Centenary of Lusitania sinking marked, a high-end Bali cruise and deals for Istanbul, Osaka

The RMS Lusitania was the largest cruise ship in the world when she set off on her maiden voyage, from Liverpool to New York, in September 1907. Fitted out to carry almost 2,200 passengers - 552 of them on her sumptuous first-class decks - across the Atlantic Ocean, she was, with her sister ship, the RMS Mauretania, the pride of the Cunard fleet, until she was torpedoed by a German submarine off the south coast of Ireland on May 7, 1915. With much controversy and speculation, and a fair number of conspiracy theories surrounding the sinking, several books are being published, or updated, this year to mark the centenary of the attack, which claimed the lives of 1,198 passengers and crew (including 100 children) just over three years after the loss of the Titanic. Two to look out for are Lusitania: Triumph, Tragedy and the End of the Edwardian Age, published last week, and Dead Wake: The Last Crossing of the Lusitania, which will be published on March 12. Also marking the event, Cunard will be sending the Queen Victoria on a seven-night Lusitania Remembered voyage, which will leave from Southampton and put in at Le Havre, Guernsey, Cork (where many of the victims are buried and a monument to them stands) and Dublin. Departing on May 3, the cruise can be found by entering the cruise number V510 at www.cunard.com.

Alila Hotels and Resorts will be operating its luxury phinisi sailing boat, the 46-metre Alila Purnama, in the Komodo National Park (above), in Indonesia, from May 3 to September 26. Offering deep-pocketed travellers the chance to encounter Komodo dragons and enjoy spectacular diving, the six-night cruise starts from HK$98,863 per person, or you can charter the five-suite vessel exclusively from HK$85,294 per night. The journey begins and ends in Labuan Bajo, on the island of Flores, which can be reached by plane via Bali. The Alila Purnama has a website at www.alilapurnama.com but navigating its complicated online bookings page is too exasperating for words. Reach the company directly, instead, through the contact us page, for reservations and inquiries.

After a year's delay, the St Regis Istanbul (above) should be opening today on the European side of Turkey's largest city, in the upmarket Nisantasi shopping district. Rather more than the "mere steps away" from the Bosphorus and city centre mentioned on the hotel's website (thestregisistanbul.com), the new property has 118 rooms and suites, a signature spa and a couple of European and American dining outlets, including a branch of Spago by Wolfgang Puck. Another Istanbul arrival this month is Soho House, which is located in the more central Beyoglu district, in a very grand palazzo built for a Genoese family in the 1880s. Taking reservations from March 9, this is a much grander-looking, Venetian-style property, with just 87 rooms and two rooftop swimming pools. You can find an impressive restoration video at vimeo.com/106237779. Go to www.sohohouseistanbul.com for further details and reservations.

Swire Travel's Osaka Special Promotion package starts from a reasonable HK$3,390 per person (twin share) for economy-class flights with Cathay Pacific and two nights' accommodation at the basic IL Grande Umeda hotel. For not too much more, though, you can stay at some of the best hotels in the city (top), including the InterContinental (from HK$4,790), the Osaka Marriott Miyako Hotel (from HK$4,850) and the Ritz-Carlton (from HK$4,960). These prices are valid until the end of this month, but several other mid-range hotels are available until the end of April from about HK$3,500. For a full list of hotels and booking details, visit www.swiretravel.com and click through Packages/Osaka. An Easter flight surcharge of HK$2,580 will be added for departures from April 2 to 6.