Jetsettersblog

Stay in the 20th Century Homes of Dylan Thomas or a
19th Century Slate-Cutting Mill or an 18th Century Country House

New York — There is nothing cookie-cutter about Wales, nor about its accommodation. And now Wales is giving travelers something to tweet about with a bevy of newly available accommodation including Number Five, the childhood home of Dylan Thomas; and Seaview, Dylan and Caitlin Thomas’ seaside home in Laugharne.

Other tweet-worthy accommodation includes Snowdonia’s Graig Wen and two affordable luxury escapes – The Grove and Ramsey House, both in Pembrokeshire on the south west coast of Wales and both positively glowing after extreme makeovers.

Poetic Properties

Dylan Thomas fans who want to step back in time and soak in the very atmosphere that inspired the late poet can stay at Number Five, the home where Dylan was born in the front bedroom in 1914 and lived until 1937.

This time-travel accommodation stays true to 1914 and even gives guests a newspaper on the day of their arrival, with the news of the day 95 years ago.

Over two thirds of Thomas’ published output was written in this home; “A Child’s Christmas in Wales,” was written about 5 Cwmdonkin Drive.

Number Five sleeps six guests and can be used as self-catering accommodation from £1,500 for a week for six people. Individual guests can book bed & breakfast at £125 per night. Two-hour tours of the home are also available and cost £12. www.5cwmdonkindrive.com

Dylan and Caitlin Thomas’ seaside home in Laugharne, where they lived from 1938-1940, opened April 2009 as a restaurant with four luxury five-star rooms. Fittingly called the Seaview, this is the home where Dylan and Caitlin were said to be happiest, raising their family and entertaining guests such as Arthur Miller, T.S. Elliot and the painter Augustus Brown. Prices begin at £65 bed and breakfast. For further information about this poetic gem of a property, visit www.seaview-laugharne.co.uk

Tweet-Worthy Accommodation

Three other tweet-worthy accommodation include…

Snowdonia’s five-room Graig Wen, a refurbished Victorian slate cutting mill with furniture custom made by local crafts makers, modern design classics and traditional Welsh materials. While the décor is fab - eye-catching album covers of Welsh-language pop from the 60’s and 70’s add a colorful twist to the more traditional interiors, the views over the Mawddach Estuary and mountains steal the show: Rates begin at £55 per night single occupancy, £70 per night double occupancy bed and breakfast. Deals and discounts can be found at www.graigwen.co.uk 

The Grove, a stunning, yet relaxed 18th century Georgian country house retreat has recently opened on a 10-acre estate nestled in the Pembrokeshire hillside.

This affordable, luxury escape, well located near the market town of Narbeth, just 15 minutes from the seaside resort town of Tenby, has all the trimmings to make life wonderful – fireplaces in the bedroom, deep cast iron baths and under-floor heating.

The Grove has four stone cottages overlooking the Preseli Mountains, each with oak beams, an oak kitchen, a small wood-burning stove, local artwork and French doors opening onto a private terrace.

Starting in July, The Grove will offer 12 guest rooms (it currently offers five) and four cottages. Rates as low as £80 per night can be found online under the section “offers” at www.thegrove-narberth.co.uk

Ramsey House, a five-star boutique, luxury bed and breakfast in St. David’s, Britain’s smallest city named after the patron Saint of Wales, also recently opened after a lavish refurbishment. The guest rooms are stylishly decorated with Designer’s Guild and Zoffany wall coverings, fabrics, leather tub chairs and solid oak furniture.

Guests can choose a room with a view of the sea, the countryside or St. David’s Cathedral, or choose to be surrounded by a private garden.

Rates begin at £90 per night, double occupancy, bed and breakfast.

