A Luxury Travel Blog

The trend towards luxury train travel appears to be increasing for travellers who enjoy a relaxing time watching the world go by in sumptuous surroundings, whilst also knowing exactly how their budget is being spent (being that many such journeys include most meals and drinks). And travellers should be pleased to know that short European breaks are now an option with the ultra-luxury holiday train The Danube Express.

The launch of the Bohemian Short Break adventure – a 5-day fully escorted trip from Budapest to Brussels – means that those with a penchant for luxury rail travel can enjoy a scenic voyage through the changing landscapes of the heart of Europe. The break begins with two nights in Budapest before joining the Danube Express at Budapest Nyugati station, where passengers will begin with a Champagne reception for the journey through Europe to Brussels, via Vienna, Prague and Carlsbad. Arriving in Brussels at the end of the holiday, guests will say farewell to the Danube Express to board the Eurostar for journey’s end – London St Pancras.

The Danube Express offers the Bohemian Short Break from £1,890 per person, including two nights’ half board hotel accommodation in Budapest, two nights’ full board with wine, beer and soft drinks onboard the Danube Express, outbound BA flight London-Budapest, Eurostar Brussels-London in Leisure Select, transfers, full sightseeing programme and the services of a Tour Manager. The trip departs 2nd September 2009.

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

Tripadvisor sent me an email yesterday, outlining their top 10 European luxury hotels.  In numerical order, they are as follows:

1. The Ritz-Carlton Berlin, Germany 
2. Mykonos Grand Hotel & Resort, Greece
3. Hotel Le Palais, Czech Republic 
4. The Chesterfield Mayfair Hotel, England 
5. Hotel Prinsenhof, Belgium 
6. Corinthia Grand Hotel Royal, Hungary 
7. Rudding Park Hotel, England 
8. Swissotel Berlin, Germany 
9. Four Seasons Hotel George V Paris, France 
10. Riverside Hotel, Czech Republic

No doubt you’ve been to a hotel that you think ought to be in the list, but isn’t.  Tell us by clicking on the comments link.

How important is a really good quality bed to you?  It’s an issue that I’ve paid attention to more and more in recent times (my wife had a slipped disc that required surgery, just over 12 months ago) and so I was interested to hear that the Vi Spring is the bed of choice for the Beckhams. Theirs retails in Harrods for £24,275. And it’s also the bed of choice for many leading hotels around Europe, including the Palais Coburg Residence, Hotel Ravenstein, Hotel Adlon Kempinski Berlin, Langshott Manor, Villa Trompenberg and The Zetter to name just some.  But it’s by no means the most expensive bed out there.  That dubious honour no doubt goes to the $1.5 million (yes, you read that right) floating bed designed by Janjaap Ruijssenaars.

What’s the best bed you’ve ever slept in?  Or – if you work in the luxury hotel industry – where do you get your beds?

• The Ritz-Carlton Berlin – Berlin, Germany
• Mykonos Grand Hotel & Resort – Mykonos, Greece
• Hotel Le Palais – Prague, Czech Republic
• The Chesterfield Mayfair Hotel – London, England
• Hotel Prinsenhof – Brugge, Belgium
• Corinthia Grand Hotel Royal – Budapest, Hungary
• Rudding Park Hotel – Harrogate, England
• Swissotel Berlin – Berlin, Germany
• Four Seasons Hotel George V Paris – Paris, France
• Riverside Hotel – Prague, Czech Republic

Come back tomorrow for the best in Asia!

I read recently about a curious attempt to break the world record for the largest ever Champagne fountain. It was being held at a shopping centre near Antwerp.  Whilst there seems to be a lot of blog posts about the attempt, I can’t seem to find anything that tells us whether they were successful.  Anyone out there know?

Eurostar began its 186 mph service from London’s St. Pancras station to France yesterday. St. Pancras station has been through an amazing $1.6 billion refurbishment over a 7 year period and is now a station that can rival the likes of New York’s Grand Central Terminal; it can even lay claim to the title of having Europe’s longest Champagne bar, at 300 feet long.  (They served 4,500 glasses of Champagne on the first day!) The front portion of the station won’t open until 2009 but will be home to a development from St. Pancras Chambers consisting of a five star hotel and 67 luxury flats which were sold off-plan back in 2005 (and have already risen by about 60% in value). Eurostar are offering up to 17 connecting trains a day to Paris (takes just over 2 hours), and 11 to Brussels (takes just under 2 hours), with fares set to compete with regional airlines.

