Anyone who has stayed in a Shangri-La Hotel will appreciate the reason for the Sydney Shangri-La’s recent 20 million dollar refurbishment.

In keeping with the fact that Shangri-La is an Asian-based accommodation and design success, a subtly-finessed oriental colour scheme and fresh ambience has been created for its Sydney outpost. The makeover brings the hotel into line with its stable of legendary sister properties in terms of grand style and elegant comfort. Inspiration for the new palette of colours, fabrics and designs – warm, shimmering gold, beige and naturalistic hues of brown – provide feel-good and luxurious touches. The refreshed interiors, particularly in the guestrooms, now provide the perfect foil to the brilliant and mesmerising scenes through its dramatic windows.

As if the location on the edge of the harbour were not appealing enough, the clever decision to include purpose-built window seats in all rooms was perhaps the most ingenious. From a personal, leather-clad “bench” in the sky, fabulous panoramas can be given more serious consideration.

Apart from changes in colour and design, each room has a Bluetooth media hub that allows guests to connect all their digital equipment to the television. It’s is the best techno gadgetry for the leisure and business traveller, particularly those wanting to take a perfect photographic slice of Sydney home to treasure. IHome docks, incorporating an ipod dock, complete the guestroom wizardry.

We can’t make enough of the fact that views are the heartbeat of establishment. We have already enthused about the delights of the 36th floor Altitude and chef Steven Krasicki’s talents. Next door to Altitude is the chic, sassy Blu Bar where, from 5PM, you can keep a leisurely cocktail eye on the fading hues of the day, the harbour and the waves of commuter action on the Bridge.

What is more than a perfect idea is to arrange a few nights of reckless indulgence or purposeful celebration with family, friends or Sydney visitors. Make the Blu Bar the clubby sanctuary to which you withdraw in the late afternoon for pre-dinner drinks followed by a high Altitude experience. Join your visitors or friends to explore the city outside, or for some individual space you can retreat and enjoy being revitalized in the signature spa, CHI.

Shangri-La’s style gurus have made this Sydney jewel blossom to its fullest potential.

SHANGRI-LA PACKAGE INCLUDES: 2 NIGHTS ACCMMODATION IN A KING BEDDED EXECUTIVE ROOM WITH A CITY OR OPERA HOUSE VIEW • TAXES • CONIERGE BONUS PRIVILEGE: ONE COMPLIMENTARY BOTTLE OF SPARKLING WINE & CHOCOLATES  • FROM AUD440.00 PER PERSON, TWIN SHARE • VALID UNTIL30 JUNE 2012

Contact Melissa Coles for more information on 1800 047 047 or email her at: mcoles@conciergetraveller.com

John Chekian believes that one of the world’s best journeys is the ferry ride across Hong Kong Harbour. On the frantic harbour shores, right at the doorstep of the posh shopping and entertainment complex of Pacific Place, the Island Shangri-La is an easy walk to a metro station, Victoria Peak Terminal or the famed Star Ferry Terminal. It contains some of the city’s highest rooms, between the 39th and 55th floors of an impressive tower, in which enormous windows bring a powerful sense of place to its fortunate guests. This location is the absolute best for business, conferences, shopping and dining on the island. If you feel moved to promenade in Kowloon, the Star Ferry provides all the wow you need in transport. But the Island Shangri La is the dazzling balm you need in a hotel.

Hong Kong is a dense and intensive cityscape but that often obscures the fact that much of it is devoted to parkland spaces. The Island Shangri-La taps into the philosophy of “a place to breath” in the midst of forests of glittering buildings, incorporating touches such as a greened-up outdoor pool and café. Similarly, guests love the plant-filled roof garden on the 56th floor. It is a place from which to admire the island’s skyscrapers and to chill out in rattan chairs beneath the cooling sweep of ceiling fans.

Apart from a clutch of chic places to dine, the glamorous rooms are swathed in silken fabrics of delicious cream, gold and burnt orange, whilst the elegant furniture, dreamy beds, the mirrors and marble of the bathrooms bring touches of the palatial to mere mortals. We have the inside tips on the floors where harbour views are simply the best.

The staff doesn’t quite leap tall buildings but, from curbside to club level, they do spend their time catering to guests’ every whim by quietly whizzing about like Clark Kent’s alter ego. Solicitous service is their mantra. From an arty atrium dominated by a 16-story Chinese mural and from yoga to Yum Cha, this is the pinnacle of hotel perfection on Hong Kong Island.

