Bentley Modern Luxury Tour Copenhagen to Berlin
Landing in Copenhagen Airport is always a pleasure, it's small, neat and very easy to get through, if only everything in life was like that. Actually the next five days were going to be pretty excellent, as I was arriving in Legoland for the start of the Bentley Modern Luxury Tour.
The Tour idea was to take five Bentleys from Copenhagen to Hamburg and Berlin, via the best modern luxury hotels and restaurants, with a few old Schlosses along the way. In keeping with the luxury concept my limo driver was waiting as I exited the hall and we cruised into Copenhagen, heading for the Hotel D’Angleterre, one of the top 100 hotels in the world and probably the best in the city.
I arrived just after lunchtime at the hotel to be greeted by old friends, and after a quick bite to eat, wandered out to see the cars parked outside, ready for the journey. My favourite was right outside the main door, the GTC Speed Convertible in silver, flanked by two GTC Speeds and two Flying Spurs. All equipped with the celebrated uber powerful Bentley W12 engines. This was going to be a marvellous few days, enjoying a unique experience, driving the very best that modern engineering has to offer.
The W12 engine really is quite unique, it’s essentially two V6 engines pushed together to give incredible Torque in an ergonomic engine size. The GTC Speed Convertible has 616 BHP, now really that’s more than enough, with a top speed of 202 MPH, which is just enough. Don’t knock the extra 2 MPH over 200, it puts it on the podium as the fastest four-seat convertible in the world. 0-60 MPH in 4.1 seconds, that’s enough acceleration to get you out of any trouble, or simply get you where you want to be in an instant.
My only complaint about the GTC Speed Convertible is that, along with the sport setting, I would like a “turn all the software off” button so that you get all that raw engine power and no computer assistance. The car is so well made it turns any driver into a brilliant racing diva and sometimes it would be nice to rely on personal skills, without it all being done for you.
For this same reason the car excels over other supercars in terms of sheer comfort, safety and handling. Many cars can go fast, but none have quite that undiluted ability to turn even the worst driver into a Formula One pro. The handling on the car is simply extraordinary, you can take it up to 160 MPH and barely even notice. There is no feeling of danger as the car’s stability is impeccable, it holds the road like glue and you can sit back and enjoy that sheer luxury supercar sensation. It is also without doubt the most silent convertible in its power category, the lack of noise when tearing along at high speed is fantastic. The torsional rigidity is impeccable with the roof down, quite an achievement!
I finally managed to tear myself away from the cars in time to meet up with friends at the only Champagne bar in Copenhagen, the Balthazar, also part of the Hotel D’Angleterre, for a leisurely bottle of Meunier and a few nibbles. It is extremely smart with neo modern art deco interior and superb service, so very popular on the luxury travel trail. We then repaired to the Marchal Restaurant, also in the hotel, run by head chef Ronny Emborg who was awarded a Michelin Star in 2014.
First I had the lightly cooked Scallops with goat cheese, haricots verts, rye bread croutons and dill vinaigrette which were succulent and tender. For the main I plumped for the Monkfish grilled on the bone, served with potatoes, mussel sauce and mussels which were fresh and cooked to perfection, juicy and bursting with subtle flavours. I finished with the chocolate desert and we passed a very pleasant evening. The next morning we met at breakfast and agreed our starting cars. I was fortunate enough to get the GTC Speed Convertible, which I may have mentioned holds a place in my heart. Well, it’s sculptural engineering art based on technology that has evolved in the last 100 years to an incredibly high level. Call me a philistine, but that beats any oil painting for me.
Together with an old friend with whom I shared the Mille Miglia, we set off with the roof down, in beaming sunshine, heading for Hamburg, via a beach side lake hotel for tea and a Schloss for lunch. Driving out of Copenhagen was a delight, relishing the car and the convoy of Bentley W12s as we made our way to the Storebaeltbron or Great Belt Bridge, which I was seriously looking forward to. The Great Belt Bridge has the world's third longest main span, the longest outside of Asia and was designed by the Danish engineering firm COWI. It’s a vision from a science fiction film, stretching across the rolling sea past giant white wind turbines, slaloming up and down, and side to side, threading through the soaring suspension bridge rising from the middle island. It’s an amazing feat of modern engineering, so ideal for these mechanical wonder horses, roaring along this ribbon road, surrounded by this vast vista of open sea, mist and sunshine. It was a glorious drive, much akin to taking the mythological Norse Rainbow Bridge from Midgard to the home of the Gods, in a luxury gleaming silver chariot.
