All posts for the month April, 2011

Notable May Events

RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2010

May 1–November 30: Starting in May, Hermanus, South Africa, turns into a fantastic base for whale-watching. Along this stretch of the famous Garden Route, it’s not even necessary to get into a boat to observe the whales passing by.

May 4–July 31: The Costume Institute of New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art hosts the exhibition Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty, in honor of the late designer’s significant contributions to fashion.

May 9-15: Lima’s art galleries, museums and performance spaces celebrate Peru Art Week with a range of special exhibitions, concerts and other events. In the evenings, art lovers hop from gallery party to gallery party.

May 13-15: Artisans from all over Europe gather at Florence’s Palazzo Corsini for Artisans and the Palace, an exhibition of traditional craftsmanship. About 80 artisans set up workshops in the historic formal gardens of the palace, demonstrating their trades and offering high-quality handmade items for sale.

May 24-28: The grounds of the Royal Hospital in Chelsea turn into a horticultural paradise during the annual Chelsea Flower Show. The show gardens and flower displays inevitably dazzle, and tickets can be hard to come by — reserve as far in advance as possible.

May 26-29: Cape Town, South Africa, becomes a gourmet capital during the annual Good Food and Wine Show. Guests can sample some of the country’s best food and wine and take cooking and tasting classes. Several major chefs always attend; this year brings Heston Blumenthal of The Fat Duck and BBC celebrity chef James Martin, among others.

May 26-29: The Hong Kong International Art Fair brings together contemporary art from 260 galleries in 38 countries. Held at the Convention and Exhibition Centre, this fair is billed as “the largest display of contemporary art ever seen in Hong Kong.”

May 28: The historic core of Munich sings during the Long Night of Music, when more than 100 venues open their doors. During the course of the evening, music fans stroll from concert to concert, taking in as many of the 400 performances as they can. This festival offers something for everyone, with everything from jazz to flamenco to classical music, all included in one €15 ticket.

May 28-29: San Francisco’s Mission District bursts into multicultural color during Carnaval San Francisco. Attendees can enjoy music and dance performances from around the world, as well as Sunday’s Grand Carnaval Parade, a Rio-style parade/street party with wild costumes and lively music.

Leave a comment
by andrewharpertravelblog on April 29, 2011  •  Permalink
Posted in EVENTS
Tagged ,

Posted by andrewharpertravelblog on April 29, 2011

https://andrewharpertravelblog.wordpress.com/2011/04/29/notable-may-events/

The Goring Hotel and the Royal Wedding

 

© The Goring hotel

The Royal Wedding is upon us, and a hullaballoo of global publicity has descended on Beeston Place, just three minutes’ walk from Buckingham Palace. This quiet and anonymous Belgravia side street is the location of The Goring hotel, where Kate Middleton has opted to spend the night prior to her big day at nearby Westminster Abbey. Apparently, Ms. Middleton, the future Queen Catherine, will stay in the hotel’s fifth-floor, recently renovated and silk-lined Royal Suite, overlooking the idyllic private garden.

A Harper-recommended property, The Goring opened in 1910 —room price, 60 cents a night — and for more than a century, it has exemplified the discretion and understatement traditionally admired by the British. Remarkably, it remains a family-run hotel. Jeremy Goring became the fourth generation to take charge when he assumed the role of proprietor in 2005. His predecessor, George Goring, ran the property for no fewer than 43 years.

The Goring’s relationship with the monarchy is certainly not new: In the 1920s, Queen Mary’s lady-in-waiting lived in the hotel, and the Queen frequently dropped by for afternoon tea; King George VI celebrated the end of World War II with a substantial English breakfast at The Goring; in 1948, the hotel’s kitchens supplied the cake for Prince Charles’ christening; and for many years, the Queen Mother was a frequent visitor for lunch. (Her statue stands in the lobby, alongside that of founder Otto Goring, in whose bronze lapel a fresh flower is placed daily as an emblem of family continuity.) In addition, The Goring has served for decades as an unofficial annex to Buckingham Palace, most notably at the current Queen Elizabeth’s coronation in 1953. On that occasion, some royal guests were said to prefer the hotel to the palace, with the Crown Prince of Norway speaking for many when he remarked that at least at The Goring, he didn’t “have to share a bath with five people!”

