Hot off the press…

AUGUST  2010

Here is our monthly news in tweetable form.

New and Notable

Hotel Parq Central

• Up up and away for #BalloonFestival!  #HotelParqCentral opens on 9/23/10. Rates starting at $179/night including breakfast and other treats.

Anantara Hotels, Resorts & Spas

• #AnantaraBophut in Koh Samui, #Thailand will be getting an upgrade! And we have the pics (http://bit.ly/cSwDte) to prove it!

Deals and Steals

Island Outpost

• Beat the heat w #BlueMountainBreezeOut at #StrawberryHill in #Jamaica. Includes accommodations, massage, 20% off #spa + free guided hike.

Pavillon de la Reine

• #PavillondelaReine in the heart of #Paris has a winter package w mini in-room #Christmas tree, half bottle of champagne +free parking.

Food and Wine

Andaz 5^th Avenue

• Be sure to check out the shop at #Andaz5thAvenue in #NYC. Enjoy dishes from NY icons like #Katz’sdeli and GREAT people watching.

Inn on the Alameda

• #InnontheAlameda challenges you to a #margarita contest. Submit your recipe-winner gets a 2-night stay for 2 in a suite w fireplace.

Royal Mansour Marrakech

• After the souk, sample #RoyalMansourMarrakech tasty pastries at the #PatisserieBibliotheque -a library of treats to satisfy any sweet tooth.

Hotel Crillon Le Brave

• #Provence chic #HotelCrillonleBrave is offering all-inclusive cooking program package, which combines spectacular culture and cuisine.

Park Hyatt

• Michelin-starred Jean-François Rouquette invites top chefs and sommeliers to Masters of Food & Wine at #ParkHyatt Paris-Vendôme Oct 11-16
• #Ramadan begins on Aug 11. Taste 30 days of amazing after dark holiday menus at #ParkHyatt #Dubai, #Istanbul, #Jeddah, #Baku.

Body and Soul

La Réserve

• Work off those summer ice creams with hikes and spa at très français #LaReserveRamatuelle #bootcamp this September. 9/15-9/19 or 9/27-9/31

Parrot Cay

• Get your chakras in line w @ElenaBrower on 5 day yoga retreat at @ParrotCayResort. 5 hours of #AnusaraYoga daily and #COMOShambhala cuisine.

Grand Hyatt Tokyo

• W #GrandHyattTokyo Grand Summer Escape, get a bbq for 2 and access to Nagomi spa and fitness w 20% off all treatments http://bit.ly/bpJlUL

ESPA

•  Get smooth skin with #ESPA Beach Body Ready gift set feat. smoothing shower gel and moisturizing balm w/ #free salt scrub gift!

Action Packed

Victoria-Jungfrau Grand Hotel & Spa

• Stay at the #VictoriaJungfrau in #Interlaken and check out the summer lugers in the #SwissAlps http://bit.ly/arzVyg

COMO Hotels & Resorts

• Bike through #Bhutan on a 7 night trip based at #UmaParo. From $3413 single occupancy see monasteries, prayer flags, and dramatic valleys.

Crystal Cruises

• W #CrystalCruises New Perspectives, go backstage at #MonteCarloBallet, dip in #Reykjavik hot springs, or see #SierraMadres by private plane.

Shakti Village Experiences

• See #India at new heights with #ShaktiVillageExperience‘s stays in mountain villages #Ladakh, in season now, #Kumaon or #Sikkim in October!

See and be Seen

Rosewood Mayakobá

• Stay at #RosewoodMayakoba and see young golfers compete in Mayakoba Junior Golf Classic August 16-19. The savvy golfers are all 18 and under

Nantucket Island Resorts

•  Take a trip to #Nantucket this winter for the island’s classic Christmas Stroll and stay at @WhiteElephantMA, open for this holiday event.

Royal Oak Foundation

• See @CharlotteMossNY receive #RoyalOakFoundation #TimelessDesign award for work as an interior designer author speaker and philanthropist.

Andaz Wall Street

• #WallStreet2 premieres September 24. See what all the fuss is about in the #FiDi with a stay at #AndazWallStreet or a meal at #WallandWater.

Ever had tomato ice cream? It may sound a little out of the ordinary, but with ripe summer tomatoes, we’re willing to try anything. Wimpole Home Farm’s 10^th Annual Tomato Festival is happening August 21^st and 22^nd and showcasing tons of tomatoes, such as the heart-shaped “orange strawberry” and the sweet burgundy colored, “black zebra.” Royal Oak Foundation members get free entry into this tasty tomato fest, but for those of us that can’t hop over to England this summer, here’s a recipe to enjoy the summery goodness of tomatoes in a whole new way.

