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Imagine yourself in a world of pleasure – stretches of white beach, fantastic shopping, some of the best bars around, not having to bring a dime to this all inclusive paradise. Well you don’t have to dream anymore. The Hotel Magic Rock Gardens all-inclusive resort in the beautiful Costa Blanca, Spain is sure to be your ticket to nirvana.

The hotel is in the heart of Benidorm surrounded by the town’s best shopping, bars and restaurants – all within 150 meters of the front door! The spectacular crystal clear beach is merely 250 meters away. 

The Hotel Magic Rock Gardens has a vast 279 rooms that sleeps 2,3 or 4. Each has its own lounge, fridge, air conditioning, tea/coffee, TV and completely private rooms. Maid service comes daily so you don’t have to lift a finger. The Restaurant is open 16 hours with buffet style meals with plenty of vegan and diet options to keep your body beach ready if you so desire. There are also six bars in the summer and three during the winter. There is also much to see and do for sports nuts including a gym, Jacuzzi, swimming pools, sun terrace with free tanning beds, table tennis, pool tables and darts. There are also exclusive activities including archery lessons, skittles, short-mat, bowls and rifle shooting. Children are more than welcomed at this wonderful resort and they have their own activities, play area, bounce castle, slides and playgrounds.

To top it off, as mentioned previously, the Hotel Magic Rock Gardens is completely all-inclusive. This means you can come to Spain without so much as bringing a dime, unless of course you plan on strolling the town and making the most of the bars, restaurants and shopping facilities.

Photo of a beach in Spain courtesy of Camille Switzerland.

With hotel awards season upon us, all hotel junkies were anxiously awaiting the prestigious Prix Villegiature Awards. These lofty awards are only given to the cream of the crop in the European hotel market. The jury, compromised of top journalists and columnists from different media outlets around Europe, hand picked all of the winners which, surprisingly, was a list mainly comprised of small, unique, homely hotels.

In partnership with Elite Rent a Car, the Prix Villegiature organization gave out prizes to each winner. The prize pack included Raynaud porcelain, a bottle of Champagne Bollinger La Grande Annee 1999, a solid silver Bollinger champagne bucket and a floral sculpture by Emilio Robba.

And the winners are…

Best book on hotels published in Europe :
teNeues : « Luxury Hotels Top of the World »

Best hotel interactive communication in Europe :
Hôtel Les Ottomans, Istanbul – Turkey

Best hotel graphic design concept in Europe :
La Perla, Corvara in Badia - Italy

Best floral decoration in a hotel in Europe :
Plaza Athénée, Paris – France / Dorchester Collection

Best hotel interior design in Europe Europe :
Hotel Stary, Cracovie – Poland / Likus Hotels & Restaurants

Best hotel architecture in Europe :
Marqués de Riscal, Elciego – Spain / Starwood Hotels & Resorts

Best service in a hotel in Europe :
Majestic Barrière, Cannes – France / Lucien Barrière Hôtels & Casinos

Best restaurant in a hotel in Europe :
Château Les Crayères, Chef Didier Elena, Reims – France / Relais & Châteaux

Meilleur Bar in a hotel in Europe :
Park Hyatt Paris-Vendôme, Chef Barman Yann Daniel, Paris – France / Hyatt

Best Spa in a hotel in Europe :
Hôtel du Palais, Biarritz – France / The Leading Hotels of the World

Best innovation in a hotel management in Europe :
Hotel Principe di Savoia, Milan – Italy / Dorchester Collection

Grand Prix of the Best Charming hotel in Europe :
Pand Hotel, Bruges – Belgium / Small Luxury Hotels

Grand Prix of the Best Resort in Europe :
Villa d’Este, Cernobbio – Italy / Villa d’Este Hotels

Grand Prix of the Best Hotel  Europe :
Hotel Eden, Rome – Italy / The Leading Hotels of the World

Photo of Lake Como, Italy where winner Villa d’Este is located, courtesy of Cristiano Galbiati.

Looking to stay in Ireland but want a little more bang for your buck? At the Castleknock Hotel & Country Club you get some bang for your buck and then some. The brand spankin’ new hotel, which opened to the public officially in January 2005, is a magnificent 4 star stay with room rates starting below 100EUR. The location is just 9 kilometers from the center of Dublin and a short distance from the airport as well.

The 27 million euro hotel features 140 accommodating rooms as well as 4 exclusive suites. There are also two restaurants, the Park Restaurant and the Brasserie, which offer gastronomical delights for breakfast through dinner. Two separate bars, the Lime Tree and Fionn Uisce Bar buzz from 12am through 12 pm everyday. Club Tonic is a top notch fitness facility which is offered to all guests staying at Castleknock. And if you must do business during your stay, there are plenty of conference rooms and banquet halls to conduct it in. The hotel also boasts its own country club complete with golf course.

Castleknock is currently offering an October/November 10% discount deal which includes a one night stay and a real Irish breakfast for a mere 96EUR. Surely no other hotel in Dublin can beat a price like that!

Photo courtesy of Mauricio Brik.

