Relais & Chateaux Announces 45 New Members for 2012

A LONGING FOR THE DEEP BLUE SEA

Saffire(Australia): (pictured above) in the middle of Freycinet National Park in Tasmania, on the shores where migrating whales and dolphins come to play

Anne de Bretagne (France): the bracing air of the Jade coast at a contemporary villa and lookout post over the sea

Bellevue Syrene 1820 (Italy): the Gulf of Naples on the horizon and the Italian jet set in Sorrento

La Peschiera (Italy): a former Bourbon fishery and now the an ultimate resort for lounging seaside on the Adriatic coast

Ocean House (USA): the New England seashore at the foot of this magnificent Victorian mansion in Rhode Island

Wanakarn Beach Resort & Spa (Thailand): near Phuket, in one of the fifteen villas on the beach

Huka Lodge (New Zealand): on the banks of the Waikato River just upstream from the mighty Huka falls, far away from it all

Qualia, Great Barrier Reef (Australia): pavilions of wine maker and sailing enthusiast Bob Oatley on Hamilton Island overlooking the Coral Sea

 

A QUEST FOR FINE CUISINE

Fine cuisine is an obligatory component of the soul and the spirit of the Association, in both its stand-alone restaurants as well as all its hotels. The 2012 Guide includes 14 new Grands Chefs Relais & Châteaux, the elite of this international fellowship of talented chefs. They all, each in their own, individual way, contribute their contemporary signature to the realm fine cuisine.

 

Kashiwaya Restaurant (Japan): in the purest Japanese culinary tradition in Osaka.

Le Moût Restaurant (Taiwan): dishes which inventively combine French expertise and the flavours of Asia.

Del Posto Restaurant (USA): at the heart of New York City with classical Italian dishes revisited at in a contemporary palazzo of mahogany and marble

Marea Restaurant (USA): on Manhattan’s Central Park South, Italian dishes inspired by the sea

De Lindenhof (Nertherlands): a magical, almost fairy-tale break, reflected as much in the décor as in the dishes

Chalet de la Forêt Restaurant (Belgium): on the edge of forest on the outskirts of Brussels

Restaurant Guy Lassausaie (France): at the gateway to the Beaujolais region

Restaurant Andrew Fairlie (Great Britain): in Scotland in a theatrical setting

Maison Decoret (France): with inventiveness at the fore; in Vichy in a Napoleon III brick chalet

Ramon Freixa Madrid Restaurant (Spain): superb Mediterranean cuisine, in the Spanish capital

Villa Crespi (Italy): a spectacular Moorish villa on Lake Orta

Hotel Restaurant Spa Rosengarten (Austria): with influences from the Orient, in the heart of the Austrian Alps

Restaurant Europea (Canada): all-defying experimentation with the local terroir in Montreal

Combal.Zero restaurant (Italy): cuisine as an artistic expression at the Rivoli Museum of Modern Art, near Turin

 

A SEARCH FOR SOLACE IN NATURE: WIDE OPEN SPACES AND TRANQUILITY

La Bastide (France): in Gascony, at an 18^th century charterhouse, with hundred-year-old plane trees in a mock Italian palazzo

Hôtel Au Cœur du Village (France): in the heart of Les Aravis ski resort in La Clusaz

Castillo de Arteaga (Spain): in Urdabai natural park in a castle built at the request of Napoleon III

Ballyfin Demesne (Ireland): the quintessential Irish Regency mansion set in a wonderful garden estate

Greywalls Hotel and Chez Roux (Great Britain): in Scotland next to the Muirfield golf course

Isle of Eriska Hotel, Spa and Island (Great Britain): a 120 hectares island exmplifying the essence of the Highlands

Het Roode Koper (Netherlands): Veluwe forest in the Netherlands, at the former residence of the Governor-General of the Dutch East Indies

Schlosshotel Burg Schlitz (Germany): in the former hunting grounds of one of the finest estates in the 19^th century architectural style

Hastings House Country House Hotel (Canada): Head for the gardens on Salt Spring island, just across from Vancouver

Twin Farms (USA): amidst the flowers and pristine wilderness of Vermont

The Ranch at Rock Creek (USA): quintessentially the American Wild West

Awasi (Chile); set among the legendary Atacama desert of geysers, volcanoes and salt flats

Jinmai Brilliant Resort & Spa (China): in the Yunnan, set amidst the largest ancient tea garden in the world

Bettei Senjuan (Japan): views of the cherry blossoms carpeting Mount Tanigawa

 

A THIRST FOR CITY LIFE

Saint James Paris (France): a stone’s throw from the Champs Elysée, ‘the most beautiful avenue in the world’, in the capital’s unique château-hotel.

Hotel Le Place d’Armes (Luxembourg): in the historic centre of the town, with an astute combination of different styles

Beau-Rivage Hotel (Switzerland): views of Lake Neuchâtel in every direction

Neri Hotel & Restaurant (Spain): Barcelona from the roof terrace of the medieval palace and 18^th century stone-built mansion

The Yeatman (Portugal): in Porto, imbued with the essence of its wine and local culture

The Surrey Hotel & Spa (USA): an elegantly restored Beaux-Arts townhouse on Manhattan’s Upper East Side

Algodon Mansion (Argentina): a 1920s mansion with an impressive collection of contemporary art in Buenos Aires, at the heart of its chic district, La Recoleta

JE Mansion (China): in the heart of Beijing’s commercial and business district, in a paean to Chinese tradition

Villa Samadhi (Malaysia): a haven of peace at the heart of Kuala Lumpur’s urban jungle.

For information or reservations, call 800-735-2478 or refer to www.relaischateaux.com.