To celebrate the first birthday of its Etihad Guest loyalty programme, Etihad Airways is running a series of promotions throughout mid-September 2007. Register for various online drawings and you could win a trip to the Italian Grand Prix, to Formula 1 races in Belgium, to Thailand, or various other prizes from travel to diamonds. Membership in Etihad Guest, or registering (free) for the loyalty program, is required.

Suite name: Royal Suite of the House of Ambassadors
Hotel: Stanhope Hotel, Brussels, Belgium
Size of accommodation: 80-100 sq m
Cost per night: 500 Euros (weekends), 1,625 Euros (weekdays)
What makes it special? It’s the Royal Suite of the first 5-star hotel in Belgium!

With peaceful views of the park of Square de Mees, the Royal Suite of the House of Ambassadors is tastefully designed, with stylish decor, classical English style furniture and floral fabrics.  It has a luxurious marble bathroom with Molton Brown amenities.

The House of Ambassadors, a century-old residence, was inaugurated in September 2004 and consists of the Royal Suite, three single standard rooms, three deluxe rooms, six double standard rooms and two conference rooms.  This house in the hotel is an unique feature because it can be rented on its own for groups, delegations or important individuals.  Due to its two conference rooms, private breakfast, lunch and dinner can also be arranged. 

The Stanhope hotel is situated in quiet surroundings, in the historical centre of Brussels, next to the European District.  Within walking distance you can find some of the main tourist attractions in Brussels like Royal Palace, the Grand Place, and Sablon Square famous for its antiques shops.  The hotel is also nearby Avenue Louise, the most fashionable street of the European Capital.  This boutique hotel is a home-away-from-home that provides an exclusive, personalized and unique service.

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

Rocco Forte Hotels celebrated its 10-year anniversary this year. Ten years on, the luxury collection consists of ten hotels in ten key cities across Europe, with two new hotels due to open this summer (The Charles Hotel in Munich and Le Richemond in Geneva). Here are some quirky facts about the group’s ten hotels:

The Balmoral, Edinburgh

• J.K. Rowling finished writing her latest novel, ‘Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows’, the seventh and final instalment in the series at the hotel. To mark the occasion, the author signed an antique bust in the room in which she stayed.
• Since opening in 1902, the hotel’s historic clock tower has been set three minutes early to avoid people missing their trains (the hotel is located next to Waverley Train Station). The only day the clock runs on time is 31 December.
• In the 1970s, the Queen Mother was a regular visitor to the hotel where she liked to dine on plain roast lamb for lunch.

Hotel Savoy, Florence

• On 9 June 2003, rock legend Bruce Springsteen greeted his fans, who covered the entire Piazza della Repubblica, from the balcony of the hotel’s Repubblica Suite.
• Hotel Savoy is reported to be novelist John Grisham’s favourite hotel in Italy and he wrote on of his recent novels at the hotel during an extended stay.
• The hotel’s Brunelleschi and Signoria suites both have their own exclusive state-of-the-art steam rooms, complete with chromatherapy facilities.

Hotel Astoria, St Petersburg

• The hotel was home to the headquarters of the British Intelligence in 1914.
• Lenin was a guest at the hotel and gave a speech to his supporters from the balcony of room 211 shortly after the revolution.
• Adolf Hitler is reported to have planned a victory banquet in the hotel’s Winter Garden after the defeat of the Russian army, which of course never happened.

The St David’s Hotel & Spa, Cardiff

• The hotel has featured in hit BBC sci-fi series Dr Who and Torchwood.
• It was Wales’ first five star hotel.
• For those with a taste for the high life, the hotel can be hired out in its entirety for the day at a cost of £75,000.

Hotel Amigo, Brussels

• The hotel is housed in a former prison. The Spanish rulers mistook the Flemish for prison to mean friend and translated it into their own language as ‘amigo’.
• Valuable historical artefacts and antiques are on display in the hotel including paintings from famous Dutch artists such as Courtens, Dansaert and Wagemans and an original 18th century tapestry from Aubusson, made from silk and wool, hangs in the Ambassador meeting room.
• Famous guests who have stayed at Hotel Amigo include David Bowie, Fifty Cent, Harrison Ford, Hugh Grant, Jane Birkin, Robbie Williams and the cast of Casino Royale.

