A Luxury Travel Blog

The Guardian published its top 10 country B&Bs in the UK. Somewhat diplomatically, perhaps, they’ve managed to cover B&Bs from England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.  Want to know where they recommend?  Here’s the list:

Jerichos at The Waverley, Windermere, Cumbria
3 Norfolk Square, Great Yarmouth, Norfolk
Carlton Riverside, Powys, Wales
Dungiven Castle, Co Derry, Northern Ireland
The Old House, Ventnor, Isle of Wight
Wesley House, Gloucestershire
Newton House, Knaresborough, North Yorkshire
Craigadam, Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland
The Queen’s Head, Loughborough, Leicestershire
Old Orchard Guest House, Chichester, West Sussex

Chef Robert McCormick of the Hotel Hāna Maui takes pride in his ability to source just about all he needs to create his acclaimed cuisine right from Maui itself — and often from within just a mile or two of the isolated, idyllic resort. To host an ideal evening featuring a five-course dinner paired with fine wines, the hotel reaches out to the mainland, inviting renowned second-generation winemaker Kathleen Heitz Myers to share her expertise and select vintages with a few fortunate guests.

On Saturday, 29th August 2009 at 7:00 pm, guests will assemble at the historic Plantation Guest House for a reception followed by the five-course dinner and lively, authentic entertainment by the Hotel Hātna-Maui Musicians & Dancers. Come and discuss the wines with Kathleen Heitz Myers, daughter of founders Joe and Alice Heitz, and now President of Heitz Cellars. Take away a deeper understanding of the wines and the cuisine — and a bit of the magic known as ‘the spirit of Hāna.’

The cost of the event is $150 per person, plus tax and gratuity, and includes reception and 5 course dinner.

Jeni Matthews created Red Balloon Travel and Consulting with the goal in mind to provide spectacularly unique French holidays.   After graduating from Northwestern University in Communications and International Studies, she headed straight to France, and has been living in the little known Rhone-Alpes region ever since.  She uses her first-hand knowledge and close business relationships to provide her clients with a very intimate and unforgettable experience.   Tourists from around the world flock to the Eiffel Tower in Paris and the Pope’s Palace in Avignon.  However,  very few people know about the delectable truffles of the Drome that are shrouded in mystery, or the rich tannins that characterize the red wines from the exclusive Cornas appellation.

What is it that you do exactly?

I organize custom holidays for people who are interested in a completely original French experience.  Basically,  I design a client-specific itinerary that includes restaurants, hotels, excursions, transportation, and whatever else is needed to provide the ultimate vacation.   I first speak at length with the client in order to understand what are, for him, the most important aspects of the trip.  Equipped with this information, I contact each service provider to lay out a program that will both include all the clients’ wishes and add a few pleasant surprises.  I have personal relationships with each business with which I work, thus enabling me to offer unique experiences that usually surpass the highest of expectations. Once everything is organized, I personally greet the client to make sure he has arrived safely and has settled in to his new surroundings.  I am on call for the entire trip, should any questions arise or last minute changes be necessary, which provides a little extra reassurance to the client. 

When I am not working on specific programs, I devote my time to discovering new people and places to add to my portfolio.  I’m always on the lookout for something new and original.  This often involves my spotting an interesting building or sign, which leads to further investigation, which in turn develops into the discovery of a fantastic restaurant, or hotel, adventure that simply must be shared with others (although not too many, of course).  It is very important to me that I have personally experienced each service I offer, so that I know my clients will enjoy only welcome surprises.

What do you enjoy most about what you do?

What I enjoy is twofold.  I love being able to impart my knowledge to other people.  It’s such an incredible feeling when a client is enthralled by his meal in a tiny, off-the-map bistro where I have been dining for years.  But I also love when I make a new discovery to add to my portfolio.  It’s as if I have happened upon a marvelous secret that is only begging to be shared.

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

Kauai – the island is absolutely beautiful, with its hidden waterfalls, enormous beaches shaded by cliffs, and the amazing snorkeling!

Stockholm – the city is so alive, and the people incredibly hospitable.  We had a fabulous dining experience at “Grill” right in the city centre.

Maison de la Pra – this B&B in Valence, France is a remodeled 15th Century private mansion.  The owner has done everything himself, from the cast-iron light fixtures, to the dining room table, to the impressive wine-tasting cellar.  Henri-Jean is so enthusiastic about his creation and his city, it’s impossible not to enjoy it!

