Archive for October, 2011

A Perfect Day in Portugal

Thursday, October 20th, 2011

I have to say, its nice to have friends in high places. Thanks to Joao Pinto Barbosa, President of the Portugese Spa Association, I had a fantastic day trip that he coordinated with his friends, Manual Atunes da Silva (introduced in the entry below) and Patricia Bandiera, Publisher & Partner of Estetica Viva magazine.  We started in Ourense, Spain and drove in the morning to Northern Portugal’s wine country and landed at Vidago Palace, and on  Conde Nast’s “Hot List” in May 2011. The property is spectacular! historic! grande! and if you are a history lover, lover of fine things. lover of aesthetics – this is the place for you! Lucky for Patricia and me  that Manual is the Director  of Mineral Water with Unicer, the parent company of Vidago Palace.  We received a great insider tour of the water source, a private mineral water tasting, a bit of walking tour, and the new spa building designed by a notable contemporary architect – whose design is in stark contrast in its sleek lines and modern approach to the gilded finery and colorful historic design elements found throughout the palace.. New spa director, Maria, who had been onboard for 3 weeks was very accommodating and gave Patricia and I tour which I am saving for an article so sorry no details here! After we had a lovely Mediterranean lunch and we resumed our private tour with Manual on the golf course. Honestly, golf holds no interest to me but knowing this plays an important role to the property, I dutifully was prepared to learn about the course.  I was pleasantly surprised as we rode golf carts around the property  with much laugher and frivolity and it could not have been more fun! Then on to tour Pedras Selgadas where there was another Unicer property catering more to leisure travelers (where as Vidago is for the luxury traveler).  Patricia and I headed over to the lovely garden area where there was a snack shop servicing – you guessed it – Super Bock! (Unicer’s main seller). It was a perfect day in Portugal and sadly it came to and end as all good thing too. However the memory will last a lifetime :)

Vidago Golf Cart - Going Rogue to see the view!

Tags: , , , ,
Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »

Sommeliers for Mineral Water – Who Knew? Pedras Salgadas: Winner!

Tuesday, October 18th, 2011

The great thing about travel is your always learning something new. While in Ourense, Spain, the new discovery was about mineral water sommeliers and competitions.  I wouldn’t have known this had I not met Manuel Atunes Da Silva, Director of Quality for Mineral Water at Unicer , the largest Portuguese beer producer (Super Bock!) and also holds assets in the mineral water business. There brand is Pedras Salgadas which won an award at the Termatalia event.

Here’s a bit of history: The source of Agua de Pedras was found during the Romans period and some historic thermal ruins still can be found in the area today. In the 19th century, the Kings and Queens of Portugal visited Pedras Salgadas during their holidays and in 1871, a renowned Portuguese doctor  identified the excellent characteristics of the water which continues to make history today.  Pedras has unique natural properties. The natural mineralization process is enriched with minerals that are said to replenish the body, help digestion and  enhances the natural flavors of food, much like wine.
Água das Pedras has won many awards, the first of which was in the International Exhibition in Vienna, Austria, in 1873, and most recently, it waas awarded by the International Taste & Quality Institute among others. What makes it so special?  The water is sourced from rain and  melting snow in the mountains of Trás-os-montes and is naturally carbonated.
So the next time you are offered mineral water…know that it is more than carbonated water in a bottle. Drink up and to your health!
BTW – From personal experience, Super Bock on a hot day in Portugal hits the spot. (Another form of wellness)

Enjoying a Super Bock during my Perfect Day in Portugal

Tags: ,
Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »

Termatalia in Ourense, Spain

Saturday, October 8th, 2011

It was a pleasure being invited to speak at this year’s Termatalia event in Ourense, Spain. This is a unique venue that brings together roughly 2,500 spa and wellness professionals from 35 countries and thousands of interested consumers.  There is really nothing comparable in the US or that I know of abroad.

Global Spa and Wellness in concert with Wellness Tourism Worldwide was pleased to have two booths with USA representation from  the following Convention Bureaus and Chambers of Commerce: Hot Springs, Arkansas, Calistoga, California and well as the Starwood Hotel Brand and non-profit CreatActivity. Termatalia graciously provided a Spanish speaker representative for WTW to inform consumers on our partner services in the USA who could not have been more accommodating, pleasant, professional and informed.

The speaker line-up was well-represented in both subject matter and geographical representation. I spoke on US Consumers as an emerging market to health and wellness tourism. You are welcome to download my presentation here.  There was also education on mineral water and a sommelier to award the top tasting mineral waters. I did not know there were mineral water sommeliers (!) but I have to say, that I was interested to learn this.

Our Termatalia and Ourense hosts could not have been more hospitable and the event was well-attended and well-organized. Ourense has a rich history and is seeking ways to develop and promote itself as destination for wellness tourism.

Posted in Uncategorized | 2 Comments »

Wise Quote from Steve Jobs

Friday, October 7th, 2011

“Remembering that I’ll be dead soon is the most important tool I’ve ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life. Because almost everything — all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure – these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart. … Stay hungry. Stay foolish.”
– Stanford University commencement address, June 2005.

Tags:
Posted in Uncategorized | 1 Comment »