Quay West Resort & Spa Noosa - opening March 2010

Distinctive features
A magnificent fully self-contained apartment style resort
with the choice of studio, 1, 2 & 3 bedroom apartments.
World class leisure facilities include a luxurious Mii Spa
Day Spa, restaurant and cocktail bar, gymnasium and
conference centre. All apartments are fully self-contained
with prestigious fittings and fixtures throughout including
kitchen facilities with European appliances and stone
bench tops.

Accommodation
Spacious and luxuriously appointed studios and
fully self-contained 1, 2 & 3 bedroom apartments.
The apartments offer views of the conservation
sanctuary or the resort precinct and feature
a private furnished courtyard or balcony.

Nearby attractions
• Noosa’s famous boulevard of restaurants, shops and
cafés • Hastings Street galleries, boutiques and tourist
activities • Noosa National Park • Australia Zoo • Reef
fishing • Noosa Springs Golf Course • The Big Pineapple
• Great Sandy National Park • Lake Cootharaba • Day
trips to Fraser Island • Mountain-top villages Maleny
and Montville • Eumundi Markets


Location

Distance from the airport: 25kms from Maroochydore
Airport or 2 hours drive north of Brisbane. Beautifully
located just 3 minutes drive from iconic Hastings Street,
with chic cafés, galleries, boutique shopping and Noosa's
famous beach. Quay West Resort & Spa Noosa overlooks
the tranquil waters of Noosa Sound and 9 hectares of a
protected conservation sanctuary.

The perfect destination for relaxing escapes & family holidays.

Call us if you'd like to incorporate a stay here in to your tailor-made Bridge & Wickers holiday to Australia

Latest Cook Islands package details

The South Pacific island archipelago of the Cook Islands offer some serious barefoot seclusion. Two new hotels present the perfect excuse for some exotic island hopping. Te Manava on Rarotonga´s south-eastern coast offers villas with stunning views of the clear water of the lagoon beyond, while the aptly named Rumours of Escape on the breathtaking volcanic island of Aitutaki is a small cluster of beachfront villas that offer the ultimate sand-between-your-toes experience. 

Bridge & Wickers (020-7483 6555; bridgeandwickers.co.uk ) has a 12-night itinerary that visits both properties from £3,467 per person, based on two sharing including transfers and accommodation with breakfast. 

Flights cost an extra £985 per person, based on travel between 22 March and 15 June.

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It's full of great offers, and news of our next big destination...we're very excited about 2010!!

Airline news - Etihad to Australia

One of our preferred carriers, Etihad Airways has secured seven additional weekly flight frequencies from its Abu Dhabi home-base to Australia.

The seven flights can be operated to any gateway in Australia which includes Etihad’s current destinations of Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne.

A further seven weekly flights have been granted to Etihad on the condition that the operation also flies via or onto a regional airport.

Etihad currently flies 21 times a week between Abu Dhabi and Australia. This includes 11 flights to Sydney, seven to Melbourne and three to Brisbane. The new flight slots will available from March 2011.

More flights mean increased competition and that hopefully means better fares that we can pass on to our clients....so, the more airlines flying in to Australia, the merrier we say!

BA debuts new first class

A wider bed features as part of a £100 million redesigned first class by British Airways.

The new First took off on Wednesday on a Boeing 777 bound for Chicago.

The redesigned suite features an enhanced bed - wider with a new ‘intelligent’ mattress and 400-thread Egyptian cotton bed linen.

Each suite has a personal wardrobe, a leather-bound writing desk that converts into a dining table, a new 15” in-flight entertainment screen and a buddy seat to enable customers to dine together.  

Lighting and electronic blinds can be modified to reflect mood and time of day.

Passengers have “precision control” over their seat position thanks to an innovative seat control unit that replaces the switches, allowing them to activate the bed position and pneumatic panels to support the head and lumbar positions.

The new key features include:

• A 60% wider bed at the shoulders
• Personal wardrobe
• Personal electronic blinds
• A 15” in-flight entertainment screen
• USB port, RCA jack and noise-cancelling headsets
• Fully integrated ambient and mood lighting
• Anya Hindmarch washbag and amenities by D.R. Harris & Co.
• Leather bound writing table

BA head of customer experience Mark Hassell said: “We have contemporised First and created an intimate private jet experience onboard.

“We have resisted gadgets and gimmicks and focused instead on simplicity and quality.

“Every feature has been carefully considered and researched to ensure we are giving our customers what they want.”

A new premium service style has been developed for cabin crew to ensure world-class service for customers who can eat, sleep and work when they want to. 

Just in case you needed another good reason to travel in first & business class.....

A panel of five leading experts blind-tasted more than 220 wines served on long haul flights by 34 airlines from around the world.

Qantas took four of the top prizes - for Best First Class Cellar; Best Red Wine served in First Class, won by its Clonakilla Shiraz Viognier 2005; Best Fortified or Sweet Wine served in First Class, won by its Morris of Rutherglen Old Premium Liqueur Tokay; and Best Presented Wine List.

Cathay Pacific made two trips to the winners' podium - for Best Business Class Wine Cellar and Best Red Wine served in Business Class, for its Spy Valley Pinot Noir Marlborough 2007.