Known as one of the best vacation sports, the Forte Village Resort in the beautiful Sardinia area of Italy is certainly tops in Europe. The destination not only won Conde Naste’s Europe’s Leading Family Resort award but also holds several other awards and records close to their hearts, year in and year out.

This luxurious Mediterranean resort has 7 hotels, 33 suites, 21 restaurants and an infamous wellness center. Each hotel is surrounded by gorgeous blooms, tall palm trees and lucid ocean views. The atmosphere in each room is of utmost leisure with calming neutral colors, soft luxuriant fabrics and stunning views. The five star suites are often taken over by the jet set of the world. These secluded villa suites are completely private and offer catering as well as some of the best services and amenities in the hotel world.  The wall to wall windows offer views of the resorts 25 kilometers of beaches. The beaches are fascinating and filled with activities. You can explore the mysterious ancient caves and traditions of Forte Village, climb to the top of the medieval watch towers and look out over the sea or swim in the crystal clear lagoon.

The beach, although so divine you may not want to leave it, is not the only thing to do here. There are 25 hectares of park filled with trees, beautiful flowers and local wildlife. The hotel will organize any event your heart desires. An ATV race, a candlelight dinner by the sea, a race on the go-kart track, an afternoon at the Is Molas golf course, a delightful day of shopping in the Piazza or relaxing treatments at the world class spas. You don’t need to go to the spa to unwind though. There is a place on the resort, surrounded by flourishing tropical gardens, that features a sauna, thalassotherapy pools, a Turkish bath and a high-quality fitness room.

After long pleasure filled days you can wet your whistle and satisfy your palette with delectable cuisine at one of the twenty one restaurants on the resort. There is certainly something for everyone – Italian, Pasta, Brazilian, Japanese, Torre and Sardinian tastes among a large variety of others. If you want to eat in private, there are exclusive rooms waiting as well.

Sardinian is like something out of a fairytale for children. This kid friendly resort seems like it comes straight out of a pirate movie with its crisp blue ocean, tall swaying palms and clear sunny skies. The Mini Club is a hidden oasis for children. It is a pool just steps from the beach so that adults can take a leisurely swim knowing that their children are safe and sound a few feet away, feeling as though they are at full freedom although there are watchful eyes all around. There is even a restaurant planned specifically around children featuring anything from a yummy peanut butter sandwich to a whopping bowl of ice cream. For your children, Forte Village is sure to be a dream come true and it is no wonder why it was rated as the top family resort in all of Europe.

If it is not a family holiday you are after but a business setting, Forte Village Resort has got you covered. There are 18 conferences if you so desire. The hotel also offers services to set up a beach side conference call or a pool side meeting. There is not a better way to mix business with pleasure than in a paradise like Sardinia.

This family friendly atmosphere offers the best of the best. The hotel has a top scale five star rating and your stay is sure to be rated the same. The Forte Village Resort, tucked along the coast of the spectacular Mediterranean Sea is nothing short of magical and must be seen to be believed.

Photo courtesy of Erika Saccà.

Holiday Inn lovers brace yourself. Intercontinental Hotels Group has recently released plans of a worldwide relaunch of Holiday Inn’s and Holiday Inn Express’ across the globe. European Express by Holiday Inn hotels will be changed over to Holiday Inn Express to match up with the Americas.

IHG’s chief executive officer Andrew Cosslet stated that “the Holiday Inn sign is seen by hundreds of millions of people every day around the world. The changes we are making will ensure the Holiday Inn brand goes forward into the future with a strong and confident new image.” This image will cost each hotel owner a minimum of 100,000EUR to redesign signage, upgrade bedding and showers and to improve upon customer service. The entire revamp will cost a cool 488 million euros or 1 billion US dollars.

Look out for the new and improved Holiday Inn Express’ across Europe from now until the end of 2010. 

If you are thinking “Hotel Everland? In Paris? Never heard of it,” that’s because you probably haven’t and because it hasn’t been in Paris for long. The one room hotel was raised into place on the rooftop of Palais de Tokyo, a museum in the city. Everland is a project more than a hotel created by Swiss artists Sabina Long and Daniel Baumann. The concept behind the pairs creation is simply a study on the idea of opulence . “It’s absurd to have a one-room hotel and it’s never going to be a success as a business plan,” Ms Lang said. “We just like to play around with the idea of exclusivity and luxury.”

The hotel came into the public world in 2002 where it debuted at an expo and was later hoisted onto the top of the Gallery of Contemporary Art in Liepzig, Germany. From there it has made its way to Paris where it will stay until December of 2008. People can pay a fee of 333EUR for a week day or 444EUR for a weekend one night stay. The stay must be brief because the room is opened up to museum goers to browse during daylight hours.

The designers did a number on the room. The impression it leaves is lavish and unique. The style is one that is reminiscent of a 1970’s bachelor pad where the mini bar is always full, records are constantly playing, the views are like no other and breakfast is delivered to the door each morning.

As frequent travelers know, the best cities often mean the highest prices. That’s why we’re sharing our little secret about the Hotel Santa Lucia for anyone venturing to Venice, Italy. Although it is ranked one star, the hotel is very well taken care of. Rooms are clean and airy with cheerful splashes of yellows and reds throughout.

