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Thailand, Miami and Santorini have been more popular with travellers Skyscanner reports a 33 per cent increase in searches for Cambodia Lindsay Lohan's Mykonos holiday said to have caused a spike in interest

By Andrea Magrath for MailOnline

Published: 06:22 EST, 23 November 2014 | Updated: 08:45 EST, 23 November 2014

Siem Reap in Cambodia, Fort Lauderdale in Florida and the Greek island of Mykonos are being tipped as the new holiday destinations to watch, according to new research.

While their neighbours Thailand, Miami and Santorini have been more popular in the past with travellers, these far-flung destinations are rising in popularity,global travel search website Skyscanner reports.

Siem Reap in the north west of Cambodia tops the list with a 33 per cent increase in searches from the UK, followed closely by Fort Lauderdale, Florida (32 per cent) and Mykonos (31 per cent).

Far-flung destinations: Cambodia' Siem Reap is being tipped as the destination to watch for 2015

Tourist attractiong: Visitors flocks to visit the incredible 12th century Angkor Wat

Travel experts say that with a wide choice of upmarket hotels springing up alongside backpacker hostels, Siem Reap is set to become the hot new destination for 2015 for both backpackers on a budget and luxury travellers.

Fort Lauderdale is now regenerating itself to attract a more sophisticated crowd thanks to investments in its infrastructure, including a 500 million expansion of its airport, a new high speed rail station and the creation of ultra-luxury accommodation including a Conrad Hotel.

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Siem Reap, Fort Lauderdale and Mykonos are 'destinations to watch'

Seb Ramsay is relieved to narrowly miss out on a white-knuckle ride in the Three Valleys

It means the crack of bottom, our guide says sheepishly as he points up at a fearsome-looking slot in a cliff known as the Raie des Cul couloir. Of course it does. My smirk is short-lived as Stephane follows this up with the rather less amusing: You want to ski it?

Yes, we do, my ski buddy insists as I nod gamely while trying to convince myself that that the combined effects of foreshortening and perspective probably mean the line of snow hes suggesting isnt actually vertical and shoulder-width.

Val Thorens has always had a reputation as a serious skiers resort. For years it has been the lofty but rather ugly satellite on the outer reaches of The Three Valleys. Victim to the convenience of concrete and the wanton disregard for the environment that characterises 1970s ski resorts everywhere.

But Val Thorens had skiing so good and so high that nobody really cared. Plus, it was significantly cheaper than its neighbours swanky Meribel and millionaires-ville Courchevel. But that was then. Before Val Thorens came properly on the radar of investors who recognised that, with its snow-sure status and varied terrain, this particular mountain flower could bloom.

Val Thorens from above

The resulting transformation means that the resort now boasts two 5-star hotels, a couple of two Michelin-starred chefs and its very-own branch of the incredibly popular outdoor-drinking and table-dancing mecca Folie Douce. A bar that brings more than just a touch of Bacchanalian Ibiza to the Alps.

Val Tho, as its now known, has joined the jet set. The newest of its jewels is the five-star hotel The Koh-i-Noor. Perched on the side of the piste and strikingly elegant in its chrome and glass simplicity, Europes highest five-star hotel is graphic evidence that those behind the makeover arent messing about. Two Michelin-star Yoann Contes restaurant completes the package and, along with the neighbouring five-star Fitzroy Hotel and Restaurant Jean Sulpices two-star dining, attracts the type of Three-Valleys client who, at one time, would never venture much further south than the runs linking Courchevel and Meribel.

But while its lofty perch makes it Europes highest and certainly one of its most-snowsure resorts, the low pressure associated with 2,300m presents unusual practical challenges for fine dining.

Jean Sulpice has been winning the battle with the environment for 10 years. With water boiling at 10 degrees lower than at sea level, eggs take twice as long to boil and a humidity level of just 17 per cent causes other issues.

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Val Thorens: Spectacular skiing from the top to the bottom

German tour operator DER Touristik is launching a chain of motive hotels under the name Cooee to compete with the concept hotels of TUI and Thomas Cook as part of its summer 2015 programme.

A view of the new Cooee hotels Foto: DER Touristik

Germanys second-largest tour operator will offer 10 branded hotels on Majorca, in Turkey, Greece, Egypt, Tunisia, Bulgaria and on Ibiza next summer. Meaning Im here, where are you? in an Australian Aboriginal language, cooee is used as a communication call. According to DER Touristik, communication and connectivity will be at the heart of the new hotels, with free high speed internet connections in every room. Other elements include a brightly-coloured bistro area as the main meeting area, diverse sporting, wellness and entertainment activities as well as relax and chillout areas.

