Travel and Fashion Blogger Abroad

The Tassel Club Cirque du Cabaret at Hoxton Hall - Cabaret

2012-02-05T02:48:00.000-08:00

The Tassel Club Cirque du Cabaret at Hoxton Hall - Cabaret

Latest Project: Styling and Producing a Vaudeville show in Hoxton Hall

2011-12-09T01:57:00.000-08:00

The Tassel Club : London’s premier burlesque events company presents

DEC 31st 2011 NEW YEAR'S EVE Party in HOXTON HALL

Dress up and party like it's 1900 in this stunning Victorian music hall, with your hosts, purveyors of vintage chic The Tassel Club.

Tickets: £40 reception and show tickets

Doors: 7pm – 2am
Where: Hoxton Hall, 130 Hoxton Street, London N1 6SH (TUBE Hoxton/Old St)

What: A night of stylish burlesque, vintage cabaret including live can can at midnight. Dancing til late

Ticket agent:

http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/213033
Call: 24/7 Ticket Line: 0800 411 8881

The Tassel Club Supper Club at The Grand Hall - Cabaret

2011-10-19T15:43:00.000-07:00

The Tassel Club Supper Club at The Grand Hall - Cabaret

The Dollhouse — LondonCalling.com

2011-09-30T12:27:00.000-07:00

The Dollhouse — LondonCalling.com

The Tassel Club’s Saturday Night supper Club — LondonCalling.com

2011-09-30T12:26:00.000-07:00

The Tassel Club’s Saturday Night supper Club — LondonCalling.com

Let us not die from habit

2011-04-15T02:02:00.000-07:00

Let us not die from habit
The True Poet says, “The present is always the present moment of the past. We are the past. Art links past, present and future.”
So far, so good. But when he goes on, “Cut off from the past there is only habit”, it’s important to grasp the connection.
Cut off from the past there is only the day to day continuum – no comparisons therefore no ideas, and no foresight. For what is it we really compare when we look at the past? How the world could be different, more wonderful; where we went wrong; how people see things....

Random favourite photos...

2011-04-13T10:52:00.000-07:00

I found this file of photos from my time working for Tatler. These first two models were flown in from Paris for the day! No presure then...!

Follow me on Twitter

2011-04-13T10:47:00.001-07:00

So simple... Twitter is not strictly fashion or travel .. but just observations on a more regular basis... in 140 or less! -
twitter.com saracolohan

London Fashion Week streaming...

2011-02-18T04:29:00.001-08:00

http://www.londonfashionweeklive.co.uk

BFC/ELLE Talent Launch Pad Event
Launch
11.00 - 12.00
The Exhibition, Lower 2, Somerset House, Embankment Level, London, WC2R 1LA

Bright Young Things - Jessica Dance's Tea, Cake and Set Design event
Tea, Cake & Set Design
16.00 - 18.00
3rd Central on 3rd Floor, Selfridges, 400 Oxford Street, London, W1A 1AB

Exhibition Happy Hour
Champagne Reception
18.00 - 19.00
The Exhibition, Lower 2, Somerset House, Embankment Level, London, WC2R 1LA

Ink Implants by Tobias Dunér-Axelsson at The Convenience Store
Fashion/Art Launch
19.00 - 22.00
The Convenience Store, 1a Hazelwood Tower, Golborne Gardens, London,
W10 5DT

William Tempest and Mechante AW11 after party
Cocktail Party
21.00 - late
Strictly invitation only

Official PPQ After-Party
After Show Party
22.00 - late
Sky Bar, Millbank Tower, 21-24 Millbank,
SW1P 4QP

Full events schedule

LFW Opens
LFW kicked off this morning at Somerset House with buyers and press warmly welcomed by Harold Tillman CBE and Samantha Cameron in her new role as BFC Ambassador.
Read more... Images to come!

The BFC Industry Facts & Figures
Details on Fashion Week and the industry in the UK:
•    65 catwalk shows and 45 salon shows and presentations to take place over 6 days
•    170 UK and international emerging and established, ready to wear and accessories designers at The Exhibition
•    Canon is the principal sponsor for the eleventh consecutive season
•    The Exhibition at LFW will play host to 22 Estethica designers, 17 NEWGEN designers and 4 Multibrand Showrooms
•    Menswear day, now in its 5th season, has 14 shows and 7 presentations
Read more...

LFW Daily
Pick up your copy from Sunday and check out the new blog now - it's had a makeover for the new season: www.londonfashionweek.co.uk/lfwdaily

Music Moves Fashion
Music Moves Fashion returns to London Fashion Week this season. DJ sets Friday-Tuesday, 5pm-7pm in the Music Moves Fashion Cafe on L2 of the Exhibition at Somerset House. Brought to you by Sony Music for the BFC/Bazaar Fashion Arts Foundation. See the schedule here.

LFW AW11 Sponsors
LFW is organised by the British Fashion Council and is funded by sponsors, many of which provide services that have become integral to the unique experience London has to offer. The BFC thank all of their sponsors, in particular principal sponsor Canon, for their continued support. Read more...

See you all there!!

Piers Atkinson AW 2010

2010-12-16T12:56:00.000-08:00

Something else rather cool I spotted AW London fashion week 2010 - how original and fascinating!

Marko Mitanovski | London Fashion Week | Video Presentation

2010-12-16T12:49:00.000-08:00

I remember seeing an amazing collection in London fashion Week 2010, sticking the invite/details on my notice board and forgetting about it until now... Gaga is all over his style since.. thanks to Dazed and Confused I believe..
See an article about it here

Who do you follow..... Bloggers of the world unite....

2010-12-02T07:47:00.000-08:00

A cool video from 1000 heads.... Who's your favourite blogger...

http://vimeo.com/10234316

Latest fashion shoot from London

2010-11-26T02:16:00.000-08:00

This was published in Mail on Sunday Nov 21st. These shots are not the final edit - they are just some tests.
Final edit will be added when we get the printed version in PDF form

More fashion from London

New shoots in London 2010

2010-11-20T04:43:00.000-08:00

Two new shoots in London this month - to be featured in Mail on Sunday.

New Images

One shoot that didnt really work... boo hoo - The lighting was wrong and it all seemed a bit dark.. We pressed on and did a second that was a bit more suited to the publication

see the difference here:

The photographer on these shoots was James Brown.

Working with Melissa Hamilton, Ballerina with Royal Ballet

2010-11-20T04:35:00.000-08:00

Had the pleasure of styling Melissa Hamilton for the Mail on Sunday last week. What a gorgeous gal...
Such a joy to work with. She's the only Irish gal in the Royal Ballet - and she has already made it as a soloist - which means she is on her way to stardom very quickly...

Quoted as 'one to watch' by the Royal Ballet... Miss Melissa Hamilton - sneak peak at her shoot

Photos by: Simon Fowler Photography

New fashion shoots

2010-11-20T04:30:00.000-08:00

New work from www.paularcher.com and Sara Colohan Stylist

More fashion from London August 2010 Sara Colohan

2010-08-17T11:12:00.000-07:00

The latest work from Paul Archer - photographer www.paularcher.com
Make up from the amazing Annemarie Simak and styling by yours truly!

This shoot will be out very soon - you re getting a sneak preview!!!

London Fashion Week 2010

2010-08-17T11:04:00.002-07:00

LFW 2010

Diary and updates - Let's use Marco Mega's photographic diary
see here

I ended up in Paris for the weekend and missed most of the shows.. grrrrrrrrrrr

Have a moment to remember Alexander Mc Queen here

Most impressive invite? Burbury's gorgeous paper gal...

London fashion

2010-08-17T11:04:00.001-07:00

Latest Fashion Shoots produced in London

2010-08-02T03:41:00.000-07:00

MAIL ON SUNDAY PUBLISHED - Sunday 31st JULY

Our lovely model Lucy, photographed by Kip Carroll

Styled by me!

Make up by AnneMarie Simak

Location - London East side...Gorgeous gorgeous Shoreditch!

Here is a previous shoot - Location Flavia Chic, Shoreditch

WWW.myspace.com/saracolohan for more styling work.

INTERVIEW with Sara Colohan WITH EVENT GUIDE 2009

2010-05-05T04:52:00.000-07:00

Teased To Meet You
Former club diva and DJ Sara Colohan is the prime mover in revitalising an older form of entertaining nightlife, the art of burlesque. Following a series of successful shows at the Sugar Club, at Spirit and at the Speigeltent, as part of the Dublin Fringe Festival, she talks to The Event Guide about her passion for bringing some sensual fun back into grown up people's lives.
Back in the day you were one of the hottest club dancers and DJs, though you say on the Tassel Club website that, while you don't want to go clubbing anymore, you are not quite ready for the pipe and slippers. Tell us about your current passion.

I had been DJing for a long time, everywhere from The Kitchen to Sides and The Asylum. I loved the way that the whole dance culture embraced everybody, and that is the connection for me between that culture and burlesque. You could be sitting at a show with a gay couple on one side, a straight couple on the other and a bunch of young singles in front of you. As happened recently at the Speigeltent, the audience is very mixed, and people come seriously dressed for the night. One of the outfits that I wore one night night was made by me for the Smirnoff Fashion Awards in 1996, when I was a student. I never thought that I would were it again, but here we are, years later and the frilly nickers are out again.

Are you attracted to that fashion and style?

I love it. I was working as a stylist for years and that is how, in 2003, I came across the photo of Immodesty Blaize that set this whole burlesque ball rolling. I had seen the photo in a magazine with a blurb saying that she was performing in London. I decided to go and interview her, for Irish Tatler magazine, who I was working with at the time. That was in July and by September I had her and her performance partner Walter in the Sugar Club.
What was it that clicked for you about her?

I saw her on stage, It was striptease but it wasn't in anyway offensive, just stylish glamorous and vibrant. It was so OTT and theatrical it got me on every level!!! I am, believe it or not, a bit of a prude so it appealed to me on a modesty level too.
There is an interesting atmosphere at your burlesque shows where the sexuality of the performers is sensual and not seedy, and not at all pornographic.

The sexuality is implied, and the shows are really all about the tease and not the sleaze. It is not about the end result, but is all about getting there. In each act there is a little story and you can get into the performer's personalities, even if they don't utter a word. Like Fancy Chance's act; she put that all together, the concept and the choreography. She is a really great girl and is a really polished performer. But then so are the other girls, like Lucifire, Miss Kittie Klaw, Gwendoline Lamour and Sade O Sapphic.
How did you go about putting the whole thing together, and to attract both performers and audience?

Like every good idea you have to take a plunge, and I lost a lot of money on the first show in the Sugar Club in 2003. I brought over Immodesty and Walter as the two biggest burlesque stars in London, but in Dublin nobody knew who they were. I was really starting from scratch. It took me nearly a full year to recoup that initial investment and to get the wind back in my own sails. It was the first time I'd had a gig that didn't work financially. It was something very different and I realised that nobody knew what burlesque meant or what it stood for. Some people just thought it was stripping, which put me in an unusual bracket. But then I met Vallejo (Gantner, former director of The Dublin Fringe Festival), and told him what I was doing. He took a chance and said that it sounded perfect for the Speigeltent element of the Fringe Festival. There is nothing lewd or untoward about what we do. It is saucy, but that is great. This is really entertainment for the thinking man and woman, who aren't into the other options of adult entertainment. It is wonderful, and the Fringe proved to be the perfect home for the show.

Did the Fringe's seal of approval change the attitudes of potential performers and audiences?

I found that the press realised then what area of entertainment we were in, whereas before they were a little apprehensive and wondered if were just dressing up something more suspicious. There are probably people out there, who haven't been to the show, who wouldn't see much difference between us and a lap dancing club.
Are you hoping to base the Tassel Club in one place or will you always move it around?

It is hard to find a suitable venue, especially in Dublin. We really see the lack of beautiful old Victorian halls, so it is hard to set the show in that kind of scene. The Olympia is the only one, but it is too big at the moment. As a result, we have split the Tassel Club up into smaller shows to suit specific venues. One promoter seems keen to take under their wing, so that could help. We have a new, smaller version of the full show, which will focus more on the musical side of what we do. For the upcoming Halloween show at Spirit we will have the Urban Voodoo Machine and we are hoping to have The Pricillas, a bunch of PVC-clad rock chicks. Urban Voodoo Machine play a lot of burlesque venues in London, Lady Luck in particular. They have a bluesy rockabilly vibe to them, with harmonicas and washboard included.
You really sound as though you love doing all of this.

I do, even after all the financial knocks. Two years is a long time to be in something that hasn't really taken off yet. But people are really getting into it. I am organising a Can Can troupe and I put the notice up on the website. The response from women was phenomenal. So many girls contacted me saying 'I'm not a dancer but I really want to dress up and to part of this; it sounds like such good fun'. It was lovely.
Are people attracted to the notion that there is a darker side to what you do?

Many older folks might have the 'Cabaret' image of Nazi officers frequenting smoky clubs and letching after the Sally Bowles character.True, but one of the biggest burlesque stars in the world is Dita Von Tease, and her boyfriend in Marilyn Manson, so there is a lot of that mix. Gothic and burlesque have always been attracted to each other. But many people are just attracted to the simple frivolous desire to dress up.
What does your mother think of the whole thing?

Ireland On Sunday ran a piece saying that I was teaching Irish women to strip but that I couldn't find Mr. Right myself, and that I was Ireland's leading expert in how to entice and please a man! My poor mother had the proverbial heart attack. It's funny, but people do twist things. Once the tabloids get a hold of you, you kind of know what to expect. But then if you lie down with dogs you get up with fleas. It is hard for me to knock that, though, and I'm quite happy to support whatever gets people to come and see the show. But we've never had what you might call the raincoat brigade at any of the shows.

Never?

It's too tame for them! Our audiences make a big effort to dress up and get into the mood of the shows. By its nature The Tassel Club is a fun place and I intend to keep it that way

http://www.thetasselclub.com/

interviewed by K Karney, Event Guide

Some fashion bloggers on line...

2010-03-02T02:33:00.001-08:00

A list of some of the more interesting fashion bloggers on line:

Tavi Gevinson
tavi-thenewgirlintown.lblogspot.com
The most fashion conscious 13 year old you ll ever meet!

Gary Card
garycardiologh.blogspot.com
Gary Card made Lady Gaga's guitar and is a set designer - fantastic insight to fashion world

Will Boehlke
asuitablewardrobe.dynend.com
Bespoke fabrics and the right tie for a wedding, mens tailoring fans will love this blog.

Susanna Lau
stylebubble.typepad.com
London fashion at it's best.

LA STORY

2009-06-08T03:05:00.000-07:00

LA STORY…Hollywood, Downtown, Venice, Santa Monica, Malibu, Silver Lake and Beverly Hills are all districts & cities under the umbrella title of Los Angles, CA and it took me nearly three weeks to get the briefest outline of this complex multi city state and experience a smidgen of its diversity. I met residence who told me it had taken them years to feel confident enough to drive and navigate this heavily populated diverse area, home to approximately 10.5 million people.Rule number one: get a really good map! You’ll need it!

WHAT TO SEE If you use West Hollywood, Hollywood Boulevard as your starting point, then you’re close to the best parts of LA. One direction brings you to the‘little London’ of LA, Hollywood & Highland. I thought it was rundown and unbearably commercial, but with Mann’s Chinese Theatre, Highland shopping centre housing a large Virgin Megastore, Spehora you can spend an hour or two here. There’s also Fredrick’s of Hollywood lingerie and H & M down the road, with the famous Hollywood Walk of Fame underfoot as you stroll about. Once you’ve seen Jimi Hendrix or Rita Hayworth or who ever your hero is,then you will be forgiven for thinking it’s time to move on. The Observatory, Griffin Park sports the best view of the Hollywood sign and so much more. You can cycle or horse ride through the largest municipal park in the US and it houses the LA Zoo, an antique merry-go- round and a 1930s theatre and out door concert area. Reservations are required for shuttle services. www.griffithobservatory.com

The Getty Centre & Santa MonicaIt’s a cultural crime to visit LA without going to the beach and Santa Monica’s beach really deserves the praise because it’s simply beautifully preserved and tourist friendly (maybe overly so). Stroll along the famous pier, ogle some muscles on Muscle Beach and catch a sunset. There is lots of commercial shopping on 3rd & Santa Monica Blvd. with all the big brands, but nothing distinctive. Blonde LA was by far the best ladies fashion store on the very long and drawn out Main St. www.blondela.com There was also Planet Blue 2940 Main St Venice and Venice Vintage on Abbot Kinney BL worth a visit. I did all that shopping and never got to The Getty Centre or The Getty Villa. Shame on me, as I heard they are arguably the most stunning highlights of LA. http://www.getty.edu/ for details on both areas.
There are lots of hotels on the beachfront but I stayed at The Huntley, about ten minutes walk from the sandy beach of Santa Monica. Strange that it’s rated ****star but has no pool or sauna or steam room! Nor had it a balcony in either of the two rooms I stayed in. I felt claustrophobic in December when the weather was just 19 c. Imagine this place in summer. www.thehuntley.com Nice hotel, but my advice is get a hotel with a pool ! There are plenty to choose from.

General Tours LA.
I’m obsessed by shopping as you may know by now, so maybe you will fancy a shopping tour with Urban Shopping Adventures. Owner Christine Silvestri lets you pick an area and brings you on a bespoke tour. Alternatively she decides what will suit your needs best. This can be good if you are trying to get your bearings in LA www.urbanshoppingadventures.com Consider doing a literary, true crime, architecture or rock and roll tour with a really cool company called Esotouric B us Adventures. I did a Thursday night ‘art crawl’ in Downtown which was great fun including a visit to www.thehivegallery.com (they ran a collective exhibition evening full of new upcoming LA artists).
I was lucky enought to meet up with LA's artist Art Weeks and got a chance to view and buy one of his works. See Art's work here http://www.artweeks.com/

Esotouric tours let you hop on and off a specially decorated bus for free, with entertainment on board from a variety of local acts. www.estouric.com

SHOPPING & MARKETS
A few blocks down Fairfax ave and Melrose you can visit the Fairfax High school Market which was the best out door market I’ve experienced. (It’s especially good if you have a love of 50’s vintage clothing and oddities: Only open Sundays 9-6pm). 0n the corner is a vinyl collector’s dream The Record Collector with rooms of rare and unusual records. 7809 Melrose Ave, Hollywood www.therecordcollector.net
Look out for the delightfully unique Mimi a La Mode across the road. It’s a kitsch little shop specialising in ‘bathroom, spa and beyond’ accessories Mimi a La Mode 7716 Melrose Ave. Vintage stores in this area are excellent. AaardVarks 7566 Melrose Wasteland 7428 Melrose and American Vintage 7575 Melrose all in Hollywood, all just mere meters from each other. The perfect Sunday is a visit to Fairfax market from 9am and then stroll down Melrose Ave and visit all the shops mentioned, as Sunday sees them create their own on street mini markets. Also on Fairfax (3rd and Fairfax) is The Grove, a farmers market with many different food stalls with an appendage of a huge manicured shopping centre with all the American greats including Victoria Secrets, Abercrombie & Finch, American Apparel. It’s quite a tourist trap but if you have the time it might be worth a visit on a Sunday.

The FASHION district in Downtown is a strange mix of ethnic knick knack shops, fashion trimmings, South American communion shops and fabric warehouses. Be prepared for a good morning of rummaging around as it would be impossible for me to tell you where or what to look for here. Suffice to say if you want feather boas, frilly knickers, unusual fabric, weird and wonderful beaded or lace trimmings, bridal head dresses they are all here. I used Mapel St as my centre point and wandered around. You can pop into the fashion book store 110E, 9th st. Lobby 19. www.thefashionbookstore.com a treasure trove of fashion books and international magazines. They pay homage to all Italian style mags and some cool London glossies.There is a definite 1980’s feel to most of the fashion retail shops in this area and to be honest, the only fashion gem I found in Downtown was the unique and bizarre store owned by designer Stella Dottir. The shop is over run with her much loved cats that climb on chairs and underfoot! Not at all like the old store in Galway ( was it called Toffs?) which was a test of endurance to enter, (I think their animal of choice was dog!) this is a little haven, with a gorgeous vintage Steinway & rails of unique corsets and gothic inspired creations. You would be forgiven for thinking Mz Dottir was some kind of exotic white witch as her white dreads tumble from her turban and she drolls in an exquisite Icelandic accent. Stella Dottir is a true unique find in LA. http://www.stelladottir.com

Hotels & BARS
My first resting spot was Hollywood B and B nestling at the foot of the Hollywood hills on Orange Grove & Hollywood Blv. (My taxi driver was unawares of the ‘B & B’ concept, so a proper address is a must.)This purple palace has only three rooms to rent out, making lots of space for guests. My deluxe room had its own kitchenette, sunken jet bath and a gorgeous private balcony. There is a communal living room and a large pool area. It was the only place on my three week holiday that included breakfast (you order the night before from Nina the lady of the house!) William (Nina’s husband) collects all kinds of antiquates and bric-a-brac and adds them to the already heaving house & I have to say, I just loved the kitschness of the place. I came to LA to experience that unique touch of eccentricity, to chat with locals who actually live in the Hollywood community so with all of that in mind, I would highly recommend staying here for a night or two (I stayed four!) if you want to have your own private balcony, go for hill walks in the star studded Runyon Canyon (Franklin and Fuller Ave )and even hire a car and spin along Mulholland drive on a sunny day. West Hollywood is gorgeous and I felt very safe walking around (I wasn’t brave enough to drive!) checking out the impossibly manicured houses and gardens. Very Stepford…. The Grafton – with average rooms, great pool area and really competitive prices (I was offered 20 % discount straight away) this makes a much better option than the Mondrian which is next door, over priced and vacuous in most ways imaginable. www.graftononsunset.comBy all means go to the Mondrian’s Sky Bar for a drink– it’s a great space but I would advise giving the hotel a miss. I thought the rooms bland and the staff impersonal. This all added to my disappointment when I realised I had left my make up bag with bout 400 euros worth of precious dailies behind on checking out. I called the same day and was told it had been disposed of.www.mondrianhotel.com
You are spoilt for choice around this area. Sunset Tower is two doors up from The Mondrian and If you fancy a more traditional LA resting place try the infamous Chateau Marmont famed for housing many a rock and roll legend, this is an imposing chateau style building high in the hills off Sunset blv 8221 Sunset Blvd. Hollywood, Ca. 90046 www.chateaumarmont.com

Downtown hotels: One of the most unique hotel experiences you could imagine is STAY hotel in Downtown. The idea of sleeping in a glass room – (you heard me! ) which faces out onto the street!! These are just two of the more interesting rooms in this hotel come b and b come hostel. A selection of rooms to suit any budget or pallet! www.stay-hotels.net 6 36 Main St Downtown.
I visited one of in LA’s top bars called The Edison, 108 West 2nd st, Downtown. Electric Picnic favourites Lucent Dossier Circus Troupe perform here every Wednesday night with skilled aerial acts and big dance numbers. 20 $ entry http://www.edisondowntown.com FoodHollywood Blvd has such a strange mix of highly commercial tacky shops and restaurants that is a welcome surprise to find The Geisha House 6633 Hollywood Blvd. www.dolcegroup.com The décor is wow factor and it’s always busy.
Two good reasons to go!

