Corinna B's World
makeup, beauty, fashion, travel

Hotel-Belle Goes To Jordan

I love scrolling around travel blogs,

getting great ideas of places to go, things to do, people to see.

One that I really love is Hotel Belle.

 

Annie Fitzsimmons is a travel writer with a passion for hotels.

Her blog takes you inside all kinds of interesting places to stay,

and I love it for for it’s personal tone – it feels like Annie

is chatting to you about her experiences rather than

giving you some completely un-animated review.

When you cruise her blog make sure you read her About Me section.

She is nothing if not fascinating.

Today’s Saturday blog re-post is about Annie’s trip to Jordan.

I have tons of friends from Jordan, 

so it is high on my list of places to go.

Enjoy!

Intercontinental Aqaba at the Red Sea

DateTuesday, March 6, 2012

This photo above gives you the best look at where the Intercontinental Aqaba at the Red Sea
in Jordan sits, right on the bright blue waters of the Red Sea and
nestled in between two hotels under construction and the Kempinski Red
Sea.

Aqaba & the Red Sea is where Jordanians go to vacation, akin to
the beach towns of Florida or California-the royal family has a home
here and as beautiful Queen Rania says, “If you want to cool down, you can take a dip in the Red Sea, diving coral reefs and old wrecks.”

 I liked visiting the Red Sea, though it’s definitely a place where you
come to kick back and get your tan on.  There’s not a great downtown or
restaurant scene, so your hotel choice is very important.  The
Intercontinental has beautiful public spaces, a fun pool area, nice if
slightly chaotic restaurants and you can easily access the water.  I
took a boat tour and dove in to swim-very salty but if you come here,
you have to leave saying you swam in the Red Sea!

The rooms are nice though not unique, and I’d recommend booking one
with a full water view. My room had a partial water view and seeing the
massive, empty hotel being constructed next door was a little odd.  I
definitely didn’t lounge on the balcony to catch the warm nighttime
breeze with that eery view!

Lobby

Lovely flowers in the lobby

My room

View of construction from my balcony

Great View of Eilat, Israel

Love seeing the Jordanian Flag

Exterior

You can find Annie on facebook at Facebook.com/hotelbelle

And you can follow her travels on twitter @ Anniefitz

Christian Louboutin At Home In Aswan

A few years ago I had an amazing vacation in Aswan.

I loved it.

I also love Christian Louboutin.

Reading about his retreat in Aswan in Elle Decor

I could feel the magic.

Well, in my mind I could anyway…

Want to escape to the banks of the Nile?

I do

Hanging lantern in Louboutin’s dining room

From Elle Decor

written by Ruben Modigliani

all images by Ivan Terestchenko

French shoe designer Christian Louboutin lives between two worlds. 

One is the realm of fashion and star-studded events—the signature red-soled stilettos he creates make regular appearances on international red carpets. 

The other is a private retreat nestled in the desert near the Egyptian city of Aswân, 

not far from the banks of the Nile. (The ruins of an ancient temple stand within walking distance of his house.) Louboutin comes here throughout the year to design new collections, rest, and practice yoga.

Louboutin’s desk at his Aswan home. Inspiring non?

Once a craftsman’s workshop, the building is made of earthen bricks, 

employing a technique that has been used in Egypt for thousands of years. 

Louboutin added an additional floor and a rooftop belvedere with views of the surrounding desert. Construction wasn’t easy: In this area, temperatures can fluctuate rapidly, and building materials are often scarce. “A thousand times I thought I was going out of my mind,” he jokes.

The rooms are decorated with pieces Louboutin has collected on his travels: 

Uzbek embroidered fabrics, Moroccan rugs, handmade furniture from Cameroon. 

The waxed terra-cotta floors invite barefoot living. 

Still, the heart of the home is the open-air courtyard, with a fireplace that blazes through the cool desert evenings. 

Moroccan rugs and Bedouin cushions in the center courtyard

Among so many traditional furnishings, one piece is a reminder that we’re in the 21st century: the ultramodern telescope on the roof, trained on the stars.

bed draped with a traditional suzani from Uzbekestan

Moroccan dining tables inlaid with zelige, a type of tilework

Add caption

See more at Elle Decor

P.S. Could Ruben be a descendent?? Intrigued!

Botox Brilliant

Botox is widely known for its ability to diminish crows feet, wrinkle lines on  the forehead and  the “number 11” lines between the eyebrows.
It is frequently (and somewhat brilliantly) used to give a non surgical brow lift, fix lip imperfections, and perform all manner of youthful trickery.

Unfortunately not everyone who gives Botox shots know what they are doing, hence the slew of perpetually freaked out looking women prowling the malls, looking fierce. (but not in a good way!)
If you are thinking about having Botox it is imperative that you find a practioner that not only has a huge grasp on aesthetics, but who also has a massive understanding of the intricacies of the musculature of the face.

Make sure you get referrals from people who have had really fantastic experiences with Botox, or you may end up looking like the lady who sat opposite me on the plane the other day. She looked like a trippy Norma Desmond, albeit with only one expression,  leading the casual observer to believe the plane was in a vertical spiral, and we were coming into the fast part.
And her eyebrows were hoisted halfway up her forehead…

Anyway, once convinced that we were in fact maintaining a somewhat horizontal flight path, it got me thinking about some other uses for Botox.
My Dermatologist always tells me how wonderful it is in the treatment of pain, especially for migraine sufferers. (unfortunately my migraines don’t center in the right place for me to be a candidate.) and
I’ve read that it can be used to eliminate excessive sweating.

Another cool one I just read about is “Tennis Elbow“, the term used when tendons in the lower arm get damaged from prolonged repetitive movement. (I have Makeup-Artist-Kit-Carrying-Elbow from dragging my heavy makeup cases around, so I empathize…)
Resting your arm often solves the problem, but for some it can be ongoing and very painful.

Researchers at the Khomeni Hospital Complex in Tehran recently experimented using Botox to relax the muscles putting tension on the tendons, allowing the tendons to heal.
Sounds incredibly clever to me!

So if you see me cruising around with a wickedly youthful looking left elbow, you’ll know exactly what I’ve been up to…

Verified by ExactMetrics