Travel with a different perspective

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

HIP HOTELS is surely one of best accomodation choices for you in the holiday

To look for something unique, we highly suggest  to stay in HIP HOTELS


FOR SPECIAL ADVISE ON WHEN AND WHERE TO FIND A SUITABLE ONE ON YOUR CELEBRATION, YOU CAN ASK THE TRAVEL GURU AT
kentraveldesign@gmail.com

Who we are and what we provide to make your travel in a different way?

We provide and plan special travel service and tour to different parts of the world. From trekking in Nepal to visit a special private museum in Scotland, we create unique and unforgetable travel experience to you.
Also, we specialise in overseas wedding travel and photo deluxe services.

As a special consultant to  http://www.sintu.com/  a  famous travel agent and travel website based in Guangzhou, China, we introduce special trips to Chinese customers to Europe and the world .Also, customers coming to China can have  wonderful tours designed by our creative team. according to their request.


The Travel Guru Solution Ltd
Managing Director
Kenneth Ip
TEL:(852) 93788105
FAX: (852) 23453434
email: kentraveldesign@gmail.com


Sunday, January 16, 2011

Surprising wine and food tour

All over the year, wine lovers can visit wineyards which they want to indulge in these scenic environment.
From New Zealand to France, Italy to Chile, we have close relationship with the owners of these cheatau,
so dont be so surprised that they will tell you the SECRET of their business, if you consult our services.  




Hip Hotel/ 潮酒店

Europe's coolest hotels

If you love hotels, this summer will be a good one. Across Europe, there is a host of smart new places to stay, from radically chic boutiques in Paris and Milan to stripped-down seaside hideaways in Croatia and Capri. Unless stated, all hotel prices are on a B&B basis


GREECE MYSTIQUE, Santorini
Lounging on a balcony at Mystique, in the village of Oia, might be the most romantic way to watch the sun set yet devised. It slinks behind Santorini’s volcanic caldera with sylphlike grace. The island is lush with gorgeous honeymoon hotels, but Mystique, opened last month, threatens to beat them all. Its 18 villas are carved into the cliff face, each overlooking the caldera, and every one flat-screened and hi-fi’d. There’s locally quarried limestone on the floor, original art on the walls, cushions clad in antique textiles. Shame that the name conjures up visions of a tight-trousered 1970s lounge band.

MYKONOS GRACE, Mykonos
Mykonos is authentically A-list these days – so chic that star restaurateur Nobuyuki Matsuhisa sets up a summer outpost of Nobu there. The island has plenty of fashionable five-stars, but the new-look Mykonos Grace is effortlessly glamorous, and half the price of many of its rivals. The hotel reopened last month after a full-on facelift. The rooms now have a delectable airiness, with lots of trendy Venetian plaster, Starck-esque fittings and spacious terraces, some with hot tubs. The popular Agios Stefanos beach is on the doorstep; thumping nightclubs are a five-minute cab ride away.
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HOTEL BELLEVUE, Dubrovnik
Top hotels in the Croatian capital are beautiful but a bit old-fashioned – more hip op than hip-hop. Enter the brilliantly boutique Bellevue, which opened in March. Its new owners have spent a year and £14m transforming it from a three-star also-ran into a five-star ode to organic chic, with drop-dead gorgeous views over the teal waters of Miramare Bay. Rooms have been given a dash of panache by Renata Strok, mother of one half of the fashion label Gharani Strok, a favourite with Kate, Keira, Kylie et al. She has used lots of billowing muslin and soft marine tones to recreate the fresh-air ambience of a luxury yacht. And they come complete with an appropriate soundtrack – waves crashing against the hotel’s private beach below.

THE ADRIANA, Hvar
Hvar is Croatia’s answer to St Tropez: no bikini is too tiny, no billionaire too slimy. In fact, it might even be more yachtie now than the Côte d’Azur. Opening this month, the Adriana never knowingly undersells its contemporary theme – neutral colours are lifted by vermilion, ochre and aubergine accents, and there’s lots of frosted glass and moody black-and-white photography. The rooftop terrace has a heated seawater pool, a pine-shaded yoga deck and what promises to be a buzzy bar, all with photo opportunities looking out over Hvar’s elaborate Italianate cathedral, the Venetian piazza, the harbour and the bay.


