Bradley Wiggins - Our New Ginger Mod Hero

Clearly its not every day that you get to witness history, but whilst on a little jaunt to Paris we just so happened to time it perfectly to get caught up with the atmosphere for the final stage of the Tour De France 2012..not so much as shock that the winner was a Brit, but is this the first Ginger winner of the great Tour De France race... We managed to hire the equivalent of a Boris Bike (Sarkosy Cycle ?) and did our very own victory parade down the Champs- Elysees..Paris is such as easy city to cycle around. The Paris Plage is an inspiration and hopefully some one will copy the idea in some of our UK cities.. basically they bring the beach to the city and place it right on the River Seine.. Anyway for the moment Paris belongs to Bradley and we captured a few fans supporting our very own Ginger Super Hero.. Visiting Paris in the Spring maybe popular, but its's pretty cool in the height of the Summer too

San Francisco is shocking ! Prepare to be shocked

San Francisco luxury Hotels and Holiday

Not many places shock us… But San Francisco shocked us... In fact even now when we look back on our trip to San Francisco it still seems like a very surreal experience. Don’t get us wrong we really love San Francisco but there was an element of our trip where to this day we are still a bit shocked. Anyway more of that in a bit, first a little history and background. San Francisco was discovered by the Spanish in 1776 and boomed during the Gold Rush of 1849 but is probably most famous for the flower power movement of the 1960’s. In the 1970’s San Francisco became synonymous with gay rights movement. In the 1990’s and still today the Greater San Francisco Bay area is home to Silicon Valley and some of the most successful tech companies in the World.  Some people may say that San Francisco has perhaps lost a little bit of the edge that made it such an iconic City in the 1960’s and 1970’s. The locals will tell you that too many IT geeks have made it a less exciting place, and they joke that the City is closed at 11pm at night.  But as we weren’t there in the 60’s and 70’s we’ll make our mind up... There are so many things we love about San Francisco. The city is unique, from the cable car rides that shuttle you to Nob Hill and Fisherman’s Wharf – very touristy but still an absolute must do, the opportunity to explore Alcatraz, and of course the Golden Gate Bridge. Drive across, walk it, or our preferred option is to cycle over it.  The beautiful Golden Gate Park sits close to the bridge,

The main action takes place at Union Square – the epicentre of San Francisco. Within walking distance is the SFMoMA (San Francisco Museum of Modern art) as well as shops and restaurants.

The gay area of Castro is definitely worth a visit and has a laid back and relaxed atmosphere.., so relaxed that it is legal to walk around naked, although we hasten to add there is only a small minority of people who choose to do this, and chatting to some locals in the bars in Castro it would seem that their actions are not universally endorsed. To be honest it was a bit of a shock when we first saw it but then you remember that this is San Francisco and as there is no attitude then it doesn’t matter...

Only New York City is a more densely populated city in the US than San Francisco. There is less high rise in San Fran and it doesn’t feel like a crowded city but the geography of the destination means that the residents are more condensed, but that also makes it a relatively easy city to explore...

Many parts of San Francisco feel like you are on a film set. You’ll recognise many iconic areas and buildings. It’s a very global city with large Chinese and Vietnamese neighbourhoods.

But whatever you choose to do in San Francisco then we think it’s really important to make sure you book the right hotel. Visit www.boutixury.com for more information

10 Areas to Explore in San Francisco:
The Castro – San Francisco’s Main gay neighbourhood
Chinatown – The statistics say more tourist come her than visit the Golden Gate Bridge
Fisherman's Wharf - A bit of a tourist trap but still a great place to base yourself, or come and visit.
Golden Gate Park – Larger than Central Park in NYC, this is where to spend a Sunday jogging, cycling or strolling around the park
The Haight – Once the home of the hippies, more high end than “hey man” these days
The Marina – Great vibe, especially at weekends.. Bars restaurants...
Nob Hill – The wealthy area of San Francisco. Start at Huntingdon Square and head out from there. Close to China town and Union Square
North Beach – Also known as Little Italy so great for a lunch or dinner Italiano style
Russian Hill – Home to Lombard Street also known as the “Crookedest Street” in the World.
SoMa – Don’t they just love abbreviations! SoMa is short for South of Market. It doesn’t look very impressive but do your homework and there are some great bars, restaurants and clubs.

We think it is fair to say that San Francisco also has its fair share of less desirable area and delinquents, but do your research, keep your wits about you and enjoy this shockingly diverse city!

New Ibiza Beach Club & New Luxury Ibiza Hotel 2013

Ibiza Continues To Go Upmarket
Yet more evidence of Ibiza continuing to focus as a luxury holiday destination
On 28th June 2012 a new beach club opens: The  Ocean Beach Club Ibiza is located close to San Antonio and offers day and night time beach club, restaurant dining  and DJ's. Tuesdays are their  "main event day" where vip day bed beds have a minimum spend of between €1000 to €4000, Cabanas have a minimum spend of €600 on Tuedsays. The rest of the week the price are 50% lower

Meanwhile already looking ahead to 2013 the word on the street is that the One Ibiza Hotel will become a high end 42 room boutique hotel under the umbrella of the Pacha Group. Great location just 10 minutes from Ibiza Town. If our sources are correct then we are confident that, as well as being a huge success, that this is further evidence that Iibiza hotels continue to reinvent themselves, and upgrade to offer Ibiza lovers new boutique and luxury orientated experiences.. We'll keep you updated on this project, as well as letting you know about other new openings on the White Isle,

Calvin Harris at Surrender Night Club, Las Vegas

Bookings for this summer are rolling in - Top selling destination so far is the irrepressible Ibiza, and another fine Summer is in store. With the Ushuaia Ibiza Beach Hotel getting ready for it's second season, and with the rebirth of the institution that is Pikes as Ibiza Rocks House at Pikes Hotel the White Isle promises much and delivers every time. However just in case you cant wait for Summer and booking that holiday has only made you hungry for some fun, then Calvin Harris has confirmed his second residency stint at the very plush 5* Wynn Hotel and Resort in Las Vegas - Playing at Surrender nightclub (we think on a Sunday but we're just waiting for confirmation).. so why not sneak in a cheeky weekend to Vegas before Summer arrives in the Med

Maldives Spa Ban

Maldives Spa Ban


News surfaced over the past few days that the Maldives Government has announced it wants to close spas on the island. This decision clearly has an impact on all the luxury Maldive Hotels on the islands. The Maldives is a predominantly Muslim country and we understand that that there have been, unfounded, allegations made by the opposition party that the spa's are a front for prostitution - claims refuted by the tourism industry. However we understand that the ban is not being enforced in the main tourist hotels so travelers should not experience any disruption to their holiday. The message we are receiving from our friends and contacts in The Maldives is that its BAU - Business As Usual. We'll update our blog further when we hear more but the row is expected to subside.