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Unique and familiar flavors move across your palate in a perfectly tuned epicurean dance. The music moving them is orchestrated through your chef’s creativity, the direction of the maître d’, your sommelier’s guidance and the attentiveness of the waitstaff. Experience a symphonic exploration of culinary pleasures alongside the unrivaled space and unmatched, personalized service found only aboard Regent Seven Seas Cruises.
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Reynolds Lake Oconee has a unique cadence all its own. The private waterfront community is home to stunning real estate, world-class amenities, and thousands of engaged Members. Just east of Atlanta, Reynolds boasts an inspiring mix of clubs and restaurants, and one of the only lakefront Ritz-Carlton® resorts in the world, all surrounded by miles of coastline and everything from hiking to biking, pickleball to golf on six championship courses. Here, pastimes become passions, and neighbors quickly become lifelong friends.
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34 THE FRONT PAGES WHAT’S WHAT
From art exhibits and hotel openings to adventure and travel experiences.
42 JEWELRY WHAT A GEM!
Color your world with the latest gemstone jewelry trends.
46 WATCHES TIME WARP
Watch brands are embracing the durability and wearability of ceramic.
50 TECH BEST IN SHOW
Noteworthy products from the 2023 Consumer Electronics Show now coming your way.
52 GOLF TECH SURE SHOTS
Ten standout clubs, training aids, and accessories from the PGA Merchandise Show.
56 GETAWAYS NEW LINKS TO THE OLD WORLD Europe’s newest golf courses offer fresh alternatives to the British Isles.
66 CITY UPDATE CHEAT SHEET BUDAPEST
The capital of Hungary earned its nickname “the Queen of the Danube” long ago.
68 ISLAND UPDATE THE MYSTIQUE OF MUSTIQUE
The historic lure of its landscape and inhabitants is nothing short of magical—as is the security force.
70
THE LUXURY LOOK WAVE MACHINES
A duo of best-in-class wakesurfing toys produce big-air thrills.
with our caring cabin crew
76 AUTOMOTIVE THE NEW GENERATION OF ELECTRIFICATION
Electrified vehicles are making an impact on the motoring landscape.
84 ADVENTURE ELECTRIC DREAMS
The Rebelle Rally puts endurance—and vehicle electrification—to the test.
88 FASHION TICKET TO PARADISE
Requisite looks for summer fun in the sun: color, crochet, and sequin.
110 TRAVEL PARALLEL ISLANDS
The Maldives and Seychelles are a duo of distinct dreamscapes elevated via ultra-luxury lodging.
118 WELLNESS RENOWNED RETREATS
Get healthy—spiritually, physically, and scientifically— in beautiful settings.
126 TRAVEL NIGHT LIGHTS
Resorts have made big investments so guests can see more stars.
134 SPORTS TRAVEL
THE OTHER REVOLUTION
Fly fisherman are coming to Cuba to fish for tarpon, bonefish, and permit.
140 SPIRITS SMOKE SCREENS
Forget everything you think you know about agavefocused spirits.
144 TRAVEL A ROMAN REVIVAL
Rome’s storied addresses are steadily being revamped and reopened as sumptuous luxury hotels.
156 UNTOLD TRAVEL KENYA
Traveling with Micato Safaris can promote positive change in three direct ways.
164 TRAVEL NEW YORK STATE OF MIND
A parade of luxury hotel openings has the once-quiet upstate countryside on an upswing.
172 ARCHITECTURE & DESIGN SECRET GARDENS
Beautifully landscaped hotel properties offer a special bonus amenity.
182 FURNISHINGS BETTER THAN EVER
Furniture makers and designers are reissuing or tweaking classics for a second time around.
190 REAL ESTATE LIVING WELL
Healthy homes have become a necessary sustainable luxury.
196 ARTIST PROFILE GOING FOR BOLD
Fine art photographer Tony Kelly creates more than just a pretty picture.
204 THE LAST PAGES WHAT’S NEXT
From fun shops and coffee-table books to new restaurants, bars, and spirits.
e has photographed helicopters pulling skiers through the Swiss Alps and trailing surfers on the North Shore, as well as high divers in Miami and every angle of Hollywood you could imagine. But ask conceptual fine art photographer Tony Kelly what he hasn’t yet done or where he most wants to go next, and he’ll ground you somewhere equally unexpected: the present. “I never say the words, ‘I’m looking forward to seeing you’ or ‘I’m looking forward to being there,’” says Kelly, whose bold and bright imagery stands in sharp relief to the Irish grays of his youth. “I very much live in the here and now.”
HJapan’s indigenous Shinto culture is rooted in the belief that spirits reside in all natural things: trees, water, wind, rocks, flowers. When Buddhism arrived to the island from China in the sixth century, ikebana—the Japanese art of floral design rooted in religious offerings of flowers to the Buddha—expanded upon the idea that a blossom could open minds and hearts to much more than the beauty of the petals themselves.
Makoto Azuma, one of the most important floral artists working in the world, did not attend ikebana school or study artistic composition with the masters. Still, his understanding of nature as a transcendent and illuminating force seeps through the very pores of his botanical masterpieces, perpetuating a dialogue around the dualities of tradition and modernity.
The approach stems as much from the technicality of Kelly’s work (“there are so many elements at play … you get really focused”) as it does from a mindfulness practice (“a great Irish guy, Padraig O’Morain, wrote a book called Mindfulness on the Go”). And yet the past and present were in direct conversation during Kelly’s LUXURY MAGAZINE interview. Nine years after he’d chartered a helicopter to shoot the image featured on the cover, Kelly found himself back on the shores of Rio de Janeiro contemplating the changes to the Brazilian landscape that had come with both the passage of time and a pandemic.