More information can be found at www.ramseyhouse.co.uk

Other great resources for uncommonly wonderful accommodation include the Welsh Rarebits Collection (www.rarebits.co.uk) and Great Little Places(www.little-places.co.uk)

To learn more about visiting Wales, visit www.travelwales.org

New Luxury Lifestyle Hotel Brand Launches and Redefines the Design Hotel

The Rezidor Hotel Group, the Brussels-based hospitality management company, is pleased to announce that the first property developed in collaboration with the renowned Italian luxury fashion dynasty, Missoni, opens today in Edinburgh, Scotland.

Hotel Missoni Edinburgh combines the unique style of the iconic Italian fashion and interiors house with the expertise of The Rezidor Hotel Group, to offer a new luxury lifestyle brand that redefines the world of design and lifestyle hotels.

Spearheaded by Hotel Missoni Creative Director, Rosita Missoni, and Rezidor Executive Vice-President of Brands, Gordon McKinnon, the partnership creates a distinctive blend of fashion, function, form and service that adds up to a new genre of genuinely luxurious, yet accessible hotels.

Kurt Ritter, Rezidor CEO, believes Hotel Missoni is “a totally new breed of hotel. I’ve seen so many of these hotels with grey, black and brown and minimalist design—this is distinctive and colorful. As soon as you walk through the doors you know it’s Missoni.”

With a prime location on the corner of George IV Bridge and the Royal Mile and steps from Edinburgh Castle, Hotel Missoni is situated in the heart of Edinburgh. Positioned between the city’s famous Old and New Towns, Hotel Missoni is conveniently within close proximity of many of Edinburgh’s historic attractions, shopping and restaurants.

Hotel Missoni Brings Modern Accommodations to Historic Royal Mile

Hotel Missoni Edinburgh offers 136 rooms and suites, some of which offer views over the city landmarks and the famous Royal Mile. The hotel’s seven suites range in size from 474 square feet to the 721-square-foot Suite d’Argento.

Combining form and function, accommodations include linens from Missoni Home, bathrobes and slippers created exclusively by Missoni for the hotel, 26-inch LCD televisions, and toiletries created for Hotel Missoni and scented with a Missoni fragrance. Each guest room also has an in-suite bathroom featuring a luxurious rain shower with a bench seat.

Rates start at £210 (approx. $335) per night, inclusive of complimentary breakfast, high-speed wireless internet, over 100 films on demand, a “healthy” minibar, two items of laundry and specially commissioned Missoni toiletries.

Décor Features Signature Missoni Zigzag Print and Missonis’ Favorite Furnishings

Designed by Creative Director Rosita Missoni (one of the original founders of Missoni), the interiors of Hotel Missoni are bold and dramatic. The overall color scheme is a simple, stylish black and white with brilliant flashes of color interspersed. Rosita combined unmistakable Missoni prints with the work of designers that she personally admires such as Marcel Wandes, Eero Saarinen and Arne Jacobson.

Arranged over the six floors of the property are iconic pieces of design, some of which Rosita has in her own home, such as Hans J Wegner’s Wishbone Chair.

Each Hotel Missoni is reflective of its location. As a tribute to the Scottish heritage, Rosita has included pieces by Charles Rennie Mackintosh, including his famous Ladderback Chair.

The lobby of Hotel Missoni Edinburgh also includes two large mosaic urns, which will become a Hotel Missoni trademark. Every Hotel Missoni will feature these over-sized urns decorated in the color scheme of the individual property.

Cucina and Bar Missoni Invite Guests to Experience Passeggiata and Missoni Family Recipes

As the kitchen lies at the heart of an Italian family, so will Hotel Missoni’s restaurant, Cucina Missoni, lie at the heart of the property.

Open all day from breakfast until late, Cucina offers a menu of fresh, seasonal and authentic Italian dishes such as Barolo & Castelmagno cheese risotto, sea bass baked with a salt crust, and roast rabbit served with polenta and radicchio.

The dishes are complimented by china and glassware from Missoni Home. Located on the first floor of the hotel, Cucina can seat up to 100 guests.

