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		<title>Five of the best romantic mini-breaks: a style guide</title>
		<link>http://blog.mrandmrssmith.com/2013/06/best-romantic-mini-breaks-style-guide/</link>
		<comments>http://blog.mrandmrssmith.com/2013/06/best-romantic-mini-breaks-style-guide/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 14 Jun 2013 08:56:12 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Lucy Fennings</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Amalfi Coast]]></category>
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		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://blog.mrandmrssmith.com/?p=42900</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[You already know that Smith hotels and romantic weekends go together like moonlight and music: but what are the other ingredients of a super-stylish mini-break? We&#8217;ve rounded up this season&#8217;s perfect weekend-away travel companions – from the products that will make eyes sparkle on the Amalfi Coast to the best bedrooms to book in Barcelona… [...]]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p style="text-align: left;"><i>You already know that Smith hotels and romantic weekends go together like moonlight and music: but what are the other ingredients of a super-stylish mini-break? We&#8217;ve rounded up this season&#8217;s perfect weekend-away travel companions – from the products that will make eyes sparkle on the Amalfi Coast to the best bedrooms to book in Barcelona… Best of all, we&#8217;ve discovered an amazing Estée Lauder Re-Nutriv gift that includes all your summer essentials, exclusively at Harrods. Read on to <a href="#terms">find out more</a>… </i><br />
<a id="barcelona"></a><a href="http://www.mrandmrssmith.com/destinations/spain/barcelona"><img class="aligncenter  wp-image-42904" style="margin-top: 4px; margin-bottom: 4px;" title="Barcelona romantic weekend guide" alt="Barcelona romantic weekend guide" src="http://blog.mrandmrssmith.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/BarcelonaEL_lo-res1.jpg" width="556" height="278" /></a><br />
<a id="barcelona"></a><br />
<b>DESTINATION</b> Barcelona<b>  BEST FOR… </b>Cosmopolitan culture<br />
<i>Basking on the shores of the Mediterranean, the flamboyant Catalan capital is perfect for a romantic city break. Gaudí&#8217;s fantastical façades beckon from every street corner, and colourful El Born bars ensure visitors party late into the night. </i><br />
<b>Come to bed </b><a href="http://www.mrandmrssmith.com/luxury-hotels/el-palauet">El Palauet</a> apartments, in Barcelona&#8217;s happening heart, are a designer&#8217;s dream housed in an art nouveau building. Mezzanine Suites are graced with opulent frescoes and soaring ceilings, and you can watch the world wander by through stained-glass windows.<a href="http://ad-emea.doubleclick.net/clk;273530894;99610539;w"><img class=" wp-image-43073 alignright" style="margin-top: 10px;" alt="Estée Lauder Pure Color Eyeshadow" src="http://blog.mrandmrssmith.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/T18_Eyeshadow-150x150.jpg" width="140" height="140" /></a><br />
<b>Table for two? </b>Talented home-grown chef Jordi Cruz is the name on everyone&#8217;s lips right now: find him and his delectable double-Michelin-starred cuisine served on designer china at <a href="http://www.mrandmrssmith.com/luxury-hotels/abac-restaurant-and-hotel">ABaC</a> restaurant.<br />
<b>Pack it in </b>Barcelona&#8217;s bar scene calls for a playful look: work SS13&#8242;s colour-blocking trend with one of Spanish designer <a href="http://www.emiliodelamorena.com/">Emilio de la Morena</a>&#8216;s sculptural Flamenco dresses, and bring your eyes to life with a hit of this brilliantly hued Estée Lauder <a href="http://ad-emea.doubleclick.net/clk;273530894;99610539;w">Pure Color Eyeshadow</a>.</p>
<p><a id="cotswolds"></a><a href="http://www.mrandmrssmith.com/luxury-hotels/barnsley-house"><img class="aligncenter  wp-image-43030" alt="Cotswolds romantic weekend at Barnsley House" src="http://blog.mrandmrssmith.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/CotswoldsEL_lo-res.jpg" width="556" height="278" /></a></p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><a id="cotswolds"></a><b>DESTINATION</b> The Cotswolds<b>  BEST FOR… </b>Rural romance<br />
<i>The quintessential country-weekend destination, the Cotswolds lay claim to some of the UK&#8217;s most scenic towns and villages – all thatched cottages, rosy-cheeked ramblers and honey-hued churches.</i><br />
<b>Come to bed</b> Imposing Grade II-listed manor <a href="http://www.mrandmrssmith.com/luxury-hotels/barnsley-house">Barnsley House</a> in Gloucestershire wows with its beautiful gardens, hydrotherapy spa and chintz-averse interiors: book light and airy Room 1 for its romantic side-by-side bathtubs.<br />
<b>Table for two? </b>Order a picnic and take it to watch a summer game at Cirencester Park Polo Club. Alternatively, find a cosy inn and sip Pimm&#8217;s with a Ploughman&#8217;s: the excellent Village Pub is just across the road from Barnsley House.<br />
<a href="http://ad-emea.doubleclick.net/clk;273530903;99610548;n"><img class=" wp-image-43083 alignright" alt="Re-Nutriv Ultimate Lift Age Correcting Creme" src="http://blog.mrandmrssmith.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/Screen-shot-2013-06-12-at-14.29.28-150x150.png" width="90" height="90" /></a><b>Packing tips </b>As well as a suitably classic cover-up (we love this <a href="http://www.harrods.com/product/herringbone-jacket/holland-cooper/000000000002984028?cat1=new-women&amp;cat2=new-women-sport&amp;cat3=women-activewear-outdoors">Holland Cooper tweed jacket</a>), you&#8217;ll thank yourself for bringing a skin-saving all-rounder to soothe, firm and rehydrate after a day spent enjoying the great outdoors: <a href="http://ad-emea.doubleclick.net/clk;273530903;99610548;n">Re-Nutriv Ultimate Lift Age-Correcting Creme</a> is just the ticket.<b></b></p>
<p><a id="paris"></a><a href="http://www.mrandmrssmith.com/destinations/france/paris"><img class="aligncenter  wp-image-43043" title="Paris romantic weekend guide" alt="Paris romantic weekend guide" src="http://blog.mrandmrssmith.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/Paris-EL_lo-res.jpg" width="556" height="278" /></a><strong>DESTINATION</strong> Paris<b>  BEST FOR… </b>Food and fashion<br />
<i>From the Louvre to the Left Bank, Paris is chic to its bones. Privileged poise and youthful energy that give Paris its ageless verve – the 8ème and 16ème arrondissements are for couture-clad swanking; and diehard romantics will always have Montmartre.</i><br />
<b>Come to bed</b> A hop from the Arc de Triomphe and Paris&#8217; famed shopping boulevards, rarefied Raffles outpost <a href="http://www.mrandmrssmith.com/luxury-hotels/le-royal-monceau">Le Royal Monceau</a> attracts style-savvy guests with multi-mirrored Philppe Starck interors, a champagne bar and a fashion boutique.<br />
<b>Table for two? </b>At the Michelin-starred Restaurant Jean-François Piège restaurant (upstairs at <a href="http://www.mrandmrssmith.com/luxury-hotels/hotel-thoumieux">Hôtel Thoumieux</a>), diners design their own menu by selecting individual ingredients for the chef to work with. India Mahdavi&#8217;s interiors are pretty tasty, too.<br />
<b>Packing tips</b> All that wining and dining could take its toll on your maquillage, so choose a bold colour with superb staying power such as Estée Lauder <a href="http://ad-emea.doubleclick.net/clk;273530884;99610529;u">Pure Color Long Lasting Lipstick</a>.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><b><a id="amalfi"></a><a href="http://www.mrandmrssmith.com/destinations/italy/amalfi-coast"><img class="aligncenter  wp-image-43121" title="Amalfi Coast romantic weekend at Casa Angelina" alt="Amalfi Coast romantic weekend at Casa Angelina" src="http://blog.mrandmrssmith.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/Amalfi-EL_lo-res.jpg" width="556" height="278" /><br />
</a>DESTINATION</b> Amalfi Coast<b>  BEST FOR… </b>Seafood and sunshine<br />
<i>One of the most spectacular stretches of shoreline in the world. this postcard-perfect patch of Italy attracts landcape-seeking artists, glamour-thirsty film stars and seafood-hungry gourmands from around the globe.</i><br />
<strong>Come to bed</strong> At <a href="http://www.mrandmrssmith.com/luxury-hotels/casa-angelina">Casa Angelina</a> in Praiano, 180-degree views of the ocean spread before you like an azure blanket. Every fixture, fitting and furnishing gleams brilliant white, solely offset by <a href="http://ad-emea.doubleclick.net/clk;273530922;99610581;l"><img class=" wp-image-43126 alignright" alt="Estée Lauder Sumptuous Extreme Lash Multiplying Volume mascara" src="http://blog.mrandmrssmith.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/Mascara-and-swoosh3.jpg" width="70" height="180" /></a>wildly colourful Murano glass sculptures.<br />
<b>Table for two </b>Un Piano nel Cielo (&#8216;a floor in the sky&#8217;) is just that: a top-floor terrace with yet more amazing Amalfi Coast views. The kitchen makes the most<br />
of Casa Angelina&#8217;s setting: expect a high-end, seafood-heavy Med menu.<br />
