Seja lá ou ser quadrado…

Buzios, Brazil - Hotel Insolito

Nestled in a rocky hillside in Buzios, Brazil, Jaunt Magazine is bringing our sassy friends some news about this swanky gem: The Insolito Boutique Hotel, a tranquil coastal boutique resort with a brand new restaurant, nine new guest rooms and a Parilla. That’s right… a barbeque straight from Rio Plata.

The property, as you can see to the left, encompasses 20 themed guest rooms based around Brazilian history and culture and include nine new spaces that reflect Brazilian Modernism.

A bit about… The Parilla
We hear that the new Parilla is fueled by a mixture of firewood and coal that gives ingredients it’s distinct flavor. The barbeque, situated in the popular beach lounge restaurant, is close to the sea to create an interactive dining experience for guests. The open barbeque ‘kitchen’ allows guests to get close to the action and learn tips from the parrilleiro (cook), including the origins and cuts of the meats and how best to cook them. Diners can choose from Argentinean, Uruguayan and Brazilian meats, seafood or vegetables, and enjoy them with a special dressing from the Plata River region. There is also a range of tapas and finger foods, and a choice of two menu options in which the cook prepares a range of starters and main courses that present the typical taste of a Parilla. Dishes include pork sausage with dried tomato and mint, roasted potatoes with roquefort cheese and baby beef medallions. Hungry yet?

The pool at dusk...

A bit about… The Restaurant
The new sophisticated restaurant area serves Franco-Brazilian cuisine and aims to delight the senses through a variety of Brazilian ingredients. The dishes, reflecting local traditions with a contemporary French touch, include delicacies like jabuticaba, a fruit similar to a cherry, used to complement meats in dishes such as ‘Beef filet in a jabuticaba sauce with a mandioquinha gratin’. The chef also grills crayfish and serves it with banana prata risotto. Other seafood dishes include Grilled Brazilian lobster with banana and Parma ham risotto and Provencal jumbo shrimp with Sicilian risotto. Buying my ticket just to eat that grub NOW.

Outside, guests can dine in a lounge area on the swimming pool deck and take in the sea views and fresh sea breeze, while inside there is a large room with a wall of blue tiles hand-painted by Laura Taves. Taves is founder and director of The Tile Workshop, a collective of artists and craftswomen in Rio de Janeiro. The kitchen area is framed by a unique vertical garden produced by São Paulo company Quadro Vivo and designed by architect Luis Fernando Grabowsky. The restaurant’s furnishings include items from the 1960s by designer Jorge Zalszupin, with lighting by Maneco Quinderé.  And you know how much we love – and live for – swanky design elements.

A bit about… The Rooms
The nine new spaces include two superior rooms, four luxury rooms and three master suites. Located in a new house connected to the main building, the rooms show off interiors related to Brazilian Modernism. This is achieved through books, objects, furniture, paintings and photographs. For instance, there are items of Brazilian furniture from Jorge Zalzupin and, on the walls, photographs by Almir Reis who portrays modernist architecture and the human body.

Insolito's Rooms

A bit about… The Hotel
Converted from her beachfront home, owner Emmanuelle de Clermont Tonnerre’s has created a personal, relaxed hotel, with a variety of inviting spaces for guests and locals. The focus point of the hotel is the 3,000m² beach lounge between the beach and the garden with a bar carved out of a 1,000-year-old tree root. Guests can choose from three pools, one with fresh water, one with heated water, and another with sea water. There are also saunas and Turkish baths, a jacuzzi, a gym, bicycles and a lounge decorated with designer objects. The hotel also owns two speedboats for taking guests to nearby beaches and for water sports like wakeboarding and skiing.

And where is this hot Brazilian hotel? 
Insólito Boutique Hotel is located in the Peninsula of Buzios. The hotel is approximately 2 hours by car from Rio de Janeiro-Galeão International Airport.

So be there or be square (and no one wants to be the square one in Brazil).

www.designhotels.com/insolito

Ireland: Last Minute Deal

A view of Dublin

“Giorraíonn Beirt Bóthar”… that’s an old Gaelic expression meaning, “Two people shorten the road.”

In another words, it’s much better to have company on a journey.

