A sunny summer spot for a cocktail

The Terrace at the Jumeirah Lowndes hotel will re-open on the 15 April offering a peaceful and secluded outdoor space for all day al fresco drinks and dining. 

This year The Terrace will also feature a Pommery champagne bar. A menu of summer cocktails will be available including the signature ʻTerrace Breeze cocktail, a blend of mango juice, Tanquery gin, Smirnoff vodka, orange juice and grenadine - sounds perfect for a balmy London evening. A menu offering dishes ranging from Rock Oysters to simple summer salads to indulgent desserts will suit all tastes and dining occasions. 

The Terrace has re-opened just in time for a certain wedding that is happening in London at the end of the month (you may have heard about it). To celebrate The Terrace will be decked out with Royal Wedding themed décor and a ʻBest of British alfresco menu will be served. Toast Wills and Kate with either a chilled glass of bubbles from The Pommery Champagne Bar or a ʻRoyal Weddingʼ cocktail which has been specially designed to reflect the red, white and blue colours of the Union Jack. SB

The Terrace at the Jumeirah Lowndes re-opens for the British summer on 15th April 2011. All day dining will be available 11:00am - 10.00pm (Monday - Saturday) and 11:00am - 7:00pm on Sunday. 

Luxury Link: www.jumeirah.com

Small Luxury Hotels of the World's 20th Anniversary

The Luxury Travel Bible attended a lovely (and delicious) lunch for Small Luxury Hotels of the World's 20th Anniversary today in London. It was great to hear from Paul Kerr and chat with hoteliers from around the world. Plus, they gave us a fantastic gift to take home - did we share? No way!

Read Paul Kerr, CEO of Small Luxury Hotels of the World Expert Opion - http://bit.ly/fPmiGm

Planting a Legacy

The Dorchester's 80th Anniversary celebrations have kicked off in an environmentally aware fashion. Throughout 2011, in collaboration with international charity Trees for Cities, the hotel will be planting 80 new 'Future Great Trees' in London. Fifteen trees will be planted in Mayfair and St. James's to form 'The Dorchester Anniversary Walk'. A further 65 trees will be planted across London in areas to be identified by Trees for Cities. Perhaps one day these trees will be one day rival the listed plane tree that has marked the entrance to the hotel since it opened its doors in 1931 and that was named as one of the Great Trees of London in 1997.
Over the next few months the hotel will unveil more 80th Anniversary celebrations including on its official birthday (18 April 2011) a commemorative 1930's cocktail called ' Dorchester of London' . Sounds perfect to to toast the hotel with.

The hotel's official anniversary website features many images from its glittering history and past guests including Louis Armstrong, Aristotle Onassis, Elizabeth Taylor and The Beatles.
www.thedorchester.com/celebrate www.treesforcities.org

 

Scent of the savannah

Anyone who has been around a lion after its lunch will know the scent of Africa isn't always fragrant. However, in the case of luxury lodge Londolozi's new signature scent and body range, 1926, it can be. Shan Varty, Londolozi's owner and creator of the range says, "In spring the Wild Basil (Ocimum canum) puts out bursts of little fragrant flowers which attract throngs of bees and hundreds of bright bushveld butterflies. It's the opulence of this annual floral spectacular which inspired the creation of a body range that would capture the magical and evocative place called Londolozi." The scent is created with pure essential oils and is reminiscent of an old fashioned cologne, and we are told it has 'a citrus aroma and earthy undertones that are both calming and uplifting" We can't want to get back to the bush and dab it on. Londolozi is after all one of TLTB's favourite places. As befits londolozi's comittment to the environment the range comes in amber glass vials, which are fully recyclable.

www.londolozi.com

Shiny red shoes called Dorothy

How do you know you're not in Kansas anymore? When the new patent leather red shoes worn by Virgin Atlantic's female staff cause as much fuss as the airlines new fleet of A330 Airbuses launched yesterday. The shoes, packed n yellow "brick' boxes come in two styles named 'Dorothy' with 3 inch heels and and 'Dotty' with a 2-incher for those who get sore feet in-flight and find the higher Dorothy one click too far. The shoes will no doubt add a touch of extra glamour to Virgin's John Rocha designed uniforms. Why are we telling you all this? Because we're shamelessly shallow that's why. Oh, about the planes... Virgin Atlantic's first Airbus A330 aircraft flew from Manchester to Orlando yesterday signaling the arrival of Virgins new $2.2bn fleet of 10 planes. Its maiden A330 aircraft, named 'Beauty Queen' is Virgin Atlantic's first long range twin engined aircraft. The new plane will use 15% less fuel per seat than the airline's A340-300s, higfhlighting Virgin's commitment to flying a lower carbon fleet. Virgin Atlantic's first two A330 aircraft will operate on leisure routes and with Premium Economy seats and Economy seats. The remaining A330-300s will also have Upper Class. in typical Virgin style the A330 aircraft have a revolutionary new Panasonic. touch screen entertainment system with over 300 hours of content. Coming later this year - inflight emails on Blackberries and other mobile devices. look out for more news from the skies in The Luxury Travel Bible's new airline section coming soon. Luxury Link: www.virginatlantic.com

Botox by boat

Now you can de-wrinkle while you de-stress at sea and come back from a cruise crows feet free. P&O Cruises has introduced a Medi-Spa onboard its Sydney-based ship, Pacific Jewel. The new Medi-Spa offers a range of cosmetic medical treatments, including targeted wrinkle treatments and instant skin plump-up procedures. Cruisers can also book a free one-on-one consultation with a spa physician who will assess their skin and recommend a treatment plan. And when friends say you're looking extra youthful - just tell them it's the result of all that fresh sea air.

http://www.pocruises.com/, www.pocruises.com.au

Hotels with a Heart - update

Last year we told you about two hotels that were doing their bit for charity. The Cranley Hotel and The Royal Park Hotel were raising funds for children in the UK and abroad during January. The hotels were charging a flat rate and then guests were asked to pay what they believe the stay is actually worth. Any money received over the £50 (+VAT) rate at The Cranley will be donated to Ndoro Children's Charity. Money raised at The Royal Park will be donated to the NSPCC.

We have now heard back from the hotels' Director of Sales, Lina Stahl, who told TLTB; " The recent charity promotions held at both The Royal Park and The Cranley Hotels during January raised much needed funds for both Ndoro Children's Charities and the NSPCC. The campaign also generated awareness of the two charities along with their aims and goals. Many guests' who were unable to book the discounted rate, donated directly to the charities." www.thecranley.com/ , www.theroyalpark.com/