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

A recent lunch I had in Saou, France was remarkable in every sense of the word.  The setting was breathtaking, with the Pre-Alpes mountains as a backdrop and the main square of the tiny village as the restaurant terrace.  The service was exceptional, as the owner took care of us and made sure everything was to our liking.  The food was divine; I had a ingenious dessert of aubergine sliced paper-thin served over an avocado and hazelnut purée. Finally, the company was fabulous, which is always primordial.

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

One of the essential elements of Red Balloon Travel is that very few people know of the places I send my clients.  While Brad and Angelina are not far away in Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat, my clients often feel it is much more interesting to partake in something a little more personal and exclusive, far from the flashbulbs and glory.

What currently ranks highest on your travel wishlist?

I would love to visit Peru.  I love France, but it is my home now, so it’s always interesting to see other countries.

Thank you, Jeni. If you don’t mind, I might just have to ‘pick your brains’ a little before I next visit France.

In what is no doubt more of a PR exercise than anything, the Rancho Bernardo Inn in San Diego has come up with an interesting concept to lure guests in difficult economic times. Their deluxe accommodation for two people usually costs $219 per night, with breakfast.  If you’re willing to forego breakfast, it’s just $199. But it doesn’t just stop there.  Apparently the room is yours for just $19 if you’re prepared to go without a bed.  Known as their ‘Survivor Package’ here’s how their tariff goes:

• $219 with breakfast
• $199 without breakfast
• $179 without ‘honor bar’
• $159 without A/C or heat
• $139 without pillows
• $109 without sheets
• $89 without lights
• $59 without linens
• $39 without toiletries
• $19 without bed

How low will you go in San Diego?

Casa La Siesta is a new luxury country retreat near Spain’s Costa de La Luz, and its English translation of the House of Sleep (if you don’t speak Spanish) could have you lulled into dreamland in a second. Located just minutes from historic Vejer de la Frontera, Andalucia, Spain, Casa La Siesta is housed in a building that was originally a traditional Spanish finca. It has been restored and extended by British owners Lee and Amelia Thornley who have been careful to only use reclaimed architectural materials, combining wrought iron balustrades, decorative stone arches and red stone flagging from Cordoba. They have preserved all the original features at the same time as utilising sustainable energy technology.

This new hotel with just 7 guest rooms is set in two acres of grounds with magnificent views and is easily accessible for the airports at Jerez (50 minutes), Gibraltar (1 hour) and Seville (90 minutes) and just 10 kilometres from the Costa de La Luz and its beaches. It means that Casa La Siesta combines a rural location with accessibility to the coast and the stunning white villages this area of Andalucia is most renowned for – so the perfect situation for a relaxing luxury holiday in itself, or a stop-off en route while touring the Andalucia region.

Prices and services: doubles 150 Euros, suites 170 Euros and superior suites 190 Euros, low season.  The hotel does not accept guests under 15 years of age, unless part of an ‘exclusive use’ booking.  Prices include breakfast, all drinks including beers, soft drinks and shorts but excluding wine, complimentary use of bicycles, in-room i-pods and docking stations, pillow menu, bath robes, REN bath products, sun creams and all non-alcoholic refreshments.

Andrea Wren is a freelance journalist and owner of Wren Elite Travel.

Allow me to don my UKhotel.com hat for a brief moment (for those that don’t know, UKhotel is a site run by the company where I am a Director).  As of 2009, we have started running monthly competitions on the site giving our visitors the chance to win a two-night stay in a luxury hotel.  The competition page is here and this month’s prize is a fabulous break at manorhaus, a four-star restaurant with rooms and member of The Good Hotel Guide, The Good Food Guide, Historic Hotels of Europe and Welsh Rarebits.  To all those who enter… good luck!

This was our second stay at The Wensleydale Heifer in the peaceful village of West Witton in the Yorkshire Dales.  Last time we made the mistake of having both lunch and dinner here (and ended up being uncomfortably full!) so this time we opted for just dinner, after a brief stop for a light lunch at Swaledale’s unique Tan Hill Inn.

We stayed in The Wensleydale Junior Suite which, with its own separate lounge area, is considerably more spacious than the Racing Room we previously stayed in.  Each room at The Wensleydale Heifer has its own theme and the Wensleydale Junior Suite has numerous Wallace and Gromit touches to remind you where in the country you are.

The room also an ultra-comfortable bed, a flat screen TV and DVD player (with a selection of DVDs available at no extra charge from reception), complimentary sherry and en suite bathroom with a powerful shower, a bath and Molton Brown toiletries.  Perhaps not the largest room you’ll find in your travels, but offering ample space nonetheless.

