Art with altitude

The Luxury Travel Bible loves a little culture with its carved turns. So we recommend anyone heading to Niseko this ski season book into the newly redesigned The Green Leaf Niseko Village which re-opens in December 2010. The Green Leaf's transformation under the wing of YTL Hotels follows the theme of 'embracing art.' So all 200 guestrooms feature original artworks by Japanese artist Soichiro Tomioka (1922-1994), known for his winter landscapes. In addition art installations by Emi Shiratori will be used throughout the hotel. Tomioka was exhibited at MOMA, NY as well as other international galleries. Sapporo-based Emi Shiratori will be the hotel's artist‐in‐residence her murals grace the Green Leaf lobby entrance and the façade of the Spa.

If you need any other good reasons to stay at The Green Leaf we have two more, a ski valet and a traditional Japanese onsen to relax in after a hard day on the slopes.

For further information in Australia contact YTL Hotels & Resorts on toll free 1800 667731, globalhotels@bigpond.com or internationally visit www.ytlhotels.com Ski packages are available from http://www.SkiJapan.com

Fois Gras Fantasy

Our favourite roving gourmand, Mark Rose (Chief Executive, The Rees, NZ) attended the  world famous James Beard Foundation Fois Gras and Friend's dinner in New York last week. He reports on this and other NY hot spots: 'Managed 10 courses of Foie Gras in NY – ate the same course twice at Jean Gorge because it was so good! But the absolute best was at Daniel where I had fresh grouse with Foie Gras – sensational!! (amongst my best 5 courses ever). "  We trust this man's palate, so go there.
And then he went to London.. more following.

A resort that know how to Blush for a good cause

Congratulations to Cable Beach Club Resort & Spa which for the entire month of october has been ablaze in fuscia in support of Global Illumination, a initiative designed to put the spotlight on breast cancer. "We join world famous monuments, landmarks and buildings and illuminate in pink as a symbol of hope to empower and enlighten millions of women everywhere" said Ron Sedon the resort's GM. The Luxury Travel Bible hopes you're in the pink all year Cable Beach Club. 

Luxury link: www.cablebeachclub.com

Santa Paws is coming to town

Now we've seen it all. This gets our vote for wackiest Christmas promotion to come across our desk to date...

Kimpton hotels will be hosting 'Santa Paws' and are inviting their pet guests and local four-legged friends to come along for a festive afternoon and pose for photos with Santa, enjoy treats and play with toys in the hotel lobby. Human companies are also invited to join in the fun and photograph their pets with Santa (wouldn't that make a perfect Christmas card!). As well as being a fun afternoon Santa Paws is also an opportunity for Kimpton hotels to partner with local animal organizations across the United States.

Are we going along?... Our California correspondent is grooming her Chihuahua as we speak... SB

Santa Paws will be available at participating Kimpton hotels from 2pm to 4pm in hotel lobbies on December 11 and 12. Owners will need to bring their own cameras to photograph their pet in Santa's lap. Santa Paws is free and open to the public. http://www.kimpton.com/

Expert Opinion: Jay Martens

Jay Martens is one of our favourite people in the travel business. He is the consummate professional but The Luxury Travel Bible also loves his passion and enthusiasm for travel. His company Lucioles has a truly innovative approach, which is why his latest enterprise Blossom Japan looks set to be one of the best travel trade shows that the luxury market has seen. Click here to view.

Top Ten Chocolate Hotels

'Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're gonna get.' This famous movie quote doesn't quite ring true here. We've made sure that when our The Luxury Travel Bible readers choose a hotel, they're in for a real treat. And what better way to indulge your romantic tastes than at a hotel where the food of love - chocolate - is always the menu. Here's our pick of 10 luxe hotels where your cocoa-filled dreams are guaranteed to come true! Click here to view.

Designer style with our safety

Designer Charlotte Ronson is bringing fashion to the bedroom and is sexing up the mini-bar, with three uniquely designed condom wrappers. These "sexessories" will available for a limited time in the mini-bars at all Thompson Hotels to promote safer sex. Known for her modern designs Ronson is teaming chic design with her signature heart shaped logo to visually portray femineity in condom manufacturer Proper Attire's packaging. Ronson says she wants to channel the "the take charge, modern woman, attitude of my collection, I want young women to bring confidence to all aspects of their lives."

