Wequassett Resort & Golf Club

Wequassett: without a doubt one of the top 10 most incredible resorts in the US. The service was exceptional: it's always a good sign when the staff is genuinely excited about their work, it means they are valued by their employers who in turn understand just how important the "little things" are in the hospitality industry. 

From the moment the shuttle car picked me up after a long journey I knew this was going to be a unique experience. My driver was charming, pleasant, professional and accomodating- a tall order and yet he managed! Check-in was a breeze and we were shuttled to the room in a golf cart...

The Suite, overlooking the bay, was incredible. The design was impeccably Cape Cod chic with crisp linens and a fresh color palette. A smart room, everything from the music to the fireplace turned on with a remote control. The two balconies left me speechless (and that doesn't happen very often)...crisp white deck chairs with plush cushions overlooking the water and perfect for stargazing at night were among my favorite features.

The bathroom was the best bathroom I've ever experienced- I could have soaked in the jacuzzi tub for days and the completely modernized sound system made listening to music in there an incredible experience. The suite was absolutely perfect in every way: this is not an ordinary hotel for a run of the mill vacation getaway...this is an amazing place where service is paramount and where your everyday problems will disappear.

The pool

Cabanas...

Hot tub and pool...

Suite overlooking the Bay...

Panoramic view

Amazing balconies

Outdoor fireplace

Everything about Wequassett screams "You have arrived!" It is truly an oasis of calm, beauty and yes, luxury. Coco Chanel believed that true luxury was never about being ostentatious but always about comfort and understatement. She would most definitely have approved of Wequassett...as do I...

www.wequassett.com

The Wauwinet in Nantucket

The Wauwinet in Nantucket...it's New England's version of paradise. The crisp white wicker chairs on the lawn, the perfectly manicured lawns, the casual chic ambience and, most of all, the world-class service all conspire to make this the ultimate Nantucket hotel.

I spent the afternoon sitting on one of their plush lawn chairs overlooking the water with a warm fleece blanket and I thought I had died and gone to heaven. Drinks were served on the lawn using large elegant trays, ladies wore straw hats, the grass was as green as grass gets, the flowers were in bloom...like I said, heavenly!

But after a few days even the most pristine setting can bcome a little stale without a few fun activities on the program, and the staff at the Wauwinet has thought of it all! From bike riding to tennis my favorite activity was the tour of the island aboard the "woody" a vintage car (the antique Chevy is pictured below). Our guide was exceptionally knowledgeable about the area, I especially enjoyed our tour of Sconset village.

Complimentary amenities include: jitney service to and from Nantucket downtown, boat rides into town aboard the Wauwinet lady, continental breakfast, port and cheese in the afternoons (a delightful touch) and bicycles.

It may look like a simple country home from the outside, but I can assure you that this Relais & Chateaux property is extravagant in spite of its comfortably chic allure. No detail is left unattended to and personal touches are everywhere.

I could end my review here, but that just wouldn't be right. Of all the amazing amenities at the property there is one that far outshines the rest and that would be the Concierge: Jordana Fleischut. I've been to a lot of hotels and some very nice ones at that, but I've yet to find somebody as professional, as helpful and as passionate about giving the guests the perfect trip. She went out of her way to help me with arranging transportation back home, no request was too great or too small and she made my stay one of the most enjoyable ever- I was so moved I had to give her a hug before leaving. She is, without a doubt, the crowning jewel of the Wauwinet.

http://www.wauwinet.com/

An aerial view of the property...

Those heavenly lawn chairs...

The grounds at dusk are simply magnificent!

The infamous "woody"

The gounds are spectacular...the perfect place for an afternoon drink

I could gush about The Wauwinet for another five paragraphs but you get the gist...if you are going to Nantucket then stay at the Wauwinet...it is THE hotel on the island...



The National Museum of American Illustration

"La, tout n'est qu'ordre et beaute: luxe, calme et volupte" wrote Charles Baudelaire. This translates loosely from the French as "Here all is symmetry and beauty: luxury, serenity and beauty for the senses." On a recent trip to Newport, R.I. I had the pleasure of visiting a place that embodied all these attributes, a structure that transcended the mere purpose of providing shelter from the elements but provided food for the mind...so just as in Baudelaire's famous poem "L'Invitation au Voyage" I invite you on a little journey to discover the National Museum of American Illustration at Vernon Court...

