The Hotel:
Grand Hotel Europe, St. Petersburg
The Spiel:
A historical, cultural and culinary landmark
for over 130 years and part of the
Orient-Express Hotels, the Grand
Hotel Europe is located on Nevsky
Prospekt, St Petersburg's most splendid
avenue and surrounded by some of the world's
greatest treasures including the Hermitage
Museum. Who
said location isn’t everything ?!
The Grand Hotel Europe
has 301-rooms and suites beautifully
appointed with views of Arts Square,
5 restaurants including their Caviar
Bar; 2 cafes and one bar with daily live
entertainment.
If shopping is your thing, there is no need
to leave the hotel since there are
exclusive
boutiques ranging from designer
clothes to fine jewelry..
If pampering is your thing, visit the
Planet Health Club and Beauty Room
equipped with exercise equipment, sauna and
plunge pool, a full-service hair salon with
a tanning parlor and massage rooms offering
a full range of treatments.
The Deal:
Rates starting at $357.00 including
breakfast, 2 tickets to your choice of
museum, tax and service. Valid until
April 30, 2009.
The Steal:
Alexander House
is an intimate 19 room hotel each
with lovingly designed,
one-of-a-kind-rooms, large bathrooms,
modern conveniences (i.e. high speed
internet, wi-fi) and great views of the
Kryukov Canal.
The
hotel is in a historical neighborhood of
St Petersburg where Gogol,
Pushkin and Dostoevsky used to
live and a short walk to the Marinsky
Theatre. Since their restaurant with an
outdoor terrace is open 24/7, this is
perfect during the White Nights when
the sun doesn’t set till after 10pm ! .
There is also a Chill Out Lounge
complete with a wood burning fireplace.
This is not a
steal...it’s highway robbery.
Rates in May start at 175 euro including
buffet breakfast, tax, and service.
The Meal:
Plush Café A
chic brown, cream and red interior lends
this trendy cafe its name. By day, you
‘chill’, at night, you ‘hang’. Plush
turns into a cocktail bar with live DJs and
art films projected onto the walls. The
eclectic menu offers everything from soups
to salads to sushi.
The Hotel:
Grande Hotel Bretagne, Athens
The Spiel:
The Grand Hotel Bretagne
is a former palace hotel dated back to
1874 with views of the famed
Acropolis,
the Parthenon, Constitution
Square, the
Parliament,
lush Lycabettus Hill and the
original Olympic Stadium. Talk
about prime location.
The Grand Bretagne
is one of Europe’s grandest
hotels with classic Greek décor,
original artworks and a superb
collection of restored antiques from
Christie's and Sotheby's.
The 321 rooms and suites have recently
been renovated and the suites have an
added benefit of 24 hour personalized
butler service. There are 5 restaurants
including a roof top, outdoor restaurant
with amazing views of the city. With 3
bars, a roof-top pool; full-service spa(
with indoor pool), beauty salon and
fitness studio, the Grande Hotel
Bretagne is an old world classic
with a new world sensibility.
The Deal:
Reserve the 3 night ‘ Taste of
Luxury’
package and get the 4th
night for free with full breakfast
included. Rates start at 223 euro.
The Steal:
There’s
nothing infantile about the Baby
Grand Hotel; it is a modern mix of
cool & quirky, eccentric and
electrifying. From the moment you
check in, you are ‘wowed’ by the Mini
Cooper reception desks waiting to
drive you to one of 76 graffiti painted
rooms and suites with unique wall
paintings depicting legendary cartoon
characters, Japanese street art or
Chinese landscapes. The Meat Me
Restaurant is ‘off the hook’, the
Moet & Chandon Bar is
glamorous and the spa actually has the
best ‘manis’ and ‘pedis’ in town.
Rate starting at 157 euro per night
including full breakfast in bed, bottle
of Moet & Chandon and fruit &
flowers in room. Valid until Dec 31,
2009.
OR
Spring Offer from 98.97 euros per night
including full breakfast,free wi-fi
internet, and use of hamman. Valid
until April 30, 2009.
The Meal:
The Kafe Elliniko,
Frappe and Sokolata are out…
the Fredoccino, Freddo and
Nes are in (it’s all ‘Greek’ to
me) ! and the best café to get them is
Clemente VIII.
This elegant café on Syntagma
Square is packed with Athenian
yuppies , coffee aficionados or wannabe
baristas. Pastries, salads and
sandwiches are also served.
The Hotel:
Byblos Hotel, St. Tropez
The Spiel:
What can I say ? The Byblos never
lost its magic, never lost its allure,
never lost ‘it’! Nestled in the heart
of St. Tropez, the Byblos St
Tropez is designed like a
Mediterranean village with a renovation
of 51 rooms and 45 suites, all
decorated in a subtle provencal style.
There are so many diversions, you don’t
have to leave: the pool is fantastic
fun for people watching, the Alain
Ducasse’s Spoon is actually now 2
restaurants in one-- Spoon ‘Origins’
and Spoon ‘Now’ , the new ‘B’
international restaurant has an
extensive world-wide wine list and the
famous Les Caves du Roy nightclub
is, in a word, infamous! There is a
fantastic new Spa Byblos using
Sisley products.
