In my opinion, Copenhagen is a beautiful and vibrant city where the royal family’s influence is visible everywhere and which is best to be explored by bike (maybe not in October like we did but anyway). Speaking of which, a bike rental company was recommended to me that had more than a noble agenda.

The Copenhagen Bike Rental collects second hand bikes in Denmark and sends them to Africa where the bikes generate work, education in addition to cheaper and better transportation.They finance the project through renting out some of the bikes that they collect. One small negative aspect of Copenhagen which has to be mentioned, it’s more expensive then the great rest of the European mainland but still worth a visit.

Our accommodation also was a highlight. The boutique Hotel Bertrams is located in Vesterbro, a pretty hip neighborhood and is run by Nikolas Hall. He is a very friendly, passionate man who pays great attention to detail. He focuses on sustainability but without any cut backs in luxury or the well-being of the customers, on the contrary. All the fabrics and furniture are natural and fit perfectly together.

The breakfast buffet is all natural and very well balanced. This familial house really makes you feel at home and in my opinion is the most beautiful of the Guldsmeden properties in Copenhagen. I would definitely go back again and can recommend it to everyone without any hesitation. But if you do go, make sure to visit in the summertime so you can enjoy the gorgeous patio more often. All in all, great money for value ratio, great staff, and great hotel. Go see for yourself.

Le Touessrok in Mauritius definitely deserves its distinction as a member of the “Leading Hotels of the World”. It is a breathtaking resort right in the beautiful “Trou d’Eau Douce” bay. My friends and I had a great time because you can not only lie on the beach like crazy, but also engage in various activities. One has the chance to do all sorts of watersports at the “Ile aux Cerf,” Mauritius´ neighboring island. If you like, a boat will take you to various spots around the island to wakeboard and you can even do it for the entire day, if you have the stamina. There is also an excellent and challenging golf course on the “Ile aux Cerf” but make sure you bring enough golf balls, you will definite lose some.

We were accommodated in the junior suite which was an exceedingly well-furnished room and even had an iPod docking station which was just great for us. The resort, with its lovable nooks and crannies, really seems cozy and unhurried, even though it is quite big.
Now maybe my favorite part, the food. One is spoilt for choice with six different restaurants and bars. They range from classic tropical poolside dining, refined east-meets-west cuisine and relaxed shoes-off eating on the beach. Since the ingredients are always fresh and the variety is extensive, you too will be looking forward to every single meal.

The clientele at the resort is very cosmopolitan and is well taken care of by the extremely friendly staff - who seem to really and thoroughly enjoy their work. It was definitely not intrusive, but if you had a wish in mind somebody had already fulfilled it for you. My friends and I just loved the stay.

What is it?

029’s Lottery, cleverly & simply called Invite! Join! Win! is our way of rewarding our members for helping 029 to grow. You invite your friends to 029. They join. You have the chance to win 1 of 50 travel and event experiences.

Interested? We thought so. Keep on scrolling south!

How it works?

Every friend you invite, who joins 029, counts as an entry/lot/raffle ticket etc. At the end of the lottery, we are going to pick the winners from all of the entries/lots/raffle tickets we have.

It’s a lottery; there is always an element of chance.

If you have more friends than China has people, you have a better chance of winning, but someone whose circle of friends resembles the population of Vatican City can also win.

If your friend wins one of the first 2 prizes, you win too just for inviting them! Double the chances to win!

If you are a member of 029, click here to start inviting your friends!

What can you win?

Let’s get to the good stuff! What’s in it for you? Plenty!

Grand Prize is a 7 day safari to Rwanda for four people to visit their Mountain Gorillas in Volcanoes National Park. Come face to face with these gentle giants of the forest as you observe a family of gorillas in their natural habitat.

Of course, it’s not only gorillas, it’s a safari drive in Akagera National Park, a tour of Kigali, a visit to see the Golden Monkeys, relaxing day at Lake Kivu, free flights and a lifetime of memories. You will be a Rwandan tourism expert by the time you get back!

