The College Hotel – Amsterdam

I stayed at The College Hotel in Amsterdam last week during a trip to Netherlands. The hotel is located in the fashionable area, right in the city’s Fashion & Museum district. The building used to be a secondary school which gives the outside and the inside of the hotel an extra character and particular atmosphere.

My room was comfortable, cozy and extremely quiet.I found the colour scheme of beige and browns relaxing which was fantastic after a long day running around the city for appointments. The bed was large with soft pillows… The room compromised very large windows to create an impression of space and great light. WIFI was complimentary so I could work from my room although to be honest, it was a tiny bit dark in the evening…

My bathroom was stunning with a powerful rain shower and Aroma Therapy products. Naturally, housekeeping provided me with a bathrobe and sleepers. I learnt later though that not all bathrooms are as spacious as the one I had. For reference : it was room 120 !!

What I loved the most about the hotel is the really well thought design and attention to details from lamps to chairs, to tables, wallpapers, flowers…. The breakfast was flawless with abundance of pastries, croissants (some of the best I ate in hotels…outside France!), cold meats, cheeses…

Amsterdam is only 45min away from London using British Airways from London City Airport, the fares are affordable so I will definitely plan a romantic get away in the near future….and The College Hotel will be on top of my list !

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Recharge your batteries at the Luxury Tivoli Marina Vilamoura in the Algarve, Portugal

With the famous Marina on one side and its own concessioned beach, Tivoli Marina Vilamoura is a reference for luxury tourism in the Algarve.

A stage for large events, important meetings and the launch of new products, the congress centre of this 5-star Vilamoura hotel has a capacity for 1200 people. The lively social and nightlife of Vilamoura attracts many local celebrities from different areas who come to enjoy the holidays and weekends of complete relaxation, where there is plenty to do such as shopping, a visit to the casino and golf. In the gardens of this resort in the Algarve, guests can pamper themselves at the Angsana Spa choosing from a vast range of invigorating treatments in the best oriental tradition and enjoy delicious delicacies in the hotel’s restaurants and bars.

Reenergize your body with an unforgettable experience where tranquillity merges with physical and mental well-being.

Puro Beach, restaurant & lounge bar

In a cool and relaxed setting, the Menta restaurant, in Vilamoura, has the perfect atmosphere for a buffet or à la carte lunch.

Pepper’s Steakhouse is a not-to-be-missed dining experience in Vilamoura where you can enjoy the best meat dishes available, cooked to perfection and accompanied by a variety of excellent sauces and dressings.

The Presidential Suite has separate living and sleeping areas and a balcony with a view of the marina. The sophisticated and elegant decoration combines perfectly with comfortable furnishings, including a King Size T/Bed and 2 bathrooms.

46m2 suites accommodating up to four people. The living area is separated from the bedroom by a sliding door and the suites have a fabulous view of the sea. The bedrooms are equipped with the latest technology, ensuring that you have the facilities and comfort of home.

Located on the first, second and seventh floors, these spacious rooms cover an area of 34m2 and have either sea or marina views. They have a private balcony, twin or double beds and can accommodate up to three people

Top spot for those looking for a refreshing, innovative and relaxing experience with the finishing touch of a superb panoramic view of Vilamoura Marina.

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Insólito Boutique Hotel in Búzios, Brazil

Insólito Boutique Hotel was born from the idea to create a new concept of Boutique Hotels in Brazil. Located in the famous beach retreat of Búzios, only two hours by car from Rio de Janeiro, Insólito is built on a rock outcrop over the most beautiful beach in Búzios, the Ferradura Beach, in the middle of luxuriant nature, offering its guests an exclusive, breathtaking and privileged view.

Insólito Boutique Hotel : When nature meet luxury…

Insólito Boutique Hotel : A model of Integration with the luxurious nature of Brazil.

The Insólito Boutique Hotel has ample social areas, with two pools, one with fresh water and the other with sea water, located on the seafront with a depth of four meters, where it is possible to carry out diving baptisms. There are also saunas and Turkish baths, ofuro, jacuzzi, gym, bicycles and lounge decorated with designer objects.

Each of the 3 pools Insólito offers a stunning view of Ferradura beach.

The well-being Centre offers several types of massage, such as relaxing, ayurvedic, lymphatic drainage, shiatsu, reiki, modelling drainage and clay therapy. Yoga classes are also available at the hotel !

The restaurant, A Galeria offers a delicious culinary trip and the opportunity to explore the flavours of a Franco-Brazilian fusion. A highly qualified service team ensures that the recipes created and executed by the young talent Chef Teresa Brasil and Chef Patissier Bertrant Materne will be delivered to the customers in a personalized and friendly manner.

Insólito offers 6 propositions of design for his hosts, comfortable accommodations with exclusive decoration. The Terra Brasil, Negro Culture, Music, Literature and Photography and the Modernism’s Houses are the best translation for the history’s and Brazilian design’s concepts of the hotel.

Each rooms compromise the following amenities : sealy mattresses, Towels Karsten Zero Twist, Bathrobe Trussardi, Split air-conditioning, Safe, Frigo bar, Hairdryer, Amenities Granado, LCD screen, DVD reader, cable tv, Wi-fi.

Thanks to the charm and refinement, Insólito Boutique Hotel was elected as one of the best hotels in Latin America by the renowned guide Condé Nast Johansens 2009; one of the Top 10 remarkable hotels of the world 2011 by Casa Vogue Brasil and Most Excellent Beach Hotel 2012 in South America by Condé Nast Johansens, the international luxury travel guides.

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Transportation to and in Brazil !

