Cairo is a fascinating and massive city abounding with cultural and historic sites.   We were only able [...]]]> At the outset, let us make clear that the ANGELS visited this historic city before (just before!) the “Arab Spring” revolution took place.   It is likely that everything we report below is still valid today, but who knows?

Cairo is a fascinating and massive city abounding with cultural and historic sites.   We were only able to enjoy a small sample of what there was to offer in the few days we were there, but what we saw was amazing.

What to see: 

The Giza Pyramids are a must!    We headed out on our first day with the intention of touring one of the large Cairo markets.  Our hotel driver (see “Travel Tip” below) asked us if we’d seen the pyramids yet.  When we told him that we planned to do that the next day, he said “today is a beautiful day – tomorrow may not be, so better to go today”).   We took this sound advice and have no regrets.   These pyramids, and the famous “Sphinx”, are less than an hour drive from central Cairo.  Instead of the usual tourist approach of pulling up a few hundred metres from the pyramids (with a multitude of other tourists), we once again followed our driver’s advice when he asked “horse or camel?”.    Having done the camel ride in Dubai, we opted for horses.   The driver proceeded to take us to a small village on the edge of the desert where we were met by locals with our horses prepared.  What followed over the next few hours was unforgettable.  We rode for about 30 min in what seemed like an endless desert (absolutely beautiful!) and then came over a large sand dune to behold the pyramids in all their splendor.   It was magnificent.   This was the ‘natural’ way to see the pyramids.  We took dozens of photographs, climbed up on some of the pyramids, explored crypts and enjoyed learning the history of the region and some of the politics of Egypt from our guide.

Another must is a cruise of the Nile.  There are many options for this, ranging for cruises for a couple of hours to some for several days (which can take you to historical sites such as Luxor).   We took an evening cruise of the “Nile Maxim”.  Frankly, one of us was a bit dubious about this at the outset – seemed like it would be a tacky, tourist-trap type of thing.   However, yours truly was dead wrong!   The cruise provided a unique view of Cairo.   The Nile is very wide as it passes through the city and is incredibly busy with marine traffic.   There are magnificent buildings, old and new (including some enormous mosques) lining the river.   So, we enjoyed very much, standing on the deck of the boat watching Cairo pass by.   However, there were additional spectacular sites on the inside of the boat.   Following a wonderful feast (Middle Eastern food at its best), the entertainment began.   Along with some local music, we were treated to a performance by a gorgeous belly dancer.   This was followed by a truly amazing ‘Tanoura’ dance — not something we were familiar with.   It is difficult to describe, but if you search “Tanoura on Nile Maxim” on You Tube, you can see for yourself.   For a good 10 minutes, this dancer spun around and around, wearing a  colourful costume that became an intimate part of his dance.   At the conclusion, the entire costume came alive with light — he was like a merry-go-round.   It was truly incredible.

Where to stay:   

You will find all of the major hotel chains in Cairo.   Consider booking one of the many that are situation on the banks of the Nile, and get a room with a balcony over-looking the river.  You will be mesmerized by the river.  The ANGELS stayed at the Intercontinental City Stars, in one of the more upscale neighbourhoods of Cairo.  It is a very nice hotel with several restaurants, both inside and out.   It is also conveniently located adjacent to a major shopping mall.

A travel tip:

Most good hotels maintain a fleet of hotel cars and drivers.  We strongly prefer these to taxis, because they are affiliated with the hotel.  They are clean, the drivers are well-groomed and professional and the price is fixed in advance (almost always more reasonable than taxis).  As mentioned above, these drivers have great knowledge of their cities and of the attractions for tourists.  Booking a car and driver for a fixed period of time is a great way to tour any city.

Another travel tip:

If you can, avoid Egypt Air.    The food (in business class) was awful, as was the service.  If you like to enjoy a glass of bubbly or a cocktail when you fly, you’ll be out-of-luck.  No alcoholic beverages served.  To top it off, we never got our frequent flyer points for the flight (Egypt Air is part of the Star Alliance).

We were in Muskoka, late September, as the event coordinators for the Farncombe Institute Digestive Inflammation Symposium.  With over 100 attendees from Canada and around the world, the event was a huge success.

If you love scenic drives, nature and serene getaways then you will fall in love with Muskoka.  Muskoka is an [...]]]> RUSTIC SOPHISTICATION

We were in Muskoka, late September, as the event coordinators for the Farncombe Institute Digestive Inflammation Symposium.  With over 100 attendees from Canada and around the world, the event was a huge success.

