all the dish that’s fit to print
park hyatt moves into the middle east, again
Park Hyatt just announced the opening of Park Hyatt Jeddah – Marina, Club, and Spa, the second in the Middle East for the hotel chain, and the first five-star property to open in the city since 2004.
The second largest city in Saudi Arabia after the capital, Riyadh, Jeddah is a major center for Middle East commerce. Business travelers will love the convenient location, just a quick five-minute drive to the financial district (traffic jams abound on the congested streets). Organizations can hold massive conferences, and companies can seal the deal at the adjacent Lazurde Meeting and Conference Center that boasts an over 8,600 square foot ballroom that can be divided up for meetings, an outdoor reception area by the sea, and all the high-tech multimedia gadgets needed for an A+ presentation.
Practically built in the Red Sea itself on the Corniche of Jeddah, it’s hard not to appreciate the view as well. The resort is a remarkable engineering feat that reclaimed prime waterfront land from the Red Sea while retaining the delicate surrounding marine life. It’s the closest hotel in the city to the jaw-dropping King’s Palace, which is located on its own island. It also faces the iconic King Fahd’s Fountain, the world’s tallest fountain, which shoots up water at 233 miles per hour and is illuminated by over 500 spotlights at night.
The restaurant, Nafoura, faces this scene (as do most of the guest rooms) and serves up mouth-watering mezzes and grilled Mediterranean dishes from the open kitchen. Sipping tea (no alcohol allowed) and smoking shisha on the outdoor terrace (the menu has over 20 varieties of the flavored tobacco) will undoubtedly be a popular activity. Cigar aficionados can light up in a separate cigar lounge.
Keeping in line with Park Hyatt’s chic and modern yet understated aesthetic , French interior designer Gilles Quiffet and architect Patrice Hart designed the 142 guest rooms and public spaces to fuse a sleek European style with Arab-Andalusian architecture. Native artwork and crafts adorn the rooms, while intricately landscaped gardens surround the complex. Spa facilities are on the way and will feature separate ladies’ and gentlemen’s areas including the region’s first Hydrotherapy center.
Rates start at 1350 Saudi Riyals.
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vogue on summertime escapes
We all know that last-minute travel is trendy in 2009. Some of those who would normally book holidays six months out are waiting until the 11th hour to pick a spot, pack up, and go.
Vogue blogged about last-minute escapes this week. Not your run-of-the-mill weekend getaways but far-flung jaunts into worlds more exotic than our own, like Florence and Beirut.
One of the chosen is La Reserve Ramatuelle, opened a few weeks ago in the South of France. Sitting up in the Mediterranean hills, it takes in the heady views of the sea. As an added flourish, it’s the first spa featuring La Mer products in all of France. Vive la France- and the summer escape.
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in to africa
As easily as Meryl Streep and Robert Redford fell for each other in 20th century Kenya, Thailand-based luxury resort and spa developer, Anantara, makes its historic entry into North Africa, announcing the development of two unique hotels in Morrocco. Anantara Marrakech Resort & Spa and Anantara Mogador Resort & Spa, are both scheduled to open in 2011.
In addition to its expansion into Africa, Anantara debuts its second property in Abu Dhabi, Qasr Al Sarab Desert Resort by Anantara, this fall. With 206 rooms, suites, and villas, Qasr Al Sarab will be the company’s flagship property in the U.A.E. In 2011, Anantara Al Madina A’Zarqa will open outside of Muscat, Oman, along the peninsula that bears its name.
Expansion seems to be the name of the game for Anantara, as in 2008, the company launched four properties in Asia and the Middle East: in April, Anantara Seminyak opened in the fashionable Island of the Gods district in Bali; in October, both Anantara Phuket on Mai Khao beach and Anantara Desert Islands on Sir Bani Yas off the coast of Abu Dhabi opened. In December, Anantara Si Kao along Changlang Beach south of Krabi opened, making it the company’s fifth resort in Thailand. In March, the company unveiled its newest addition to the family, Anantara Baan Rajprasong Serviced Suites, located in central Bangkok, making it the first of its kind for the Anantara group. For a list of all properties, please visit www.anantara.com.
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cheers to park hyatt
Besides the weather, we’d like to think the party went off without a hitch. Wednesday night at the swanky midtown leisure palace, the Core Club, AMPR and their 100 closest friends toasted Park Hyatt hotels. While the terrace was unused (except for a rumored impromptu after-party) the chic space buzzed with chatter about recent openings, upcoming plans, and all things travel.
