Deciding on a honeymoon is an exciting task, and Laucala Island recognises the importance of this once-in-a-lifetime trip.
Honeymoons are as unique and wide-ranging as the couples taking them, and this memorable occasion allows you to really ‘push the boat out’, whether you enjoy tranquil beach hide-aways, exhilarating sporting pursuits, fascinating cultural heritage, a boutique spa destination or just simply spending precious time together in the midst of this spectacular natural environment. Laucala Island can create a tailor-made itinerary that encompasses all your interests and passions, and at a pace that suits you.
Laucala Island is one of the most exclusive resorts in the world, and no other private island offers such a range of leisure facilities and the highest staff-to-guest ratio in the world. This elite private island has its very own airfield for private jet connections, and just 25 exquisite villas, all with their own pools. The island’s guest list has reputedly included Hollywood star Oprah Winfrey, amongst other notable personalities.
This kaleidoscopic destination boasts some of the most breathtaking exotic scenery in the South Pacific Islands, with an abundance of fauna and flora, and lush tropical diversity of forests and mangroves. There are acres of unspoilt sandy beaches and immense coral reefs begging to be explored.
On the west coast of the island, Tadra Beach, or fondly known as Dream Beach, is a secluded swathe of sand, only accessible by sea and available to exclusively one couple only at any given time. Guests arriving by boat, catamaran or jet-ski can enjoy romantic picnics under the shade of indigenous trees, take a romantic stroll along the deserted beach or delight in some of Laucala’s best snorkelling off Seagrass Bay.
The best honeymoon should incorporate everything you want and expect from one of the most important trips you will ever take, and at Laucala Island, couples can savour some sweet moments enjoying a wide range of outdoor activities including horse-riding, snorkelling, fishing, and cooking class with produce freshly picked from the island’s organic herb garden and farm.
The island also features five exclusive restaurants and bars, where top international chefs from Europe and Asia serve a superb and irresistible choice of Western, Asian and local cuisines, complemented by an impressive cellar of fine wines. Bespoke weddings, anniversaries and other celebrations which require special arrangements and premium items are all managed separately. For weddings, Laucala Island even has its very own chapel and priest and the team at the resort will be on hand to help you create the perfect fairytale wedding of your dreams.
Laucala Island brings a whole new meaning to the term “all-inclusive resort”, all food and beverage services are included as well as chauffeur services, nannies, housekeeping, concierge service, and laundry and dry cleaning machine. Sports and activities, golf, tennis, horseback riding, land and water packages and diving are all included within the all-inclusive residence price. Honeymooners can truly focus on immersing themselves into their daily activities and romantic getaways, without having to worry about carrying cash around with them.
2013年5月22日 星期三
2013年4月27日 星期六
Who’s the world leader in clean energy?
China overtook the United States last year as the global leader in clean-energy investment while American spending on renewables dropped nearly 40 percent, according to a report released last week by the Pew Charitable Trusts.
“The center of gravity in the clean energy world has shifted from the United States and Europe to China,” the report concluded.
China’s leaders are intensely focused on clean energy. The Chinese have aggressive targets for renewable energy and helped bankroll the rapid growth of the country’s solar and wind industries.
That resulted in China attracting $65 billion in clean-energy investment last year, according to the Pew report, a whopping 30 percent of all renewable investment in the world’s top 20 economies.
China is installing solar because the western European market for its solar products is drying up, said Ethan Zindler, head of policy analysis at Bloomberg New Energy Finance.
China is also a major manufacturer of wind turbines and wants to tap its wind resources in Inner Mongolia and elsewhere. China needs energy to fuel its growth and is paying a price for its reliance on coal.
“There is an interest on the part of policy leaders there to address the terrible quality of the air,” Zindler said.
The United States led in global clean-energy investment until 2009. America then traded the top spot with China before reclaiming it during the surge in investment that came along with the stimulus legislation and a record boom in US wind-energy construction.
American investment in wind skyrocketed as developers scrambled to finance projects before a tax break was to expire at the end of last year.
Congress is keeping the subsidy alive for another year, but scant new US wind-energy production is being planned at this point, Zindler said.
