A Luxury Travel Blog

Located in the heart of Dallas’ thriving Arts District and housed within a landmark bank building, The Joule features one of the city’s finest collections of modern art. From intimate to monumental, a myriad of bold works by acclaimed artists including Andy Warhol, Ellsworth Kelly and Richard Phillips, decorate the hotel. Encounter art everywhere, even on the rooftop, where three colorful David Levinthal photographs lead to a 39-foot infinity pool that dramatically cantilevers over the bustling streets below.

The luxurious JW Marriott San Antonio Hill Country Resort & Spa has opened its doors this week. The huge 1002-room resort is the first JW Marriott resort in Texas and offers discriminating travellers an unrivalled experience of natural elegance. Set on 600 acres of rolling hills, meandering creeks and Live Oak trees, guests can relax and explore all just minutes away from San Antonio.

As an incentive, the resort is offering Special Introductory Rates until the end of February 2010. For a limited time, room rates start at $149 a night or $288 a night with breakfast for two and a single round of golf at the all new PGA TOUR Tournament Players Club (TPC) San Antonio. (The regular room rate starts at $249.) The resort is also offering special Valentine’s Day and Super Bowl packages with dining and spa options.

The Preferred Hotel Group will welcome 13 new members to its portfolio next month, from the stunning Natal Ocean Club on the picturesque coast of Cabo Sao Roque in Brazil, due to open early 2010, to the majestic Leela Palace on the banks of Lake Pichola in Udaipur.   In Barcelona, Casanova by Rafael Hotels has been inspired by the city’s Gaudi architecture, formerly an 18th Century limestone residence, it is now a chic haven for those looking for elegant accommodation in this cosmopolitan city.   For something further afield, Legends Resort Villas Moorea in French Polynesia has just joined Preferred Boutique – spread across 17 breathtaking acres, the 46 villas, with private decking and Jacuzzi pool, offer guests a slice of paradise. Or for the ultimate in glitz and glamour head to Hotel Zaza Houston in Texas where you’ll be welcomed by delightfully indulgent surroundings and hi style creature comforts.

Ideally located next to the flagship Neiman Marcus, The Joule has raised the bar for luxury in Dallas, TX. Designed by world-renowned designer Adam D. Tihany, The Joule is destined to be one of America’s hippest contemporary hotels. The 129 room boutique property features a fantastic restaurant from Chef Charlie Palmer (of Aureole fame; this is his first Texas outpost) and a dramatic cantilevered pool that juts beyond the side of the building on the 10th floor. It’s spectacular! As people are looking for unique vacations within the U.S., The Joule and Dallas are the perfect getaway. The hotel takes its name from a Joule, the unit of energy. It’s an appropriate choice for a hotel that embodies a new sense of dynamism and vivacity sweeping through downtown Dallas.

Dallas is experiencing a cultural boom, and the downtown area is thriving with the addition of The Joule in the renovated, historic National Bank building. The concept of energy flows throughout the design of the hotel and the restaurant while original works of art by Bram Tihany and other artists grace the walls of the sumptuous space. Just steps from Dallas’ business district and nearby attractions such as Victory Park and the Dallas Museum of Art, The Joule’s location offers style, ambiance and accessibility to Dallas natives and visitors alike.

Texas finally has its first aloft hotel.   The Starwood lifestyle brand has opened in Las Colinas – the first of three aloft hotels planned for the state.   If you take advantage of their ‘Better Tomorrows’ rate (available until the end of March 2009), you can enjoy a second night at 50% off.

You can learn more about the brand from this video:

Embassy Suites Hotels, an upscale Hilton brand, is planning to open 62 franchised hotels in the next three years.  It currently has 192 hotels, and officials say the planned properties represent the strongest development pipeline in the brand’s 24-year history. New properties will include locations in Memphis, Denver, New Orleans, Houston, St. Louis and Miami. The Embassy Suites Jackson-Ridgeland will be the brand’s first in Mississippi,  and is scheduled to open in November 2008.

The brand  is also expanding in Latin America, with properties in Valencia, Venezuela; San Jose, Costa Rica; Tijuana, Mexico; and Panama City, Panama.

Renaissance Houston Hotel Greenway Plaza is offering guests amazing accommodation when coming to the city to experience Houston sports at its finest. Baseball season has finally begun, and the Houston Astros are at it again at Minute Maid Park. Located minutes from the Renaissance, at 501 Crawford Street on the northeast end of downtown Houston, Minute Maid Park has recently been revamped, making it a truly distinctive site to see. Turn a baseball game in Houston into a summer sports getaway; bring the kids or come with the guys and spend a weekend filled with baseball, golf and relaxation. With three challenging golf courses nearby, the Renaissance Houston, TX Hotel is located six miles from Memorial Park Golf Course, eight miles from Wildcat which boasts 36 challenging holes, and Bear Creek Golf World which is 13 miles away, but offers 54 holes to keep golf-lovers busy for days.

Devoted exclusively to women, Arlington’s  The Greenhouse has been a leader in luxury spa life, luscious cuisine, inventive health programmes and expert staff dedicated to unparalleled and personalised attention. From 22nd to 25th May 2008, The Greenhouse invites you to  enjoy $500 off your stay.   Contact them for details.

