Monthly Archives: February 2022

According to CNN UHNWIs around the world are showing an increased interest in renting or buying private islands since the first lockdown hit.

The ultimate once-in-a-lifetime journey in utter seclusion and perfect peace, private island retreats and bubble-to-bubble holidays are higher than ever in the luxury consumers desirability scale, as they offer you copious space, safety, complete privacy and unparalleled lust.

From COMO Hotels & Resorts NEW tropical hideaway, COMO Laucala Island in Fiji, to the ethical Thanda Island Private Marine Reserve off the coast of Tanzania and the uber-luxe Velaa Private Island in the Maldives, we rounded-up exciting news from the worlds most desired destinations.

Thanda Island, TanzaniaThe Worlds Only Exclusive-Use Marine Reserve

Nestled within Tanzania's Shungimbili Island Marine Reserve, the rustic Thanda Island is the worlds only privately-owned marine reserve that operates as an exclusive-use luxury hotel. The marine counterpart of the famed Thanda Safari in South Africa, Thanda Island hosts a five-suite villa built in a breezy throwback colonial style with gym, patio, infinity pool, and library. Just a few steps away from the main villa are two authentic and recently revamped beach chalets (Tanzanian bandas) where eight more guests can reside. The island is completed with a tennis court, ocean-front yoga pavilion, helipad, helicopter, Sea Lion super yacht and a fully equipped boat house.

At Thanda Island guests are assigned their own personal marine biologist who will guide ethical whale shark excursions and conservation underwater activities - where even the diving gear is eco-friendly, as rash vests are made from recycled plastic. Epicures will savour the islands unforgettable dining experiences, such as a Swahili feast, a decadent affair that includes curries with hand-squeezed coconut milk, fresh lobster, and oysters. All is prepared in traditional fashion with locally sourced ingredients by the islands own chef. The warm community of staff will cater to any guests desire and arrange bespoke itineraries accordingly.

Committed to improve the environment and protect endangered species, Thanda Island works closely with the Tanzania Marine Parks and Sea Sense NGO to educate the local communities on sustainable fishing and marine conservation. These partnerships led to the return of fish in the coral reef and the reappearance of the reef herons, as well as sea turtle nesting on the beach. Today at Thanda there are around 300 fish species, two species of dolphin (bottlenose and humpback) and two species of sea turtle (green and hawksbill). On a community level, Thanda Island employs local Swahili staff and fosters an enterprise and entrepreneur development project and an education project that inspires kids to reach for their dreams and live a healthy life, through the recently founded NGO, Star for Life Tanzania. (Rates 33,000 per night. Minimum stay five nights; thandaisland.com)

Velaa Private Island, MaldivesThe Most Exclusive and Luxurious Resort In The World

Nestled within the constellation of islands that form theNoonuAtoll in Maldives, Velaa Private Island takes exclusivity to the next level with facilities and service that go beyond traditional resorts. Designed by award-winning Czech architect Petr Kolar as an elegant fusion of Maldivian culture with contemporary luxury, intimate with Maldivian nuances.Velaa Private Island is the realisation of a dream to create a beyond luxury exclusive boutique hideaway in the Maldives.

Velaa means Turtle in the local language named after generations of sea turtles that flock there to nest and hatch. From a broader birds eye view which greets arrivals by seaplane, the islands exclusive over-water villas are also constructed to resemble the head of a turtle, with the island forming the body.The resort comprises 47 private villas, houses and exclusive residences. While 18 of the 47 are built over water, the Romantic Pool Residence can only be reached by boat, allowing even more privacy and exclusivity.

