The Rees Hotel Queenstown Launches Exclusive Ultimate Heli Wine-Tasting Experience

The latest exclusive wine initiative to be launched by The Rees Hotel Queenstown is the Ultimate Heli Wine Tasting Experience to be hosted by the General Manager, Mark Rose. Guests will enjoy 180-degree panoramic views of Queenstown from a six-seater helicopter, a gourmet lunch and sample a variety of award-winning wines from local regions. This bucket-list experience is for either two or four discerning people, includes accommodation at The Rees Hotel and is a rare opportunity to literally heighten all the senses in a spectacular series of locations.

The Heli Wine Tasting Experience includes a glass of champagne and a luxury transfer from The Rees Hotel to Queenstown International Airport from where a six seater helicopter from the Helicopter Line will provide breathtaking views of the renowned Gibbston Valley and Kawarau Gorge on the way to your first tasting and lunch at Mt Difficulty Winery. Onward and upward to spectacular views of Lake Wanaka and the world renowned Rippon Vineyard to taste some of the best organic wines from this award-winning winery before a last stop (and drink) at the historic Cardrona Pub from where you will return to Queenstown. Package offerings are for either 2 or 4 people and include two night’s luxurious accommodation at The Rees Hotel.

Mr Rose, a passionate wine expert with extensive knowledge of wines both locally and globally, has successfully nurtured the strong wine and culinary programme at the Hotel. The property is now well established as having one of the best wine cellars in New Zealand and offers a prized collection of Bordeaux and Central Otago wines and a wine list globally recognised in the annual Wine Spectator Awards since 2012.

The Ultimate Heli Wine Tasting Experience package for two includes:

• 2 night’s accommodation in an Executive Lake View One Bedroom Apartment
• Cooked breakfasts daily
• Complimentary late check out until 12noon
• Complimentary fruit bowl on arrival
• Complimentary car parking and wifi
• Inclusive of all car and heli transfers
• Inclusive of lunch at Mt Difficulty Winery
• Inclusive of all selected wines/beverages at each Winery and the Cardrona Pub

Terms & Conditions:

• Package designed for a minimum of 2 people and includes a Wine Director
• $2,479 NZD per person
• BOOKINGS: reservations@therees.co.nz and quote UQHW3The Ultimate Heli Wine Tasting 

Experience Package for four includes:

• Accommodation in an Executive Lake View Two Bedroom (2 bathroom) Apartment
• inclusions as above
• $1276.50 NZD per person
• BOOKINGS: reservations@therees.co.nz and quote UQHW4

The Rees Hotel Queenstown blends chic five star accommodation with all the comforts of home and the service and facilities of an elite international hotel. Situated on the absolute lakefront, The Rees’ terraced construction delivers complete privacy and showcases panoramic views overlooking Lake Wakatipu and The Remarkables Mountains in Queenstown, New Zealand.
Its landmark restaurant is the True South Dining Room.

For Hotel bookings and enquiries phone:

+64 3 450 1100
Or email: reservations@therees.co.nz

http://www.therees.co.nz 

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http://twitter.com/thereeshotel
http://www.facebook.com/truesouthdining
http://www.flickr.com/photos/thereeshotel
http://www.youtube.com/TheReesHotel
http://thereeshotel.blogspot.com
http://thereeshotelconcierge.blogspot.com

SIGN UP FOR AUSTRALIA’S LARGEST CAMPING AND HOLIDAY SUPERSHOW

IT'S ON AGAIN - THE LARGEST CARAVAN & CAMPING SHOW IN NSW!

The Supershow is on for six days and there's no better place to check out everything that's new in the caravan and camping industry, pick up some great show specials or speak to our expert exhibitors who are on hand to provide you with all the information you need.

Destination NSW is seeking expressions of interest from Regional NSW tourism operators to exhibit at the 2017 Sydney Caravan, Camping and Holiday Supershow.

The event will be held at Rosehill Racecourse on 25-30 April 2017 and is the largest caravan, camping and RV show in Australia, with more than 300 exhibitors.

Regional NSW operators can express interest by completing an EOI form before 25 November 2016.