Now China is in firm control of the global clean-energy investment lead while America “continues to underperform,” according to the Pew report.
Pew argues that lack of a national clean-energy policy caused the United States to stumble in the clean-energy race.
“In the US there is an uncertain policy so investment has declined,” Pew Clean Energy Program Director Phyllis Cuttino said in an interview.
Some 29 states have standards requiring utilities to get some of their power from sources like wind and solar. But several states already are surpassing targets, Zindler said, so won’t demand more.
State legislatures also are challenging the renewable-energy requirements all over the country, with conservative lawmakers arguing that they should be weakened or repealed.
Pew found investment in US clean energy dropped 37 percent last year. That came even as spending on home solar surged and solar-power generation increased in the United States.
The cost of solar- and wind-energy technology has dropped, so a dollar of investment goes further than in the past.
“The center of gravity in the clean energy world has shifted from the United States and Europe to China,” the report concluded.
China’s leaders are intensely focused on clean energy. The Chinese have aggressive targets for renewable energy and helped bankroll the rapid growth of the country’s solar and wind industries.
That resulted in China attracting $65 billion in clean-energy investment last year, according to the Pew report, a whopping 30 percent of all renewable investment in the world’s top 20 economies.
China is installing solar because the western European market for its solar products is drying up, said Ethan Zindler, head of policy analysis at Bloomberg New Energy Finance.
China is also a major manufacturer of wind turbines and wants to tap its wind resources in Inner Mongolia and elsewhere. China needs energy to fuel its growth and is paying a price for its reliance on coal.
“There is an interest on the part of policy leaders there to address the terrible quality of the air,” Zindler said.
The United States led in global clean-energy investment until 2009. America then traded the top spot with China before reclaiming it during the surge in investment that came along with the stimulus legislation and a record boom in US wind-energy construction.
American investment in wind skyrocketed as developers scrambled to finance projects before a tax break was to expire at the end of last year.
Congress is keeping the subsidy alive for another year, but scant new US wind-energy production is being planned at this point, Zindler said.
Now China is in firm control of the global clean-energy investment lead while America “continues to underperform,” according to the Pew report.
Pew argues that lack of a national clean-energy policy caused the United States to stumble in the clean-energy race.
“In the US there is an uncertain policy so investment has declined,” Pew Clean Energy Program Director Phyllis Cuttino said in an interview.
Some 29 states have standards requiring utilities to get some of their power from sources like wind and solar. But several states already are surpassing targets, Zindler said, so won’t demand more.
State legislatures also are challenging the renewable-energy requirements all over the country, with conservative lawmakers arguing that they should be weakened or repealed.
Pew found investment in US clean energy dropped 37 percent last year. That came even as spending on home solar surged and solar-power generation increased in the United States.
The cost of solar- and wind-energy technology has dropped, so a dollar of investment goes further than in the past.
2013年3月14日 星期四
Energy among economic opportunities
GE has a gas turbine manufacturing facility in the Upstate, and he credited the area for snagging another international manufacturer, the Boeing Co., in the Lowcountry.
“The 787 Dreamliner is an awesome airplane,” Immelt said. “It is going to be successful in the marketplace. This baby is going to really sell, and you’re going to be glad you’ve got it in your backyard.” Immelt said the Lowcountry should build around the aerospace, health care and energy clusters.
“In some way, shape or form, South Carolina has a presence in each one of those industries,” Immelt said, referring to Boeing and the Medical University of South Carolina. Also, Clemson University is establishing a wind turbine testing facility in North Charleston, which will have some of the largest testing rigs in the world. “Aviation has got tremendous momentum globally. There’s going to be a revolution in energy, whether it’s renewables or gas.”
He said the U.S. economy is generally getting better, and the most important economic figure is Ben Bernanke, chairman of the Federal Reserve.
“I think that the leadership by the Fed has been the most important aspect of this recovery,” Immelt said. “The Fed probably today supersedes what’s going on with legislation.”
GE also sees international economies rebounding, though Europe is still struggling “somewhere between bad and terrible,” Immelt said.
About 5% of the world’s population lives in the U.S., he continued, while 85% lives in economies that are growing more than 6%.“There’s a ton of growth out there,” Immelt said. “You just have to go chase it.”
