Salsa your way around Havana, book a cook in Barbados and create a Bajan Bake, hold your breath for river tubing in Jamaica, take a jeep safari in Aruba, cruise in a Fifties classic car in Cuba or mountain bike at Anse Chastanet in lush St Lucia
These are just some of the authentic experiences available in Kuoni’s new Caribbean brochure featuring 23 colourful islands and hundreds of exciting travel experiences across the archipelago to tap into its cool vibe. Prices kick off from £795.
The new brochure, out now, is valid from January to December 2010, and has something for everyone, from novel experiences for first timers to equally tantalising packages for second or third-time visitors. Coupled with Kuoni’s expertise in the region, its reliability, high service standards and 103-year history, travellers can’t go wrong.
“This brochure is a portfolio of our fantastic products that we’re already selling across the islands plus much more, such as exciting new experiences and hotels,” says Karen Walpole, product manager, Caribbean & Mexico, for Kuoni.
The highlights include:
· Private sailboat options in Grenada at True Blue
· Twin centre holidays in New York and Bermuda or Cuba and Jamaica
· Nine new hotels to sample across the region, including luxury apartments in Grenada and Barbados and a new boutique property in St Lucia
· The Dominican Republic re-introduced with three new hotels
· Swimming and snorkelling among shoals of southern rays in the Cayman Islands
· Tailor-made options in Cuba for those wanting something different
· Exclusive offers
· Earlybird savings
Learn to salsa on a four-day package in Havana with twice-daily lessons and join a group of dancers with live salsa music so you can strut your stuff before you depart.
Turn up the culinary heat with a cooking lesson in the kitchens of the Beach View Hotel in Barbados.
Navigate exciting rapids on the Great River in Jamaica for a real white-knuckle ride after an equally exhilarating drive through the islands’ untouched jungle interior.
Take a full day exploring Aruba on a jeep safari, from the rugged scenery of the north coast with its caves and beaches and the arid cactus desert in the centre to unspoilt Baby Beach for a spot of swimming and snorkelling.
No trip to Cuba is complete without cruising around in one of its vintage cars. Arrive in style and be picked up at the airport in a vehicle from a bygone era then tour around the island. Tailor-made options in Cuba for those wanting something different include suggested itineraries for more experienced visitors to the island.
Some 600 lush acres of mountain terrain at Anse Chastanet challenge even the experienced biker as a pre-bookable add-on to a holiday in St Lucia.
Editor’s Notes:
History and track record
Kuoni was established in 1906 in Switzerland by Alfred Kuoni, a visionary adventurer and explorer of his time who opened some of Europe’s first travel agencies. Today it has branch operations in over 40 countries. For 103 years Kuoni has been creating holidays with a spirit of adventure and has been recognised consistently , winning coveted awards such as: ‘The World’s Leading Tour Operator’ for the past 11 years at the World Travel Awards; The Daily Telegraph’s Ultratravel, Sunday Times Travel Magazine and Daily Mail readers all voted Kuoni ‘Britain’s favourite’. Kuoni has been ‘Britain’s Best Longhaul Tour Operator’ for the past 26 years as voted by Travel Agents.
Ethical Performance
Kuoni is committed to being a good corporate citizen, empowering people to protect the natural environment and local populations. The broader aim of Kuoni’s Corporate Responsibility (CR) policy is to minimise the adverse impact of tourist travel. Kuoni has over 32 active global CR projects and four priority areas: protecting children from sexual abuse in tourism; promoting fair working conditions; finding solutions for water scarcity and mitigating the consequences of climate change.
Kuoni’s Unique Selling Points
1. Concierge service
The Kuoni Concierge service offers all the usual facilities of booking theatres, concerts, restaurants, festival or cultural occasions and overseas sporting events. It also manages private airport transfers, late check-outs, private tours and personal guides.
2. Kuoni Personal Travel Experts
Kuoni Personal Travel Experts are knowledgeable staff passionate about travel and ready to tailor-make the perfect holiday and offer a personal touch by building a relationship with customers so they can call on the same travel expert each time they book.
3. At Home with Kuoni
Launched this year, At Home with Kuoni offers complimentary champagne, canapés and a Kuoni personal travel expert for individuals able to host a small gathering of friends and family in their home to learn about exciting holiday options. Guests are offered exclusive discounts.
Customer Assurance
Kuoni is ABTA and ATOL protected, giving customers financial protection and ensuring they won’t be stranded abroad. And customers are safe in the knowledge while they are abroad that Kuoni have professional ground agents and English speaking guides to ensure they have any enjoyable stay.
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Editor’s Notes: Highlights from the Caribbean brochure
Lead-in Price: 7 nights at Silver Sands Barbados in a standard room on a room only basis, including flights and transfers. Prices from £795 per person based on two sharing.
Barbados (page 26)
· Some 25 great hotels to choose from including six world class properties dotted around the island’s west and south coast
· Improve your back hand with free pro tennis tuition six days a week at the Coral Reef Club and Sandpiper hotels
· Stay in the brand new luxury apartments of the Beach View Hotel which are walking distance from some of the best culinary experiences on the island
St Lucia (page 44)
· 18 hotels to choose from on this lush Eastern Caribbean island, including the brand new boutique property, Calabash Cove with just 26 luxury suites and cottages, many with private plunge pools
· Take a private helicopter transfer from the airport to hotel and take in St Lucia’s mountainous landscape and its hallmark Twin Pitons
Antigua (page 58)
· Play tennis, sail, go kayaking, snorkel, windsurf or scuba dive on the south coast at what is arguably Antigua’s best hotel, Carlisle Bay
· The Grand Pineapple Beach Hotel makes a comeback in the brochure as part of the Sandals group and with all inclusive value and a fantastic location
Grenada (page 68)
· Independent travellers will love the Mount Cinnamon colourful and unusual apartments, with their fantastic views and beachside setting.