CONCIERGE EXCLUSIVE PACKAGE INCLUDES: 3 NIGHTS IN AN HORIZON HARBOUR VIEW ROOM • ROUND TRIP AIRPORT TRANSFERS • ONE CULINARY JOURNEY SET DINNER WITH WINE PAIRINGS FOR 2 • ONE 60 MINUTE SWEDISH MASSAGE FOR 2 & BOTTLE OF FINE WINE • FROM HKD18,900 PER ROOM • VALID UNTIL JUNE 2012

Contact John Chekian for more information on 1800 047 047 or email him at: jchekian@conciergetraveller.com

If you would like to take a more boutique approach to the Marina Bay location, the The Fullerton Bay Hotel will take your breath away. It exudes romance and sexy ambience. It is the only Singaporean hotel that sits right on the waters of the bay and its Asian designer chic and sophistication are perfection.

The building is cradled between two iconic heritage buildings – Clifford Pier and Customs House and is close to the CBD, Boat Quay and the theatres that have livened up the bay front Esplanade. Intimate glamour permeates the public spaces and the 50 square metre high-tech rooms. Full-length windows and private balconies are the unbeatable wow factor, but it is the fabulous rooms whose aquatic views are the show-off icing on this delicious cake.

Those dreamy views are matched at the rooftop bar, Lantern. This poolside bar is open until 1AM so that a perfect evening can be languidly stretched to your liking.

John recommends that you try the signature Red Lantern cocktail, a salute to the area’s heritage when red lanterns hung on the pier to welcome immigrants and seafarers.

CONCIERGE EXCLUSIVE RATE INCLUDES: 1 NIGHT IN A PREMIER BAY VIEW ROOM • BREAKFAST DAILY • ONE AFTERNOON TEA FOR 2 • COMPLIMENTARY INTERNET • FROM SGD580 PER ROOM + TAX • VALID FOR MONDAY TO FRIDAY CHECK IN UNTIL 30 JUNE 2012

Contact John Chekian for additional night rates and more information on both Fullerton properties on 1800 047 047 or email him at: jchekian@conciergetraveller.com

Adonia is small if compared to the vessels of most cruise fleets. Its grown-up appeal resides in a sweeping staircase that opens grandly into the lobby, lashings of wood panelling, an elegant library with a faux fireplace and trompe d’oeil ceiling and the space aft of the sun deck where two dining venues command sweeping views over the ship’s wake. This ship is all 21st century technology wrapped in beautifully crafted detailing.

Unlike its sisters, Adonia is a ship of intimate charm where smart casual is the order of the day, and night dictates a little more formality. There is ballroom dancing in a grand lounge on an inlaid wooden dance floor, afternoon teas and mature entertainment that includes live shows and classical recitals – and no kids! Just about everything including the card room has panoramic ocean views including the two main restaurants and the swish Pacific Ocean Dining Room that is the heart of six-course silver-service. Sorrento is an Italian specialty restaurant, a pleasing slow food pace away from the main dining room. The al fresco Ocean Grill, is popular for not just its cuisine but for excellent and unusual wines by the glass.

Eight bars dot the ship but the Crows Nest is the pinnacle for the best panoramic views by day. At night the ambience is perfectly suited for pre or post dinner drinks. Also by day the modern gym is a busy hub and thought-provoking lectures generally draw a packed audience. There’s a pool, ample space for sunbathing and a pretty spa. And being smaller, everything on this ship is just a short walk away.

Adonia seems almost perfect: big enough to have plenty of facilities, but small enough to feel like home. Passengers are those who prefer the camaraderie of like-minded travellers, the attentive service of a small ship and the absence of all things brash. It might sport a trademark yellow funnel but where her sisters might boast of a casino, Adonia is quietly proud of its clubby Anderson’s lounge with its deep leather chairs.

Built to carry just 710 passengers, 75% of Adonia’s cabins have a balcony. The importance of this high percentage is anchored in the fact that the Adonia can explore the world’s most interesting sea lanes, docking at ports that larger ships are unable to visit.

WESTERN MEDITERRANEAN CRUISE PACKAGE INCLUDES: 16 OR 21 NIGHTS INSIDE CABIN ACCOMMODATION • ALL MEALS • ENTERTAINMENT • PORT CHARGES • CONCIERGE BONUS PRIVILEGE: 5% SAVING • FROM AUD3,333.00 PER PERSON, TWIN SHARE • VALID FOR 21 AUGUST & 16 SEPTEMBER CRUISES 2012 (UNTIL SOLD OUT)

Contact Jan Stanton for more information on 1800 047 047 or email her at: jstanton@conciergetraveller.com

There has been a rising tide of Australian travellers to the North American continent in the past year. When you think about travelling to the USA or to Canada, value for money is happily no longer something that requires pause for careful consideration. United takes passengers to everywhere, over there.

