The ultimate thrill is to explore the incredibly spiritual citadel, Machu Picchu.
Our group did it the fun way, we took the -luxury with a capital L -Hiram Bingham. Named for the explorer Hiram Bingham, who discovered MP in 1911.
It is an Orient Express train- done to death. I think they must have two employees for every guest. I was blown away with the welcome and care the staff took to make us happy.
We started with champagne, and the local specialty – Pisco Sour. In the early morning, no less!
We placed our order for lunch and enmass headed for the bar car. Orient Express Hiram Bingham absolutely has glamour and service down to a T. There was a musical group playing in the observatory car at the back of the train – next to the bar car, and we danced and sang the morning away. Lunch was a gourmet formal affair, four divine courses, and before we knew it we had arrived at our destination, Machu Picchu. It really is not just about getting to a destination, I have learned the journey is just as important. And what a journey. There are other options to get to Machu Picchu, Peru Train, and a four day trek, hiking the Inca Trail. But adding the Hiram Bingham is an unforgettable, delightful experience.
Image courtesy of Gavin Ford
Incredibly soothing.
It’s the little things: being welcomed with jasmine bracelets
Orchids all over the room
The elevator attendant that punches your floor without being told.
Being called by name by everyone.
Ice, our maitre’d at breakfast, who always has a plate of mangosteens and fresh sliced mangos at my place.
Eating breakfast on the river- watching the ever vibrant boat traffic.
600 count sheets
Local fruit placed in our room everyday.
The hall butler who runs to unlock our door before I can fumble for my key
The white chocolate elephant with candies and personally signed welcome notes.
The pool beverages constantly being refilled without being asked
Smiles on every employee
The night note on our pillow with an orchid
Bright lights in the bathroom
Unlimited refreshing bath salts
Probably the finest resort in East Africa, Singita Sasakwa is unrivaled in elegance.
Patterned after an English Manor House, Sasakwa sits over the Grumeti Plain offering magnificent views of game below.
ROASTED PEARS WITH ORANGE-DATE PUREE, BRANDY ANGLAISE AND CRISP CINNAMON WAIVERS
9 pears, peeled, cored and quartered
1 cup sugar syrup
1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
Pulp and pod of 1 vanilla bean
6 medjool dates, julienned, plus 3 chopped
1/3 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
¼ cup water
Pear-brandy anglaisse
Cook the pears with the sugar syrup, lemon juice and vanilla pulp and pod over medium heat for 10 minutes or until tender.
To prepare the dates: cook the julienned dates in orange juice until just warm. Remove the dates and reserve the juice. Dice 2 tablespoons of the dates for garnish.
To make the date puree, place 3 chopped dates in a blender with the water and the reserved orange juice. Puree for three minutes or until smooth.
Pear-brandy anglaisse
¼ cup sugar
½ cup cream
½ ripe pear, peeled, cored and diced
2 tablespoons brandy
Dissolve the sugar in the cream over medium heat. Add the pear and simmer for 4-5 minutes, or until the pear is softened. Puree the mixture and strain through a fine mesh sieve. Stir in the brandy. Re-blend just before serving.
Crisp cinnamon, ginger wafers
1 cup caster sugar
4½ oz golden syrup
1 stick plus 1 tbsp unsalted butter
1 tablespoon orange juice
1 teaspoon finely grated orange zest
4½ oz plain flour
½ teaspoon ground ginger
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
Preheat oven to 350°. Line 2 baking trays with greaseproof paper. Combine sugar, golden syrup, butter, orange juice and zest in a sauce pan over low heat until the butter has melted. Stir thoroughly, and then remove from the heat. Sift the flour and spices into a bowl and make a well in the center. Pour in the golden syrup mixture and stir until well combined and smooth. Drop small teaspoons of the batter onto the prepared baking trays, leaving 2 inches between each one to allow for spreading. Bake for 8 minutes, until an even golden brown. Remove from the oven and transfer to a wire rack to cool.
A fairly new luxury hotel on the scene is the One and Only Capetown . I love the location, down by the waterfront. They have a particularily good children’s program and it lives up to the One and Only reputation for ultra Luxe accomodations. I especially like the villas that are separate from the main building. The restaurants are fabulous: Nobu- yes that one, and the wildly popular Reubens.
From One and Only’s bio page:
REUBEN RIFFEL, EXECUTIVE CHEF, ONE&ONLY CAPE TOWN
Internationally recognized for his award-winning restaurants in the Franschoek wine valley, Reuben Riffel opened the eponymous Reuben’s at One&Only Cape Town in October 2010, serving up wholesome bistro fare made from locally-sourced produce.
Having defied tremendous odds in apartheid South Africa to become one of Africa’s top chefs at 35, Reuben has come a long way from his home in Groendal where he grew up with 12 siblings. Required to live in an area allocated to Cape Coloreds, a mixed-race ethnic group, Reuben first mastered Cape Colored cuisine through his family, a style of cooking that continues to inspire him today.
