Discover two of the most renown cities of Italy – Florence and Verona.
Package Includes:
- Minimum of three nights shared between Palazzo Victoria and Il Salviatino
- Daily à la carte breakfast
- Two complimentary one-way first class train tickets between Verona & Florence (or vice versa)
- Complimentary room upgrade subject to availability
- A bottle of Prosecco in the room at Il Salviatino
- A welcome amenity in-room and a welcome cocktail each at Palazzo Victoria
Valid until 28th December, 2013.
More Information and Booking

Special Rate: Suites for $440.00 per night until October 15th 2013
A gracious lavishly restored historic Hacienda in Mexico’s picturesque highlands, Hacienda de San Antonio enjoys lush formal gardens open to vast expanses of unspoiled natural beauty. The eternal spring like weather is perfect for enjoying a wide range of outdoor activities while the Hacienda becomes the stage for fine dining, socializing or just relaxing. And all of this done with the Hacienda’s high level of personalized and friendly service. The Hacienda is reached in two hours from Manzanillo or 2.5 hours from Guadalajara.
The 22 suites of the Hacienda de San Antonio reflect the rich traditions of Mexico’s arts and crafts. Works by some of the country’s leading artisans are on display and each suite is individually decorated, creating unique spaces with their own fascinating stories.
Contact
Hacienda de San Antonio
San Antonio
Comala, Colima, Mexico 28463
Tel: 1 866 516 2611
Email: reservations@haciendadesanantonio.com
Website: www.haciendadesanantonio.com

With the launch this season’s new and incredibly popular television drama on Starz, Da Vinci’s Demons, the magnificent city of Florence is in full focus. Florence has become a bounty of Leonardo Da Vinci treasure ripe for the finding. Complementing any sojourn into the birthplace of the Renaissance movement would be a stay at Il Salviatino where accommodations approach masterpieces preserved through the centuries.
While Da Vinci may not have slept here, Il Salviatino was certainly around in the artista’s day. In the 14th century, the noble Florentine Salviati family, bankers to Pope Sixtus IV, built this opulent country villa on the outskirts of Florence. Today the imposing mansion with its myriad art-infused chambers and eleven acres of sculptured gardens remains – now one of the finest hotels in Italy and a true treat for all the senses.
A renovation in 2010 exposed long lost frescoes painted on ceilings and walls and other hidden secrets as the property reopened as a hotel with 45 exquisitely designed accommodations. Find luxurious linens, valuable antique furnishings, original art, 14th century appointments and a choice of chambers that range from The Affresco Suite (comes with your own private frescoes) to the Salviati Suite, which offers multi-level spaces and a private rooftop terrace overlooking Florence, to the Tegliacci Suite with its enormous fireplace, to fantastical greenhouses cottages of glass located in the garden.
Dining is also part of the Il Salviatino experience through its gourmet restaurants serving local Tuscan favorites with innovative twists. The hotel holds an annual truffle foraging and wine-tasting celebration in the fall. SPA Il Salviatino, is over 6,000 square feet and offers a wide range of treatments using cosmetology products from the Dr. Vranjes Laboratory. It’s all happening just a few miles outside of the bustle of Florence in the cypress-covered hills of Fiesole. The hotel offers complimentary transport for guests to the center of town, around 15 minutes away.
Visitors looking for signs of Da Vinci may also find a little Giotto, Michelangelo, Dante and Brunelleschi as well, but the life of the extraordinary polymath can be traced in a number of iconic spots in every section of Florence.
The Museum of Leonardo da Vinci, is a good place to start. There, visitors can see life-size models of the artist’s ideas, as well as inventions — from the famed glider that sought to copy birds in flight to his war machine designs, specifically a tank carved from wood.

