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Archive for the ‘luxury travel’ Category

Visiting or Exploring Temecula – Try a Limo

Wednesday, June 15th, 2011

Louis de Rosa of Esquire Limousine Service - Photo: M D Hill

Norm and I went to Temecula, California to hear Jesse Cook open the Jazz Series at Thornton Winery. This was a quick 1-night trip and we were staying with friends. We simply did not want to rent a car since our schedule had been crazy and we both were looking for relaxation.  Well, we certainly got it.

We called Louis de Rosa, who owns Esquire Limousine Service at  WineToursCentral.com. Louis picked us up at Ontario airport (he also picks up at San Diego). What a pleasure, riding in the luxury of his limo for the short trip to Temecula. The time flew by, as we relaxed in his well-maintained vehicle.

During the ride, we discovered Louis offers Wine Tours, Dinner/Theatre Packages, and Night on the Town Specials. Having discussed the wineries he visits on wine tours, they are all well-respected and a good representation of the valley. He has lived in the valley quite a while and knows the ins and outs. Over many years, he has developed a well-respected business that you can count on.

When you are looking to be pampered, need a break, or want to take advantage of one of his great tours, I’d suggest you try him. He comes highly recommended by locals and it is easy to see why.

Contact:  esqlimos@verizon.net at http://www.winetourcentral.com 951.696.8333.

After you have tried Louis, let me know what you think.

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.


WIMCO VILLAS OFFERS FUN IN THE CARIBBEAN SUN WITH HOT VALUE VILLAS

Friday, May 20th, 2011

Personally, I’ve not experienced these villas. It has been on my list for someday. However, with value pricing, it certainly is tempting.
ON ISLANDS INCLUDING ST. BARTS, ST. JOHN, BARBADOS

NEWPORT, RI – April 2011 – For a third consecutive year, Wimco, the premier luxury villa rental company in the Caribbean, is bringing back its popular Value Villas program for the summer and fall of 2011. Guests can enjoy breathtaking sea views and dip into crystal clear water on the beautiful islands of St. Barts, St. John and Barbados, all for under $200 per night.

ST. BARTS
One of the most exclusive islands in the Caribbean, St. Barts offers the following 3 bedroom, 3 bath villas to guests who want to feel like celebrities escaping the paparazzi. Villa WV BIK ($195/bedroom/night), located near both Lorient and Saint Jean beach, includes a private pool where guests can relax in the tranquil outdoor living space. French, Brazilian and Balinese styles effortlessly blend in Villa WV TRQ ($174/bedroom/night), a comfortable, sea-view villa that looks out over Grand Cul-de-Sac. Travelers looking for a retreat with family and friends will enjoy Villa TER ($190/bedroom/night), an ideal spot for those wanting to relax poolside and soak up the sun.

ST.  JOHN
The immaculate, underdeveloped beaches of St. John offer travelers some of the most beautiful, unspoiled vistas in all of the Caribbean. Villa CT BEI ($167/bedroom/night) is a contemporary 3 bedroom, 3 bath villa perched 50 feet above the turquoise sea and offers expansive views of Rendezvous Bay and Reef Bay from its balconies and decks. Villa MAS GRE ($161/bedroom/night), a 4 bedroom, 4.5 bath villa with private pool, features original Caribbean art and provides guests with views of Coral Bay and the emerald green hills of Bordeaux Mountain. Villa CT SEA ($196/bedroom/night) is a 4 bedroom, 4 bath villa with a private pool and is poised high above Great Cruz Bay with panoramic views of Pillsbury Sand and St. Thomas in the distance.

BARBADOS
A vacation on Barbados gives guests the chance to take pleasure in both natural and cultural beauty with lush hillsides, pristine waters, and historic churches and colonial-style buildings. The charming Villa RL GLA ($192/bedroom/night) is a short walk from exclusive Gibbs beach and features 3 bedrooms, 3 baths, and a large veranda with an outdoor dining space and pool.

Also located near Gibbs beach, Villa BS JAC ($183/bedroom/night) is a beautifully renovated 3 bedroom, 4 bath villa offering both an indoor plunge pool and a large outdoor pool complete with deck and grilling area. Situated on the west coast of Barbados, the newly renovated Villa RL PAL ($200/bedroom/night) is a 5 bedroom, 5 bath beachfront villa that includes a gourmet kitchen and a living room terrace facing the sea, where snorkeling and swimming are just steps away.

About Wimco Villas
Wimco Villas is an award-winning luxury villa rental company, providing access to some of the world’s most beautiful and exceptional private villas.  In the Caribbean, Wimco represents over 270 villas on St Barts and offers an expansive selection of privately owned villas throughout the region including the US and British Virgin Islands, Turks & Caicos, Anguilla, Barbados, Mustique, Nevis, St Martin, Jamaica and Grand Cayman.  In Europe, Wimco represents villas in Italy, the South of France, and Mykonos.  In the Americas there are villa rentals on Nantucket, Maui and Oahu, Hawaii, and in Punta Mita and Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.

As well as providing accommodation and destination information, Wimco Villas can tailor make the villa holidays to suit each client’s needs, whether it be arranging for private chefs, yoga instructors, yacht charters or simply a restaurant reservation. Read their St Barts blog at http://theviewfromstbarts.wordpress.com

Voted ‘Best Presented Villas’ by the readers of Condé Nast Traveler. For additional information on Wimco Villas please visit www.wimco.com or call 800-449-1553.  For information on Wimcosbh, please visit www.wimco.com/sbh.















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