If you are around the West Hollywood/Sunset area, check out Cheebos restaurant. It’s one of the best mid priced well located haunts in LA. I went back a couple of times during my stay, as I enjoyed the familiarity and friendliness of the place. (not a combination I felt often in LA). Cheebo s 7533 West Sunset Blvd www.cheebo.com

LaLa’s Argentinean grill was a lucky find. I had a great steak, cut Argentinean style. Great outdoor area. Good for a bit of casually dressed celebrity spotting. 7229 Melrose Ave www.lalagrill.com

BEAUTY
Could you cope in LA without a tan? Try a natural Airbrush Tan that promises to make you ‘golden brown not orange’ ! Tan lasts one week with Platinum Image Services , a beauty concierge company with their own range in organic LA tan products who offer lots of tailor made packages for a price – including a big bridal package with facial, tan, nails etc. Basically they can get you anything you need in the beauty line from hair dresser to double massages in the privacy of your hotel room.
I t could be a handy number to have when trusting a beautician that you stumble upon on the street or on line is not an option.myspace.com/platinumimageservices

Property
When I visited LA, Cecil B De Mille s estate was up for grabs at just 23 million dollars and I’m kicking myself since that I didn’t snap it up! Brett Lawyer runs Sotheby's International Realty and is the man to see if you want to purchase a mansion away from home!www.sothebyshomes.com

However, if you are interested in purchasing a more affordable loft in the up and coming Downtown area then check out The Loft Exchange, Inc. There are some unique opportunities in real estate in Downtown in particular try local guy Michael Ferguson(yes he is Irish!!) www.theloftexchange.com
GETTING THERE:
There were no direct flights to LA now that Aer lingus has stopped that service. I flew American Airlines Dublin to Chicago then onto LA and I would suggest exhausting all other possibilities before choosing AA! British Airways also fly from Heathrow.

Sara Colohan has a travel blog www.travelbloggerabroad.blogspot.com

LFW Pam Hogg's return!!

2009-03-04T02:06:00.000-08:00

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/fashion/london-fashion-week/4787862/London-Fashion-Week-Pam-Hogg.html

The triumphant return of Pam Hogg!

The Moulin Rouge experience!

2009-02-03T04:27:00.000-08:00

Sara Colohan
Me dressing up for Moulin Rouge night in Paris!

EDITORIAL FOR life magazine

I grew up in a small town in Galway, a far cry from the glitzy cabarets I work on nowadays! Like most kids from a provincial town, I was fascinated by fashion and glamour and always wanted to work in the area. I’ve been lucky enough to build a career in fashion and stage production and after spending most of last year producing shows in the West End, I’ve come home to focus on my burlesque cabaret show The Tassel Club! It’s exciting to see how Irish audiences have unequivocally embraced burlesque and The Tassel Club is really enjoying its pre eminent status as the sexiest cabaret show around! Ironically, it’s this flattering accolade that puts a lot of pressure on me to keep up production standards! I’m constantly looking for inspiration for the shows and travel abroad quite often in search of unique exotic stars to bring to the Irish stage! On a recent trip, I visited the very heart of erotic cabaret – arguably the most famous club on the planet, The Moulin Rouge. Ireland’s leading showgirl and star performer at The Tassel Club, Mz Epiphany de Meanour came with me to check out what her Parisian counterparts were getting up to.

The Moulin Rouge has been flashing high class flesh for over a hundred years and I can tell you, it isn’t showing any signs of covering up! I‘ve tried to visualise The Tassel Club mirroring it’s gruelling schedule of two shows a day, employing sixty five full time dancers and running for a hundred years! I’ve managed to bolster my confidence by concluding that the original Moulin Rouge owners could never have predicted their clubs’ success when they first started out! In fact, considering how so called ‘respectable’ French society frowned on and venomously condemned the club in its formative years, it’s to be heartily applauded for managing to cement its status as an internationally venerated French institution drawing more than 600 000 spectators through its doors every year. I read up a little on the club‘s history before my visit and was amazed at the myriad of stars who’ve tread its’ well worn boards. Unique performers like La Goulue, Josephine Baker, Ella Fitzgearld and Frank Sinatra all performed there and of course, it was also the subject of many paintings by post impressionist artist Henri de Toulouse Lautrec. La Goulue was the subject of Lautrec’s first Moulin Rouge poster and possibly the first ever reported Can Can performer. Her infamous act involved grabbing drinks from the audience (permitted or not!) and getting as drunk as possible during her audacious saucy, high kicking dance routine! She thrilled and I’m sure frightened the life out of audiences by launching a series of high kicks, targeting and knocking off men’s hats!

Kittie Kittie Kan Kan, our own can can troupe might try and re in act that performance some night at The Tassel Club, but I’ll have to warn my insurance company first! En route to The Moulin Rouge we detoured via The Ritz hotel. Epiphany is a huge fan of burlesque goddess Dita Von Teese, and as Dita had recently named the Parisian Ritz her favourite hotel we just had to pay a visit! Just as you’d expect, The Ritz gives you the royal treatment even if your budget doesn’t stretch past afternoon tea! We were whisked off to a private salon where we stuffed ourselves with mini cream éclairs and cheese cake! With little regard for the tight squeeze into our laced up finery for the show later on we finished off the last of the cakes and joked that an extra tight tug on the corset strings would be in order after our shameless indulgence! We were both pretty excited as it was our very first visit to the club.

When we arrived at District 18, I could see straight away that The Pigalle district is to Paris what Soho is to London, a rundown assortment of adult entertainment businesses. The Moulin Rouge is a veritable national treasure but sits aside tacky strip clubs and countless sex shops in an incongruous mix of city planning. If the truth be told, I was fascinated by this part of town and felt disappointed that there wasn’t a chic little bar or cafe where we could sit and spy on the late night revellers. Just minutes from the iconic splash of red light from the Moulin Rouge windmill, I noticed a dilapidated, decidedly feral looking sign for The Black Cat or ‘Cabaret Artistique’ as it was first called before changing its name to Le Chat Noir. It was the very first Parisian review bar, opening just before The Moulin Rouge in 1881 and all the up-and-coming cabaret artists tried out their new acts there before performing to a paying audience. It was visited by people from all walks of life: women of high society, tourists, bankers, doctors, journalists and was also home to all the literary and artistic giants of the time before they shifted their patronage to the glitzy new neighbour.

I noticed that by seven thirty the three deep queue for the eight pm show was already forming with Japanese and Chinese tourists first in line and a mix of other nationalities making up the rest of the hundred strong crowd. It was comforting to see such a large turn out on a wet Sunday night as it proved to me that The Moulin Rouge is not considered ‘old hat’ in Paris, but still ‘rakishly chic chapeau’. We felt like proper VIP’s when management ushered us past the lengthy queue for a preview of the venue before show time! Stage manager Thierry Outrilla brought us through a secret door to the extensive backstage area and immediately we were struck by a good strong farmyard smell! Wholly unexpected, we had just passed a ‘dressing room’ containing eight miniature ponies wearing diamond studded bridles! Now that’s show biz Moulin Rouge style!

In the main back stage area we got chatting to some performers getting ready for the show. Caroline Renno 22, is a solo performer who has developed the unique talent of swimming with pythons! She’s from Newcastle in the UK and in a good ‘up north’ accent she told me “In the second half of the show, a twenty foot water tank containing ten live pythons rises up from below the stage and I jump in and swim with them! They love the warm water so they’re very placid! Most of us do more than one performance, so along with my solo act I also perform the can can and dance with the Doriss Girls chorus line” Not all girls perform topless but Sophie Escoffier, 25, from Paris is one of the twenty who does.

I didn’t really know what to else to ask her except what her mother thought of her performing topless! She wasn’t a bit phased by the question. “It’s such a beautiful magical environment there is nothing improper about it. My parents have come to the show and loved it! Even my grandmother has come to the show and was very proud of me!” I asked if there were many French girls working the current Moulin Rouge show. “We have lots of foreign girls” Thierry told me. ‘Some shows could have up to fourteen different nationalities on stage on any given night. The top countries are Australian, French, English and Russian. Once, a few years ago, an Irish girl named Jean performed with the troupe” We chatted in a small room, surrounded by a mesmerising array of costumes.

Rows of identical headdresses made of vibrant, coloured ostrich feathers encrusted with diamante sat side by side. Feather trimmed armbands, fringed diamante headbands and glittery, shoestring style bodices (that looked exactly like bejewelled dental floss!) hung on rails. I think Thierry pre empted my next question and offered us some costumes to try some on! Epiphany narrowly avoided injury trying on a rather cumbersome red feathered headdress. “Everything is made exclusively for our performers – you won’t ever see anything like them outside of the club” Thierry said proudly.

I detected he had a particularly strong bond with the place and found out later that he was a dancer himself prior to his twenty one years of management. As we posed for photos by the stage entrance, the entire troupe of Dorriss Dancers swished past me in full feathered glory. They looked like a flock of exotic birds, and to use the vernacular, that’s exactly what they were! PR manager Fanny Rabasse joined us backstage to fill me in on some of the general requirements for any young gal, or guy, hoping to join the ranks. “The girls must have some ballet training” she told me,“along with great personalities, because this really shines through on stage! They also need to be a minimum of 5’ 8” with exceptional figures! We want our audience to be spellbound” she purred. I moved on to a more pressing question – fake or non? – Will the Moulin Rouge allow cosmetically enhanced girls to perform? There was certainly no evidence of silicon from what I could see! Au natural seems to be the way of The Moulin Rouge and Fanny confirmed it. “losing or gaining weight is controlled to + or - 2 kilos, cutting or dying hair is strictly monitored and absolutely no silicon for topless performers” she added, almost managing to take the fun out of it all!

The full meal and show costs E140 and as we watched from our little balcony style booth, I could see the floor staff whiz about like gnats getting the service out of the way before curtain call. The Moulin Rouge venue is breathtaking, simply because it has retained all its original characteristics and still looks like a dignified, venerable theatre. The red and white circus style ceiling, the vintage artefacts on the walls all look (and could be) authentic relics of past Moulin Rouge decades. The luxurious red velvet booths remind me of our very own Trocadero a Dublin! The current show on offer is ‘Feerie’ and is made up of three main sections ‘Moulin Rouge today, yesterday and Moulin Rouge Forever’ and naturally it features the best known legacy of the Moulin Rogue, the Can-Can. Ten of their best girls performed the famous dance and it really rallied the crowds. Fanny told me afterwards “It’s not like years ago when the chorus line was made up of linen maids and seamstresses who transformed themselves into Quadrille or can can dancers each night. Not every performer can do it because it’s one of the most difficult styles to perform and requires specific artistic and physical qualities.

New girls spend five weeks training and the rehearsals are very frequent.” The show’s twenty or so topless girls were exquisitely statuesque and uber chic with perfectly polished routines that went without hitch. Maybe that was the problem! Personally, I relate better to performers who are not quite so precise!

I crave audience connectivity, maybe even a ‘Janet Jackson wardrobe malfunction’ not that it would have been noticed during the topless numbers! I suppose I love the business I’m in because true quality burlesque delivers all that sexiness and comedy in spades! By definition, burlesque is saucy, titillating cabaret, and although The Moulin Rouge is that technically, I found it somewhat lacking in sex appeal and felt that a dollop of humour wouldn’t have gone amiss. Nipples always stay under raps in burlesque (or more to the point, under tassels!) so I wondered, why do many people find burlesque performers sexier than these perfectly formed, size zero, topless Moulin Rouge dancers?

The Moulin Rouge performers are undeniably stunning and remarkably talented dancers, but I can see how their performances could be seen as a tad austere and habitual. Perhaps it’s the beginning of the end of the ‘less is more’ theory and the return of the ‘more is more’ train of thought! I’ve always hoped that the striptease element of burlesque shows would play a part in encouraging people to look at adult entertainment in a different way. With the exception of the kitsch trip to the Moulin Rouge of the eighties which was reminiscent of Eurovision hopefuls Sheeba singing topless, (Not a fantasy I wanted realised, thank you very much!) it is a remarkable show and I could see how it inspired so many in the worlds of artists, writers and film makers. Hollywood has immortalised The Moulin Rouge through the decades in classics like John Huston‘s 1953 "Moulin Rouge," 1960’s "Can-Can," with Shirley MacLaine and Frank Sinatra and most recently, Baz Lurman’s 1990’s Moulin Rouge! Along with every other world famous glamour icon, I sensed The Moulin Rouge has to struggle continuously to fight off the natural aging process but indisputably, management have to be congratulated for their unappeasable desire to reinvent the show.

They’ve also succeeded in realising my dream: to bring an audience into another world, where the costumes are every girls fantasy and the girls may well be every guys! I have no reservations in heartily recommend a visit, to every vaudeville, cabaret and burlesque loving soul on the planet! Vive La France! Vive la Cabaret!

The trip was organised by : French Government Tourist Office 30 Upper Merrion Street, Dublin 2 Fax: + 353 1 662 9346 http://www.franceguide.com/ special thanks to Air France: http://www.airfrance.fr/ , http://www.blogger.com/www.mygenieinparis.com , www. moulin-rouge.com, reservation@moulinrouge.fr and http://www.hoteldaniel.com/

The Tassel Club’s next event APRIL 18th Radission Hotel, Golden Lane, 49 euro including booking fee www.tickets.ie more: http://www.thetasselclub.com/ or www.cirqueducabaret.com

Barcelona trip

2009-02-03T04:20:00.000-08:00

working on shoots in Barcelona

Sara Colohan goes to Barcelona (Published in Tatler Magazine)

It took me a few days to realise exactly what it is about Barcelona that makes it such a special place - My conclusion is that it’s truly a ‘peoples city’ . Every plaza and every street has something breathtakingly beautiful about it but it’s not hidden away behind ‘No entry’ signs and red velvet ropes - it’s celebrated by everyday people doing everyday activities. Placa Reial is a great example of this practical open approach. An impressive cobbled square surrounded by coffee shops and wonderful restaurants including the popular Les Quince Nits. Every night huge queues of hungry patrons stretch across the square, waiting patiently for a chance to experience this restaurant’s great food and unbeatable value. I enjoyed my meal at Les Quince Nits, but I returned to the Placa for lunch the next day and ate at a neighbouring restaurant La Crema Canela and found it to be even better quality, although not as good value. So, if you don’t feel like a queue, you can just pop over to this other tasty option. Y ou can people watch from any of the restaurants and coffee bars around the square then take a stroll to Las Ramblas, not five minutes from Placa Reial and watch Barcelona’s most famous street heave and thrive nightly with street performers, hungry tourists and wonderful vibrant local florists. The energy of La Rambles is yet another example of Barcelona’s joy de vive.. Ask any local about Barcelona and they will spend an age telling you how beautiful the place is.

Unlike Paris, they don’t retain an ounce of snobbery about their love for their city. Gaudi, Barcelona’s most celebrated son epitomises this refreshing, fun and open approach with Place Guell, (3-5 Nou de las Ramblas) Parc Guell (Vallcarca) and La Pedrera or Casa Mila (92 Passeig de Gracia) all adding a unique sense of humour to the city’s architecture. All the above mentioned are a must, even to the most unlikely culture vulture!

I took valuable time out from my shopping holiday to visit each place and felt no remorse for doing so! I spent 10 days in Barcelona and managed to fill every day with exciting things to do. It took me a day or two to get my barings but soon realised that getting around was remarkably easy even for a girl with a defective sense of direction! I would advise anyone to take a few hours on the first day for a Barcelona bus tour. (Green, blue or red buses take you on different routes throughout the city approx Euro16) This is invaluable as you can hop on hop off as many times as you like, safe in the knowledge that there will be another bus along every 10 minutes. It really helped me get the lay of the land and I visited places I would not have otherwise ventured to like Placa Espanya and Museu Nacional D‘Art de Catalunya in Palau National, Parc de Montjuic. Montjuic is also the spot where you can catch the cable car across to the marina. There’s even a shopping bus - which will bring you to all the main shopping areas in the city! I didn’t know about that til the end of my stay but I still managed to make a healthy dent in my credit card none the less!! Shopping was my main focus on this trip and although I found lots of interesting shops throughout the city, I had the feeling Barcelona is no exception to the influx of High street stores bleeding the smaller boutiques dry. Zara, Pull & Bear and Mango being the main culprits. The impressive Placa de Catalunya is the heart of it all! Everything leads from this point and it is easily found due to the landmark El Corte Angles store on the corner.

I couldn’t get over the size of the underground Sephora store in the mall on the Balmes corner of Placa de Catalunya; it’s worth a visit. I found the best route for a days shopping was to take a trip down Las Ramblas from Pl de Catalunya and turn into C. de La Boqueria. Continue on walking towards the breathtaking Av. De La Cathedral in Barrie Gotic area where I spotted one of the best-located hotels in the city. Hotel Colon**** info@hotelcolon.es Ph 93 301 14 04. (Dbl rooms from 150 euro) From here, you can walk to Avinguda Del Portal de L Angel, which is a pedestrianised high street shopping area. (By the way, this leads you back to Placa de Catalunya) If you haven’t had enough at this stage, continue over to my favourite area of the city El Born. This area is a wonderful part of the old city, with narrow souk style streets, cool boutiques, great bars and bustling clubs.

If you fancy staying around here, I stayed for 2 nights in H10 Montcada**** on Vie Laietana montcada@h10.es Ph 93 268 85 70 (prices starting at 90 euro for a twin room)

You can easily walk to another great shopping street D’Avinyo from El Born. This street hosts more classic, funky boutiques the kind I crave when I travel to a new city. Make sure you don’t go on a Monday afternoon as most places in this area are closed. I made this mistake and had to go back the next day to scan all the beautiful shops I’d missed on my first visit. I found Avinguda Diagonal to be the main area for designer shops hosting Gucci, Calvin Klein (484 Diagonal) and Armani (490 Diagonal) but even more interesting are the designer stores that sell many different ranges under one roof. Check out Gonzalo Comella on 478 Diagonal with another store on No 6 Passeig de Gracia. Take time out to eat at the Cros Diagonal cafe (Diagonal 433 - Lourdes 111) you wont be disappointed. Passeig de Gracia is another street worth a look - I found a great little shopping mall called Bulevard Rosa (55 Passeig de Gracia)- It had lots of cute shoe, jewellery and clothes stores. Porta Ferrisa is a good street for a mix of high street stores and one offs. When asking for directions, just ask for the street with the H&M store!

Of course after a few days shopping I needed to unwind so I ventured to Barcelona’s most celebrated club CDLC (Carpe Diem 32 Passeig Maritim http://www.cdlcbarcelona.com/ ph 932240470) It has a great location, set on the beach you have the choice to dance or chill out by the crashing waves. Even with the impressive setting, I couldn’t relax in the place.. If girls in sunglasses dancing on tables and posh locals posing by the bar is your type of night out then you’ll love it! We left and took a stroll down the prominade and found a strip of bars and clubs which are free entry but pricey drinks (17 euro for 2 vodkas and sprite! Just like home!) if you do find yourself here, check out Kennedy s Style Club 14 c/moll de Marina but be warned, it’s a bit of a Temple Bar stag party area so don’t expect to last long !!

Alternatively you can try La Terrazza, Poble Espanyol http://www.laterrrazza.com/ for a more stylish fun type of night. Barcelona left me in no doubt that it deserves all the high praise and favourable comments that is bestowed upon it. I would travel back again at the drop of a Spanish sombrero and happily spend another 10 days shopping and sunbathing in this city that has an abundance of everything. Things to do: Shop in the morning, Go to the beach for the afternoon !! Use the Metro - its cheap, clean, safe and fast and remarkably easy to use. BTW. Taxis are considerably cheaper in Barcelona than home! Visit the Sagrada Familia Church, Calle Mallorca. I didn’t and I came home feeling like such a philistine for not even see the spires !! Visit Museu Dali, Figueres Trains to Figueres leave from Barcelona’s sants station almost every hour and the trip takes about 2 1/2 hours. But worth it if you love Dali and want to see his home town and amazing musemn. remembering every time to bring plenty of change for the street performers! Stroll on Las Rambla and visit La Boqueria fruit market, the stunning Gran Theatre de Liceiu and then just a little further on, on the same side of the street, there’s Gaudi’s Palace Guell which is a must for anyone who visits Barcelona. Go hear some jazz (it that’s your thing) in L’Hivernacle, Parc de la Ciutadella, Pg Picasso. This scenic park also houses the main Arc de Triomf in the city and a beautiful glass house style café with great coffee. For info : www.bcn.es/parcsijardins Visit the Ritz Hotel Barcelona for afternoon tea!