The Buddha believed that death could be used as a tool to awaken us to life, and that’s maybe as close to a summation of what Makoto’s work does at its best. “There exists a kind of beauty that reveals itself only in the face of death,” Makoto writes in Encyclopedia of Flowers III, a photographic catalog of his daily work in Tokyo over a period of two years. When Makoto speaks of flowers, he speaks about the way they “present themselves to us.” In his Chiaroscuro series, they present themselves in between life and death. They are “chiaro” (light) and “scuro” (dark), their essence in harmony with the spring equinox—a time when light and darkness are evenly split, just before light prevails.
“The umbrellas on the beach [outside the hotel] today were white,” says Kelly. There were beiges and neutrals, “and I was like: ‘That’s not Rio!’” At the time of the cover photo in 2014, Kelly remembers how it was high season and how the packed beaches created a composition he found inspiring from his perch in the sky. “The color in Rio just feels good,” he says. So he went in search of it this time around, cycling down to Ipanema where yellows, blues, and reds began to appear. With them came a thought: Perhaps the photographer would hop in “a heli” and shoot a newer version of his famous photo. “I’m in a very special place, and I’m very grateful for that.”
LUXURY MAGAZINE’s profile of Tony Kelly begins on page 196.
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Ai Weiwei’s art always makes a big statement. This time, the Chinese artist collaborates with the Design Museum, pairing historical Chinese artifacts and modern objects that speak to China’s current issues of demolition and urban development. Ai Weiwei: Making Sense (right) at The Design Museum, London through July 30. designmuseum.org
The 18th annual Venice Biennale of Architecture showcases a mix of established names and fresh additions to the global scene, from Sir David Adjaye to Dream the Combine. Eighty-nine contributors comprise the main exhibition, and over half are from Africa or the African Diaspora. This year a new six-month cycle of events called Carnival includes lectures, discussions, films, and performances organized with the intention of enhancing the dialogue between architecture and the world. May 20–November 26. labiennale.org
Most Southern Black artists worked outside of the establishment, telling intensely local stories in intensely local ways. Souls Grown Deep Like the Rivers: Black Artists From the American South (below) shows works by the Gee’s Bend quilters, as well as Nellie Mae
Rowe’s colorful primitives and Lonnie Holley’s found materials. Through June 18 at the Royal Academy of Arts, London. royalacademy.org.uk
cosmetics, and perfumes, Gabrielle Chanel: Fashion Manifesto showcases classic outfits created for silver screen icons such as Lauren Bacall and Marlene Dietrich. September 16, 2023–February 25, 2024, Victoria & Albert, London. vam.ac.uk
Between 1984 and 1985, Basquiat and Warhol created an astonishing 160-plus paintings together. More than 100 will be on display in Basquiat x Warhol: Painting 4 Hands, which examines this extraordinary friendship in which the conversation was conducted in paint. Through August 28, Fondation Louis Vuitton, Paris. fondationlouisvuitton.fr
dog and the radiant baby). Keith Haring: Art Is for Everybody includes video, sculpture, drawing, painting, and graphic works, as well as representations from the artist’s enormous output of public projects—from subway drawings to public murals. Through October 8 at The Broad, Los Angeles; November 11–March 17, 2024 at Art Gallery of Ontario in Toronto; April 17–September 8, 2024 at Walker Art Center, Minneapolis. thebroad.org
Most of the approximately 150 pieces on display during Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty (above) will be accompanied by Lagerfeld’s sketches spanning the late designer’s 60 years in fashion—as the creative director of Chloé, Fendi, Chanel, and his eponymous label, Karl Lagerfeld, as well as his time at Balmain and Patou. Through July 16, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. metmuseum.org
Featuring over 180 looks seen together for the first time, as well as jewelry, accessories,
Best known for her flower paintings and simplified forms, Georgia O’Keeffe (1887–1986) made stunning series of works in charcoal, graphite, watercolor, and pastel. Georgia O’Keeffe: To See Takes Time offers a rare glimpse into the artist’s working methods by juxtaposing her works on paper with key paintings. Through August 12, Museum of Modern Art, New York. moma.org
Keith Haring is known for vibrant color, energetic lines, and iconic characters (like the barking
Michelangelo’s heritage consists of works of art that are colossal in their scale like the Sistine Chapel and the Pietà. Michelangelo and the Consequences (above), however, concentrates on his drawings, especially the nudes, and shows how they have influenced other artists for centuries. From September 14, 2023–January 7, 2024 at Albertina, Vienna. albertina.at
Courtesy Images
The Ferragamo family expands its hotel collection with a new flagship located in Milan’s long-shuttered Archiepiscopal Seminary, built in 1564. Portrait Milano (above) has 73 rooms and suites in walnut and cardinal red velvet with Carrara marble baths. Room service coffee arrives in regal silver pots. From $1,250; lugarnocollection.com
Dun Aluinn encompasses a nine-bedroom main house and the four-bedroom Lodge at Dun Aluinn (below) in Perthshire, Scotland. In the Victorian manor with Scandi-sleek interiors, each bedroom has underfloor heating, two have steam rooms, another has a custom-made Japanese
