Archive for September, 2009
Jamaican me Crazy! A visit to the Rockhouse
After a long summer of anticipation last week I enjoyed my vacation to The Rockhouse, our member hotel in the beautiful Caribbean island of Jamaica. As a longtime member of Design Hotels the Rockhouse is one of those hotels that, through its images, simply connotes relaxation, natural beauty, faint sounds of Bob Marley songs, and general island living… This is the vacation that everybody dreams of!
I can easily say that my week at the Rockhouse was one of my most memorable vacations ever. The hotel itself, the staff, the local flavor, the food, and the nature all work together to create an experience that exceeded all expectations. One aspect of the hotel that I wanted to elaborate on is the idea of “local integration” and the fact that the hotel does it so well, it completely blurs and almost dissolves lines between tourist, local and hotel guest. The staff is made of the friendliest, most competent, and most charming people who truly represent the country of Jamaica. They go beyond the call of duty to facilitate experiences from snorkeling to dining to seeing the real Jamaica. Additionally, the committment that the hotel has made through the Rockhouse Foundation has engrained the benvolent culture of the hotel outside of the property by building needed school facilities and a public library nearby. The Foundation has raised in excess of $1million for these projects in the last few years and while the hotel does not use it as a marketing device, it is obvious that they take it extremely seriously.
I wholeheartedly recommend a visit to the Rockhouse for anyone interested in planning a vacation. There is a reason that it is one of the most popular hotels in the Caribbean and these become obvious upon arrival. Big Thanks to Charlotte, Damian, Fab, Peter, Paul and the whole Rockhouse team!
The view from the aquamarine water…
The Rockhouse Restaurant at sunset…
Entering the sea…
The “massage hut”… The Rockhouse Spa is FANTASTIC and was named to Conde Nast´s Hot List
Let Famous Vincent show you around the waters for the best snorkeling…
Villa 4
Inside Villa 4 and our view outside…
Rockhouse resident
The infinity-edge pool jutting out into the sea…
Nearby the Rockhouse is the famous Rick´s Cafe where you can watch amazing cliff divers while sipping your Red Stripe
Chilling in the water…
The beautiful children at the Negril All Ages School in one of the new buildings sponsored by the Rockhouse Foundation
The Negril Public Library built and sponsored by the Rockhouse Foundation
Beach barbecue with Peter Rose (Director of the Rockhouse Foundation) and some helpers from the Rockhouse Foundation as Salmon Point
Zip-lining at YS Falls (at around 1:24 my father crashes into the tree)
Posted in DESIGN HOTELS | No Comments »
T Magazine 5th Anniversary at Standard NYC
Our friends at The Crane.tv were recently in New York and attended the 5th anniversary party for New York Times T Magazine. The party took place on the 18th floor lounge (newly opened) at the Standard Hotel with many celebrities in attendance including Mr. Standard himself, Andre Balazs (accesorizing with the ever-lovely Helena Christensen) among others.
Photo credits to TheCrane.tv and Wataru Kitano
Posted in THE CRANE.TV | No Comments »
Dali in Stockholm
Our friends at the Skeppsholmen were good enough to send some info about a fantastic new exhibit being shown at their neighbor- the Stockholm Museum of Modern Art. The exhibit features the works of the great Salvador Dalí and is called Dalí Dalí featuring Francesco Velzzoli. The show runs through January 17 and is a must see. The perfect compliment to a weekend getaway at the Skeppholmen!
Posted in SKEPPSHOLMEN HOTEL | No Comments »
That Special Time of Year… Oktoberfest!
It is fall… that special time of year when topics of conversation include changing leaves, cooler weather, and beer… that is correct, Oktoberfest! So, don your best lederhosen and dirndl and start chugging. While the biggest Oktoberfest celebration takes place in Munich (check out our newest hotel, the Louis), Berlin has its very own Oktoberfest tent and I stopped by with some colleagues for a little pre-training.
A good time was had by all… PROST!
This woman who goes around checking your blood:alcohol level
The Famous Hippodrom (of Berlin)
Bench Dancing
Posted in DESIGN HOTELS | No Comments »
New Restaurant in New York
With the opening of our newest New York City member, the Crosby Street Hotel, we are proud to update you about some of the other notable openings and goings-on in the big apple. One of the most buzz-worthy new hotspots is Charlie Palmer´s new Bryant Square restaurant, Aureole. With only 54 seats and an 18 seat bar, the restaurant is not huge, but clever pre-planning patrons can arrive at the restaurant armed with their wine choice already made. The restaurant has uploaded the list onto ewinebook.com and allows guests to choose in advance.
For those interested, visit Aurole (tasting menu $115 with optional wine paring $65)
Posted in DESIGN HOTELS | No Comments »
NYC Standard Hotel… from the other side…
NY´s new Standard Hotel has been receiving a lot of coverage for the free peep shows that take place nightly for those pervs lucky enough to be on the highline with a view of the guestrooms. Being the curious bunch that we are, we decided to check this out for ourselves. In the words of a colleague who shall remain nameless… “here is what you see when you are the one actually doing the shaggin´.”
Not such a bad view, ehh…? More news about the Standard coming…
Posted in DESIGN HOTELS | No Comments »