Essential numbers: Turisme De Barcelona http://www.barcelonaturisme.com/ 0034 93 368 97 00 Places to stay: 5 star *****Husa Rey Juan Carlos, Ave Diagonal 661-671 *****Majestic, Pl de Gracia 68.

Tried and tested: 4 star **** Hotel Catolnia, Balmes 142-146 http://www.hoteles-catolonia.es/ ****Hotel Cristal Palace Diputacio 257,08007 Barcelona.ph 34934878778 3 star *** Hotel Century 154 Park Valencia, 08011 Barcelona ph 34934534400 Hostal LeVante 2 Bajada de S. Muigel, Ramblas Y Placa Saint Jaume. ph 34 93 317 95 65 This place is great! E33 euro a night and its two minutes from Las Rambla.

2009 in LA

2009-01-05T12:31:00.000-08:00

LA Story. Coming soon

Melrose

I ll be writing articles on vintage shopping, luxury hotels, spa breaks and general points of interest from LA including Property and interiors. check back from January 10th for updates If you would like to help me find the very best of LA - Please e mail me scolohan@eircom.net So far revivews will include

Hotels The Mondrian, The Huntley, Hollywood B & B,
Hollywood B& B Orange Grove Ave & Hollywood Blv, the highlight of my accommodation so far. Glorious retro paradise.

Contact: Nina &William
Hollywood Bed & Breakfast
7879 Hollywood Blvd.
Corner of Orange Grove Ave.
(driveway is on Orange Grove)
323.874.8017
http://www.hollywoodbandb.com/
info@hollywoodbandb.com

Art at The Hive, LA Museum of modern Art, Artist Art Weeks in Hollywood hills,

Bars:

Restaurants and typical US Diners including Canters 24 hr diner, Mels 24 hr diner, Asia de Cuba, The Mondrian, The Water Grill, Downtown, The Ivy, many more.... The Tarantino family do more than direct films...Daughter Tarina is a jewellery designer

Shopping includes Santa Monica (pictured),Beverly Hills, Fashion District Down Town, Fairfax High school market, Melrose ave, Santa Monica and Hollywood Highland Centre

Music stores The Guitar centre, Mesa Boogie,

.I finally bought a Theremin in Mesa Boogie, Sunset Blv - one of my favourite instruments on the planet.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X-ywH1Vj8_U for a glimps of how it should be played.

The best market for vintage fashion is Fairfax Market, Fairfax Highschool. (Fairfax on Melrose)

New York article PUBLISHED WWW.CONFETTI.IE

2008-11-17T14:06:00.000-08:00

As close as it gets to my name in lights!!

I love New York is the official theme song of New York city and it’s not uncommon to be humming that tune for weeks after your visit. Built on an ancient Native American burial ground, it’s no wonder that New York is a giant energy ball, a hive of activity with layers of cultural intrigue, more like a big onion than a big apple!

Despite the general abruptness of the service industry (more a kind of ‘faux sincerity’) it’s gourmet gems are world class, the nightlight is random and varied in all the right ways, the weather is definitive in it’s seasonal splendour and the people are as diverse as you’ll find in any engaging city. Hyped by the sheer pace of city life the residents are buzzing 24/7 with either an early morning jog in Central Park or all night partying in the copious late night haunts sprawled across the city.

A five day trip is sufficient if you want to sample New York’s taster menu but for an a la carte experience try to make it ten. Hell y’all! Why not really push the boat out and stay for two weeks? You could permeate the city limits and take a mini break to The Hamptons or fly to Upstate New York and visit Niagara Falls. See details for a two day trips below: * with http://www.touramerica.ie/

Buns in Chelsea Market!
SHOPPING:
If there was a list of important things to remember when visiting NY City, the top tip every time would be to wear comfortable shoes! You’ll walk for miles without even realising, but later on, when you feel inexplicably tired you’ll realise it was the fancy footwear that did the damage! At the risk of sounding like a concerned mammy, you won’t look a bit out of place wearing flashy white trainers with your stylish outfit – it seems no self respecting New Yorker would leave home with out them.

Of course if you’re on your honeymoon, you wont want to wear ‘sensible trainers’ so the upside to wearing ‘sex in the city’ shoes is that taxis are pretty cheap & darting about (as long as it’s not peak time for traffic) can be done for half the cost of Dublin. It’s a surprisingly small city so you can hit most of the shopping districts in a day if you were truly focused!!!
I realise not every honeymoon is about shopping, but if you’re in New York City, I have it on good authority that it’s sacra religious not to spend at least one day visiting Broadway between Bleeker St and Canal for your high street fix, then head to the East Village for the more boho style independent stores (Most are closed Monday & Tuesday & only open after 12 til late)
American based products are definitely cheaper (by about 20 %) so pop into Bloomingdales 59th Street & Lexington Avenue to stock up on your basics. They do a visitors discount card if you queue up and show ID, but be mindful they don’t allow you use this card on cosmetics or denims (Possibly your main reason for going there!)
Soak up the delights of Fifth Avenue, popping in to the many chic stores like Bergdorf Goodman, 754 Fifth Ave. (There’s also a Bergdorf Men's at 745 so no one is left out!) For the perfect tailored look try Kenneth Cole, 610 Fifth Ave. and of course the exclusive, fashion pioneers at Saks Fifth Avenue, 611 Fifth Ave are always worth a reverent browse.
I’ll leave the last word in shopping to make-up and beauty heaven Sephora. http://www.sephora.com/

SIGHTSEEING -
A native New Yorker will tell you to steer clear of The Statue of Liberty as there is no entry anymore due to security measures. They’ll suggest The Rockefella Centre http://www.topoftherocknyc.com/ as it has much better views of the Empire State and Central Park. If like me, not seeing the Statue of liberty every visit seems fundamentally wrong, then grab a Circle line Boat Tour around the island (get the one that goes half way around - takes two hours and you get a good history. www.circleline42.com/index.ihtml?page=semicircle
As for Ground Zero, it’s probably best avoid it at present, as it's just a building site.ACTIVITIES
Visit Central Park even if you have a phobia about exercise! It’s immensely entertaining watching all the joggers hit ‘the wall’ as you sit and eat your cream bagel and sip your double shot cappuccino! If you have an ounce of spare energy, hire a bike and take a spin around the park. A lap only takes 45 minutes but maybe you fancy booking a couple of hrs and resting along the way! Try Bite of the Apple TOURS 310 W 55th St. (approx $30) There are many to choose from but this company is very close to the park.
GOING OUT The Box
If you enjoy events like The Tassel Club or la Clique then you might try Spiegelworld’s most popular show ABSINTHE.
Tickets are about $70 but for that you gain entry to Spiegelworld which has two tents, bars and a large restaurant so you can wander around the carnival style village for an evening checking out different shows. See http://www.spiegelworld.com/ @ Pier 17, South Street Seaport, South Street & Beekman Street. If this whets your appetite for adventure then maybe THE BOX is the next step! http://www.theboxnyc.com/ 189 Chrystie Street and Rivington. It’s a brash, saucy show set in a venerably styled theatre (believe it or not, it’s just a couple of years old!) There are a series of musical, comedic and sexual performances all the while serving food, booze and plenty of people watching! Pay about $60 for the first show and stay for the three later shows on special nights. It gets quite raunchy as the sun goes down so be warned!.
For the more conventional kind of clubbing try your luck getting into to Mansion. It’s a truly lavish night club with decadence written all over it. http://www.mansionnewyork.com/
EATING OUTWhat can I add to all that has been written about NY dining except list a few personal delights I discovered. Try booking your favourite choices in advance with http://www.opentable.com/ as many of the best are booked well in advance. Trestle on Tenth http://www.trestleontenth.com/ 242 Tenth Ave (@ 24th Street) and Little Giant http://www.littlegiantnyc.com/ 85 Orchard Stare both stylish, mid priced and great for lunch or dinner. Buddakan http://www.buddakannyc.com/ 75, 9th Ave, is elegant, slick Asian food and a happy alternative to over priced Budda Bar 17 Little West 12th St # 315 (which had appalling service and average food on my last visit) If you fancy going casual one night and going for more traditional New York food then check out Burger Joint in the Parker Meridien Hotel, 57th st. If every blog in New York is to be believed then it’s certainly the best around. Read for yourself here: www.blogsoop.com/nyc_rid_506.htmlBARS
The Otheroom www.theotheroom.com/room.html in The East Village is one of five slick bars or ‘design spaces catering for independent artists and lovers of all things boutique’. The same group own The Room Soho and Another Room in Tribeca. Ideal if innovative art exhibitions and dark, cosy corners are your idea of a perfect night out.
Hotel on Rivington’s bar 105 www.hotelonrivington.com/105riv.html for the ultimate expensive but flawless NY bar. (see also recommended places to stay)
The last work in originality goes to Happy Ending Lounge http://www.happyendinglounge.com/ 302 Broom St, which has to be one the most unique bars in the city. Set in a former brothel, (don’t say I never send you anywhere nice!) the interior of Happy Ending is a modish maze of stylised booths, so don’t be fooled by the innocuous, lacklustre frontage. The basement has private areas (formally the steam rooms!) and the DJ booth used to be a shower room! Not at all sleazy, this is a fun place to visit.
Happy Ending!
WHERE TO STAY:
The highly recommended Hotel Grace formally Hotel QT (www.room-matehotels.com) 125 W 45th St. is just one block from Time Square so if you want to be in the thick of it for a night or two this hotel is a mid price, mid town gem. Good size rooms with a great breakfast included & good coffee served all day, It has a stylishly designed indoor pool at entrance level with seating for cinema viewing and party nights! It also has a sauna and steam room with full bar service, so no surprise locals and tourists come from afar to party till late. It’s a young lively crowd but if it’s not your thing, don’t worry – the noise doesn’t travel to your room! 125 WEST 45TH STREET, grace@room-matehotels.com

Voted one of ‘The World s best hotels’, ‘ The Worlds hippest Hotels’ and ‘Best hotel pool in 2007’, Hotel Gansevoort has a fine reputation to uphold! Sadly, it’s actually quite an average hotel, but it does have one outstanding feature: The rooftop pool. Their brochure advertises jet pools and a Jacuzzi but they haven’t been in use for over a year. Everyone seemed oblivious to this, staff and guests alike because of that glorious coveted aqua oasis on the roof! Justly deserving the ‘best pool award’, but not truly worthy of the other accolades, Hotel Gansevoort is ideal if relaxing by the pool is a big part of your holiday and you want to be based in the spacious Chelsea area. Although you don’t quite get everything you need from Hotel Gansevoort, if you have good weather, you’ll forgive it almost anything. Hotel Gansevoort 18 Ninth Ave. http://www.hotelgansevoort.com/

Hotel on Rivington
It’s designed to an inch of it’s life but what a glorious, lustrous life it is! Hotel on Rivington is one of those places where compromise isn’t necessary and celestial architecture rules. The bathrooms get the most attention to detail and boast glass shower walls on the buildings exterior. The ‘conceal and reveal’ element gives you spectacular views while you shower and still protect your privacy! Some rooms even have a two-person Japanese style soaking tub. Full in-room spa services are available with honeymoon extras! http://www.hotelonrivington.com/ 107 Rivington St

Beacon hotel – Package deal
Do it all with one phone call and get return flights with Aer Lingus and a five night stay in the Upper West Side at the consistently dependable Beacon Hotel, 2130 Broadway on 75th st. http://www.blogger.com/www.beaconhotel.com The Beacon offers a free upgrade from standards to a suite for honeymoons booked by 31 Dec ( *subject to availability at time of booking) and include return limo transfers. (€999 per person) Because it’s the far side of Central park the guestrooms and suites (all with marble bathrooms) are some of the largest you’ll find in this range of hotel.

OTHER
Getting Married in New York:
It’s getting more popular by the day. ‘Licence and Go’ is a basic wedding package including minister and licensing fees and costs just $620! The list of optional venues include The Empire state Building and The All Souls Church. Choose extra s like a wedding planner, flowers & limo rides! For all you can imagine and more see www.getmarriedinnewyork.co.uk

Food stores
Buy all your essential food snacks at Wholefoods http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/ the posh supermarket that makes Fallen and Burn look like Asda. Avoid Dean and Delucia http://www.deandeluca.com/ as it has become totally over priced and over rated.
Lingerie:
Go crazy in Victoria’s Secrets, there are stores strewn about the city like lose change! Very reasonably priced http://www.victoriassecret.com/ Just don’t join their mailing list when you purchase unless you want to receive a mail every two days!
Chocolate
Max Brenner, Chocolate by the Bald Man
“Chocolate is not just about taste. It’s a symbol of different aspects in our lives of romance, of sensuality, of decadence.” says Max Brenner, the man behind the eye catching and mouth watering chocolate enjoyed by mere mortals and superstars alike. Chocolate pipes run throughout the entire shops making them worth a visit! Mary Kate Olsen, Puff Daddy and Hilary Swank are all fans. Just incase you want chocolates delivered to your hotel!
Max Brenner, Chocolate by the Bald Man http://www.maxbrenner.com/

Getting there:
Aerlingus http://www.aerlingus.com/
Aer Lingus operate twice daily direct flights between Dublin and New York, and daily direct flights between Shannon and New York. One-way fares start from €199 including taxes and fuel surcharge*

You can now fly to the USA from Cork with Aer Lingus and Aer Arann. Fly Aer Arann to Dublin and connect to New York with one-way fares starting from €238 including taxes and fuel surcharge*

*Special offer - Book by Monday 6th October for travel from November to February. For more information on fares and schedules and to book, log on to http://www.aerlingus.com/

* NIAGRA FALLS TRIP:
2 night trip to Niagra Falls from €339 per person
Includes return flights, transfers and accommodation with Days Inn Clifton
Hill Casino, Oakes Overlooking the Falls Tour includes the famous Maid of the Mist Boat Tour
TourAmerica http://www.touramerica.ie/

62/63 Middle Abbey Street
Dublin
Tel: (353) 1 817 3500 Fax: (353) 1 878 0269

Sara Colohan, Travel Article on Paris

2008-09-23T05:55:00.000-07:00

PUBLISHED- Travel article on Paris 07

Paris – Joy de Vive

Paris is one of those special places that deserves all the high praise it gets from everyone who visits it. Any self respecting shopper will tell you it’s a fashionista’s paradise, the home of the quintessential French woman whose style and panache is still second to none worldwide. It’s a haven of chic shops, museums, unique cafes and bars, all of which add to the vibrant ‘je ne c’est que’ that makes Paris incomparable to other cities. Clichéd as it may sound, I felt like a movie star or a runaway bride as I breezed through the cobbled streets taking in the ambience of this unique and magical city.
Before my trip I promised myself that I was going to plan my weekend well in advance, avoiding my usual ‘blind leading the blind’ kind of rambling, where I waste valuable time aimlessly wandering through the streets without proper directions! I was determined to utilise every second of my time away so I availed of a novel little company I found online called My Genie in Paris http://www.mygenieinparis.com/. For 60 euro, (paid through their website) this independent ‘tour guide’ asks all kinds of profile building questions covering accommodation, eating out, tourist and shopping interests and so on. Based on your answers, they arrange a detailed, tailor made itinerary of where to eat, sleep and party, complete with maps and relevant phone numbers. What I found most helpful was Stephanie, my genie, managed to secure a table in the remarkably trendy and constantly ‘booked out’ KONG restaurant. Designed by Philip Stark, it’s set on the top floor of a disused shopping centre in the heart of the up and coming Pont Neuf area. It was a relief that I didn’t have to call them myself from Ireland as my limited French would probably have lumbered me with a reservation sometime in 3000!

Let’s face it – there are so many things to do in Paris you would need much more than a weekend to get it all done, but, thanks to My Genie I managed to do almost everything on my list in just two and a half days! When I arrived on Friday afternoon I met with Stephanie who gave me maps, relevant leaflets and my personal itinerary meticulously printed out. After I checked into my hotel, I went for afternoon tea in the Ritz, had dinner in Kong and late drinks in Mandala Ray (formally the restaurant Man Ray, owned by Johnny Depp) and was tucked up in bed by two am! I have to say, having everything mapped out in advance made it effortlessly easy to fit it all in.

My hotel was just five minutes from The Champs Elysees and was an exquisite little boutique styled spot called Hotel Daniel. http://www.hoteldanielparis.com/ I’ve learned that it’s always worth sourcing a well located hotel, especially if you are planning to carry lots of shopping bags home every evening!! This one was perfect – lovely décor, friendly and very easy to find, even after a few glasses of vino!

Saturday’s ‘Genie’ itinerary was packed with exciting options from my original list of requests including vintage stores, specialist chocolate &coffee shops and some historical sights and museums that were en route. I hit the Champs-Elysees first, checking out the worlds largest Louis Vuttion’s store and although I’m not a big fan, I’d recommend that you take a look as it’s breathtaking. Sephora and Zara are always worth checking out and if you need a quick espresso pop into George V café for great coffee and snacks. Walk, (or get the daunting, yet unbelievably easy to use metro) to Rue de Madeline and visit Maison du Cholocate if you fancy splashing out on some world famous French chocolate. Close by is the unique, design conscious store Colette http://www.colette.fr/ who’s modern approach to the normal, predictable concept of retail is novel. Smaller than I expected, (I had spent some time on their very cool website) it’s a shop for the design aware and uber chic mixing hi-tech with fashion, street art, world music, cult classic DVDs, unique jewellery and street wear. I was impressed by their music listening area, which consisted of a wall of I pods allowing you listen in advance to the album of you choice, cutting out the need to randomly buy something simply because you liked the cover! If there’s space (its always busy!) you can eat in the Water Bar downstairs.
Continue from there to Jartin du Palais Royal (M Palais Royal) and stroll through the beautiful garden which is surrounded by little shops including top vintage stores like Gabreille Geppert and the rather more impressive Didier Ludot The latter houses one of the most famous collections of vintage haute couture in Paris and I was told by the extremely enthusiastic shop assistant, that Reese Witherspoon bought her vintage Dior (1956) dress there, the very one she wore to the Academy Awards when she won the Oscar for“Walk The Line.” (Didier Ludot is also the author of the fashion book‘ Little Black Dress’)
For something altogether more modern I visited The George Pompidou Centre. http://www.centrepompidou.fr/ Now, I’m not the greatest appreciator of art but I was so glad I bought a day ticket and allowed myself three hours to view works from modern greats like Kandinsky, Dali and Marcel Duchamp. One of the hottest places to eat in Paris is George, on the top floor of the centre. (M Hotel de Ville) Even if, someday the food goes down hill, it will always have the best views so check it out if you can!
On Sunday I spent a couple of hours in the Louvre http://www.louvre.fr/ and at the risk of sounding like a complete philistine, I found it quite oppressive. It’s worth the effort to see the Mona Lisa and Michelangelo's David but you could end up spending way too much time trying to find your way around. (its like a mini city!) My best advice is decide in advance what you want to see and stick to it! Maybe the fashion museum MUSEE GALLIERA -
http://fr.sitestat.com/paris-touristoffice/paris-touristoffice/s?wwwgallieraarisfr&ns_type=clickout&ns_url=www.galliera.paris.fr is more your thing! It certainly was mine.

I couldn’t imagine Paris without visiting the theatre and as I’d never been to The Moulin Rouge I decided it was time to check it out!
The iconic red windmill itself is worth the short trip to the somewhat shady Pigalle district and the colourful and well choreographed show is full every night so they must be doing something right! If like me, you have an interest in the history of cabaret then this show is a must. Prices are not cheap at approx E140 euro for dinner but it’s a venerable French institution and I felt it was truly worth supporting.

With a centrally located hotel and a fairly good idea of what you want to do on your trip, there’s no reason why you can’t fit in all the culture, fun, fashion and gourmet food Paris has to offer, no matter how short your trip! Plan ahead and get the most from this incredible city. Vive la France!

