Jetsettersblog

A re-created Elizabethan garden will open this spring at Kenilworth Castle near Coventry, in the English Midlands.

It will present the most complete picture of an Elizabethan garden anywhere in the world. It will feature carved arbours, a bejewelled aviary and a 5.5-metre (18ft) fountain. Queen Elizabeth I was among the visitors to the original garden, which was designed by Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester, in 1575.

The re-creation of a 16th-century garden has never before been attempted on such a large scale. It has been made possible by advances in garden archaeology and the survival of a contemporary eye-witness description of the garden, written by Robert Langham. The garden does not officially open until May 2009 but there will be guided tours every Friday at 2pm and 3pm before the official opening date.

Kenilworth, one of the most spectacular castle ruins in England, will also be hosting a series of Tudor-themed events celebrating the 500th anniversary of King Henry VIII’s ascension to the throne.

The castle is open daily 10am–4pm to end Feb, 10am–5pm Mar–Oct. Admission £6.10 adults, £3 children, £15.20 family ticket.

Kenilworth Castle, Castle Green, Kenilworth, Warwickshire CV8 1NE
Tel: +44 1926 864152
Website: www.english-heritage.org.uk

The Whitechapel Gallery in the East End of London will nearly double its size when it reopens in April. In a £13.5-million expansion programme, the former library building next to the Gallery is being incorporated into a refurbished gallery.

Included in the expanded building are new galleries dedicated to presenting collections and new commissions, a permanent gallery and research room for the Whitechapel Gallery’s historic archive, and an Education and Research Tower including study and creative studios. These new spaces for art have been designed in collaboration with leading artist Rachel Whiteread.Iwona Blazwick OBE, the gallery’s director, says: ‘This century-old institution is the artists’ gallery for everyone. The exciting expansion enables the Whitechapel Gallery to open all year round so there will always be something free to see.

The gallery will become a major cultural resource and a destination for the arts.’

The original exhibition spaces in the Whitechapel Gallery have been renovated and will be the site for a landmark exhibition of German sculptor Isa Genzken, the first major retrospective of her work.

Exhibition highlights for 2009 will include painter Elizabeth Peyton (summer), the return of the East End Academy (summer), Sophie Calle (autumn), changing displays from the British Council collection and from the gallery’s archives, and project gallery exhibitions by Julie Ault and Melanie Manchot.

The Whitechapel Gallery was founded in 1901 to bring great art to the people of east London. In 1939 Picasso’s masterpiece Guernica was displayed at the Gallery on its first and only visit to Britain. The gallery was also the first to hold British exhibitions of Jackson Pollock, Mark Rothko, David Hockney, Gilbert and George, Richard Long and Frida Kahlo.

Whitechapel Gallery, 80–82 Whitechapel High St, London E1 7QX
Tel: +44 20 7522 7888
Website: www.whitechapel.org

The Shakespeare Birthplace Trust is opening a new exhibition and visitor centre in April at Shakespeare’s Birthplace in Stratford-upon-Avon, designed to give visitors a new visual experience and insight into the life of Britain’s greatest playwright. The exhibition at the centre is called Life, Love & Legacy: A New Introduction to William Shakespeare.

Visitors journey through five zones in what is described as an ‘immersive experience’.

Artefacts related to Shakespeare will be presented in a way that encapsulates the excitement and passion of the man himself. Shakespeare’s original 1623 First Folio, the pride of the Trust’s collection, will be revealed to visitors by theatrical lighting in front of transition gauze.

Diana Owen, director of the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust, says: ‘Shakespeare still has powerful resonance around the world and if he were alive today he would tell his own story in an entertaining and theatrical way with sound, lighting, entrances and exits, all the techniques he used so brilliantly in his plays. With Life, Love and Legacy we hope to be able to introduce more people to our work and treasures, and of course to Shakespeare.’

The visitor centre is in the grounds of the house where the Bard was born (Shakespeare’s Birthplace will be open as normal during the refit) and the centrepiece of the five houses in and around Stratford that the Trust owns and opens to the public.

