Now booking for departures in 2015, luxury hotel group Four Seasons are offering guests world tours in their private jetliner. Outfitting a Boeing 757 with 52 flatbed seats, in-flight WiFi, plus much more, travellers are able to pick from two different tours. Jetting off from LA, “Around the World” is $119,000 24-day trip taking in nine destinations including Bora Bora, Bali and Northern Thailand before landing in London for the final leg. The other, titled “Backstage with the Arts”, is a $69,000 16-day European excursion including stays in Paris, Lisbon, St Petersburg and more. Guests stay at Four Seasons hotels while on the ground, with all food, ground travel and magnificent local excursions included in the price. To make a reservation, or just to dream a little more, head over to the Four Seasons website: www.fourseasons.com/aroundtheworld
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The London List Abroad: Four Seasons take their luxury travel experience to the skiesThe London List
Joining new locations in London and Panama, Ace Hotel have opened new doors in Downtown LA, renovating the old United Artists Building on South Broadway. Boasting 180 rooms, Ace’s signature style feels more at home than ever with gorgeous open piping in the bathrooms. Making the most of the Californian sun and spectacular city views, Ace Hotel Downtown LA has a pool and bar on the room, while restaurant LA Chapter is masterminded by Jud Mongell and Ken Addington, the team behind Brooklyn’s beloved Five Leaves and Nights And Weekends. We’ll be heading to LA in a couple of months so keep your eyes peeled for a full city guide and review of our favourite hotel in the city, but in the mean time, check out more shots of the Ace Hotel Downtown LA after the jump. Show the rest of this post…
A floating structure that can be transported to different location, Floating House by Singapore-based architect Dymitr Malcew for French developer H2ORIZON, a company who specialise in floating structures, includes two luxury bedrooms, two bathrooms, a living room with floor-to-ceiling windows, kitchen and large terrace. “The concept of the floating house is inspired by nature, openness and luxurious yet easy lifestyle,” explains the architect, connecting the home’s inhabitants with the surroundings with minimal intervention. The unique retreat is a marvel of imagination, design and luxury, you just need to pick the perfect place to dock.
Setting off with nothing but his bike, a couple of mostly-accurate maps and a trailer full of climbing gear, Kyle Dempster and a vocabulary of barely 10 Kyrgyz words left the northern Kyrgyzstan city of Karakol for two adventurous months on the road. Finding a route through the mountains, over the rivers and along the long, winding trails, Kyle remarkable expedition is so absorbing to watch, leaving you on the edge as to whether he’ll make it across the never-ending barriers in his path.
A former military fort finished in the late 1870s, Spitbank was taken out of military service in 1982 and is open today as a luxury hotel. Show the rest of this post…
Located just off the coast of Portsmouth, all the guns are gone and now after a £3m makeover Spitbank boasts a helicopter port, eight bedrooms, restaurant, bar, fire pit, pool and sauna and a lighthouse. The prices match the luxury but home to small music festivals too, there are chances to enjoy the old fort in other ways too.
While it might not be the yacht you’ve dreamt of cruising around the Caribbean in this summer, Balmain’s DIY Sailboat Kit is a pretty exciting weekend project to get you on the way. Including everything you need to make your very own sailboat, the kits comes with prepared wood, hardware, sealant, and glue, plus a sail, ropes, mast, boom, and gaff. For those who haven’t build a boat before (ie. you) there’s obviously a step-by-step guide in the box with detailed construction notes to walk you through each step of the process, you’ll just need a fairly well stocked toolbox, some aquatic paint and a fair amount of elbow grease. Maybe a lake nearby to take it out for a testdrive too. The DIY Sailboat Kit is for sale on the Balmain website for $2,899: http://store.balmainboatcompany.com/bbco-sailboat-kit/
So many people carrying smart phones now, we’re used to everything being in the palm of our hands, wherever we go, whatever we’re doing. But that all changes when you go abroad. Show the rest of this post…
Unless you happy to incur often astronomical data charges, or buy a separate foreign SIM for your phone, going online is out of the question, so the trend now is to download everything you need in advance.
There are a bunch of offline map and travel guide apps available for Paris, but of the bunch that I tried, Ulmon was by far the very best. With a super detailed, zoomable map, with thousands of tappable points of interest, bringing up cached Wikipedia articles within the app getting around the city is a breeze. The best feature though is that a remarkably accurate locator, pinpointing what street you’re on within seconds, and thanks to the iPhone’s compass, it’ll tell you which way you’re facing too.
