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.
Set within 120 acres of glorious Sussex countryside, Alexander House Hotel is a luxury manor house with beautiful vistas, a choice of restaurants, an award-winning Utopia Spa and rooms designed for absolute comfort. The 5 star hotel is located on the borders of Sussex and Surrey, yet convenient to Gatwick Airport and only 55 minutes from London.
Cliveden House is unique. The setting, architecture, and interiors all speak eloquently of extraordinary extravagance and remarkable refinement. Guests are free to explore the 376 acres of beautifully maintained National Trust owned gardens and the acres of woodland, water garden, and magnificent formal garden that surround the House, complete with fitness trail and children's play area.
The oldest part of the building that is now Alexander House Hotel dates back to the 17th Century, with a stone dating back to 1608 in the boundary wall.
The house is famed for its grandeur and connections to luminary poet Percy Bysshe Shelley, the Oxley family who had connections with the city of London and the former Governor of the Bank of England who purchased the estate in 1909. In 1984 the mansion was meticulously restored and re-named Alexander House.
In 2002 Utopia Leisure purchased Alexander House and an 18-month redecoration process transformed Alexander House into the elegant, stylish, luxury hotel it is today.
The Olde Bellis a modern coaching inn, set in historic timber framed buildings. The historic buildings of The Olde Bell, function like a village, the main Inn building for the overnight guests and locals, and the auxiliary buildings for private gatherings.The kitchen uses locally grown, seasonal produce served with a generosity of spirit in both flavour and portions. With parts of the inn dating back to 1135 and with nooks, crannies and crooked floors The Olde Bell offers traditional hospitality in an environment which is human, warm and social.
The earliest reference to Pennyhill Park Hotel and The Spa in Bagshot, Surrey, is found in the Tithe Land Registry of 1609. It was known as Pennyhill field and thought to have been common land used as a beacon-warning site aiding a national system, warning the arrival of the Spanish Armada in 1588.
James Hodges, a civil engineer, who had been born in Queensborough in Kent in 1814, began to build the first house on the site in 1849 and was completed in 1851, the year of the Great Exhibition.
James Hodges died in 1879 and the next occupant of Pennyhill was Louis Schott, a banker born in Frankfurt but with British Nationalisation. He added the Orangery in 1881 – the site of the current 45,000 sqft Spa. Louis died in 1901 and the house was then occupied until 1922 by his nephew, Louis Floershim, also born in Frankfurt and a naturalised British subject. He extended the house in 1903 in neo-Tudor style using Bath stone. For a period during the 1st World War the house reputedly served as a rest house for officers.
Cliveden House was first built in 1666 by the 2nd Duke of Buckingham. A notorious rake, schemer and wit, he created Cliveden as a hunting lodge where he could entertain his friends and mistress.
Since then it has twice been destroyed by fire, only to emerge, phoenix-like, more stunning than before. The house has played host to virtually every British monarch since George I and has been home to three Dukes, an Earl and Frederick Prince of Wales, who created a happy family home here until his death in 1751.
Queen Victoria, a frequent guest was not amused when the house was bought by William Waldorf Astor, America's richest citizen. When in 1906 he gave it to his son and daughter-in-law Nancy Astor, Cliveden became the hub of a hectic social whirl, where notable guests included everyone from Charlie Chaplin to Winston Churchill, and President Roosevelt to George Bernard Shaw.
Buckland Manoris one of the finest manor houses in the Cotswolds, with a heritage dating back to the 13th Century. The Manor is located in a breathtaking setting next to the church with ten acres of gardens rolling into the surrounding countryside and based in the tiny village of Buckland.
Four Seasons Hampshireis an intimate Georgian country manor just an hour from London. Here, the authenticity of an archetypal English manor house is combined with exemplary sporting facilities that fan out over 500 acres of parkland, home to wild deer, grouse, pheasants, foxes and badgers.
Humans aren't the only ones who can check-in at Coworth Park. The country house hotel on the borders of Windsor Great Park has just announced has enhanced its riding offerings with The Ultimate Horse Check-In, a prestigious check-in service designed for its equestrian guests. Coworth Park is frequently home to some of the world's most prized thoroughbreds who deserve the finest stable-to-stable amenities. It is the only hotel in the UK to offer polo run by Guards Polo Club and is the residence of choice for jockeys and owners from around the world visiting Ascot Racecourse.
Coworth Park's five-strong equestrian services team are all British Horse Society qualified, and facilities include an all-weather canter track and state of the art equestrian accommodation with rubber matting, social stalls, a covered barn and bathing bays. Equestrian at Coworth Park is home to immaculately bred, trained and presented horses for one-on-one or group lessons in basic riding, dressage, jumping, and pony camps for both children and adults.
The Coworth Park Ultimate Horse Check-in Includes:
• Assigned stable with a keepsake welcome card and personalized check-in. The equine's dietary and bedding preferences are taken into consideration.
