gizmag: Holiday Destinations

One kilometer high Nakheel Tower to become world's tallest building

Wed, 08 Oct 2008 18:03:24 +1000

It looks like Dubai is running out of countries to compete with in the architectural stakes, so they’ve started outdoing themselves. State-owned builder Nakheel has unveiled plans to build what would be the world’s tallest building before the Gulf city state’s previous claimant to the title, the Burj Dubai Tower, has even finished construction. Nakheel plans to build a tower measuring over 1 kilometer (0.62 miles), high in an area between two of the city’s artificial palm shaped islands which the company also created. Nakheel has not revealed the exact height or cost of the tower but said it would have “more than 200 floors” and be part of “a multi-billion pound development”, which includes a man made inland harbor and 40 additional towers ranging from 20 to 90 floors high...

Tags: Construction, Dubai

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World's largest LED screen to be built in (where else) Dubai

Tue, 07 Oct 2008 19:28:57 +1000

Dubai is set to be home to the world’s largest LED screen - a curved, 300ft+ tall monster that will be visible from a distance of just under 1 mile. The screen will make up the facade of the “Podium” skyscraper which will offer commercial and retail space across 35 floors of around 10,000 square feet each with over 50,000 square feet of parking space...

Tags: Advertising, Architecture, Design, Dubai, LED

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Lifestyles of the rich, famous and incredibly fast: the Ascari Race Resort

Mon, 22 Sep 2008 17:19:49 +1000

The Ascari Race Resort seems to have been transplanted from a motorsport enthusiast's wildest playboy fantasies into a rolling valley among southern Spain's magnificent Andalusian mountains. An immaculate, 5.425km, FAI-compliant private racetrack awaits its wealthy patrons with 25 demanding and technical turns per lap, some designed to replicate famous turns from F1 tracks around the world. A fleet of hire cars that ranges from a "beginner" race-prepped Lotus Elise up to ex-Formula One machinery sits growling in the pits beside a full-time pit crew, tempting the anointed and the unworthy alike. And in a world first, Ascari's seven-star hotel complex includes serious entertainment, luxury and recreation to keep the whole family occupied as you exorcise your speed demons on the tarmac. As Fernando Alonso described it: "Unusual, exciting, beautiful."..

Tags: Ascari, Automotive, F1, Luxury, Racetrack

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Sheraton’s Wild Horse Pass Resort launches GeoGreen sustainability program

Tue, 09 Sep 2008 10:09:39 +1000

The Sheraton Wild Horse Pass Resort & Spa has launched a new initiative called GeoGreen which is designed to ensure environmental and cultural sustainability whilst maintaining the heritage and well-being of the Gila River Indian Community. Guests will find a restaurant menu featuring local ingredients sourced from Gila River farms, grounds filled with native plants watered by a timed drip system, local businesses being engaged in the process of keeping the resort green and will have the opportunity to be exposed to the culture of the Pima and Maricopa people...

Tags: Biofuel, Climate Change, Environmental, Global Warming, Water Conservation

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Thirty-eight people make reservations for space hotel

Fri, 22 Aug 2008 23:52:27 +1000

Thirty eight travelers have made reservations to be the first guests on the Galactic Suite space hotel. The four day vacation will take passengers to a distance of 300 miles (450 kilometers) from the earth at a cost of €3 million (USD$4.46 million)...

Tags: Space Tourism, Space Travel

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The luxury motor coach with its own private balcony

Sun, 03 Aug 2008 06:19:59 +1000

Country Coach’s Veranda series of luxury motor coaches incorporate a veranda which is designed to transform your living area into a luxury suite with a view. The veranda is essentially a 4.6 foot wide by 13 foot deep steel desk with railings. It is created by lowering the coach’s side wall and is separated from the interior by 12-foot, three-section glass doors, which can be opened wide to increase the living space. The deck is designed to bear 3000 pounds of weight and can be lowered by the push of a button in less than 20 seconds and raised in under 30...

Tags: Caravan, Luxury

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Palm Jumeirah to feature Dubai's most expensive penthouse

Sat, 28 Jun 2008 14:31:36 +1000

Breaking property records is one thing, but when the property happens to be in Dubai, it's another ball game entirely. The AED 2.9 billion (around USD$790 million) contract for the construction of the spectacular 62 storey tall Trump International Hotel & Tower on Palm Jumeirah was announced earlier this month and with pre-sales of some properties fetching as much as $3000USD, real estate developer Nakheel and the Trump Organization expect that the tower's exclusive penthouse will break property records. The 270 meter tall design which features two towers that merge at the 40th floor will include 378 hotel rooms and suites, 385 condominiums, 12 townhouses, 45,000 square feet of retail and 60,000 square feet of office space along with a private beach and super-marina. Public sales of the residences began on June 23 and Donald J. Trump himself has already reserved an apartment in the Tower which is expected to be completed in May 2011...

