A Luxury Travel Blog

Visiting New York during the US Open? Swing by The Fitz Bar & Restaurant at the Fitzpatrick Manhattan or The Wheeltapper Pub at The Fitzpatrick Grand Central to catch up on every backhand, ace and volley. Throughout the tournament, each of these unique spots will be serving up food, fun and specialty cocktails, including:

The John Isner – A cocktail to be savored over a (very) long match. Vodka, coconut liqueur, banana liqueur, raspberry liqueur, pineapple juice shaken and served in a chilled martini glass.

The Martini Navratilova – A classic with a spin. Gin and dry vermouth shaken over ice and served with 3 blue cheese-stuffed olives.

The Fitz Bar & Restaurant, located on Lexington between 56th and 57th Streets, is a chic, relaxed spot where you can enjoy all the Grand Slam action either at the bar or in The Library. The Wheeltapper Pub, located on 44th Street between Lexington and Third Avenues, offers two indoor bars and a spectacular 2,200-square-foot outdoor Patio- perfect for watching Murray’s strategic strokes, Nadal’s acrobatics and Venus Williams’ power shots.

Air travel needn’t be boring any longer! Changi Airport is now home to Singapore’s tallest slide. The 12-metre tall slide can be found at Terminal 3 and riders can look forward to a top speed of 6 metres per second!

Greeted with refreshing fruit juice on our arrival at reception at the Sheraton La Caleta Resort & Spa, we made our way to the Club Level 5th floor where we had a family room for the duration of our stay.  This is a relatively new hotel having officially opened in April 2005; it has 284 rooms of which 20 are suites (2 with outdoor Jacuzzis).

Our room was wonderfully spacious, spotless as you would expect, and with a great sea view. Although we didn’t take advantage of the various perks, occupants of Club Level rooms have access to the Club Lounge with meeting rooms and internet access, as well as having access to breakfast down by the poolside.

The hotel has three main pools – two that are heated, upper pools and a lower saltwater pool.  In fact, there’s a fourth, small pool for children at the hotel’s small kids club, too.  The kids club is admirably looked after by a lovely lady named Inma who entertains the children well whilst they are in her care.

Restaurants at the hotel are also plentiful with a buffet held every evening, as well as a Spanish restaurant (where you can enjoy private dining for up to 22 people) and a Japanese restaurant.  There’s also a good children’s menu at the hotel, refreshingly offering dishes that extend beyond the usual chicken nuggets (grilled salmon steaks, pasta carbonara, fish special of the day, roast chicken supreme, etc.)

I enjoyed a tour of the Caroli spa and health club at the hotel with the spa manager, Isaac Raymond, who explained what the 1,800m² spa had to offer. It included aromatic showers with essential oils, chromatherapy, two outside areas where the sound of water helps you to relax, Roman plunge pools (one hot, one cold), treatment rooms, steam room, a 34°C thalasso pool, an igloo that maintains a constant temperature of 5°C and, of course, a gym.

Other facilities at the hotel include internet access which is available in-room for a relatively modest fee or for free, courtesy of the Sheraton Link near reception. There is also a hair and beauty salon on site and, at the time of our visit, there was an offer for a pedicure and manicure for a very reasonable €47.25 including taxes.

The hotel also has a large ballroom that can be used for conferences, corporate press releases, weddings and parties – so big that the automobile manufacturers Toyota, who have a presence on the island, are able to drive vehicles into and out of the room when they make press announcements and release new models.

The crew of Clash of the Titans stayed at the hotel last year and now, one year on, some of those involved were back to promote a raffle that will allow one lucky winner to stay at the hotel and explore some of the movie locations.  Judging by our visit here, they are sure to enjoy it.

My thanks go to Tenerife Tourism Corporation for their assitance with the visit.

Siam Park is Tenerife’s latest attraction.  From the same people behind the highly successful Loro Parque on the north of the island, it is a spectacular waterpark that was opened in September 2008 and that can be found on the south of the island, just outside Costa Adeje.  Siam Park has a large artifical beach with the biggest artifical waves in the world, and rides for all young and old alike, making it suitable for families and friends with any age children in tow.

After a quick tour of the resort which enabled us to get our bearings and to get some sense of scale of the place (it’s big!), we sorted outselves out with a locker and started off with the relatively tame but relaxing Mai Thai River ride where we drifted along the ‘river’ in inflatables, meandering past rapids and waterfalls before taking a tunnel beneath an aquarium and admiring the fish (most notably, sharks!) above.

