buzzstop:getaways
Grand Hotel Timeo
DELICIOUS DESTINATIONS
If a culinary tour of Italy is not yet on your bucket list, it should be – especially when the Orient-Express hotel group makes it easier to achieve that goal with its new ‘Dining with the Stars’ series of five Michelin-starred gastronomic weekends throughout 2012. It began in March at Hotel Cipriani in Venice, and continues this month on April 14 and 15 at Hotel Splendido in Portofino, which will host chef brothers Chicco and Bobo Cerea as well as Pino Cuttaia. During the last weekend of September at the Grand Hotel Timeo and Villa Sant’Andrea in Taormina, Swiss-born Pietro Leemann, whose restaurant was the first vegetarian one to earn a Michelin star, will showcase to guests an entirely vegetarian degustation menu, followed by a meal by Heinz Beck the next night, which will be a tribute to Taormina’s luscious tomatoes. With a stunning backdrop of the Amalfi Coast, guests at Hotel Caruso in Ravello on October 20 and 21 will be treated to meals by Norbert Niederkofler, founder of the Chef’s Cup in Italy, and Niko Romito. For the final gourmet weekend on November 3 and 4, Gennaro Esposito and Mauro Uliassi will grace Villa San Michele in Florence with their culinary delights. To top off the luxurious gastronomic experience, guests will be taken on a truffle hunting excursion in the Tuscan hilltop town of San Miniato. ‘Dining with the Stars’ weekends start from €3,910 per couple, and include two nights accommodation in a Junior Suite, daily breakfast, two gourmet dinners cooked by two Michelin starred chefs, and an exclusive local excursion. Visit www.orient-express.com for more information.
Hotel Cipriani
ROCKSTAR GETAWAY You don’t have to be Jessie J to
travel like rock royalty – just book a jaunt to the iconic Eden Rock resort in St Barths, the ultimate in lavish decadence in the heart of the Caribbean. The hotel’s unique concept encourages creativity – original art is abundant throughout the property, while one villa even boasts its own music recording studio – and in case you forget to pack your rockstar bling, the hotel is currently playing host to British jeweller Stephen Webster’s first-ever pop-up store within its own Rockshop boutique, from now until the end of summer. The jeweller – whose fans include Rihanna, Kate Moss and Mickey Rourke – also collaborated with Eden Rock on an exclusive pendant and earrings in either 18K white gold set with hematite or 18K yellow gold set with white mother-of-pearl. By the time checkout rolls around, you’ll already be writing your Grammy acceptance speech. Visit www.edenrockhotel.com for more information.
Villa Sant’Andrea
THAI TREASURE After undergoing a US$6 million renovation,
the legendary Kata Beach landmark Mom Tri’s Boathouse reopened as the Boathouse on the Beach boutique hotel – the latest jewel in the Phuket resort scene. Designed by Fredo Taffin, the French Bali-based architect behind Seminyak’s famed Ku De Ta, the chic modern furnishings of the Boathouse, coupled with the hotel’s hip Re Ka Ta beach club replete with beautiful people, certainly make this one hot property for the design-savvy and party-ready set. 156