It remains to be seen whether The Goring will be changed forever by its brief moment of global fame. Personally, I hope that it quickly returns to its former dignified persona as the embodiment of timeless English values. There are few more pleasant places to stroll on a warm summer evening than the hotel’s enchanting garden — and few better places to enjoy a traditional Sunday roast beef lunch. Of course, the Queen’s nephew, David Linley, designed the dining room interior, so the meal is enhanced by an appropriately royal setting!

–A.H.

Leave a comment
by andrewharpertravelblog on April 28, 2011  •  Permalink
Posted in EDITORIAL, HOTELS
Tagged , ,

Posted by andrewharpertravelblog on April 28, 2011

https://andrewharpertravelblog.wordpress.com/2011/04/28/the-goring-hotel/

Celsius, the Best New Restaurant in Adelaide, Australia

© Celsius Restaurant, Adelaide

Many people traveling to Australia’s delightful Barossa Valley wine region or to spectacular Southern Ocean Lodge on Kangaroo Island will probably spend a night in Adelaide. I like this attractive, polite and vibrant city enough to believe it warrants more than just a quick stopover, but if you’re only in town for a night, book dinner at Celsius, the most talked-about new restaurant in the city.

Located on lively Gouger Street, it’s a stylish but relaxed place with a sleek, contemporary décor and exceptionally friendly service. Young chef-owner Ayhan Erkoc is a rapidly rising local talent who does some of the best contemporary Australian cooking we ate anywhere outside of Sydney during our recent trip Down Under. We also appreciated the charming ministrations of Pauline, a delightful young Frenchwoman who has lived in the city for several years and who really knows her wines. The list here offers some exceptionally good bottles from the Adelaide Hills and the Barossa Valley, as well as a small selection of French wines.

(more…)

Leave a comment
by andrewharpertravelblog on April 27, 2011  •  Permalink
Posted in RESTAURANTS
Tagged ,

Posted by andrewharpertravelblog on April 27, 2011

https://andrewharpertravelblog.wordpress.com/2011/04/27/celsius-the-best-new-restaurant-in-adelaide-australia/

Europe in Spring: Relais Christine, Paris

© Relais Christine

Spring is in the air, and Hideaway Report readers are, sensibly enough, heading to Europe. Relais Christine in Paris tops our list of most popular hotels last week.

From the Harper Collection:

“Charming, stylish hotel [51 rooms] occupying a 16th-century mansion ideally located in the Left Bank’s lively St-Germain-des-Prés area, a short walk to superb shops and restaurants and the Louvre, which is just across the Seine. Public areas blend the traditional with the more contemporary with great flair. Rooms vary widely, and we recommend booking at the deluxe level or higher. The more desirable rooms look out over inner/outer garden courtyards.”
  • Relais Christine, Paris
  • Hôtel San Régis, Paris
  • Il Salviatino, Florence
  • Hôtel Plaza Athénée Paris
  • Rocco Forte Savoy, Florence
  • Rocco Forte Hotel de Russie, Rome
  • Amanyara, Turks & Caicos
  • Le Sirenuse, Positano
  • Hassler Roma
  • The Lowell, New York
  • The Greenwich Hotel, New York
  • Hotel Caruso, Ravello
  • Grand Hotel Timeo, Taormina
  • The Elysian, Chicago
  • The Carlyle, New York
  • San Ysidro Ranch, Montecito
  • The Ritz-Carlton, San Francisco
  • Trump International Hotel, Chicago
  • La Posta Vecchia, Rome
  • The White Barn Inn, Kennebunkport
  • The Mayflower Inn, Connecticut

Our most popular cruise line was Seabourn.

Leave a comment
by andrewharpertravelblog on April 26, 2011  •  Permalink
Posted in TRAVEL OFFICE
Tagged ,

Posted by andrewharpertravelblog on April 26, 2011

https://andrewharpertravelblog.wordpress.com/2011/04/26/europe-in-spring-relais-christine-paris/

“Chicagou” Season: Spring and Ramps in Chicago

Locavores in Chicago always look forward to the appearance of ramps, the first locally grown vegetable of the season. A sure herald of spring, deliciously pungent ramps crop up on menus throughout the city each year in April.

Chicagoans have a special connection to ramps, which look like a cross between a lily-of-the-valley and a scallion. The name for the city comes from a Native American word for the vegetable, transliterated by French settlers as “chicagou.” They once grew abundantly in the area that became downtown.