North America offers a plethora of tourist attractions both natural and man made, a variety of cultures and a fascinating history. Its fast-beat cities, brimming with theme parks, museums, and entertainment are an obvious lure. Some eastern states are repositories of treasured US history and the western United States are home to the world’s best national parks. Canada is equally vast, famed for natural landscapes such as The Rocky Mountains, astounding wildlife and its unique English/ French duality.

For premium passengers with United Airlines there are lie-flat seats that recline to a full 1.9 metre length bed; great menus; efficient and hospitable service; priority check-ins and super sized digital entertainment screens. All these pleasing amenities come teamed with the largest airline network in North America. Daily, non-stop flights to Los Angeles and San Francisco and a huge network of onward connections give travellers the option of 185 destinations.

United is the spacious best when it comes to premium trans Pacific travel.

RETURN BUSINESS CLASS FARES FROM SYDNEY TO LOS ANGELES OR SAN FRANCISCO FROM AUD6,699.00 PER PERSON, INCLUDING TAXES. NEW YORK FROM AUD7,699.00 PER PERSON INCLUDING TAXES AND ALL SUBJECT TO AVAILABILITY, SEASONALITY  AND AIRLINE CHANGES.

Contact Guy Batten for more information destinations and fares on 1800 047 047 or email him at: gbatten@conciergetraveller.com

In Singapore, Fullerton Heritage has made glamour the byword around the Marina Bay waterfront. The location of The Fullerton Hotel means that guests have easy access to the city’s revved up cultural scene and business centres.

The slick update of the 1928 General Post Office gave Singapore an imposing gem of a hotel. The Fullerton respectfully doffs its hat to its unique colonial heritage but everything about this hotel exudes the swish and the respectful. This elegant sanctuary offers attention to detail in the service and amenities that all luxury lovers seek. The Fullerton’s Lighthouse Restaurant, one of Singapore’s most dramatic spaces, has a private rooftop for pre or post dinner drinks where the visual feast perfectly complements the joys of the table.

Whilst the exterior of the hotel is admired for its grandeur, the cosseting rooms combine a soupçon of colonial manners with contemporary comfort and high-tech efficiency. For some indolent down time, settle by its award-winning infinity pool, betwixt majestic Doric columns and the buzz of the historic river precinct.

The Fullerton remains on all the “best of” lists for good reason.

CONCIERGE EXCLUSIVE RATE INCLUDES: 1 NIGHT IN A COURTYARD ROOM • BREAKFAST DAILY • ONE 6 COURSE DINNER AT JADE RESTAURANT • COMPLIMENTARY INTERNET • FROM SGD 428 PER ROOM + TAX • VALID FOR FRI, SAT & SUN CHECK IN UNTIL 30 JUNE 2012

The well-loved havens that are Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts are flagships of style and design. Start writing your postcards now because a stay in a Shangri-La hotel deserves your full attention once you have arrived. They are not just the best in lodgings, but an addictive pleasure.

The “real” Shangri-La is a mythical place in the vertiginous valleys of the Tibetan Himalyas. Reflecting this concept, the China World Summit Wing, Beijing is a Shangri-La sanctuary located on the uppermost floors of a soaring business tower in central Beijing. Each floor dazzles with bespoke artworks, fabrics and colour schemes worthy of Emperor Pu Yi or his dowager mother. Opulent, lavish and decadent, every truc of the trade has been finessed with impeccable Oriental taste.

Its rooms, restaurants, private dining areas and observation deck sit loftily above the city’s busy streets and Beijing’s highest spa retreat, CHI, sits serenely on the 77th floor. All its therapies are based on Chinese and Asian wellbeing traditions. Moreover, the rituals philosophies and culture of China pervade every atom of this hotel. The concepts of Yin and Yang, heaven and earth, balance and harmony, are the complementary dynamics that link the spa with the health club on 78th floor. Ascend in the bubble lift to a gym and a 25-metre infinity pool that seems, itself, to float in the heavens.

Floors 80 and 79 are a masterful display of this same beguiling philosophy. The elegant Altitude Bar on the 80th floor would not be out of place beneath a real constellation of stars. From the bar guests can descend in a glass lift to the warm and earthy spaces of 79th floor. A wine bar bathed in red hues reminiscent of Chinese lanterns then points the way to Grill 79. Not just one space, the restaurant is two intimate “terraces”, with angled, west-facing windows that allow diners to glimpse Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City.

