Aitutaki cook islands south pacific

Aitutaki cook islands south pacific

Pacific Resort Aitutaki welcomes you to one of the world’s most secluded boutique island resorts – offering luxurious Aitutaki hotel accommodation.

Surrounded by the crystal clear turquoise waters of Aitutaki lagoon, the idyllic atoll of Aitutaki is a magical destination. Explore the sights. Enjoy the sophistication of delicious cuisine, attentive high quality service and modern resort facilities.

Discover true relaxation. With just 27 luxurious beachfront suites, villas, premium bungalows and ultimate bungalows all situated within steps of the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Resort Aitutaki is secluded and peaceful. Pacific Resort Aitutaki is an award winning resort, winning “World’s Leading Boutique Island Resort” in the World Travel Awards of 2008, 2009 and 2010. We are the Cook Islands’ only member of the Small Luxury Hotels of the World collection.

Pacific Resort Aitutaki – a five star luxury experience in South Pacific style

Overview of Pacific Resort Aitutaki - Aitutaki

Location.
Situated on a Aitutaki beach, this spa resort is close to Aitutaki Golf Club.

Features.
Guests at this property have access to a private beach. Pacific Resort Aitutaki has a full-service spa, a health club, an outdoor pool, and a spa tub. This Aitutaki property has a restaurant, a bar/lounge, and a poolside bar. Guests are served a complimentary breakfast each morning. Guests have complimentary access to an airport shuttle (available on request). Guest parking is complimentary. The staff can arrange concierge services, wedding services, event catering, and business services. Additional amenities include spa services, a coffee shop/café, and gift shops/newsstands.

Guestrooms.
Pacific Resort Aitutaki has 27 guestrooms. Rooms feature balconies with sea views. Televisions are equipped with satellite channels, free movie channels, and DVD players. Guestrooms provide wireless Internet access (surcharge), direct-dial phones, CD players, and in-room safes. Beds have pillowtop mattresses. Guestrooms feature refrigerators and coffee/tea makers. Bathrooms offer showers with handheld showerheads, bathrobes, designer toiletries, and bidets. Additional amenities include climate control, minibars, and air conditioning. Guestrooms are accessible via exterior corridors. In addition, amenities available on request include a turndown service and wake-up calls. Housekeeping is offered. Cribs (infant beds) and rollaway beds are available. All guestrooms at Pacific Resort Aitutaki are non-smokin

Mount Pilatus Switzerland

 Mount Pilatus Switzerland

Description

For a full day of summer splendor, make for the mountains on this guided roundtrip from Lucerne to central Switzerland's Mount Pilatus. Your full day guided tour includes a gondola and aerial cable car ride, descending the world's steepest cog-wheel railway and a cruise on Lake Lucerne.

Venture on a half day round trip from Lucerne to Mount Pilatus on this guided alpine summer tour. Escorted by your professional guide, take the aerial cable-car from Kriens 7000 feet (2132 meters) to the top of Mt.Pilatus. Enjoy unforgettable views over surrounding mountains and lakes with approximately an hour and a half at your leisure. Venture down the Dragon's Path and make the short hike to the summit before descending by cogwheel train to Alpnachstad. At a gradient of 48% it's the world's steepest!

Your summer alpine adventures conclude with a picturesque boat ride across lovely Lake Lucerne.

Please note, if you are traveling in late October, the aerial cable car could be canceled due to poor or unsafe weather conditions. If this is the case, you will travel up and down Mt. Pilatus by cogwheel train.