Many thanks to :
Maison de France: For all information on France: http://www.franceguide.com/
Sara flew with Air France:www.airfrance.ie
My genie in paris. http://www.mygenieinparis.com/en/index.html

Shows:
Moulin Rouge; http://www.moulinrouge.com/

Accommodation:
Hotel Daniel – 8, rue Frédérique Bastiat, 75008 Paris http://www.hoteldanielparis.com/

Or
The Ritz
Ritz Paris: 15, Place Vendôme, 75001 Paris www.ritzparis.com
resa@ritzparis.fr

restaurants:
KONG
1, rue du Pont Neuf, 75001 Paris
Tel. 01 40 390 900 Fax. 01 40 390 910,
http://www.kong.fr/
George Restaurant
Place Georges Pompidou 19, rue Beaubourg 75004 Paris33 (1) 44 78 47 99

Best Coffee/Atmosphere/cafe

CAFE GEORGE V120 Avenue des Champs Elysées 75008 PARIS
Metro : George V

RER : Charles de Gaulle - Etoile

telephone number : 01.45.62.33.51

fax : 01.45.63.04.61

Shopping :
Colette 213 rue Saint-Honoré - 75001 Paris - France
Tel: +33 1 55 35 33 90 - Fax: +33 1 55 35 33 99
contact@colette.fr
Open from Monday to Saturday 11am to 7pm.
Subway Tuileries or Pyramides / Bus line 68 or 72 http://www.colette.fr/

Louis Vuttion http://www.louisvuitton.com/
(101 Avenue de Paris 750800 ph 0 810 810 010)

OTHER REASONS TO GO TO PARIS:
www.modeaparis.com
Fashion week spring-summer: 30 September-8 October
Haute Couture: 2nd to 5th July 2007
Ready to wear: 30th September – 8 October 2007
Men’s fashion: 28th June to 1st July 2007

MUSEE DE LA MODE DE LA VILLE DE PARIS10, avenue Pierre Ier de Serbie 75116 PARIS
Metro : Iéna

Bus : 32, 63, 72, 92, 42,80, 82

telephone number : 01 56 52 86 00
http://fr.sitestat.com/paris-touristoffice/paris-touristoffice/s?wwwgallieraarisfr&ns_type=clickout&ns_url=www.galliera.paris.fr

Books:
http://www.amazon.com/Little-Black-Dress-Vintage-Treasure/dp/2843232899

For other events:
http://en.parisinfo.com/show_exhibition/rub6130.html

Biarritz Baby! Sara visits Thalassatherapy spas

2008-09-08T09:59:00.001-07:00

Biarritz Darling!
Once an old gambling haunt of the rich and famous, Biarritz attracted the elite for years. Now, with the loss of one of its two casinos, Biarritz had come back down to earth. The largest tourist group to hit Biarritz coastline in recent years is the surfing community, who come in their thousands to avail of the Atlantic’s generous and unrelenting waves. I was happy to find that there are many friendly people and many financial alternatives to spending top dollar for Hotels, spa resorts and eating out.

I was staying at the Miramar Hotel, part of the Sofitel Accor group. A luxury **** hotel with breathtaking sea views and stylish rooms. The Miramar is perhaps overshadowed by that fact that it’s a stones throw from the famous Hotel Du Palais where guests like Liz Taylor and Princess Michael of Kent hang out. It’s a completely different style of hotel - Old versus new but whatever your preference, the Mirimar can offer something the Palais cannot - an adjoining Thalassotherapy Spa where you can enjoy the complete benefits sea water & seaweed and all their healing powers.

I’ve experienced variations on Thalassotherapy before, but I had never been to a specifically designed Spa, which offered over 40 different marine therapies. As I only had two days to try treatments and get a feel for the place I was determined to plan my time with military precision! A treatment, a swim in the thermal pools, a spell in the relaxation lagoon, or take a walk on the beach? As the spa is right on the seafront, between treatments you can simply open the patio doors and be inches from the beautiful sandy beaches which make Biarritz so memorable. There is also the option of stretching out in the beautifully designed aerosols room, charged with negative ions, and filled with sweet smelling marine mist to boost your immune defences and your resistance to stress.

Standing on my sunny balcony, looking out on the lapping waves and the picturesque lighthouse, I felt like a 50’s starlet, living the dream. Perhaps that’s the Biarritz charm, Icon-ised by famous visiting stars like xxxx, Elizabeth Taylor and Brigitte Bardot. I felt a million dollars, even before my first treatment! Now that’s the kind of result I like!

Like most other spas, I was given my treatment schedule, chosen in consultation with a spa therapist. I travelled through the hotel lobby to the institute, located on the -2 and -3 floors of the hotel. The oatmeal and cappuccino colours of the hallways sent me into relaxed mode almost immediately and I felt comfortable and at ease even though I was wearing just a bikini and a bathrobe!

My first treatment was a multi jet Bath - the powerful jets promised to stimulate blood flow, tone slack muscles and decongest cellulite-affected areas. Bring on the jets! As you’d expect the bath contained many multi speed jets, which set off on a routine as impressive as the water fountains on the Las Vegas Strip.
I felt energised afterwards, refreshed and ready for my trip to the Relaxation Lagoon. Now, for anyone else who has suffered an hour in a dingy single floatation tank here in Ireland, and paid 50 euro for the pleasure, then your faith, like mine, can be restored by experiencing this vast, flower shaped pool with high ceilings and soothing underwater music. In the salt saturated water, you float effortlessly in a sweetly scented, atmospheric haven. After about twenty minutes in a state of weightlessness, I felt my neck was becoming sore and strained. Floatation therapy is ideal for re aligning your spine and if you’ve got any back problems you will feel the shift quite soon into the therapy. I felt more than one session was necessary for any real benefits but one is a great way to relax in a new way.

I took the second afternoon off to sit in the sun and have a quintessential dip in the sea. Considering it was late September, I couldn’t believe the weather was still so perfect. A comforting 28 degrees by midday. I have to admit, I had forgotten how great the south of France is for a holiday. All my trips abroad in recent years have been further a field, sure in the knowledge that distance from home equalled a more rewarding holiday. I left the cost confident I would return soon. Horse riding in the Pyrenees perhaps? Iv’e just added touring the Basque region with its splendid scenery and unique flavour of architecture and cuisine to my To Do list!
The rates for the treatments at The Thalassa therapy Institute are reasonable and bear in mind, there are less expensive options to staying at the Miramar hotel ( many people use the spa on an daily basis while staying at a cheaper hotel)

Rooms @ The Miramar Hotel start at E122 with treatments starting @ E25. Check the website for the many package deals the Hotel & spa offer.

The Thalassatherapy Institute
11 Rue Louison Bobet
64200 Biarritz
Tel 00 335 59 41 30 01
Fax 00 335 59 24 77 20
www.thalassa.com
www.accortravel.com

Barcelona - MODO Magazine

2008-09-08T09:56:00.000-07:00

working on shoots in Barcelona

Sara Colohan goes to Barcelona (Published in Tatler Magazine)

It took me a few days to realise exactly what it is about Barcelona that makes it such a special place - My conclusion is that it’s truly a ‘peoples city’ . Every plaza and every street has something breathtakingly beautiful about it but it’s not hidden away behind ‘No entry’ signs and red velvet ropes - it’s celebrated by everyday people doing everyday activities.

Placa Reial is a great example of this practical open approach. An impressive cobbled square surrounded by coffee shops and wonderful restaurants including the popular Les Quince Nits. Every night huge queues of hungry patrons stretch across the square, waiting patiently for a chance to experience this restaurant’s great food and unbeatable value. I enjoyed my meal at Les Quince Nits, but I returned to the Placa for lunch the next day and ate at a neighbouring restaurant La Crema Canela and found it to be even better quality, although not as good value.
So, if you don’t feel like a queue, you can just pop over to this other tasty option. Y

ou can people watch from any of the restaurants and coffee bars around the square then take a stroll to Las Ramblas, not five minutes from Placa Reial and watch Barcelona’s most famous street heave and thrive nightly with street performers, hungry tourists and wonderful vibrant local florists. The energy of La Rambles is yet another example of Barcelona’s joy de vive.. Ask any local about Barcelona and they will spend an age telling you how beautiful the place is.

Unlike Paris, they don’t retain an ounce of snobbery about their love for their city. Gaudi, Barcelona’s most celebrated son epitomises this refreshing, fun and open approach with Place Guell, (3-5 Nou de las Ramblas) Parc Guell (Vallcarca) and La Pedrera or Casa Mila (92 Passeig de Gracia) all adding a unique sense of humour to the city’s architecture. All the above mentioned are a must, even to the most unlikely culture vulture!
I took valuable time out from my shopping holiday to visit each place and felt no remorse for doing so!
I spent 10 days in Barcelona and managed to fill every day with exciting things to do. It took me a day or two to get my barings but soon realised that getting around was remarkably easy even for a girl with a defective sense of direction!

I would advise anyone to take a few hours on the first day for a Barcelona bus tour. (Green, blue or red buses take you on different routes throughout the city approx Euro16) This is invaluable as you can hop on hop off as many times as you like, safe in the knowledge that there will be another bus along every 10 minutes. It really helped me get the lay of the land and I visited places I would not have otherwise ventured to like Placa Espanya and Museu Nacional D‘Art de Catalunya in Palau National, Parc de Montjuic. Montjuic is also the spot where you can catch the cable car across to the marina.

There’s even a shopping bus - which will bring you to all the main shopping areas in the city! I didn’t know about that til the end of my stay but I still managed to make a healthy dent in my credit card none the less!!

Shopping was my main focus on this trip and although I found lots of interesting shops throughout the city, I had the feeling Barcelona is no exception to the influx of High street stores bleeding the smaller boutiques dry. Zara, Pull & Bear and Mango being the main culprits.

The impressive Placa de Catalunya is the heart of it all! Everything leads from this point and it is easily found due to the landmark El Corte Angles store on the corner. I couldn’t get over the size of the underground Sephora store in the mall on the Balmes corner of Placa de Catalunya; it’s worth a visit. I found the best route for a days shopping was to take a trip down Las Ramblas from Pl de Catalunya and turn into C. de La Boqueria.

Continue on walking towards the breathtaking Av. De La Cathedral in Barrie Gotic area where I spotted one of the best-located hotels in the city. Hotel Colon**** info@hotelcolon.es Ph 93 301 14 04.
(Dbl rooms from 150 euro) From here, you can walk to Avinguda Del Portal de L Angel, which is a pedestrianised high street shopping area. (By the way, this leads you back to Placa de Catalunya) If you haven’t had enough at this stage, continue over to my favourite area of the city El Born. This area is a wonderful part of the old city, with narrow souk style streets, cool boutiques, great bars and bustling clubs. If you fancy staying around here,
I stayed for 2 nights in H10 Montcada**** on Vie Laietana montcada@h10.es Ph 93 268 85 70 (prices starting at 90 euro for a twin room)

You can easily walk to another great shopping street D’Avinyo from El Born. This street hosts more classic, funky boutiques the kind I crave when I travel to a new city. Make sure you don’t go on a Monday afternoon as most places in this area are closed. I made this mistake and had to go back the next day to scan all the beautiful shops I’d missed on my first visit.

I found Avinguda Diagonal to be the main area for designer shops hosting Gucci, Calvin Klein (484 Diagonal) and Armani (490 Diagonal) but even more interesting are the designer stores that sell many different ranges under one roof. Check out Gonzalo Comella on 478 Diagonal with another store on No 6 Passeig de Gracia. Take time out to eat at the Cros Diagonal cafe (Diagonal 433 - Lourdes 111) you wont be disappointed.

Passeig de Gracia is another street worth a look - I found a great little shopping mall called Bulevard Rosa (55 Passeig de Gracia)- It had lots of cute shoe, jewellery and clothes stores.
Porta Ferrisa is a good street for a mix of high street stores and one offs. When asking for directions, just ask for the street with the H&M store!

Of course after a few days shopping I needed to unwind so I ventured to Barcelona’s most celebrated club CDLC (Carpe Diem 32 Passeig Maritim http://www.cdlcbarcelona.com/ ph 932240470) It has a great location, set on the beach you have the choice to dance or chill out by the crashing waves. Even with the impressive setting, I couldn’t relax in the place.. If girls in sunglasses dancing on tables and posh locals posing by the bar is your type of night out then you’ll love it!
We left and took a stroll down the prominade and found a strip of bars and clubs which are free entry but pricey drinks (17 euro for 2 vodkas and sprite! Just like home!) if you do find yourself here, check out Kennedy s Style Club 14 c/moll de Marina but be warned, it’s a bit of a Temple Bar stag party area so don’t expect to last long !! Alternatively you can try La Terrazza, Poble Espanyol http://www.laterrrazza.com/ for a more stylish fun type of night.

Barcelona left me in no doubt that it deserves all the high praise and favourable comments that is bestowed upon it. I would travel back again at the drop of a Spanish sombrero and happily spend another 10 days shopping and sunbathing in this city that has an abundance of everything.

Things to do:
Shop in the morning, Go to the beach for the afternoon !!
Use the Metro - its cheap, clean, safe and fast and remarkably easy to use.
BTW. Taxis are considerably cheaper in Barcelona than home!
Visit the Sagrada Familia Church, Calle Mallorca. I didn’t and I came home feeling like such a philistine for not even see the spires !!
Visit Museu Dali, Figueres
Trains to Figueres leave from Barcelona’s sants station almost every hour and the trip takes about 2 1/2 hours. But worth it if you love Dali and want to see his home town and amazing musemn.
remembering every time to bring plenty of change for the street performers!
Stroll on Las Rambla and visit La Boqueria fruit market, the stunning Gran Theatre de Liceiu and then just a little further on, on the same side of the street, there’s Gaudi’s Palace Guell which is a must for anyone who visits Barcelona.
Go hear some jazz (it that’s your thing) in L’Hivernacle, Parc de la Ciutadella, Pg Picasso. This scenic park also houses the main Arc de Triomf in the city and a beautiful glass house style café with great coffee.
For info : www.bcn.es/parcsijardins
Visit the Ritz Hotel Barcelona for afternoon tea!

Essential numbers:
Turisme De Barcelona
http://www.barcelonaturisme.com/
0034 93 368 97 00
Places to stay: 5 star
*****Husa Rey Juan Carlos, Ave Diagonal 661-671
*****Majestic, Pl de Gracia 68.
Tried and tested:
4 star
**** Hotel Catolnia, Balmes 142-146
http://www.hoteles-catolonia.es/
****Hotel Cristal Palace Diputacio 257,08007 Barcelona.ph 34934878778
3 star
*** Hotel Century 154 Park Valencia, 08011 Barcelona ph 34934534400
Hostal LeVante 2 Bajada de S. Muigel, Ramblas Y Placa Saint Jaume.
ph 34 93 317 95 65
This place is great! E33 euro a night and its two minutes from Las Rambla.

The Tassel Club visits The Moulin Rouge!

2008-09-08T09:54:00.000-07:00

EDITORIAL FOR life magazine

I grew up in a small town in Galway, a far cry from the glitzy cabarets I work on nowadays! Like most kids from a provincial town, I was fascinated by fashion and glamour and always wanted to work in the area. I’ve been lucky enough to build a career in fashion and stage production and after spending most of last year producing shows in the West End, I’ve come home to focus on my burlesque cabaret show The Tassel Club!
It’s exciting to see how Irish audiences have unequivocally embraced burlesque and The Tassel Club is really enjoying its pre eminent status as the sexiest cabaret show around! Ironically, it’s this flattering accolade that puts a lot of pressure on me to keep up production standards! I’m constantly looking for inspiration for the shows and travel abroad quite often in search of unique exotic stars to bring to the Irish stage! On a recent trip, I visited the very heart of erotic cabaret – arguably the most famous club on the planet, The Moulin Rouge. Ireland’s leading showgirl and star performer at The Tassel Club, Mz Epiphany de Meanour came with me to check out what her Parisian counterparts were getting up to.

The Moulin Rouge has been flashing high class flesh for over a hundred years and I can tell you, it isn’t showing any signs of covering up! I‘ve tried to visualise The Tassel Club mirroring it’s gruelling schedule of two shows a day, employing sixty five full time dancers and running for a hundred years! I’ve managed to bolster my confidence by concluding that the original Moulin Rouge owners could never have predicted their clubs’ success when they first started out! In fact, considering how so called ‘respectable’ French society frowned on and venomously condemned the club in its formative years, it’s to be heartily applauded for managing to cement its status as an internationally venerated French institution drawing more than 600 000 spectators through its doors every year.
I read up a little on the club‘s history before my visit and was amazed at the myriad of stars who’ve tread its’ well worn boards. Unique performers like La Goulue, Josephine Baker, Ella Fitzgearld and Frank Sinatra all performed there and of course, it was also the subject of many paintings by post impressionist artist Henri de Toulouse Lautrec. La Goulue was the subject of Lautrec’s first Moulin Rouge poster and possibly the first ever reported Can Can performer. Her infamous act involved grabbing drinks from the audience (permitted or not!) and getting as drunk as possible during her audacious saucy, high kicking dance routine! She thrilled and I’m sure frightened the life out of audiences by launching a series of high kicks, targeting and knocking off men’s hats! Kittie Kittie Kan Kan, our own can can troupe might try and re in act that performance some night at The Tassel Club, but I’ll have to warn my insurance company first!

En route to The Moulin Rouge we detoured via The Ritz hotel. Epiphany is a huge fan of burlesque goddess Dita Von Teese, and as Dita had recently named the Parisian Ritz her favourite hotel we just had to pay a visit! Just as you’d expect, The Ritz gives you the royal treatment even if your budget doesn’t stretch past afternoon tea! We were whisked off to a private salon where we stuffed ourselves with mini cream éclairs and cheese cake! With little regard for the tight squeeze into our laced up finery for the show later on we finished off the last of the cakes and joked that an extra tight tug on the corset strings would be in order after our shameless indulgence!
We were both pretty excited as it was our very first visit to the club. When we arrived at District 18, I could see straight away that The Pigalle district is to Paris what Soho is to London, a rundown assortment of adult entertainment businesses. The Moulin Rouge is a veritable national treasure but sits aside tacky strip clubs and countless sex shops in an incongruous mix of city planning. If the truth be told, I was fascinated by this part of town and felt disappointed that there wasn’t a chic little bar or cafe where we could sit and spy on the late night revellers.
Just minutes from the iconic splash of red light from the Moulin Rouge windmill, I noticed a dilapidated, decidedly feral looking sign for The Black Cat or ‘Cabaret Artistique’ as it was first called before changing its name to Le Chat Noir. It was the very first Parisian review bar, opening just before The Moulin Rouge in 1881 and all the up-and-coming cabaret artists tried out their new acts there before performing to a paying audience. It was visited by people from all walks of life: women of high society, tourists, bankers, doctors, journalists and was also home to all the literary and artistic giants of the time before they shifted their patronage to the glitzy new neighbour.

I noticed that by seven thirty the three deep queue for the eight pm show was already forming with Japanese and Chinese tourists first in line and a mix of other nationalities making up the rest of the hundred strong crowd. It was comforting to see such a large turn out on a wet Sunday night as it proved to me that The Moulin Rouge is not considered ‘old hat’ in Paris, but still ‘rakishly chic chapeau’.

We felt like proper VIP’s when management ushered us past the lengthy queue for a preview of the venue before show time! Stage manager Thierry Outrilla brought us through a secret door to the extensive backstage area and immediately we were struck by a good strong farmyard smell! Wholly unexpected, we had just passed a ‘dressing room’ containing eight miniature ponies wearing diamond studded bridles! Now that’s show biz Moulin Rouge style!
In the main back stage area we got chatting to some performers getting ready for the show. Caroline Renno 22, is a solo performer who has developed the unique talent of swimming with pythons! She’s from Newcastle in the UK and in a good ‘up north’ accent she told me “In the second half of the show, a twenty foot water tank containing ten live pythons rises up from below the stage and I jump in and swim with them! They love the warm water so they’re very placid! Most of us do more than one performance, so along with my solo act I also perform the can can and dance with the Doriss Girls chorus line”
Not all girls perform topless but Sophie Escoffier, 25, from Paris is one of the twenty who does. I didn’t really know what to else to ask her except what her mother thought of her performing topless! She wasn’t a bit phased by the question. “It’s such a beautiful magical environment there is nothing improper about it. My parents have come to the show and loved it! Even my grandmother has come to the show and was very proud of me!”

I asked if there were many French girls working the current Moulin Rouge show. “We have lots of foreign girls” Thierry told me. ‘Some shows could have up to fourteen different nationalities on stage on any given night. The top countries are Australian, French, English and Russian. Once, a few years ago, an Irish girl named Jean performed with the troupe”
We chatted in a small room, surrounded by a mesmerising array of costumes. Rows of identical headdresses made of vibrant, coloured ostrich feathers encrusted with diamante sat side by side. Feather trimmed armbands, fringed diamante headbands and glittery, shoestring style bodices (that looked exactly like bejewelled dental floss!) hung on rails. I think Thierry pre empted my next question and offered us some costumes to try some on! Epiphany narrowly avoided injury trying on a rather cumbersome red feathered headdress. “Everything is made exclusively for our performers – you won’t ever see anything like them outside of the club” Thierry said proudly. I detected he had a particularly strong bond with the place and found out later that he was a dancer himself prior to his twenty one years of management.

As we posed for photos by the stage entrance, the entire troupe of Dorriss Dancers swished past me in full feathered glory. They looked like a flock of exotic birds, and to use the vernacular, that’s exactly what they were!
PR manager Fanny Rabasse joined us backstage to fill me in on some of the general requirements for any young gal, or guy, hoping to join the ranks.
“The girls must have some ballet training” she told me,“along with great personalities, because this really shines through on stage! They also need to be a minimum of 5’ 8” with exceptional figures! We want our audience to be spellbound” she purred.

I moved on to a more pressing question – fake or non? – Will the Moulin Rouge allow cosmetically enhanced girls to perform? There was certainly no evidence of silicon from what I could see! Au natural seems to be the way of The Moulin Rouge and Fanny confirmed it.

“losing or gaining weight is controlled to + or - 2 kilos, cutting or dying hair is strictly monitored and absolutely no silicon for topless performers” she added, almost managing to take the fun out of it all!

The full meal and show costs E140 and as we watched from our little balcony style booth, I could see the floor staff whiz about like gnats getting the service out of the way before curtain call.
The Moulin Rouge venue is breathtaking, simply because it has retained all its original characteristics and still looks like a dignified, venerable theatre. The red and white circus style ceiling, the vintage artefacts on the walls all look (and could be) authentic relics of past Moulin Rouge decades. The luxurious red velvet booths remind me of our very own Trocadero a Dublin!