Venice accommodation is unusually high in price even without the convenience of location. Well this hotel allows guests to have their cake and eat it too with a great location and low prices. The hotel is just several paces from the train station, three minutes to be exact according to the website. This allows guests easy access to zip around the city. Community bathroom prices are lower than others but if you are not inclined to share a toilet during your stay, room prices start at about 70-100EUR per night. This is quite reasonable considering other Venice hotels.

Staffers do take a break from the end of November through the end of January but this is to your advantage since the best time to go is just after their break when springtime in Venice is in full bloom.

Conde Naste hit it right when they awarded the 5 star Hotel Adlon Kempinski as Europe’s Leading Business Hotel in their 2007 World Travel Awards ceremony.  The location, in the heart of Berlin, couldn’t be easier for guests – business or not – to find. The swanky hotel has a variety of rooms including two magnificent ballrooms, two beautiful wintergardens, elegant wood-paneled conference rooms and six stylish salons to accommodate any type of event a guest may throw. All rooms are exclusive and tastefully done to suit every fancy. To make everything as trouble-free as possible for the party planner and/or event host, the hotel offers their Hotel Adlon Catering Service to assist in menu choice as well as decor. The pleasant staff is compliant and kind and truly makes events a dream come true for the host and guests alike.

After any business meeting or event comes to a close, the hotel offers comfort and luxury that is above and beyond. Designers paid complete attention to detail with warm and soothing color palettes, skillfully done furniture and lavish amenities beyond guests’ wildest dreams. A delicious gourmet breakfast can be added for 34EUR.

As if this wasn’t enough, the hotel features restaurants, bars and Adlon Spa as the cherry on top. The casual atmosphere of the Lobby Lounge & Bar allows guests to mingle in a lively atmosphere for coffee, tea and cocktails. Restaurant Quarre features a “Spices & Herbs” notion which is applied to each and every dish that leaves the kitchen. With floor to ceiling windows over looking the Pariser Platz and Bradenburg Gate, this restaurant always leaves guests taste buds tingling. To keep with up with the many business guests that stay, Restaurant Quarre also offers business lunch every Monday through Friday for 18EUR. The Hotel Adlon’s pride and joy is their Michelin star awarded Gourmet Restaurant Lorenz Adlon. As if the name didn’t say it all, the Lorenz Adlon presents gastronomical delights in the style of exceptional French cuisine. The atmosphere is haute and classy. There are also secluded dining rooms for those who prefer to eat in private. The Adlon spa offers five star services and is located near the pool and wellness center. The spa encourages relaxation and peace for a sound mind, body and spirit to all who step through its doors.

Guests planning on staying at the Adlon in 2007 must remember to wish the hotel a “Happy 100th.” The hotel is celebrating its’ 100th year in service and its 10th year since the “new” hotel opened. Hotel builder Lorenz Adlon’s motto upon its opening 1907 was “Welcome to the Adlon, a hotel that wants to be so much more to its guests, with its ambience, its service and last but not least, its’ unique location.” Staffers still rejoice in this motto and hold it to the highest standard even today. They have put together many wonderful packages and discounts in celebration for this year only.

It is plan to see that the The Hotel Adlon Kempinski is the perfect mixture of business and pleasure for anyone looking to hold a sophisticated soirée for big business wheeling and dealing or for an elegant evening event out.

Ever wanted to live the way a real knight might have? Well now you can, in a sense, go medieval when staying at the Ruthin Castle. The hotel dates back to medieval times, 1277 to be exact. It is recorded as a Welsh fortress and saw its fair share of turbulent days throughout its ancient history. The decor certainly pays homage to the times with stunning wrought iron bed frames and plushy, velvety fabrics throughout. Some of the exposed stone and wood walls are original. Even the ancient dungeon is intact, complete with whipping pit and drowning pool. The hotel plays host to many medieval themed banquets with fully costumed Ladies of the Court and a Court steward who entertain with song and dance while fill your belly with a large four course meal. For those who like a more modern cuisine, Bertie’s Dining Room offers classic and delicious meals for all guests.

Now, from October 1 through November 30, the Ruthin Castle is offering the privilege of staying for a more 70EUR per night. The minimum stay is two nights between Sunday and Thursday, but with a rate of 60% off, you might want to stay longer!

The Marriot Hotels & Resorts chain has been dubbed numero uno in the hotel world for the second straight year. More than 1,500 surveyors claimed that the Marriot was the best spot to be while traveling. Some of the most important features that the survey brought to light were that location, high speed internet and onsite dining and room service were big highlights for guests. Luxurious linens and top of the line products especially in the bathroom were ranked closely behind the later. The Marriot features all of these and then some. Guests also loved the frequent guest programs, like the Marriot Rewards program, that the chain offers. The people have spoken loud and clear. With great service, lavish amenities and great incentives and rewards, it’s no wonder why the Marriot Hotels & Resorts chain is the best of the best no matter where you go. Stay at the Marriot at your next destination to reap the benefits.