Historic Homes & Garden Hotels in Northern England

Kitty Armstrong is a luxury travel advisor for Sterling Brownell. She is passionate about travel in England and shares below some of her experiences in Northern England homes and gardens.

Every visit to the UK is memorable for me; however, staying in the countryside in historic halls and country homes is always one of my favorites.

Delightfully cozy public rooms with fireplaces and private nooks for intimate conversations or curling up with a book are the norm. Accommodations are all different sizes and individually decorated, full of interesting surprises and are so comfortable and relaxing. The views from the windows alone bring feelings of aristocracy and the excitement of experiencing a part of history.
Many now have spas, Michelin star restaurants, tennis courts, and fitness centers as well as equestrian facilities, tours with their gardeners, and private excursions to surrounding castles and villages. In fact the very best spa pool I have ever experienced was in Wales and part of a 17th century home.

Contact Kitty to learn more about travel in England!

Grace Bay Club Hotel and Villas

Becky Williams is a luxury travel advisor for Brownell Travel. She is an acclaimed Caribbean specialist and knows the ins and outs of properties thoughout the islands. Read below for her fabulous review of the Grace Bay Club.



















I arrived at the PLS airport was warmly greeted almost as soon as I got off the plane. We had a very short, ten minute ride...when we arrived, we were greeted with champagne, cool towels, and many friendly staff -- very welcoming! Instead of checking in at the front desk, I was seated in area off from the front desk with couches and met with my personal concierge. There were other guests who arrived and were also seated in a different area to do the same. Your personal concierge makes any kind of reservations or spa appts., and has a cell phone that you may buy 50 minutes of time on, or more for a minimum amount instead of high rates on your personal cell phone you may have brought with you. Very nice touch!

The Turks and Caicos Music Festival was going on while I was there, so there were plenty of celebrities of the music world staying at Grace Bay Club and their entourages with them --- but never heard any loud music or parties going on at the penthouses. I saw them at the restaurants and while I was checking in, but I would have never known other-wise.

My room was a in a villa building, a junior suite on the first floor. The first floor doesn't have a view of the ocean, but it was still very comfortable and well-appointed. The suites are very pretty and LARGE and have neutral colors, bedroom with 1 bath and terrace, but no living area. The room had good lighting, travertine tile floors, beautiful granite and tile in big bath area with seperate shower from soaking tub, and seperate water closet A nice touch was mosquito spray and a large glass container with votives to use on the outdoor terrace table. The terrace was surrounded was surrounded with high bushes and tropical plants. The villa building would be great for families as they offer adjoining rooms. See the very nicely done bathroom below:
















THE HOTEL is in a seperate building and closer to the adult pool, and is probably my favorite even though I stayed elswhere on this trip! I even had clients there while I was there, staying in the hotel building and they loved it! The room they stayed in was beautifully decorated, with different colors than in the villa building -- aqua blues, brown, and ivory, new furnishings, 1300 sq. feet, have mini-kitchen with granite counters and top of the line appliences, and travertine tile floors with 1 and half baths. There are gorgeous ocean views from living room and large terrace, bedrooms have dark hardwood floors. I highly recommend this room category or any of the Grace Bay 1,2, or 3 bedrooms suites in the Hotel building - or penthouses of course! These are in the adult only section of the resort.
















We did a hard hat tour of the Estate building they are in the process of working on, due to open this winter. Very luxurious, gorgeous woods, marble, granite used throughout, huge bathrooms to go with every bedroom. I look forward to visiting again when these are completed!

We had lunch and breakfast at the Grill Rouge which is outside, right by the family pool and has a adult menu as well as a children's menu for all day dining. Food was very good, although all the dining is outside--so it can get quite hot. The Grill is oceanfront so has pretty views if you are seated at the front nearest the ocean but tradewinds do not seem to blow through here much in summer months.

















