Paws for a cause

Guests staying at Elite Hotels can now help those with hearing difficulties after The Grand, in Eastbourne, and Ashdown Park Hotel and Country Club, in the heart of Ashdown Forest, have collaborated with Hearing Dogs for Deaf People.

The charity trains dogs to transform the lives of those with hearing difficulties by alerting them to important and life-saving sounds such as an alarm clock, smoke alarm, or even a baby’s cry.

Guests can give back with an invisible doggy-themed £5 Gift Aid side dish of Pawtatoes or donate with the Paws for a cause: transforming Lives with Hearing Dogs overnight stay during February for bookings until 31 December 202.

The three-course dinner, bed and breakfast package – which you can share with your furry companions – is from £280 per room per night at The Grand or from £388 at Ashdown Park Hotel. Elite Hotels will not only match the £5 package donation by the guest but will double it to £10 per reservation, totalling a donation of £15 per reservation. Guests also have the option to add a £5 donation on all online overnight bookings.

Flower Power

Tiptoe – and cruise – through the tulips on a luxury Scenic cruise of The Netherlands and Belgium that also takes in windmills, sleepy towns and exquisitely preserved canal houses. The eight-day tour starts and ends in Amsterdam, cruises through Veere and Hoorn and explores Antwerp. But the highlight is seeing the world-famous tulips laid out in patterns and rows at Keukenhof Gardens. The Windmills, Tulips and Belgian Delights itinerary, on either 17 or 24 April, 2024, starts from £2,175pp including return business class flights.

Height of Luxury 

Normally the preserve of families wanting fun in the sun, a new range of signature suites has been launched for the discerning traveller to Florida. The Tower Suite Collection at The Boca Raton, the iconic resort and private club in Palm Beach County, just north of Miami, combines contemporary coastal design with a luxurious at home vibe. Guests also gain entry to the reimagined Top of the Tower – a private lounge on the 27th floor with sweeping ocean and Intracoastal views. From $2, 150 per room per night.

Arabian Adventure

The Waldorf Astoria has re-opened its doors in Ras Al Khaima after a multi-million dollar transformation. After an extensive refurbishment, the resort has unveiled 149 guest rooms and 54 suites with breathtaking views along with the Middle Eastern resort's golden masterpiece, the six-meter clock in the heart of the lobby. Reflecting the rich history of grand clocks at Waldorf Astoria properties around the world, it features a domed glass dial with a striking aquamarine centre. Paying homage to its Arabic roots, the clock features rotating prayer rings for precise prayer times and bears an inscription from ancient Bedouin songs.