In This Issue:
1. Four Fall Foliage Escapes
2. Twenty-Five Hot New Hotel Openings
3. Crystal’s All-Luxury Boeing 777
4. Check Out The DGAE Library
Our Security Reports (Links Below):
Should you drive a car in Cuba?
How to survive a terrorism attack
7 easy ways your flight crew can improve security
Recommended Reading (Links Below):
1. Four Ways To See Fall Foliage
The Northeast U.S. is world-famous for its fall foliage. Luckily, there are some outstanding small inns and hotels where you can take in the falling leaves, hike, bike, climb rocks, boat, golf, fish, dine nicely and so on. Our list includes four multiple-award winners, along with top suites, or cabins in some cases, and some guidance into best viewing times. That said, turning leaves are weather dependent so it’s important to call and check as you hone in on your travel dates.
The
Point, Saranac Lake, New York
Luxury travel agency Andrew
Harper describes The Point, a Forbes 5-star winner, this way: “Evocative
property formerly owned by the Rockefeller family, on Upper Saran Lake, 45
minutes from Lake Placid. Eleven all different accommodations are housed within
an imposing log structure and three annexes. Most feature stone fireplaces,
custom furnishings and luxurious baths.”
Sentinel (825 sq.
ft.) is a suite on the upper floor of what was originally the stables and
garage (pictured above), with views in every direction. A king-size bed with silver birch tree
trunk posts seems to grow from the floor; there is a working stone fireplace. In the breakfast/sitting
room, chairs,
reading lamps and a sofa are in front of a second stone fireplace, and a door
leads out to a private deck with chaise lounges. Wilderness luxury meets Park
Avenue with a black and white marble bathroom with a double soaking tub, a
separate waterfall shower and ceiling-high mirrors.
Weatherwatch (at
850 sq. ft.) is the former living room of the Guest House (pictured above). A giant,
chiseled-stone fireplace faces a wall of windows framing the glittering lake. There
is a beamed cathedral ceiling.
In the bathroom,
original black slate sinks were once used by William Rockefeller to develop
photographs. You get a walk-in closet and a private stone patio. Unlike
Sentinel, bedroom and living area of Weatherwatch are shared, so not a true
suite.
Best
time for fall foliage is mid to late October, and the nearest GA access point
is Adirondack Regional Airport
(SLK) with a 6,573 ft. runway 20 minutes away.
The
White Barn Inn, Kennebunk Beach, Maine
A
Forbes 5-star, AAA 5-Diamond winner, The White Barn Inn & Spa is 26 antique
decorated rooms, suites and waterfront cottages. The inn’s restaurant is housed
in two restored 19th-century barns.
For romantic
getaways, The Loft Suite (620 sq. ft.) has its own private entrance, a gas
burning fireplace and deep Jacuzzi tub for two, plus separate walk-in steam
shower and private deck. The suite is on two levels, so if you have mobility
issues, you may want to pass.
For families,
Loon Cottage, with cathedral ceilings, provides 2 water view bedrooms, each
with its own entrance, plus two full baths, two wood-burning fireplaces and can
sleep up to four. There is also a private patio.
For
turning foliage, the first few weeks of October are usually best. Sanford
Seacoast Airport is 25 minutes away with a 6,389 ft. runway, operating 24 hours.
Wheatleigh,
Lenox, MA
Another
Forbes 5-star, AAA 5-diamond winner, Wheatleigh offers 19 rooms and suites, and is
part of The Leading Hotels of the World. Andrew Harper says, “Exquisitely
restored 19th-century Italianate palazzo amid 22 acres of parkland. Among the
19 lodgings, the five Junior Suites offer baths with soaking tubs and separate
showers, and balconies with views of the serene, wooded landscape. Contemporary
and traditional furnishings accent the Great Hall and lounge.”
The Aviary is a
two-story suite with a private covered terrace. The downstairs living room
features windows on all sides. A glass enclosed circular stair leads to a
second floor sleeping room. Bathroom features limestone and glass, the wet room
combines a soaking tub and shower area at 573 sq. ft. It is the only suite
which features separate bedroom and living areas.
Fall
foliage generally crosses the middle of October, and Pittsfield
Municipal Airport is 15 minutes away with a 5,791 ft. runway.
