A Luxury Travel Blog

I must confess that I don’t quite follow why companies re-brand themselves sometimes; Rocco Forte Hotels has decided to re-brand itself as The Rocco Forte Collection. Apparently…

The aim of the rebrand is to reflect how far the company has come in ten years and that all nine properties are individual in character and style but are linked by the company’s brand values of elegant design and attentive personalised service.

Call me cynical but that just sounds like corporate blurb to me. Dropping the word ‘hotels’ from their brand name makes me wonder if they have plans to expand into other areas outside of that sector. Anyway, as part of the re-branding, The Rocco Forte Collection has also launched a new website dedicated to the trade. rfctraveltrade.com aims to be a one-stop shop for travel agents wanting to make reservations at any of the Rocco Forte properties.

Munich’s Oktoberfest invariably grabs all the media attention when it comes to German beer festivals, so spare a thought for the Berlin Beer Festival which takes place from 3rd to 5th August 2007. The event is free to attend (don’t get too hopeful… presumably you pay for any beer you consume) and takes place at the Karl Marx Allee in Berlin.  It is apparently home to the world’s longest beer garden.

I really ought to have done this a while ago, but I’ve now added prominent links to enable readers to subscribe to A Luxury Travel Blog via Google’s Feedburner or via email using Feedblitz.  If you’re not already subscribing to this blog’s feed, click the links here or just look at the top of the right hand margin for further details.

Jumeirah has been granted planning approval for a luxury tower hotel in London’s Southbank area. The Jumeirah Hotel at Beetham Tower will have 261 rooms and suites, restaurants and bars, a ballroom, meeting spaces and a spa, health and leisure facility, and will open in 2011 – crucially in time for the London 2012 Olympics.

Concierge.com, the online home for inspired travel from Conde Nast has posted its picks for the third annual World’s Sexiest Beaches list.  Beaches are both on and off the beaten path and are chosen for their beauty, buzz factor and overall steamy appeal.  Here’s their top ten:

1. Caprera Island, Sardinia, Italy
2. Salvador, Bahia, Brazil 
3. Cousine Island, Seychelles 
4. Playa de los Lances, Tarifa, Spain
5. Pink Sand Beach, Harbour Island, Bahamas 
6. Kuta Beach, Bali, Indonesia
7. South Beach, Miami, Florida 
8. Pigeon Point Beach, Antigua 
9. Bodrum, Turkey 
10. Santa Maria Beach, Ilha do Sal, Cape Verde

Suite name: Royal Residence
Hotel: Mandarin Oriental Dhara Dhevi, Chiang Mai
Size of accommodation: 6,890 sq ft
Cost per night: 230,000 Baht, plus taxes and service charge
Who’s stayed there? Prime Minister, Head of State and several VIPs
What makes it special? Unique design which inspired by a mix of northern Thai palace and Royal Lanna architecture with six private pavilions featuring three king size beds and three twin bedrooms, three swimming pools, as well as a number of sitting and dining rooms, open-air salas (Thai Pavilion) and even a lounge with a grand piano and bar.

A stay in the Royal Residence is the ultimate experience offering guests a vast, private retreat compound at the heart of the resort. Situated behind high walls, the Royal Residence is completely self-contained with six private Lanna-style pavilions featuring three king size beds and three twin bedrooms, as well a number of sitting and dining rooms, open-air salas and even a lounge with a grand piano and bar.

The Royal Residence is the ideal choice for discerning travelers, celebrities and visiting royalty who wish to preserve their privacy while they indulge in style.  It is also perfect for groups of friends traveling together or extended families. In addition to its individual sleeping pavilions, the residence boasts three luxurious swimming pools, private Jacuzzis and saunas, all set right on the edge of the compound’s own free-form lotus pond between a number of towering Rain Trees and fragrant Frangipanis. 

The design of the Royal Residence was inspired by the mythical Himmaphan Forest of Buddhist legend, a heavenly realm of lush flowers and foliage inhabited by celestial beings and otherworldly animals. Each of the residence’s elegant teak pavilions is intricately crafted, showcasing the woodcarving traditions that northern Thailand is famous for. Interiors and exteriors are decorated with apsaras, elephants, Kinnarees, exotic birds, fish and flowers carved in wood and plaster throughout.

Brick walkways connect each unit through their poolside gardens and an enormous wall of life-size elephant sculptures drawn from Chiang Mai’s oldest temple, Wat Chiang Man, provides a dramatic focal point for the entire complex. Each pavilion is unique in style and design, inspired by a mix of northern Thai palace and Royal Lanna architecture. Color schemes vary from one pavilion to the next, ranging from rich red and gold to cream and pink to black and silver. High ceilings and handcrafted details abound while sumptuous silks, plush furnishings, and a selection of rare antiques contribute to the residence’s atmosphere of lavish luxury.

A large dining room with floor to ceiling windows and pantry allow guests to entertain family and friends in the unique setting of their own ancient Lanna palace.

Savour the summer with an escape to sunny Florida and experience the newly renovated Renaissance Orlando Resort at SeaWorld, in the heart of Orlando and right across the street from the famous namesake amusement park. The hotel’s vacation packages are the perfect way to save and play at the same time. Enjoy deals for golf, family, romance and more with rate specials now through the end of the year. Their Escape Your Way! package starts from $169 per night (based on a three-night stay), includes deluxe accommodation and a $100 resort credit that can be applied to restaurant, room service and parking.