Welcoming travelers to Ireland for 46  years,  Terry Flynn Tours has  come up  with  a way… a last-minute bargain  for  May and June.  Their  land-only Magical  Ireland package includes six nights’ accommodation in Bed & Breakfasts, full Irish breakfast daily, five days’ car rental with unlimited mileage (stick shift), reduced rate on CDWinsurance, Hop-On-Hop-Off city tour of Dublin, a detailed itinerary and reductions on entrance fees to many historic sites—all for only $430.  But this last-minute trip must be booked by May 31st and finished by June 30th.

Terry Flynn Tours (yes, there is a Terry Flynn) is known for professional service with the personal touch.  This means they’ll answer your queries quickly and they’ve chosen B&Bs that are family-owned but government-approved, have friendly helpful hosts, and offer private baths and a full Irish breakfast.  (That breakfast of OJ, eggs, bacon, sausages, white pudding, tomato, fried potatoes, brown bread and strong Irish tea or coffee will keep you going for a whole day of touring the Irish countryside.)

Prices quoted are per person, double occupancy, are subject to availability and do not include air fare, gasoline, CDW insurance or deductible, or location charges (at airports, etc.).

www.terryflynntours.com

Portugal’s Sexy Design Hotel

Farol Design Hotel - Portugal

Yes, we’re a little obsessed with artistically inspired, unique design hotels which is why we’re looking to the unspoken Spanish rival… Portugal. Known for it’s beautiful women, great food, and raw coast, Farol is one hotel we’re dyin to check out.

Perched on a rocky shoreline overlooking small fishing boats in a local marina, this hotel not only benefits from ocean views but a striking visual interior. A daring project from CM Dias Arquitectos, the hotel is housed in a remodeled 19th-century mansion once owned by the Count of Cabral and seems to float above the sea below. Inside, the communal spaces have been redefined in black and white, while 10 of the guestrooms show off designs from Portugal’s fashion elite, including Ana Salazar, Fátima Lopez, Miguel Vieira, who were invited to each decorate a room. Aquatic elements pervade the property, from hydro-massage bathtubs in each of the rooms to the terrace garden, complete with salt-water pool.  I see China, I see France, I see Portugal… in my travel pants!

www.designhotels.com/farol_design_hotel

Couples Therapy in Paradise

Villa Milagro at Sunset

We’re excited to announce that Villa Milagro, a secluded retreat on the Pacific coast of Mexico, has expanded into a full-scale wellness resort and spa. In addition, Berta Davis, PhD, couple and sex therapist and owner of Villa Milagro, in collaboration with the managing director, Peter Petersen, will offer workshops in meditation, couples therapy, qigong, dance, yoga, surf and other forms of holistic healing. And really… who better to offer such things than a sex therapist??

Sitting solo on a secluded beachfront cove, Villa Milagro is a fully enclosed paradise that is as serene as it is secure. The Villa consists of three spacious thatched-roof buildings open to the Pacific Ocean in the sexy little fishing town of Zihuatanejo. Scenic vistas include the ever-changing sea, acres of untouched tropical landscapes and the Sierra Madre del Sur Mountains. Gentle waves are the ultimate backdrop for meditation or the perfect night’s sleep. Gated and enclosed with twenty-four hour security, Villa Milagro is also perfect venue for romantic hideaways, family vacations, destination weddings, and group workshops.

A view from the pool at Villa Milagro

Throughout the year, they’ll offer spiritual, emotional, and educational retreats, including couples and sexuality workshops under the guidance of Dr. Davis, who has been a leader in the transformation process for over 30 years. Structured in collaboration with Peter Petersen and his “moving meditation” practice, Villa Milagro will approach healing with a new and exciting approach. In addition, they’ll also be hosting other healing professionals who combine mind, body, and spirit to help facilitate our mission for holistic healing and education.  Rates are below, so what are you waiting for? Your love life to improve on it’s own. I don’t think so. Perhaps it’s time someone admits that it’s time for a spontaneous retreat, no?

Si.

www.mexicovillamilagro.com

Master Suite per night $450 $275
Sunrise Suite per night $250 $200
Sunset Suite per night $250 $200
Zen Room per night* $200 $175
Garden Room per night* $175 $150
Entire Villa per week $7,500 $5,000