| Over the last few months, other than a weekend in Berlin to celebrate the 50th birthday of some awesome friends of mine, & two weekends in Shropshire, to help dad with his new laptop & attend his birthday party, I have been helping the London based sister of Lord Foley (who I met in Bangkok) with a London focused luxury project. During the course of this I have been stunned by the help and support I have received from friends at LVMH, Mandarin Oriental, Dorchester Collection & Four Seasons. At the same time I have been working on my future as a Banking Consultant. I have been approached about roles in Astana & Dubai but my preference is currently to be based in London, so I can continue to live in my Barbican place and better support my parents. |  This email, from a friend at LVMH, who I met while working in Cayman Islands, made my day.  I first met Mandarin Oriental GM Amanda in Bangkok & always adore our meetings.  I first met 45 Park Lane GM John when I was working in Qatar. On this occasion he asked me to try their new proposed shower gel.  Four Seasons @ Park Lane GM Lynn is always a perfect source of useful practical advice. |
LVMH, Mandarin Oriental, Dorchester Collection & Four Seasons - London, UK - June/July 20194/7/2019
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 The mother of my awesome godson. We have been friends since our Bank of England days & she took me to the RHS Chelsea Flower Show. My Barbican window boxes are now looking, & smelling, fabulously thanks to the geniuses at Nurture Landscapes. The smell comes from rosemary & French lavender and the bees already love the latter. My original window boxes were based on work done at Four Seasons at Park Lane but this year's are inspired by Rules, the oldest restaurant in London.
The day before the work on my window boxes I visited the RHS Chelsea Flower Show. Before this I walked through Mayfair to see Annabel's & smell the flowers at The Connaught and had lunch with astonishing friends from Shropshire at Four Seasons at Park Lane. Hope the photos below help to evidence the '7 teddies' (🐻🐻🐻🐻🐻🐻🐻) life I am living here in London.  Remarkable GM Amanda, my stunning breakfast view of Hyde Park and the Plaza Hotel, New York Merrythought teddy bear that got me think about my London - New York Concorde flight. I have settled back into my London life. Personal training with Bart at Virgin Active, Barbican and enjoying my swims there.
I am living in my redecorated Barbican place again, with its Dorchester Hotel bed, personalised Frette sheets from Harrods, new Ligne Roset table from Heal's etc. Just the 'Four Seasons at Park Lane' window boxes to recreate again. Since I moved back to London Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park has officially reopened. I visited on the day this occurred. On that, notable, occasion I met Rodolphe & Marco in the Mandarin Bar and was served a divine truffle gin martini that was not yet on the menu. Legendary GM Amanda also came for an inspiring chat. On my second visit I brought one of my unbelievable friends from Shropshire and got to try more cocktails and snacks being developed for the menu and was presented with a Mandarin Oriental teddy bear, MO tie pin and MO key ring, to add to my MO clufflinks from Mandarin Oriental Kuala Lumpur. On my latest visit I decided to try their Hyde Park breakfast with Moet champagne, a choice of truffles or caviar and a spectacular view of Hyde Park. Breakfast ended up being better than I could possibly have imagined. Even the bellhops on the lobby stairs greeted me by name, the gorgeous dining room is so bright and impressive, the other guests as refined as I found before the deeply unfortunate fire and Amanda and her staff (eg Silvia the House Manager) seem reinvigorated/improved, what a contrast with when The Savoy in London reopened. . Hope the photos below help you to understand why it was such a special day. A '7 teddies' (🐻🐻🐻🐻🐻🐻🐻) hotel, with '7 teddy' staff and a '7 teddy' champagne/truffle breakfast.  Yes, that is a magnum of 'free' Veuve Clicquot & the Easter Bunny did know my name! Thanks, in the main, to Four Seasons Hotel London at Park Lane for an unbelievable Easter 2019 in London.
From the Four Seasons doormen wishing me happy birthday, to the 'free' magnum of Veuve Clicquot, to the Easter Bunny knowning my name and the Easter Egg desserts being to die for, an Easter Sunday that could not have been better. However, I must also mention a drink with John at 45 Park Lane/the 45 Park Lane candle he gave me with a sumptuously luxuriant smell and my chats with Andre & Alex at Four Seasons Hotel London at Ten Trinity Square on Easter Monday. Hope the photos below help you to understand why it was such a special weekend. A '7 teddies' (🐻🐻🐻🐻🐻🐻🐻) 50th birthday continued a little longer with a sublime Easter weekend.  In fact it was a thin jazz singer at Four Seasons Hotel Ten Trinity Square who sang happy birthday to me!
