Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Marbella Club

Marbella Club has a very special place in my heart. My husband and I went on a romantic vacation early 2010 and 9 months later..... Rudolph Valentino JohnJohn was born.

JohnJohn´s name is in honor of the legendary hotelier Count Rudi ( Rudolph) von Schonburg, the founding General Manager of Marbella Club.
My last trip before giving birth was when I was 6 moths pregnant. We went to relax for a week at Marbella Club where I was being spoiled with "Mothers to be" Spa treatments"

Some of the treatments I tried were the Pregnancy & Thalasso - “Embrace Life” treatment, some relaxing Prenatal Massages, and some Leg Revival which all made me relax and made me feel good.

We returned to Marbella Club when JohnJohn was 5 months old and again when he was 10 months old and just like his parents he fell in love with Marbella Club too.




The baby chair we had in our room, comfortable and stylish!

In all the restaurants and bars at Marbella Club there is a large number of Stokke baby chairs, we could choose which one we preferred to have in our room.



JohnJohn´s bed where he slept at night and played during daytime.






We enjoyed several outdoor dinners at the romantic restaurant The Grill, where you dine outside in a beautiful garden full of candlelights and in the background you hear the live piano from the cozy bar next door. In Spain it is normal to bring your children with you to late dinners and they are welcome!


We also used the hotel´s nanny service a few evening so we could have a romantic dinner just me and my husband which we very much enjoyed too.




The lovely Guest Relation Manager Maria who JohnJohn has a crush on....




JohnJohn taking a nap in the peaceful court yard.




Lions Club is the famous Kids Club at Marbella Club where kids can play all day long from 2 years old and up. JohnJohn cannot wait to try it! Please note that the Lion´s Cub is not open all year round.



Big steps....Small steps.......JohnJohn loves his Vilebrequins!




JohnJohn chilling at the MC Beach Club after a long lunch. Note his Marbella Club T-Shirt, a present from the Marbella Club Staff for his birth.





Evening walk on the Golden Mile.....any stroller will do fine here. Very child friendly!




The most amazing toy store is to be found in the Old Town of Marbella where you can buy old style toys. Don't let your child loose in here! There is a no touch policy.



Marbella Club is the perfect get away when pregnant, when enjoying the early months of motherhood and for the rest of your life! It is a home away from home and the staff goes far to make you and your baby feel this way.





For more info about Marbella Club visit

Saturday, February 25, 2012

Avenue Hotel Copenhagen

Nota Bene Review wrote "This is the first 3 Star hotel we have stayed at that offers 5 Star service" (It can sometimes be the other way round!) Tyler Brule and Conde Nast Traveller loves the hotel too and so does JohnJohn!

Avenue Hotel is a child and Eco-friendly hotel located only 10 minutes walk from the City Hall Square and Tivoli Gardens in Copenhagen. The hotel has 68 rooms, some of the rooms are specially designed for families with children. The hotel is managed by the lovely General Manager Mai Kappenberger who knows how to make her guests feel at home. We stayed at Avenue Hotel with JohnJohn in May 2011 when he was 5 months old.




Welcomed by General Manager Mai Kappenberger.







Avenue Hotel is by the way the first hotel (so far!) to offer a changing table in the room, which as a mom I highly appreciated! Note the Missoni bedspread and photos on the wall from the famous Danish photographer Claes Bech Poulsen.



Welcome kit "Avenue Feeling for the tired mom" Organic of course! Jurlique is my favorite organic skincare brand which I also use for JohnJohn.
Avenue Hotel even has a very little shop where its possible to buy lovely organic skincare products from Jurlique, stylish clothes from Danish Fashion brand Day ( All the staff are dressed in clothes from DAY, even the maids!)

Outside in the court yard there is a cozy terrace where guests can enjoy the morning sun while the kids are playing in the Avenue Kid´s Corner where there is a sand box full of toys to play with.


There is a nice bar by the reception and there is always a fire in the fireplace at night and its the perfect spot to relax before going bed.

JohnJohn would have loved to stay longer!


For more info visit
www.avenuehotel.dk
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Friday, February 24, 2012

Ritz Carlton Moscow


Moscow might not seem like first choice of destination to bring a baby, but to my surprise the Muscovites turned out to be far more childfriendly that I had imagined. We chose the Ritz Carlton Hotel because it is located centrally by the Red Square and that we could walk to everything which is important in a town where it can take hours to move
from A to B. We stayed at the Ritz Carlton Moscow for a week in September 2011 when JohnJohn was 9 months old.




When staying at Ritz Carlton in Moscow it is a good investment to pay a little extra to get a Clubroom, all located on the top floors with great views of Moscow. The Clubrooms gives access to the Club Lounge on the 11th floor which is overlooking the Red Square and through out the day they serve complimentary breakfast,lunch, afternoon tea and dinner. JohnJohn loved to play there and the staff were great with him.


JohnJohn enjoying dinner at the Club Lounge.







Very comfortable baby bed for JohnJohn!



Beautiful Stokke babychair in the room of course!





Excellent hallways to practice some crawling!


The doorman was very helpful with JohnJohn when checking out! Notice the handsome father who proud carries our son in a babybjorn! Best Swedish invention since Volvo!


A Military parade meant a short walk up Tverskay when leaving for the airport....but the Ritz Carlton staff were very helpful.





All in all Ritz Carlton Moscow is a great hotel for kids!

For more info visit www.ritzcarlton.com
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Tuesday, February 21, 2012

Hacienda Zuleta


Hacienda Zuleta is one of the most famous and most beautiful Haciendas in Ecuador. It is located a two and half hour drive north of Quito in one of the most breathtaking parts of Ecuador in a small village called in Zuleta which is located on an altitude of 3000 meters above sea level.
The Hacienda is owned by the descendants of former President Galo Plaza.



The Hacienda has 15 rooms and the place attracts people from all over world.
Zuleta is a small village that is famous for it's beautiful handmade embroideries and all staff at the Hacienda are of course wearing the local Zuleta dresses.


Local Zuleta woman wearing the traditional dress.


JohnJohn in great company of the staff at Zuleta who loved to entertain him.








There is a cozy library and living room full of books and old family photos of the Plaza family for guests to enjoy. Every afternoon the staff makes a nice fire in the fireplace and serve a tasting of their best cheeses.


The food is mainly produced from the Hacienda's own organic garden, a place JohnJohn loved to explore. They even have their own cheese factory that is known for making the best cheeses in Ecuador. The cheeses can also be found in special cheese stores like the famous Cow Girl creamery in San Francisco.



Hacienda Zuleta is very child friendly and there is a great variety of activities for kids such as cow milking, horseback riding, condor watching, exploring the quaint little village
Zuleta.




Condor Wathing! There are five of them guests can watch closely! Quite impressive, they have up to 1,5 meter long wings!


JohnJohn loved Fito, who followed us everywhere we went as a loyal watchdog!



We stayed in the Margarita room, number 14, which had its own little terrace and fireplace.


Our terrace with view to the horses.




JohnJohn's bed where he slept like an angel for 12 hours straight due to all the fresh air. All rooms have their own fireplace and every night the staff prepares the fire and places warm water bottles in each bed.

Zuleta was great for JohnJohh to explore and all the staff without exception were just incredible, we will for sure return to Hacienda Zuleta many more times!

Nota Bene! The altitude can be a problem for younger babies if they are not used to it. We stayed at Hacienda Zuleta in February 2012 when JohnJohn was 14 months old and he managed just fine with the high altitude.

For more info visit www.haciendazuleta.com

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