GE is monitoring trends in natural gas, advanced manufacturing, localization and the “industrial Internet,” four trends he said offers opportunities for growth.
The world is seeing a revolution in energy and natural gas, Immelt said, during the next decade, and North America could become self-sufficient if Mexico, the U.S. and Canada cooperate. Immelt said Mexico and Canada have oil reserves while the U.S. has natural gas. If the region finds way to share and distribute energy, those countries could become energy independent.
“I’ve traveled the world,” Immelt said. “I’ve seen a lot of things. This can happen. We have natural resources today that we didn’t think about. A decade ago, no one would come into my office and talk about shale gas.”
Advanced manufacturing jobs are coming back to the country, he said, as companies learn they can build products anywhere. GE refrigerators take about two hours of labor, Immelt said, and if the company pays those workers somewhere in the teens per hour, they can compete with Mexico and other international countries. Labor is getting more competitive, he added.
“What you’re finding out is companies are really able to make things where they choose,” Immelt said. “And the desire is to be close to markets. That’s going to be good for the United States.”
Job relocations are driving Immelt’s third trend: localization. Companies aren’t chasing the lowest cost of labor anymore but are putting facilities near markets.
GE and other companies are opening more sites with fewer employees. Immelt said GE’s biggest orders from its Greenville facility are from Nigeria. In Greenville, the company makes gas turbines, all of which are exported, and since some of the largest orders are from Nigeria, the company performs 70% of the work in Greenville and the remaining 30% in Nigeria.
“The 787 Dreamliner is an awesome airplane,” Immelt said. “It is going to be successful in the marketplace. This baby is going to really sell, and you’re going to be glad you’ve got it in your backyard.” Immelt said the Lowcountry should build around the aerospace, health care and energy clusters.
“In some way, shape or form, South Carolina has a presence in each one of those industries,” Immelt said, referring to Boeing and the Medical University of South Carolina. Also, Clemson University is establishing a wind turbine testing facility in North Charleston, which will have some of the largest testing rigs in the world. “Aviation has got tremendous momentum globally. There’s going to be a revolution in energy, whether it’s renewables or gas.”
He said the U.S. economy is generally getting better, and the most important economic figure is Ben Bernanke, chairman of the Federal Reserve.
“I think that the leadership by the Fed has been the most important aspect of this recovery,” Immelt said. “The Fed probably today supersedes what’s going on with legislation.”
GE also sees international economies rebounding, though Europe is still struggling “somewhere between bad and terrible,” Immelt said.
About 5% of the world’s population lives in the U.S., he continued, while 85% lives in economies that are growing more than 6%.“There’s a ton of growth out there,” Immelt said. “You just have to go chase it.”
GE is monitoring trends in natural gas, advanced manufacturing, localization and the “industrial Internet,” four trends he said offers opportunities for growth.
The world is seeing a revolution in energy and natural gas, Immelt said, during the next decade, and North America could become self-sufficient if Mexico, the U.S. and Canada cooperate. Immelt said Mexico and Canada have oil reserves while the U.S. has natural gas. If the region finds way to share and distribute energy, those countries could become energy independent.
“I’ve traveled the world,” Immelt said. “I’ve seen a lot of things. This can happen. We have natural resources today that we didn’t think about. A decade ago, no one would come into my office and talk about shale gas.”
Advanced manufacturing jobs are coming back to the country, he said, as companies learn they can build products anywhere. GE refrigerators take about two hours of labor, Immelt said, and if the company pays those workers somewhere in the teens per hour, they can compete with Mexico and other international countries. Labor is getting more competitive, he added.
“What you’re finding out is companies are really able to make things where they choose,” Immelt said. “And the desire is to be close to markets. That’s going to be good for the United States.”
Job relocations are driving Immelt’s third trend: localization. Companies aren’t chasing the lowest cost of labor anymore but are putting facilities near markets.
GE and other companies are opening more sites with fewer employees. Immelt said GE’s biggest orders from its Greenville facility are from Nigeria. In Greenville, the company makes gas turbines, all of which are exported, and since some of the largest orders are from Nigeria, the company performs 70% of the work in Greenville and the remaining 30% in Nigeria.
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