Archive for March, 2010
and the winner is…
With the large volume and quality of entries that came in, it was a tough decision to make. We would like to thank everyone for sending in their answers, from the incredibly hilarious to the absolutely weird, but we are proud to announce that the winner of the Chic Outlet Shopping® competition is Christopher Hays. As a dapper gent, Christopher told us that the first thing in his suitcase would be his Alfred Dunhill mohair blazer plus his Turnball & Asser set of three ties, as no trip is complete without cutting a dash.
All of us at Black Tomato thought it was a brilliant answer and couldn’t agree with him more.
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Loading ...the only risk is wanting to stay
When we heard word that our intern, Caroline, had spent some time in Colombia, we couldn’t help but ask her all about it. What was meant to be a week break, turned into a two month stay. And here’s why:
‘As well as producing (arguably) the best coffee in the world- Colombia is a veritable treasure trove. Colombians have been through a great deal of strife, and so, quite justifiably, have taken on a ‘live for the moment’ attitude. In real terms this means a lot of parties, socialising and generally having a good time; so expect to meet some of the most open, friendly people in the world.
the colombians know how to throw a good party
These wonderful people are also very proud of their country- not only will they claim (again, justifiably) to have the most beautiful women, the best exotic fruits and the nicest beaches, they will also claim Colombia has the most diverse landscape on earth.
And diversity there is. The golden sands of the Caribbean in the north give way to the towering mountains in the centre, which in turn, transform into thick forests as you head south. Given that there are no seasons in Colombia, this range of landscapes allows you to select a climate as you wish: hot ‘summer’ beaches, snowy ‘winter’ mountains, temperate ‘autumn’ countryside and wet ‘spring’ forests all in the space of a week. Having said that, a week in Colombia is not enough.
the historic city of bogotá
Once you have explored Bogotá’s historic Candelaria, visited the fabulous gold museum, dined in the finest restaurants, partied in the trendiest bars, and popped to the nearby Villa de Leyva for a spot of colonial history, your week will be up. There are certain ‘unmissable’ destinations in Colombia: Cartagena, with it’s colonial architecture, boutique hotels and chic cafes, Tayrona National Park, with its unspoilt beaches and remote villages, and Mompox with its sleepy streets and whitewashed churches. All very beautiful, but if you go a little further afield the true Colombia begins to shine: The unspoilt beaches of the Pacific coast, the Golden sands of the Guajira and the coffee growing region all beg for exploration.
sierra de la macarena national park
Then there are Colombia’s natural phenomenon’s: The river of 5 colours in Sierra de la Macarena National Park, the sea of 7 colours surrounding the Caribbean island of San Andreas, or the spectacular Chicamocha Canyon near Bucaramanga.
So to sum up, I’d simply quote Colombia’s tourist board: ‘the only risk is wanting to stay.’
(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...our top ten teasers
Today’s the day we’ll be announcing our winner of the ‘The First Thing in my Suitcase‘ competition. But before we do, we wanted to share with you our top ten answers.
The first thing in my suitcase is:
…as a dapper gent, my Alfred Dunhill mohair blazer plus my Turnbull & Asser set of three ties, as no trip is complete without cutting a dash.
…duct tape- for rickshaw maintenance, hanging mosquito nets, fixing suitcase, and, in extremis, futuristic evening wear.
…an underwater disco bath light. It’s truly hypnotic, especially as the pulsating effects are distorted by the water in the tub. It’s a great way to refresh myself before a night out or after a long day of sight seeing.
…my lovely winceyette pyjamas even when I’m going somewhere tropical they are the only way I can sleep.
…my rubber crocodile. As he’s traveled everywhere with me and we are trying to find him a mate!
…my pair of Dior turquoise high heel peep toe shoes. I may not wear them but I just need to have them available.
…my Hunter Wellies because I always need to add a little class to the bad weather that follows wherever I go!
…my killer Gucci black heels, my Prada perfume, my Dior leopard print shades and of course I couldn’t leave home without the photo of my beloved pooch…yes I really am that “barking”!
…my pair of “travel champagne glasses” – I never leave home without them!
…my favorite heels of the moment. A girl is nothing without her Jimmys.
So who will it be? Watch this space! We’ll be revealing the winner later on via our blog and twitter.
