This captivating story you are about to read was written in 1933 by an English novelist who wrote of an idyllic settlement high in the mountains of Tibet.
Today, even amongst those who have never heard of Lost Horizon, the words 'Shangri-La' stand as a synonym for paradise.
In 1971, a deluxe hotel was founded in the thriving city of Singapore in Southeast Asia. In choosing the name Shangri-La, there was a desire to set a standard, to create an identity that would eventually produce a group of hotels unique in the world.
As the group expanded, it has sought to retain all the ideals of its mythical namesake. Serenity, harmony and natural beauty, all characteristics of the Shangri-La group. This enchanting book will give you a glimpse of this world. A world once imagined, a dream that has become a reality.
We hope you enjoy it."
My first stay at a Shangri-La hotel was in Singapore in 1975, a mere four years after it had first opened its doors. There, and in subsequent stays in the Shangri-La in Hong Kong and Paris, I was always greeted by this book on the bedside table, with its flyleaf bearing the above inscription.
Of course, I had already read James Hilton's "Lost Horizon", but who wouldn't want to read it again in such an agreeable setting, which is what I hope will also happen with the books I collected for my friend's "Robyn's Nest Lakeside Resort". Only the inscription will be different:
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We hope you will find in this small selection a book that interests you. Feel free to take it with you to the pool, or down to the lake, or to your cottage. Keep it for the duration of your stay. Should you not have finished reading it by the time you leave, feel free to take it with you. Simply let the staff know when you check out, so that we can restock our little library for the benefit of all our future guests. If you have suggestions on what books to add, please tell us. Enjoy your stay with us and Happy Reading! Your team at Robyn's Nest Lakeside Resort
110 Lakewood Drive, Merimbula NSW 2548
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They are both fiction and non-fiction books, ensuring that the guests at Robyn's Nest's will have become the most widely-read guests by the time they leave - if they ever do because there are some five hundred books.
Did I include a copy of James Hilton's "Lost Horizon"? Let me check!
