Bedroom Sirokoi

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Sirokoi

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Sailing on a Dhow in Lamu

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Garden House Lamu Kenya

Morning sunlight on the crystal and silver -Singita Sabora Tented Camp Tanzania

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Bush Breakfast Grumeti Plains Tanzania

Fabulous stables at Singita Saskwa Tanzania. You should see the Tack room!

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Livingroom Singita Saskwa

Exciting new mobile tented camp at Singita Grumeti

Most glam Luxury tent at Singita Sabora Tanzania

Dining tent Singita Sabora Tanzania

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On top of the Copties , Chyulu Hills

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Last night in Tanzania-photo courtesy of Caroline Wallace

Taj Mumbai

View from the room

Typical Sri Lankan scene

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Catherine Whitworth CTA
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Trip Report Bali, Koh Samui 2010

 
 

I have pictures of every property, so if you need to see, just email me and I will send them over.

May 26th Singapore Raffles Hotel One of my favorite hotels in the world. Still gorgeous. Amazing gardens in the middle of Singapore. Rooms have 14F ceilings, old colonial feeling, white walls with dark wood floors. Favorite area is Palm Court suites- Sitting room separated by a wall with open windows. Bathrooms: double sinks in separate area. Be sure to see the Raffles Museum. Outdoor Mall is attached to the property.  

May 27th

  Carolyn Tyler’s FAB villa near Ubud

Carolyn Tyler’s Villa. Not completed, but will have  two pools, a second house on property, staff, and 4 bedrooms in the main house.  Property is beautiful. Gardens are

Complete. River running along the front of the property. Will be a great rental villa.

May 28th

Hotels visited:

Viceroy- 5* property, large villa like rooms with plunge pools, heli pad, Near Ubud, on Ayung river, view of grass rooftops of the villas

Amandari the queen in Ubud, glamorous, rooms are large, bright and perfect with plunge pools, restaurant is divine. Spa is small but good. Amandari Pool on a rainy day

 Chedi Club moderate alternative in Ubud, rooms were beautifully done, big, property has gorgeous gardens, Spa.

 Uma- another good moderate property, health oriented, rooms newly done very bright, pleasant, baths beautiful Spa

Begawan Giri, 4-5 bedroom villas that one shares with others, amazing gardens, situated in the Ayung valley looking down into the gorge. Stunning

Ubud Hanging Gardens about 20 minutes north of Ubud. Perched on a very steep mountain, so steep it has 2 funiculars( trains). Good for honeymooners who want to chill. Beautiful views. Moderate alternative. I liked it. Orient Express Hotel

Four Seasons Sayan – stayed there lively, beautiful. You descend to the entrance for you villa. 5* all the way , service is terrific. Restaurant and bar have stunning views of the river, rooms are large as are bathrooms. Very private.  Spa is beautiful. May 29th Four Seasons Sayan Fab suite

Bali  West coast and beaches

Hotel Tugu Dramatic lobby. Done by a collector of Indonesian, and Chinese Antiques.

Pieces everywhere. Rooms were a little dark, bathrooms were small, little room for toiletries on sinks. On the beach, you know you are in Bali, good moderate alternative for beach  on west coast. Near canguu. Cooking school is outstanding.

Bali Homes Management– visited two villas both reasonable – one near Ubud, other on the water near Sanur. Very good rates.

Legian Club Seminyak – on west side of  Bali, across street from the beach. Attached to Legian. 5* resort. Club has access to all Legian facilities. Another moderate alternative

Rooms were beautifully decorated. Clean and contempory.

Oberoi recently  renovated. Good alternative on the beach side of Bali. Great restaurant big beautiful pool, gorgeous gardens, service excellent. Near the hot restaurant KU DE TA. In Canguu.

Intercontinental Jimbaran Huge hotel, people milling everywhere. Looked like a convention facility to me. You could be anywhere, nothing special about the rooms.

St. Regis Nusa Dua, Nusa Dua is not Bali to me, but it certainly has a lot going on lately.

Lot’s of convention doings. Everyone on our flight seemed to be going to Nusa Dua.

The St. Regis came highly recommended by clients, They loved the rooms , dining and public areas. Brand new.

 Four Seasons Jimbaran. Still the queen in my book. Service is impeccable, villas have the perfect size plunge pools. Living area is open, and the bedroom is closed for airconditioning.  Gift shop is the best. Three restaurants PG/s by the water, the facility by the pool, and an Indonesian restaurant/cooking school. Spa is one of the best on the Island.

