Hiya, ! This week's Lush Life Travel newsletter will focus on: 1. Foodie Holidays 2. River Cruise Food 3. Newfoundland Food 4. Greek Food 5. Peruvian Food 6. Healthy Eating in the Caribbean 7. Virtuoso Life - Some Recent Issues & Newsletters 8. Preferred Partner Club - The Kempinski Club 1897 9. Special Offers from Lush Life, Vision/ Direct, Virtuoso Let me know if you'd like to schedule a complimentary consultation!
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When you come back from a holiday, do you find that it's the best meals that stick with you? The memories that come flooding back are often centered around food and drink - and special meals you had with loved ones. So, it's no wonder that foodie holidays are on the rise. I have clients who plan holidays, and they first ask
what's the food like. Where are the best places to eat? What is the destination known for in terms of gastronomy? Virtuoso, my luxury travel consortium, has certainly been paying attention too. I've long been a member of communities in my best-of-the-best (and by
invitation only) Virtuoso travel network for adventure and voyages/ cruises. This past year, I've also embraced the wellness community (and have won an award for it). But, culinary is never far behind. And it does tend to be central in a lot of holiday bucket list planning. See https://www.virtuoso.com/travel/food-and-wine and https://www.virtuoso.com/travel/articles/virtuoso-culinary-travel Our guide to great food- and wine-focused vacations around the world. From popping bottles in a Champagne cave to foraging
through the countryside with an award-winning chef, these Virtuoso hotels, cruise lines, tour operators, on-site tour connections, and destinations take culinary travel way beyond the dinner table. Of course, we can plan to include great culinary experiences in any
or all holidays. But some of my travel partners really excel at putting together itineraries that are focused on food.
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I've done over 30 ocean cruises, and did my first river cruise about 5 years ago. And now I'm hooked. Sure, ocean cruises are fantastic - especially small ships and expedition cruises. They'll always have a piece of my heart. Ocean cruises bring you to a country. But here's the biggest difference - river cruises take you through a country. There's
nothing like the intimacy of a river cruise. The largest river cruise ship has 190 people onboard, but many cruise lines have 164 people or less. And the food is fantastic on all. And the food is fantastic on all. Think country-specific and immersive food, prepared fresh each day. And there's no finer food than on AMA Waterways. Why AMA https://www.amawaterways.ca/agent/lushlife/whyamawaterways
Award-winning https://www.amawaterways.ca/agent/lushlife/explore/award-winning You can find more about dining here https://www.amawaterways.ca/agent/lushlife/explore/onboard-dining
Did you know that AmaWaterways and President Rudi Schreiner were inducted into La Confrérie de la Chaîne des Rôtisseurs, a prestigious international gastronomic society dedicated to
fine cuisine. Founded in Paris in 1950 to honor the royal Guild of Goose Roasters (whose origins date back to the 13th century), it is the oldest and largest food and wine
society in the world. Membership to La Chaîne des Rôtisseurs is by invitation only and is extended to those possessing world-class culinary acumen. All of the AMA ships in Europe are members and our onboard culinary team is united by a desire to share their expert knowledge of wine and fine dining with
you.
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I was fortunate to be able to dine at two of Canada’s up and coming restaurants while in St. John’s recently - @portagerestaurant and
@terre_restaurant . Portage Restaurant terre.restaurantFood was exceptional in both. Wonderful to see a burgeoning restaurant scene in St. John’s after the pandemic, which was so cruel to many fine establishments. Portage recently opened, and is run by chef Ross Larkin, former chef de cuisine of the iconic Raymond’s , and winner of “top chef in Canada” - along with his wife
Celeste Mah, top pastry chef in Canada. Terre is run by chef Matt Swift, who’d run the kitchen at Joe Beef in Montreal before coming to NL. Terre has been named one of Canada’s top new restaurants. If you'd like to try some of those wonderful restaurants in St. John's, also also have some of the best fresh cod all around the island (and shrimp and scallops, and, depending on season, lobster), you really should come to Newfoundland
with me next May. I'll be returning to Newfoundland in May 2023 with another group of clients. This time, we'll add a day for the iceberg festival. I have 3 rooms left. Newfoundland & Labrador with Iceberg Festival May 2023 The tour dates are: MAY 29 – JUNE 10, 2023 per person rate, based on double occupancy:
$4,637.71/p CAD (This excludes prepaid gratuities, air, transfers, and insurance.)
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A World of Taste on shore and onboard. I’m headed to Greece with my family next July, and I'm inviting my clients to come along. My husband and I will act as the Azamara Virtuoso Voyages host for the July 8, 2023 sailing onboard the Azamara Quest, roundtrip Piraeus for a Greece Intensive Voyage, for 7 days. Wanna join us? Onboard Azamara® they'll take you to remarkable destinations - like Greece. They also give you more time to fall in love with them. It’s what they call Destination Immersion® experiences, and it's what happens when you can stay longer and experience more local life and culture in every port. But Destination Immersion® experiences don't just happen on shore. They happen onboard, too. What does that mean for dining with Azamara®? Azamara incorporates the flavors of a destination into our food and drink menus. What does that mean for you? An exclusive, local, and personalized culinary experience. It’s time to get a real taste for travel. I've already booked several clients to come along. There's room for you too! Besides me being the Virtuoso voyage host, and able to provide you some very special perks -like an onboard reception, a special perk that's at least an onboard credit (but could be a special hosted excursion as well) - there's also right now a really special 2 category upgrade right now. Which means you can get a balcony cabin for the price of an interior cabin.