teak bath. Throughout their stay, guests can call on housekeeping, a butler, and a concierge, who can set up salmon fishing on the legendary Tay River or the Dun Aluinn Whisky Experience at three local distilleries—Dewars, Blair Athol, and Glenturret (whose restaurant has a Michelin star). The buildings can be booked separately or together. From $9,800/week (the Lodge), from $36,000/week (Dun Aluinn); dunaluinn.com
One Fine Stay Home Collection launches high-end, fully furnished monthly rentals in New York City. Choose among an art-filled six bedroom in the West Village; an antiquefilled contemporary in SoHo; and a cozy two bedroom with Manhattan skyline views in Park Slope. The homes range from one to six bedrooms and are priced from $7,000 to $151,000/ month; onefinestay.com
Oslo’s Sommerro is an opulent and charming mash-up of functionalist, art deco, and folkloric styles in a 19th-century
landmark building. Adding another layer of cool, the hotel launches Villa Inkognito, reimagined from an 1870s private residence. The 11-suite retreat has a hidden entrance and butler service. From $615/ night, or $10,200 for the full villa rental; sommerrohouse.com
Miami’s Mayfair House Hotel & Garden is a grande dame of Coconut Grove that has been renovated while retaining its already considerable charm. Each guest room is designed to be a “small private home” with its own terrace, living, dining, and sleeping areas. Art by South Florida and Caribbean creators hangs throughout; mayfairhousemiami.com
Opened in February with 177 rooms, The Peninsula Istanbul occupies landmark buildings right on the Bosporus in the historic district of Karaköy. The 1940s lobby was Türkiye’s first modern ferry passenger terminal, reimagined by architect and designer Zenyep Fadillioglu. A rooftop bar and open-air restaurant serves
Turk-Asian cuisine along with endless waterfront views. From $870; peninsula.com
The Inn at Mattei’s Tavern, Auberge Resorts (above) in Los Olivos, California, has long been a landmark on California’s Central Coast—first as an 1880s stagecoach stop, later as a Prohibition-era hideaway, and now as part of the Auberge Resorts Collection. The property consists of a contemporary guest house and rustic-chic, freestanding cottages (including four historic cabins) in landscaped gardens shaded by old-growth palms. From $950; aubergeresorts.com
An updated classic hotel gains new meaning.
Before there was Wynwood, the Design District, and Brickell Avenue, there was South Beach. And anchoring arguably the most famous stretch of beach in the world is The National, a hotel opened in 1940 at the end of the Golden Age of Glamour that became one of the most recognizable and legendary Art Deco landmarks in the capital of fun in the sun. Recently refreshed interiors give the glam a subdued polish and a casbah twist. The hotel’s cabana rooms are the coveted base camp fronting the iconic 203-foot-long infinity-edge pool—the longest in South Beach.
Perched at the end of the pool with a long view sits the super-chic fine-dining establishment Mareva 1939. Regularly topping lists of Miami’s best-rated restaurants, the destination offers a dynamic Spanish cuisine by Executive Chef Sergio Chamizo, giving traditional Spanish dishes a modern spin. Settle into a velvet banquette and pretend you’re Old Hollywood royalty ordering off the sharing menu inventive tapas, memorable paellas (it will be hard to choose among the four signature versions), and mouth-watering desserts. It’s the starriest spot on Collins Avenue for a night cap. From $295; nationalhotel.com
—Serena French
Good for you and yours, and the planet.
Golden Rock Dive & Nature Resort (goldenrockresort.com) on the Caribbean’s St. Eustatius features solar power and drinking water cleaned using reverse osmosis from seawater. Room2 Chiswick (room2.com) in London has 89 rooms heated and cooled via solar panels and heat pumps, plus carpets made from reclaimed fishing nets and FSC timber throughout. Kisawa Sanctuary (kisawasanctuary.com) on Benguerra Island in Mozambique is aiming to be fully solar-powered by the end
of the year. Its 3D-printed artificial coral reef gives guests the opportunity to volunteer at its Bazaruto Center for Scientific Studies (left). Azumi Setoda (azumi.co) in Ikuchijima on Japan’s Seto Inland Sea is repurposed from a 150-year-old residence, uses only renewable energy, and serves organic, seasonal, and locally grown food. Hotel Terrestre (terrestrehotel.com) in Oaxaca, Mexico, is built from local clay and wood and furnished with unique pieces made by local craftspeople.
Just-opened and anticipated accommodations across Europe and Hawaii.
In the Portuguese beach town of Melides, Vermelho Hotel (bottom right; vermelhohotel.com) is chic and full of surprises with art handpicked by shoe designer Christian Louboutin, who lives locally. Discover Raffles London at The OWO (theowo.london), an imposing Edwardian Baroque Old War Office (OWO) converted into a posh, 120-room hotel. Hotel La Palma (oetkercollection.com) in Capri is the Oetker Collection’s transformation of the island’s first hotel (built in 1822) into an elegant, 50-room resort with its own beach club. London’s The Bo Tree (thebotree.com) features handwoven rugs, marble tiles, statement art, 199 rooms, and 29 suites, and it’s only a few blocks from great shopping on Oxford and Regent Streets. The
Hoxton (thehoxton.com) houses 234 Art Nouveau–inspired bedrooms in West Berlin’s picturesque Charlottenburg neighborhood. The 150 standalone guest houses at Kona Village, A Rosewood Resort (rosewoodhotels.com) on the Big Island’s Kona Coast all have oversize lanais and outdoor showers. Nobu Hotel San Sebastián (nobuhotels.com) is a renovated historic Spanish property (top right), now with 20 guest rooms and suites as well as a Nobu restaurant with panoramic views of La Concha Bay. The hotel La Fantaisie (lafantaisie.com) in Paris charms with dreamy, garden-like, Martin Brudnizki–designed rooms and dining overseen by Dominique Crenn— chef and owner of three-Michelin-starred restaurant Atelier Crenn in San Francisco.
