The Alps are alive with the sound of music! Every year, over 120,000 music lovers gather to catch classical music’s legends and up-and-coming stars perform at Switzerland’s famed music festival, the Lucerne Festival. The festival was founded in 1938, and has earned the status as one of the world’s premier music festivals by attracting legendary orchestras, conductors, and soloists from around the world. The first festival took place during the summer, but it has expanded to include an Easter festival and a special pianist festival in November, in addition to the original summer event.

When the curtain drops, concert-goers will love wandering through Old Town Lucerne, exploring the city’s many famed bridges, and admiring the spectacular views of Lake Lucerne and the Swiss Alps. Although the formal festival will take place under the lights of Jean Nouvel’s famous concert hall, the musical greats have been known to hold impromptu jam sessions in local hotels, restaurants, and bars.

Palace Luzern, Lucerne’s luxurious lakeside hotel and a festival sponsor, is the perfect home base for music lovers looking to soak in all of the exciting happenings of the festival. The hotel offers the Spa and Sounds package during the festival for those who want to completely unwind and enjoy the music. The two-night package includes a Balinese hot stone spa treatment, breakfast buffet, concert tickets, and butler service. To truly escape, the package also includes the option of leaving your cell phone with the concierge, who will answer all calls and return the cell phone with a call back list upon check out. The package starts at CHF827 (approximately $913) per person.

Lucerne Festival at the Piano (November 21-27)This year’s Lucerne Festival at the Piano is dedicated to 19^th century piano master, Franz List. In honor of his 200^th birthday, Yefim Bronfman, Andreas Haefliger, Lise de la Salle, Alexei Volodin, and many others will bring Franz back to life through lively interpretations of his great works.

Lucerne Festival at Easter (March 24-April 1, 2012)
The Lucerne Festival at Easter will be a week full of Mozart.  Enjoy the Lucerne premiere of Claudio Abbado’s Orchestra Mozart from Bologna, the C major of Mozart’s “Linz” Symphony, and Maria João Pires’s performance of Concerto in D minor K. 466.

Lucerne Festival in summer (August 8-September 15, 2012)
The theme of the summer festival is faith, and the music selections will reflect the many ways that faith has been explored through music. The festival will welcome the Berlin and Vienna Philharmonics, as well as composer-in-residence Sofia Gubaidulina and many other celebrated musicians.

EUROPE

La Réserve Paris
Paris, France

La Réserve Paris sits in the heart of the city at Place de Trocadéro, letting visitors live like a Parisian – and a chic one at that. The stylishly furnished apartments provide all guests the comforts of home, with a view only available in Paris – the Eiffel Tower cuts the sky and behind it is a backdrop of the green Champs de Mars, often speckled with picnickers.

RATES: start at 2,590 euros per night (about $3,564) for a minimum stay of 3 nights.

Le Pavillon des Lettres
Paris, France

The penthouse suites at the new Pavillon des Lettres are a dream for bibliophiles. Each of the hotel’s 26 rooms is dedicated to a letter of the alphabet and a corresponding author. The two penthouse suites, Yeats and Zola, have beautiful views of the Eiffel Tower, the Grand Palais, and Paris rooftops. Gaze out at the lights on the Eiffel Tower while reading Zola’s Nana from the room’s iPad – stocked with novels in several languages – or scan Yeats’ The Wind Among the Reeds that is printed on the wall.

RATES: start at 250 euros per night (about $347).

Victoria-Jungfrau Collection – Palace Luzern
Luzern, Switzerland

Founded in 1906, the Palace Luzern epitomizes the height of Belle Époque elegance.  While embracing the style of a true palace hotel, numerous renovations have brought the hotel into the 21^st century with a fresh, modern aesthetic.  Overlooking Lake Lucerne, it offers a unique combination of Alpine scenery and proximity to the center of Lucerne, which is host to renowned music festivals, world-class museums, and many charming boutiques.  Sailing, golf, and skiing are all available nearby.

RATES: start at $308 for a City View Double Room.

ASIA

Uma Paro
Paro, Bhutan

Uma Paro is in the extraordinary Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan, sitting atop a tree-lined hill on 38 acres overlooking the town of Paro in the valley below. Situated on the country’s western border, the Paro Valley is one of the main cultural centers of Bhutan. Simply relax and gaze out at the unbelievable view, or join one of Uma Paro’s activities such as hiking or biking to the nearby monasteries or exploring the country through the lens of a camera.

