Alps

Rare Aston Martins & More at British Classic Car Meeting in St. Moritz

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels, Luxury Cars & Autos, Events

On July 9 – 11 some of the world's finest Rolls-Royce, Bentley, Aston Martin and Jaguar motor cars will converge on the chic Swiss resort of St. Moritz for the 17th annual British Classic Car Meeting. The ultra-stylish event features a series of outings, a rally and concours d'elégance. Set against the breathtaking Alpine scenery 5,900 ft. above sea level in the elegant environs favored by the likes of Prince Charles, Kate Moss, Naomi Campbell, Hugh Grant, Elizabeth Hurley and George Clooney, it's an elegant showcase for the UK's famed marques mentioned above as well as some historical makes like Lagonda, Daimler and Austin-Healey. Museum pieces like pre-war Rolls-Royce open tourers compete against rarities like this Aston Martin DB6 shooting brake, fully kitted out for skiing and picnicking, with prizes for different classes and periods. On July 10 there will be a gala dinner with entertainment and dancing at the luxurious 5-star Suvretta House hotel.

[via JustLuxe]

Gallery: Classic British Cars in St. Moritz

Tags: Alps, Aston Martin, Bentley, classic cars, concours delegance, Jaguar, Prince Charles, Rolls-Royce, shooting brake, St. Moritz, Suvretta House, Swiss Alps, Switzerland

Tour the Alps in the New Mercedes SLS AMG

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels, Luxury Cars & Autos

For about bout $21,000 you can now take an incredible week-long tour from the French Alps to the Cote d'Azur at the wheel of a brand new Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG. The tariff, about $14,000 for the car and $7,000 for accommodations and meals (excluding essential incidentals like wine and gas), is fairly reasonable considering what Loeven SportwagenTouren, Europe's premier supercar touring company, includes in its amazing Tour des Niveaux: the 7-day journey begins in Zurich and traverses breathtaking alpine roads from Mont Blanc to the famous seaside Grande Corniche between Nice and Menton. The tour also includes stopovers at boutique luxury hotels, many of them historically significant, as well as incredible cuisine at Michelin-starred eateries en route. The SLS AMG is just one of the supercar options with everything from Ferraris to Bugattis available at a price. There's also a classic car version for old-school enthusiasts. The classic car dates are June 5th - June 11th, and the SLS and others are available from June 12th - June 18th. Space is of course very limited.

Tags: Alps, Cote dAzur, CoteDazur, Mercedes-Benz, Mercedes-benzSlsAmg, supercar, Switzerland

Aurelio Lech: Luxury Alpine Chic in the Austrian Alps

by Carrie Coolidge (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels

Aurelio Lech, Austria's most luxurious ski and spa lodge, nestled in the exclusive resort of Lech am Arlberg, is a nominee for a Readers' Choice Award for Best Ski Hotel.

Aurelio Lech, which opened in December 2008, provides all the sophistication and comforts of a world-class hotel combined with the ambiance and elegance of a private residence. Each of its nineteen bedrooms and suites were individually designed and offer cozy, chic and extremely luxurious amenities. The resort's 14 deluxe double rooms and five suites and junior suites all offer views of the snowy slopes.

The resort offers two spas, including the Spa at Aurelio Lech which is a holistic day spa with exclusive treatments, a modern fitness center complete with the latest equipment and a personal coach, several indoor pools including an activity pool, an extensive thermal suite and a tranquil meditation center where guests relax in front of an open fire. The Ski Spa has a herbal sauna, aroma vapor bath, cooling-off pool, blossom bath, adventure showers, Jacuzzi, Techno-Gym equipment and treatment rooms. At 23 meters in length, one of the resort's two swimming pools is the largest and deepest swimming pool in Lech.

The hotel's butler and concierge service can arrange a variety of activities, including heli-skiing and heli-boarding in the Arlberg Mountains. There's also Nordic walking, tobogganing, horse-drawn sleigh rides, ice-skating, snowshoeing, paragliding and much more.The resort has professional instructors and fully certified ski guides. The Lech Ski School is one of the first of its kind and was established in 1925.

One part of the Hotel Aurelio, "The Aurelio Club", can be rented exclusively as a chalet with nine rooms, its own spa, including a swimming pool, chimney room lounge and a separate meeting room.