A weekly pick of luxury travel links for your perusal…

• Yacht ownership experiences from Barton & Gray
• Enter to win The Starwood Grand Tour
• Retreat to the Maldives private island of Komandoo
• Enjoy a luxury lifestyle at Manhattan’s 60 Thompson

The Miami Spice 2007 event is being heralded as “a mouth-watering summer restaurant promotion showcasing the very best of Miami cuisine” and will involve almost 80 of Miami’s top restaurants, each offering 3-course meals for $22 and $35 for lunch and dinner respectively. The promotion runs thoughout August and September, and participating restaurants include GNU Restaurant at the Grand Bay Miami and the ever-popular Chef Allen’s.

It hasn’t been much of a summer in the UK.  The wettest May since 1967… the dullest June in a decade… and already the wettest July on record.  And, in case that wasn’t enough, the outlook for August isn’t good.  To make us feel better, Malmaison are letting their guests stay from £79 room only and from £125 for dinner, bed and breakfast at any of the eleven Mals across this rain-soaked land.

Etihad Airways – the National Airline of the United Arab Emirates – will begin non-stop flights between Abu Dhabi and the Irish capital Dublin next month. The move will give Irish travellers their first one-stop travel option to Australia, as well as giving them convenient transfers for Asian destinations. The service will begin on 3rd August 2007.

I’m not a big fan of smoking at all (never tried it, and never will!) but an article in the International Herald Tribune entitled ‘Frequent Traveler: Lighting up in luxury may soon be latest in niche flying’ recently caught my eye.  It provides information on SMINTair, an airline for those that can’t kick the habit, which is anticipated to launch in March 2008. From the article:

…there’s more to luxury in the air than being allowed to smoke. SMINTair promises to take passengers back to the glory days of air travel by providing elegant meals and to “bring back the exclusivity of flying in the 1960s”. There is advanced air-conditioning, which, it is claimed, will provide fresh air that is “better by far” than that of a nonsmoking cabin. And, yes, cigars and pipes will be allowed.

Hmmmm… I can’t say I’m too convinced. Attempts at similar airlines in the US (Smokers Express and the members-only airline of the Great American Smokers’ Club) both failed, so it’ll be interesting to see if SMINTair will be any different. Would YOU use such a service?

This is a fabulous salad for winter or summer and a tuna party, full of different textures and rich flavours. Excellent as a main course - try serving it in a large dish in the centre of the table, with plenty of crusty bread.

Ingredients:

• 500g small new potatoes
• olive oil for coating
• 250g cherry tomatoes
• 200g fine green beans, topped and tailed
• 200g tuna in olive oil, drained
• 4 anchovies, cut lengthways into thin strips
• 1 large bunch of basil

For the dressing:
• 2 shallots, finely diced
• 3 tbsp white wine vinegar
• 2 tbsp grainy mustard (such as Meaux) sea salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• 7 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Directions:

Gently cook the potatoes in their skins in a pan of simmering water for 20 minutes. Heat the oven to 200°C/gas 6. Lightly brush a baking tray with olive oil. Toss the cherry tomatoes in the oil to coat them and roast in the hot oven for 10 minutes. Put the dressing ingredients, except the oil, into ajar with a tight fitting lid and shake until well blended. Then add the olive oil and shake vigorously again. Drain the potatoes, cut them in half and place in a salad bowl. Pour the dressing over and toss to coat the warm potatoes. Plunge the green beans into boiling water and cook for 2 minutes. Drain well and add, warm, to the potatoes. Flake and add the tuna along with the anchovy strips and the tomatoes straight from the oven, and gently mix. Tear up the basil, scatter it over the Tuna Salad and serve this tuna recipe at once.

Serves 6.

Source: The French Kitchen, by Joanne Harris and Fran Warde

Please give this recipe a try and let us know what you think by clicking on the comments link… thank you!

Hospes has opened a unique luxury hotel in the Spanish Pyrenees. The five star Hospes Villa Paulita is located on a lake shore in the Catalan town of Puigcerdà with impressive views over the Pyrenees, only 150 km away from Barcelona or Toulouse. The hotel is a remarkable Art Nouveau family mansion that combines a fantastic location with a wide array of facilities: it has 38 spacious rooms, spacious garden areas, and two meeting rooms for up to 150 people. In its gourmet restaurant, “L’Estany” guests may enjoy the best Senzone cuisine, based on local produce and recipes; while in the Bodyna Spa, guests can be taken away by a wave of sensations with the most complete services based on natural products and therapies.

The Lodge at Sonoma, Northern California resort has partnered with Stone Tree Golf, Marin County’s 18-hole championship golf course, to offer guests the opportunity to play and relax with the new “Golf & Spa” package. Individuals and couples alike are welcomed to the tranquil 182-room Sonoma resort to rejuvenate in a plush deluxe Lodge guestroom, be pampered with luxurious spa treatments, and enjoy a round of golf at the Bay Area’s premier handcrafted classic golf club. The Lodge at Sonoma’s Golf & Spa package includes one night’s accommodation, two 50 minute treatments of your choice or one couple’s Massage at Raindance Spa, a round of golf for one, one sleeve of The Lodge logo golf balls and breakfast for one to go.

I know a bugbear of many of you is being charged for internet access at luxury hotels.  You’re already paying a top rate and perhaps understandably don’t expect to have to be charged for your internet usage.  Marriott has announced that five of its brands (Courtyard, Residence Inn, Fairfield Inn, TownePlace Suites and SpringHill Suites) now offer guests free WiFi hotels in the U.S. and Canada.  That’s great to hear, but what about extending this to other locations and other brands?  What about Ritz-Carlton, JW Marriott and Bulgari?