A Luxury Travel Blog

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.

The latest luxe skiing holidays are about everything but snow. Coco, a new clubhouse that’s opened in Verbier, couldn’t be more OTT. Guests can sip £500 cocktails, stroke the white fur curtains or dance to tunes spun by the resident DJ from Harry and Will’s London hangout, Boujis.

If you are looking for the perfect escape this summer, the Hotel Byblos Saint-Tropez is the place for you. Nestled in the stunning Provencal village of Saint-Tropez that comes back to life every year between April and September, it is the paradise for an unforgettable journey to the South of France. From Saint-Tropez devotees to party aficionados to Provence lovers or gourmet travelers, the Byblos offers an exceptional ambience that makes visitors return every year and feel perfectly at home. Decorated with warm hues, the Byblos features 51 rooms and 45 suites, two upscale restaurants and a stunning spa; the Byblos Spa By Sisley Cosmetics. New this season, the Byblos is launching new concepts for their restaurants. SPOON at Byblos, the Mediterranean version of Alain Ducasse’s Spoon at Marignan, now offers a new menu inspired by the flavors and spices of the South of France. B., the former Bayader, welcomes guests poolside and the menu is adapted to everyone’s aspiration and pace. Totally renovated for the upcoming season, the swimming pool was redesigned and now allows you to enjoy a seaside atmosphere with a sunbathing deck, complete with luxury snacking at any time you please. When the sun goes down, the area turns into a chic lounge and trendy place, perfect to enjoy a cocktail before going clubbing at the world-famous hotspot Les Caves Du Roy. After a long party at the famed nightclub, the Byblos Spa By Sisley Cosmetics, launched last year, will be exactly what guests need to unwind. The spa features six deluxe treatment rooms, a Turkish bath, side-by-side massage tables and a private garden complete with olive trees. This year, the spa will be themed around the five senses. The new concept will allow guests to “hear, smell, taste, feel and see” the spa.

The latest enterprise from Steve Wynn is to be Encore Suites in Las Vegas, billed to open in December 2008. It’ll consist of 2,034 spacious suites with “a cosmopolitan style and sophistication ensconced in a comfortable, residential feel”. Suite sizes vary from 700 square feet (Resort Suites) up to 5,800 square feet (VIP Suites). In addition, there will be five signature restaurants, seven bars and lounges, a spa and salon, a nightclub and multiple retail outlets.  Rates are yet to be confirmed, but expect to pay upwards of $500 a night.

Orient-Express is to build a New York City hotel on the current site of the Donnell New York Public Library, located at 24 West 53rd Street. The 150-room luxury hotel will house contemporary dining, spa and wellness facilities, as well as expanded banqueting and dining space for the company’s existing restaurant and dining business, ‘21′ Club, which currently backs on to the library.  The new hotel will even include a re-built “state-of-the-art” Donnell Library within it, and will be marketed under a new ‘21′ Hotel brand name. The original ‘21′ Club, a celebrated New York City institution, will be preserved at its current location in the heart of midtown Manhattan, with enhanced facilities.

Do you aspire to a Hugh Hefner lifestyle?  If so, you might be interested to hear about the Playboy Passport concierge service that was launched earlier this year.  With a $10,000 annual membership fee, you get access to private jet and yacht services, upgrades at hotels and resorts, and discounted car rental.  Of course there’s also various Playboy-specific perks such as VIP access to the Playboy Club in Vegas, tickets to the Playboy Super Bowl party, and invitations to parties at the Playboy mansion.

MGM Grand Detroit have issued a multimedia news release with a Windows Media download, information and a variety of hi-res images from the evening.  Looks like it was quite a spectacle with plenty of celebrities in attendance, including Kid Rock, Ashanti and Anita Baker, not to mention celebrity chefs and local dignitaries.

The MGM Grand Detroit opens tonight amid a display of fireworks at the luxury casino.  The Vegas-style resort has 400 rooms and suites, a full-service spa and three restaurants operated by celebrity chefs Wolfgang Puck and Michael Mina. It is the first of three major casinos in the city, with Greektown Casino and MotorCity Casino to follow.

twentyfour london (argh… it’s a bit of a pet hate of mine when people use all lower case like that) is a bar and nightclub that opened near Oxford Circus in central London earlier this month.  But this is a bar with a dramatic difference where the walls take varying forms according to your every whim. Whether you want to drink among Californian desert scenery, or have a projected image of models walking up and down a catwalk, the choice is yours.  You can even use your images and videos.  And, if that wasn’t enough, you can play with interactive virtual Koi carp, summon the barman by placing your hand on the bar, or have your drinks notify him when they are empty.

Media reports claim that a businessman’s bar bill at a London West End club totalled no less than £105,805.28. The man and his circle of friends polished off some 80 bottles of Champagne, including a six-litre methuselah of Cristal worth £30,000 and a £9,600, three-litre jeroboam. The celebration took place at Crystal in Marylebone, a nightclub launched with the help of Prince William and Prince Harry’s; friend Jacobi Anstruther-Gough-Calthorpe; it is a fond favourite of Tatler’s ‘most eligible’ set.

A new travel club is poised to cause quite a fuss among luxury travel goers – GoldSmith. The brainchild of Mr. and Mrs. Smith, purveyor of the much-loved guide books and website, this exclusive invitation-only level of Smith membership is a brand-new booking and concierge service that customises and coordinates its clients’ entire trip. From homing in on the comfiest bed adorned with 1000-thread count sheets in Mykonos to recommending a hidden gem of a Riad in Marrakech, Mr. and Mrs. Smith curate their clients’ holidays, with luxury and individuality being of paramount importance. Of the countless perks associated with being a part of this exclusive travel club, some of the favoured Goldsmith benefits include deals on flights and car hire, access to VIP airport lounges and significant upgrades at all Smith hotels. There’s even discounts at premier retailers such as Mulberry (30%) and Jo Malone (20%).

Stingaree, San Diego’s sizzling restaurant and nightclub in the heart of the Gaslamp Quarter, is recognized this month in Conde Nast Traveler magazine’s annual “Hot List” issue as one of the 25 hottest new nightclubs in the country. Located in a historic warehouse in the once taboo Red Light district, Stingaree is a state-of-the-art restaurant, nightclub, and event centre that boasts the ultimate blend of high style and excellent service. The multi-million dollar facility occupies three stories on the corner of Sixth Avenue and Island Street and features a floor-to-ceiling waterfall, rooftop cabanas, fire pit, and a VIP lounge.

Leaders Club is an exclusive program offered by The Leading Hotels of the World, and its members enjoy exclusive benefits (such as room upgrades, special LHW offers, partner offers, etc.) and recognition at over 420 luxury hotels and resorts. For more information and details of how to join online, see https://www.lhw.com/LeadersClub/LCHome.aspx

In case you missed this in the news, the decision to grant the UK’s first supercasino license recently went to Manchester, my city of birth.  The city was a 16/1 outsider to get the green light, beating the more fancied alternatives of Blackpool and London.  16/1…!  Now, why didn’t I have a few £s on that!

The Guardian has a brief article on the five best places to re-tax (as opposed to de-tox)… the shortlist includes:

• an Ecole du Vin weekend in March at Birmingham’s Hotel du Vin
• multi-course feasting at Li Licci in Sardinia
• a night out in London followed by a sleeper to Penzance and a stay at Rick Stein’s spot in Padstow
• clubbing in Barcelona (until 9am) at the likes of Razzmatazz
• splashing out in the US whilst the pound is strong, whilst staying at New York’s Hotel on Rivington