A TASTE OF THAILAND - Bridge & Wickers' Andrew Chapman has just returned from his own luxury tailor-made holiday to Thailand, here's his report...

One night in Bangkok, nope we had three at the very stylish Sukhothai hotel. Three nights is just enough to see the best of this hustling, bustling mega city-think Blade Runner! A city tour is essential to get your bearings with trips along the klongs (canals), where you can spot large monitor lizards on the prowl, and visits to the reclining Buddha and Grand Palace as the highlights. Now it’s a shopping at the Chatuchak Weekend Market -15,000 stalls, the vast majority undercover. No need to buy just marvel at the throngs of locals as they bargain and haggle for anything on sale.

Then it’s off to Chiang Rai in the North of Thailand, a real difference to Bangkok. The pace of life is slower and it’s the place to see and ride elephants, especially at the wonderful Four Seasons Tented Camp. Styled like an African Safari camp its right in the jungle and its here that you get to be trained as a real Mahout (elephant owner) which is scary and fun at the same time.

These amazing animals really are friendly and intelligent and love nothing better than spraying you with water when bathing. All the tents are named and themed differently-we had the explorer’s tent and you can have an intent massage, just right after all that elephant training! And of course you sleep in one of the fabled Four Seasons’ heavenly beds.




We also had a couple of nights at the Anantara Golden Triangle Resort where we got to watch an elephant polo match whilst sipping Pimms-how British. Just across the road is the Hall of Opium museum, where you can journey through the fascinating history of the Opium Trade and just what were the opium wars

A four hour drive took us to Thailand’s Northern capital (and its second largest city), Chiang Mai for a stay at the opulent Mandarin Oriental Dhara Dhevi. Styled on the palaces and pagodas of Thailand this truly is a royal experience.






Then its down to Phuket and 2 nights at the delightful Mom Tri's Villa Royale where Kata Noi beach beckons and then finally two days of bliss at Trisara where our stunning Ocean View villa makes us feel like celebrities with its own 10 metre pool and a view of the Anadaman sea to die for.

  

Of course no visit to Phuket is complete without a trip to Phi Phi Island and the Beach (no sign of Leonardo but plenty of other people there, mores the pity).

Highlights of the holiday would have to be the elephants at the Four Seasons Chiang Rai, the lovely Kata Noi beach and it’s warm sea and of course the food. Great Thai cuisine at still really good value prices (Two Pad Thai and 2 Singha Beers for bht500 –that’s a tenner to you and me!).

If you'd like a copy of our tailor-made Asia brochure or have a holiday in mind that you'd like us to create, please contact us or call 020 7483 6553.

Air New Zealand

Air New Zealand's site for their new seats and aircraft is now live, take a look here

We can't comment on the skycouch yet, but their premium economy and business premier are excellent value for money, extremely comfortable (flat beds in business class!) and very popular with our clients...the food and wines they serve aren't bad either!



Don't wait until April 2011 though (when the first new plane departs from London), we'd recommend travelling now - the weather's great in New Zealand and it's a beautiful place to visit at this time of year.

Order our brand new NZ brochure here and take a look at some of our suggested itineraries.


Contact us to discuss your holiday plans on 020 7483 6555

Emirates Premium Arrivals at Dubai Airport

Premium Arrivals is a new innovative service offered by Emirates at Dubai Airport for those passengers travelling in either First or Business class or for Skywards Gold passengers.

Premium passengers travelling from across the Emirates network can now enjoy the distinction of collecting their luggage from the exclusive Premium Arrivals area, which includes; a dedicated carousel (carousel 10), a comfortable seating area and a dedicated Emirates Airport Services team on hand to assist customers and porters to handle luggage.

  

Take a look at the Emirates A380 here

'Having recently flown business class on the new A380, I can definitely recommend this as an option on your next long-haul trip to Asia or Down Under - flat beds and fantastic service combined with great food and an excellent in-flight entertainment system, plus a huge network of destinations to choose from...I'm most definitely a fan!" - Annette Morrissey, Sales Director

Newfoundland made easy!

Spectacular Newfoundland in Canada is now one step closer thanks to new daily direct Air Canada flights from London to St Johns.

The new flight will operate from Heathrow throughout peak season (May 27 - September 26 2010), opening up this undiscovered corner of Canada to an increasing number of UK visitors. Guests can take advantage of any number of flexible, self-drive itineraries in this dramatic eastern edge of the North American continent.

Bridge & Wickers’ Newfoundland and Labrador Adventure is a 14-day self-drive itinerary taking in the abundant wildlife, deep fjords, wild islands and untouched rivers of this vast expanse – even icebergs in August. Amble along the Atlantic’s fishing ports, passing through friendly towns and villages, soaking up the rugged lifestyle which embodies Canadian culture. Newfoundland is pioneer country - akin to the wilderness of the Australian Outback - with just enough development to allow for comfortable discovery.

Discover small communities practising ancient Indian crafts, explore the expansive landscapes of Gros Morne, one of the country’s most beautiful National Parks, see icebergs at Notre Dame Bay and watch seabirds at the Cape St Mary reserve.