DISCOVER GOZO

A new team member at Kempinski Hotel San Lawrenz!

Hello peeps! May I introduce myself to the growing little crowd that reads the blog of the Kempinski Hotel San Lawrenz? My name is Renzo, Knight of Gozo, and I am very proud to say I’m the latest member of the Sales & Marketing team.

I first saw the light of day on March 27^th, just before Earth Hour (how’s that for timing, eh?), while five hundred candles were alight in the hotel’s restaurant (see photos of the event here!)

I’m owing my life to the conspiracy of three creative ladies – all a little crazy, to varying degrees: Tanja, who is a fanatical outside-the-box thinker;  Sabine, whose creativity is perfectly in tune with Tanja’s way of thinking. And then there’s Nicole, a very talented young lady, who tied it all together and made me who I am!

This is exciting!

So what am I doing here, you might well be asking? Well, I’d like to help the Kempinski team to tell the world about Gozo… about its culture, its history! For such a tiny rock in the Med, Gozo has a long, long past, and I have come in now to tell you all about it. Did you know, for example, that Gozo was granted autonomy that lasted almost two years, by none other than Napoleon Bonaparte after he conquered Malta in the late 18^th century? You wouldn’t believe how much more there is to discover – and I will tell you all!

And the winner is…

A handsome young man named Charlie…

Hey there! The guys at Sales & Marketing thought if I live for free in a five-star luxury resort, then I should at least give my two cents’ worth to Discover Gozo. So I guess that’s what I’m going to do today, lest they put a stop to the culinary deliveries that come my way every so often. And let’s face it: I really don’t have much else to do now, do I?

Oops, where are my manners? Totally forgot to introduce myself. Well, I’m Charlie. At least that’s what they call me at home; sometimes I’m baptized all over again by nice people who visit the hotel. Honestly, I’ve lost track how many names I have under my belt by now!

I am a permanent resident in the gardens of the Kempinski Hotel San Lawrenz, and boy, was I glad they didn’t kick me out with the last departures when they closed down the place a few days after New Year’s. On the other hand, when they started tearing the spa apart, things got so scary that I made off for a couple of weeks. I’m not sure you humans know this, but January is Valentine’s month for us felines, so the timing for my vacation was rather convenient!

Obviously, Gozo being what it is, I didn’t have to travel all too far to arrive in peaceful and quiet venues for my romantic tête-à-têtes with the girls. You just follow the road that circles the hotel grounds, then continue either left or right. This time I took the right fork and within minutes the hammering, sawing and generator noises subsided. That road eventually leads to Santa Lucija and Kercem, and if you are equipped with four legs and an extremely good sense of balance you can even criss-cross the fields and head down for Dwejra. OK, I can see that’s hardly your thing, so let’s just stay on the beaten track and take in the beauty of the countryside…

The road also passes by a huge quarry; that’s where they cut all those perfectly shaped blocks of limestone, which most houses in Gozo are built of. Mind you, personally I find that place a bit intimidating too, but the ready cut blocks waiting to be loaded onto lorries are a somewhat fascinating sight to behold.

Time flies when you’re having fun… and so a couple of weeks ago my holiday came to an end and I returned home. The place was still pretty much messed up, but they had made good progress with the works. It’s a good thing they didn’t touch the garden: it is still quite peaceful there, even too quiet at times.

I’m really glad the hotel opens again next week and starts filling up with people once more. I miss all the cuddles and treats that are usually forthcoming from human girlfriends on vacation. Alright, alright, I’ll be honest. Tanja and Nicole do take some time out from their busy schedules, to keep me happy and well-fed; even Sabine has paid me a couple of visits with her paparazzi equipment (she does cuddles, but never brings me food – someone ought to give her a hint!!). But the empty spaces are just plain boring and a little lonely; I’m really looking forward to some action!

By the way, there’s a little video of me on the Kempinski’s Facebook page!

Dwejra Bay, San Lawrenz

Hi there! Just a quick intro: my name is Sabine. Being a somewhat seasoned blogger, I’ll tackle the first real installment of our new blog. But don’t be fooled – this will certainly not become a one-man-show. Quite to the contrary, our aim is to show you the nooks and crannies of Gozo how they are perceived by totally different people – real people! You are very welcome to leave comments and/or suggestions on our posts, and should you have questions, we’ll be happy to answer those too!

So without further ado, let’s get going!

It will perhaps not come as a surprise to you that our first post should be about Dwejra. I dare say that everyone who stays at the Kempinski Hotel San Lawrenz will pay at least one visit to the famous Azure Window (which almost made it into the New 7 Wonders of Nature!), Fungus Rock and the little Inland Sea, all of which form part of stunning Dwejra Bay. To get there is easy: exiting the hotel grounds with a left turn, turn left again at the main road – and yet again upon reaching the village square of San Lawrenz. From then on it’s downhill all the way and as straight forward as the meandering course of the steep road allows it.

Dwejra’s vicinity to the hotel have made it the favourite spot I often visit when I’m in need of “getting out”. When a day has been particularly stressful, or the stifling monotony of a never-ending week gets to me, I head down there straight after work. On four wheels it barely takes five minutes; walking, obviously, takes a little longer – unfortunately a lot longer on the steep way back!

As I leave the village core of San Lawrenz and get the first glimpses of the Mediterranean Sea, I invariably slow down, and marvel at the huge agaves that grow on more or less barren land to the right hand side of the road. They look particularly good just before sunset making for beautiful lens fodder!

The Azure Window itself is an awesome view to behold; however my preferred corner in Dwejra is a little away from that spot. I normally park my car at the first open space just before reaching the bottom of the long-winding road, and head for the rocky terrain to the left, underneath the tower and just opposite Fungus Rock.

Being a “sea person”, I love to sit down on a rock and just watch nature as she plays with water. This spectacle is especially marvellous when the sea is a little whipped up and waves crash onto shore relentlessly.

If you haven’t gathered yet what Azure Your Mind is all about, then it might be helpful if I tell you that this, for me, is it!
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We’re blogging!

Welcome to the brand-new blog of the Kempinski Hotel San Lawrenz Gozo. More accurately, this is the blog of the Sales & Marketing Team of the Kempinski Hotel San Lawrenz, the team members being:

• Tanja Mueller – Director of Sales
• Deryk Sacco – Sales & Marketing Manager
• Sabine Cassar-Alpert – E-Commerce & Marketing Manager
• Mazen Dreik – Reservations Manager
• Mary Cassar – Reservations Agent
• Stephanie Potente – Trainee Sales & Marketing

You will hear from each of us from time to time. The intention is to give our readers a good idea about the island of Gozo from pretty different perspectives, and we hope you’ll like it!