A Luxury Travel Blog

These days it seems it’s not enough to offer just a few drinks and snacks in a hotel minibar.  Hotels are going a step further, offering all manner of items from bikinis (W Retreat & Spa, Maldives) to gourmet dog biscuits (The Loews Hotel, Denver). 

But perhaps one of the most unusual items you’ll ever find is an oxygen cannister!  Rooms at the Banyan Tree Ringha can be up to 10,500 feet above sea level and so the minibars come with a cannister containing almost 10 litres of lung-boosting freshness.

What’s the most unusual thing you’ve ever come across in a hotel minibar?

The Travelwrap from The Travelwrap Company arrived at A Luxury Travel Blog HQ this week. This company offers the perfect travelling companion in the form of their original, contemporary, Scottish-knitted cashmere Travelwraps. So soft and luxurious, they are made from the finest cashmere: the company spent a long time finding the right mill to do the knitting and dying of the ethically-sourced yarn as the finish and palette of cashmere is so important. Knitted by one of the world’s top cashmere suppliers in Scotland, this was a vital ingredient in getting The Travelwrap exactly right.

There are four Travelwrap collections available, with a variety of designs to choose from, covering classic and contemporary styles.  Ours is ‘Poppies’ from the Eclectic Collection (pictured) and it came in a beautifully-presented signature gift box and wrapped in tissue paper.  As we lifted it from the box, it exuded luxury in every way and we could immediately see why it was well suited for travel, being so lightweight.  Also, being 100% cashmere, it beats those awful acrylic blankets you get on flights by a country mile - in fact, it’s not really fair to draw any comparison!

It’s with good reason, therefore, that The Travelwrap earned the prestigious title of ‘Luxury Gift of the Year 2008′. Although marketed for travel, you could equally use The Travelwrap at home, curled up on the sofa in your PJs with a good book. And despite being largely a girl thing, The Travelwrap also comes in smaller sizes for toddlers and children. What’s more, the company is to launch slightly more muted Travelwraps for Him collection later in 2009.

Travelwraps retail from £191 adult/£140 children and are available online. But here’s some good news for you, our readers!

The Travelwrap Company is kindly offering readers of A Luxury Travel Blog a 20% discount on purchases from The Eclectic Collection or Evening Collection made up to and including 30th April 2009.  Just quote the promotional code TRAV1.

Gwen Stefani isn’t just known for her music.  She’s also a fashion designer and was recently named ‘top celebrity designer’ by In Touch Weekly magazine, ahead of the likes of Justin Timberlake, Victoria Beckham and others. And her eye for design has clearly been noted by W Hotels who have commissioned her to design new uniforms for their female bar stuff.  The new range will be phased in in December 2008.

Ever worn socks with sandals or committed some other fashion no-no?  Better still, do you know someone else who has?  Enjoy a bit of interactive fun and the chance to win a luxury weekend away courtesy of holidaycrimes.co.uk - the site has been built by the Hotel Reservation Service (HRS) and asks those who have been on holiday to post photos of themselves, friends or family who have committed “holiday crimes” such as wearing inappropriate swimwear or sporting socks and sandals. Visitors to the site will automatically be entered into a weekly prize draw to win a luxury weekend break.

I’ve previously read about a backpack that can re-charge your laptop whilst you walk around with it, and I recall blogging about this solar-powered handbag a while back, but now it would appear that the same ideas are being carried forward to clothing.  Ermenegildo Zegna’s solar-powered sporty jacket has solar panels within its neoprene collar and can be used to charge an iPod or mobile phone.  Look out for it in stores from November 2007 and expect to pay in the region of $750 for it.

Fancy getting your hands on a Mercedes C-class? wejetset, which is due to launch an online store next month selling everything from backpacks to travel apparel, is partnering with Mercedes Benz to give away a 2008 Mercedes C-class sports sedan with a set of luggage from one of their favourite brands. For a chance to win, enter before 18th September 2007.

A swimsuit made of pure gold has been unveiled in Kyoto by the Tokyo jewellery store Ginza Tanaka. It’s a one-piece, hand-woven, halter-neck outfit weighing 500g and can be yours for 10 million yen (approx. $82,000).  Seems like a lot for a swimsuit that they say is not for water recreation, but I suppose it’s still not a patch on Susan Rosen’s $30 million diamond bikini.

Fairmont Hotels & Resorts now offers Fairmont President’s Club Members easy access to adidas training gear through Fairmont Fit. This newest guest benefit for loyalty club members will deliver workout apparel, footwear and accessories directly to your accommodation for use in your room, in the gym or to enjoy in the great outdoors. It is currently available at Fairmont hotels throughout the US and Canada.

Looking for a dress for all occasions?  This may not quite be what you had in mind, but it’s interesting nonetheless! Designed by Despina Papadopoulos of Studio 5050 as a hommage to Paco Rabanne, the Day-for-Night dress is perhaps more a celebration of eletroncic beauty than fashion. It has the ability to lengthen or shorten depending on the weather and, once charged by the sun during the day, can even change colour in different lighting circumstances come nightfall!

Solestrom have come up with the world’s first UV Smart Bikini featuring a smart fabric UV meter with Bright LED display. Designed to protect you from excessive exposure to the sun’s rays, the device is quick and easy to use and powered by standard long lasting CR2025 batteries.

An ex-Sony technician, Kouzi Ichigaya, has launched the world’s first ‘air-conditioned’ shirt. The shirt can be powered by USB, an in-car cigarette lighter or, perhaps most practically of all, by four AA batteries. Shirts for both men and women are currently available in Japan. Two small fans are located on both sides of the shirt, towards the bottom of the back. It’s not so much air-conditioning, more just air circulation.

Marco Bramani, the grandson of the founder of the Italian shoe sole company Vibram, has come up with a pair of shoes that are designed to retain the sensation of walking barefoot.  Fivefingers are made from the rubber TC4 (commonly found in outdoor sandals) which has had its porosity increased in order to improve traction in wet weather. Other modifications have been made and you’ll find the full technical spiel on their website.

If last month’s catwalks in Miami are anything to go by, the beach look for 2007 will be something minimal and inpractical. The beachwear costumes on display from a variety of designers, including the likes of Jamaican-born Miki Nembhard, are certainly not for the faint-hearted. You’ll have to be extremely slim and probably very well bronzed to carry them off!

London-based clothing company Thomas Pink are selling an ingenious tie with a neatly concealed iPod holder. In addition to the holder, the Cravatta iPod silk tie has a special loop to keep iPod wires under control.  It retails for $85.

Cypress Hotel & Spa, a leading global supplier of luxury bathrobes, towels, sheets, and related amenities to the lodging and spa industries, has again been awarded top honors in the prestigious ADEX Awards competition, sponsored by Design Journal Magazine. 2006 marks the second straight year that Cypress products have received this honor. In the 2005 ADEX competition, Cypress earned a Platinum award for their unique MicroCrest™ bathrobe, as well as a Gold award for their King’s Choice™ towel collection.

Mion sandals are designed and developed against the performance needs of what they like to call amphibious athletes. These excellent performing, great fitting and comfortable sandals have been designed by a world-class sailor, Martin Keen, and work well in wet or dry environments. The footwear moulds to your own feet within about 12 hours’ of wearing it, ensuring maximum comfort.