January 7th, 2011
Who knew all cruise ships were fortunate enough to be blessed by a godmother (fairy or mortal) that is responsible for both blessing and christening the ship? While the Vikings marked a ship’s first sailings with a human sacrifice, we now keep it simple by breaking a bottle of champagne on the hull. Crystal Cruises’ three ships have had the classiest of godmothers. Crystal Harmony’s godmother was Mary Tyler Moore, followed by Angela Lansbury for Crystal Symphony, and lastly Dame Julie Andrews for Crystal Serenity. All three distinguished ladies are known for their grace, style, and excellence at what they do– just like the ships themselves!
Other notable godmothers in the cruise industry include: Carnival Legend’s Dame Judi Dench; Disney Wonder’s Tinkerbell; Holland America was feeling a little greedy for Zaandam and has two – both Mary Kate & Ashley Olsen; and finally (and fittingly) Queen Elizabeth II over Queen Mary 2.
January 4th, 2011
Maestro Valery Gergiev will conduct the first-ever World Orchestra for Peace concert in the Arab world hosted by UNESCO Artists for Peace to a sold-out audience tonight. The musicians hail from 62 international orchestras and 30 countries. The concert is a homage to humanity throughout the world.
Songs to be performed tonight include Rossini’s William Tell Overture, Prokofiev’s Symphony No 1, and Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 5. The event will be held at the Emirates Palace and is part of the Abu Dhabi Festival 2011 which will feature concerts and performances of acclaimed artists throughout the coming year. We wish we could snag a ticket… both to the concert and Abu Dhabi for the show!
December 15th, 2010
Explore the famous Empty Quarter, or Rub’-al-Khali, area of the Liwa Desert with a Canon and acclaimed photographer Ira Block. Ira, who has shot for National Geographic Traveler and the Discovery Channel, and will lead the two-night landscape photography course Thursday, January 20 – Saturday, January 22 at Qasr Al Sarab Desert Resort by Anantara.
Ninety minutes from Abu Dhabi International Airport, the resort is in an ideal setting for a photography course, with some of the world’s largest sand dunes, some measuring up to 820 feet high. Don’t let a lack of a camera prevent you from a new hobby in 2011, Canon cameras will be available for those without!
December 10th, 2010
When planning a vacation, it’s sometimes hard to know if you’re really getting the best deal or seeing the most authentic ‘non-tourist’ spots. It’s even more difficult when traveling to a destination for the first time! If India is on your must-see list (for the first time, or a return trip), don’t board the plane without consulting with Lucy Davison of Banyan Tours & Travels.
Not only does Lucy have clout with India’s top hotels—translating into superior availability during peak travel times—but she has personally selected the best rooms in the palace hotels and will reserve only those rooms for her clients. Her goal is to bring clients into cultural moments ordinarily off-limits to travelers—weddings, school speech days, obscure festivals with costumed cows—and loves to arrange surprises based around her clients’ personal interests: a private Sufi music performance for an aficionado, for instance.
December 9th, 2010
Park Hyatt Jeddah is currently hosting the Women in Leadership Forum which focuses on five key pillars for successful entrepreneurship: state aid, finance, knowledge and education, commercialization, and support. This is the first event of its kind in Saudi Arabia. In the future, the event plans to award female entrepreneurs a number of awards: Saudi Businesswoman of the Year, Leading Woman in the Public Sector, Leading Woman CEO, Leading Woman in a Family Business, Most Innovative Woman Entrepreneur, Most Women-Friendly Employer, and Most Philanthropic Initiative.
The hotel is the perfect setting to unwind after a busy conference schedule. Located on the coast of the Red Sea, the 34.5-acre complex houses the famous King Fahd fountain, which has a more than 1,000-foot-high spray!
November 24th, 2010
Anantara Hotels, Resorts & Spas has a diverse and educated staff at every property – many of whom also use the grounds to pursue their personal interests. In the Maldives, Lindsay Sullivan serves as resident marine scientist and loves being able to share her passion for the underwater world with guests.
