Hot Deals

Wish Upon a Star School this Christmas 
This Christmas Thanda will donate R1000.00 (USD 133) from each booking made on this package to the Star School initiative to brighten the lives of less advantaged children.

The package includes:
• Return road transfers from Richards Bay airport* (approximately two hours in duration)
• Two nights’ luxurious accommodation at ‘Africa’s most romantic safari destination’, either in the main lodge or in the tented camp
• Two three-hour game activities: a choice between a bush walk and a game drive
• Local house wines served with meals and local beverages served on game drives
• Boma dinner
• Moonlit star-gazing
• Singing and dancing courtesy of the Star School choir

* direct charter flights also available; prices upon request.

Rates from R 7579.00 per person sharing in the main lodge and R 4267.00 per person sharing in the tented camp for two nights’ accommodation. Single supplements available on request.

Subject to the availability of accommodation. Children under the age of 12 sharing with parents will be charged at 50% of the adult rate. For further information visit http://www.thanda.com/                    

Contact the Marketing & Reservations Office on +27(0)11 465-0765 or via e-mail: [email protected]

El Gouna launches new travel trade offer
Travel Agents and Tour Operators offered free year round room nights

El Gouna, the Red Sea’s premier leisure destination and preferred resort for 10% of Egypt’s total UK visitors during 2006, is delighted to announce a new offer to benefit travel trade professionals.

Until October 31, 2007, travel agents and tour operators will be able to take advantage of free room nights and a host of discounts against their own personal visit to the popular Red Sea resort.

Providing a great opportunity for trade partners to familiarise themselves with the resort in their own time, the special privileges available include:

• A free room at any of El Gouna’s hotels (hotel choice subject to availability)
• 20% discount on all spa treatments (except beauty treatments) at the Angsana Spa, Mövenpick Resort & Spa and Angsana Spa, Steigenberger Golf Resort, regardless of which hotel guests are staying in
• 50% discount on use of hotel health clubs except massages (excludes The Three Corners Hotels)
• Complimentary resort orientation Lagoon Boat Tour
• Entitlement to the unique Dine Around program, allowing guests to sample the different hotel restaurants.

The offer is only valid for one visit per professional per year and includes a mandatory half board supplement per person in a double room per night. Supplements are 32€ (£21), 24€ (£16), 22€ (£14) and 18€ (£12) at 5*, 4* deluxe, 4* and 3* hotels respectively. Rates are applicable for all seasons except holidays and peak periods. Maximum stay is seven nights and a single supplement exists for guests staying in a double room.

To take advantage of this special offer, please visit the Special Offers section at http://www.elgouna.com/

The attraction of the untamed – Zambia from £3,248 pp with Expert Africa Zambia has a wild appeal with its abundance of big game – it’s a country where you’ll come close to elephant, buffalo, giraffe, zebra, lion and leopard. Renowned for its exclusivity as a safari destination, and for its exceptional guides, Zambia also remains relatively untouched, and therefore hugely desirable. Activities are endless and include night drives and optional microlight flights. Camps are intimate and unpretentious, authentic and comfortable. Expert Africa’s 12-day Giraffe itinerary, which covers both the north and south of the lush Luangwa Valley, costs from £3,248 pp in August or September and includes flights (London to Lusaka), all internal transfers, all game drives (night and day), walking safaris and meals. Call AITO* member Expert Africa on 020 8232 9777 (http://www.expertafrica.com/).

Libya for less with Voyages of Discovery – from £1,199 pp (full brochure price was £1,999 pp) Rediscover the ancient treasures of Tripoli and its neighbour – the extraordinary Roman city of Leptis Magna, buried in the desert for hundreds of years. A wealth of classic, must-see sights, from Giza’s breathtaking Pyramids to the Moorish Alhambra in Granada also feature on this unique 12-night voyage. As ever, there will be a programme of informal talks onboard to enrich the experience. The ‘North African’ Treasures cruise departs Alexandria on 29 October and also stops at Benghazi, Al Khums, Valletta, La Goulette, Almeria, Gibraltar and Lisbon. The price of £1,199 pp includes flights (Gatwick/Manchester to Alexandria & from Lisbon), all meals, entertainment and lectures onboard, overseas transfers, taxes and tips. Call AITO* member Voyages of Discovery on 01444 462 150 (http://www.voyagesofdiscovery.co.uk/).

The benefits of a butler in Marrakech – from £1,505 pp with The Best of Morocco If you’d prefer the privacy and peace of a villa, but aren’t sold on the domestic side of self-catering, the Es Saadi now has the answer. Having always enjoyed an exceptionally high level of repeat guests, the hotel now has 10 new Oriental-themed villas, each with its own heated swimming pool, its own exotic garden, and its own butler. Located in a quiet corner of Marrakech, near to the centre, the hotel has an Oriental spa, casino, nightclub and bar. Three nights’ B&B in the Sultan Villa in August or September costs from £1,505 pp, including flights (Heathrow) and private transfers. Call The Best of Morocco on 0845 026 4588 (www.realmorocco.com).

Kasbah confidential: the all-new, romantic retreat in Marrakech, from £39 pp per night This is one not to tell your friends about. Be shrewd and a bit selfish and keep it to yourself. Les Borjs de la Kasbah, one of Morocco’s first officially classed hôtels de charme, is a newly opened boutique retreat within the old city walls of Marrakech. Eighteen individually-designed rooms and suites are set around a series of four peaceful courtyards, and a brand-new spa – with swimming pool, hammam, massage rooms and Jacuzzi – uses only 100% organic, locally-sourced products. The French-focused, Moroccan-inspired menu includes specialities such as fillet of monkfish with garlic and sweet peppers, and a three-course menu costs just £10 per person. Prices are from £39 pp per night (special offer of four nights for the price of three until mid-September), inclusive of breakfast and airport transfer. For more information or to book, visit http://www.lesborjsdelakasbah.com/  or call 00 242 24 38 11 01 (owners and staff speak English).