HOTEL FOUQUET’S BARRIERE, Paris
Just what springtime needs: another irresistible reason to visit Paris. Opened in November, the Barrière is perfectly pitched on the corner of the Champs Elysées, and decorated by the fashionistas’ favourite, Jacques Garcia, the only designer who can make Versace look understated. So that will be lashings of louche chocolates and lush creams in the bedrooms, vampy velvets for the furniture, and embroidered leather for the lobby walls, then. Even the flat-screen televisions are encased in sharkskin or hidden behind mirrors. Where better to sip champagne than on the hotel’s outdoor terrace, which is adorned with hundreds of tree branches dipped in silver. Now that’s flash.

LA RESERVE, Paris
What discerning travellers want is a home from home, not an anonymous reception desk and surly room service. Opening this month on Place du Trocadéro, in the fashionable 16th arrondissement, La Réserve really promises to deliver. Decorated in muted mushrooms and jet blacks, its 10 luxury apartments have cutting-edge technology for the boys, indulgent travertine bathrooms for the girls, and views of the Eiffel Tower or everyone. Each comes with housekeeping, concierge, chef and masseur; some have private gardens, others their own cinema.


CAPELLA CASTLEMARTYR, Co Cork
This 17th-century rococo manor house in Ireland, once home to Sir Walter Raleigh, is set in 220 romantic acres, complete with ruined castle and historic chapel, and opens as a hotel next month. The classically styled bedrooms are pure quality, with Pratesi linens, Waterford glassware and complimentary minibars filled with freshly baked soda bread and local cheeses. The hotel likes its buzzwords, and everything is “experiential”. Spa treatments are based on the lunar cycle, and you can catch your supper with the local fishermen or watch Irish dancers on the lawn.

BELLINTER HOUSE, Co Meath
The Celtic tiger purrs away contentedly at this Palladian pile, put together by the team behind Dublin’s perennially popular POD nightclub. Opened in December, Bellinter is set in genteel Meath parkland on the bonny banks of the Boyne, perfect for an Austen-esque evening stroll. The bedrooms go for bold fabrics, groovy vintage furniture and top-of-the-range entertainment systems. Some are sexily split-level, others have ultra-indulgent dressing rooms. The food is scrumptious (try the fresh oysters from Carlingford Lough), and the spa is organic (using the seaweed-based Voya range, whose fans include Catherine Zeta-Jones).


LA BANDITA, Tuscany
This isn’t so much a hotel as a cool pad that belongs to the friend of a friend, and happens to have views over the Val d’Orcia nature reserve – the sort of soft-focus, cypress-studded landscape that made Merchant Ivory a fortune. Those once-removed friends are John Voigtmann, the former manager of the Strokes and Christina Aguilera, and Ondine Cohane, upmarket-magazine writer. Four years ago, fed up with the fast lane, they decided to pool their travel experience and create a bolt hole where guests can really loosen their stays. It opens this month, and it’s romantically rustic, with air con and plenty of attitude.

JK PLACE, Capri
Its sister property (also in Italy, in Florence) is already favoured by the likes of Jade Jagger, and this breezily insouciant boutique hotel looks set to revolutionise hospitality on the Amalfi coast – traditionally as sickly sweet as a bottle of limoncello. Opened in March, it’s all seaside pastels, glamorous contemporary furniture, scented candles and chunky coffee-table books. It is also the only hotel on the island with a seafront location – though beaches in Italy tend to be for sashaying along rather than swimming off.
THE CHEDI, Milan
Hotel-industry insiders never utter the name Adrian Zecha without mentally genuflecting. First as Mr Amanresorts, lately as Mr GHM, Zecha is the brains behind some of the world’s most exclusive hotels. He opened the 250-room Chedi in April, his first GHM property in Europe, and the style is Italy meets Indonesia, with an oriental stamp on everything from design to ambience. Even the hotel’s signature scent is a blend of green tea and mandarin. Its location is lousy – in the residential Bovisa district, a 15-minute taxi ride from the centre – but that won’t deter Zecha fans such as Madonna and Lenny Kravitz.