We had a very special dinner the 1st night, set up on the beach, light breeze, sound of the ocean, torches lit, and it was lovely. We had a buffet, again excellent food with a chef grilling seafood, steaks, etc., more special drinks, champagne and the table decorated with flowers, shells, large glass hurricanes with candles --- it was beautiful. Food is served beautifully on plates such as any gourmet bistro type restaurant would, many choices and as a person that doesn't need one but has a sweet tooth, desserts were out of this world! The chocolate is definitly something to write home about!









































The next morning, we had breakfast set up on the beach under lots of umbrellas with plenty of shade and we were served a wonderful 4-5 course breakfast. That night for dinner we were really treated, with dinner in one of the penthouses of one of the Hotel Buildings -- gorgeous rooms, furniture, flowers, and table settings of china and crystal. One of Grace Bay Club's chefs prepared a 6 course dinner in the villa where we could see the preparation of lobster and filet mignon and then it was served. Excellent again! Service and sincere, friendly staff was everywhere, at least 10 to 12 people. I love these people and what they bring to this resort!There was also a large bar set up on a huge balcony area with wonderful raspberry mohito's, mango daiquiri's and other drinks to order at open bar. Prior to dinner we had a presentation of the native customs of the island such as the baskets that are woven out of sea grass, as they do in Savannah and Charleston. They are trying to pass on these types of art and culture to the younger generations so that it will always be around and be appreciated. It was wonderful to hear that Turks and Caicos has realized that they must preserve and honor these arts, music, etc. so all people may enjoy them and to keep the island special. Mr. David Bowen who is the Director of Culture and Arts for Turks and Caicos did the presentation and was wonderful at demonstating and making it fun while speaking.
















The last night we had dinner at the top restaurant in the resort--Anacaona -- which is adult only, gourmet food. It is by the Infinity Bar (where we met each evening prior to dinner ) and this is where the beautiful people come to visit and have drinks starting around 600pm with pretty sunsets to view since the bar is right at the beach and is THE place to be seen even with people who are not guests of Grace Bay Club. Even Monday night it was very busy and it is lots of fun but does seem to get quiet by 10-1030pm. Not a late night place, but there is a casino 2 blocks away that is not connected to any hotel or resort. Hotel shuttles can take guests there and come back to pick-up. And there are also nice bars close by at other resorts on Grace Bay beach and in the nearby area.

We had another 6 course dinner served to us that night with a slight tradewind off the ocean so it was a little cooler. It is all open air under thatched roofs which would be great in any months but August and the hot summer for some people. The linens and silverware, even chair covers out of a black and whte damask print material, all added to the feel of Grace Bay Club's top restaurant. Very updated, chic comtemporary feel, all kinds of clients would appreciate this restaurant. The Infinity Bar has stools for seating and then also the sitting areas that have large,low couches and coffee tables in cozy groups with baskets on palm trees that have lights that glow at night. Also, it has an area with open firepit for nightime, right on the beach adjoinind the area that Anacaona restaurant is in.

Last but not least, our spa treatments at the Anani Spa were outstanding! They needed a few more treatment rooms and the relaxation room was very nice but could use a little updating to go with the contemporary feel of the rest of the resort. There was a good selection of spa treatments with massages, scrubs, and there was a couples room for treatments. Grace Bay Club also has open-air spa tents by the ocean for spa treatments at no additional charge but they must be reserved prior to arrival.

One last note, there is a adult only pool which is very quiet and nice in front of The Hotel buildings. This section of the resort also has the adults-only restaurant and bar and is near the spa and fitness room. The Villas have a seperate family pool with pool bar and stools, beds to lounge on as well as chaise lounges....beds are set back from pool area so that you can read and relax at the family pool. This is all right by the family restaurant -- The Grill, which is convient for lunch time dining. Beach beds have been ordered for the gorgeous, long, private beach area also. Presently, they just have chaise lounges and umbrellas. There is a great staff for children's programs and activities and I never felt like there were too many families with children taking over the resort. With 11 acres of beach for its guests, Grace Bay Club has much to offer for families and those seeking private alike. However, it is not too spread out and doesnt feel like a huge resort.
























