new resorts

Saffire Soon to Open on Tasmania's Freycinet Peninsula

Sunset on Tasmania's Freycinent Peninsula, Australia

It's been in the works for a very long time, but Saffire, a new ultra-luxury hotel on Tasmania's Freycinet Peninsula is about to open, on June 1st, 2010.

Let's get oriented first. Tasmania is Australia's southernmost state, and it's actually an island, separated from the mainland by the 150 mile wide Bass Strait. But it's not at all wee -- twice the size Switzerland, about the size of Ireland -- and is widely considered one of the most beautiful spots on the planet. (Check out that sunset, above!)

The Freycinet Peninsula juts off right around the middle of the island's eastern shore, and is home to national park, which is popular for its hiking particularly to the white sand, turquoise to cobalt waters of Wineglass Bay. Freycinet, by the way, is pronounced as you would in French -- the first Europeans on this part of Tasmania were from France.

There's a lodging concession in the park, Freycinet Lodge, and it has some more upscale accommodations in addition to the more basic -- but it's nothing compared to what's being planned for Saffire. (The same company owns both properties.)

I was in Tasmania a couple of weeks ago, and had a chat with Matt Casey, general manager, and Hugh Whitehouse, executive chef. The main point they got across about Saffire is that it is going to be intimate. There are just 20 suites all together, with a high staff-to-guest ratio, says Casey -- plus they're not expecting to be running at full capacity at first. The rooms themselves, however, won't be small: the smallest are 860 square feet and the four largest premium suites are just over 1500 square feet. (Chef Whitehouse will prepare custom meals for premium guests in the suite's kitchen.)

And what about the suite rates?

Gallery: Saffire in Tasmania

View of the Hazard Mountain Range from Saffire

Saffire Resort's Dramatic Architecture (Rendering)

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Lost Pines Hyatt in Texas Prepares For A June Launch

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels

The new Hyatt resort in Texas is the 405-acre Hyatt Regency Lost Pines Resort and Spa. The resort is located on the banks of the Colorado River near the 1,100 acre McKinney Roughs Nature Park and 13 miles from the Austin airport. The resort has 492 guest rooms and the Wolfdancer Golf Club which has an 18-hole signature course designed by Arthur Hills. There will also be the Spa Django, an 18,000-square-foot spa, eight food and beverage venues and lots of recreational amenities such as a water park with a 1,000-foot river pool, canoeing and fly-fishing on the Colorado. Reservations are being accepted now and the resort opens June 1.

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Tags: hyatt lost pines, HyattLostPines, new hotels, new resorts, texas