Wimpole Tomato and Basil Ice Cream

Ingredients

5 oz double cream

2.5 oz homemade tomato puree (roast the tomatoes, then sieve them)

5 oz milk

5 free-range egg yolks

¾ cup caster sugar

2 finely chopped basil leaves

Directions

Place the cream, tomato puree and milk in a saucepan and heat gently until almost boiling. Meanwhile, whisk the egg yolks with the sugar in a large bowl until well combined. Slowly add the hot cream mixture while continuing to whisk. 

Pour the mixture back into the saucepan, add the basil and cook over a low heat, stirring constantly, until thick enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon. Be careful not to let the mixture get too hot or it might split. Allow to cool completely.

Transfer to an airtight container and put into the freezer for at least two hours, stirring every thirty minutes to prevent ice crystals forming.

Dreaming of a getaway to the English coastline or the rustic countryside, but don’t want to break the bank at a pricey hotel? Get all the comforts of home at one of the charming NEW National Trust holiday cottages. Live like a local in these idyllic, self-catering abodes – perfect for families or large groups. They certainly have us lusting for an English Country mini-break.

Make sure to join the Royal Oak Foundation – the National Trust’s U.S. affiliate – before crossing the pond for free access to over 300 historic houses.

Where: Court (above), Bosveal, and Chatham, at Bosloe, near Falmouth in Cornwall

Why: These three recently refurbished cottages have sweeping views of the river Helford. They are chicly furnished and can be joined together for a party of up to 20 people.

Details: Bosveal weekly price starts at £851 low season to £2709 high season

Court and Chatham weekly price starts at £658 low season to £2016 high season

Where: Home Farm, Carmarthenshire

Why: This charming holiday cottage was built on the Dinefwr Park estate in the late 1700s. The large house sleeps 12 and is a great base from which to explore the estate and others in South Wales.

Details: Weekly price starts at £658 low season to £1661 high season

Where: Tri A Hanner, Porthdinllaenin, North Wales

Why: This quaint cottage in the historic hamlet of Porthdinllaen is the ultimate romantic retreat. Set right on the beach, the sound of the waves lapping on the shore is a constant soundtrack, and miles of sandy beaches and cliff walks are just outside the door. Walk to the nearby pub for a pint, or sit at home and watch the fishermen bring in the day’s catch.

Details: Weekly price starts at £402 to £893

Where: Men’s Way Apartment, Co. Fermanagh in Northern Ireland

Why: This cottage once housed the male servants at Florence Court estate and overlooks an 18^th-century courtyard and adjoining woodland garden. If the tranquility of country life gets boring, the thriving country town of Enniskillen is just a few miles away.

Details: Weekly price from £329 to £893

Where: Garden’s House, Near Bury St. Edmunds in Suffolk

Why: This property is a new addition to the National Trust holiday cottage collection and is set in the lovely grounds of Ickworth House in Suffolk. The former home of the Head Gardener looks over the vineyard, church, and lake of the estate.

Details: Weekly price from £463 to £1120

Where: Hemmick Cottage, Near St. Austell in Cornwall

Why: Set just back from one of the best beaches in Cornwall, this Victorian fisherman’s cottage sleeps four and has a warm, seaside atmosphere. Miles of coast walks are right outside and a picnic table sits in the yard overlooking the beautiful seascape.

Details: Weekly price starts at £463 low season to £1260 high season

Make sure you join the Royal Oak Foundation – the National Trust’s U.S. affiliate – before crossing the pond for free access to over 300 historic houses.

© Frederick Warne & Co                                   ©NTPL/Robert Morris

Learned life lessons from Peter Rabbit?  Had a framed picture of Jemima Puddle-Duck on the wall as a child?  No childhood has escaped the whimsical influence of the works of Beatrix Potter. Her anthropomorphic characters are in countless tales read to kiddies of any era at bedtime.

From now through September 20, 2010, Mottisfont Abbey, a National Trust property in Hampshire, is hosting an exhibition dedicated to the creative author.  Her original water colors and greeting cards will be on display, featuring some of her most popular characters.  Be sure to go this summer; they can only be shown ONCE EVERY TEN YEARS as the paintings are that fragile.  The exhibit – like entry to each of the Trust’s over 300 properties – is free for members of The Royal Oak Foundation, the Trust’s U.S. affiliate.

