Uptown
Houston
Whether
for business or pleasure, most travelers will surely visit the dynamic Houston
area. The most popular area to stay in Houston is Uptown, which is a few miles
from the downtown area. Uptown is home to the River Oaks section, famous for
its very large mansions. Great shopping and golf are close by as well. In the
heart of Uptown Houston sits the Hotel Granduca, the latest and maybe the
greatest luxury boutique property addition to Houston.
This part
of Houston reminded me of Century City in Los Angeles. Very upscale and mostly
new shopping centers, high-rise office buildings and condos. Uptown has more
trees, though, and seemed to have more of a neighborhood feel to it.
River
Oaks is really something to see.
The mansions here make Beverly Hills look tame by comparison. River Oaks
Country Club lies in the heart of this area for golfers and is a great option
if you can pull the right strings to get in. The clubhouse is a spectacular
traditional structure and worth a look on its own. Memorial Park borders the
Uptown area, and, like Central Park in New York, it offers a natural buffer to
this otherwise urban area. Memorial Park is extremely clean and features the
Memorial Park Golf Course and an excellent public venue.
The Hotel
Granduca is the newest edition to luxury hotels in the Uptown/Galleria area of
Houston. The hotel’s theme is old world Italy, and I found it to be one of the
nicest properties in which I have ever stayed. As the name suggests, it is a
palace befitting the Grand Duke of Monfallito, who was the inspiration for its
creation.
All of
the hotel’s common areas are adorned with elegant paintings and tapestries. The
rooms are very comfortable and feature all the amenities one would expect from
a five-star hotel, including 400-count Italian linens and multiple large screen
HDTVs. The bathrooms were larger than any I can remember. Room sizes range from
425 to 2,100 square feet, much
larger than most hotels.
The pool
area really caught my eye. It fills the inside courtyard formed by the hotel’s
U-shaped design. The back end is walled off with a waterfall and sculpture
garden. The entire pool area is very peaceful and a perfect respite from the
busy city. Hotel visitors come from around the globe and many are in town on
oil business. The staff is multilingual to accommodate this diverse group.
Fine
dining also is available on property at the Ristorante Cavour, offering
Northern Italian Dining with a French accent. The food was excellent, as was
the service. As with the rest of the property, the ambience is very classy and
subdued. For other social occasions guests can adjourn to the Club Maletesta.
After
spending time here it is easy to imagine how the well-to-do lived in
Renaissance Italy. Hotel Granduca
also feature two state-of-the-art conference centers for business meetings.
Wireless Internet access is complimentary to hotel guests. The very upscale
Uptown Park Shopping Center is just across the street from the Hotel, and the
famous Galleria not much farther away. For more information visit
www.granducahouston.com or call (713) 418-1000.
Nike Sumo
Nike Golf
has come out with a new Driver that is dominating the golf market. The SQ Sumo2
5900 & 5000 Drivers have led the PGA Tour this year. Tiger Woods has played
his best golf ever since putting one is his bag. Trever Immelman won the
Masters in April with one. Anthony Kim dominated the field at the recent
Wachovia Championship with the same club. The last time that I can remember
such a furor was when Callaway introduced the Big Bertha. My wife, Cynthia, was
the first one in my family to give it a try. She discovered it during a recent
demo day at Marshallia Ranch. Liking what she saw, she ordered one, and the
results have been spectacular. Cynthia is now hitting it a full 10 yards
farther and straighter. Although she is a golf pro, Cynthia is quite small at
just 5-foot-2, so this kind of distance gain is remarkable. The design of the
head is also very appealing, and I plan on ordering one myself.
Nike Golf
has come a long way since signing Tiger Woods when he was just out of college.
They are now making the best golf equipment and it is showing up in multiple
PGA Tour victories. For more information visit www.nikegolf.com or contact your
local golf pro shop.