(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...bespoke-room boutiques
There seems to be a trend nowadays where boutique hotels are commissioning a selection of influential/upcoming artists to design a room each producing, what I like to call, a bespoke-room boutique. Whether this is a PR stunt to separate themselves from the crowd, or to ensure no two stays are ever the same, I like it. So here are our top 5 bespoke-room boutiques we’d go back twice for.
the blue line room
This historic Victorian-turned-art-hotel in Toronto has 37 rooms each individually designed by Canadian Artists of all disciplines. The artists had a simple criteria: portray your vision keeping in mind the need of the traveller. I’m a particular fan of the ‘Blue Line room’, but not quite what I’d do if I landed in the ‘Teen Queen’ room.
twin tubs in the loft-room
This hotel is uber cool. All 30 of the hotel’s rooms are individually-designed with bold themes created from an array of Singapore’s up-and-coming creatives. Rooms vary with extras like floor to ceiling mirrors, fluffy carpet padding and aquarium themed interiors. I adore the ‘Loft Room’ with its wooden floors, vintage theatre lights and two stand alone baths.
daddy long legs hotels, south africa
do not distru
You’re in for a treat at the Daddy Long Legs Hotels. Pick between the Art Hotel or the Airstream Trailer Park for your bespoke-room. The rooms at the Art Hotel have each been designed by artists, poets, musicians, photographers and designers resulting in complete randomness: from the bright red emergency rooms fitted out with nurse outfits, to rooms designed for you and your dog. Then there’s the Airstream Trailer Park which has put a luxurious twist to trailer trash. Love it.
room 77 at lalala arthote
This hotel is perfect for any modern art lover and it definitely deserves its place in our top 5 picks if only for its amazing website. With only seven rooms each designed by seven individual artists, your imagination will be pushed beyond its limit, because in Lalala Arthotel, anything goes when it comes to design.
enchanting psychedelic, the two swans room
If you’re looking for a more bespoke range, definitely head to the Fox Hotel in Copenhagen. This hotel enlisted 21 international artists from the fields of graphic design, urban art and illustration which helped turn Hotel Fox into the world’s most exciting and creative lifestyle hotels. Chose between comic inspired rooms to monochrome ones and tents to enchanting psychedelic ones.
(2 votes, average: 3.50 out of 5) Loading ...chocolate galore in bariloche
Call us obsessed, but chocolate has been on our minds over the past few months. There was the devastating news that Cadbury was being taken over. Then there’s lent which means, for some of us, giving up the good stuff – this is not easy at BT HQ because we’re all a big fan of Colin the Caterpillar chocolate cake. Then we hear about an apparent fat-free chocolate made with water. And now Easter is around the corner; its going to be chocolate galore! Lucky for us (and you), our new intern Caroline knows the best place for it.
the mouth watering chocolates in bariloche
“A friend sent me a link about a chocolate festival happening at the Southbank this weekend, and it set my mind thinking about that delicious food of the Gods. Then I started thinking about the best chocolate I’ve ever tasted- not the pretty little truffles in Belgium, nor the creamy slabs in Switzerland or even the rich cocoa-filled bars in Venezuela. No, for me, the best chocolate comes from Argentina.
the quaint town of bariloche
Argentina is not really known for chocolate- we all know about the amazing steaks, sexy Tango dancers and grumpy gauchos, but not chocolate. If you head down to the Argentine Lake District in north Patagonia, to the gorgeous little city of Bariloche nestled in the foothills of the spectacular Andes mountain range, you will find chocolatiers by the dozen.
The first chocolate ‘factory’ was set up in Bariloche by an Italian immigrant called Aldo Fenoglio, in his own home (think more mixing bowls and wooden spoons than Willie Wonka). This home-made process still persists, but on a huge scale. The Fenoglio family still sell chocolate from a fairy tale shop on Bariloche’s main street, Calle Mitre.
the many chocolate department shops along the main street
Walk down the street and you will see an array of normal looking department stores. Look closer and you’ll notice these department stores are actually selling chocolate, and chocolate alone. You can pop in and sample the flavours, and buy a carefully wrapped little bag, but don’t overdo it in the first shop- there are many others!
So, for chocolate lovers, Bariloche is a dream come true.”
Get in touch if you’d like to taste the mouthwatering chocolates of Bariloche.
(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...killing bill in tokyo
Watching Kill Bill Vol 1 on TV this weekend, I realised I had forgotten how good this film was. Admittedly a bit long winded and at times a little gory, it is undeniably a glorious feast for the eyes. One thing about watching it, was how much it reminded me of my last trip to Tokyo – not that I was on a killing spree, but the scene where Uma slays the Crazy 88 is the spitting image of Gonpachi, a restaurant in Tokyo where I had one too many yakitoris and one too many shots of saki. But what the film also reminded me of was what a quirky and wonderful place Tokyo is and here’s a few reasons why:
the numerous buttons on a japanese toilet
I’ve never visited a country that was so obsessed and technologically advanced in toilets. Seriously, some toilets had more buttons on them than TV remotes.
