World's highest SUSPENDED hotel suite opens in Abu Dhabi - and just one night costs £16,000

Housed in a skybridge and joining two towers, this is the highest suspended presidential suite in the world.

The lavish Abu Dhabi hotel room is a dizzying 656ft off the ground – and the price tag of £16,000 per night will no doubt make guests just as light-headed.

Connecting the city’s Nation Towers, the two-storey suite inside The St Regis Abu Dhabi opened in March, and has been in high demand ever since.

High life: The St Regis Abu Dhabi room joins the Nations Towers, making it the highest suspended hote suite in the world

Head for heights: The Abu Dhabi presidential suite, which opened in March is 656ft off the ground - and costs £16,000 per night

High-end hotel: Inside the presidential suite boasts three bedrooms - as well as a fully equipped gym and a private spa

No expense spared: The decor of The St Regis Abu Dhabi Presidential Suite boasts chandeliers, crystals and art work - as well as a lounge/bar area

Along with three bedrooms, a Steinway piano, a grand double-height ceiling majlis seating area, kitchen, dining room and cinema, the high-end suite, located on the towers’ 48th and 49th floors, also boasts a gym and a private spa.

Offering magnificent 360-degree views of the Arabian Gulf, the Corniche, and the city skyline, the Abu Dhabi Suite combines contemporary design with a traditional Arabic influence. 

Inside the Grand Drawing Room, guests are greeted by cascading strands of crystals, 24-carat gold leaf accents, leather wall tiles, velvet upholstered walls in jewel-toned hues, and intricate glass mosaic patterns. 

A grand staircase leads up to the spacious Master Suite in the upper wing.

High life: The suite, suspended 656ft off the ground, boasts a dining room, as well as three bedrooms and a spa

A luxurious soak: One of the stand-alone bathtubs in the three-bedroom presidential suite, which has already become popular with royalty, and, right, a sunken tub

Two storeys: The lavish suite - which costs £16,000 a night - boasts grand decor and a sweeping stariwell

Spacious: The suite, which boasts a sitting room, offers 360-degree views across Abu Dhabi's skyline

Boasting a private entrance with elevator, the Master Suite includes an en-suite bathroom, library, lounge, entertainment and dining area complete with art deco inspired furniture and crystal chandeliers. 

The suite has already proved popular with VIPs - with royalty and visiting dignitaries, including world leaders, booking to stay there. 

Josh Mason, Senior Design Associate, HBA in Dubai, said: 'With The St Regis Abu Dhabi, we aimed to create a sophisticated and modern environment that marries Arabic influences with the needs of global travellers.

'Using local references, we were able to combine the elegant lines of Arabic design with stately and modernist Art Deco forms to create a unique stand-out hotel on par with the greatest hotels worldwide.'

The Master Suite includes an en-suite bathroom, library, lounge, entertainment and dining area complete with art deco inspired furniture and crystal chandeliers

And relax ... The Abu Dhabi Suite combines contemporary design with a traditional Arabic influence

Height of luxury: Inside the Abu Dhabi Presidential Suite which is inside a skybridge joining two towers

Pampering service: The £16,000-a-night suite also boasts its own personal spa as well as a fully equipped gym

Contemporary design: The gold, marble and modern decor in one of the bathrooms inside the luxury hotel suite

Read More »

From Tunisia to the US, Star Wars anniversary infographic reveals travel guide to film locations

Star Wars fans - this is the only travel guide you will ever need, according to its designers.

Launched to celebrate the anniversary of Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope first making its debut in cinemas in 1977, the infographic explains where the movies were filmed.

The graphic breaks down the scene from individual Star Wars films, revealing the location it was shot in, pinpointing locations on a map for those who want to follow in Hans Solo's footsteps.

From the Island of Djerba in Tunisia, to Buttercup Valley in Arizona, and Mount Etna in Sicily, the guide showcases 14 different locations.

The infographic, compiled by Lucasfilm, adds: 'Let's face it; since most of us were kids, we've wanted to visit the Star Wars galaxy.

'Although we haven't yet achieved hyperspace travel, you can still visit the galaxy’s most iconic locations here on Earth.

'This travel guide, brought to you by De Agostini, publishers of The Official Star Wars Face Film, will show you a galaxy that's not so far, far away...'

Read More »

Jay Z opens swanky 40/40 Club at world's busiest airport - exclusive to passengers

Jay Z has opened his 40/40 Club at the world's busiest airport – perfect for passengers with time to kill.
The rapper, who is married to Beyonce, launched his elite bar’s third location, which is only open to ticketed flyers at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport in Georgia.
The sports bar is in the US airport's Concourse D concessions area, and will be a scaled-down version of his two other clubs.

