Category: resorts

Japan’s New Green Leaf

JapanGreenLeafLobby 1024x652 Japans New Green Leaf

New lobby of Green Leaf Hotel in Niseko Village.

Green Leaf Hotel in Japan’s Niseko Village is undergoing a luxury renovation by YTL Hotel Group.

Nestled at the south base of Mt. Miseko Annupuri, Niseko Village is considered Japan’s premier, year-round mountain resort.

The resort is comprised of the Green Leaf Hotel, the Hilton Niseko Village, 2 resort golf courses and the Niseko Village skifield.

JapanGreenLeafoutdoors Japans New Green Leaf

Onsen, natural volcanic hot spring.

The 200-room Green Leaf Hotel will be unveiled as ‘The Green Leaf Niseko Village, a YTL Lifestyle Resort’.

Renovation of the ski-in, ski-out hotel is slated for completion by December 1, 2010.

Champalimaud Design has designed the resort’s guest rooms with elements of European mountain chic and Japanese aesthetic.

Each room will showcase forested winter landscapes by Japanese artist Soichiro Tomioka (1922-1994).

Says YTL Hotel Group:

“The Green Leaf Niseko Village is designed to meet the needs and expectations of a cosmopolitan and discerning clientele. Furthermore, the hotel is a prime year-round mountain lodge with an array of seasonally changing landscapes for activities ranging from powder skiing to two 18-hole championship golf courses.”

The resort’s traditional therapies will include massages, manicures, pedicures and soaking in onsen, natural volcanic hot spring.

For more info, visit the YTL Hotels site.

Images courtesy of YTL Hotels

 

Bali’s Eat, Pray, Play

BaliSoberHavencliff 682x1024 Balis Eat, Pray, Play

New tropical alcohol and drug free resort Sober Haven Bali has opened for people in recovery.

Founded by Brian H, Sober Haven Bali, whose motto is “Eat Pray Play”, is not a treatment centre.

The resort is a “safe cultural, spiritual, gourmet and temptation-free vacation resort” for people in recovery and 12-step programs.

All staff, from the tour guides to the surf instructors, are members of 12-step programs themselves.

On the West Coast of the island, Sober Haven Bali is situated in the village of Seminyak.

The resort features varied comfortable accommodation with tour packages including activities like surfing, biking, yoga and hiking volcanoes.  Its Eat, Pray, Love tour retraces Elizabeth Gilbert’s journey on the island.

Resort chefs prepare menus focused on organic and sustainable meals made from locally grown food and wild-caught seafood.

Images courtesy of Sober Haven Bali

Sleek Swiss Mountain Design

SwitzerlandRockResortroom Sleek Swiss Mountain Design

Fancy staying at a stylish Swiss mountain resort?  Then check out Switzerland’s award-winning rocksresort.

The village is comprised of seven cube-shaped buildings integrated into their Alpine surroundings.

The buildings house 102 two- and four-bedroom, self-catering apartments.  These sleek, minimalist apartments all feature a living area; fully equipped kitchen and a micro-spa with a steam bath and shower.

A sustainable complex, rocksresort is made from natural, local materials including untreated gnarled oak, coarse linen and concrete.

The resort meets Swiss minimum energy (Minergie) standards, supplied with heat and hot water through a central wood burning furnace, using local, climate-neutral scrap wood.

Image courtesy of rocksresort.

Eat, Pray, Love In Bali

EatPrayLoveBali2 1024x720 Eat, Pray, Love In Bali

Villa terrace, Ubud Hanging Gardens, Bali. Photo credit: Orient-Express

Have you read Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert?  If you’re already a fan, you will likely see the upcoming Julia Roberts movie version of the bestseller.

Now you can also follow in the footsteps of the Eat, Pray, Love author and the actress at Orient-Express resorts in Bali.

Ubud Hanging Gardens (above) is offering an ‘Eat, Pray, Love’ package which features “spiritual journeys twinning exotic luxury experiences” with spa treatments, meditation and yoga.

The spa resort has 38 luxury, private pool villas with stunning views of tropical mountains and the Ayung river. This package also includes complimentary mountain bikes and a Balinese dinner at a Hindu temple followed by a blessing ceremony at the Holy Water Temple.