The current show on offer is ‘Feerie’ and is made up of three main sections ‘Moulin Rouge today, yesterday and Moulin Rouge Forever’ and naturally it features the best known legacy of the Moulin Rogue, the Can-Can. Ten of their best girls performed the famous dance and it really rallied the crowds. Fanny told me afterwards “It’s not like years ago when the chorus line was made up of linen maids and seamstresses who transformed themselves into Quadrille or can can dancers each night. Not every performer can do it because it’s one of the most difficult styles to perform and requires specific artistic and physical qualities. New girls spend five weeks training and the rehearsals are very frequent.”

The show’s twenty or so topless girls were exquisitely statuesque and uber chic with perfectly polished routines that went without hitch.
Maybe that was the problem! Personally, I relate better to performers who are not quite so precise! I crave audience connectivity, maybe even a ‘Janet Jackson wardrobe malfunction’ not that it would have been noticed during the topless numbers! I suppose I love the business I’m in because true quality burlesque delivers all that sexiness and comedy in spades! By definition, burlesque is saucy, titillating cabaret, and although The Moulin Rouge is that technically, I found it somewhat lacking in sex appeal and felt that a dollop of humour wouldn’t have gone amiss.
Nipples always stay under raps in burlesque (or more to the point, under tassels!) so I wondered, why do many people find burlesque performers sexier than these perfectly formed, size zero, topless Moulin Rouge dancers? The Moulin Rouge performers are undeniably stunning and remarkably talented dancers, but I can see how their performances could be seen as a tad austere and habitual. Perhaps it’s the beginning of the end of the ‘less is more’ theory and the return of the ‘more is more’ train of thought! I’ve always hoped that the striptease element of burlesque shows would play a part in encouraging people to look at adult entertainment in a different way.
With the exception of the kitsch trip to the Moulin Rouge of the eighties which was reminiscent of Eurovision hopefuls Sheeba singing topless, (Not a fantasy I wanted realised, thank you very much!) it is a remarkable show and I could see how it inspired so many in the worlds of artists, writers and film makers. Hollywood has immortalised The Moulin Rouge through the decades in classics like John Huston‘s 1953 "Moulin Rouge," 1960’s "Can-Can," with Shirley MacLaine and Frank Sinatra and most recently, Baz Lurman’s 1990’s Moulin Rouge!
Along with every other world famous glamour icon, I sensed The Moulin Rouge has to struggle continuously to fight off the natural aging process but indisputably, management have to be congratulated for their unappeasable desire to reinvent the show. They’ve also succeeded in realising my dream: to bring an audience into another world, where the costumes are every girls fantasy and the girls may well be every guys!
I have no reservations in heartily recommend a visit, to every vaudeville, cabaret and burlesque loving soul on the planet! Vive La France! Vive la Cabaret!
The trip was organised by :
French Government Tourist Office
30 Upper Merrion Street, Dublin 2
Fax: + 353 1 662 9346
www.franceguide.com

special thanks to Air France: www.airfrance.fr , www.mygenieinparis.com ,
www. moulin-rouge.com, reservation@moulinrouge.fr and www.hoteldaniel.com

The Tassel Club’s next event April 28th @ The Sugar Club
Tickets E37 plus booking fee www.tickets.ie more: www.thetasselclub.com

The Tassel Club’s next event April 28th @ The Sugar Club
Tickets E37 plus booking fee www.tickets.ie
www.thetasselclub.com

Short version:
I grew up in a small town in Galway, a far cry from the glitzy cabarets I work on nowadays! Like most kids from a provincial town, I was fascinated by fashion and glamour and always wanted to work in the area. Luckily Ive managed to have a career in production and currently I’m working on the burlesque cabaret show The Tassel Club!
It’s wonderful to see how Irish audiences have unequivocally embraced burlesque and The Tassel Club is really enjoying its pre eminent status as the sexiest cabaret show around! Ironically, it’s this flattering accolade that puts a lot of pressure on me to keep up production standards! I’m constantly looking for inspiration for the shows and even travel abroad quite often in search of unique exotic stars to bring to the Irish stage! On a recent trip, I visited the very heart of erotic cabaret – arguably the most famous club on the planet, The Moulin Rouge. Ireland’s leading showgirl and star performer at The Tassel Club, Mz Epiphany de Meanour came with me to check out what her Parisian counterparts were getting up to.

The Moulin Rouge has been flashing high class flesh for over a hundred years and I can tell you, it isn’t showing any signs of covering up! I‘ve tried to visualise The Tassel Club mirroring it’s gruelling schedule of two shows a day, employing sixty five full time dancers and running for a hundred years! I’ve managed to bolster my confidence by concluding that the original Moulin Rouge owners could never have predicted their clubs’ success when they first started out! In fact, considering how so called ‘respectable’ French society frowned on and venomously condemned the club in its formative years, it’s to be heartily applauded for managing to cement its status as an internationally venerated French institution drawing more than 600 000 spectators through its doors every year.

I read up a little on the club‘s history before my visit and was amazed at the myriad of stars who’ve tread its’ well worn boards. Unique performers like La Goule, Josephine Baker, Ella Fitzgearld and Frank Sinatra all performed there and of course, it was also the subject of many paintings by post impressionist artist Henri de Toulouse Lautrec.
Both myself and Epiphany were pretty excited as it was our very first visit but when we arrived at District 18, I could see straight away that The Pigalle district is to Paris what Soho is to London, a rundown assortment of adult entertainment businesses. The Moulin Rouge is a veritable national treasure but sits aside tacky strip clubs and countless sex shops in an incongruous mix of city planning. If the truth be told, I was fascinated by this part of town and felt disappointed that there wasn’t a chic little bar or cafe where we could sit and spy on the late night revellers.
As we arrived at the venue, we felt like proper VIP’s when management ushered us past the lengthy queue for a preview of the venue before show time! Stage manager Thierry Outrilla brought us through a secret door to the extensive backstage area and immediately we were struck by a good strong farmyard smell! Wholly unexpected, we had just passed a ‘dressing room’ containing eight miniature ponies wearing diamond studded bridles! Now that’s show biz Moulin Rouge style!
In the main back stage area we got chatting to some performers getting ready for the show. Caroline Renno 22, is a solo performer who has developed the unique talent of swimming with pythons! She’s from Newcastle in the UK and in a good ‘up north’ accent she told me “In the second half of the show, a twenty foot water tank containing ten live pythons rises up from below the stage and I jump in and swim with them!”
Not all girls perform topless but Sophie Escoffier, 25, from Paris is one of the twenty who does. I didn’t really know what to else to ask her except what her mother thought of her performing topless! She wasn’t a bit phased by the question. “It’s such a beautiful magical environment there is nothing improper about it. My parents have come to the show and loved it! Even my grandmother has come to the show and was very proud of me!”

I asked if there were many French girls working the current Moulin Rouge show. “We have lots of foreign girls” Thierry told me. ‘Some shows could have up to fourteen different nationalities on stage on any given night. The top countries are Australian, French, English and Russian. Once, a few years ago, an Irish girl named Jean performed with the troupe”
We chatted in a small room, surrounded by a mesmerising array of costumes. Rows of identical headdresses made of vibrant, coloured ostrich feathers encrusted with diamante sat side by side. Feather trimmed armbands, fringed diamante headbands and glittery, shoestring style bodices (that looked exactly like bejewelled dental floss!) hung on rails. “Everything is made exclusively for our performers – you won’t ever see anything like them outside of the club” Thierry said proudly. I detected he had a particularly strong bond with the place and found out later that he was a dancer himself prior to his twenty one years of management.

As we posed for photos by the stage entrance, the entire troupe of Dorriss Dancers swished past me in full feathered glory. They looked like a flock of exotic birds, and to use the vernacular, that’s exactly what they were!
PR manager Fanny Rabasse joined us backstage to fill me in on some of the general requirements for any young gal, or guy, hoping to join the ranks.
“The girls must have some ballet training” she told me,“along with great personalities, because this really shines through on stage! They also need to be a minimum of 5’ 8” with exceptional figures! We want our audience to be spellbound” she purred.

I moved on to a more pressing question – fake or non? – Will the Moulin Rouge allow cosmetically enhanced girls to perform? There was certainly no evidence of silicon from what I could see! Au natural seems to be the way of The Moulin Rouge and Fanny confirmed it.

“losing or gaining weight is controlled to + or - 2 kilos, cutting or dying hair is strictly monitored and absolutely no silicon for topless performers” she added, almost managing to take the fun out of it all!

The Moulin Rouge venue is breathtaking, simply because it has retained all its original characteristics and still looks like a dignified, venerable theatre. The red and white circus style ceiling, the vintage artefacts on the walls all look (and could be) authentic relics of past Moulin Rouge decades. The luxurious red velvet booths remind me of our very own Trocadero a Dublin!

The current show on offer is ‘Feerie’ and is made up of three main sections ‘Moulin Rouge today, yesterday and Moulin Rouge Forever’ and naturally it features the best known legacy of the Moulin Rogue, the Can-Can. Ten of their best girls performed the famous dance and it really rallied the crowds. Fanny told me afterwards “It’s not like years ago when the chorus line was made up of linen maids and seamstresses who transformed themselves into Quadrille or can can dancers each night. It’s one of the most difficult styles to perform and requires specific artistic and physical qualities. New girls spend five weeks training and the rehearsals are very frequent.”

The show’s twenty or so topless girls were exquisitely statuesque and uber chic with perfectly polished routines that went without hitch. Maybe that was the problem! Personally, I relate better to performers who are not quite so precise! Nipples always stay under raps in burlesque (or more to the point, under tassels!) so I wondered, why do many people find burlesque performers sexier than these perfectly formed, size zero, topless Moulin Rouge dancers? The Moulin Rouge performers are undeniably stunning and remarkably talented dancers, but I can see how their performances could be seen as a tad austere and habitual. Perhaps it’s the beginning of the end of the ‘less is more’ theory and the return of the ‘more is more’ train of thought! I’ve always hoped that the striptease element of burlesque shows would play a part in encouraging people to look at adult entertainment in a different way.

The Moulin Rouge it is a remarkable show and I could see how it inspired so many in the worlds of artists, writers and film makers, but along with every other world famous glamour icon, I sensed The Moulin Rouge has to struggle continuously to fight off the natural aging process. Indisputably, management have to be congratulated for their unappeasable desire to reinvent the show. They’ve also succeeded in realising my dream: to bring an audience into another world, where the costumes are every girls fantasy and the girls may well be every guys!
I have no reservations in heartily recommend a visit, to every vaudeville, cabaret and burlesque loving soul on the planet! Vive La France! Vive la Cabaret!
The trip was organised by :
French Government Tourist Office
30 Upper Merrion Street, Dublin 2
Fax: + 353 1 662 9346
www.franceguide.com

special thanks to Air France: www.airfrance.fr , www.mygenieinparis.com ,
www. moulin-rouge.com, reservation@moulinrouge.fr and www.hoteldaniel.com

The Tassel Club’s next event April 28th @ The Sugar Club
Tickets E37 plus booking fee www.tickets.ie
www.thetasselclub.com

Paris in Spring Time

2008-09-08T09:50:00.000-07:00

Paris – Joy de Vive

Paris is one of those special places that deserves all the high praise it gets from everyone who visits it. Any self respecting shopper will tell you it’s a fashionista’s paradise, the home of the quintessential French woman whose style and panache is still second to none worldwide. It’s a haven of chic shops, museums, unique cafes and bars, all of which add to the vibrant ‘je ne c’est que’ that makes Paris incomparable to other cities. Clichéd as it may sound, I felt like a movie star or a runaway bride as I breezed through the cobbled streets taking in the ambience of this unique and magical city.
Before my trip I promised myself that I was going to plan my weekend well in advance, avoiding my usual ‘blind leading the blind’ kind of rambling, where I waste valuable time aimlessly wandering through the streets without proper directions! I was determined to utilise every second of my time away so I availed of a novel little company I found online called My Genie in Paris http://www.mygenieinparis.com/. For 60 euro, (paid through their website) this independent ‘tour guide’ asks all kinds of profile building questions covering accommodation, eating out, tourist and shopping interests and so on. Based on your answers, they arrange a detailed, tailor made itinerary of where to eat, sleep and party, complete with maps and relevant phone numbers. What I found most helpful was Stephanie, my genie, managed to secure a table in the remarkably trendy and constantly ‘booked out’ KONG restaurant. Designed by Philip Stark, it’s set on the top floor of a disused shopping centre in the heart of the up and coming Pont Neuf area. It was a relief that I didn’t have to call them myself from Ireland as my limited French would probably have lumbered me with a reservation sometime in 3000!

Let’s face it – there are so many things to do in Paris you would need much more than a weekend to get it all done, but, thanks to My Genie I managed to do almost everything on my list in just two and a half days! When I arrived on Friday afternoon I met with Stephanie who gave me maps, relevant leaflets and my personal itinerary meticulously printed out. After I checked into my hotel, I went for afternoon tea in the Ritz, had dinner in Kong and late drinks in Mandala Ray (formally the restaurant Man Ray, owned by Johnny Depp) and was tucked up in bed by two am! I have to say, having everything mapped out in advance made it effortlessly easy to fit it all in.

My hotel was just five minutes from The Champs Elysees and was an exquisite little boutique styled spot called Hotel Daniel. http://www.hoteldanielparis.com/ I’ve learned that it’s always worth sourcing a well located hotel, especially if you are planning to carry lots of shopping bags home every evening!! This one was perfect – lovely décor, friendly and very easy to find, even after a few glasses of vino!

Saturday’s ‘Genie’ itinerary was packed with exciting options from my original list of requests including vintage stores, specialist chocolate &coffee shops and some historical sights and museums that were en route. I hit the Champs-Elysees first, checking out the worlds largest Louis Vuttion’s store and although I’m not a big fan, I’d recommend that you take a look as it’s breathtaking. Sephora and Zara are always worth checking out and if you need a quick espresso pop into George V café for great coffee and snacks. Walk, (or get the daunting, yet unbelievably easy to use metro) to Rue de Madeline and visit Maison du Cholocate if you fancy splashing out on some world famous French chocolate. Close by is the unique, design conscious store Colette http://www.colette.fr/ who’s modern approach to the normal, predictable concept of retail is novel. Smaller than I expected, (I had spent some time on their very cool website) it’s a shop for the design aware and uber chic mixing hi-tech with fashion, street art, world music, cult classic DVDs, unique jewellery and street wear. I was impressed by their music listening area, which consisted of a wall of I pods allowing you listen in advance to the album of you choice, cutting out the need to randomly buy something simply because you liked the cover! If there’s space (its always busy!) you can eat in the Water Bar downstairs.

Continue from there to Jartin du Palais Royal (M Palais Royal) and stroll through the beautiful garden which is surrounded by little shops including top vintage stores like Gabreille Geppert and the rather more impressive Didier Ludot The latter houses one of the most famous collections of vintage haute couture in Paris and I was told by the extremely enthusiastic shop assistant, that Reese Witherspoon bought her vintage Dior (1956) dress there, the very one she wore to the Academy Awards when she won the Oscar for“Walk The Line.” (Didier Ludot is also the author of the fashion book‘ Little Black Dress’)

For something altogether more modern I visited The George Pompidou Centre. http://www.centrepompidou.fr/ Now, I’m not the greatest appreciator of art but I was so glad I bought a day ticket and allowed myself three hours to view works from modern greats like Kandinsky, Dali and Marcel Duchamp. One of the hottest places to eat in Paris is George, on the top floor of the centre. (M Hotel de Ville) Even if, someday the food goes down hill, it will always have the best views so check it out if you can!

On Sunday I spent a couple of hours in the Louvre http://www.louvre.fr/ and at the risk of sounding like a complete philistine, I found it quite oppressive. It’s worth the effort to see the Mona Lisa and Michelangelo's David but you could end up spending way too much time trying to find your way around. (its like a mini city!) My best advice is decide in advance what you want to see and stick to it!
Maybe the fashion museum MUSEE GALLIERA -
http://fr.sitestat.com/paris-touristoffice/paris-touristoffice/s?wwwgallieraarisfr&ns_type=clickout&ns_url=www.galliera.paris.fr is more your thing! It certainly was mine.

I couldn’t imagine Paris without visiting the theatre and as I’d never been to The Moulin Rouge I decided it was time to check it out!

The iconic red windmill itself is worth the short trip to the somewhat shady Pigalle district and the colourful and well choreographed show is full every night so they must be doing something right! If like me, you have an interest in the history of cabaret then this show is a must. Prices are not cheap at approx E140 euro for dinner but it’s a venerable French institution and I felt it was truly worth supporting.

With a centrally located hotel and a fairly good idea of what you want to do on your trip, there’s no reason why you can’t fit in all the culture, fun, fashion and gourmet food Paris has to offer, no matter how short your trip! Plan ahead and get the most from this incredible city. Vive la France!

Many thanks to :
Maison de France: For all information on France: http://www.franceguide.com/
Sara flew with Air France:www.airfrance.ie
My genie in paris. http://www.mygenieinparis.com/en/index.html

Shows:
Moulin Rouge; http://www.moulinrouge.com/

Accommodation:
Hotel Daniel – 8, rue Frédérique Bastiat, 75008 Paris http://www.hoteldanielparis.com/

Or
The Ritz
Ritz Paris: 15, Place Vendôme, 75001 Paris www.ritzparis.com
resa@ritzparis.fr

restaurants:
KONG
1, rue du Pont Neuf, 75001 Paris
Tel. 01 40 390 900 Fax. 01 40 390 910,
http://www.kong.fr/
George Restaurant
Place Georges Pompidou 19, rue Beaubourg 75004 Paris33 (1) 44 78 47 99

Best Coffee/Atmosphere/cafe

CAFE GEORGE V120 Avenue des Champs Elysées 75008 PARIS
Metro : George V

RER : Charles de Gaulle - Etoile

telephone number : 01.45.62.33.51

fax : 01.45.63.04.61

Shopping :
Colette 213 rue Saint-Honoré - 75001 Paris - France
Tel: +33 1 55 35 33 90 - Fax: +33 1 55 35 33 99
contact@colette.fr
Open from Monday to Saturday 11am to 7pm.
Subway Tuileries or Pyramides / Bus line 68 or 72 http://www.colette.fr/

Louis Vuttion http://www.louisvuitton.com/
(101 Avenue de Paris 750800 ph 0 810 810 010)

OTHER REASONS TO GO TO PARIS:
www.modeaparis.com
Fashion week spring-summer: 30 September-8 October
Haute Couture: 2nd to 5th July 2007
Ready to wear: 30th September – 8 October 2007
Men’s fashion: 28th June to 1st July 2007

MUSEE DE LA MODE DE LA VILLE DE PARIS10, avenue Pierre Ier de Serbie 75116 PARIS
Metro : Iéna

Bus : 32, 63, 72, 92, 42,80, 82

telephone number : 01 56 52 86 00
http://fr.sitestat.com/paris-touristoffice/paris-touristoffice/s?wwwgallieraarisfr&ns_type=clickout&ns_url=www.galliera.paris.fr

Books:
http://www.amazon.com/Little-Black-Dress-Vintage-Treasure/dp/2843232899

For other events:
http://en.parisinfo.com/show_exhibition/rub6130.html

Going Solo - Horseriding in South of France

2008-09-08T09:34:00.000-07:00

On your own for the holidays?

Sara Colohan discovers that single holiday makers are spoilt for choice! If a typical sunny package holiday is not adventurous enough for you, why not consider horse trekking in the South of France!
_________________________________________________________
Sara Colohan travels on horseback through the Medoc region of the South of France .
I love horse riding, but always thought horse trekking holidays were difficult to organise and certainly not something I'd ever do on my own. But after some online research, I found Des Abrons, a very reasonably priced trekking company, who run tours of the Medoc vineyards in the south of France.

A nifty two hour flight with Air France got me from Dublin to Bordeaux, where I was immediately struck by the idyllic late September temperature of 22 degrees. A representative of Des Abrons Stables collected me from the airport and within an hour I was chatting to my fellow riders in our hotel lobby. The group included two Swedish men, both professors in their late 50’s, two Swedish women both in their 40‘s, one French gentleman about 40 and a Spanish girl called Maria only 26. I rounded off the group as the only Irish gal in her thirties. On chatting to the professors, I learned that they had both done this particular trek before and found it the best of many, including one they did in Ireland a year previous. Travelling alone can sometimes be a daunting experience, but this time I felt very much at ease mainly due to the relaxed, genuine manner of Pierre Chemineau the trek leader and owner .
As an accomplished rider I was confident of my horse riding abilities, but it had been a long time since I sat in the saddle for more than a couple of hours at a time. Each day of this seven day trek was scheduled for four to six hours riding, so it wasn’t going to be easy for any of us!
It was great to see that Des Abron’s horses were healthy, alert and well looked after. All ex trotters and race horses, they looked eager to start their new trek and capable of carrying us for six days! It was going to be a hands on experience as we were encouraged by Pierre to be responsible for our own horses, feeding and watering them every day before resting ourselves.
Each day we were given a map showing the direction and distance of the trek which basically made no sense to me at all! I was happy to fall in line and play follow the leader. For the first hour I obsessed about when we would get to gallop but I didn’t have to wait long! On signal, we took off through the flats, with the rows of vines lending themselves as tracks on a race course. I was out of breath by the time we reached the top of the stretch and memories of summer holidays spent horse riding with my sister came flooding back in vivid detail.

