Sun International’s Table Bay Hotel on Cape Town’s harbor front, is touting itself as an ideal venue from which to watch the Volvo Ocean Race on November 4. On that day, seven yachts will enter Cape Town’s harbor as part of their round the global race, which spans 6,500 nautical miles.

The Volvo Ocean Race, formerly the Whitbread Round the World Yacht Race, starts in Alicante, Spain and visits Cape Town, Kochi, Singapore, Qingdao, Rio de Janeiro, Boston, Galway, Goteberg, Stockholm, finally finishing in St. Petersburg.

Elegant touch: Thanks to its prime location, the Table Bay Hotel offers its guests front row seats to watch the moored boats, while enjoying Afternoon Tea on the hotel’s terrace in the lobby or at its Atlantic Restaurant.

We hear there’s still space available at the hotel during the event. For more information, contact the United States Marketing & Sales Office of Sun International Hotels & Resorts at sainfo@sun-int.net; 954-331 8135.

For more luxury travel in Cape Town, see the August 2008 issue of Luxury Travel Advisor.

Ever wondered what the adrenaline rush is like when buckled in behind the steering wheel of a Ferrari? Well, Baglioni Hotels, the luxury Italian hotelier with 14 European properties (seven in Italy) and luxury tour operator, Red Travel, are making the dream reality.

The one-day Ferrari Tour is a personalized 24-hour assisted tour, which starts at the entrance of a Baglioni hotel, where clients are greeted by a brand new Ferrari (perhaps the sporty Maranello, pictured). From there it’s through the winding roads of Italy—Lazio, Tuscany, Emilia Romagna or the northern lakes. The tour is led by an experienced Ferrari driver, who is also the tour director. The director will advise clients on technique and driving secrets.

The package is available from three Baglioni hotels: Hotel Bernini Palace (Florence), Carlton Hotel Baglioni (Milan) and Regina Hotel Baglioni (Rome).

For information and reservations, luxury travel advisors can contact Paola Ragnoli (redtravelferrari@baglionihotels.com; 011-39-02-773-331).

The Rocco Forte Collection’s Le Richemond in Geneva has a new general manager: Patrick Mossu, who most recently served as general manager of the Grand Hotel Kempinski, also in Geneva. Mossu has held a variety of hotel positions throughout the globe, and while at Grand Hotel Kempinski oversaw an extensive renovation period.

Le Richemond in Geneva re-opened in September 2007 after an extensive refurbishment of its own by designer John Stefandis. The 109-room hotel, originally built in 1875, offers vista views over Lake Geneva and now includes the addition of a brand new seventh floor featuring the 2,475-square-foot Armleder Suite (at right), characterized as a royal suite.

“Madagascar” the movie has nothing on the real thing. Leaping lemurs, chameleons and scaly Nile crocodiles await luxe travelers on the Abenteuer Afrika-operated (www.abenteuerafrika.com) 12-day Madagascar safari, available mid-September through November 20, 2008.

The per-person rate of $3,060 includes accommodations, meals, boat and road transfers,

excursions and entrance fees, local guides, chauffeured cars and insurance. Sorry, air arrangements to Antananarivo, Madagascar’s capital, must be made separately.

The adventure begins at Perinet National park, home to many lemur species (the cute, small mammals with fox-like faces, wooly fur and large eyes). At the private Vakona Reserve, guests will get up close and personal with “real” Nile crocodiles—yes, the temperamental kind that bite! Exploration ensues at Nosy Mangabe, where guides will explain ancestral myths and traditions of the Sakalava Tombs.

While roughing it in the bush during day, nights will be spent in the lap of luxury, highlighted by a two-night stay at Le Royal Palissandre (www.hotel-palissandre.com) in the center of Antananarivo. In Perinet National Park, guests will stay at the Vakona Forest Lodge, with its distinctive bungalows; in Masoala, the Arol Ecolodge (arollodge.free.fr/home.htm) has lemurs parading on the grounds; and in Nosy Magabe, guests will stay at Relais du Masoala (www.relaismasoala.com), set in a lush coconut grove.

All luxury travel advisor questions can be directed to Dianne Orban (dorban@abenteuerafrika.com; 011-264-64-404030).

Hotel Cipriani in Venice has created a new “Gondola Massage” that takes place in the lagoons for which Venice is known. Maurizio Saccani, vice president of Italy for Orient-Express (www.orient-express.com), which owns Hotel Cipriani, says that the gondola sailors use their expertise to find a quiet nook of the lagoon, where the massage therapist then delivers a 40-minute massage. The experience ends with a foot massage and an iced tea in the Cipriani’s garden. The price, excluding tax, is a cool $430. Book directly via the hotel’s Casanova Spa, which has also created a “Luxe 24-Karat Gold Facial” in celebration of Hotel Cipriani’s 50th anniversary. The treatment, which incorporates real gold into the treatment ingredients, lasts for 80 minutes and costs $560.