Next up was ‘The Lost City’ – a huge hit with the little ones who don’t reach the height requirements for some of the park’s rides or who are simply too scared by some of them.  There is loads for them to enjoy here, be it squirting passers-by with water guns, exploring the labyrinth of bridges and nets, tipping buckets of water on people, going down the numerous slides or bracing themselves for the periodic deluge from an enormous ‘bucket’ of water from above (pictured).

One of the favourite rides for visitors to Siam Park is The Dragon where a speedy raft of a group of four shoots down a tube and is propelled high up before spinning around a cone, by a roaring dragon.  And if that doesn’t spin you enough, The Giant guarantees an anticlockwise spinning splash before racing down from the starting point, the head of the giant.  Plus there’s the Jungle Snakes, a series of twisting slides, each slightly different.

But perhaps the highlight is the Tower of Power.  People that brave it slide solo down an almost 90-degree chute with a 28-metre drop in around just 4 seconds.  Oh, and just in case that alone doesn’t sound extreme enough, you also whizz through a shark-infested pool when you get to the bottom – but don’t worry, that bit isn’t quite as dramatic as it might sound as you’re encased in a tube so they can’t get you.

I was in two minds about this one but our two boys wanted to see Daddy do it so I didn’t see chickening out as an option.  I climbed the steps to the top; as it turned out, later in the day seemed to be a good time to do the ride, as the queue had dissipated.  Only a few people stood before me, covered head to toe in tattoos and yet cowering at the prospect of going on the ride… this did not bode well!  Thankfully, I didn’t have too long to dwell on that thought and, before I knew it, it was my turn.  And what an experience it was!  I can’t claim to have seen the sharks as I ‘whooshed’ through – everything was a bit of a blur!!!

I leave you with some video footage of the Tower of Power and other rides at Siam Park so you can get more of a sense of how much this great attraction has to offer.

My thanks go to Tenerife Tourism Corporation for their assistance with the visit.

A stone’s throw from the upmarket shopping precinct of Plaza del Duque, the five star Iberostar Grand Hotel Anthelia is well positioned on the south of the island of Tenerife – close to the beach and good quality shops, yet sufficiently far enough away from the hustle and bustle of Playa de las Americas. This was my fifth visit to Tenerife and my third to the Adeje region, and once again it didn’t disappoint.

The Iberostar Anthelia is a large hotel, with some 390 rooms divided into 5 separate zones. We had adjoining rooms in ‘Carmen’ which overlooks the kids’ club and pool, and out to the sea and the beachfront of Fañabé beyond.  We arrived quite late so, after ordering from room service, had a great night’s sleep and explored the hotel the next day.

A sumptuous breakfast buffet was served in the Zeus restaurant in the morning, between the hours of 7.30am and 10.30am, so catering both for the early risers and those who enjoyed a lie-in whilst on holiday. The first morning after our arrival I noticed that ‘football’ (soccer) was available on the activity calendar. Although I was leaving it rather too late for a call-up from Fabio Capello, I turned up to a game supervised by the ever-friendly Marcus, a young German working at the hotel.  It was hot, but thoroughly enjoyable with a mixture of English and Spanish players; I just hope Marcus has fully recovered from me accidentally standing on his ankle in a goalmouth incident!

Activities available at the hotel are wide and varied, with everything from cooking demonstrations and evening shows to tennis and tai chi. One of the highlights for families staying is the kids’ club and the entertainment available for children aged 4-12 years old.  The club was equipped with lots of indoor and outdoor space, a small area for playing football and a small pool, and several staff on hand.  Each day, all the children could participate in the day’s games and, if successful, were presented with a medal at the kids’ disco later that evening.  Without exception, all the children loved the disco, learning the actions to a medley of English and German tunes, whilst parents relaxed with a drink or two before ‘Smiley’ the dog made an appearance at the end to draw the night to a close… a perfect recipe for a good night’s sleep for the whole family!

Other facilities at the hotel include multiple pools, restaurants and bars. In all, the hotel has three restaurants: Poseidon (a gourmet restaurant), Portofino (an Italian restaurant) and Zeus (a buffet restaurant). There is also the Thai Zen SPAce area which offers a new concept in wellbeing, offering yoga, meditation, massage, beauty treatments, flower baths, aromatherapy Jacuzzi, etc… you name it!