Inspired by the Italian tradition of passeggiata, Bar Missoni will be one of the places in Edinburgh to see and be seen. Positioned in the lobby of the hotel on the ground floor, Bar Missoni can accommodate 50 guests and serves classic drinks, non-alcoholic beverages and cocktails created especially for Bar Missoni.

Stylish Meetings and Events

There are three private rooms available for meetings or events, each stylishly designed in keeping with the Missoni interiors. The three rooms vary in size from 301 square feet to 807 square feet and the largest room can be divided into two adjoining spaces. A fourth space (1,076 square feet) is available for use as a breakout area.

Hotel Missoni is a natural step for Creative Director Rosita Missoni. Her unique flair and creativity have made the Missoni brand an iconic name, not only in the fashion business, but also in the home interiors world, through the Missoni Home collection. Hotel Missoni embraces the traditional Italian family values of warmth and hospitality. This emphasis on service, style and great food will ensure a hotel experience that is tailored to the needs of the modern traveler while giving guests a true taste of the Missoni lifestyle.

The debut of Hotel Missoni Edinburgh will be followed by a resort property in Kuwait, opening fall 2009. The Edinburgh and Kuwait properties will become the first city-center and resort hotels within the Hotel Missoni portfolio, which will see 30 hotels open or under development within 10 years. Through the worldwide license agreement with Missoni, Rezidor’s strategy is to grow the Hotel Missoni brand globally.

The initial development focus will be on Europe and the Middle East, but will quickly expand to North America, South America and Asia.

For more information on Hotel Missoni, visit www.HotelMissoni.com

When the Park Plaza Westminster Bridge opens in Spring 2010 it will be one of the largest purpose-built hotels to open in London for decades.

The hotel will have 1,021 guest rooms and a pillarless Grand Ballroom large enough to house an Olympic-sized swimming pool. There will be 422 superior rooms, 545 studio rooms and 54 suites and penthouses.

The hotel will provide extensive new meeting space in London, with 35 flexible meeting rooms.

The ballroom will be able to hold up to 1,400 guests theatre-style and there will be a business centre and lounges, a fitness centre with swimming pool, a full service gym and an extensive spa.

The hotel is in walking distance of Waterloo Station, the South Bank and the Royal Festival Hall, National Theatre and Tate Modern.

The new building replaces the former concrete and glass County Hall annexe that was once voted the ugliest building in the capital.

Park Plaza Westminster Bridge

200 Westminster Bridge Road, London SE1 7UT

Tel: +44 844 415 6790

Website: www.parkplazawestminsterbridge.com

The Scottish International Storytelling Festival is Scotland’s annual celebration of traditional and contemporary storytelling.

It brings together artists and audiences for storytelling performances, thought-provoking talks, workshops and discussions and fun family activities.

For the Year of Homecoming in 2009 the Scottish International Storytelling Festival, from 23 October to 1 November, will explore the rich and complex idea of ‘homeland’ by bringing together Scottish storytellers with tradition-bearers from the indigenous cultures of North America, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa with whom they interacted and among whom some married and settled.

The festival will both celebrate and question the idea of ‘nature’, while retelling vivid historical and contemporary life stories that bridge cultural divides to reveal the earth as humanity’s common homeland.

Scottish Storytelling Centre

43-45 High Street, Edinburgh EH1 1SR
Tel: +44 131 556 9579
Website: www.scottishstorytellingcentre.co.uk

Sheridan Smith and Duncan James will lead the West End cast of Legally Blonde The Musical which opens at the Savoy Theatre on 10 December following success on Broadway.

The show is based on Amanda Brown’s novel Legally Blonde which was made into a hit movie starring Reese Witherspoon. The stage musical is directed and choreographed by Tony Award-winning Jerry Mitchel.
In its first year on Broadway, Legally Blonde The Musical earned seven Tony nominations and 10 Drama Desk Award nominations, as well as winning an Outer Critics’ Circle Award.

Sheridan Smith is best known for her UK television roles which include eight series of Two Pints of Lager & A Packet of Crisps. Duncan James was an original member of the chart-topping band Blue.