· Take advantage of Grenada’s location in the Windward Islands with a private sailboat charter and skipper for the day
Grenadines (page 74)
· Take to the water around this group of tiny islands known as a sailing heaven. There is laser sailing and hobbie cat sailing as well as fishing, snorkelling and windsurfing. Friendship Bay Beach Resort on Bequia offers sail and stay options
· Three resort hotels to choose from with golf, spa and watersport facilities par excellence
· Exclusive personal flight options in Bequia, Grenadines for a unique Caribbean personalised experience
Tobago (page 76)
· Younger couples can chill out in the tiny, 20-room Bacolet Beach Club, which offers intimate and funky boutique accommodation
St Kitts & Nevis (page 80)
· Sample one of the world’s smallest nations and experience life in elegant historic plantation houses. Ottley’s Plantation Inn on St Kitts and Nisbet Plantation Beach Club on Nevis are two of the five-star hotel options
Anguilla (page 82)
- Luxuriate in the Greco-Moorish beachfront villas of the five-star Cap Juluca on Maundays Bay
British Virgin Islands (page 84)
· Luxuriate in the seriously secluded Biras Creek on Virgin Gorda, hidden in 140 lush acres of grounds
· Sample the ultimate escape of Peter Island Resort, located on a private 1,800-acre island
Jamaica (page 88)
· Navigate the rapids on the Great River on a river tubing experience
· Choose from one of 14 all-inclusive properties dotted across this Northern Caribbean island
· Let the kids loose in the Scratch DJ Academy, 360 Game Garage or Trench Town Teen Lounge at the Beaches Negril Resort & Spa
Bahamas (page 98)
· Glam up for a night at a casino
· Enjoy the privacy of an offshore island at Sandals Royal Bahamian Spa Resort
Bermuda (page 102)
- Savour the walking, sailing and golfing haven in a choice of three hotels
Turks & Caicos (page 104)
· Get away from it all at one of the 40 islands that make up the Turks & Caicos, famous for snorkelling and diving opportunities
· Languish in the 65-room Parrot Cay & Como Shambhala Retreat on a private Island for the ultimate getaway. Rooms have four-poster beds, the spa is to die for, and there is haute cuisine and 1,000 unspoilt acres to explore
Cayman Islands (page 108)
· Soak up the sunshine on Seven Mile Beach, where Kuoni features two hotels, as well as the islands’ restaurants and nightlife
Cuba (page 112)
· 15 hotels to choose from across three, four and five-star categories, including Santa Isabel, the stunning 18th century converted mansion in the centre of Havana, and a brand new four-star property, Iberostar Laguna Azul in Varadero
· Three fabulous tailor-made, ten-day itineraries: Colonial Cuba; Remote Cuba; and The Eastern Edge of Cuba, to highlight Cuba’s history, architecture, vibrant culture and areas off the beaten track
· Drill down into the essence of Cuba on one of two escorted small group tours: the seven-day Discover Cuba and 11-night Enchanting Cuba
Havana (page 116)
· Learn to salsa on a four-day Kuoni package in the city. It includes joining a group of dancers with live salsa music to strut your stuff
· Discover the World Heritage Site of Havana, Cuba’s capital city, at one of three hotels, including the iconic and colonial style Hotel Nacional De Cuba overlooking the Straits of Florida
Varadero (page 118)
· Kuoni offers six hotels dotted along the spectacular 20km spit of pure white sand known as the Hicacos Peninsula, including the brand new Iberostar Laguna Azul for active beach holidays
Guardalavaca (page 122)
· Chill out in Cuba’s quiet, laidback resort and chose from a three or five-star hotel
The Cayos (page 124)
· Three idyllic beachfront hotels to choose from across the many islands and keys strung along Cuba’s northern coast: on Cayo Coco, Cayo Guillermo and the Cayos of Cuba. At the Melia Cayo Coco, superior rooms are on stilts over the lagoon
Dominican Republic (page 126)
· The Dominican Republic is back, with three great hotels to choose from: the four-star Paradisus Punta Cana, and five-star Zoetry Agua Punta Cana and Dreams Palm Beach Punta Cana hotels
· Explore the native tropical mangrove forests and gardens that are part of Paradisus Punta Cana
Aruba (page 128)
- Enjoy all-inclusive options at three hotels, Manchebo Beach Resort & Spa, Tamarijn Aruba and Occidental Grand Aruba
St Barts (page 130)
· Luxuriate in the sophisticated French resort of St Barth Isle de France and indulge at its Molton Brown spa or Thai massage pavilion
- Ends -
For further press information, please contact Kuoni PR: -
Fiona Blaszkowski on 01306 744 194/ fiona.blaszkowski@kuoni.co.uk
or Anne-Marie Hansen on 01306 744 173/ anne-marie.hansen@kuoni.co.uk
or Jemma Purvis on 01306 744 006/ jemma.purvis@kuoni.co.uk
For images please download from http://www.kuoni.co.uk/pr/images.html