I love Turks and Caicos -- in many years of sending client there, I have never had a client that did not come back completely in love with the island the people, and also Grace Bay Club! If you want to be on Grace Bay beach with it's gorgeous water and beaches, and also want to go to other places to eat, shop, drink -- Grace Bay Club is my 1st choice for clients, especailly with the right suite choices at The Hotel section of the resort!

To learn more about Grace Bay Club or Turks and Caicos, contact Becky by clicking here. To see more about the Caribbean or learn about a luxury beach vacation, visit the Brownell site by clicking here.

Chile: Cliffs Preserve

Ellen Craig is a luxury travel advisor with Sterling Brownell. She had a fantastic visit to the Cliffs Preserve in Chile. Read on for her review.

I have recently returned from this brand new resort (opened Dec. 2007) that is "everything included". Located on an 8,000 acre private preserve on the ocean, the property is for just 36 guests. This is the main draw: you are one of just a few guests on a large private preserve, staying in luxury villas, with private guides. (You can stay in luxury hotels anywhere but often you have to share the natural attractions with thousands of other people: not so here, where the 8000 acres belong to you and just a few others.)


















Private guides are an integral part of this experience, with each experience tailored to the individual guest's level of comfort and activity. The guides are at your disposal for hiking, horsebackriding, walks, boating (weather permitting), penguin watching, and more.

The service and staff are excellent, personalities are carefully chosen to be warm, friendly, and extremely accommodating. For example, one guest couldn't figure out how to plug in her flat iron, and the next thing she knew, a Chilean flat iron was delivered to her room. Another guest forgot her hiking boots and wanted to buy new ones, but they didn't have her size. The next thing she knew, the hotel had delivered 3 pairs of loaners to her room that belonged to one of the women guides.

To reach this hotel, you arrive into the Puerto Montt airport, and take a private transfer via SUV, through absolutely stunning and unspoiled land, for miles and miles and miles. Think Scottish countryside combined with Italian countryside, less all the villages - beautiful.

The property itself is ocean front, with miles of coast, islands, and rainforest. From the main lodge, you have a great view of the beautiful Chiloe island out at sea, this island is reachable by ferry and is fascinating blend of people and culture.

The main lodge is a wonderful gathering place for meals, cocktails, or just relaxing. Here you'll find the bar, couches, fireplace, tables with chess and other local games. The spa islocated here as well.


















Accommodations are in 4 bedroom or 2 bedroom villas. You do not have to rent the whole villa, you can just rent a suite. Most of the bedrooms are very large, and all have fantastic views of the sea. Baths are luxurious. Each night I left the curtains open so that my view of the ocean in the morning would be unfettered. And it was a delight, to merely open my eyes and see the Pacific's huge waves crashing on the rocks and islands, ***without having even to raise my head from the pillow***. That is true luxury.

Also, there are washers and dryers in the villas. I put my laundry in the laundry room intending to take care of it after dinner, but when I came back after dinner, all my laundry was done for me. Each morning I watched as true Chilean cowboys led the horses down to the beach - enchanting.

The air here is clean and fresh, filtered pure by the cold southern winds and blue ocean sprays.

Beautiful hikes meander along seaside cliffs and trails, with lovely views ofthe many tiny islands just offshore. The weather here is mercurial - we felt that at one point on our walk in early spring, we had experienced all four seasons in the span of 10 minutes! The wind is a presence here, and makes its mark in the trees and shrubbery that have bent in unusual shapes in deferral to the wind's strength.


















Walking along the coast is very enjoyable, it is sometimes sandy, sometimes rocky. The rocks were sometimes rough and jagged and sometimes smooth as dinosaur eggs, with colors ranging from beiges to grays to blues. The variants in the rocks are due to volcanic activity, as with most of the rock formations throughout Chile. On one beach, I was mesmerized by the sound of large incoming waves picking up these stones, lifting them up towards shore, then letting them settle back down. It is a sound I have never heard before, enchanting and hypnotic, a combination of rustling, chafing, and shifting, all underwater. The guides said it has been recorded as a sound used in meditation and hypnotism.



