Additional information

Inclusions

• Cable-car Ride
• Cogwheel Train Ride - the steepest train in Europe! (approximately May 7 to October 31)
• Boat Ride on Lake Lucerne (approximately May 7 until mid-October)
• A complementary lunch in the event of the Boat ride is not operating

Exclusions

• Gratuities (optional)
• Food and drinks, unless specified
• Hotel pickup and drop off

Read more: http://www.lonelyplanet.com/switzerland/central-switzerland-and-berner-oberland/lucerne/activities/day-trips/mount-pilatus-summer#ixzz1wt28jWly

Burj Khalifa in Dubai, UAE

Burj Khalifa in Dubai, UAE

Burj Khalifa, earlier known as Burj Dubai, located in Downtown Dubai, UAE, and standing tall at 829.84m is the tallest man-made structure in the world. Burj Khalifa is as a living wonder, a stunning piece of art, and incomparable feat of engineering.
Burj Khalifa forms a part of the new flagship development called Downtown Dubai, located at the First Interchange along Sheikh Zayed Road, in proximity to the main business district in Dubai. Developed by the leading developer Emaar Properties, the tower's architecture and engineering were handled by Skidmore, Owings and Merrill of Chicago. Samsung C&T of South Korea, who also built Taipei 101 and Petronas Twin Towers, was the primary contractor of this project. The Belgian group Besix and UAE's Arabtec, were the major sub-contractors.
Construction of the project began on 21st September 2004. The project, worth US$1.5bn, was re-named Burj Khalifa, to honour the crucial support extended by the UAE President Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

 

Construction

Excavation work on Burj Khalifa began in January 2004, when the building completed several important milestones on its way to being the tallest man-made structure in the world. Within just 1325 days since the start of excavation work in January 2004, Burj Khalifa became the tallest free-standing structure in the world.

More than 45,000 m3 of concrete, weighing more than 110,000 tonnes have been used for constructing the concrete and steel foundation, featuring 192 piles buried more than 50m deep. The construction of Burj Khalifa has taken more than 22million man-hours, 380 skilled engineers and on-site technicians, and has used more than 330,000 m3 of concrete, 39,000 tonnes of steel rebar.

Burj Khalifa construction was done using special mixes of concrete, so as to enable it to withstand extreme pressures of the massive building weight. The consistency of the concrete used in the project was essential. In order to withstand the Persian Gulf temperatures that could even touch 50°C, the concrete was not poured during the day. Instead, it was done during the night when the air is cooler and humidity is higher, as the cooler concrete mixture prevents quick and easy cracking.

World Records

Burj Khalifa has accomplished a series of world records and construction milestones. In July 2007, on completing Level 141, it was named the tallest building in the world, while in September 2007, on completing 150 storeys, it was named world's tallest free-standing structure.

Thereafter, in April 2008, on completing Level 160, it was named world's tallest man-made structure, and in January 2009, Burj Khalifa tops out with completion of spire. The external cladding was done in September 2009 and an official launch ceremony was held in January 2010.

Burj Khalifa also has several other world records to its credit, such as that for highest installation of an aluminium and glass façade, highest number of stories in the world, highest occupied floor in the world, highest outdoor observation deck in the world, elevator with longest travel distance in the world, and world's tallest service elevator.

Burj Khalifa also houses world's highest outdoor observation deck, world's highest Mosque, world's highest nightclub, world's highest restaurant, and world's second highest swimming pool. 

Awards

Burj Khalifa has numerous awards to its credit, the latest being the 'Best Tall Building Middle East & Africa' award by the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat in June 2010. In September 2010, Burj Khalifa was awarded the 'Best project of the year' at the Middle East Architect Awards 2010.

Burj Khalifa was honoured as the first recipient of "Global Icon" Award by CTBUH (Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat) on 25th October 2010. The award recognizes special super-tall skyscrapers that make profound impact on the genre of tall buildings in the global market.

The Residences, Burj Khalifa

The Residences at Burj Khalifa, one of the most-prestigious addresses, with more than 900 residences including studios, single, double, triple and four bedroom suites, are designed for the connoisseur.

The homes located from levels 19 to 108 of Burk Khalifa with a rich array of amenities, offer residents an unmatched lifestyle experience. State-of-the-art fitness facilities, indoor/outdoor swimming pools, Jacuzzis, recreation room for gatherings and events, are all available on exclusive Sky Lobbies on levels 43, 76 and 123. Among the other amenities are, a resident's library, a cigar club, Burj Khalifa Gourmet Market, a gourmet convenience store, meeting place for residents, and valet parking for guests and visitors.