A pack of three condoms are on sale for $5.99 with the proceeds from the sale going to leading sexual and reproductive health care provider and advocate Planned Parenthood

The hip Naumi Hotel in Singapore also has complimentary condoms by the bed. Do we sense a trend here? SB

Luxury link: http://www.thompsonhotels.com/, http://www.naumihotel.com/, http://www.slh.com/



Breath easy with Hyatt

Congratulations to Hyatt Hotels & Resorts which plans to keep us all pure (they'll have a hard job with some of the TLTB staff) by introducing hypo-allergenic rooms across the U.S., Canada and the Caribbean. Good for all of us but especially beneficial to those with asthma or allergies. The Respire by Hyatt Hypo-Allergenic Rooms, are designed to eliminate up to 98 percent of airborne viruses and bacteria, as well as pollen and other irritants. More than 60 Hyatt hotels in the U.S. currently offer Respire by Hyatt rooms but the group plans to have 2,000 hypo-allergenic rooms at 125 properties in North America  by 2011. Now what about the rest of the world...

www.hyatt.com

A stylish new airport

Anyone who has complained about the long-haul from Narita to downtown Tokyo (and yep, we confess that's us) will rejoice at the opening of the new international terminal at Haneda Airport, Tokyo, just 20 minutes from the centre. The Luxury Travel Bible is also loving the Japanese Teahouse and red parasols and the shiny high-tech concourse.

Guests at Soneva Fushi's 15th Anniversary Party

A star-studded guest list of those who love the resort including actress Tilda Swinton and racer Michael Schumacher partied to the Jolly Boys, a Jamaican reggae band notorious for having played at Errol Flynn's wild parties back in the 50s . Read more about the celebrations... http://bit.ly/991IP6

Michael Schumacher may be a genius behind the wheel but here he is getting to grips with a two-wheeled mode of transport at Soneva Fushi's 15th Anniversary Party.

Oscar Winner Tilda Swinton chatting to one of the Jolly Boys.

TLTB loves ... a good party

Happy fifteenth anniversary Soneva Fushi (one of TLTB's favourite resorts) We hear they partied hard at the 'barefoot ballroom' last night. A star-studded guest list of those who love the resort including actress Tilda Swinton and racer Michael Schumacher partied to the Jolly Boys, a Jamaican reggae band notorious for having played at Errol Flynn's wild parties back in the 50s . At sunset guestes were ferried to a sandbank in small dhonis, to toast the night with champagne and cocktails. Soneva Fushi's team of chefs prepared a feast of using ingredients from Soneva Fushi's organic garden. Sonu Shivdasani, Chairman and CEO of Six Senses and his wife Eva Malstrom Shivdasani, Creative Director, hosted over seventy guests for the dinner. All seated at a long U-shaped table on the sandbank. Among the many Fushi regulars invited were; Michael Shumacher, Tilda Swinton and partner Sandro Kopp, Olivia Palermo, Elsa Zylberstein, Martin Clunes, Fabian Cousteau, Willa Keswick, Paul Smith, Francois Berléand, Sir Simon Rattle, Mark Jones and Giovanni Bignani. Apparently a n amazing array of chocolate puddings, cakes and 60 varieties of ice-cream were served (guests had to hit the dance floor to burn calories). We have it on good authority that host Sonu was one of the last to leave and that he enjoyed the party so much that he's thinking of doing it all again next year...

Luxury link: http://www.sixsenses.com/

An elegant hotel with a new sense of fashion

 Le Royal Monceau - Raffles Paris has re-opened its doors with a whole new look. The Parisian Grand Dame has had a serious facelift which has taken nearly two years (although not yet beating the time it took that even grander,Grand Dame, the Savoy to look good again ).This is the first Raffles hotel in Europe and what great hotel to start with. Designer Philippe Starck has completely transformed the interior of this old palace hotel into an newly elegant and sensual space. Very French. The Luxury Travel Bible is particularly partial to the candy-striped corridors and that wonderful glass and chrome bathroom.

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A Parisian palace re-opens

Le Royal Monceau - Raffles Paris re-opened its doors yesterday. After a nearly two year makeover (although not yet beating the time it took The Savoy).This is the first Raffles hotel in Europe and designer Philippe Starck has completely transformed the interior of this old palace hotel into an newly elegant and sensual space. Very French. See the interiors coming shortly here.

http://www.raffles.com/

The World's remotest hotels

Congratulations are in order to some of our favourite places this week. Forbes magazine has selected Bloomfield Lodge in far north Queensland as one of the world's top ten remote hotels. Bloomfield Lodge, a member of Small Luxury Hotels, lies at the most northern tip of the world heritage listed Daintree Rainforest where it meets the Great Barrier Reef. Our EIC says she loves the fact that you can only access the lodge via a 45 minute private charter flight from Cairns, landing at a grassy airstrip then crossing Weary Bay by boat to an isolated jetty - now that's a wilderness retreat. See our report coming soon.
http://www.bloomfieldlodge.com.au , http://ww.slh.com

