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TOP 100

Name: TOP 100
Author: Ovidio Guaita
ISBN: 978-1-4392-3136-4

: RESORTS MAGAZINE HOSPITALITY AWARDS 2009

by Ovidio Guaita ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 17, 2009

Attractive photographs highlight a succinct, no-nonsense resort guide.

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This eloquent photographic guide from Resorts Magazine editor Ovidio Guaita includes reviews of 100 of the best resorts on the planet.

Palatial surroundings, warm beaches and natural habitats set the tone for this 2009 guide, which begins at the Fairmont Banff Springs in Alberta, Canada, and ends at the Bora Bora Lagoon Resort and Spa in French Polynesia. Each resort runs the gamut of luxury and relaxation, from the oasis setting of the Amanbagh resort in India to the natural qualities of Bali’s Amandari. International regions are assigned elementary color codes, lending to the book’s overall simplicity. This lack of complexity is evident throughout the guide, which is an appropriately relaxed read. Richly illustrated with photographs, the book offers readers a pleasing glimpse of splendor with each listing. While some photographs capture a mood, such as one of a cozy stilt cabin captured after sunset, others merely hint at what can be found within a retreat–the book offers only an exterior shot of the Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park in London. Unlike other travel guides, which can often overwhelm with verbiage yet lack quality photographs, Top 100 lets the images speak for themselves. Brief descriptions keep the book elegantly spare and offer insight that a camera can’t capture. Each locale is judged from a distinct set of criteria, including design, environment, health, rooms, service, cuisine and spa accommodations. While the last element is part of the overall rating system, some resorts offer very little in the area of spa treatments and are rated accordingly. Resorts such as the Four Seasons Resort at Landaa Giraavaru and the Four Seasons Resort Langkawi are ranked highest, while others like Chief’s Camp (Okawango Delta) and the Kichwa Tembo Bateleur Camp (Masai Mara) are rated far lower, due primarily to their lack of spa amenities. Those seeking rejuvenation, light cuisine and spa treatments, no matter the cost, need look no further for a handbook.

Attractive photographs highlight a succinct, no-nonsense resort guide.

Pub Date: March 17, 2009

ISBN: 978-1-4392-3136-4

Page Count: -

Publisher: N/A

Review Posted Online: May 23, 2010

Review Program: Kirkus Indie

Categories:

GENERAL NONFICTION

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NUTCRACKER

by E.T.A. Hoffmann ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 28, 1996

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This is not the Nutcracker sweet, as passed on by Tchaikovsky and Marius Petipa. No, this is the original Hoffmann tale of 1816, in which the froth of Christmas revelry occasionally parts to let the dark underside of childhood fantasies and fears peek through. The boundaries between dream and reality fade, just as Godfather Drosselmeier, the Nutcracker's creator, is seen as alternately sinister and jolly. And Italian artist Roberto Innocenti gives an errily realistic air to Marie's dreams, in richly detailed illustrations touched by a mysterious light. A beautiful version of this classic tale, which will captivate adults and children alike. (Nutcracker; $35.00; Oct. 28, 1996; 136 pp.; 0-15-100227-4)

Pub Date: Oct. 28, 1996

ISBN: 0-15-100227-4

Page Count: 136

Publisher: Harcourt

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1996

Categories:

GENERAL NONFICTION

- BOOK REVIEW
THE NUTCRACKER AND THE MOUSE KING
by E.T.A. Hoffmann ; adapted by Natalie Andrewson ; illustrated by Natalie Andrewson

- BOOK REVIEW
THE NUTCRACKER
by E.T.A. Hoffmann & illustrated by Julie Paschkis

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TO THE ONE I LOVE THE BEST

EPISODES FROM THE LIFE OF LADY MENDL (ELSIE DE WOLFE)

by Ludwig Bemelmans ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 23, 1955

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An extravaganza in Bemelmans' inimitable vein, but written almost dead pan, with sly, amusing, sometimes biting undertones, breaking through. For Bemelmans was "the man who came to cocktails". And his hostess was Lady Mendl (Elsie de Wolfe), arbiter of American decorating taste over a generation. Lady Mendl was an incredible person,- self-made in proper American tradition on the one hand, for she had been haunted by the poverty of her childhood, and the years of struggle up from its ugliness,- until she became synonymous with the exotic, exquisite, worshipper at beauty's whrine. Bemelmans draws a portrait in extremes, through apt descriptions, through hilarious anecdote, through surprisingly sympathetic and understanding bits of appreciation. The scene shifts from Hollywood to the home she loved the best in Versailles. One meets in passing a vast roster of famous figures of the international and artistic set. And always one feels Bemelmans, slightly offstage, observing, recording, commenting, illustrated.