St Barthelemy-Lodging in the French West Indies!

Hotel Isle De France

       St.Barths is located in the Caribbean, 250 km east of Puerto Rico and very near the islands St.Martin, Anguilla and Saba. It is renown for it’s numerous beaches, it’s  international jetset, it’s impressive hotels and awarded gourmet restaurants, its designer tax-free  boutiques, the popular cosmetics Ligne St.Barth and of course, it’s sophisticated European atmosphere.

Few know that it was discovered by Christopher Colombus in 1493 when it used to be a Swedish colony and was named after his brother (Bartolomeo) . It was sold to France in 1878, and till today boasts the French flag and is under French rule. The residents have European passports, the official language is French and the currency Euro.

A common site here are young ,sun tanned couples enjoying the beauties of the island. Families with children prefer renting  the beach villas whereas celebrities avoiding the public eye tend to rent the villas in the distant hills .

HOTEL ISLE DE FRANCE  is by far one of the best choices of hotel in St.Barths, especially if you are there on your honeymoon. If you want to fall asleep each night to the sound of the waves and take your morning jog along  the notorious beach “ Baie des Flamands ”choose the beach bungalows.Dine in the hotels’  two Michelin star restaurant, La Casa de L’Isle under candlelight , with your feet subtly stroking the white sands.

Do not forget to try the tuna tataki  and the tinfoil grilled vegetables!
Other , unique experiences that should not be missed are  the massages at the Molton Brown Spa , the hotels’ exclusive boutique, and the mini fashion shows which take place once a week around the  swimming-pool .

A private residents club is also available  which allows its members the right to spend a months holiday per year in a villa and benefit from large discounts on all other facilities and services.

La Banane Hotel

 LA BANANE HOTEL

Another  interesting and more economic choice of hotel in St. Barths is the boutique hotel
La Banane, which , since its renovation  resembles a small oasis. The 9 charming
rooms, where great emphasis has been given to detail , pop out of the green gardens and towering palm trees pleasantly  surprising the visitor.In each room unusual works by Pierre Jeanneret,Le Corbusier, Charlotte Perriand, Serge Mouille, and Juliette Derel form the highlights of an ever-changing tapestry.

Breakfast  is served by the warm ,welcoming smiling faces of the staff either in your privacy or around the swimming pool accompanied by the song of tropical birds.

As for the afternoon, you can relax at the bar sipping exotic cocktails and flicking through various books and publications from the updated library of La Banane.
The hotel is located very close to the famous Lorient Bay, Eden Rock hotel and restaurant and Cafe Massai that are also  well worth visiting.

With Gratitude T.

Eden Rock Hotel

The Fashion Room Service

 FASHION ROOM SERVICE

1 day ,  1 hotel, 18 rooms, 18 participating designers and brands & 1 big party.

All these constitute the Fashion Room Service.

On Wednesday, November 16 , St George Lycabettus Hotel will open its doors to the public. 18 participating designers, labels and brands will have the opportunity by turning hotel rooms into mini showrooms, to present to the public samples of their collections, which the public can experience up close or even buy.

This original fashion project launched with great success for the first time in Athens in February 2011 in Semiramis Hotel and then in Thessaloniki in March 2011 at the Hotel Excelsior.

During the event, a Tea Party will be set up in the hotel, with Lipton tea and treats being offered to guests; while at 20:00 Absolut will take the lead offering Absolut cocktails to the public at the party which will take place in the hotel’s party room.

Furthermore, within the Fashion Room Service, Absolut will have the opportunity to present the new bottle ‘Absolut Mode’. A limited edition of Absolut Mode, designed by British designer Gareth Pugh will be presented through a specially designed room in the hotel.

The Fashion Room Service will be part of the 4FashionShake Days events, in the magazine’s effort to present a complete cycle of events that will “shake” the city and will give artists the opportunity of expression through different creative means.

 

North Island-Seychelles : barefoot luxury to Eden

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 An all around green paradise on earth, with emerald water and golden sands. Eleven haute couture villas dedicated to the Robinson Crusoe’s of today. Architecture that does not allow evident limits between accommodation and nature without however sacrificing the comfort factor.Turtles that stroll around specially designed paths and exotic birds chirping in the trees. That’s North Island for you! An ecological temple and the ideal exotic destination of well being .

When one arrives one immediately senses the divine intervention which has the place intact in contrast to the noisy bustle of everyday life.