Email product.queries@dnsw.com.au for any enquiries.

https://www.caravan-camping.com.au/shows-expos/nsw-caravan-camping-rv-holiday-expo

Ho Chi Minh City to host French Cuisine Festival

French Cuisine Festival, themed “Balade En France” will take place at Equatorial Hotel, District 5 in Ho Chi Minh City from November 4-5.

Emmanuel Ly-Batallan, Consul General of France in Ho Chi Minh City, made this announcement at a press conference on October 11.

The annual event is co-organised by the French Ministry of Agriculture and Food, French Cheese Association, French Fruit Association and French Consulate General in Ho Chi Minh City.

It is the biggest French culinary event in Viet Nam, aiming to promote the European country’s culture through food and wines.

Apart from the culinary festival, a French fair will also be held on November 5 to introduce France’s specialties. It is expected to provide opportunities for French food and wine importers in Viet Nam and customers to enjoy the European tastes.

Participants will be entertained by art and entertainment activities during two-day event.

InterContinental Sydney Celebrates with Third Consecutive Win at the 2016 World Travel Awards

InterContinental Sydney has been recognised among the globe's greatest industry talent, collecting two major accolades in the 23rd annual World Travel Awards. InterContinental Sydney was acknowledged for its excellence as winner ofAustralasia's Leading Business Hotel 2016 award for the third consecutive year and winner of the Australasia's Leading Executive Club Lounge 2016 award for the second consecutive year.

The Australasia's Leading Business Hotel 2016 award category was earned among a shortlist of 11 of Australasia's prominent hotels, while the iconic InterContinental Sydney Club InterContinental was recognised as finalist among eight of Australasia's leading Club lounges.

Jörg T. Böckeler, General Manager & Area General Manager Mulpha Hotels Australia said: “It has been a tremendous year for InterContinental Sydney. Our Club InterContinental is truly one-of-a-kind and we take great pride in its reputation as not only the region's premier Club lounge location, but also its reputation for immaculate service and hospitality. This is the 9th major award win for InterContinental Sydney in 2016 and we are deeply humbled to add the prestigious World Travel Awards to this collection.”

About InterContinental Sydney's Club InterContinental

InterContinental Sydney's Club InterContinental is perched atop level 31 with uninterrupted views spanning the Sydney Harbour Bridge, Opera House and Royal Botanic Gardens all the way to the coast. It is Sydney's only five-star hotel with an outdoor wrap-around terrace, making the 270 degree balcony one-of-a-kind. Club guests enjoy exclusive benefits as a Club guest, including private check-in and check-out, deluxe buffet breakfast, all day light refreshments, twilight canapes and business facilities.

About World Travel Awards™

World Travel Awards™ was established in 1993 to acknowledge, reward and celebrate excellence across all key sectors of the travel, tourism and hospitality industry. The 2016 Asia & Australasia gala ceremony was celebrated on 15 October 2016 at InterContinental Danang Sun Peninsula Resort. Each year, the World Travel Awards™ covers the globe with a series of regional gala ceremonies staged to recognise and celebrate individual and collective successes within each geographical region. Further information may be found here.

Join the conversation:

#InterContinentalSydney 

Twitter: @InterConSyd 

Facebook: www.facebook.com/intercontinentalsydney
Instagram: www.instagram.com/intercontinentalsydney

ACCLAIMED INTERNATIONAL ARTISTS ANNOUNCED FOR SYDNEY INTERNATIONAL ART SERIES

The first art exhibition in Sydney devoted to the greatest Dutch painter of the 17th Century, Rembrandt, will be presented alongside a major new retrospective from pioneer Swiss video artist Pipilotti Rist as part of the 2017-2018 Sydney International Art Series.

NSW Minister for Trade, Tourism and Major Events Stuart Ayres announced the two exceptional exhibitions for the Sydney International Art Series, which will be shown at the Art Gallery of NSW and the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia (MCA).

“The Sydney International Art Series is a massive win for visitation in NSW. It has attracted 1.7 million attendees and generated more than $122 million in overnight visitor expenditure for NSW since its inception,” Mr Ayres said.

“Securing these remarkable collections, to be shown exclusively in NSW in 2017-2018, reaffirms the reputation of the Sydney International Art Series for bringing the world’s most outstanding art exclusively to Sydney.”

