Blu Le Dokhan opens on Trocadero in Paris

by Tom Johansmeyer on

Now, you have a new reason to go to Paris this year. The Radisson Blu Le Dokhan’s Hotel has just opened. This new spot is an easy walk from the Champs Elysees, Arc de Triomphe and the Eiffel Tower. I remember the area well – there’s decent subway access out to Place Vendome and the rest of the city.

The Radisson Blue Le Dokhan’s Hotel occupies what used to be a private residence, a building that dates back to the 18th century. From the outside, you can enjoy a restored Haussmann exterior; the inside was designed by Frederic Mechiche. The real attention-grabber, though, is an elevator made from a vintage Louis Vuitton wardrobe trunk.

Grab a glass of champagne (from an extensive menu) at Le Dokhan Bar, where you can enjoy live music well into the night. Room service is available around the clock, and internet access is free. Hey, this matters to me. Nothing’s more irritating than having to shell out $10 a day once you’ve already paid for the damned room.

Look, there’s no shortage of hotels in Paris. Anyone who’s been there knows this, and even if you haven’t, it’s not hard to figure it out. But, I’m a big fan of boutique hotels, and this 45-room location seems like a great addition to a crowded city.

Lively-est brunch in Manhattan

by Tom Johansmeyer on

In New York, brunch is more than just a meal. For most, it’s that one chance to indulge, regardless of tax bracket. You find an upscale restaurant, sip a champagne cocktail and order dishes you could never prepare on your own. Most important, you work hard to seem nonchalant, as if you live this way every day. Of course, if you’re visiting the city, you also want at least one celebrity sighting. So, if you could nab a celeb while scarfing brunch, you complete your vacation without tying up the sidewalk on 34th and Madison (and slowing my commute).

So, two birds, one stone? Try Norma’s, in Le Parker Meridien. The brunch is fantastic and expensive, so you will get the full experience. In addition to waiting 20 minutes past your reservation to be seated, you’ll enjoy the occasional star sighting. Men, if you want to score big with your wives or girlfriends, arrange to be there on a Sunday after noon. It’s no secret that Gossip Girl‘s Blake Lively loves Norma’s, and I can confirm that she prefers an early afternoon brunch on Sunday (at least as of a few weeks ago).

Oh, and the coffee’s great, too.

Cool off while heating up your love life

by Tom Johansmeyer on

Hotel Jerome, a RockResort hotel in Aspen, CO, wants to put the flame back into your relationship. Enjoy the cold slopes until things get hot in the evening for Valentine’s Day or through April 12. The hotel’s “Fire & Ice” package starts at $1,295 a night but delivers plenty of value.

Stretch your travel dollar with this program, which includes two nights in a one bedroom suite, a bottle of champagne, chocolate covered strawberries at turndown on the first night and daily breakfast, either at the Jacob’s Corner restaurant or room service. To top it off, you and your lover will get 50 minute in-room massages.

If your travel plans are keeping you close to home, take advantage of the many discounts airlines are offering for travel within the United States, and make this Valentine’s Day one to remember!

[Photo via RockResorts]

Strange New Year’s traditions around the world

by Jeremy Kressmann on

Unlike many holidays, where celebrants are bound by tradition or religion, New Year’s is a holiday that allows each individual to choose his own method of celebration. Some revelers will soak themselves in alcohol, boozing it up with copious bottles of champagne. Others choose to make the evening a quieter affair, settling in for a movie and an early night in bed.

However you personally choose to celebrate New Year’s 2009, people around the world certainly have some wacky ways that they choose to bring in their new year. MSNBC is reporting on some of the more interesting customs. Here’s a look at a few of the more curious:

  • South America – in countries like Brazil and Bolivia, it’s what’s inside that counts. Residents in cities such as Sao Paulo and La Paz ring in the New Year by donning brightly colored underpants. Those who choose red are hoping for an amorous year ahead, those with yellow wish for money. I guess this begs the question of how you tell who is wearing what color underwear. Perhaps that is best left unanswered…
  • Denmark – as if the effects of plentiful New Year’s alcohol were not disorienting enough, many Danish revelers leap off chairs at the stroke of midnight, hoping to banish bad spirits in the year ahead.
  • Philippines – New Year’s celebrations in places like Manila tend to be circular; Filipinos focus on all things round, consuming “round” fruits such as grapes and wearing clothing with round shapes like polka dots. The spherical theme is meant to remind celebrants of the “round” shape of coins and prosperity.
  • Spain – at the stroke of 12, Spaniards begin to consume 12 grapes, attempting to eat the whole bunch by the time the clock stops chiming.
  • Belarus – the new year in Belarus is all about getting hitched. Unmarried women compete at games of skill and chance to determine who will tie the knot in the coming months. One game involves setting piles of corn and a rooster before the potential brides-to-be – whichever pile the bird chooses apparently picks the lucky lady.

You can check out the full list of weird New Year’s traditions here.

Bubbly for 50,000 euros: The world’s most expensive champagne

by Anna Brones on

It seems like trendy drinks are getting more and more expensive. First it was bottled water, then it was coffee made from animal dung. But if you thought water at $42 a bottle was expensive then you haven’t seen the latest bottles of Perrier-Jouet. The French champagne company is selling a limited edition 12-bottle box set for a mere 50,000 euros. That comes out to about 4,166 euros per bottle, or $6,485!

Who can afford such things? The “community of super rich consumers” of course. Marketing to this kind of consumer in the United States, Britain, Japan, China, Russia, Switzerland and France, Pierre-Jouet is pretty much offering the champagne chance of a lifetime. “We are going to sell these box-sets to 100 people around the world who will have a chance to customise their own champagne, the ultimate luxury,” said Perrier Olivier Cavil, head of communications at Perrier-Jouet. The boxed set wins the prize for the world’s most expensive champagne; the previous record was set by a limited edition Dom Perignon which went on sale in 2005 for 12,000 euros per three liter bottle.

Customers purchasing one of the 100 boxed sets will come to Epernay to meet one-on-one with the cellar master who will add in a liqueur to “personalize” the champagne. Sounds pretty luxurious. Better invite only the classiest of your friends to drink it with.