A Luxury Travel Blog

Private luxury villa rentals in Jamaica, from Jamaican Treasures.

Renaissance Houston Hotel Greenway Plaza is offering guests amazing accommodation when coming to the city to experience Houston sports at its finest. Baseball season has finally begun, and the Houston Astros are at it again at Minute Maid Park. Located minutes from the Renaissance, at 501 Crawford Street on the northeast end of downtown Houston, Minute Maid Park has recently been revamped, making it a truly distinctive site to see. Turn a baseball game in Houston into a summer sports getaway; bring the kids or come with the guys and spend a weekend filled with baseball, golf and relaxation. With three challenging golf courses nearby, the Renaissance Houston, TX Hotel is located six miles from Memorial Park Golf Course, eight miles from Wildcat which boasts 36 challenging holes, and Bear Creek Golf World which is 13 miles away, but offers 54 holes to keep golf-lovers busy for days.

A weekly pick of luxury travel links for your perusal…

• Island properties from Greek Islands Club
• A Corsican gem: La Maison Rorqual
• The European-influenced Four Seasons Hotel México, D.F.
• Wine recommendations from Decanter magazine

Sit back, relax and enjoy this short video of Capri’s Grand Hotel Quisisana.

InterContinental Hotels & Resorts has announced an agreement with Moroccan developer, Groupe Cadex, to open its very first property in Morocco in the beautiful resort destination of Marrakech.   Somewhat surprisingly, this is not only the first venture into Morocco for the InterContinental Hotels & Resorts brand, but also for parent company InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG). The new-build resort development – the InterContinental Marrakech Resort & Spa – is scheduled to open in the first quarter of 2011 and InterContinental is working closely with Groupe Cadex to create the finest resort in North Africa.

Kapalua Resort is excited to add an LPGA full-field tournament to its roster of Signature Events. The Kapalua LPGA Classic is scheduled for October 13 to 19, 2008 at The Bay Course. For complete details, visit www.kapalua.com/lpga

If you’ve been wondering the reason for the slight drop in the number of posts this month, then allow me to explain.  In addition to our server move (thankfully that all went well), I was finding that spam comments were getting through Akismet (the spam blocker) and so decided to upgrade that plug-in.  I soon found that I couldn’t and that I first needed to upgrade my version of Wordpress.  I did that, updated Akismet and solved the spam issue, but the new version of Wordpress (2.5.1) left a lot to be desired.  It broke various aspects of the theme, meaning I had to update the theme to one that is more compliant with 2.5.x (thanks, Perun!) and then re-apply all my changes to that theme (which are quite extensive).

But, what’s worse is the ugly admin interface that comes with the latest version of Wordpress.  I’m sure there are many other Wordpress bloggers that are not happy with it (in fact, I’ve read many of disgruntled comments already) but don’t despair… there is a solution.  Thank goodness for Judy Brenner who has devised a hack that enables categories to be displayed to the right of the post area (where they should be!) rather than beneath. This might not sound like a big issue but when you have as many categories as this blog has, and you’re doing regular posts each with multiple categories assigned, it makes a world of difference.

Another bugbear with the new version for me has been what Wordpress have done with ’scheduled posts’.  As you may or may not realise, bloggers have the ability to write an entry for their blogs and can specify a date in the future when they would like it to go ‘live’. This is useful for a travel blog such as this one as, since when I’m on my travels, I try to ensure that there is still new material appearing on the blog on a daily basis.  Scheduled posts allow me to achieve this.  At any one time, I could see what posts were about to appear and when… until the recent ‘upgrade’, that is.  Scheduled posts were removed from the main dashboard and buried elsewhere in the admin interface.  And, just to really put the boot in, they decided to change the order of the posts, so that the post that was next to appear was displayed last and not first as before.  Thank goodness for Viper007Bond’s scheduled posts plugin which has remedied that problem.

Anyway, enough of me going on… hopefully the links here will be useful to other Wordpress bloggers experiencing similar problems, and at least now I can get back to blogging!

Michael Groux is CEO and President of justLUXE Magazine and Founder and CEO of The Privileged Collection brand. justLUXE was launched in the summer of 2004. It resides under the parent company, LUXEmont, a luxury lifestyle publication. justLUXE focuses on the affluent lifestyle of world travelers. The magazine covers, luxury air travel, mega-yachts, fine real estate, world shopping and exotic destinations. Think of it as your ultimate portal to everything luxurious. The Privileged Collection is an online magazine publication that branches off the justLUXE name. The Privileged Collection is also a luxury lifestyle portal however it is dedicated only to air travel. It is one of the few online publications focusing only on luxury aviation. It is your source for news, current events and trends when flying like the rich and famous. Whether it be chartering your own private jet or flying first class from New York to Tokyo, The Privileged Collection covers it all.

What is it that you do exactly?

I am currently working on launching another branch off the Privileged Collection Brand called, JETprivileged.com. JETprivileged.com is a luxury travel concierge. Through JETprivileged.com you can charter a jet, purchase an aircraft, sell an aircraft and even be accommodated with luxury services ranging from chauffeurs to personal security details. With so much competition in the private aviation industry, JETprivileged.com saves the hassle of searching for a reliable and reasonable charter company when flying exclusively. JETprivileged.com is expected to launch Fall 2008.

What do you enjoy most about what you do?

I love having the flexibility of overseeing the two companies; justLUXE and The Privileged Collection. It allows me to expand my knowledge of the travel industry and my markets as well as develop my multitasking skills when overloaded with challenges from both companies. I work closely with a small group of people. We don’t have any big offices or headquarters spanning over states or continents; however even though we might operate from small hubs and even some of us, from home offices, our reach in our market is as if we had an office in 10 major cities around the globe. A small group in a large business in a selective niche market, allows us to really focus on the little key points that make our companies succeed.