Rembrandt and the Dutch Golden Age: Masterpieces from the Rijksmuseum explores the flourishing artistic culture of the Netherlands during the 17th Century while Pipilotti Rist’s dazzling, large-scale installations incorporate video, sculpture and performance to ignite the senses and create an immersive experience.

Click here for more on the exhibitions.

WHAT'S HOT in Western Australia October 2016

Margaret River Gourmet Escape crowned Australia's Best Tourism Event

The Margaret River Gourmet Escape was crowned Best Tourism Event at last month's Australian Event Awards ceremony. This year's Margaret River Gourmet Escape program has been expanded with the release of more tickets to popular events, such as the Audi Gourmet Beach BBQ, Margaret River Icon Tasting, Augusta Seafood Discovery as well as a selection of new attractions across the festival's buzzing world of culinary delight that is the Gourmet Village. For Nigella Lawson fans, an extra session has been released for the cooking goddess' book signing, which offers guests the chance to get up close to the queen of home cooking and this year's festival headliner. For further details and to purchase tickets, visit the event website.

COMO The Treasury named second-best hotel in the world

Perth's COMO The Treasury has been voted the second best hotel in the world, according to leading travel publisher Conde Nast. Perth is COMO's first hotel in Australia, offering 48 contemporary luxury rooms in the CBD's newly revitalised historic heart. Occupied within the State Buildings, which date back to the mid-19th century, COMO The Treasury opens up the city with new experiences by way of two restaurants, a bar, 20-metre indoor pool and world renowned COMO Shambhala wellness therapies. To celebrate the establishment's first anniversary, it is offering an indulgent two night getaway package for $1,495, including a stay in the hotel's Heritage Room and a fine-dining experience at rooftop restaurant Wildflower.

Next stage of development unveiled at Elizabeth Quay

Concept designs have been unveiled for Elizabeth Quay's next stage of development, which includes premier hotel, residential and commercial buildings. WA architect Kerry Hill has been awarded the contract for designing the development, which will comprise of Australia's only high-rise public art museum and viewing area, with expansive views across Perth and out to Rottnest Island. Construction on the $385 million dollar development will commence in 2017, and is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2019.

World-first golf tournament format for Perth

International golf will return to Perth in a world-first format at Lake Karrinyup Golf Course, from February 16-19, 2017. World Super 6 Perth has been created by the European Tour and PGA to make golf more exciting and aggressive. The major difference to the format is that on the final day of play, 24 players will battle it out over six-hole matches, with any ties decided by playing a new knockout hole. Tickets to the event will be made available to the general public soon.

Peppers Hotel hits Perth's doorstep

Perth's newest five-star hotel will open its doors next month, with the 120-room Peppers Hotel boasting a refined design and experience. The hotel will be home to an onsite restaurant, kitchen and bar, executive club lounge, concierge with valet parking service, the fastest Wi-Fi connection to be installed in a Perth hotel (complimentary in guest rooms) and a 24-hour reception. Visit the website to make a booking.

Perth International Arts Festival releases sneak peek at 2017 program

The longest running annual multi-arts celebration in the Southern Hemisphere, Perth International Arts Festival has released a sneak peek into the 2017 program. Experiencing The Trees Speak with the Boorna Waanginy people will be one of the program's highlights. Over three extraordinary nights Kings Park will transform into a cathedral of light, sound and imagery to explain the six seasons of WA's south west. Elizabeth Quay will again be the home of the Perth International Arts Festival's popular Chevron Festival Gardens, which will run from February 10 to March 5, 2017. The full program of events will be launched on November 2, with tickets going on sale November 5.

Chengdu - to see Pandas in China

Chengdu is a famous historical and cultural city with a history of more than 3,000 years. Located in the western plain in the Sichuan Basin, it’s the capital of Sichuan Province with a population of more than 11 million people.

Known as the land of abundance, Chengdu boasts a pleasant climate, a large number of scenic spots and historical sites, excellent traditional handicrafts that are well-known here and abroad, unique folk customs and picturesque rural scenery that make visitors enjoy themselves tremendously.