Tags: Architecture, Building and Construction, Dubai, Luxury

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Going underground: the world's subterranean holiday destinations

Fri, 27 Jun 2008 17:16:06 +1000

If men really do retreat to their cave when they are under stress, then we have some wacky and wonderful caves to choose from. How about a cave which has been carved out of volcanic rock, is thousands of years old and is surrounded by the beautiful landscape that is Cappadocia, Turkey? Or maybe you fancy heading to Australia and going "down under" in a desert-like opal mining town? Perhaps the Provence region in France sounds idyllic, particularly when you are perched atop an ancient fortress in a room carved from rock?..

Tags: Incredible Homes

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Google co-founder joins space tourism club

Thu, 12 Jun 2008 15:20:04 +1000

Google co-founder Sergey Brin has forked out a US$5 million deposit to reserve a seat on future orbital spaceflights and join the select group of private space tourists. Space Adventures, the company that helped Dennis Tito become the world’s first private astronaut in 2001, has also announced an agreement with the Federal Space Agency of the Russian Federation (FSA) to launch a dedicated mission to the International Space Station (ISS) in 2011...

Tags: Space Tourism, Space Travel, Travel and Tourism

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Silver Rapids: waterpark meets ski resort

Thu, 01 May 2008 14:40:23 +1000

Located in Idaho’s Northern Rockies, the Silver Mountain Resort is a ski destination in the winter months. Visitors will now be able to enjoy adventure all year round in the area, with the addition of an indoor waterpark...

Tags: Water Sports

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Sustainable holidays: renewable energy and solar-powered houseboats on the Mississippi

Fri, 25 Apr 2008 00:03:25 +1000

April 24, 2008 Ecologically responsible tourism is becoming big business around the world, particularly with young backpackers who wish to see the glory of nature without contributing to its destruction. The same concept is now starting to trickle through to resort and leisure tourism - such as this block of condos on the Mississippi in Iowa. Using recycled materials, renewable energy and a small fleet of solar-powered houseboats that contribute solar and wind turbine energy back into the grid when they're moored, the Holiday Shores Condo-Tel development will provide 64 suites for the environmentally conscious...

Tags: Environmental, Sailing, Solar

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Pocket Guidebook personalized travel guides

Wed, 16 Apr 2008 16:28:51 +1000

April 16, 2008 Any seasoned traveler will tell you that packing space is limited and guidebooks can be an unwanted (but necessary) addition to a backpack. Now online travel resource, ProfessionalTravelGuide.com, has announced a partnership with SharedBook Inc that will enable travelers to create their own unique, professionally printed travel guidebook that should both save space and allow for customization of information...

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The world's largest man-made island

Tue, 15 Apr 2008 18:26:34 +1000

The property boom going on in the Persian Gulf at present knows no bounds, largely because it has been given a grand vision. Conceptualised to solve Dubai's beach shortage by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the person who has masterminded the emergence of Dubai, the Palm Trilogy is to be completed with a collossus, adding a few records to Dubai’s already splendid set of man-made biggests. Nakheel will employ its now highly-refined island building methods to create the largest man-made island on the planet, housing more than a million people in fine style. With a surface area of 46.35 million square metres, the Palm Deira will be bigger than Paris. That's it on the right, next to the World, then Palm Jumeirah, then Palm Jebel Ali on the left. Check out the great piccies and renderings in the photo library...

Tags: Dubai

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The world’s biggest racetrack

Mon, 14 Apr 2008 18:13:37 +1000

April 14, 2008 Yet another Dubai-based megaproject is underway – this time the world’s biggest horse racecourse, and it’s already being hailed as the future horseracing capital of the world, given the infrastructure it plans for the industry. Unlike Ascot, Lexington or Newmarket, Meydan will in fact be an ENTIRE CITY built around The Sport Of Kings - a gigantic mixed use development centered on the racecourse which will be the new home of the Dubai Racing Club and the Dubai World Cup. ..

Tags: Dubai

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Beijing's gargantuan Capital International Airport

Wed, 23 Apr 2008 14:11:42 +1000

Terminal 3 of the Beijing Capital International Airport became fully operational on March 26, becoming the largest airport terminal complex built in a single phase. The US$3.5 billion expansion commenced in March 2004, and the 986,000 square meter airport can now absorb all five of Heathrow’s terminals with 17% left to spare...

Tags: Aeroplanes

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More man-made designer realty – Reef Island

Fri, 21 Mar 2008 14:58:45 +1100

March 21, 2008 As Arab States continue to build for the future using oil-buoyed economies, the region is beginning to explore the concept of creating designer islands. Dubai gave the idea currency with its megadollar World and Palm projects, effectively showing the world how to build artificial realty. Neighbouring Qatar came up with the Pearl, and now Bahrain is in the process of building Reef Island at a cost of BD 450 million (US$ 1.20 billion). Of course you could always go for a floating island. ..