THE OTHER SIDE, Norway
The next big thing in top-end travel is extreme luxury, and The Other Side, in Neiden, looks like being right on message. Opening in December, this high-concept lodge struts its stuff on a pristine plateau in the desolate tundra, overlooking the Barents Sea. Its dozen bedrooms draw inspiration from the traditions and beliefs of the local Sami people – think crackling log fires and decadent drapes of fur – and each room is based on an element. The Wind House is on stilts, the Water House above a pond, and so on. All come with panoramic views. Nocturnal pursuits include the northern lights in winter, midnight sunbathing in summer, and Dr Zhivago dog-sledding any time you like.


AQUAPURA, Douro Valley
New this month, this is Portugal’s first six-star resort – and what a stellar location. Aquapura snuggles down in the divine Douro Valley, Unesco-protected and smothered in vine-draped hills. There are 50 discreetly decadent rooms inside the resort’s meticulously restored 19th-century manor house, plus 21 ultra-private suites dappling the woodland. Pampered princesses will be in raptures, because the hotel spa has been designed by the team behind Hodson Bay, Ireland’s latest wellness wonder. And as well as a ravishing range of rubs and scrubs, Aquapura has food by a disciple of Alain Ducasse and barrelfuls of the local tipple.

L’AVENIDA, Majorca
This hip hideaway is a 100-year-old modernist mansion set among the citrus groves of Soller. Opened in March, it has been freshly squeezed into the 21st century: the original frescoes and sweeping marble staircase have been fairydusted back to their best, while the eight bedrooms smoulder with contemporary sexiness. That means extravagant Cole and Son wallpapers, Bonacina chairs, black-marble chandeliers and Philippe Starck bathrooms – all with jaw-dropping views onto the Tramuntana mountains. Forget oranges, this is one for the BlackBerry set.

MARQUES DE RISCAL, La Rioja
Bilbao’s Guggenheim Museum is an undisputed masterpiece of avant-garde architecture. Now, its designer, Frank Gehry, has created his first hotel, the flamboyant Marques de Riscal, deep in the rolling hills of La Rioja Alavesa. Gehry’s trademark titanium is ever-present, while his signature sensuous curves and soaring ceilings ensure the interiors are a tour de force, too. The hotel can be challenging on a practical level – but who said sleeping in a sculpture would be easy? Also there: a restaurant overseen by the region’s only Michelin-starred chef, and a Caudalie Vinothérapie spa – you can soak in a merlot bath.

CORRAL DEL REY, Seville
This sophisticated urban retreat opened in March, a new venture from the family behind Hacienda de San Rafael, an Alist haunt just outside town. Their new property offers cool, spacious rooms in the palest olive greens and champagne creams, complimented by 17th-century beams, marble columns and fine art. It’s in the old quarter of Barrio Alfalfa, a five-minute stroll from the cathedral – though you can get an eyeful of its gothic glory from Corral del Rey’s rooftop garden and plunge pool. Dine under the stars there – or, for a more intimate evening, in the vaulted cellars that were rediscovered during the palacio’s restoration.

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REINA VICTORIA, Madrid
Best known as Mr Cindy Crawford, Rande Gerber is the brains behind some of America’s blingingest bars. Since November, he’s gone to Spain, ensuring that Madrid’s newest hotel has the hottest social scene in the city. The rooftop bar is fabulously chic, while the restaurant is very El Bulli – unsurprising, since head chef Jaime Renedo studied under the gastronomic galactico Ferran Adria. The bedrooms are by Keith Hobbs (who outfitted celebrity bolt holes such as the Metropolitan in London and the Clarence in Dublin), so they come with preloaded iPods, 300-thread linens and organic Aveda essentials.


