Where writers like Jack Kerouac, William S. Burroughs, Allen Ginsberg, Tennessee Williams, Truman Capote traveled and luxuriated in the 1950s and 1960s. If you haven’t completed your pandemic tome on The Art of Living, you may want to contemplate a sojourn at Villa Mabrouka next spring.
High above the Bay of Tangier sits Villa Mabrouka, an oasis of calm and ravishing beauty looking out across the wide Strait of Gibraltar to Andalucía. Now owned by hotelier Jasper Conran and set to open to guests in spring 2023.
Villa Mabrouka has a fascinating and illustrious past. Once home to Yves Saint Laurent and Pierre Bergé it was described by The New York Times as ‘the visual incarnation of a breath of fresh air.’ Built in the 1940’s, it is a haven of privacy set in a lush expansive landscape within close walking distance of the ancient bustling Kasbah and Medina of Tangier – ‘The White City.’ It was the property that Laurent curated to be his most “restful, open, and happy environment.”
Why put it off any longer, this is the time to pack the trunk with yellow lined tablets, leather bound journals, or your trusty laptop to begin or finish your treatise on The Art of Living Your Life at Its Best. Tangier remains a hotbed of culture, a haven for artists and writers. Striped t-shirts, floppy leather sandals, linen trousers, or flowered frocks, embrace the adaptable lifestyle.
There are a lot of places I like, but I like New Orleans better. Bob Dylan
Opening late 2020, time to add this genteel city back on your list of must visit locations! A city like no other and for years it’s been challenging to find a proper five-star property here, nothing better than staying in a brand-new hotel – be the first to review the page long pillow menus, those never bathed in to die for soaking tubs! I’m certain after the COVID-19 pandemic, we all may become covert Mysophobia’s – there are even websites charting lessons from a lifelong germaphobe in the age of COVID-19, what is purer than a newly opened hotel? Especially a Four Seasons property, a brand that specializes in ultra-luxe and the VV best in guest service. We reserve a significant amount of Four Seasons properties for a reason – absolute reliability and never a guest complaint! Finally a five-star Jewel in New Orleans. NOLA is a renowned area for distinct music, Creole cuisine, unique dialect, and its annual celebrations and festivals, most notably Mardi Gras.
Four Seasons Hotel New Orleans
Four Seasons Hotel New Orleans is transforming a 33-story landmark at the foot of Canal Street on the Mississippi waterfront. At the apex of Canal and Poydras Streets, the property sits on two acres of prime riverfront real estate, right next to the literal and figurative focal point of New Orleans: the Mississippi River.https://www.fourseasons.com/newopenings/
There is a tour for everyone in New Orleans whether your taste runs from history to haunts, shopping or swamps, high brow food or fried delicacies, pick your passion. Uptown garden tours can be arranged, begin your morning in the Garden District checking out the ornate historic homes.
These handsome neighborhoods are bountiful. Take the St. Charles Avenue streetcar, or trundle upriver, the districts unfold in a series of unique names: Irish Channel, the Black Pearl, Oretha Castle Haley, The Garden District, Riverside, Carrollton. Uptown’s homes – found in the Garden District, Uptown, Carrollton and elsewhere, these homes are urban versions of French-Colonial plantations, featuring porches that stretch all the way across the front with columns. Greek Revival and Italianate Center Hall Cottages are most common in New Orleans, but Queen Anne/Eastlake and other Victorian styles can also be found here, Creole Townhouses are prevalent in the French Quarter. Shot-gun houses, found all over New Orleans, these long and narrow single-story homes have a wood exterior and are easy to spot. Many feature charming Victorian embellishments beneath the large front eve. Some have a camelback – a second story set at rear of house. The term “shotgun” originates from the idea that when standing in the front of the house, you can shoot a bullet clear through every room in the house.
The moist air is rich with the perfume of sweet jasmine and the neighborhoods suggest life lived at a slower, grander age. The avenues are sheltered by canopies of leafy green Oaks and intricate branched and blossoming ancient magnolias. Uptown, white tablecloths still cover two-tops, white gloved waiters present meals in a grand fashion. Pining for a gin fizz? Or a crabmeat salad? Satsuma orange dreamsicle or Mardi Gras pie, Uptown is your home. Retail therapy, head to the smart shops on Oak and Maple, Freret and Magazine Streets, goods are unmatched. This is Uptown, sweet pea! The language is syrupy, adapt to your surroundings!
