Travel news: women only adventure trips and more

Plus: Women-only adventure travel; New route to Baku to take off from Sharjah; Soho House opens in Barcelona.

The Mövenpick Hotel Mansour Eddahbi Marrakech. Alan Keohane / www.still-images.net

Women-only adventure travel

World Expeditions, an adventure travel company specialising in trekking, has launched a new range of active trips for women. The company says that the specially crafted Women's Adventures came in response to increasing demand for active adventures in a safe, supportive and encouraging environment. "Working in the adventure travel industry, we have seen time and time again that women travellers' aspirations to engage with trekking, cycling and even climbing mountains can be as robust as their male counterparts," said the company's chief executive, Sue Badyari. "World Expeditions has now taken this demand for active adventure travel for women to the next level, offering specially designed small group itineraries 'for women only' in some of the world's most exciting, bucket-list destinations." There's a total of 21 new trips, each accompanied and supported by female staff. Locations include Everest Base Camp, the Australian outback, Mount Kilimanjaro, the Great Wall of China and the ruins of Machu Picchu. For more information, visit www.worldexpeditions.co.uk.

New route to Baku to take off from Sharjah

Air Arabia will launch direct flights from Sharjah to Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, on March 23. There will be four weekly flights from Sharjah International Airport, in a partnership between the UAE carrier and Azerbaijan Airlines. Return flights cost from Dh1,435, including taxes. For more information, visit www.airarabia.com.

Soho House opens in Barcelona

The London-based private members' club Soho House, which has houses, rooms and apartments for rent in Europe and North America, has opened an outpost in Barcelona. The 57-bedroom historic property is in the Gothic Quarter, facing the Port Vell Marina, and boasts a rooftop lounge with a swimming pool, spa, gym, restaurant and cinema. Rooms cost from €180 (Dh720) per night for members and from €220 (Dh880) per night for non-members. For more information, visit www.sohohousebarcelona.com.

A new Mövenpick for Marrakech

Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts has opened a new 503-room property in Morocco: the Mövenpick Hotel Mansour Eddahbi Marrakech. The hotel is in the central L'Hivernage district and has five restaurants, a rooftop lounge, a Cinq Mondes spa, four swimming pools and a kids' club. Double rooms cost from €125 (Dh500) per night, including breakfast and taxes. For more information, visit www.movenpick.com/marrakech.