Virtuoso Life - September/October 2008 - (Page 36) LUXE REPORT | SUITE TALK Salon de Ning heats up the NYC scene. TOAST OF THE TOWN Channeling Shanghai circa 1930, the new Salon de Ning at the 239-room Peninsula New York features Chinese art deco daybeds and lattice screens in the seasonal rooftop lounge. Shanghai socialite and renowned entertainer Madame Ning inspired the 23rd-floor perch, where bartenders pour bespoke champagne from Deutz of France. A sibling Salon will open at the Peninsula Hong Kong in October. Doubles from $875 (New York) and from approximate $403 (Hong Kong), both including breakfast. Mile-Long Flavor Some 600,000 bottles of bordeaux, burgundy, and champagne line nearly one mile of racks in the wine cellar at Monte Carlo’s iconic Hôtel de Paris. In a new private tour led by the sommelier, the 182-room hotel offers guests entrée to the vintage 1874 vault and a tasting of three varietals en route. From $2,434 for two, including two nights’ lodging, cellar tour and tasting, breakfast, and dinner. Cool case: Inside Hôtel de Paris’ cellar. Dip into serenity at the Dolder Grand’s new spa. Old World, New Spirit After a four-year closure and a $433 million investment, Zurich’s venerable Dolder Grand has reopened with contemporary amenities, a green geothermal energy system, and a thorough polish of its historic features. Architect Sir Norman Foster replaced the 1899 resort’s twentieth-century additions with two new wings that, along with the restored main building, now house 173 rooms with sleek interiors, steam showers, and modern amenities such as flat-screen TVs. American spa guru Sylvia Sepielli designed the new 43,000-square-foot curhaus to include an infinity pool with Alpine views, Japanese baths heated by pebbles, and a cold room where 12 inches of snow falls daily. Doubles from approximate $836, including breakfast and a spa credit. BY ELAINE GLUSAC 36 V I RT U O S O L I F E
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