If you love scenic drives, nature and serene getaways then you will fall in love with Muskoka.  Muskoka is an adventurer’s paradise that will take your breath away.   Ask anyone who’s been and they will share their love for Muskoka, Canada’s version of the Hamptons.  Located in the heart of the Muskoka Lakes, 2.5 hours north of Toronto, is the The Rosseau Resort.  The first of its kind, you will enjoy the natural, unspoiled surroundings while overlooking beautiful Lake Rosseau.  This golf & spa resort combines distinguished luxury and rustic adventure for the ultimate retreat that boasts of many indoor and outdoor activities for all seasons.

The Rosseau, and the adjoining chalet, Paignton House, are fairly new so the décor and ambiance is clean and well appointed.  It begins with the grand entrance upon arrival which reminds you that you are not just at any lake resort.  We knew we would be in for fabulous time.  The staff handled our largely steady check-in flow with swiftness and efficiency.

The suites are spacious and well equipped.  The large, marbled foyer offered ultimate privacy from the rest of the space.  The rooms are replicas of mini chalets, ranging from junior suites to 1-bedroom-with-den.  If you’re lucky you may get to stay in the suites with a gorgeous lake view.  Our spacious 1-bedroom-den suite came with a fireplace.  The den had it’s own luxurious bathroom, television, and closet that was well-suited as a second bedroom.

With 3 days filled with conference activities, the staff were swift and efficient in taking care of our needs, proving that they are a business-friendly hotel.  Designed with 10 conference rooms, 7 breakout rooms, garden terraces, and total of 14,000 sq ft of total meeting space, The Rosseau is ideal for corporate conferences and retreats.  The largest meeting room is The Rosseau Ballroom with maximum meeting space of 6,480 sq ft and maximum seating capacity of 500.  The catering staff took care of our large conference group by preparing delicious food choices, sure that all palates and diet restrictions were satisfied.  The Rosseau also offers a private dining and bar experience at two of their restaurants, Teca & Cottages.

Whether you want to indulge in a body treatment at the spa, workout at the gym, go for a canoe ride, or golf on the greens, you will find your niche.  The Rosseau has plenty of activities that enables you to forget about the city during your stay and to fully enjoy the simpler things in life.  The Rosseau is a refreshing place to relax and enjoy the tranquil serenity of cottage country.  You can’t get this type of scenery and the beauty of the lake just anywhere.  The ANGELS highly recommends this resort.

(Photography by ANGELS)

www.therosseau.com

It’s been almost 10 years since Prince performed in Canada and it was well worth the wait.  The tour kicked off in Toronto, his second home, with two shows at the Air Canada Centre.  The ANGELS attended the first show on Friday, November 25.  Funk was definitely the theme of the night.  [...]]]> THE PURPLE CIRCLE

It’s been almost 10 years since Prince performed in Canada and it was well worth the wait.  The tour kicked off in Toronto, his second home, with two shows at the Air Canada Centre.  The ANGELS attended the first show on Friday, November 25.  Funk was definitely the theme of the night.  Prince Rogers Nelson knows how to put on an exhilarating, epic and exhausting show.

Prince turned the cavernous ACC upside-down, showing roughly 14,000 fans that he could still out-funk anyone at the age of 53. Prince is a musical machine — not once did he show signs of breaking a sweat, his lithe frame boogying back and forth across the stage at breakneck speed.

Before fans were allowed inside the arena, Prince did a late sound check and someone in our VIP group shouted out: “Love You Prince!”  He screamed back: “Not as much as I love you!”

We enjoyed the show from the VIP Purple Circle, a section of bistro tables that surrounded the stage.  It was quite the view.

Prince’s dancers and musicians were waiting right next to us to go on stage.  The Purple One instead emerged from beneath the stage sending the audience into a screaming frenzy.  While it would take him almost half an hour to pick up his guitar, he teased as he busted some serious James Brown-esque dance moves while giving us ‘Pop Life’.

Prince asked the crowd, “Toronto, I have a question.  Are you feeling good? What do you have to do tomorrow?  Alright if we stay here a while?” The crowd roared their approval many times.

Next was an energetic one-song tribute to the late, great Michael Jackson with ‘Don’t Stop Till You Get Enough’.  Thereafter, Prince started to work the audience again with his repertoire of chart-toppers like ‘Take Me With U’, ‘Raspberry Beret’ and ‘Cream’.

While performing The Time’s ‘Cool’, the stage became an instant flash mob when Prince and his ladies brought about eager 20 fans from the crowd up onto the stage with him to dance while he himself jumped on his purple piano. This happenned again while he covered The Time’s ‘The Bird’ & ‘Jungle Love’ and also Wild Cherry’s ‘Play That Funky Music’.

