Unique luxury hotels, fashionable travel and much more

A judgement in the European Court of Justice has opened the way for airline passengers to receive compensation when a flight is cancelled because of a technical fault.

The Court said airlines had to pay up unless the fault was due to exceptional circumstances such as terrorism, sabotage or a hidden manufacturing defect that suddenly came to light. Its ruling is binding on members of the European Union.

The test case centred on an Austrian family whose Alitalia flight from Vienna to Brindisi via Rome was cancelled five minutes before it was scheduled to take off. The airline refused to pay 250 Euros (£235 / $350) in compensation or 10 Euros for a phone call, blaming the cancellation on ‘extraordinary circumstances.’

But the judges decided that the airline’s definition of those circumstances – a complex engine defect in the turbine – did not excuse it of its obligation to compensate passengers.

Hendrik Noorderhaven, of Euclaim, which helps travellers fight for compensation, said: “It’s a huge victory for passengers. It will be even more difficult for the airlines to hide behind the excuses they use not to pay compensation.

“It will also cost airlines tens of millions, as the estimated value of unclaimed compensation for delayed flights in Europe is £545million a year.”

by Andy Moreton

A famous old society venue in central London has closed and all its furniture, fittings and photographs are to be sold off at auction.

The Café Royal, which has been in Regent Street since 1865, is making way for a five-star hotel.

In its heyday, the Café Royal was the hub of glamour and scandal. It was frequented by writers, artists, politicians, royalty and celebrities, including Winston Churchill, Elizabeth Taylor and Noel Coward. Oscar Wilde was arguably its most famous customer; he was often the centre of attention in the Domino Room, being courted by fellow writers.

It was also the venue for Wilde’s only friendly meeting with the Marquis of Queensberry, whose son, Lord Alfred Douglas, was his lover. Shortly afterwards Wilde launched a libel case against the Marquis which ruined the playwright and saw him convicted of gross indecency.

More than 120 lots are going under the hammer at Bonham’s on January 20th including a full-sized boxing ring, which was used to host the Café Royal’s once famous black-tie sporting dinners. Other lots include a chandelier worth around £8,000, and a mahogany clock, estimated at £6,000.

Charlie Thomas, of Bonhams, said: “Bidders will have the opportunity to acquire a small piece of this iconic London institution.”

by Andy Moreton

Luxique has the pick of the luxury hotels in London, as well as a London city guide.

It was good to see the re-opening of some parts of the Taj Mahal Palace and Trident hotels in Mumbai after the death and destruction wreaked by terrorists on November 26.

At the re-opening of the Taj Mahal, all the 592 staff of the hotel who were on duty on that fateful day received thunderous applause from the guests.

“The Taj has been reopened, after a massive concerted effort, in dedication to all those who lost their lives in the attacks on Mumbai,” said Ratan Tata, chairman of the Taj Group of Hotels.

A memorial called The Tree of Life was also unveiled, with the names of the 31 people who were killed at the hotel inscribed at its base.

Security at all hotels in India has been tightened considerably and in the state of Goa, the authorities banned traditional beach parties between Christmas and New Year’s Eve because of possible terrorist attacks. The parties have traditionally been major tourist attractions.

by Andy Moreton

The Taj Mahal Palace, as well as other luxury hotels in Mumbai, can be booked through Luxique.

When you go on your holidays, it’s nice to know what the weather’s going to be like. Do I need a raincoat/sunscreen/ski boots?

Prior knowledge is even more essential here in the UK, where you could get all four seasons in one day.

We rely on the Meteorological Office to give us a clear and unambiguous forecast of the day ahead. Occasionally they get it wrong. And the reason they occasionally get it wrong was explained on their website:

Seasonal forecasts indicate how slowly-varying large-scale climate influences make particular seasonal conditions more likely than others. Random, unpredictable factors (’chaos’) also partly determine year-to-year variations, and these will sometimes override large-scale influences. Such uncertainty makes a probabilistic format, as used here, advisable for seasonal forecasts.

This classic piece of gobbledegook won a ‘Golden Bull’ in the annual awards of the Plain English Campaign. The Campaign said the 45-word (if we’re being generous) message could have been said in three: “We’re not sure.”

by Andy Moreton

Italy’s national railway, Trenitalia, is hoping to tempt people away from flying by the introduction of its high speed Milan to Rome service.

The new Red Arrow or “Frecciarossa”, which can reach a speed of 186 mph, covers the 300 miles between Italy’s political and financial capitals in three-and-a-half hours, shaving an hour off the standard time. There are eighteen services a day.

With the turmoil surrounding the state airline, Alitalia, the air service between Rome and Milan has been uncertain recently and Trenitalia has enjoyed the benefits. It’s now hoping to attract 60 per cent of the 3.7 million passengers who fly the route every year.

However, analysts say it won’t really start taking a significant bite out of air travel until the journey time gets under three hours. That’s expected at the end of 2010 when the track between Florence and Bologna is improved.

by Andy Moreton

Check out Luxique’s luxury hotels in Rome and Milan for the best possible deals.

The magnificent mansion in Florida where Gianni Versace lived and died is opening its doors to the public.

Casa Casuarina

Casa Casuarina is a three-storey, Mediterranean-style home surrounded by a high wall on a fashionable stretch of Ocean Drive in South Beach and tours are now on offer for $65.

Visitors get to see the exquisite central courtyard, dining room, lounges, pool and a marble toilet with a gold seat, said to be one of only three in the world. The upstairs bedrooms are off-limits on the tour, but those willing to part with substantial amounts of cash can stay in one of the villa’s ten suites or join its private club.