RATES: start at $ 330 through December 31, 2011.

Park Hyatt Shanghai
Shanghai, China

Located in one of the world’s tallest buildings, a bathing experience at the Park Hyatt Shanghai is far from ordinary. Even with the heated floors in the bathroom, you’ll shiver at the thrill as you glance down at the breathtaking city from a window-side deep soaking tub. For the faint of heart, there is always the oversized monsoon rain shower, not a bad trade.

RATES: start at $391 for a Park King room.

Park Hyatt Beijing
Beijing, China

Park Hyatt Beijing illuminates the city skyline as a new landmark. Directly opposite the China World Trade Center and the striking new CCTV Tower, the hotel occupies the uppermost floors in the main tower of the Beijing Yintai Center — the tallest development on prestigious Chang’an Avenue in the heart of the capital’s Central Business District. The interiors of Park Hyatt Beijing have been inspired by classical Suzhou architecture and water gardens, and the hotel incorporates these Oriental aesthetics into a sleek, contemporary design.

RATES: start at $288 for a  Park King Room.

Park Hyatt Sydney
Sydney, Australia

The iconic Park Hyatt Sydney will reopen in late 2011 after a seven month makeover and complete redesign. Located in the Rocks district of Sydney’s city center, the hotel has been reimagined by Melbourne-based design firm BARStudio. All rooms are being completely redesigned to enhance the guest experience and highlight the hotel’s harborfront location. Views of Sydney Harbor and the Opera House take on new meaning with a series of floor-to-ceiling windows throughout almost all areas of the property, including in The Dining Room, the hotel’s premier restaurant, completing the large-scale redesign.

RATES: opening rates starting at $871 for a City/Harbour King Room.

Shakti 360˚ Leti
Uttarakhand, India
U.S. Toll-free: 1 877 637 5665

At 8,000 feet in elevation surrounded by soaring peaks of the snowcapped Indian Himalayas, Shakti  360˚ Leti has some of the best views in India.  Each of the four en-suite cabins and the central lodge of this high elevation hotel have floor to ceiling windows, which means the views of the peaks and, in spring, the rhododendrons in full bloom, never disappear.  Described as “a contender for the world’s most remote luxury resort,” Shakti 360˚ Leti can be visited as an extension from the Shakti Kumaon Village Experience, or as its own destination.  Accessible by car or charter flight from Delhi, the fun getting there really begins with the hour-long trek into the hills.  But once you’re there, you won’t want to leave…  Forget your Blackberry, power down your iPhone, disconnect, and just breathe in the fresh mountain air while listening to the silence that surrounds you.
Season: October 1 – May 1

RATES: 3-night, 4-day package starts at $1,916 per person, double occupancy.  Rates include accommodations; all meals and beverages; activities; English speaking guide and porters; a car at your disposal, and all taxes and return transfers between Shakti Kumaon Village Experience and Shakti 360˚ Leti.  Flights are not included.  Minimum of a 3-night stay required.

MIDDLE EAST

Qasr Al Sarab Desert Resort by Anantara
Liwa Desert, Abu Dhabi, U.A.E.

In the heart of the Liwa Desert just ninety minutes from Abu Dhabi International Airport is Qasr Al Sarab Desert Resort by Anantara, the newly built 206-room resort surrounded entirely by legendary red sand dunes. The Liwa is part of the Rub’-al-Khali, or Empty Quarter, the world’s largest uninterrupted desert. Built right into the sand, the resort is modeled after an ancient Emirati fort that rises out of the desert and evokes the rich culture of the Bedouins, the indigenous tribes people who roamed the desert for centuries. Get away not only from your everyday life, but this century altogether!

The rooms and suites spill off the main lodge like little villages, and all have stunning views of the ocher dunes of the Liwa. Hundreds of museum-caliber artifacts are on display throughout the hotel to provide more feasts for the eye, including the world’s largest collection of camel saddlebags used in desert crossings by the Bedouins throughout Arabia.  Offering all the comforts of modern luxury in a superbly unique setting, Qasr Al Sarab is more than just a luxury hotel; it is a window into the history and culture of a nation.

RATES: start at 2,100 AED from October 1-November 30, 2011, and at 1,900 AED from December 1, 2011-January 31, 2012.