The guides here are private, and everything is custom tailored to the guest. On our first hike, the guide was constantly in tune with us,asking after an hour what we would like to do, to continue for longer or to go back to the lodge. Every so often, he continued to check in on our status, so that the hike was perfectly tailored to our energy and activity level.

One memorable hike was through the rainforest - there was one perfect moment when two rare birds began calling in multiple kinds of calls. The calls went on for some time, and we were frozen with delight, afraid to move that we might silence them...truly magical. Bird watching is a fantastic activity here, as there is a rich diversity in the types of birds that reside here. The birds we heard on that hike were the Hued Hued del Sur (Black-throated Huet Huet, or Pteroptochos tarnii), and the Chucao (Chucao Tapaculo, or Scelorchilus rubecula). These birds are rarely seen.











































Also enjoyable was riding horses with authentic Chilean cowboys uptrails with views of the Pacific beyond, stopping by the large organic garden and leaving the horses to graze on the lawn outside...walking into the garden where the chef was leading a tourand selecting herbs and vegetables for our dinner...we looked over after a bit and the horses had wandered INTO the organic garden to munch on tastier fare. It was amusing watching the Chilean cowboys go all out in taking off after the horses at the far end of the garden.

The Cliffs has its own five star chef, Pablo Galvez. The meals Pablo prepared were wonderful - so wonderful that this month he travels to Australia with the President of Chile! Some of the items included on our menus were: Cream of Dubarry soup, Eminence of Abalone with Chiloe Island Potatoes (Chile is thought to be the origin of potatoes, and indeed, there are hundreds of different kinds ofpotatoes), Ravioli di Zucca, Red Tuna Fillet Sealed in Luche beside Red Lentils.On our second night, Pablo prepared a special seven course tasting menu with paired wines that was simply divine. Every course was delicious, and after the dinner, the guests discussed and compared the various courses with a passion that can only be compared to that with which Italians compare opera singers. I list them here:- King Crab and Avocado with Wasabi- Razor Clam Au Gratin with Goat's Cheese- Ecuadorian Shrimp with Essence of Ginger Yogurt and Cream of CarrotSoup (my favorite)- Three Cheese Ravioli with Mushroom Ragout- Seaweed Sealed Salmon Served with Corn Pastel- Wagyu Loin (similar to Kobe beef) with Warm Salad Greens- Milk Chocolate CreminoDivine!!A lovely Chilean post-prandial tradition is to have personalized herbal infusions. A bowl of fresh herbs is presented at the table after the meal, and each person selects the herbs they desire, places them in a teacup, and hot water is added. The infusion may be sweetened if desired. The result is a fresh, soothing, and healthful hot beverage, a very nice way to conclude a complex meal.

The stars and constellations here are incredibly clear - the Chileansky is one of the clearest in the world.Now that spring is arriving, so are the whales - humpbacks and blues - who are journeying from the equator towards the straits of Magellan. Whale watching is a highlight of a visit to the Cliffs. Other creatures appearing this time of year are the Australian and Chilean dolphins, the sea lions, and many Humboldt and Magellan penguins. The Cliffs Resort offers specially equipped guided boat tours for the guests to go out and view these animals. This is one of the few places in the world where it is so easy to see wildlife, including whales and birds, in peaceful setting that is pure paradise.

The Cliffs Preserve offers an experience of a lifetime--I hope to return soon!

Ellen Craig is a luxury travel advisor for Sterling Brownell. To contact her for more information on the Cliffs Preserve or travel in Chile, click here.

Holland America Eurodam Sets Sail in the Netherlands

Bowden Sarrett is a luxury travel advisor for Brownell. She shares below about an incredible experience she and her husband had aboard the Holland America Eurodam for its christining and maiden voyage. Read on to learn more about her Holland America cruise experience.