If you hope to sample Chicago’s namesake, don’t wait to reserve your table. Ramps are not commercially cultivated, and their season is short. We’ve put together a selection of fine Chicago restaurants currently featuring ramps on their menus:

The Purple Pig: Charred ramps (done on the plancha) with a house-made romesco sauce

Sixteen:  Veal loin with pickled ramp risotto, elf mushrooms, baby artichoke and spring onions

North Pond: Morel mushroom flan with ramp coulis, green olive-almond relish and charred ramp bulbs

MK: Seared Maine diver sea scallops with wilted stinging nettles, pickled ramps, carrot purée and coriander vinaigrette

The Bristol: Ramp fettuccini carbonara with lardo and Pecorino Romano

Girl & the Goat: Goat chorizo flatbread with ramp pesto, fresh ricotta and pickled rhubarb

1 Comment
by andrewharpertravelblog on April 25, 2011  •  Permalink
Posted in RESTAURANTS
Tagged , , , , , ,

Posted by andrewharpertravelblog on April 25, 2011

https://andrewharpertravelblog.wordpress.com/2011/04/25/chicagou-season-spring-and-ramps-in-chicago/

Harper Ecotourism Highlights

Posada de Mike Rapu, explora's Rapa Nui lodge on Easter Island, was the first lodge in South America to be awarded LEED certification by the United States Green Building Council (USGBC).

Avid travelers can’t help but encounter the theme of environmental awareness.  If you return to any of the countries that first sparked your experiential travel aspirations, you may see once-pristine regions slowly changing as development and civilization expand.  As a nod to Earth Day and with conservation in mind, we have compiled a list of ecotourism front-runners, all of which are Andrew Harper-recommended properties.

Emirates' Wolgan Valley Resort & Spa is the world’s first resort to be carboNZero©™ certified through an internationally accredited and accepted greenhouse gas program.

Since growth in environmental awareness in the 1970s, travelers have become increasingly concerned about the toll their treks take on the environment and local cultures. The travel niche of ecotourism developed as a result. The term became popular in the late 1980s, when guides began to escort nature enthusiasts to see the world’s last undisturbed ecosystems, and eco-conscious lodges and camps began to provide comfortable yet green accommodations in remote areas.

Rob Frisch of the Andrew Harper Travel Office says eco-travel does not mean roughing it, though, noting, “Rather than sacrificing amenities, properties work to provide as many comforts as possible in sustainable ways.”

(more…)

Leave a comment
by andrewharpertravelblog on April 22, 2011  •  Permalink
Posted in HOTELS
Tagged , , , ,

Posted by andrewharpertravelblog on April 22, 2011

https://andrewharpertravelblog.wordpress.com/2011/04/22/andrew-harper-recommended-ecotourism-highlight/

The Blackberry State of Mind: A Chat With Andy Chabot

Beall and Thomas Photography

Every year, the James Beard Foundation singles out the best and the brightest in the culinary world. We recently chatted with Blackberry Farm’s wine director, Andy Chabot, about his nomination for an outstanding service award as well as up-and-coming wine regions and, of course, Blackberry Farm.

Q: You are a finalist for the James Beard Foundation Award for Outstanding Service. What does it mean to you to be nominated again for such a prestigious award?

A: It’s a huge honor to be nominated. To see New York City, San Francisco, Boulder and then Walland, Tennessee, next to all those places that are destinations unto themselves, for me is very exciting. At the same time, being nominated for the award is a bit on the humbling side, because there are a lot of people who have put a lot of work into our wine program over the last 12-13 years, and I’m just the lucky one who gets to have my name on it. So it’s exciting and humbling.

(more…)

1 Comment
by andrewharpertravelblog on April 21, 2011  •  Permalink
Posted in DRINKS, HOTELS
Tagged , ,

Posted by andrewharpertravelblog on April 21, 2011

https://andrewharpertravelblog.wordpress.com/2011/04/21/the-blackberry-state-of-mind-a-chat-with-andy-chabot/

A Terrific Bar in Paris: Le Forum

© Bar Le Forum

Paris has many wonderful hotel bars — among my favorites are The Bar Hemingway at the Ritz and the bars at the hotels Regina, Lutetia and Raphael (the one I avoid like the plague is the noisomely “trendy” bar at the Plaza Athénée). However, I have a soft spot for the Bar Le Forum, or just Le Forum as the regulars call it. Handily located near the Madeleine and ideal for a drink before or after dinner, this handsome cocktail bar features oak paneling, crown moldings, good lighting, comfortable seating and a charming and very efficient staff. It was founded in 1918 and has been run by the same family since 1931.

