Feature - Going For Gold by By James McCarthy

FE AT U R E

GOiNG FOR

Gold

YOU MIGHT HAVE SECURED YOUR VIP TICKETS TO THE SUMMER OLYMPICS 2012 IN LONDON, BUT NOW YOU HAVE TO GET THERE BEFORE THE STARTER’S GUN GOES OFF. THIS IS THE WAY SUR LA TERRE WOULD RACE TO OLYMPIC GLORY.

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Bombardier Challenger 605..

he 2012 London Olympic flame will soon be lit and athletes from every corner of the globe will be rewriting the record books and competing in feats of skill, endurance and speed. London will be awash with colour and a festive spirit to mark the games of the XXX Olympiad and everyone who is anyone, from European monarchs to Hollywood royalty, will be looking to be a part of it. While hotels will be bustling and flights will be full, there is no reason why your route to the games cannot be effortless if you follow this little luxury guide to doing the Olympics in sybaritic Sur la Terre style.

Flights Of Fancy While Hermes, messenger to mythical Greek gods of Mount Olympus, flew on golden wings, so too can you. Rizon Jet, a private charter plane company, which recently inaugurated its own private VIP terminal at Doha International Airport, is happy to fly you to London in a class of your own. Founded in 2006 and headquartered in Doha, Rizon Jet also flies out of the United Arab Emirates and focuses on providing a comprehensive suite of private aviation services. Part of Ghanim bin Saad al Saad & Sons Group Holdings (GSSG), the company will welcome you aboard one of its fleet of opulently-appointed aircraft, which includes two Bombardier Challenger 605 “heavy jets” if you’re taking the whole family, plus the slightly smaller Hawker 900XP if you and a couple of friends just want to arrive in style. Flying into London’s Biggin Hill terminal, Rizon Jet is fully ready and waiting for your call in the run up to the Olympic Games and the company has been upping its capacity to handle anticipated demand, already receiving advance booking requests from customers preparing to travel to the Games. To book your private plane, just log on to the company’s website at www.rizonjet.com and fill out the quotation form and get your jet set.

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Bombardier Challenger interior..

Rizon Jet’s new Doha VIP Terminal..

Bulgari Hotel, London..

The Best of Rest When you alight from your private jet, you need somewhere to call home for the month. There is no better place to enjoy the games in glitz and glamour than perhaps London’s most luxurious address the newly-opened Bulgari Hotel, which, we are told, is more sumptuous than the beard of Zeus. Located in the heart of central London’s prestigious Knightsbridge area, it is the first brand new luxury hotel to be built in London for 40 years. The Bulgari Hotel and Residences, London, pay tribute to Bulgari’s silversmith origins and Britain’s noble manufacturing traditions with an understated, elegant design thanks to Antonio Citterio, Patricia Viel and Partners. Many of the furnishings and textiles throughout the hotel and residences, made exclusively for Bulgari and crafted by Italian manufacturers, bedeck the 85 plush rooms and suites, from custom made silk curtains with patterns inspired by some of the classic Bulgari jewellery designs, and bedside table lamps inspired by Bulgari’s silver candlesticks. The silver theme continues right through the hotel and residences, with hand-crafted Italian detailing, such as two stunning solid silver Bulgari chandeliers in the Ballroom, creating a dramatic centrepiece. A sweeping silver staircase also guides you down to the hotel’s fine dining restaurant, Il Ristorante, where you can enjoy menus incorporating the finest Italian cuisine and wine designed to complement the stylish and lavish atmosphere. The hotel also boasts one of the finest spas in town, appointed in opulent onyx, teak and Vicenza stone. The spa, which spans two floors, includes 11 private treatment rooms and one double spa suite, replete with its own steam room, Jacuzzi and private treatment room; a 25m swimming pool, created from Vicenza stone and featuring a shimmering green and gold mosaic and a 150m² fitness area with a fullyequipped, state-of-the-art gymnasium. The hotel also incorporates a luxurious 47-seat screening room, offering state of the art cinema-quality sound and vision and an exclusively-curated library of more than 500 new and classic films that will help the family keep the boredom at bay and while away the hours between Olympic events. To book yourself a room in this palatial pad, check out www.bulgarihotels.com.

It’s suite living in the Bulgari Hotel..

Master Bedroom, Bulgari Hotel..

The Bulgari’s Vicenza Stone pool..

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The Road To Victory While London has invested a lot in public transport and infrastructure to deliver a compact but efficient games, jumping on a hot tube train with the flag-waving masses is not very SLT. Wafting past the crowds in a Rolls-Royce Ghost or flying to the finish line in an Aston Martin DBS are just two of the best ways to get to your VIP seats in style. If shipping your gilded wheels over to Great Britain is more hassle than you would like, then check out Signature Premium Car Hire. With a concept built entirely around what the client really wants. Signature manages a fleet of current luxury prestige and super cars, which are all professionally stored, maintained and always ready in pristine condition. At its West London Experience Centre, you can select the perfect car to suit your Olympic odyssey’s requirements. Signature owns all of its vehicles, meaning it has full control over the cars’ specification and maintenance. The company offers an amazing array of marques including, but not limited to, Aston Martin, Bentley, Ferrari, Lamborghini, Maserati, Mercedes Benz, Porsche, Range Rover and Rolls-Royce. The company requires that drivers are aged between 28 years to 70 years and hold a full driving licence for at least three years and, depending on the car you choose to hire, a returnable deposit between £2,500 and £5,000 may be required. You can see the full fleet, prices and make a booking through the company’s website www.signaturecarhire.co.uk.