<b>Packing tips</b> Ready for your close-up? You&#8217;ll need stylish swimwear by day – this <a href="http://www.harrods.com/product/kenya-asymmetric-swimsuit/heidi-klein/000000000003009051?p=3009051&amp;cat1=new-women&amp;cat2=women-new-swimwear&amp;cat3=women-swimwear-swimsuits">Heidi Klein swimsuit</a> loves the camera – and a touch of drama by night. Lengthen lashes and add a false-lash effect with a sweep of <a href="http://ad-emea.doubleclick.net/clk;273530922;99610581;l">Sumptuous Extreme Lash Multiplying Volume Mascara</a>.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><em id="__mceDel"><a href="http://www.mrandmrssmith.com/destinations/united-kingdom/london"><img class="aligncenter  wp-image-43056" alt="Shopping break in London" src="http://blog.mrandmrssmith.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/LondonELv4_lo-res.jpg" width="556" height="278" /></a><br />
</em><b>DESTINATION</b> London<b>  BEST FOR… </b>Chic shopping<br />
<em id="__mceDel"> <i>Whether you haunt under-the-radar bars and boutique hotels or head for the venerable grand dames and iconic department stores like <a href="http://www.harrods.com/">Harrods</a>, there are countless ways to indulge your sybaritic side in the big smoke.</i><br />
</em><b>Come to bed</b> Stay close the action at the Kit Kemp-designed <a href="http://www.mrandmrssmith.com/luxury-hotels/knightsbridge-hotel">Knightsbridge Hotel</a> – As you’d expect, running themes including reupholstered tailor’s dummies (perfect for displaying your haul) and artworks of Peter Clark’s West Highland Terrier (a nod to nearby Harrods).<br />
<b>Table for two? </b>Even if you wear your fiercest Rupert Sanderson heels, you will still manage the short totter to Zuma on Raphael Street, a local favourite that wins fans with its contemprary take on Japanese food.<a id="tips"></a><br />
<b>Packing tips</b> Don&#8217;t bring anything: Knightsbridge is the ultimate shopping-weekend destination. Browse the boutiques of Brompton Cross or get an all-in-one hit of high-luxe brands at Harrods. Head for the beauty hall and treat yourself to <a href="http://ad-emea.doubleclick.net/clk;273530839;99610513;n">Re-Nutriv Hydrating Creme Cleanser</a> and <a href="http://ad-emea.doubleclick.net/clk;273530863;99610517;o">Intensive Softening Lotion</a> – after a hard day&#8217;s retail therapy, your skin deserves some serious after-care.<em id="__mceDel"><em id="__mceDel"><a id="terms"></a><br />
–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––</em></em></p>
<p><strong><em><a href="http://blog.mrandmrssmith.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/Screen-shot-2013-06-12-at-18.06.12.png"><img class=" wp-image-43114 alignright" alt="Estée Lauder gift with purchase, exclusively at Harrods" src="http://blog.mrandmrssmith.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/Screen-shot-2013-06-12-at-18.06.12-284x300.png" width="230" height="243" /></a>SMITH TIP: GET COMPLIMENTARY<br />
TRAVEL ESSENTIALS TO GO…</em></strong><br />
<em id="__mceDel"> <i>Whether you&#8217;re carousing in the countryside or frolicking in the French fashion capital, a travel-sized selection of must-haves is the best way to pack for a weekend away.</i> <i>Visit the Estée Lauder counter at Harrods and you&#8217;ll find a travel-perfect gift of skincare and make-up essentials: the seven-piece gift* is yours when you make two or more purchases (one must be moisturiser, eye care or repair serum). While you&#8217;re there, discover the Re-Nutriv collection and enjoy a complimentary Luxurious Hand &amp; Arm Massage. Available exclusively at Harrods in the Cosmetics Hall or the Colour Hall  <em id="__mceDel">from Monday 17 June to Saturday 13 July 2013</em>. *</i><em id="__mceDel" style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"><i>Gift contains promotional-sized products. One gift per customer, while stocks last. Offer does not apply to online purchases made at <a href="http://www.harrods.com/">harrods.com</a>.</i></em></em></p>

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		<title>Royal Davui Island Resort, Fiji: hotel of the week</title>
		<link>http://blog.mrandmrssmith.com/2013/06/royal-davui-island-resort-fiji-hotel-of-the-week/</link>
		<comments>http://blog.mrandmrssmith.com/2013/06/royal-davui-island-resort-fiji-hotel-of-the-week/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 14 Jun 2013 05:31:49 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Sarah Jappy</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Activities]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Boutique hotels]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Fiji]]></category>
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		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://blog.mrandmrssmith.com/?p=42936</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[With the Southern Hemisphere winter well and truly underway, at Smith HQ in Melbourne we’re feeling sodden, sniffly and in serious need of some sunshine. As luck would have it, our frosty months coincide with Fiji’s mild dry season – so pack a suitcase full of swimmers and make haste for Pacific paradise, Royal Davui Island [...]]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><i>With the Southern Hemisphere winter well and truly underway, at Smith HQ in Melbourne we’re feeling sodden, sniffly and in serious need of some sunshine. As luck would have it, our frosty months coincide with Fiji’s mild dry season – so pack a suitcase full of swimmers and make haste for Pacific paradise, <a href="http://www.mrandmrssmith.com/luxury-hotels/royal-davui-island-resort">Royal Davui Island Resort</a>.</i></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.mrandmrssmith.com/luxury-hotels/royal-davui-island-resort"><img class="size-full wp-image-42938 aligncenter" title="Royal Davui Island Resort, Fiji" alt="Royal Davui Island Resort, Fiji" src="http://blog.mrandmrssmith.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/Davui-Transfer-Boat-e1371016534320.jpg" width="565" height="361" /></a></p>
<p><b>Style </b>Casual take on tropical<b><br />
Setting </b>Bijou island in Beqa Lagoon</p>
<p><b>Why this week? </b>Fiji is a white-sanded seducer, made all the more tempting by this timely <a href="http://www.mrandmrssmith.com/hotel-offers/details/11061-exclusive-all-inclusive-bliss">all-inclusive discount offer</a>. Book between now and 1 November 2013 to enjoy seven nights’ stay for the price of five, plus a plethora of added extras including (drum roll please) breakfast, lunch and dinner, an upgrade to the next room category (subject to availability), a one-hour couple’s massage, a bottle of sparkling wine and a freshly baked loaf of banana bread on arrival, sunset canapés and entertainment each evening, a beach barbecue and kava ceremony, a welcome cocktail and (exclusively for Smith members), two drinks at the Banyan Bar. Bula!</p>
<p><b> <a href="http://www.mrandmrssmith.com/luxury-hotels/royal-davui-island-resort/photos"><img class="alignright" style="margin-top: 5px; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-right: 0px; margin-left: 10px;" title="Royal Davui Island Resort, Fiji Island, Fiji" alt="Mr &amp; Mrs Smith: Royal Davui Island Resort, Fiji" src="http://blog.mrandmrssmith.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/Deluxe-Vale-Plunge-Pool-e1371016859492.jpg" width="280" height="187" /></a>Our favourite bits</b> Crystal clear waters, postcard-perfect beaches and open-arms hospitality all go without saying in Fiji. It’s Royal Davui Island Resort’s fun-loving ethos, Jacuzzi-topped verandas and indulgent Pure Fiji Spa that set this adults-only sanctuary apart from the rest. For ramped-up romance, book the Royal Davui Pool Suite, featuring panoramic lagoon views and a private deck for alfresco suppers under the stars.</p>
<p><b> <a href="http://www.mrandmrssmith.com/luxury-hotels/royal-davui-island-resort/photos"><img class="alignright" style="margin-top: 5px; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-right: 0px; margin-left: 10px;" title="Royal Davui Island Resort, Fiji" alt="Royal Davui Island Resort, Fiji" src="http://blog.mrandmrssmith.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/Premium-Bedroom-Blue.jpg" width="280" height="186" /></a>Mr &amp; Mrs Smith say… </b>‘Royal Davui Island Resort ticks all the usual Fiji natural-wonder boxes – blissful pure shores, white-sand beaches, fish-flocked coral reef and flora-dotted jungle interior – but there&#8217;s a more youthful, fun, relaxed mood afoot here. Guests are encouraged to mingle at evening canapés sessions and cocktail happy hours, there are regular parties and bands in the bar, and you&#8217;re bound to make friends on the many dive courses, snorkelling excursions and watersports jaunts up for grabs.’ <a href="http://www.mrandmrssmith.com/au/luxury-hotels/royal-davui-island-resort/photos"><br />
</a><i></i></p>
<p><b><i>Find more palm-fringed <a href="http://www.mrandmrssmith.com/destinations/fiji/fiji-islands">Fijian hotels</a> or browse all our <a href="http://www.mrandmrssmith.com/hotel-offers">boutique hotel offers</a></i>…</b></p>
<p><i>*Copy compiled by Sophie Young </i></p>

