A Luxury Travel Blog

Inspiring Impressionism comes to Seattle Art Museum to show the works of Manet, Degas, Cezanne and more. The historic Mayflower Park Hotel paints a warm welcome for guests who want to see the exhibit and not have to stand in line with the Brushes and Berets Impressionism Package. The package includes a classic or deluxe guestroom at the Mayflower Park Hotel, VIP exhibit tickets for two as well as complimentary valet parking. Rates start at $225 for a classic guestroom, and $245 for a deluxe room. The package is available from 19th June to 21st September 2008.

Don’t miss this opportunity to go on a tour of Apethorpe Hall, an exceptional grade I listed property set in a picturesque corner of Northamptonshire. One of the finest Jacobean houses in the country, Apethorpe Hall is steeped in history and it has played host to Queen Elizabeth I, King James I and King Charles I.  Following the completion of a 4 million repair and restoration programme undertaken by English Heritage, join their group of specialists as they talk you through the history and significance of this stunning property. The special tours are taking place on Wednesdays and Saturdays throughout June, July and August. Tickets are £7.50 per adult and pre-booking is essential on 0870 333 1183.

The Del Mar Thoroughbred Club, one of San Diego’s most celebrated attractions has partnered with the city’s hippest new hotel and nightlife offering The Ivy Hotel for a special summer hotel package.  Priced from $999 on weekdays and $1049 on weekends, The Summer Trifecta package includes a one-night stay in a superior guestroom with welcome glass of Champagne; admission for two to Ivy Hotel’s Envy Nightclub; passes for two to Del Mar’s ultra-exclusive Turf Club; transportation to and from the racetrack; stylish Havaianas flip flops for two; and cool-as-ever binoculars to help guests pick their winning ponies.

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.

NH Hotels is opening one of the most prestigious hotels in Madrid, ideally situated in the centre of the art triangle in the Spanish capital: Prado Museum, Reina Sofia and the Thyssen Museum. It’s the NH Paseo del Prado and, with their opening offer, you can treat yourself to a two night weekend stay and discover the emotions and passions of Madrid’s art style, which still has a profound effect on international artists today, for 400€. The offer is valid at weekends only until 31st December 2008.

If you’re in China for the Olympics and looking to explore further afield, then take a look at Red Capital Ranch; it is hidden away in the countryside about an hour from Beijing. The Great Wall is so close you can see unrestored sections of it from your room, and you can walk up it unguided within an hour.  Suites are available from 200 USD.

The Big Easy has seen better days. Since Hurricane Katrina, this popular travel destination has been working feverishly to replace not only the homes for its residents, but the popluar attractions that make New Orleans such a fantastic place to visit. To back this effort, American Express has pledged $400,000 to help out nine sites that have played such a crucial role in bringing the New Orleans community together. American Express and the National Trust for Historic Preservation launched this community-based historic preservation initiative this week, supporting New Orleans as part of the American Express Partners in Preservation program.

People who live in New Olreans and people across the country that have a special place in their heart for NOLA are invited to participate in the initiative by sharing stories, photos and comments about their favourite historic places in New Orleans and the nine historic sites that are competing for grant funding at www.partnersinpreservation.com

Luxury hotel chain Rocco Forte is offering a special package at their London Brown’s Hotel to celebrate the 100-year anniversary of Ian Fleming’s birth and the launch of the Imperial War Museum London’s new exhibition, “For Your Eyes Only: Ian Fleming and James Bond“. The ‘Ian Fleming Centenary’ stay includes overnight accommodation in a luxurious room or suite, full English breakfast (which is reputed to be Bond’s favourite meal of the day), two tickets to the “For Your Eyes Only: Ian Fleming and James Bond” exhibition at the Imperial War Museum, two Bond cocktails in The Donovan Bar, an exclusive, and a hardback copy of Ian Fleming’s Casino Royale. As well, guests can also make use of The Spa at Brown’s which offers a wide range of treatments, including a large selection of ‘Male Grooming’ packages