This year Velaa Private Island is continuing to take its commitment to wellness to the next level by inviting guests to re-energise and fulfil their fitness ambitions whilst taking care of the mind, body and soul with their Visiting Practitioners programme. Mirroring Velaas passion for ultra-luxe personalised experiences, the programme works with world class athletes and practitioners to tailor exclusive workshops designed to promote inner balance, health and harmony, working in perfect synergy alongside the range of high-tech spa and fitness facilities Velaa has to offer. Joining the programme in the upcoming months is Holistic Practitioner Dr Buathon Thienarrom who will offer private alternative medicine and holistic healing sessions for guests. (Rates start from 2,200 a night in a beach pool villa with a minimum of 5 nights; http://www.velaaprivateisland.com)

COMO Laucala Island, FijiWellness-Orientated Private Island Retreat

The latest addition to COMO Hotels & Resorts exclusive private island collection, COMO Laucala Island in the remote South Pacific region is framed by turquoise-blue sea and white sandy beaches. At the heart of the island are tropical rainforests, volcanic mountains, blue lagoons, mangroves and coconut groves, fostering a unique habitat that allows for a wide range of land and water activities, such as jet-skiing, sailing, diving, game fishing, horse-riding, mountain biking, and hiking. Guests can play tennis as well as golf in the 18-hole David McLay Kidd-designed golf course - a first for the Singapore-based luxury hotel group.

Peppered across the northern side of the island, the 25 elegant residences are built with natural Fijian wood, to seamlessly blend with the surroundings while staying true to COMOs unmistakable contemporary flair. Each residence comes with their own COMO butler and private pool, providing guests with unparalleled levels of luxury and seclusion. COMO Shambhala Retreat, the islands wellness centre, is the embodiment of COMOs philosophy for holistic, healthy living. At this nurturing retreat, guests can expect physical fitness classes, yoga, and a fitness centre. Treatments make use of COMO Shambhalas signature products, as well as the islands herbs, spices, flowers, and fruits. COMO Shambhalas signature Asian-inspired massages and body treatments using the islands river stones, mineral crystals and rich volcanic soils are also provided.

To minimize its impact on the environment and in line with COMOs farm-to-table philosophy, the islands five dining options receive fresh produce from the resorts 240-acre farm, cultivating a wide range of organic crops and livestock including chickens, quail and wagyu cattle. Fresh seafood supplies are sourced exclusively from local fishermen, contributing to the islands commitment to sustainability. Menus include COMO Shambhala options, which are high in flavor, nutrition, and low in fats and refined sugars. (Rates TBC; comohotels.com)

Here is the original post:

Sea, Sun and Seclusion on the World's Most Luxurious Private Islands - Luxury Travel Magazine

Stewart Howard, the chief executive officer of Ambergris Cay, a private island resort in the Turks and Caicos, said Canadians have been notably missing from the Caribbean since March 2020 because they faced a mandatory quarantine upon their return to Canada and were not terribly keen on traveling through the United States for connecting flights to the Caribbean. Almost all resort visitors were from America over the past two years, he said. (Fully vaccinated Canadian travelers no longer have to quarantine when they return home, though they do need to test negative to enter the country.)

Mr. Howard noted that Ambergris Cays amenities will expand in the coming year to include a clubhouse, an additional restaurant and new suites to meet what he predicts will be strong future demand. Now, what were seeing is aggressive bookings, but for stays in six to nine months, he said.

Unvaccinated city workers. New York City is expected to fire up to 3,000 municipal workers, including police officers, firefighters and teachers, on Feb. 11 for refusing to get vaccinated against the coronavirus possibly the largest worker reduction in the nation tied to a vaccine mandate.

Not all islands in the Caribbean saw visitor increase from 2020 to 2021. Some, like the Cayman Islands, Dominica and Barbados saw a dip in their overnight visitor arrivals for reasons, including how easy or difficult they are to reach. Before the pandemic, Dominica was reachable only by small regional aircraft or by ferry. When one of the key inter-regional airlines, L.I.A.T., suspended all its flights in March 2020, the island was hit hard and has not recovered. In December, American Airlines launched the first nonstop flight to the island from Miami, raising hopes that visitor numbers would pick up.

