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Welcome to WOW Confidential Welcome to the first edition of WOW Confidential, which some of you have known until now merely as WOW. Every month I shall continue to highlight one or more properties that have particularly impressed me on my travels. Every month, too, you will get guidelines of what is new, hip and worth your attention. You will also see who the current celebrity is on WOWtraveler.com, and you will find out what is the Top 10 listing, also and ONLY on www.WOWtraveler.net
www.WOWtraveler.net is the online travel guide for the best in the luxury world, written exclusively with you in mind. Please use it as your unique concierge.
And this is your special newsletter.
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Lebanon
First, this month, three amazing luxury properties in LEBANON, that unique country at the east of the Mediterranean which offers mountains and sea, a feast of archaeology and highly modern life, and some of the world's friendliest people. All these hotels have employees that you want to wrap up and take home they are just so thoroughly nice, as well as professional.
In Beirut itself you have until the Four Seasons opens two upper-luxury choices. First, the Phoenicia , a brand name, the city icon from its opening in 1960. Re-opened in 2000, this is where big names stay, sometimes intentionally to be seen. Most vital viewing place is the Cascades lobby lounge (to be really top, you hold court at a table with sofa seating for many hours). My favorite rooms in this 462-room palace are on club floors 5-7 (the lounge is the 6th floor); but if staying over five days, you might want to opt for one of the year-old two-floor Residences suites, which come complete with kitchen (really top now is the Residences' Penthouse Suite, opening this month (May). The Phoenicia has five berths at the new Marina , just across from the hotel, and another USP is the stunning futuristic spa, two floors of glass and metal with large pool, 20 treatment rooms run by over 50 physiotherapeutic masseurs, and a gym (24-hours, like the business centre). General Manager is Pascal Gauvin. The Phoenicia will be showcased on www.WOWtraveler.com in July 2004 .
If you want to be more discreet, then 73-room Le Vendome InterContinental, 200 yards from the Phoenicia , is for you. Here, choose any Mediterranean-facing room, as high as possible for best views. Rooms are tastefully Provencal, designed by Pierre-Yves Rochon, and I like the LavAzza coffee machines, and a laptop already configured to pick up email. An absolute must is an evening at the top (13th) floor Sydney 's English Club, 24 hours and the meeting place of Beirut business intelligentsia and politicos. You can use the Phoenicia 's spa. General Manager is Joseph Coubat. Le Vendome will be showcased on www.WOWtraveler.com in July 2004 .
Take a shuttle from the Phoenicia an hour up, to a height of 8,000 feet to the ski and mountain heaven of Mzaar InterContinental Mountain Resort and Spa. This is part of a custom-built alpine village, with all units connected underground (essential in winter you get straight to one of the ski lift bases, incidentally). There is a massive indoor pool, open topped in summer, and facilities also include a clinical spa, bowling, a screening theater, shops and kids' club. General Manager is Robert Zogbi. www.ichotelsgroup.com
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USA
The Inn at Perry Cabin, an Orient-Express hotel at St. Michaels , Maryland , has adults-only Mad About You weekends and sends kids-back-home presents as if from their parents. General Manager John Volponi says his largest suite is number 43, with a wall of windows that gives amazing views of the Miles River and the new wetlands restoration.The Inn at Perry Cabin, St. Michaels, United States
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Cruises
Look ahead for Crystal Harmony's 12-day Alaskan Majesty cruise, number 4113 roundtrip from San Francisco, departs 11 June and it has onboard Tim Stannard and Mark Sullivan, owner-sommelier and chef of San Francisco's The Village Pub. The itinerary takes in Victoria BC, with time for famed afternoon tea at the Fairmont Empress (GM Ian Powell), Vancouver BC , Sitka , Juneau , Skagway and Ketchikan . The 940-guest ship has outstanding education facilities last time on Crystal, we took advanced net-search and digital photo editing courses in the computer classroom. I also like Crystal 's admirable health and wellness programs. www.crystalcruises.com
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Spas
Hotel Cipriani, Venice , opens its Casanova Spa on 19 May (apparently Giacomo Casanova was often seen here, and wine from this Leading hotel's own vineyard is labeled Casanova Salso). The spa uses Babor products, and enhancing programs include energy balancing. If you are there on 30 May, incidentally, you will be able to watch the Vogalonga rowing competition. www.orient-express.com
In India , the Imperial, Delhi, opens its Six Senses spa, which includes two Ayurveda rooms and a 24-hour gym. This traditional hotel, built in 1931 as part of Sir Edwin Lutyens' plan for the capital city of New Delhi, is being brought into the 21st century by its vp Pierre Jochem, whom I shall be visiting shortly. www.theimperialindia.com
Someone needs to start a list of those that are outstanding and those to avoid. Ones I particularly like include British Airways' Terraces lounges at London Heathrow and New York JFK (and an extremely good reason for flying First or Club World Business into London Heathrow on British Airways is access to the arrivals lounge, with showers and pressing facilities and a work area, with an English breakfast that beats most of those in the top hotels all these services are complimentary). Dubai's Emirates lounges are outstanding, with free in-lounge hotel bedrooms for a few hours sleep. Air New Zealand's lounges throughout that country are superb, as are Cathay Pacific's, at its Hong Kong base.
And ones to avoid? Every United Red Carpet lounge I have been to recently. At London Heathrow terminal 3, for instance, it is cavernous and pretty soul-less and, by contrast to an industry par which now often offers a full and healthy buffet, the only food here was wrapped portions of sweet cake, and the glass for a stale-tasting Copperidge Zinfandel 2001 was dishwasher-smirred.Hotel Cipriani & Palazzo Vendramin, Venice, Italy
See other hotels in Venice (10)
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England
This month, Royal Ascot runs from 15-19 June, with Ladies' Day on the 17th. Susie Worthy, who runs www.noteworthy.co.uk, is planning a trip of a lifetime tour, 10-16 June, with tickets to the famous opening day, staying at the Dorchester, in London, and at Cliveden, the former Astor home on the banks of the River Thames west of the city. Also, if you are in town privately, try to get to Anton Mosimann's private club on 11th, when he is offering a six-course dinner partnered with four Ch Petrus wines as well as Ch Yquem for a mere £1,000 per person, www.mosimann.com The Dorchester, London, United Kingdom
See other hotels in London (29)
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Upcoming
So what is new on www.WOWtraveler.com? This month our WOW Insider celebrity is Bill Boggs, New York-based talk-show host and man of the world who shares reminiscences of a recent gourmet tour of Italy . Boggs is currently performing his one-man show Talk Show Confidential, Monday nights at the Triad Theater in Manhattan (NY1 television says this is really funny, a real look behind-the-scenes of television). And this month, see my choice of Top Ten Great Runs around the world.
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