Lindsay leads Anantara’s Dolphin Quest, guides snorkelling excursions, is the resident Dive Master, and has established a coral nursery to rehabilitate damaged pieces. She replants broken coral and stresses reef conservation to locals. In the future, she hopes to work as reef consultant and travel the world, though her first love is the beautiful dive spots in the Maldives.
November 23rd, 2010
After the season of indulgence, why not spice things up for your taste buds aboard Crystal Symphony’s South American Food & Wine sailing in February? Escape winter’s chill while savoring the red hot flavors of South America. Departing from Buenos Aires and sailing to Miami, let the culinary Latin locals lead the way.
Neriton Vasconcelos, owner and head chef of The Galley, one of the most exclusive restaurants in São Paulo; Matias Kyriazis & Estefania di Benedetto, owners and chefs at Paraje Arevalo in Buenos Aires; and Eugenio Jardim, Brazilian native and wine director at San Francisco’s Jardiniere with a reputation for seeking out unique and exciting vintages will all be aboard for tastings, demos, and special menus.
To wash it all down, “Modern Mixologist” Tony Abou-Ganim will provide onboard cocktail making sessions with tips and techniques on creating local concoctions. Travelers can keep up the flavors off the ship with a cooking lesson at a local Brazilian restaurant led by Crystal chefs.
We recommend a tango lesson to burn those extra calories!
November 5th, 2010
Recent reports detail President Obama’s busy schedule preparing for his upcoming trip to India. Outside of delegation meetings and state dinners (will there be any crashers this go-round?), we have compiled a few things the President shouldn’t miss!
Need a quick pick-me-up between appearances?
President Obama will be in Mumbai November 6 and 7. May we recommend, Mr. President, visiting the ESPA Spa at The Leela Kempinski Mumbai as a spot for an instant pick-me-up after a day of demanding meetings. For the United States’ top executive, the Executive Stress Tonic treatment is suggested. An hour and a half of back, neck, shoulder, hand, arm, and scalp massage will relieve tension caused by hours hunched over a desk and long periods of time spend on a plane.
Looking to unwind after a jam-packed schedule (diplomatic, or otherwise)?
Park Hyatt Goa will instantly relieve stress and offers the perfect place to get a Presidential tan. A true escape, the resort was designed to replicate ancient Indian villages and is set amid 45 acres of lush beachfront gardens. The property is divided into five courtyards, each distinctive in theme, architecture, and landscape, creating a series of individual guestroom clusters within the resort, set apart from one another by lagoons, tropical gardens, bridges, and interconnected with cobbled village streets. The Sereno Spa offers daily yoga and meditation classes designed to reconnect the body and mind – something every leader and fellow traveler can appreciate. Sessions are designed to improve energy and creativity, steadiness of mind, improve breathing and lung capacity, and relieve fatigue in the eyes. As a final addendum, Park Hyatt Goa is also home to India’s largest swimming pool with water slides!
Escape the election fever…
After recent mid-term elections, the President might be feeling the urge to truly disconnect for a few days. Shakti’s Kumaon village experience in Uttarakhand provides the chance to take in the stunning mountain scenery and rich culture of the remote, unspoiled, and undiscovered North Indian state. Take in staggering views that include the snow-tipped twin peaks of Nanda Devi, India’s second highest mountain. Guests take daily walks through the forests of grey pine, cedar, and rhododendron, and overnight in village homes that have been gently retouched to include Western creature comforts. The nearby four-room retreat, 360˚Leti, is a true escape perched at an impressive 8,000 feet. It lives up to its name, with 360° panoramic views and floor-to-ceiling glass windows. There is no Internet, no cell coverage, and only solar power — a real opportunity to unplug. A 90-minute trek along a narrow trail to the hotel takes guests past waterfalls, brooks, and terraced hills lined with rice paddies and rows of wheat.