Things slowed down considerably as he gave one of his female backup singers the lead vocal on a cover of The Beatles’ Yesterday’ before taking over himself with another female backup singer on his own ‘Nothing Compares To U’, famously covered by Sinead O’ Connor.

The tempo was brought back up again when the ACC went ballistic for the big hits like ‘Let’s Go Crazy’, ‘Delirious’, ‘1999’, an ultra-extended version of ‘Little Red Corvette’ and ‘U Got the Look’.  While the energy was up this was the perfect opportunity for Prince to disappear (beneath the stage) for his first costume change into a high collared, gold smock topped with a new diamond necklace.

When he re-emerged, wielding a guitar (we knew it was time) for his signature song ‘Purple Rain’, which prompted audience screams and the illumination of mini flashlights that were provided by the ACC.  His alto sax player Maceo Parker delivered a masterful, old school lesson in live music.  Towards the end of the song there was an explosion of purple confetti and a major crowd sing-a-long.

There were six encores. Six!  For the first encore, Prince – in his third outfit of the night, a white tunic with ties and black and white pants – kicked things off with ‘Kiss’, and then disappeared.

The second encore featured a medley of unique versions of ‘When Doves Cry’, ‘Sign O’ The Times’, ‘The Most Beautiful Girl In the World’, ‘Hot Thing’, ‘I Would Die For You’, and ‘If I Was Your Girlfriend’.  Who could possibly sit quietly through all of these hits?

The third encore began slowly with ‘Sometimes It Snows in April’ and was then followed by another communal crowd dance on stage.  Then, unbelievably, it was onto encores four, five and six.  At some point, you started to wonder if Prince would ever leave.

With his mammoth amount of hits Prince was definitely hosting the world’s best and largest dance party.  And that’s how you end up with a three-hour, 10 minute-long concert with six encores.  Bravo Prince, Bravo!

(Photography by ANGELS)

Exquisite, detailed décor is a crucial element of event planning.   Food is no exception, and has evolved to be a critical part of décor, to some extent supplanting floral arrangements.  Sexy sweets are taking over!  ANGELS has come across three divinely creative ways use sweets as decorative, but edible, accessories.

Black & White

The Phoenician is located [...]]]> The ANGELS were visiting Scottsdale, Arizona in late September to explore the The Phoenician Golf Resort & Spa and their meeting facilities as a potential venue for an upcoming corporate conference for a client.  Without a doubt, this 250-acre resort is an ideal spot for the ultimate business and wellness experience.

The Phoenician is located at the base of the Camelback Mountains with around 650 guestrooms, luxury suites, casitas, and villas with private entrances, balconies and oversized elegant bathrooms.

We stayed in a beautiful Canyon Suite, which had a perfect view of Camelback Mountain from our balcony.  An equally stunning view, both day and night, was from residence’s secluded edgeless pool and cabanas.  The resort has nine sparkling swimming pools scattered throughout.

10 restaurants and dining facilities are available to provide you and your guests with a diverse selection of culinary delights to satisfy all palates.  Dine at an Italian bistro, a classic steakhouse, a burger bar, private dining or old-fashioned ice cream parlor.

The conferencing facilities and resources at The Phoenician are magnificent.  With 64,000 square feet of state-of-the-art meeting, convention and ballroom space, the resort can accommodate approximately 180,000 guests attending different functions at one time.

Believe us when we say that The Phoenician does not skimp in any area.

Be it a small, quaint meeting, a large conference, an awards gala, a wedding or a sophisticated social event, The Phoenician is the perfect venue in a gorgeous desert setting.

Spa time!

The experience at The Phoenician would not be complete without a spa visit.   There are a few smaller Desert and Sunset spas but the ‘must try’ is the 22,000 sq ft Centre for Well-Being where you will receive an array of amazing treatments.  You can also boost your energy at the fitness centre.

The ANGELS had the hot stone massage, body scrub, mango and avocado body wrap, and Swedish massage.

These treatments were followed by a 15-minute meditation in the relaxation centre and a refreshment stop in the nature bar that offered unlimited complimentary organic fruits, juices and teas.

For golfers, The Phoenician is a slice of heaven in the Sonoran Desert.  150 impeccably manicured acres of lush fairways is what this 27-hole course sits upon.  You can also play a light or competitive game of tennis at the 12-court tennis garden.

Let’s not forget the staff.  They were remarkably attentive, responding to our every need.

Be it business, social or personal, The Phoenician is an unforgettable experience.

www.thephoenician.com