20 January 2008

A taste of the Pumpkin Carriage

Well readers....  It's official.  I have Cinderella Syndrome after my Amazing Weekend away at Palazzo Versace this weekend.  I have it pretty bad but I think that I will soon be cured of it.  Just one night back here in my little suburban cottage, with my huge pile of ironing & work looming in the morning will soon cure me and all I will have is my wonderful memories of a truly memorable weekend.  It was Mind Boggling!  Admittedly, by check-out time this afternoon, despite being just about at my Bling Saturation Point, I think I could have managed just one more night of indulgence and over-the-top extravagance.  The weekend was a BIG thank-you from my wonderful bosses T & E which I had been looking forward to for the past 5 months.  Steve was just as excited as me as we pulled up in the circular driveway of the hotel yesterday morning, to be greeted by the doormen who quickly valeted my automobile out of sight, leaving a Maserati & some BMW's in its wake.  The foyer of the hotel is jaw-droppingly opulent with the most enormous crystal chandelier teetering above gaudily upholstered banquettes where women draped in pearls lunched on finger sandwiches & champagne.  We followed the receptionist via a plushly carpeted & scented corridor that eventually led to our room with its opulent Versace cushions piled high on the king-sized bed and a spa bath that I could swim laps in!  
Steve & I were, by this time, fairly awed by the sheer sumptiousness of it all but before we had time to fall in a heap, a butler arrived with a bottle of sparkling Australian wine in a chilled ice bucket.  Little did we realise that this was just the Start of it All! What followed was a snapshot of a life we have never lived and really, had only imagined models & film stars to live.  All of a sudden, we were part of that lifestyle, albeit with our mouths hanging open...  I have never seen so many suntans, so many men wearing chunky diamond watches, so many women in hot pants and high heels at breakfast, so many jewel-encrusted sandals by the pool, so much colour worn by so many in such a small square meterage!  The people-watching, as you can imagine, was absolutely magnificent!  There were explosions of colour everywhere & with them, sights that defied my wildest imaginings.  Okay, okay, so now I am sounding over-the-top but honestly, where do these people live?  I have never encountered this type of punter at any place I have stayed previously.  One sight, amongst the augmentations, too-tight trousers & diamond tennis bracelets, was a man with a rather splendid body (anatomically speaking) who not only had the Vitruvian Man tattooed on his back but the word, "Cartia" in 8cm Roman letters across his lumbar region (as well as a gold ring in his nipple).  This prompted me to wonder why a man would have the name of an aspirin brand emblazoned for ever on his body until I heard him call out the name & a little girl came running over.  Anyway, to bring this Hotel Review to a close, all we can say is that, while it is certainly not the lifestyle either of us could manage for more than 48 hours, it certainly was an extremely memorable experience that we both thoroughly enjoyed and which I think, we will remember for a long time to come.
  The staff at Palazzo Versace were truly fantastic, extremely attentive and completely genuine in their desire to help us with anything at all that we needed or wanted.  If any of you are lucky enough to have this experience, embrace it with both arms wide!  It was completely FABULOUS & all I can think about is how lucky I am. Here are some photos but I wish I could have done a bit of a paparazzi thing for you. These photos just do not capture the "ambience" that I have been trying to describe for you I'm afraid...
 



2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Wow Jen! It looks AMAZING!!! And I do believe that the pics would not even be half of what you tried to describe it as! I'm so glad you and Steve had such a nice time, but remember that you worked hard and you deserved every second of it. Well done! Wonder how that boss of yours can top that present next year... Will be exciting to wait and see! Lots of love XOXO Amy Brown.

Anonymous said...

oooh how devine! sounds like you both had a wonderfully indulgent time which you both deserve!! I will have to drop some enormous hints to len to take me down there now!! chat soon jen jen xoxox love leigh