Anguilla also received its first nonstop flight from Miami in December, also on American Airlines. This will increase to daily flights starting in April, said Georgios Tserdakidis, Anguillas chief marketing officer, with hopes that easier travel will help drive tourism. The country plans to expand its Clayton J. Lloyd International Airport, and a new $5.5 million Blowing Point Ferry terminal is under construction.

Other destinations, like Trinidad and the Cayman Islands, closed their borders to visitors at the start of the pandemic and only opened for tourist travel in late 2021.

Proximity also played a role the Bahamas is the closest island group to the United States and people wanted to be closer to the mainland for safety, according to a spokesman for the Caribbean Tourism Organization.

Excerpt from:

Whats New in the Caribbean for 2022 - The New York Times

Photo: Moeava de Rosemont

Four Seasons Bora Bora, French Polynesia

There was a time when highly coveted overwater bungalows were a figment of travellers imagination. Those seeking the ultimate island paradise in places like Fiji, the Maldives, and Tahiti had only two options: a hotel room or a villa on the beach. Its almost hard to imagine now, when the plane descent into one of these destinations displays a full spectrum of bungalows lined up along long pontoons, jutting out over the crystalline cerulean waters that made these places famous.

In 1967, on the island of Raiateawhich, without a sandy beach, was proving a challenging sell for touristsa trio of Californians known as the Bali Hai Boys conceived the game-changer of a dream accommodation: the overwater bungalow. At the time they assured the government that, like traditional Tahitians fishing huts, they would not harm the coral with their pandanus leafthatched roof structures, and that edict still holds true. Their trio of bungalows at Bali Hai Hotel became a craze that spread to Bora Bora and beyond; after all, the charming stilted cottages offered immersion into the magic of the sea, sans snorkel mask or air tank. Now 50 years old, the iconic honeymoon hideaways, sought-after spots for not just romance but easy access to throngs of Technicolor sea creatures below, are looking better than ever.

In the last half-century the overwater bungalow has gone from simple to over-the-top opulent in some cases, although there are also plenty of very affordable, basic versions around the world. Its homeland, the Islands of Tahiti, lays claim to nearly 900 of them, from Moorea (where the Sofitel forbids motorised activities to protect its pristine lagoon) and Tikehau (by night, sharks swim beneath Tikehau Pearl Beach Resorts charming perches) to Rangiroa (Hotel Kia Oras ten bungalows boast some of the best views of all the islands) and Bora Bora, where Le Meridiens Mount Otemanufacing bungalows have the largest glass floors of all. Of course, other destinations have done their best to catch up, and now there are whopping numbers of thatched-roof villas standing over not just the Caribbean Sea, the South China Sea, and the Indian Ocean, but lakes, too.

Wherever they stand, the overwater bungalow tends to comprise similar elements, with design hallmarks tending to stay consistent. Thatched-roof systems made of natural, indigenous materials (which must be replaced every couple years) are standard, as is the layout of bungalows attached to a wooden pontoon walkway. Of course, its hardly worth sleeping over the water if theres no peekaboo window set in the floor. Panoramic views of the countless shades of blue outside are another requisite element. More recently, private overwater pools, jacuzzis, and suspended hammocks, have been introduced along with two-story versions that dwarf a Manhattan studio apartment.

In celebration of the revolutionary structures major birthday milestone, we look at some of the most spectacular modern overwater bungalows from around the world.

This story was first published on AD US

Follow this link:

The 21 most incredible overwater bungalows in the world - Architectural Digest India

Tucked away on the intriguing islands dotted around the River Thames in Surrey, you'll find a beautiful slice of paradise.

Ever since the Victorians began to sail upriver from London for a weekend retreat, people have realised these stepping stones in the landscape make for unique - and private - homes.

On a mission to explore some of the islands for My London, I headed to Sunbury Court Ait, which you access via a private footbridge.

Read more: Remains of Surrey WW2 airmen found on farm returned to their families

It's nestled between riverside bungalows, all with patios and boats moored up alongside.

I linger around for a while like some sort of lost troll, hoping someone might let me across the bridge, which has a beautiful white tower guarding it and signs stating it's private property.