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		<title>Meet Mr &amp; Mrs Smith’s anonymous hotel reviewers: #11 Gemma Cairney</title>
		<link>http://blog.mrandmrssmith.com/2013/06/meet-mr-mrs-smiths-anonymous-hotel-reviewers-11-gemma-cairney/</link>
		<comments>http://blog.mrandmrssmith.com/2013/06/meet-mr-mrs-smiths-anonymous-hotel-reviewers-11-gemma-cairney/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 13 Jun 2013 17:54:52 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Kate Weir</dc:creator>
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		<description><![CDATA[We were thrilled to have BBC Radio 1 DJ Gemma Cairney join our elite posse of ninja-like secret reviewers. As a clued-in culture maven who’s better known as the disembodied voice accompanying listeners&#8217; breakfast bacon sarnies, she makes the perfect anonymous reviewer for Mr &#38; Mrs Smith, who can flit about the hotel (in this [...]]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>We were thrilled to have BBC Radio 1 DJ <a title="Smith anonymous reviewer Gemma Cairney" href="http://www.mrandmrssmith.com/reviewer/gemma-cairney" target="_blank">Gemma Cairney</a> join our elite posse of ninja-like secret reviewers. As a clued-in culture maven who’s better known as the disembodied voice accompanying listeners&#8217; breakfast bacon sarnies, she makes the perfect <a title="Mr &amp; Mrs Smith anonymous reviewers" href="http://www.mrandmrssmith.com/our-reviewers" target="_blank">anonymous reviewer for Mr &amp; Mrs Smith</a>, who can flit about the hotel (in this case Budapest&#8217;s <a title="Brody House hotel Budapest" href="http://www.mrandmrssmith.com/luxury-hotels/brody-house" target="_blank">Brody House</a>) incognito like a Keyser Soze-esque enigma.</p>
<p>Of course, Gemma has a face suited for far more than radio, so we’re outing her here to add hotel connoisseurship to her already impressive skillset: DJ, stylist to musicians such as Florence Welch <a href="http://www.mrandmrssmith.com/reviewer/gemma-cairney"><img class="size-full wp-image-43226 alignright" alt="Smith reviewer Gemma Cairney " src="http://blog.mrandmrssmith.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/GemmaCairney_lo-res.jpg" width="280" height="280" /></a>and spokesperson for climate change. The girl’s donned more than one hat, so it’s a good thing she wears them well. Alongside her BBC Breakfast Show she&#8217;s flirted with TV presenting on Channel 4’s <em>Frock Me </em>display, and her <i>Company</i> magazine column and <a title="Luxury hotel Portugal Memmo Baleeira" href="http://www.mrandmrssmith.com/luxury-hotels/memmo-baleeira/review" target="_blank">Memmo Baleeira hotel review</a> for Smith prove she can wield a pen mightily. For this enthusiast of avant-garde fashion and bubbly morning mouthpiece Smith found an equally vivid and fashion-forward hotel, and judging by Gemma&#8217;s <a title="Budapest hotel Brody House review" href="http://www.mrandmrssmith.com/luxury-hotels/brody-house/review" target="_blank">Brody House hotel review</a> this artfully antiquated <a title="Mr &amp; Mrs Smith Budapest destination guide" href="http://www.mrandmrssmith.com/destinations/hungary/budapest" target="_blank">Budapest</a> bolthole exceeded all expectations…</p>
<p style="text-align: center;">                             •••</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.mrandmrssmith.com/luxury-hotels/brody-house"><img class=" wp-image-43160 aligncenter" alt="Brody House hotel Budapest" src="http://blog.mrandmrssmith.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/Screen-Shot-2013-06-13-at-12.05.46.png" width="556" height="242" /></a></p>
<blockquote><p>We’ve booked three nights in Budapest, and the truth is, neither of us knows what to expect. Landing at a gigantic wooden door down a quiet but central road, a titchy plaque on the buzzer says ‘Brody House’; but there’s no sign of what it is like beyond. However, less than 10 minutes after arrival we are already lusting for Brody. It’s not the easiest place to describe – it isn’t quite a B&amp;B or self-catering accommodation, and not quite a gallery or studio space – but the photo shoot taking place in a nearby closed-off room (previously used for a super-sexy <em>Playboy</em> shoot), the bizarre modern paintings emblazoned across the walls and the lounge-cum-breakfast area suggest it’s an amalgamation of the four.</p>
<p>The setting wouldn’t look out of place as the opening scene of a modern adaptation of a Molière play, with unapologetically distressed walls and a strikingly unique but distinctly bonkers building. Every little detail emphasises the owners&#8217; quirky taste, down to the brown paper-bag wrapped jam jars used as tea-light holders in each room and lamps made from old Dom Perignon bottles; plus it’s actually relaxed, rather than pretending to be. One of our favourite features was the honesty bar, which contained everything you need to make any cocktail of choice and even chilled bottles of champagne.</p></blockquote>

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		<title>In the diary: gad about like Gatsby</title>
		<link>http://blog.mrandmrssmith.com/2013/06/in-the-diary-gad-about-like-gatsby/</link>
		<comments>http://blog.mrandmrssmith.com/2013/06/in-the-diary-gad-about-like-gatsby/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 13 Jun 2013 09:00:07 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Kate Thorman</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Activities]]></category>
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		<description><![CDATA[With the Gatsby bandwagon rumbling through town like a Rolls-Royce, we&#8217;ve rounded up the coolest hotels and happenings that capture the zeitgeist without drowning you in fringed flapper frocks&#8230; JAZZ UP YOUR SUMMER This weekend, in Gatsby&#8217;s home city of New York, we’re pulling out our kitten heels and spats for the bi-annual Jazz Age Lawn [...]]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p style="text-align: left;"><i>With the Gatsby bandwagon rumbling through town like a Rolls-Royce, we&#8217;ve rounded up the coolest hotels and happenings that capture the zeitgeist without drowning you in fringed flapper frocks&#8230;</i></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.dreamlandorchestra.com/calendar.php"><img class="aligncenter  wp-image-42912" title="Jazz Age Lawn Party | New York event" alt="Jazz Age Lawn Party | New York event" src="http://blog.mrandmrssmith.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/563309_544211952278805_972861005_n.jpg" width="556" height="408" /></a></p>
<p><strong>JAZZ UP YOUR SUMMER</strong></p>
<p>This weekend, in Gatsby&#8217;s home city of <a href="http://www.mrandmrssmith.com/destinations/new-york-state/new-york" target="_blank">New York</a>, we’re pulling out our kitten heels and spats for the bi-annual <a href="http://www.dreamlandorchestra.com/calendar.php" target="_blank">Jazz Age Lawn Party</a>, now in its eighth year. Held under the trees on green <a href="http://www.govisland.com/html/home/home.shtml" target="_blank">Governors Island</a> – just a five-minute ferry ride from the city – every June and August, this bash is the perfect excuse to pull out all the stops for an afternoon of dancing to live jazz, taking a turn behind the wheel of a 1920s motorcar and twirling your parasol with a champagne cocktail in hand.</p>
<p><em>Mark your calendars for June 15 and 16, and August 17 and 18, and be sure to get your <a href="http://www.dreamlandorchestra.com/calendar.php" target="_blank">Jazz Age Party tickets</a> ($30) in advance.</em></p>
<p><a href="http://www.mrandmrssmith.com/luxury-hotels/claridges"><img class="alignleft  wp-image-42929" style="margin: 5px 10px 5px 0px;" title="Art deco style | Claridge's Hotel London" alt="Art deco style | Claridge's Hotel London" src="http://blog.mrandmrssmith.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/Screen-Shot-2013-06-11-at-2.07.53-PM.png" width="280" height="227" /></a><strong>DO THE CHARLESTON</strong></p>
<p>The art deco Foyer at <a href="http://www.mrandmrssmith.com/destinations/united-kingdom/london" target="_blank">London</a>&#8216;s decadent <a href="http://www.mrandmrssmith.com/luxury-hotels/claridges" target="_blank">Claridge’s</a> hotel – always one of our favourites –  seems to have stepped straight out of Gatsby’s oversized imagination. On 15 July, after an afternoon tea worthy of Daisy and Jordan, the hotel is offering a <a href=" http://www.claridges.co.uk/charleston-masterclasses/" target="_blank">Charleston masterclass</a>, complete with feathered headbands and satin gloves. Dance routine completed, a 1920s-era cocktail rounds out the evening.</p>
<p><em>Claridge&#8217;s <a href=" http://www.claridges.co.uk/charleston-masterclasses/" target="_blank">Charleston dance class</a> takes place 6.30pm–8.30pm, 15 July, and costs £125 a person.</em></p>
<p><a href="http://www.mrandmrssmith.com/luxury-hotels/the-siam"><img class="alignright  wp-image-42925" style="margin: 0px 0px 5px 10px;" title="The Siam Hotel Bangkok | Art deco style" alt="The Siam Hotel Bangkok | Art deco style" src="http://blog.mrandmrssmith.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/siam2.png" width="280" height="233" /></a><strong>ART DECO DIGS</strong></p>
