by Editor | Oct 26, 2009 | Accomodations, New Articles, Restaurants and Food, Spas
By Elena del Valle, photos by Gary Cox
Frankfurt was our gateway to Germany's Black Forest
Earlier this year, my husband and I had an opportunity to visit the famed Black Forest and nearby areas of southwestern Germany. We were pleased to discover several small family owned and managed hotels, part of the Romantik chain of 200 independently owned and managed hotels and restaurants in 11 European countries, offering comfortable and modern accommodations including some with spa facilities. We were especially delighted with the friendly and welcoming hosts and their staff, striking scenery and outstanding foodie havens we visited during our two-week drive through the countryside.
Although neither of us speaks German we had visited that European country in the past and were confident we would have a pleasant trip. In past trips to Germany most of the business people we encountered spoke some English so we were surprised to discover that once we veered off the urban core of Frankfurt, English was scarce. So we made do with our few phrases of German and many smiles. Almost without exception locals made us feel welcome with their warm and friendly attitude. Whether it was fellow guests, staff or strangers in public areas someone was always willing to listen to our broken German and communicate with us.
A quiet area at Bollant's Spa
Petit fours at Passione Rossa
After landing in Frankfurt and picking up our spiffy German rental car with heated seats (it was late winter/early spring and definitely cold) and global positioning system (GPS), we headed to the village of Bad Sobernheim where we spent two nights recovering from the jet lag and being pampered with good food and spa time at the Romantik Hotel BollAnt’s im Park, Bollant’s Spa at at BollAnt’s im Park Romantik Hotel and Vital Spa and Passione Rossa restaurant.
Jörg Glauben and Birgit Neumueller at Tschifflik restaurant
We also visited the Romantik Hotel Landschloss Fasanerie on the outskirts of the town of Zweibrucken near France. Once again we took advantage of the property’s spa services and sampled its outstanding local and continental cuisine. Before leaving we had a gourmet dinner at the well known Tschifflick.
The lobby at Residenz am See in Meersburg
A delicate fish course at Casala
Behind the scenes at Residenz am See
From there we headed south through snow covered mountains to Meersburg, a small and picturesque village with cobblestone streets on the shores of Lake Constance. We thoroughly enjoyed our brief stay in a penthouse suite at the Romantik Hotel Residenz am See, one of our favorite properties during the trip for sheer friendliness, a well appointed suite and delicious food. While we were there we attended a German pastry baking class in German. With the help of our small group of fellow students and the pastry chef’s interjections we learned a little and had a fun morning baking delicious regional and German treats. Meals at the hotel restaurants including dinner at Casala Restaurant, were outstanding!
The Romantik Hotel Sackmann Spa pool
One of the delicious dishes we tried at the Restaurant Schlossberg
From there we returned to the Black Forest to the Romantik Hotel Sackmann in the municipality of Baiersbronn. We especially liked the hotel’s riverside location, gourmet restaurant and fabulous spa facilities.
We would recommend the region to scenery, spa and gourmet food oriented friends and acquaintances willing to venture to areas where English is not commonly spoken. As an added bonus this part of Germany offered great value for money compared to urban areas in Europe.
by Editor | Oct 12, 2009 | Accomodations
Article by Andrea de Gosztonyi and Douglas McRae and photos by Andrea de Gosztonyi
The beach at the Sun Palace
Our view on the beach
Winter in Quebec, Canada can be quite harsh and so, to get away from the cold and snow, we decided to spend a week at the all inclusive Sun Palace hotel, Cancun in Mexico. This is the only couples only resort we found in the Cancun area. We were treated like special guests at the hotel, a member of the five star Palace Resort Hotel chain. The service and the food were five star all the way!
Upon our arrival we were offered cool towels and a glass of champagne. This set the tone for our week. From the moment we walked into the resort the hotel staff were friendly, polite, and accommodating all the while respectful of our privacy. The food was excellent. The breakfast buffet selection was vast and plentiful. Local in season fruit were in abundance. All our dinners were a la carte. We had the choice of dining in the Grill, the Italian, the Thai or the Mexican restaurants.