Book the Summer at the Pines package at Hyatt Regency Lost Pines Resort & Spa to receive a $50 resort credit for family activities and dining, two opulent Lost Pines beach towels, two “Old Buck’s Place” water bottles for bottomless non-alcoholic beverages and 20% savings on spa and golf green services.

In addition to the Crystal Award winners at the 2007 Spa Finder Readers’ Choice Awards, there’s a multitude of addtional winners sorted by both country and category. Among the categories, one of particular interest to this blog is the luxury category.    Perhaps it is due to Spa Finder’s readership, but all the winners are all from the USA:

• Bellagio, Nevada
• Boca Raton Resort & Club, Florida
• Cal-a-Vie, California
• ESPA at Acqualina, Florida
• The Greenhouse, Texas
• The Mayflower Inn & Spa, Connecticut
• Montage Laguna Beach, California
• Sea Island, Georgia
• Spa Palazzo at Boca Raton Resort & Club, Florida
• Ventana Inn and Spa, California

Ingredients:

•  6 cups whipping cream
• 2 cups of milk
• 1 cup of sugar
• 20oz white chocolate, broken
• 4 whole eggs
• 15 yolks
• 9 flaky croissants and 9 fruit Danishes

For the white chocolate sauce:
• 8oz white chocolate, broken
• ½ a cup of whipping cream

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large saucepan, heat the cream, milk and sugar over medium heat. When hot, take off the heat and add white chocolate pieces. Stir until melted. Combine the whole eggs and egg yolks in a large bowl. Slowly pour the hot cream mixture into the eggs whipping eggs as you go. Place the croissants and danishes (cut into 1 inch pieces) into a  large pan. Pour bread pudding mix on bread. Use your fingers to press the liquid and bread together. Pour the remaining mix on top. Cover the pan with aluminum foil and bake for 1 hour. Take off the foil and bake for an additional hour, until set and brown.

Sauce: Bring the 1/2 cup of whipping cream to a boil in a saucepan. Take off the heat and add the 8 oz. white chocolate, broken. Stir until completely smooth and melted. Spoon over bread pudding or each individual can help themselves.  

Source: Barton Creek Resort & Spa, Austin TX

Please give this recipe a try and let us know what you think by clicking on the comments link… thank you!

Now’s the time to visit Texas if you’re a shopaholic.   This weekend (17th-19th August 2007)  is the state annual tax-free weekend where Texas suspends state and local taxes on retail purchases. In short, this means that  for every $100 you spend, you’ll save $8.

The Ritz-Carlton, Dallas, a 218-room hotel in a 21-story Regency-style building on the  historic McKinney Avenue in Uptown Dallas opens today. Sumptuous hotel guest rooms and suites have flat-panel HDTV, high-speed and wireless Internet, in-room safes with built-in laptop rechargers, Frette bed and bath linens, and high-end furnishings. The club level will have private secured access, an exclusive lounge, and five complimentary food and beverage sessions each day. The hotel will also have a Fearing’s restaurant and a 12,000-square-foot spa with programs ranging from “executive de-stress” to “spa 101” to “joyous aging.” Room rates will start at $329 a night, $389 for club level.

The 291-room Four Seasons Austin Hotel has a new, 5,500 sq ft  spa. Signature treatments include a ‘lavender lemongrass journey’ which uses local ingredients (Texas Hill Country lavender) to offer an exfoliation, hydration wrap and full massage, and a ‘yellow rose of Texas body wrap’ which uses fresh rose petals and pure rose essential oil to soothe the skin and provide you with an all-round, healthy glow.

An executive limousine company is preparing to equip its entire fleet of limos with wireless internet equipment. Carey Houston will be able to connect to the internet during their travels, through either a WiFi or Ethernet connection. The move is sure to be a hit with many business executives and VIPs.

Make this summer one for the memory books with great summer vacation packages at KSL Resorts:

• Hotel del Coronado – Coronado, California
  Relax and renew at San Diego’s hottest new spa, just steps from the “best family beach in America” (Travel Channel). Click here for offers

• La Costa Resort and Spa – Carlsbad, California
  Legendary golf, spa and tennis are joined by the all-new Splash Landing, with three exhilarating waterslides and a water-play zone for tots. Click here for offers

• Rancho Las Palmas Resort & Spa – Rancho Mirage, California
  Enjoy a classic Palm Springs vacation with 27 holes of golf, tennis and a pampering spa. Click here for offers

• The Homestead – Hot Springs, Virginia
  3,000 acres of summer fun: from championship golf and a world-class spa to fly fishing, biking, horseback riding, skeet and sporting clays, bowling, movies, falconry and more. Click here for offers

• Barton Creek Resort & Spa – Austin, Texas
  Home to Texas’ top two-rated resort golf courses (Dallas Morning News), a spa and award-winning dining, just minutes from Austin’s legendary music scene. Click here for offers

• Vail Mountain Lodge – Vail, Colorado
  Revel in the splendor of a Colorado mountain summer, then retreat to the lodge for epicurean delights and rejuvenating spa treatments. Click here for offers  

Packages are based on availability through until 31st August 2007.