Towering, dense, green palm trees , dramatic rocks and a serene beach-oasis. At the first glance no one perceives the fact that the architecture in North Island follows its own rules and does not resemble anything familiar to the common eye. Under the shade of the gigantic Casuarina tree,  the exterior reception-lounge area can be found built from white tree trunks and furniture that seems to have  sprouted from mother earth with no human intervention.

Stone, timber, glass, coral , sand and natural colors compose the setting in which it openheartedly welcomes its visitor with barefoot staff and defines the islands philosophy.

In North Island there are no such restaurants as those that one is used to coming across. The philosophy here is `No menu, no venue, no time’. Meaning  that the visitors can order anything they please ,any hour of the day and eat it where ever they please either on the beach, in the privacy of their villa, at the central swimming-pool, or at the sunset bar.΄

Thus is created the signature  menu of the day in collaboration with the cheerful chef!

An electric rechargeable buggy drives us back to our villa and is left at our disposal as means of transport to further explore the island.

Upon entering the villa from the wooden ramp made from tree trunks one is immediately impressed by the size and the architecture that highlights the natural elements and gives the sense that you are one with nature. In the center there is a large lounge area with a round swimming-pool that is covered by a pergola – an  extension of a Takamaka tree .The bedroom behind the invisible glass gives the notion that it is outdoors and the most notable  characteristic  of the  villa is the bathroom with the enormous bathtub plunged into the wooden floor and the open air shower naturally lit by the starlight sky.

In North Island the activities are numerous. One can visit the spa with the most enchanting view in the island, enjoy luxurious cocktails at the sunset bar or choose from outdoor activities such as scuba diving , kayaking or cycling.

Don’t forget to visit the library with a wide range of books and films which convey the islands ecological character and `Noah’s ark’ philosophy –the island boasts and breeds  extinct species of the animal kingdom such as giant turtles and do not be surprised if on one of your walks you run into Brutus… the largest male turtle of the island – weighing a mere 192 kilos!

Despite North Islands’ many credits and awards the island does not rest. Apart from its plenteous ecological activity it allocates spaces free of charge for one week each June to the less privileged children from the central island of Seychelles where they can enjoy carefree games but also educational programmes about the flora and the fauna of the island.

North Island constitutes  the ideal destination for a combination of carefree days , refined beauty , rare aesthetic  and ecological awareness!

With Gratitude T.

Faena Hotel and Universe: Swept away in Buenos Aires

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Philippe Starck’s  passionate and unique masterpiece , with signature gilding and masses of red velvet, got plenty of attention when this 1902 grain warehouse turned 83-room hotel following the vision of its owner Alan Faena. However, it’s the service that really shines. Each guest is assigned a team of three “experience managers,” whose primary purpose is to suss out the chic shops, authentic tango outposts, and unlisted addresses of where to see and be seen in this ultrahip capital. Dance shows are organised at the hotel on a daily basis and the Rojo Tango at El Cabaret is a one of a kind experience. El Cabaret may well be one of the most atmospheric spaces you ‘ll ever visit in a hotel : small, friendly, warm, fiery red and sexy it is overflowing with tango music and the show carries you , and the rest of Faena’s spellbound visitors, away. In Argentina, Tango symbolizes the process undergone by a man who is laying siege to win a woman’s heart , and where better to see and live this experience than at the El Cabaret. At the restaurant El Mercado, medialunas are baked every half hour until lunch, when spicy meat empanadas emerge from a mud-brick oven. Beneath the all-white bistro sits the country’s best-stocked wine cellar, with more than 300 labels.

Which room to book: Those ending in 02—corner suites with waterfront and city views

With Gratitude T.

S.G Art Gallery

 

Saint George Lycabettus Hotel is pleased to announce the opening of a new art space within its premises. S. G. Art Gallery’s purpose is to enhance the awareness of Greek and International Contemporary Art, with permanent and temporary exhibitions in collaboration with Greek and foreign Art curators.

The S.G. Art Gallery will present current trends in the visual arts and will also support new interactive artistic projects, fashion events, screenings and gastronomical arty dinners.

** NEW** The Sound of Austria

On  October 10th an outstanding cultural event ‘ The Sound of Austria’ will take place at the S.G. Art Gallery of the St. George Lycabettus Hotel in Kolonaki.

This event, co-organized by the Austrian Embassy in Athens, will comprise an exhibition of works by famous Austrian artists and a concert of the renowned music ensemble  ‘Wiener Solisten’