Four Seasons Jimbaran View and Plunge Pool- Feels like I'm home when there!

 

 

                      

Koh Samui

Visited:

Six Senses more oriented to the health crowd- rooms were small, but it was crowded, so someone loves it. Restaurant was delightful. Probably would not be my first choice

 

Napasai fabulous moderate alternative and a happy surprise. Jeremie, the GM, recently came from Le Residence in Laos. He is passionate about this property. You will get great service. The pool is gorgeous, he has made a huge beach out of thin air. I hear the largest on the Island. Rooms are smallish compared to FS, but there is a big  price difference. They are newly done, and very very comfortable. Redoing the Spa.

Pool at Napasai on Koh Samui  An Orient Express Hotel. 

Stayed at Four Seasons Koh Samui by far the most glamorous property on the island. No comparison if you have high end clients or honeymooners. Fabulous and beautiful. Service as with all FS impeccable, Everyone, says hello and wants you to be SO happy. Spa is expensive but awesome. Views  from the property are spectacular.  Not opened yet the W, and Banyan Tree both supposed to be wonderful.

 

Four Seasons Koh Samui Plunge Pool- Amazing view!

More on the magnificent Balinese hotels …

In spite of the ever growing traffic, and development, Bali still has that indefinable magic. The Balinese are still so happy to see us, the hotels are still amazing, the temples are still thriving, great restaurants are growing in number. Craftsmanship is incredible. Bali is one of the best places in the world to shop. For five star hotels, Amandari, Amankila, Amanusa, Four Seasons Sayan, Jimbaran and Bulgari are going strong. The most pleasant surprise was the Bulgari Uluwatu. Very glamorous really beautiful hotel. The bathtub was bigger than most hotel’s plunge pools. In the more moderate range was the Chedi Club- delightful, Uma- with a more health oriented clientel in Ubud, and the Legian Club in Seminyak. In a differnet category, the Tugu- chock full of antiques and more traditional, in Canguu.
I hated to leave.

Bali – Carolyn Tyler’s stunning villa!

Having Breakfast  at Carolyn Tyler’s stunning villa. Tomato cheese omelet, and a gorgeous plate of local fruit- mangosteen, papaya, mango, and passion fruit. Watching the rain and birds on the wide veranda. A villager is putting out offerings on the steps down by the river.  Breeze wafting by. Just heaven.  Starting my day of hotel site inspections. Some exciting new ones and some old favorite.

Bali

Bali

Day one in Bali. started with Carolyn Tyler’s stunnig villa (http://www.carolyntyler.com/). It will sleep 10 and is gorgeous! Not quick finished yet. In the Ubud (http://www.indo.com/active/ubud.html) area. I also check out the Viceroy http://www.viceroybali.com/en/introduction.php with it’s helicopter pad. The rooms were built on the side of a ravine and divine. Hugs suites, five star all the way. Next was one of my favorites, the Amandari http://www.amanresorts.com/amandari/home.aspx. To me one of the grand dames of Bali, it is still in pristine condition, service is impeccable, and the suites are so beautiful. We had lunch there, the chef is from Salt Lake city, and it was as good as any I have had on Bali. A definate 5* hotel always. They have some very good packages which are a good value. Both the Viceroy and Amandari are Virtuoso and have some great amenities. Another nice surprise was the Uma http://www.uma.ubud.como.bz/. Very good value, aims toward a more holistic stay. Beautiful rooms and gardens. Farther out from Ubud was Ubud Hanging Gardens http://www.ubudhanginggardens.com/web/pubu/ubud_hanging_gardens.jsp by Orient Express Hotels. Literally built on the side of a mountain, it even has 2 funiculars. The setting is absolutely amazing. Vistas are delightful. Rooms were large and grand. Service was the friendliest I have seen anywhere. They have 7 shuttles into Ubud everyday. 30 minutes from Ubud. They offer lots of interesting activities. such as cooking classes, painting classes, activities for children, etc. The best surprise was the Chedi Club http://www.ghmhotels.com/. Built by the leading architect of Indonesia for his family compound. Loaded with private art and antiques. Villas are roomy , bright and beautiful AND a very good value for pricing. They also offer some great packages. Near to Ubud.
Four Seasons Sayan  http://www.fourseasons.com/sayan/. Dramatic, stunning property. One walks out toward to  what looks like a large disk which is a pond on top of the building. the lower circles are reception and bars,a nd dining. The views are incredible of the valley!! Amazing service. Truly 5*. Everyone greeted me by name. the room have their own plunge pool huge and dramatic. I want to go back!!
Today Hotel Tugu, Oberoi, legian Club, Intercontintal then Four seasons Jimbaran YAY!!