Thanks to an extensive directory of restaurants, bars, shops, theatres, cinemas and more, if you’re short of something to do it’ll map what’s around you, while you can also bookmark a to-do list of picks if you want to plan your stay. With a Metro map too, I don’t know what we would have done without the Ulmon app, and gone at last are the huge paper maps you used to have to carry around in your pocket, and just pulling out your phone instead, you can start to look like a local. Oh yeah, and it’s free.
Ulmon for iOS is available in the App Store here: https://itunes.apple.com/no/app/ulmon-paris/id316996121
Paris is fantastic as a tourist destination for many reasons, but while the city boasts an embarrassment of riches when it comes to hotels, finding one you’ll really like in amongst 1001 options can be something of a problem. Show the rest of this post…
The 4* Artus Hotel offers style and substance, a delightfully decorated and welcoming hotel awash with comforts and amenities to make your stay as enjoyable, relaxing and easy as possible.
Location
Located just off Boulevard Saint-Germain at the centre of the well to-do neighbourhood, the Artus Hotel is handily just five minutes walk from Saint-Germain-des-Prés (M4) and barely two minutes walk from Mabilon (M10) Metro stations. On the nearby streets you’ll find everything you need for a last minute present buy, to stock up with snacks or grab a drink and bite to eat. Small restaurants and bars flood Rue de Seine and Rue de Buci, plus a supermarket, chocolatier and mini market for bread and fruit.
Further afield, Saint Germain is known for its excellent shopping opportunities. With luxury brands flooding the main Boulevard, side-streets to the south specialise in small shoe boutiques, and art and book stores to the north.
Rooms
More than amply-sized for a couple, our room was filled with exciting colours and clean lines, with the décor across the whole hotel evoking 1950s Paris without ever feeling too busy. The room creates an atmosphere for guests and you’ll feel at home with reds and yellows bringing instant warmth. After forgetting power adapters we were delighted to see UK mains supply right there on the wall too, though the front desk have them to borrow if you still need a couple more.
The bed was firm, as is often the case in Europe, but every night we got a very good sleep, with two fluffy pillows proving more than adequate. A gorgeous little chair sits at the desk (which we really wanted to bring home with us) and you’ll be able to access free WiFi from you room and throughout the hotel.
A big flatscreen TV shouldn’t come as a surprise for a 4* hotel but having BBC 1, 2 & 3 was a nice little extra, the easy to use Bose iPhone dock speaker made it super easy to listen to music while getting ready each day too.
Bathrooms
In the adjoining bathroom, a very large shower with a huge showerhead meant we didn’t miss not having a full bath. Big enough for couples to share, it brings even more romance to the room. The towels were fluffy and luxurious, with a dressing gown each for relaxing in the room. Toiletteries provided might not be everything you need for the whole stay, but with more than the essentials, you need not worry about anything for the shower, while travellers are often happier with their own beauty products and toothbrush anyway.
Amenities
The concierge were second to none, supremely helpful with any of our queries and going out of their way in helping us get around Paris for the day and suggest good spots for shopping and eating, etc.
The hotel bar is a cosy cocktail lounge, and open to guests and non-residents, the fact it was busy every evening of our entire stay is testament to its pull. You’ll easily find yourself seeking a nightcap before heading up to your room, with an impressive range of favourites and signature cocktails.
For guests only, the hotel boasts a small but very functional wellbeing centre, with a two-person sauna plus exercise bike, stepper and masseuse bookable through the concierge. With a few pounds burnt off, a really excellent room service menu might tempt you, though we didn’t try any of the dishes ourselves.
Breakfast
Breakfast is included in the standard room rate and you’d be a fool to not make the most of it. While you can order from a select menu to your room (and until a very generous 11am) the buffet in the Artus’ light and airy basement breakfast room offers delicious squeezed juices, fresh fruit, meats, cheese and fresh bread, while for the more adventurous, tasty mini croissants, donuts, waffles and bacon and eggs.
Verdict
Checking out after three wonderful nights at the boutique Artus Hotel, we really can’t recommend it enough. Sitting very nicely as a 4* hotel, the detailed and inviting décor and supremely helpful staff will make you feel welcome the minute you walk into the foyer. Our room was romantic and intimate, perfect for couples exploring the city of love or families and solo travellers wanting life from their hotel rather than the inadventure you often get from similar or more expensive hotels.