Extra incentive: If one of your friends you’ve invited to 029 wins this prize, you win too just for inviting them. That means you go together (with your travel partners too) to engage in some friendship bonding time in the heart of Africa!

2^nd Prize is a 7 day safari for four people to Tanzania with Mt. Kilimanjaro as your backdrop. Explore Tanzania’s diverse landscape from the lush green mountain forests of Mt Meru, to craters and lakes to the endless savannahs and wide open spaces of the Maasai steppe. Your week will be spent on game drives in Arusha National Park and South Amboseli. Spending time with the Maasai and seeing how they live will not only be unforgettable, but also educational.

While your days are action packed with animals and adventure, your nights are filled with luxury and relaxation at Hatari Lodge. Think bush chic. But that’s not all, you will also be spending time at the newly opened luxury Shu’mata Camp  set under an umbrella of acacia trees looking out across the plains that lead up to Kilimanjaro.

Extra incentive: If one of your friends you’ve invited to 029 wins this prize, you win too just for inviting them. That means you go together (with your travel partners too) to engage in some friendship bonding at the foot of Mt. Kilimanjaro!

Additional Prizes

029 not only has incredible African experiences, we also have weekend getaways to fascinating and exotic locations for our next three prizes.

• What’s in a name? Everything if you win the 3rd prize which is a weekend for two people including breakfast at the Portman Ritz-Carlton in Shanghai.

• Looking for a real Turkish delight? 029’s 4th prize a weekend at the W Hotel in Istanbul including breakfast for 2 people.
• Not to be outdone, spend your Arabian nights in style at the W Hotel Doha for a weekend including breakfast for 2 people as part of our 5th prize.

Do you want more? We will give you more! More prizes that is!

• 6th Prize: Be BOLD with your BlackBerry® Bold™ 9000 - this smartphone embodies elegant design, without sacrificing the features or functionality you expect from a premium smartphone.
• 7th Prize: CURVES in the all the right places:  balance work, life and everything in between with your BlackBerry® Curve™ 8900
• 8th & 9th Prize: Every PEARL has its oyster - open up a world of possibilities! With the BlackBerry® Pearl™ 8200 series smartphone tucked in your pocket, you’re always just a flip away from the people, fun and facts that matter.
• 10th to 35th Prize: DKNY Men 50 ml or DKNY Women 50ml- if you consider yourself comospolitan, be sure to leave behind the scent created for young urbanites.
• 36th to 50th Prize: Baldessarini Del Mar Seychelles Edition 50ml - smell like paradise with this limited edition fragrance too!

How long do you have?

Until the end of March 14^th, so approximately 33 days left. You have a little more than one month left to invite your friends to increase your chances to win spectacular travel and lifestyle prizes. If you are a member of 029, click here to invite your friends!

Not a member of 029?

Oh no! Don’t worry, be happy and click here to send an email to our Member Relations team to request your log in to 029 – The Experience Club today.

Click here for the English version

Es regnete aus allen Kübeln am Flughafen von Dubrovnik (Kroatien). Da standen wir nun, Nicole Männl -meine Gefährtin- und ich. Und hielten Ausschau. Nach was? Nach dem Shuttle, das uns sicher zum Hotel bringen würde. Denn es handelt sich laut Beschreibung um ein Top-Hotel mit ganz vielen Sternen. Wie das Hotel heißt? Hotel Kazbek. Das wir auf Einladung von zerotwonine testen durften. Wir standen und schauten und hielten Ausschau. Doch niemand kam und hielt ein Schidlchen hoch. Wir fuhren demnach selber hin.

Dort angekommen machte uns niemand die Türe auf. Ok, auch ein Top-Hotel hat bestimmt schlechte Tage. Dies war wohl einer dieser Tage. Ob ich sehr kritisch klinge? Es mag sein, doch besser mehr erwarten und dann langsam seine Erwartungen hinunterschrauben, statt die Messlatte zu tief anzusetzen.

Und vorneweg: Nein, das Hotel ist nicht schlecht, im Gegenteil. Es ist defintiv ein Top-Hotel, das allerdings an vielen kleinen Punkten noch arbeiten muss, um das letzte Stückchen “Top” herauszuholen. Für das gebotene Preis-Leistungsverhältnis kann man das Hotel Kazbek nur loben!!

