A Luxury Travel Blog

If you’re not already familiar with the Mr and Mrs Smith Hotel Collection series of books, check them out.  There is an edition for Europe and another specifically for the UK & Ireland. These best-selling guides to some of the world’s coolest hotels have consistently good reviews and a considerable following. Available for purchase on Amazon.

This is a popular Warsaw meeting place for high society and international dignitaries.  Le Royal Méridien Bristol is located on King’s Walk, Warsaw’s most fashionable street, near the historical Old Town, the Royal Castle, the National Theatre, and the city’s business district, and overlooks the Presidential Palace. This art nouveau masterpiece blends 19th Century charm and 21st Century luxury and technology.

With one of my email accounts I subscribe to a number of luxury hotel mailing lists, to keep abreast of some of the best offers that are out there.  Often these so-called offers don’t actually provide that much of an incentive or discount, but Stamford Hotels and Resorts are one exception who seem to consistently get it right. Their latest offer runs from 1st April to 7th May 2006 and states:

…spend a blissful night at any Stamford Hotel and we’ll give you two more nights for FREE! From a low $275* you can be delighted three times more this Easter, with rates extending though the holiday period.

*Check the website for full terms and conditions.

Wow… what are you waiting for?  That’s a great offer!

Regular readers of A Luxury Travel Blog will already know that I’ve been running a regular feature for the past 2 to 3 weeks, highlighting the top picks as made by Tablet Hotels across a whole range of different categories.  This is the final post in that series and, what better way to close than their ‘best of best’… for one last time, here’s the list:

• The Lodge at Torrey Pines - La Jolla, CA, USA
• Amangani - Jackson Hole, WY, USA
• Park Hyatt Tokyo - Tokyo, Japan
• Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons - Great Milton, Oxfordshire, United Kingdom
• The K Club - Straffan, County Kildare, Ireland
• The Peninsula - Kowloon, Hong Kong
• Amanjena - Marrakech, Morocco
• The Oriental - Bangkok, Thailand
• Hotel Bel Air - Los Angeles, CA, USA
• Cape Grace Hotel - Cape Town, South Africa

Paraiso de la Bonita Resort, the only five-diamond property in Mexico’s Riviera Maya, is to re-open tomorrow after extensive post-hurricane renovations. As a special offer, they are giving one night free of charge when you pay for five. Total cost for a six-night stay before 15th April 2006, with discount, is $3,500, plus 12% taxes and 5% service charge. This represents a reduction in the per-night price from $700 to $583; from 16th-30th April 2006, price drops to $2,975 for six nights.

TripAdvisor has named the French Quarter Inn on the Market in historic Charleston, South Carolina the #1 luxury hotel in the USA ahead of the Sofitel New York, The Ritz-Carlton Orlando Grand Lakes and the Four Seasons Resort Maui and San Francisco. Some of the hotel’s extra special amenities include a pillow menu that allows guests to choose the pillow of their preference as well as a CD music library that provides a selection of music for guests.

As the penultimate item in my ongoing series of top 10 lists from Tablet Hotels, I take a look at the best ‘traditional elegant hotels’; this one has a strong European bias:

• Cotswold House Hotel - Gloucestershire, Chipping Campden, United Kingdom
• Chateau Eza - Eze, France
• Hotel Savoy Prague - Prague, Czech Republic
• Londra Palace Hotel - Venice, Italy
• Hotel Goldener Hirsch - Salzburg, Austria
• The Mansion on Turtle Creek - Dallas, TX, USA
• Alvear Palace Hotel - Buenos Aires, Argentina
• The Carlyle - New York, NY, USA
• The Marquesa Hotel - Key West, FL, USA
• Beau-Rivage Palace - Ouchy, Lausanne, Switzerland

Coxtown Manor in Donegal, Ireland has taken off in great style in 2006. This small, romantic luxury hotel has been enjoying a few major achievements early in the year. After joining the prestigious Manor House Hotel group and an inclusion in the famous Michelin Guide 2006 for Great Britain and Ireland; the hotel has received another Bridgestone Award. And to make things even better, the hotel was voted runner up in the yearly competition of “Les Routiers Guide for good food” as country house of the year 2005.

