Celebrity Cruises Opens Bookings for Australia & New Zealand

I don't blog about Celebrity Cruises often enough. Yes, it's a tier down from the luxury cruise lines I generally write about. However, Celebrity is one of my favorite cruise lines in the premium category. Its new ships—Solstice, Equinox, and Eclipse—are beautifully designed and the food aboard Celebrity always hits the mark.

That's why I was really excited to learn that Celebrity Century will sail Australia and New Zealand in 2011 and 2012. The line is also offering four- and five-night escorted cruisetours in Australia, which combine a cruise with land adventures. Travelers can choose from 10 itineraries and six different embarkation ports.


Here's one itinerary that looks especially enticing...

12-Night Sydney, Australia–Auckland, New Zealand
November 30, 2011: Sydney, Australia
December 1, 2011: at sea
December 2, 2011: Hobart, Tasmania
December 3–4, 2011: at sea
December 5, 2011: Milford Sound, New Zealand and Doubful Sound
December 6, 2011: Dunedin, New Zealand
December 7, 2011: Christchurch, New Zealand
December 8, 2011: Wellington, New Zealand
December 9, 2011: Napier, New Zealand
December 10, 2011: Tauranga, New Zealand
December 11, 2011: Bay of Islands, New Zealand
December 12, 2011: Auckland, New Zealand

Reservations are now open for Celebrity Century's Australia/New Zealand cruises. Book by December 31, 2010, for special onboard credit and savings on back-to-back sailings. Call your travel agent or Celebrity Cruises at 1-(800) 437-3111.

—Andrea M. Rotondo for LuxuryCruiseBible.com

Southern Group of Temples, Khajuraho

The southern groups of temples lies on the outskirts of Khajuraho (State: Madhya Pradesh) at a distance of 4 kms. Compared to the other two groups, the western and the eastern groups of temples, this group lacks the sculptural refinement. These were constructed on the later part of Chandela dynasty between 1110 - 1150 A.D. (Click on the image for bigger view)

In this group only two temples are still reasonably intact. They are

• Dhuladeo Temple
• Chaturbhuj Temple

We shall attempt to cover these temples in some detail in the subsequent posts.

August Issue of Wow Travel Magazine Available Now

I'm always looking for travel magazines that focus on the destinations that are on my "must visit" list. Lately I've been enjoying the relatively new Wow Travel magazine, which is edited by Jim Tobler and published by the Kiwi Collection (a curated hotel collection with the tagline "Hotels for People Who Care Where They Stay").

It's always fun to page through the magazine to see which of Wow's favorite places are your favorites too.

This month, Wow Travel tells readers about...

• Secret island hideaways from Fregate Island in the Seychelles to Faafu Atoll in the Maldives and Madagascar's Tsarabanjina Island.
  
  
• The temples, lake, and tea house at Amanfayun in Hangzhou, China, just outside of Shanghai.
  
  
• The beautiful Portuguese Riviera.
  
  
• Istanbul Fashion Week 2010.
  
  
• Two orphanages that were recently "adopted" by the St. Regis Bali.
  
  

The writing in Wow Travel is topnotch and every article is accompanied by beautiful photographs. Bookmark Wow Travel magazine and check in often to see what's new.

—Andrea M. Rotondo for LuxuryCruiseBible.com