Posts Tagged ‘Small Luxury Hotels of the World’

[Margaret River] Injidup Spa Retreat–Secluded beachfront luxury villas indeed

November 15th, 2016 365days2play

Aside from Smiths Beach Resort, the other fantastic resort I stayed at during my 6D5N in Margaret River was the lovely and secluded Injidup Spa Retreat. It is so secluded and private that there is no mobile reception here! For a social media addict like me, it was an abhorrent thought (and besides, what if a shark eats me and nobody knows about it?) But the Partner thought it was a fantastic idea! A precious few days to be totally disconnected from everyone else, and to just enjoy the moment! The resort give you a wifi router to connect to the Internet while you’re in your villa, just in case you can’t go cold turkey (thank goodness!).

Injidup Spa Resort (72)

Injidup Spa Resort (65)

Injidup Spa resort wows in many ways. Firstly, who can resist a private plunge pool that comes along with the villa? I certainly couldn’t, and being pregnant, it was fantastic to be able to sooth the water retention in my legs by soaking in this pool and doing some light kicks. And it’s a heated pool too so you can use it even in the winter! How romantic is that?

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[Margaret River] Smiths Beach Resort – Humongous apartments next to the beach!

October 28th, 2016 365days2play

Margaret River Gourmet Escape will be happening on 18 – 20 November 2016 and I have been inundated with gorgeous pictures of the beautiful places in Margaret River, reminding me that I ought to share with the world pictures of my holiday in Margaret River instead of leaving them to fallow in the confines of my computer. It’s no secret that I love Margaret River, having been there twice. I spent 2 days in Margaret River during my 1st trip and 5 days during my 2nd trip, and even then it wasn’t enough!

Smiths Beach Resort (4)

Look at the clear blue sky and sea! It was fantastic to have the sea breeze blowing in our faces.

Smiths Beach Resort was one of the accommodations I stayed at when I was in Margaret River. If you’re looking for accommodations in Margaret River, especially one that is right smack next to the beach, Smiths Beach Resort would be one of my recommendations. The apartments are humongous, and if there are more people staying, two apartments can be combined into a villa of sorts. It’s also part of the Small Luxury Hotels chain, so you are assured of quality. I’ve stayed at a number of SLH hotels and I’ve loved each and every one of them.

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Cour des Loges, France

November 10th, 2013 365days2play

Day 9 of 365days2play’s Honeymoon in Luxembourg, Germany & France

After spending quite a number of days in the Alsace region of France and 2 days in Burgundy, we finally made our way towards Lyon for a 1 night stay. On hindsight, we really should have catered at least 1 more day in Lyon. Lyon is a huge city, and it is quite a joke we spent only 1 day there, but due to certain limitations, it was either 1 day in Lyon or none at all. I chose to still savour the 1 day, and the Partner and I agreed it was the right decision.

Cour des Loges (26)

I don’t even know how to describe the look. At some parts, it kinda looks some medieval castle don’t you think?

For one, our 5 star hotel, the Cour des Loges was amazing. It is located in the Old Lyon part of Lyon, where everything is quaint, historic and cobble-stoned! Cour Des Loges comprises 4 restored Renaissance buildings set around a glass-roofed courtyard. You feel like you are in an artwork when you are in the hotel. The rooms are all different-themed, but all so stylish and modern, yet retaining the historic air of the hotel. Unlike the tiny lanes of Old Lyon, the hotel rooms are surprisingly spacious.

Cour des Loges (4)

We had a lovely room facing the inner courtyard. Room number 5 if I remember correctly. The room is slightly darker than the picture, but I’ve enhanced it for you to see clearly. I really love the use of wood in the ceiling and floor, which gives it a kind of Scandinavian feel, yet it is unmistakably not when you study other details in the room.

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Cycling in France!

July 15th, 2013 365days2play

Day 5 of 365days2play’s Honeymoon in Luxembourg, Germany & France

Most Singaporeans, when they tell you that they’ve been holidaying in France, actually mean that they’ve been holidaying in Paris. And that’s usually because most Singaporeans do a London-Paris type of trip, and already these 2 mega cities would have taken up at least 5 days each of the holiday that there’s hardly any time for the countryside!

I had such a dilemma as well when planning my Honeymoon. Would it be London and Paris? Or London and then Paris+French Countryside? Or Paris and then London+English Countryside? There are quite a number of variations but one thing I knew I definitely didn’t want to do, at least not for the entire trip, was to have to use the public trains. It’s actually not that cheap to take the Eurorail around Europe, unless you limit yourself to a few stops. And it’s almost impossible to see the countryside if you don’t drive. But I wanted to see some countryside, so in the end we decided to drive around France, and stick only to France or else we’d have to spend another bomb on the train from Paris to London!

Thank god we did a self-drive tour, even though we had to contend with driving on the right side of the road. For one, we’d never have been able to stay at the lovely Chateaus dotted all over the French countryside. We even got the chance to do a spot of cycling in the vineyard behind our Chateau D’Isenbourg!

Chateau d'Isenbourg grounds (10)

The grand Chateau d’Isenbourg of the Small Luxury Hotel of the World and Grandes Etapes Françaises groups.

Cycling around Chateau d'Isenbourg (2)

Rent a bike for free from the hotel. They will gladly give you a code to unlock the bikes.

Cycling around Chateau d'Isenbourg (12)

Rows and rows of grapevines. No grapes yet cuz it’s still spring. Chateau d’Isenbourg is in the distance.

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Les Tommeries Restaurant

July 14th, 2013 365days2play

Day 5 of 365days2play’s Honeymoon in Luxembourg, Germany & France

As part of our stay at the Chateau D’Isenbourg, we were treated to a sumptuous feast at the hotel’s resident restaurant, the Les Tommeries. Les Tommeries is lovely, with numerous grand arched windows to enjoy the view of the vineyards just beyond. In the Summer, you can also partake in your meals on the al-fresco verandah, which must surely be an exciting thing to do. Scroll down to see pictures of the verandah and vineyard.

Chateau D'Isenbourg Les Tommeries Restaurant (7)

In a Louis XV style, its crystal chandeliers and stone flooring somehow brings me back to a bygone era.

Chateau D'Isenbourg Les Tommeries Restaurant - Amuse Bouche (2)

Amuse Bouche

We were treated to a lovely palate pleaser in the form of a foie gras pate. I love pates and a foie gras pate is obviously even more delectable. The little block of pate smooth and rich tasting. I could have eaten the whole thing easily but I decided to limit myself to only half as it is very satiating! Don’t want to be too full for my mains!

Chateau D'Isenbourg Les Tommeries Restaurant - Salmon marinated in soy and sesame, crisp white cabbage wasabi cream 22 Euros

Salmon marinated in soy and sesame, crisp white cabbage wasabi cream 22 Euros

The Partner scored a homerun with this fantastic salmon starter. The chef must have taken pains to lay out each sliver of salmon in this eye-catching geometric shape. The Asian-inspired marinade was a welcome change from European flavours and I think I must have enjoyed this starter more than the Partner!

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Posted in Country Guide - France, Hotel Reviews, Travel Tags: , , , , , , , , , , 2 Comments »
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