Located on the renowned Bellevue Avenue in Newport, this Gilded Age mansion was once the summer home of Mrs. Richard van Nest Gambrill. Designed by Carrere & Hastings in 1898 and inspired by the 18th Century Chateaux of France, Vernon Court soon came to be known as one of the most notable houses in the country. Today, its elegant preservation is second to none and the beauty of its salons en enfilade is well; breathtaking. But beyond the exquisite proportions and the French gardens what struck me most was that Vernon Court is not merely a fine tribute to the past but a vibrant homage to the present and future. Unlike many of its contemporaries, this Grande Dame does not wax nostalgic about her glorious past. Instead she is still incredibly beautiful and vibrant but most of all, meaningful and this she owes to the National Museum of American Illustration.

The Museum was founded in 1998 by Judy Goffman Cutler and Laurence. S. Cutler to house their art collection from the "Golden Age of American Illustration". These works are an integral part of the American Heritage and include milestone pieces by artists and illustrators such as Norman Rockwell, Maxfield Parrish, Charles Dana Gibson, Howard Pyle, NC Wyeth, Jessie Willcox Smith, JC Leyendecker, Violet Oakley, and over 150 other luminaries. Originally created to be reproduced in magazines and newspapers, posters and advertisements these illustrations slowly transcended their original purpose and those with a keen eye understood the intrinsic worth of each piece as a work of art unto itself. Moreover, each piece marks the growth of American art and history.

Ludwig Mies van der Rohe once said "Architecture is the will of an epoch translated into space." Nowhere does this ring more true than at Vernon Court and yet it magically encompasses the essence of our own era too. The work of the American Imagists on display gives us a flavor of where we have been as a country but also, where we are going. Many museums look to history for the answers, this one reaches into the past in order to get a firmer grip on the future. 

http://www.americanillustration.org/

The Spiced Pear

The Spiced Pear is The Chanler hotel's signature restaurant in Newport, R.I. As I mentioned in my previous blog entry, I visited the Chanler with my mum. She is lactose intolerant and therefore has trouble finding too many options on restaurant menus...not this time! In fact, her dinner was just as delicious as mine and occasionally some of her courses may even have surpassed my own!

Executive Chef Thomas Duffy makes poetry out of food...like any true genius he can take the simplest ingredients and make magic. First of all, let's talk about the quality of the produce...tomatoes that tasted heavenly, herbs straight from the garden that had been picked that day and fish that just melts in your mouth. What a difference it makes when the ingredients are confident enough to speak for themselves with only the perfect amount of interference from the culinary team.

We had the Ahi Tuna on a bed of cucumbers and soy pearls to start...it was like an explosion of Summertime on one's palette: fresh, light and oh so perfect. Then I had the butter poached lobster with truffled leeks...divine! I only wish I could have more room in my stomach to finish my plate: I was so full.

Throughout the dinner service was exceptional: no request was too trivial and nothing was impossible. The Spiced Pear overlooks the water, you can literally hear the crash of the waves from your table but all the while the French chandeliers and molded ceilings contribute to an air of Newport grandeur. There are a lot of very fine restaurants in Newport...but if you want a grand experience overlooking the ocean, the romance of the Spiced Pear coupled with the delicacy of the cuisine is well, nothing short of exceptional.

Chef Thomas Duffy (Below)

 http://www.thechanler.com/dining/

The Chanler: New England's Most Perfect Place

Versailles, eat your heart out: Newport's luxury boutique hotel The Chanler brings European elegance to New England the likes of which you are unlikely to find anywhere else! If you want to be treated like Royalty and escape reality for just a few moments, then you won't regret your stay here.

Last week I decided to take my Mum on a little Newport trip. Let me preface this piece by explaining just how picky and discerning a traveler she is...I travel with her a lot and she has never been fully satisfied with any hotel experience: if it's not the bed linens or the food, there's always something that's not quite perfect. So, you can imagine wha a compliment it is for her to rave about a place!

We arrived at noon at the Newport Transportation Center and got picked up by The Chanler's shuttle service: a luxury S.U.V. complete with uniformed driver ready to drive you anywhere you need to go in Newport throughout your stay: already things were looking up! I felt like we had just accessed the famous Platform 9 & 3/4 from Harry Potter and were being shuttled to a magical place.

