Travel: in the Maldives, life's a (glorious, white, deserted) beach

It feels surreal, this midnight half-hour speedboat ride through the darkness of the Indian Ocean, but here I am, riding through still black waters, leaving a frothy white wake in the warm seascape.
                                       

I've left the tiny city of Malé, capital of the Maldives and barely bigger than an airport landing strip. I'm headed for the isolated Club Med resort on Kani, one of the northern atolls of this nation, which is made up of more than a thousand coral islands, rests just south west of Sri Lanka, and is equidistant from Somalia to the west and Singapore to the east.

I've come to Club Med Kani to experience its "endless turquoise playground" but also to see what has become of Club Med as it attempts to re-stake its claim within the luxurious world of all-inclusive resorts.

Stepping off the water onto a lamp-lit jetty, I'm handed a warm towel and greeted by a slender Maldivian, the hotel chef de mission, named Barq. After a brief orientation and mild overnight battle with jet lag in my beachside bungalow, it is morning in paradise and I am among guests at an opulent buffet breakfast.

The official languages here are the local Dhivehi and English, but more often that not in this place I hear ni hao and bonsoir. It makes perfect sense. This is a destination mostly for Asia and Europe, and it is a French company.

Far from the 1980s cliché of gaudy getaways for singles and playful retreats for couples, Club Méditerranée was set up in postwar Europe in 1950 by a Belgian water polo champion, and was initially modest – straw huts on a beach in Majorca, Spain.

You might wonder about the environment, too. After all, the Maldives, like all low-lying island nations, is threatened by global warming and rising sea levels. Kani is one kilometre long and 400 metres wide but barely one metre above sea level at its highest point. Club Med acknowledges this, too. There are energy-efficient measures, including photovoltaic solar panels and the assiduous use of grey water, but it also addresses coral bleaching – and not just to maintain snorkelling as a resort attraction, but because the reef surrounding the island chain is all that keeps these little sandbars from being swamped by ocean waves.

Accor takes fight to Airbnb with Travel Keys deal

Hotel giant Accor – the largest operator in Australia – has beefed up its luxury holiday home rental business by acquiring Atlanta-based Travel Keys, a company that manages more than 5000 villas in the Caribbean, Mexico, the United States, Europe, Asia and Africa.
           

It is the third acquisition in the luxury serviced home market by Accor in less than a year after it paid $US168 million for London-based start-up Onefinestay in April last year, which offers a portfolio of more than 2600 luxury properties in London, Paris, Rome, New York and Los Angeles.

A year ago, Accor acquired a 49 per cent stake in Squarebreak, a digital platform offering private upscale properties in resort locations, primarily in France, Spain and Morocco.

Combined the three businesses will allow Accor to offer accommodation across 8500 addresses in the luxury private rental market.

"Travel Keys brings an impressive portfolio of premium properties to our existing activities. This acquisition further demonstrates our agility and dynamic approach to offer comprehensive services to our clients," said Sebastien Bazin, chairman and chief executive of AccorHotels.

Airbnb started out as a place for people to rent out a spare room in their homes, but has morphed more recently into a commercial-style accommodation platform where people rent entire homes, villas and apartments.

Its growing dominance of the informal or "shadow" accommodation market has sparked a string of new disruptive online start-ups looking to match its success, forcing hotel companies to adapt and disrupt themselves, or lose market share.

Accor has sought to differentiate itself from Airbnb's highly diverse offering by focusing on the luxury serviced holiday home market where properties are carefully chosen and offered with hotel-style trimmings.

Travel Keys was founded in 1991 and includes 24/7 concierge services. CEO Bobby Gibson said the company's objective was to offer "extraordinary experiences" to its guests, "that is the best homes in the best locations with the highest level of service".

The price Accor will pay For Travel Keys was not disclosed. The transaction is expected to close in the second quarter of 2017 after customary due diligence.

Qantas passengers stranded in Dubai

AROUND 72 hours after they were originally scheduled to return to Australia from Dubai, scores of disgruntled Qantas passengers are finally back in Sydney.
Due to a technical problem on one of their A380 Airbuses, 480 passengers were stuck in Dubai three days ago and their New Year’s Eve plans were thrown into disarray.
The final 80 passengers of the drama-hit QF2 flight were back in Australia early this afternoon.

“As the issue with the delayed aircraft had been resolved, it was placed back into service and operated this flight.

Engineers in Dubai worked on the A380 aircraft as affected Qantas customers were put up in hotels.
Some of those passengers due to travel on the problem flight were put on previous alternative Qantas services as well as on other airlines.

A technical problem caused the plane to be grounded at Dubai International Airport.
A statement issued by Qantas on the weekend read: “It’s expected that the 480 passengers delayed in Dubai will be on alternative services back to Australia within 24 hours. Passengers will continue to be put up in hotels at Qantas’ expense until they can be booked on another flight.”

Another wrote on Facebook: “4 hour delay now means spending New Years stuck on a plane. Cheers Emirates / Qantas. You better give me a free glass ... for my troubles. or better, an upgrade!”
Meanwhile, others searched for answers.
“You’ve put us up in a lovely hotel but we have no idea what time we’ll be leaving tomorrow. What time do we set our alarms for please? Help and communication would be great. Lots of uncertainty. Thanks,” Rob Voase wrote.
One person wrote on the Qantas Facebook page: “Hi Qantas, whats happening with your flights from Dubai? A friend is stranded there for days and may even miss NYE in Sydney.
Whats the story?”

A world of travel wonders await those who dare

How many fantastic destinations are still waiting for you to discover them? So many you probably haven't even heard of them all.
         

For the travelers on your Christmas list, make it easy for them to navigate the world with these four new travel books, which are part inspiration, part explanation:

“1,000 Places to See in the United States and Canada Before You Die,” updated 3rd edition, by Patricia Schultz (Workman, $24.95): The “1,000 Places” bucket list trend began in 2003 when Schultz published the original “1,000 Places to See Before You Die” guide, describing don’t-miss spots around the world. Now comes the 3rd edition of the North America volume, which is probably more useful to the traveler in your life than the original.

Completely updated, it now includes sights like the High Line in New York City, St. Lawrence Market in Toronto, and Fogo Island in Newfoundland and Labrador. It’s a good gift because it should prompt a little competitive bragging among family members on Christmas morning, when each person figures out how many spots he or she has already been to, like Mackinac Island and Niagara Falls. That’s two. Only 998 to go.

“Must Eat Paris: An Eclectic Selection of Culinary Locations” by Luc Hoornaert (Lannoo, $24.95.) This book, part of a series, may become quickly outdated, what with restaurants closing and opening at the speed of light. For now, it is a detailed guide to Paris dining, much of it off the beaten track. Divided by regions of the city, it includes famed spots like Septime and  a whole lot of Paris’ obscure restaurants tucked into small corners of various neighborhoods. For foodies only.

“Wild Beautiful Places: Picture Perfect Journeys Around the Globe,” edited by George Stone (National Geographic Books, $40.) This gorgeous gift book highlights 50 world destinations beloved by photographers. Destinations include Ilulissat, Greenland; Sable Island, Nova Scotia; the Albanian Alps and the Chocolate Hills in the Philippines. You’ll be inspired. You’ll also be getting out a map to figure out exactly where these remote places actually are — and trying to figure out how to get there.