As an added bonus, Mottisfont recreated Mr. McGregor’s Garden full of authentic vegetables with which Beatrix herself would have been familiar.  Families can try their hand at farming by sowing heirloom seeds.  The property’s popular “Scarecrow Trail” around the grounds of Mottisfont features imaginative recreations of Peter Rabbit and friends, and there will be Potter-related dishes on offer in the Kitchen Café including Peter Rabbit Salad as well as recipes from the books themselves like Blackberry Bread and Muffins.

©NTPL/Ross Hoddinott                                                                        ©NTPL/Andrew Butler

Where: Anglesey Abbey, Gardens and Lodge Mill, Cambridgeshire

When: October 29, 2:30pm-4pm

What: Freaky Friday: Wild About Cooking

Why: Join the chef making spooky treats. Booking is required and the event costs £5 per child.

Stay: Coach House Loft is a converted apartment over the coach house at the historic Peckover house. It sleeps five and guests get a key to the Peckover house gardens.

Where: Arlington Court & the National Trust’s Carriage Collection, Devon

When: October 29, 2pm-2:30pm

What: Pumpkin Carving Competition

Why: Show the British how it’s done. Bring along a carved pumpkin to enter into the evilest pumpkin carving contest and join in ghost and ghouls week activities.

Stay: Woolley Lodge, a former gardener’s cottage, sits on the edge of the Arlington estate. The lodge accommodates three and is the perfect place to stay to explore the woodlands and footpaths around the estate.

Where: Belton House, Lincolnshire

When: October 23-24, 11am-4pm

What: Weekend Halloween Happenings

Why: Don your Halloween finest and wander down the “Hubble Bubble, Toad’s in Trouble” family fun trail, a perfect pumpkin trail for little ghosts and goblins. There are masks and crafts, face painting, spooky stories, and Halloween treats at the restaurant. The costume contest is in the stableyard at 3. There’s a £1.50 charge per trail, and £3 for face painting.

Stay: The Old Rectory is a late 18^th century Regency rectory near the tiny church of Bratoft village. The expansive house sleeps 11 and is a great place from which to visit Gunby Hall, Tattershall Castle, and Belton House.

Where: Bodiam Castle, East Sussex

When: October 23-31, 10:30am-3:30pm

What: Halloween Happening and Spooky Challenge

Why: In the Spooky Challenge, track down the resident ghost and other creepy characters lurking around the castle. There’s an event charge of £2.

Stay: Keeper’s Cottage in Woolbending, Sussex, is a former gamekeeper’s house built in the 1600s. The charming cottage sleeps five and has views of the Sussex countryside.

Where: Chartwell, Kent

When: October 27-29, 4pm-6pm

What: Halloween Twilight Trails

Why: Take an eerie turn around the garden as the sun goes down, but keep an eye out for ghosts and ghouls. The brave will make it back to the restaurant for pumpkin soup and hotdogs. There’s an event charge of £10.

Stay: Laundry Cottage is part of a converted 15^th-century stableblock within the grounds of Igtham Mote, a 14^th century moted manor house. The idyllic cottage sleeps four and has a private garden.

Where: Lanhydrock, Cornwall

When: October 30-31, 5:30pm-7:30pm

What: Pumpkins and Ghouls

Why: Try your hand at pumpkin carving and take a ghostly tour through the haunted great wood. £6 per adult and £4 per child; booking is essential.

Stay: Cutmadoc is a cottage hidden in a secluded garden on the Lanhydrock’s estate. The cottage sleeps six and is in the center of Cornwall, giving visitors access to both north and south coasts.

©NTPL/Penny Tweedie

When Vita Sackville-West and Harold Nicolson found Sissinghurst, it was an Elizabethan summer palace in ruins. Now the roofless rooms and crumbling brick walls are filled with flowers. The house and gardens embodies a beautiful connection between past and present. Sackville-West and Nicolson’s grandson, Adam Nicolson, recently wrote about his unique abode and its “delicious homeliness” (in the English sense, meaning homelike, not ugly). Beyond the house and garden, there are fields of farmland. Members of the Royal Oak Foundation have free entry to this idyllic country Estate, and over 300 other historic houses in the National Trust’s repertoire.

Tatton Park (left) and Jeff Koons’ Cracked Egg at Waddesdon Manor.

