May 22nd, 2012
Photo courtesy of Departures.com
Roy Lichtenstein’s pieces are some of the most iconic productions of the Pop Art era and as such have spawned innumerous reproductions. However, the mass-produced prints hung up in homes around the world are incomparable to their original counterparts. Much of his art shares an aesthetic DNA but not all of his work includes images of the comic characters he’s so often associated with. “Roy Lichtenstein: A Retrospective,” the art exhibit opening today at The Art Institute of Chicago, hopes to showcase all facets of his lifework.
The Chicago exhibit will run until September 3rd after which, it will visit the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., Tate Modern in London, and Centre Pompidou in Paris. This rare experience combined with the plethora of locale choices provides art aficionados with the perfect excuse to travel. Never been to the Navy Pier, the White House, the Eiffel Tower, or Buckingham palace and you love Lichtenstein? Well, now is the perfect opportunity to cross these items off your bucket list — all the while staying in luxury at some of our favorite hotels.
Check out our accommodation recommendations below.
Chicago:
May 22–September 3; The Art Institute of Chicago; 111 S. Michigan Ave.; 312-629-6100
The perfect hotel for art enthusiasts in Chicago is the Park Hyatt Chicago. The Park Hyatt brand is known for its love of art, and after stepping through the entrance you will see why.
Washington, D.C.:
October 14-January 13, 2013; National Gallery of Art; 4th Constitution Avenue Northwest; 202-737-4215
The Park Hyatt DC is a mere five minute cab ride from the exhibit’s location making it the perfect choice.
London:
February 21-May 27, 2013; Tate Modern; Bankside London SE1 9TG; 020 78878752
The Halkin’s state of the art amenities, impeccable service, and proximity to the Tate Modern make it an ideal option.
Paris:
July 3-November 4, 2013; Centre Pompidou; Place Georges Pompidou; +33 (0)1 44 78 12 33
Exercise your artistic inclinations even further by staying at Le Pavillon des Lettres, a literary themed hotel where each room is named after a different writer.
May 7th, 2012
With the spring weather upon us, we have our hearts set on Europe. Whether you’re traveling to London for the Olympic Games or hoping to stay as far away as possible, we have a suggestion for every traveler’s delight.
For the Olympics:
The Halkin
London, UK
The Halkin is a hidden gem in Belgravia. Clean lines and impeccable service define the London favorite, along with its award winning nahm restaurant serving up authentic Thai fare. Guests can even order this haute Thai cuisine for room service!
What’s New: Celebrating its 20th Anniversary this year, The Halkin has certainly made its mark on the London hotel scene. To celebrate, The Halkin has partnered with William Curley, renowned patissier and chocolatier, to fashion a Couture Chocolate Afternoon Tea. This is a Champagne tea service inspired by the chocolatier’s new book, Couture Chocolate, and will include a selection of chocolate patisserie, homemade scones with clotted cream and preserves, and a selection of freshly made sandwiches.
Rates: Rates start at £260 ($422) per night.
Metropolitan London
London, UK
This well known London hotel is famous for its Met Bar that first opened in 1997 and set the trend for the ultimate great night out in the heart of London! Now the Met Bar has re-opened its doors with a whole NEW look featuring an expanded and innovative cocktail menu and classic seasonal British cuisine. For the first time, the Met Bar ended its “Members-Only” policy, making it accessible to all from early in the day to late at night.
What’s New: The new COMO Shambhala Urban Escape offers key Asian-inspired therapies as well as a resident acupuncturist. Among the treatments on offer are the Dr. Perricone facials (the COMO Shambhala Urban Escape is the only spa in the U.K. to work with this popular U.S. product line) and COMO Shambhala PURIFY facials, suitable for men and women.
Rates: Rates start at £229 ($372) per night.
For the Culture:
Orient-Express Afloat in France
France
Discover the French countryside from a new perspective with Afloat in France, a small fleet of luxury barges ideal for a group of family or friends on vacation. Fashion an itinerary that matches the interests of the crowd (think golf, cycling, or antiques), and relax in Orient-Express style over fine French dining and wine while meandering through the ever-changing scenery.
What’s New: Explore the finest vineyards from the Rhône Valley to Gevrey-Chambertin on the new seven-day “Wine Discovery Tour” aboard the Napoleón, which features instructive tastings, wine-centric French dinners, and guided walks through some of the region’s most famous vineyards. To ring in the new tour, each “Wine Discovery Tour” attendee is rewarded with a free one-night stay at a luxury five-star hotel in Paris.
Rates: Rates start at €4,450 ($5,825) per person, based on double occupancy of a cabin.
Le Pavillon des Lettres
Paris, France
The charming Pavillon des Lettres, an impossibly chic retreat for art and literature lovers, is the perfect alternative to Paris’ traditional hotels. Combining art, literature, and fine design, each of the hotel’s 26 rooms is devoted to a letter of the alphabet and a corresponding international writer (think B for Baudelaire or H for Hugo).