Remote wellness retreats use natural means to a well-rested end.
Stay in authentic stone-built shepherds houses with heated pools at Domaine de Murtoli (murtoli.com) in southern Corsica for detox retreats by La Pensée Sauvage. Gurney Montauk Resort & Seawater Spa (gurneysresorts.com) has a large caldarium, thermae, and dual frigidarium— all with ocean views. The WELL at Chileno Bay (aubergeresorts.com) resort in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, offers guided wellness experiences and outdoor treatment rooms. India’s Ananda in the Himalayas (anandaspa.com) recently announced a Sleep Enhancement Program. Nimmo Bay (nimmobay.com), an upscale fly-in fishing lodge in British Columbia, integrates sport with forest bathing, a floating sauna, and a tented dock for body treatments followed by cold saltwater dips (left).
Canoe Place Inn & Cottages (canoeplace .com) in New York’s Hampton Bays is equipped for a wellness trifecta: facials, energy healing, and body treatments. Sedona’s famed Mii amo (miiamo.com) at Enchantment Resort recently reopened after a $40-million renovation. Svart Spa Health & Wellness Clinic (svart.no) above the Arctic Circle in Norway specializes in Nordic regenerative wellness therapies. Chenot Palace Weggis (chenot.com), a retreat on the shores of Switzerland’s picturesque Lake Lucerne, does a highly personalized detox and resets your body for lasting health. For more on the resort, see page 124.
Discover additional wellness offerings worldwide in LM’s 2023 Wellness Guide at www.luxurycard.com/guide/2023/wellness
During the seven-night Ambon & Spice Islands Expedition, cruise the Spice Islands (the epicenter of the Old World’s spice trade) aboard the 15-suite Aqua Blu (above), formerly the private yacht of a European aristocratic family, experience shore excursions showcasing 1600s fortifications and nutmeg plantations. Explore Molana and Palau Run for picture-perfect sandy beaches and Banda Neira during twice-daily underwater dives. From $8,960/person; aquaexpeditions.com
Celebrating the 60th anniversary of James Bond’s cinematic debut, travel company Black Tomato partners with EON Productions to launch a 007-inspired itinerary—The Assignment. The tailor-made selection of Bond experiences happen over 12 days in locations across Europe: Meet Bond’s stunt double; sip Champagne at the Bollinger estate; get measured for a perfectly tailored suit. The finale is an immersive dining experience at the Murano Glass Factory in Venice where Bond and Chang battled in Moonraker (1979). Only 60 trips available. From $73,500/person; blacktomato.com
The Alaia Belize, Autograph Collection resort debuts its Adventure Meets Luxury package: private dive boat, reef fishing, and Great Blue Hole snorkeling for six guests over at least five nights in a three-bedroom villa. $27,000; alaiabelize.com
Available for lease, Isola Santa Cristina is a private island in Italy’s Venetian Lagoon with orchards, vineyards, a yoga room, an ancient brick chapel, and a yacht that can take you to Piazza San Marco in 30 minutes. From $27,000/week; vladi-privateislands.de
The 41-room hotel El Fenn (below) in Marrakech offers its new Meet the Artisans experience. Visit Maison Nicole, supplier of bespoke furniture to celebrities, go treasure-hunting at Magasin General where
antiques from Morocco’s finest households go to retire, and explore Hassan Hajjaj’s newest outpost, Jajjah—which showcases the work of the up-and-coming artists he’s mentoring. el-fenn.com
Float through the Champagne region of France aboard Belmond’s newly launched luxury barge, Coquelicot. The weeklong, culinary-focused cruise includes a private tasting lunch from Maison Ruinart (the world’s oldest Champagne house) and many Michelinstarred restaurant experiences. Helicopter transfers from Paris are available. From $79,500, all-inclusive for six guests; belmond.com
Reservations are open for Ilma, the newest superyacht from The Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection. Two pools (one on the top deck for grand views); direct access to watersports (paddleboard or kayak right from the yacht); al fresco yoga; five bars, six restaurants, and a wine vault. Each of the 288 suites has a large private terrace. From $12,600/person for 12 nights, Haifa, Israel, to Rome; ritzcarltonyachtcollection.com
Untold Story Travel and Grecian resort Porto Zante (below) have partnered to offer a trip that highlights the cosmopolitan buzz of Athens and total relaxation at a quiet beachfront escape on exotic Zakynthos. Visit the Acropolis Museum at night (when it is closed to other visitors) and travel by yacht to Ancient Olympia. From $12,000/person; untoldstorytravel.com
Outfitter EYOS has partnered with Three Glaciers Retreat—a collection of rugged suites at the base of Antarctica’s 7,000-foot Mt. Spörli—to offer the ultimate South Pole adventure. The trip includes downhill skiing at Larsen Valley, riding Tucker Sno-Cats to the Drake Icefall, and visiting the South Pole. Outside temperatures can hover near 20 below zero F while guests overnight, shower, and dine in rustic but warm comfort. From $79,000/person; eyos-expeditions.com
—Irene
Rawlings
Where cities can be 4000 years old but ultra-modern, where at the same time you can see the history of world cultures and how technology will be shaped, where flavors from around the world come together to create the perfect blend
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A 75-minute flight from Miami and two hours from New York are the Turks and Caicos Islands in the northern Caribbean. A British Overseas Territory, only eight of the 40 small islands and cays are inhabited. Providenciales, aka Provo, is the third-largest at 38 square miles and considered the gateway to the archipelago. It’s also one of the most upscale; Grace Bay Beach has been named the best beach in the world many times over. So it’s no surprise that Vasco Borges, founder and CEO of Beach Enclave, a luxury real estate developer and hospitality operator, decided to build his spacious private villas and intimate beach houses here. “This is not St. Barth’s with its dressed-up parties,” says Borges. “Barefoot in shorts is part of the appeal.”
