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Today is Friday and that can mean only one thing: DOUGHNUT FRIDAY!
Courtesy of Kronn
Over the last few weeks we have instituted this most delightful of features to the e-travelguide working week, with Wendy the bringer of good things today. Today we had jam doughnuts although I have to say that my all-time favourites are probably either custard doughnuts or toffee. Long may this tradition continue!
It seems like e-travelguide’s Liggy is fleeing the office with increasing frequency. Good for her! Today she is in London visiting a couple of different people, building relationships and chatting about the imminent spring edition of the magazine. After last week’s meeting with members of a couple of London’s Marriott properties Liggy is meeting again today with Phil from the Grosvenor Square, this rather flash looking venue at the heart of the nation’s capital:
Grosvenor Square Hotel
Liggy will also be meeting with Mortimer who is visiting the UK from the historic Hotel Negresco in Nice. For this particular visit she will be heading to the four-star Washington Mayfair Hotel to catch up and show the latest developments to the magazine.
Washington Mayfair Hotel
The Negresco itself, built in 1912 and a landmark of the Nice shoreline, is currently undergoing a refurbishment and is all set to re-open at the beginning of July this year.
The weather on Monday and Tuesday in Berkshire this week was so good that some of the e-travelguide staff were able to eat lunch outside in the lovely warm sunshine! As I was eating and wandering the grounds yesterday I happened to notice something in the pond that signifies the new life which makes spring so colourful and hopeful.
We have an abundance of frog spawn…
How exciting!
Sometimes it seems there is no end to the number of new hotels opening throughout the UK, let alone Europe and the rest of the world. Of course, many close down and are re-opened in a new form. One such property to have opened in the early months of 2010 is the Cornwall Hotel and Spa which is found near St Austell in the Cornish countryside.
Cornwall Hotel and Spa
The hotel opened in February and is found amid 43 acres of beautiful land. Inside the hotel there are 60 bedrooms, while there are also a number of woodland homes among the trees. It is the spa though which is the main draw and comprises indoor and outdoor swimming pools as well as a gym and hot tubs.
Meanwhile, the Pestana Hotel Chelsea Bridge opened early on in 2010 to become the first property from the Portuguese group to open in the UK. Located next to Battersea Park the hotel features 210 bedrooms and six meeting rooms for up to 500 delegates.
Pestana Chelsea Bridge
To make an enquiry about either of these properties call the e-travelguide reservations hotline on +44 (0)118 971 4700.
On Friday I mentioned the Big Freeze which e-travelguide’s James Burrington took part in on Saturday. Here is what happened:
It was the first time James had taken part in such an act and it was possibly the longest he had ever stood still for – five whole minutes! James said it was ‘exciting’ to be part of such an unusual event; there were approximately 50 other participants and the many passers by were somewhat confused, it must be said. Of course, James stayed in London’s Hotel Russell the night before the big freeze, that rather impressive looking property at Russell Square.
Recently my colleague James enlightened me as to the amusing event that is the big freeze. Basically, what happens is lots of people flock to a certain location, say outside the Eiffel Tower in Paris, and simply freeze for five minutes at a given time. Then, when the time is up, they simply carry on their merry way as if nothing has happened. You can imagine the bemusement of passers by who have no idea about this thing they call the big freeze!
James will be taking part in one tomorrow in London and more details can be found on the big freeze website as to other locations and timings. Tonight James is heading to the capital for a gig at Kentish Town and will be staying in the impressive Hotel Russell overnight before tomorrow’s big freeze.
Hotel Russell
I, too, will be on my travels tomorrow. A few weeks ago I mentioned that I would be heading to the All-England Badminton Championships at the NIA in Birmingham and tomorrow is semi-finals day.
Should be fun. What a great sport!
Over the last couple of days we have had a whole host of visitors from various corners of the UK. Yesterday we welcomed Therese from the striking Grosvenor House on Park Lane as well as Phil from the Grosvenor Square Hotel, also in London.
Grosvenor Square Hotel
Is a rather impressive property from the outside and is equally as stylish and elegant on the inside. What more could you want?!
Today it was the turn of some visitors from the north to head to e-travelguide. Tony and Claire came from the Royal York (pictured) while Nicky visited from the Kenwood Hall in Sheffield. This is a particularly impressive hotel too:
It was good to see everyone and welcome them to the e-travelguide office and we will look forward to seeing them again!
Earlier this week Alex and Liggy continued their tour of the east of England in search of information and photographs for e-travelguide’s new magazine. Having visited Cambridge earlier in the month the duo headed into London, and more specifically into Bloomsbury, a district full of cultural heritage.
On their travels they visited four different buildings – two of which were hotels, one of which was a museum and the other of which was a rather intriguing building centre. The building centre is home to a number of small-scale models with the model of London taking pride of place.
It was the Grand Connaught Rooms though that was the highlight for Liggy which she described as ‘beautifully decorated and contemporary with something for everyone’. Alex, on photography duty, said the Connaught Rooms were significantly brown.
Grand Connaught Rooms
The other hotel they visited was the beautiful Hotel Russell which boasts an ever-impressive Victorian Renaissance architecture. The final stop was at the British Museum which is found in and around the Russell Square part of London and which has a particularly interesting roof as pictured below.
Copyright Andrew Dunn 26 November 2005
In all, a much enjoyed trip! Expect to see pictures and further information in the first edition of the e-travelguide magazine, coming soon.
In the latest of our series of videos on some of the country’s top hotels we have showcased a particularly elegant hotel in the centre of Scotland’s capital Edinburgh. The Roxburghe Hotel takes up an excellent position overlooking the park on Charlotte Square and is suitable for those travelling for business and leisure purposes. It has extensive leisure facilities as well as 200 bedrooms and seven stylish meeting facilities. Take a look for yourself:
I never thought that, as I was sat on the patio eating Sam’s pasta bake lapping up the spring sun on Friday, I would later than evening witness what can only be decribed as one of the most amazing sunsets I’ve ever seen in this country.
The sun was a brilliant red and, of course, I made sure I didn’t look directly at it! I’ve seen some impressive sunsets during visits to Zimbabwe and Kenya but I can’t remember seeing anything like this in Reading. Maybe I just don’t look in the right direction at the right time enough?!
Friday night was followed up with further days of sun on Saturday and Sunday here in the south and though giving the perception that it would be warm outside it was still rather chilly.
It looks so good and you don’t even need to worry about sun cream at this time of year!
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