Destinations

Leaving for Europe from San Francisco Airport’s International Terminal is easy, smooth and comforting.  I was able to experience the best of Virgin’s Upper Class service on this nonstop journey and came away feeling that some airlines still know how to give their clients/customers the very best of treatment.   Check In was smooth and easy.  Just be aware that carry-on luggage in Upper Class is limited to 10 kilos (22 lbs) weight.   One bag and one personal carry-on like a purse, laptop case or similar is allowed.  Checked luggage for Upper Class appears quickly on the other side of the Atlantic at the end of your journey.

Onboard meals and beverage service was of very good quality; the entertainment options are so numerous that you could in theory be occupied for the whole 10 hour flight and need to take 5 more journeys to see all the offerings.  Comfy “sleep suits” in various sizes are provided to make your flat bed, duvet-covered and mattress- padded horizontal overnight completely comfortable.  Angled single seats face forward and inward on the side aisles downstairs and on the upper deck.  Downstairs on the main deck there are a number of side-by-side seats with a drop-wall for couples or friends traveling together in the center section.  Unusually, the seat flips over and is converted instantly into the flat bed.  The bed side of the seat has its own seatbelt for placing around you as you sleep.

Maybourne Hotels London:

All three of the Maybourne Hotels are known by their reputations and long history.  The Connaught - Claridges - The Berkeley.  Each hotel occupies a unique niche within this family of hotels. 

Claridges was the “adjunct” hotel to Buckingham Palace as the place VIPs, diplomats, and guests of the Queen were discretely and elegantly housed if they were not staying at the Palace itself.   She is renewed and refreshed, maintaining her long history.  The restaurants, bars and dining facilities are updated but still maintain their traditionally elegant energies.  Staff wear morning suits or dark outfits to discretely serve the top flight guests who stay here.  We were able to visit a number of suites and rooms redone by Lord Linley using his design talents with furniture using fine woods to create classic decor done to a new standard.   And as the new standard in England is “nonsmoking”, the former “Humidor” has recently been transformed into an intimate cocktail bar where a select number of guests can fill its private spaces while enjoying the very top quality liquors or liquers as they wish. 

We had a very special treat at Claridges.   Below the ground floor, in the Claridge kitchens, we were greeted by The Chef who asked his younger colleague to guide us in the art of creating appetizers.   With hilarity and good humor, the chefs guided us amateurs in creating a selection of sushi rolls, pipetted horseradish-cream smoked salmon cones as well as getting to taste fois-gras nibbles and other specialities.  A complexity of kitchen work-stations work together to produce just about everything from scratch for the discerning palates of those enjoying the fine cuisine at the hotel..

The Connaught is completing its major rennovations with the addition of new suites in a co-joined building to the original Grande Dame hotel.  Skirting the façade on the south and east sides of the hotel is the marvelous ‘conservatory restaurant’, Espelette, serving many of chef Hélène Darroze’s lighter menus.  The redone lobby “lounge” is done in subtle colors and welcomes both hotel guests and visitors from Mayfair to stop for tea in the afternoon or drinks pre-theatre or pre-dinner.  Relaxed and inviting, it is the perfect place after a day spent in London.  Soon to open its doors more widely to the neighborhood is the very trendy, happening Connaught Bar, done in cool blues and aluminum highlights and featuring new cocktails and inventive nibbles.  If a more quiet yet intimate drinking area is desired, the Coburg Bar and its dynamic staff will ensure a place for excellent conversation and laughter.  A new grand apartment is in the making.  Today you can enjoy the marvelously distinct “Prince’s Suite” where all the wood carvings and décor are hand-crafted as part of support for the wood-carving artists in Afghanistan.  This unique room is a special treat for the most discriminating guest.

The Berkeley just off Belgravia and Knightsbridge across from Hyde Park is an elegant retreat.  She is the newest of the buildings in the group but is home to Boxwood Café, entered from the street on the side of the hotel, Marcus Wareing’s amazing 2* Michelin restaurant, the bustling and very happening Blue Bar for late night drinking and discussions, and the charming Caramel Room where lunch, afternoon tea and breakfast are served with style and panache.   As London attracts people from all over the world, the staff at the Berkeley reflects this multi-national flavor, ensuring all guests will have someone who specially is attuned to their wishes.   The Spa and the rooftop pool are particularly appreciated here.  You can splash about overlooking Hyde Park and retreat into the Spa for a wide variety of treatments.   And the bathrooms are universally spacious with excellent Asprey Purple Rain amenities.   Showers with either rainheads, massage or full spray facilities, deep tubs for soaking and marble marble everywhere.   Service is attentive throughout the hotel and decor in the rooms is subtle and generally done in muted tones.  Several large suites have balconies and one of the top suites has a large ’solarium’ leading out to an expansive balcony which overlooks the Belgravia neighborhood.

All in all, the trip to London gave me an opportunity to once again re-connect with some old hotel friends and learn for the first time the pleasures of Virgin Atlantic.  You should “check out” the Upper Class lounge in London …. you almost don’t want to come home because it is such a great place to hang out!!!

BARCELONA IS FOR lovers … lovers of music, architecture, art, food,fashion and an exquisite display of treasures from the past.