Die CheckIn Prozedur verlief leicht chaotisch, als ob man nicht wüsste, welches Zimmer man uns geben solle. Dazu muss man verstehen, dass wir in der Spätsaison-Zeit da waren, das Hotel so gut wie keine weiteren Gäste da waren. Insofern schaltet das Personal wohl sicher einen Gang herunter, das aber in einem Top-Hotel (wieder dieses Wort:) nicht passieren darf. So bekamen wir also ein sehr geräumiges Zimmer, das wir aber nach ca. einer halben Stunde gegen ein anderes Zimmer tauschen durften, das etwas heller war. Letzlich war es ein sehr guter Tausch, nur, wenn Gäste ankommen, sichtlich müde sind und sowieso andere Zimmer frei sind, kann man immer noch am nächsten Tag in aller Ruhe den Gästen einen Switch vorschlagen.

Die Zimmergestaltung selbst ist hochwertig und individuell. Man verfolgt einen sehr klassischen Stil mit leicht antik angehauchtem Mobiliar. Das aber allesamt in einer sehr gehobenen Qualität. Die Zimmer sind sehr geräumig, das Bad ebenso, auf dem Bett kann man Fußball spielen.

Die gesamte Hotelanlage wirkt sehr gepflegt, der Pool ist wunderbar angelegt, wenn man von der kahlen Hauswand des Nachbarhauses absieht. Die Umgebung wirkt nicht gerade top. Man befindet sich in einer Seitenbucht, ca. 2-3 KM entfernt vom berühmten Stadtkern von Dubrovnik. Die Häuser und das gesamte Areal in der Bucht wirkt wie ein etwas besserer Hafen. Wer demnach auf eine sehr gepflegte Umgebung wert legt, für den ist das Hotel Kazbek keine Wahl! Was aber nicht für das Hotel selbst gilt, wie gesagt.

Über den Service können wir nur Gutes sagen: Man war stets sehr aufmerksam und freundlich. Selbst wenn wir spät Nachts auf der Cafe-Terasse saßen, kam ein Servicemitarbeiter, bot uns Tee/Kaffee an, schaltete das gedämpfte Licht an und drehte die Musik ganz leise auf.

Zur Verpflegung allgemein können wir nur soweit zum Frühstück etwas sagen, da wir außerhalb unsere Hauptmahlzeiten einnahmen. Das Frühstück war mehr als reichhaltig, vom frischen Obst bis hin zu sehr leckeren Wurstspezialitäten gab es alles.

Insgesamt würden wir jederzeit wieder das Hotel buchen. Es zählt im internationalen Vergleich mit Sicherheit nicht zur Top-Referenz, vor Ort ist es definitiv eines des besten Hotels. Aufgrund der Lage hat es allerdings einen strategischen Nachteil, da der Gesamteindruck getrübt wird. In kleinen Bereichen kann es sicher noch etwas aufholen, was die Servicequalität angeht, doch von dem Preis-Leistungsverhältnis her ist es ein absoluter Tipp!

Wir danken zerotwonine für die Einladung und dem Hotelteam für die drei angenehmen und sehr entspannten Tage!!

Nicole & Robert

English translation provided by 029

Hotel Kazbek - Dubrovnik, Croatia

It was raining cats and dogs at Dubrovnik’s airport (Croatia). Here we were Nicole Männl – my companion – and me. On the lookout. But for what? For the shuttle which would bring us safely to our hotel. According to the description, it was a hotel with lots of stars. What the hotel’s name? Hotel Kazbek and we were invited to test it by 029. We waited and waited but nobody showed up so we drove there ourselves.

When we got there no one opened the door. Well, top hotels can have a bad day too we thought. This seemingly was one of them. Whether I sound critical? Probably, but you’d rather expect more and then slowly decrease your expectations as opposed to expecting such things beforehand.