They mix a mean drink here, and I also enjoy this place because of its diverse and friendly Parisian clientele (in hotel bars, you often end up talking only to other foreigners). Stopping by for a expertly mixed Manhattan the other night on the way to dinner, we found the polite crowd to be a mix of well-dressed executives, impeccably chic female fashion industry types and journalists and bankers. All seemed to cut the mustard according to the bar’s “House Rules,” among them the prodding declaration: “We have a sense of elegance — and you as well?”

Le Forum proudly does not serve beer on tap and offers only two wines — a Chardonnay and a Crozes-Hermitage, plus an excellent selection of Champagnes. Otherwise, this bar is a haven of excellence for anyone who likes a good cocktail, a fine whisky or an old-fashioned aperitif such as Lillet, Suze or Pineau des Charentes Marnier. Mrs. Harper has a fondness for the occasional Forum Cocktail, a mix of gin, Noilly Prat Dry and Grand Marnier that was created here in 1929, and I’ve enjoyed sampling my way through the excellent list of single malts through the years. However, we have yet to try the “Bloody Shame,” the house version of a virgin Bloody Mary. Perhaps next time.

4 boulevard Malesherbes, 8th arrondissement. Tel. (33) 1-42-65-37-86. Open Monday to Thursday from noon to 1 a.m., Friday from noon to 2 a.m. and Saturday from 7 p.m. to 2 a.m. Closed Sunday.

1 Comment
by andrewharpertravelblog on April 20, 2011  •  Permalink
Posted in DRINKS
Tagged ,

Posted by andrewharpertravelblog on April 20, 2011

https://andrewharpertravelblog.wordpress.com/2011/04/20/a-terrific-bar-in-paris-le-forum/

Guaranteed Upgrades Around the World

Ananda in the Himalayas

The Andrew Harper Travel Office partners with a wide array of Mr. Harper’s favorite hotels and resorts around the world, securing additional amenities and favorable rates for members. Partner properties offer everything from complimentary breakfasts to cooking lessons to four-wheel-drive safaris.

But certainly the most popular amenity is a guaranteed upgrade. After all, who wouldn’t want to pay for a deluxe room and stay in a junior suite?

Numerous Harper-recommended hotels in some of the world’s most exotic locations give members a guaranteed upgrade at the time of booking, based on availability:

Leave a comment
by andrewharpertravelblog on April 19, 2011  •  Permalink
Posted in HOTELS
Tagged

Posted by andrewharpertravelblog on April 19, 2011

https://andrewharpertravelblog.wordpress.com/2011/04/19/guaranteed-upgrades-around-the-world/

From the Travel Office: A Mini Offer From Peninsula Hotels

© Peninsula Hotels

The Peninsula hotels in Chicago, New York and Hong Kong now offer a unique amenity to guests staying in their suites: Three hours in a chauffeur-driven Mini Cooper. The Peninsula Hotels spent two years developing these customized S Clubman vehicles, adding special features such as mini-fridges with refreshments and cold towels.

In addition to using the vehicles for transfers to restaurants or performances, guests can avail themselves of iPads or iPhones preloaded with sightseeing tours. In Chicago, for example, the options include “Famous Chicago Movie Scenes” and “Chicago Neighborhoods.”

With their rooftop storage cases, the Mini Coopers are also ideal for shopping excursions in any of the three cities.

Always trying to stand out from the competition, hotels are becoming increasingly creative with their amenities — a trend that bodes well for travelers. A three-hour jaunt in a charming, chauffeur-driven Mini Cooper certainly tops a complimentary chocolate on the pillow.

Leave a comment
by andrewharpertravelblog on April 18, 2011  •  Permalink
Posted in HOTELS
Tagged , ,

Posted by andrewharpertravelblog on April 18, 2011

https://andrewharpertravelblog.wordpress.com/2011/04/18/from-the-travel-office-a-mini-offer-from-peninsula-hotels/

« Older Posts