OK - so the new - fourth - series of Inside Luxury Travel starts airing in December!

There's a new trailer - which is quite funny ... which I will post nearer to the time.

Airing dates I have been sent:

TC Europe in Hi-Definition
December
5 - 20:00 and 01:00, 6 - 14:00, 7 - 09:00, 10 - 17:00 and 11 - 19:00 CET

TC Europe/Middle East & Africa in Standard Definition
December
13 - 19:00 and 00:00, 14 - 13:00, 15 - 07:00, 17 - 20:00 and 18 - 02:00 CET

TC Germany
December
5 - 21:15 and 01:15, 6 - 16:15, 8 - 08:15 and 11 - 08:15 CET

TC UK
December
16 - 20:00, 17 - 13:30 and 18 - 00:00 GMT

Airing dates for New Zealand, Asia, Japan (new) and mainland China (new) to follow!

The order of airing:

Hungary

Seychelles

Napa Valley (California)

Malaysia

Switzerland

Antigua

Central Coast (California)

Sweden

Botswana

Bahamas

Mumbai (India)

Madhya Pradesh (India) - Indian safari

Look Back

Culinary Travels (from the Seychelles)

Not sure why this exists ... but I am hoping NOT to end up a trophy on anyones' wall!

So have just had reconfirmation that Inside Luxury Travel is ALSO set to air in 2012 in Japan and mainland China from 2012 ... this is wonderful news as Japan - especially - is one of the toughest markets to break into! This hopefully means that I can get to visit this wonderful country in early 2012, drink sake and eat loads of yakatori!

I am quite tired - as I got home in the early hours of the day. I have been playing catch up ever since ...

I am VERY excited that I will be in Hong Kong this week. Only for two nights ... with further two nights stuck on a plane BUT hey, what fun! This really is a crazy travel schedule ...

My recent trip to LA was quite instructive. I have a new "Yoda" ... my new friend Lauren  aka DeadMouse ... is a whizz at all things computerish and I am hoping that the way I use Twitter and Facebook ... and indeed websites ... will be much more effective in the future ...!

p.s. http://www.varunsharmasculinarytravels.com/ - tell me what you think!

My favourite photo from the past couple of days - the team at work! Making poncha. I am STILL drunk!

Greed

The day started with a sad farewell to Casa Branca and the delightful Isabel ... and we drove 25 minutes to Companhia dos Engenhos do Norte ... and the boss Filipe Canning Clode. His family have been making rum on the island since 1927.

The sugar cane is squished and then fermented and then distilled. After 3 days it is a white rum – at 50 percent which is used in cocktails (poncho at al) .... or poured into French oak casks for 3 years when it is then turned into the “brown rum”. Filipe let me sample a 1977 rum – delicious!

Finally to Quinta do Furao where we did an old fashioned “espedada” or barbecue. Instead of skewers, the hotel GM (Pedro Costa) and I used laurel branches to cook the pork instead! Wonderful taste ... !

I am sitting in the quinta now eating lunch in the sunshine ... the Atlantic is filled with whales ... and it’s just stunning!

On Thursday we leave for Hong Kong.

I loved my time here on Madeira – such a shame i didn’t play any golf or go to the 80’s nightclub in Funchal! Next time ...

I won’t forget Isabel and Luis - two of my favourite people on Madeira ... and of course, huge thanks to the lovely Laura the PR for the Quintas in the UK who we have driven MAD but she still loves us (I think) and is taking us to the Cayman Islands in 2012. Whoohoo!!

 With Laura

 With Filipe

 Quinta do Furao

 With Pedro

Spot the spanner!

My liver REALLY, REALLY hurts ... I have just not stopped drinking!

First up, Blandy's - Madeira wine producers on the island since 1811 ... I met with Chris Blandy - 7th generation wine producer. Madeira has been producing wine since the late 1400's. First it was the usual "table wine" which due to the volcanic, acidic soil it would turn to vinegar quickly. By chance, in the 1700's, on a trip to India, the wine was mixed with brandy and on return the barrel was found to contain this "new" wine. It took off ...

There are several types of Maderia wine from dry to sweet. We tasted three wines ... the 1920 vintage ... yes ... 1920 ... was awesome!!!