Never in my life I have been more excited to travel to one country than I have been to travel to Brazil. It was, in a way a dream of a life time ! I can honestly say that I felt in love with Brazil, its people, weather, food, traffic, from the moment I touched foot at Sao Paulo airport.

Bom Dia Sao Paulo !

The journey to Sao Paulo started from Paddington with the Heathrow Express, a 18min journey which takes you straight to Heathrow T5 !

I booked my flight to Sao Paulo about 2 weeks before departure… A bit last minute but sometimes you have to take opportunities when it comes ! I spent ages looking at all the fares and different airlines and set my heart on British Airways – with tickets fares, twice the price of the others, I assumed BA was offering the best service otherwise why charging that fare !?

Sadly, the first leg of my trip was a disaster, 11h40 of torture !!! The economy seats were no bigger than in a Ryanair plane (which I don’t mind for 1 or 2hours) – but how can anybody think it is acceptable to give such seats for long flights ?!?!?

What ? Did you say 12h flight ???!!!! WINE PLEASE !!!

Thankfully, the return was much better, the crew was adorable and at everybody’s services. My crew was so attentive, they made us all feel like in first class; I am now praying for flying again with them. The in flight entertainment was better too.
Great added benefit, this seat allowed me to charge my Iphone and Ipad during the flight so I arrived in London 100% charged.

I tried to upgrade at Rio de Janeiro airport but was told the flight was fully booked unfortunately. With not much happening at Rio de Janeiro international airport, most probably due to the time of my flight 10.55pm, I decided to be brave and go to the VIP lounge. I asked if in exchange of a fee, I could stay in, unfortunately, BA gave strict instruction not to accept any travellers in its lounge (even those like me who were ready to pay)  No need to tell you that I am not impressed with this experience. Fortunately, Rio de Janeirro offers complimentary WIFI so time passed a little bit faster.

Hello !!! Is there anybody at Rio de Janeiro airport ;-)

As you could have seen from my social media update, I landed in Sao Paulo, flew to Belo Horizonte for 2 days and then off to Rio de Janeiro.
I booked my domestic flights with GOL Linhas Aéreas and I was incredibly surprise by the quality of the plane, the timing and the kindness of the crew.

Breath taking, the landing at Rio de Janeiro Santos Dumont airport.

To go to my appointments, I travelled by taxi or with a chauffeur booked for the day. I highly recommend you to book a car transfer from each airport to avoid queuing for hours…no joking!

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Tivoli Sao Paulo – Mofarrej

In the centre of the buzzing Sao Paulo lie the Tivolo Mofarrej hotel, a stunning 5* hotel member of Leading Hotels of the World. The arrival at the hotel is rather grand with the vegetations, the beautiful lobby and the attentive staff.


I stayed 3 nights in one of the Collection Room on the 15th floor giving me an amazing view over Sao Paulo ! The room measured around 30 sqm and compromised a king size bed, desk, windows from floor to ceiling, a seating area, Nespresso machine, WIFI (which is not complimentary), … and …. flip flops at turndown – how fab and so Brazilian :-)


I had enough storage for my stay and the bathroom was equipped with a rain shower – bathrobes and plenty of towels, the toiletries were very pleasant which was an added value.


Breakfast at the Tivoli Sao Paulo is a real treat ! The range of pastries, fresh fruits, hot dishes were amazing, to a point I could not wait for the morning to get back to the restaurant to have breakfast all over again !

The team was really helpful and accommodating during my stay. I slept really well in my huge bed, the room was really quiet for such a big building. The only little problem was the time it took to get a lift…with so many floors it was understandable though !

To recover from the difficult journey via BA i had, I decided to book myself in the evening of my arrival at the Elements Spa by Banyan Tree. There are not enough words for me to explain how amazing the experience was. The spa is open until 10pm so I was able to book a late appointment at 8pm which I thought was brilliant for business travelers like me.
The hotel has a small pool as well – not quiet ideal for leisure so I will not recommend for a long leisurely stay but for a couple of hours in the afternoon on arrival, it was perfect !

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Promenade BH Platinum

While visiting Brazil, I stayed a couple of nights in Belo Horizonte, one of the host city of the 2014 World Cup. Belo Horizonte means “Beautiful Horizon” in Portuguese and the city is the capital of the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais. The feel is very corporate in the city due to the industries and the businesses around; completely different to Sao Paulo or Rio.  

I stayed at the Promenade BH Platinum a 4* luxury hotel…
Well, I do not know where they get the luxury from but I can assure you it is not a luxury hotel ! In BH it is one of the best hotel as I have been told.

The service was rather shaky for not saying the less…the worse experience I had during my time in Brazil that I would happily forget. However, my room was spacious, clean with enough storage and a working AC unit.

My deluxe room measured 25 square meters so rather large and was suppose to over look the city – mine overlooked the tennis court and the Diamond Mall !

WIFI was complimentary and easy to access. Tech items : a 32-inch LCD TV, CD player and an Ipod dock station.

Practical bathroom with a shower and double sink, lots of toiletries although not enough large towels.

The breakfast is complimentary – which means included in your rate (between you and me ;-) ) a hot and cold buffet that was nicely presented and refilled constantly.

The hotel offers many facilities to its guests such as a gym, swimming pool, sauna and Jacuzzi. However, I did not try any of those facilities as I was busy going out for dinners !

Make sure you book via the website and it is extremely difficult to speak to anybody from reservation or even get a reply via email.

The hotel still has a lot of improvement to do before the arrivals of international guests for the Football World Cup especially in the staff.

Overall, it is a practical hotel that offer spacious rooms, WIFI and many facilities, a big mall is around the corner which I went to…obviously ! Ideal for visitors who are busy during the day and want to stay in for dinner too.

I paid about £190 for 2 nights.

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