Then there is the Uffizi Gallery (pre-reserved tickets recommended), one of the oldest art museums in the Western world. Da Vinci’s “Annunciation” and “The Adoration of the Magi,” are on view in a gallery that also houses “The Baptism of Christ,” attributed to Verrocchio and da Vinci, and numerous works by Giotto, Botticelli, Michelangelo, Rafael, Titian and Tintoretto.
It is said that the Palazzo Vecchio hides a da Vinci treasure: “The Battle of Anghiari” is rumored to be covered by one of Vasari’s frescoes (tipped off by the words “Seek and you shall find” in one of his paintings). And then when it is time to return to this century, Florence presents a bounty of modern artwork, found primarily through the artists of fashion — Gucci, Pucci and Cavalli got there starts in Florence as did Ferragamo. Prada, Chanel, Armani and others also keep their signature in the city with glossy boutiques on Via Tornabuoni.
A stay at Il Salviatino does not require being a Medici. The property is running a number of special deals and discounts this season, including an “I Love Mondays” offer that brings a 50 percent discount on any Monday during a stay of at least three nights. Also, in time for the spring and summer blooms, Il Salviatino is offering a 30 percent discount on Greenhouse Suites with bookings of two nights or more. Click here for full range of specials. Average room rates at Il Salviatino start at around $600 per night.
Il Salviatino, Florence, Italy
(+011 39) 055 904-1111
info@salviatino.com
www.salviatino.com
Kurtz-Ahlers & Associates– Curator of undiscovered luxury travel locales with insider info and news from our worldwide portfolio of hotels, wellness retreats, and eco-resorts. View our portfolio on our Online Directory.
Sign up for our monthy newsletter for the latest exclusive offers and news from around the globe, follow us on twitter, like us on facebook or follow us on Pinterest.
www.kurtzahlers.com
Retreat to an intimate coral island in a sparkling lagoon, with jetties threading across the water out to spacious over-sized villas.
Enjoy 1 complimentary night with minimum 3 nights stay between 6 May and 30 September 2013.
Rates Include:
- Accommodation of choice
- Non-motorized water sports activities
- Sunset cocktail party (Tuesday’s only)
- Regular Yoga and Tai Chi sessions
- Steam & sauna at Meera Spa
- Bottled drinking water
- Wireless internet access

Terms & Conditions
Applicable for bookings made via website at Best Available Rate
100% non-refundable payment required at the time of confirmation
Date changes allowed 21 days prior to original arrival date, subject to availability
Children up to 2 years stay free in parents room when using existing beds in room. Children aged 12 years and older are fully charged.
For reservation or more information, please contact:
Tel: +960 664 0304
Fax: +960 664 0305
Email: info@gili-lankanfushi.com
Gili Lankanfushi, Maldives
Lankanfushi Island, North Malé Atoll
Republic of Maldives
Frégate Island Private provides a truly unforgettable tropical island experience for discerning guests of all ages: unparalleled privacy, with only 16 residences plus Banyan Hill Estate; impeccable service; and the freedom to enjoy the beautiful, natural Indian Ocean haven their way… as they like to put it, “anything, anywhere, anytime”!
Special Offer:
• For new last minute bookings with travel dates from May 1 – June 30, 2013, receive one complimentary arrival helicopter from Mahé per villa. A minimum of 5 paying nights is required; the offer is combinable with the below.
• “Stay 6, Pay 5” for new bookings with travel dates from 01 May to 30 September 2013.
For more information and reservations, please contact reservations@fregate.com or call us on +27-21-556 999 84.


Considered the Crossroads of the Americas, Panama is no stranger to the pace of international business and, in fact, has been growing at a clip of 9 percent a year. But hotel companies are not sitting in the dust. The Bristol Hotel in Panama City has put its print upon this city’s gleaming skyline and is able to offer visitors all they would expect from a city that is fast anchoring a reputation as the mini-Dubai of the west.
The property sits squarely in the center of things — located in the heart of Panama City’s financial district. The Bristol Panama is a short walk to Balboa Avenue and close to great shopping, golf courses, entertainment, and cultural pursuits. Among them, the legendary Panama Canal, Casco Viejo, Panama Viejo, Metropolitan National Park, and the Bio-Museum designed by Frank Gehry.
Some 80 international banks have developed branches in this area and visitors benefit from Panama’s easy entry, which allows guests from the US and Europe (among many other regions) to visit without a visa and stay for six months. And when they visit, they find the familiarity and comfort they require amid the Bristol’s 158 guest rooms, suites, and residences decked out with the sweet necessities of life: Frette cotton sheets, Hungarian down-filled pillows, luxurious duvets, Molton Brown toiletries, modern high-tech amenities, and an alert and attentive personal butler.