The National Trust is going modern with its new contemporary art initiative, Trust New Art. Pairing up with Arts Council England, the Trust is introducing a three-year contemporary arts and crafts program at selected historic houses across England. For members of the Royal Oak Foundation – the U.S. affiliate to the National Trust – entry into these historic houses is free, so sign up before you go to avoid entrance fees. Some Trust properties are already involved. Jeff Koons’ Cracked  Egg is showcased alongside an exhibition of new lighting pieces by Brazilian designers, the Campana brothers, at Waddesdon Manor, and newly commissioned work by over 20 artists will be scattered around Tatton Park for its second contemporary art biennial. The juxtaposition of the refined historic houses and modern works of art will bring new crowds together and really spice up the English countryside.

Other events include the following:

Croft Castle – “Tell it to the Trees” is running until September 15, showcasing nine works of art with a dramatic backdrop of ancient woodlands. Croft Castle sits on a 1,500 acre estate surrounded by woodlands, farms, and parkland.

Calke Abbey – This charming property is working with Beacon Arts to display the works of artists such as Mark Fairnington and 2009 Turner Prize nominee Roger Hiorns. This runs through July 11. Calke Abbey has been little restored, left in its state of gentle neglect and showcasing a time when grand country houses were struggling to survive. Mark Fairnington is a painter who has been Sargent Fellow at the British School at Rome and has held residences in the Serpentine Gallery and the Natural History Museum. Roger Hiorns is known for using unusual materials in urban settings, such as covering an entire apartment in blue crystals.

Kedleston Hall – Susie MacMurray is creating a temporary installation entitled “Promenade,” a shimmering structure of gold threads. This will run from July 19 through the end of September. Kedleston Hall is a Neo-classical mansion and home to the Curzon family since the 12th century. Susie MacMurray is known for her sculpture and installations in historic settings.

This fall, stave off that sad summer-is-over feeling with a trip! Take in all that the season has to offer in a cozy English cottage and check out the happenings of a British autumn. Festivals with local cuisine dapple the September calendar and country houses are surrounded by orchards brimming with fall fruit.

For Foodies:

Go: The Big Green Food & Craft Festival at Beningbrough Hall will have great Yorkshire food and crafts, fresh produce, and a Hog Roast. September 25-26.

Stay: Goodramgate, York

A cozy apartment in a medieval building right in the town of York – perfect for exploring on foot.

Go: A World War II event in Northumberland gets visitors to think of wartime food, rationing, and Victory Gardens. Weekend of September 25.

Stay: Westwood Cottage, Northumberland

Previously part of Wallington Estate’s stable block, this stone house is built around a central courtyard and is close to the grand estate’s main house.

Go: Get tempted at the “Taste and Temptation” weekend at Petworth House and meet local producers and taste their delicious, fresh products. September 26.

Stay: Emley Farmhouse, Surrey

Surrounded by farmland, this quaint country cottage retains many of its original features, such as an internal well and large fireplaces.

For Nature Lovers:

Go: The beautiful island of Anglesey has dramatic cliffs, sandy beaches, and mountain views of Snowdonia.

Stay: Bryn Llywelyn, Anglesey

This stately Georgian farmhouse has a large walled garden full of apple trees and has a view over the wild Llanlleiana Bay.

Go: The fascinating Calke Abbey is filled with fascinating possessions and surrounded by a National Nature Reserve replete with trails.

Stay: Southwood House Farm, Derbyshire

This 18th century brick farmhouse is flanked by fruit trees and sits on the south side of the Calke Abbey estate, formerly used as its dairy.

For Beach Bums:

Go: Hell’s Mouth Bay – despite its foreboding moniker – is a great place to swim and surf. In autumn the water is still warm and the waves start picking up again.

Stay: Pant Rhiw Cottage, North Wales

This remote cottage sits on a hillside overlooking the bay and is accessible only by a walking path. 

Go: Enjoy the gorgeous beaches of Cornwall and the gregarious charms of Polzeath, known for its surfing.

Stay: Overhaven, Polzeath

This tranquil cottage is a stone’s throw from the town and has sweeping views of the countryside and the coast.

Go: Explore the cobbled lanes and idyllic houses of Clovelly in Devon this fall, when all the summer crowds have dispersed.

Stay: 1 Coastguard, Clovelly

Hidden in the woods about a quarter mile from the shore, this cottage is a great retreat for exploring the rugged coast.