Luxury Travel Advisor - April 2008 - (Page 9)

ADVISOR INSIGHT: Maureen Jones of All Horizons Travel in Los Altos, CA, who has gone to London more than 130 times to visit family, go to the theater and shop. “Duke’s Hotel is in a great location,” Jones says. As for seeing London? Jones suggests taking a walk in the park right by the hotel, and having dinner at Fortnum and Mason. Check out what’s new in fashion at Harrods Department Store: “Their food hall is always fun to wander thru,” she adds. “Book tickets for a show at one of London’s 74 theaters, particularly Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. Take a cruise down the River Thames to Kew Gardens or Greenwich to wander through the British Maritime Museum, and go to Sunday-morning service at Westminister Abbey before taking a private tour of the archbishop’s quarters to see his china and crystal.” No London visit would be complete without paying homage in some way to the royal family. “The Queen’s Gallery, on the side street to Buckingham Palace, has a wonderful exhibit, which changes regularly, of the queen’s jewelry, her furniture and paintings,” Jones says. “I always buy Christmas presents in the great gift shop there.” Clients who want to rest their weary feet might opt to have coffee on the top floor of the Tate Modern Gallery, or take the river cruise back to Westminister from the Tower of London after viewing its famous jewels. Looking for a way to wile away an entire day? “A great all-day tour is to Leeds Castle and Canterbury,” Jones says. Jones recommends taking the train from London— it’s a two-hour ride—and picking up a car in Cardiff. “Cardiff has great shopping and nightlife,” Jones says. “Places of interest are the valleys north of Cardiff, which is where the coal mines were. They’re all closed now, but there is still one called the Big Pit, for clients who want to go underground.” Those who enjoy the arts might try to hear a Welsh Miners Choir—“fantastic singing,” Jones enthuses, adding that “women do not sing in choirs in Wales.” Note: Jones says that the Brecon’s hills are a great place for walking, “but the most scenic part of Wales is in the north.” On her own visit to Wales, Jones surmises she would “drive up the center of Wales to Snowdonia National Park, which has lots of great little villages with country inns and manor houses to choose from, then over to Chester, a wonderful medieval walled town built by the Romans.” Here, Jones says, clients can return their rental car and board the train back to London. (For an aerial return to London, Jones says it’s best to drop off rentals at Manchester Airport and fly back.) One attraction clients won’t want to miss is Wales’s many castles. “There are hundreds,” Jones advises. “Some of the most famous are Caerphilly, Carnarvon, Conway and Harlech. Suggest that clients rent a small car for castle hopping; the roads are very narrow and have high hedges, which make it difficult to see. A small car is easier to drive, as there are no freeways.” Finally, Jones says, visitors to Wales might cap off their tour with a visit to Angelsey, a small island off the coast by Caernarvon. ANDAZ appeals to Gen-Y travel- ers who appreciate its modern look and non-traditional service (open-plan suite shown, this photo; queen double shown, above, right). now has something new to offer every type of luxury traveler— from trendy to traditional. On first glance, as you approach it from Liverpool Street Railway Station, the Andaz (www.london.liverpoolstreet. andaz.com) looks like a sleek new restaurant or office building—one of the many mushrooming in the East End these days. It’s when you get inside and South Wales – Penarth For clients making an excursion to South Wales, www.luxuryta.com April 2008 | LUXURY TRAVEL ADVISOR 9 http://www.london.liverpoolstreet.andaz.com http://www.london.liverpoolstreet.andaz.com http://www.luxuryta.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Luxury Travel Advisor - April 2008

Luxury Travel Advisor - April 2008 Contents Publisher's Letter Editor's Letter London DESTINATIONS India Greece HOTELS Golf Royal Hideaway Playacar Chateau Marmont SPAS Hawaiin Spas Southeast Asia CRUISES: Antarctica Cover Story: Rocket man The Pulse Traveling Gourmet Jetset Sightings Source List

Luxury Travel Advisor - April 2008

For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.