New club: Jay Z - pictured with Beyonce - is opening a new branch of his sports bar at Atlanta airport

Jay Z performing on stage at the DirecTV Super Saturday Night party at the 40/40 Club in February

New bar: The 40/40 Club that opened at Atlanta airport yesterday

40/40 restaurant and lounges also are located in Manhattan and the Barclays Center in Brooklyn.
Jay Z also had clubs in Las Vegas and Atlantic City, New Jersey, but both closed.
40/40 is known at the New York locations for its live music and sports memorabilia and for attracting sports celebrities and music stars such as Rhiannon, Nicki Minaj and Lil Wayne.
Victoria Hong of Delaware North Companies, which partners with the rap mogul, said: ‘We want to have the same type of feel as the regular 40/40 Club.

Exclusive: Inside the original 40/40 club in New York

The new bar will be a scaled down version of the original New York club

New venture: Jay Z pictured with wife Beyonce at the anniversary of the 40/40 Club in 2006

Exclusive club: The sports bar is has opened at Hartsfield Jackson Atlanta International airport, Georgia

‘It's the airport version of the 40/40 Club.’
Airport concessions director Paul Brown said there are plans to create a VIP lounge area of the club, separate from the sports bar - at 1,500sq-ft - on a different floor.
The lounge is expected to open in the late fall, Brown said.
The original Manhattan location opened in 2003, with Jay Z and business partner Juan Perez.
40/40 was named after the rare feat among ballplayers of hitting 40 homers and stealing 40 bases in one season.
At the time, Jay Z said: 'I love sports and wanted to create an environment that is conducive to match my lifestyle, while watching the games at the same time.

Luxurious hangout: The New York sports bar opened by Jay Z to fit in with his lifestyle

Celebrity haunt: Basketball player Michael Beasley plays pool at Jay Z's 40/40 Club in New York

'When we were thinking of a name, we wanted something exclusive - the 40/40 Club in baseball is as exclusive as it gets.'
The New York club, which has recently undergone a $10m renovation, boasts an 18ft-tall illuminated champagne tower, plush lounges with leather seats, and video walls for watching sports games.
There are also private lounges with billiard tables, 55-in HD TVs, chandeliers and a valuable collection of sports memorabilia.

United: Jay Z and Beyonce were pictured at the Met Gala earlier this month before the skirmish in the elevator

'We tried to create a place that would be favourable to both men and women, and we think we have found it with the combination of sports and an upscale hip lounge,' Juan Perez added.
Jay Z, Beyonce and Solange Knowles were yesterday pictured for the first time since the now infamous elevator bust-up at the recent Met Gala.

It is unclear what exactly caused the altercation between the rapper and his sister in law.

Read More »

From Southampton to New York on the majestic Queen Mary 2 as she celebrates her tenth anniversary voyage

Union Jacks aren’t usually handed out to passengers when the Queen Mary 2 sets sail from Southampton to New York — but they are this evening.
What’s more, the Duke of Edinburgh dropped by earlier in the day to wish her and all who sail in her well.
Then, at 10 pm, with fireworks to port and the QM2’s sister ships, Queen Victoria and Queen Elizabeth to starboard, we wave our flags with gusto as the world’s longest, tallest, widest and most expensive ocean liner ever built embarks on its tenth anniversary voyage.

Grand scale: The QM2 is 1,132 foot long making it the world's longest passenger ship

Epic proportions: On this voyage, there are 2,600 passengers and 1,200 staff on board the QM2

Blaring out through the tannoy is Baroque composer Jeremiah Clarke’s Prince of Denmark’s March and complimentary bubbly is on offer to anyone who asks politely. It beats squeezing into an airline seat.
Next morning, my wife and I are waiting near one of the 22 passenger lifts and the captain, no less, Kevin Oprey, happens to float by.
He’s the answer to my prayers because for all my chat about this being a once-in-a-lifetime experience where one can do as much or little as one wants, it’s nothing short of a miracle Mrs Palmer is on board at all.
The last time we took a cruise and the ship moved about a teeny-weeny bit in the swell, her life jacket joined us in bed.
‘It may be windy from time to time, but you’ll hardly feel a thing,’ says the captain. What is it about a man in uniform?
He’s right, too, because, as we are constantly reminded, this is not a cruise ship. This is a 152,000-ton liner, purpose built to cut a swathe through the roughest ocean waves.

Iconic skyline: The QM2 bids farewell to New York and heads for Southampton

There are 2,600 passengers and 1,200 staff on board — but you would never know it. Inside and out, there are un-crowded corners to sit and read or just stare over the rolling Atlantic, which we learn covers 20 per cent of the Earth’s surface.
What I love is that there is no need to feel guilty about not visiting yet another temple, cathedral or art gallery.

