A Luxury Travel Blog

As regular readers will know, A Luxury Travel Blog is more of a sideline interest for me rather than my main business, although I do work in online tourism marketing.  I do not (and have never) spent money on advertising this site, but I’m pleased to be able to tell you that it’s up there in the Google rankings, competing with the big boys and their equally big budgets.  In fact, it’s doing more than just competing – it’s ahead of them – and is currently ranked 2nd, 3rd and 4th on Google for a search for ‘luxury travel’ (quotes not required), bettered only by luxurytravel.com which, because of its domain, is always going to be difficult to overcome!  Here’s a screenshot from Google:

Obviously, this alone brings its fair share of traffic.  If you’re involved in the luxury travel industry and you’d like to get involved with the site, be it with free or paid opportunities, do please get in touch. You can also become a fan on Facebook, follow me on Twitter (I’ll be passing 100,000 followers later this month), or add me to your Google+ circles.

The Mandarin Oriental Group of hotels requires no introduction on a blog about luxury travel, as the brand is famous for its prestigious hotels and resorts. The interesting thing, though, is that they are all quite different from one another. Whilst they all maintain standards of excellence, this is a group rather than a chain and each one retains its autonomy and individuality. We dined at Le Normandie in Bangkok recently and were excited to see what the Mandarin Oriental in Kuala Lumpur had to offer.

We were invited to dinner at their new Mosaic restaurant. The Mosaic was launched in August 2011, and is positioned to become the city’s leading all-day dining restaurant. And you know what? I think they can do it. It’s a superb place; vibrant and very comfortable. The décor is elegant and the interior reflects the “sense of place” and local culture, that of the Peranakan (also known as the Straits Chinese). It was clear that the designers had paid close attention to detail. From the silk hangings on the walls, the Chinese-style woodwork and fretwork in glass screening off the private dining rooms, and the light-shades made of the pewter for which Malaysia is famous, the restaurant oozed style but in a relaxed rather than an ostentatious way.

Well, it was certainly a nice place to be and to admire the surroundings, but what about the food? It was delicious. Absolutely delicious. It was also fun because they have a variety of live cooking stations so you can interact with the chefs while they’re cooking your meal individually for you. Of course you can just order something and have it brought to your table, but I enjoy talking to chefs about their work and creations.

They have all the cooking stations and variety of food one would expect from a restaurant in a five-star hotel offering international cuisine – local (in this case, Malaysian), Indian, Japanese, seafood, salads, Western, and desserts. What I didn’t expect, although I’ve seen it become more popular in the Far East recently, was that they also had a Middle Eastern section. Their hummus was to die for and the babaghanoush likewise, as were the marinated Kalamata olives. Such complexity of flavours in what are essentially fairly simple dishes. I don’t remember tasting anything better anywhere else before. (And I’ve been around quite a bit.)

If you like Middle Eastern food, then don’t miss this place. Actually, if you like Indian food, then don’t miss this place. Do you like oysters? They serve the best. Sushi and sashimi? Perhaps a medium-rare rib-eye steak cooked to order? Don’t miss this place. If you care about the quality of food you eat, then don’t… I guess I’ve made my point by now.

The restaurant also has a good wine list, which includes a variety of wines to suit most budgets. The staff are very friendly and efficient too. I often think that the staff can make or break a place. I really liked the people at the Mosaic. There are some places where you get the impression that it’s not just a job for them and they actively enjoy being there. The Mosaic was one of these places. They were all cheerful and knowledgeable, and happy to talk about what they were doing and show off their skills.

The Mosaic is open 24 hours a day and features live cooking stations including grill, wok, noodle, tandoor, and more. It’s situated in central Kuala Lumpur near to the KLCC complex and has a great view of the beautiful KLCC Park. If you’re planning a visit to KL, then don’t forget to put this restaurant on your travel wish list.

You can visit their website for more details of the menu, dress code (smart casual), and for reservations.

OK, well maybe it is a little. There is desert, there are camels, and the locals do wear dish-dashes.  But to say Abu Dhabi is developing as luxury holiday destination is something of an understatement. Gradually, the make-up of the landscape of Abu Dhabi is evolving into a cosmopolitan, dynamic resort. The tourist board have and are investing a huge amount of money to crank up the appeal of this sun drenched capital of the UAE. I visited last year and saw the scaled down model version of the ‘new Abu Dhabi’ which 18 months on has begun to really take shape.

Much of Abu Dhabi’s evolution is focused around the development of Saadiyat Island, a natural island located just 500 metres off the coast of Abu Dhabi which has initially been fully developed almost entirely for the enhancement of tourism, and features several kilometres of natural beaches.

