A few weeks ago I was lucky enough to enjoy a half day at The Spa at the Mandarin Oriental, Washington DC. This was my second spa experience at a Mandarin.  They have 42 hotels around the world, half have spas.  The hotels and spas pride themselves on being luxury properties linked to their oriental roots with local tastes and unique personalized service.

As a going away present from my job in Amsterdam, my team gave me a gift card to The Spa so I decided to splurge adding to it and go for a half day treatment.  The DC property is 6 years young, a beautiful place sitting in southwest Washington with fabulous views of the Jefferson Memorial, Tidal Basin and Washington Monument.

“Honoring eastern culture, our spa is an oasis of holistic therapy for the body, mind & spirit.” It truly delivers on their promise from their 8 treatment rooms to the zen relaxation room to their heat & water experience, made of the vitality pool, experience shower, steam room, sauna & ice fountain.

To keep with their theme I booked the Invigorating Ocean & Earth Ritual “designed to stimulate your body’s innate ability to purify and cleanse. Long-term relaxation is achieved by cleansing energy channels, releasing tensions and drawing out impurities from within, creating greater physical and emotional harmony.”  I arrived early to enjoy everything they have to offer, including a workout overlooking the Washington Monument, then my 3 hours of bliss with Thea.

Starting with their unique Foot Ritual, Thea asked ‘what I wanted to get out of today’s treatment/feel like at the end?’ Based on that, I had my Personalized Ocean and Earth Body Wrap and Essential Body Massage.  Then enjoyed a quiet nap in the zen room before one more journey through the heat & water experience to round out by 6 1/2 hours.

In December 2008, I enjoyed a half day at The Spa at the Mandarin Oriental, London set in beautiful Hyde Park on Knightsbridge. It was Christmas and not only was the hotel divinely decked for the holidays but the spa with its amethyst crystal steam room, vitality pool and zen relaxation room delivered on its promise “where time stands still & tranquility reigns.”

My favorite thing about both spas is the special attention to detail and personalized service…from the greeting by Cole, to Thea tailoring my treatments to my needs, to enjoying all 3 hours in one treatment room with one therapist, to sitting down as you leave to pay (no standing in lines).  These details you don’t get at just any spa!

The Mandarin Spas are definitely worth a splurge for that next special occasion or your serious need for a getaway!

Imagine my surprise & delight tonight reading the paper over a nice glass of Pinot Grigio when I see my FAVORITE Florence restaurant, Acqua al 2, opened on Capitol Hill in DC at the same time we moved back to the area in May!!!

The Washington Post‘s Tom Sietsema writes about the new DC spot in his First Bite column of the Food section today.  I love this place and their Le Specialita’ Assagio … the amazing sampler menu!

Tom writes about how owner Ari Gejdenson fell upon a love of cooking when playing soccer in Italy and worked his way up the ladder at Acqua al 2 in Florence.  His mother always suggested he return to the area to open a restaurant. And now he has…a few blocks from where he grew up, as part of the ‘revitalization of the Hill.’

I first discovered Acqua in September ’06 at the recommendation of my friend Samie.  I’ve been back 4 times and its always incredible! Don’t be turned off by the fact they have one in San Diego and now DC… this place is awesome!!

Just made reservations for the new DC location. Buon Appetito!

I recently received a fantastic gift from my girlfriend … 3 month membership in wine.com‘s Wines Of The World wine club! My first month arrived with 2 wines to explore!

A great presentation on arrival, the box mimicked a wine crate.  I opened it to find 2 bottles I’ve never tried, a lovely wine.com folder containing a ‘Welcome to the club’ letter and a detailed tasting notes page with information on the region, winery and food pairings on each of the 2 wines.

The Welcome letter says ‘our wine clubs are a fun and educational way for beginners and wine enthusiasts to make new discoveries…  Our wine experts make their selections from among hundreds of wines produced around the world from big name wineries to small boutiques.’ Members also get an exclusive subscription to the monthly newsletter (more details to come as I just signed up for mine) and discount on reorders.

The first wine I tried from my membership is the Yalumba 2008 Eden Valley Viognier from Australia.  A true Viognier, which I like, this wine is apricot through and through nose and taste, smooth with a citrus finish.  Yalumba is Australia’s oldest family winery dating back to 1849.  92pts from Wine Spectator, it ‘pairs superbly with Asian cuisine and others with a little spice.’

Love this gift!  Great for any vino lover on your list!