When he arrived on the island, Borges found that Provo offered only the choice of condominiums, resort residences, or high-maintenance homes for real-estate investing. “I thought, why can’t we combine them?
So I got some investors behind the idea and looked for a large piece of land that offered a lot of privacy,” he says. “That was North Shore.” Beach Enclave North Shore debuted in November 2016 with six beachfront and three ocean-view villas. The homes are elevated, sitting 40 feet above the water with a private staircase to the beach. “The beaches here are public,” says Borges, “but that beach, in particular, is the same as Grace Bay and is very difficult to access because of a marina. You only go there if you stay in our villas, and maybe a couple of
neighbors. So it’s very private and part of a national park; you can snorkel among turtles. I’ve never been there and not seen a turtle.”
What sets Beach Enclave apart from hotels that have private villa accommodations is that the entire concept is about personalization: a butler, chef, and housekeeper at your beck and call, as well as an on-call concierge who arranges activities when you want them, not according to a resort schedule.
Stay busy with in-villa yoga, kiteboarding lessons, mangrove eco tours, horseback riding on the beach, snorkeling, and reef education, plus much more.
“Our full-on dedicated butlers are trained very specifically,” says Borges. “They get the British guild training so they have that sense of intuitive service.” And that service begins before you even arrive, with your assigned butler recording a video welcome message.
The other two locations, Beach Enclave Long Bay and Beach Enclave Grace Bay, were built a few years later and feature the same concept.
For its second phase, Long Bay will have a new bar and restaurant in addition to its fitness gym and new beach houses designed by Brazilian architecture studio Jacobsen Arquitetura. The two-story, three- and four-bedroom
beachfront residences showcase minimalist design. Each has a great room with a double-height ceiling, opening onto an expansive covered deck with a summer kitchen, private infinity-edge pool, and multiple terraces for al fresco dining and lounging. “Long Bay is ideal for people who
really enjoy wind sports like kiteboarding because of the constant breeze offshore,” says Borges. “It’s also shallow, so it’s amazing for kids.”
Ultra-exclusive Beach Enclave Grace Bay has a raw beauty with perfect turquoise waters and sunsets. Currently featuring 10 beachfront and ocean-view villas, plans for a second phase include large estate homes with seven and eight bedrooms, also designed by Jacobsen Arquitetura. “They work with lots of organic materials and very clean lines,” says Borges. “I just love what we’re doing with them here.” beachenclave.com
Caribbean’s First Ocean Pool
Go west along the reef-protected waters of Grace Bay Beach and you’ll find the recently renovated, four-acre property of Wymara Resort and Villas, with its newly remodeled rooms and suites and seven brand-new villas. Known for its award-winning chef, Australian Andrew Mirosch; the newly refurbished Caribbean-inspired restaurant Indigo; and toes-in-the-sand dining at Zest, Wymara can now also boast a first-of-its-kind ocean pool. The resort built a manmade beach called Sunset Cove and carved the 130-foot-long pool out of rock. It’s located by the state-of-the-art Beach Club, an exclusiveuse clubhouse for guests staying in the villas. A beach restaurant and bar featuring menus created by Chef Mirosch will open soon. wymararesortandvillas.com u
—Deborah FrankSome places you discover the journey is the destination.
A life well-lived means time connecting with yourself, others and nature. Montage Palmetto Bluff offers a relaxing retreat for your family and friends. A holistic space for connectivity with nature, fitness, nutrition, and spa options curated just for you. A soul-full escape.
BAYCO Sapphires and Diamonds necklace in gold and platinum, price upon request; bayco.com
Above left:
VERDURA Amethyst and Ruby Candy ring in gold, price upon request; verdura.com
Above right:
JACQUIE AICHE Chalcedony earrings in gold, $5,500; jacquieaiche.com
DOMINIQUE CRENN
CHRISTOPHER KOSTOW
NANCY SILVERTON
GAVIN KAYSEN
OCTOBER 26-29, 2023 • TICKETS ON SALE NOW
ALICE WATERS
Ojai Food + Wine, presented by FOOD & WINE, brings together more than 50 top chefs and 100 acclaimed wineries in over 40 unique experiences. Join us October 26-29 for an exclusive, four-day gathering showcasing some of the world’s best culinary personalities. Ticket packages and resort accommodations are extremely limited, please book now to avoid disappointment.
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With ceramic increasing in popularity over titanium, meteorite, gold, and stainless steel, watch brands are embracing the scratch-proof, fadeproof, resistant-to-aging material and creating timepieces that are lighter and more comfortable to wear—yet still striking on the wrist.
