Ellerman House in Cape Town, South Africa

Reputable tour packager Kensington Tours is offering a new 8-night luxury vacation to South Africa. Dubbed “Sophisticated South Africa,” the package is privately guided so there’s no set departure dates. Go when your schedule dictates, not someone else’s.

You’ll spend four nights at Ellerman House in Cape Town. This chic hotel is know for its personalized service, and celebrities like Oprah, Sting, and Bono have all stayed here while traveling in South Africa.

The first part of your journey in Cape Town will take you to Table Mountain, Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve, Simons Town, Boulders Beach (for some playtime with the penguins), and nearby vineyards.

Next you’ll fly to Johannesburg and then connect to Kruger National Park, where you’ll make yourself at home at either Singita Lebombo Lodge or Sweni Lodge. Eight game drives are included, along with all meals (breakfast, lunch, and dinner) while on safari.

Pricing for Sophisticated South Africa has been reduced for departures between January 15–May 31, 2010 and August 1–December 15, 2010. The package is approximately $8,995 per person, based on double occupancy.

For more information, talk with your travel agent or Kensington Tours.

—Andrea M. Rotondo for LuxurySafariExperts.com

This page will be continually updated to archive a list of the luxury accommodations on the Zambia side of Victoria Falls. If you know of an option that’s not listed, please let us know!

Islands of Siankaba
Postnet 621, Private Bag E891, Lusaka
Tel: 260 211 260 279

The Royal Livingstone
Mosi-oa-Tunya Road, Livingstone
Tel: 260 213 321 122

Tongabezi Lodge & Sindabezi Island
Private Bag 31, Livingstone
Tel: 260 213 327 450
Rates: from $450 per person per night

—Andrea M. Rotondo for LuxurySafariExperts.com

Photo of Sindabezi courtesy of Tongabezi Lodge

Ana Tree Lodge
P.O. Box 32661, Lusaka
Tel: 260 211 250 730
Rates: $575 per person per night (doesn’t include the bar)

Chiawa Camp
P.O. Box 30972, Lusaka
Tel: 260 211 261 588

Chongwe River Camp
P.O. Box CA 102, Lusaka
Tel: 260 211 278 248

Kasaka River Lodge
Tel: 260 211 256 201
Rates: from $395 per person per night

Royal Zambezi Lodge
P/Bag CH42, Lusaka
Tel: 260 211 840 682
Rates: from $380 per person per night

Sanctuary Zambezi Kulefu Camp
Rates: from $400 per person per night

Sausage Tree Camp
P.O. Box 35139, Lusaka 10101
Tel: 260 211 845 204

—Andrea M. Rotondo for LuxurySafariExperts.com

Photo courtesy of Sausage Tree Camp

The Seychelles is one of those dream destinations in the Indian Ocean, just north of Madagascar. The Seychelles are actually 115 islands and offer lush rain forests, gorgeous beaches, and are surrounded by unrivaled marine life.

The Four Seasons Resort Seychelles will celebrate its one-year anniversary this February. Despite its secluded location on the southwest coast of the main island of Mahe, it’s still close to the international airport as well as the capital of Victoria (a 30-minute drive).

This is the type of place you’d be crazy to pass up. The 67 villas and suites are more than spacious and all villas have their own private plunge pools, outdoor showers, and sunset views of the bay. There are two restaurants and bars, spa, fitness and recreation center as well as meeting/banquet facilities.

During 2010 Four Seasons Resort Seychelles is offering an excellent deal on lodging here: its stay longer promotion, which is valid from:

January 10 – March 31, 2010
May 11 – June 30, 2010
September 16 – October 31, 2010
December 1 – 18, 2010

Enjoy a complimentary 4th night for 3 consecutive nights stay
Enjoy a complimentary 6th and 7th night for 5 consecutive nights stay

The promotion is valid for individual bookings only and not for groups.

For reservations, call Four Seasons Resort Seychelles at 248-393-333; fax: 248-393-331; or send an e-mail to reservations.sey@fourseasons.com.

—Andrea M. Rotondo for LuxurySafariExperts.com

Photo courtesy of Four Seasons Resort Seychelles

If you’ve been planning a trip to Egypt, you’ve probably read a lot about the new Uniworld ship River Tosca that  sails the Nile River. She’ll be out of service from February 1–March 19, 2010, and here’s what the company CEO is saying about it:

A Message from the President & CEO of Uniworld

Dear Valued Uniworld Travelers,

There has been quite a bit of information written about the River Tosca since it launched a couple of months ago, and I wanted to take this opportunity to personally give you an update on where things stand.