The holidays can be hectic with all that shopping to do and all those family dinners to attend. Give yourself a break this year and plan a festive vacation! Whether it’s a snowy escape, a sunny getaway, or an urban adventure, there’s something for everyone.

SNOW
Where: Palace Luzern, Lucerne, Switzerland
What: A Swiss winter wonderland
Why:  Taste world-famous Swiss Fondue and admire the breathtaking views of the snow-capped Alps from the windows of the oldest electric cogwheel-train as it climbs Mt. Rigi. Browse more than 45 stalls of holiday gifts and confections at the annual Christmas Market and wander the festively decorated medieval streets as carolers serenade in the distance during a winter escape to Lucerne, Switzerland. The Palace Luzern’s annual New Years Eve party will be the perfect start to 2012, and the hotel’s special New Years Eve package won’t break your budgeting resolutions for the new year!
When: The New Years Eve package starts at $844 (two nights, double occupancy) and is valid only December 30, 2011-January 1, 2012

Where: La Réserve Genève, Geneva, Switzerland
What: An enchanted holiday
Why: Spend the holidays at La Réserve Genève – explore the International Christmas Market, wave hello to Santa Claus at the Annual Electric Christmas Parade, and attend the annual Christmas Tree Festival where international artists display beautifully crafted sculptures and trees. For a special holiday evening, leave the kids with La Réserve Genève’s experienced babysitters, available for children aged 6 months to 13 years.
When: holiday rates start at $500 per night

SUN
Where: GoldenEye Hotel & Resort, Oracabessa, Jamaica
What: Who said the holidays had to be cold?
Why: Nestled on Jamaica’s north coast, GoldenEye Hotel & Resort was once the Jamaican home of author Ian Fleming and the site where he penned all 14 James Bond novels. Holiday festivities include dinner and entertainment on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, a New Years Eve Extravaganza, Festive Afternoon Teas, and Champagne Cocktail Party. Guests can kick off the New Year in good health kindness of the hotel’s fitness and activity program, with offerings such as daily yoga, paddle boarding, and local runs through Oracabessa. Younger visitors can kayak, snorkel, or participate in the hotel’s coral restoration program.
When: Holiday rates start at $1,040 per night from December 15 – January 7

Where: Pacific Coast Holiday, Roundtrip from Los Angeles to the Hawaiian Islands
What: 14 days of culture, fun, and adventure aboard Crystal Symphony
Why: Leave the snow behind and tour the sunny Hawaiian Islands aboard Crystal Symphony. Sign up for private dance lessons, take a helicopter ride over Oahu, or discover the wonder of whale-watching near Maui. Children will love learning to snorkel, kayak, and surf in the beautiful, warm waters.
When: December 21, 2011 – January 4, 2012, two-for-one fares start at $7,050 per person, and include $500 per person all-inclusive “ As You Wish” shipboard credit, plus free, round-trip air and airport transfer from two dozen North American gateway cities (or generous air credit).  Restrictions apply.

CITY
Where: Park Hyatt Washington D.C.
What: A patriotic holiday
Why: Plan a Christmas visit to the Park, and start your stay with delicious homemade gingerbread cookies and Eggnog. For those revelers looking for the best place to bring in the New Year, the Park offers New Years guests two tickets to the hotel’s popular New Years Eve celebration in the Lounge. Extend the holiday cheer all winter long with the hotel’s Comfort and Joy package, which includes hot cocoa and fresh baked cookies to enjoy after braving the cold to attend the National Hanukkah Menorah Lighting Ceremony on the White House grounds or visiting the National Christmas Tree, lit daily during December.
When: Christmas package rates start at $445 for the first night and at $245 for each additional night from December 22-26, 2011; New Year’s Eve package available December 27-January 22, 2012 (contact hotel for rates); and Comfort and Joy package rates start at $299 per night from November 28-February 29, 2012

Where: The Inn on the Alameda, Santa Fe, New Mexico
What: 26^th anniversary celebration
Why:  Escape for a weekend at the Inn on the Alameda in Santa Fe, a city known for its dazzling luminaria displays! The Inn is turning 26 this year, and Santa Fe’s beloved and charming hotel is celebrating by offering a special anniversary rate.  Guests who stay at the inn for three consecutive nights between October 30 and December 12 will pay just $26 for the third night! To get in the holiday spirit, travelers can attend a festive Santa Fe Desert Chorale winter concert or check out the shops of the historic Santa Fe Plaza area.
When: Special rates start at $336 from October 30-December 12 (excluding November 23-26 and November 30 -December 5) 

