Skiing with the girls

There is nothing quite like skiing at St Moritz with the girls. Fun on the slopes and fun after – glittering alps and glitzy après ski.

Flying down the pistes (350 km of them), and then ...

... living it up among cosy cafes, trendy shops
and beautiful people

I have chosen two gems in the alps for my girly break – Nira Alpina  and Kempinski Grand Hotel Des Bains in and near St Moritz….

Nira Alpina lies some 10 minutes out of St Moritz with a walkway over to the cable station. It’s a place with a lot of ambience – buzzy and almost Bohemian.

Cosy ambience with open views - Nira Alpina.

Kempinski Grand Hotel is on the fringe of St Moritz…in the grand old style of luxury. It attracts the international set with the only Michelin star restaurant in St Moritz.

A marathon event with the hotel as backdrop

The alps are only a few hours plane ride away, yet so much brighter and lighter at this time of year. You can even lie out in sunbeds and get a sizzling suntan.  Flying time to Zurich, Innsbruck or Geneva a few hours and then a scenic 1.5 to 3.5 hour train ride…or car journey. So why not leave behind the sleeting and smelting  that divides winter from spring…and forget it all...

...flying down the slopes

We have availability still for a variety of ski resorts - from quiet family resorts with ski in and ski out, to the ultimate socialite destinations  among the international glitterati.

Take a look at our Select Collection website for the various alpine countries...
Switzerland
Austria
France

The One. And the Only...

…Lore. We had a cosy evening with Lore Koenig who is Executive Director of Sales for One&Only and Atlantis. So really nice to see this friend of many years.

Select meets the One and the Only Lore (far left)

And great too to hear that Kerzner resorts are thrilled with Select Collection and the interest of our customers in the elite One&Only brand.

“At headquarters they think that Scandinavia is the new America,” she told us. There is such an increase from the Nordic area and in particular from Select to One&Only resorts, with special focus on Dubai.

In Dubai we have three of the resorts Lore represents: Atlantis the Palm, One&Only the Palm and Royal Mirage. I wrote about these recently in my trip to Dubai … so I won’t say more here, just follow the links.

We also have some fabulous specials for an old favourite, the warm and elegant One&Only Le Saint Geran in Mauritius...

Le Saint Geran with its paradise setting

Never forgetting, the iconic One&Only Reethi Rah. Our customers return over and over for the ultimate perfection - see my blog for my experiences of this paradise. Other marvellous properties that bowl over our discerning customers include One&Only Palmilla in Mexico, and One&Only Ocean Club Bahamas.

But back to Stockholm for some foodie news. The restaurant where we dined with Lore is a new one called Nosh & Chow, some 50 metres away from Select Collection in Norrlandsgatan. Wide medieval (Viking)-looking raw wooden tables and soft leather chairs (like home) were part of the look which comes from Lazaro Rosa Violan, well known Spanish interior designer. The establishment runs up and down stairs in so called Town House mode. And the food great…

Venison was my choice...

...and of course Pinot Noir

Some had a little space left for
the lightest dessert

We were just happily together (Max to the left, Lore right)

Working hard in luxury

Travelling to luxury hotels is part of work for us at Select Collection. This gives important personal experience so we can advise our clients on where to stay, where to eat, how best to travel and….

 

...where the best beaches are..
This one is at Dinarobin Mauritius

 

Back at the Select offices we have beautiful environments.

 

...with attractive objects like this Buddhist icon
in our Stockholm office

At the reception - warmth and peace

Comfort in our Oslo office

And charm in Finland with Marita at her desk

 

The lovely decor adds to the pleasure we have in meeting people and helping them to plan wonderful and unforgettable holidays.
 

Happy to help our customers plan perfect
holidays  - Mariana in Stockholm at the ready

But that is only one part of the story of what we do at Select Collection...

I am full of wonder sometimes at how very hard my staff work, and how passionate and engaged they are. Customers’holidays are so important to them. So the atmosphere in our offices is very tense if anything has happened out in the world – an airline strike, a typhoon– or of course a tsunami (when everyone was in the office round the clock to take care of our customers).