Legally Blonde previews 5–24 December, with press night on 12 January. Tickets from £20.

Savoy Theatre, Savoy Court, London WC2R 0ET

Tel: +44 870 164 8787

Website: www.legallyblondethemusical.co.uk

Ian Woosnam recently described the greens at Golf Son Gual in Mallorca as “like Augusta” – now you can experience them for yourself AND learn how to play them courtesy of Michel Monnard’s academy at the world-renowned club.

Monnard, an accredited instructor from the Harold Swash Putting School, is now offering one-day and five-day coaching packages at the luxury course – where tennis legends Rafael Nadal and Boris Becker hone their game – specially tailored for those visiting the holiday island for the annual break.

Just minutes from the island’s capital city, Palma, Son Gual offers everything a golfer could require in a coaching environment, from a world-renowned expert and a tour-quality course, to a sumptuous clubhouse and restaurant, ideal for unwinding after a day’s tuition.

An intensive five-day (15 hour) package for beginners, including tuition, use of the course for practice, all range fees, green fees, club hire, trolley hire and drinking water costs €1,100 per person or €1,525 for two.

For more experienced players, the five-day package will comprise fault-finding and remedy, including daily video capture to analyse the swing with instant visual feedback, correctional instruction and technique improvement.

Again all range fees, green fees, club hire, trolley hire and drinking water is included in the price of €1,275 per person, reduced to a half-share of €1,875 for two.
A one-day trial instruction package starts at €158 per person (based on two people participating) and includes three hours’ instruction on the range before venturing out on to the championship course – ideal if you’re only visiting the island for a long weekend.

As an accredited instructor of the Harold Swash Putting School, Monnard also offers a specific two-hour putting clinic, starting at just €95 per person (based on two people participating), which utilises the latest state-of-the-art video and analysis equipment.

It even films the way your ball rolls once you’ve struck it.
But when somewhere is as fine tuned as Son Gual, you’d expect that little bit extra…

■ For further information, or to book, contact Michel Monnard at mm@son-gual.com  or call +34 639 635 634.

Save £290 on a stylish Sardinian getaway – staying at the superb four-star Hotel La Rocca in the small resort of Baia Sardinia on the Costa Smeralda – with specialist operator, Holiday Options.

This extra special deal applies to Gatwick departures on 13 and 20 June, with the revised twin share price of £669 per person including return flights, transfers and half-board accommodation.

Regional departures are also available, supplements may apply.

Facilities at the hotel include a large pool set in tropical gardens, a superb restaurant with an extensive wine list and a private beach – with a free shuttle service - at nearby Cala Ginepre.

Windsurfing, sailing, water skiing and diving are all available close by.

0844 477 0452, www.holidayoptions.co.uk

“Can You Guess What It Is Yet?” - Painting & Drawing Breaks At Tortworth Court Four Pillars Hotel -

Have you ever wanted to create your own work of art, but just don’t know where to begin? Well, “Take Hart”, because even if your proudest artistic achievement to date involves the painting-by-numbers set bought for your 6th birthday, or you think mixing paints is best done at B&Q, don’t despair! Tortworth Court Four Pillars Hotel has a range of painting and drawing breaks this summer, designed for everyone to enjoy.

Perhaps there’s a Monet, Constable or Turner inside you, just waiting to be unleashed…

Ronald Swanwick is an accomplished and versatile artist who teaches in a variety of mediums. Enthusiastic and with a real passion for teaching, he is hosting a variety of residential courses this summer, from a weekend workshop called “Drawing for the Terrified”, to a four day “August Painting Break” for all levels, including one-to-one tuition and the opportunity to work in any medium.

www.ronswanwick.co.uk

Prices start from £299 per person for the weekend workshop and £445 for the four day August Painting Break and are based on two people sharing a twin or double room on a dinner, bed and breakfast basis.

Artist materials are included for the weekend break, but not for the painting course.