Dinner at The Wensleydale Heiffer is the highlight.  When a pub that is so centrally positioned within the country - a considerable distance from the nearest stretch of coastline – is declared as England’s Seafood Pub of the Year by the AA (2007), you have to sit up and take notice.  That’s down to co-owner and chef David Moss, formerly of Longueville Manor and The Crab At Chieveley.

At dinner, I opted for duck spring rolls with hoisin sauce, followed by a fish stew teeming with scallops, prawns, mussels and more.  Both were excellence and, although enough in their own right, it would have been rude not to sample the chocolate terrine with poached pear and butterscotch ice cream (pictured).

Go for the ‘Sumptuous Sunday’ offer to get the best value from the Heifer. £140 for two people includes a night in one of the themed rooms, evening meal in the restaurant, and breakfast the next morning.

The winners of the AA B&B Awards 2008-2009 will be revelealed at the Mandarin Oriental, Hyde Park in London this evening. Shortlisted for the award of London B&B of the Year are The New Linden in Notting Hill, San Domenico House in Chelsea and The St. George in Langham Place. There is also a category for the funkiest B&B which has been shortlisted to Bangors Organic in Bude, Enchanted Manor on the Isle of Wight, and Moss Grove Organic in Grasmere.  The AA Centenary Awards, attended by the cream of the hospitality world, will be held at Grosvenor House, London, on 2nd September 2008.

In case it passed you by, yesterday was St. George’s Day. And I’m sure it was no co-incidence that the presentation of the Enjoy England for Excellence 2008 awards was celebrated on the same day. For the first time, the event was held outside London, with the organisers preferring to opt for the European Capital of Culture, Liverpool. Fittingly, it was held at St. George’s Hall. Here’s a round-up of the winners:

Gold Awards

Large Hotel of the Year
Chewton Glen Hotel, Hampshire

Self-Catering Holiday of the Year
Mill Granary Cottage, Lower Teesdale
Stone Cottage, Lake District

Tourism Website of the Year
Philharmonic Hall, London

Small Hotel of the Year
Devonshire Arms Country House Hotel, Yorkshire Dales

Meet England Business Tourism Award
Emirates Stadium, London

Caravan Holiday Park of the Year
Poston Mill Park, Herefordshire

Bed & Breakfast / Guest Accommodation of the Year
Salty Monk Restaurant with Rooms, Devon

Sustainable Tourism Award
Cottage Lodge, New Forest
Strattons Hotel, Norfolk

Taste of England Award
Fifteen Cornwall

Tourism Information Centre of the Year
Liverpool 08 Place

Best Tourism Experience of the Year
Sunderland International Airshow

Small Visitor Attraction of the Year
Roald Dahl Museum and Story Centre, Buckinhamshire

Outstanding Customer Service Award
David Pollard of Falmouth Ambassador Ltd.

Large Visitor Attraction of the Year
Imperial War Museum Duxford, Cambridgeshire
Victoria and Albert Museum, London

Consumer Voted Award – Best Day Out
Whitby, North Yorkshire

Silver Awards

Large Hotel of the Year
Radisson Edwardian Manchester
The Dorchester, London

Self-Catering Holiday of the Year
Compton Pool Farm, Devon

Tourism Website of the Year
Pennywell Farm, Devon

Small Hotel of the Year
Combe House Hotel, Somerset
Hillbark Hotel, Wirral

Meet England Business Tourism Award
Manchester Central
Heritage Motor Centre, Warwickshire

Caravan Holiday Park of the Year
Seafield Caravan Park, Northumberland
Sunset Park, Near Blackpool

Bed & Breakfast / Guest Accommodation of the Year
Boltongate Old Rectory, Lake District
The Old Manse, Northumberland
Clow Beck House, County Durham

Sustainable Tourism Award
Fern Cottage Bed and Breakfast, Gloucestershire

Taste of England Award
The Old Bakery, Lincoln

Tourism Information Centre of the Year
Nottingham Tourism Centre
Brighton Visitor Centre

Best Tourism Experience of the Year
Ludlow Marches Food and Drink Festival
Castle Howard, York

Small Visitor Attraction of the Year
Rockingham Castle, Leicestershire
Forde Abbey and Gardens, Somerset

Outstanding Customer Service Award
Mick Logg of Xscape, West Yorkshire
The Executive Team at the London Marriott West India Quay

Large Visitor Attraction of the Year
Tullie House Museum, Carlisle

Richard Hammond (I assume the one of Top Gear fame?) has a piece in today’s Guardian newspaper on the winners of the sustainability awards.