Far from Blue, pretty happy really

Blue in Sydney, a Taj hotel, has been named Top Hotel in Oceania in the annual Conde Nast Traveler Readers' Choice Awards . General Manager of Blue Sydney, Sanjay Umashankar, said of the Award: "It is a great honour to be recognized as the region's top hotel ...the team at Blue Sydney is thrilled to be voted Number 1 and is hugely grateful to our local and international guests for their appreciation". Meanwhile the team at The Luxury Travel Bible show their appreciation for Blue's Water Bar by regular imbibing cocktails there... http://ww.tajhotels.com/sydney

Singletons welcome on Silversea

We have always said Silversea is one of the best luxury cruise lines in the world. So of course they have the sense to acknowledge that the world isn't all couples and those who are single don't want to spend a fortune to get the very best. Hence, Silversea Cruises has reduced its single supplements on a range of 2011 voyages taking in destinations as varied as the Caribbean, the Orient, Australia, Alaska and the Pacific Coast, Europe, the Middle East and South America. Single travellers booking the luxie Vista, Veranda or Midship Veranda suites on a choice of 25 different voyages can now enjoy single fares starting from just 110 per cent of the double occupancy fare. Guests can also benefit from Shipboard Credits on selected voyages. http://www.silversea.com/

Kempinski Hotel Barbaros Bay Bodrum

Very much enjoyed meeting with William Latour, GM of Kempinski Hotel Barbaros Bay Bodrum this morning at The Stafford London by Kempinski this morning. Talking about sun, helipads, spa treatments & what 'luxury' means was some nice escapism on a cold Thursday London morning. SB

Luxury Link: www.kempinski.com/bodrum

Pneumatic seats for SWISS







First Class Bed

 Here at TLTB we love any seat that really can go totally flat. Forget all those 'ergonomically designed' seats at a slight angle; we all know that's just about fitting more high paying passengers into biz class (you know who you are airlines..). Zurich to Hong Kong is the first route on the SWISS far east network to have the new Business Class seat and we're loving our first look at its sleek fully horizontal lines.The seat has been installed in the Airbus 330s and is currently being rolled out across the A340 fleet. After those on the Hong Kong route get to asleep in style the rest of Asia will get the goods by mid 2011 and then the entire long-haul fleet of SWISS will offer the new seat. Those 74 percent who voted against getting rid of first class in our recent Luxe Poll SWISS will also offer First Class on every long haul flight - we always said this was a true premium airline. The Luxury Travel Bible is especially fond of the pneumatic air cushion 'whose firmness or softness can be set to individual tastes''. The Business Class cabinc layout ( a 1-2-1 or 1-2-2 configuration in alternate aisles) meaning that eight out of every nine seats has direct access to an aisle . We like.

 

Business Class Seat

Luxury link: http://www.swiss.com/

News: The Savoy hotel is open

The Luxury Travel Bible loves its first look at London's newly £220million refurbished The Savoy which opened yesterday. The hotel welcomed its first guest, Stephen Fry at 10.10 am on 10.10.10 and he will also serve as the resident blogger. We are loving the mix of old school glamour and the stunning views of London. The interiors, designed by TLTB favourite Pierre Yves Rochon , have been resorted to recreate the hotel's main design aestheticsof Edwardian and Art Deco. http://www.the-savoy.com/

 
Click here to view TLTB's Luxury Hotel Preview of The Savoy

A new queen of the seas

The Queen will officially name Cunard's new Queen Elizabeth cruise ship in Southampton today (11/10/10). Liz meet Liz. The ship has a 832-seater theatre, a spa, games deck and a shopping arcade. The new ship will leave on her maiden voyage to the Canary Islands on Tuesday , a trip that was fully booked less than 30 minutes after going on sale. The Italian-built, 92,000-tonne, 964ft (294m) will join two other queens in the Cunard fleet - the Queen Mary 2 (QM2) and the Queen Victoria. Full of art deco flourishes, the latest Queen Elizabeth recalls the era of the 1930s liners. The ship also features mosaics, chandeliers and cantilevered balconies and in the grand lobby is a recently-completed portrait of the Queen by artist Isobel Peachey. Also in the grand lobby is a panel, created by the Queen's nephew Viscount Linley, depicting the port bow of the original Queen Elizabeth.