Shortly after the bridge, we all pulled into the beachside Hotel Hesselet in Nyborg for brunch, marvelling at the view of the bridge disappearing in the clouds across the sea, whilst supping Danish scones. Our next stop was the Schlosskeller Glucksburg, a picturesque German castle, apparently floating in the middle of a serene sun drenched lake. We were a tad early, as the chef had obviously considered our journey from Copenhagen to take a little longer. So were greeted with disgruntled hostility, exacerbated by his stress over cooking for a large wedding party. Admittedly we had disturbed their special moment, as they posed for photographs in the middle of the entrance. We gladly left this beautiful Schloss for the open road and cruised down to Hamburg to the achingly trendy East Hamburg Hotel. This is a modern luxury venue in the centre of Hamburg that is aimed at a professional night life crowd. The bar and restaurant are boutique luxury meets international party lounge, and the club goes on late into the night. The rooms are a little minimalist for my taste, but the rest of the hotel is beautifully designed for an aesthetic modern crowd, who like a luxurious ambiance. Its pretty much the Chateau Marmont of Hamburg. They even have their own Instagram page where you can upload a selfie and get in touch with other residents staying on the same night!
We dined at Clouds rooftop restaurant that evening, run by the same team as East Hamburg Hotel, Christoph Strenger and Marc Ciuinis, which has the best view of the city and the food and wine were superb. We ambled back to the hotel via the red light district which is now a bustling tourist and night club area. We also passed rapidly through Herbert Strasse which is now the new red light street, where very pretty girls sat in the window offering all sorts of happiness for 50 Euros the half hour. Lady tourists are not allowed so half our party waited at the edge of the street for a full account of this unusual Strasse. We finished the night at the East Hotel bar and started off early the next morning for Berlin.
This leg to Berlin was in the Flying Spur, so think utter luxury comfort. Did I mention that the seats in the Bentleys have massage capability, repeatedly used by all for the whole journey down, despite the initial scoffing. They are genuinely a boon and keep any back stiffness away on long journeys. The Spurs are almost as fast as the Speeds with the same W12 engine pulling just a little more weight and luxury. It is the ultimate four door luxury sedan, with Bentley’s renowned 6.0-litre, twin turbocharged, 48-valve, W12 engine, coupled to a ZF eight-speed transmission. Developing 625 PS (616 bhp) and 800 Nm of torque. The classic hand crafted wood veneers, leather and stitching make it an artwork of luxury living on the move. contrast it also boasts the latest tech with complete internet connectivity for phones, laptops or tablets and a state of the art entertainment system for each of the rear passengers. Naim speakers are also an option. The suspension and stability are All computer controlled for the smoothest ride in the car world. Last but not least it sports a bottle cooler in the arm rest!
We smoothly glided into Schloss Ludwigslust, Prince Ludwig’s joy, for a quick brunch in this imposing neoclassical castle, with ornate gardens, built as a princely hunting lodge in 1724.
A few hours later the rally roared into Berlin, along the huge multi lane thorough fares, in some style and pulled into Das Stue, our last luxurious stop on the trip. Das Stue is refined and quirky luxury tinged with a certain gravitas. The interior was designed by the award winning Spanish architect Patricia Urquiola. Look out for all the fun animal touches that make this hotel just a little special. Patricia’s main aim was to make the spaces ideal for socialising and enjoying fine food and drink. This has been aptly achieved with the addition of Cinco, the Michelin starred Restaurant, run by Spanish Chef Paco Pérez who is on his well deserved fifth Michelin Star! After a lovely lunch in the Tiergarden, by the boating lake, we toured Berlin to see the sights and supped some champagne in the Banana Bunker, whilst enjoying the Boros Collection of Contemporary Art. This is one of the most bewildering and emotive exhibitions around and utterly Berlinesque, not to be missed, as it is unique to the city and culturally representative! By appointment through the website only.
Our magnificent dinner that evening was hosted by Paco Pérez, the meal was exquisite and the service flawless. We finished the luxury tour in the bar, with a few very fine red wines, and talked cars into the early hours of the morning.
The Bentley W12's are designed to perfection for touring the world in the finest style. Perhaps we should have just kept going for a year or two!
http://www.bentleymotors.com
Copenhagenhttp://www.dangleterre.com/http://marchal.dk/
North Germanyhttp://www.schlosskeller.de/
Hamburghttp://www.east-hamburg.de/default.aspx?lang=enhttp://www.clouds-hambur…
Berlinhttp://www.das-stue.com/enhttp://www.das-stue.com/en/restaurants-bar/ci…
