A new addition to the Small Luxury Hotels of the World stable has a name which hopefully turns out to reflect the resort and not be ironic: it's called the Brilliant Resort and Spa and it's due to open this fall in Yunnan Province, China. It seems like everything about China is growing rapidly, and luxury hotels and resorts seem to be just another facet of its booming economy.
Yunnan is in the south-west corner of China, west around the border from Hong Kong and Macau. The Brilliant Resort lies next to the Yang-Zong Lake, surrounded by mountains, and consists of 23 lake-view villas with their own jacuzzi and garden area. You also get butler service thrown in and if you book the Presidential Villa, your own chef.
Unbelievably, beyond the villas are a further 26 outdoor hot spring pools, each unique in function and appearance, and inside the Brilliant Spa you can relax with special-technique massages. And it really must be brilliant and special because the rates are brilliantly high, too: double rooms start from $3,500 a night, and that extra-brilliant Presidential Villa is yours for just $15,000 a night.
The luxury Likuliku Lagoon Resort in Fiji didn't quite make its planned opening in February, but finally on April 15 just gone its doors opened to guests. These guests, it should be mentioned, should be couples only. That's the stated target audience, so don't forget your partner.
Reviews from some of the first guests are overwhelmingly positive. From a simple "we can't wait to return" right through to a "we wept when we left", there doesn't seem to be anything wrong with Likuliku. The staff are extremely helpful and friendly, the food is fantastic, and the location is heavenly. And one couple mentioned how pleased they were to have warm chocolate cookies delivered to their room every day.
Likuliku has some opening specials, like 6 nights for the price of 4, or a special package for renewing your wedding vows, if you want to get all romantic; honeymooners always get a free "private location" lunch or dinner and a bottle of French champagne.
It could have been billed as Big Brother host marries Big Brother, as on December 23rd Julie Chen married Viacom big wig Les Moonves. The two are currently honeymooning in Las Ventanas in Los Cabos.
At the Baja resort the network duo will be pampered to the hilt. Spas, steam rooms, hot tubs, and even ice rooms, will be at their disposal, should they chose to use them.
And most importantly, if Les wants to take a break from Julie's incessant yammering he can simply stick the iPod ear buds in, and be magically transported to a far away place where sweet music plays and Julie Chen is on mute.
The resort offers iPods to guests for use during their stay. You don't think that had anything to do with the couple's choice do you? Nah.
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by amandak