New Orleans
In all, 341 guest rooms and suites, with enviable views of the river, the Garden District and across the Central Business District to the French Quarter. Take in soulful jazz music and explore history with easy convenience. Then recharge at the luxurious spa and rooftop pool, before indulging in world-renowned cuisine from a long list of local gourmet restaurants.
Four Seasons provides the perfect home base for discovering the many delights of New Orleans. The public city of original culture, festivals and destinations coexists with a private city of quiet traditions and social customs. There’s a sophistication and grace right next to down-home individuality.
Four Seasons Hotel New Orleans
Best time to visit February to May. If you aren’t interested in Mardi Gras mania, plan to visit in December. There is more to this 301-year-old city than bedazzled beaded necklaces, outlandish hats and over indulgence. Among the many festivals, early Jazz & Heritage Festival and a literacy festival devoted to Tennessee Williams. Two of his major plays, A Streetcar Named Desire and Vieux Carré, and several short stories were set in the historic French Quarter. The French Quarter, also known as the Vieux Carré, has been the heart of New Orleans for all 301 years of its existence, built on the mighty banks of the Mississippi River on higher ground. Today, Bourbon Street anchors the festive food scene, while other elegant avenues host boutiques, galleries and music clubs, stroll around and absorb the eclectic energy. Don’t miss Jackson Square, the French Quarter’s historic hub named after the Battle of New Orleans victor (and later US President) Andrew Jackson, where his statue leads to the St. Louis Cathedral, a sacred place that is juxtaposed with colorful street performers playing everything from Dixieland to contemporary jazz and sidewalk artists selling their works. Look for Preservation Hall, the revered hole-in-the-wall jazz club. Be sure to stop at one of the city’s most esteemed restaurants, like Antoine’s, where the classic dish Oysters Rockefeller, was invented and is still served today in sumptuous surroundings.
Spend another morning on a Plantation Tour. Harking back to the days when cotton was king and there were more millionaires in New Orleans than any other American city, the Antebellum plantations along River Road are now tourist attractions offering windows into a bygone past. Each plantation offers its own snapshot into the region’s agrarian history and most are within easy driving distance from New Orleans, we will provide a driver for your outing. One of the most popular is Oak Alley, I visited this gracious home years ago on a very forgettable Mardi Gras week! Beautiful mansions along the banks of the Mississippi River take visitors back in time. The Antebellum south comes to life at the many plantations that line the Mississippi River, a throwback to the city’s agrarian past. Located as close as an hour outside of New Orleans, you can tour these stately mansions and hear stories from all perspectives, from the famous local families that built and owned them to the views of the slaves who worked there. Learn why the kitchens are not part of the main house and find out how residents lived in comfort before air-conditioning. Many of the plantations serve lunch so you can make a day of it or just visit one or two. Some offer overnight accommodations with dinner and breakfast.
New Orleans is and always has been one of the world’s great foodie destinations. From formal white tablecloth dining to more casual spots, you could fill a week savoring the extensive list of iconic and trendy dining! From James Beard award winning restaurants, casual country fried chicken, tasty gumbo and of course, the legendary beignets. Did I mention the infamous Hurricane cocktail, passion fruit and sweet rum concoctions served in an outdoor garden at Pat O’Brien’s, caution – two is too much!
St. Louis Cathedral New Orleans
Food, music, culture, fancy gardens and a superb new luxury hotel. While you are daydreaming of where shall we go next year, do add the Four Seasons Hotel New Orleans to the top of your must visit list! We are Preferred Partners, prepare to be spoiled by the Four Seasons! One more reason to add NOLA to your travel list, a luxurious pristine hotel property.
Folk Artist Clementine Hunter was a self-taught black folk artist from the Cane River region of the U.S. state of Louisiana, who lived and worked on Melrose Plantation. She is the first African-American artist to have a solo exhibition at the present-day New Orleans Museum of Art. https://artsandculture.google.com/entity/clementine-hunter/m0d1k7n
“Don’t you just love those long afternoons in New Orleans when an hour isn’t just an hour-but a little piece of eternity dropped into your hands-and who knows what to do with it?” – Tennessee Williams (A Streetcar Named Desire)
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