Beginning as a kitchen hand, Reuben worked his way up the restaurant ranks in nearby Franschhoek, opening his first eatery there in 2004 that was promptly named South Africa’s Restaurant of the Year. Six months later he was named the country’s Chef of the Year. In 2008 he opened a second restaurant in Robertson, which led to the opening of his third restaurant in at One&Only Cape Town alongside the legendary Nobu.
The author of two celebrated cookbooks, Riffel’s most recent debut, Reuben Cooks Local, takes readers on a journey through one of South Africa’s most well-loved culinary repertoires showcasing local produce from the sea, earth, orchard and vine highlighting the sheer abundance of fresh local produce in South Africa and the Cape.
In November 2011, Riffel partnered with South African Airways to prepare some of his signature dishes for the airline’s Premium Class customers.
One and only also has a spectauclar wine cellar headed by Luvo Ntezo,
internationally recognized as one of the Best Young Sommeliers in South Africa.
From time to time I come across a particularly special food item and I ask for the recipe. We were In Southern India at Spice Village Resort. We were amazed at the quality of the food there, of course all organically grown,fresh from the garden, and totally wholesome. The menus were inventive and presentation was beautiful. This is a small out of the way resort, so we had not expected great dining and we were pleasantly surprised!!we were up for an early morning hike and these cookies were piled on a large platter for fortification. Divine! Thanks to chef PJ Aneesh
WHOLE MEAL CHOCOLATE & COFFEE COOKIES
INGREDIENTS
BUTTER 175 GRAMS
BROWN SUGAR 200 GRAMS
EGG (OPTIONAL) 1 NUMBER
PLAIN FLOUR 70 GRAMS
BAKING SODA 1 TEASPOON
WHOLEMEAL FLOUR 70 GRAMS
BRAN 1 TEASPOON
CHOCO CHIP 200 GRAMS
ROLLED OATS 85 GRAMS
COFFEE POWDER 1 TEASPOON
MULTIGRAIN MIXES 100 GRAM
METHOD
CREAM THE BUTTER & SUGAR .FOLD IN THE EGG TO IT.
MIX TOGETHER REMAINING ALL INGREDIENTS AND GENTLY MIX IT WITH THE BUTTER-SUGAR CREAM TO MAKE SMOOTH DOUGH.
TAKE AROUND 10 GRAMS OF MIX & PRESS IT BETWEEN THE PALMS TO GET A MEDALLION SHAPE.
PLACE IT ON A GREASED TRAY. REPEAT FOR THE ENTIRE DOUGH.
BAKE IT ON 160 C FOR 20-22 MINUTES.
REMOVE FROM OVEN & COOL IT ON WIRE RACK.
The Euro is trading at 1.27- lowest in two years. Now is the perfect time to plan that trip to Ireland, France, Italy, Turkey, Prague, Germany or anywhere the Euro is traded. Now the luxury hotel you have been dying to see is in reach! Restaurants are affordable again! Cultural offerings are possible! I would love to help plan your dream trip. It’s a great value opportunity!
Amanresorts, the ultra luxurious collection of beyond fabulous hotel resort properties will open another resort this summer- Amanzo’e.
This from Anamresorts:
Comprising a 38-suite resort and an Aman Spa, Amanzoe is Amanresorts’ third Mediterranean retreat – the Greek complement to Montenegro’s Aman Sveti Stefan and Turkey’s Amanruya. Drawing its name from the Sanskrit-derived word for ‘peace’ and zoe (pronounced zoi), the Greek word for ‘life’, Amanzoe is situated on a hilltop close to the quaint town of Porto Heli on the east coast of the Peloponnese. The resort offers almost 360º panoramic sea views as well as a private Beach Club in a picturesque bay.
If it is anything like the other carefully thought out resorts, it will be a smashing success! Can’t wait to see!
Hammered by the weak euro and the risk of spikes in fuel prices,Delta Air Lines is cutting back on trans-Atlantic flights and shifting its focus southward.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports that, just after opening the Atlanta airport’s new international terminal with additional gates, the airline is cutting five percent of its trans-Atlantic capacity. Delta will also cut one to two percent of Pacific flight capacity, for capacity cuts totaling three to four percent, deeper than the two to three percent cuts the company had previously planned.
At the same time, Delta is expanding its New York service southward with more flights to 10 destinations inFlorida, Bermuda and the Caribbean from JFK Airport and LaGuardia Airport.
The new flights, which will begin in late 2012 and early 2013, are in addition to Delta’s previously announced expansion at New York-LaGuardia, where the airline is adding more than 100 new flights to 26 new destinations this summer.
When its full schedule is implemented, Delta will operate more than 260 daily flights between LaGuardia and more than 60 cities, exceeding any other carrier.