• Horses get a welcome polo ball from nearby Guards Polo Club, which manages the estate's polo grounds.
• Arrival amenities such as a Himalayan Rock Salt Lick, home-grown carrots, and horse treats made by the hotel's pastry chef.
• Equine manicure consisting of a hoof oil moisturising treatment.
• Luxury post ride bubble bath in Coworth Park's hot and cold bay with natural equine aromatherapy wash.
• Relaxing aromatherapy oil muscle massage and rubdown by expert stable hands.
After all that pampering, good luck getting your horse to check-out!
Valentine's Day is the most romantic day of the year. We've got some of our favorite offers and activities for love day stays in the United States. These offers are for stays of varying lengths ranging from February 12-28. Book soon and be sure to check the rates carefully for restrictions and to avoid disappointment!
Deals in London
Andaz Liverpool Street London (pictured left) Love Goes Around Guests will be greeted with in-room champagane and flowers upon arrival. The package also includes £25 to use on any of the hotel's restaurants and bars, and a breakfast for two the next morning. Complimentary inclusions available at every Andaz hotel includes internet access, local phone calls, and the minibar with non-alcoholic beverages and snacks.
Blakes Hotel For Your Eyes Only Valentines Package This package includes Continental breakfast for two, a candle-lit bubble bath with rose petals, a bottle of Canard Duchen Champage, and chocolate covered strawberries.
Cafe Royal Hotel(pictured right) Weekend Indulgence Package Stay in the beating heart of the West End in a spacious and luxurious guestroom perfectly positioned for sightseeing and shopping or complete calm and rest. Stay Friday, Saturday, or Sunday night and get 20% off the best available rate, three-course Menu du Jour dinner in the Ten Room, glass of chilled Champagne in the Grill Room, Regent Street VIP membership card, traditional English breakfast in the Ten Room, Personal Butler service on request, Butler’s Pantry with Nespresso coffee machine, 24 hour in-room dining, Bang & Olufsen entertainment system, eedia hub, and WiFi.
The May Fair Hotel Bed And Breakfast Package Book a London short break and stay at this 5* May Fair hotel with a full English breakfast when you wake in the morning. Explore all that London has to offer for less.
Chewton Glen(pictured left) Dinner, Bed & Breakfast Package Chewton Glen is a privately owned Luxury Country House Hotel & Spa located in England on the edge of the historic New Forest National Park and within walking distance of the sea and easy reach of Christchurch, Bournemouth and Southampton. This package offers King Beddded room with garden views, dinner, and breakfast.
Gidleigh Park Gourmet Getaway Gidleigh Park is the quintessential Country House Hotel, nestled in a wooded valley within the natural beauty of the wilds of Dartmoor. It has a stylish decor, two Michelin star chef and an acclaimed wine list. Stay in a Deluxe Room looking into the woodland. Combine the rugged beauty of Dartmoor and the gastronomic delights of 2 Michelin Star Chef Michael Caines. Based on a two-night stay, you get dinner in a luxury picnic hamper each day.
Wine Lovers Stay Stay in a Deluxe Rooms looking Into The Woodland. Enjoy an a la carte And eight course tasting dinner with fine wines at the 2 Michelin Starred restaurant. You also get a private wine cellar tour.
Cliveden House (pictured right) Romance Package Cliveden is set amid 376 acres of magnificent formal gardens and parklands. Standing upon chalk cliffs that give the estate its name, the house commands panoramic views over the beautiful Berkshire countryside and an idyllic bend in the river Thames. This package includes a Deluxe Twin or King room with an en-suite sitting area and a bathroom. Guests will receive a chilled body of champagne, chocolate dipped strawberries, a dozen red roses, rose petals and candles in the room, and a Continental breakfast.
Gourmet Package The Gourmet Package includes a delicious tasting menu for two in the restaurant, a Continental breakfast, and a Deluxe Twin or King room with a sitting area and bathroom. Tasting Menu In The Restaurant -Continental Breakfast
Tylney Hall Valentine’s Romantic Break If you really want to spoil your loved one this Valentine’s Day there is no better place to go than Tylney Hall. Enjoy luxurious accommodation, a gourmet meal created by Executive Chef Stephen Hine and why not take a romantic stroll around the historical grounds, for a truly romantic break. The package includes luxurious accommodation with full English breakfast, Valentine’s chocolates in your room on arrival, Pre-dinner champagne and canape reception, candlelit five-course dinner in the award-winning Oak Room Restaurant, a rose for each couple at dinner, early check in at 1pm and late check out at 12 noon (subject to availability), and use of the hotel's leisure facilities throughout your stay.
All rates are based on double occupancy and extra charges may apply. Please be advised that the rates, availability, as well as any extra person charges are subject to change depending on the hotel’s policies.