Similarly, the views from west-facing guestrooms, each with an average floor space of 65 square metres, extend as far as the rooftops of the Forbidden City.

Astute guests rate this hotel a perfect 10 right down to its earthly core. Breathtaking food, comfort, luxury and service all match the lofty place to which guests are elevated.

WORLD SUMMIT PACKAGE INCLUDES: 2 NIGHTS IN A PREMIER KING BEDDED SUITE • FREE INTERNET • CONCIERGE BONUS PRIVILEGES: UPGRADE SUBJECT TO AVAILABILITY • DAILY AMERICAN BREAKFAST • RMB700 PER ROOM CREDIT FOR EITHER F & B (LIMITED) OR SPA TREATMENT • SPECIAL TURNDOWN AMENITIES • FROM RMB5,168 PER PERSON, TWIN SHARE • VALID UNTIL JUNE 2012

Contact Jan Stanton for more information on 1800 047 047 or email her at: jstanton@conciergetraveller.com

In the spirit of Sir Ernest Shackleton’s Antarctica expedition, this expedition cruise offers in-depth Antarctica, South Georgia, and Falkland Islands adventure travel – all while seamlessly combining rich natural history with some of Mother Nature’s most rugged and dramatic landscapes. Your three-week Antarctica expedition takes place at the height of the southern summer; long daylight hours provide extra time for Zodiac trips to remote shores where you’ll be in the rare company of thousands of penguins; seals and albatross; and the otherworldly, icy architecture of the Antarctic Peninsula.

Price: From USD15,980.00 per person, twin share

Validity:  3rd January – 22 January 2013

Highlights: The opportunity to visit a research station, where a multinational team of scientists are unlocking the secrets of the continent and its inhabitants.

Detailed itinerary:

Day 1, Thursday January 3rd: Arrive Buenos Aires (D)
On arrival you will be transferred to your hotel. Spend the rest of the day relaxing or enjoy a sightseeing tour. A welcome dinner is included this evening at the hotel.

Day 2, Friday January 4th: Buenos Aires – Ushaia and embarkation (B, L,D)
Early morning transfer to the airport for your flight to Ushuaia where we have lunch and a tour before boarding the Clipper Adventurer. Set sail for the Falkland Islands this evening.

Day 3, Saturday 5th January: At Sea
Enjoy a day at sea as you make our way to the Falkland Islands. Lecturers introduce you to the natural and historical highlights ahead.

Day 4, Sunday 6th January: Caracass Island – Saunders Island
On Carcass Island you explore gentoo and Magellanic penguin rookeries and walk the beautiful beaches rich with seabirds. On Saunders Island we hope to see gentoo, rockhopper, Magellanic, and king penguins, as well as black-browed albatross.

Day 5-6,  Monday & Tuesday 7th & 8th January: Cruising the South Scotia Sea (B)
Our lecturers recap our experiences and prepare us for our visit to South Georgia. On deck, join naturalists in search of the seabirds and marine mammals that flourish in these nutrient-rich waters.

Day 7-9, Wednesday, Thursday & Friday 9th-11th January: South Georgia (B)
Flexibility in this area is a must. Many of our leaders have been to South Georgia numerous times and, if the weather is in our favour, we may want to make a landing before breakfast or even after dinner. We call at some of the many islands, bays, and coves where we can see outstanding birdlife and elephant and fur seals close at hand. The following is a list of places we plan to visit on South Georgia. Some of them are pending final government approval.

Elsehul Bay, Salisbury Plain, Stromness Bay, Grytviken and Gild Harbour.
Day 10. Saturday 12th January: South Scotia Sea (B)
Our lecture series continues as we venture south. Naturalists recap our memorable visit to South Georgia and introduce us to the history, geology, and wildlife of the Antarctic Peninsula and its surrounding islands.

Day 11, Sunday 13th January: South Orkney Islands (B)
These mountainous isles were once known as “The Inaccessible Islands.” In winter a solid sheet of fast ice joins this island group to the Antarctic Peninsula, some 450 miles away. A scene of unparalleled beauty awaits, with penguins everywhere, including Adelie, chinstrap, gentoo, and the occasional macaroni penguin.

Days 12, Monday 14th: Elephant Island
This morning you arrive at Elephant Island, made famous by the Shackleton expedition. Awesome glaciers, speckled with pink algae, create a dramatic backdrop. Weather permitting, you enjoy a Zodiac cruise around the island and have an opportunity to view a thriving chinstrap penguin colony.