Pierre and Alex his trusty assistant alternated driving the truck, which went ahead of us each day carrying all our belongings and all the necessary provisions to make a lavish daily picnic. After enjoying an array of farmhouse cheese, salads, meats and copious amounts of vino, the picnic automatically became every ones highlight of the day. It was also a chance to rest before the long afternoon ride which could be up to four hours.
Our hotels on the first two nights were only two-star but to be honest, I was relieved that I wasn’t paying extra for unnecessary frills because all I wanted to do was sleep! There was a bath and a bed so I was happy! My back had started to feel the strain and I was exhausted from five hours a day in the saddle.
By the third night I was ready for a treat and low and behold we arrived at Domaine de la Gravette. A farmhouse style B &B where we enjoyed luxury fluffy towels and the most exquisite rustic French cuisine! Dinner was yet again accompanied by copious amounts of great wine. I had never experienced an all inclusive trip quite as generous as this one. The wine flowed like we were long lost relatives and as a result, I slept like a baby that night! Next morning, our truck was laden down with cases of the chateau’s wine as we bought supplies to bring back home.
On our final day the rain hit hard and as we struggled with our rain gear, the horses battled with the showers. It was a tough day, but it definitely made the vision of our last port of call, Chateau d’Arche a near spiritual experience! A vivid rainbow appeared as we made our way up the hill, framing the mirage-like chateau. I was mesmerised by the beauty of this four star sanctuary. We tended to our horses, setting them free to graze for the last time.

It occurred to me as I soaked away my aches in the beautiful antique bath of Chateau d’Arches, that even though the week had been a very active one, my state of relaxation was complete. Every decision on where, when and what to eat and where to go was made for me, leaving me time to build a relationship with my horse and the other riders on the trip. Just being outdoors for eight hours a day was such a welcome change to my normal routine that I’m sure the fresh air did something for my soul! I couldn’t think of a low point from the whole week and when Pierre told us we travelled 220 km in total I felt very proud of every step.

This trek was called The Tour of Great Bordeaux Wines and was an advanced ride out where we galloped several times everyday on eager horses. Our route took us from the Medoc to Sauternes via Pomerol, through the famous St Emilion, on to Cadillac, Cote de Blaye, along the Dordogne river, through forests of Landes Girondines.
This may not suit everyone riding skills so Des Abron offer about ten different styles of treks and horses to suit different levels. They include The Basque country, in the footsteps of the smugglers, The Provence, The Dordogine river, which is suitable for beginners and the tour of the chateaux of the Loire Valley.

Checkout the website www.les-abrons.com Tours start in March and run til October.
E mail Pierre : lesabrons@les-abrons.com or contact Pierre Chemineau
Guide de tourisme équestre Sourrel-haut 47440 Pailloles (05 53 41 03 38,
Fax 05 53 41 11 25
WEBSITE : WWW.FRANCEGUIDE.COM
INFORMATION LINE : 1560 235 235 (95 CTS/MIN)
Sara Colohan travelled with AIR FRANCE WWW.AIRFRANCE.IE

2008-09-08T09:32:00.001-07:00

If someone told me I could earn a living reviewing spa resorts around the world, I would never have believed them! If they had tried to convince me that I would be following in Madonna’s footsteps bathing in wine, in a spa resort in the south of France, well, I don’t think I would have believed that either.

As my taxi driver sped me towards my destination, Les Source de Caudaile, an exclusive spa about 20 min drive from the heart of Bordeaux, he briefed me on local history and continually checked for my reaction in the rear view mirror. Far from relaxed, I clung for dear life as we weaved our way through the early morning rush hour traffic.He told me that twelve years ago, a famous French skier, Daniel Cathiard and his wife Florence, joined forces to restore a 16th century castle in Martillac, on the outskirts of Bordeaux.

The castle, Chateau Smith Haut-Lafitte also came with 55 acres of vineyards and despite having no experience in wine making, they successfully produced Smith Haut-Lafitte wines. Having fully restored the Castle and another nearby smaller chateau for private residence the couple got to work on opening a small four star hotel and with it, an adjoining spa. Their beauty range Claudalie is now sold worldwide. The couple’s daughter Alice has taken over the running, which doubled in size to 50 exclusive rooms and apartments. The l’Institute de Vinotherapie offers the worlds only oenologically based health and beauty treatment. This means that by using the polyphenols in the grapes, which contain antioxidants capable of combating free radicals like smoke, stress, pollution, the skin can be protected from ageing.

Recent research also shows that polyphenols is a cholesterol-reducing element in red wine. Grape seed oil is rich in fatty acids, which therefore makes it ideal to moisturise skin. I was happy to give it a try.Nothing could have prepared me for the serenity and beauty of the place. Carefully designed to create space, clean lines and tranquillity this spa is Zen-like, with natural wood beams framing large window areas and clean smooth limestone paving throughout.

As you enter the main area you can lounge in the huge Hydro-massage pool, referred to by some guests as the ‘healing pool‘, where the water is warm and comforting. The atmosphere in the main seating area, which surrounds the hydro-pool, is relaxed and tranquil with views of sun drenched vineyards and the large shimmering outdoor pool.Based on the first floor, my bedroom was a real haven. The double french doors opened out onto the small lake to the rear of the hotel.

Each evening I had the privilege of watching the resident swans swim in unison, peacocks swaggering about the grounds and when the trees sway a little, I could catch a glimps of the most exclusive of the hotel’s accommodation, the separate Cabin Suit, on the far side of the lake.I was given a card with my shedule written out - four treatments over my two days, with full access to all the amenities including a haman, outdoor jacuzzi and the michelin starred La Grand Vigne restaurant .The treatments I chose included a honey and wine wrap which lifts dead skin with the tartaric acid naturally found in grapes and helps circulation. The Peachy Complexion facial will do exactly as it prescribes while the crushed Cabernet Body Scrub softens the skin and the Sauvignon Massage tones. I found the treatments a little rushed but in a place this luxurious, the treatments almost became secondary to the view from my room.I met a wonderful glamorous lady from London called Paula on my first day by the pool. A sun-kissed well travelled lady, with immaculate hair and pristine, painted nails who told me she had travelled around the world on spa trips and Les Source de Caudaile was the best she’d found. We spoke about life, love and our treatment schedules, our smoking habits, fashion preferences, when the subject of age arose. Im usually a good judge but Paula left me pondering. She could be close to 60 I thought to myself, a well preserved 60.“Im over 70” she confided and I was stunned to silence. The most valid proof that a spa trip once a year can do wonders!It was time for lunch and I knew I was nt going to be disappointed. This spa has a wine cellar that exceeds 10,000 bottles, a two star Michelin chef in their restaurant and a cigar room where you smoke hand rolled cigars and sample wine from the region, difficult to surpass. Who ever imagined that a spa trip could be so indulgent!Les Source de Chemin de Smith Haut-Lafitte, 33650 MARTILLAC, France. T 0033 5 5783 82 82http://www.source-caudaile.com/sources@sources-caudaile.com
Sara Colohan travelled with Air France fly direct to Bordeaux
Internet: http://www.franceguide.comtel/: 1560 235 235 (95 cents per minute)

Book Review - How To Help - Capetown

2008-09-08T09:31:00.000-07:00

How2Help, A guide to Worthy Causes in Cape Town (Aardvark)
I noticed many changes since my previous trip to South Africa, three years ago. Although there is still unbelievable poverty within the black communities, more and more local people are starting to address the problem constructively. I was very impressed by an article I read in The Cape Argus about an investment analyst called Tracey Young. Her book, How2Help, A guide to Worthy Causes in Cape Town (Aardvark) is the result of two years work and compiles information on 50 of the best charities who promote sustainability, and are community driven and self managed. She wrote the book after trying unsuccessfully to invest in a reputable charity in Cape Town. Using her financial background to weed out the good from the bad, she analysed the accounts of over 150 charities and admits to being pretty ruthless in her findings.
Tracey created the 'how 2 help' (h2h) initiative to increase awareness both nationally and internationally of the work that is being done by so many worthy projects, and to encourage residents and visitors alike, to get more personally involved. She reminds us that sharing skills and knowledge is far more effective than handing out cash -
“Many projects don’t have accounting skills to manage money - if you want to give money pay the electricity bills or pay for materials” She adds“ Handouts don’t get anyone anywhere”
All the royalties from the h2h books will go directly to the JDI (Just-Do-It) volunteer foundation which will ensure that the funds are appropriately dispersed to h2h worthy causes.
The number of Irish visitors to Cape Town for holiday and investment purposes is growing every year (30,000 at last count!). Buy this book before you go and make a difference!
Essential reading
How2Help, A Guide to Worthy Causes in Cape Town, Tracey Young (Aardvark publishing)
Written especially for people disturbed by the poverty in Cape Town and eager to help genuine projects. Email: avoice@iafrica.comWeb: http://www.africanvoices.co.za

Cape Town - Tatler magazine

2008-09-08T09:29:00.000-07:00

CAPE TOWN -

So much had been written about the Irish holidaying and investing in South Africa we’re nearing saturation point, but each time I come home from a visit to Cape Town, I feel compelled to tell everyone about this beautiful, fashionable, cultural paradise.
My most recent trip to Cape Town was a working holiday - shooting fashion editorials for Irish Talter and an ad campaign for a leading department store. Film and photography work make up a substantial part of Cape Town’s booming industry. Capetonians are so acclimatised to cameras flashing and lighting crews on their beaches, that they hardly noticed us working for two weeks on their sandy shores. Everywhere you go, there are model agencies, production companies, lighting hire companies and beautiful people all eager to work. Cape Town has everything needed for a perfect shoot - an abundance of sunshine, beautiful beaches, a choice of two oceans -(The Atlantic and Indian are only 30 minutes drive apart) and one of the most famous mountain ranges in the world (Table mountain and the Twelve Apostles) .
Most of the worlds models who fancy a working holiday, travel to Cape Town during Fashion season ( January to March). We organised our shoot at the right time and had a staggering choice of models from South Africa, Israel, Spain, American, England, Scotland and Brazil!
Accommodation
I found Cape Town full of fashionable places to stay and ultra cool places to eat. For part of my stay, I bedded down at The Twelve Apostles hotel; five minutes drive past Camps Bay’s shops. Built into the mountain, with a view stretching to the Waterfront, it is the most spectacularly located hotel in Cape Town. I chose a mountain view room and spend my time lounging by the heated rock pools and enjoying a Clarins facial in their adjoining spa. Sanctuary Spa passes as one of the most magical places I’ve been to. Its colourful mood lighting reflects in the heated jet pool and rock carved flotation tank. The pools and treatment rooms are all linked together by a little foot bridge built into the mountainside. This hotel is worth visiting even if you don’t stay there. Just have a drink at The Leopard Room bar and watch the sunset. You wont find a better viewpoint for it.
After a luxury weekend in The Twelve Apostles I headed more affordable option in Seapoint This is a vibrant authentic, multi cultural area with lots of shops and cafes close to Waterfront and city centre. I stayed at the Planet Africa Lodge, which is a beautiful African style hostel, hotel and apartment accommodation combo. With it’s own information centre, swimming pool, bar and restaurant it really was a haven of calm and security in an otherwise bustling community.
Eating Out
I never tire of going out to top restaurants and ordering great sole on the bone or cray fish for about E10 per person! Its so refreshing to get pure value for money and leave Dublin’s overpriced restaurant culture behind. Madame Zingaras is a must for any travelling fashionista. Everything about this bohemian den of BoHo chic is flamboyant and camp, including the menu! I ordered Chocolate chilli beef fillet and received a spectacular a chunk of tender beef, smothered in a dark, rich unsweetened Belgium chocolate sauce. Half way through my meal, a frantic wave swept the restaurant as the zealous waiters prompted the diners (no exceptions) to don the ridiculous antique hats from the walls of the restaurant! One of the greatest social levellers (after Karaoke) I’ve ever experienced!
Shopping
For a city as fashion conscious as Cape Town, with beautiful people lounging in every club and bar and strutting on every beach, I found it surprisingly void of fashionable boutiques. Surf and street styles dominate the new and ultra modern shopping centres like Century City and The Waterfront. Kloof St. in the city centre, is a chic area for a stroll with great kitsch furniture stores like Eddie Zoom and Kitsch Boutique, but again, sadly lacking in high fashion or designer clothes. Long Street, the main street of the city is dotted with little boutiques and antique stores but nothing to get excited about!. Long Street is best visited at night where it comes alive with unlimited choice of bars and clubs.

Luxury Safari
I was lucky enough to meet a wonderful Irish beau called Ed Finn who lives in Cape Town, running his tour company Planet Africa Adventures www.planetafricaadventures.com A young entrepreneur, he really is the one to know when you arrive in Cape Town. He organises everything from safaris to trips on the Rovos Rail, classed as the world's most luxurious train www.rovos.com
I availed of his good nature and got him to organise a small safari trip for me and although most Big Five safaris are a plane trip away, he managed to find Aquila private game reserve only 90 min drive from the city centre allows you to experience the essence of safari and still be home in time for dinner!
Aquila also has a horseback safari so I booked overnight in one of their cottages to avail of this special combination. This was my first Safari and I found Aquila unbeatable. A shuttle picked me up from my hotel and within two hours I was saddling up my horse Spirit for a trek through the plains of karoo. I couldn’t believe how close we were allowed get to these great animals including Lions, Zebra, Giraffe, rhinos and antelope. (The park will introduce elephants in June 04.) It costs about E100 for a day trip and an extra E100 for an overnighter. Stay overnight!!! My chalet was pure luxury with a healthy mini bar and huge outdoor hot tub. The views were unparallel and the policy of no phone or TV made it even more special.
I fitted in another gallop on Spirit the next day and was home in Seapoint in time for Dinner.
Going Out
On my last night, my NBF Ed brought me out for dinner with his NBF Conrad Gallagher. They became buddies while setting up a luxury culinary tour for Ed’s company. It’s a special 10 night Gourmet Epicurean Tour to Cape Town, Victoria Falls and Zimbali Lodge near Durban. (details below)
We dined in the newest, coolest spot in the Cape Quarter called Tank, then headed for a new champagne and caviar bar off Long Street called Sobeit. It’s an elaborate Russian themed bar with spectacular décor, including a glass coffin containing a life size corps of Lenin set into the floor. After a few hefty cocktails we went on to Rhodes House, a very beautiful and very chic club, ideal for anyone who likes stylish décor, gorgeous people and funky lounge music.
Safety
Personally, I loved the vibrancy and ethnic mix of Seapoint and although you must take care wherever you go in Cape Town, the tales of high crime and violence are often exaggerated. Street cameras have been installed in many areas and a new police force dealing specifically with crime in the city has dramatically reduced the crime rate.

Sara Colohan travelled with Slatterys who fly direct from Dublin to CapeTown.
www. slatterys.com or by call 066-7186230 (RoI) and call-save 0845 300 4309 (NI), or contact your travel agent.
Must Do List:
Aquila Private game reserve & Safari
www.aquilasafari.com
0027 (0)21 405 4513
Theatre performance @
Maynardville open air theatre in Wynberg
Outstanding Shakespeare productions.
0027 (0) 21 410 9800
Lunch at Moye @ Spier wine farm
www.spier.co.za
Drinks at sunset in The Leopard Room, Twelve Apostles Hotel
www.12apostleshotel.com
Essential reading
How2Help, A Guide to Worthy Causes in Cape Town, Tracey Young (Aardvark publishing)
Written especially for people disturbed by the poverty in Cape Town and eager to help genuine projects. Email: avoice@iafrica.comWeb: http://www.africanvoices.co.za
Places to eat:
Madame Zingaras192 Loop St
Ph 0027 (0)21 4426 2458
Blues
The Prominade
Camps Bay
Ph 0027 (0)21 438 2040
Info@blues.co.za
Essential Number:
Planet Africa Adventures, Tel +27 21 9795663 Fax +27 21 9757928 - email
info@planetafricaadventures.com
Web-site www.planetafricaadventures.com
incoming travel company that specialises in booking all your travel requirements From May 2004, they will also be offering special 10 night Gourmet Epicurean Tours to Cape Town, Victoria Falls and Zimbali Lodge near Durban. For the Big 5 experience they also offer a variety of luxury game reserves.
Tried and tested Places to stay:
The Twelve Apostles
Victoria Road
Camps Bay
Cape Town
PH + 27 (0) 21 437 9055
Web www.12apostleshotel.com
Room Rate approx E380 euro per person
Planet Africa Lodge
17 Kei Apple
Fresnaye
Seapoint
Cape Town
Ph +27 (0) 21434 2151
Web www.planetaftica.co.za
E mail: welcome@planetafrica.co.za
Approx E55 per Double Room
Ashby Manor
242 High Level Rd
Seapoint
Cape Town
Sylvia Katz+27 21 434 1879 (Tel)e-mail: sylk@mweb.co.za
Approx E25 per room
Great Bars:
Sobeit, Longmarket Street, Cape Town
Marvel, Long Street (casual, NY style great music)
Ivory Room, Loop St ( posh, house music bar)

Clubs
Rhodes House
60 Queen Victoria St, Gardens, Cape Town
Purgatory
Cape Quarter
Summerset
Upstairs @ Mama Africa s (traditional music) 178 Long St, Cape Town

Shanghai Baby 06

2008-09-08T09:26:00.000-07:00

Shanghai Babies!

Fancy going to China on your next shopping spree? It’s a ten-hour flight from Heathrow, but if it’s shopping you’re after, then I guarantee you the trip will ultimately be a more rewarding venture than travelling to either LA or South Africa, both equal distances from Dublin.
China is an enigmatic land of gigantic proportions and fast becoming a high profile destination for global economic affairs. Entry to the WTO World Trade Organisation had brought a wealth of foreign investment to the country and Shanghai is the new darling, taking over from the now over priced, fading economic star - Hong Hong. Although China’s political regeme does nothing to enhance the perception of the country and the SARS outbreak was in danger of tarnishing our preceptions even further, this country is opening up to all, and creating a welcoming and enchanting environment for business and shoppers alike.

I loved every minute of my trip to Shanghai. I travelled there with model, Kiki Zo on a shopping extravaganza that lasted two weeks and I left wanting more!
Shanghai is electric! Still under major construction, along with the rest of China, Shanghai is a vast jungle of concrete and people; a rare concoction of smells and sounds - truly a sight for sore eyes. Sore feet too, if you opt to walk anywhere. As you’d expect from the largest city in the world, Shanghai shopping and night life are spread out, but thankfully taxi fares are cheap as chips (E2.50 FOR 20 MINUTES RIDE) and well regulated so even the non Chinese speaking tourist like me could make my way around this vast city without too much fuss.

Getting around
Getting around was a daunting experience at first, quiet like jumping onto a fast moving train! Once you’re on, you have a smug sense of achievement which lasts right up until you need to make your next move! My advice is toget organised with a good map, preferably in English and Chinese as most if not all taxi drivers will not read an English/pinyin address.

Tips on Bargaining
I found there were three prices for everything in China - the written price on the item, the Chinese price and the tourist price. Like most countries, bargaining is key and surprisingly easy to do with a calculator. Bring one! Don’t feel guilty for not haggling all the time as over focusing on prices can ruin a good day shopping. Chances are you’ll pick up a few bargains anyway. The majority of the time, tis worth a bit of banter. Most times you are likely to get it at half the price. Just remember, they want to sell even more than you want to buy in most cases.
And yes, they seem to think we are all millionaires.

Shopping
Nanjing Road
Although titled The Number One Commercial St in China, I didn’t do much shopping here at all. Loads to see, but if its designer fakes you’re after, you won’t find them here.
Xiang Yang Road Market
This is what shopping is all about for me! A vast market full of stalls selling everything fake from all the top designers - Louis Vutton being by far the most popular. Remember fakes come in 4 grades A,B,C and D. The grades at this market vary and its up to you to know what you’re looking for. Do your research! Be careful of the guys trying to lure you away from the market to private stores of stock. Although these fellows are mostly genuine, there are plenty of reasons why you should trust no one and being ‘Shanghai-ed’ is one of them! It’s not a mith. Get a guide if at all possible. It really helps when you have a Chinese speaker with you. Expect to see Christian Dior sunglasses for E6 and some of the best fake Gucci bags I’ve ever seen for about E14 (Check out for Haui Hai St Market and Xing Wang market on 9i Pu Road if this is your style of shopping!)
New World
An ultra modern area, I suppose equivalent to our Temple Bar with bars and designer shopping open late at night. I loved the layout of this area but the prices in the bars would make your hair curl.
Yubyuan Commercial City
This is Old Shanghai - a collection of beautiful old style buildings full of fantastic shopping for any self-respecting tourist. Visit the ancient Yuyuan Gardens, which are close by and eat in the famous dumpling restaurant - no English name -so just look out for the huge queues of hungry Chinese customers!
The Peoples Square
Is worth noting for the large Shopping Centre called Hong Kong Label St. build beneath it.

Bars & Clubs
We met two great Dutch girls in a club one night who recommended various clubs and bars including The Loft, The Kitchen, The White Room and Fuxi Nan Lu, but we didn’t make it to any of them - maybe you’ll have more luck finding them!We did make it to Heng Shan Rd where there are an array of bars. We liked an English Bar called Bourbon St Bar and KTV Bar/Club (Real Love) all on the same street.
Communication
Don’t bring your mobile unless you want a bill running to four figures. I am speaking from experience here! Try to get a mobile there if necessary. Use e-mail, its cheap and widely available.
Credit Cards
Cash is the language everyone speaks in China. Don’t use your card if it can be helped.
Custom and National pride
The Chinese are a very proud nation. They appreciate anyone making an effort to speak Chinese (even if you re the butt of all their jokes for months after you leave!) They also have great respect for the English language and see it as an essential tool in maximizing their healthy 9% annual economic growth rate, thus making China a force to reckon with. Don’t be alarmed if you find people trust their children towards you and force them to engage in conversation. This is done in the hope that their child will a) learn some English or b) impress family and neighbours around them by speaking English to a foreigner.