Appeal to the activists…
To increase those ever-important approval ratings, it’s crucial to reach out to a cross-section of interests. A trip to Sikkim with Shakti offers a sure-fire boost. This tiny, Northeastern India state finds itself sandwiched between friendly neighbors Bhutan, Nepal, and Tibet, and is the least populous and second smallest in all of India. Sikkim is culturally and topographically not unlike its neighbors and the only state in India to share an open border with China (very global). Sikkim also offers a dose of natural beauty sure to perk up environmentalist curiosity. With over 4,000 plant species and 450 exotic orchids, virgin rhododendron forests, indigenous birds, 650 kinds of butterflies and endangered species like red pandas, snow leopards, and blue yaks, it’s as far from Pennsylvania Avenue as you can get. Catch views of Mt. Kanchenjunga, the world’s third highest mountain, while passing fluttering Buddhist prayer flags on the trail to Rinchenpong Monastery. Explore this remote but enchanted land, learning about the region’s religious history and present day Buddhist and Hindu cultures as you go.
To experience a Presidential quick-trip…
As a traveling world leader, schedules rarely allow time for extended stays anywhere outside the Oval Office. Crystal Cruises’ 2011 World Cruise line up features two itineraries next March that visit India, with two overland excursions full of adventure and sightseeing. The Ajanta & Ellora Caves excursion explores the wonders of ancient India, following part of the Silk Road with stops at the famous Buddhist caves at Ajanta and the magnificent carved rock temples of Ellora, both UNESCO World Heritage Sites. For the classicist, the Journey to the Fabled Taj Mahal excursion offers an overview tour of Delhi’s highlights, sunrise and sunset visits to the Taj Mahal, and a visit to Agra Fort. The two excursions can help split the 23-day Asia cruise, and provide your own version of Obama’s upcoming Asia tour!
November 2nd, 2010
Craving a quiet night at home to relax with a glass of wine and curl up with a good book, but getting hung up on the good book part? Shakti’s and Banyan Tours and Travels’ founder, Mr. Jamshyd Sethna, (who, by the way, is also a photographer, book reviewer, psychoanalytical therapist, world traveler, art collector, and culinary savant, to name a few pastimes), gives a few titles that would make for a great read during holiday travels or a thoughtful gift for someone on your list.
For the inquisitive mind…
The Book of Tea, by Anthony Burgess
The work is the most complete guide to the history and pleasures of one of the world’s most popular beverages. The beautifully written text is only surpassed by the well chosen photos, paintings and images.
For the outdoorsmen and women…
The Nanda Devi Affair, by Bill Aitken
The book chronicles Mr. Aitken’s love and appreciation for the Nanda Devi (India’s second tallest mountain) and the history the summit has played in India’s religions for millennia. The account provides cultural insight and testaments to native’s interaction with the peak – equally as interesting for mountain enthusiast as it is for those interested in Hinduism.
For the history buff…
Smash and Grab: Annexation of Sikkim, by Sunanda K.Datta-Ray
Learn the unique history of the least populated, second smallest, landlocked state of India. Sikkim has 11 official languages and is the only state with a Nepalese majority. Sikkim also has the only open border between India and China.
And while we may not be professional book reviewers, we thought we’d throw in a few of our favorites, too:
For spiritual enlightenment…
Nine Lives, by William Dalrymple
The book tells the story of nine of India’s many labourous paths to the divine and reveals nearly surreal juxtapositions between the old and the new. Dalrymple sets each vivid profile within an intricately drawn history of the ancient and now-endangered tradition each devotee is dedicated to preserving in the escalating battle between holiness and hustle that is transforming India.
For the classicist…
Passage to India, by E.M. Forester
The novel from 1924 recounts a portrait of India during the time of British Imperialism and the fate of two protagonists caught between the great political and cultural conflicts of the time. We can’t give away much more, but promise there’s a reason for being a classic!
November 1st, 2010
Yesterday thousands poured into the streets across India as the country remembered Indira Ghandi, the first female prime minister of India. This year marks the 26th anniversary of her assassination.
Ms. Ghandi was killed by her bodyguards in the midst of her third consecutive term. She served India for fifteen years, and remains India’s only female prime minister and the world’s all time longest serving female prime minister to date.