From there we drove to Da Ponta do Sol - a quinta around 25 minutes drive from the Casa Branca. We had lunch overlooking the sea! Tim and James were "very naughty boys".

From there it was back to the Casa Branca where I made Laura and the wonderful hotel GM - Isabel Ferraz ... a poncha. This "cocktail" has two uses ... one to keep you warm and one to kill headcolds! It is made up of white rum (50% - strong), lemon & orange juice and honey. It's a KILLER! Only the heaviest boozer could have more than three ... it's THE drink here on the island!

Finally, I met with Americo Pereira - the top sommelier, vintner and wine-buff on the island. He took me through three Madeiran "table wines" ... which are having a resurgence at the moment. The wines are not bad ... they are not great ... one day soon, they will be good ...

This evening we all went to see Tintin at the local cinema. Erm - Snowy (Milou) was fabulous ... but ... erm ... the rest of it wasn't great ... I much prefer the comic books!

Chris with the 1920 ...

Among the oldest & rarest in the cellar ...

Andre Diogo with Shaka the lovely pooch at Ponta do Sol ...

Socks - the Casa Branca cat ...

I make poncha!

For Isabel and Laura

Wine Master Americo

Greetings from Casa Branca ... still here in Funchal, Madeira ...

It was a sad farewell to Casa Velha do Palheiro ... the staff there - especially Luis - have just been so wonderful ...

Anyway - first stop the Mercado dos Lavradores - Farmer's Market - which is where the people of Funchal come to shop. Everything fresh & edible is sold here ... plus souvenirs. In the fish market I came across the scabbard - which is found in only certain parts of the world - and is certainly the ugliest and scariest fish in the sea. Ugh ..

From there we visited the Quintinha Soa Joao where we met with the owner Andre Barreto. He took us to the barbecue area where Chef Jose Mendoza was ready to show me how to prepare fried "scabbard livers & roe" ... and chicken curry in a Goan style. The first dish is a Madeiran delicacy ... and was ... different and the chicken curry was delicious.

On the way to Casa Branca, we headed to the oldest Quinta in Funchal - the Bela Vista where I had a local rum masterclass from Hilario Freitas. It was another boozy end to the day!

 Tim & I in a staring competition over a slug ...

 With Maria Da Luz from Mercado dos Lavradores (Farmer's Market)

 Scabbard fish - the UGLIEST fish in the world

SCAREY

 With chef Jose Mendoza at Quintinha Sao Joao

With Hilario Freitas at Quinta da Bela Vista

It’s been a rather lovely day. The sun has been shining ... the sky blue ... and I have met some rather delightful people ...

SO – I am still here at the Casa Vehla do Palheiro ... which is just as lovely as it was yesterday.

We started off at breakfast – followed by a Madeira wine tasting. And I don’t mean “table wine” – I mean the fortified wine type. With the hotel “sommelier” Luis Emanuel, we tried a 5 year, 10 year and 34 year old ... By the way, the term fortified means addition of “distilled grape spirit”. The wine industry in Madeira has been around since the early 16th century.

I fell asleep for 10 minutes after this before running down to the kitchen to learn how to prepare a sea-bream dish ... which was prepared with sweet potato, green butternut, mango and passion fruit. It was rather tasty. The chef Francesco Quintal is a fabulous chef.

After a lovely lunch at Jardins da Lago (another lovely quinta) we ventured into central Funchal to a sugar cane factory. Honey cake is actually made of syrup ... which is made from sugar cane. So – the cane is harvested, then the juice is filtered three times, heated to 90 degrees, pushed through a vacuum chamber ... and finally it comes out as this deep, dark and VERY sweet ...

The factory – Fabrica do Ribeiro Seco ... it’s run by the Melim family ... who are just fabulous.

We then went off to an artisan baker to learn how to make “honey cake”. This is a normal cake – syrup, flour, spices and nuts ... it is delicious. My two lovely cake makers Maria Camancho and Lucia Govia.


Now a little bit about the hotel ... there are a total of 37 rooms and suites that vary in size from 28 to 60 square metres. Some of the guestrooms were built in 1804 ... which gives you a picture of just how historic some of the buildings in the hotel are!

The Casa Vehla do Palheiro was built as a hunting lodge in the 19th century for Count Carvalhal and once even hosted the King & Queen of Portugal . From the turn to the late 20th century though, the estate fell into disrepair until by Presidential command in 1987, it was restored. The property opened in 1997 – the island’s first 5-star country house hotel.