The Shakespeare Birthplace Trust

Shakespeare Centre, Henley Street, Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire CV37 6QW

Tel: +44 1789 204016

Website: www.shakespeare.org.uk

Rockliffe Hall is a golf and luxury spa hotel opening in late 2009 in the Tees Valley in north-east England.

The 152-hectare (375-acre) development at Hurworth Village near Darlington will offer hotel rooms in the refurbished Old Hall as well as newly designed and built rooms in garden lodge houses. The 10-bedroomed Rockliffe Hall, a mansion house built in 1863, is being restored with many of the original features.

A new 18-hole golf course, which will open in June, has been designed by Marc Westenborg and built by M.J. Abbotts. It will be one of the longest and most challenging courses to be created in the UK in the last 10 years, with 90 tee-boxes and 82 bunkers.

Nearly 250,000 trees are being planted to encourage the return of wildlife.

The Rockliffe Park estate was owned by Lord Southampton until it was bought by the Brothers of St John of God and converted into a hospital in 1950.

It stood empty for several years until 1996 when Middlesbrough Football Club bought it to use as a training centre.

The estate is by the River Tees and offers a good location for exploring Durham and the North Yorkshire Moors. It is near the major cities of Darlington and Newcastle, and not far from the A1 and A19 roads.

Durham & Tees Valley airport and the Darlington main North East line railway station are 10 minutes’ drive away.

Rockliffe Hall
near Darlington, County Durham DL2 2DU

Website: www.rockliffehall.com

England’s first five-star tree house has opened in Somerset.

The Treehouse at West Hayes, near Taunton, is a new concept in luxury self-catering holidays. It can accommodate up to five people and is equipped with a fully-fitted kitchen, under-floor heating, a plasma screen TV and iPod docking station. There is also a wood-burning stove, a Super King-size iron bed in the master bedroom, bunk beds and a hot tub on one of the decking areas.

An outside catering service is available to deliver home-cooked meals.

The Treehouse is built in and around a mature lime tree on a farm. The Rucklidge family, who own the farm, have four small children as well as sheep, pigs, ponies, chickens and dogs.

Katy Rucklidge created the Treehouse and she says: ‘We have always wanted to create a Treehouse on the farm to be used as a holiday cottage. We hope the Treehouse will recapture the child in all of us.’

The Treehouse is in the conservation village of Halse, in Somerset in the south-west of England.

Halse is between the Quantock Hills and Exmoor, and 10 km (6 miles) from junction 25 of the M5.

Prices start at £645 per week in the low season. The owners will plant a native British tree for every booking.

The Treehouse at West Hayes
Halse, Taunton, Somerset TA4 3AE

Tel: +44 1823 431622
Website: www.treehouseholidays.com

The Royal Deck of the Royal Yacht Britannia is being re-created and will be available for
corporate evening entertaining from January. Traditionally the Royal Deck, one of the highest on the ship, would be covered with an awning and used by the Royal Family for cocktail parties, receptions and deck games. Its historic appearance is being re-created with an awning-style roof, glass walls and a teak deck.

For over 40 years, until 1997, the Royal Family used Britannia for official visits. The ship sailed over 1 million miles on nearly 1,000 royal visits. It is now docked in Scotland at Leith, Edinburgh, and is one of the UK’s most prestigious corporate event venues. Receptions and dinners are held on board in the State Drawing Room and Dining Room.

The Royal Deck will bring Britannia’s dining capacity up to 176 and receptions up to 380, when used with the State Apartments. During the day Britannia is a popular tourist attraction, with an audio tour available in 21 different languages, including a children’s version and a version for the visually impaired. From March the Royal Deck will be open as the Royal Deck Restaurant serving lunch and light refreshments during the day.

Britannia is owned by The Royal Yacht Britannia Trust, a non-profit-making charity, and all proceeds go towards her long-term maintenance.

The Royal Yacht Britannia
Ocean Drive, Leith, Edinburgh EH6 6JJ
Tel: +44 131 555 8800
Website: www.royalyachtbritannia.co.uk

VIE Hotel Bangkok, is to open on December 2, 2008, and will be Asia’s first of the MGallery collection of hotels.

The hotel benefits a superb location at Ratchathewi Skytrain station providing easy access to Bangkok’s most popular shopping areas, museums, universities, and National Stadium.