What would you say are the 3 best places you’ve ever stayed?

One remarkable place I stayed at was, the Conrad Hotel in Tokyo Center, Japan. It was quite some time ago, but I remember it as if it were yesterday. If you are travelling to Japan and don’t mind laying down up to $800 a night on a standard suite, this is definitely the place. Everything is white glove service with the finishing touches.

I recently stayed at the Howard Swissotel London in the city center. Everything about this hotel is done with Swiss tradition; prompt, clean and extraordinary. They focus on the little things that make your stay all worth it. For $550USD a night, you’ll have a spacious suite with views of the River Thames.

A few years back I was fortunate enough to score an upgrade at the Bellagio Hotel in Las Vegas while on vacation with my family. For $6,500 a night you’ll be pampered with butlers, maids and chauffeurs and taken care of as if you were royalty. If you have the extra cash and have nothing better to do with it, I’d say it was worth a try.

What’s been your most memorable dining experience to date?

I remember taking a road trip with my father and grandparents through the Swiss alps and into the French speaking side of Italy, Lugano. The restaurant was called Les Falaises, which is French for The Cliffs. The small, family-owned hotel and eatery was situated on the cliff of a mountain overlooking the bay and marina down below. From the hillside you had magnificent views and could just sit there all day with a drink and good book and gaze out. The food was excellent. The eatery as well as the hotel itself attracted locals as well as tourists travelling through the village.

Have you rubbed shoulders with the rich and famous, either through your work or your travels?

Well here in New York City, you can be walking down the street and catch Bill Cosby walking his dog down Madison Ave, or be standing in line at the grocery store next to Ralph Lauren or even see Lindsay Lohan partying it up at one of the trendy meatpacking nightclubs, and not even know it the whole time. To see a celebrity here in the city is an everyday thing. We don’t get excited over it because it is so common and natural. I will say I’ve had the pleasure of bumping into and starting a pleasant conversation with Hillary Clinton (as she lives 10 minutes from my father’s house), rapper, DMX and legendary actor, Chevy Chase, just to name a few. Hopefully with the launch of JETprivileged.com travel concierge, I will be privileged enough to meet some new exclusive clients.

What currently ranks highest on your travel wishlist?

I would definitely have to say, Bangkok, Thailand or Rio, Brasil. I have seen so many European and Middle Eastern cities, Id like to make my way to the other side. I hear the beaches are amazing in Rio as well as the nightlife and that the culture experience and dining experience in Thailand is one to live.

Thanks, Mike. Funnily enough, I shall be flying into Lugano from Zurich in just a couple of weeks.  Does that restaurant/hotel still exist, do you know?  I can’t seem to find it on the ‘net…

The elite and still-under-construction Shamwari Townhouse in Port Elizabeth, on the Southeast coast of South Africa, is now expected to open in August 2008, making it the newest addition to the Mantis Collection of ultra-deluxe boutique hotels and game reserves. Because of the Townhouse’s secluded environment, it is promised as a perfect ‘retreat’ for the business or luxury leisure traveller - setting new standards for discreet and boutique accommodation in South Africa.

Surrounded by unspoiled beaches and malaria-free nature reserves, including the award-winning Shamwari Game Reserve, Port Elizabeth itself is considered to be an emerging tourist destination. The hotel is in the posh beachfront suburb of Summerstrand, ten minutes from the airport and 328 feet from the Indian Ocean.

For more information, please contact reservations@mantiscollection.com or visit www.mantiscollection.com

Andrea Wren is a freelance journalist and owner of Luxury Worldwide Tours.

Here’s another of those packages where you wonder if it’s truly just for media consumption rather than with the expectation of a likely buyer.  Eldorado Hotel & Spa is offering a Picture Perfect Package for $100,000.  Whilst that might sound a lot for a 3-night stay, the reason is that the guests are escorted through Santa Fé’s top galleries with a view to selecting a piece of artwork up to the value of $85,000. They say you’ll also get to meet the artist at a private dinner at the hotel’s Old House restaurant.  The package also includes accommodation in the Presidential Suite, first-class airfares for two, daily breakfast in bed and daily spa treatments. 

Later this month, the brand new Palazzo Resort Hotel Casino will host Luxury & Premiere, a 3-day event marvelling at luxury jewellery. More than 275 jewellery retailers will enjoy networking lunches, cocktail parties, dinners and other activities and presentations.  The event runs from 26th to 29th May 2008.

Put a healthy dose of peace, serenity and balance back into your life this spring with a focus on yourself, and all your favourite activities. Hyatt’s Balance Package allows you to enjoy a getaway designed with your relaxation in mind. It is just one of four unique Hyatt Retreats hotel packages now available worldwide.

River Bend Lodge, an escape from the madding crowds of the city, will revitalise your soul and spirit, whilst you discover the natural beauty of the surroundings. Flanked by the Zuurberg Mountains and within the 17,000 ha of the Addo Elephant park, this is Africa at its best.  Only 45 minutes from Port Elizabeth, the area is home to wildlife including lion, hyena, buffalo, black rhino and more. Special attention is also paid to more unusual game such as the flightless dung beetle, Cape fox and various bird species.  Particularly famous, of course, are the Addo elephants.  Accommodation ranges from the elegant, 8-suite Lodge to the exclusive-use Safari Villa with its own butler, chef and game ranger available to cater to every whim.