In advance: No, the hotel is not a bad one, on the contrary. It definitely is a top hotel, which just has to improve some little things to become top notch. But considering the cost / performance ratio one only can praise the Hotel Kazbek!

The check-in procedure was slightly chaotic, as if they didn´t know which room to give us. We have to add that we were there in the off-season and were almost the only guests at the time. It seemed like the staff takes it down a notch during this time which must not happen in this hotel category. We finally got a pretty spacious room, but we wanted to switch to a brighter room which was not a problem. In the end it was a good exchange, however, if guests arrive visibly exhausted, the hotel should recommend to switch rooms on the next day.

The rooms are individually furnished and are of a high quality. They try to maintain a very classical style with a slight antique touch of the furniture. But all together, it was in a high quality as mentioned before. The rooms as well as the bathrooms are very spacious; you could practically play football on the beds.

The whole hotel complex seems very well-maintained; the pool is simply great except for the plain outside wall of the neighboring house. The surroundings not so much, you are located in a cove roughly 2-3km away from the historical city centre of Dubrovnik. The houses in the neighborhood and the whole area make it seem more like a harbour. So, for anyone who places high value on the surroundings , the Hotel Kazbek is not a good option. This is generally applicable for the whole hotel.

Regarding the service we only have good things to say. The staff was always considerate and friendly. Even while we were sitting outside on the terrace late at night one of the staff always showed up and offered tea/coffee, switched on a dimmed light and turned on some music for us.

About the food, we can only speak about the breakfast which always was more than adequate. From fresh fruits to delicious cold cut platters. All other meals we ate outside of the hotel.

Altogether we would book this hotel again. When compared with international standards, it surely does not fit the five-star category, but it is one of the best in the area. The location gave it a slight strategic disadvantage because it tarnished the overall impression. Some smaller aspects surely can be improved but with respect to the price/performance ratio it is a real insider tip.

We thank 029 and the hotel team for three enjoyable and relaxing days!!!

Nicole & Robert

029’s Hotel Test Program allows its members the opportunity to test out unique five star properties for free. From Bali to Jamaica, Cape Town to Rome, 029 members will soon be testing hotels in all of your  favourite destinations.

This event, hosted by Ariadne Capital, brought together entrepreneurs, investors, business leaders, innovators and key influencers in one power-packed day of thought leadership, networking, pitching and education.

Ariadne Capital is a specialist technology investment and advisory firm backing entrepreneurs in the media, mobile internet & communications, and internet sectors

One of the event highlights was that participants were able to visit 029’s stand in the Interactive City to drop off their business cards for a chance to win a four night stay at the luxurious Emirates Palace in Abu Dhabi.

Over 70% of those atending jumped at the chance to visit this iconic palace of a hotel and submitted their name for the drawing.

The winner was announced at the conclusion of the event by Ariadne Capital’s CEO, Julie Meyer who picked the lucky winner’s name from a bowl.

029 is thankful to Emirates Palace for their gracious sponosoring of such a top-class prize for such a top-class event.

If you are interested in a once-in-a-lifetime stay at Emirates Palace, please do not hesitate to contact 029’s Member Relations team who would be more than happy to arrange a stay for you fit for royalty.

Let’s take dog sledding. I love snow. I love dogs.

I especially love Siberian Huskies, Alaskan Malamutes and other dog breeds who feel at home in the snow.

So when I heard of a European-wide dog sled race happening near Innsbruck this past weekend – I braved the cold and the ice-y roads to have an excuse to play with dogs. Fair warning - I had to wear unstylish gloves to keep my hands warm.

It was an important race, the mushers were quite focused and many probably would rather that I not play with their dogs, but who am I to listen.

If you are looking for results or names of who was competing, you will not find them here.  This post is solely to show pictures of pretty dogs, 029’s Marketing Manager playing with pretty dogs and a few action pics.

I had a dog attack and try to eat my gloves (his trainer warned me, but again, I didn’t listen) I got peed on by another and growled at by quite a few unfriendly pups, but for the most part – I cuddled, petted, played and fell in love with their baby blue eyes.

So for those of you who curse the cold and snub your nose at the snow, just remember there are plenty of wonderful things to do when the temperature drops.

