Hyatt opens family-friendly golf resort and spa in Mazatlán

April 12, 2024 No Comments

Hyatt recently opened the family-friendly, all-inclusive Dreams Estrella del Mar Mazatlán Golf & Spa Resort, marking the first Hyatt hotel in the seaside destination of Mazatlán in Mexico.

Located in the exclusive community of Estrella del Mar, Dreams Estrella del Mar Mazatlán Golf & Spa Resort is conveniently located less than six miles from the Mazatlán International Airport and 20 minutes from the city centre.

Luxury accommodations

Dreams Estrella del Mar Mazatlán Golf & Spa Resort has 358 suites all outfitted with local artwork, neutral tones with pops of blue and furnished balconies or terraces touting spectacular views of the Pacific Ocean.

Each suite is replete with Unlimited-Luxury inclusions such as a fully stocked and daily refreshed in-room mini bar, 24-hour room service, and more. Ideal for guests traveling with families or larger groups, connecting rooms are also available in varied room categories and accessible rooms are available upon request.

For guests seeking an even further elevated experience, the Preferred Club offers upgraded suites and a range of additional amenities and services including personalized check-in and check-out, exclusive access to the Preferred Club lounge, upgraded bath amenities, a pillow menu, dedicated concierge service, and more. Designed with multigenerational travel in mind, the resort touts a dedicated adult-only section replete with a private pool and swim up bar.

Noteworthy culinary offerings

Dreams Estrella del Mar Mazatlán Golf & Spa Resort offers four à la carte restaurants, a grill, an international buffet, and an ice cream booth for guests craving sweets, as well as five bars and lounges serving unlimited top-shelf spirits.

With a wide range of culinary options including traditional Mexican favorites, Mediterranean-Asian fusion, and more, there is something for every taste and preference, all with no reservations required.

For adults looking to fully immerse themselves in the culture of the destination, exclusive add-on experiences are available at an additional cost including a tequila tasting or a guided pairing dinner in Portofino’s exclusive wine cellar.

Amenities for the whole family

Dreams Estrella del Mar Mazatlán Golf & Spa Resort touts a variety of activities for both adults and children alike, such as an on-site waterpark with a lazy river, endless daytime and nighttime entertainment, water sports, and more.

Children ages 3-12 can play the day away at the nature-inspired Explorer’s Club for Kids with programming such as sandcastle competitions and weekly campout adventures, while the Core Zone Teens Club offers mini discos, movie nights, and access to gaming for teens ages 13-17. Guests prioritizing personal wellbeing can enjoy Dreams Spa, the resort’s dedicated spa and wellness center which includes a full-service salon and spa including a Turkish bath, guided hydrotherapy and a fitness center touting state-of-the-art equipment.

For guests seeking off-site activities, the resort is conveniently located near the largest boardwalk in the pacific as well as one of the best aquariums in Latin America.

For more information, visit www.hyatt.com.

This tour operator just launched a women’s only trip to Saudi Arabia

April 10, 2024 No Comments

Intrepid Travel has introduced a 12-day Saudi Arabia Women’s Expedition, designed to offer an authentic and transformative travel experience while empowering women and supporting female-owned businesses in the destination.   

The tour will be exclusively led by female leaders and guides, aiming to showcase a different side of the country beyond the luxury resorts and high-end offerings.

Starting in Riyadh and finishing in Jeddah, groups will stay in a female-owned boutique hotel, heritage property and desert camp, directly supporting a total of nine female-owned and operated businesses.  

Five departures available

A limited run of five departures, each with a maximum of 12 travellers, will start on 26 November 2024. The 12-day trip will start at $7,975CAD.

Highlights include: 

  • Visit Madinah – the second holiest site in Islam, after Mecca – with a local female guide. Non-Muslims have recently been allowed to visit the holy site up to the perimeter 
  • Take a sunrise visit to the Nabataean site of Hegra, the southern capital of the Nabataean kingdom, guided by a local ‘rawee’ or storyteller 
  • Take a bullet train to Jeddah and explore Al Balad, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, with Saudi’s first female guide  
  • Head to a female-owned, female-only salon for a spot of pampering. Chat to the locals and learn how these types of businesses have created opportunities for the women who live here 
  • Meet two sisters running a local citrus farm near Alula, sample their produce and have lunch under the trees  
  • Visit an abeya shop to learn how women are modernising this staple piece  
  • Jump on a boat and cruise the Red Sea, snorkel, swim, and enjoy a barbeque lunch before ending the day on a private female only beach. 

For more information, visit intrepidtravel.com.

Two new luxury yachts join Windstar Cruises’ fleet

April 8, 2024 No Comments

Windstar Cruises is expanding its fleet with the addition of two all-suite motor yachts, Star Seeker and Star Explorer.

The first of the two ships, new-build Star Seeker which is currently being constructed in the WestSEA shipyard, is expected to be delivered in December of 2025, followed by Star Explorer in December, 2026. 

About the ships

Each ship has 112 suites, featuring full private verandas and infinity windows, ensuring unparalleled views for every guest onboard.

