Unique luxury hotels, fashionable travel and much more

Washington DC welcomes spring each year with its National Cherry Blossom Festival which commences on March 26. The city is beautifully dressed by nature with thousands of Japanese cherry trees laden with delicate pink blossom. Some of the first trees were a gift of friendship from the mayor of Tokyo to Washington back in 1912 and the planting program has continued since.

With a huge choice of luxury hotels in Washington to choose from, it is worth asking about perks for the Cherry Blossom Festival if you plant to visit. We’re not talking a small discount or free valet parking; some Washington hotels are being far more innovative. Cherry pie, anyone? Those staying at The W not only get great views from their room of the White House and National Mall but also get to enjoy complimentary cherry pie for two on the rooftop at the J&G Steakhouse at W.

Liaison Capital Hill is offering guests two $10 metro passes, artisan chocolates and a live cherry branch laden with blossom to take home as a memento, if the blossom lasts that long! The Mayflower Renaissance has a cherry-themed menu throughout the festival and will host the annual Pink Tie Party. The Fairmont is a pleasant cherry-blossom stroll from Georgetown and guests will receive a box of beautiful cherry blossom notecards from photographer Jake McGuire to take home, along with a memory stick full of blossom photos of their own, of course!

For those who can’t stay overnight in the capital, why not splurge on a Cherry Blossom Tea at the Willard InterContinental’s blossom-bedecked Peacock Alley? Afternoon tea is accompanied by the music of a koto, a traditional Japanese stringed instrument and the player will be authentically dressed in a kimono to add to the atmosphere. The Cherry Blossom Festival lasts until April 10, although the blossom may linger on beyond that date.

by Gillian at Luxique Luxury Hotels

The countdown has started to the opening of the world’s tallest hotel, but this time it is not in Dubai, but in Hong Kong. Necessity spawned high-rises in this most densely populated area of Kowloon and technological advances just kept the buildings going higher and higher.

The Ritz-Carlton is opening its doors on floors 102 to118 of the International Commerce Center after a three year absence in the city and at that height every room will have a stunning bird’s eye view of the city. However, they reserved the top floor for the swimming pool – an infinity-edge pool at that.

How happy would you be to relax with a book on one of the floating beds, drifting along the edge of a vertiginous drop at a height of almost 1,600 feet above the street? Even with the glass windows it will be a pretty unnerving experience for some. What’s more the glass windows go beneath the water level, so there’s no escaping vertigo by swimming underwater.

The new Ritz-Carlton Hotel will officially open on March 29 and is already is great demand as a top luxury hotel geared at business travelers and tourists alike. The introductory package rate starts at US$497 and the rack rate starts at $640. If the pool views don’t take your breath away, the prices certainly may.

by Gillian at Luxique Luxury Hotels

As Spring Break approaches, luxury hotels are wising up and seeing the potential for full rooms by offering family-friendly packages to lure guests out of their winter hibernation.

As Spring Break is a moveable feast, with dates varying from state to state, Loews Resort in South California are offering spring break packages with full family entertainment from late March through Easter, which this year is April 24.

Loews Coronado Bay Resort is just across the bay from Downtown San Diego, home of SeaWorld, Legoland, San Diego Zoo and the Birch Aquarium. However, most kids are unlikely to want to leave “camp” as the on-site hotel activities will include marshmallow roasts, dive-in movies, gondola cruises, art classes, surfing camps, nature tours, wine tasting and “crepes for kids” cooking classes. All these add-ons incur a fee, but most are under $5.

Not to be outdone, the nearby five diamond Grand del Mar, with its golf course, spa and tennis activity center is apparently offering a Family Fun Package which extends all year to December 30, 2011. This includes discounted connecting rooms, kids eat free and a four-hour session at the Explorers Club for kids aged 5-12.

Just up the coast, Loews Santa Monica Beach is also participating in an extended spring break season with a host of activities to add to their swimming pools, basketball and tennis courts. Just steps away are the oceanfront and beach, amusement rides at the historic Santa Monica Pier and endless miles of paved strand for rollerblading and cycling.

For those dreading the approach of half term or spring break, luxury hotel deals could just be the place to look for your salvation!

by Gillian at Luxique Luxury Hotels

Clever ski companies in Europe are taking a leaf out of the book of cruise lines, and offering not one luxury hotel base for skiers, but a different Alpine experience every night. Accompanied by an experienced instructor/guide, guests ski, or occasionally drive and ski, to the next resort, stopping for a gourmet dining experience along the way.

These well-planned ski safaris combine some of the best resorts in Switzerland, Italy and France and the emphasis is as much on the local gastronomic experiences as the skiing itself.