The subway runs like clockwork. And I mean clockwork. Gone are the days of blaming public transport as to why you were late for work.
Don’t worry about having to drop the shopping bags to open the taxi door, because in Tokyo, the car doors open by themselves. In fact it’s the only place I’ve been that taxi divers get annoyed if you physically open or close them yourself.
harajuku girls hanging out
Harajuku girls are not an urban myth, they really do exist. Walk through Harujuku on the weekend and you’ll see girls (and boys) dress up as extravagant Japanese comic characters. But don’t get me wrong, this isn’t a bad fancy dress party; their outfits and make-up are done to perfection, making them look like the real thing.
The Japanese are capable of sleeping anywhere. You’ll find them slumped on top of each other on the subway to a wall by the side of a building.
Dancing Elvis’s, teenagers acting out story lines from books, and women taking their dogs for walks in prams are the norm in Yoyogi park. Absolutely remarkable.
Check out Tokyo on any one of our experiences.
(1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5) Loading ...7 wonders of nature
The hunt is on for the New 7 Wonders of Nature and there’s a pretty good list to choose from. After a lot of ‘ums’ ‘oohs’ and ‘aahs’, We’ve narrowed down our top seven picks that you should visit before the crowds go in 2011.
dead sea (image: 7 new wonders)
1. dead sea, israel
The lowest dry place on Earth, not only does the Dead Sea look amazing, but it does amazing things for you. Great for your skin, hair and general health, reap the benefits as you float like a boat on its waters.
2. great barrier reef, australia
A bit cliché? Maybe. But I’m an avid diver and there’s nothing quite like visiting the set of Nemo.
3. igazu falls, brazil
Taller and wider than Niagara, there are 275 indivdual waterfalls which make up Igazu. With a span of 2 miles of cascading waters, Igazu will definitely blow you away.
grotte de Jeita (image: 7 new wonders)
4. jeita grotto, lebanon
This place looks amazing. Just 20km north of Beirut, Jeita Grotto is made up of an upper gallery and a lower cave where a cloudy bright turqouise river runs through it. Meander on the river in a kayak where you’ll pass the weirdest looking crystal formations since chemistry class.
5. milford sounds, new zealand
Standing in Milford Sounds you’d think you died and went to heaven. This tranquil area is just breathtaking and if it looks familiar, its probably because many of the Lord of the Rings scenes were filmed here.
mud volcanoes
6. mud volcanoes, azerbaijan
These awesome volcanoes are like no other. For starters they spit out mud rather than lava. Located throughout Azerbaijan, they make this country look out of this world. What more of a reason do you need to see these?
7. Yushan, taiwan
Little is known about this amazing island off China’s coast, but Taiwan is truly an amazing destination with breathtaking scenary and the Yushan Mountain range is definitely the star of the show.
puerto princesa underground river (image: 7 new wonders)
…8. puerto princesa, phillipines
We couldn’t resist adding this one, but hey, who’s counting? This underground river spans over 8kms and spits you out into the most gorgeous blue lagoon where monkeys, iguanas and squirrels roam the land.
Mount Yushan, also known as jade mountain
the mighty igazu falls
dive the great barrier reef
died and gone to heave in milford sound
(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...fairytale of milan
The Maison Moschino hotel in Milan has just opened its doors with a theme that will truly have you staring down the rabbit hole.
Hidden inside a gorgeous old neoclassical railway station, you’ll never guess what’s waiting for you. As the name suggests, the hotel’s interior design was led by Moschino’s creative team and designer extraordinaire, Rossella Jardini.
zzzzz room
However, the running theme throughout the hotel is more than a little avante-garde with fairytales being the inspiration for the décor. The reason being, to quote MM, “to sleep is perchance to dream, and dreams are fairytales that we are allowed to experience first hand, the fables of a fantasy world that we have created.” Pretty deep as rabbit holes go. So if you’ve ever wanted to experience a slumber with a twist of ‘Alice in Wonderland’ then this hotel is perfect.
As you walk through the front door you’ll enter a world where fashion and interior design have married to produce a fairytale masterpiece. Each of the 63 rooms and 2 suites have been designed individually. You can sleep in a room where red rose petals fall from the chandelier, in an enormous ball gown, where tables rest on gigantic tea cups , or my personal favorite, where a gigantic bee hovers above the bed whilst you zzzzz away.