Cooee is much more than just a motive hotel. It connects all the things that are important to holidaymakers today. A contemporary way to meet the needs and wishes of different target groups, explained Ren Herzog, the new managing director of the DER Touristik Cologne unit.

The Cologne-based package holidays unit is also expanding its other hotel brands next summer with four more up-market LTI Hotels and two more Primasol budget hotels. Prices will be slightly lower until the end of the early booking period at the end of January, including 5% reductions for Greece and the Canary Islands, but other Spanish destinations will be 2% more expensive while prices are stable for Egypt, Turkey and Tunisia.

This year DER Touristik Cologne increased revenues by 4%, with a clear pick-up in bookings after Germanys World Cup victory in July. Turkey ended with a single-digit rise but lost bookings to Greece and Egypt, which both recovered well this year. Bookings have started well for the winter season with a double-digit rise in bookings and revenues. In particular, Egypt is selling strongly and the company has added more charter flights to the main destinations.

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Calling up Cooee hotels

IBIZA HOTELS GUIDE

By: the agency ibz

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IBIZA HOTELS GUIDE - Video

La Jolla, CA (PRWEB) October 10, 2014

What makes a bride the most anxious about her wedding day? The weather? The catering? The location? Her hair? Her dress? Keeping all the relatives entertained? Depending on others to make her dreams a reality? Making it all memorable? With the new Ultimate Wedding Collection offering at the iconic La Valencia Hotel in La Jolla, there is now an antidote to those worries.

As the launch site for this new international, destination wedding collection, the historic, 112-room oceanfront Southern California resort that has entertained everyone from Mary Pickford to Madonna is bought out for up to 200 guests and literally becomes the bridal partys seaside Mediterranean style villa for the weekend. The hotels chefs, housekeepers, waiters, concierge, rooms, pool, lounges and restaurants are there for the sole purpose of servicing the wedding. And, the wide array of attractions in the area from shopping to art galleries; from yachting to scuba diving are made available for the entertainment of you and your guests.

Future UWC locations include: Monaco, Tuscany, St. Tropez, Ibiza, St. Barths and more.

This is a truly exclusive wedding destination option, with all of the design and personal customizations that high-profile clients want, but with one difference. The producers La Valencia Hotel and Alchemy Fine Events have a full team of wedding experts entertainment producers, event stylists, culinary artists, couture bridal gown designers, Hollywood hair & makeup artists, musicians, florists, photographers and videographers ready to deploy, with budgets and timelines in place. This takes weeks and weeks off the planning process and items off the couples wedding To-Do List; encourages a stress-free, positive experience; and offers a range of smart options from some of the best wedding vendors in Southern California. The hotel-of-your-own wedding also includes strategic partnerships with the likes of Net Jets and Uber for bridal party and guest transportation as well as Prestige Motor Sports & Yachts.

Couples can then relax and enjoy the fun side of customizing their luxury wedding weekend options with the team in place, or opt to use their own entourage of style.

This ultra-customized wedding experience is designed for the couple who want effortless luxury, explains Rita Moore, La Valencias Director of Sales & Marketing. Our carefully selected design team leverages the art of listening while working closely with the bride and groom to actually create a brand for your wedding. From the big picture to the tiniest details luxury invitations, guest welcome notes, picnic baskets, excursion maps, bespoke furniture, custom place settings; even parting gifts at the Farewell Brunch everything will be designed to express your wedding vision. All youll need to do is arrive and enjoy.

This hotel-as-private-villa custom wedding starts at $1 million and includes the following services provided for both the bridal party & guests:

With a cathedral-like lobby lounge complete with hand painted ceiling murals, wrought iron chandeliers, colorful mosaics and a picture window with full ocean viewsa Romeo & Juliet mezzanine balcony idea for a musical trio a garden terrace suspended over the oceana centerpiece signature poola street facing European bistro and a great room style fine dining restaurantLa V is a wedding destination unto itself.

Everyone in the area knows that La Valencia epitomizes the ultimate bridal backdrop, explains Vanessa Van Wieren, founder of Alchemy Fine Events. This unique wedding offering will set the standard for a personalized, user-friendly luxury event. It is designed to appeal to international taste makers whether they live an hour or a world away.

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Ultimate Wedding Collection Launches California Experience at La Valencia Hotel