Luxury Travel Advisor - June 2008 - (Page 30)

HOTELS ever present. With a well-connected staff at their beck and call, for Ellerman House guests, the world—Cape Town, anyway—is their oyster. Ask any of the reception staffers or duty managers (reception@ ellerman.co.za; 011-27-21-4303200) to arrange private visits to local wine estates or to arrange a dinner with a local artist (Ellerman House boasts a collection of 12,000 vintage South African wines and houses one of the largest privately owned art collections in the country). The Victoria & Alfred Waterfront is within easy reach for a fun-filled day of shopping, sightseeing and sampling the city’s world-class cuisine. Tip: While Ellerman House offers shuttle service to the Waterfront three times daily; arrange for your group to enjoy private transportation at the drop of a hat. Ellerman House’s setting is sure to inspire relaxation and a visit to its private spa only finishes the job. Contact Spa Manager Vicky Dennett (spa@ellerman. co.za; 011-27-21-430-3200) to select treatments for your group, whether it’s a Japanese or La Stone body massage. Tip: Dennett doubles as a massage therapist, and she excels at the La Stone option. For the Japanese massage, request Yvette Korff. Post-spa, arrange for clients to feast on fare from a customized menu, perhaps paired with their wine purchases of the day. Thanks to Ellerman House’s oceanfront location, seafood here is a specialty. To arrange a buy-out of Ellerman House and to plan private transfers from Cape Town International Airport, contact Reservations Manager Ailsa Burns (info@ellerman.co.za; AT BLACKBERRY FARM, opportunities abound to take in the resort’s gorgeous Smoky Mountain setting. 011-27-21-430-3200). General Manager Timothy D. Cumming (tcumming@ellerman.co.za; 01127-21-430-3200) is also available to greet your utmost VIPs. High season is from December through April, and Ellerman House closes from June 15 to July 15 annually. Bookings open December 1 each year for reservations in the following year; plan to book as far in advance as possible for clients who wish to stay anytime between December 20 and January 6, and in February. With its mist-shrouded pastures, country-cottage-style accommodations and southern sensibility (picture rocking chairs on the front porch), Blackberry Farm (www.blackberryfarm.com), perched on 4,200 lazily rolling acres in eastern Tennessee’s Great Smoky Mountains, is a fairytale setting for that extra-special occasion. Blackberry Farm’s four Hill Cottages are the most luxurious offering, each decorated with a specific theme (they also include private concierge services). If you want to keep the group’s nucleus together, suggest they stay in the Guest House, which offers 11 suites, each with a private bath. There’s also the three-bedroom Cove Cottage and the newly built Singing Brook Cottage Suites (two suites per cottage). Contact Group Sales Manager Teresa Moore (tmoore@blackberryfarm. com; 865-380-2107) to secure your clients’ takeover. Start your clients’ stay with a visit to Blackberry’s spa, which is overseen by Pat Sullivan (psul livan@blackberryfarm.com; 865984-8166). We hear the Farmhouse Elixir is a popular pick and spa staffers are happy to help luxury travel advisors choose the most fitting treatment and therapist to suit their clients’ needs. (Tip: For the Farmhouse Elixir, request Patti Nicaud.) Treatments also are available for kids. We say Blackberry Farm is particularly fun for foodies. One of our favorite features of the resort is its working farm, and chef Peter Glander is only happy to demonstrate to groups how he incorporates local ingredients into his famous Foothills cuisine. A few recently added features to Blackberry Farm include The Barn, a new culinary venue and centerpiece of the Farmstead, which also includes a dairy, larder, butcher shop, creamery, garden and farm animals. Concierges Holly McNeilly and Kathryn Smith (hmcneilly@black berryfarm.com and ksmith@ blackberryfarm.com; 865-9848166) can assist with setting up a demonstration, as well as any other private dining needs your takeover group should have. Blackberry’s concierge staff have arranged for a couple to take a camping trip in the Smoky Mountains during one night of their stay for a surprise proposal and they can arrange for guests to be transported on horseback to various points in the Great Smoky Mountains, with an elaborate champagne picnic and personal butler. Fly fishing, canoeing, hot-air ballooning, hiking, bicycling, tennis and golf are just a few of the additional activities Blackberry’s concierge can set up. Summer and autumn are the busiest times for bookings and say that it’s best to book at least six months in advance for a stay during those seasons. 30 LUXURY TRAVEL ADVISOR | June 2008 http://www.blackberryfarm.com

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Luxury Travel Advisor - June 2008 Contents Publisher's Letter Editor's Letter Paris Shanghai New York Takeover Hotels Townhouse Galleria Florida Spas BVI Bliss Athens, Greece Rainforest Excursions Nigel Page The Pulse Jetset Report Just Back On Location Sightings Agent Access Source List

Luxury Travel Advisor - June 2008

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