OYSTER RESIDENCE BEYAZ YUNUS, Olu Deniz
Turkey’s Olu Deniz is one of the Med’s most magnificent bays, but until last month its hotels failed to live up to their location. That’s when Beyaz Yunus came to the rescue. Dreamt up by Chelsea School of Art graduate Gunsenin Gonal, its seven suites have the intimate atmosphere of a Moroccan riad. Their flat-screen televisions and outdoor hot tubs are softened by artisan rugs and furniture, and surrounded by bougainvillea-draped terraces that tumble to the Aegean. Better still, Gonal runs one of Turkey’s best restaurants, the White Dolphin, so the just-caught red snapper will be grilled to perfection.

ADAM & EVE HOTEL, Antalya
It opened in December, and the toned and the tanned will be tweaking their dental-floss bikinis there this summer. It’s an unapologetic altar to hedonism, with “the longest cocktail bar in the world”, a two-storey nightclub and a pool for “late-night revellers looking to make a little mischief”. The main pool (“the world’s longest”, naturally) has sun loungers submerged in the shallows for those who overdo it but can’t make it to the spa. The Adam & Eve claims to be the world’s sexiest hotel, and its 400-plus white-on-white bedrooms have floor-to-ceiling mirrors, their own son et lumière systems and party-size whirlpool baths. The top suite even has its own DJ booth.

薩爾茨堡國際藝術節(Salzburg International Art and Music Festival)2011, join our




All the music fans, dont miss this great event in this summer as we will update the events to you.
We organise a special tour which we will meet some of the performers FACE TO FACE

so if you want to make a wonderful Austrian summer holiday this year, do join
 THE MAGICAL MYSTERY MUSICIAL TOUR..Salzburg 2011.
for details, please email me  kentraveldesign@gmail.com






Bild © Hermann und Clärchen Baus
Bild © Hermann und Clärchen Baus
薩爾茨堡國際藝術節
Junge Freunde der Salzburger Festspiele

VIVI Europa 嘉年华 2011

Nice Carnival
This magnificent carnival is held every year in February and lasts for two weeks, attracting more than a million visitors over the course of the fortnight. One of the largest in the world, the carnival comprises colourfully decorated floats with people in fancy costumes meandering through the streets of the town. Hundreds of musicians and dancers from all over the world come together to put on a show that is not to be missed, and the celebrations continue well into the night. We provide you with seats in the grandstand so that you get a fantastic view of this lively procession.
mondoramas

Dates

February,  March


D1 Friday : Perfume in Grasse
Discovery of the Perfume's Capital. Visite ot the Fragonard or Galimard factory. Diner and overnight in Cannes.
D2 Saturday: Nice Carnival King of the Mediterranean (70 km)
Take a Tourist Train around the old quarter of Nice, then wander in the famous Flower market of Nice. Free time for lunch then rendez-vous on the seafront “Promenade des Anglais” to enjoy the Flower Battle, and to try and catch the blooms flung out to spectators. After dinner enjoy the Carnival fun continues with the Night Time procession in the Place Massena, one of Nice’s main squares.
D3 Sunday : Lemon Festival in Menton (70 km)
Great Civilizations is the theme for the 2011 Lemon Festival in Menton, and you can admire the fantastical fruity creations, made from oranges and lemons, in the Bioves Gardens in Menton. Free time for lunch then enjoy the Carnival procession, the colourful Corso des Agrumes, whose floats are constructed entirely from locally grown citrus fruits.



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Chocolate Festival 比利時嘉年华

Bruges, Belgium: Where the chocolate is even better than they say

Let me just start off by saying that I was never really a huge chocolate person. I like chocolate, don’t get me wrong, but I was never one to rave over a simple piece of chocolate, and when it comes down to a choice between chocolate or vanilla ice cream, I almost always choose vanilla. Of course there are chocolate bars I like and I will eat, but pure chocolate was never really my thing.