PHOTOGRAPHY BY JONATHAN POZNIAK MARKET EDITOR PAUL FREDERICK
From left: HUBLOT Big Bang Unico, $22,000; hublot.com
GIRARD-PERREGAUX Laureato Chronometer, $20,300; girard-perregaux.com
OMEGA Speedmaster Dark Side of the Moon Co-Axial Chronometer Chronograph, $12,100; omegawatches.com
IWC Top Gun Edition Lake Tahoe Pilot’s Chronograph, $10,700; iwc.com
From left: HERMÈS H08, $8,050; hermes.com
Our rundown of noteworthy products from the 2023 Consumer Electronics Show now coming your way.
BY FRANK VIZARD
About the size of an SUV, the Aska A5 Personal eVTOL can travel by road and up to 250 miles by air. To take flight, the wings unfold to reveal dual, six-propeller rotors for vertical takeoff and landing like a helicopter, although the vehicle can also do short conventional takeoffs on a 250-foot runway. The A5 is a four-seater that can be charged like any other EV, and the range extender engine uses premium gasoline. Take off from helipads or ventiports. Flight speed is 150 mph and you can travel up to 70 mph in drive mode. In case of emergency, a ballistic parachute deploys to save the entire aircraft. The A5 is targeted for a 2026 debut and preorders are being accepted now. askafly.com
Amid a report by the Globe At Night project that light pollution is sharply reducing the number of stars visible to the naked eye, a new telescope that can reduce its negative effects is a timely development. The Unistellar eQuinox 2 digitally removes spurious noise so even city dwellers can see distant stars and nebulae. Advanced processing produces sharp, detailed images. A feature called autonomous field detection allows the telescope to orient itself even when few stars are visible. It’s controlled by a mobile app with a celestial catalog of over 5,000 objects that can be quickly located. Unistellar has a community of over 10,000 “citizen scientists” who participate in astronomy missions with groups like NASA. $2,500; unistellar.com
Baristas have long preferred gooseneck kettles for the precise and measured control they offer, as the slower, more thorough water flow enhances the flavor of pour-over coffee and tea. The stylish Cocinare Flow electric gooseneck kettle adds a temperature control dial listing precise settings for heating baby formula, hot chocolate, green tea, coffee, and black tea. You also can set your own temperature preference one degree at a time. Small yet critical details include an upright-angled hot air outlet on the lid and a thumb-sized insulation layer on the handle to prevent burns. $130; cocinare.com
Give the music on your smartphone an audible boost with the AudioEngine DAC3 headphone amplifier. Amplification isn’t just about increasing volume levels; it’s about better fidelity at lower volume settings to make music on your phone sound like its coming from a high-end home audio system. Powered by your phone and housed in an aluminum case, the DAC3 is less than two inches long and connects between your headphones and phone. $150; audioengine.com
With Ampere Dusk Sport glasses, you have options. The tint of the electrochromic lenses can be adjusted manually or automatically thanks to an InstaOptic ambient light sensor. Listen to music or talk on the phone via highquality speakers and microphones built into the arms—plus noise-canceling circuitry limits background noise. A Huddle Mode lets cycling groups, for example, quickly communicate through the frames. $250; ampere.shop
The new pool boy is a robot. The Aiper Seagull Pro looks like a miniature military tank from the future, as it systemically charts an underwater course to scour pools of debris. The engine is so powerful that the Seagull Pro can actually climb pool walls to clean the waterline. The Pro cleans pools up to 3,200 square feet in size and then parks itself in a corner when the job is done. Recharging time is 1.5 hours. $900; aiper.com
The 55-inch DisplaceTV brings video portability to a new level. The OLED screen weighs less than 20 pounds and a proprietary vacuum suction cup technology makes it easy to attach to a wall. The screen wirelessly connects to a base unit and its rechargeable batteries last about a month. There’s no remote control—a tiny camera reacts to hand gestures; it also responds to voice and touch commands. Multiple screens can link together for larger screen sizes. Launching late 2023. $3,000; displace.tv
You are mid-flight and the noise suppression circuitry on your headphones drops out because you forgot to recharge them. That’s not likely to happen again if you own wireless JBL Tour Pro 2 earbuds because a quick check of the LCD touch screen on the charging case indicates power levels. It also allows you to manage music, answer incoming calls, and see social media notifications without having to check your phone or an app. Expect 30 hours of playtime before recharging. A fast-charge mode will give you five hours of playtime in 10 minutes. $250; jbl.com
Focal Bathys headphones find a middle ground between mobile music lovers who want a more portable wireless connection and audiophiles who prefer a more direct, wired link by smartly offering both options, with the latter choice enhanced by a built-in amplifier. Quite comfortable, these are made to roam with three levels of noise suppression that block out unwelcome sounds. $800; focal.com, headphones.com
Shake it up on the go! Created by a pair of former Apple designers, BlenderCap by Cruz is exactly what you think it is. The portable blender fits over many wide-mouth, screw-top bottles so you can make cold smoothies, shakes, and hot soups at any juncture. Nine lithiumion batteries power a high-torque motor and 304 blades encased in aircraft-grade aluminum alloy. A foldable funnel is included for no-mess ingredient additions. $130; cruzlife.com
As the large-scale transition to electric vehicles moves forward, a portable electric power generator becomes more enticing. The Zendure SuperBase V can charge two EVs simultaneously, serve as a backup power source for an entire home or RV, and support off-the-grid living. Zendure says its semi-solid-state batteries offer higher energy density and greater damage resistance than lithium-ions. It has motorized wheels for portability. $3,300; zendure.com u
While many golfers have embraced hybrid clubs, the category isn’t universally loved. Cobra Golf recognizes this and created the King Tec Hybrid—a versatile club available in four standard lofts with ample adjustability. The clubhead comes outfitted with three adjustable weight settings to affect spin, launch, and draw- or fade-bias. It also features a flatter face and longer heel-to-toe design, which appeals to those who have shied away from traditional hybrids. Like most adjustable drivers, the King Tec Hybrid allows players to tweak the club’s loft by as much as 3 degrees. $300; cobragolf.com
Ten standout clubs, training aids, and accessories from the PGA Merchandise Show.
