December 26, 2006
Luxury pampering company spicing it up over the holidays
Emergency services won’t be the only organisations rushing around helping people over the festive holiday season.
A Queenstown luxury lifestyle management company has been laying out the red carpet for people desperate for last
minute five-star service.
This time of year is no different than any other day for the team at Touch of Spice.
``When we get to work in the morning anything could happen. Finding a chef to work New Year’s Eve or the following day
won’t be easy, but we’ll do it. We will be busy – it’s this time of year,’’ owner Jacqui Spice said today.
“We will be on call every day through the holidays and we never say no.’’
Touch of Spice has organised elopements, marriage proposals, honeymoon nights, $100,000 plus weddings, private chefs,
parties, wine tastings, pony hire – you name it, they do it.
The staff at Touch of Spice have been running errands around town, organising in-house provisions, providing catering,
buying late gifts, and arranging last minute transport.
As a start this week they have been getting groceries, arranging activities and organising chefs.
Last weekend they booked out a restaurant for clients who spent all day and night there celebrating a christening and a
child’s birthday. Before the function they organised in-house massages, hair dressers and make up.
“Another client called and said `I hear you are THE company in Queenstown to assist me with anything I need’ – we then
set about organising a romantic retreat for him and his new bride.
``We scattered rose petals through their penthouse apartment and lit candles at 11pm before hiding in the bushes (just
to make sure the place didn’t burn down) waiting for their return from their wedding day.
``In the morning our chef was on hand to cook them a full breakfast, followed by lunch and dinner.’’
Spice said they have set up what she thinks was a marriage proposal at one of their lodges. Starting with a luxury day
at the spa, helicopter flights and a Shotover jet ride to finding a rare $1000 bottle of red wine for the big night.
The clients returned to the lodge which was littered with candles (on the floor, above the fireplace, all over the
tables) and a private chef who cooked them a delectable four course feast while they dined on the veranda overlooking
the lake.
Fulfilling her promise of discretion Spice is still not 100% sure whether her client was successful.
Touch of Spice are not just restricted to Queenstown. They recently organised an Abbalicious Abba themed 40th birthday
party in Auckland.
The pace doesn’t ease up come the New Year. Amongst other things Touch of Spice are organising a 60th birthday party
for a client at the end of January which has a jazz theme with staff dressed as gun-toting gangsters, basing it on the
movie Casablanca with `Marilyn’ bringing out the birthday cake.
ENDS