Twin
Farms, Barnard, VT
If
you want to soak, sip some hot cider and check out turning leaves, Twin Farms
has a healthy selection of accommodations. A Relais & Chateau, Forbes
5-star property, Harper says, the inn is “an intimate country retreat amid 300
acres of meadows and woodlands in an unspoiled valley. Hand painted murals,
rich maple and pine woodwork, and American folk art adorn rustically elegant
lounges. Twenty distinctive lodgings feature king-size feather beds and sitting
areas with fireplaces that open onto screened porches.”
The
3,000 sq. ft. Chalet (above) includes a hot tub on the porch, two fireplaces, including
a floor to ceiling fieldstone fireplace on the main floor. The 1,000 sq. ft.
Birch and Lilac have two fireplaces and a shared hot tub, with lovely lake
views, spectacular with the turning leaves. Maple, also 1,000 sq. ft., has a
deep soaking tub with 270-degree views of the leaves, and is worth
consideration. If you are into bathtubs, also take a look at 1,165 sq. ft
Perch (below).
Fall
foliage is from now until mid-October and the nearest port is Lebanon Airport with a 5,496 ft. runway.
2. Twenty-Five Hot Luxury Hotels Opening Soon
There are so many new luxury hotels in the pipeline, and there are so many lists of "hot" newbies. So which ones are really worth your consideration?
Jack Ezon is President of Ovation Vacations, one of the most powerful travel agencies in the luxury sphere. An offshoot of the $950 million corporate powerhouse Ovation Travel Group, Ezon has overseen leisure sales grow to $250 million from $3 million in the past decade. Traveling frequently to scout out what’s new and next for his well-heeled customers, I recently ran into him at Virtuoso Travel Week, a confab of top luxury travel advisors, and he kindly sent me his picks for the top 25 new luxury hotels with comments:
1. Raffles Europejski, Warsaw – (Spring, 2017) Raffles opens up the whole of Poland with the first 5-star hotel in the country, a grand hotel that will surely help luxeplorers add Poland to their radar this year.
2. Marbella Club Ibiza – (Spring 2017) Party goers can now revel as the venerable Marbella Club opens the first luxury hotel in the heart of Ibiza Town.
3. Heckfield Place (Spring, 2017) – Located in Hampshire, about 35 mins from Heathrow, Heckfield will be a fabulous countryside resort where guests are encouraged to forage for dinner and participate in the working farm and even work alongside chefs to prepare dinner.
4. Rosewood Le Crillon (Nov. 2017) – Move over Ritz, Rosewood Hotels has reincarnated the city’s classic Le Crillon, located right on Plaza de la Concorde, in the middle of everything Paris has to offer.
5. Belmond Cadogan, London (May 2017) – Belmond re-envisions this 1887 Queen Anne masterpiece in the heart of Sloane Street with just 54 exquisite rooms.
6. Chileno Bay Resort (February, 2017) – Auberge resorts does it again with the sexy, fabulous and fun Chileno Bay Resort on one of the best swimmable beaches in Los Cabos.
7. Hotel Eden, Rome (2017) - The Eden will soon be the home run hotel in Rome, reinvented by the venerable Dorchester Group with no expense spared.
8. Park Hyatt St. Kitts (Late 2016) – The first luxury resort on the island, the contemporary-chic Park Hyatt will bring the sleepy island of St. Kitts prime time.
9. Le Barthelemy, St. Barts - The sexy Le Barthelemy will bring a relaxed beach chic to sexy St. Barts.
10. Villa Marina, St. Barts - This all villa resort opening this year will be a great place for people who want to party in the action of St. Barts, but escape to a private romantic setting when not.
11. The Shore Club, Turks and Caicos – It opens up the north shore of Providenciales, famous for its surf, with stunning 2, 3 and 4-bedroom ocean front villas, offering sweeping views steps from a white powder sand beach.
12. The Whitby - Firmdale’s Kit Kemp launches her second New York outpost on 53rd street, complimenting the wildly successful Crosby Hotel in the heart of SoHo. Expect Kit’s colorful palette and whimsical touches to bring chill to Midtown.