I was also lucky enough to be given a tour of Iberostar Grand Hotel El Mirador, an adults-only hotel just a little further up the coast towards La Caleta, with 120 suites. The tour took in the stunning Royal Suite for which guests pay an additional supplement of 900 euros per night.  This hotel also has three restaurants, as well as a meeting room/wedding venue/cinema, and it currently shares its spa with Anthelia but will have a new spa coming soon. There is also a gym with windows with sea views that open up to a lovely sea breeze whilst you’re burning the calories.

Both hotels do what they do well.  If you’re travelling with family, or perhaps in a group, you’ll enjoy the facilities and scale of Anthelia.  If you’re looking for a romantic getaway – away from children – then the solitude of El Mirador will suit you down to the ground.

My thanks go to Tenerife Tourism Corporation for their assitance with the visit.

Coloured Shakespearean terracotta, patterned mosaic pavement and a gurgling fountain; the setting was already magical at the urban oasis that is Courtyard 51, and now they’ve gone and made paradise even more comfortable – with a new veranda from which to admire the view, as you sip on your champagne or Champagne cocktail. The range is extensive, with bottles ranging from £49.50 to £325, and, unusually, an excellent rosé selection. Open from afternoon until late (Sun-Thurs 3-10pm), those partial to unwinding with a quality Cuban will also find their whims satisfied by the knowledgeable cigar butler. The Courtyard itself is open for dinner throughout the week, with Lebanese, Moroccan, Turkish, American or Indian classics served depending on the day; food becomes available at the veranda’s thirty tables Fridays and Saturday. A particular treat will be the two opera dining nights to be hosted on 20th and 21st August 2010; the perfect chance for some culture beneath the stars!

Nicola Di Luzio is an intern at Hg2 luxury city guides

Western Australia grows more French black truffle than the rest of Australia put together and the Mundaring Truffle Festival, is an ideal opportunity to taste and learn about the fabled fungi from some of Australia’s top chefs and food producers.

The festival is set in unmistakable Australian countryside providing a taste of the old world firmly rooted in the new. Located in Mundaring in the Perth Hills, a 45 min drive east of Perth, the event celebrates the annual harvest and includes truffle tasting, hunts and master classes with truffle afficionado Alain Fabregues, owner-chef of The Loose Box restaurant in Mundaring. There is also a wine show, cooking classes and a gourmet food market as well as art exhibitions and workshops.

Visually startling – a small, ornate Turkish building in the shadows of City steel and glass – the Bathhouse has been open as a bar since May 2009, but now its ‘through-the-looking-glass’ interior has been reworked to include a gourmet restaurant. The whole establishment is infused with Victorian-style opulence, and the menu is similarly inspired by British classics – mouthwatering items from the menu include confit of Middle White pork belly with veal marrow risotto and crackling; organic chicken and chorizo pizza; and Eton mess with summer berries and popping candy. People-watchers will be pleased to note that the clientele is equally ostentatious.

Nicola Di Luzio is an intern at Hg2 luxury city guides

I was inspired to write this article by a comment made by Nick P on another of my articles on ALTB.

Pattaya is much maligned, even by expats who live in Thailand. Those of us who live, or have lived, in Patters are the butt of many jokes. You’ll have heard the one about the Pattaya jumpers (desperate foreigners who’ve lost every penny and see no way out other than flinging themselves off a high balcony). No doubt you’ll have heard of the cash cows and the walking ATMs, and how some hapless idiots lose everything, often within days of arrival in Sin City. I don’t dispute it happens. It does. But Pattaya has a lot more to offer, so please let me set the record straight.

Pattaya is the second largest city in Thailand and, as a big city, has a lot to offer for all sorts of people. Yes, downtown Pattaya is a sleaze hole. No arguments from me there. But there are sleazy places in most cities. I don’t write off London, for example, as a cess pit just because of the pros at King’s Cross or the sex for sale in Soho.

If you look beyond the so-called “entertainment zone” of central Pattaya, there’s a great deal on offer which is worlds away from the sleaze and sex industry. By the way, I’d like to take this opportunity to mention anti-slavery, which is a cause I care a great deal about.

To the north of Pattaya, you have the quiet suburb of Naklua with its excellent markets full of fresh local produce and established community of locals and long term expats. Some of Pattaya’s best hotels and restaurants are situated towards the north of the city. It’s hard to imagine a Sunday brunch anywhere in the world to match the one at the Amari’s Mantra restaurant.