From the overwhelming party my parents hosted, with Tanners champagne & divine canapés; to the private dining room at The Golden Cross in Shrewsbury; to Four Seasons Hotel Ten Trinity Square giving me three bedroom Residence Number One with a terrace with breathtaking views of Tower Bridge & the Tower of London; to walking back from a birthday dinner at Le Pont de La Tour over Tower Bridge with unimaginable friends from Berlin; to Four Seasons Hotel Ten Trinity Square sending a member of staff to my Barbican flat to help with my embarrassment of sensational birthday presents, it was a 50th birthday like no other. I now have an exquisite bracelet from KaDeWe in Berlin, 19th Century prints of the City of London to remind me of my years working for the Bank of England, magnums of Veuve Clicquot champagne, a Smythson of Bond Street travel case, more Tiffany & Co gifts to add to the mountain I received at my 40th birthday party in The Penthouse at The Dorchester, a gift from my indomitable godmother and the Wade NatWest piggy banks I had wanted since I was a child, my mum finally made another dream come true. I want to thank everyone who made this birthday so special from the bottom of my heart. I have lots more photos & stories to share with people when they meet me and should add that I loved the balloons Four Seasons put in my suite. At a birthday party yesterday a lady chastised me for bringing balloon, saying they were just for children. I could not disagree more over this sad opinion! A '7 teddies' (🐻🐻🐻🐻🐻🐻🐻) 50th birthday is finally over & it could not have been better.  While the Brexit date has moved, 29 March 2019 is still fast approaching.
First Class Emirates flights got me from Bangkok to Shrewsbury safely. Two portions of caviar, Dom Perignon champagne and a shower on the A380 plane were perfect but my luggage did not arrive with me in Manchester and the way Emirates dealt with that was far from First Class service. I have made formal complaints about that, & the additional money I paid for WiFi which did not work for long periods on the flight. I am just off to Tanners in Shrewsbury to arrange the champagne for my Shrewsbury party. Today also spoke to The Golden Cross about my Shrewsbury dinner and signed the contract with Le Pont de la Tour in London. Four Seasons Hotel Ten Trinity Square have created a new Grey Goose vodka based cocktail in my honour. What a two day celebration it will be. A '7 teddies' (🐻🐻🐻🐻🐻🐻🐻) 50th birthday year finally culminates on 29/30 March 2019. A 50th Birthday Year Like No Other, So Many More Dreams Come True in Japan etc - March 201913/3/2019  Sorry for the silence but the last few weeks have left me speechless (in the best way).
From a fragrant bath full of orchids, looking out at the Petronas Twin Towers, in my suite at Mandarin Oriental Kuala Lumpur; to seeing a spectacular Kabuki performance in Tokyo with the astonishing friend who produced the English translation you were reading; to staying at Four Seasons Hotel Tokyo at Marunouchi, the smallest city Four Seasons in the world & my 'final promise' to Mr Sharp, where an exquisite specially created kimono wearing teddy bear was presented to me; to travelling on the 200 mile per hour Shinkansen ('Bullet Train'), a dream since my 'Blue Peter days'; to drinking rare Four Seasons sake & being given a bottle of sake from Kyoto's oldest sake maker personally labelled for my 50th birthday; to playing 'Tea House games' with a Maiko (an apprentice Geiko/Geisha) at Four Seasons Hotel Kyoto, now have Ichihiro's 'calling card sticker' stuck to the back of my iPhone Xs; to eating Peking Duck sushi & drinking 40 year old Glenfraclas Scotch whisky exclusive to Ritz-Carlton Osaka; and drink Veuve Clicquot champagne on the Imperial Floors of the indomitable Imperial Hotel Tokyo. This blog, my hotel contacts and my unparalleled friends have made March 2019 one of the best months of my life. To think I, once, did not want to live past 30! So many photos & video clips to show people and stories to tell. Must focus on the logistics of my move back to The Barbican in London next and 'restarting' my life there. A '7 teddies' (🐻🐻🐻🐻🐻🐻🐻) 50th birthday year culminates on 29/30 March 2019 at my phenomenal parents' historic home in Shrewsbury and then at Four Seasons Hotel London at Ten Trinity Square & Le Pont del la Tour overlooking the river Thames. Cannot wait to welcome guests based in Sweden, Uruguay etc  Think this 'last' photo at Four Seasons Hotel Seoul says it all about my stay. My euphoria and the enthusiastic & sweet Four Seasons staff in South Korea. Sanctions relating to North Korea's nuclear weapons programme continue to impact my Banking Consultant work and I have wanted to stay at Four Seasons Hotel Seoul since some close friends in London raved about it, after they stayed there shortly after it opened in 2015.
