Posts Tagged spa
Revealing the Best of the Best
Posted by Cristine Lammers in Return On Life™ on February 19, 2010
Virtuoso’s Best of the Best: 2010 Guide to the World’s Best Hotel Experiences is now available to consumers around the globe. The ever-popular guide highlights the hotels and resorts of its elite worldwide membership, featuring incredible properties in unique locations, with extraordinary services and top-drawer amenities. Virtuoso Hotels & Resorts, considered the most exclusive hotel program in the industry, currently includes more than 800 world-renowned properties in 89 countries.
This year’s guide features a stunning cover shot and photography of the renowned One&Only Cape Town in South Africa, an urban chic waterfront resort with captivating views of Table Mountain and a private Spa Island, a Virtuoso preferred property. The first page presents the exclusive Virtuoso amenities that await consumers when they reserve their stay through a knowledgeable Virtuoso travel advisor, such as room upgrades, breakfast for two daily, early check-in and late check-out, preferred rates and availability, and value-added Virtuoso amenities. Also, as in past years, each listing features a valuable “In the Know” tip provided by one of Virtuoso’s expert travel advisors who has experienced the property firsthand.
Highlights include:
* Annual Best of the Best Award Winners – Singled out by Virtuoso travel advisors as extraordinary
* Virtuoso Lifestyle: Villas & Private Retreats – Travel dreams come true at these exclusive hideaways
* Africa & Middle East – Explore wildlife-filled savannahs, ancient wonders and timeless cultures
* Asia & Pacific – Venture to a land of gilded cities, glistening reefs, great walls and other architectural masterpieces
* Caribbean & Bermuda – Stroll miles of soft-sand beaches rimmed by turquoise waters
* Canada & United States – Escape to coastal resorts, cosmopolitan hotels and romantic mountain lodges
* Europe – Enjoy enchanting stays in medieval castles, opulent estates and glamorous metropolitan retreats
* Mexico, Central & South America – Wander colorful markets, wonder at ancient Mayan cities, and hike through rainforests
* Introducing the Newest Virtuoso Hotels & Resorts (Page 380) – Meet the most recent hotels to be named among Virtuoso’s Best of the Best
Click here to view the digital version of Virtuoso Best of the Best.
Click here to learn more about Virtuoso.
Just Back From … Anguilla
Posted by Cristine Lammers in Postcards, Virtuoso Life on February 1, 2010
By Elaine Srnka, Editorial Director, VIRTUOSO LIFE
One recent winter morning my husband and I left behind below-freezing temperatures for the Caribbean clime of Anguilla in the British Leeward Islands. My mission: To check out the new villas at CuisinArt Resort & Spa.
A low, scrubby island, Anguilla is ringed with gorgeous fine-sand beaches and stunning views of Saint Maarten – and the megayachts of the rich and famous – off the southern coast where CuisinArt is situated. Sprawling across 20 acres with two miles of beachfront, the 93-room resort (yes, of the kitchen appliance fame) boasts a unique hydroponic farm, three tennis courts (lessons with head pro Rodney Ross were a fun treat), bocce court, and an expansive new spa with a fitness center and yoga pavilion. With two restaurants, cigar bar, and wine room, executive chef Daniel Le Guenan offers creative dining options, including his chef’s table. We feasted at a decadent poolside lobster barbecue one night, enjoyed fine dining at Santorini another, and even took a cooking class at lunch, learning to prepare local specialties.
And about those villas: Wow. These six expansive new beach houses boast from one to five bedrooms and range from 1,800 to 5,100 square feet. Surrounded by lush foliage, they have a full kitchen and most have an outdoor courtyard, grill, shower, and private pool (with beachside cabanas for the oceanfront ones), offering families or couples privacy and space. We liked that the iPod docking station was wired for surround sound, and noted wistfully that the indoor-outdoor flow of the villas begged to host a cocktail party – if only we’d had friends on the island to invite.
Anguilla is home to a surprising number of quality restaurants. We ventured off property one night to Blanchard’s, an island classic deserving of its status. Everything we ordered was fantastic, and their signature rum punches were the best we’ve ever tasted. We also admired Cap Juluca’s waterside Pimms, literally perched over the water. And just a few sandy steps down the beach from CuisinArt is Banky Banks, an iconic hole-in-the-wall famed for music (funky or not, the cover charge was $15 a person the night we went).
Tennis lessons, beach walks, lobster barbecues, cooking classes, spa treatments, and plenty of rum punch – we packed a lot into our three-night stay and were sad to leave. The staff was charming and personable, starting at the top with GM Stephane Zaharia. On the last day of my quick visit, several staffers hugged us goodbye – how often does that happen? It won’t be goodbye forever, though – I definitely hope to return.