Additionally, two new Owner’s Suites with wrap-around balconies have been added to the aft of the ship, perfect for evening cocktails or a private dinner. With a capacity for 224 guests and a staff to guest ratio of 1:2, the ships maintain an intimate atmosphere, ensuring personalized service at every turn. 

Guests will also enjoy access to several newly added Windstar guest favourites, including the brand’s iconic Watersports Platform with all-new staircase access, the cozy Yacht Club café and lounge, a two-story spa and fitness facility, an intimate forward whirlpool on the bow, and a spacious open deck perfect for sunbathing and Windstar’s famous deck barbeques. 

Exceptional cuisine

As the Official Cruise Line of the James Beard Foundation® (JBF), Windstar’s commitment to exceptional cuisine will continue to be a priority for the guest experience.

The re-imagined main dining room, Amphora, will serve a variety of upscale and inventive dishes, including rotating items from James Beard Foundation–affiliated guest chefs. Al fresco dining will now be available at both Amphora and the Star Grill. A no-charge specialty restaurant and 24-hr room service rounds out the four dining options.

Full itineraries and booking details for Star Seeker will be announced in late June 2024. 

For more information or to sign up for the latest updates, including when both ships open for sale, visit https://www.windstarcruises.com/newships/

Four Seasons private jet is offering exclusive bookings

April 5, 2024 No Comments

Four Seasons has announced that its Four Seasons Private Jet Experience is available for private bookings, for a limited time, for your desired trip length between Aug. 4 to 26 and Dec. 20 to 27, 2024 only.

Complete booking of the Four Seasons Private Jet for up to 48 guests staffed by 10 crew members is priced at approximately USD 115,000 per day, inclusive of all Four Seasons Private Jet flights and onboard services, including all meals, as well as airport services where applicable.

 

What's included

Ground transfers, overnight accommodations, on-location meals, tours, and tickets can be arranged at an additional cost through the Four Seasons Guest Experience Team, or at the party’s own discretion.

The Four Seasons Private Jet is a custom-designed Airbus A321neoLR that hosts the Four Seasons Private Jet Experience – an ongoing series of regional and round-the-world itineraries featuring flexible options for on-the-ground activities and tours, with accommodations at Four Seasons hotels and resorts, as well as carefully chosen boutique accommodations in remote destinations where there is no Four Seasons.

  • Features 48 custom-designed, spacious leather flatbed seats; each guest is provided with a personal iPad loaded with the latest entertainment as well as Bose headphones

  • Includes the Lounge in the Sky social gathering space, extra-large lavatories with full-length mirrors, and global Wi-Fi availability

  • An in-flight executive chef brings the culinary world of Four Seasons to the jet, inspired by destinations on the journey and customized to guest preferences

  • Serviced by ten in-flight crew members including three pilots, one engineer, and six cabin crew, with options to add an onboard physician, tour manager, or more cabin crew at additional cost

  • Incorporates the most up-to-date, hospital-grade air filtration system that renews the cabin air every two to three minutes and removes 99.9 percent of particles, viruses and bacteria

For inquiries, contact [email protected]

 

Six of the hottest new hotels to check out—and into— for April

April 3, 2024 No Comments

Sunnier times are ahead, and what better way to welcome spring (and look forward to summer) than dreaming up your next holiday.

Fortunately, we’ve sought out some of the hottest new hotels to kickstart your planning – from a ruggedly handsome Aegean retreat to a reimagined Roman palace.

 

Nomad Mykonos

MYKONOS, GREECE

A hillside hideout far from the Mykonos crowds, this Cycladic sanctuary promises soothing whitewashed rooms, private pools and hot tubs, and sun-drenched terraces with Aegean views.

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Palazzo Talìa

ROME, ITALY

A short stroll from the iconic Piazza di Spagna and Trevi Fountain, this muse-inspired palazzo is divinely decorated inside and out and boasts a heavenly spa with an experiential pool.

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Norman Hotel

PARIS, FRANCE

Named after American graphic artist Norman Ives, the abstract interiors and jazzy atmosphere hits all the right notes – and some rooms have views of the Eiffel Tower rising above the rooftops.

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Capitolo Riviera

GENOA, ITALY

Sandwiched between sublime gardens and the Ligurian shoreline, every room and suite at this glitzy Riviera retreat has sparkling sea views – with the treasures of Portofino and Cinque Terre within easy reach.

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Lanson Place Causeway Bay

HONG KONG, HONG KONG SAR

Set within the buzz of Hong Kong’s iconic Causeway Bay, Lanson Place feels a world apart, with an in-room curated pillow menu, calming spa music and soothing essential oils to help you unwind.

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Todos Santos Boutique Hotel

TODOS SANTOS, MEXICO

Nestled in the old town of a Mexican ‘Pueblo Mágico’, a Spanish countess once lived within these mural-adorned walls. Now, there’s a rooftop terrace to kick back on, and plunge pools to cool off in.