I've confirmed several V1 balcony cabins for $6634.00 CAD for 2 adults. (excluding air, transfers, and insurance). Want to join us? It's a Greece Intensive Voyage - July 8-15, 2023 You can see the ship here https://www.azamara.com/our-ships/azamara-quest Deck plan here https://www.azamara.com/our-ships/azamara-quest/azamara-quest-deck-plans View veranda room https://www.azamara.com/our-ships/staterooms/club-veranda-stateroom
Azamara Always Included Amenities: - Gratuities - Complimentary AzAmazing Evenings® event or onboard Destination Celebration℠ - Select standard spirits, international beers, and wines - Bottled water, soft drinks, specialty
coffees, and teas - Self-service laundry - Shuttle service to and from port communities, where available and more. AUTHENTIC SERVICE & AWARD-WINNING ACCOMMODATIONS
Your boutique hotel at sea, the
Azamara Quest® is a mid-sized ship with a deck plan that’s intimate but never crowded, and offers everything modern voyagers are looking for—plus some unexpected extras. Let me know if you'd like to go!
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My last couple of visits to Peru, I had some spectacular food. Did you know that the city of Lima has some of the best restaurants in the world? Read https://guide.michelin.com/en/article/travel/lima-restaurants-travel-guide While we were in Peru, we ate extremely well. We caught and ate piranha in the Peruvian Amazon onboard our river cruise with International Expeditions, and ate more tame local seafood (and drank a lot of Pisco sours too). I had also been honoured to be one of 15 invited top Canadian travel advisors (and over 130 people from around the world with advisors from Canada, USA, UK, Australia, New Zealand, and UK with various members from G Adventures in attendance). I loved learning more about this uniquely Canadian adventure travel company - and a leader in #sustainabletourism before it was even called that. And I did a foodie tour in Lima with Bite Peru https://biteperu.com/ Let me know if you'd like to plan a trip to Peru.
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6. Healthy Eating in the Caribbean
I have some clients going to the BodyHoliday in St. Lucia in January. Dining at The Body Holiday is designed around their concept of wellness and food. Therefore at each of our outlets you will discover delicious cuisine that combines healthy diet with some indulgence. We
are concious of the need to reduce salt, sugar and saturated fat, but we try not to do that at the expense of taste and the need our guests have for dining pleasure, whilst on vacation. Isn't it time to give yourself a break? Time to focus on your health? Healthy living and self-care. The pandemic has been brutal on us all. Time alone. Disconnected from family
and loved ones. Afraid all the time. And maybe eating too much junk. Drinking too much alcohol. Not exercising as you should? If that resonates with you, then it's time for you to go to The Body Holiday. Their motto is "give us your body for a week, and we'll give you back your mind." Sound good? Take 7 nights from Jan.29-Feb.5.23, and focus on you. Time for wellness. Time for St. Lucia's The Body Holiday.
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Here are some recent Virtuoso Life issues for you to peruse.
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8. Preferred Hotel Programs - The Kempinski Club 1897
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One of the things we love most about what we do is matching our clients tastes' with the greatest hotels in the world. And with our preferred status with these industry leading hotel brands it means our clients are instant VIP's with upgrades and special perks that you only get working with an elite partner. So, not only do we have the best rates, but more importantly you get an exceptional
experience over and above what you would booking direct or with a credit card. Today, I'll share a little about the The Kempinski Club 1897 program is an exclusive, invitation-only network of high-end travel advisors from around the world. Thanks to our status as a Club 1897 Partner, you enjoy special value-added benefits at all Kempinski hotels and resorts worldwide. Take advantage of the offers below, which include the Club 1897 standardized amenities: Daily complimentary breakfast for two Personalized welcome note Early check-in, late check-out, based on availability Complimentary Wi-Fi ROOM BOOKINGS
★USD 50 or USD 100 hotel credit to spend in the hotel once per stay, not refundable
★Upgrade subject to availability upon check-in
SUITE, RESIDENCE & VILLA BOOKINGS
★USD 100 hotel credit to spend in the hotel once per stay, not refundable Let me know if you'd like to work together on a specific holiday. For specific articles about why you should book with an advisor, rather than book by yourself, see here: Why Wouldn't You Do It Yourself Booking a Cruise Yourself vs With Advisor Booking Hawaii Yourself vs Through Advisor Booking Rocky Mountaineer Yourself vs With Advisor Hotel Programs Peninsula Fan Club Rocco Forte Knights Program The Belmond Bellini Club
Program Hotel Programs - Four Seasons Preferred Dorchester Diamond Club The Mandarin Oriental Fan Club Marriott Stars & Luminous The Couture by Langham Pearl Partner Oetker Rosewood Elite Accor Step & Fairmont Preferred Hotel Program IHG Hotel Program Hyatt Privé Program Small Luxury
Hotels Luminous Hotel Program A&K 100 Club Hilton Impresario Jumeirah’s Passport to Luxury
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9. Some Special Travel Offers
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I run my boutique travel agency, Lush Life Travel, as an affiliate of Vision Travel. Vision Travel is a Direct Travel company, and one of the largest Virtuoso luxury travel network partners. Here are some offers from partners of Lush/ Vision/ Direct travel as well
as the Virtuoso luxury travel network. Here are some offers from a few of our favourite travel supplier partners. Austria - Come for the history, stay for the après-ski scene Barcelona - Stay longer in this Spanish seaside city Early Booking Savings with
Explora Journeys The Seabourn All-Inclusive Difference Book Early and Save on Alaska cruises with Holland America Let me know if you are interested in taking advantage of any of these special offers.
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When You Work with Lush Life
When you work with Sheila at Lush Life Travel, you get access to our in-depth knowledge, honed over 17 years experience in travel (with another 20 years in financial services). Atop our foundation of financial risk management skills; we have layered the bricks to build a wall of travel knowledge and relationships. We leverage all of our expertise to help you live your lush life through travel.
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Live a Lush Life - Travel!
Lush regards,
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