BY SHAUN TOLSONThe new Paradym family of golf clubs from Callaway is solid across the bag. The woods are likely to steal most of the spotlight, but the Paradym irons are a perfect blend of performance and forgiveness. Available from 4-iron all the way to gap wedge, they feature an A.I.-constructed forged face that optimizes shots hit across the entire surface. This promotes consistently faster ball speeds, higher launch angles, and more spin (when and where it’s needed). A new Speed Frame construction adds stiffness to the body of the club, providing the stability necessary to support a thin face. Tungsten weights—up to 67 grams—improve mishits. $200; callawaygolf.com
Never the longest-hitting clubs on the market, Titleist drivers are celebrated for their control and consistency. That’s still the case with its latest TSR drivers, but these clubs deliver more ball speed—meaning more distance—when compared to the brand’s preceding TSi models that launched 2.5 years ago. Available in four configurations to accommodate varying ability levels, TSR drivers feature a boat tail shape that improves aerodynamics and generates faster swing speeds. They are constructed with an aerospace-grade titanium lauded for its strength, durability, and rate of recoil. $600; titleist.com
In 2022 LA Golf unveiled a fully customizable, all-carbon putter. It was the first complete golf club made by a company that, up until then, only produced specialty aftermarket shafts.
The California manufacturer has followed its debut with the launch of two second-generation models: the Bel-Air (a blade) and the Malibu (a mallet). The putter heads are made entirely of carbon, which produces a much larger sweet spot given that the material is five times less dense than steel. Each is equipped with a specialty, anti-vibration shaft and features the brand’s patented Descending Loft Face technology, which produces more consistent strikes and leads to more predictable rolls. From $500; lagolf.co
SHOES
The classic styling of golf shoes from the 1950s serves as the inspiration for the Boxto Heritage Series, a lineup of golf shoes made by hand from exotic and full-grain leathers. Equipped with the latest, industry-leading soft spikes, each pair features wooden soles with integrated TPU technology, making them water-resistant. The full-grain leather uppers are water-repellent and lined with baby calfskin. Above all, these shoes marry comfort with traditional aesthetics. They do it so well, in fact, that US Open champion Jim Furyk—a PGA Tour player known for having incredible high standards when it comes to his shoes—partnered with the Houston startup as a brand ambassador. $1,200; boxtogolf.com
The landscape of available personal launch monitors is vast, but not every device lives up to expectations. Typically, you get what you pay for, only with the new Golfzon WAVE you get a two-for-one. The device operates as a launch monitor that can detect all shots—even short-game finesse swings—and it tracks more than two dozen ball flight parameters. When paired with the accompanying putting mat, which utilizes precision infrared technology, the WAVE acts as a golf simulator with incredibly quick response times and access to more than 100 bucket list courses. $4,000; golfzongolf.com
Wish you were a better putter? Augmented reality can help. German company PuttView introduces PuttView X, utilizing Microsoft’s HoloLens 2. This high-tech headset can display the contours on any green; and through voice commands, users identify the hole and the starting point of a putt, then watch as the sensors in the goggles map out the setup, aiming cues, and ideal lines that a putt must follow to drop in the hole. Although the headset is comfortable, looking through the goggles can be a bit disorienting at first. At the very least, it will teach you to be a better green reader, which alone is half the battle. $14,480; puttview.com
Magnetized Bluetooth speakers have allowed golfers to listen to tunes on the course—so long as they used a golf cart. Now, thanks to TecTecTec, golfers who walk the course can wear the Team8 S, a miniaturized Bluetooth speaker that clips to their hip or their golf bag and allows them to bring their music anywhere on the course without cranking up the volume. The device not only plays music, but provides GPSaided distances to the front, middle, and back of greens, as well as to hazards on the course. $100; us.tectectec.com
Electro muscle stimulation (EMS) is nothing new; the application of using low-frequency pulses of electric current to stimulate muscles into contracting has been utilized for decades (and is medically tested to build strength and improve conditioning without external loads). Up until recently, reaping the benefits of EMS required working with a certified trainer, but thanks to Las Vegas–based Katalyst, the technology is accessible for at-home use. The system incorporates an iPad or tablet, and via an app guides users through any number of 10- to 20-minute workouts. The necessary sensor-laden suit is configured to each client based on their body measurements, and the system can be purchased for as little as $66 per month. $2,385; katalyst.fit
Among the greatest advantages of having a caddie are peace of mind and course knowledge. But it’s one thing to know how far the flag is and another to know how much green is between the flag and the lip of a front greenside bunker. For years, that’s been the shortcoming of distance-measuring devices, but the new CaddyTalk Cube laser rangefinder delivers more assistance with Caddy Mode, an algorithm that triangulates the distance between two points. The device is equipped with an environmental slope function that factors in temperature, altitude, and humidity, the latter of which is a variable that hasn’t previously been calculated by laser rangefinders. $350; caddytalkusa.com u
As America’s First Resort Destination® , The Palm Beaches have been the preferred getaway for discerning guests for over 125 years. From Jupiter to Boca Raton, discover sun-kissed beaches, alfresco dining, premier golf courses and world-class shopping. Less crowded and more relaxed, the gentler side of Florida awaits. | ThePalmBeaches.com
Considering a European golf getaway?