EatPrayLoveBali 1024x680 Eat, Pray, Love In Bali

Pool villa, Jimbaran Puri Bali, Bali. Photo credit: Orient-Express

Beachfront luxury resort Jimbaran Puri Bali (above) is offering a special ‘Bali Escape’ package with spa pampering and Balinese cuisine.  The package also includes a private tour with a personal driver; a Uluwatu Temple visit and a kecak dance.

For more info, visit the Orient-Express site.

New Luxury Resort On Crete

Cretehillsidehotel260886 New Luxury Resort On Crete

Wandering and meeting the mountain people on Crete is one of our favorite adventures.  If you’re planning a trip to Crete, there’s a new island luxury resort Gran Meliá Crete.

On a hillside overlooking Daios Cove, the 300-room resort with spa offers Deluxe Ocean View Suites to the Red Level Master Suites and Villas.

The resort, whose rooms are designed by 3SK Styliandis, is on the waterfront with a private sandy beach.  For active mountain travelers, the resort features water sports and scuba, organized tours and walking paths.

The resort hotel chain Sol Meliá has 300+ hotels in 28 countries on 4 continents under its brands: Gran Meliá, Meliá, ME, Innside, Tryp, Sol, Paradisus and Sol Meliá Vacation Club.

Sol Meliá  has implemented a Global Sustainability Policy and been named the first “Biosphere Hotel Company” by the Responsible Tourism Institute, supported by UNESCO.

Image courtesy of  Sol Meliá.

Easter Holidays In Switzerland

SolisCambrianWinterGarden157900 1023x680 Easter Holidays In Switzerland

Fancy spending your Easter holidays in Switzerland?  Then you might be pleased with Easter celebrations at The Cambrian, the only Mr&Mrs Smith hotel in Switzerland and a member of Design Hotels.

Located in Adelboden mountain resort, the 71-room hotel is planning Easter gourmet meals and spa treatments for parents and  fun activities for the kids.

The Cambrian’s Easter weekend package includes:

  • Four nights’ B&B accommodation.
  • Four-course dinner on Good Friday.
  • Chateaubriand on Saturday.
  • Traditional Easter Sunday lamb.
  • Complimentary tea and cakes every afternoon in the Winter Garden.
  • Easter egg painting.
  • Easter egg hunt.

SolisCambriancosyeavesroom150113 Easter Holidays In Switzerland

Other activities for kids in Adelboden are:

  • Sledging trails in and around the resort.
  • Ice skating on the resort’s rink.
  • Mountain hiking in the snow.
  • Joining the tourist office’s Kids Club.
  • Listening to bedtime stories with Snowli.
  • Learning how to build an igloo.

SolisCambrianPool149285 Easter Holidays In Switzerland

For more info, check out The Cambrian online.

Images courtesy of The Cambrian.

New Luxury Alps Resort

AlpsGrandTiroliaBedroom249187 2 1024x640 New Luxury Alps Resort

If you love luxury mountain hotels, then take a look at the new Grand Tirolia Golf and Ski Resort in Kitzbühel.

In the Tyrolean Alps, this 5-star resort, which opened in late 2009, is becoming known for its “refined ambience and warm, down-to-earth hospitality” in the Austrian town.

Amidst a “wildly, romantic landscape”, the resort features luxury suites and rooms, gourmet cuisine and an exclusive Aveda spa.   The hotel’s interior style “blends an international atmosphere with the region’s great tradition of tourism and architecture.”

Says Ulrich Drewitz, chief executive:

“Our aim in developing the resort was to create a vibrant symbiosis between sports, recreation, relaxation and the lifestyle that is so characteristic of our marvelous Alpine surroundings. Our luxurious design, natural building materials and sophisticated choice of color and lighting are just a few of the ways in which we have realized a truly exclusive ambience of well-being.”

AlpsGrandTiroliaResort249184 2 1024x516 New Luxury Alps Resort

At the heart of the 18-hole Eichenheim Golf Course and the Tyrolean Alps landscape, the resort’s location is ideal for outdoor activities.  This world-class, private golf course was created by the star US designer Kyle Philipps.  Ranked among the Top 100 golf courses in Europe, the 71-par and 6.092m long course is considered challenging for many golfers.

