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Hello from hot-hot Dubai.
Welcome to the latest issue of WOW Confidential, Kiwi Collection's monthly newsletter.
This month in WOW.travel, news, hints and trends before you find them elsewhere. Read below for quick bites - you can also click straight through for Seven Sensational Urban Oases, for Insider thoughts from Michael Sagild of Franklyn Hotels and Stein Management, and a concierge's ideas for bounce-back beautiful Bangkok. Read about style, according to Linda Meredith, who makes Madonna and so many other stars look as radiant as they are. You have stories from Around the World, including the Greek Islands, the Himalayas, Ireland and Australia. Also read more on keeping young. Away-night takes us to an epitomal, and oh-so-modern, English family country house hotel.
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Ananda - In the Himalayas is more than just a resort
One of the highlights of this last month was our visit to Ananda - In the Himalayas - more than a resort, more than a spa, more a new way of life. GM Paul van Frank welcomed us to this idyllic spot. Read the whole story here.
Ananda - In the Himalayas, Narendra Nagar, India
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Foodies love Melbourne!
Melbourne is one of the world's most foodie cities. On our last visit WOW.travel made its usual visit to David Jones Food Hall to look some of the finest products from Victoria - and Australia generally. We then dined at Alluvial, to taste them. Read more about our experience here.
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Joël Robuchon holds Lifetime Achievement title
In Tokyo, Château Restaurant Joël Robuchon is among 160 great restaurants of the world included in Relais & Chateaux's new www.grandschefs.com site. As it happens Robuchon yet again holds the Lifetime Achievement title for S. Pelligrino's World's 50 Best Restaurant awards.
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Children are very important at Hôtel Plaza Athénée Paris
In Paris, the Hôtel Plaza Athénée Paris new VIC - Very Important Children - site is exclusively for kids who have stayed, or are about to stay in one of the best hotels in Paris. With parents’ permission, they can access, prepare their trip and learn about Paris, its activities and stores.
Hôtel Plaza Athénée Paris, Paris, France
See other hotels in Paris (15)
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Bill Marriott to be honored with Lifetime Achievement Award
WOW.travel is about agelessness - and Bill Marriott, head of that eponymous group, is our hero. He will be honored with Cornell University School of Hotel Administration's Lifetime Achievement award in New York, on June 2nd, 2009 (Kiwi Collection is a VIP sponsor). Read more about this here.
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Sasso by the Sea is a great addition to Palazzo Sasso
Palazzo Sasso, Ravello, run by GM Aaron Kaupp, is a hilltop palace with stunning views down to the Gulf of Solarno on Italy's Amalfi Coast. It already has a rooftop solarium, an amazing wine cellar, and now it adds, 15 minutes away, a seaside day villa, Sasso by the Sea, with small pool and restaurant, and 50 steps down to the Med.
Palazzo Sasso, Amalfi Coast, Italy
See other hotels in Amalfi Coast (5)
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OMA’s Prada Transformer Opens to Public
Architect Rem Koolhaas of OMA is behind the Transformer pavilion, now launched as Prada's exhibition gallery by the 16th-century Gyeonghui Palace in Seoul, Korea. Transformer can be set one way, or upended. Until May 24th, 2009, its exhibition Waist Down, features skirts. In June, expect movies chosen by Mexican director Alejandro González Iñárritu.
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The Westbury is the perfect place to stay while shopping Grafton Street
For memorable retail, with history thrown in, head for Dublin's Grafton Street, a shopper's dream. Seen here, at the closest hotel, The Westbury, WOW.travel with Doyle Collection CEO Bill Walshe, in front of Cian McLoughlin 's 'Waiting for Godot'. Learn more about Grafton Street here.
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The RHS Chelsea Flower Show is a greenthumb's dream!
Yes, believe it or not it is time once again for England's annual RHS Chelsea Flower Show, May 19-23, 2009, which of course brings discerning hordes to London, Last year, one of the prize wining entries was a herb garden, shown, entered by global fragrance queen Jo Malone.
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Copacabana Palace's gold bar really sparkles
More authenticity, in the form of enjoying yourself in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. At the Copacabana Palace, it is stand-in-line to get into its new gold-lined bar, designed by Graham Viney. Best-selling cocktails are Caipirinha, with Brazilian cachaça, and vodka-based Caipiroska.
Copacabana Palace, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
See other hotels in Rio de Janeiro (4)
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Big 5 lunch taking place at Grande Provence Heritage Wine Estate
Alex van Heeren's Grande Provence Heritage Wine Estate in Franschhoek not only includes an art gallery (photo) - on Sunday May 24th, 2009, it hosts its annual Big 5 lunch for the Multiple Sclerosis Society of South Africa, emceed by 94.5 Kfm's Ryan O'Connor.
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Meetup's mission is to revitalize local community and help people self-organize
Global travelers sometimes appreciate meeting up with local groups (in Washington DC, there are now 1,266 members of the DC Capital Striders). Find fitness, music and such gatherings as Forum de Lome: Le développement Social et Durable, on www.meetup.com.