Get a chauffeur-driven Rolls-Royce from Vennards of London..

If you don’t feel like driving yourself, then check out Vennards of London, which offers a VIP Chauffeur Hire service that promises to deliver you in comfort and grace to any sporting event going on in the UK at any time. Offering a fleet of Bentleys, Range Rovers and RollsRoyce cars, Vennards’ experienced drivers also have a broad knowledge of the social scene in London and will be your guide should you wish to visit any of the theatres, shops or restaurants when booking your car. Bookings can be made through the website at www.vennards.com.

Hire an Aston Martin DBS from Signature..

If you’re worried about the traffic, then there is only one way to beat the lights, and that is to be lighter than air. Fly over traffic queues to get to the Olympic Stadium by chartering your own chopper. Atlas Helicopters has been delivering VIPs by air to major events for over ten years, and offers a bespoke service that will ensure you get to your seat before the athletes get to the blocks. Sur la Terre recommends you ask for the Eurocopter EC155. Widely accepted as the pinnacle of the helicopter charter industry, the EC155 uses the very latest cutting edge technologies and offers all of the amenities of a private jet, but without the need for a runway. Thanks to its advanced rotor system, sound-proofing, climate control and luxuriant leather interior, the EC155 will provide you with unrivalled levels of flying comfort. www.atlashelicopters.co.uk

Arrive in style in an EC155 chopper, courtesy of Atlas Helicopters..

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The Delaunay was voted.. Tatler ’s best restaurant for 2012..

The Finish Line With the thick pall of firework smoke hanging heavily over the London skyline, and the last ticker of tape flapping in the wind, the opening ceremony is done. You made it there in style and mingled with society’s elite, but the party is over and it’s time to hit the town. For the perfect celebration dinner, head to The Delaunay at 55 Aldwich in WC2. Voted Tatler’s best restaurant for 2012, The Delaunay’s two Private Dining Rooms seat up to 8 and 14 guests, respectively, and are available to book for breakfast, lunch and dinner. The two rooms can also be opened up to accommodate a long table of 24 guests, should you acquire some hangers-on from the Olympic Stadium. Clad in beautiful wood panelling and featuring original paintings from the restaurant’s outstanding collection, the rooms are perfect for celebratory meals and, with a plasma screen available in the Kean Room, you can catch up on the highlights of the events at the opening ceremony while you tuck in to a dinner from one of the set menus and complemented by one of the finest wine cellars in London. For reservations, visit www.thedelaunay.com. You can also try one of the city’s best new eateries, the Hawksmoor Guildhall, a finedining steakhouse at 10 Basinghall Street in EC2. Also offering a 22-seat private dining room, the restaurant is a javelin’s throw away from the epicentre of the Olympic hubub and just as far from what may well have been the world’s first steakhouse, which went by the unlikely name of Dolly’s and reputedly first stoked up the grill between 1702 and 1714. Much like SLT envisages the Hawksmoor will soon be, Dolly’s was frequented by a who’s who of London’s elite, boasting patrons such as Fielding, Defoe, Swift, Dryden, Boswell and Pope. By booking a table there, you could be the first of Doha’s decadent denizens to enjoy the meaty delights that the Hawksmoor has to offer. To reserve your table, visit www.thehawksmoor.com. If you feel like working off some of those calorific delights once dinner is done, then dancing is a good way to do it. For the top echelon of society, like your good selves, there are plenty of VIP dance dens to frequent in the UK’s capital, but perhaps the one with the most VIP patronage of all is Mahiki. City bankers and leaping lords alike frequent this Mayfair-based club on the corner of Dover Street and Piccadilly. With its Polynesian theme and reputation for offering the well-heeled a good time, it has become a favourite haunt of Princes William and Harry and their effervescent high society friends, as well a host of A-list celebrities. The prices are as high as the incomes of its guests and it is by far one of the city’s most celebrated nightspots. Sprint over to www.mahiki.com to plan your podium finish.

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Kitted Out Olympians of the modern age are no longer toga-wearing Titans. Their kit is created to help them to perform to the highest possible standard and incorporates swathes of clever fabrics and textile technology to ensure a winning result. These days, it seems, they also mash sporting chic with luxury couture together with the force of a Heracles hammer throw. TeamGB’s kit was designed by none other than Stella McCartney, Team USA will be flying their flag in a Ralph Lauren-designed ensemble, while the Italians will sport Giorgio Armarni’s EA7 creations when they take to the track. Turning up in your designer finery, then, will be a good way of showing your support. If you want to show your colours by wearing the replica kit, then visit www.kitbag.com for the whole range of Stella’s TeamGB apparel; www.ralphlauren.com for Team USA gear and the Armani-inspired Italian kit is available through www.armani.com/ea7. Of course, when you are running to a tight schedule you need to keep time accurately. The official timekeeper of the XXX Olympiad is Omega, who are also celebrating another British icon this year with its Seamaster James Bond 50th anniversary limited edition watches for men and women. Head down to their Bond Street flagship store, or take some time to visit www.omegawatches.com to synchronise your watches for the London Olympics.