The Dolder Grand (www.thedoldergrand.com) in Zurich, Switzerland has created a special offer exclusively for travel agents. Available through GDS only, luxury travel advisors can book three nights at The Dolder Grand for the price of two for their clients. The deal is valid until September 30, 2008. The Dolder Grand offers an eight percent commission to agents.

The Dolder Grand, which is a member of The Leading Hotels of the World, re-opened in April after a four-year, $400 million transformation, which transformed the historic property into a “city resort,” with a 40,000-square-foot spa and two new restaurants. New to the resort, which is run by Managing Director Thomas Schmid, is the Spa Wing and a Golf Wing. As a result, the hotel now has 173 rooms (Junior Suite shown here), the largest of which is the two-floor, 4,000-square-foot Maestro Suite, housed in the tower of the main building. Next in line is the two-bedroom Carizza Suite on the top floor of the Spa Wing. Suite 100, meanwhile, stands out for its “Swinging Sixties” rock ‘n’ roll theme. The one-bedroom pink-and-black suite also has a meeting room for 10.

Hotel de Russie (www.roccofortecollection.com) in Rome has created an exclusive dining experience at its al fresco restaurant, Le Jardin de Russie which allows your clients to enjoy an exclusive dinner on a secluded terrace within the restaurant’s gardens, called Le Jardin Prive.

Here’s the scoop: Diners at this special table enjoy the services of their own dedicated maitre d’ and a unique menu designed by the Michelin-starred chef Fulvio Pierangelini. The experience starts with a glass of Dom Perignon, which leads into a nine-course tasting menu, including dishes such as deep-fried courgette flowers and king prawns, ravioli with celery, olives and baby squid, risotto with spring vegetables, john dory with artichokes, grilled tagliata of veal, passion fruit sorbet and wild berries soufflé.

After such an evening, we say there’s nothing better than sinking into one of Rome’s top accommodations, the Nijinsky Suite at Hotel de Russie. This fabulous oasis has a balcony that’s no less than 2,572-square feet in size; we love its views of Piazza del Popolo, Piazza di Spagna and the Villa Borghese.

Four Seasons Hotel Dublin (www.fourseasons.com/dublin) in Ireland has launched a special offer, giving three nights for the price of two through September 1, 2008. Also included in the deal is a full breakfast for two in Seasons Restaurant or through in-room dining.

The hotel (Executive Suite shown here) is set on the showgrounds of the historic Royal Dublin Society, in the quiet residential community of Ballsbridge.

Meanwhile, The Merrion in Dublin (www.merrionhotel.com) has a “Family Fun” package for July and August 2008 priced at approximately $875. The package is for up to two adults and two children in interconnecting double and twin rooms, plus full Irish breakfast, welcome cocktails for adults and welcome ‘mocktails’ for children. The rate for one double or twin room (without the extras) is normally approximately $800, marking a 49 percent in savings.

Kids will also have specially tailored room service menus with “Miss and Master Merrion” dinnerware and mini-robes from The Merrion’s Tethra Spa.

Hotel Villa Padierna (www.ritzcarlton.com) in Marbella, Spain, has reopened its Le Veranda restaurant under the guidance of three-star Michelin Chef Martín Berasategui, who is world famous for his eponymous restaurant in San Sebastian in Spain’s Basque country.

Berasategui will take charge of the restaurant’s menu and will make monthly visits to the establishment, which can accommodate 65 diners. Chef Victor Taborda, a former student of Berasategui, will work on site at Le Verandah to ensure the menu, which merges “creativity with Basque tradition,” is carefully followed.

Hotel Villa Padierna, a member of The Ritz-Carlton family, has 112 rooms and is built in the style of a private home. It overlooks the Los Flamingos and Gran Flamingos golf courses, as well as the Mediterranean.

Aquapura Douro Valley (www.aquapurahotels.com) in Portugal has named Maurizio Romani general manager. Luxury travel advisors will know Romani from his most recent role as general manager for Hotel L’Andana in Tuscany. He’s also had senior positions at Grosvenor House in London, Hotel Danielle in Venice and Forte Village Resort in Sardinia.

Aquapura Douro Valley opened in Portugal’s World Heritage wine region in summer 2007. We’re told that the Aquapura Hotels has plans to expand with additional property openings in Bahia and Fortaleza, Brazil; Alentejo, Portugal; Prague; Italy; Macedonia and Panama.

For more on the Aquapura Douro Valley resort, visit www.luxuryta.com, past issues, December 2007.