by Editor | Oct 25, 2010 | Accomodations, New Articles, Restaurants
Article and photos by Elena del Valle
The Hansar Samui
After a difficult flight to the island of Koh Samui in Thailand, I exited the airport to discover it was necessary to follow what felt like a long, partly on an incline, path to the passenger pick up area. It was hot and humid and by the time I made it there I was sweating and desperate to leave the airport.
My room at the hotel
As I pushed my luggage cart up the last part of the incline I spotted a friendly looking man with a turquoise polo short at the head of the line of people waiting for passengers. Later I learned his name, Sin Samney “Sam,” the Hansar Samui front desk manager and concierge. Sam held a sign with my name on it and a radiant smile that melted my sour mood instantly. “Pop,” the hotel driver was with him and while Sam greeted me Pop went to fetch the car from the parking lot in front of us. A moment later I was comfortably seated inside the air conditioned hotel car holding a refresher towel and drinking chilled water.
The beach view from the lounge
That set the tone for my stay at the Hansar Samui. I thoroughly enjoyed my beach front handsome room with a covered balcony as well as the hotel spa, fitness center, restaurant, and saltwater infinity edge swimming pool. I will remember the hotel for the staff’s friendliness and thoughtful touches like the constant supply of mangoosteens in my room fruit bowl when they found out it was a favorite (I bought some at the village market), and amenities like the nightly home baked sweets and chocolates.
Sweets from H-Bistro
While I was there I had an opportunity to sample the new H-Bistro Tasting Menu. The first course was perfectly cooked Seared Hokaido scallops with celeriac, cherry tomato compote and Riesling foam. Then there was a delightful Pan fried foie gras liver with rapberry yogurt and rapberry essence followed by a delicious Linguini pasta with, garlic, red chili, tiger prawn, Dutch Mussels and fresh dill. For the next course we could select one from the following three: Pan seared Arctic Char with ratatouille, eggplant and lobster foam or Slow cooked Bresse baby chicken with white asparagus, crispy guanciale and Black summer truffle sauce or Grilled Canadian Lobster with garlic butter and rocket salad. I was able to sample the chicken (a favorite) and the lobster. Although dessert was not part of the set menu we had saved room to sample Warm melted chocolate cake with vanilla ice cream and Pineapple ravioli both of which provided a satisfying completion the lovingly prepared and artfully presented meal.
Foie gras at H-Bistro
The chicken was a favorite
From Indra Budiman the affable general manager, to Stephen Jean Dion, Hansar’s executive chef, the restaurant staff who I met the day I sampled the H-Bistro Tasting Menu; to the front desk staff, the room service staff, the ladies at the spa, the young men in the pool area and nearly every staff member I had a chance to meet I felt welcome, even when our communication was limited by language.
Hansar Chef Stephen Jean Dion
You can read more about my stay at the Hansar Samui and the Luxsa Spa in Koh Samui, Thailand at the Simon & Baker Travel Review.
by Editor | Aug 23, 2010 | New Articles, Restaurants
By Elena del Valle, photos by Gary Cox
The dining room in Canova restaurant
It was our last night in Venice and it was raining. Again. For three days, in between showers and intermittent sunshine, we had walked mercilessly through the city. As much as we loved the pedestrian benefits we longed to enjoy a quiet dinner that didn’t require an outing or getting wet. Fortunately, our hotel had a ground level restaurant. Ristorante Canova, named for Venetian sculptor Antonio Canova, was just what we wanted. It had contemporary decor, wood floors and wood and gold colored walls, Italian porcelain dinnerware, silver cutlery and helpful staff.
Shrimp with olive oil and artichokes
We began with a prosecco aperitif and a pre-appetizer morsel. While we pondered dinner options we observed the L shaped dining room. A simple orchid in a square vase adorned our table set against the wall in the back of the room. It was a perfect location to savor our quiet meal, see the rain fall through the nearby window and watch guests at the handful of nearby tables that shared the restaurant with us that night. From the Baglioni Caffe across the other side of the entrance we could hear the pleasant sounds of live music by Stefano. Three types of warm bread and break sticks and two types of French butter (lightly salted and unsalted) kept us entertained.
