Daily Pampering: Four Seasons Beirut

by Tom Johansmeyer on


If you aren’t planning to go to Beirut this year … change your flights. After a decade of preparation and five years of construction, the Four Seasons Hotel Beirut has opened its doors. The latest property from this luxury chain may seem to be opening in an unusual place, but guests are already voting for it with their room-nights, lured by the taste of prime cuts of Charolais beef and pairing with local wine on the terrace of The Grill Room. Or, you can relax up on the 26th floor terrace, sitting by the rooftop pool.

Of course, nothing beats the hotel’s spa, a creative statement of white marble and gold mosaics, with a suede-paneled couples suite that boasts a private terrace and Jacuzzi. Back at your guestroom, one of only 230 rooms and suites in the hotel, you’ll have both space and comfort … not to mention a private terrace where you can soak up the Beirut ambience.

Perhaps the greatest benefit to a stay at the Four Seasons Beirut is the insider access that comes from a conversation with the concierges. You’ll be able to gain admittance to art exhibitions and art shows all over the city. The concierges will also help you find religious architecture, Phoenician ruins … and nightclubs and beachside bars.

According to the hotel’s general manager, Stefan Simkovics, Beirut is “one of the sexiest cities in the world: enticing, vain, scarred, beautiful, complex and exciting.”

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[Photo by Paul Thuysbaert]

Four Seasons auctioning off front-row rooms for Olympics

by Annie Scott on

The Four Seasons Whistler has 6 exclusive rooms and suites at their lovely, Vancouver-adjacent mountain resort up for auction on charitybuzz.com to raise funds for The Birds Nest Foundation.

The Birds Nest Foundation is “a charitable corporation and visual media production company dedicated to supporting philanthropic efforts. Birds Nest provides multimedia services for fund raising and to increase awareness and understanding of non-profit organizations.”

If supporting philanthropic efforts isn’t enough of a reason for you to bid, how about a complimentary Sea-to-Sky highway permit for getting to the games? The Four Seasons Whistler also happens to be the Official Host Mountain Resort for the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Games, so you’re certain to be surrounded by excitement and celebration — as well as athletes and officials. All alpine, Nordic and sliding events will be held at the resort. It’s going to be that awesome.

Need we mention FS Whistler’s gas-burning fireplaces, private bars, guest powder rooms, and deep-soaking tubs? There’s also a first-rate spa and the Fifty-Two 80 Bistro, which will be hosting Olympic Buffet Dinners from February 12 through 28 for guests to dine together and watch the day’s events on large flat-screen televisions.

Bidding for these once-in-a-lifetime mutli-day to week-long experiences starts at $1,000, and the packages are valued at up to $21,600. Some don’t even have an opening bid placed, so hurry to charitybuzz and bid!

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Valentine’s Day specials: Four Seasons Los Angeles finds your scent

by Melanie Nayer on

What does your loved one smell like? The folks at Four Seasons are ready to find out.

We’ve published all sorts of Valentine’s Day packages, including in-room massages, breakfasts in bed and while not technically a Valentine’s Day offering, we can’t forget the human bed warmers over at the Holiday Inn. But the Four Seasons Hotel Los Angeles at Beverly Hills is putting a new twist on Valentine’s Day, thanks to its Everlasting Valentine’s Day Package.

Book a night with the luxe-hotel and you’ll enjoy a private “aromatic journey” with a custom perfume specialist who will help you create your very own fragrance.
Kedra Hart from Opus Oils‘ Jitterbug Perfume Parlour will introduce couples to a wide variety of scents and blend together a custom created fragrance made specifically for each couple. You’ll take home a 2 oz. Eau de Parfum spray as well as a travel size roll-on, and your secret scent will be saved on file so you can re-order when you’re running low. Of course, all this scenting goes down in one of the Four Seasons newly-renovated guestrooms or suites, and they’ve thrown in breakfast for two and your choice of a specialty Valentine’s Day cocktail.

The package starts at $535 and is available on Friday, February 12, Saturday, February 13 and Sunday, February 14.

Big Island Hawaii: Get your adventure on

by Katie Hammel on

There’s virtually no limit to the adventures you can have on the Big Island of Hawaii. SCUBA, snorkel, watch whales pass in season, take a helicopter flight over the island, or view lava up close from a boat, watching the fiery rivers pop and hiss as they land in the ocean. On the Kohala Coast, many of the resorts offer easy access to some of the island’s most unique activities. For others, well…you’ll need to get a bit more creative.