The Residences at Burj Khalifa is nothing, but, urban life at its best. It offers all amenities of a metropolitan centre, but, with comforts and security of an exclusive community.

The Club

The club is a major health and recreation by Burj Khalifa, open to residents of Burj Khalifa and the general public. The four-storey includes amenities including two luxurious indoor and outdoor pools, two gymnasiums, dedicated ladies-only gymnasium, and a contemporary spa facility, all spread across the 22,000 sq ft facility.

The Corporate Suites Lounge

The Corporate Suites, located on the highest levels of the tower, is the ultimate business destination for successful personalities at the corporate levels. The Corporate Suites comprise 37 storeys, with top three storeys being merged into a single office.

The entrance lobby is at the Concourse of the tower, featuring Burj Khalifa reception team. Apart from valet parking for visitors and guests, there are express lifts that take visitors directly to the lounge lobby at Level 123, which is the meet-and-greet point.

The Offices

A complement to The Corporate Suites is the 12-storey annexure, The Offices, which will be directly accessible to Burj Khalifa and the Dubai Mall. The parking spaces for The Offices will be available at the mall and the tower, for convenience of tenants.

Each suite is equipped with most advanced and digital telecommunications services. There are dedicated optical fiber links capable of offering up to 10 gigabits per second of broadband and multimedia delivery. Therefore, visitors can expect uninterrupted cellular service, even when riding elevators.

The four floors above the offices will be leased to broadcast and telecom companies, it is said.

Security

Burj Khalifa is protected by a proprietary security system, and a team of well-trained security professionals to ensure safety, privacy, and peace of mind. There are in-house security supervisors and guards patrol the building interior and exterior round-the-clock. Due to security technology limits, sometimes, access is restricted to elevators, monitoring the critical building entry and exit points.

e- Home and e-Services at Burj Khalifa

Burj Khalifa features online home automation and account management access with e-Home and e-Services. With the help of these services, residents get to access automated environment for home-lighting, temperature, security, and access and more. They help in offering access to variety of services, viewing statement of accounts and for paying service fee, all within the convenience of secure, online access.

Downtown Dubai

The world's tallest building, Burj Khalifa, is located amidst Emaar's flagship community in Dubai, namely, the Downtown Dubai.

Downtown Dubai, located in Sheikh Zayed Road, near the Toyota Building Flyover, offers an unparalleled lifestyle appeal to both visitors and residents, with various shopping options, ranging from the world's largest shopping and entertainment destination, namely The Dubai Mall, to the serene surrounding of Souk Al Bahar. On the whole, Downtown Dubai is a lifestyle destination located in a distinct mix of traditional and modern architecture.

Visitors can use the Dubai Metro or taxi to reach Downtown Dubai. The November-March months are best for visit to the Downtown, when the weather is rather pleasant. Else, during the warm summer months, the Emaar Malls Group has introduced air-conditioned Trollery Buses to serve visitors.

Other than the iconic Burj Khalifa, some of the major attractions in Downtown Dubai are The Dubai Mall, Souk Al Bahar, Gold Souk at Dubai Mall, Emaar Boulevard.

Burj El-Arab, Dubai

Burj El-Arab, Dubai

Burj Al Arab (Arabic: برج العرب‎,Tower of the Arabs) is a luxury hotel located in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. At 321 m (1,053 ft), it is the fourth tallest hotel in the world. Burj Al Arab stands on an artificial island 280 m (920 ft) out from Jumeirah beach, and is connected to the mainland by a private curving bridge. The shape of the structure is designed to mimic the sail of a ship. Sometimes incorrectly referred to as "the world's only seven-Star hotel", its star rating has been often debated

Design and construction

Burj Al Arab was designed by architect Tom Wright of WS Atkins PLC. The design and construction were managed by Canadian engineer Rick Gregory also of WS Atkins. Construction of the Island began in 1994. It was built to resemble the sail of a dhow, a type of Arabian vessel. Two "wings" spread in a V to form a vast "mast", while the space between them is enclosed in a massive atrium. The architect Tom Wright said "The client wanted a building that would become an iconic or symbolic statement for Dubai; this is very similar to Sydney with its Opera House, London with Big Ben, or Paris with the Eiffel Tower. It needed to be a building that would become synonymous with the name of the country."