Welcome to 029’s Invite! Join! Win! Lottery and your exclusive chance to WIN a FREE trip to Rwanda and go tracking to find the elusive (and really big) Mountain Gorillas!

Ladies and gentlemen, this is no typical, tame encounter in a controlled zoo environment.

There are no fences, no “Do Not Feed the Animals” sign and most importantly, no admission fees.

029’s beloved bosses (and their better halves) have scouted out the Rwandan gorilla tracking experience and this photo shows just HOW CLOSE you get to these mighty primates.

Up-close-and-personal, face-to-face. Goose-bumps guaranteed.

They not only lived to tell the story and show us some incredible pictures, it is also an experience that they whole-heartedly recommend and would do again in a second.

029’s Invite! Join! Win!’s Grand Prize to Rwanda not only includes an unforgettable encounter with such animal kingdom royalty, but you will also experience tracking to the habitat of the elusive Golden Monkeys, a tour of Kigali and a game drive through the Akagera National Park.

And this wealth of natural experience is FREE as part of 029’s Invite! Join! Win! Lottery.

All you need to do is invite your friends to 029, ensure that they join and wait until the 15th of February to see whether you have won. Every friend you invite, that actually joins, counts as one entry into 029’s virtual raffle box.

As extra incentive - if one of your invited friends wins this prize, you also get to go to Rwanda too just for inviting them.

029 wants you to get in touch with your wild side. We want you to be lucky enough to travel to and experience Rwanda with its beautiful, rugged landscapes, exotic and diverse wildlife & warm and welcoming people.

You know what you have to do - log on to 029 and invite to win!

If you are not yet a member of 029 - The Experience Club, send us a message at memberrelations@zerotwonine.com to become a member.

But if we had to pick something we love possibly as much as travel, it would have to be shopping.

And what happens if the best of both worlds are combined? Keep reading, we’ll tell you.

buy·v!p offers limited time premier brand campaigns to its members which is the perfect partner for 029 as we offer incredible premier travel experiences.

029 recently launched its first campaign on buy·v!p which was met with great success and enthusiasm. In less than 72 hours, our Vienna and Prague experiences were completely sold out. Completely understandable. People who love gorgeous fashion must undoubtedly love gorgeous cities.

Here’s a bit more about buy·v!p.

buy·v!p is Europe’s leading members only online shopping community with over 3 million members. buy·v!p is an exclusive, invitation-only online shopping portal where members have access to limited time campaigns from premier brands such as Gucci, Fendi, Calvin Klein, Jean Paul Gaultier, Missoni, JOOP!, Valentino and Versace and other lifestyle brands like True Religion, Samsonite, Mandarina Duck, George, Gina & Lucy, Furla, Diesel, Citizens of Humanity.Products are either end of season or are not yet available thus making buy·v!p a unique platform for great deals usually 30-70% off the original retail price.

Since there is nothing better than looking at beautiful beach pictures, let me direct your attention to the Best Beaches in Malaysia courtesy of our Malaysian beach experts at the Frog & Princess blog. And as Princess is a Malaysian herself, travel connoisseur and diving enthusiast, you can be sure that she knows exactly what she is talking about.

So let’s here it for paradise, Malaysian style!

Best Beaches in Malaysia

It’s la rentrée in France, the big return to the office after the long summer break. Depressed, as the grey Autumn weather falls, the last thing we want to do is think about work.  So what could be better than plan for your next vacation – Christmas! So here to help out my friends (many of you keep asking) are some tantalizing, exotic beach destinations in Malaysia for you to dream.  Just check Monsoon season as West Coast Malaysia is best November – February whilst East Coast Malaysia is best April – September.

Perhentian Islands

North East Terengganu of East Coast Malaysia is sublime. Pristine white sandy beaches and crystal clear blue waters that would make Leo (di Caprio) rethink twice of filming The Beach in Thailand. Seriously unrivalled diving in the region, the two islands are dotted with rustic beach huts and has become the number one destination for beach lovers and backpackers around the world. The location is so amazing you’ll forgive for the lack of luxury hotels. Just suck it up and dive into paradise.