13. Ranch at Malibu’s Ranch Sonoma - A new setting for cult followers of the Ranch at Malibu boot camp can now shed pounds and challenge themselves in the beautiful hills of Sonoma, and celebrate with a local rosé en route home.
14. Single Thread Farms, Healdsburg, CA (Feb, 2017) - Chef Kyle Connaughton is the former R&D chef of Four Seasons Shore Club, Miami.
15. Four Seasons New Orleans - The dawn of Four Seasons to this town will force many to rethink their tainted image of New Orleans and see the city’s thriving new food and music scene.
16. Limalimo Lodge, Ethiopia (2017) – A game changing boutique 12-room lodge perched on the edge of an escarpment overlooking the Simien Mountains National Park, in Ethiopia. Limalimo marks the start of a new chapter in tourism in Ethiopia, heralding the dawn of luxury accommodations fussed with unique adventures to this country.
17. Dewberry (Sept. 2016) - Charleston’s newest gem, this rustic-luxe bright architectural gem in the heart of the city will be the place for Millennials looking for the great nightlife on King Street with easy access to the city’s historic district.
18. The Silo, Cape Town (March, 2017) - The soon to be opened Silo hotel in Cape Town will be inside the new Seitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa with dramatic views of the waterfront and table mountain, whimsically eclectic interiors, sexy rooftop infinity pool and bar, and inside access to the city’s hottest museum.
19. Kimpton Seafire Resort + Spa, Grand Cayman – Kimpton brings cool to this stuffy banking seaside haven with a buzzing bar, pool parties and dreamy powder beach.
20. Rosewood Luang Prabang – An uber-luxe tented experience 10 minutes from the center of this beautiful city.
21. One & Only Le Saint Geran (reopen Dec. 2017) - One & Only brings Mauritius glamorous Le Saint Geran to the present with a $50 million overhaul adding over the top villas, sexy bathrooms and beautiful new spaces that will surely make it the place to see-and-be-seen again in the Indian Ocean.
22. Peninsula Beijing (Sept. 2016) – Peninsula finally transformed this staid grand dame into the shiny, sumptuous experience that Peninsula is known for. Half the rooms have been eliminated to create an all-suite hotel, with the smallest accommodation now a full 1 bedroom suite. Expect the intuitive technology and setup that makes Peninsula so fabulous with one of the best locations in Beijing – just 2 blocks from Tiananmen Square and 3 blocks from some of the best shopping the city has to offer. Home Run!
23. Rosewood Hong Kong - The best place to take in Kowloon’s dazzling views used to be the InterContinental (aka The Regent), but just next door the impeccable new Rosewood Hong Kong will no doubt take its place as the place to be with soaring glass walls and innovative gastronomic experiences.
24. Banyan Tree in Huangshan – Set in China’s beautiful Yellow Mountains, which served as inspiration for the movie Avatar, cultural adventurers and explorers will be fascinated by the classic Hui-style's architecture of this all-villa resort. There is no better base to explore the ancient-styled dwellings of Xidi and Hongcun, two UNESCO world heritage sites and the breathtaking Mount Huangshan with its peculiar shaped granite peaks, woody pine trees and hot springs.
25. Taj Meghauli Jungle Lodge – Taj brings the luxury African safari adventure to Nepal with this over the top jungle lodge in Chitwan National Park, home to the world’s largest population of the one-horned rhinoceros. Guests can also spy on leopards, elephants, sloth bears and even the royal Bengal tiger.
3. Inside Crystal’s All-Luxury 777
While its first flight is nearly a year away (Sept. 2017), Crystal AirCruises released renderings of its Boeing 777LR that will be configured for just 84 revenue passengers (each with a flat bed seat), several lounges, dining areas and a bar. The main mission will be 14, 21-and 28-day luxury jet tours. Itineraries will be announced next month. The concept is similar to what Four Seasons and Abercrombie & Kent have been doing using reconfigured 757s, except having a wide body aircraft like the triple 777 provides a more spacious environment. Aisles will be extra wide to provide room for mingling. Seats are 2x2x2 forward facing (not pods or suites), designed for guests who will be mostly traveling as couples or groups. The company is also planning to offer the plane on charter when it’s not being used for the tours. It formerly flew for Air Austral, is approximately four years old, and is now undergoing a C-check before the new interior is constructed.