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Archive for the ‘Resorts’ Category

SURRENDER YOUR SENSES AT THE TWELVE APOSTLES HOTEL’S NEW SPA

Friday, June 3rd, 2011

Helistop at Twelve Apostles

The Hill Team have all enjoyed Cape Town at different times. The new Spa at the Twelve Apostles Hotel sounds delightful, relaxing, and just plain wonderful. I wanted to display some photos, but had some difficult, so check out their website if you are interested.

The new Spa at the Twelve Apostles Hotel in Cape Town will launch in August with a completely fresh identity and new management.

The Spa’s neutral palette and natural look will be in keeping with the Red Carnation award-winning sister properties – The Oyster Box in Umhlanga, which won the Resort/Hotel Spa Category at the Les Nouvelles Esthetiques South Africa Spa Awards and named one of the Hot Hotel Spas for 2010 by Condé Nast Traveler; and Bushmans Kloof Wilderness Reserve and Wellness Retreat in the Cederberg, named Favourite Resort/Hotel Spa in Africa/Middle East by SPA Magazine’s Silver Sage Readers’ Choice Awards 2009.  All of these are operated and managed by The Red Carnation Collection as a spa brand.

The new Spa will be dedicated to restoring beauty and balance through individual treatments and Spa journeys, personalised for each guest by skilled therapists using Elemis and Dermalogica products. “Our commitment to wellbeing focuses on holistic principles, combining ancient wisdom with modern expertise,” says Toni Tollman, designer and family member of the award-winning, family-owned Red Carnation Hotel Collection of luxury boutique hotels.

Signature Treatments

The Apostles Touch, a back-to-nature journey of profound relaxation, will include using stones from Table Mountain for a hot stone foot massage, handpicked fynbos for a back of the body exfoliation and shells from the Atlantic Ocean for a lava shell massage.

The hedonistic Sunset Mountain Serenade starts with a champagne picnic that takes in the breath-taking views of the ocean and the Twelve Apostles Mountain Range, followed by a touch point foot ritual and a 90-minute massage in the shaded mountain gazebos.

Facials, designed to revitalise and regenerate the delicate facial area, are done by highly trained therapists. A Spa menu for men includes the Gentleman’s Exclusive Facial, waxing and the “Manli Cure” to keep hands and arms in perfect condition.

The Spa’s new calming white and crystal interior will have seven superbly equipped treatment rooms for dual and single treatments, a hydrotherapy bath, rain showers, a Rasul Chamber for traditional cleansing rituals using steam and mud, a Perfect Finish Salon for manicures and pedicures, Wild Lanyana Aromatherm Room for hydrotherapy treatments or a Vichy Shower, plunge pools, a floatation pool and a Tranquillity Lounge.

Several Spa packages are available including the “Babymooner” to spoil expectant mothers and “Spa-ties”, for groups to enjoy a range of treatments and facilities.   Unique packages including catering and cocktails can also be designed to individual specification.

A health bar will be stocked with complimentary nutritious fruit nibbles, freshly squeezed juices and herbal teas.  Delicious light fare can be ordered off Executive Chef Henrico Grobbelaar’s Spa menu. 

The current Spa will close on June 1 for eight weeks of renovation.   Treatments will still be available in a temporary Spa in an interleading two bedroom suite during this period.

The Twelve Apostles Hotel and Spa

This five star Cape Town hotel is poised above the Atlantic Ocean, flanked by the majestic Table Mountain and The Twelve Apostles mountain range. The hotel’s interior design is inspired by its namesake, creating a fresh, calming environment that artfully combines sophistication with simplicity, comfort and elegance. Guests are five minutes from the most beautiful beaches and Camps Bay and fifteen minutes from the City Centre and V&A Waterfront with many vineyards within easy reach. Guests are spoilt by spectacular views of the ocean and mountain views with each of their 70 bedrooms and suites including the Presidential Suite, superbly designed to provide the utmost comfort and style.

The hotel boasts two pools perched above the ocean, award-winning health & beauty SpaAzure restaurant, a Café Grill, the Leopard Room Bar & Lounge.  It also has meeting, events & weddingsfacilities for up to 90 guests, and a 16-seater private cinema. Guest are offered complimentary transfer service to and from the V&A Waterfront or can choose to arrive by helicopter to the hotel’s Helistop. The Twelve Apostles Hotel and Spa is part of The Red Carnation Hotel Collection and a member of Leading Hotels of the World.

For information or to make a reservation, please call +27 (0) 21 437 9000, or emailbookta@12apostles.co.za or visit www.12apostleshotel.com.


Club Seabourne’s Fresh Culebra Island Lobster with Cassava with Plantain “Tostones”

Wednesday, April 13th, 2011

Club Seabourne on Island of Culebra

The newly remodeled Club Seabourne on Culebra draws one in. It is surpassing expectations to good reviews.

We were able to have the chef share his recipe for Fresh Culebra Island Lobster with Cassave.