Rates for a deluxe double room range from 675 euros to 1,500 euros per night, depending on the date; while suites range from 900 euros to 2,200 euros a night. A video of the hotel can be viewed here.

Vote now for what you believe is the best of breed for each of the Winter Travel categories. Readers' Choice Awards for the Best in Winter Travel will be announced on January 31st.

Gallery: More from Hotel Aurelio

Tags: alps, aurelio lech, AurelioLech, austria, awards-main, Hotel Aurelio, HotelAurelio, lech, luxist-awards, ski hotel, ski resorts, SkiHotel, SkiResorts, spa, winter-travel-awards, winter-travel-main

Winter Resort Company Fails, Prince Andrew Could Be Out His Deposit

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Britain's Prince Andrew may be out a big vacation deposit. The London Times reports that ski chalet rental company Descent International has gone into liquidation meaning that guests may lose their deposits for winter vacations. A total of nearly £500,000 including a deposit made by the Duke of York might not be returned. The chalet company offered the most exclusive winter chalets in the Alps at resorts like Courchevel, Verbier, Zermatt and St Moritz.

Earlier this year, Prince William and some friends rented luxurious villas at Klosters from Descent. Prince Andrew also stayed at Descent's Chalet Eugenia in Klosters last January during the time of the World Economic Forum in Davos and hosted a small party. He had booked the same villa for next year to coincide with the Davos conference. A total of 42 groups have already paid deposits for an amount of around £450,000. Looks like we can blame the recession for this one too, the reduction in luxury travel is being cited as a reason for the company's failure.

Source

Tags: alps, descent international, DescentInternational, prince andrew, PrinceAndrew, ski holiday, SkiHoliday, skis, switzerland

Balkan Dictator's Villa Turned Vacation Spot

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels

Former Yugoslavian dictator Marshal Tito's lavish villa on Slovenia's beautiful Lake Bled has been refurbished and turned into a top-drawer hotel under the auspices of the famed Relais & Chateaux group. The white Dalmatian marble mansion, called Vila Bled, on 12 landscaped acres surrounded by the dramatic Julian Alps, was visited by the likes of Liz Taylor, King Hussein of Jordan and Prince Charles when it was the former president's retreat in the '50s and '60s. Now it's divided into 20 luxe suites with a vintage feel, with a newly-added spa featuring both Turkish and Finnish saunas and food prepared by the first Slovenian chef to earn a Michelin star. See the gallery for more.

[via UrbanDaddy]

Gallery: Vila Bled

Tags: Alps, Balkans, Julian Alps, JulianAlps, Lake Bled, LakeBled, Mashal Tito, MashalTito, Prince Charles, PrinceCharles, Relais Chateaux, RelaisChateaux, Slovenia, Tito, Yugoslavia

Branson's Latest Place to Play: The Lodge at Verbier

by Rigel Celeste (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels

For many skiing is one of the saving graces of winter, one of the few things that make the snow and cold worthwhile. This time of year a trip to the Swiss Alps for great skiing, great food, and great comfort sounds like such a treat -- and it really will be if you're headed to Sir Richard Branson's latest resort getaway: The Lodge, Verbier.

The most expensive chalet in the Alps, it just opened last month. According to this review it's quite the haven of luxury and class, as well it should be considering costs will run you about £36,250/week.

Source

Tags: alps, branson, mountains, resort, sir richard branson, SirRichardBranson, ski, skiing, tourism, travel, traveling

A Mountain in the Alps Gets a Topper

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels

How's this for an ambitious project? A steel and glass pyramid is being constructed for the Klein Matterhorn in the Alps to bring it over the 4,000 meter mark. According to an article in The Guardian, 4,000 meters is the magic height for a mountain, representing a level that most people can never hope to attain. The Klein Matterhorn is already home to the world's highest cable car. In the article, Daniel Luggen or the tourist office in Zermatt is quoted as saying that their "aim is to make the mountain more attractive."

Architect Heinz Julen designed the 100 million Euro Matterhorn Glacier Paradise project that will include the pyramid sky platform and a restaurant and conference center that will be pressurized to avoid altitude sickness. Many are angry over the project, which they see as taking away from the natural beauty of the Alps. The project is just one of many in the area, including plans to turn the Schatzalp in Davos into a luxury high rise.

Source

Tags: alps, architecture, design, matterhorn, switzerland