Chengdu contains many places of scenic and historic interest, such as Memorial Temple of Marquis Zhuge Liang, Du Fu’s Thatched Cottage, and the world heritage — Mount Qingcheng and the Dujiangyan Irrigation System. From Chengdu, visitors can go eastward to the Three Gorges on the Yangtze River; westward to mysterious Tibet and picturesque Jiuzhaigou Valley and Huanglong; northward to Xi’an to appreciate the terracotta warriors and horses’ and southwards to Mount Emei and Leshan to see the Giant Buddha.

Hilton Sydney Recognised with Condé Nast Traveler's 2016 Readers' Choice Award “Top Hotels in Australia & South Pacific”

Condé Nast Traveler today announced the results of its 29th annual Readers' Choice Awards with Hilton Sydney recognised as one of the top ten hotels in Australia and South pacific, with a score of 89.18.

“We are very excited to be receiving this prestigious accolade, which is testimony to our excellent service and the quality of our offering. Awards given by readers are especially valuable to me and the entire team as they come directly from the guests who experience our services,” says Ronald van Weezel, General Manager Hilton Sydney.

Over 300,000 dedicated readers – nearly twice as many as last year -- cast votes for 7,394 hotels, 606 cities, 500 cruise ships, and 236 islands, in an average survey time of 8.4 minutes. The result? The 1,402 best travel experiences in the world.

Across Hilton's global portfolio 26 hotels, including four APAC properties have been awarded places on Condé Nast Traveler's Reader's Choice Awards list this year. The APAC properties winning spots as top hotels or resorts in their respective sub-regions are: Hilton Sydney, Waldorf Astoria Shanghai on the Bund, Conrad Maldives Rangali Island, and Hilton Moorea Lagoon Resort and Spa.

The Condé Nast Traveler Readers' Choice Awards are the longest-running and most prestigious recognition of excellence in the travel industry and are commonly known as “the best of the best of travel.” Under Editor in Chief Pilar Guzmán, the Readers' Choice Awards have become more selective and specific to the passions that inspire today's travelers.

The Readers' Choice Awards are announced in the November issue of Condé Nast Traveler, on newsstands nationwide on October 25, 2016. The full list is published exclusively online, at www.CNTraveler.com/rca.

10th Khmer Culture, Sports and Tourism Festival to kick off in Kien Giang

The 10th Khmer Culture, Sports and Tourism Festival will be held from 12 – 15 November 2016 in Go Quao Town, Go Quao District, Kien Giang Province.

This is an event in the framework of Visit Viet Nam Year 2016 - Phu Quoc - Mekong Delta.

The festival is annually organized on the occasion of Ok Om Bok Festival (Festival of Worshipping the Moon) aiming to meet the religious needs of Khmer ethnic group and offer an opportunity for ethnic communities to participate in culture, sports and tourism activities.

The 10th Khmer Culture, Sports and Tourism Festival will include trade fair featuring local special products; stands introducing specialties of Khmer people and Kien Giang Province; offering typical products of Go Quao District; entertainment activities and folk games; displaying photos, paintings and artifacts about the daily life of Khmer people; Khmer beauty contest; Ngo boat race; volleyball competition…

The opening ceremony is scheduled to take place on 14 November 2016 in Go Quao Town, Go Quao District.

New Year's Eve 2016 at Barangaroo Reserve

Tickets on sale now.

Welcome in the New Year with a spectacular harbourside view of the fireworks.

Barangaroo Reserve is a great location to watch the fireworks, with excellent views of the Sydney Harbour Bridge’s western face, Balmain, Goat Island and Balls Head Point. 

 A mix of roving musical performers will serenade al fresco diners at a spectacular harbour-side location on 31 December, with tickets now on sale to one of Sydney’s best-value New Year’s Eve events.

Offering expansive views of Sydney Harbour, Barangaroo Reserve is a perfect spot to enjoy a picnic and drinks, followed by the 9pm and midnight fireworks.

Live entertainers will perform throughout the evening and food and beverages will be available. Tickets are $29.50 for adults and $5 for children, with gourmet hampers available for pre-purchase.

Visit the Barangaroo website for further information.