“We are delighted to welcome VIE Hotel Bangkok to the MGallery collection of hotels, marking our first in Asia. The hotel is set to provide a unique hotel experience for guests that choose their hotel to be at the centre of the travel plans, desire individuality in a human sized hotel” said Oswald Pichler – Vice President Operations Accor Thailand, Cambodia and Laos.

Like the French meaning of the word ‘VIE’ – the hotel’s design concept is the reflection of life. This is delivered through modern contemporary styling, frisky lighting, vivid colors and fashionable decorative items achieving boutique elegance. The hotel aims to provide enriched customization and passionate pleasure for those looking for a unique experience with edgy design.

The interior of all four room types; deluxe, deluxe suite (one bedroom), duplex suite (two bedrooms) and VIE Penthouse, are contemporary with touches of colorful Thai silk and soft furnishings that contrast the dark coconut wood furniture and hard wood flooring to create a warm and relaxing setting. Large windows showcase the scenic Bangkok skyline while the bathroom is vast and designed for full functionality with a separate shower and bath tub. All 154 lavishly appointed spacious rooms come fully equipped with high-end in-room amenities.

Contained within the four-storey cube at the hotels front is the VIE 39 Exclusive Club, which features VIE CIGAR and VIE WINE providing an extensive selection of cigars and wines and topped with a rooftop swimming pool.

Unique contemporary cuisine, with dishes carefully designed to impress, can be found at VIE DINING, an all-day-dining venue in a chic setting with eleventh floor views of the Bangkok skyline.

Guests will also enjoy body and mind rejuvenation options, designed to relax you physically and mentally, either at VIE FIT, a fully equipped fitness club with the latest equipment, or the fabulous VIE SPA.

The MGallery label, hotels with distinctive personalities

The recently launched MGallery hotel collection is a small collection of Accor’s most distinctive personality and upscale hotels with an atypical positioning, each of them offering a superior distinctive experience that combines the excellence of its service offer with individual establishments, with a marked personality to make every guest’s stay unique.

The MGallery collection of hotels has an individual personality that gives a unique travel experience

- through a history, whether a historic building or a past story,
- an exceptional location
- a vision that is the specific project of its creator
- a design that is particularly sophisticated and avant-garde.

Vie Hotel Bangkok belongs to the ‘design’ family of the MGallery collection and is a World’s first member.

Reflecting their history, setting, vision or design, the MGallery collection hotels each have their own name, visual identity and specific products and services offer, consistent with the sprit of the label.

Special opening package

VIE Hotel Bangkok is offering an opening package Thai Baht 5,900++/deluxe room/night inclusive of breakfast, 2 x 60 minute spa treatments in Vie Spa, welcome fruit and flowers in room upon arrival, and daily newspaper. The offer is valid until January 31, 2009 with reservations at www.accorhotels.com or mgallery.com

MGallery is a collection of upscale hotels that are remarkable in their personality. Selected to offer each guest an original experience thanks to their distinctive features, they come to life with an upscale service offer and bespoke products. Designed for a broad range of individual guests in activity –center and city center destinations, MGallery will seduce both business travelers looking for tailor-made services and tourists eager to experience authentic venues and moments. The MGallery collection of hotels thus reinforces the consistency of Accor’s portfolio in the upscale non standardized segment. As of Q3 2008, the MGallery network comprises 8 hotels and will grow to over 40 establishments in Europe, Middle-East, Asia-Pacific, the Caribbean and Latin America by end 2010.

Accor, a major global group and the European leader in hotels, as well as the global leader in services to corporate clients and public institutions, operates in nearly 100 countries with 150,000 employees. It offers to its clients over 40 years of expertise in two core businesses:
- Hotels, with the Sofitel, Pullman, MGallery, Novotel, Mercure, Suitehotel, Ibis, all seasons, Etap Hotel, Formule 1 and Motel 6 brands, representing 4,000 hotels and nearly 500,000 rooms in 90 countries, as well as strategically related activities, such as Lenôtre;
- Services, with 30 million people in 40 countries benefiting from Accor Services products in employee and public benefits, rewards and loyalty, and expense management.