Rooms at the Artus run from €345 to €600 a night on the rate card but they offer up to a 50% discount for early booking and their website guarantee the best available prices anywhere on the internet.
Visit the Artus Hotel website for booking enquiries and the best rates on current availability: http://www.artushotel.com/
Artus Hôtel, 34 rue de Buci, 75006, Paris
Nicknamed the Federer Suite as the Swiss tennis star always stays in the room while in Paris for Roland Garros, Park Hyatt Paris-Vendôme’s expansive Vendôme Suite is the cream of the crop of one of the city’s finest hotels. Show the rest of this post…
Spanning much of the fifth floor, the suite boasts a balcony onto the great Place Vendôme (though thanks to super insulated windows, you could be in the middle of the countryside so subdued is the sound) but that’s not even the half of its amenities. Able to be converted into a 4 king bedroom suite with large living and dining room areas, bar and kitchen space, Bang & Olufsen TV and Hi-Fi systems, plus computer, whirlpool bath and steam room shower, guests are also treated to a complementary massage in the hotel spa and return airport transfers. To say guests will be staying in the lap of luxury would be an understatement. Stylish subdued décor runs throughout, with gorgeous golden details in the numerous bathrooms. There’s a fairly substantial nightly rate that accompanies the luxury, but if you’re looking for the stay of a lifetime (or if you’re Roger Federer, every Roland Garros), it’s tough to look beyond the Vendôme Suite at the Park Hyatt Paris-Vendôme.
For booking availabilitiy head over to the Park Hyatt Paris-Vendôme site: http://paris.vendome.hyatt.com/hyatt/hotels-paris-vendome/rooms/room-description.jsp?chooseLocale=&start=13&hyattprop=yes
Le Spa, Park Hyatt Paris-Vendome 5 Rue de la Paix, Paris, 75002, France
Catering for the full hotel, we were a little worried Le Spa would be busy with guests relaxing after a busy day at the shops, but in the basement floor of the luxurious Park Hyatt Paris-Vendôme, for our three hour relaxation, we had it all to ourselves. Show the rest of this post…
Offering a whirlpool bath, excellent sauna and steam rooms and four idyllic treatment rooms, stepping into Le Spa couldn’t be any more different to the bustle and busyness of Paris.
After almost an hour dotting between the bath and two hot rooms it was time for our massage. Welcomed to the Duo Room, though for more specialist treatments like hot stone massage, otherwise the masseurs are happy to tailor your massage with you as they start, focusing on any particular areas of discomfort and if you prefer any specific level of pressure.
While I took in a really fantastic relaxation massage, my partner had been experiencing pain in her neck, which was entirely cured by a more vigorous deep tissue massage.
We were in Paris, so perhaps we shouldn’t have been entirely surprised, but greeted with an after-massage macaroon and juice in the main room was a revelation. So relaxed after an hour-long treatment, to drape over the big chairs to the backdrop of swooshing water, macaroon and drink in hand, is ideal.
With guests invited to enjoy the facilities for as long and they desire after treatments, it was at least another hour before we at last jumped out of the whirlpool and got ready to leave.
Attention to detail at Le Spa is really second to none and the recently refurbished interior and facilities gleam of luxury and comfort. Matching the features in the rest of the hotel, the gold fixtures and fittings are exquisite, with staff speedily tidying up wet towels and empty glasses to keep the spa spotless.
Finally a word on the changing rooms, which are somehow just as impressive as the actual treatments themselves. Never mind one of the largest showers I’ve ever seen, aside the big sinks lies a lavish collection of toiletries, beauty products, body washes and in the men’s, a mini shaving pack including a travel size Avène shaving gel, which is a dream.
Le Spa is a simply first-rate spa experience, from front to back, you’ll have a wonderfully relaxing trip booking a treatment if you’re not staying at the hotel, though if you are, you’d be a fool not to give at least a couple of hours of your week to the hideaway in the basement of the Park Hyatt Paris-Vendôme.
You can find out more and make your reservation here: http://paris.vendome.hyatt.com/hyatt/pure/spas/
Le Spa, Park Hyatt Paris-Vendome 5 Rue de la Paix, Paris, 75002, France