For further information on these breaks or to book, call 0800 374 692 or visit www.four-pillars.co.uk

There are a great variety of things to draw and paint, both in and around the hotel (which boasts an arboretum, garden, long distance vistas and wonderful Victorian architecture). The estate has a fascinating history that begins with the reign of Edward I and the historic grade II listed Victorian mansion has been lovingly restored, with former stables converted into bedrooms, the circular meat-hanging room transformed into a black and gold honeymoon suite and the Orangery has become a restaurant.

The distinctive Lantern House drawing room, known as ‘The Room at the Top’, has stunning views over the Severn Valley.

Tortworth Court Four Pillars Hotel is located in rural Wotton-under-Edge in South Gloucestershire and set in 30 acres of parkland grounds with its own arboretum, containing over 300 rare and protected trees.

Within easy reach of many Gloucestershire and Cotswold attractions on the Cotswold Edge, and close to Bristol, the four-star Tortworth Court Four Pillars Hotel is easily accessible from Junction 14 off the M5.

The hotel also hosts a series of well-attended themed weekends. Popular themes include: Falconry, Murder Mystery, ‘ABBA Cabaret’, ‘James Bond Cabaret’ and the fantastic ‘Strictly Tortworth’ Weekends, for enthusiastic dancers.

Details of these and other special promotions are posted regularly on the Four Pillars Hotels website: www.four-pillars.co.uk

The Porthcawl Elvis Festival is the biggest event of its kind in Europe, attracting thousands of Elvis Presley fans to the small seaside town in South Wales every year.

Now in its sixth year, the 2009 event takes place on 25–28 September.

The main event is the Best Festival Elvis competition for Elvis Tribute Artists (ETAs). Special awards categories include The Gold Lamé Jacket, Best Gospel Elvis, Best Movie Elvis, Best ’68 Special Elvis and Best Vegas Elvis.

Other shows at Porthcawl’s Grand Pavilion include Elvis at the Movies, The Irish Masters, The Gospel Show and Trilogy. In addition, more than 100 Elvis shows will take place in four bars at the Hi-Tide Inn.

A Fringe Festival is held in 20 venues around the town, along with a five-a-side Elvis football match on the beach and a Priscilla beauty pageant on the promenade.

Elvis’s former tour producer Charles Stone will be hosting the Elvies Award show and launching his biography at the festival.

This year, the festival will also be launching the search for Britain’s most devoted Elvis couple. The couple will renew their vows at a ceremony on the seafront conducted by the Reverend Steve Caprice, an ordained Minister and professional Elvis Tribute Artist.
The Porthcawl Elvis Festival, Porthcawl

Website: www.elvies.co.uk

September is Scotland’s month for Doors Open Days, when visitors are offered free access to buildings across Scotland that are normally closed to the public.

Highlights for this year include the Selkirk Courthouse in the Scottish Borders where Sir Walter Scott was Sheriff-Deputy 1799–1832.

Open on 19–20 September, the building on Selkirk’s town square is a classical Georgian architectural design with a prominent steeple.

Glasgow Vennel in Irvine, Ayrshire is open on 6 September.

It was here that Robert Burns, a young man who was to become Scotland’s national poet, learned the heckling trade (combing out flax and hemp fibres in the textile industry).

He spent nine months lodging at No 4 while working in the thatched Heckling Shed behind No 10.

The Vennel is now a local and family history centre and offers visitors an insight into Burns’s day-to-day life and an opportunity to uncover their links with the Irvine area.

Many buildings in Glasgow will be open on 19–20 September. New architecture includes Trongate 103 in Glasgow, a six-storey Edwardian warehouse redeveloped into a creative hub for the production and exhibition of contemporary visual art.

Also in Glasgow is the Steiner School, designed by architect John Burnet in 1876, which first opened as Overnewton Public School.
In 2008 almost 70,000 visitors took advantage of Doors Open Days, which offered free access to over 900 events in both public and private buildings

Website: www.doorsopendays.org.uk