My four night stay around Valentine's Day 2019 far exceeded my expectations. From the astonishing 28th Floor views of the Gyeongbokgung Palace from my suite; to the Taekwondo & gym outfits for Issy & me; a member of Four Seasons staff lending me their own coat to see North Korea in the snow; an outstanding Executive Club Lounge serving champagne; to dinner with GM Alejandro on Valentine's Night, despite the President of Austria & Ban Ki-moon being in the hotel; drinks with charming F&B Director Sebastien; ultra efficient & friendly Director of Guest Relations Yoony; to Guest Relations Officer JK Lee cancelling a dinner with friends in his home town to help me at the airport when I was leaving. Mr Sharp's Four Seasons' ideals are very much alive and well at exceptional Four Seasons Seoul. A '7 teddies' (🐻🐻🐻🐻🐻🐻🐻) 50th birthday year continues, thanks to an unforgettable stay at phenomenal Four Seasons Hotel Seoul with its remarkable staff. Hope the photos below help you to understand this exuberant praise.  When I asked hotel Manager Richard where the best place to see the Hong Kong fireworks was he instantaneously replied "the bathroom in your suite". He was so right. If you meet me, ask to see the video, you will be stunned. Despite my comments when I last stayed at Four Seasons, Hong Kong, I have always dreamt of staying at Mandarin Oriental, Hong Kong and Chinese New Year 2019 seemed the perfect time to do this. I spent four unbelievable nights there.
In the end I watched the 23 minutes of the Hong Kong Chinese New Year fireworks from the bath in my Harbour View Suite surrounded by the intoxicating smell of fresh rose petals; began the 'Year of the Pig' sampling the hotel's truffle menu with an additional course of Beluga caviar; was given a silk & cotton Japanese kimono to visit the hotel's pool; and had coffee. with the hotel's General Manager, Pierre, where he sought my views on how the hotel's 1960s 'historic' lobby could be improved. A '7 teddies' (🐻🐻🐻🐻🐻🐻🐻) 50th birthday year continues, thanks to a sublime stay at the legendary Mandarin Oriental, Hong Kong, that could not have been better. Hope you enjoy the photos below.  The steak tartare with sourdough; oyster on ice with condiments; & grilled scallop with piquillo chili pepper salsa amuse bouche, with a fan hand-painted with my name behind On my first day staying at Mandarin Oriental, Hong Kong I decided to try their Ruinart champagne Sunday Roast.
For Chinese New Year the Sir Terence Conran blue upholstery has been covered in good luck red. Sofia was my brilliant server and it turned out she had worked at Four Seasons Resort Dubai at Jumeirah Beach and so we chatted about my friend Mr Simon Casson. A sublime start to lunch. The entire lunch was divine with a myriad of amuse bouche; attentive & entertaining English Sommelier Lee; succulent chunks of lobster flesh in the lobster cocktail; salmon that had been smoked in-house carved at my table; roast beef carved from a trolley that melted in your mouth; and a chocolate portrait of Issy to end. A '7 teddies' (🐻🐻🐻🐻🐻🐻🐻) 50th birthday year continues with a lunch using the finest organic ingredients that I will never forget. Hope the photos below help you appreciate this.  Christian (the Manager of Landmark Mandarin Oriental in Hong Kong) invited me to join him for cocktails & hotdogs in the world-famous PDT ("Please Do Not Tell") bar's Hong Kong outpost in his hotel.