Environment
Yes tis true - China is a dirty place - It is a country where the deconstruction of the environment is seen as development. The waste disposal system in place simply doesn’t work. A plastic bag levy would be laughed out of government or just plain misunderstood by the common man here, but I’ve never seen a country more in need of some kind of regulation. Litter is strewn everywhere - even the remote rivers and walkways in the deep countryside are littered with modern day waste. But there is light at the end of this particular tunnel. The Chinese Government has issued grants to many cities to address this growing problem.
Beauty
Massage
A wide varity of massage on offer, in particular reflexology. Have a foot massage every day for about E4. It s the wisest investment you’ll make I assure you. If you can get to one of the major Sauna houses, you’ll be in for a treat. Check out if you can stay over night and enjoy all the facilities for head to toe pampering.
Hair treatment
Available most good salons, it is expensive at E15, considering you can get your haircut of E1 but definitely worth it. Two girls spent over an hour massaging Mink Oil conditioner into strands of my hair then left me under a steamer for 20 minutes. After a rinse, my hair was soft and conditioned like never before.
Nail Care!
I got acrylic tips for the grand total of E4 so don’t leave Shanghai without a set!
Essential reading:
Green Dragon, Sombre Warrior by Liam D’Arcy Brown
An in depth look at the growing economic force that is ‘China’
Shanghai Baby by Wei hui
A brilliant, light, romantic insight into the life of an young, female Chinese author and her ill-fated love life.
Must Do’s
For reasons to many to mention - Karaoke - Just do it!
Huangpu River Cruise
We got on a boat in the Pudong New area and travelled up the river, soaking up the most incredible skyline I’ve ever seen. Go at night for an even better view.
Address:219-239 Zhonshan Dong Er Rd. Reservations: PH63299992
Oriental Pearl TV Tower
Situated in the Pudong New area, it’s the third highest TV tower in the world. There’s an observation deck where you can see the whole of the city. We tied in with the river cruise and that made it really worthwhile.
Where to stay:
you can afford to be choosy. Every major hotel group in the world has a hotel in this city. Be warned, prices will be the same as home in most cases. I found some bargains and can recommend:
Shanghai DaZhong Merrylin Hotel ****
Palatial four-star hotel they have a superb restaurant in the complex along with a gym, tennis courts and beauty salon. Standard Rooms are priced at approx E80 per night and a 10 min taxi ride will have you in the heart of Shanghai centre.
Address:
699 Wuzhung rd
Shanghai 201103
www.merrylin.com
Ph 64466666
Sofitel Hyland Shanghai
You can’t get any closer than this hotel! Slap bang in the middle of Nanjing Rd (largest shopping street in Shanghai) a great place to stay to soak up the atmosphere of busy high street Shanghai. The Sofitel group also have another hotel in The Pudding district Shanghai, near the Oriental Pearl building. Prices start at E70 including breakfast.
Accor Hotels & Resorts
505 Nanjing Rd East
Shanghai 200001
www.accorhotels.com
Ji mao Hotel
1525 Zhongshan Rd
Shanghai 200233
Ph 021 64645558
Fax 021-64642528
This is the most economical of the three options- a well-equipped 3 star hotel. We felt the quality of the rooms were just as good as a four star - prices starting at E40 Double room. We did have to commute by taxi (20 min to the main shopping district) but once we had the address written in Chinese it didn’t pose a problem.

Shanghai in Brief:
My own personal 20 second guide to Shanghai includes the following:
Smog
Beware of the haze…
Crossing the road
Putting it simply, you take your life in your hands.
Pickpockets
They re nimble professionals - be ware.
Over pricing
Foreigners pay more - the unwritten rule.
Boozing with locals:
Enjoy it but they’ll drink you under the table!
Toilets
I can’t prepare you for some of the sights I saw around the city. Be warned. Hotel loos are top standard as a rule.
Karaoke
Get practicing because you won’t escape without singing a bar or two! I surprised myself more than once and sung songs I didn’t even know I knew - learn a verse of Careless Whisper and you’ll ‘wow’ your audience, I promise.

London for Honeymoon couples!

2008-06-16T09:30:00.000-07:00

Subject: LONDON'S CALLING – Shopping and TravelWhen it comes to excitement, choice of entertainment and a vibrant multi cultural environment, very few places can top the vast, intriguing city of London. If you don’t want to lie on a beach for your honeymoon, and would rather an active, action packed trip, then London could be the spot for you. On a recent trip shooting a fashion story for Confetti, I checked out what’s on offer for honeymooning couples this time of year. First bonus for picking London as your destination is the short plane ride. London is less than an hour from Dublin with a great selection of airports to choose from.I found staying in a central part of the city was essential. Considering the astronomical taxi prices in London, I chose to spend my extra cash on a good hotel room in the heart of the city. I splashed out and stayed in the Langham Hotel www.langhamhotels.com situated in Portland row, just off Regent st. I lounged around my room late into the morning, safe in the knowledge that I was just a quick stroll away from the shopping heartland.If you really want to make it a special honeymoon, you can book their luxury Infinity suite – one of the priciest penthouse suits in London. The infinity suite is a beautiful, lavish collection of rooms with the ultimate in luxury - an infinity bath with controlled mood lighting. I moved from the Langham Hotel to The Portobello Hotel for the second part of my stay. This really is a ‘unique boutique’ hotel experience. Each room has a different theme from Moroccan to oriental, so enjoy a hedonistic escape by moving from room to room each night! Check out the exquisite round bed room if you get the chance. This hotel wont break the bank and will definitely spice up any honeymoon!!www.portobellohotel.com for a full list of rooms and price list. Another highly recommended hotel is The Gore Hotel. www.gorehotel.co.uk . Situated in Queen’s Gate in fashionable Kensington its my own personal favourite Hotel in London. It’s tiny as hotels go, but the vintage décor and ornate styled rooms are so authentic it takes you back to days gone by, without suffering any of the hardships. The owner has a passionate interest in collecting art and antiques and the atmosphere is a cross between a slightly decadent, gentleman’s club and a Parisian brassiere. Too chic and kitsch for words.Who says you cant shop on your honeymoon? Head for Carnaby street off Regent st. (Behind Liberties) Despite the unhealthy amount of surfing shops, there are some little gems within this area. Check out Kingly Court – an outdoor shopping courtyard just off Carnaby Street where young upcoming designers show their collections.

Check out www.visitbritain.ie Their London shopping guide written in association with Lonely Planet helped me navigate my way through the maze of London streets and find some nuggets of style in an otherwise crowded commercial city.Covent Garden / West End is still my favourite area to hang out.
One of my favourite shoe shops is on Marmouth st (just off the seven dial) - Post Mistress - the best in stylish shoes! The wonderful Coco de le Mer is also along this street.There are some really cool one offs around this area like All Saints and the Adidas Store next door so my advise is to wander around each area and expect the unexpected! Around every corner there will be a cute little boutique or at worst, another H&M!!
An area I wasn’t familiar with, but was recommended to me for shopping is Draycott Ave which runs parallel to Sloane Ave ( Paul Smith, Kenzo & Bliss Spa in addition to the usual designer suspects) Draycott Ave itself hosts Jimmy Choo, Jean Paul Gaultier & Betsy Johnson among others. Of course, by Slone sq you’ll find Manolo Blahnik 49-51 Old Church St and Philip Treacy 69 Elizabeth St for the best in designer accessories.If you’re lucky enough to incorporate a weekend into your stay, then you’re spoilt for choice for markets. Camden, Brick Lane, Greenwich, Petticoat Lane and Portobello. All worth a stroll on a Saturday or Sunday. London’s night life is varied. There are so many great places to suit romantic cocktailed evenings. My first recommendation is Rockwell @ The Trafalgar Hotel, Trafalgar Square. For remarkable cocktails and swish surroundings , it’s a cool kind of place playing a mix of baleric beats to lounge to house music. Tsars @ The Langham hotel (formerly Langam Hilton) Regent St. is heaven on earth for vodka drinkers everywhere. Lush, five star surroundings with intimate, private candle lit plush seating. I could have stayed here all night sipping on the largest vodka menu I’ve ever witnessed!Absolute Ice Bar 31-33 Heddon St London w1b 4bn is another uber cool spot. The walls, bar, tables, and even your own personal glass with a vodka cocktail is made out of the purest ice. It’s operated in 40 minute time slots Entrance fee 12 GBP (15 GBP Thu,Fri,Sat evenings), but you get your Designer thermal cape to keep you warm on entry ,Personal ice glass- Choice of Vodka cocktail in your ice glassBooking is highly recommended due to current demand. You can book a 40 min visit to ABSOLUT ICEBAR LONDON on it's own or you can combine it with a booking for lunch, dinner or just drinks in Below Zero the adjacent warm lounge/restaurant - Below Zero. Well worth a visit.My top spot at the moment has to be Lounge Lovers in Liverpool st. Owned by the same people who brought us Les Trois Garcons restaurant in the same area. It’s funky, flash and a somewhere to spend an great evening lounging and style spotting.
Of course there is always 1940’s inspired Pigalle – Vince Powers beautifully styled supper Club in Picadilly. There is entertainment there every night with a special kind of cabaret show on Saturdays. It’s quite a unique place to have dinner as it’s the west end without any of the tackiness. The Gilt Champagne Lounge, which opened its doors at the Jumeirah Carlton Tower Hotel is another great spot to enjoy a bit of decadence. Set in the heart of Knightsbridge it’s a champagne bar with style and a cool relaxed atmosphere. +44 (0) 1483 222 676.A friend of mine lives on the waterfront, near Butlers Warf, Tower Bridge so I took a stroll along the promenade and was encouraged to see these old areas of London being developed to such high standards. The famous Le Pont De La Tour restaurant is here, (36d Shad Thames Butlers Wharf London SE1 2YE ph 020 74038403) where Clinton and Blair had lunch. All a little rich for my blood, I went back towards town and enjoyed lunch at 202 Café - at Nicole Farhi 202 Westbourne Grove. This place has all the essential elements: brilliant for celeb spotting, positively dripping in London cool and no bookings: serve Fish & Chips & Tuna Burgers. Another great spot is the small but chic Tartine. South Kensington 0207 589 4981 - They serve everything from prawns, steak, roasted veg, pate . . .whatever is simple to serve on a thin toasted slice of Poilane Bread (a tartine) with great individual house salads, (Around £10 for both)Tartine is the kind of place where you would see Liz Hurley having a 'Tartine' with no bread! Ah the magic of London! I really felt there was something new and fresh about London after my latest visit. When I spoke to friends who have been living in the city for years about this new sensation they agreed that there is an unprecedented vibrancy in the city at the moment. London is a great place to visit and maybe even a great place to live. There was definitely something in the air In London & I came home looking forward to my next visit, maybe my own honeymoon!

Essential numbers:
Visit Britain18 19 College GreenDublin 2Tel 00 353 1 646 1817Mobile 00 353 87 9077656www.visitbritain.ie Entertainment listings:Time Out London www.timeout.com/london
Restaurant Booking ServiceTop Table - jump the queue and special offers 020 7821 8454www.toptable.co.uk Places to stay five starLangham Hotel LondonPortland PlaceRegent StLondon W1B 1JAT ++44 (0)207 636 1000www.langhamhotels.com
The Portobello Hotel22 Stanley GardensLondonW11 2NGTel ++ 44 (0)20 7727 2777www.portobello-hotel.co.uk
The Gore Hotel - 190 Queen's Gate, Lon don SW7 5EX, Tel ++ 44 (0) 20 7584 6601, www.gorehotel.co.uk

Ten of the best shops in London
Agent Provocateur16 Pont STREET sw1020 7235 02296 Broadwick St W10207439 0229(lingerie) Alexander Mc Queen4-5 Old Bond St W1020 7355 0088(Designer)Concrete35 Marshall st W1020 7434 4333(designer: Preen, Robert Cary-Williams)Gina189 Slone Square SW1020 7235 29329 Old Bond street W1020 7409 7090(shoes)Labour of love192 Upper streetIslington N1020 7354 1316(independent designers collective)Preen5 Portobello Green281 Portobello Rd W10020 8968 1542(designer)Patrick Cox129 Slone Street SW1020 7730 8886(shoes)Question Air229 Westbourne Grove W11020 7221 816385 Dulwich Village SE21020 8299 425286 Church Road Barnes Sw13020 87481772(designer: Joseph,Vivian Westwood,ghost,Paul Smith etc) Tatty Devine236 Brick Lane E2020 7739 900957b Brewer St W1020 7434 2257(Art gallery ,Independent designer) Vivian Westwood6 Davies St W144 Conduit St W1430 Kings Road SW10020 7352 6551(designer) Club: SO UKTeatro Club & restaurant93 - 107 Shaftsbury Ave, London W1D SDY Tel ++44 (0) 2074943040www.teatrosoho.co.uk Lonsdale48 Lonsdale rd W11020 7228 1517Glamorous hip cocktail barOpen til midnight mon-satSketch9 Conduit stW10870 777 44882x bars, 2x restaurants, club. wall to wall glamour.Swarovski crystal bathrooms!

Argentina Travel Story08

2008-06-16T09:26:00.000-07:00

Buenos Aires – Honeymoon Heaven for city lovers

There are so many features of Buenos Aires worthy of a mention. The passionate tango, delicious mouth watering steaks, world class wines, high quality accommodation, sun drenched weather and of course, who could fail to mention the remarkable exchange rate of five pesos to one euro. It’s a busy, bustling noisy city, (rated fourth nosiest in the world!) and six hours drive from a decent beach, but there are many safe havens, glorious distractions and jaw dropping sights that make it a magnificent honeymoon destination for any fun loving couple.

The city is divided into twelve main districts – some more tourist friendly than others! The most interesting barrios are San Telmo, Palermo Soho, Palermo Hollywood, Palermo Veijo and Recoletta and getting around is surprisingly easy and refreshingly cheap! Taxis are about a tenth of what we pay in Dublin so hail to your hearts delight and know that once you’ve your destination written clearly on a piece of paper, even the most inept Spanish speaker will feel free to travel the length and breadth of the city without a worry, or without breaking the bank.

Shopping – Even on honeymoon!
Serious shopping happens around Ave Santa Fe, one of the longest avenues you will ever walk! It’s dotted with fashion boutiques and Malls where the guys favour better than the girls both in selection and quality.
If you’re looking for a more relaxed style of shopping teamed with a late night ramble, hit fashion conscious Palermo. (Soho, Hollywood and Viejo) Prices are more ‘European’ here, but the quality is better and the shops are in such close proximity it’s easy to navigate, safe and chic. (Shops open til 10pm)

For window shopping and weekend markets San Telmo is the most vibrant and diverse and it’s main vein La Defensa, is reminiscent of Las Ramblas in Barcelona. It’s chock-full of antiques (though that term is used loosely!) vintage clothing and art galleries and buskers of all persuasions pose and perform along the cobbled streets. It’s vibrancy is a testament to the artistic, creative and resourceful core of the Argentinean people. If only Temple bar was as effervescent!
Stroll along the cobbled streets, buy fresh orange juice from street vendors and window shop. Marvel at all the spectacular oversized antiques (and wonder where they all came from!) and have some fun imagining a few of the most ostentatious chandeliers hanging in your hallway!
Vintage store El Buen Orden (Defensa 894) is worth a look if silk Victorian top hats, vast rails of 1950’s handbags interest you. Another impressive shop is Galleria (888 Defensa) mainly due to the wild and wonderful owner of the vintage clothing concession inside called Charlie Brown’s. Pay him a visit but be prepared, he just might keep you chatting for an age about Argentinean art, theatre and politics! Sometimes these kind of spontaneous chats are the most informative, giving you your own inside track to what’s at the heart of a city like Buenos Aires. So if you’ve time, indulge him and others who will often just start up a conversation with you simply because they notice you’re a tourist. It’s generally harmless and often very genuine. Taking all that on board, opportunist crime is everywhere and being mindful your belongings is essential in this city. I’d compare the level of attention required on a par with Barcelona. I was cautious, but not overly so and I’m happy to say I had a hassle free trip.

For helpful maps, details on all stores, bars and restaurants see www.welcomesantelmo.com

Where to stay: There’s an astounding array of accommodation in Buenos Aires and some wonderful honeymoon extras on offer. Palermo would be my preferred area but San Telmo, Recoletta and Las Cantitas all offer diverse accommodation along with a great selection of deluxe apartments to rent. (highly recommended for longer stays)
If you are determined to spend a night in the heart of the city known as ‘Downtown’ then consider Rooney’s Boutique Hotel Sarmiento 1775 3º Piso (CP1041) It’s one of the nicest around, with faux renaissance style rooms, free standing baths and antique chandeliers. Prices start from an unbelievable 100 USD plus vat. Top it off with the fact that it’s been opened by a lovely fella called Kieran Rooney from Belfast and his Argentinean wife Gabriella, it just felt right to stay there and support them in their brave endeavour. If you like listening to stories of young couples selling up, moving to a foreign land and investing everything into a new business (in their case a run down period building) then stay here and learn how to do it first hand. They’ll also set you up with some great tango lessons! www.rooneysboutiquehotel.com
Rooney's Boutique hotel , Sarmiento 1775 3º Piso (CP1041) ,Ciudad de Buenos Aires, Argentina.Te. / Fax (54-11) 5252-5060

Although not the grandest, or the most expensive hotel I stayed in, HOME Hotel, (Honduras 5860 Palermo Hollywood) was by far the most comfortable, enticing and exciting. With a list of investors as cool as the hotel itself (Nick Seymour from Crowded House and U2’s producer Flood for starters) HOME was destined for uber chic success from the get go. It’s a credit to owners Patricia O Shea (pr chick extraordinaire) and her DJ husband Tom Rixton who set up HOME in 2005. They’ve managed to make everything feel personalised and well thought out. I loved their unique breakfasts and my favourite touch was the ‘HOME sweet HOME’ message on the sugar sachets. The furniture is cool, designer vintage, but still comfortable and I had the best cocktails of my entire trip sitting at their little bar, over looking the ‘country garden’ & pool area. I have to add that HOME was the first hotel to give me that ‘giddy’ feeling, the one that makes you want to open the presses, check behind every door and bounce on the bed!
The pool side suite is one of the best I’ve seen and that includes comparisons from some five star hotels in Buenos Aires. You can enjoy the seclusion of your own private pool or join up with the rest of the guests in the main pool area. Their in house spa offers deluxe honeymoon specials like dual massage with champagne and a sandalwood and jasmine rose petal bath all in the comfort of your own room!
I tried to imagine who wouldn’t enjoy HOME and I could only think of couples who have their heart set on colonial style grandness with high ceilings and sweeping hallways. You don’t have that in HOME but what it lacks in space it makes up for in clever design. It’s cool – but don’t think it’s too cool for you! Read some reviews on line and take my advice, believe the hype!
Hotel HOME Buenos Aires, Honduras 5860 - Palermo Hollywood
(5411) 4778-1008 www.HOMEbuenosaires.com, info@HOMEbuenosaires.com
Pool side suite 335 USD with vat

For the ultimate in grandness try The Alvear Palace www.alvearpalace.com It’s all you d expect from a top 5 star hotel and is situated on the very swanky Alvear Ave. Recoletta. It’s so plush you’d think you’d have to re-mortgage the house to stay there but be prepared to be pleasantly surprised.

Tourist Must Do’s!
Let’s face it- Buenos Aires is a romantic city, not least because tango is a national, passionate pastime. Therefore, you may want to catch a live tango show and La Boca Tango, (Brandsen 923 La Boca ) just might be the most impressive on offer, not least because of its unique setting in a preserved La Boca street called a Conventillo (rows of authentic vintage houses, filled with ancient household items). It also houses an impressive velvet clad theatre, offering full dinner and a show for 80 USD. Collection and return to your hotel is also included, which is a blessing as La Boca neighbourhood is not the safest place to go for a stroll! Even if you don’t want to do dinner and a show, you can still visit the village during the day. BOCA TANGO Brandsen 923 www.bocatango.com

Or for something completely different, why not try the radical Café: Te Matate Ramierz. I didn’t attend this unique cabaret show myself, but I’ve checked out their impressive website and heard glowing reviews : ”The ambiance has an erotic theme but its not a sex show. It is somewhat romantic but not overwhelmingly so, more provocative than sexual. The food is great”
Café: Te Matate Ramierz, Aphrodisiac Restaurant with show – Jazz and Bossa
Gottiti 5054 Palermo www.tematareramirex.com

Recoleta Cemetery(At Plaza Francesa, Recoleta) is another great afternoon stroll. Buy a map from the pushy sellers outside because you’ll need it to navigate your way around what’s probably the most densely populated area of Buenos Aires (and probably the most expensive real estate!) Find the famous Irish hero s like Father Fahy (originally from Galway County) and the Duggan Family and of course visit Eva Peron’s tomb which is situated along side the rest of the deceased Argentinean who’s who!
Free entrance (map 4 pesos) www.recoletacemetery.com

Food Glorious Food.. a carnivore’s paradise…
I mentioned steaks in the first sentence and no matter what guide book you have, it’s sure to recommend La Cabrera (Cabrera y Thames Palermo Soho Ph 47774601) Expect huge portions of spectacularly cut steaks with more sauces and trimmings that you could possibly polish off for about 30 pesos. A good wine list great service and lots of outdoor seating make it a winner all round but be warned - it’s always busy so booking is essential.