Well when I arrived in Belgium (namely Bruges), it wasn’t long before I was greeted by a slew of chocolate shops. I had heard about the quality of Belgian chocolate, but I certainly wasn’t as prepared for the quantity of chocolatiers I would encounter in a town with a 30 minute radius from end to end. How would I know which one was the best? They were all swarming with people so it was hard to differentiate one from another. All I knew was that I would have to buy some chocolate somewhere.
We happened upon a shop called “The Chocolaterie” in the Burg area of Bruges, a relatively small store crowded with all things chocolate (and marzipan) and lots and lots of people. The shop was divided into two very distinct sections: one for everyday chocolate and one for those made with “finer ingredients.”
While we were there, the chocolatier cut up samples of their chocolate hearts filled with a light ganache of chocolate. All I had was a sliver, a tiny sliver…and I knew instantly that it was the best chocolate I had ever tasted. Back in America, I have yet to experience a chocolate that would phase me as much as this did.

Now I’m no snob (or so I like to believe), but now I was a convert so I opted to buy some from the finer ingredients section (pictured above) completely clueless as to what made the difference. But with a selection of chocolates made with cayenne pepper, chilies, cinnamon, and more, I was definitely intrigued.
The woman was sort of adamant about picking chocolates for me. All she asked was my preference between dark and milk chocolate and then started throwing things in my bag. I don’t know if it’s because I was a tourist or if she does that for everyone but it was all happening so fast. Before I knew it, I had a 10-piece bag full of vanilla, cayenne pepper, green tea, cinnamon, cardamom, hazelnut and other flavors I can’t even recall. The problem was I had no idea which was which.
She handed me the bag and very assertively stated:
“This is not chocolate to eat, it’s chocolate to enjoy.”
I sort of smirked and thought to myself “what is that supposed to mean?” But on I went, 4.25 euro poorer, and saved my chocolate for later.
It wasn’t until I got back to Amsterdam the next day that I had THE BEST piece of chocolate I’ve ever had in my life. I thought the heart was good, but this, THIS topped it all.
It was the first piece I pulled out of the bag. I had no idea what flavor it was but after one bite, I could tell it was green tea. The outside was firm and the inside was soft with bold flavor. It was decorated with a few crystals of salt that melded perfectly with its insides. For about a minute, I sat on the floor realizing exactly what that woman meant.
I haven’t yet finished the bag, because I’m trying to let it all last. I like to share it with others and see what they think. But as of right now, I’m halfway through and the green tea is still by far my favorite.
On another note, I want to thank you readers for all your kind wishes and interest about my trip! It’s really nice to read all your comments and know that you’re interested in hearing about it. So thank you! More to come.

Cooking school 美食厨房

Top 10 cookery schools in Europecooking-class-paris
1. Menfi
Sicily
available through Tasting Places
Tel: 020 7460 0077
Website: http://www.tastingplaces.com/
Cookery writer Maxine Clark happily admits she loves Sicily more than any other part of Italy and it shows in the enthusiasm and wealth of local knowledge she brings to the courses she teaches in Menfi. Sicilian food is an earthy and exotic mix of European and Arab influences . Staples such as pizza and home-made pasta are also tackled, with Maxine exhorting her students to 'knead the dough from cellulite to a baby's bottom'.The week-long course takes place in the romantic setting of the eighteenth- century Villa Ravidá, the private home of a grand Sicilian family who now produce award-winning extra virgin olive oil. Early evening cocktails are served in the villa's elegant drawing room, which is decorated with faded frescoes and meals are eaten outdoors with unlimited supplies of Sicilian wine.
2. Finca Buen Vino
Spain
through Pata Negra cooking schools
Tel: 01732 750 174
Website: http://www.patanegra.net/
Pata Negra are the cooking schools to go to in Spain. They run a whole tranche of courses featuring Sam and Sam of Moro fame to Michelin chef Luis Irizar, who holds his school at the northern Spanish town of San Sebastian.
However, I went high up in the mountains of Andalucia to the beautiful, comforting home - Finca Buen Vino - of Sam and Jeannie Chesterton, for their week-long cookery course. It all takes place in the Chestertons' house. You sleep there, eat there and cook there, round Jeannie's kitchen table. Included in the trip is a day out to Jerez to drink sherry and eat, and many trips into the local pretty towns. We went to a jamon festival but the finca also produced its own Serrano ham, chestnuts, olives and scented honey. Lucy Cavendish
3. Le Marmiton
Avignon, France
through Gourmet on Tour
Tel: 020 7396 5550
cooking-class-7
Right next to the Pope's palace in Avignon is the hotel La Mirande, an austere building in a quiet cobbled square. Throughout the year the hotel runs intimate cookery classes in their nineteenth-century kitchen, where noted local chefs pass on their tips to beginners and serious food appreciators. Le Marmiton (a chef's assistant) puts on morning, afternoon and evening classes for a maximum of 12 people. I was booked in to a morning class. The smell of the wood-burning stove filled the kitchen and around a table sat 12 local food fanatics salivating at the thought of being trained by Christian Etienne, a Michelin-starred Avignon chef. I was lucky to be in a class with Christian because, although he spoke no English and my French is less than perfect, his charisma communicated everything. Christian's speciality is tomatoes. He loves them, and our starter, main, and even our pudding included tomatoes (green ones, on a tart). Our task was mainly to watch and appreciate a master at work, but we all helped out (there was a lot of de-seeding to do). The meal was accompanied by fine wine and a chorus of 'Ooh la la' from all the particpants. It was one of the best meals of my life.

