HotelsDB.com

All of them and many, many more are here in this deluxe book about this deluxe hotel. Chock full of blueprints, wonderful photographs and reproductions of menus and paintings and postcards, this book is not just a history of a hotel...it is, truly, a history of New York City which is host to the hotel. You will learn how specific rooms (The Palm Court, The Edwardian Room, The Oak Room, etc.) were "born", how, when and why celebrities like Frank Lloyd Wright lived at the hotel, how various suites came to be decorated by and named after people like Cecil Beaton, what the scandal was caused by Mrs. Patrick Campbell, how the Duke and Duchess of Windsor celebrated their anniversary here and how Patricia Kennedy and Peter Lawford celebrated their marriage here. There are revealing photographs of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis with her husband and son avoiding the paparazzi, John and Yoko enjoying an obviously romantic lunch, Truman Capote's Black and White party and so many of the entertainers who performed at the famous Persian Room: Shirley Bassey, Ethel Merman, The Mills Brothers, Kay Thompson (mother to Eloise), Eartha Kitt, Bob Hope, Liberace, Diahann Carroll, etc. There is even an entire chapter on the many movies that were filmed at the hotel, beginning with Hitchcock's masterpiece, "North By Northwest."

All of Gathje's research is well documented and written in a fascinating style: charming, inviting, intimate, warm, classy and yet filled with good humor. RECOMMENDED.

Much more than a travel or holiday guide, Great Escapes Asia is first and foremost a paradisiacal photo album. Featuring opulent photographs of places that seem too perfect to be real, some of which look like James Bond movie sets or National Geographic subjects, this book will quickly convince you that an Asian sojourn is crucial to your mental and physical wellbeing. The icing on the cake is that not only do these hotels really exist, but—thanks to the pricing and contact information provided—you can succumb to their mysterious charms and book yourself a room (or houseboat, hut, or tree house, whatever the case may be).

Among the gems waiting for you in Great Escapes Asia:
• In Kerala, India, choose between luxurious tree houses suspended 25 meters off the ground or futuristic-looking, Star Wars-style houseboats made of bamboo poles, palm leaves, and coconut fibers
• Are you more the resplendent-resort or budget-bungalow type? Find the best of both in Bali
• The best place for a delectable cup of joe: a luxury lodge and spa on a java plantation in (you guessed it) Java
• In the Philippines, an organic resort composed of superimposed huts whose every room affords instant access to the beach via rope ladder
• Tadao Ando’s sprawling minimalist concrete-and-steel hotel attached to the contemporary art museum in Naoshima, Japan—the perfect place to contemplate on the relationship between humans and nature
• An exclusive hotel on a private island in Sri Lanka, once owned by Paul Bowles and frequented by Arthur C. Clarke and Peggy Guggenheim
• Thatched-roof cottages in India whose gardens overflow with mangos, nutmeg, and cardamom
• An Ayurvedic spa in the Himalayas where nothing matters but peace and relaxation
• In Myanmar, an elegant river cruise boat and a hotel on a breathtaking archeological site
• Chairman Mao’s former getaway in Beijing, where you can rent his lavish, traditionally-decorated suite complete with adjoining concubine rooms

Countries:
Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, India, Sri Lanka, Vietnam

Adler skillfully develops her plot and characters, slowly revealing small histories and traits until you find you have grown thoroughly attached and entirely too fond of them. It is almost as if you are leaving friends when the story has ended, but the trip is truly worthwhile.

If you like your wine cool and your men hot, you will thorougly enjoy this romp through a maze of ex-lovers, people with secret agendas, and endearing pets who settle comfortably into your heart.

Beyond all the romance and intrigue we have come to expect from Elizabeth Adler, it is the utterly delicious descriptions of the food that will delight the reader. Mouth-watering recipes will leave you wishing for your own romantic getaway to the Riviera. But beware, once you meet the delightful characters in this one, you will be sad to say au revoir.