With amazing luck I bump into Phil and Sally who very kindly agree to let me walk across to look around their dream island home.

We walk across the bridge, and we immediately meet a path running east-west across the middle of the island, flanked on either side by wooden panelled bungalows.

As we reach the gate to their home, at the far end of the path, I notice there's a sign on the gate staying "India Wood".

"That's because Phil used to come down to the next island and play Cowboys and Indians when we were children," Sally says.

It turns out Phil's first paper round as a teenager was delivering to the - then much more basic - homes on Sunbury Court island.

He hadn't thought much about it for years afterwards, but one day he and Sally noticed a house for sale on the island, while walking on neighbouring Rivermeade Island, and decided to check it out.

The couple invite me into their simply stunning, brightly lit bungalow that they built themselves.

Phil shows me pictures of what homes on the island originally looked like - wooden chalets used as holiday homes, complete with cement asbestos panels with no insulation at all.

The islanders have worked seriously hard on them since then, and Phil and Sally have built a spacious, comfortable home with patio doors on all sides, and light pouring in from the gleaming river.

It's elevated on piles to stop it flooding and has it's own gorgeous little garden and boat deck out the back.

It's not hard to see that they've found a little slice of heaven.

Phil explains: "We were downsizing. The kids had left home. That's a very typical story and probably how most people end up on the island.

"Some people buy houses on the coast and some buy them on the river.

"There used to be an open air swimming pool on Rivermeade Island and we used to spend everyday in the summer down here as kids," says Sally.

"It was very cold. Not like the heated lidos you get now," adds Phil. "It was 17 shillings and sixpence for a season ticket. So off we'd go!"

"We used to just get on our bikes and go out and come home again at tea time, like a lot of people in those days," muses Sally.

Phil remembers the river freezing in 1963. People actually walked and cycled across it and at Shepperton - legend has it - someone drove a mini across it.

Phil and Sally renovated the house themselves in 2013, and transported all the materials across the narrow channel on a skiff.

But their island home isn't cut off from real life.

"Everybody delivers here and Sunbury village has three pubs, two Indians, one Chinese, one Italian. You can go down on your boat if you want to of course," Phil says.

"You can go down to East Molesey where there's lots of restaurants and you can have a lovely night."

He continues: "We've got two young grandchildren who love looking out and waving at the boats and everybody's very friendly on the river.

"We know certain boats - from the man who operates the barges to the guy who does the diesel and petrol supplies. There's a lot of waving going on."

But if you're going to live on a Thames island, you've got to beware of floods.

"When this island was flooded in 2014 we had to wade down the path in chest-high waders. We used to bring the shopping back on the canoe. We went out one morning and the swans were all swimming down the garden path," says Sally.

"The rescue services were brilliant and took all the elderly people off who needed help. When we moved here there were really only three single elderly ladies living here on the island."

But doesn't it get a bit claustrophobic living on a tiny island in one of 29 homes?

"You can't avoid people on the island but everybody's very friendly," says Sally.

"At Christmas time there was a community event with a Christmas tree and fairy lights illuminating the island's bridge. It was fantastic."

These islands have some amazing stories to tell too, each with its own special character.

This weekend a traditional village rowing festival is taking place which will see 350 boats on the river.

In the summer there's a Sunbury Village regatta, which Sally and Phil used to take part in as children, following by an illuminated sail past and an incredible fireworks display.

Back in Victorian times Phil explains the river was often crammed with suited and booted ladies and gents hiring skiffs on the river for the weekend.

The islands sometimes feature in wider history too.

"We actually had Emperor Haile Selassie (The Ethiopian ruler who was deposed when the Italian forces invaded his country) living on this island," says Phil.

"In the Second World War he was evacuated and briefly lived here."

"People say it's peaceful on the Thames but you've got a lot of wildlife which can be quite noisy," laughs Phil.

"There's also loads of rowing boats. They start at crazy hours in the morning about 6am even at this time of year."