I stayed at the Casanova Hotel, which put me in the mood for love from day one. Day two, three and beyond did nothing but improve my mood. The hotel is centrally located within walking distance of the Plaza Catalunia. Barcelona is a heaven for the lovers of great food at reasonable prices. This city has one of my favorite restaurants in the entire world, Los Caracoles. It’s reputation was started by serving heaping platefuls of snails. I remember eating them there 50 years ago,costing 20 cents for a full plate. It costs a lot more now and the Los Caracoles menu has expanded to include exquisite continental food of every description.

For lovers of bike riding, Barcelona is one of the greatest cities to visit on two wheels. A program of hop-on-hop-off bicycles is a recent innovation. The city is blanketed with bike racks filled with bikes for the taking. It’s called bike sharing. For the cost of what you’d pay to ride a bus, you can get an electronic card that entitles you to help yourself to any available bike at the computerized bike stands. The bright red almost new bikes are kept in top condition for maneuvering the mostly flat streets.

For those who would just as soon not pedal around the city, Barcelona’s metro subway system is easy to negotiate, even if you don’t speak Spanish.  This city has become the playground for the British, so English is widely spoken. For those who would rather take a taxi, you can get to almost any point in the central district for about $6.

Lovers of architecture can find examples scattered throughout the city. Look for the charming structures of Barcelona’s prince of building design, Antoni Gaudi. He was the flag bearer of the late 9th-century Modernista movement, so beloved that he was made a saint. His 10 structures, with their sense of tremendous exuberance and playfulness,is led by Gaudi’s Sagrada Familia Church. Gaudi’s work easily is one of the city’s top tourist attractions. Seeing this church of dripping concrete is a must.

This is a great time to visit. Barcelona is the financial capital of Spain but its economy is in the doldrums. It is experiencing the same crisis that happened in America. Housing was greatly overbuilt and the bubble burst. Dried-up credit has the Catalans wincing. Unemployment is running in the double digits. And Americans with dollars see welcome signs everywhere in the form of bargains.

Those who love the distinctive music and dance of the Catalans, don’t fail to enjoy the free show and concert put on every Sunday in front of Barcelona’s Cathedral. The locals come out in their Sunday finery to hold hands in a circle as they wait for the mainly flute and woodwind music to begin. What follows is a joy to watch.

Those who love people watching, the pedestrian mall is a primo attraction. Las Ramblas extends from the Plaza Catalunia for a half mile to the Mediterranean water’s edge. The wide street of Las Ramblas is lined with restaurants, flower stalls and shops. What has to be the biggest collection of Mimes, some in the most elaborate and even outlandish outfits, are scattered all along Las Ramblas. It’s a photo opportunity that is unique.

Barcelona is the gateway to the Mediterranean and Norwegian Cruise line has established it as its home port. Other cruise lines also operate from the city’s new cruise terminal, making the city a wonderful starting and ending point for a Mediterranean cruise. For design and convenience, this cruise terminal ranks among the world’s best.

It’s easy to fall in love with this town. It captures the flavor of Spain more so than any of the country’s other cities. And, it’s a great location to enjoy following a cruise on the Mediterranean.

Ed Arnow writes travel columns for the Contra Costa Times, the Oakland Tribune and three other San Francisco East Bay daily newspapers. He can be reached at Brentwoodbuzz@aol.com

VILLA MICHELANGELO
This beautifull Villa is located in Arcugnano (five miles outside Vicenza). A lovely 52 room property with a “Palladian” look and panoramic views. In the morning, when opening their lovely green shutters, we could see the snow covered hills of the Dolomites.

Their restaurant “La Loggia” offers the finest regional cuisine. I great place from which to  visit the beautiful Palladian Villas. Also nearby is Verona and Lago di Garda. There is  an 18 hole golf course nearby, Golf Club Colli Berici.

A secluded country retreat and a perfect place to stay after visiting the busy and crowded city of Venice.

VILLA MARGHERITA and VILLA FRANCESCHI, both owned by the Dal Corso family. Located in Mira with easy access to Venice. Mira also has wonderful shoe outlets!!

VILLA MARGHERITA – 17th Century. 19 roomsOn the banks of the Brenta River built as a residence for a noble family. More of a Country Inn than a Villa. Very personalized service. One could easily stay here and take daytrips into Venice. 

VILLA FRANCESCHI  has 22 rooms in two buildings, the Barchessa and the Pardonale, surrounded by a large park. Very large bedrooms beautifully decorated with antique furniture. The  diningroom  tables were set with Murano drinking glasses and there was also a special display of exquisite Murano pieces.

VILLA DEL QUAR a Renaissance villa 12 miles north of Verona, 28 rooms.  A Relais & Chateaux property with a 2 star Michelin restaurant surrounded by vineyards and gardens.  This is the Valpolicella wine region and there was a beautiful wine cellar for tastings and purchases of the local wines. On one side of the villa there is a  large swimming pool, with a gazebo bar, for the hot summer days.

PALAZZO  CA’ SAGREDO in Venice, located on the Grand Canal between the Rialto Bridge and Ca’ D’oro . 42 roomsThis is a National Monument which was closed for 50 years and has just undergone a 7 year renovation. No expense was spared in this renovation. A gigantic staircase with ceiling frescos from 1734 leads up to the greeting area. Everything is on a large scale and this was,to me, the most impressive of the Palazzos I visited in Venice. And the Rialto area is fun and trendy. 

JDB offers a Baer Esccape credit of $15.00 for each room night at each of the following properties between now and April 30, 2009.Villa Michelangelo, Villa del Quar, Villa Margherita and Villa Franceschi.