Spaghetti with clams in a light tomato sauce
We shared local shrimp over artichokes, olive oil and lemon. My dinner partner tried the Ravioli with spinach and ricotta and I had Spaghetti with clams in a light tomato sauce. For mains I had Mixed grilled seafood of scampi, monkfish, sea bass and scallops and he ordered Sea bass with potatoes. Both mains were satisfying. To wrap up our meal we had strawberry and green apple sorbet. Click here to read about our stay at the Luna Baglioni where Ristorante Canova is located.
Sorbet dessert at Canova
by Editor | May 3, 2010 | Accomodations, Restaurants, Spas
By Elena del Valle and photos by Gary Cox
The Fairlawns pool
One of the first things we noticed on arriving at the Fairlawns Boutique Hotel & Spa in an upscale residential neighborhood of Johannesburg, South Africa was the scented saringa flowering tree at the entrance. Once cleared through the obligatory guarded gate we were surprised to find a quiet property dotted with manicured gardens. In addition to spacious and luxuriously appointed one-bedroom suites, the growing hotel (a new building was under construction) had meeting rooms, a work out area, a swimming pool, a restaurant and spa on site.
Reception and the restaurant were in a single story main building. Within a two-minute walk several separate two-story buildings housed the spa and fitness area and guest suites. After checking in we were led past the restaurant and central gardens to our respective suites within one of the two-story new looking buildings. Our ground floor one bedroom suites, suites 13 and 15 named for Emily Hobhouse and Nelson Mandela respectively, were spacious and handsomely decorated, each one with a different interior design style (during a second visit we stayed upstairs in the Oppenheimer Suite).
Living area of the Emily Hobhouse Suite
Living area of the Mandela Suite
The suites were well appointed including complimentary WiFi Internet access and spotlessly clean. My favorite, suite 15, was divided into three distinct areas, a living area, a sleeping area and a bathroom. Decorated in an Africa theme it had animal print accents and a comfy sofa facing a fireplace (underfloor heating kept my suite toasty too). For the media minded there were two television sets, including a large flat screen television and DVD player across from the king bed in the bedroom.
The Jacuzzi bathtub in the Mandela Suite
The bathroom too was spacious with marble counters and floors, twin sinks, shower, water closet with bidet, and Jacuzzi bathtub. Tall built-in closets with an ironing board and electronic safe took up one entire wall opposite the sinks.
Additional amenities included fresh flowers, complimentary fruit bowl, complimentary in room sherry, Irish Duke and Forsyth travel size toiletries (conditioning shampoo, shower gel, body lotion, nail kit, shower cap and soap) and, at turn down, a small bottle of water and a nougat. The ambiance was serene although there were meeting guests at elegant hotel, owned by John and Anna Thacker.
Inside the Fairlawns Spa
The spa building, across the lawn from our building, had a work out room accessible at guest convenience with the electronic room key. I was pleased to be the first to arrive, at 6 a.m., for an early work out although I was soon joined by others. The spa itself was mostly in an adjacent walled garden area next to, and separate from, the swimming pool. The shady spa garden was filled with private corners and treatment rooms. In spite of our arrival in the late afternoon (spa treatments were available until 5 p.m.) we were in time to enjoy side by side massages in one of the loveliest and largest treatment rooms in the far corner of the spa garden.
The breakfast buffet at the Fairlawns Boutique Hotel & Spa
While were were there we sampled a couple of items from the room service menu and dined in the outdoor area of the restaurant. Mornings were my favorite meal time at the Fairlawns. There was an ample breakfast buffet with cereals, fruits (fresh and dried), cheeses, deli meats, cold fish, and varied delicious homemade pastries to compete with the made to order breakfast menu. Sitting in the restaurant patio under the shade of large umbrellas we enjoyed the placid view of the nearby pool and flower filled gardens. We look forward to revisiting the Fairlawns Boutique Hotel & Spa, Alma Road, Morningside Manor, Ext. 6, Sandton, Johannesburg, fairlawn@fairlawns.co.za, +27 11 804 2540/1/2/3, http://www.fairlawns.co.za/
by Editor | Apr 19, 2010 | New Articles, Restaurants
Grilled langoustines at SeaFood
Bunny Chow, a Cape Malay seafood curry at The Marine Hermanus
Major Moyo, manager, and Delia Harbottle, chef, at SeaFood
Traditional snoek paté with crisp bread and chutney
Malva Pudding at SeaFood
Situated in front of the Raed Na Gael Mountains and within the picturesque seaside village of Hermanus in South Africa The Marine Hermanus hotel faces a bay where, during the season, southern right whales are often seen. Our team was there in hopes of spotting some of the whales and discovering the renovated historic hotel.
