Luxury Travel Advisor - February 2008 - (Page 40) ACCESS: WHO SAILS THERE Regent Seven Seas www.rssc.com Seven Seas Navigator offers a nine-day cruise through the Mediterranean, from Maderia to Nice, on April 26, 2008. Seabourn www.seabourn.com Seabourn Legend offers seven-, 11- and 14-day cruises through the Mediterranean, embarking or disembarking in Nice, from May 29, 2008 to October 25, 2008. SeaDream Yacht Club www.seadreamyachtclub.com SeaDream II offers a seven-day cruise from and to Nice on May 15, 2008. Silversea www.silversea.com Silver Wind offers seven-day cruises through the Mediterranean, from Barcelona to Nice, on May 14, 2008, and from Nice to Monte Carlo on May 21, 2008. PENTHOUSE PRESTIGE SEAVIEW 718 at Hotel Martinez is an understatedly stylish haven, at more than 700 square feet. (www.hotel-martinez.com), set along La Croisette. The four-bedroom, 10,763-squarefoot Penthouse Suite boasts a personal roundthe-clock butler and features two living rooms, two dining rooms (each seats 10), two saunas, four Turkish baths, two outdoor Jacuzzis, two kitchens and a boardroom area for up to 10 guests. What makes this biggest-inEurope suite a must is its 5,000-plus square feet of private terraces. Another favorite is the sea-facing two-bedroom Suite des Oliviers. More than half of the suite’s 4,500 square feet of space is set outdoors. For families, book the 28, 29 or 31 series two-bedroom suites. Sea-facing, they come with dining areas that are roomy enough for six. Tip: The largest non-suite guest room in the hotel is number 623 (Prestige category), which also has a sea-facing terrace; only accommodations on the sixth floor have private outdoor space. All can be booked over the GDS. For VIPs, contact General Manager Richard Schilling (rschilling@concorde-hotels.com; 33-4-9298-7370). ADVISOR INSIGHT: Gary Mansour of Mansour Travel Company in Beverly Hills says, “My favorite restaurants in the area for fish include one that’s been around since the 1930s, La Mère Besson [rue des Frères-Pradignac] in Cannes. It has a very casual ambiance. Of course, Chez Tétou in Golfe-Juan is high on everyone’s A-list. It’s very elegant and the food is superb. For Italian, I recommend Michelangelo [rue des Cordiers] in Old Antibes. My favorite hotels in and around Cannes are the Hotel du Cap in Cap d’Antibes and the Martinez, Carlton, Majestic and Noga Hilton. But I think the one to watch is the new Amangani Resort, which is the newest deluxe property in the area. It’s only about 10 minutes west of Cannes’s old port, so if your client is looking for a more ‘out of town’ feel, this is it. My favorite in Nice is the Palais de la Méditerranée. It’s the newest one, and the most luxurious, and you can’t beat the location. For dining, the Chantecler in the Hotel Negresco is always wonderful. I also recommend booking a yacht for a day for clients through the concierge. It’s a terrific way get to all the great destinations along the French Riviera. For as little as 5,000 or 6,000 euros, as many as 10 people can enjoy a wonderful day together.” The wildly popular two-Michelin-star La Palme d’Or boasts 40,000 bottles of wine, including a rare Château Petrus 1970. A menu “must” is the risotto with grated-at-your-table truffles. Tip: For the best people-watching, reserve table 3 or 30; due to France’s new law, all but the terrace tables are non-smoking. The hotel’s Givenchy Spa has eight treatment rooms, including a hydrotherapy room with a waterbed. Swedish massages are the most requested, particularly with Vivianne. Definitely book treatments ahead. Contact Veronique (spamartinez@concorde-hotels. com; 33-4-9298-7490), the spa’s manager, to plan your VIPs’ spa visit. For sun-seeking clients, the hotel’s private beach, Zplage, is fabulous, but book way ahead if they prefer a lounge on the raised pier or front row on the sand. Head Concierge Fabrizio Bozzolan (fboz zolan@concorde-hotels.com; 33-4-93396831) can make the seemingly impossible happen; a Chinese guest once insisted on being served a particular noodle found only in Hong Kong—not only did the guest enjoy the noodles within 24 hours of the request, but they were prepared by one of Hong Kong’s top chefs, who was flown in for the occasion. 40 LUXURY TRAVEL ADVISOR | February 2008 http://www.rssc.com http://www.seabourn.com http://www.seadreamyachtclub.com http://www.silversea.com http://www.hotel-martinez.com
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