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Meet the fifth generation Hawaiian family who are changing chocolate

April 1, 2024 No Comments

“I’d like to introduce you to a dear friend of mine. He’s very intelligent, he’s highly evolved, he’s handsome and delicious and very shy,” tour guide Alexandria Webster said mischievously.

“Friends, this is Theo.”

Partially expecting an eligible bachelor to come sauntering around the foliage of the 46-acre Lydgate Farms in Kapaa, Kaua’i, we quickly learn that Theo is short for Theobroma cacao. Alas, not a heartthrob, but a tropical evergreen tree known for its seeds that are used to produce cocoa powder and chocolate, whose scientific name means ‘food of the gods’ in Greek.

“This mood-elevating food was discovered by the ancient Aztecs and Mayans and back then they weren’t nibbling on Hershey,” she says. “They were consuming chocolate as a ceremonial health chocolate tonic beverage and it was fermented cocoa beans with some spices like cinnamon, cardamon, vanilla bean and some hot chilli peppers. If you were drinking it you were likely a monarch or a priest because you were consuming money. This is what they would trade as their currency.”

A superfood with super qualities

On a mission to change the way people think about chocolate, Webster says many visitors who come to the farm don’t know that chocolate is a fruit.

“It’s not just a fruit, it’s a superfood. Cacao is loaded with vitamins, trace minerals, hundreds of them, it’s one of the highest whole food sources of antioxidants that you can consume. It contains over forty mood-elevating properties,” she said. 

Over the centuries, this beverage was used to treat anemia, mental fatigue, tuberculosis, fever, gout, kidney stones, and even poor sexual appetite. While most of the chocolate of today no longer has health benefits, top-of-the line fine chocolates do.

“It only takes one ounce of quality chocolate a day to reap the benefits of heart health, brain health,” she says. “It’s great for your blood circulation, it’s going to open up your vessels, it’s going to improve your mood, your alertness because of the theobromine in chocolate. So, if you eat chocolate every day, you will not only be happier, you’re going to die a little less. It’s shown to lower all-cause mortality.”

Regenerative, generational farming

Lydgate Farms is run by Will Lydgate, whose family legacy on Kaua’i can be traced back across five generations. “My great-grandfather William arrived in 1865 with a dream to help build the future of the Hawaiian Kingdom,” he says. “[I’ve] dedicated myself to building a team that grows the best cacao the world has ever tasted.”

Embodying the principle of Mālama ‘Āina, a Hawaiian word that means to care for and honour the land for future generations, sustainability is at the forefront of his efforts. In addition to producing single-estate chocolate and treats like chocolate-covered macadamia nuts, Lydgate Farms also offers vanilla beans and small-batched palm blossom honey. 

“This beautiful tropical diverse farm is cultivated in a regenerative fashion, meaning we’re reinvesting in the soil for generations to come,” says Webster, adding that honey tasting is now part of the tour. “Cacao is an equatorial fruit — it only grows about 20° of the equator. That actually makes Hawai’i the only place in the continental US that can commercially grow chocolate.”

The farm has been recognized multiple times for producing some of the best chocolate in the world at international competitions. “Our farm represents the United States of America at the Cocoa of Excellence Awards in Paris. This is a world-wide chocolate competition every two years. Our humble farm is like the Jamaican bobsled team of the chocolate world, the underdogs,” she says, referencing the cult-favourite movie Cool Runnings. “Forty-six acres is a drop in the bucket compared to Ecuador, Peru, Costa Rica, they have thousands of acres and they’ve been doing it way longer than us. Small but mighty, we are now three consecutive runnings of the 50 best tasting chocolates in the whole world.”

From bean to bar

Based solely on the terroir of the farm, chocolate bars can elicit different flavour profiles from fruits to earthy tones. While there are only 14 original families of cacao, they cross pollinate to create thousands of varietals and result in the various coloured pods that range from yellow to vibrant red.

“Chocolate that’s fermented, that has distinctive flavour, that is packed with health benefits, and is not confectionery — meaning it’s heavily diluted with milk and sugar — didn’t even exist until 1997,” she says. “Isn’t that wild? It hasn’t been that long. People are just starting to learn about the art and the science that goes into making fine chocolate. Because Hawai’i is the only state where it can be commercially grown, we’re trying to transform Kaua’i into the Napa Valley of the chocolate world.”

At US$18 a pop, a chocolate bar from Lydgate Farms comes with a heftier price tag than your typical store-bought Cadbury bar. But when you consider the process involved, it should be a lot steeper. “If I crack this seed open and plant a seed today, it takes the tree at least four to five years to start bearing mature fruit. At that age, cocoa blossoms will start to bloom. They are so small that they are not pollinated by bees. They’re pollinated by the midge, which is a type of gnat,” she says. “Then it takes six to eight months for them to mature. A cacao tree can live 50 to 100 years.”

When it’s all said and done, she said the journey from bean to bar takes six to seven years. “Chocolate has more intricacies, more terroir, more flavour markers than wine,” she says. 

This story first appeared in the Spring 2024 issue of OFFSHORE. To read the full story, click here.