Everything you need to know about MGallery hotels at www.mgallery.com

After fifteen years in the planning, Queensland’s new Mamu Rainforest Canopy Walkway opened in August. Ma:Mu is set in the lush World Heritage-listed rainforests of Wooroonooran National Park, the lesser known but no less impressive sister park to the Daintree National Park. Visitors can now enjoy rainforest plants and animals, from the forest floor right up to the canopy, as well as sweeping vistas over the North Johnstone River gorge and beyond to rainforest-clad mountains, from a 40m-long cantilever and a 30m-high observation tower. The entire area has cultural significance for the Mamu and the walkway was constructed in partnership with the indigenous people.

www.epa.qld.gov.au/projects/park/index.cgi?parkid=264

Cockatoo Island, a Heritage-listed island in the middle of Sydney Harbour, has recently opened a waterfront campsite with spectacular views. Just 10 minutes by ferry from Circular Quay, visitors can bring their own camping gear or rent a full set of camping equipment for the night. Barbecues onsite allow visitors to cook their own food or use a barbecue hamper from the Muster Station Café, which also caters meals from breakfast to dinner. Visitors can hire a kayak, explore the island’s maritime and convict history with a new self-guided audio tour and enjoy views of Sydney Harbour Bridge.

www.cockatooisland.gov.au

The award winning Sheraton Suzhou Hotel & Towers has announced today that the new Towers Wing is scheduled to open January 2009. The Towers Wing comprises of 99 deluxe rooms and suites of fine, luxurious designs of which, 14 are directly aligned for complete natural lighting. Located near the ancient Pan Men Wall, the hotel boasts a unique architecture of ancient Chinese grandeur and exquisite features of Suzhou gardens.

Bridges, rushing water and towers come together to fully present the history and culture of this ancient city.

Sheraton Suzhou Hotel & Towers has been honored this year with the “Top Ten Most Popular Hotels in China” award for a third time, as well as the prestigious “5th anniversary China Hotel Golden Pillow” award. Many CEO’s and distinguished guests have commented highly on the hotel for its garden inspired designs and harmonious architecture, all complementing the nearby historical sites.

The Towers Wing consists of four floors with designs similar to those of the main hotel building. This new wing brings elements of traditional Jiangnan habitation style with a contemporary luxurious state of the art interiors, and with the scenery complementing the nearby Gu Su Gardens.

Both the main building and The Towers Wing are designed by the famous Palmer & Turner Company from Singapore, with a particular focus in balancing classical with contemporary design in the overall theme of the hotel.

The Hotel guestrooms are all designed spacious and comfortable, even the smallest rooms measuring an area of 50 sqm. Suites start from 75 sqm, with the specialist suites reaching up to 115sqm of which, 25 sqm is garden area. The rooms are designed to allow as much natural light to shine into there lavish interior as possible, without compromising the privacy of hotel guests. The essence of Suzhou’s ancient city culture is truly reflected in every room and public area of the hotel.

Guestrooms on the second floor are also accompanied with a private garden while those on the third floor have glass exteriors, enjoying natural sun light throughout the entire day. The specialist suites on the fourth floor are equipped with an exterior covered Jacuzzi bath tubs to dispel all tension and stress from daily activities.

Osmanthus, an auspicious flower in traditional Chinese culture, is used to add a sweet garden aroma to the Towers Wing. This light fragrance is omnipresent, from the entrance hallways all the way to guestroom gardens. The Osmanthus flower is one of the most celebrated flowers in China as it gained fame in the ancient legend of “Wu Gang Chopping Osmanthus Tree on the Moon”.

Bene Italian Kitchen the main restaurant of the Towers Wing is a authentic modern Italian Brasserie styled concept built around quality product with a creative team of chefs working in its kitchens, Bene’s menu celebrates the heritage and traditions of time-honored Italian cooking with a modern touch

Also accessible to Towers Wing guests is a Towers lounge area found in The Tower Wing which is an ideal place to spend the day reading a book or to gather with friends before a night out, enjoying the best wines and beautifully prepared light food

Sheraton Suzhou Hotel & Towers also has comprehensive conference and banquet facilities, along with professional conference services to meet all business needs. It is an ideal choice for board meetings and VIP promotional events.