They especially liked SeaFood, an informal restaurant near the entrance of the hotel serving contemporary sea fare with an emphasis on fresh catch from Walker Bay. It was established after the hotel owner, Liz McGrath, paid a chance visit to the seafood counter at Harrod’s in London.
The restaurant, open for lunch and dinner, had an open kitchen and contemporary décor including a floating glass wall panel with a wave design, subtle warm lighting, bold graphic pots, black and white photography, and a glass sculpture. Click here to read our dedicated article on The Marine Hermanus.
by Editor | Mar 22, 2010 | Restaurants
The view from a vineyard side table at Buitenwarchting Restaurant
Edgar Osojni, executive chef, Buitenwarchting Restaurant
Quail Saltimboca “Two Ways”
In 1981, the Mueller Family took a leap of faith and bought, sight unseen, Buitenwarchting, a farm on the outskirts of Cape Town. Over time the family moved from their German homeland to South Africa and dedicated their resources and enthusiasm into rebuilding the wine estate and later adding a restaurant. On their most recent visit to South Africa Elena and Gary discovered Buitenwarchting Restaurant for the first time. Click here to read about their exceptional dining experience at Buitenwarchting Restaurant.
by Editor | Feb 22, 2010 | Restaurants
By Elena del Valle
Photos by Gary Cox
Champagne and Lavender Jelly at The Greenhouse
Grain Fed Beef Filet
Our favorite dish: Malay Spiced Prawns and Pork Belly
Game Terrine
Carpaccio of Scallops, Tuna and Abalone
Amouse bouche
When we confirmed our stay at Madiba Villa at the Cellars-Hohenort Hotel in Constantia we were pleased. In part because we were looking forward to staying in the two-bedroom villa on the outskirts of Cape Town; and in part because we were looking forward to revisiting The Greenhouse, one of our favorite restaurants in that South Africa city.
Although we missed Chef Rume Booyens’ touch (she had been the chef when we first visited the restaurant) our Tasting Menu dinner at The Greenhouse was a treat. We are confident the restaurant will remain outstanding since the restaurants at the Relais & Chateaux hotel and its two sister properties remain under the watchful eye of Peter Tempelhoff, executive chef for The Collection by Liz McGrath.
Sweets at The Cape Malay Restaurant
The staff surprised us with a Happy Birthday petit four plate at The Cape Malay
The eastern decor at The Cape Malay
Dessert at The Cape Malay
At The Cape Malay Restaurant, Cynthia was our server and Jasmin cooked
Mains at The Cape Malay
At The Greenhouse we had the Tasting Menu: Carpaccio of Scallops, Tuna and Abalone with a 2005 Klein Constatia Estate Brut MCC; Game Terrine with a 2000 Nederburg Auction Reserve Special Late Harvest; Malay Spiced Praw and Pork Belly (a favorite) with 2005 Klein Constatia Riesling; Grain Fed Beef Filet with 2007 Herald Pinor Noir; Champagne and Lavender Jelly; and Vanilla and Poached Pear with 2006 Vin de Hohenort.
We took advantage of our stay at the Cellars-Hohenort Hotel (93 Brommerslvlei, Constantia 7800, www.cellars-hohenort.com,+27 21 794 2137) to sample The Cape Malay Restaurant and were rewarded with an excellent spicy meal. While the style of cuisine and decor were totally different from The Greenhouse, the staff were warm and welcoming the night we dined there.