The architect and engineering consultant for the project was Atkins. Fletcher Construction from New Zealand was the lead joint venture partner in the initial stages of pre-construction and construction. The hotel was built by South African construction contractor Murray & Roberts and Al Habtoor Engineering.

The building opened in December 1999.

Features

Lobby

Several features of the hotel required complex engineering feats to achieve. The hotel rests on an artificial island constructed 280 m (920 ft) offshore. To secure a foundation, the builders drove 230 forty-meter (130 ft) long concrete piles into the sand.
Engineers created a ground/surface layer of large rocks, which is circled with a concrete honeycomb pattern, which serves to protect the foundation from erosion. It took three years to reclaim the land from the sea, while it took fewer than three years to construct the building itself. The building contains over 70,000 m³ (92,000 cu yd) of concrete and 9,000 tons of steel.
Inside the building, the atrium is 180 m (590 ft) tall.
Burj Al Arab is the world's fourth tallest hotel (not including buildings with mixed use). The structure of the Rose Rayhaan, also in Dubai, is 11 m (36 ft) taller than Burj Al Arab.

Rooms and suites

The hotel is managed by the Jumeirah Group. Despite its size, Burj Al Arab holds only 28 double-story floors which accommodate 202 bedroom suites. The smallest suite occupies an area of 169 m² (1,820 sq ft), the largest covers 780 m² (8,400 sq ft). Prices of rooms vary from approximately $1,000 to $27,000 per night.
Suites feature design details that juxtapose east and west. White columns show great influence.^[
Bathrooms are accented by mosaic tile patterns.
The Royal Suite, billed at US$18,716 per night, is listed at number 12 on World's 15 most expensive hotel suites complied by CNN Go in 2012.

Restaurants

Al Muntaha

Al Mahara

Burj al arab and 360 degree club

Al Muntaha (Arabic for "Highest" or "Ultimate"), is located 200 m (660 ft) above the Persian Gulf, offering a view of Dubai. It is supported by a full cantilever that extends 27 m (89 ft) from either side of the mast, and is accessed to a panoramic elevator.
Al Mahara ("Oyster"), which is accessed via a simulated submarine voyage, features a large seawater aquarium, holding roughly 9,900,000 L (350,000 cu ft) of water. The tank, made of acrylic glass in order to withstand the water pressure, is about 18 cm (7.1 in) thick.

Rating

The hotel is officially rated Five-Star Deluxe. However, it is frequently described as "the world's only seven-Star hotel", although the hotel management claims to never have done that themselves. In the words of a Jumeirah Group spokesperson: "There's not a lot we can do to stop it. We're not encouraging the use of the term. We've never used it in our advertising." According to the group, the "Seven-Star" notion was brought to being by a British journalist who visited the hotel on a pre-opening press trip. The journalist "described Burj al Arab in her article as above and beyond anything she had ever seen and called it a seven-star hotel."

Reviews by architecture critics

Burj Al Arab has attracted criticism as well "a contradiction of sorts, considering how well-designed and impressive the construction ultimately proves to be." The contradiction here seems to be related to the hotel’s decor. "This extraordinary investment in state-of-the-art construction technology stretches the limits of the ambitious urban imagination in an exercise that is largely due to the power of excessive wealth." Another critic includes negative critiques for the city of Dubai as well: "both the hotel and the city, after all, are monuments to the triumph of money over practicality. Both elevate style over substance." Yet another: "Emulating the quality of palatial interiors, in an expression of wealth for the mainstream, a theater of opulence is created in Burj Al Arab … The result is a baroque effect".