The Luxury Hotel Insider: Exclusive luxury hotel deals, features and special rates from the luxury hotel experts at Five Star Alliance.
Named one of Tripbase's Best Luxury Travel Blogs for 2011, below are Five Star Alliance's newest articles featuring exclusive information on luxury hotels worldwide including special offers and deals at the world's best hotels.
Showcasing New Zealand colonial architecture, the Chalet Suites at Blanket Bay provide a luxe setting. Complimenting the Main Lodge, the suites incorporate schist stone and old steamer wharf timber beams. Offering air conditioning and super king-size beds, the suites also have complimentary WiFi internet connection and international direct dial phones. Continue reading below the Chalet Suite Entrance photo.
Blanket Bay offers four Chalet Suites. Within each of the 700-square-foot suites is a private courtyard, spacious bedroom, walk-in closets, and bathroom with separate steam shower and soaking tub. Plus, a living room with a stone fireplace, satellite and apple TV, Bluetooth soundbar, and exclusive views of the surrounding scenery. Read more below the photo.
Surrounded by Alpine scenery, Blanket Bay is an elegant, yet rustic lodge on the shore's of New Zealand's Lake Wakatipu. Celebrating the art of pure relaxation, the property offers a spa, fine dining in the dining room or intimate Wine Cave for private meals, and a location along the Wine & Arts Trail. There's fly-fishing and heli-skiing nearby, as well as hiking, boating, golfing, and kayaking, or flight-seeing over the World Heritage Fiordland National Park and Milford Sound. Learn about an exclusive Five Star Alliance Perk below the photo.
FIVE STAR ALLIANCE PERK: Reservations booked under the "5 Star Signature Package" rate will also receive lunch for two per stay.
If you're seeking a lakeside retreat away from the hustle and bustle of city life, yet yearn for contemporary design and modern comforts, the Azur Lodge in Queenstown, New Zealand is an ideal spot. Perched on a hilltop amongst native trees, with panoramic views of Lake Wakatipu and the mountains, the property offers nine villas and a lodge with three fireplaces, cocktails, and refreshments.
Designed by local architect John Blair, the contemporary villas feature interior design by Singapore based LTW, providing an overall modern, yet relaxed feel. Offering complete privacy, all villas have private patios with scenic views, and gas fireplaces. There are plush beds with German-milled Egyptian cotton sheets by Ploh, as well as goose down pillows and duvets. Sleek bathrooms feature spa tubs with large windows to soak in the scenery, New Zealand-made Linden Leaves amenities, and rain forest showers.
To top off the outstanding views, Azur Lodge offers a variety of activities. Some of our favorite experiences include:
- Morning yoga on your own private patio (mats are supplied by the hotel)
- In-villa massage treatments
- Horseback riding through The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit filming locations
- Flightseeing to Milford Sound and landing on a glacier
Nestled amidst rugged snow capped peaks of the Southern Alps on the shores of Lake Wakatipu is New Zealand’s finest Lodge – Blanket Bay. In 1861, a mob of sheep owned by Mr William Gilbert Rees were sheared on the shore of Lake Wakatipu, in a bay just south of where the small town of Glenorchy is situated. This bay was to be named Blanket Bay after blankets used to create the shed and shelters used to protect the eight Maori shearers and the wool from the elements.
Each identical villa at Azur Lodge is 79 square meters of open plan living in the midst of New Zealand’s natural environment.
Soak up the spectacular unobstructed views from the bathtub, which has been set into a bay window to give you a feeling of
being outdoors.
If a visit to Auckland is on your horizon, check in to Hotel DeBrett. Located in an historic building, the 25-room luxury boutique hotel connects downtown's hip and fashionable High Street with the business district found on Shortland Street. One of Auckland's first hotels was located here in 1841. Since that time, it has survived two fires, and two rebuilds, before the current building was erected in 1925.
Every room is individually designed and complemented with eclectic furniture, New Zealand art and photography. All rooms feature bespoke carpet from hand woven 100% New Zealand wool. Classic rooms are filled with light from either High Street or the glass roofed atrium. Boutique Suites are ideal for business travellers needing space for work and private meetings, or for couples wanting a little more space, as all have a separate living room. O'Connell Suites are spacious duplex suites have been designed to cater for families. There is a double sofa bed in the living room, additional to the king/queen size bed in the upper bedroom, and separate half bathroom on the lower floor. Finally, Loft Suites offer the option of a two level suite with spiral stair access from living to bedroom, or a one level suite – some have Juliet balconies onto the rustic courtyard and the glass roofed atrium, others have inner city views.
At the heart of the hotel sits DeBretts Kitchen and the famous Art Deco inspired Housebar. Experience contemporary New Zealand cuisine featuring the best local produce prepared and cooked with care. The famous Housebar has been meticulously restored as Auckland's premier meeting place. A private drawing room has been created for exclusive use by hotel guests – while a glass roofed atrium and courtyard form the central focal point for guests and diners at DeBretts Kitchen. At street level the colorful Cornerbar has an emphasis on local craft beers and boutique wines.
Hotel DeBrett aims to create a warm,welcoming environment, where guests felt at home, but with a quirky, unpredictable flair, excellent amenities, and top-notch service.
Hotel DeBrett was built as The Commercial Hotel in 1841, and wasone of Auckland's first hotels. It survived two fires, and two rebuilds, before the current building was erected in 1925.
Blanket Bay Lodge sits at the north end of Lake Wakatipu amidst New Zealand's finest scenery. The luxury resort is known for its commitment to active vacations. Nearby activities include fly-fishing, heli-skiing, hiking on the Routeburn or Milford Tracks, jetboating, golfing kayaking, 4WD tours, horse riding, and flight-seeing over Fiordland National Park and Milford Sound.
For those guests whose interest's lie in the area of wine and art, the resort has the perfect activity. The Wine & Arts Trail takes you to the homes and galleries of New Zealand's pre-eminent artists coupled with sampling Otago's finest wines at the local vineyards.
Guests spend the day visiting Kiwit artists in their home studios. Then, they can quaff some "New World" wines that the Southern Lakes region is known for. The hotel can arrange for a chaffeur-driven car, so that guests can imbibe freely.
SKYCITY Grand Hotel Auckland has a heated indoor 25-metre lap pool, sauna, and spa pool. It also offers SOAK - a luxurious in-room bathing menu for SKYCITY Hotel guests - designed to invigorate, de-stress, and indulge. There are five different cleansing baths to choose from - all with an inventive blend of ingredients, including bathing salts, oils and teas.
Sofitel Auckland Viaduct Harbour is a luxury hotel that places guests in the heart of Auckland Central between the upscale Viaduct Harbour lifestyle development and the attractions of the new Wynyard Quarter. Its understated elegance overlooks the shimmering Waitemata Harbour. Sofitel Auckland features luxuriously spacious rooms and suites featuring a private balcony, floor-to-ceiling windows along with the comfort of the Sofitel MyBed to marble bathrooms with both a rain shower and deep soaking tub.
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