Delta reports it is also optimizing its schedule at JFK to facilitate convenient connections to international flights. JFK is a major global gateway for Delta, which operates nonstop flights to more than 45 international destinations from the airport.
I am delighted to hear that Stefano Lodi and his team are opening a fabulous new hotel in London – December 2012.
Located on one of London’s most prestigious addresses in Knightsbridge is the site for a new 36 suite luxury hotel scheduled to open on 1st December 2012, which will parallel the very best of hotels in the world.
The Wellesley, is located at 11 Knightsbridge, managed by City and Country Hotels and is being developed by Rhimesong at a cost of £36 million, the property was formerly commercial offices.
The hotel will take on both a contemporary and classic style with interiors created by award-winning design experts Fox Linton, combining the building’s 1920s art deco history and glamour with stylish contemporary touches. In addition to its 36 suites, the hotel will incorporate a Cigar Lounge and Terrace, The Crystal Bar, The Oval Restaurant, and the Jazz Room.
Can’t wait to see!
I have started to plan my semiannual return to Bangkok, another visit to magical Myanmar, and site inspections in Krabi and Phuket Thailand. Myanmar is a really hot travel destination and I want to do a run on the fabulous Road to Mandalay- the Orient Express cruise on the Irrawaddy river in Myanmar. I also want to check the iconic Strand Hotel and Governor’s Residence in Yangon. I am so happy to see Bagan, Mandalay, and Inle Lake again. The people of Myanmar are so dear, and so happy to have guests again visiting their country. I am including some pictures from my last visit. Visas are necessary for Myanmar so I have sent off my visa application. One has to apply 3 months out. Weather will be hot and humid- yay!
I saw my first group of Glaciers today, what a thrill. The color of that ice is really gorgeous. The blue come from the minerals in the water. It is not photoshopped. We took speedboats to see Fiords in the region near Torres del Paine National Park. The color of the water changes from silver to turquoise to an amazing deep blue. The color depends on the amount of silt that washes down with the glacier runoff. This part of the world is simply breathtaking, photographs simply cannot do it justice.
Another fabulous hotel I visited was Grand hotel du Cap Ferrat in St Jean Cap Ferrat. Old world service, gorgeous rooms and public areas, a delightful pool at the bottom of the property that can be reached by a finicular. A Terrace restaurant that was so peaceful. Gardens again were beautiful. Their spa was awesome by the way- it leads out into it’s own private garden. They have also done fabulous renovations and I am posting pictures of some of the rooms.
I had the distinct privilege of being invited to lunch at Hotel du Cap-Eden Roc during ILTM. They are closed for the season, so I got to see all the new renovations to the rooms. Divine! Hotel du Cap is probably the Grand Dame of the Cote d’Azur. It is legendary for it’s beauty, service food and location. The vistas are grand indeed. Gorgeous old gardens, the hotel is set in 22 acres of pine forest.
The following description is from Wikipedia which says it all:
Built originally as a private mansion Villa Soleil (Villa of the Sun) in 1863, the Hotel du Cap, in Antibes on the French Riviera, first opened its doors to guests in 1870.
Gerald and Sara Murphy, a young American couple who had expatriated to France in the 1920s, once rented the hotel for an entire summer, a unique event for the era as the French Riviera was not a summer destination at the time, but a winter escape for the wealthy. With the Murphys came many legendary writers and artists of the Lost Generation, including F. Scott Fitzgerald and Ernest Hemingway.
The hotel was for many years famously known for not accepting any kinds of credit cards. Cash only was accepted though most guests wired money ahead of their stay. In 2006 this policy was finally dropped.
This famous 5 star property is composed of 3 buildings : – The Hotel du Cap. – The Eden-Roc. – Les 2 Fontaines.
Each year, the managing director launches renewations in order to offer the best prestations. In 2011, the Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc has received 3 awards for “the best rooms”, “the best european resorts” and “the most immaculate service”, which are the resultats of years of work for the managing team and also all the staff; all dedicated to the well-being of their guests.
Lots of famous firms and celebrities came and still come to the Hotel in order to organize events or just to enjoy the Riviera’s pleasures. The key-word is discretion, and that’s probably the key reason of the success of this property “one of a kind”.
The location is almost perfect : the Cap d’Antibes is between Nice and Cannes, and there are a lot of splendid spots to discover. Inside and outside the hotel, guests enjoy several activity. For example, inside the Hotel, there are two clay tennis court, a Spa with “La Prairie” treatments, a overflow swimming pool with an astonishing view on the mediterannean sea, fitness, shopping, hair dresser and of course 9 acres of verdure.
Guests can also enjoy the amazing “cabanas” : hidden in the roc in front the sea, the cabanas are a wonderful place to enjoy the sun and the sea.
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Dispatches from the Road 