The Saadiyat Island Beach Golf Club is in full swing if you’ll excuse the pun, and garnering some great reviews from professionals delighted with the scenery and challenging straits of this 18-hole Gary Player designed course. Two brand new luxury hotels have opened too, Park Hyatt and St Regis. The future holds great things for the island, with a cultural district housing a Louvre and Guggenheim Museum, a performing arts centre and a campus for New York University to open in the next couple of years.

Future plans in the pipeline for Saadiyat include a huge promenade, a retreat featuring boutique hotels, Saadiyat Reserves featuring a tidal golf course, and a number of other ambitious projects. The final phase of the island’s development will see around 145,000 residents move in and a ten lane causeway connecting Saadiyat to the mainland will be built.

But it’s not just about what’s in the pipeline. Abu Dhabi is a great place to visit right here, right now. Large scale international sporting and leisure events have cottoned on to Abu Dhabi’s soaring appeal. The weekend of 12th-13th November this year will see the penultimate Grand Prix of the Formula One season being held at the Yas Marina Circuit on Yas Island, Abu Dhabi and this is the first of a number of exciting events scheduled over the next couple of months.

I have blogged previously about the Volvo Ocean Race at the beginning of 2012 which will draw thousands of people from across the globe. The Corniche will be transformed into a marine village for the latest leg of this famous round the world event. Then it’s time for the Dubai and Abu Dhabi Shopping Festival which takes place in January and February on an annual basis, where traditional arts and crafts, Emirati gifts, candles, spices, textiles and trinkets are just some of the items you can barter for.

One thing is for certain, this is a destination proud of its heritage – but one focused on growing its stature and appeal to a worldwide public.

Carole Booth is Commercial Director at Destinology.

If you would like to be a guest blogger on A Luxury Travel Blog in order to raise your profile, please contact us.

The Luxury Travel Fair gets underway at Olympia, London from tomorrow and will run until the end of the week. Now in its 6th year, it is the only dedicated consumer focused luxury travel event in the UK. Held in association with Condé Nast Traveller, the fair hosts over 100 hotels, travel companies and destinations from around the world, enticing visitors to enjoy unique, unusual and unforgettable travel experiences. This year there are more than 30 new exhibitors taking part for the first time, including the new Siam Kempinski Hotel in Bangkok, Ville in Italia, the Mallorca Tourist Board and QuintessentiallyTravel.

I have recently been lucky enough to acquire a number of items from the FB Collection.  Founded by Harry Brantly and Max Leese in Rio de Janeiro in 2005, this beachwear collection exudes quality and style.  Among the collection are beautiful, brightly-coloured (£85) or patterned (£95) linen beach towels. These towels are so soft and lightweight yet apparently resistant to sand and seawater. At 175 x 140cm, they are still a good size for a beach towel yet won’t take up too much space in your luggage.

Also in the FB collection is a range of men’s swim shorts. These trunks come in two lengths – Transcoco or the slightly longer Leblon line (pictured here in yellow) – both priced at £115.  Alternatively, you could choose from the patterned Copacabana edition (also pictured here), priced at £135. These are ultra-lightweight, made with 100% Italian cotton, and with a distinctive Brazilian tailored cut.

Last but by no means least are the FB Frescobol bats. Hand-crafted from beautiful wood, they come with a  sack that can store both bats and the balls, and that has an outer zip pocket ideal for stowing away your wallet, keys and money safely. The set is a steal at £110 for such beautiful quality and would serve as a great Christmas gift for that special someone who seems to already have everything.

Pictures courtesy of FB Collection.

Escape to the wild winter countryside of unspoilt Herefordshire and book your Christmas at Dewsall Court. This beautifully furnished, unique house has a relaxed feel about it so you can unwind as soon as you walk through the door. Surrounded by 1000 acres of Duchy of Cornwall land, winter walks can be part of the ‘itinerary’ at Dewsall together with huge log fires and deep comfy sofas where you can enjoy afternoon tea or a Christmas tipple after a decadently deep bath. There is so much to do, or you can just do nothing at all!

Amble through the frosty garden on Christmas morning to the church and belt out some Christmas carols, dive into the chest full of board games and enjoy a little friendly competition sat in front of one of the many open fires; cook together in the wonderful Aga kitchen or have it all done for you by their team tucked away in the chef’s kitchen; feast together in one of their beautiful dining rooms.

After opening in January of this year, guests have included photographer David Bailey and his wife Catherine along with actor Mark Strong and his wife Liza Marshall with their two boys.  Dewsall can be a self-catered or an all bells and whistles service. The house works perfectly for 6 people or the maximum of 23. £7000 for a 5 night stay to include: Champagne on arrival, Christmas decorations and flowers, seasonal hamper, fully stocked log baskets, Aromatherapy Associates bathroom products.