On the subject of restaurants, visitors to Pattaya are spoiled for choice with gourmet treats. Just buy the local paper, the Pattaya Mail, and read their “Dining Out” section. There’s seafood restaurants, fine dining, international festivals, world class chefs, and many regular foodie events. Yum! It’s gourmet heaven.

To the south, you have Jomtien, a popular holiday resort. Pattaya is also rapidly expanding to the east, but I’ve very rarely ventured there so I can’t comment on that.

Beyond the city, there are numerous golf courses. Many people come to Pattaya for the fabulous golf courses at very reasonable prices. There are other tourist attractions too, as you’d expect from a place where tourism is such a major part of the economy. The vast majority of the people are honest and friendly – it’s a comfortable place to be.

If you want to sit in a seedy girlie bar (or indeed in BoyZone) and get ripped off by a good-looking stranger who amazingly falls in love with you immediately, then you can easily find that too. No problem! But Pattaya is about a lot more than that, so I just wanted to speak up in favour of the place I called home for several years.

Pattaya has numerous top class luxury hotels and resorts. I believe the King of Sweden holidays at the Dusit Thani, which is situated at the north end of Pattaya.

So you see, Pattaya has a lot more to offer than seedy sex. Perhaps you just need a little bit of insider information to see it.

Charley Boorman (of Long Way Round fame) is bold enough to offer his own recommendations. The actor has teamed up with American Express to suggest ‘The One Thing’ you should do when you visit Paris, Amsterdam, Madrid, and Edinburgh. Think you know these cities well? His recommendations are surprisingly savvy and inventive. You can watch him enjoy unique adventures from a visit to Amsterdam’s smallest microbrewery (Brouwerij de Prael) to a private CV tour of Paris. His vodcasts are worthwhile, whether you’re a seasoned globetrotter or looking for a fresh adventure nearby.

If you like your food then why not visit Cologne and experience a delicious culinary journey through Asia at the Excelsior Hotel Ernst’s award winning Taku restaurant. Taku, Cologne’s most famous Asian restaurant was recently awarded the Busche Gala ‘Foreign Restaurant of the Year 2010’. Head Chef Nicolas von Auersperg will take you on a culinary journey through Asia tasting delicacies from Japan, China, Thailand and Vietnam.

Taku, the house of hospitality is known for its fine Asian cuisine and timeless elegance. The restaurant located in the 5* Excelsior Hotel Ernst in the centre of the city is proud to serve some of finest Asian cuisine in Cologne from traditional Thai curries to some of the best Sushi in Germany.

Taku can be booked for private kitchen parties where you can become acquainted with the Asian cuisine. The celebration begins with Taku’s signature champagne cocktail ‘Taku’s Rose’ followed by an array of Asian specialties. You then get the chance to take part in helping the chefs at various cooking stations around the restaurant. What better way to truly experience the Orient.

I recently had the pleasure of staying at the Sea Sand Sun, a luxury resort and spa near Pattaya. Did I say “luxury”? That’s an understatement! This place is superbly luxurious. If I could write this review in one word, that word would be WOW!

But you luxury travellers are going to want a bit more information than that, so here’s the heads up on this hidden tropical Paradise, which is only about 30 minutes’ drive away from the hustle and bustle of downtown Pattaya. It’s easy to get to via the main East Coast highway, and is clearly sign-posted from the main road (Km 163 on the seaward side of Highway 3) so you should find it easily enough – now you know where to look.

On arrival, we (my husband came along with me to carry the bags) were greeted by smiling staff who checked us in promptly, handed us a refreshing coconut drink, and loaded our luggage on to an electric buggy. The resort is quite large so if you don’t want to walk around, you can phone reception and ask for one of their buggies to take you from A to B. It was such a beautifully landscaped place that we preferred to walk everywhere, except on arrival and departure when we had luggage to shift.

The words “large resort” may conjure up an image in your mind of loads of people milling about, along with all the accompanying hubbub and bustle. Nothing could be further from the truth in the case of the Sea Sand Sun resort. The space was used to provide seclusion and privacy. There are only about 50 units of accommodation (some with two bedrooms) here, and it’s quite easy not to see other people if you prefer the peace and quiet of your own company.

Our accommodation was gorgeous. We had a secluded villa with a private pool which could also be used as a jacuzzi. We had every facility one could ever want from a luxury break. I could tell you about every little detail (actually, I was very taken with the design of the shower taps) but I’ve been told to write a review, not a book. The villa was wonderful with no attention spared to detail and comfort. Of course you can see the accommodation itself on the Sea Sand Sun’s own website.