You enter the bar via a mock 'phone booth, where you dial zero and an invisible door opens to the sleek 25 seat bar. On the table was a further Mandarin Oriental panda with a staff badge saying 'Si Frew MOHG Fan'; a quarter bottle of Moet Rose; and various Chinese New Year charms. Such sweet thoughtful gifts. Pierre (the General Manager of Mandarin Oriental, Hong Kong) recommended the 'Bad Hunter' cocktail & 'Honkie Dog' hotdog to me. The former turned out to be a deliciously innovation cocktail of Chivas Regal 12, Fernet Hunter (aromatic Italian bitters), lemon juice, longan berries & Moet Brut Imperial champagne. I was dubious about mixing whisky & champagne but this was a sophisticated delicate John Collins style cocktail that exhibited the skills of Master Mixologists Jim Meehan & Jeff Bell. The gourmet hotdog was a fried pork dog with sakura (cherry blossom) shrimp & XO mayo. I was worried it would be messy to eat but it had been cut in four to prevent any embarrassing accidents. This was a heady mixture of perfect flavours, spiciness & textures. Even better than the cutting edge food & stylish cocktails was getting 1 1/2 hours to swap luxury hotel stories with Mandarin Oriental star Christian. The young, friendly & knowledgeable staff also made me a perfect very dry Grey Goose martini with a lime twist. A '7 teddies' (🐻🐻🐻🐻🐻🐻🐻) 50th birthday year continues, thanks to charming Christian and memorable food & drink in PDT bar Hong Kong.  I could not visit Hong Kong without returning to Four Seasons, Hong Kong. Director of Guest Experience Phoebe was waiting outside for me & I had to hug this 'ray of sunshine'.
One of my favourite Four Seasons GMs, the legendary Christoph, had left to deal with the opening of Four Seasons, Madrid but Manager Yonatan had come in specially on a Sunday to meet me. Assistant F&B Director Luis was also on hand to chat with me about Four Seasons, Toronto etc On the table was Siberian chipmunk Max, the hotel's new mascot. I love the fact he has the Four Seasons logo on the sole of his foot, like my teddy bear from Four Seasons Tokyo at Marunouchi. Brilliant 'Four Seasons Elite Contact' Dior had also arranged for a copy of the Weekend Financial Times. Breakfast was in the hotel's 'Blue Bar' and buffet style with eggs cooked to order. Getting dim sum reminded me of my 10 years of breakfasts at Four Seasons, Doha. When breakfast was over I was brought a birthday waffle and poured Bollinger from a Magnum. After this unexpected treat, I was taken to view their Executive Club Lounge on the 45th Floor, which confirmed I was right about the range of alcohol in the Sao Paulo Four Seasons before Christmas. Before leaving the hotel in my Mandarin Oriental, Hong Kong Mercedes. Phoebe presented me with a good luck charm of Caishen ('God of Wealth'), his smile will always remind me of her warmth. She also answered my question about the 'Earth Pig Year' by explaining it was meant to create a distinction from the 'Golden Pig Year' that only occurs each 60 years. A '7 teddies' (🐻🐻🐻🐻🐻🐻🐻) 50th birthday year continues, thanks to a Hong Kong Four Seasons that goes from strength to strength.  It was pandemonium in Suvarnabhumi airport in Bangkok the Friday before Chinese New Year 2019. However, the Cathay Pacific First Class/Business Class Lounge was an oasis of sophisticated calm.
The dim sum, phad thai etc from their Noddle Bar made me remember why I like flying with Cathay Pacific. I once undertook a 16 hour flight with them from Hong Kong to Toronto, before returning home to Bermuda! A '7 teddies' (🐻🐻🐻🐻🐻🐻🐻) 50th birthday year continues.  This LVMH Brand Ambassador will be spending Chinese New Year 2019 in Hong Kong, finally staying at the legendary Mandarin Oriental, Hong Kong.
I will also have breakfast in the Blue Bar at Four Seasons, Hong Kong. That Four Seasons has a very special place in my heart. I will be flying Business Class with Cathy Pacific and so am looking forward to eating at the Noodle Bar in The Wing again. Toasting the 'Year of the Earth Pig' with Veuve Clicquot in Hong Kong will be another '7 teddy' experience & dream come true!  Mandarin Oriental, Bangkok continue to blow my mind. It really is one of the best hotels in the world.