Sally explains the biggest problem on the river these days is with illegal moorings. People who, in ever-increasing numbers, are buying up old boats and just mooring up wherever they like without paying.

But it's not all bad - Phil and Sally have a decent sized motor boat they are renovating out the back and also have kayaks to use on the river.

Last year they even motored up to the source of the Thames in Lechlade.

Phil and Sally are keen to emphasise though that Sunbury Court Ait is a private island with people's private dwellings. You can't just turn up. The islanders are understandably protective of the lifestyle they've found.

But there are plenty of islands, like neighbouring Rivermeade island where you can pitch up in summer to sunbathe and try out a bit of paddleboarding.

The river is non-tidal here too so boating is pretty straightforward.

And for those who want to explore, there's a new ferry just next to the island that will take you across the river in the summer months. It's completely run by volunteers.

Sign up to our daily newsletter to get more news from SurreyLive straight to your inbox. Find out how here.

Read more:

The Surrey dream island home on a private paradise in the middle of the River Thames - Surrey Live

ZMR

The resumption of ferry services between Turkey and Greek islands in the Aegean Sea is expected to give a significant boost to tourism activity in the region, an official from the industry has said.

The ban on ferry services, which were halted for two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic, was lifted on Feb. 7. The restriction also applied to private yachts sailing between Turkeys Aegean coasts and the Greek islands.

Ferries used to carry nearly 1.5 million people each year on the routes, such as Ayvalk-Lesbos, eme-Khios and Marmaris-Rhodes. With the resumption of those voyages, tourism activity will revive again, said Yusuf ztrk, from the zmir branch of the Chamber of Shipping.

Now, ferries with up to 49 passengers on board can enter 14 Greek ports, including Kavala, Rhodes, Lesbos, Samos, Limnos, Patmos and Kastellorizo.

Ferry services greatly contribute to the local economy and tourism activity, but they came to nearly a complete halt after the pandemic, ztrk noted.

Officials from the two countries discussed the resumption of those services at the Turkish-Greek Joint Commission meeting held in the Turkish western province of zmir in November last year, he said.

Following another meeting in Greece between officials from the Turkish and Greek tourism and trade ministries, ferry services resumed, ztrk added.

For the time being, ferries are allowed to carry only 49 passengers, but those vessels will gradually be able to serve more passengers, he said, noting that travelers need to provide the results of PCR tests taken within 72 hours and antibody tests.

Ferry operators suffered a great deal over the past two years, but marine tourism will see a strong rebound this year, ztrk said, adding that the resumption of those services came at a time when cruise traffic in the Mediterranean is also gaining momentum.

View post:

Resumption of ferry services with Greek islands to boost tourism: Official - Hurriyet Daily News

Although there has been no change in alert levels this week and all Canary Islands stay at their current level for one more week, the Government has decided to relax the rules and restrictions for each level, despite the fact that the hospital pressure continues to be high.

The Government Council of the Canary Islands agreed in its meeting on Thursday to continue with relaxing the measures put in place for each alert level, so the new rules will be applicable from 00:00 on February 11, 2022 until midnight on March 10, 2022, with the possibility of extension depending on the epidemiological situation.

So what are the main changes in alert levels in the Canary Islands?

The agreement reached by the Government means the suspension of the restrictive measures that were applied on the islands in alert level 4, where the level 3 measures will go into force. In the same way, on the islands that are now in level 3, the measures applied will correspond to level 2 and when some of the islands will move to level 2, the measures from level 1 will apply.

The relaxation of measures at a level lower than that established one on each island affects all activities and establishments subject to limitations due to the pandemic.

Maximum people in a group

In this way, it is established that groups of people in spaces for public and private use, closed or outdoors, must be of a maximum of :

Closing times

The new closing times for establishments are as follows:

Maximum capacity in bars, restaurants, hotels

More here:

New measures for alert levels in the Canary Islands - updated closing times, capacity, groups - GuideToCanaryIslands