There are plenty of facilities and amenities on offer.

The hotel has a world famous 18 hole golf course attached ... there’s also a spa – opened in 2009 – complete with treatment rooms, steam & sauna, fitness centre and an indoor heated swimming pool.

There’s also a large outdoor swimming pool and an all-weather tennis court ...

The Palheiro Gardens are renowned for their beauty and diversity. Some of the rare trees that grace the Quinta date back to 1801 ...

By the way, a quinta is a house with a “walled garden” ...

 With my new pal Colombo

 The Casa

 The wonderful Luis

34 year old wine! Yum!

 Francesco

 San Francisco mocktail ...

 Sugar cane to syrup

Maria

 Lucia

 yumyum!

Madeira Cake!

Greetings from the Casa Velha do Palheiro ... a luxury country house hotel on the island of Madeira in Portugal.

My stay at The Ritz in London was all-too brief! I left there at 0430 and met with the boys and the PR of "quintas da madeira" - my old friend Laura - (please note - who was early) at Heathrow ...

The flight to Funchal was just over three hours and it was another twenty minutes drive to this lovely property. The weather is rather changeable ... let’s hope it’s good when we start filming here properly tomorrow.

Greetings from The Ritz Hotel in London!

I flew in from LA at around 4 pm and within two hours I was at the hotel, visited Davidoff for a couple of cigars with the Sahakians, met with our television distributors and had a drink with my dear friend James McBride and his delightful partner Brenna at the Corinthia Hotel ... before we retired to George on Mount Street for wine (Felton Road from NZ) and delicious meal followed by a cigar!

I have to be up at 0330 as I have a flight to catch to Portugal in the morning!

No internet access???? So am writing diary on my BlackBerry! It has its uses!

Suite at Ritz is superb - VERY romantic- overlooking Piccadilly - Claire de Lune on the radio - shame I am all alone!

I was VERY sad to be leaving the Beverly Wilshire today ... but this suite on the 6th floor has helped dull the pain!

The flight over was remarkable ... as I remember so little of it ... I slept all the way!

Brenna and James outside George - fabulous evening!

My Beverly Hills adventure is swiftly coming to a close ... in a just a few hours I will be on my way back to London - albeit for just 12 hours before I zoom off to Madeira!

My day has been spent shopping, eating and drinking ... I will so sleep on the flight tonight!

The "look back" show is now recorded ... marking the end of an era ... almost farewell James ...

Happy Birthday Baby Moo! Twelve years young and still as gorgeous as ever!

Just back from supper at CUT with Darling Jen. So full of food ...

So - first thing this morning, we headed down to North Canon to meet with Hasty Torres - Madame Chocolat. I learnt about chocolate ... and tried my hand at making Eiffel Towers - with strangely, great success. Hasty is fabulous!

From there it was off to Blvd at The Beverly Wilshire - a Four Seasons hotel. Today it was officially "Varun Day" and I had a dish named after me on the menu! I joke not - see photos below ...

To learn how to create the Varun Burger, I headed to the kitchen to meet and cook with the Executive Chef - Gilles Arzur ... what fun we had!

I have now left the Beverly Hills Hotel and am now at the Beverly Wilshire ... all good ...

Gemima! The adorable pooch ...

Hasty ... and me being greedy!

Happy Varun's Day!

With Gilles

Baby G

I first stayed at the Hotel Bel-Air, twenty years ago! I have great memories from there ... heehee ...

After a 24-month refurbishment & renovation, it reopened in October - part of Dorchester Collection. It has now 103 rooms & suites ... all very contemporary in design ... limestone floors, natural wood ceilings, state of the art technology ... private terraces & balconies ... Spa pools etc ...

There's a Wolfgang Puck signature restaurant ... a 4134 square feet Prairie spa ... a wonderful fitness centre ... and there's still the lovely swimming pool that opened in 1946 ...

The buildings are still Spanish colonial style ... and the colour is still Bel Air "pink" ... and the legendary swans are still swimming around ...

The weather was TERRIBLE this morning ... but has improved as the day has gone on ...

In the gym ...

in the Bar with Bobbie Pyle ... champagne at 0930!

With the lovely PR - Alisha Mahon