Residences at Bristol Panama range from 814 square feet to 1,826 square feet on the 15th – 24th floors, providing sweeping views of the Panama City skyline and Panama Bay with living room, dining room and kitchen vantages.
![Bristol Tower Deluxe[1]](http://www.kurtzahlers.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/Bristol-Tower-Deluxe1-1024x683.jpg)
And then there is the Spa at Bristol, offering such heady treatments as the Obsidian Stone Healing massage, the Volcano Touch, and the Anton Valley Mood in surroundings of gold and silver tones to attract the sun and moon energies.
Dining at Salsipuedes is international but guests can immerse in the soul foods of the city there as well where Panamanian cuisine soaks in the flavors of Afro-Caribbean, French and Spanish influences. The restaurant serves more than 70 varieties of rum, but when in Panama, the local raw white rum, Seco, is the national liquor and Seco con leche (with milk) a favorite libation in the countryside.

Beyond the Bristol, Panama comes alive with a chorus of faces that make this land bridge between the northern and southern hemispheres a magical destination.
First there are the must-do’s: the Panama Canal, Panama Viejo, Casco Antiguo (also known as Casco Viejo, a UNESCO site) and the jungles surrounding the Canal area. The land tells of a dramatic time line that dates back to 1519 and with places that have been conquered and rebuilt by Spanish conquistadors, pirates, fortune seekers, financiers, and now captains of industry over the centuries. Panama Viejo remains Panama City’s artistic center with an international appeal and recurrent art events and shows such as the annual Panama Jazz Festival, International Music Festival, and Sobresaltos Dance Festival.
“Panama is like a rebellious teenager,” says Al J. Petrone, CEO, Bristol Hospitality Group. “The city is like Las Vegas was 30 years ago, bright, alive, continuously reinventing itself.”

To showcase the culture, the beaches, the amazing rainforest treasures and the colorful, if not intense, history of the land and the canal that Panama operates, Bristol Panama has rolled out several value-laden and activity-packed packages that make visiting Panama, experiencing Panama and staying in Panama a breeze. These include a City Tour Package, A Chagres River & Embera People Package, a Panama Canal Rainforest Boat Adventure Package, and a Path Between the Seas Package.
The Bristol Panama is an easy 12 miles from Tocumen International Airport (PTY) and walkable to most places of interest within Panama City. The US dollar is the national currency (but find Panama-minted bills called the Balboa) and expect to see many well-heeled American transplants. Panama is home to some 25,000 U.S. expats who call this thriving city at the crossroads between the Americas and confluence between the oceans home.