Days 13-17, Tuesday 15th to Saturday 19th January: Antarctic Peninsula
As you cruise the waters of the Antarctic Peninsula and its adjacent islands, your daily schedule of landings are dependent upon weather and ice conditions. There is the possibility that you may visit a research station and witness the scientific activities conducted by the multinational community of scientists working there. The expeditionary nature of your voyage precludes guaranteeing specific stops; in the past we have visited the locations below. This list serves as a guideline only of the places you may experience.

Brown Bluff, Deception Island, Petermann Island, Drake Passage.

Days 18 & 18, Sunday 20th and Monday 21st January: Drake Passage
During your Drake crossing, you have opportunities to see and photograph wandering and black-browed albatross, sooty shearwaters, and white-chinned petrels. We also keep a lookout for the whales often seen in these waters.

Day 20, Tuesday 22nd January: Ushaia – Buenos Aires
Disembark in Ushuaia and transfer to the airport for your flight to Buenos Aires.

Included:
• Accommodation for 1 night in Buenos Aires on arrival
• Onboard accommodation for 18 nights
• All onboard meals
• Meals on land as indicated in the itineraries
• Group transfer
• Lectures, briefings, slide/film shows
• All group activities and excursions
• Landing and port fees
• All gratuities
• All entrance fees to historic and cultural sights and parks as outlined in the itinerary;
• US$50,000 of emergency sickness/accident medical expenses and $75,000 in evacuation insurance.

Contact your Concierge Traveller advisor to discuss the best Antarctica journey for you. Call 1800 047 47.

Motu Tau Tau is unspoiled beyond care. There, Relais & Chateaux Le Taha’a Resort laps a perfect lagoon.  Views include one of the world’s most coveted destinations – Bora Bora.  Le Taha’a takes privacy and a casual ambience very seriously. The flight from Papeete to Raiatea takes 35 minutes and then it’s complemented by an enjoyable 35-minute speedboat transfer. So the holiday seduction begins with a transfer that skims over dive sites and marine ecosystems bursting with life.

A dozen private, signature beach villas overlook white beaches and a dazzling lagoon and each has a patio, garden and plunge pool enclosed by high, dry stonewalls.

Walk barefoot to the far end of the motu and bliss out in one of the indoor-outdoor treatment areas. Dine in the treetops or stay in your villa. This corner of paradise is the nadir of uncomplicated escapism for well-travelled guests who want to eschew the glitz of Tahiti and who crave refreshing stillness. The luxury of Le Taha’a lies in that very stillness.

PACKAGE INCLUDES: ROUND TRIP ECONOMY AIRFARE & TAXES SYDNEY/TAHITI/RAIATEA • 2 NIGHTS IN PAPEETE & 5 NIGHTS IN A TAHA’A BEACH VILLA • TRANSFERS • 6 BREAKFASTS • 5 DINNERS • CONCIERGE BONUS PRIVILEGES: ONE COMPLIMENTARY NIGHT AT LE TAHA’A INCLUDED • ONE 30 MINUTE MONOI VANIRA MASSAGE PER PERSON • FROM AUD5,505.00 PER PERSON, TWIN SHARE • VALID UNTIL JUNE 2012

Contact Paul Patane for more information on 1800 047 047 or email him at: ppatane@conciergetraveller.com

Witness the solar eclipse, beginning at 6:37am 14 November 2012 in Darwin. The solar eclipse shadow will sweep across the Gulf of Carpenteria and Cape York, before the central line crosses directly over Port Douglas’s Oak Beach and the Coral Sea at 6:39am. The only way to witness the full effect of this amazing act of nature is to be in the shadow’s path, particularly in it’s central line, at the exact time the moon sits in front of the sun. Cairns and Great Barrier Reef region is the only place in the world where you can experience the full effect of earth’s total solar eclipse on 14 November 2012.

A total solar eclipse occurs naturally once every couple of years however 2012 is your chance (for the next few hundred years at least) to experience this a natural phenomenon. At the same time you can visit the Great Barrier Reef and the oldest World Heritage-listed rainforests on the planet.

If you plan to make this journey, book now, because the world will be playing host to those whose obsessions are the movement and spectacles of our solar system..

Price: Contact Concierge Traveller for pricing.

Validity:  Tours that begin or conclude in Cairns just before 14th November 2012

Highlights: The shadow of the eclipse in the early dawn hours of 14th November,2012

Note: Prior to the eclipse, if you are staying in Cairns,  you can opt to do a simple Cairns / Kuranda tour.

Suggested itineraries:

1. Never-Never Country: Cairns to Darwin

2. Cape York Peninsula and Thursday Island

Please contact your Concierge Traveller Advisor for more information on 1800 047 047.