News from the world of travel
The AJN takes you around Australia and the world to see what’s making news in travel.
Lufthansa resumes flights from Germany to Israel
Lufthansa, Swiss and Austrian Airlines resumed some flights to and from Israel’s Ben Gurion International Airport on January 8.
The airlines – members of the Lufthansa Group – have started with 20 weekly connections to and from Tel Aviv, totalling about 30 per cent of their regular flight schedule.
Lufthansa Airlines has four weekly flights from Frankfurt and three weekly flights from Munich, while Austrian Airlines has eight weekly connections and SWISS five weekly flights.
In a statement the Lufthansa Group said that safety is always a top priority for the airlines and will continue to monitor the security situation in Israel and are in “close contact with the local and international authorities”.
“Possible flight schedule adjustments must be expected due to changing conditions,” the statement said.
The Lufthansa Group said the new flight schedule offers transfer connections from Israel to North America and return via hubs in Frankfurt, Munich, Vienna and Zurich.
Lufthansa Group airlines suspended its scheduled flights to and from Tel Aviv on October 9 last year, two days after Hamas terrorists murdered more than 1400 Israelis in settlements near Gaza and at the Supernova music festival in Kibbutz Re’im which led to the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza.
Many international airlines suspended its flights in and out of Israel when the Gaza war started, but El Al has continued its service.
Southern Ocean Lodge reopens on Kangaroo Island
Luxury Southern Ocean Lodge, situated on Kangaroo Island’s rugged coastline, has reopened almost four years after the original property was totally destroyed in South Australia’s 2020 bushfires. Southern Ocean Lodge opened in 2008 and over the next 12 years received international acclaim as an environmentally-friendly luxury retreat.
The new lodge has almost the same footprint as the original, with the Great Room as the heart of the resort containing the lounge, bar and restaurant with sweeping views of the ocean.
The 23 guest suites have been redesigned to look out towards the southeast, taking in floor-to-ceiling views of the Southern Ocean and the coastal wilderness. Each suite has a private deck, EcoSmart fireplace and sink-in bathtub.
New to the property is a premium Ocean Pavilion, designed to offer a single four-bedroom owner’s residence or two separate two-bedroom suites for families and friends travelling together.
The Great Room terrace now features a wet-edge pool, while spacious new surrounds for the Southern Spa allow for three treatment rooms, a gym, sauna and hot and cold plunge pools.
Southern Ocean Lodge general managers Alison Heath and John Hird are thrilled to welcome visitors again.
Baillie Lodges founder James Baillie said: “With the benefit of hindsight and learning, we saw the chance to rebuild Southern Ocean Lodge as a special chance to return the property that seemed to touch so many guests over the years and with some considered additions to take her to a next-generation traveller and a sustainable future.”
With the same inclusions as the original – all dining, an open bar, five signature Kangaroo Island experiences and airport transfers – rates at Southern Ocean Lodge start at $3400 a couple per night.
For more information: baillielodges.com.au
Crystal Symphony’s maiden voyage Down Under
Following a multi-million-dollar make-over and relaunch under new owner A&K Travel Group, the luxury 600-passenger ship Crystal Symphony made its maiden cruise in Australian waters in December as it began five voyages taking in Australian and New Zealand ports.
Crystal has been a favourite with upmarket travellers for more than three decades, with the original Crystal Symphony being built in 1995.
However, the company went into liquidation in February 2022 and later that year the A&K Travel Group – with former Silversea owner Manfredi Lefebvre d’Ovidio at the helm as joint co-chairman with A&K founder Geoffrey Kent – acquired the Crystal brand and its two vessels, Crystal Serenity and Crystal Symphony, and embarked on a major upgrade which was completed last year, with the new ships coming into service a few months ago.
Crystal Symphony carries 600 passengers with almost one staff member per guest. Almost 90 per cent of the previous Crystal crews have rejoined the cruise line as they regard Crystal as a family company. Most guests stay in spacious suites with a veranda, lounge, large bathroom with walk-in shower, and butler service.
It’s showtime each night in the 400-seat theatre, entertainment in the Starlite Club and at several intimate lounges and piano bars.
World-class dining includes the Umi Uma restaurant by Michelin-Star Chef Master Chef Nobuyuki (Nobu) and Italian dining at Osteria d’Ovidio, plus the buffet-style Marketplace, the modern Waterside restaurant, poolside Trident Grill and cafes.
The Aurora Spa offers a range of health and beauty treatments along with sauna and steams rooms, while the fitness centre includes exercise equipment and an aerobics studio. On board activities range from Pilates and golf clinics to bridge classes and movies in the cinema, while shore excursions draw on the wide range of A&K experiences on offer.
For Jewish passengers sailing on Crystal Symphony, Rabbi Ben Tanny joined the cruise in Adelaide to help celebrate Chanukah with candle-lighting services and also officiate at Shabbat services, and he remained on the cruise until Auckland.
Rabbi Tanny, from Sydney, is well-known as the “travelling rabbi” for his numerous trips to far-flung Jewish communities since 1997 that have been featured in blogs on his website and in the travel pages of The AJN. He is also the author of several travel books.
From 2013 to 2016 he served as rabbi for the Adelaide Hebrew Congregation and in recent years has joined several cruises to conduct services.
Crystal has always been popular with Jewish passengers, who can pre-order kosher meals on Crystal Symphony and Crystal Serenity.
Crystal plans to increase its fleet with four new ships coming into service by 2029. For more information visit crystalcruises.com.
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