Definitely the perfect hotel to hole-up in after a day shopping in Milan.
rose petals falling from the chandelier
sleep in a ball gow
tables resting on gigantic tea cups
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(2 votes, average: 4.50 out of 5) Loading ...the first thing in my suitcase…
Yesterday, we launched a competition to give a lucky winner two nights on us at the oh-so luxurious Malmaison Hotel in Oxford with free transfers to Bicester Village armed with a gift card loaded up with £100.
For a chance to win, all we asked you to do was tell us the first thing you’d be putting in your suitcase. And let me tell you, we’ve been getting some pretty good answers. From the sensible to the down right weird, we thought we’d share with you some of the best ones so far:
First thing in my suitcase is…
- …an underwater disco bath light. It’s truly hypnotic, especially as the pulsating effects are distorted by the water in the tub. It’s a great way to refresh myself before a night out or after a long day of sight seeing
- …my rubber crocodile. He’s travelled everywhere with me and I’m trying to find him a mate!
- …my tweed jacket. It looks just as good on a winter city break, wrapped up with a scarf, on a ski break when enjoying the apres ski or when walking down to the beach over a t-shirt with board shorts!
- …duct tape for rickshaw maintenance, hanging mosquito nets, fixing suitcases, and, in extremis, futuristic evening wear
- …half as many clothes and twice as much money as my wife thinks we need!
If you think you can top these, get an answer to us before the 22nd March to win a trip of a lifetime using the form here.
(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...a peek into israel
Jon, our resident Israel expert, has just returned to London with a humongous smile on his face. Yes, he’s just been back to Israel and we’re not surprised he’s grinning like a Cheshire Cat after hearing all the stuff he got up too. Read on to find out what you shouldn’t do before jumping into the dead sea, Jerusalem’s hottest bars and Tel Aviv’s most happening places…
“Although Israel is geographically smaller than Wales, my 4 day trip still proved to be very busy!
It’s an amazingly diverse little country, you’ll find sandy sun-kissed beaches, to dry barren deserts, to lakes and mountains, as well as one of the Med’s great cities of culture, Tel Aviv.
My trip started off heading north from Tel Aviv, passing enroute to the Galilee, the well preserved Roman ruins at Caeserea. The Galillee, divided into the Lower and Upper regions, is a land of rolling hills, pine forests and amazing views.
the bayit hotel
One of the best places to enjoy the views is the Bayit Bagolil, a beautiful located hotel, surrounded by forests on all sides, with amazing views of the valleys. After a visit here, I enjoyed one of the finest steaks this side of Buenos Aires in the Bat Yaar horse ranch restaurant. A horse ride is a great way to enjoy this beautiful scenery!
Close by to Bayit Bagolil, is the fascinating city of Safed, where I learned a bit more about the ancient, but now en vogue, Jewish mysticism of Kabbalah from one of the rabbis, before having a quiet wander around the atmospheric streets, which were brought to life by my informative and lively guide, Aviv.
salt deposits floating in the dead sea
Next, I headed south to one of Israel’s most famous sights, the lowest point on earth at 422 metres below sea level, the Dead Sea. Making our way through the Judean Hills, you can spot colonies of Bedouins tending their flocks of sheep, as if nothing has changed for centuries, apart from the large satellite dishes on their roofs.
Soon after we made it to Masada, where 900 Jews held out against 20000 soldiers of the mighty Roman army, choosing in the end, suicide over slavery. Its an amazing sight, a whole town on the top of large rock plateau on the edge of the desert. Only 20 minutes down the road, is Ein Bokek, where I enjoyed the traditional pastime of floating in really salty water….very strange feeling…but fun, one word of advice, don’t shave the day you go, because it stings a hell of a lot!
surfing in tel aviv
My last day was spent in Israel’s two amazing cities, so diverse, from the religious and historical traditions of Jerusalem, to the cosmopolitan trendy buzz of Tel Aviv. Starting my day in Jerusalem, I was first exploring tunnels under the city of King David, before admiring views of the Old city from the terrace at the luxurious Mamilla hotel, boutique and stylish, don’t miss the Mirror Bar, one of the Jerusalem’s hot spots, symbol of the city’s new renaissance.
Then we were moving onto Tel Aviv, first stopping at the Flam winery to taste some wines at one of Israel’s top boutique vineyards, before enjoying cocktails at the hip and happening Hotel Montefiore, located close to Rothschild boulevard, where you can check some of Tel Aviv’s most happening Bauhaus buildings. Tel Aviv has a great selection of restaurants, I ate at Dallal, where there’s an Israeli twist on modern Italian cuisine. Head to the Neve Tzedek district for some cool bars in this exciting city.”
Find out more about Israel here
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