One of the most memorable occasions in all of my 48 years was the christening of the new Holland America Eurodam this summer. She is a beautiful midsized ship built in the Netherlands, home of a great cruising tradition. Docked next to the original headquarters building of Holland America Lines, she was sleek and sparkling but still very much a part of their history with a traditional shape, dark hull and smokestack. Onboard there were literally thousands of journalists, travel professionals, and all sorts of others with vested interest in seeing this grand new venture come to life. One night we had dinner with a Dutchman who had printed the menus for Holland America for many years. We spent the night in port in Rotterdam the first night and the next day they had the ceremony to officially name the ship. Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands had the honor. Grandstands were set up portside and entertainment ranged from mimes, jugglers, and gymnasts who were just milling about to the Opera Babes and Four Tenors from London with a full Dutch youth orchestra. The gorgeous sunny day made for pomp and circumstance at its very best. That night Holland America put on a fireworks show that lasted almost an hour and was orchestrated from a barge just off the stern of the ship. All of Rotterdam celebrated the happy occasion. As we sailed the next day people lined the shores and waved. Fireboats sprayed us and escorted us out to sea. Onboard, the Eurodam is lovely. She has all of the bells and whistles of any modern new ship but the atmosphere is one of taste, culture, and tradition. New to Holland America are spa cabins with special amenities, a Pan Asian restaurant named Tamarind, private cabanas on a quiet adult deck available for rent, a special Italian restaurant set up at night in the casual dining area, a special spa therapy pool, a new photo imaging center, and more. I loved the champagne cocktail menu in Silk, an Asian themed bar high atop the ship that looks out over the front of the ship and decks. The facial and massage that I had in the spa were heavenly and the gym is on the bow of the ship with windows--so while you're working off the eight course dinner you can watch the world sail by. I didn't get to any classes, but the list was impressive. The unobtrusive but highly professional service staff was everywhere, so the cruise was the same Holland America luxurious experience, only with spiffier options and surroundings. We were only five days on this Inaugural but the stops in Hamburg and Copenhagen were great. Hamburg is obviously enjoying economic prosperity as evidenced by lots of downtown construction, but has still preserved much in its historical downtown. We took a boat ride on "Inner" and "Outer" Lake Alster which house sailing and rowing clubs, waterfront restaurants, and summer homes vacation. We then continued on to BallinStadt Emigration City, a museum commemorating Hamburg as a processing point for more than 5 million emigrants who left Europe between 1850 and 1939 seeking religious freedom, escape from famine, war or persecution, or looking to find riches and the opportunity for something better. They had computers where you could look up your own family's genealogy and many interactive displays and exhibits depicting the horrendous process that so many of our American ancestors endured.

Copenhagen's port is too far to walk to the center of town so we hopped a taxi to the Sankt Petri (St Peter), our hotel named for the church just across the street. In summer, the Danes are outside on bikes and walking everywhere. There was a jazz festival with venues all over the center city. We like to be outdoors too so had booked a bicycle tour in advance. We met our guide and covered most of the city easily in a half day. First we rode through Christiania which is land owned by the city and set aside for some 60's hippie types to live communally. It used to be a mecca for drugs which were legal on the 60's. It later got pretty seedy, so the city has tightened up the laws and cleaned up the setting a bit. There is still a lot of local color, such as graffiti covered little huts that some people actually still call home. We saw a famous bike shop where locals get amazing custom models built---almost all with baskets or boxes on the front or back.

We saw the opera house, which is huge and round and the wood inside is beautiful and made to look like a shop. We saw Copenhagen's famous Little Mermaid statue, which is suprisingly small, located in a waterfront park beside the harbor. We also witnessed the changing of the guard at the official palaces, the university, beautiful architecture, both old and very new, and lots and lots of water. It's expensive to eat and drink and we didn't really shop, but we loved our quick visit to Copenhagen.

The inagural sailing of the Eurodam was an experience of a lifetime. We loved the ship itself and are thrilled with the itineraries it is sailing!

To learn more about sailing with the Holland America Line or on the Eurodam, contact Bowden by clicking here. To learn more about the incredible experiences available through Brownell Travel, click here.