For hundreds and hundreds of years the night skies have been of interest to not only astronomers, but the greater public, as bright stars beckon even the most untrained eyes upwards. Wondering what secrets the atmosphere contains is only a natural reaction. Many of the properties in the Small Luxury Hotels of the World portfolio have literally aligned themselves with the stars offering guests views, experiences and even telescopes to better appreciate the natural magnificence.
Celestial Celebrations
Star gazing is all about planning ahead. In 2015, Grand Hotel Parker’s in Naples, Italy is planning a themed package for guests called ‘ …e accendiamo le stelle’, which translates to ‘ turn the stars on’, where all electrical lights will be turned off as of midnight so patrons can experience the starry vault on Naples Bay with provided telescopes. According to the Astronomical Falling Stars chart, guests will experience a flurry of shooting stars called ‘Nessun Dorma’ (none shall sleep).
Spa Village Tembok Bali takes a non-traditional approach to the skies and offers a once in a life time innovative experience where guests lie weightlessly on a floating platform. Guests take in the enormity of the universe above whilst listening to a specially selected soundtrack designed to soothe the soul. The tranquil experience, called Starlight Gazing, is a perfect blend of nature’s simplicity with the hi-tech fusion of ultra-meditation music and is the ideal way to end the night. Alternatively Gaya Island Resort offers a Bajau Laut Beach BBQ on the magnificent Malohom Bay where visitors can dine on a feast highlighting the bounty of the land and sea, grilled to perfection on skewers over hot coals. Tableside telescopes allow guests to wander the night sky in wonderment.
Rosapetra Spa Resort in the Dolomites, allows visitors to touch the sky with their fingertips via The Helmut Ullrich Astronomical Observatory on Col Druscie which organizes guided tours lasting 90 minutes, where guests can gaze at the most spectacular objects in the sky including the moon, planets, double stars, nebulae and galaxies. The observatory offers an unforgettable experience under a “natural cupola” which is 1780 metres from the foot of the Tofane Mountains.
Trout Point Lodge in Nova Scotia, Canada is the most dedicated stargazer in the SLH collection. Not only have they offered guided star gazing for the past three years by their resident astronomers, but they have recently launched new facilities for astronomical observation, including a new observation platform and new telescopes. The Lodge is located in the heart of a distinct dark zone with almost no light pollution and the new wooden star gazing platform is located in a riverside meadow well away from the surrounding forest, and at a height of about 12 meters, allowing for nearly unobstructed 360-degree views of the sky. The facility was christened by renowned astrophysicist Professor Antonia Varela Perez of the Canaries Astrophysics Institute, an expert in site location for observatories. Trout Point Lodge also has a variety of telescopes, binoculars, a Sky Quality Meter, and laser pointers available for guests. This includes a Coronado 60 mm solar telescope (for day time viewing of solar activity and the sun), a 10″ Meade telescope, and more portable Celestron 130 mm computerized telescopes and astronomical binoculars.
If guests find themselves preferring a city hotel, then a stay at The Capital Hotel & Apartments in London, will position guests well for a visit to the Royal Observatory Greenwich for an evening with the stars or visit London’s only planetarium and touch a 4.5 billion year-old asteroid.
Hotels that magnify:
Couple a spectacular hotel stay with sneaking a moment away to appreciate the night sky. Many SLH properties are well equipped with telescopes to allow for just that. The Maldives, with the low light pollution should top the chart for the keenest of star gazers. Kandolhu Island, Male has a high powered Celestron NexStar 8SE telescope for guest use – where they can appreciate an especially good view of the Milky Way. Casa Angelina, on the Amalfi Coast in Italy offers endless sea views across Positano and the isle of Capri, while at night the endless sea is replaced by endless sky and a well-placed telescope for upward viewing.
Endless hours on the terrace isn’t for all guests, so L’AND Vineyard in Portugal has created Sky View Suites – allowing guests to literally sleep under the stars of Alentejo’s unspoiled skies with opening roofs in the bedroom suites, taking star gazing to a whole new level of luxury.
Other hotels that offer telescope sky viewing include: Entre Cielos, in Mendoza, Argentina, TomTom Suites in Istanbul, Turkey, and Las Alamandas Resort in Costalegre, Mexico.
-Ends-
ABOUT SMALL LUXURY HOTELS OF THE WORLD: The Small Luxury Hotels of the World™ (SLH) brand is an unrivalled portfolio of some of the world’s finest small independent hotels. Comprising over 520 hotels in more than 80 countries, the diversity of the individual hotels, and the experiences that they offer, is exceptional. From cutting-edge design hotels to palatial 17th century mansions, city centre sanctuaries to remote private islands, historic country houses to idyllic resorts, Small Luxury Hotels of the World offers only the very best. Reservations can be made at any Small Luxury Hotels of the World property online at www.slh.com, via the free SLH iPhone app or by contacting your favourite travel agent. You can also call a Small Luxury Hotels of the World reservations office; to view a listing by country please click here: http://www.slh.com/contact-us/.
Erin Woodward|Global Head of Public Relations & Communications|
for Small Luxury Hotels of the World TM
Managed by Hill Goodridge & Associates Ltd.
370 Lexington Avenue, Suite 1506, New York, NY 10017
Tel: +1 212 338 4809 | Fax: +1 212 953 0576 | erin.woodward@slh.com
“Experience Another World” with over 520 independently-owned, luxury hotels in more than 80 countries. Reservations can be made at any Small Luxury Hotels of the World property via www.slh.com. Travel agents need only remember the GDS code LX for LuXury.
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Maralyn D. Hill, M.Ed., The Epicurean Explorer
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