What’s new: Crazy Horse Cabaret, the avant-garde icon of provocative Parisian nightlife, celebrates its 60th anniversary in 2012 with Le Pavillon des Lettres. Together they are offering a package that includes amour-inducing accommodations and VIP tickets to the show.
Rates: Rates start at €265 ($351) per night.
Crystal Cruises Royal Explorer Sailing
Stockholm to London
From the old-world charm of Stockholm’s Gamla Stan to Helsinki’s cutting-edge Ice Bar, revel in the rich cultural life and fascinating museums of these Baltic capitals. From August 14 – 25, spend 11 days exploring these spectacular lands with Crystal Symphony, with calls in St. Petersburg, Russia; Helsinki, Finland; Berlin/Warnemünde, Germany; and Copenhagen, Denmark.
What’s New: Fresh from a $15 million drydock, Crystal Symphony will be showing off her newly redesigned public spaces. Guest chefs Orjan Johannessen and Odd Ivar Sovod will also be joining the cruise, along with wine expert Eugenio Jardim and mixologist Simon Ford to celebrate the Crystal Wine & Food Festival.
Rates: Check here for current pricing and special offers
For the Cuisine:
Park Hyatt Milan
Milan, Italy
Cozily situated in the heart of Milan next to the Duomo and Galleria Vittorio Emanuele, this hotel is a natural favorite for visiting celebrities, design mavens, and vacation travelers alike.
What’s New: After a recent collaboration with the famous English fashion designer, Paul Smith, Park Hyatt Milan now serves their culinary creations upon beautiful, hand-painted dishes designed specifically for the hotel by Smith.
Rates: Rates start at €540 ($715) per night.
Park Hyatt Paris-Vendôme
Paris, France
Recently accepted into the prestigious Palace Hotels Group, the five-star Park Hyatt Paris-Vendôme offers a sensual, understated elegance that extends throughout the hotel – from the lavish rooms and suites to the captivating social areas and exquisite spa.
What’s New: Refreshed and ready for spring, guests can enjoy lunch or dinner on the terrace in an intimate and confidential ambience in the most glamorous neighborhood in the city. Make sure to try the chef’s newest creation, the Non-coupable, a guilt-free dessert that features fresh market strawberries, a base of low-fat cheesecake and cream, finished with a tangy spark of crystallized thyme and lemon.
Rates: Rates start at €1180 ($1550) per night.
For the Scenery:
La Réserve Ramatuelle
St. Tropez, France
Located just outside St. Tropez, this stunning property, with 360° views of the Mediterranean Sea, is an intimate, elegant getaway that is ideal for discerning travelers.
What’s new: La Réserve Ramatuelle just added four new health and wellness programs that combine medical assessments, personal training sessions, physical activities, and personalized diets for a total care approach.
Rates: Rates start at €650 ($861) per night.
Victoria Jungfrau Grand Hotel & Spa
Interlaken, Switzerland
Located in the picturesque mountain setting of the Bernese Oberland, this five-star hotel and spa, known as one of the most beautiful hotels in Switzerland, is in the ultimate location for a summer vacation. Whether visiting for a wellness weekend or a family holiday, the unique grand hotel atmosphere is sure to provide memories that last a lifetime.
What’s New: Offering everything from snacks to cakes to tasty drinks, the hotel has recently renovated its outdoor dining area, the Victoria-Jungfrau terrace, adding a new lighting system designed to create the perfect atmosphere for dinners under the starry, summer night sky. With the addition of 110 seats, the terrace can now accommodate up to 150 guests.
Rates: Rates start at 443.10 CHF ($488.16) per night.
April 3rd, 2012
The Inn at the White Elephant Village will open summer 2012* with 20 units, including 14 deluxe suites and six guest rooms. Located on South Beach Street, the new Inn and existing White Elephant Residences will comprise the newly-created White Elephant Village, a natural extension of the award-winning White Elephant hotel that continues to be rated among the top hotels in the world by Travel + Leisure and Condé Nast Traveler magazines.
As part of the expansion, the Village will have its own lobby, including reception area, concierge, fireplace, gift shop, and business center. The lobby will serve morning coffee, pastries, all-day snacks, and late-afternoon port and cheese – creating a natural hub for guests. All guests of the White Elephant Village will continue to enjoy exclusive use of the Village’s heated pool and cabanas, fitness center, and complimentary bicycles.