Lavish: Inside the QM2 the spacious cabins are perfect to relax in

Record-breaking: The QM2 also boasts the world's first ever floating planetarium

Lavish: The grand and ornate setting of the ship's Britannia restaurant

You’re going nowhere while being transported from one continent to another. However, at the same time, you can be busy from morning to night.
Here’s an example of one day’s activities: Power deck walk at 8am, beginner’s bridge at 9.30am, watercolour class at 10am, introduction to Apple Mac computing at 11.30am, line dancing at noon, piano recital at 2pm, a performance of The Merchant of Venice at 3pm, a blockbuster movie at 4pm, lecture about the sinking of the Titanic (no point skirting the issue) at 5pm.

Hazy days: The magnificent QM2 departs New York at dawn

Then in the evening take your pick from West End musicals to karaoke and from ballroom dancing to string quartets and ‘DJ Marc’s Seventies nights’.
Anyone would think there’s no time to eat. But you can eat all day if you want — and for the first 48 hours that’s pretty much what we do.
Then we pull ourselves together and throw ourselves headlong into the programme.
No sooner do we finish breakfast one morning than my wife announces she’s off to her class. What is it this time? Scarf tying — with napkin folding to follow.

Travel in style: Passengers gather on the quarterdeck of QM2 as she departs from New York

Which frees me up to attend Eats, Shoots & Leaves author Lynne Truss’s witty talk about zero tolerance for poor punctuation.
All the lectures are packed and none lasts more than 45 minutes.
‘Why wasn’t school like this?’ asks an American woman as we file out from a lecture about the Middle East.
Probably because at school there wasn’t a fully fledged spa and a dozen or so bars to ease the learning process.
Probably because there weren’t professional musicians and RADA-trained actors to liven up one’s free time. The food is not exactly school dinners either.
Depending on your cabin, you are assigned to one of four restaurants.

The Big Apple: Cunard's liner QM2 departs New York against the background of lower Manhattan

We’re in the Princess Grill, where the nosh is as good if not better than in most smart London hotels, the service superior and infinitely more sincere.
One of my favourite moments is when the Daily Programme sheet arrives at about 7pm and you start plotting the following day. And it’s wonderful going to bed knowing that most nights you gain an hour’s sleep as the clocks go back.
The whole notion of jet lag seems brutal. It’s all so seductive that I defy anyone not to have a good time. Politeness rules the waves. In fact for seven days we never once hear a raised voice, a complaint, even the faintest of resigned sighs.
And everyone is busy. Young and old alike scurry around with their itineraries like punters studying their race cards at a big race meeting.
Yes, it’s genteel (12 Years a Slave is ‘not recommended for sensitive viewers’, we are warned prior to a showing of the film) but it’s a wonderful way to arrive in New York.
Mind you, it’s an early start at the finish line. The captain tells us the night before that we will sail under the Verrazano Bridge at 4.45 am and should pass the Statue of Liberty half an hour or so later. He’s spot on.
Unfortunately, a fog has settled over Manhattan.
There are few twinkling lights to greet us — but there’s still a collective intake of breath as the Statue of Liberty comes into view. Then it’s back to bed and a final breakfast before rejoining the real world.
This cruise, sorry, transatlantic crossing reminds me of President Reagan’s line: ‘It’s true hard work never killed anybody, but I figure why take the chance?’
Travel Facts
Queen Mary 2 departs Southampton on June 24 2014 for a seven-night voyage to New York. Fares from £1,579 for a Balcony cabin or from £2,249 for a Princess Grill Suite. Cunard.co.uk, 0843 374 000.

Read More »

Champagne dinners, 360-degree views, post-safari massages and lions roaming below: Could these be the world's most glamorous (yet terrifying) tree houses?

They're a far cry from the rudimentary tree houses we played in as children, in which imagination played a major role.
A trio of strikingly beautiful tree houses on the Lion Sands Game Reserve, in the heart of South Africa's safari land, offer brave guests the chance to sleep under the stars, with wild animals lurking below.
Once dropped off guests are given insect repellent, torches and a two-way radio and left to their own devices while lions, hyenas hunt prey down below.
The Chalkley treehouse was built sixty years ago, originally as a photographer's platform. Since then it has been kitted out with a double bed, basin, hot water bottles and dressing gowns.
Life on the nearby Sabie River comes alive at sunrise and dawn and you might spot a herd of elephants less than 200 feet away across the plain.
Situated opposite the Sabie River, guests in the Tinyeleti tree house will enjoy the soothing sound of gently rushing water while spying the wildlife out for a sunset drink.
The 645sqft Kingston is the largest of the three and features a shower, and guests are offered champagne dinners and sunset massages.