This week I had an unbelievable Kaviari caviar & Louis Roederer champagne afternoon tea there. They even produced a separate miniature afternoon tea for my teddy bear Issy. A '7 teddies' (🐻🐻🐻🐻🐻🐻🐻) 50th birthday year continues.  My year could not have started better.
Emirates First Class On my Emirates A380 (double-deck) First Class flight here I was given a double portion of caviar & had another shower on a plane. Four Seasons Seoul My trip to South Korea next month has been confirmed. At Four Seasons Seoul I will stay in a suite overlooking the Gyeongbokgung Palace & be able step into North Korea. Also intend to visit the Lotte Hotel re: my Lotte New York Palace bag. Mandarin Oriental, Bangkok Mandarin Oriental, Bangkok want me to try their new Iranian Kaviari caviar afternoon tea & I am meeting a friend from my Shrewsbury School days there tonight. Sukhothai, Bangkok I am going to the Sukhothai on Sunday for their Louis Roederer champagne brunch again and cannot wait to see Botan to talk about Seoul, while reading the Weekend Financial Times. My 50th Birthday Friends from Uruguay, Sweden, Qatar etc have confirmed they will be flying in for my 50th birthday celebrations in the UK at the end of March. It is going to be a '7 teddies' (🐻🐻🐻🐻🐻🐻🐻) 50th birthday year.
 My 29 March 2019 50th birthday, & the related Brexit date, are fast approaching. I had to make my first hotel stay of 2019 The Dorchester and my stay there could not have been better.
I was given an elegant Mayfair suite, with a spare shower room; balloons in the shape of 50; my first birthday cake & champagne. I visited Four Seasons at Park Lane and 45 Park Lane during me stay. At the former I finished writing the invited to my 50th birthday parties and then staff brought me dinner (tempura shrimp from heaven) without me even asking, just as at the Four Seasons George V in Paris, they can 'read my mind' and at the latter their genial GM John came for a cheerful chat. I should also mention a fantastic chat with Janice at The Dorchester, I had perfect chats with so many of their unbelievable staff. I should finally mention the guitar player in The Bar at The Dorchester. Love the live music on Wednesdays in that bar. A '7 teddies' (🐻🐻🐻🐻🐻🐻🐻) start to my 50th birthday YEAR. My Tip:- make the most of Mayfair, London, the luxury hotels there, & their staff, blow my mind.  Mandarin Oriental Taipei told me as much preparation & thought went into my visit as when Katy Perry stayed with them in Taiwan.
It was, therefore, almost 'appropriate' that I should follow Madonna's lead and stay in Suite 100 in La Mansion at Four Seasons Buenos Aires as my last hotel stay of 2019. From a Mercedes ride from the airport with Sam that was full of giggles; to a sublime complimentary Sothy facial; to a Diego Maradona/ Lionel Messi Number 10 Argentina 'Simon' football shirt; cocktails outside with Lisa & then my wise Uruguayan friend; to the best bathroom of the year, a '7 teddy" stay that only Veuve Clicquot could have improved! Happy New Year to all the readers of #travelblog www.sifrew.com, on 29 March 2019 I hit 50!  We decided Belmond Hotel das Cataratas, on the Brazilian side of Iguazu Falls, was the place to stay on our visit there.
On the day when we were flying from Rio, LVMH announced details of its US$3.2 Billion acquisition of Belmond. An auspicious night for this Brand Ambassador to be staying at a Belmond in such a jaw-dropping location, surround by 700,000 acres of National Park & in a prime location next to the Iguazu Falls. We were able to watch Iguazu Falls while toasting this with Veuve Clicquot. Eduardo Bressane, the GM, had given me a special rate and Fabio (Front Office Manager) and his team could not have looked after us better. The thoughtful welcome amenities left for Issy & me (eg a capoeira outfit for Issy edged with jaguar print to mark the birth of jaguar cubs in rainforest; Veuve Clicquot on ice for me etc) put Four Seasons Hotel Sao Paulo at Nacoes Unidas to shame. It was a memorable stay in what is clearly a quality hotel, which will only get better under LVMH's ownership.
 We visited Paraguay to 'Duty Free' shop and also crossed the Brazil/ Argentina border for the day to see the Iguazu Falls.