The Bristol
Panama City, Panama
(011) 507 265 7844
Email: reservation@thebristol.com
Website: www.thebristol.com
Kurtz-Ahlers & Associates– Curator of undiscovered luxury travel locales with insider info and news from our worldwide portfolio of hotels, wellness retreats, and eco-resorts. View our portfolio on our Online Directory.
Sign up for our monthy newsletter for the latest exclusive offers and news from around the globe, follow us on twitter, like us on facebook or follow us on Pinterest.
www.kurtzahlers.com
Happy Earth Day! Many properties in our ever growing portfolio have a serious commitment to the environment which makes us very proud. Remember to reduce, reuse recycle always!
We are proud to announce publication of our brand new online directory here with over 100 beautiful pages of luxury hotels, spas, eco resorts and destination specialists!
One of our favorite partners, Indagare, features “Insider Trips” and this month stories included voluntourism in Nicaragua and The Ranch at Live Oak / Malibu. Read article.
For wellness a great article entitled,”Get Pampered: Top 10 Spas to Try This Year” from Elle Canada featured Ananda in India, Bristol in Panama and more here.
CNN’s article, “10 Calming Wellness Retreats” featured Ananda, Kamalaya, Six Senses and more here.
The Sunday Morning Herald’s article “Destination Detox” featured Chiva-Som and Kamalaya.
Some awards this month include The Siam in Bangkok has been named to Conde Nast Traveler Hot List for the best new hotels.
WildChina wins National Geographic Traveler’s 50 Tours of a Lifetime for Gastronomic Tour of China with Fuchsia Dunlop! Last year their The Ancient Tea & Horse Caravan Road trip was featured on the same list!
Grace Bay Beach on Turks & Caicos, #2 in Trip Advisor’s 25 best beaches around the world. Grace Bay is home to the wonderful Gansevoort Turks + Caicos.
The Lodge at Kauri Cliffs takes Travel + Leisure’s #17 spot in “World’s Top 50 Hotels” list.
The Wakaya Club and Frégate Island make this list from Conde Nast of “The World’s best private island resorts”
Great write up from travel agent Ellen Bainer who recommends Il Salviatino in Florence in her article, “Trips Worth Taking”
From A Luxury Travel Blog, “Five of the World’s Most Unique Experiences for Families” includes the incomparable Frégate Island in the Seychelles.
Brush Creek Ranch in Wyoming is a fly fisherman’s paradise, and they were proud to host the USA Fly Fishing World Championship Team recently. Read more here.
The Bristol Hotel in Panama City announces four new tours that visit the famous Panama Canal, rainforest, Panama City & more. Read more here.
We are also excited to announce the opening of The Gansevoort Las Vegas in 2014. Read more on USA Today here.
Kurtz-Ahlers & Associates– Curator of undiscovered luxury travel locales with insider info and news from our worldwide portfolio of hotels, wellness retreats, and eco-resorts. View our portfolio on our Online Directory.
Sign up for our monthy newsletter for the latest exclusive offers and news from around the globe, follow us on twitter, like us on facebook or follow us on Pinterest.
www.kurtzahlers.com
All year long there is much to celebrate at Hacienda de San Antonio. Set in the shadow of an active volcano in Mexico’s highlands, Hacienda de San Antonio boasts eternally spring-like weather, making it a choice escape for nature lovers and outdoor enthusiasts. There’s a delightful sense of history here as well; the hacienda was completed in 1890 and served as farmland for Arabica coffee for decades. 22 richly detailed accommodations reflect local arts and crafts and the exquisite cuisine focuses on organically grown fruits, vegetables, cheeses and meats provided by the estate’s own farms and ranch. Activities run the gamut from horseback riding and visited white-washed colonial towns, to hiking and mountain biking in this stunningly beautiful region of Mexico. Below seasonal activities are particularly special times at the Hacienda.

Feria de Villa de Alvarez (February)
Fiestas Charro-Taurinas of Villa de Alvarez. Originally the celebration in honor of San Felipe de Jesus, patron saint of the town of Colima against earthquakes and hurricanes, but over the years became the party of Villa de Alvarez. It is characterized by bullfights, horsemen parades with thousands of participants and local folklore.
Mother’s Day (May-10)
Mexico celebrates mother’s day in the honor of womanhood and making others realize the strong role of a mother in the family, who binds everyone together. Mexicans justify the fact with their immense loyalty and love for mothers.
San Antonio’s Day (June-13)
The saint to ask for boyfriend or girlfriend, to help in difficult cases or finding lost objects. (this year is the 100 anniversary of the foundation of the San Antonio Chapel). The patron saint festivities take place in the Chapel of the Hacienda de San Antonio. Include dances, fireworks and Mexican folklore.
Mexican Independence Day (September-16)
Mexican Independence Day is a major celebration in Mexico. It is celebrated with a fiesta (party). The celebrating begins on September 15 (the eve of Independence Day) where crowds of people gather in the town. People sell confetti, whistles, horns, paper-mache helmets, and toys in the colors of red, white and green. When the clock strikes eleven o’clock the crowd gets silent. On the last strike of eleven the President of Mexico rings the historic liberty bell that Father Hidalgo rang to call the people. Then he shouts “Viva Mexico” “Viva la independencia” and the crowd echoes back. People do this at the same time all across Mexico. The actual day of September 16, there are rodeos, parades, bullfights, horseback rider performances and grand feasts.
Feria de Todos Santos (November-2)
It is the most important fair in the city of Colima. The State Fair Agricultural, Industrial and Cultural, begins and ends a week before a week after this date. It is interesting to visit the local cemetery, where you can admire the varied and colorful production of paper wreaths.
Day of the Dead (November 1st and 2nd)
The Day of the Dead is a beautiful ritual in which Mexicans happily and lovingly remember their loved relatives that have died. Colorful Altars are set up with pictures of the family members, decorated with fruit, flowers and traditional food.
Comala Festival (December 1st to 12th)
Feast of the Virgin of Guadalupe. Starts with held processions, bullfights, rodeos, cockfights, and the 8th, a popular dance with floats and fireworks. The eve of the 11th people get together in the church to sing “Las Mañanitas” to the Virgin of Guadalupe.
Hacienda de San Antonio
Comala, Colima, Mexico 28463
Tel: 1 866 516 2611
Email: reservations@haciendadesanantonio.com
Website: www.haciendadesanantonio.com
Discover the aquatic paradise of Gili Lankanfushi. Stay 4 Nights in June 2013 and save up to 40% discount. Valid June 1 – 30, 2013
Includes:
- Choice of accommodation
- Non-motorized water sports activities
- Sunset cocktail party (Tuesdays only)
- Regular Yoga and Tai Chi sessions
- Steam and sauna at Meera Spa
- 20 min spa treatment experience per person (for min 3 nights’ stay)
- Bottled mineral water
- Wireless Internet access