<p>In one of the story’s climactic scenes, Gatsby and his crew rented out a luxurious hotel suite for their own private party. Do the same at <a href="http://www.mrandmrssmith.com/destinations/thailand/bangkok" target="_blank">Bangkok</a>’s vintage-style <a href="http://www.mrandmrssmith.com/luxury-hotels/the-siam" target="_blank">Siam hotel</a>, where the Siam, Mae Nam and Riverview suites all have authentic art deco accents. Just try to tear yourself away from that bathroom, we dare you…</p>
<p><em><a href="http://www.mrandmrssmith.com/us/luxury-hotels/the-siam" target="_blank">The Siam hotel</a>, from £188 a suite a night.</em></p>
<p><strong>TWENTIES TIPPLES</strong></p>
<p>Nearly every major city these days seems to have its fair share of Prohibition- or Twenties-themed bars and speakeasies these days, an easy way to get your Gatsby fix without going all out.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.experimentalcocktailclub.com/"><img class="alignleft  wp-image-43214" style="margin: 5px 10px 5px 0px;" title="Paris cocktail bar | Experimental Cocktail Club" alt="Paris cocktail bar | Experimental Cocktail Club" src="http://blog.mrandmrssmith.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/Bouteilles_ECC.jpg" width="280" /></a>In <a href="http://www.mrandmrssmith.com/us/destinations/california/san-francisco" target="_blank">San Francisco</a>, the secretive, password-required-for-entry <a href="http://www.bourbonandbranch.com/" target="_blank">Bourbon &amp; Branch</a> – and its even more deeply hidden sibling, <a href="http://www.thewilsonbar.com/" target="_blank">Wilson &amp; Wilson Detective Agency</a> – sits on the site of an actual speakeasy, known as the JJ Russell Cigar Shop. <a href="http://www.mrandmrssmith.com/us/destinations/france/paris" target="_blank">Paris</a>’ first serious cocktail bar, the <a href="http://www.experimentalcocktailclub.com/" target="_blank">Experimental Cocktail Club</a> (pictured at left) – now exported to both London and New York – replicates the aesthetic and flavours of 1920s glamour in a city where Fitzgerald himself was known to party.</p>

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		<title>A cut above: Mark Hix’s carving masterclass at Brown’s Hotel</title>
		<link>http://blog.mrandmrssmith.com/2013/06/browns-hotel-london-mayfair-hix-chef-carving-class/</link>
		<comments>http://blog.mrandmrssmith.com/2013/06/browns-hotel-london-mayfair-hix-chef-carving-class/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 12 Jun 2013 14:02:58 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Anthony Leyton</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Boutique hotels]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Events]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Features]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[London]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[recipes]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[United Kingdom]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Worth getting out of bed for]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Brown's Hotel]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[carving masterclass]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[cookery class]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[food]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[food and wine]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[food events]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Hix Mayfair]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[London activities]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[London hotels]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[London restaurants]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Mark Hix]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Mayfair hotels]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[meat]]></category>

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		<description><![CDATA[The Smith Travel Blog team does love an outing (only last week we were mixing cocktails, remember), and we&#8217;re also partial to a meaty dinner, so when the opportunity came to combine the two with a trip to Brown&#8217;s Hotel in Mayfair for an evening with titan-of-the-London-restaurant-scene Mark Hix, we jumped at the chance… It’s [...]]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><em>The Smith Travel Blog team does love an outing (only last week we were <a href="http://blog.mrandmrssmith.com/2013/06/smith-extra-cocktail-masterclass-kensington-hotel-london/">mixing cocktails</a>, remember), and we&#8217;re also partial to a <a href="http://blog.mrandmrssmith.com/2008/10/hawksmoor-best-steak-london/">meaty dinner</a>, so when the opportunity came to combine the two with a trip to <a href="http://www.mrandmrssmith.com/luxury-hotels/browns-hotel">Brown&#8217;s Hotel in Mayfair </a>for an evening with titan-of-the-London-restaurant-scene Mark Hix, we jumped at the chance…<br />
</em></p>
<p><a href="http://blog.mrandmrssmith.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/Mark-Hix-Carving-2.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-42979 alignright" style="margin: 5px 10px;" title="Mark Hix Carving Masterclass: Lamb in Hay" alt="Mark Hix Carving Masterclass: Lamb in Hay" src="http://blog.mrandmrssmith.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/Mark-Hix-Carving-2-200x300.jpg" width="200" height="300" /></a>It’s a problem that many will never admit to; one faced on as much as a weekly basis by people across the world. The scene is the Sunday dinner table; a majestic roast has been presented – a tender joint of beef, a crisply coated chicken, a rosemary-pocked leg of lamb – and a knife has been placed expectantly before you…</p>
<p>So what the hell do you do now?</p>
<p>You’re on the spot. You can’t back out. ‘I’m sorry, whenever I take a knife to meat, it ends up looking like it’s been through a wood-chipper’ is not an acceptable get-out. Grown-ups are supposed to know these things. So, you just pick up your knife and, quite literally, have a stab at it.</p>
<p>Sometimes, enough is enough. It’s time to take the knife by the handle and learn how to carve properly – and there’s no-one better to learn from than chef Mark Hix: restaurateur extraordinaire, champion of British produce and a man who, it’s fair to say, is pretty handy with a blade. In the last five years, his ever-growing empire has expanded beyond the first Clerkenwell stronghold, the <a href="http://www.hixoysterandchophouse.co.uk/" target="_blank">Hix Oyster &amp; Chop House</a>, and now stretches from Shoreditch to the south coast, with HIX Mayfair taking centrestage at <a href="http://www.mrandmrssmith.com/luxury-hotels/browns-hotel">London’s oldest luxury hotel, Brown’s</a>.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.mrandmrssmith.com/luxury-hotels/browns-hotel"><img class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-42996" style="margin: 5px 10px;" title="Byron Room, Brown's Hotel, London" alt="Byron Room, Brown's Hotel, London" src="http://blog.mrandmrssmith.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/Browns-Byron-room-300x199.jpg" width="334" height="236" /></a>Since last year, Mark has been running not-exactly-monthly carving classes at the hotel. For just 10 people at a time, the events are a cross between a meat-slicing masterclass and a gourmet private dinner – the chance to stuff yourself silly on five fabulous courses, and hopefully – wine permitting – pick up a few flourishes to take home to the dinner table.</p>
<p>The classes are a pretty exclusive affair, set in Brown’s private-dining Byron room and tended by a coterie of magically disappearing-reappearing waiting staff. Hix is at the head of the table, a knife-wielding wizard <a href="http://www.thealbemarlerestaurant.com/events/hix-carving-masterclasses"><img class="size-medium wp-image-42973 alignright" style="margin: 5px 10px;" title="Mark Hix Carving Masterclass " alt="Hix Carving Masterclass at Brown's Hotel" src="http://blog.mrandmrssmith.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/Hix-Carving-183x300.jpg" width="201" height="329" /></a>in chef’s whites, stood before a wooden board bearing, quite literally, a cross-section of a farmyard: a rack of pork ribs, a leg of lamb and a chicken, complete with feet.</p>
<p>For a <a href="http://blog.mrandmrssmith.com/2009/03/beef-butchery-class-london-activities/">dedicated carnivore</a>, this looks very promising.</p>
<p>We start, however, with smoked salmon. Not your plasticky-pink £2.99 supermarket salmon, but a thick russet slab, cold-smoked with apple and oak dust in Hix’s own Bradley smoker (which sits on the roof of Selfridges on Bond Street, incidentally). One by one, we’re invited up to have a go on Mark’s fish. Given the work that’s gone into preparing it thus far, I feel a bit like I’m taking a marker pen to a Picasso, but with a little guidance (diagonal strokes, half a centimetre apart), the end result doesn’t look half bad.</p>