Where:  Peninsula Spa by ESPA, New York City
What: A rejuvenating ‘spa-cation’
Why: New York City is never more alive than at Christmastime with tree-lit ice skating at Rockefeller Center, enchanting carriage rides in Central Park, and lavish window displays at Saks. For people looking to take a break from the hustle and bustle of the city streets, the Peninsula Spa by ESPA is offering a day-long ‘spa-cation,’ including a 60-minute treatment, a special lunch, and complimentary use of the pool and fitness centre.
When: Spa-cation package is available Monday – Thursday weekly for $285

Switzerland’s Palace Luzern introduces new “Under 30 Evenings”, designed for the young, fabulous and… budget conscious. Every Wednesday, at the hotel’s Jasper restaurant, guests under the age of 30 can enjoy a three-course menu at a reduced price – proving that a Michelin-starred gourmet dining experience doesn’t have to burn a hole in your wallet!

Dining out with friends can be a total numbers game (à la splitting the check) but Palace Luzern has some solid stats on their side…

30 – Maximum age limit to take advantage of the special three-course menu, including aperitif, coffee and mineral water.

59 – Cost in Swiss Francs for the dining experience (approximately $70 USD).

16 – Points Jasper earned by the esteemed French restaurant dining guide, Gault-Millau (ranked on a scale from 1-20).

6 – Number of sets of silver cutlery on the table. (Confused by which fork to use for what course? Fret not! The friendly service team is always on hand for a quick lesson in etiquette. (If in doubt, start on the outside and work your way in with each course.)

1– New Chef de Cuisine, Kersten Rishmeyer (she creates the menus for Jasper on a weekly basis, using local ingredients).

Set within the cosmopolitan city of Lucerne, Switzerland – home to the crystal clear Lake Lucerne, with many public swimming areas, over 115 miles of hiking paths, numerous wineries, and more than 80 festivals a year – the destination is perfect for any young traveler.

For more information, visit www.palace-luzern.ch or call 41 (0)41 416 16 16.

Celebrate Switzerland’s Lucerne Festival with “Spa & Sounds” Package

From Victoria Jungfrau Collections’ Palace Luzern

In conjunction with the renowned Lucerne Festival, Switzerland’s Palace Luzern is offering a two-night “Spa & Sounds” package, available for stays April 9-17. Designed to promote ultimate relaxation, the package combines five-star accommodations with massage, music, and a mobile device drop-off service!

While enjoying Balinese massages, and festival tickets for performances of those chart-toppers of the 17 and 1800s, Bach, Brahms and Mozart; the “Spa & Sounds” package is as much about what you WILL hear as what you DON’T HAVE TO hear – namely, the unsoothing sounds of your cell phone. Bringing new meaning to the term “hands-free”, included in the package is Palace Luzern’s mobile device drop-off service. Simply hand your phone over to the hotel’s concierge on arrival, they’ll be happy to answer any phone calls and relay your messages.

The annual festival has been in existence since 1938 and attracts a roster of major international orchestras, conductors and soloists to the Swiss city. View the complete program here.

The “Spa & Sounds” package costs 1764 CHF based on double occupancy ($1,922 USD at time of release) and includes the details below. Guests can book the two-night offering between April 9 – 17.

• Two night accommodations with views of Lake Lucerne
• Breakfast both mornings
• Tickets for evening of your choice to the Lucerne Festival
• One Balinese massage per person
• Roundtrip transfers from the Lucerne train station and KKL (festival location) in a Jaguar car
• Butler service
• Mobile “drop off service”
• Fruit and Swiss chocolate upon arrival

Don’t fret if you can’t make it this time; the offer will also be available in August for the Summer Festival and November for the Piano Festival (Prices may vary).

While the holiday season might mean last minute shopping trips and extended family gatherings for some, see how some of the Swiss will be celebrating for a lesson in true holiday R&R.