Celebrated Nantucket interior designer Kathleen Hay will bring a warm, neutral palette to the Inn, providing a sophisticated and comfortable décor. Reflecting the ambiance of its island location, the Inn will feature oversized windows, allowing natural sunlight to illuminate the rooms, and quintessential Nantucket wainscoting detail throughout the lobby and corridors. Each of the suites and deluxe guest rooms will be replete with HD flat-screen TVs and miniature refrigerators as well as linens by Pratesi, plush turkish towels, bathrobes, and cozy slippers. Ideal for families, the 14 suites will offer sofa beds to accommodate couples traveling with children and four of the suites will feature fireplaces.
Managing Director of Nantucket Island Resorts Khaled Hashem sees this expansion as a positive sign that tourism in Nantucket is continuing to grow. “We are excited with the addition of the Inn that will further enable us to host families and groups in the award winning accommodations these travelers expect from the White Elephant.”
*The iconic White Elephant hotel and White Elephant Hotel Residences will open for the season on April 19. Guests can book now for suites and guest rooms this summer at the Inn at the White Elephant Village.
For more information visit www.nantucketislandresorts.com or call 800.475.2637.
About Nantucket Island Resorts
Nantucket Island Resorts is a collection of premier hotels on Nantucket that specialize in bringing the unique Nantucket lifestyle to all guests. From boating to fine dining to a large number of island festivals and events, Nantucket Island Resorts caters to its visitors and offers vacation planning that lets you get the most out of a Nantucket vacation while staying in a fantastic array of accommodations. Properties include The Wauwinet, ideal for romance with access and views of both bay and ocean beaches and home to the award-winning TOPPER’S restaurant, White Elephant, the iconic hotel located right on Nantucket Harbor that offers a lovely arrangements of rooms, suites, cottages, and a stunning loft as well as the Brant Point Grill, the White Elephant Village offers one-, two-, and three-bedroom Residences and the new Inn, Jared Coffin House, a historic and charming inn located in Nantucket Town, The Cottages & Lofts at the Boat Basin, waterfront cottages with full kitchens located on three wharves jutting out into Nantucket Harbor and featuring 12 pet-friendly accommodations, and Nantucket Boat Basin, a 240 slip full-service award winning marina.
March 22nd, 2012
Can you picture a more beautiful setting to curl up and read a book?
The extravagantly luxe Royal Mansour, a showcase of Moroccan splendor located in the heart of Marrakech, is everything short of a palace, and what palace would be complete without a library? With a retractable roof and a large telescope for stargazing, the library features over 500 titles in French, English and Spanish. Some titles which grace the shelves include, “Splendor of Quran Calligraphy and Illumination” by Martin Lings and “Impression of the Sahara” by Jean Loic Lequellec. From Moroccan guide books to art, architecture, décor, cuisine, travel, culture, crafts, and calligraphy, Royal Mansour’s collection is as diverse as it is beautiful.
Riad rates start at €1,650 per night.
For more information about Royal Mansour Marrakech, please visit, www.royalmansour.com, and check out their new Twitter page www.Twitter.com/RoyalMansour.
February 24th, 2012
April 1 marks the re-opening of St. Tropez’s La Réserve Ramatuelle with expanded Boot Camp offerings. The cliffside hotel has some of the best views of the Mediterranean; the entire sea-facing exterior is made up of floor-to-ceiling windows to maximize exposure and fill rooms with natural light (Goodbye darkness before 5 PM!). The star is the 13-room spa that offers an exclusive La Mer treatment (the renowned beauty company designed a series of treatments for the hotel).
Shed that winter weight with the hotel’s signature Boot Camp – a five-night personalized program encompassing yoga, Nordic walks, invigorating spa treatments, and healthy, low calorie cuisine – perfect for getting in shape for the summer months to come.
Sample itinerary
6:30 AM One-hour yoga session
7:30 AM Breakfast
8:30 AM Departure on a 3-4 hour countryside walk
1:00 PM Lunch at the hotel
2:30 PM Balneotherapy session (bathing healing treatment involving minerals)
3:00 PM Body wrap
3:30 PM Jet shower
4:00 PM La Réserve Better Aging body treatment
6:30 PM Relaxation session
8:00 PM Dinner
The Boot Camps are offered in *April, May and June with rates starting at 2700 euros per person including accommodations. Minimum four persons per program.
For more information visit www.lareserve-ramatuelle.com. To book, call +33 4 94 44 94 44 or email inforamatuelle@lareserve.ch.
*Dates:
April: 2-7; 9-14; 16-21; 23-28
May: 14-19; 28 – June 2
June: 11-16
January 25th, 2012
Want to make sure you’re booking the right hotel? Coo Boutique’s vetted collection guarantees you will.
The Problem
TripAdvisor and countless online reviews and forums overpopulate the internet, making planning a trip completely overwhelming and nerve-racking. Larger travel sites such as Expedia have over 500 hotels in New York City alone. Between clicking through a hotel’s website for pictures, scanning opinion sites for reviews, and reading from publication websites for the best local sights and restaurants, it can be information overload.
