Palace Kempinski - Making Mezzes
 
Guests of the Çırağan Learn to Cook for Royalty 

Turkish cuisine is known for its rich flavors and exotic spices, a perfect blend of East and West. Istanbul's Çırağan Palace Kempinski is known for amazing Ottoman cuisine and, now, guests of the hotel can learn to make these dishes under the supervision of the Michelin Star Executive Chef, Olivier Chaleil and Tuğra Restaurant's awarded Turkish Chef Uğur Alparslan. These special cooking classes will teach guests a whole host of traditional Ottoman cuisine, including:
 
Pistachio "Piruhi" -- pistachios cooked with onions and garlic -- was often found on Fatih Sultan Mehmet's dinner table and was the one of the leading dishes of Ottoman cuisine in the 15th century.
 
Su Börek, the favorite afternoon tea dish of the 19th-century's Ottoman Palace, is a steamed, thin pastry baked with spinach and served with a yoghurt-mint sauce.
 
Ottoman Pilaf was the only Ottoman dish that could be served on its own. Made with rice, currants, nuts, cumin, cinnamon, onions, dill and mint, this dish is a feast of its own.
 
Turkish Salads: Cucumbers were a staple of Ottoman cuisine and are seen in almost every salad or mezze, especially in the summer. Some Europeans were so amused by the large consumption of cucumber that they started the myth that Turkish women give cucumbers to the babies to stop them from crying.
 
About Chef Chaleil: French-born Olivier Chaleil has worked in 5-star hotels from Indonesia to Mauritius to France and is bringing his knowledge and expertise to the Çırağan Palace Kempinski. Chef Chaleil is responsible for all food and beverage at the Çırağan Palace Kempinski from the pool-front Gazebo Lounge to the award-winning Tugra fine-dining restaurant.

NEW TRAVEL WRITERS GROUP FORMS IN SANTA BARBARA

Wandering Scribes Gather to Share Fun and Farce of Travel News Gathering

Members of the travel media are expected to attend the premiere meeting of the newly formed Santa Barbara Travel Writers Collective at 12:00 noon on Friday, June 19 at Café Shell, 1111 State Street, for a travel press luncheon to share ideas, discuss a possible schedule of events, consider a group mission plan and recommend membership action items for implementation, including the creation of a Santa Barbara travel writers newsletter, travel bytes from local and international travel media.

The formation of this group will provide an opportunity for networking, but will also promote the sharing of not only fun tips on travel pleasures and hazards, but helpful recommendations regarding national and local travel guidelines, and restrictions, as well as safety and health information for dissemination to their specific reading or listening publics. 

The SBTWC will also collaborate with writing groups from the Greater Los Angles and San Francisco areas to develop new destination story leads, and share upcoming travel opportunities for writers, including upcoming symposiums, conferences, seminars and trade shows scheduled for 2009-2010. For information or reservations please email: writebc@aol.com or call 805-845-4214.

STAY MORE AND PAY LESS THIS SUMMER ALONG THE AMALFI COAST WITH HOTEL RAITO’S SPECIAL VALUE-ADDED OFFER FEATURING COMPLIMENTARY ROOM NIGHTS

-Enjoy a three-night getaway for the cost of two-night stay as the “Jewel of the AmalfiCoast” offers special value-added package featuring rates starting at €380-

VIETRI SUL MARE, AMALFI COAST –This summer, Hotel Raito invites guests to turn a quick getaway into a relaxing vacation as it features its value-added Stay More, Pay Less offer, allowing guests to stay for a minimum of three nights while only have to pay the cost of a two-night stay-a 33 percent cost savings. With rates for a minimum three-night stay starting at €380 or $496* (U.S. dollar is based on exchange rate as of April 29, 2009), the offer includes deluxe accommodations in one of Hotel Raito’s 77 guestrooms as well as a complimentarily daily breakfast buffet. This package is available through October 31, 2009, and guest must book a minimum of three nights.

Stay More, Pay Less Package Inclusions:

·         Accommodations in a room category of guests choice (double occupancy)

·         Daily buffet breakfast

 Originally opened in 1958, Hotel Raito continues to be the crown jewel of the AmalfiCoast. Located in the quaint town of Vietri sul Mare, which offers mild temperatures year-round, hotel guests will enjoy the historic Etruscan village overlooking the Mediterranean Sea. After completing a recent renovation, the hotel now features Italian-contemporary décor, luxury amenities such as ExPure SPA bath products, custom-tiled spacious bathrooms and plasma televisions. Many of the 77 guest rooms and suites offer balconies and terraces with stunning views of the Bay of Salerno and the villages of Vietri sul Mare.

In addition to its luxurious guestroom accommodations, the hotel features three sea-view dining rooms including Il Golfo, offering a-la-carte Mediterranean cuisine, the Restaurant Luna Vietrese, for formal dining, and the casual and charming ExLounge Bar & Grill restaurant, which offers a selection of light Mediterranean fare. Hotel Raito also offers exquisite SPA facilities in its ExPure SPA.  The hotel features a heated indoor swimming pool, sauna, Turkish baths, sensory beds, hydromassage seats, coiffeur, relax area, solarium and massage rooms. The hotel offers a complimentary shuttle service to and from both Vietri sul Mare as well as the beach, and boat rentals, with or without a sailor, are also available for a cost.

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HASSLER ROMA OFFERS SPECIAL ANGELS & DEMONS PACKAGE, BASED ON THE NOVEL-TURNED-MOVIE PREMIERING IN THEATRES THIS FRIDAY, MAY 15

Rome's venerable Hotel Hassler Roma is offering an exclusive Angels & Demons Package, where guests will experience first-hand the adventure from the new novel-turned-movie Angels & Demons, the prequel to Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code, which debuts in U.S. movie theatres this Friday, May 15.  
 
The Angels & Demons Package allows guests to essentially become the protagonists of this thriller for a day and experience the adventures for themselves.  They will embark on a quest throughout the Eternal City that visits many of the same settings from the book and movie and uncovers many of Rome's mysteries and secrets...all while receiving top-of-the-line service and pampering (comparable to that which the Hollywood stars received while filming the movie!).
 
The package, based on double occupancy, includes three nights in deluxe accommodations, daily breakfast, an "Angels and Demons Private Tour" of Rome conducted by a professional English-speaking guide, a map of the "illuminati" path, entrance fees for the Castel Sant'Angelo museum and all service charges.  Rates start at Euro 1,710 (approximately USD 2,323) and the package is valid through December 21, 2009.
   
About Hotel Hassler Roma:
Set atop the Spanish Steps and featuring a panoramic view of the entire city, the Hassler Roma has been Rome's five-star lodging of choice for the world's elite for more than a century.  Each of the 82 rooms and 13 suites are individually designed and adorned in authentic Italian accents.  Highlights include the Michelin-starred panoramic rooftop restaurant, Imàgo, which recently underwent a multi-million dollar renovation, and the neighboring, Hassler-owned Il Palazzetto Restaurant & Wine Bar with an exclusive terrace overlooking the Spanish Steps (within Il Palazzetto is housed the International Wine Academy of Roma which offers wine classes from world-renowned sommeliers).

For more information on Hotel Hassler Roma, visit: www.hotelhassler.com