<p>The taste is even better: rich, complex, delicately woody, and even more delicious when combined with home-baked rye bread, thick pillars of Wye Valley asparagus (both buttered and battered varieties) and – rare joy – a mottle-shelled gull’s egg. These <a href="http://blog.mrandmrssmith.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/Hix-Tonnix-wine.jpg"><img class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-42982" style="margin: 5px 10px;" title="Mark Hix's Tonnix Wine" alt="Mark Hix's Tonnix Wine" src="http://blog.mrandmrssmith.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/Hix-Tonnix-wine-253x300.jpg" width="190" height="243" /></a>gelatinous creamy-yolked treats are something of a Hix signature; when he pulled the strings in the Ivy’s kitchen’s, they were on the menu, and they’ve turned up in many of his restaurants since. Black-headed gull’s eggs are only in season for three weeks each spring and are sourced under licence by just a handful of foragers each year. You have to know the right people in this business. (It becomes clear later that mark certainly does know the right people: when a bottle of his Tonnix Douro Valley red lands on the table, he explains how, when he and fellow chef Mitch Tonks needed a label for their new wine range, the first thing he did was ring Tracey Emin.)</p>
<p>Over the next two hours, I come to learn without much surprise that I’ve Been Doing Carving Wrong all my life. It’s not as though there are strict protocols for tackling different cuts exactly, more that attempting to saw through a carcass using a blunt knife isn’t the most effective method (deep down in my heart, I think I always knew this).</p>
<p><a href="http://blog.mrandmrssmith.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/Hix-chicken.jpg"><img class="alignright size-medium wp-image-42987" style="margin: 5px 10px;" title="Roast chicken (and feet)" alt="Roast chicken (and feet) at Tramshed restaurant" src="http://blog.mrandmrssmith.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/Hix-chicken-158x300.jpg" width="189" height="336" /></a>As the evening progresses, we tackle the leg of lamb (baked in hay, studded with garlic and rosemary), the chicken (doing a sort of handstand on a porcelain stand-type-thing*), and the rack of pork ribs (doing nothing fancy, just sitting there, all piggy and delicious). In between the rapturous appreciation of fine cooking – and the pondering of how exactly one builds a perfectly cylindrical tower of chips – I pick up fistfuls of handy kitchen tidbits:</p>
<p><b>1. The key to good carving can essentially be found in the Kama Sutra</b>: long, slow strokes. Cut quite thickly – no mimsy slivers – and diagonally, so you get a broader flavour profile in your meat. (NB: that bit is not in the Kama Sutra.)</p>
<p><b>2. When carving a leg, keep the knuckle on:</b> it gives you something to hang on to.</p>
<p><b><a href="http://blog.mrandmrssmith.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/Mark-Hix-Carving-1.jpg"><img class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-43009" style="margin: 5px 10px;" title="Mark Hix Carving Masterclass at Brown's Hotel, London" alt="Mark Hix Carving Masterclass at Brown's Hotel, London" src="http://blog.mrandmrssmith.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/Mark-Hix-Carving-1-200x300.jpg" width="200" height="302" /></a></b><b>3. Stay sharp: </b>keep your knives in good nick by sharpening them briefly after every use. My previous technique of honing them once a year, usually to put off completing a tax return, is not deemed best practice in chefly circles.</p>
<p><b>4. Perfect crackling</b> can be achieved by cooking your pork skin-side down in a shallow layer of water on high for five minutes before roasting.</p>
<p><b>5. Celery salt</b> is really easy to make. Chop celery leaves, microwave them for a few minutes and blitz with salt. Eat your heart out, Schwartz.</p>
<p>And finally…</p>
<p><b>6. Five courses with bottomless wine on a Tuesday evening</b> is not a recipe for a productive Wednesday.</p>
<p><i>The next <a href="http://www.thealbemarlerestaurant.com/events/hix-carving-masterclasses" target="_blank">Mark Hix carving masterclasses</a> will be held on Wednesday 17 July and Tuesday 10 September. Classes cost £150 a person, and include a five-course meal with wine, Brown’s apron and a Hix cookery book. To arrange a stay at <a href="http://www.mrandmrssmith.com/luxury-hotels/browns-hotel">Brown’s Hotel, London</a>, on these dates, including a class – and a free Smith extra of </i><i>NuBo spa gift, a Hix Fix cocktail in the bar, plus a bottle of Runiart NV champagne if you book a suite – </i><i>just <a href="http://www.mrandmrssmith.com/contact">give us a call</a>.</i></p>
<p>* There is no actual word for this device; Mark Hix says so.</p>

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		<title>ABaC, Barcelona: hotel of the week</title>
		<link>http://blog.mrandmrssmith.com/2013/06/abac-barcelona-hotel-of-the-week/</link>
		<comments>http://blog.mrandmrssmith.com/2013/06/abac-barcelona-hotel-of-the-week/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 07 Jun 2013 17:07:54 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Rachel Juarez-Carr</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Barcelona]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Boutique hotels]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Eating & drinking]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Hotel of the Week]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Spain]]></category>
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		<category><![CDATA[ABaC]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[anonymous review]]></category>
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		<category><![CDATA[coastal cool]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[cuisine]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[food]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[luxury hotel]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[luxury travel]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Mr & Mrs Smith]]></category>
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		<description><![CDATA[Hungry? Good; we&#8217;ve got the ideal the place to eat extremely well: ABaC Restaurant &#38; Hotel in Barcelona is our hotel of the week… Style Modern, minimalist and Michelin-starred Setting Hip heights of Zona Alta Why this week? Chef Jordi Cruz has been an estrella fugaç (that&#8217;s how you say &#8216;shooting star&#8217; in Catalan, in case [...]]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><em>Hungry? Good; we&#8217;ve got the ideal the place to eat extremely well: <a href="http://www.mrandmrssmith.com/luxury-hotels/abac-restaurant-and-hotel" target="_blank">ABaC Restaurant &amp; Hotel</a> in <a href="http://www.mrandmrssmith.com/destinations/spain/barcelona" target="_blank">Barcelona</a> is our hotel of the week…<br />
</em></p>
<p><a href="http://www.mrandmrssmith.com/au/luxury-hotels/abac-restaurant-and-hotel"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-42871" alt="ABaC Restaurant &amp; Hotel in Barcelona" src="http://blog.mrandmrssmith.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/abac.jpg" width="555" /></a></p>
<p><strong>Style</strong> Modern, minimalist and Michelin-starred<br />
<strong>Setting</strong> Hip heights of Zona Alta</p>
<p><strong><a href="http://www.mrandmrssmith.com/luxury-hotels/abac-restaurant-and-hotel/review"><img class="alignright size-medium wp-image-42869" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-right: 0px; margin-left: 10px;" alt="Chef Jordi Cruz, ABaC hotel in Barcelona" src="http://blog.mrandmrssmith.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/chef_jordi_cruz-300x184.png" width="280" /></a>Why this week? </strong>Chef Jordi Cruz has been an <em>estrella fugaç</em> (that&#8217;s how you say &#8216;shooting star&#8217; in Catalan, in case you&#8217;ve ever wondered) of the Catalan capital&#8217;s already exceptional restaurant scene for a while, but now he&#8217;s really going supernova. So far this year, he and Restaurant ABaC have won a head-spinning, stomach-filling array of awards, taking home gongs from the Royal Spanish Academy of Gastronomy, Académie Internationale de la Gastronomie, Catalan Academy of Gastronomy and more.</p>
