destination The Luxury Hotels Travel Magazine
2011
Contents So This Season Looking for an action packed adventure, a blissful beach break or a fabulous family holiday? We highlight our recommendations for this year’s summer holiday.
Style in the Sun Alex Gerrard and her family discover the ABAMA in Tenerife.
Pure Shores This year we have widened our net to bring you our favourite hotels from our brand new collection of superb Maldives resorts. 02
Welcome In this edition we focus on old favourites and the launch of a new dream destination for us, the magical Maldives. We hope you enjoy soaking up all our latest ideas and tips. We are on first name terms with our chosen partners and we know our hotels inside out as every single one of our properties has been visited by at least one of our specialist team. You will find some of our best kept secrets in this magazine and some exclusive prices for our clients. 03
So This Season
Two-Bedroom Pine Cliffs Residence Suite
Best for Family Summer Holidays: Sheraton Algarve Hotel Pine Cliffs Resort, Portugal
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A popular choice for families, this vast and action-packed resort is set in a breathtaking location on a cliff top surrounded by towering pine trees and overlooking miles of unspoilt beach. Your little ones will make friends within minutes of arriving and will never be lost for entertainment ensuring your holiday is one to remember. We highly recommend the fabulous Pine Cliffs Residence Suites which are excellent for a family break, with gorgeous apartments surrounding a large free form pool and a children’s pool. Staying here gives you the freedom to eat in the comfort of your own apartment or dine at one of the many choices around the resort. Children will delight in the children’s village which includes a playground with its own giant wooden pirate ship and swimming pool. The crèche and children’s club is excellent. There’s one of Portugal’s most original golf courses, a golf academy, tennis academy, four outdoor pools, a gym and an indoor pool. The magnificent sandy beach is accessed by a lift followed by a quaint wooden walkway and there is a variety of water sports on offer. Wow Factor: With a summer camp feel about it, the Porto Pirata Kids’ Club is a children’s favourite with its small pool, bouncy castle, and cycle track. You can also catch a ‘train’ to get around the resort if little or grown-up legs get tired!
Guide price: from
£3399 per family
Price is based on two adults & two children sharing a Two-Bedroom Pine Cliffs Residence Suite for seven nights in July, including flights and private transfers. 05
So This Season
Best for Relaxing in Style: Columbia Beach Resort Cyprus
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Executive Suite with Panoramic View
We love this award-winning all-suite resort which ambles gently upwards from the sparkling waters of the pretty bay of Pissouri. Attention to detail and a magical ambience make this charming hotel a perfect choice for couples or families. Its 80m lagoon-style swimming pool is excellent for swimming and fringed by towering palm trees and fragrant gardens. Rooms have a real air of elegance and combine state-ofthe-art facilities with classical modern decor perfectly. Restaurants are superb and include the signature ‘Dionysos’ with its poolside setting and fine dining. For those who like to wander in the evenings the local restaurants, bars and shops of Pissouri Bay are just a short stroll away. Water sports are available on the beach and there’s a really good spa, gym, tennis / squash courts and a Yoga studio. Wow Factor: Family-owned and very exclusive, this hotel always gets rave reviews for its unique service and superb food.
Guide price: from
£869 per person
Price is based on two adults sharing a Junior Suite, Garden View for seven nights in May, including half board, flights and private transfers. 07
So This Season
Best for Nature: Martinhal Beach Resort & Hotel Portugal Beautifully located in a protected national park on the unspoilt western tip of the Algarve, Martinhal has a very sleek boutique hotel and village area with apartment and villa – style dwellings (great for families). With a philosophy based on ‘barefoot chic’ and many eco-activities on offer, this resort is surrounded by stunning natural landscape and is also very close to the historic fishing town of Sagres.
Wow Factor: Trendy contemporary rooms and apartments are beautifully designed with minimalist lines and use of local materials to blend perfectly with the natural setting.
Guide price: from
£725 per person
Price is based on two adults sharing a Deluxe Garden House for seven nights in May, including breakfast, flights & private transfers. 08
Grand Deluxe Bay House
If you get tired of relaxing on the lovely beach or by the five pools, you can enjoy all manner of sports from windsurfing, body boarding, kayaking, diving and parasailing to climbing, trekking, boat trips, horse riding and eco-karts. The spa continues the natural theme and Kids’ Club is comprehensive.