Over the last several years, we have seen a growing interest in Egypt, which is a glorious destination. As a company, we saw the need and opportunity to provide travelers to Egypt with a Nile River cruise ship that would be of a similar high standard as our ships in Europe. Uniworld commissioned the River Tosca with the goal that it would be one of the most luxurious ships to sail the Nile.

Unfortunately, we experienced some unexpected challenges in introducing the River Tosca and we are not happy with the current quality of workmanship finishes in several areas of the ship. The most obvious examples are the floors in the staterooms, main stairwell and corridors which were damaged and scratched during the installation; the mosaic tiles in the restaurant; and the paint and woodwork in the staterooms. We have therefore made the decision to dry dock the ship for seven weeks to correct the current deficiencies. The ship will therefore be out of service between February 1, 2010 and March 19, 2010.

We do have an alternative ship, the Miriam, which we will use while the River Tosca is dry docked. Uniworld has successfully used the Miriam prior to introducing the River Tosca and the ship is a good substitute. The crew from the River Tosca – including the Hotel Manager, Executive Chef, and Executive Housekeeper, all Uniworld employees from our European operation, will be onboard the Miriam. We will also bring onto the Miriam some of the special amenities currently available on the River Tosca, such as bed linens, robes, slippers, and bath products. We will be offering a compensation package to those clients sailing on the Miriam as we understand that some of our guests will be disappointed with the ship change; however, we will work very hard to ensure they still have a wonderful vacation in Egypt.

We are also going to proactively reach out to our guests who are traveling prior to February 1 to update them on the status of the River Tosca.

This was a very difficult decision because we know that this will have an impact on our valued guests – some who have chosen to travel with Uniworld because they wanted to experience the new River Tosca. It is also a difficult decision because, even with the current deficiencies of the ship, the overall feedback we have been receiving from guests who have already traveled on the River Tosca is very positive. The Cairo program, the Tour Managers, the excursions, the food, and the service onboard the ship have all been very well received. And of course the destination itself is fabulous. It is however the right decision for us to make.

Uniworld has built our very good reputation today on being a very reliable river cruise operator and we are committed to providing our guests with a fantastic vacation experience and value – in every region where we operate. When we re-launch the River Tosca in March, we are confident that we will achieve this commitment in Egypt.

After several years of successfully launching ships in Europe, the experience in Egypt has been a humbling one for me and the entire Uniworld team. I want to personally apologize to any of our guests who we may have let down and please know that we are working hard to achieve our stated goal of operating a luxury product in Egypt.

Kind regards,

Guy Young
President & CEO
Uniworld River Cruises, Inc.

According to the organization, 75 percent of the world’s 37 million cases of blindness are actually treatable, making the loss of sight a humanitarian emergency.

SEE International puts together teams of volunteer ophthalmologists to go where their help is needed, including places like Thailand, Mexico, Bangladesh, Vietnam, and Zimbabwe.

Since 1974 SEE’s eye surgeons have performed more than 360,000 sight-storing procedures.

Magellan’s has been a corporate partner of SEE International for over 20 years, providing travel kits for surgeons as well as advertising outreach to its customers.

Expeditions to the following countries are scheduled for 2010: Swaziland, Ethiopia, Lesotho, Ghana, The Gambia, Nigeria, Namibia, and Kenya.

Donations are tax deductible and may be made online via a secure server. Visit See International’s website or call 1-(805)963-3303 and mention that you heard about the organization from Magellan’s Travel Supplies.

Surgical Eye Expeditions (SEE) International is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Tax ID #31-1682275.

—Andrea M. Rotondo for LuxurySafariExperts.com

Photo of Maasai woman and child courtesy of iStockPhoto.com

Hilton Worldwide recently signed a management agreement with Pride of Africa Hospitality, Africa Pride Hospitality, and United Africa Group for the first Hilton property in the country.

Mark your calendar for mid-2010. That’s when this brand new 154-room hotel will open its doors in Namibia’s capital city.

This Hilton is especially appealing since it’s part of a mixed-use development that includes a casino, restaurants, and boutiques as well as residential houses and offices.

The hotel is under construction now. Stay tuned for more details as Hilton releases them.

—Andrea M. Rotondo for LuxurySafariExperts.com

Photo courtesy of Namibia Tourism Board

Project in Zambia with Plan Australia

Do you remember the 1999 movie Office Space with Jennifer Aniston and Ron Livingston? It’s a favorite of mine and if you haven’t seen it, I’ll need to explain one of the plot lines in order to set up this blog post.

Do you remember the 1999 movie Office Space with Jennifer Aniston and Ron Livingston? It’s a favorite of mine and if you haven’t seen it, I’ll need to explain one of the plot lines in order to set up this blog post.