Have you ever stayed somewhere, experienced something (however big or small), and thought to yourself “I must have one!”?  Whether it be a mattress or some bedding, a bathrobe or some soap, or something else, we want to hear your recommendations! Recently I purchased a room fragrance from Linari, which I first became aware of on a stay at the fabulous Haagsche Suites.  Please tell us what you’ve bought by posting a comment below.

I’ve mentioned underwater hotels on A Luxury Travel Blog before, but I think – until now – Jules Undersea Lodge has escaped the radar. It’s an underwater research base which has opened itself to the public. Featured in ‘Lifestyles of the Rich & Famous’, a stay here will set you back $475 per person per night, including gourmet dinner and breakfast.  What’s rather unique about the property is that you have to scuba dive to get there!

I recently read a newspaper article about The New White Lion at Llandovery in Wales and thought I would check them out with a view to a short stay with my family later this month.  The first thing that strikes me is that there’s an air of quality about the site, a nice choice of colours and font… but then I find myself waiting… and waiting… I’m sitting in front of a Flash intro and there’s no means to skip it.  That’s more than half a minute of my time wasted every time I choose to visit the site – that’s not right, I think to myself.  Anyway… moving on… I decide to click on the Rooms page.  It tells me that there’s a family room… great.  But hang on… which one of the six rooms is the family room – it doesn’t say! I click on the ‘door’ to each room, but all I get is a single picture (often a close-up of something like a lamp in the room) and no text.  That doesn’t help me.  OK, so how much does this place cost anyhow…?  Oh, no… there’s no tariff anywhere to be found.  I email them and say that the site looks beautiful but politely point out that it’s very poor from a usability point of view, and could they please tell me which room is the family room and what the rates are.  I get a fairly prompt reply saying that I can call them on the telephone to discuss if I wish.  I would have sooner just been told the information I was after, but I ‘phone anyway.  And guess what… I get an answering machine!  I left my details so they could call back but that was now over 4 hours ago…

A weekly pick of luxury travel links for your perusal…

• Helicopter rides in the Canaries from Blue Canarias
• Cosy Kenyan homestay courtesy of Ngong House
• Dine at Peter Goossens’ Hof van Cleve in Belgium
• Where one great experience leads to another: Dubai

A weekly pick of luxury travel links for your perusal…

• Get your hands on some Luxe City Guides
• Chill out in Zihuatanejo, Mexico, at Amuleto
• Find seclusion at Missouri River Breaks Lodge, ND
• Check out the latest yachts from Hakvoort

I’m pleased to learn that a vessel that I did voluntary work on back in my school days has received the award for the UK’s best large tourist attraction.  Isambard Kingdom Brunel’s SS Great Britain in Bristol picked up the accolade at the Enjoy England Awards for Excellence. The full list of Gold Award winners from the event are as follows:

• Bed & Breakfast of the Year: Number One, Blackpool (Lancashire)
• Small Hotel of the Year: Stanley House, Mellor (Lancashire)
• Large Hotel of the Year: The Chester Grosvenor and Spa, Chester (Cheshire)
• Caravan Holiday Park of the Year: Skelwith Fold Caravan Park, Ambleside (Cumbria)
• Self-Catering Holiday of the Year: Higher Wiscombe, Southleigh (Devon) and Ashwall House, Bulmer (North Yorkshire)
• Small Visitor Attraction of the Year: The RAF Air Defence Radar Museum, near Norwick (Norfolk)
• Large Visitor Attraction of the Year: Alnwick Castle, Alnwick (Northumberland) and SS Great Britain, Bristol (Somerset)
• Taste of England Award: The Star Inn & Perns of Helmsley, Helmsley (North Yorkshire)
• Business Tourism Award: Harrogate International Centre, Harrogate (North Yorkshire)
• Tourist Information Centre of the Year: Once Brewed Visitor Centre, Hexham (Northumberland) and Towncentric TIC, Gravesend (Kent)
• Tourism Website of the Year: Barbican Centre, London
• Outstanding Customer Service Award: Graham Worton of Dudley Museum & Art Gallery, Dudley (West Midlands)

Arizona’s luxury guest ranch, Hidden Meadow Ranch, was ranked the #3 romantic getaway in the United States by Sunset Magazine last month, garnering national recognition for its incredible beauty, cuisine and accommodations. In addition, it was also recently featured in the New York Times; it’s perhaps no surprise that it’s receiving national attention as this mountain getaway is in a hidden oasis dotted with 50 reflective mountain lakes, 500 miles of cool streams, dense conifer forests, clear blue skies and a temperate climate.