All mod cons: The Kingston hut, the largest of the three, features its own shower and after a hard day of game viewing, guests can have a well-earned massage

Wilderness: The Chalkley treehouse exposes guests to the elements, and was originally built as a photographers' platform

Luxury at sundown: The Kingston hut, pictured at dusk, when the local wildlife comes to life

In the thick of it: Guests are given insect repellent, torches and a two-way radio and then left to their own devices

Kingston by day: The isolated setting is perfect for honeymooning couples wanting to find seclusion within beautiful surroundings

River side: Visitors to the Tinyeleti tree house will enjoy the sound of the gently rushing waters of the Sabie River

Sweet dreams: The heavenly setting of the Kingston tree house would appeal to wildlife lovers and luxury fans with an adventurous side

Tinyeleti: When night falls over the Sabie River, guests can expect to see wildlife stopping by for an early evening drink

Read More »

Cornwall, LA glamour and tasting lamb's tongue: Checking In with Nadia Sawalha

The TV presenter and budding chef talks tasty holidays, her love of Cornwall and the importance of removing your moustache even when abroad...
IN WHICH COUNTRY DO YOU FEEL MOST AT HOME?
South London but my spiritual home is Cornwall. Where I spent my childhood summer holidays. Now we stay in Sennen Cove. Sennen beach is just the most beautiful one I've ever visited.
WHO IS YOUR IDEAL TRAVEL COMPANION?
My husband Mark. We love the same places - Cornwall, Barcelona and New York.

YOUR MOST MEMORABLE TRAVEL DESTINATION?
Los Angeles. We hired a house in the Hollywood Hills, which was once owned by Orson Welles. I loved the food, the people, the energy, everything about it.
THE THREE BEST THINGS TO DO THERE?
The Universal Studios Tour. The ArcLight cinema on Sunset Boulevard where movie goers can dine before or during a film. The beaches are a must: Paradise Cove is gorgeous and we loved Santa Monica.
WITH MONEY NO OBJECT, WHERE IN THE WORLD WOULD YOU HAVE DINNER?
The hotel Il San Pietro di Positano in Positano, Italy. Jamie Oliver spent his honeymoon there. It's built into the cliffs and has a huge veranda with the best views of the Amalfi coast.

Read More »

Ben Fogle on working up an appetite for the Azores... and sampling volcanic hot pot

I have been obsessed with islands since I was a child. My young imagination was sparked by books such as Treasure Island, Lord Of The Flies and other works of fiction whose plots are inextricably linked with exotic blobs of land surrounded by oceans. This obsession has continued into adulthood. Indeed, I have an island to thank for my career as a broadcaster.
My experience in the BBC reality show Castaway 2000 - when I was marooned with 35 others on the isle of Taransay in the Outer Hebrides - led to the television presenting roles that catapulted me to fame. Since then I have visited islands as remote as St Helena in the South Atlantic and the Pitcairns in the South Pacific.

Spring time: Ben relaxes in the warm water at Terra Nostra Park

So after marrying into a family who love holidaying in Portugal, it was only a matter of time before I visited the Azores. I've always been intrigued by this chain of

Read More »

Australia's hippest hop spot: Cuisine, calm and the chicest retreat on Kangaroo Island

There's nothing like running on a beach. And if that beach is on South Australia's Kangaroo Island, with its pristine sands and turquoise waters, then it's a truly wonderful sensation.
I must admit I've never really been much of a runner. But after a glorious month-long tour of Australia and having piled on the inevitable pounds, I found myself on one of the most beautiful stretches of sand on Earth being put through my paces by a former chef at famous London restaurant The Ivy.

Jump to it: Sian meets one of the locals (sort of) at the Southern Ocean Lodge

Sue Pearson is something of a legend on Kangaroo Island.
She arrived in this wilderness more than ten years ago and now runs 'the best fish and chip shop in the world', according to one local newspaper. She also runs a

Read More »

Beach BBQs, ocean sunsets and a trip to Stingray City: Antigua and Peter Island make a big impression on Rory Bremner

Even with the plethora of medium and long-haul destinations available to today’s discerning travellers, there’s still something special about the Caribbean - that collection of islands cast like a string of pearls into the sea between the Americas.
The islands offer many contrasts: from the exclusive, super-rich haunts of St Barth’s and Mustique to those playboy tax-havens and cruise-ship magnets St Thomas and St Maarten; from the smoky, sultry, Latin American passion of Cuba and Puerto Rico to the yacht-friendly breezes of the Grenadines or the steel-drum, calypso exuberance of the cricketing West Indies.
Palm-fringed beaches? Ocean sunsets? Rum punch and Pina Coladas? Get in.

Jewel in the Caribbean's crown: Rory Bremner takes in the view of the beach at Peter Island

Our mission: to compare and contrast two holiday experiences, Antigua and Peter Island. One, a popular and much-loved destination with cricket-lovers and

Read More »

Photos: Kelly Rowland and fiance spend Valentine in Lagos

Kelly Rowland and her fiance/manager Tim Witherspoon (pictured behind her) arrived Lagos yesterday evening for Dare art Alade's Love Like A Movie concert which will take place tomorrow. Continue to see more photos...


 

Read More »