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Auberge du Soleil Celebrates its Anniversary with Getaway Package

Filed under: Dining, Luxury Travel & Hotels

Auberge du Soleil, the iconic Michelin-starred restaurant (and winner of the Luxist Readers' Choice Award for Most Romantic Restaurant) and premier luxury resort is celebrating its 25th anniversary as a resort (30 years for the restaurant). Auberge du Soleil, which is Napa Valley's first fine-dining venue, helped transform the area into the must-see destination it is today for food, wine, and the beauty of wine country. In honor of this milestone, Auberge du Soleil will celebrate with a year of culinary offerings and experiences in addition to a fresh new look unveiled this month.

The first culinary offering features a "30-Year Journey Through Wine" list featuring 30 consecutive vintages from around the world as well as from the Napa Valley that was compiled by Wine Director Kris Margerum. This special list will be available through 2011 in addition to the more than 1,300 selections that are featured on Auberge du Soleil's standard comprehensive wine list.

Gallery: Auberge du Soleil

Tags: auberge du soleil, awards-main, luxist-awards, luxist-main, michelin, michelin guide, michelin stars, Napa Valley, Relais Chateau, RelaisChateaux

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Richard Gere's New Gig As Hotel Ambassador

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Estates, Celebrity Design

We already knew that Richard Gere was in the hotel business. He and his wife Carey Lowell are the owners and proprietors of the charming Bedford Post Inn, a retreat about an hour north of New York City. The inn was recently named as a new member of the Relais & Châteaux hotel association and Gere is taking on an additional role; he has been named the 2011 ambassador of Relais & Châteaux.

As my colleague Jared Paul Stern recently pointed out, The Bedford Post Inn is an eight-room luxury inn featuring marble baths, fireplaces and Frette linens, two restaurants and a yoga studio. Gere and wife Carey Lowell recently hired Jeremy MacMillan, formerly of A Voce Columbus and A Voce Madison in Manhattan, as the new chef at the Inn, where he will emphasize high-quality seasonal local ingredients at both its restaurants. Rates at the hotel range from $295 per night for a basic bed and breakfast experience to $630 per night for the Inn's King Deluxe room with a terrace, breakfast at The Barn, the Chef's Tasting Menu at the Farmhouse and a yoga class for two guests.

The Bedford Post is one of 36 new members that were approved this year, bringing the membership of the organization to more than 500 hotels and restaurants in nearly 60 countries. The 2011 Guide includes six new destinations: Vanuatu, Estonia, Laos, Sri Lanka, Chile and Hong Kong. Properties have an average of 30 rooms and are often family enterprises. It's no easy job. As Gere put it: "In my long career, I've played many challenging and demanding characters, but believe me, none more so than my real life role as innkeeper."

Gallery: Bedford Post Inn

Tags: bedford post inn, celebrity hotels, celebrity innkeepers, Relais Chateaux, RelaisChateaux, richard gere

Nantucket Island's Christmas Stroll

by Deb West (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Events, Holiday Guides

One of the best kept holiday secrets on the East Coast is the annual Christmas Stroll on Nantucket Island. The island located off the coast of Massachusetts, has long been famous as a summer destination for the wealthy and occasional celebrity or well known politician. It is also renown for maintaining its charm and old-fashioned feel, accomplished through strict development and zoning laws that regulate what can be built.

The holiday season begins the first Friday after Thanksgiving, when the Chamber of Commerce sponsors an Annual Tree Lighting and Community Caroling event. Nothing could be more picturesque than the antique cobblestone filled town illuminated by over 150 Christmas trees, while sounds of the carolers fill the air. The 36th annual Christmas Stroll is held over the weekend of December 4th-6th as part of the month long Nantucket Noel Celebration.

One of the highlights is a Main Street parade featuring Santa and Mrs. Claus, who arrive by Coast Guard vessel, rather than sleigh, and ride up Main Street in a horse drawn carriage accompanied by the town crier.There are also carolers in Victorian costumes and a Magical Talking Tree to entertain the little ones. The shops and restaurants are all open and feature holiday themed window decorations and often offer hot toddies and cookies to visitors. It is a charming way to experience a little bit of an old-fashioned Christmas as well as get some early shopping accomplished.

There are many lodging options available for the special weekend. The Chatfield-Taylor Real Estate company has set up a special website for homes to rent for the Christmas stroll weekend. Many are quite conveniently located, either in town or within a short walking distance of the festivities, and come in all sizes in case you'd like to bring the extended family or just want a romantic couples retreat. There are numerous Inns and Bed & Breakfasts in town as well as the famous The Wauwinet a Relais & Chateau property located on the beach.

Gallery: Nantucket Stroll

Tags: Christmas for dogs, christmas shopping, ChristmasForDogs, ChristmasShopping, holiday shopping, HolidayShopping, nantucket, RelaisChateaux, wauwinet

Last-minute Thanksgiving Getaways

by Deb West (RSS feed) —

Just thinking about the Thanksgiving holiday brings up mixed emotions for many people. Maybe you don't have a lot of family or maybe you have so many people in your family that no matter whose house you choose to go to someone feels slighted. It is also possible that the thought of spending the day in front of the stove preparing for the arrival of your relatives fills you with dread. It could even be simply that you actually love Thanksgiving and the traditional feast that accompanies the day but are in desperate need of a vacation.

There are many options for those who decide they'd rather skip town, relax and let someone else do the cooking.

Blackberry Farm, a Relais & Chateau property located on 4,200-acre estate in the Smokey Mountains, has a special Thanksgiving weekend program. It includes an annual turkey fry held on the lawn, bluegrass music and local artisans at the Fall Harvest Festival, storytelling and the traditional Thanksgiving dinner. Enjoy the last of the fall colors at this relaxed retreat which is renown for its Southern hospitality. Rooms start at $995, include meals and children under 10 (not normally permitted at the property) are allowed over the holiday.

If you need a long weekend at the beach Seven Stars at Grace Bay on Turks & Caicos may be just the place to put up your feet. The resort which is adjacent a marine preserve and is surrounded by white sand beaches is offering a Thanksgiving special with rooms starting at $401 a night for an Ocean View Junior Suite.

Jackson Hole Wyoming's Rusty Parrot Lodge & Spa is offering a special "Thankfully in Jackson " package. It includes four nights lodging, their famous breakfast, two one-hour massage therapy sessions at The Body Sage, admission to The National Museum of Wildlife Art, and unique afternoon activities including a local history walking tour, and presentation by staff biologist from The Teton Science School. Their restaurant The Wild Sage, will host an evening wine and cheese tasting reception and last but not least a spectacular Thanksgiving feast for two. All this begins at rates of $1308.00 per couple and up.

Have a great trip!

Tags: Blackberry Farm, BlackberryFarm, Relais Chateaux, RelaisChateaux, Rusty Parrot Lodge Spa, RustyParrotLodgeSpa, Seven Stars, SevenStars, thanksgiving, Turks Caicos, TurksCaicos, vacation

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