Fresh Culebra Island Lobster with Cassava

Makes 2 servings

Ingredients:

Club Seabourne Lobster and Plantins

1 Lobster of 2 pounds

1/2 pound of cooked cassava (yucca)

1/2 green pepper finely chopped

1/2 red pepper finely chopped

1/2 white onion finely chopped

1 Tbsp of cilantro finely chopped

3 Tbsp of extra virgin olive oil

1 Tbsp of apple vinegar

Salt & Pepper

In a medium pot over medium heat, heat water and salt for 10 minutes and then add the cassava for 10 – 15 minutes until cooked.  After cooked, let it rest until cool down.  Then cut the cassava in squares.  In another big pot over a medium high heat, place the complete lobster for 20 minutes.  Cut the Lobster in the middle (half and half), and take out all meat from the shell.  Cut the meat in dices of 1/2 inches.  Kept the shell for the final presentation.  In a bowl, mix the salt, pepper, vinegar and the olive oil to prepare the vinaigrette. Add the chopped red and green peppers, the onion and cilantro.  Add the cassava and the lobster already cut.  Mix all ingredients and after marinade, fill each side of the lobster shell with the marinated lobster and cassava.

Plantain “Tostones”

Makes 2 servings

Ingredients:

1 green plantain

6 oz of Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Salt

Peel the plantain and cut in six pieces. Soak the plantain cuts in water and salt.  Transfer to paper towel to drain.  In a frying pan over a medium high heat add the olive oil until hot.  Fry the plantain pieces until golden.  Transfer to paper towel to drain.  Crush the plantain and fry again for 3 minutes.  Drain again.  Add salt and enjoy.

Club Seabourne on Culebra Island

reservations@clubseabourne.com or (787)742-3169.

In terms of how you get to Culebra Island from San Juan is very easy.  There is a regional airport in San Juan near the new PR Convention Center that offers daily flights to Culebra with the company Vieques Air Link.  It’s around 10 minutes in car from Old San Juan and Condado, and 15 – 20 minutes from Isla Verde.  Vieques Air has a site with reservations on line www.viequesairlink.com

Grand Solmar Land’s End Resort & Spa – Los Cabos

Tuesday, March 29th, 2011

The Hill team has visited Los Cabos several times.They all enjoy everything it has to offer. Brenda once owned property in Cabo San Jose. She also caught her biggest fish – `150 pounds just off Land’s End. This Spring she will fly back, as her son, Captain Matt, sails to Los Cabo from San Diego. Look for her first hand review of this lovely new resort.

Solmar Hotels & Resorts Debuts Newest
Luxury Property at Land’s End


Grand Solmar Land’s End Resort & Spa Officially Open for Business

Located at the southernmost tip of the Baja Peninsula where the Sea of Cortes meets the Pacific Ocean, Grand Solmar Land’s End Resort & Spa officially opened its doors on February 13, 2011. Currently accepting reservations, Grand Solmar will proudly holds the title of the only new resort opening in Los Cabos this year.  The latest offering from Solmar Hotels & Resorts, Grand Solmar Land’s End Resort & Spa marks the fifth property owned and operated in Cabo San Lucas by the reputable hotel group.

“Grand Solmar Land’s End Resort & Spa will offer guests a once in a lifetime experience while setting a new standard of luxury in Cabo” says Ricardo Orozco, Managing Director of Solmar Hotels & Resorts. “No other resort in the destination can lay claim to a setting that is literally at the tip of ‘Land’s End’.”

An extraordinary selection of world-class amenities ranging from top-quality accommodations, two excellent restaurants, outstanding spa facilities and a variety of other recreational activities await guests of Grand Solmar Land’s End Resort & Spa. With the extraordinary vision of renowned Dallas architecture firm HKS and interior design by Arquitectura De Interiores, the resort will celebrate its unparalleled location and blend harmoniously with its surroundings. Grand Solmar Land’s End Resort & Spa will welcome guests with royal gardens and old world architecture with an accommodating staff available to provide outstanding service to all guests.


From now through the end of February, travelers are encouraged to take advantage of incredible savings offered by Solmar Hotels & Resorts in conjunction with the opening of Grand Solmar.  The “Grand Opening Special” includes a discount of up to 50% a stay a minimum four-night stay at Grand Solmar for travel from February 26 to April 30, 2011 and includes a resort credit of up to $400 to be used for food & beverage purchases on property. Reservations for Grand Solmar Land’s End Resort & Spa are available now by calling 1-800-344-3349 or visitingwww.solmar.com.


Located on Baja California Sur’s most exclusive and private beach, Grand Solmar Land’s End Resort & Spa sets a new standard of luxury in Los Cabos. Perfectly situated at the southernmost tip of the Baja Peninsula, the luxurious property offers unobstructed views of the Pacific Ocean and Sea of Cortes along beautiful white sand beaches. Guests at Grand Solmar Land’s End Resort & Spa are treated with infinite hospitality in the form of plush accommodations, full service spa, beauty salon, fitness center, tennis courts, business center, 24-hour check-in and security, concierge, heated pools and Jacuzzis, laundry valet, child care services, certified romance coordinator, 24-hour in-villa dining, daily turn down service and much more. For more information on Grand Solmar Land’s End Resort & Spa, please visit www.solmar.com, follow us on Twitter @SolmarResorts and visit our Facebook page.





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