Stand-up paddleboarding
Kona Village resort offers guests several options for traditional Hawaiian water-sports, including stand-up paddleboarding, through its Alaka’i program. Alaka’i means “ambassadors of the waves” and the staff here really do try to fulfill that role by teaching guests not just about the logistics of each activity, but also about its historical and cultural significance to the islands. The Junior Alaka’i program is geared for kids 10-17 and includes three days of lessons in activities like paddleboarding, windsurfing, free diving, and outrigger canoeing. Guests at the Four Seasons Hualalai can also use the equipment at Kona Village.

Elsewhere on the Big Island, you can rent a board from Hilo’s What Sup Big Island, where daily paddleboard rental is $65, or $75 for a half day with lunch and beginner lesson.



Outrigger canoeing
Outrigger canoes, traditional Hawaiian boats, resemble regular canoes that have an added support (called an outrigger) added to one side. These canoes can go quite fast, and are more stable in rough waters than regular canoes. As part of Kona Village’s Alaka’i program, guests can learn to paddle one, and once they have successfully learned to maneuver a six-person outrigger canoe, they are free to use one and two-person canoes on their own for the remainder of their stay.

On the Kohala Coast, the Fairmont Orchid also offers outrigger canoe excursions and Sky Blue Canoe offers lessons and rentals. A 90-minute tour is $65.

Surf lessons
It’s practically sacrilege to go to Hawaii and not take a surf lesson. The instructors at Kona Mike’s Surf Adventures are all certified in CPR , First Aid, and professional rescue. Group lessons start at $99 and private lessons are $150 and each lesson includes two hours of in-water instruction.

Horseback riding
Hawaii’s Big Island has a surprising number of cattle ranches, all thanks to a few cattle who were gifted to King Kamehameha back at the end of the 18th century. When, a few decades later, those cattle had reproduced and began to be a nuisance, King Kamehameha III recruited some Mexican cowboys, which the locals dubbed “paniolos”, to handle the problem. Today, paniolos still work the ranches, many of which welcome guests for daily horseback rides. Na’ alapa Stables at Kahua Ranch is one of these. Located less than an hour north of Kona, the ranch offers 2.5 hour rides for just under $90. The price is well worth it for the beautiful views down to the ocean from the ranch’s 4000-foot elevation.



Snow skiing
Snow skiing…in Hawaii? That’s right. Mauna Kea, an inactive volcano, reaches over 13,000 feet above sea level (and over 30,000 above its base on the floor of the ocean, making it the tallest mountain in the world, technically). The top of the mountain is home to an observatory and is the ideal place to do some serious stargazing all year round. And thanks to the elevation of Mauna Kea, Hawaii actually has snow several months of the year! There’s just one catch to skiing Mauna Kea: there’s no ski resort there. So intrepid adventurers have a friend drive them up the mountain, where they strap on their own skis and snowboards (or just grab a sled…or even a cardboard box) and ski or sled down the mountain. If you want to ski in Mauna Kea, you can sign up with Ski Hawaii, which runs group tours for $250 per person, or rents equipment for as low as $50 per day.

Daily Pampering: Get a Cabana Pedicure at The Four Seasons

by Annie Scott on


The Four Seasons Hotel Los Angeles at Beverly Hills has undergone a $33 million renovation, and Cabana Pedicures (from $80) are just the icing on the cake.

Still, let’s talk about that icing. A newly renovated, private outdoor cabana is available for both guests and non-guests to book pedicures, manicures, Swedish or deep tissue massages and foot reflexology. The luxury cabana comes at no additional charge.

In addition to cabanas, the fabulous hotel has also revamped their 4,000 square-foot Ballroom — or unvamped it, rather — returning it to a natural light-filled look of cool California charm. The infamous Windows Lounge has been updated to include elements of nature like a “backlit photographic glass bar top that exhibits an image of succulent foliage, and a green onyx fireplace.” The adjacent patio has been expanded to accommodate seating for up to 25 and two wrought iron cabanas, as well as “newly planted orange trees, bougainvillea and lush greenery.” The Cabana Restaurant has a new awnings, discreetly hidden space heaters for cool nights, and wellness-oriented menu with categories like Indulgence, Energy Booster, Antioxidant and Comfort.

Most recent is the completion of the 1940s glamour-inspired guest rooms with mirrored wall paneling and white-gold chinoiserie headboards, accompanied by warm neutral furnishings and splashes of teal or coral. Additional details include nature-themed carpeting and throws, following the classic Four Seasons tradition. New flat screen TVs and other fixtures are also being added.
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