Brown’s Hotel is an ideal place to pay homage to the great Mr James bond - it is featured in John Gardner’s Bond novel ‘Icebreaker’ and the Donovan Bar offers a wide range of decadent Bond cocktails. And at the glamorous re-launch following the hotel’s recent £24 million renovation, famed Bond actor Roger Moore was in attendance. The Ian Fleming Centenary package starts from £315 per night, excluding VAT, and is available for Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights, from 18th April to 28th December 2008, subject to availability.  For further information or to make a reservation please call 0800 988 4040, visit www.roccofortecollection.com or email reservations.browns@roccofortecollection.com and quote ‘Ian Fleming Centenary’. Tickets to the ‘For Your Eyes Only’ exhibition are subject to availability and time restrictions may apply. To book these tickets, clients must contact the hotel directly to arrange.

Andrea Wren is a freelance journalist and owner of Luxury Worldwide Tours.

The Italian government has revealed that the Leaning Tower of Pisa is going to be returned to its originally-intended vertical glory. Announcing the $43 million project, Irma Joken of The Revival in Pisa’s Edifices (TRIPE) commented how delighted she was that her 4-year campaign to remove the 5.5 degree lean on the tower was finally becoming a reality. Some locals have opposed the decision to remove the tower’s disinctive slant, expressing concerns that it might be damaging to Pisa’s thriving tourist industry, but the project has now officially been given the green light. It will take 12 months to finish the work, and a grand completion ceremony is already scheduled for the morning of 1st April 2009.

The areas surrounding Muscat city are diverse in scenery and culturally rich, and for all round sun, luxury and leisure at its very opulent, the Grand Hyatt Muscat is an offer you cannot refuse! A haven for water-sports enthusiasts, Omani waters are home to some of the most amazing marine life in the world, and as the hotel stands on the sandy beach of Shatti Al Qurm, guests can conveniently explore what the ocean has to offer. Historic tombs, monuments and forts are also extremely accessible, with tours to the Wahiba Sands or Jebel Akhdar and Jebel Shams mountains arranged at the hotel, as well as opportunities for caving, hiking and abseiling. The hotel itself reflects the relaxed Omani traditional style, truly enabling guests to really grasp the feel of  their surroundings; whether for adventure or for a relaxing break, Grand Hyatt Muscat has much to offer its visitors.

Looking across the beauty of the Tuileries Gardens, the imposing Le Meurice stands in the most fasionable neighbourhood of Paris with many of the world’s best-loved sights only a short walk away.  Its rooms, decorated in Louis XVI-style, offer calm and luxury, it Espace Bien-Etre was named one of the Leading Spas of the World, while its restaurant is considered to be amongst the very best in town.  Their Da Vinci Package is available for minimum stays of 2 nights and runs until the end of 2008; it includes a private visit of the Louvre Museum and St. Sulpice Church with prices starting from 750 euros for a Superior Room, up to 1615 for a Meurice Garden Suite with a view of the Tuileries Gardens.

Moscow is the barometer and nucleus of the changes sweeping through Russia. Nowhere are Russia’s contrasts more apparent than here - ancient monasteries and ultra-modern monoliths stand side by side, and ‘New Russian’ millionaires and poverty-stricken pensioners walk the same streets. With this in mind it is natural that the Ararat Park Hyatt Moscow’s architecture harmoniously blends contemporary character with tradition. The ‘Café Ararat’ restaurant for example is a replica of the historical Café Ararat, a landmark of Moscow during the 1960s, whilst the innovative style and comfort hotel offers more than the usual standards of a contemporary five-star hotel. Located in the very heart of the city, within immediate vicinity of the Bolshoi Theatre and only a few minutes walk from the Kremlin, Red Square, the Parliament house and the central business district Ararat Park Hyatt Moscow is a timeless, world-class, residential style hotel; one of the best in this popular city.

The first W Hotel in Europe - W Istanbul - will open next month. Originally scheduled for the back end of 2007, it has been designed by Geomim and will serve as a centerpiece of the redevelopment of the landmark Akaretler Row Houses in Besiktas. In walking distance of the Museum of Painting and Sculpture, the W Instanbul is also just a short drive from the Old City, the Blue Mosque and the Istanbul Modern art museum.