Hotel de Russie, Rome

• The cast of Ocean’s 12 stayed at the hotel during filming and George Clooney had a huge plasma screen installed for his stay in the Popolo suite.
• It is the only hotel in Rome with a secret garden and World Wildlife Fund protected butterfly oasis.
• The hotel once housed the headquarters of Italian TV channel RAI.

The Lowry Hotel, Manchester

• To date, staff at The Lowry Hotel have welcomed over half a million guests, served over 37,000 bottles of Champagne, provided 9,000 massages and the housekeeping staff have walked approximately 8,000 miles.
• The hotel has the longest sun terrace in Manchester.
• The hotel was built on the site of the former Dandy and Beano warehouse.

Brown’s Hotel, London

• The hotel has strong literary links, Rudyard Kipling wrote The Jungle Book there; Agatha Christie’s ‘At Bertram’s Hotel’ was based on the hotel and Stephen King wrote ‘Misery’ while staying at Brown’s Hotel.
• Alexander Graham Bell made the first ever telephone call from the hotel.
• Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt honeymooned at Brown’s Hotel.

Villa Kennedy, Frankfurt

• The hotel is named after Kennedyallee, the road on which it is situated, which was renamed in honour of President Kennedy who visited the city and passed along the road in 1963.
• The hotel has the largest presidential suite in Germany, The Georg Speyer Suite, measuring 326 sqm.
• Celebrity guests have included Eric Clapton, Billy Joel, Cher, Joseph Fiennes and Liza Minelli.

Hotel de Rome, Berlin

• It is the oldest building in Berlin with a hotel and was the former headquarters of the Dresdner Bank.
• The hotel spa is located in the old bank vault where the original safe door has been preserved. The 20 metre swimming pool is housed in the bank’s Jewellery Room and is decorated with brilliant gold mosaic tiles to represent the many jewels that were once stored there.
• Hollywood stars Sharon Stone and Matt Damon stayed at the hotel at the recent Berlinale Film Festival.

If you’re in Brussels and looking for somewhere a little different to stay, try the Monty Small Design Hotel is a hip, boutique hotel with just 18 rooms.  Don’t expect the same level of facilities, attention and service of the bigger hotels in Brussels, but do expect something that’s contemporary and different to where you might stay if you were travelling on business.

The Hotel Metropole is situated at the very heart of the Belgian capital. It offers five star luxuries within its turn-of-the-century style glamorous surrounds. All the hotel’s rooms are decorated with original artwork and antique furniture so guests can really live the history of the building. And this taste of the high life can be yours half price for a night’s accommodation if you book through Great Hotels of the World. Valid from 14th to 31st December 2006.

Sofitel have opened their first hotel in the European business hub of Brussels – the Sofitel Brussels Europe. The new hotel can be found at at the centre of the European Quarter in Place Jourdan, a stone’s throw away from the European Parliament, the Borschette conference centre and Berlaymont (European Commission in Brussels). It has 149 rooms over 7 floors, including 12 suites. All guest rooms are equipped with MyBed, Sofitel’s new sleeping concept which ensures a good night’s sleep with its combination of exceptional bedding with a mattress cover and duvet.

With the Belgian company Dinner in the Sky, you can dine whilst suspended 164 feet from the ground. You choose the location and they’ll bring the crane to you. The exact point of this is a little lost on me but I guess it must appeal to someone out there. I suspect they claim that the experience heightens awareness of your senses and so you appreciate the taste of your meal that little bit more, I don’t know. Whatever you do, be careful not to drop your knife and fork.

Part of the Carlton Hotel Collection, The Dominican will be a four star hotel in the Leopoldstraat at the back of the theatre La Monnaie. The high ceilings in the hotel and the cloisters will be reminiscent of the Dominican abbey that once stood on this location in the 15th Century. The hotel will have 150 rooms and suites, 3 meeting rooms, a brasserie and inner courtyard, a grand lounge and fitness and sauna facilities.

I don’t know about you, but I just love shellfish, and particularly mussels! If shellfish is your thing, head for Brussels’ Chez Leon and indulge in mussels near the Grand Palace. It’s exceptionally popular with tourists and, whether you like your mussels with onions, garlic or cheese, it really doesn’t matter: they have a huge range of options available.