Term & Conditions
- Rates quoted are in USD.
- Rates are applicable for stay dates from 1 June – 30 June 2013 only
- Rates are based on double occupancy. Extra persons will be charged seperately.
- Rates are subject to 10pct svc, 8pct GST tax, 2pct Carbon offset n Gov Bed Tax USD8 pax night.
- A credit card number is required to confirm the booking.
- Roundtrip speedboat transfer USD165+ per adult and USD 83+ per child. Please advise your flight itinerary for transfer arrangement. Email: reservations@gili-lankanfushi.com or Call: +960 664 0304
- Children up to 2 years stay free in parents room when using existing beds in room. Children aged 12 years and older are fully charged.
For reservation or more information, please contact:
Tel: +960 664 0304
Fax: +960 664 0305
Email: info@gili-lankanfushi.com
Gili Lankanfushi, Maldives
Lankanfushi Island, North Malé Atoll
Republic of Maldives
DOM PERIGNON CHAMPAGNE DINNER
On June 1, 2013, Dom Perignon’s reputation of excellence paired with Kauri Cliff’s award winning food will make an unforgettable experience. Enjoy Chef Barry Frith’s 5-course cuisine while tasting some of the world’s finest French champagne. Dom Perignon continues to uphold its reputation of vintage and prestigious champagne produced by Moët & Chandon. Dom Perignon would like to share its classic and new champagne with guests of Kauri Cliffs during this exclusive event.
We are delighted to share the vintages that will be showcased during the event:
- Dom Pérignon Oenothèque 1996
- Dom Pérignon Vintage 2002
- Dom Pérignon Vintage 2003
- Dom Pérignon Rosé Vintage 2000
Saturday 1st June at the special event rate of NZ$800.00 + 15% GST per person per night based on double or twin occupancy*
Click here for more information
BASTILLE WEEKEND WITH GUEST CHEF NIC POELAERT & LOUIS ROEDERER CHAMPAGNE + MAISON JOSEPH DROUHIN WINES
On June 13, 2013, The Farm at Cape Kidnappers celebrates Bastille Day with talented French chef Nic Poelaert from popular new restaurant, Brooks of Melbourne and wine raconteur Brett Newell from Louis Roederer Champagne and Joseph Drouhin wines.
Nic Poeleart trained in France under Michelin starred chef Alain Gelle and has worked at the likes of Michel Bras at the 3-starred Michelin Restaurant Bras in the South of France. Nic’s fabulous French degustation dinner will be paired with exquisite French wines from Louis Roederer and Maison Joseph Drouhin at a special French dinner on Saturday night July 13.
Special event rate of NZ$800.00 + 15% GST per person per night based on double or twin occupancy*
Click here for more information
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