Accor has been awarded the management contract for Sofitel Macau@Ponte16 in one of Macau’s most significant and historic precincts. The hotel is being developed by Pier 16 – Property Development Limited as part of an estimated HK$2.4 billion (US$300 million) total investment completed in two phases, with a casino development targeting operation by the end of 2006, and the Sofitel Macau@Ponte 16 scheduled to open in late 2007.

Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants Group, LLC, a leader in the boutique/lifestyle hotel segment, has announced plans to open the Hotel Palomar Dallas, a nine-story hotel and 10-story condominium tower situated in the heart of Dallas’ thriving Park Cities neighborhood. Owned by Realty America Group and Behringer Harvard, Kimpton Hotels has been selected to manage and operate the Dallas hotel and restaurant and implement its signature style, services and amenities.

Airbus has secured 26 orders and commitments for its $45 million A318 Elite, the executive version of the manufacturer’s baseline A318 twinjet, since the aircraft’s launch last November and plans to manufacture up to 10 of the 14- and 18-seat models, called the Elite and Elite+ respectively, each year. Launch customer Comlux took delivery of its first of three CFM International CFM56-5B-powered A318 Elites earlier this month, while the remaining two aircraft are scheduled for delivery in 2007 and 2008.

Comlux also has an option for a further three Elites and is set to take delivery of a 19-seat A319 in May. Completions specialist Lufthansa Technik (LHT) is contracted by Airbus to provide standardised interiors for the Elite.

Meanwhile, UK interior design consultancy Design Q has developed a contemporary interior for the A319 following its appointment last year by Hamburg, Germany-based LHT as part of its Project U interiors concept programme.

Via flightglobal.com

For the third consecutive year, the Legendary Inns of Newport has been honoured as Rhode Island’s top AAA Four Diamond lodging group. Both Cliffside Inn and Abigail Stoneman Inn have again been given AAA’s prestigious Four Diamond Award. The group now owns and operates one-quarter of all the AAA Four Diamond luxury hotels in Rhode Island.

If you’re thinking of popping the question, but not sure where to do it, then maybe Tablet Hotels‘ top 10 ‘Seduction Hotels’ can help give you some inspiration:

• The Hotel - Luzern, Switzerland
• Claska - Tokyo, Japan
• 25 Hours Hotel - Hamburg, Germany
• Puro Hotel - Palma de Mallorca, Spain
• 101 Hotel - Reykjavík, Iceland
• Palais de la Mediterranee - Nice, France
• The Mercer - New York, NY, USA
• W Mexico City - Mexico City, Mexico
• The Dylan Amsterdam (ex Blakes) - Amsterdam, Netherlands
• Hotel Fasano - Sao Paulo, Brazil

With its prime oceanfront setting on Fort Lauderdale Beach, Sheraton Yankee Trader Hotel boasts the area’s best location. It is just a short drive from Fort Lauderdale’s downtown, offering dining, entertainment, museums, and performing arts venues. Shopping is convenient and varied, from the trendy Las Olas Boulevard, to the Galleria Mall, and a mixture of entertainment and boutiques at Beach Place and Las Olas Riverfront. And, what better time to book… by following this link, you can currently earn triple Starpoints on your stay!

Keep this lot up your sleeve for when Valentines next comes around.  Tablet Hotels‘ top 10 secluded, romantic hotels should also serve as a useful list for anyone currently undergoing their honeymoon plans.

• Chateau de la Chevre d’Or - Eze Village, France
• Amangani - Jackson Hole, WY, USA
• Amanjena - Marrakech, Morocco
• Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons - Great Milton, Oxfordshire, United Kingdom
• Saint James - Bouliac, Bordeaux, France
• Vigilius Mountain Resort - South Tyrol, Italy
• Hotel Bel Air - Los Angeles, CA, USA
• Auberge du Soleil - Rutherford, CA, USA
• Villa Fontelunga - Arezzo, Italy
• Le Sirenuse - Positano, Italy

Offering spectacular views of the Alps and Lake Geneva, the Hotel Président Wilson is located on the city’s prestigious waterfront promenade, within easy reach of parks, shopping and Old Town. This elegant hotel includes luxuriously renovated rooms and outstanding suites. The accommodation is furnished with contemporary décor and the ultimate in modern amenities, including a unique digital entertainment system featuring a movie library of films, music CDs, as well as high speed internet access.