Travel bites
TRAFALGAR
The London-based tour operator introduces The Good Life - with itineraries that take in North America and Canada - to allow travellers to experience the diversity and beauty of national parks and vibrant cities, while connecting with the locals.
The trips include an eight-day Heart of the South with the Great Smoky Mountains package for US$2,450 (S$3,345) per person, featuring dinner hosted by Rahman Ali, younger brother of the late US boxing legend Muhammad Ali, as well as the nine-day Autumn Colours (US$2,550) and eight-day Great East Coast Cities (US$2,795).
Book before Sept 19 to enjoy 10 per cent savings on selected departures.
DREAM CRUISES
The Asian luxury cruise line teams up with Australian celebrity chef Mark Best to launch the first-ever "market to table" gastronomic cruise on board the Genting Dream.
From Sept 7 to 14, guests can sign up for exclusive shore excursions at three destinations - Phuket ($110), Bintan ($140) and Kuala Lumpur ($110) - and enjoy an immersive culinary experience with Chef Best, from market shopping and learning to create South-east Asian delicacies with his signature cooking style to catching him in live cooking action and enrichment talks.
His first restaurant at sea, Bistro by Mark Best, hosted on Genting Dream, will now feature two innovative menus comprising seafood and choice cuts of steaks.
Book through 6808 2288 or e-mail sg.sales@gentingcruiselines.com.
HOTELS.COM
According to new research from the US hotel room booking website, fun-loving Singaporean travellers are 28 per cent more likely to try mermaid workouts at their hotels than other activities like hot yoga, HITT and Barre.
In addition, 55 per cent of holiday-goers claim they would book a hotel just so they can take part in a finned fitness session.
In September, Hotels.com is launching free exclusive mermaid workout classes at the Zafiro Palace Palmanova hotel in Mallorca, Spain ($138, Sept 20 to 22), Kanucha Bay Hotel & Villas in Okinawa, Japan ($236, Sept 17 to 21) and Camino Real Polanco Mexico in Mexico City ($177, Sept 1, 8, 15 and 22).
Led by a professional mermaid, guests will be invited to slip into their very own mermaid tail, dive into an underwater world and flip, roll and twist their way through a series of bespoke and challenging exercises.
NISEKO VILLAGE
From picking fresh fruit at the Yamamoto Orchard and sampling the finest Japanese whisky at the Yoichi Distillery to white water rafting down the Shiribetsu River, Green Season is in full swing at the ski resort hotel in Hokkaido, Japan.
Niseko Village also boasts new attractions and activities, including a first-of-its-kind Rail Slider, which fuses the fast free-flying sensation of a zip line with the twists and turns of a rollercoaster.
There's also the NAC Trail Run on Sept 9, Hokkaido's first trail run, now in its 18th edition and one of Niseko's premier sporting events.
Current packages include the Active Summer from 10,710 yen (S$131 a night), Golfing Getaway (from 17,900 yen) and Rafting Fun (from 18,000++ yen).
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