Best for an Affordable Break: Sheraton La Caleta Tenerife Perfect for a week’s fix of winter sun or good value summer break, this contemporary hotel offers luxury and privacy within its gated grounds but is only minutes from the local restaurants, beaches and shops of Costa Adeje. There is a wide choice of room types on offer (including a Club Level) and even the standard rooms are spacious, modern and designed to a high specification. The hotel has a range of mouth-watering restaurants from Spanish specialities at the pool side restaurant to a trendy and intimate Japanese. If you like to be pampered you can enjoy treatments at Caroli Health Club, a peaceful and comprehensive spa which relaxes you as soon as you enter its doors, and there is also a really useable, cutting-edge gym. Wow Factor: Ideal for relaxing, the hotel’s impressive grounds feature three outdoor pools, all bordered by lush tropical gardens and enjoying magnificent ocean views.
Guide price: from
£599 per person
Price is based on two adults sharing a Deluxe Room for seven nights in June, including breakfast, flights and private transfers. 09
So This Season
Best for Activities: Aphrodite Hills Cyprus
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This extensive resort is a great all-rounder and offers a whole host of fantastic activities and facilities for sports enthusiasts, sun worshippers and families alike. Set to lovely effect on a hillside in more than 500 acres, it has beautiful views and huge grounds to explore. The 18-hole championship course is a golfer’s dream and if you want to brush up on your sports skills, try the golf and tennis academy. You can also enjoy horse riding, mountain bike hire and nature walks. The nearby Cove Beach Club has an Eco Water Sports facility which offers the use of kayaks, stand up paddles, hydro bikes and kite surfing. Another beach club can be found 20 minutes away by complimentary transfer. If you want to relax enjoy a few hours in the award winning ‘The Retreat Spa’. It is a Greco-Roman inspired haven for the senses offering a range of treatments within its peaceful walls and gardens. There is also an excellent crèche, Kids’ Club and teen’s area and a large adventure playground.
Wow Factor: The brand new state-of-the-art Pirates Village features an indoor Kids’ Club, separate baby crèche and a shaded adventure playground complete with a trampoline and football court, perfect to keep the little ones entertained!
Guide price: from
£999 per person
Price is based on two adults sharing a Deluxe Room Garden or Pool View for seven nights in June, including breakfast, flights and private transfers. 11
Style
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Alex Gerrard discovers family luxury at the ABAMA Golf & Spa Resort in Tenerife.
Junior Suite Ocean View
in the Sun Fashion columnist and model Alex Gerrard travelled with us to Tenerife during half term with her two young daughters: What was your first impression when you arrived at ABAMA Golf and Spa Resort? We arrived at night and were really blown away by the sight of it as we turned the corner. It was beautifully lit and in a really lovely location. It reminded me a bit of the hotels in Dubai. The staff couldn’t do enough for us and were very friendly. We also found that they were very accommodating to children and made my two daughters feel right at home. The room was extremely spacious and I loved the décor which was very luxurious but still trendy. We had a huge bed, lovely bathroom and the balcony was a really good size making it great to sit out on and look at the sea.
The extra activities put on for the children were also great. My daughters particularly enjoyed the Bird of Prey Show and the Baby Bingo which were family shows put on at 6pm every night. In the evening we enjoyed eating at Los Chozos which was the restaurant by the main pool. Abama had a cinema corner in this restaurant for the children and the girls watched Disney’s ‘Beauty and the Beast’ complete with bowls of popcorn to nibble on. How do you rate the overall holiday experience? Everything went according to plan and Travelbeam Luxury Hotels were absolutely great. All our needs were met and all aspects of the trip from transfers to our room were according to my requests.
What else did you enjoy about your stay? The hotel is fantastic for kids. My girls loved the pool as it had a gentle sloping shelf so it was good for them to splash around in but not too deep. Lilly-Ella and Lexie also loved the golf buggies which you can order to zoom you around the resort if you don’t feel like walking.