Ce Magnifique!
The Deal:
Rates starting at 395 euro per night for
a 2 night stay including breakfast,
welcome amenity, tax and service. Valid
throughout the season except July &
August weekends.
The Steal:
Hotel Pastis, St Tropez, France
Casual and chic is how you would best
describe Hotel Pastis. Flanked by
roof-high palm trees in a beautiful
garden with century old palm trees,
there are only 9 rooms, all with private
terraces. There’s a heated pool and a
casual bar conveniently located near the
yacht-filled harbour! Rest assured, the
harbour is one place the repo-man is
not likely to make those midnight
visits!
Early Spring Rates start at 275 euro.
Stay 3 nights, save 150 euro; stay 4
nights save 375 euro; stay 7 nights save
700 euro. Valid until May 15, 2009.
The Meal:
Chez Joseph/Le Petit Joseph
Double your pleasure, double your
fun.. . these side-by-side restaurants
are serviced by the same kitchen and
still the best in St Tropez.
Le Petit Joseph is quieter and more
romantic, Chez Joseph has
communal seating and is still packed at
10pm with young fashionistas.. The
traditional, yet creatively, presented
cuisine changes often, but their parfait
léger desert( chocolate –powdered
vanilla custard on a cherry crumble with
a scoop of cherry-vanilla ice cream and
fresh fruit)is a treat that remains
constant.
The Hotel:
Augustine Hotel, Prague
The Spiel:
Are you counting down the days ?
Rocco Forte’s long awaited hotel
opens mid May so hold off on your
Prague plans until then!
The 101-bedroom property including
16 suites is close to the majestic
Prague Castle and famous
Charles Bridge
.With stunning views
of
Prague , the
Augustine Hotel has been
created from seven buildings,
including the 13th century
Augustinian St. Thomas’s Monastery,
after which the hotel is named.
Several practicing monks still live
in a separate part of the monastery,
adjacent to the hotel grounds.
The Monastery restaurant
overlooks a large courtyard with
outside seating during the summer
months. Guests will have the choice
of two bars: Tom’s Bar,
located in the monastery’s former
barrel-vaulted double-heightened
hall and The Brewery Bar,
housed in the former St. Thomas’s
brewery building, complete with 17th
century stalactites and stalagmites.
For relaxation, the hotel’s spa will
feature four treatment rooms, a
hammam offering special heat
treatments, sauna, steam room,
relaxation area and a fully-equipped
gym.
The Deal:
“3 for 2 Promotion”
: stay 3 consecutive nights & the 3rd
night is free. Rate includes
breakfast for two, daily newspapers,
sparkling water in room, local taxes
and charges.Rates start at 320 euro
per night. Offer valid: May 14 to
May 31, 2009.
The Steal:
Radisson Blu Alcorn Hotel:
Don’t let the name fool you, this
really is a cool hotel! Radisson
recently launched their new ‘Blu’
brand offering luxury
accommodations, the latest in modern
technology, state-of-the-art fitness
centers and the best bars and
restaurants in town…fortunately for
you, the Alcon is their ‘flagship’
hotel.
Located in the city center, this
211 rooms and suite Art Deco style
hotel is known for its high
ceilings and classic period
furnishings. La Rotonde
Restaurant hosts a popular
Sunday Jazz Brunch, the Be Bop
Bar is hopping with live jazz
nightly and the Gourmet Alcron
Restaurant is rumored to
getting a Michelin star
shortly..
Rates in the month of May start at
139.50 euro per night based on a 3
night stay.
The Meal:
Allegro Restaurant, the
recipient of the only Michelin
star in the Czech Republic is
also named best restaurant
in 2007 and 2008 by Zagat.
This Italian restaurant has indoor
and outdoor riverside seating.
Air France
introduces premium
economy service.
‘Premium Voyageur’,
is located between Air France’s
business and economy cabins on their
long-haul, international flights. For those
who want upgraded service and more
comfortable seats than in the economy
section, but don’t want to pay business
class fares, this is the perfect ‘fit’, so
to speak! This new service starts in the
fall, 2009.
Europe’s
high-speed rail network continues to grow
and the time it takes to get from one city
to another, shrinks:
Spain: The Renfe
route: Madrid-to-Barcelona
now cuts travel time from 6 hours to 2 ½
hours.
Italy: Trenitalia
recently introduced service between Milan
and Naples, shortening the journey
from 8 ½ hours to 4 hours.
Hertz
introduces Hertz 369,
short-term hires in major European
cities. Now you can rent a car in 3, 6 or 9
hour increments which is ideal for a day
trip, travel between neighboring cities or a
one way airport commute.
First the bad news:
fuel costs have not really come down in
Europe.
Now the good news:
if you rent a diesel car such
as the Volkswagen Golf or the Opel
Astra , it will decrease the cost by 4
to 9 per cent! Remember, there’s
always a silver lining…!
Contact Bear & Bear for details
info@bearandbear.travel
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