<p><strong>Our favourite bits </strong>When you aren&#8217;t busy appreciating Cruz&#8217;s savvy chef-ery, you&#8217;ll find plenty more to like about this minimalist masterpiece, from the sleek bedrooms to the subterranean Elemis spa with its submerged hammocks in the relaxation pool. We&#8217;re particularly fond of staying in the Attic; it has two chaise longue-style love seats at the end of the bed and a wrap-around terrace with a Jacuzzi and shower, so you need never leave the room to enjoy the Barcelona sunshine. The bathroom has a limestone island in the centre with double sinks, and a Jacuzzi bath set up for colour therapy sessions.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.mrandmrssmith.com/luxury-hotels/abac-restaurant-and-hotel/rooms"><img class="alignright size-medium wp-image-42868" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-right: 0px; margin-left: 10px;" alt="ABaC hotel in Barcelona" src="http://blog.mrandmrssmith.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/abac_bedroom-300x134.png" width="280" /></a><strong>Mr &amp; Mrs Smith say… </strong>&#8216;Refreshed, we head down to dinner and take our place among the other well-dressed couples in the restaurant. At this point, I must hold my hands up and say that my favourite Spanish restaurants are the ones that only the locals know about; the kind of places with questionable 1970s décor that serve simply grilled prawns and langoustines on a bed of fresh salad. I am a little sceptical, then of a restaurant with two Michelin stars and a famous penchant for El Bullí-style experimental cooking. However, Mrs Smith (who, having grown up on fantastic Spanish food, can be incredibly fussy) and I are completely seduced. From the first mouthful of fabulous, nutty Languedoc olives to the final fork of exquisite mushroom, avocado and crab tartare, the food never stops delighting our tastebuds. In retrospect, my only regret is not getting up in between one of the many light but delicious courses to watch the chef and his team at work. But by the time we drifted contentedly past the kitchen on our way up to bed, there were just a handful of the team left doing the wash down.&#8217;</p>
<p><strong>You say… </strong>&#8216;No superlatives are sufficient to describe the restaurant at the hotel (the chef Jordi Cruz, fully meriting his two Michelin stars, will definitely go on to become a huge phenomenon in the near future).&#8217; — Sachin, GoldSmith</p>
<p><strong><em>Read the full review of <a href="http://www.mrandmrssmith.com/luxury-hotels/abac-restaurant-and-hotel/review" target="_blank">ABaC Restaurant &amp; Hotel</a>, f<strong></strong>ind more <a href="http://www.mrandmrssmith.com/destinations/spain/barcelona" target="_blank">hotels in Barcelona</a>, or search all our <a href="http://www.mrandmrssmith.com/hotel-offers" target="_blank">hotel offers</a>…</em></strong></p>

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		<title>The Smith extra: cocktail masterclass at the Kensington Hotel in London</title>
		<link>http://blog.mrandmrssmith.com/2013/06/smith-extra-cocktail-masterclass-kensington-hotel-london/</link>
		<comments>http://blog.mrandmrssmith.com/2013/06/smith-extra-cocktail-masterclass-kensington-hotel-london/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 06 Jun 2013 16:52:22 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Madevi Dailly</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Activities]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Boutique hotels]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Eating & drinking]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[London]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Mr & Mrs Smith]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Alessandro Pizzoli]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Cocktail class]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[cocktail classes]]></category>
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		<category><![CDATA[martini cocktail recipes]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[mojito cocktail recipe]]></category>
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		<category><![CDATA[old fashioned recipe]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[passion fruit martini]]></category>
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		<category><![CDATA[Smith extra]]></category>
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		<description><![CDATA[As our globe-trotting readers will know, there&#8217;s an exclusive Smith extra waiting for you at all our luxury boutique hotels around the world, thanks to our free Mr &#38; Mrs Smith membership. But sometimes, this little treat is so tantalising we simply have to dispatch someone to try it out. This week we spent an [...]]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><em>As our globe-trotting readers will know, there&#8217;s an exclusive Smith extra waiting for you at all our luxury boutique hotels around the world, thanks to our free <a href="https://smithcollections.com/members/benefits">Mr &amp; Mrs Smith membership</a>. But sometimes, this little treat is so tantalising we simply have to dispatch someone to try it out. This week we spent an afternoon testing the cocktail masterclass at the ravishing <a href="http://www.mrandmrssmith.com/luxury-hotels/the-kensington-hotel-london">Kensington Hotel</a> in London – oh yes, it&#8217;s a hard life.</em></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.mrandmrssmith.com/luxury-hotels/the-kensington-hotel-london/review"><img class="size-full wp-image-42761 aligncenter" title="Aubrey Bar Kensington Hotel in London" alt="Aubrey Bar Kensington Hotel in London" src="http://blog.mrandmrssmith.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/Aubrey_Bar.jpg" width="555" height="216" /></a></p>
<p>A word to the wise: when stepping behind a well-stocked bar for a crash course in mixology, it is best – really, truly best – not to have already imbibed several cocktails in the name of research.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.mrandmrssmith.com/luxury-hotels/the-kensington-hotel-london/photos"><img class="size-full wp-image-42756 alignright" style="margin-left: 5px; margin-top: 8px; margin-bottom: 8px;" title="Kensington Hotel mixologist Alessandro Pizzoli" alt="Kensington Hotel mixologist Alessandro Pizzoli" src="http://blog.mrandmrssmith.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/Alessandro_Pizzoli.jpg" width="280" height="317" /></a>At master mixologist Alessandro Pizzoli’s invitation, I’d slid off my leather bar stool and slinked round the sleek marble top to join him at the helm of the Aubrey Bar, Kensington Hotel’s jewel box of a watering hole. I stared at the cockpit-like arrangement before me – a gleaming prepping area of crisp napkins, surgical tongs, chunky muddlers, quartered fruit and crushed ice. Alessandro (<em>right</em>) handed me a napkin and a sugar cube. &#8216;Go ahead&#8217;, he said, with the amused confidence of a man who has beaten off stiff competition from London’s finest hotels to bag himself – amongst others – two <a href="http://thegalvincup.co.uk/" target="_blank">Galvin cups</a>, the prestigious mixology prize.</p>
<p>I looked listlessly at the sugar cube, acutely aware that I had not been paying attention to his elaborate explanations. In my defence, it’s easy to be distracted ­– by the bright lights of the bar’s Sixties-chic chandeliers, say, or the dainty trays of spiced popcorn and wasabi peas. Thankfully my partner-in-crime, who had already pulled off a decent (if slightly addled) mojito, had been taking notes:</p>
<p><em>Chill a glass with crushed ice. Place a napkin on the glass, a sugar cube on top of that, add a few drops of Angostura Bitters. Drop the sugar in, splash with soda, and muddle until it’s dissolved. Top with ice cubes, a very generous measure of whisky, and waft an orange twist in the cocktail’s general direction.</em></p>
<p>There was also something fiddly involving citrus peel, a sharp knife and a candied cherry, but by this time I’d reached delirious levels of elation at making my first Old Fashioned.</p>
<p><img class="size-full wp-image-42767 alignright" style="margin-left: 10px; margin-top: 8px; margin-bottom: 8px;" title="Old Fashioned cocktail at Kensington Hotel's Aubrey Bar" alt="Old Fashioned cocktail at Kensington Hotel's Aubrey Bar" src="http://blog.mrandmrssmith.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/Old_Fashioned1.jpg" width="280" height="223" /><img class="size-full wp-image-42772 alignright" style="margin-left: 10px; margin-top: 8px; margin-bottom: 8px;" title="Mojito cocktail at Kensington Hotel's Aubrey Bar" alt="Mojito cocktail at Kensington Hotel's Aubrey Bar" src="http://blog.mrandmrssmith.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/Mojito2.jpg" width="280" height="237" />Exclusively designed for Mr &amp; Mrs Smith guests, the Kensington Hotel’s cocktail experience lets you play at Tom Cruise in <em>Cocktail</em> (minus the floral shirts). Take your pick from four tongue-in-cheek Smith-inspired drinks such as Tried and Trusted, a classic martini (stirred, not shaken, please), or Truly Madly Deeply, a passion fruit concoction for the escape fantasists. Alessandro will guide you through making the drink, dispensing expert knowledge on the different types of vermouth, or the way to infuse a drink with mint without muddying it. He’ll also adapt the recipes to suit different palates, or go off-piste if asked: try the Americano, a refreshing summery blend of Campari, sweet vermouth and soda. You may need some more fortifying snacks to make it through the class – the hand-dived scallops and moreish fish cakes from the restaurant next door make an excellent stomach-liner.</p>
<p>As for my Old Fashioned? It was vile, of course, the heavy-handed work of a tipsy philistine. Sometimes, it’s best to leave it to the masters.</p>
