tai chi on the beach (VERY EARLY)
kayaking off the beacch (EARLY)
yoga on the beach (LATE)Phew! What a day!
0430 - up to write diary (!)
0530 - meet up with stacey & helen (the most lovely PR minders a tv crew could ever ask for) in the Spa
0600 - julie (spa director) ensures that on-camera massage from rachel looks good. spa is amazing ... his n' her areas with whirlpools, saunas & steam-rooms etc and they are all "BIG". It's very Japanese in the sense that spa is important and so the hotel provides the best.
thankfully not hot stone massage - just a regular - up and down my taut back!
0800 - head to the beach at the back of the hotel for a tai-chi lesson with david dorian (wellness manager). the sun is up, it's a simply stunning day ... and i am getting an alternative early morning excersize!
0900 - hit the pacific in a kayak. not something i have done before ... but it is fun ... and of course i fell in the sea ... just once though. billy fried who owns la vida laguna kayaking is a very funny fellow ... and makes the experience entertaining
1100 -film hotel - its in Orange County - by the way - NOT L.A....
i am staying in the Catalina Suite - number 305 ... its the largest on property - 2200 sq ft. it has a kitchen, dining area, seating area, a double sided "real" fireplace ... 3 bathrooms (for just one bedroom!!!), and an outside balcony - approx 50 foot long - which has 180 degree views over the Pacific. Superb? No ... simply unique and magnificent ... YES!
the resort was opened in 2003 has 250 rooms inc 60 suites ... everyone with ocean views.
i am IN heaven!
1400 - cooking feature with award winning James Boyce on the patio of the signature studio restaurant. the weather is SO lovely, we prepare a healthy, tasty and colourful salad outside ... and use only local ingredients.
1630 - back on the beach with Master Yoga Instructor Beth Engren for a "sun salutation" ... just as the sun starts saying goodbye ...
1800 - as the sun DOES start setting, i sit by a fire pit, sipping fine cognac and smoking a terrific cigar ...
1930 - dinner at The Studio ... perfect. Alex had a perfect veggie tasting menu, Tim nearly cried as he enjoyed faultless lobster and lamb .... and I just lapped it all up ... (including my current favourite wine, Moscato)
a perfect end to a perfect day ...
stacey and helen have been just brilliant with us - though i am sure that at times, they must think we are slightly mad. as a little team, we have been travelling for 5 months now ... we have our "ways". its been 50 hotels + the doggie hotel so far ... all luxury ... and all with unique offerings.
i am truly enamoured with the Montage ... i will be back ... this time on holiday when i can relax and enjoy the place the way it should be.
off to blow glass now.
Song of the Day: (It's got to be) Perfect - Fairground Attraction
Weather: It's the OC ... the sun always shines here!
No comments:
Post a Comment