The main issue I observed during these visits was the lack of rigorous border controls in this border region. Not only was my Yellow Fever certificate not checked but my passport was also not asked for during some of the crossings. I also noted that there is a large Arabic speaking population living in this border area. In my role as a Banking Consultant, most recently focusing on Anti-Money Laundering & Countering Terrorism Financing in Cyprus & Cayman Islands, this raised red flags for me. We associate this area with the proceeds of Nazi crimes but there are clearly more current issues people should be concerned about when dealing with clients from this region.  We could not visit Brazil without a two night stay in Rio. The rooftop pool at the Fasano features in the logo of #travelblog www.sifrew.com and I have stayed at the Belmond Copacabana Palace on a number of occasions.
This time I got to walk on Ipanema Beach as the sun was coming up and shop at Shopping Leblon for the most exotic socks of my life. Another stay in Rio, with my phenomenal friend from Uruguay, that I will never forget!  Barcelona-based Ignasi Monreal's book of paintings 'Four Seasons: The Art of Hospitality' in the 12th floor Four Seasons Executive Lounge and my first negative edged indoor/outdoor swimming pool I stayed at Four Seasons Resort Dubai at Jumeirah Beach & Four Seasons Hotel Bahrain Bay before they opened to the public and wanted to stay at the first Four Seasons in Brazil, when I heard about Four Seasons Hotel Sao Paulo at Nacoes Unidas while staying at Mandarin Oriental Taipei a few months ago.
When I went to Mr Sharp's private home in Toronto, when I lived in Qatar, we discussed a Rio Four Seasons. However, Sao Paulo was the choice for the first Brazil Four Seasons in the end and GM Michael Schmid kindly offered me a complimentary stay, when I asked to try it. I travelled overnight from Punta del Este, Uruguay to experience my first Four Seasons Executive Club Lounge; take a look at Barcelona-based Ignasi Monreal's book of paintings 'Four Seasons: The Art of Hospitality'; swim in my first negative edged indoor/outdoor swimming pool and encounter Four Seasons in Brazil. It was a bit of a disappointed that, despite the effort I made to do this, Four Seasons Hotel Sao Paulo at Nacoes Unidas did not put much thought into the welcome amenities in my suite but the Brazilian owners of the property were visiting the hotel at the same time as me, so I guess the hotel was caught a little off guard. Just as with Four Seasons Abu Dhabi, I have decided it is unfair to 'teddy score' the Sao Paulo Four Seasons at this early stage of its development. It is impressive that the 'spirit of Four Seasons' is firmly established in Brazil, after only two months, and the issues I encountered are just a feature of any new luxury hotel. I am confident they will be addressed very quickly.  A series of mistakes/problems (eg bad journey advice from a black cab driver in London over the time it takes to get to Gatwick; my Lufthansa plane from Heathrow, London to Frankfurt was late & the connection time at Frankfurt being too short etc) led to a fraught start to my South American trip.
However, in the end the 14 hour flight from Frankfurt to Buenos Aires, upstairs on a Boeing 747, literally 'flew by'. The crew were friendly & helpful; the roast goose 'Christmas dinner' with red cabbage and potato dumplings excellent; the entertainment system with Bose noise cancelling headphones; good; the fully flat bed with a good quality pillow, large blanket & mattress topper had a quality feel; Van Laack sleep shirt was a nice touch; and L'Occitane products in the wash bags are still being appreciated here in Punta del Este, Uruguay. 🐻🐻🐻🐻🐻🐻(6 out of 5 'teddies') - a high quality Business Class service but no champagne in the Lufthansa Lounge at Heathrow; too short a connection time in Frankfurt, combined with lack of privacy with the Business Class seats, prevented a higher 'teddy score'. My Tip:- run at Frankfurt! |
The AuthorsSi Frew has lived in the UK, Bermuda, Qatar, Cyprus & the Cayman Islands. During this time he met Whoopi Goldberg (in Claridge's), Mike Tyson (in the Concorde Lounge at JFK) , Gordon Ramsay (in the Doha Four Seasons), Chris Eubanks (in The Dorchester), Cherie Blair (in Bermuda & again in the Doha Four Seasons) etc. There are funny stories attached to all these interactions, feel free to ask Si about them when you meet him. Archives
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