The new ship is the third Cunard ship to be named Queen Elizabeth (namewise, originality isn't a big thing in the cruise market). The first was launched in 1938 by the then Queen Elizabeth - who later became the Queen Mother - with the present Queen, who was then 12, looked on. The Queen launched the second Queen Elizabeth, the QE2 in 1967. She also named the QM2 at Southampton in 2004. The new ship is almost identical to its sister, Queen Victoria, but is more than a third smaller than the QM2. TLTB is espcially loving the Fortnum & Mason's goodies on board and the huge spa with stunning art deco style decor with two levels for treatment rooms plus fitness and pool facilities HD

Luxury link: http://www.cunard.com/
 



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Mr & Mrs Smith Blog

Hilary Doling gives Mr & Mrs Smith a few moments of her (luxury travel) time.

"The Luxury Travel Bible formidable founder and Editor in Chief Hilary Doling is a woman after our own hearts. Well-travelled, well-read and well-versed in the high-threadcount trappings of luxury travel, she kindly pressed pause on her champagne-tasting, helicopter-flying, wildlife-spotting, Charleston-soundtracked life (sheesh, somebody get me her job!) to give Mr & Mrs Smith a whirlwind tour of some of her most memorable luxury-travel moments… "

Read the whole interview at Mr & Mrs Smith's travel blog.

Once in a lifetime travel

Here at The Luxury Travel Bible we're always seeking exeptional travel experiences, so this one definitely caught our eye. The Leading Hotels of the World has launched a new series of 'Once in a Lifetime' travel collections starting this month. LHW say these specially tailored experiences, open only to those in the Asia-pacific region, will take 'discerning travellers ' (and that's our readers of course) to all corners of the globe, offering a unique opportunity to stay at some of the planet's most prestigious addresses and access some experiences that aren't readily available to the common traveller (and heaven forbid you're ever one of those). A different destination will be revealed by LHW at the beginning of each month and will be available to members of the LHW 'Leaders Club Asia-pacific on a first come, first served basis. First up, a stay at the sublime Coco Chanel Suite at the Ritz Paris. Part of the programme will also include a private tour of Mme Chanel's private apartments on Rue Cambon and the Chanel store on Place Vendôme. The offer is only open to five couples so book now. http://www.lhw.com/

Posted 7/10/10

We love a touch of glamour with our guidebooks

The Luxury Travel Bible has long been fond of the chic and useful Luxe City Guides so we're loving the new bespoke offerings. With Luxe Bespoke, you can choose your own exquisite handcrafted box and select from a range of 31 Luxe City Guides to fill it. Particularly opulent is the Bespoke Red Velvet Box which holds 5 Luxe City Guides with an embossed gold LUXE logo. And this is just one of four different Luxe Bespoke boxes that are available online. You could also choose the Luxe Bespoke Grand Tour 12-guide box in imperial purple faux suede, the sleek luxe Bespoke Black Box for 5 guides, or the 8-guide sophisticated Luxe Bespoke Blue Velvet Box. Prices range from US$ 55 to US$ 125 + P&P shipped worldwide. Guide books never used to be so glamorous, eat your heart out Blue Guide. PN

Luxury Link: http://www.luxecityguides.com/
 



A decadent afternoon tea

To celebrate National Chocolate Week (11-17 October) The Royal Horseguards, Whitehall will be serving up an unashamedly decadent treat that will satisfy the sweet tooth in all The Luxury Travel Bible's chocoholics. The Chocolate Afternoon Tea, designed by chef Joanne Todd, starts with spicy chocolate foam which accompanies almond streusel and a chocolate tarte with slow roasted pineapple and liquorice. A hot chocolate (or tea if you wish ) is served with a selection of coffee and cocoa macaroons, white chocolate cupcakes filled with orange curd and an orange blossom infused Chantilly cream .... Mmmm! SB

The tea is available from 11th to 24th October, £28 per person.

Luxury Link: http://www.guoman.com/

Click here for TLTB's Top Ten Chocolate Hotels.



A hotel where you can feel the groove

OK, Mallorca may not be quite as much of a party island as Ibiza but as fans of Puro Oasis Urbano hotel already know stay in the right place and you still get sophisticated sounds and unforgettable parties. Yep, you can't beat this member of Design Hotels for sheer 'cool'. From the state-of-the-art digital audio system in the rooms to their own releases 'Puro Music' and 'Puro Desert Lounge' - Puro has always been a favourite with the euro-hip types. Who like to drink cocktails on the rooftop or dance to the DJ in the Opio bar. Back in July hotel founder Max Walstrom announced the hotel had move from boho chic to urban cool with its latest remodeling; making it 18 th century palace outside urban minimalist inside. A new Private Wing is opening in early 2011. Best of all however is the new Music Studio also set to open 2011, which can be hired exclusively by musicians or private and corporate groups. Naturally the studio is perfectly equipped with the very latest , greatest state-of-the-art technology. We feel an album coming on... PN

Luxury Link: www.designhotels.com/puro