The Cure
www.CooBoutique.com, the newest and most discerning online luxury travel site, was formed as an antidote to this overload. Instead of spending hours combing the web for the best information for a trip, it’s already in one place. Coo Boutique selects only the best hotels for its collection, accentuated by beautiful images, member reviews, and local city guides. The collection is carefully curated by an A-list roster of editors and advisors hailing from Travel + Leisure, Town & Country, The New York Times, and The Wall Street Journal and an advisory board of travel world veterans formerly with Abercrombie and Kent, American Express, and several hotel groups.
These experts have advised on a streamlined list of luxury hotels and the perfect, succinct city guides to go with them, full of insider information on the best places to eat, shop, and sight see (over 50 new guides coming this year). For instance, visitors to New York can avoid tourist traps by heading to the chicest restaurants and bars, just like a local.
Criteria
First and foremost, to even be considered as a Coo Boutique hotel, the property must have unparalleled service. Coo Boutique selects its properties by speaking to experts and fellow travelers and performing site inspections where they evaluate every aspect, from check-in to room service, dining to amenities. There is no fee for hotels to belong in the Coo collection, so no hotel can buy its way in. Booking through Coo Boutique assures a seamless travel experience and none of the let-down of arriving at a disappointing, internet-lauded hotel. Coo Boutique is constantly reviewing its hotels and looking for feedback. Hotels that don’t meet the standard are immediately removed. Coo Boutique offers a limited collection to bring you only the most fabulous hotels and resorts in the world.
Man with the Plan
Coo Boutique was born out of founder Tushar Roy’s own frustrations with finding the right hotel. An avid traveler though not in the business, Roy rounded up his travel contacts for the collective wisdom of experts in the industry and in media along with his own research to assemble the perfect list.
November 17th, 2011
If you’ve ever dreamed of cruising around the world, your dreams are about to get even better! Explore legendary lands and idyllic isles on Crystal Serenity’s 2012 World Cruise, a 94-day round-trip Los Angeles journey circumnavigating the world’s greatest ocean. Best of all, the sailing already has quite the guest list, and includes TV legend Regis Philbin, Hall of Famers Hank Aaron (baseball) and Don Shula (football), Olympians Dorothy Hamill (ice skating) and Kathy Rigby (gymnastics), and astronauts “Hoot” Gibson and Rhea Seddon. So start the New Year off right by making your dreams come true and booking your world cruise with Crystal Cruises.
November 9th, 2011
With temperatures dipping below freezing and a snowstorm in October, it’s no secret that winter came much too soon. While we can’t control the weather, we can certainly run from it! Ditch the snow boots, pack your warm weather gear and escape with top luxury line, Crystal Cruises, instead.
Voted World’s Best more than any other cruise line in history, Crystal Cruises offers a diverse collection of itineraries exploring the Panama Canal, South America, Caribbean, and the Pacific Coast. Book before December 31, 2011 and receive up to $4,000 per couple in additional savings! But hurry, Crystal Cruises’ Book Now Fares don’t last forever.
Other exclusive offers, available for a limited time, include 2-for-1 fares, special savings for repeat Crystal Society guests, families and friends traveling together, new-to-Crystal savings, early full payment savings, and generous savings for back-to-back combination cruises. So, pull out your bathing suits and sun block, put away your hats and gloves, and book now to save!
October 18th, 2011
Dying to intermingle with top film makers, talented movie stars, and the glamorous set? Hit the red carpet of the 2011 Abu Dhabi Film Festival! Since its debut in 2007, the eleven-day event has showcased the Arab world’s distinctive film culture as well as many international films. Festival goers will enjoy everything from romantic comedies to darker documentaries exposing the real societal issues affecting the Arab world. As a supplement to the film screenings, the festival offers master classes and workshops with top industry professionals like Todd Solondz, May Odeh, and Abderrahmane Sissako.
(Photo courtesy of http://www.abudhabifilmfestival.ae/)
October 4th, 2011
Following the success of its inaugural art exhibit earlier this summer, Royal Mansour Marrakech is showcasing another local artist, Youssef Titou. The exhibit, entitled Fragments of Space, opens on October 1 and will be on display through November 30. Titou uses an assortment of techniques to create his exceptionally evocative and abstract images that are based on the elements of space.
Titou, a native of Fez, follows the showcase of French-Moroccan photographer, Leila Alaoui. Royal Mansour will continue to welcome the country’s top artists bimonthly, providing a unique platform to showcase their works.
These temporary exhibits join the hotel’s permanent art collection of over 80 contemporary Moroccan artists. The artwork is dotted among the hotel’s public spaces and private riads, seamlessly blending with the property’s stunning Moroccan décor.
For more information about Royal Mansour Marrakech, please visit their new website, www.royalmansour.com.