Guide price: from
£889 per person
Price is based on two adults sharing an ABAMA Deluxe for seven nights in June, including breakfast, flights and private transfers. 13
Pure Shores Heaven on earth for those that love the idea of exquisite turquoise seas, powder white sand and serious style. The Maldives offers very different and unique experiences depending on where you stay. Here we introduce our pick of the best of the best:
Huvafen Fushi: North MalĂŠ Atoll Lagoon Bungalow with Plunge Pool
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Nestled within its own very private lagoon this small but perfectly formed retreat, run by Per Aquum, blends discreet luxury with ultra-contemporary design for discerning couples. With dreamlike surroundings, state of the art facilities, and the world’s first underwater spa, this sleek resort has real ‘Wow’ factor. Its 43 contemporary bungalows sport the very latest state of the art technology, a butler service and private plunge pool and everything on the island is within a 10 minute walk. For foodies there is a choice of restaurants from Salt with its seafood and an over-water experience to the more relaxed Celcius with an ocean-view terrace. The wine cellar here is the biggest in the Maldives and regular wine tastings are held with dinner.
Lagoon Bungalow with Plunge Pool
If you are looking for an adventure, why not explore the islands on a luxury yacht. We Love: Glorious massages in the underwater spa, with its relaxing atmosphere and glass walls for marine viewing.
Guide price: from
£2599 per person
Price is based on two adults sharing a Beach Bungalow with Pool for seven nights in September, including breakfast, flights and speedboat transfers. 15
Pure Shores
One&Only Reethi Rah: North MalĂŠ Atoll Grand Beach Villa
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Water Villa
Surrounded by crystal-clear waters, this gorgeous all villa resort (part of the esteemed One&Only group) is the ultimate in family luxury. This large resort has 130 very spacious villas over twelve private beaches. Depending on whether you opt for water living or prefer to have your feet firmly on dry land you can choose from the beach villas surrounded by lush greenery or the very private water villas hovering above the enchanting turquoise lagoon. The food here is simply divine from the eclectic Reethi Restaurant serving innovative fusion dishes to the modern Japanese or Middle-Eastern restaurant. The facilities are outstanding with two tennis courts, snorkelling / diving, parasailing, dolphin watching, or for an adventure set off on a deep sea fishing excursion. The One&Only Spa will pamper and soothe even the most jaded of visitors with its ESPA products, manicured green lawns and quaint thatched pavilions.
For the children the excellent KidsOnly programme is tailored to specific ages. Activities such as treasure hunts, beach volleyball and football will have them eager to go back the next day. We Love: Children enjoy their own section of the resort with separate dining facilities, a clubhouse and a swimming pool and receive a special welcome pack upon arrival.
Guide price: from
ÂŁ2799 per person
Price is based on two adults sharing a Beach Bungalow for seven nights in July, including flights and luxury yacht transfers. 17
Pure Shores
Diva Maldives: Dhidhoofinolhu
Prestige Water Villa
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Beach Villa
More a village than resort, Diva is good value for families or couples who want barefoot luxury, stylish spacious surroundings and plenty to do for everyone. It provides a haven of tranquillity framed by lush tropical vegetation and 4km of pristine beach. There are many different room choices from Deluxe Rooms and Junior Suites to a variety of Villas, perfectly located either on the beach or stilted above the crystal clear lagoon. Facilities around the resort are excellent which include two pools, the vast infinity spa, a five star PADI diving centre, tennis courts and a state of the art gym. The boathouse is the place to be for water sport fanatics where you can dive off a dhoni and enjoy the colourful aquatic life on offer including parrot fish, stingrays and whale sharks. There are seven unique restaurants including Indian, Italian and Japanese cuisines and a special touch is a healthy kids’ menu.
The Kids’ Club (The Nest) has special activities with a focus on the surrounding natural habitat and little ones really are made to feel extra special, they can even throw their own personal birthday parties. The Teens’ Club (The Place) has its own room complete with a pool table, games consoles and table tennis. We Love: The six bars and a nightclub means this resort is lively at night, if you want it to be.
Guide price: from
£1599 per person
Price is based on two adults sharing a Deluxe Room for seven nights in July, including flights and seaplane transfers. 19
design : imagine-cga.co.uk : 0161 272 8334
For the best special offers, first hand honest advice or to make a booking: 0845 845 0145 www.travelbeam.co.uk luxuryhotels@travelbeam.co.uk
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Please note: The air holiday packages in this brochure are ATOL protected by the Civil Aviation Authority. Our ATOL number is ATOL 9664. Pricing and special offers are based on 2 people sharing (unless otherwise stated) and are subject to availability at the time of booking; date restrictions may apply. Travelbeam does not warrant or guarantee the accuracy of the information supplied and cannot accept responsibility or liability arising from decisions made, or actions taken, as a result of the information.