AAAAHHH Capella Resort Specials-A Brownell Exclusive!

Capella Resorts of North America are the brightest new stars in the Virtuoso collection. Capella has also tapped Brownell travel advisors to be among the first to sample and introduce their properties to our clients. Our most seasoned advisors have visited each of the resorts below and have returned truly WOW’ed by their spectacular service, views, food, amenities, interiors and access to local culture and activities. Take a look below at exclusive offers: Capella Pedregal (Cabo San Lucas) http://www.capellapedregal.com * CLASSIC CAPELLA * Indulge in a relaxing Mexican getaway at the beautiful oceanfront setting of Capella Pedregal with this weekend getaway package including breakfast for two and your 3rd night free. Rates from $475 for two nights, $0 for 3rd. Book Dates: Now – Ongoing Stay Dates: Now – December 18, 2010 * ESCAPE TO CABO * Take a break from the world with this four-night package featuring daily breakfast and resort credits from $100 — $350 per day. Fourth night free. Rates from $550 per night for 3 nights, $0 for 4th night. Book Dates: Now – Ongoing Stay Dates: Now – December 18, 2010 Additional Brownell-Exclusive Amenities Upgrade Upon Arrival subject to availability Daily Breakfast for Two per bedroom $100 Spa Credit * Traveling with a group or family? Capella Pedregal also has 2-, 3- and 4-bedroom casitas and villas that can accommodate up to 10 guests. Each come with full kitchens and your own private butler. Rates from $1500 per night for 2 nights, $0 for 3rd. Capella Ixtapa http://www.capellaixtapa.com * BUY 1, GET1 FREE! * Stay at Capella Ixtapa between now and May 31 and receive EVERY second night complimentary. Rates from $395 for 1st night, $0 for 2nd night. Booking Dates: Now – April 6, 2010 Stay Dates: Now – May 31, 2010 * LONGER WEEKEND ESCAPE * Escape to the peace and serenity of Capella Ixtapa with this four-night package featuring daily breakfast and resort credits from $100 — $250 per day. Fourth night free. Rates from $395 per night. Booking Dates: Now – Ongoing Stay Dates: Now – December 18, 2010 Additional Brownell-Exclusive Amenities Upgrade Upon Arrival subject to availability Daily Breakfast for Two One Complimentary Dinner for Two Capella Telluride http://www.capellatelluride.com * LAST-MINUTE Ski Package * Telluride is truly a skier’s paradise. This last-minute offer includes 4th night free, daily breakfast for two, and daily ski passes. Rates from $520 per night for 3 nights, $0 for 4th. Book Dates: Now – April 4th, 2010 Stay Dates: Now – April 4th, 2010 * SUMMER STAY * The only thing that rivals the excitement and stunning views of Capella Telluride in the ski season, is Capella Telluride in the off-season! EVERY weekend there is a festival to enjoy in Telluride. Jazz, Blues, Arts, Film and Blues and Brews festival! Rates from $260 per night for Summer stays. Additional Brownell-Exclusive Amenities Upgrade Upon Arrival subject to availability Daily Breakfast for Two per bedroom $100 Hotel Credit I’m ready to start planning as soon as you’re ready to get away! Catherine Whitworth An independent associate of Sterling Brownell Travel Telephone 706 714 3766 catherinew@sterlingtvl.com

cnn.com article “7 Trips you should NEVER book online!”

Fantastic article about the benefits of using a trusted travel professional on cnn.com by Christopher Elliott, Tribune Media Services. Very informative: http://www.cnn.com/2010/TRAVEL/01/15/booking.travel.online/index.html?hpt=Sbin

Exclusive: St. Regis Atlanta

Brownell and Sterling Brownell Travel were just given an extension to the exclusive weekend rate for St. Regis Atlanta. Good till the end of the year!!! $199.00 per night! Start planning your anniversaries and birthdays! Call your Trusted Travel Advisor at Brownell! To find more information about the hotel and location, visit their web site: http://www.starwoodhotels.com/stregis/property/photos/index.html?propertyID=1714&iATANumber=#photo_section_1Link

2009 Africa and Tanzania

One of my very favorite adventures this year was an unbelievable trip to South Africa and Tanzania. Saw the Singita Grumeti Camps-Sasakwa, faru Faru, and Sabora, Palahala Lodge, and Lupita on Lake Tanganika.

A little TOO close!