Here are a few more of my wonderful team:

Yesterday (Sunday) Pernilla was hard at work on
a flight difficulty

 

We have an emergency number so that if we are not in the office a message can get to us very soon after. My staff remember a few Christmas dinners when they have got up to fix client’s problems instead of taking it easy over a glass of wine.

Tommy in Stockholm is always at the ready with a
smile and clever ideas on how to fix any problems
that might occur

Erland in Norway knows every way of tackling the unexpected
after nearly 30 years in the travel business



Lars in Oslo concentrates on arrranging every detail so that
his customers will be as relaxed as the couple in the poster

If our customers have a good holiday and everything goes right – we are radiant with pleasure…we share this happy news….as we share our problems, all the better to help us plan perfect trips in the future…

 

Happy moment for Collette - yet another successful
trip for a London client

 

Those are only some of my wonderful staff.

We love our work…

Jamaica, Bond and more

Jamaica came to Select Collection last night – an event in collaboration with the GoldenEye Hotel, Island Outpost and the Jamaica Tourist Board. The GoldenEye is celebrating its launch in the Nordic area and has given an exclusive contract to us.

Scott De Mercado (right) representing Island Outpost & GoldenEye,
Her Excellency Jamaican Ambassador Assamba, me, Tord Magnusson and
Elisabeth Fox, regional director of north Europe, Jamaica Tourist Board

 The Jamaican ambassador added a great speech to the warm Jamaican welcome…

Listening to Her Excellency Ambassador
Aloun Ndombet-Assamba

The GoldenEye Hotel & Resort is one of the most exclusive havens in Jamaica. Owner Chris Blackwell –  friend of Bob Marley and founder of Island Records – has brought guests the flavour of Jamaica at its best. Cottages spread out in lush tropical gardens fringing a turquoise lagoon, and...

...Low Cay Beach

Creator of James Bond, Ian Fleming, lived here before selling to Bob Marley. And many Bond stories were written at GoldenEye. In honour of Bond and cocktails that are “shaken and not stirred” – we served delicious concoctions to our guests.

Jonatan as bartender serves rum which is
Chris Blackwell’s own production

A real Mr Bond drink was Black Devil Martini, strong and bitter sweet with Blackwell Jamaican rum,  white Vermouth, orange peel, and black olives.  Sweeter and refreshing was GoldenEye Cocktail with Blackwell rum and pineapple juice and lime. Then we also offered your Virgin Bond girl … innocently without rum.

The evening was a great mix of drinks and people

Paul Stanley  from Virgin Atlantic together with
Select staff Linda and Neil

Wonderful clients and friends; from right;
brothers, Peter and Johan Nilson

A lucky draw was held…with a lovely book about Jamaica as prize and a spa treatment from the Select Collection Spa. One of the winners was ...

Anna Milton.

Second winner was Christina de Mercado

 Tord (right) and me together with Jonny Gardsäter who
represents Virgin Atlantic in the Nordic area

Max and Tommy, great guys doing a great job,
here serving our guests

 Our guests enjoying the evening:

All to celebrate Jamaica …so take a look at this gorgeous spot on the island of reggae  - GoldenEye Hotel & Resort.

Bush bath

Field spa

Gazebo restaurant evening

Two bedroom beach cottage upstairs

Looking forward to a dip in those warm seas...

"Home" with Robert De Niro

One of the special New York Hotels in our Select Collection is The Greenwich, owned by Robert De Niro.  He lovingly decorated the hotel as he would do his own home, and it is a comfortable and intimate place, full of character. 

We had site inspection and lunch at the hotel. The restaurant Locanda Verde is very popular, and has the feel of an Italian neighbourhood bistro –  with very good food, attracting both tourists and New Yorkers.

Here GM Philip Truelove, Katy Horne Director of Sales,
together with Jonatan and me

Great Italian food - scallops

Ravioli with prawns

Continuing on our site inspection...

The lobby, full of character

You can see that De Niro put lots of heart into this...

The whole place is rich in detail

The Greenwich has 88 rooms ...

Each room with its own character

Luxurious details

Comfort and homeliness

Some rooms have a view to the Hudson River

Very removed from the bustle of New York is the Shibui spa. Beside a crystal pool you find a Japanese farmhouse in bamboo, brought stick by stick from Japan.

A refuge in the Japanese spa