Casa Casuarina Courtyard

Casa Casuarina was built in 1930 by the Standard Oil heir, Alden Freeman. It later became a hotel, but fell into disrepair and was at one point a hostel where rooms went for as little as $1 a night. Versace bought it in 1992, along with a hotel next door, and ordered extensive renovations to make the estate what it is today.

Versace was shot dead outside his home in 1997. The family sold it three years later and it’s now owned by the telecommunications mogul, Peter Loftin.

by Andy Moreton

Visit the Versace mansion and get great rates through Luxique for a fabulously chic South Beach hotel.

There was a great picture in the papers a couple of weeks ago of a candelabra on a table made of ice.

An Icey Welcome

You might have thought it was the latest wacky entry for the Turner art prize, but it was, in fact, a shot of the restaurant at Snowvillage, Lapland’s largest ice hotel, which has recently opened its doors to guests.

Up to 60 visitors a night sleep on beds made of ice, with no natural light and room temperatures that never reach more than zero degrees. The ‘igloo-dwellers’ are provided with sleeping bags, fleeces and instructions on how to survive.

In the morning, hot berry juice helps to thaw out those who haven’t been driven to take refuge in one of the ‘warm’ rooms provided.

All the suites are decorated with ornate carvings and lit with multi-coloured lights. An ice bar, restaurant, walkways and lobbies have also been made in the hotel, which is situated near Kittila in Finland. Outside, visitors to Snowvillage can play on ice slides and marvel at ice sculptures.

An ice hotel has been built on the 7,500 square metre (24,600 square foot) site every winter for the past eight years; the present complex will simply melt away as temperatures rise in the Spring.

by Andy Moreton

If you prefer a warmer welcome (with ice strictly confined to your drink), Luxique can offer the best deal at Finland’s finest hotel – the Kamp in the capital, Helsinki.

The German town made famous in the fairy tale of the Pied Piper, who lured away a plague of rats, has a real-life modern problem with the rodents.

Officials in the town of Hamelin in northern Germany have expressed alarm at a surge in the rat population much like the Great Plague in 1284 on which the tale is based.

“Rats usually come in packs of 20 to 30 but these can expand up to 200 or 300 and that what’s happened in Hamelin,” said Rolf Schmidt, who works for a pest control service in the town north of Hanover.

The town, which has 58,000 inhabitants, has added teams of rat-catchers to try to contain the new plague.

In the tale made famous by the Brothers Grimm and Robert Browning, a man claims extraordinary rat-catching skills and promises to solve the town’s rat problem by playing his magic pipe. He lures the rats into the river where they drown.

But after removing the rats, the villagers renege on their promise to pay him so he takes revenge by using the same pipe to abduct the village children. Some locals believe the tale to be based on actual events.

“We do have a rat problem but this could have happened anywhere in Germany,” said Thomas Wahmes, a city council spokesman. “It’s just a coincidence that it happened here.”

by Andy Moreton

If you happen to be travelling to Northern Germany and want a taste of sheer luxury, try the prestigious Kempinski Grand Hotel at Heiligendamm on the Baltic coast. It hosted the summit of G8 leaders in June 2007.

Wine producers in Burgundy say the current financial crisis has caused a slump in sales to its biggest importer – Britain.

According to the Burgundy wine board, sales fell by 23 per cent in September. The board’s spokesman, Cecile Mathiaud, said: “For three years, the climate in Britain was euphoric. Banks, the business world and high-class restaurants took everything we had without looking at the costs.”

“Now we get the feeling that a page has turned and the UK is no longer an Eldorado. The English are counting their pennies.”

Burgundy relies heavily on its exports, with just over half of its wine shipped abroad. The US has also traditionally been a big customer.

The region is relatively small, producing five times less wine than Bordeaux, but it counts some of the world’s top wines among its 100 appellations, such as Romanee-Conti, Pommard and Chablis.

by Andy Moreton

Through Luxique, you can book one of three delightful luxury hotels in the Burgundy region: the Hotel Le Cep, the Georges Blanc and the Hostellerie De La Tour D’Auxois.

I’ve written recently about Venice’s efforts to improve its image and now I hear Amsterdam is following suit. (See “Tracing The Traders In Tat” and “Venice Battles The Boors“)

The authorities in the Dutch capital have unveiled plans to clean up the city’s old town and red light district by halving the number of coffee shops - where marijuana is bought and smoked legally - and brothels.

They’re concerned that, although it’s a popular tourist destination, the red light area is also a magnet for organised crime. A council spokesman said: “We can still have sex and drugs, but in a way that shows the city is in control.”

In addition to its blitz on sleaze, the city will spend £30 million ($44 million) to try to attract hotels, restaurants, art galleries and boutiques to the heart of old Amsterdam.

Opposition to the scheme is led, not surprisingly, by coffee shop owners and the prostitutes’ union. They believe that, far from reducing crime, it will encourage drug dealers and prostitutes to go underground in areas where they were banned.

The prostitutes’ spokeswoman blamed the European Union for pressurising Holland into tightening its laws. “Once we were a free country,” she said. “Now they tell us what to do.”

City officials are bending over backwards to help, so to speak – they’ve promised retraining for prostitutes and coffee shop employees who lose their jobs.

by Andy Moreton

Luxique has a fine selection of luxury hotels in Amsterdam and a helpful Amsterdam city guide.