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EVA AIR LAN
PREMIUM LAUREL PREMIUM BUSINESS
Heathrow T3 – Bangkok Madrid-Lima
The facts: six flights a week, Premium The facts: six flights a week, Premium
Laurel returns from £1,430. Business returns from £1,954.
Tel: 020 7380 8300, evaair.com Tel: 0800 977 6100, lan.com
Style & substance: this service is en Style & substance: Chic grey and blue
route to Taipei – and once onboard you decor, new 23” wide sleeper seats. Staff
remember you’re flying with a Taiwanese were efficient but not terribly friendly.
airline: service is in a more brusque style Top notch Could try harder
than the broad smiles of Thailand. But
it’s efficient and attentive nonetheless. Feeling: I started out from Heathrow to
Top notch Could try harder Madrid with Iberia before transferring to
LAN. The airline is part of oneworld, so
Feeling: the two-storey London passengers can use the new Velazquez
Lounge at Heathrow is well-appointed Lounge in T4S, which has areas for
with plenty of room. The pleasant work and relaxation internet, meeting
Evergreen Lounge in Bangkok has a rooms, a wine-tasting area, showers
PARK HYATT PARIS-VENDOME
chic minimalist decor and features and rest areas with comfy beds.
PARIS
excellent multi-function electronic VIP One of the masses
by Charlotte Walsh
massage chairs.
VIP One of the masses And so to bed: The new flatbed was
Slipping into the hotel from the busy Place easy to operate and the cosy white
Vendome, the first thing you notice is the And so to bed: the 61in-pitch, 22in-wide duvets made me feel cosseted. There
heavenly scent. The second is just how quiet it shell seats do go flat – but not was a slight bump under my back at the
is. After bustling past the neighbouring Cartier horizontal, so you’re sleeping downhill. seat join – but putting an extra duvet
and Dior boutiques, and dodging Parisians with It’s actually more comfortable selecting underneath would solve the problem.
their tiny dogs, the Park Hyatt Paris-Vendome a mid-range position. But with the Overall though, I slept well after
feels incredibly relaxing. memory foam pillow, duvet and noise- slathering on L’Occitane hand and face
The hotel’s trademark is subtle luxury. It HOW TO SELL IT cancelling headphones I slept soundly. cream from the sleek amenity kit.
favours an abundance of limestone, mahogany Comfortable cocoon Cabin fever Comfortable cocoon Cabin fever
■ It’s perfect for die-hard
and rich fabrics, and with a nod to the nearby
shoppers as the hotel rubs
Louvre, the hotel has its fair share of contempo-
shoulders with top jewellers
On the menu: mineral water and juices On the menu: I enjoyed a glass of
rary art. Specially commissioned bronze figures
and haute couture stores
before takeoff, Pommery champagne champagne pre-take off. Food was
by French sculptor Rosaline Granet are every- shortly after. A mediocre prawn salad served soon after reaching cruising
where, featuring as the main pieces in rooms as ■ Art buffs can enjoy works was followed by a very good grouse with altitude. My steak was tender and pink
well as on door handles and light fittings.
dotted around the hotel
jus and mushroom polenta, served on in the middle but lukewarm. I washed it
Many of the 168 bedrooms include a view of
by Ed Paschke, Christiane
china with an excellent 2003 Margaux. down with a delicious red wine, one of
the Eiffel Tower or overlook one of the hotel’s
Durand, Sam Gilliam and
Recommend clients go online to book three options. I asked to be woken for
Sideo Fromboluti
two courtyards. The three presidential suites are meal choices in advance. breakfast but perhaps I was sleeping
stunning, boasting huge bedrooms, kitchens A fine feast Eat before boarding too soundly as I missed out.
■ It’s a short walk from main
and lounges. They include in-suite spas where
attractions including the
A fine feast Eat before boarding
guests are pampered with massages and
Louvre and the Paris Opera
Hi-tech vs low-tech: there’s a small
facials, and a barman and chef are available. choice of international films on a 10.4in Hi-tech vs low-tech: A 15.4in screen
But you don’t need to book a suite to get the screen, plus TV shows, music and offers on-demand entertaiment
■ The 250sq m Imperial suite
full gourmet experience. Breakfast is scrump- is perfect for a blow-out games, and excellent noise-cancelling including 30 films, 52 TV shows, 350
tious, and the buffet table in Les Orchidees occasion, and was the suite of Sennheiser headphones. The electronic music CDs and 14 video games.
restaurant is heaving with so many goodies it’s
choice for the Princess of
seat controls are user friendly, and LED Switched on Switched off
hard not to overload your plate.
Dubai on a recent visit
lighting combined with divider means you
Recommend clients book a table at the can read without waking your neighbour. Who’s it for: Business travellers
Michelin-starred Pur’Grill. The taster menu Switched on Switched off wanting to arrive prepared for meetings
allows guests to sample innovative dishes created by chefs in the open-plan in Lima or well-heeled leisure visitors
kitchen, and the attentive staff will expertly advise on wine. Who’s it for: the cabin was an eager to arrive refreshed and ready to
The hotel’s spa has four treatment rooms, a small gym, whirlpool bath, steam international mix of business travellers see Machu Picchu.
room and sauna. It’s the perfect place to lounge after a hard day’s shopping. and high-end holidaymakers.
5 Rue de la Paix, 75002 Paris. Tel: 00 33 1 5871 1234, paris.vendome.hyatt.com If it were a famous person… it would
If it were a famous person… it would be Antonio Banderas, sophisticated
HOW TO BOOK IT be Anne Hathaway: a slick, self-assured and charming, but a little rough
ITC Classics offers three nights in a Park Suite from £1,330pp including breakfast. rising star. around the edges.
The price includes standard-class Eurostar tickets from London St Pancras to Paris
Gare du Nord. Tel: 01244 355 52, itcclassics.co.uk by Paul Revel by Abigail Cattell
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