<p><em>Not a member yet? You crazy fool! Find out more about <a href="https://smithcollections.com/members/benefits">free BlackSmith membership</a> and browse the benefits (including complimentary champagne, <a href="http://www.mrandmrssmith.com/hotel-offers">hotel offers</a>, free spa treatments and, of course, cocktail-making masterclasses…)</em></p>

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		<title>Show us your #roomservice</title>
		<link>http://blog.mrandmrssmith.com/2013/06/room-service-smith-hotels-roomservice/</link>
		<comments>http://blog.mrandmrssmith.com/2013/06/room-service-smith-hotels-roomservice/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 05 Jun 2013 11:53:15 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Juliet Kinsman</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Boutique hotels]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Eating & drinking]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Travel tips]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[#roomservice]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Bowery Hotel]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[burger]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[David Burke Kitchen]]></category>
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		<description><![CDATA[So, the New York Hilton has decided to ditch room service. Lack of interest from its guests apparently, as this article in The Independent muses. Here at Mr &#38; Mrs Smith, some of our favourite meal memories have been created from kindly souls delivering something tasty on a tray to our room&#8230; How’s about you? We’ll show [...]]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><em>So, the New York Hilton has decided to ditch room service. Lack of interest from its guests apparently, as this article in <a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/travel/hotels/room-service-the-final-call-on-a-luxury-that-is-just-not-profitable-8644598.html">The Independent</a> muses. Here at Mr &amp; Mrs Smith, some of our favourite meal memories have been created from kindly souls delivering something tasty on a tray to our room&#8230;</em></p>
<p>How’s about you? We’ll show you ours if you show us yours&#8230; <a href="https://twitter.com/smithhotels">Tweet</a> or <a href="http://instagram.com/smithhotels">Instagram</a> us your favourite #roomservice experiences at a Smith hotel and we’ll showcase the most tantalising shots on a photo gallery on our blog soon. (Pictured: photos from <a href="http://instagram.com/julietkinsman/">@julietkinsman</a> and <a href="http://instagram.com/countessian/">@countessian</a>)</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.mrandmrssmith.com/luxury-hotels/the-australasian-circa-1858"><img class="aligncenter  wp-image-42720" alt="The Australasian" src="http://blog.mrandmrssmith.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/The-Australasian-.png" width="500" height="498" /></a></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.mrandmrssmith.com/luxury-hotels/the-james-new-york"><img class="aligncenter  wp-image-42721" style="border: 1px solid black;" alt="james new york" src="http://blog.mrandmrssmith.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/james-new-york.png" width="500" height="501" /></a></p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.mrandmrssmith.com/luxury-hotels/the-soho-hotel"><img class="aligncenter  wp-image-42722" style="border: 1px solid black;" alt="Soho Hotel" src="http://blog.mrandmrssmith.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/Soho-Hotel.png" width="500" height="501" /></a></p>
<p>It would be surprising if room service started disappearing across the board. I have definitely been noticing is that hotels are offering guests food in more inspired DIY ways. Instead of asking guests to dial down for a boring club sandwich with a sad pile of crisps like you did at big chain hotels of yore, guests are showing a preference for having their own in-room larder of goodies to tuck into. At the <a href="http://www.mrandmrssmith.com/luxury-hotels/the-bowery"><b>Bowery Hotel </b></a>local and seasonal delights include artisanal salumi and prosciutto, chèvre cheeses, gluten-free potato chips and cookies (much of which is made within blocks) among the delicacies on tap. <strong><a href="http://www.mrandmrssmith.com/luxury-hotels/the-pig">The Pig </a></strong>in the New Forest and the <strong><a href="http://www.mrandmrssmith.com/luxury-hotels/the-pig-in-the-wall">Pig in the Wall</a> </strong>in Southampton feed the instant-gratification generation wonderfully in this way. Their rustic-but-chic rooms are kitted out with a modern take on tea and coffee-making facilities as well as a fridge full of local snacks, and touches such as a jar of home-baked cookies. Over at <a href="http://www.mrandmrssmith.com/luxury-hotels/high-road-house"><strong>High Road House</strong></a> they do it cutely as ever too with labeled drawers: ‘teatime’ stocks hot chocolate; ‘builders’ has teabags, coffee and sugar; ‘tuck box’ has sweets and snacks; ‘cold’ is the minibar, offering champagne, fresh milk and soft drinks. So who needs room service when you have all that?</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.mrandmrssmith.com/luxury-hotels/the-nomad-hotel"><img class="aligncenter  wp-image-42723" style="border: 1px solid black;" alt="nomad" src="http://blog.mrandmrssmith.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/nomad.png" width="500" height="499" /></a></p>
<p>Then again: I’ve had some of my most delicious meals of all time delivered in the old-fashioned white-linen-on-a-silver-tray way with shiny cloches lifted up dramatically to reveal feasts fit for a king. Please take a bow, <strong><a href="http://www.mrandmrssmith.com/luxury-hotels/the-james-new-york">The James New York</a></strong> which serves delicious meals at the click of your fingers from its restaurant David Burke Kitchen. Ditto the <a href="http://www.mrandmrssmith.com/luxury-hotels/the-nomad-hotel"><strong>The NoMad Hotel</strong> </a>in NYC (pictured, below). Meanwhile over at gastro guesthouse, <strong><a href="http://www.mrandmrssmith.com/luxury-hotels/the-australasian-circa-1858">The Australasian Circa 1858</a> </strong>in South Australia, room service is the only way they do breakfast (pictured, top). And that’s one of the reasons people love it so.</p>
<p><strong>So, share the love. We are eager to see and share those #roomservice snaps coming @smithhotels way&#8230; </strong></p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
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		<title>New for June: Smith hotels in Andalucia, Lake Garda, Dubai, Mérida and beyond…</title>
		<link>http://blog.mrandmrssmith.com/2013/06/new-for-june-smith-hotels-in-andalucia-lake-garda-dubai-merida/</link>
		<comments>http://blog.mrandmrssmith.com/2013/06/new-for-june-smith-hotels-in-andalucia-lake-garda-dubai-merida/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 04 Jun 2013 12:21:31 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Kate Weir</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Andalucia]]></category>
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		<description><![CDATA[This month the Smith team got back in the saddle, hitting the dusty trail in search of the best luxury hotels around the globe. First up, we arrived in sunny Spain, where we strapped on our Marengo riding boots, crossed the Sierra Nevada and travelled back to 19th-century Andalucia at stylishly antiquated Cortijo Del Marqués, a manor [...]]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://www.mrandmrssmith.com/luxury-hotels/secret-bay"><img class="wp-image-42895 aligncenter" style="margin-top: 8px; margin-bottom: 8px;" alt="Luxury hotel Dominica Secret Bay" src="http://blog.mrandmrssmith.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/Screen-Shot-2013-06-11-at-10.23.30.png" width="556" height="219" /></a>This month the Smith team got back in the saddle, hitting the dusty trail in search of the best luxury hotels around the globe. First up, we arrived in sunny Spain, where we strapped on our Marengo riding boots, crossed the Sierra Nevada and travelled back to 19th-century <a title="Mr &amp; Mrs Smith Andalucia destination guide" href="http://www.mrandmrssmith.com/destinations/spain/andalucia" target="_blank">Andalucia</a> at stylishly antiquated <a title="Luxury Cortijo del Marqués hotel" href="http://www.mrandmrssmith.com/luxury-hotels/cortijo-del-marques" target="_blank">Cortijo Del Marqués</a>, a manor set deep in the heart of Granada&#8217;s cowboy country. We then hung up our Cordoban sombreros and left for northern Italy&#8217;s wine country, where <a title="Luxury hotel in Italy Vivere Suites and Rooms" href="http://www.mrandmrssmith.com/luxury-hotels/vivere-suites-and-rooms" target="_blank">Vivere Suites and Rooms</a> – a sleek modernist hotel close to Lake Garda – gave us contemporary rural romance.<a href="http://www.mrandmrssmith.com/luxury-hotels/coqui-coqui-merida"><img class="alignright  wp-image-42896" style="margin: 8px;" alt="Luxury hotel Merida Coqui Coqui Merida" src="http://blog.mrandmrssmith.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/Screen-Shot-2013-06-11-at-10.28.06.png" width="286" height="192" /></a> <a href="http://www.mrandmrssmith.com/luxury-hotels/oddfellows"><img class="alignright  wp-image-42897" style="margin: 8px;" alt="Luxury hotel Chester Oddfellows" src="http://blog.mrandmrssmith.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/Screen-Shot-2013-06-11-at-10.28.26.png" width="286" height="196" /></a> <a href="http://www.mrandmrssmith.com/luxury-hotels/cortijo-del-marques"><img class="alignright  wp-image-42898" style="margin-left: 8px; margin-right: 8px;" alt="Luxury hotel Andalucia Cortijo Del Marques" src="http://blog.mrandmrssmith.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/Screen-Shot-2013-06-11-at-10.28.44.png" width="286" height="194" /></a></p>