Sommelier Marcelo Rebole from Palacio Duhau – Park Hyatt Buenos Aires kept the Malbec flowing, while Master Sommelier Fernando Beteta from NoMI at Park Hyatt Chicago topped off the champagne flutes. “On the wagon” guests got a boost from the beautiful Brazilian nutritionist, Patricia Teixeira, enlisted by Park Hyatt this year to help launch its Healthy Living menu. Teixeira brings to Park Hyatt her experience as a sports nutritionist for Real Madrid during the Beckham era (we tried to abstain from asking about his personal habits!). The eleven General Managers who flew in from around the world were probably fiending for a bit of her Anti-Jeg Lag drink. But from Shanghai to Tokyo and Zurich, they kept their cool and worked the room in top form, keeping the media on their toes.
See you next year!
cheap eats on nantucket
Nantucket restaurants have always been pricey, we won’t deny that. But this year, the island is giving off a more wallet-friendly vibe – restaurants, hotels, boutiques all have specials for spring 09. Bon appétit!
Brant Point Grill at White Elephant (open April 22) and TOPPER’S at The Wauwinet (open May 13) are starting off this season with a more wallet-friendly vibe. New Executive Chef Frederick Bisaillon at the Brant Point Grill has crafted a few opening promotions for the Brant Point Grill including a Stimulus Steak for $15, a four-course prix fixe meal for $29, and $1 oysters, clams, and appetizer specials every day from 3-11pm. When TOPPER’S opens in May, Executive Chef David Daniel’s menu will move away from the traditional pre-fixe to an á la carte menu with a classics category that will include choices such as Lobster Pot Pie, Yankee Pot Roast, and Beef Wellington. (more…)
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now revealing: ramatuelle
Guess where we’re dreaming of jetting off to this summer? The Grand Canyon? Cold. Ibiza? You’re getting warmer. South of France? Hot. The picturesque hillside community of Ramatuelle on the Côte d’Azur? Sizzling, spot-on! And where to stay? The brand-new La Réserve Ramatuelle, that’s where. La Réserve, the sophisticated hospitality group with a Jacques Garcia-designed hotel on Lake Geneva and apartment flats in Paris will open their third property, La Réserve Ramatuelle, on June 1, 2009. Right outside St. Tropez, La Réserve Ramatuelle is an elegant, intimate getaway with views of the Mediterranean as far as the eye can see. World-renowned architect Jean-Michel Wilmotte-designed Ramatuelle’s new hotel and spa, creating an exceptional streamlined retreat. (more…)
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mad about marrakech
Several years ago, the king of Morocco put forth Vision 2010 announcing the proposal to attract ten million tourists to Morocco by 2010. As a result, hotels have been steadily opening since 2001, and a handful more will open in the next two years. All of these, however, pale in comparison to the crowning development, Le Royal Mansour Marrakech.
One of the few privately-owned hotel properties in Marrakech, Le Royal Mansour recreates a historical medina, paying homage to the architecture and ambience of Marrakech at its height in the 16th century. Built into the historic wall of Marrakech, the property is designed with traditional Morocco in mind, complete with handcrafted wood and antique furniture, ornate tiles, and spectacular water displays and fountains. The project is unique to contemporary Marrakech with no expense spared in aesthetic or service; the finest teams in design, architecture, management, and cuisine were brought in, including the culinary expertise of three-timed Michelin-starred Yannick Alléno.
Le Royal Mansour Marrakech will have a soft opening on September 1 and will be fully open on November 1, 2009.
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the power of place
Sure Greenway was once the haven for the world’s best-selling author Agatha Christie. But the former holiday home also provided a base for a fleet from the U.S. Coastguard preparing for D-Day in the fall of 1943 as mentioned in today’s New York Times.
One member of the Coastguard who was stationed there during WWII happened to read this morning’s paper. He immediately rang The Royal Oak Foundation offices to share his memories of his time in the famed house, recounting a fellow soldier, Lt. Marshall Lee, who used the walls of the library to portray local scenes of the war … and even to depict a female au natural!
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connect with community
Guests of the newly opened Anantara Phuket Resort & Spa can participate in a ”community day” excursion tothe coastal village of Baan Talay Nok in the Ranong province north of Phuket, one of the most devastated during the 2004 Tsunami.
Working side-by-side with tsunami survivors in a handicraft cooperative, Anantara Phuket guests can help villagers with soap making, batik painting, and palm weaving, and proceeds from the sale of these items serve as supplemental income for the cooperative members.
In addition to volunteering, guests can also join in a soccer match with the children, go for a jungle hike, or practice speaking Thai with the elders. Anantara Phuket’s community day is more than a day of volunteerism; it’s an opportunity for guests to take away with them experiences greater than those that money can buy.
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crack the case and sleuth it up in agatha christie’s diggs
Where did the Queen of Crime choose to go on holiday? Mystery solved: to the Devon countryside and her home Greenway, newly renovated and open to the public for the first time to view or even to stay. Plan a murder mystery weekend and rent “The Apartment” – the second and third floors of the crime writer’s haven – which accommodates a party of ten, sans any disappearances!
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