4. Vallicorte
Tuscany, Italy
Tel: 020 7680 1377
Email: tours@vallicorte.com
Website: http://www.vallicorte.com/
This is exactly what you need from a course: a good group of people (the organisers try hard to match age groups, nationalities etc), a charismatic, enthusiastic instructor (the wonderful, dark-haired siren Ursula Ferrigno) and a pair of hosts who should be given their own television show (no one comes as amusing or as informative as John and Berenice Bonnallack). As soon as I got there it was as if I had reached paradise. The sun was shining, the garden was full and plentiful and Ursula could reach parts of you - cooking wise - that you didn't know could be reached. Most students stay in the ancient villa (fully modernised inside) and then gather at the former barn-turned- cookery school for a morning session, then lunch and a siesta, followed by an afternoon session. Ursula, being Ursula, does not stick rigidly to the recipe pack we were given. That is not how she cooks. 'Ooh,' she'll say, 'let's make rosemary and apple cake!' and off you go. I made pasta! I even learnt how to chop properly. But more than that, I learnt how easy it is to love Tuscany and wish to remain in its beautiful sun-dappled hills for the rest of your life armed with a good bottle of oil, some fresh tomatoes and a bottle of Vino Santo.
5. Gualtiero Marchesi's Gourmet Cookery School
L'Albereta, Italy
Tel: 00 39 030 7760 550
Marchesi is a three-star chef so, if you wish to learn from a master, then this is the right course for you. There is no way that you, I, or anybody - apart from Gordon Ramsay, Raymond Blanc, Marcus Wareing, Marco et al - could ever learn to cook to the standard of Marchesi's three-day course.This man produces food I can barely pronounce, let alone emulate. But that is not the point of the course. It is a lesson in which you look and learn but do not necessarily do it yourself. In the meantime, between watching the maestro and feeling depressed at your own incompetence, you can enjoy the beautiful surroundings of the hotel (a spa is opening soon) and drink copious amounts of their Bellavista 'bubbles'. Gualtiero is the consummate chef and he immerses you in the heart and soul of Italy. Included in the course are two guided tours of local vineyards, three nights, breakfast and lunch and three dinners.