Redang Island

Another diving hot spot in Terengganu, that’s not far from Perhentian. One of the largest and most beautiful of the east coast islands, Redang is also the most developed. Redang Archipelago is made of 9 islands that together constitute a protected marine park. With crystal clear waters and some of Malaysia’s best coral reefs, the island offers excellent diving and snorkelling.

Langkawi Island

Made up of 99 islands, Langkawi (duty free island) has now been given geopark status by UNESCO. Langkawi is the easiest to access of all the islands (40 mins direct flights from KL) with gorgeous sandy beaches. Boasting some of the most luxurious hotels, such as Four Seasons, The Datai, Westin, The Andaman, Casa del Mar etc you’ll be spoilt for choice!

Pangkor Laut Island

It’s not the main Pangkor island I’d recommend but Pangkor Laut Resort – a top notch 5star luxury hotel alone on an island. Voted as best romantic hotel, best spa, best hotel in Malaysia – Pangkor Island Resort is the ideal romantic getaway. Book for the Spa Village Villa, on stilts in the middle of the ocean and you’ll forget easily the real world. Heaven.

Tioman Islands

The largest of Malaysia’s east coast islands, Tioman is famed for its soft, sandy beaches, warm waters and coral reef. Most of the resorts are strung out on isolated bays along the western coast. Diving and snorkelling is excellent but also jungle hiking and sunbathing. Best luxury hotel is Japamala resort – to simply die for!

Rawa Island

Not far from Tioman, the privately owned island of Rawa is surrounded by sugary sands and transparent waters. There’s only one place to stay on the island but worth if you’re looking for the charming rustic feel.

Sipadan Island

Leaving the best til last, rated among the wold’s top 5 dive sites, Sipadan is fringed with white, sandy beaches. Surrounding the island is stunning coral reef teeming with over 3000 species of marine life and sightings of sharks, barracudas, turtles and manta rays are also common. Located in Sabah, Borneo in Malaysia – this is a true paradise delight.

Malaysia – truly Asia! See you soon folks.

PZ.

http://frogandprincess.wordpress.com/2009/09/02/best-beaches-in-malaysia/

Copyright for all photos - Jonas Werner

Professor and Nobel Peace Prize winner, Muhammad Yunus was in Germany from 04 to 11 of November for a week packed with events.

On the evening of 5 November, Professor Yunus held a public speech at the Schlachthof Wiesbaden, and your friends at 029 were in attendance. Over 1,000 people came from all over Germany to hear him speak; needless to say, the place was packed!

Professor Yunus gave a moving speech about how he first introduced the idea of microcredit, which led to founding the Grameen Bank, which together with him, were the Nobel Peace Prize recipients in 2006 for helping so many poor people lift themselves out of poverty. He then went on to outline the concept of social business, and how that has the potential to end poverty in the world.

At the end of his speech, Professor Yunus was met with a standing ovation, as he called upon Wiesbaden to be the centre of the social business movement - not only in Germany, but also in the world.

The evening began with a musical performance from Finn Martin who created some moving music with a senza, an African string instrument, as well as with his saxophone. Adding to the mood of the music, was the native language that Finn sang it, whatever it was, it sounded incredible.

,

Professor Yunus also made his way to Berlin while in Germany to attend the 20th year anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall celebrations at Brandenburg Gate, along with such high-profile public figures such as Angela Merkel, Nicolas Sarkozy, Gordon Brown, Hillary Clinton, Mikhail Gorbachev, among others.

Copyright of Nasir Ali Mamun

A large wall made up of 1,000 dominoes was erected in the days leading up to the event, which reached from Potsdamer Platz to the Brandenburg Gate. The domino pieces represented the Berlin Wall - and the end of the evening was marked by the toppling of the dominoes.

After the various political representatives gave their formal speeches in front of a large crowd gathered under the rain, Prof. Yunus was the last to speak before the last of the dominoes fell, as he addressed the millions of viewers on TV in Germany and around the world, as he encouraged them to “Together, let’s make poverty history.”