<p>In the UK, we set foot inside <a title="Mr &amp; Mrs Smith destination guide Chester" href="http://www.mrandmrssmith.com/destinations/united-kingdom/chester" target="_blank">Chester</a>’s mediaeval walls, then fell down the rabbit hole at <a title="Luxury hotel UK Oddfellows Hotel" href="http://www.mrandmrssmith.com/luxury-hotels/oddfellows" target="_blank">Oddfellows</a>, a beautiful yet bonkers hotel that wouldn’t look out of place in Wonderland (decor includes lamps supported by bird legs and a dining table that hangs upside down from the ceiling); with a restaurant fit for a grown-up Mad Hatter’s tea party. After overdosing on whimsy we stopped for a brief palate cleanser at <a title="Luxury hotel Dubai One &amp; Only The Palm " href="http://www.mrandmrssmith.com/luxury-hotels/one-and-only-the-palm" target="_blank">One &amp; Only The Palm</a> hotel in <a title="Mr &amp; Mrs Smith destination guide Dubai" href="http://www.mrandmrssmith.com/destinations/united-arab-emirates/dubai" target="_blank">Dubai</a>, whose cream and gold rooms were remarkably restrained and tasteful for this city of dazzling excess.</p>
<p>Then we flew to the Dominica in the West Indies to admire sea views from a different perspective – perched atop a cliff while secluded on our villa’s private terrace (complete with pool) at <a title="Dominica luxury hotel Secret Bay" href="http://www.mrandmrssmith.com/luxury-hotels/secret-bay" target="_blank">Secret Bay</a>. We were reluctant to leave the bikini life behind, but the <a title="Mr &amp; Mrs Smith destination guide Yucatan" href="http://www.mrandmrssmith.com/destinations/mexico/yucatan" target="_blank">Yucatán</a> beckoned; hotel <a title="Luxury Yucatan hotel Coqui Coqui Merida" href="http://www.mrandmrssmith.com/luxury-hotels/coqui-coqui-merida" target="_blank">Coqui Coqui Mérida</a> may only be a 45-minute drive away from the beach but its Porfirian <i>belle époque</i> style demands a dapper look over sarongs and sun hats. Next, on to the US, to <a title="Luxury hotel Vail The Sebastian Vail" href="http://www.mrandmrssmith.com/luxury-hotels/the-sebastian-vail" target="_blank">The Sebastian Vail</a> in <a title="Mr &amp; Mrs Smith destination guide Colorado" href="http://www.mrandmrssmith.com/destinations/united-states/colorado" target="_blank">Colorado</a> where we took to the slopes, then took to the throwback cocktails in the hotel’s Frost Bar. Before we reached our last stop in the Great White North, we took a brief diversion to Vermont, <a title="Luxury hotels Maine" href="http://www.mrandmrssmith.com/destinations/united-states/maine-state" target="_blank">Maine</a>, checking in to a sweet-as-maple-syrup room at <a title="Luxury hotel Maine The Windham Hill Inn" href="http://www.mrandmrssmith.com/luxury-hotels/the-windham-hill-inn" target="_blank">The Windham Hill Inn</a>. Then, we moved from <em>Little House on the Prairie</em> chic to frill-free Asian-inspired rooms at the <a title="Luxury hotel Shangri La Hotel Toronto" href="http://www.mrandmrssmith.com/luxury-hotels/shangri-la-hotel-toronto" target="_blank">Shangri La Hotel Toronto</a>, the perfect swansong to our hotel-hunting travels.</p>
<p>Check back next month when the jet lag has subsided and we boldly brave the world&#8217;s <a title="Mr &amp; Mrs Smith" href="http://www.mrandmrssmith.com/" target="_blank">luxury hotels and resorts</a> once more; purely in the name of research, of course…</p>

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		<title>Hotel St Paul, Montreal: hotel of the week</title>
		<link>http://blog.mrandmrssmith.com/2013/05/hotel-st-paul-montreal-hotel-of-the-week/</link>
		<comments>http://blog.mrandmrssmith.com/2013/05/hotel-st-paul-montreal-hotel-of-the-week/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 31 May 2013 09:00:36 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Laura House</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Boutique hotels]]></category>
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		<category><![CDATA[Hotel of the Week]]></category>
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		<category><![CDATA[Montreal Jazz Festival]]></category>
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		<description><![CDATA[We&#8217;re joining the locals in Canada&#8217;s capital of cosmopolitan cool, Montreal, in swapping out our dark and moody heavy layers for a dark and moody sleeveless look to welcome summer. And, there&#8217;s no place better set for taking advantage of all the season of festivals and outdoor markets has to offer than the sleek Hotel St Paul. Style Beaux [...]]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p style="text-align: left;"><em>We&#8217;re joining the locals in <em>Canada&#8217;s capital of cosmopolitan cool, <a href="http://www.mrandmrssmith.com/au/destinations/canada/montreal" target="_blank">Montreal</a>, in </em>swapping out our dark and moody heavy layers for a dark and moody sleeveless look to welcome summer. And, there&#8217;s no place better set for taking advantage of all the season of festivals and outdoor markets has to offer than the sleek <a href="http://www.mrandmrssmith.com/au/luxury-hotels/hotel-st-paul" target="_blank">Hotel St Paul</a>.</em></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://blog.mrandmrssmith.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/Screen-Shot-2013-05-30-at-4.37.27-PM.png"><img class="aligncenter  wp-image-42640" title="Hotel St Paul Montreal" alt="Hotel St Paul Montreal" src="http://blog.mrandmrssmith.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/Screen-Shot-2013-05-30-at-4.37.27-PM.png" width="555" /></a></p>
<p><strong>Style</strong> Beaux Canada<br />
<strong>Setting</strong> Stylish streets of Vieux Montréal</p>
<p><strong>Why this week?</strong> The outdoor season of fast cars (<a href="http://www.circuitgillesvilleneuve.ca/home" target="_blank">Canadian Grand Prix</a>,  7–9 June), music (<a href="http://www.montrealjazzfest.com/default-en.aspx" target="_blank">International Jazz Festival </a>28 June to 7 July) and fashion (<a href="http://www.festivalmodedesign.com/about/" target="_blank">Mode and Design Festival </a> 31 July to 3 August) is underway. With a little planning, you can take advantage of <a href="http://www.mrandmrssmith.com/au/hotel-offers/details/10277-advance-purchase-15-off" target="_blank">15 per cent off </a>your stay when you book seven days prior to your arrival.</p>
<p><a href="http://blog.mrandmrssmith.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/Screen-Shot-2013-05-30-at-4.27.57-PM.png"><img class=" wp-image-42642 alignright" style="margin: 5px 0px 5px 10px;" title="Hotel St Paul Montreal" alt="Hotel St Paul Montreal" src="http://blog.mrandmrssmith.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/Screen-Shot-2013-05-30-at-4.27.57-PM.png" width="280" /></a><img class="alignright  wp-image-41933" style="margin: 5px 0px 5px 10px;" title="Hotel St Paul, Montreal" alt="Hotel St Paul, Montreal" src="http://blog.mrandmrssmith.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/Screen-Shot-2013-05-29-at-11.44.27-AM.png" width="280 " height="193" /></p>
<p><strong>Our favorite bits</strong> Housed in a handome Beaux Arts building in charming Old Montreal,  the hotel is grounded firmly in the city&#8217;s rich past. But, with its minimalist interiors, ethereal muslin drapes, modern colour scheme and dramatic touches like the fire-lit alabaster cube in the lobby, the St Paul very much embodies fashionable of-the-moment Montreal. And, it&#8217;s perfectly situated for exploring by foot, bike or metro all that&#8217;s happening around town this summer.</p>
<p><strong>Mr &amp; Mrs Smith say&#8230;</strong> &#8216;Stepping into our bedroom it’s clear that we have one of the ‘sky’ rooms, the others being styled with an ‘earth’ theme. This translates as high ceilings and a bright white decor, making it the perfect refuge from the searing street heat. After a quick visit from a housekeeper with a contagious laugh, we’re off to enjoy our first meal in the hotel’s sleek and prestigious restaurant&#8230;&#8217;  <em>Read the full <a href="http://www.mrandmrssmith.com/au/luxury-hotels/hotel-st-paul/review" target="_blank">anonymous review of hotel St Paul </a>.</em></p>
<p><em>Find more boutique hotels in <a href="http://www.mrandmrssmith.com/au/destinations/canada" target="_blank">Canada </a>or browse all our<a href="http://www.mrandmrssmith.com/au/hotel-offers" target="_blank"> hotel offers</a> &#8230;</em></p>

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