Imagine spending a long weekend enjoying the powder and pistes of Villars-sur-Ollon in Switzerland, Courmayer in Italy’s Aosta Valley, and Chamonix-Mont-Blanc, France’s first winter Olympics site. Not only will you get to ski some of the best pistes in the Alps, participants are also assured of the best luxury hotels each night in this skiing mecca while getting to sample the typical gourmet specialities of Switzerland, Italy and France.

Quite how easy it is in practice to ski on a stomach full of handmade ravioli and rich chocolate mousse at lunchtime, I’m not sure. One thing however is for certain; guests will have to take it easy on the French wine and myrtle grappa if they are to reach their overnight stop safely!

On the positive side, alternating the rich fare which this region is famous for with some calorie-burning exercise has to be the only way to enjoy it all and not pile on the pounds. Ski safaris seem to have hit an excellent balance between exercise and indulgence and when planned around a series of luxury hotels, this idea is sure to take off.

by Gillian at Luxique Luxury Hotels

Luxury hotels and high-end shopping tend to be a winning combination in the world of tourism and the Istanbul ShoppingFest seems set for success. After all, the Grand Bazaar has been in the business of selling for 550 years, so it knows a thing or two about changing trends.

Every year Istanbul attracts millions of visitors to its malls, street markets and bazaars to haggle over everything from T-shirts to handmade carpets over a complimentary glass of Turkish tea. This megacity is uniquely situated on the very line where east meets west and is the only metropolis in the world which spans two continents; Europe to the west of the Bosphorus and Asia to the east.

From March 18 to April 26 this grand city is celebrating the 550th Grand Bazaar birthday by hosting its 1st Istanbul ShoppingFest. This 4-day spectacular offers visitors special discounts and great prizes with live entertainment for shoppers visiting the markets and bazaars after 10pm. Each Saturday, one mall on the European side of the city and one on the Asian side will stay open until 2 a.m. for late night shopping.

One big incentive for visitors making large purchases is the tax back deal for foreigners on purchases bought in the malls.

Last year Turkish tourism boomed with its Capital of Culture status and they hope that the same interest can be generated from worldwide tourism with the introduction of this ShoppingFest. Istanbul aims to be the shopping destination of choice for those with money to spend from Russia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Greece and other European and Middle Eastern countries. Not surprisingly, Luxique.com showcases 12 of the best luxury hotels in Istanbul for those wanting to visit this cultural city.

by Gillian at Luxique Luxury Hotels

If you are one of those people for whom the day does not start until you see the bottom of your Starbucks mug, then this is great news for you. Starbucks has agreed to supply coffee to half a million luxury hotels in the U.S. with their single-serve coffee being provided for coffee machines in partnership with Courtesy Products.

Although Keurig has the lion’s share of the single serve coffee maker markets, sales of Kraft’s Tassimo coffee makers are also likely to shoot through the roof as discerning travelers staying in luxury hotels get to sample the convenience of a freshly brewed Starbucks by their bedside.

For those who do not speak fluent espresso, the Tassimo/Keurig coffee makers are hot beverage systems which produce a variety of beverages (tea, hot chocolate, café latte, espresso or even macchiato) by being fed a neat sealed disc of ingredients which the natty machine interprets from the barcode, opens, processes and drips into a real pottery mug.

Starbucks continue to make inroads into single-serve coffee since their launch of sachets of on-the-go instant coffee called VIA, also made with travelers and office workers in mind. Although instant coffee is the norm in the UK, in America it has always been looked down on as an inferior product. However, the new single-serve coffee machines manage to cater to both parties, providing freshly brewed coffee without having to faff around with correctly sized coffee filters and dispose of messy grounds.

by Gillian at Luxique Luxury Hotels

Las Vegas is the epitome of the wealth and success that a gambling Mecca can create. With 19 of the world’s 25 largest luxury hotels, and a total of 124,270 hotel rooms accommodating the 36.7 million annual visitors, it is no wonder that other states and countries look on enviably and want to emulate its success.

Now Russian plans to build its own Las Vegas city - in Siberia. This Last Vegas East will be called the “Siberian Coin” and the proposed site is near the border with China, perhaps the only positive thing going for it, as the Chinese are notorious gamblers.

The planning of a casino in Russia seems to fly in the face of earlier edicts by President Vladimir Putin. He banned casinos in all major cities in Russia in 2009, allowing gambling only in four remote regions, one of which is Siberia. That move was estimated to cost Russia half a million jobs and $1billion in tax revenues. Perhaps he’s having to rethink his hasty decision, which he insisted was to tackle the growing problems of gambling addiction and money laundering which went on within the industry.

