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?
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.
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).
Depending on your views of life, some say, “You only live once,” but we here at Jaunt Magazine say, “You only live two or three (or maybe four) times.” How else could we pack it all in? We also say, if you’re only going to live once (or twice), your life really hasn’t been complete without a trip to Le Meurice, the grand dame of Parisian landmarks.
For the second consecutive year, Le Meurice also presents its Prize for Contemporary Art, highlighting its commitment to promoting young artists on the French scene. The winner of the Prix Meurice will be selected by a jury of arts professionals including the Chairman and Director of the Louvre, Director of the Musée du Jeu de Paume, Artistic Director of FIAC, among others, and announced October 1st, 2009. The Prize includes €10,000 awarded for the artist, and €10,000 for his or her gallery. Not too shabby, eh? The jury just selected the seven finalists and Le Meurice has recently launched a website and blog around the prize where everyone can view them, their work, leave comments, and vote for their favorites. If you ask us, we think this is pretty chic (see below).
The Choc’Alléno pain au chocolat and croissant is an all chocolate delight: the dough is made with chocolate and added cocoa beans to enhance the flavor. Complete that with a hot chocolate selected by Head Sommelier Nicolas Rebut, and of course, chocolate chip butter, and… Viola! Chocolat fantasy. Available in all Ladurée boutiques and breakfast at Le Meurice. But wait… there’s more! For lunch, Chef Alléno has added a brand spankin’ new ‘Terroir Parisien’ lunch menu. He’s lovingly re-envisioned a traditional Parisian menu using exceptional products from in and around the city, including honey from beehives set atop the Paris Opera.
JAUNT MAGAZINE 