abundance of glacier viewings, a wide range of wildlife sightings, fascinating cultural programming and destination-centric eating.
From April by way of September 2026, Holland America Line will give visitors the choice to sail roundtrip from Seattle, Washington; roundtrip from Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada; or between Vancouver and Whittier (Anchorage), Alaska. Itineraries vary from seven to twenty-eight days and embrace the favored monthlong “Alaska Arctic Circle Solstice” crusing and a brand new 14-day choice roundtrip from Seattle.
IHG Accommodations & Resorts proclaims a partnership with Roxy-Pacific Holdings Pte Ltd – an actual property and hospitality chief in Asia Pacific – to introduce its Vignette Assortment model to the Maldives.
The conversion deal will see Noku Maldives, Vignette Assortment, a 50-key non-public villa resort on the idyllic island of Kudafunafaru, be a part of IHG’s Luxurious & Way of life portfolio, one of many world’s largest, in December 2024 after refurbishment beneath the Vignette Assortment model – a household of one-of-a-kind properties distinctive of their identities, but united by the imaginative and prescient to supply a extra genuine solution to journey and backed by the reassurance of IHG’s trusted fame and main loyalty provide.
Two South African websites, every comprising of a number of places, have been named as UNESCO World Heritage Websites on the forty sixth Session of the World Heritage Committee (WHC) held in New Delhi, India from 21-31 July 2024. This recognition affirms that these places in South Africa maintain “cultural and national heritage of outstanding value to humanity,” as said by UNESCO.
An impressive achievement that highlights the extremely wealthy historic and cultural background of South Africa, the websites be a part of an inventory of solely 10 different websites throughout the nation together with Robben Island, Maloti-Drakensberg Park and the Cape Floral Area Protected Areas.
Paul Johnson
Paul Johnson is Editor of A Luxurious Journey Weblog and has labored within the journey business for greater than 30 years. He’s Winner of the Improvements in Journey ‘Best Travel Influencer’ Award from WIRED journal. Along with different awards, the weblog has additionally been voted “one of the world’s best travel blogs” and “best for luxury” by The Telegraph.
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