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Verdura Golf & Spa Resort opens this month
Sir Rocco Forte this month opens his Verdura Golf & Spa Resort on 370 acres of the beautiful island of Sicily. Franco Pecorelli is GM of the 200-room resort, which also has 50 villas, two Kyle Phillips golf courses and a 16-room spa.
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Aman, New Delhi captures the ultimate in elegance
Also new on the block is Aman, New Delhi, run by Antony Treston. It's by architect Kerry Hill, and we love the in-city calm, and the Kim Robinson hair salon, Narumi spa and restaurant options. See WOW.travel's choice of Urban Oases here.
Aman, New Delhi, New Delhi, India
See other hotels in New Delhi (6)
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Experience the excitement of the Monte-Carlo Formula One Grand Prix
Monte-Carlo Formula One Grand Prix is May 21-24, 2009. The twisting 78-lap circuit offers countless opportunities to witness the thrill of screaming engines, smoking tyres and the genius of the drivers (since the first race in 1929, the fastest circuit has upped from 50 to 88 miles per hour).
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Opus Hotel Vancouver offers a unique pre-Olympic Package
Zip-trekking is included in Opus Hotel Vancouver's pre-Olympic Penthouse Party Package - you also take a seaplane tour over some of the 2010 Olympic venues. Back at your temporary Yaletown base in the city's downtown, you can then try a mixology lesson in the popular OpusBar.
Opus Hotel Vancouver, Vancouver, Canada
See other hotels in Vancouver (9)
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The Lodge at Kauri Cliffs offers 6,000 acres of freedom
The Lodge at Kauri Cliffs on New Zealand's North Island, offers so many experiences. You have 6,000 acres to roam, 18 holes of David Harman-design golf, three beaches, one spectacular fan-shaped pool. Book one of the 22 fabulous bedrooms now, for the Craggy Range Wines weekend, May 29-31, 2009.
The Lodge at Kauri Cliffs, Kerikeri, New Zealand
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Castello Banfi's Poggio all'Oro Suite features private wine cellar
Cristina Mariani-May, co-owner of the Banfi wine label, has added a private wine cellar at the Poggio all'Oro Suite in the 14-bedroom Castello Banfi – Il Borgo, Montalcino, Tuscany (it's stocked with verticals that include the 1986 Poggio all'Oro, no longer publicly available).
Castello Banfi Il Borgo, Montalcino, Italy
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Anantara Si Kao Resort & Spa offers wellness retreats
Anantara Si Kao Resort & Spa, south of Krabi, Thailand, runs one-week Wellness 360 retreats starting May 11th, 2009. Teachers include Sally Anderson on Pilates, Charlotte Dodson for meditation and yoga, and Paea Leach for contemporary dance. Also on hand are osteopath Dr Geraldine van Boxmeer, Ayurveda expert Kavitha Hulmani and naturopath Dr Gopal.
Anantara Si Kao Resort & Spa, Thailand, Sikao, Thailand
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Noa sings in the Eurovision song contest this month
Israeli singer Noa, who was born in Yemen, sings with Mira Awad in the Eurovision song contest this month. On May 30-31, 2009, she is star at the Grand-Hotel du Cap-Ferrat Music Festival, to celebrate the reopening of this fabulous hotel after its grand Pierre-Yves Rochon redecoration.
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Dreaming Amazonia premieres at the Miami Dance Festival
Miami Dance Festival runs until May 10th, 2009. A major highlight is the world premiere of Dreaming Amazonia, a fusion of contemporary dance and traditional Brazilian dance, choreographed by Brazilian Augusto Soledade who visited Manaus to learn about traditions of its indigenous people. Dreaming Amazonia has an urban segment that moves quickly and sharply and an interlinked rural section, www.momentumdance.com.
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The National Guo Guang Opera Company of China will be performing in Moscow
The National Guo Guang Opera Company of China will be performing at Moscow's VIII Chekhov Theatre Festival opens May 26th, 2009, and runs through to August 2nd, 2009. Other partiipants include English dancer Mathew Bourne with his production of Dorian Gray, and, from France, Théâtre Equestre Zingarom.
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Kiwi Collection's team is in Dubai for Arabian Hotel Investment Conference
Have a great month. The Kiwi Collection team is already in Dubai, for its annual Arabian Hotel Investment Conference and Arabian Travel Market. Shown here at The Address, Downtown Burj Dubai, one of the best new hotels in Dubai, are, from left, Marc Dardenne, CEO Emaar Hospitality, Mary Gostelow, Editor-in-Chief WOW.travel and Philippe Kjellgren, President Kiwi Collection.
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Coming up Next Month!
So please enjoy the whole of WOW.travel, written as the team covers the globe for you. And if you have not already done so, sign up now to have WOWconfidential emailed to you direct, on the seventh of every calendar month - next issue includes Seven Sensational Italian restaurants around the world. Happy traveling, happy thoughts of travel, and keep happy!
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