If you miss a table in La Cabrera then all is not lost. I stumbled upon Lo de Jesus (Gurruchagaa 1406 Plaermo Viejo) only a few feet and it had great steaks, good wine and the best Morcilla imaginable.(Morcilla is a local delicacy of black puddings which is surprisingly delicious!) www.lodejesus.com.ar

On a final note, I would urge you not to believe everything you read in Time out or Lonely Planet as I was disappointed more than once after following their glowing restaurant reviews. Use them as a guide but not gospel! Admittedly, consistency is hard to monitor but keep in mind that the food is generally excellent so it’s unlikely that you re going to get it wrong more than once!
_________________________________________________

FOOD
Here are a few more worthy mentions: Nica(Humboldt 2006 Palermo Hollywood ph 47720664) is recommended by HOME hotel, also Maat(Sucre 2168 Belgrano ph 48961818) for more up market deluxe dining. Sushi is big in BA so for one of many good quality places try Little Rose (Armenia 1672, bell 1 Palermo Soho ph 48339496)

SPA TREATMENTS:
There are many spas offering pedicures, botox, facials and massage. Expect to pay about 100 pesos for a one hour massage in the Evian Club and more if you are in your hotel. (HOME starts at 200 pesos)
Evian Aqua Club and spa
Cervino 3626
Palermo
Massage – 110 pesos
www.aguaclubspa.com

HAIR DRESSERS
There are many high street places that will charge you extra for just being a tourist. This is a safe haven and fabulous funky décor to boot:
Juan & Fin Pelos de Autor, Honduras 5174, Palermo ph48313015

GET CULTURED:
Museum Museo National de Bellas MNBA, Ave Figueroa Alcorta www.mnba.org.ar

GET CONNECTED:
Almost everywhere has wi fi with good connections. Internet cafes are plentiful and cheap (less than 1 euro per hr). A local sim for your phone is about 20 pesos so it might be an idea to buy two so you can save a fortune on texting each other!

GET SHOPPING
A few worthy mentions are Felix (Gurruchaga 1670, Palermo Soho) and Bolivia (Gurruchaga 1581) for men and Divia (Armenia 1498 Palermo Soho) for woman’s shoes.

IRISH ROOTS:
Don’t be surprised when you meet people called Lynch, Ganly and Kenny speaking English with Irish accents. I met a few in the Irish Embassy on St Patrick’s Day and discovered their accents came from learning English from their parents who were both Irish. It’s very cool to be Irish in Buenos Aires!

GET SPORTY:
You can do yoga classes in English or Spanish!
Valle Tierra Yoga Centre
Costa Rica 4562 info@vallerierra.com www.vallerierra.com

RENT AN APARTMENT:
www.stayingbuenosaires.com

GET AWAY
If you are going to take a short internal flight while you are there fly south, it’s the better part of Argentina. www.aerolineas.com.ar
Alternatively, just go 100 km outside Buenos Aires to any number of ranches that offer wonderful restful escapes from the city life.
See La Candelaria Polo Club for a great example of what ‘s on offer for a mini holiday within a holiday!
La Candelaria Polo Club02227-424404 / 494132Cel.: 02227-15503654eventos@estanciacandelaria.com www.estanciacandelaria.com

Ist page of blog

2008-05-05T12:31:00.000-07:00

Tuesday, February 19, 2008

Travel Blogger News - FASHION & TRAVEL
TRAVEL BLOGGER ABROAD - Ist post - How exciting! I've finally decided to get all my fashion and travel work from previous trips and create this blog.

My name is Sara Colohan and I have an enviable job - I travel around the world writing travel guides and producing fashion stories for a variety of magazines in Ireland and the UK.
I just love blogging - it's total freedom! I can still edit my travel pieces as required by my editor, then come on here and put up all the photos and stories that were'nt included in the final cut - some of which i much prefer

Over the coming weeks, I will update and upload previous articles and images from fashion trips around the world.

March 11th - Buenos Aires trip - check out the april and May posts

Here is the first article published for Confetti

Article on Buenos Aires, 08

Posted by Travelblogger

Labels: fashion new york sara colohan sara colohan

New Shoots 08

2008-05-05T12:21:00.001-07:00

Sara Colohan: Fashion Stylist, travelled to Buenos Aires for Irish Publications March/April 08

Buenos Aires Argentina - The Location for three fashion stories for fashion magazines in Ireland.

I am planning a new trip to NY scolohan1@gmail.com for more details

Buenos Aires 08

2008-03-03T06:20:00.000-08:00

Argentina - Buenos Aires 08

Hi! My name is Sara Colohan and I'm a journalist/stylist visiting Buenos Aires to shoot spring summer for some Irish publications including Style magazine and IF magazine.

It takes quite a bit of organising - and has taken days to arrange accommodation, models and photographers from my freezing office in Dublin!!!

Here's my myspace profile:
www.myspace.com/saracolohanstylist

Palermo Soho is my first port of call. Called Soho because it resembles Soho in New York, it's uber cool in places if not a little pretentious.
I decided to go basic for my first two nigths and see what exactly you can get for 30 usd per night.
Borges Design Hostel
Palermo Soho
Paraguay 4539
(005411) 4774-6910
(005411) 4777-8174
http://www.bdhostel.com/

Basic it was! The private rooms are miniscule and rustic with a small single bed. The staff were helpful and like everywhere else here they had WiFi and a great courtyard to catch some rays (the only other places I have seen are public parks The beach is about 5 hrs drive from the city)
But two nights was my limit and I have moved to the rather chic moderately price Costa Rica hotel. (70 usd for lovely private room, double bed, egyptian cotton sheets hmmm) Five minutes walk from the centre of Palermo Soho.

Costa Rica 4137 / 39
Buenos Aires – Argentina
Tel.: +54 11 4864 – 7390
info@hotelcostarica.com.ar
http://www.hotelcostarica.com.ar/

St Patricks Day - Argentina

Meeting the Ganleys of Buenos Aires in the Irish Embassy

St Patricks Day at the Irish Embassy was great fun.Got to shake hands with Dermot Ahearn and Philomina, the Irish Embassador... Afterwards, I ended up in a new irish boutique hotel downtown called http://www.rooneysboutiquehotel.com/

I ll get better images soon.. but their site is great so have a look.
It's gorgeous, fashionably mismatched furniture and family run - it epitomised 'boutique hotel' for me. lovely faux renaissance style rooms, free standing baths, antique chandeliers all for the unbeatable price of 100 USD and up. Top it off with the fact that its run by a lovely fella from Bangor and his Argentinean wife, it just felt right to stay there and support them in their brave endeavour. If like me, you love listening to stories of young couples selling up, moving to a foreign land and investing everything into a new business (in their case a run down period building shaped lovingly into a chic boutique Hotel) then stay here and learn how to do it first hand. They’ll also set you up with some great tango lessons!

http://www.rooneysboutiquehotel.com/
Rooney's Boutique hotel Sarmiento 1775 3º Piso (CP1041) Ciudad de Buenos Aires, Argentina.Te. / Fax (54-11) 5252-5060(54-11) 5252-5061
Only downfall is it's right in the centre of Downtown and that means lots of traffic.

SHOOT 1
We had a great 1st shoot - completed last Thursday in 725 continental hotel in Buenos Aires downtown

Buenos Aires at 6am from the rooftop pool of 725 Continental hotel

Eguardo gets to work

Our hair andmake up boys! Me on a break!

One of the shots from our rooftop shoot.

Final shoot short list:

One of the finest locations Ive shot in: http://www.725continental.com/

Our next shoot is planned for Monday 1st April.

In the mean time I found a local b and b that felt like home!
Gorrit 4290 Bed&breakfast Bed & Breakfast

One of the rooms in Gorrit B and B

Buenos Aires http://www.gorriti4290.com.ar/ Hernan and his wife run the place, but they also live there - and before you think thats not the best arrangement i have to tell you it was amazing to stay there with them in a genuine Argentinian home where you can come and go, use the kitchen, buy your groceries in the supermarket and just live like a local. I have stayed in many a swish hotel in my day but i truely loved my time here and would recommend it to any anyone. They are also responsible for my extra few pounds that Ive put on - what a great breakfast! Home made cakes, fresh coffee and an array of pastries. All for 45 dollars a night. Unbeatable.

My best hotel experience ever happened on my last 3 nights. I had heard about HOME HOTEL in Palermo Soho. I had seen lots of press about it so checked it out. WOW WEE. Totally amazing...

http://www.homebuenosaires.com/

Here is my published story from BA 08

Buenos Aires – Honeymoon Heaven for city lovers

There are so many features of Buenos Aires worthy of a mention. The passionate tango, delicious mouth watering steaks, world class wines, high quality accommodation, sun drenched weather and of course, who could fail to mention the remarkable exchange rate of five pesos to one euro. It’s a busy, bustling noisy city, (rated fourth nosiest in the world!) and six hours drive from a decent beach, but there are many safe havens, glorious distractions and jaw dropping sights that make it a magnificent honeymoon destination for any fun loving couple.The city is divided into twelve main districts – some more tourist friendly than others! The most interesting barrios are San Telmo, Palermo Soho, Palermo Hollywood, Palermo Veijo and Recoletta and getting around is surprisingly easy and refreshingly cheap! Taxis are about a tenth of what we pay in Dublin so hail to your hearts delight and know that once you’ve your destination written clearly on a piece of paper, even the most inept Spanish speaker will feel free to travel the length and breadth of the city without a worry, or without breaking the bank.Shopping – Even on honeymoon!Serious shopping happens around Ave Santa Fe, one of the longest avenues you will ever walk! It’s dotted with fashion boutiques and Malls where the guys favour better than the girls both in selection and quality.If you’re looking for a more relaxed style of shopping teamed with a late night ramble, hit fashion conscious Palermo. (Soho, Hollywood and Viejo) Prices are more ‘European’ here, but the quality is better and the shops are in such close proximity it’s easy to navigate, safe and chic. (Shops open til 10pm)For window shopping and weekend markets San Telmo is the most vibrant and diverse and it’s main vein La Defensa, is reminiscent of Las Ramblas in Barcelona. It’s chock-full of antiques (though that term is used loosely!) vintage clothing and art galleries and buskers of all persuasions pose and perform along the cobbled streets. It’s vibrancy is a testament to the artistic, creative and resourceful core of the Argentinean people. If only Temple bar was as effervescent!Stroll along the cobbled streets, buy fresh orange juice from street vendors and window shop. Marvel at all the spectacular oversized antiques (and wonder where they all came from!) and have some fun imagining a few of the most ostentatious chandeliers hanging in your hallway!Vintage store El Buen Orden (Defensa 894) is worth a look if silk Victorian top hats, vast rails of 1950’s handbags interest you. Another impressive shop is Galleria (888 Defensa) mainly due to the wild and wonderful owner of the vintage clothing concession inside called Charlie Brown’s. Pay him a visit but be prepared, he just might keep you chatting for an age about Argentinean art, theatre and politics! Sometimes these kind of spontaneous chats are the most informative, giving you your own inside track to what’s at the heart of a city like Buenos Aires. So if you’ve time, indulge him and others who will often just start up a conversation with you simply because they notice you’re a tourist. It’s generally harmless and often very genuine. Taking all that on board, opportunist crime is everywhere and being mindful your belongings is essential in this city. I’d compare the level of attention required on a par with Barcelona. I was cautious, but not overly so and I’m happy to say I had a hassle free trip.For helpful maps, details on all stores, bars and restaurants see www.welcomesantelmo.com

Where to stay:

There’s an astounding array of accommodation in Buenos Aires and some wonderful honeymoon extras on offer. Palermo would be my preferred area but San Telmo, Recoletta and Las Cantitas all offer diverse accommodation along with a great selection of deluxe apartments to rent. (highly recommended for longer stays)If you are determined to spend a night in the heart of the city known as ‘Downtown’ then consider Rooney’s Boutique Hotel Sarmiento 1775 3º Piso (CP1041) It’s one of the nicest around, with faux renaissance style rooms, free standing baths and antique chandeliers. Prices start from an unbelievable 100 USD plus vat. Top it off with the fact that it’s been opened by a lovely fella called Kieran Rooney from Belfast and his Argentinean wife Gabriella, it just felt right to stay there and support them in their brave endeavour. If you like listening to stories of young couples selling up, moving to a foreign land and investing everything into a new business (in their case a run down period building) then stay here and learn how to do it first hand. They’ll also set you up with some great tango lessons! www.rooneysboutiquehotel.comRooney's Boutique hotel , Sarmiento 1775 3º Piso (CP1041) ,Ciudad de Buenos Aires, Argentina.Te. / Fax (54-11) 5252-5060

Although not the grandest, or the most expensive hotel I stayed in, HOME Hotel, (Honduras 5860 Palermo Hollywood) was by far the most comfortable, enticing and exciting. With a list of investors as cool as the hotel itself (Nick Seymour from Crowded House and U2’s producer Flood for starters) HOME was destined for uber chic success from the get go. It’s a credit to owners Patricia O Shea (pr chick extraordinaire) and her DJ husband Tom Rixton who set up HOME in 2005. They’ve managed to make everything feel personalised and well thought out. I loved their unique breakfasts and my favourite touch was the ‘HOME sweet HOME’ message on the sugar sachets. The furniture is cool, designer vintage, but still comfortable and I had the best cocktails of my entire trip sitting at their little bar, over looking the ‘country garden’ & pool area. I have to add that HOME was the first hotel to give me that ‘giddy’ feeling, the one that makes you want to open the presses, check behind every door and bounce on the bed!The pool side suite is one of the best I’ve seen and that includes comparisons from some five star hotels in Buenos Aires. You can enjoy the seclusion of your own private pool or join up with the rest of the guests in the main pool area. Their in house spa offers deluxe honeymoon specials like dual massage with champagne and a sandalwood and jasmine rose petal bath all in the comfort of your own room!I tried to imagine who wouldn’t enjoy HOME and I could only think of couples who have their heart set on colonial style grandness with high ceilings and sweeping hallways. You don’t have that in HOME but what it lacks in space it makes up for in clever design. It’s cool – but don’t think it’s too cool for you! Read some reviews on line and take my advice, believe the hype!Hotel HOME Buenos Aires, Honduras 5860 - Palermo Hollywood(5411) 4778-1008 www.HOMEbuenosaires.com, info@HOMEbuenosaires.com Pool side suite 335 USD with vat

For the ultimate in grandness try The Alvear Palace www.alvearpalace.com It’s all you d expect from a top 5 star hotel and is situated on the very swanky Alvear Ave. Recoletta. It’s so plush you’d think you’d have to re-mortgage the house to stay there but be prepared to be pleasantly surprised. Tourist Must Do’s!Let’s face it- Buenos Aires is a romantic city, not least because tango is a national, passionate pastime. Therefore, you may want to catch a live tango show and La Boca Tango, (Brandsen 923 La Boca ) just might be the most impressive on offer, not least because of its unique setting in a preserved La Boca street called a Conventillo (rows of authentic vintage houses, filled with ancient household items). It also houses an impressive velvet clad theatre, offering full dinner and a show for 80 USD. Collection and return to your hotel is also included, which is a blessing as La Boca neighbourhood is not the safest place to go for a stroll! Even if you don’t want to do dinner and a show, you can still visit the village during the day. BOCA TANGO Brandsen 923 www.bocatango.com

Or for something completely different, why not try the radical Café: Te Matate Ramierz. I didn’t attend this unique cabaret show myself, but I’ve checked out their impressive website and heard glowing reviews : ”The ambiance has an erotic theme but its not a sex show. It is somewhat romantic but not overwhelmingly so, more provocative than sexual. The food is great”Café: Te Matate Ramierz, Aphrodisiac Restaurant with show – Jazz and BossaGottiti 5054 Palermo www.tematareramirex.com

Recoleta Cemetery(At Plaza Francesa, Recoleta) is another great afternoon stroll. Buy a map from the pushy sellers outside because you’ll need it to navigate your way around what’s probably the most densely populated area of Buenos Aires (and probably the most expensive real estate!) Find the famous Irish hero s like Father Fahy (originally from Galway County) and the Duggan Family and of course visit Eva Peron’s tomb which is situated along side the rest of the deceased Argentinean who’s who!Free entrance (map 4 pesos) www.recoletacemetery.com

Food Glorious Food.. a carnivore’s paradise…I mentioned steaks in the first sentence and no matter what guide book you have, it’s sure to recommend La Cabrera (Cabrera y Thames Palermo Soho Ph 47774601) Expect huge portions of spectacularly cut steaks with more sauces and trimmings that you could possibly polish off for about 30 pesos. A good wine list great service and lots of outdoor seating make it a winner all round but be warned - it’s always busy so booking is essential.If you miss a table in La Cabrera then all is not lost. I stumbled upon Lo de Jesus (Gurruchagaa 1406 Plaermo Viejo) only a few feet and it had great steaks, good wine and the best Morcilla imaginable.(Morcilla is a local delicacy of black puddings which is surprisingly delicious!) www.lodejesus.com.ar

On a final note, I would urge you not to believe everything you read in Time out or Lonely Planet as I was disappointed more than once after following their glowing restaurant reviews. Use them as a guide but not gospel! Admittedly, consistency is hard to monitor but keep in mind that the food is generally excellent so it’s unlikely that you re going to get it wrong more than once!_________________________________________________

FOOD

Here are a few more worthy mentions: Nica(Humboldt 2006 Palermo Hollywood ph 47720664) is recommended by HOME hotel, also Maat(Sucre 2168 Belgrano ph 48961818) for more up market deluxe dining. Sushi is big in BA so for one of many good quality places try Little Rose (Armenia 1672, bell 1 Palermo Soho ph 48339496)

SPA TREATMENTS:

There are many spas offering pedicures, botox, facials and massage. Expect to pay about 100 pesos for a one hour massage in the Evian Club and more if you are in your hotel. (HOME starts at 200 pesos)Evian Aqua Club and spaCervino 3626PalermoMassage – 110 pesoswww.aguaclubspa.com

HAIR DRESSERS There are many high street places that will charge you extra for just being a tourist. This is a safe haven and fabulous funky décor to boot:Juan & Fin Pelos de Autor, Honduras 5174, Palermo ph48313015

GET CULTURED:Museum Museo National de Bellas MNBA, Ave Figueroa Alcorta www.mnba.org.ar

GET CONNECTED:Almost everywhere has wi fi with good connections. Internet cafes are plentiful and cheap (less than 1 euro per hr). A local sim for your phone is about 20 pesos so it might be an idea to buy two so you can save a fortune on texting each other!

GET SHOPPING A few worthy mentions are Felix (Gurruchaga 1670, Palermo Soho) and Bolivia (Gurruchaga 1581) for men and Divia (Armenia 1498 Palermo Soho) for woman’s shoes.IRISH ROOTS:Don’t be surprised when you meet people called Lynch, Ganly and Kenny speaking English with Irish accents. I met a few in the Irish Embassy on St Patrick’s Day and discovered their accents came from learning English from their parents who were both Irish. It’s very cool to be Irish in Buenos Aires!

GET SPORTY:You can do yoga classes in English or Spanish!Valle Tierra Yoga CentreCosta Rica 4562 info@vallerierra.com www.vallerierra.com

RENT AN APARTMENT:www.stayingbuenosaires.com

GET AWAYIf you are going to take a short internal flight while you are there fly south, it’s the better part of Argentina. www.aerolineas.com.ar Alternatively, just go 100 km outside Buenos Aires to any number of ranches that offer wonderful restful escapes from the city life.See La Candelaria Polo Club for a great example of what ‘s on offer for a mini holiday within a holiday!La Candelaria Polo Club02227-424404 / 494132Cel.: 02227-15503654eventos@estanciacandelaria.com www.estanciacandelaria.com

Previous Styling/production Shoots Capetown

2008-02-19T06:11:00.000-08:00

Fashion Locations: CAPETOWN

I love my job - I travel to sunny climates, shoot fashion stories, write travel articles and enjoy every day of my trip away! I like to be kept busy and l am one of those people who actually likes working holidays.

Dont let anyone tell you shoots aren't fun to work on - they're hard work, no doubt, but they are also full of amazing experience and always worth it! Its great to meet fashion crews from around the world - work with skilled make up artists and photographers and stunning world class models. Capetown, Israel, London all have stunning models locations and great crews. My next venture is to Argentina - Buenos Aires. I leave March 12th from Dublin Ireland and go for 3 weeks to shoot a selection of swimwear for Irish publications.

Here are some previous shoots:
Often, I've found myself in tricky situations, just to get a cool shot -
Check out this shoot where we took on some rather cross giraffe for our perfect sarari shot! Here are a few behind the scene shots so you can get a feel for whats involved.

ISRAEL:

Dangerous and beautiful working in Israel. The market place we shot in the week before was blown up just after i came home to Ireland. Bombing was just so random there it was a pretty scary time...

Some of my favourite shots -

Shot in Tel Aviv for Tatler Magazine, by a photographer called Gilad Wolfin who I had met in Cape Town earlier that year.

CAPE TOWN Fashion shoots:

Here's a few shots that didnt make the final shoot in LIFE magazine Gilad Wolfin - photographer
We shot these shoots in the base of a dried out lake in Cape Town.

Shooting with Russian gymnist Anna, a totally different look in the same location/same day

We had an audience for some of our shoots in Capetown!

Myself & photographer Gilad relax after three shooting days of 4am starts in sunny Cape Town