6. L'Ecole de Cuisine
Bordeaux, France
Tel: 00 33 5 56 90 91 92
Email: contact@ecoledubordeaux.com
L'Ecole de Cuisine is run from the bowels of one of France's most historic and celebrated restaurants, Le Chapon Fin. Owned by the Cazes family - proprietors of the Lynch-Bages wine estate - the cookery side is designed and overseen by Michelin two-star chef, Thierry Marx. Run in English and French, it is open to amateurs and professionals alike. A sommelier is on hand to demonstrate wine and food harmony, and the course concentrates on typical south-western cooking, with a bias towards Marx's terre et estuaire (land and estuary) cuisine. It takes place at Le Chapon Fin from Tuesday to Saturday. Lunch or dinner are included.
7. Cooking with Stavros
Symi, Greece
available through Laskarina
Tel: 01629 822203
Website: http://www.laskarina.co.uk/
Stavros Gogios is chef and owner of Mythos, the best restaurant on the small Greek island of Symi which specialises in traditional medézhes (essentially a Greek version of tapas) with a modern twist. Persuaded to share his recipes by holiday company Laskarina, Stavros now runs week-long cooking demonstrations in his restaurant kitchen.
On the first morning of my week Stavros took us for a walk through the picturesque harbour town of Symi, introducing us to his father-in-law Yannis, who sells dried herbs gathered from the local hills, and then showing us the greengrocer, baker and butcher where he buys his fresh produce. He taught us how to make stifádho (beef stew with tomatoes and onions), spanokópitta (spinach and cheese pie) and baklava (a layered filo pie with honey and nuts) as well as the other, more experimental dishes he's become known for - feta mousse, squid in basil sauce and courgette parcels stuffed with mushrooms. 'I think that cooking is a bit of fantasy - a way of expressing yourself,' said Stavros as he filled everyone's glasses up again.

8. Casa Ombuto
Tuscany, Italy
Tel: 0039 34873 63864
http://www.italiancookerycourse.com/
High in the hills of the Casentino valley, 50km south of Florence is Casa Ombuto - an amazing house with a swimming pool and views to die for. Michele, interpreter and frontman, and his wife Carla, one of the most respected chefs in Tuscany run the inspiring seven- day cookery course, held in the cave-like cantina of the villa.
I tried everything from basic pasta-making to a delicous wild boar in tomato and herb dish. I had a day's excursion which ended in the most stunning restaurant for dinner, and a day free to view the surrounding wildlife or visit Florence. The other five days are for cooking, which starts at 3pm.This course suits those who are keen to learn with little experience to those established cooks looking to broaden their tastes and techniques.
9. Promenades Gourmandes with Paule Caillet
Paris, France
available through Gourmet on Tour
Tel: 020 7396 5550
This is a non-residential cookery course designed to be slotted into a weekend, or long visit to Paris. You could just about do it on Eurostar for the day. It's a terrific way of discovering the food underbelly of the city, as the Cordon Bleu chef and guide, Paule Caillat, leads the class round markets, butchers, the kitchens at the Hotel de Crillo, truffle and herb shops. You then return to Caillat's kitchen in the Marais and cook up your shopping.
10. Refúgio da Vila
Portel, Alentejo, Portugal
Tel: 00351 266619010
http://www.refugiodavila.com/
'The richness of our food comes from the poverty of our people,' says Miguel Amaral, head chef at the elegant Refúgio da Vila hotel in Portel, in southern Portugal. The Alentejo is one of the most traditional and poorest regions of Portugal, a land of wheat fields and olive groves - two of the ingredients which form the basics of the region's cuisine along with herbs, rabbit, pork and eggs. As Miguel says, local recipes, such as coelho á carvoeiro (rabbit and tomato stew) have been improvised to turn staple foodstuffs into tasty meals.

Wednesday, January 12, 2011

The Travel Guru Solution LTD: Special arrangement of wedding photographer in the world

The Travel Guru Solution LTD: Special arrangement of wedding photographer in the world

The Travel Guru Solution provides tailored made travel plan and professional photo service

Are  you dreaming of an overseas wedding? Perhaps you want to exchange vows on the white sands of an exotic beach; pledge your love amongst the majesty of snow capped mountains; or tie the knot in a bustling metropolis such as London or New York? Whatever your desire, you can create a romantic holiday experience with careful planning. Fete in France












The first step is to choose your ideal destination. From Bali to Paris, the options are limitless. Wherever you decide, you need to ensure your union will be legally recognised.  Most importantly, contact the embassy or consulate of your chosen country to ensure you understand all the legal requirements, including details of any official documentation you must supply. Pay special attention to waiting periods or requirements for a certain length of stay as this will impact on your travel planning.

Fete in France - French Wedding Planner

Tuesday, January 11, 2011