Our room at the Sun Palace
Our room, overlooking the ocean, was large and bright. A bottle of wine and a bowl of fruit were waiting for us on our desk. All room service was also included in our package. The beach was soft and white and the ocean was a stunning turquoise blue. The Sun Palace Couples Only Resort was the perfect location to warm our winter weary bones!
by Editor | Oct 5, 2009 | Accomodations, Restaurants
By Elena del Valle
Photos by Gary Cox
The Romantik Hotel Relais de la Poste in Alsace
We arrived in La Wanzenau, a small town just north of Strasbourg, one of France’s easternmost cities, on a cold and rainy day. Soon after we arrived we took shelter from the weather at the Romantik Hotel Relais de la Poste, a family owned hotel in a historic building with a gourmet restaurant on the ground floor.
It took us slightly longer than we expected to reach the village due to the slow traffic caused by heavy rain and we missed lunch by five minutes. Since most of the town was closed down for the afternoon the hotel staff was kind enough to offer us a snack. A few minutes later, they served us a shared deli platter of yummy cold cuts, cheeses and green salad in the ground floor lounge (the restaurant had closed).
We reached our second floor room via a small elevator or a narrow staircase which led to a quiet circular foyer with doors all around. Beyond our door, Room 18, the 250 square feet of private space where we spent the night, had putty color carpeting and eggshell color textured walls.
Room 18 at Romantik Hotel Relais de la Poste
The bathroom in our top floor room
I imagine the room had been updated from the original many times since the construction of the building in 1789. The modern looking room had two single beds set together and against a colorful velour and satin covered headboard. Small white wood night tables framed the beds. In front of the beds, three comfortable armchairs, a wood armoire, mini refrigerator, and built in wood table with a flat screen Loewe television made up the living section of the room. There was also a balcony facing the main part of the building and adjacent street. We enjoyed stepping out to see the area although because of the chill air we returned quickly to the warmth of the interior area.
Dinner was an elaborate affair in the hotel’s gourmet restaurant where we had a three-course menu. We sat in a handsome glass enclosed terrace and were looked after by a young and pleasant waiter. Following the amouse bouche, we had home made goose liver foie gras au torchon, a goose liver dish, served with warm brioche bread and local sweet wine. The main course was a stout codfish prepared with chorizo, white beans and a delicious savory seafood broth. Three wonderful cheeses, a blue, Munster and Swiss Gruyere aged two years, followed.
Our cheese course at the Relais de la Poste restaurant
Our main course at the Relais de la Poste restaurant
Dessert at Relais de la poste
Dessert consisted of a variety of flavors in a sampler platter including banana ice cream with a cookie spoon, a creme brulee mini tarte, and a small tarte tatin. We completed the meal with the obligatory cappuccino and herbal tea and walked out pleasantly satisfied.
The Romantik Hotel Relais de la Poste (21, rue du Gal de Gaulle 67610, La Wantzenau, France, Tel +33 (0)3/88 59 24 80, www.romantikhotels.com/La-Wantzenau or relais-poste@romantikhotels.com) is one of 200 independently owned and managed Romantik hotels and restaurants in 11 European countries.
by Editor | Aug 24, 2009 | Accomodations, Spas
By Elena del Valle and photos by Gary Cox
Sleeping area in our Villa Kennedy suite
One of three Rocco Forte German properties Villa Kennedy opened as a hotel in 2006 on the grounds of the former Villa Speyer, the home of a wealthy family dating back to 1904. Recently, the owners added three wings to the original historic building, updating and modernizing wherever possible and creating a square property around an inner courtyard with an attractive open terrace. According to a hotel spokesperson, while most Villa Kennedy guests are German many are also British and American visitors including celebrities, musicians and politicians. Most staff we encountered spoke some English.
We stayed in a Classic Suite with a Rocco Forte Suite Experience package (1,050 euros per night). Our 615 square foot vertically shaped courtyard facing room was on the second floor of the four floor luxury property. The 163 room (including 29 suites) business oriented hotel with a staff compliment of 170 and emphasis on security was named for John F. Kennedy who met with local politicians before his famous visit to Berlin.
Our suite, decorated in shades of sandstone, had a living area immediately past the entrance populated by wall facing desk, two-seat sofa, armchair, coffee chair, and cabinet with a mini refrigerator and flat screen Phillips television. The sleeping area had five large windows from which we could see the courtyard, the windows of neighboring rooms across the square, and our immediate neighbor’s balcony. This meant it was filled with sunlight. It also gave us the impression the interior of the room could be seen from the rooms across the courtyard. As the sun set we closed our shades to maintain some privacy.