Livingston plays Peter Gibbons, who works in an administrative role at a computer company called Initech. When his friends are laid off, they conspire to devise a way to skim fractions of pennies off all financial transactions being handled by Initech. Consider it micro-embezzling.

Think about it… fractions of a dollar seem like chump change on its own, but combine all those fractions together and we’re talking big money.

That’s sort of the concept that The Footprints Network, based in Australia, has embraced to fight poverty across the globe. They believe that micro donations—between $1 and $5—made by consumers during online transactions can help fund community development projects.

The network funds programs that upgrade farming, education, access to clean water, and sight restoration—all in an effort to eliminate poverty. One of the current projects on the docket focuses on improving farming in Zambia. This will, in turn, increase access to food for the poorest families in the region. Plan Australia is overseeing the training program.

Founded in 2004 by WorldNomads.com after the Asian tsunami, 302,278 individuals have raised more than $785,383 for 53 projects around the world.

“Alleviating the extreme cycle of poverty and the ills that accompany it is everyone’s moral responsibility,” said Chris Novel, general manager of WorldNomads.com. “Yet the extent of world poverty can seem so overwhelming that many of us are left feeling helpless and that the problems are just too big for any one person to make a difference.”

In just five years, WorldNomads.com has developed an independent network of e-commerce businesses that share the same ethics and values and, through technology, seek to change the world by asking customers spending money online to make a small donation to charity at the same time.

WorldNomads.com supports all administrative costs of the program so 100 percent of donations go directly to the projects.

While the network is small, it is growing. “We’re looking for more online e-commerce business partners to integrate the Footprints mechanism into their shopping carts and, transaction by transaction, help make a difference,” said Noble.

This is definitely a program worth watching. For more information, visit The Footprints Network.

—Andrea M. Rotondo for LuxurySafariExperts.com

Maldives Gets its First Holiday Inn Resort

Heading to the Maldives soon? The island chain just welcomed its first Holiday Inn Resort on Kandooma Island on the South Malé atoll. For those of you who aren’t crazy about transferring from Male International Airport to your resort via seaplane (I’m raising my hand right now), you won’t have to when visiting this Holiday Inn. It’s just a 40-minute/22 mile speedboat ride from MLE.

There are 160 villas here in eight categories offering everything from garden views to those enticing over-the-water bungalows. Each villa offers picture windows, outdoor showers, iPod docking stations, flat-screen TVs, and wireless Internet.

The resort is hoping to lure business travels as well as vacationers interested in surfing and diving; the Holiday Inn is nearby the Kandooma Channel, Kandooma Caves, and Kandooma ‘Thila” (undersea mountain).

You’ll be able to relax as much as you want or take part in a range of activities. There’s a Dive Centre and the Kandooma Spa as well as catamaran, windsurfing, kayaking, and snorkeling outings. Oh, and don’t forget surfing lessons!

If you’ve got kids in tow, you’ll want to check out the resort’s Kids’ Club that offers babysitting services and age-specific activities.

Brendan Corcoran is the general manager of the Holiday Inn Resort Kandooma Maldives, which opened on December 15, 2009.

Special introductory rates starting at $290 per night are available through March 31, 2010. Airport transfers are an additional $140 one-way for adults and $85 for children.

For more information, speak with your travel agent or visit the website of the Holiday Inn Resort Kandooma Maldives.

—Andrea M. Rotondo for LuxurySafariExperts.com

Photo courtesy of Holiday Inn

Today’s giveaway—a pair of Able Planet folding noise-cancelling headphones—is courtesy of Magellan’s Travel Supplies. If you still need to pick up some last-minute holiday gits, check out their website. Magellan’s offers some unique and very useful items for travelers.

If you’re traveling to Africa next year, you’ll want a pair of noise-reduction headphones. They dramatically cut back on airplane noise so you can listen to music or a movie in comfort. I tend to watch several movies on long-haul flights and noise-cancelling headphones have saved the day on more than one occasion.

Win a Pair of Able Planet Folding Noise-Cancelling Headphones

One lucky reader will be randomly chosen from all eligible entries to win a pair of Able Planet Noise-Cancelling Headphones. Contest starts at midnight on December 15 and ends the same day at 11:59 pm. You must have a mailing address within the United States in order to be eligible to enter and win.

How to Enter

Comment on this post between 12:00 am (midnight) and 11:59 pm on December 15, 2009. You’ll need to include your e-mail address so I may make contact if you are the winner. Good luck!

—Andrea M. Rotondo for LuxurySafariExperts.com