NEWS

A successful weekend showcasing the Kempinski Hotel San Lawrenz to all the Maltese and Gozitan patrons took place in the first weekend of February.

The Kempinski Hotel’s management team, thankful to all its patrons, organized an open weekend to celebrate the 10th anniversary from when the Hotel joined the luxurious Kempinski portfolio, where all guests and friends could have a closer look to the hotel and benefit from special offers.

The initiative was a great success, attracting more than 400 guests celebrating such event and making their own Kempinski experience in the hotel’s new La Caverna wine bar, the Ortolan Restaurant, Kempinski The Spa, the Kids Club and special attractions such as kayaking in the outdoor pool, yoga sessions, archery in garden, wine tasting and craft workshops.

This occasion saw the opening of the new wine bar, La Caverna, on the evening of the 3rd February with a ribbon cutting ceremony hosted by Hon. Chris Said, Minister for Justice, Dialogue and the Family Affairs and Mr. Noel Attard, Hotel’s General Manager. The ceremony started with the traditional ribbon cutting and speeches, followed by a wine reception in the new location. The new wine bar in a contemporary design with leather seatings, separate wine rooms for the red and white wines, and the warm feeling that all the wood around gives provided the perfect setting for the evening accompanied throughout the whole night with wines and antipasti. The event successfully rounded up with life music to background the lively conversations and enjoyment of the guests.

La Caverna revolves around the world of wines where our guests can just relax in the cosy surrounding of an Italian style Enoteca sipping through an extensive wine list while enjoying a choice of antipasti.

The ambience is signified by a painting of local artist, Noel Debono, stretching along the wall with harmonious combinations of lively orange and warm brown paints. The fireplace in the corner and the mélange colored soft leather armchairs are a must to try out with a book and a glass of wine in hands or for a nice long talk with friends in a quiet ambience.

The perfectly chilled unique wine library with a room for the red wines and another one for the white wine provided the perfect setting for wines where one can ask for a guided tour explaining origins and stories of the wines.

The name of “La Caverna” reflects the story of “The Cave of the Old Man” dating back to 1583 found in Mgarr ix-Xini in Gozo which established the links of Gozo to a culture and history of wines. For a long time the story was just a century old legend until a couple of years ago where excavations showed many wine and oil presses in the valley, with similar wine presses found in Italy. The ancient presses, of which no less than 15 were found in the excavation area, are very simple to operate and are found all over the Mediterranean. Access to the sea at Mgarr ix-Xini provided the nearest transport to the markets of both Malta and Sicily.

The highlight of Saturday was the five-tier 10^th anniversary cake cutting ceremony hosted by the owning company family, lead by Mrs. Baldacchino and special guest of honour Hon. Giovanna Debono, Minister for Gozo.