Businessweek estimates this audacious new project will cost around $50 billion which will include 15 casinos and 30 hotels. But, will luxury hotels be lured to this risky venture or will they stick with what they are sure of? Certainly the sunny desert climate, infrastructure and available workforce in Las Vegas make the investment in a luxury hotel there far less risky. And currently Siberia is a very long train ride from anywhere.

by Gillian at Luxique Luxury Hotels

Luxury hotel group Fairmont Hotels and Resorts has just launched some interesting packages designed especially for travellers who want to enjoy an enriching experience along with a comfortable bed.

Their Apprentice-Trips are a worldwide collection of trips which offer transforming and enriching experiences in art and culture, sports, outdoor activities and gastronomy.

One lovely example is the Fairmont Dallas which offers an Art Immersion package. This includes a one-hour private session on how to buy and appreciate art with local art veteran Ross Akard and gallery owner Bryan Embry. The package also organizes a lesson with the hotel’s artist-in-residence, who incidentally rotates on a quarterly basis. After following the self-guided artwalk from the hotel, an art-inspired dinner and wine pairings are offered in the restaurant. As a lasting memento of this art-indulgent weekend, guests are given a coffee table book to take home, donated by Nasher Sculpture Center.

Those heading for Europe this summer may find the Apprentiss’Art package at the Fairmont Monte Carlo hits all the right notes for them. This package provides an up-close look at the works of Croatian contemporary artist, Mateo Mornar. Visit his studio in Monte Carlo, enjoy an introductory session on clay sculpting and see his renowned sculptures of the royal family. A luxury hotel room, signature restaurant and magnificent setting can also be counted on.

The Fairmont Orchid on Big Island, Hawaii offers a Canoes, Coffee and Culture package which gives a unique insight into Hawaiian culture. Visitors go on a one-hour outrigger canoe fishing experience, tour a Kona coffee farm with lessons on growing and harvesting coffee beans and finally enjoy dinner at Brown’s Beach House featuring some of the island’s local produce and sustainable seafood.

Other Fairmont packages cover Finding Your Inner Chi at Fairmont Beijing or How to Pass a Bill in Washington - no prizes for guessing this is hosted by the Fairmont Washington D.C. Happy travels!

by Gillian at Luxique Luxury Hotels

Back in the good old days of travel, your passport was an interesting and personal account of your international travels. Each country stamped you in and out with their own quirky stamp and colored ink and you could happily reminisce on some happy vacations just by idly flicking through the pages.

With the introduction of the Schengen Agreement it opened up Europe’s borders to become more like state lines with no immigration controls or “Douane”. It certainly simplifies travel for tourists but it does take away that spirit of boastful adventure.

With the European Union’s open borders, EU residents can travel around Europe every day of the year and still have a passport filled with bare and empty pages. Where’s the fun in that? Even Americans on multi-country tours will normally only have their passport stamped twice; once on arrival and again on departure.

However, those wishing to have a souvenir stamp in their passport should make a point of visiting luxury hotels in countries which still do take pride in paying an official to put an official stamp in your passport. For Americans, fly into the UK (stamp) then fly into one of the countries in the Schengen zone (stamp). Take the bus, train or car across the borders of the former Yugoslavia now divided into Croatia, Serbia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Montenegro, Kosovo, Macedonia and on into Albania and it will yield a further fine collection of passport stamps in all types of indecipherable alphabets.

Other Eastern European countries such as Turkey, Moldova, Ukraine, Belarus and Russia will add to the rubber inked pages and if you visit the Republic of San Marino, an enclave of Italy, you can even have the pleasure of paying €5 for a stamp.

So if your passport is looking a little boring, consider taking up stamp collecting – the rubber stamp kind - and liven up your passport, and your cultural experiences!

by Gillian at Luxique Luxury Hotels

Some luxury hotels offer massage services, some are pet-friendly and some luxury hotels in Las Vegas have seen a new opportunity to combine the two. Their new special offer packages provide both dog owners and their pets with an in-room massage.

This idea comes from the Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas as the ultimate for pampered pooches. Promoted as a Paws Massage Package, it costs $150 and provides a 30 minute massage for the owner followed by a similar treatment for the dog – a new take on his ‘n’ hers massages.

The deal includes a dog bed, pet treats and bottled water with a doggy bowl, but with the price of the rub downs, plus room rate (starting at around $189), taxes and gratuities and a non-refundable $200 cleaning fee it is not a cheap afternoon in.

Dog owners apparently thought the massages were a great idea but the dogs made “no comment”.

Most visitors however may find it more relaxing to leave fido at “Camp Bow-Wow” and drop the $600 on a shopping splurge at the Fashion Show Mall just across the road.

by Gillian at Luxique Luxury Hotels