As soon as we arrived we were offered a glass of champagne and shown to our room, which in this case was The Louis XVI Signature Room. It is, without a doubt, one of the most beautiful rooms in New England and beyond. The four poster bed will make you feel like a real princess or rather a Queen! Everything from the chandeliers everywhere, the fireplace, the paintings to the perfect French Rococco bathroom will transport you to an alternate universe. But the most extraordinary feature was the wrap around balcony with ocean view- simply breathtaking!

We went for a stroll along Newport's famous cliff walk, literally two steps away from the hotel, which overlooks the ocean on one side and Newport's famous Golden Age mansions on the other and for the first time I felt as if Lady Astor and the Vanderbilt's weren't relics of a bygone era that I couldn't relate to, but rather vibrant neigbours who might stop over for afternoon tea...this is how a stay at The Chanler will alter your perception of the world...

Here are a few pictures, it doesn't get any better than this...

The entrance to The Chanler from Newport's famous Cliff Walk...the gardens are perfectly manicured, the hushed whisper of nature at its grandest...here, French poet Baudelaire's words echo throughout "La, tout n'est luxe, calme et volupte" (Translation: Here, all is luxury, tranquility and beauty)

The Chanler lit up in the early evening...yes, it really looks this gorgeous in the flesh...it's a fairy tale come to life.

The Lobby

The Louis XVI Signature Suite...the most beautiful room I have ever experienced! Time stood still for a moment...

The sitting area in my room...

The Balcony with ocean view...

The view...

Everything from the perfectly manicured lawns to the exquisite bed linens was memorable. Most memorable of course was our dinner at The Chanler's restaurant: The Spiced Pear (please refer to the seperate blog entry entitled "The Spiced Pear")

Needless to say my Mum adored The Chanler, from now on it is the only hotel in Newport she will stay in! For her, and for me, this was hotel nirvana...I cannot think of a single thing that could be improved upon...

For all your special occasions: weddings, anniversaries this is THE perfect spot. I know how hard it is to splurge on a fancy suite and I would never give you all the green light unless I was 100% sure this was the best. So, if you have a honeymoon, anniversary or birthday I recommend the Louis XVI Suite...in fact, don't even wait for that special occasion...if you can, book it now because every girl deserves her princess fantasy to come true...even if it's just for a day...

http://www.thechanler.com/

Living like a Vanderbilt

Newport, R.I...it's a beautiful moment frozen in time. With only a hint of imagination, the gilded age and the glamour of a Summer Season with the Vanderbilts springs gloriously to life. Uniquely American but with European influences, the magic of Newport lies in its ability to bridge the gap between Old and New World atmosphere. Nowhere is this unique osmosis felt more intensely than at the Vanderbilt Grace Hotel, owned and renovated by the tasteful Grace Hotels Group since 2010.

From the moment you step into the Vanderbilt Grace you know you have achieved "hotel nirvana". The Old World decor is distinctly modern and tastefully renovated, the service is second to none and the little things you once thought trifling suddenly make your life seem so much sweeter.

Of course, the crowning glory of the hotel is restaurant "Muse" by Chef Jonathan Cartwright. Under the wing of his culinary genius food transcends its function as a mere mode of sustenance and becomes an art form the likes of which museum curators would covet. The service at the restaurant would make Mrs. Vanderbilt herself a little envious...every detail, every gesture is perfectly choreographed. An army of supremely well-trained servers comes out of the kitchen to serve a handful of dishes with ballerina like grace.

There are lots of wonderful restaurants in Newport but if you want to celebrate that special occasion or want to create an unforgettable food experience then Muse is in a league of its own in Newport, and elsewhere.

Visitors to Newport stroll down the famous Bellevue Avenue and visit the gilded age mansions with whimsical nostalgia as they peer through the past, a glamorous window that closed long ago. But when you stay at the Vanderbilt Grace Hotel that window opens up just a fraction...not in a kitchy touristy way, but with impeccable service and gracious hospitality.

If you plan to visit Newport this Summer, the Vanderbilt Grace Hotel is a must!

http://www.vanderbiltgrace.com/

A few pictures to whet your appetite...

http://www.vanderbiltgrace.com/