Living area in Villa Kennedy Suite
In addition to regular suite amenities like underfloor heating in the bathroom, cotton bathrobes and slippers, room temperature set at a maximum of 69 degrees Fahrenheit (21 degrees Celsius), choice of five types of pillow, Lino Vino white linen sheets and made in the U.S.A. Aromatherapy Associates toiletries; there were several additional amenities in our Rocco Forte Suite Experience package.
These included: high speed Internet access (we were surfing within minutes), movies, packing and unpacking service, a loaner mobile phone for complimentary local use, pre-programmed with area numbers as well as a direct line to reception and the concierge (the phone we were given was out of batteries and there was no back up phone available), in-suite check in and check-out (our check-in was at the front desk and when we departed we took advantage of the express check out option), in-suite breakfast option (we had breakfast in the dining room) and pressing service (the second time I called reception to request pressing pick up someone came by for my clothing. The two items I sent were pressed with alacrity and returned within the hour).
Jacuzzi at Villa Kennedy
Salient features of the child friendly property included high ceilings, a minimalist deluxe style, organic products, a restaurant and an in house spa with a 15 meter indoor swimming pool, eight treatment rooms, and a his and her saunas. We especially enjoyed an early morning swim in the cool waters of the swimming pool and the organically oriented yummy breakfast buffet with cooked to order hot dishes. A friendly Italian server looked after us during our weekend meal. Villa Kennedy, Kennedyalle 70 D-60596 Frankfurt am Main, +49 49 717 120, villakennedy.com and info.villakennedy@roccofortecollection.
by Editor | Jul 27, 2009 | Accomodations, Books, Ecotourism, Luxury Travel, New Articles, Products, Restaurants, Spas
Lions at Rattray's
Many travelers familiar with luxury safari lodges in South Africa know of or may have stayed at the Mala Mala Reserve, one of the oldest reserves within the larger Sabi Sand Reserve. The well known reserve fronts a fenceless portion of the http://simonandbaker.com/kruger.
A vigilant kitty at Rattray's
Our team's suite at Rattray's
The family owned property offers accommodations for 54 guests in the Mala Mala Main Camp . Nearby there are exclusive luxury accommodations at Rattray’s, an eight suite fenced lodge for guests 16 and older with a fitness center and swimming pool. Click here to read about our team’s impressions during their most recent visit in a dedicated article about Rattray’s.
by Editor | Jun 22, 2009 | Accomodations, Ecotourism, Luxury Travel, New Articles
Article by Elena del Valle and photos by Gary Cox
Elephants at Camp Jabulani
Carl met us at the Kapama Gate and we drove behind him to the camp where we would spend the next two nights. On our arrival, Elsie, his wife and camp co-manager, welcomed us with moist refresher towels. After a few minutes we followed our luggage across a quaint suspension bridge to our suite. We had arrived just in time for a quick bite and our first elephant back ride.
A short while later we met Rudolf Van Den Berg, the property’s talented chef who made us look forward to every meal. The day we left, Lente Roode, the enthusiastic conservationist behind Camp Jabulani, came to greet guests at the breakfast table.
Our luxury suite at Camp Jabulani
At 4:30 p.m., we and six other guests met Paul, the elephant handler, who introduced us to the elephants and their grooms. He also shared information about the herd including their origin, behavior, what we should expect during the ride as well as dos and don’t. He invited us to touch Jabulani, the elephant who led the herd and for whom the camp was named.
We were surprised to discover parts of his skin were amazingly soft while others felt thick and coarse. I even had a chance to feed him. Apparently this made him friendly because the next thing I knew his trunk was two inches from my face and he was breathing on me. His breath was hot but it smelled alright and although I was a bit disconcerted by the proximity of such a large and unfamiliar animal, I stood my ground. At Paul’s suggestion, I blew into his trunk, and he moved it away.
Lente Roode, one of the owners of Camp Jabulani
Soon, we were on our way. Paul had invited me to ride on Jabulani with his groom, a personable young Zimbabwean who told me a little about Jabulani, his life as an elephant groom and his homeland during the hour long ride. We were at the head of the herd which moved, single file, at a surprisingly comfortable and sedate pace. From the height of Jabulani’s back (there was a saddle that made the ride cushy) the bush had a different look and feel from the ones I had experienced on bush walks and safari drives.
Chef Rudolf Van Den Berg at Camp Jabulani
It seemed far away and at the same time as if we might see anything in the company of these gentle creatures. At sunset, we arrived at a lovely picnic spot where we dismounted to enjoy South African bubbly and snacks and share our thoughts on this newest experience and how special it had been. Click here to read more about Camp Jabulani.