Where: Palace Luzerne, Switzerland

What: Another reason to move to Switzerland

Why: Swiss hospitality is extending its courtesies to local parents this Holiday season. The Goose ‘n Wellness package will pick-up Swiss moms or dads in a limousine for a day of spa pampering with an evening make-over for mothers and a ‘manly’ manicure for fathers, while hotel chefs prepare a traditional Holiday meal including roasted goose, mashed potatoes, and red cabbage. When ready to return home (we think it could be hard), the limousine will take refreshed parents home with the perfectly prepared meal back to an awaiting family.

When: December 24-26. 579 Swiss Francs per mother including wellness treatment, glass of champagne and Christmas dinner for four.

Palace Luzern in Luzern, Switzerland welcomes guests with the option of arriving on an old-fashioned steamboat. The hotel has a fleet that cruise on the waters of Lake Luzern daily and offer beautiful views of the lake and surrounding Swiss Alps. You will feel like old royalty as you pull up to an actual palace for your vacation.

The hotel also offers excursions around the lake on the steamboats to visit historic sites and lakeside towns from another era. Now that sounds like getting away. 

courtesy of the san francisco chronicle

This month, Gourmet profiles Rolf Beeler, dubbed the Swiss “Cheese Pope.”  Beeler is a finisher who works with artisanal cheesemakers around Switzerland to cultivate, age, and coax their products into something transcendent.  As the magazine mentions, French Laundry in California and Gramercy Tavern in New York both import his cheeses.  And thanks to the cutting-edge buyers at Whole Foods, you can serve Rolf Beeler’s Emmental and Gruyère at your own dinner parties.  Trace any of these imports back to its root and you’ll find a farmer who can tell you the name of the cow from whence it came.

Just as lobsters taste better after a day spent on the Nantucket beaches, there’s no better way to appreciate a cheese’s terroir than after a meal accompanied by Swiss wines in the heart of the Alps.  The Michelin-starred Jasper at the Palace Luzern and the Jungfrau Brasserie at the Victoria-Jungfrau in Interlaken both feature Beeler’s cheese.  The chefs always include Beeler creations in their dazzling cheese displays as well as their recipes.  Even if you managed to resist the fondue, you can’t - and shouldn’t – decline a nibble of Hoch Ybrig after dinner.

From Tanglewood in the Berkshires to the Grand Teton Music Festival in Wyoming, Americans seem to be wild about classical music festivals.  Soaring sonatas just seem to jive with summertime and fireflies and big open spaces.

Switzerland has its own summertime festival, highly acclaimed within Europe.  Indeed, many aficionados see it as the classical music counterpart to Salzburg’s operatic tradition.  This year, the Lucerne Festival in Summer will last from August 12 to September 19, 2009.  The theme is Nature, and it will open with the “cry of nature” of Gustav Mahler’s First Symphony.  The performances are held in what’s known as the KKL, or Culture and Congress Center.  This strikingly modern building, designed by Pritzker Prize-winner Jean Nouvel, houses some serious acoustics.

The Palace Luzern is where all the maestros (and divas) stay during their festival run.  This grande dame hotel sits on the bank of Lake Lucerne, across from the concert hall, and guests who book the special festival package are whisked over to and from the concert hall by boat.  This passage is a good time to meditate on the green Alps and blue lake.  Perhaps think about jumping in for a morning swim, or maybe taking a sail tomorrow.

How summery.

But who knew that there are three major music festivals a year in Lucerne?  The first festival took place seventy years ago, in the gardens of Richard Wagner’s villa.  Now an Easter festival, Summer festival, and Piano festival round out the year in this beloved Swiss city.

First up is the LUCERNE FESTIVAL at Easter, from March 28 to April 5.  The mix of sacred and secular music, much of it performed in churches around the city, just might lift everyone out of their winter blues.   Among the headlining events is the soaring conclusion to Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony and performances honoring the 200^th anniversary of the death of Haydn and the 250^th anniversary of the death of Handel.  A new spin on a ‘spring awakening,’ for sure.

As an added pleasure for culture-lover, several events will take place at the KKL, the Culture and Congress Center.  The KKL was designed by Jean Nouvel, an edgy architect who was awarded the Pritzker Prize in 2008.  The KKL has outrageous acoustics and overhangs Lake Lucerne.  The spot is so sensational that it may just inspire a little yodeling.

Come home to the Palace Luzern, just across the lake from the KKL.  Feast at their Michelin-starred restaurant Jasper and hear a little night music at the bar, where the musicians tend to hang out after-hours.  Finally, curl up in the Suite of Arts and wake up to a Swiss spring.