Posted by Chantelle on Wed 1st September 2010 at 01:08 PM, Filed in Luxury Hotels
Afternoon tea always seems like such a relaxing and deliciously appealing way to spend an afternoon, as it’s a quintessentially British pastime, and there’s no better place to be than in The Lanesborough. Aspleys at The Lanesborough has launched London’s first tea sommelier service to strengthen their reputation as the best place in London to have afternoon tea and we were invited to sample it. We arrived early so we were able to lounge around in the Withdrawing Room surrounded by sumptuous furnishings for half an hour or so before being seated for afternoon tea, which started promptly at 4.00pm.
Aspleys
Read more...
We recently visited Wyndham Grand, Chelsea Harbour for a spot of lunch on the terrace overlooking the delightful harbour. Luckily the sun was out for the occasion so we celebrated with a delightful glass of white.
The restaurant (named Restaurant and Lounge TwentyTen) has recently undergone an impressive revamp, along with the rest of the hotel offers a very modern yet tranquil setting for a meal.
There’s a little more to this restaurant however, it is in fact a unique pop-up up restaurant concept, which means that whilst TwentyTen has a permanent space – the concept and name will change every year (i.e. TwentyEleven etc). As with all top class restaurants the menu changes on a seasonal basis and includes featuring fresh seafood, prime cuts of meat and fresh produce as you’d expect. All ingredients are sourced from regional farmers and are entirely free from nitrates and additives.
Read more...
Posted by Paul Handley on Mon 16th August 2010 at 08:27 AM, Filed in Luxury Hotels
The Ritz Carlton Hotel group is synonymous with luxury, from London’s own Ritz Hotel to each and every Ritz Carlton Hotel around the world. The locations for these hotels is impressive, Ritz residences have successfully covered every corner and ensured a luxury stay is guaranteed in almost any location.
The Ritz Carlton is an amazing hotel, set in a superb location. The hotel overlooks 50 miles of pristine California coastline. Uniquely, The Ritz-Carlton, Half Moon Bay is the only oceanfront resort in the San Francisco Bay area.
Add to this excellent fine dining, award-winning 16,000-square-foot spa, world class golf on two adjoining courses and year-round wine tasting and wine education in the Hotel’s Wine Room.
What really makes the difference is the added extras. Someone at Half Moon Bay has an imagination and an understanding for what guests are after. Considering the location, or more importantly, the stunning views, the Hotel has provided private fire pits outside each individual terrace. Makes sense, with views like these the guests are going to spend a lot of time outside.
Another quirky but well received idea is the guided Segway tours that the hotel offer. Given the chance, You wouldn’t refuse!
Now, The Ritz Carlton Half Moon Bay have thought even further outside the box….
Relaxing by your (unlit) patio fire pit, taking in the view of the Pacific ocean, guests can now look forward to a fully customised golf buggy doing the rounds. A butler will service your needs including lighting your firepit and pouring the wine.
This service is available Thursdays through to Sundays and offers another reason to choose the Ritz Carlton Half moon Bay for your luxury stay. In terms of outlay, the Fire and Wine butler doesn’t cost the Hotel too much. In terms of giving the guests something a little bit different and an extra element of pampering, the Butler is something that will be remembered forever.
The hotel offers so many recreational pursuits such as whale watching, walks along the dramatic coastal paths, cycling and, of course, golf on the two adjacient courses. But, maybe now with the introduction of the Butler service, you may just want to kick back by the outdoor fire pit and enjoy a glass of something chilled and cheeky.
To learn more about this inspired luxury hotel or for reservations, please visit http://www.ritzcarlton.com/hmb.
Now…Lets have some fun!
Small Luxury Hotels Of The World is running a superb competition where you can win a 14-night trip for two together with £8,000 spending money. To enter the competition, all you have to do is choose three destinations from their great website. Small Luxury Hotels offer a vast choice, over 500 independent luxury hotels.
On paper, this seems easy. Then you look at each and every luxury hotel resort and realise that each one has its own merits. With Hotels this good, it is hard to choose between them!
The Aleenta Resort, Thailand
For me, the ultimate holiday destination has to include Thailand. For all the luxury hotels Thailand have, there is nothing like the Aleenta resort. The Aleenta resort and spa Hua Hin represents a modern take on all that is typical with Thailand. Custom built huts with thatch roof, authentic Thai food at its very best and a Thai spa for some real pampering.
The Modern twist of this destination is the huts come with a plunge pool and balcony….and even an iPod dock!
Would you maybe go for the Baros Maldives? A tiny tropical island set in a beautiful and naturally exclusive shallow lagoon, Baros Maldives is a scuba diver’s paradise with a reef vibrant with marine life, warm and crystal clear waters and a PADI dive school. Maldives luxury hotels are a-plenty, but The Baros goes on the list for the following reasons;
Baros Maldives
A fantastic selection of over-water restaurants, fashionable bars, lush vegetation and a pampering spa add to the charm of this idyllic retreat.
Thatched-roof villas with spacious verandas, the signature spa ritual aptly called Baros Indigenous Bliss, perfect white sands and clear blue seas…surely, this has to be on your wishlist?
What about Sun Rocks, in Santorini, Greece? If you are looking for a luxury hotel Greece offers an absolute paradise. An idyllic hideaway carved out of the cliffs of the Caldera with endless views of the azure Aegean Sea and the volcanic islands. The service level at this stunning retreat is well documented. Forget the gourmet food, This goes on my list, just for the awesome cliff side pool.
Sun Rocks, Greece
The competition, which is now live at http://www.slh-competitions.com, closes on 1st September 2010 and the lucky winner will be the entrant whose itinerary has received the most votes. To enter, simply choose your top three Small Luxury Hotels.
The runner-up will enjoy a luxury five-night stay in a Small Luxury Hotels property and there is also a luxury five-night holiday from the group’s worldwide portfolio up for grabs for the most original holiday photograph.
Luxury Hotels resorts like these make for a very difficult top three, but you will find great pleasure in trying to decide.
Are we surprised, when we arrive at the Sorrel River Spa & Ranch in Moab, Utah, that it’s been winning prestigious award after award these past few years? Amazingly the ranch is everything the last twenty minutes have not been; a oasis in the desert, settled and relaxed. The horses corralled by the entrance await their next outing are unaware of the severity of the landscape, the swollen Colorado river sweeps silent by just a few feet from the ranch buildings and the face that greets us as we pull up to the lobby is warm, inviting and unassuming.
Read more...