Tags: Dubai

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Extreme swimming pools: the biggest and deepest dips on the planet

Thu, 28 Feb 2008 16:56:35 +1100

February 28, 2008 Looking to beat the heat this summer by installing your own swimming pool? We thought we would give you a taste of what you almost certainly can't have when designing your dream backyard aquatic paradise. Firstly, there's the world's largest pool with an area equivalent to an incredible 6,000 standard-size 26 ft long domestic pools located at the San Alfonso Del Mar resort in Chile, and, going to the other extreme, there's Belgium's amazing 100 foot deep, 660,000 gallon (and heated!) Nemo33 dive pool...

Tags: Sports, Swimming, Underwater, Water Sports

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America’s largest Ferris wheel

Fri, 22 Feb 2008 16:36:51 +1100

Pepsi has announced it will create America’s largest Ferris wheel in New Jersey. The 287-foot-tall “Pepsi Globe” will be incorporated into Meadowlands Xanadu, a unique sports, leisure, shopping and family entertainment destination in East Rutherford...

Tags: Travel and Tourism

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Sunreef 100ft+ luxury charter catamarans

Tue, 04 Mar 2008 18:02:05 +1100

March 4, 2008 Sunreef is adding to its fleet of luxury charter boats with an enormous 102 ft. double-deck, sailing catamaran. This vessel will be the largest boat in their current fleet but not for long as there are grand plans to launch 150, 170 and 200 footers in the future...

Tags: Boating, Sailing, Water Sports

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Planning underway for the world's largest single building

Mon, 31 Dec 2007 16:55:11 +1100

December 31, 2007 U.K. architectural firm Foster + Partners has announced that preliminary planning permission has been granted for the world’s largest single building - the Crystal Island project in Moscow...

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Under the sea: Dubai's underwater hotel takes shape

Thu, 13 Dec 2007 17:54:53 +1100

December 13, 2007 Anywhere but Dubai, the idea of building a luxury hotel 66 feet underwater would sound far-fetched. But next to the Burj-al-arab, the rotating skyscraper, manufactured islands and indoor ski slopes of the desert commerce capital, the Hydropolis will fit right in. At a rough cost of UK£300 million, this jaw-dropping engineering challenge will allow guests to get a true taste for the peace and beauty of underwater life – and at a projected pricetag of up to USD$5500 per night for a room, you'd certainly be hoping that life is much better down where it's wetter...

Tags: Building and Construction, Dubai, Luxury, Marine

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Ferrari Theme Park underway

Wed, 07 Nov 2007 12:16:58 +1100

October 7, 2007 Not satisfied with your Ferrari branded hat, sunglasses, sports-binoculars, speaker system and carbon-fiber laptop? Fans of the famous marque will soon be able to visit the world’s first Ferrari Theme Park in Abu Dhabi. A Foundation Stone Ceremony was held on 3 November to signify the start of construction with the official opening of the park scheduled for 2009...

Tags: F1, Ferrari

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Responsible tourism: sustaining world cultures

Wed, 31 Oct 2007 12:26:23 +1100

October 31, 2007 As global tourism in the developing world grows, so too does the awareness of the importance of responsible travel - being mindful of local customs, cultures and ecosystems is vital to striking a safe balance between traditional societies and new world economies. The emergence of terms like “Volunteer tourism” and increasing recognition of travel organizations that seek to promote the practice of providing help or services to the region being visited is evidence that this shift in attitude is continuing to gain momentum...

Tags: Environmental, Travel and Tourism

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"Condo-cam" keeps an eye on your second home

Fri, 26 Oct 2007 20:13:42 +1000

October 26, 2007 Having a holiday home is a wonderful luxury, but the casual nature of visits to the property can leave it open to security risks such as break-ins and vandalism. By fully embracing the benefits of remote technologies now on the market, a new property development at Le Paradis Beach, Golf & Marina Resort in St. Lucia acts is helping residents keep a close eye on their second homes. ..

Tags: Housing, Luxury, Surveillance

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The Pearl-Qatar: multi-billion dollar man-made island home

Mon, 24 Sep 2007 21:20:24 +1000

An exotic name befits an exotic destination. The Pearl-Qatar is a multi-billion dollar man-made island under construction off the coast of Doha, Qatar covering 985 acres (400 hectares) and fronted by more than 12 miles of pristine beaches. The island retreat is set to become an exclusive home for 40,000 international residents as well as a sought after holiday destination for 800 guests enjoying three marinas, three 5 star hotels, plus almost half a million square feet of retail, dining and entertainment space. These stunning illustrations showcase this extraordinary address as it will look when the ribbon is cut in 2009...

Tags: Travel and Tourism

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