Tag: <span>hotels</span>

vineyard design travelMike and I aren’t usually for organized travel tours but, with our friend and winemaker Ethan at the helm, we decided to give it a shot. Ethan had been studying wine in Burgundy, France for the past few years and became so passionate, so knowledgeable about oenology and the region that he decided to start William Ethan Experiential Art: An educational and culinary adventure through the vineyards, cuviers, cellars, and towns of the Côte d’Or and beyond. When we heard about this tour, we signed up on the spot.

Home Basedesign-travel to Boulliand
design-travel-chateauTogether with our good friends Matt and Hillary, we based our five-day adventure in the cliffside town of Bouilland and specifically  in this unbelievable 15th-century farmhouse.

design-travel-diningThe house had every bit of romanticized French-country charm and did not disappoint with antiques, winemaking relics, and a nice touch of contemporary details.

The Cuisinedesign-travel-chef Food is an integral part of the wine experience, so Ethan spared no expense and got a personal chef. Jean-Luc was an unbelievably talented cook and a total pleasure to be around. We’d hang out with him in this to-die-for kitchen having aperitifs as he prepared dinner (anything from beef bourguignon to moules marinieres).
picnicFor lunch, we’d usually have a picnic overlooking something breathtaking. Here we are above the Haute Côte, gazing out to a sea of vineyards, while eating jambon blanc and camembert sandwiches and sipping Beaujolais.

The Vineyardsvineyard design Burgundy is gorgeous year-round but during the fall, it’s abuzz with beauty. We arrived in the final moments of harvest and saw everything from the labor in the fields to the closing celebration in the streets.

france-wine-toursThe workers still pick grapes by hand but also typically have these wacky-looking tractors in tow. The height and width of the space between the tires is made to perfectly maneuver over and between vines without knocking a leaf! They help tend to the soil while their bins give workers a place to store the fruit.
vineyard-houses Adorable little houses called cabouttes appear in the depths of every vineyard.  Historically, they were used as a place for workers to take lunch or find warmth. We rode our bikes to this spot for the dreamiest picnic.

CuveriesBurgundy-wine-tours While biking from vineyard to vineyard, Ethan ran into a friend outside Domain de Montille. His buddy was running around like a mad scientist trying to get all the grape fermentation underway, but still found time for an impromptu cuvier tour. Massive oak barrels filled the room, all with chalk-written notes keeping track of the temperature, sugar and alcohol levels. Here, I got to take a peak  into the pit of pinot noir grapes.

Caveswinery travel Rows of wine barrels await bottling at the Domaine Boyer Martenot, where I bought the said-to-be amazing 2007 Mersault-Charmes Premier Cru. Now I just need to wait ten years before it matures to perfection…We’ll see if I can hold out.

Newfound Wine Knowledge
The better the land, the better the wine.
design-travel to wineriesGrapes
Chardonnay and Pinot Noir are basically the only two types of grapes grown in Burgundy (Gamay and Aligoté are grown where the soil isn’t so rich in limestone).

Land
More than any winemaking region in the world, wine in Burgundy is all about the land. A wine’s caliber is defined by the quality of the exact patch of soil the grapes came from. A vineyard is sometimes limited to a few rows of grapes because that mix of soil,  pitch of land, and sun it receives may be so perfect that adding more rows could taint the wine.

Wine Labels
The reason why Burgundian wine labels are so complex is that you need the name of the region, estate, plot, bottling location, and winemaker to identify the wine (cute names like Red Truck or Seven Deadly Zins don’t cut it). Those who truly understand the wines of this region, know the location of the grapes and the skill of the winemaker on an intimate level.

And wine was just the beginning…Stay tuned for our tour through some of the most charming towns in French wine country.

Places

Luxury Hotel design--marina bay sandsThe largest hotel in Singapore opened last week with 2,560 rooms, 50+ dining venues, 800,000 square feet of retail space, but what impresses me most about the Marina Bay Sands? My best friend staffed it. Through many a long-distance phone call over the past seven months, she’s given me a look (in the most professional director-of-HR-kind-of way) into what it takes to build a hotel of this magnitude and I couldn’t be more impressed.

Marina Bay Sands rooftopThe Sands SkyPark®
Designed by architecture firm Moshe Safdie and Associates, the 55-story hotel is comprised of three sweeping towers but what really makes the threesome a knockout is the 133,000 square-foot-rooftop garden that connects them. The lush landscape with its infinity pool, restaurants, bars and observation deck set high above Singapore has got to take your breath away. The SkyPark is slated to open this summer.

Marina Bay Sands' Rise-loungeThe Atrium
Dripping with vines, teeming with trees, and clad with designer seating, the Rise Lounge is one of the central meeting points in the Marina Bay Sands. The space offers a champagne bar, restaurant, and turns into a casual tea room in the afternoon.

Marina Bay Sands Cut restaurant
Wolfgang Puck’s Cut Steakhouse

The Restaurants
This hotel may be halfway around the world but plenty of top chefs were willing to make the trek. Daniel Boulud, Wolfgang Puck, Guy Savoy amongst other culinary greats have opened restaurants on the property. Fancy or casual, French or Indian, the hotel sounds like it has every corner of cuisine covered.

sands-luxury-hotel-designThe Rooms
Executive Director of Interior Design Samantha Drummond created 18 different room types all with either a view of the sea or city skyline. I like that the decoration of the various spaces feels crisp and contemporary without trying too hard.

I cannot wait to visit!

Places

rockhouse hotel, jamaicaI’ve stayed in some fancy hotels in the past, but I don’t think I’ve ever found one quite so luxurious (or romantic) as the Rockhouse in Negril, Jamaica. Mike and I spent last weekend there, and it wasn’t the full-treatment spa, the award-winning restaurant, or the thousand-thread-count sheets that won us over—those things are standard in the luxury realm. So what makes the Rockhouse the real créme de la créme? Privacy. And I don’t mean the kind that requires a “Do Not Disturb” sign.

Rockhouse Hotel Cabana
Along the low-lying cliffs of Pristine Cove are 20 thatched-roof villas—all single story, all freestanding. Either perched on the edge or nestled into the cove, each has a private terrace with two Adirondack chairs, the shade of sea grape trees, and a view of the turquoise Caribbean. Mike and I stayed in a studio the first two nights and a premium villa the last two—both complete with a four-poster bed and outdoor shower—only to realize that there is no such thing as a bad room. The upgrade just goes from amazing to unreal.

Rockhouse Hotel Jamaica PatioThe staggered landscape always seems to keep neighbors out of sight and makes it feel like the grounds are yours alone. Two-person patios jut out on the ledge or drop down into a cove for secluded sunbathing. Craggy natural rock separates each spot, making encroachment near impossible.

Rockhouse Jamaica Jump off the bridgeFor couples, it couldn’t be a more amazing place. If you don’t feel like leaving your room for a meal, room service is free of charge. If you don’t feel like being apart at the spa, there is no markup for a side-by-side massage. If you are feeling social, they have happy hour by the pool each sunset.

The setting was actually so romantic, it pushed Mike to propose. Yes, I got engaged at the Rockhouse (and I’m incredibly excited about it) so I may be biased but with their rank as one of Travel + Leisure’s Top 25 Caribbean resorts and Patricia Schult’s book 1000 Places to See Before You Die, the Rockhouse has more fans than just a smitten bride-to-be.

For more information on the Rockhouse visit RockhouseHotel.com

Places