The resort is laid out in a very convenient and sensible way too. Although we were given a plan of the resort, a quick glance was all that was required to orient ourselves. Basically there is a main path running along the centre to all the facilities with branches off the path, left and right, leading to the villas.

The reception is at the top, then at the foot you can find the spa, the free-form infinity pool with jacuzzi area, and outdoor restaurant. Oh yes, and the private beach.

Unlike Pattaya’s main beach where people are just about sitting on top of each other, there was no one to be seen on this one! I knew the resort had a private beach, I never expected to get the whole beach to ourselves. (No deckchairs reserved by someone else at 6am here!)

We were treated like VIPs by the staff. They know how to make guests feel valued and indeed they’re even used to royal visitors, as some members of the Thai Royal Family holiday at the Sea Sand Sun too.

If you really want seclusion, there’s also the option of private dining in your own villa, but we enjoyed visiting the restaurant, which serves terrific Thai food as well as international choices. There’s live music every night by Jay and Kookie who are really fun people and excellent entertainers.

Additionally, the resort has a very attractive meeting room which can be used for their corporate clients. If you have to attend a corporate meeting, I can’t think of a nicer environment to do it in.

This place was an amazing getaway from the stressful pace of life. After a two-night stay we left completely rejuvenated and relaxed. As I said in my first paragraph – WOW! As the resort itself says, it’s “so near, yet so far away from hassles”.

PS: We are pleased to be able to offer our readers a 10% discount if you’d like to stay at the Sea Sand Sun. Just mention A Luxury Travel Blog when you book with them.

For summer 2010 season the Belvedere Hotel in Mykonos, Greece, has opened with a stunning new look. This includes the debut of a new Martini Bar, a redesigned lobby, private VIP residents’ lounge and a selection of new luxury rooms. The result confirms the Belvedere’s position as one of the chicest and desirable destinations in the Greek Islands. The Belvedere’s owners, brothers, Nikolas and Tasos Ioannidis with their sister Domna have pulled together a team of experts, including the celebrated chef Nobu Matsuhisa, George Calombaris who have created signature restaurants at the hotel. New contemporary uniforms have also been designed by fashion designer Neil Barrett, while New York star architect David Rockwell, who created the W Hotel concept for Starwood has masterminded the sophisticated new look. Finally acclaimed mixologist Dale de Groff, the creator of the Cosmopolitan has created a collection of adventurous signature cocktails for the new Martini Bar.

With outposts in Amsterdam, Los Angeles and Singapore, the supperclub franchise is famous for serving up sumptuous suppers in sex-infused adult surroundings. Fortunately for those who reside in London, supperclub’s newest venue in Notting Hill lives up to the brand’s signature style. The interiors are as sleek as you’d expect, with a black-and-red bar for pre-supper drinks and a split-level dining room used for dinner and dancing. The square space is quite a sight to behold with bright white used throughout, from the glossy floor to the sofa-style seating that frames three walls. Cleanliness is considered, with glitzy guests required to take off their Louboutins before curling up on canvas cushions to enjoy the camp entertainment that unfolds before them. There are no menus here, so dinner is always a surprise mix of cuisines. With style and substance carefully balanced, supperclub challenges preconceptions of a night out and brings heady glamour back to the capital with a cool bar/restaurant/club combo.

Nick Clarke is Web Editor at Hg2 luxury city guides

Want to cook like a true Italian? Take a course at one of these luxury hotels and soon you’ll be throwing the most popular dinner parties in town.

L’Andana, Tuscany: Chef Christophe Martin teaches culinary secrets from the Maremma region; there’s also a Michelin-starred restaurant.

Villa Pitiana, Tuscany: The cookery school takes place in a beautifully restored monastery kitchen and focuses on local rustic cuisine.

Masseria Torre Maizza, Puglia: Visit the markets of Monopoli with the chef and return to the old stables where you’ll be taught how to prepare regional specialities, including fresh pasta and panzerotti in the wood-fired oven.

The Palace Wing of the Taj Mahal Palace and Tower, Mumbai is currently being restored following the events of 2008 and Taj has launched a microsite to keep customers informed of progress. In the next few months Taj will be reopening the Rooms and Grand Suites of the heritage wing in a phased manner. The microsite talks about the renowned restaurants that are already fully operational. It also showcases the rich history of Taj, its heritage, royalty, art and architecture ) and encourages people to share their special memories of Taj on the site.