Winter travelers can access some of the world’s best downhill pistes here.  The resort’s special ski facilities, services and treatments include ski equipment storage, ski equipment booking and issuing of skipasses for the Kitzbühel skiing district.

For spa travelers, the Aveda Spa offers massages and naturopathic treatments, two chocolate spa treatment rooms, interconnected indoor and outdoor pools and Jacuzzis, a Finnish sauna, Turkish baths, a cold air room, ice cave and ice fountain.

For more info, visit the Grand Tirolia Golf and Ski Resort online.

Images courtesy of Grand Tirolia Golf and Ski Resort.

White Hot Whistler 2010

Whistleraava whistler guest bedroom 1024x682 White Hot Whistler 2010

One of the world’s best ski resorts, Whistler is likely to become even more popular after the Vancouver 2010 Olympics.

If you’re planning a holiday to this Canadian mountain resort town, you might fancy staying at the new Aava Whistler Hotel,  which opened in November 2009.

Surrounded by mountain views and close to  Whistler Village, the hotel has a modern mountain contemporary style with natural elements and 24-hour concierge.

Guest room amenities include free wireless Internet, iPod docking stations and high definition flat screen televisions.  For that luxury spa room feeling, the hotel has provided  “cloudlike” duvets, Aveda bath products, Kohler rain showers and soaker tubs.

Whistleraava whistler lobby 1024x768 White Hot Whistler 2010

The hotel has also focused on accessibility with its wheelchair suites with roll-in shower areas for full accessible comfort.  Like any great mountain hotel, Aava Whistler provides secure bike and ski storage and clothing dryers, which are must-haves for active mountain travelers.

For more info, check out Aava Whistler Hotel online.

Images courtesy of Aava Whistler Hotel

Alive And Kicking In Canada

KickingHorse247100 2 1024x575 Alive And Kicking In Canada

One of  western Canada’s most popular ski and mountain biking destinations, Kicking Horse Mountain Resort, is expanding.

The resort has announced a 40-year development plan which is aimed at making the resort a world-class ski destination.

Development plans include:

  • An expanded, controlled recreation area.
  • 20,000 bed units.
  • A 18-hole signature golf course.
  • A multi-use trail system with 11 proposed lifts.
  • 4,188 acres of skiable terrain.

Says Steve Paccagnan, President and CEO of Kicking Horse Mountain:

“This is an exciting time for Golden, Kicking Horse Country and Kicking Horse Mountain Resort. Kicking Horse Mountain Resort has the natural assets to be one of the finest mountain resorts in North America. With this news we are excited to enter our next decade continuing to be a major economic contributor to our community and playing a key role in supporting the province`s goal of doubling tourism by 2015.”

For more info, check out Kicking Horse Resort online.

Image courtesy of Tourism BC.

Gourmet Living In Zermatt

Zermattthe lodge night 033 2 1024x662 Gourmet Living In Zermatt

Zermatt specialist Mountain Exposure now has star quality in its luxury chalet dining.

The company has introduced award-winning, Michelin-starred chef Gerry Kirwan at its flagship property The Lodge.  He will be creating gourmet dinners and breakfasts for groups of up to ten clients until season end in late April.

Zermattthe lodge 005 2 1024x679 Gourmet Living In Zermatt

A typical chalet dinner menu will start with fine canapés and complimentary Champagne.  The chef’s signature dishes include chicken and wild mushroom sausage with celeriac puree and pancetta jus cracked with white truffle oil, or pan-fried seared turbot on crushed baby potatoes with spring onion and a mussel broth topped with wilted spinach.

Says Kirwan:

“We love it here, it is an opportunity to ski in a world-class resort and offer quality food to truly appreciative clients.  Zermatt is renowned for both gourmet and skiing excellence, and we’re delighted to be a part of both.  If a client makes an unusual request, we happily rise to the occasion!  One client asked for my venison with sweet potato rosti three days running; another requested very specialised vegetarian menus, which is no problem for us.”

Donald Scott, aka ‘The Gourmet Ski Guide’, and director of Mountain Exposure, adds: “We are delighted Gerry has joined our team of top chefs in our luxury chalets.  Our ethos is about gourmet living and Gerry’s presence has greatly enhanced this.”

For more info on luxury holidays in Zermatt, visit Mountain Exposure’s site.

Images courtesy of Mountain Exposure