The continent’s new courses offer fresh alternatives to the British Isles.
BY SHAUN TOLSONThe golfing world’s collective gaze will be fixed on the heart of Western Europe in September when the 44th Ryder Cup is contested at Marco Simone Golf & Country Club (golfmarcosimone.com). This year’s tournament marks only the third time that the prestigious event will be held in continental Europe. The destination is an effectively brand-new course set on the outskirts of Rome with a championship layout comprehensively redesigned and rebuilt in 2021 specifically for the Ryder Cup. When Marco Simone enjoys its forthcoming 15 minutes of fame, the sport’s enthusiasts may realize (or remember) that great European courses aren’t limited to the British Isles. In fact, a handful of noteworthy courses have recently opened for play across Europe, most of which are easily accessible and all worthy of a visit.
Later this summer, The Dunas Course (comporta.com) at Terras da Comporta opens for play, which means golfers can finally tee up on the links-like layout that was initially conceived 15-plus years ago. The course, positioned just off the southwestern coast of Portugal and designed by David McLay Kidd, was routed and shaped about a decade ago; however, the site’s former owners ran into fatal financial problems that mothballed the development until new owners resuscitated it in 2020.
In many respects, the opening of The Dunas Course is a return to the origins of a new era. The par-71, 7,168-yard layout represents McLay Kidd’s first creation in mainland Europe and showcases a design philosophy of fun, playable courses for all skill levels. The wide and inviting fairways ramble over a landscape that “tumbles and spills,” according to McLay Kidd. “If you’re an 18-handicap, you can play an entire round and not lose a golf ball. But if you’re a good, single-digit-handicap player, you’ll be
seeing tight lines against native sandscapes that will give you the best angles into the greens.”
Located a half-mile east from the high-tide mark, the course meanders through rolling hills of soft sand and, says McLay Kidd, “it’s as close as you can get to the beach in Portugal these days [when building a golf course].” In fact, golfers can hear the surf crashing along the beach while putting on the 12th green. Yet the most compelling aspect of The Dunas Course is what’s underfoot. All playing areas (except the bentgrass greens) have been planted with fescue, which means the holes play firm and fast like a traditional links course. As McLay Kidd explains, The Dunas Course is the only layout in southern Europe to feature fescuegrassed terrain, and that’s the byproduct of the Portuguese coastline’s temperate climate. “The golf course becomes multidimensional because the ball bounces and rolls,” he says. “[On The Dunas Course], golf is no longer a game played only through the air.”
How and where you play shots through the air is at the core of the strategy for two new courses at Costa Navarino (costanavarino.com), a sprawling resort on the southern Grecian coast. The destination offers golfers the choice of four 18-hole signature courses with a maximum distance of 13 kilometers, including the Masters Champion José María Olazábal–designed layouts at Navarino Hills, which opened in February 2022. Overlooking the historic Bay of Navarino, the layouts cover 341 acres. “The International Olympic Academy Golf Course has the sea views with the ‘wow’ effect,” Olazábal says. “The Hills Course plays through the valley and inspires with the beauty of nature.”
Playing as long as 6,945 yards, the Olympic course is one that rewards accuracy more than distance. Although
created with aspirations of one day hosting a Tour event, the course provides average players with plenty of room to miss, while the bunkers—although formidable in their appearance and placement throughout the course—are relatively shallow. Sea breezes can elevate the course’s difficulty, especially on the back nine, which plays along the edge of a cliff.
Golfers who implement sound strategy and are disciplined in their course management will be rewarded on The Hills Course, which maxes out at 6,836 yards. Positioned on the eastern side of the property, The Hills brings golfers past landscape features synonymous with the countryside—old olive trees, ancient rock walls, and steepsided ravines that venture deep into the Kinigou Hills.
A drive through the Dutch village of Cromvoirt in southern Netherlands reveals a network of cobblestone streets connecting the commune’s various neighborhoods, still lit at night by gas-powered lanterns. Down the narrow lane of Deutersestraat is Bernardus Golf (bernardusgolf.com), a sophisticated and modern golf club that will host the KLM Open at the end of May.
Home to a heathland-style course designed by Kyle Phillips (the architect most famous for his work at Kingsbarns Golf Links in Scotland), the club developed three tracts of land previously utilized for farming. Scattered with rugged-edge bunkers and lined with native fescue grasses that grow tall and wispy during the summertime, the course’s natural aesthetic belies its youthfulness. In particular,
Phillips made use of many fairway bunkers to broaden the playability of the course, while the site’s natural sandy characteristics allowed him to subtly manipulate the land, creating visually captivating rumples, texture, and contours.
As much as the modern course shines for its timeless character, Bernardus Golf truly succeeds in its overall guest experience. From a chic lodge with a tennis court and swimming pool to a Michelin-starred restaurant and stateof-the-art golf and practice facilities, the property brings a cutting-edge style to a conventional region of the Old World. “It’s one of the best-kept secrets,” says Phillips, who explains that the Netherlands is home to several traditional golf clubs that are more rustic in their appearance. “That’s what makes Bernardus really different.”
Differences are at the core of the latest offering at Les Bordes Golf Club (lesbordesgolfclub.com), an exclusive French club located about a two-hour drive south of Paris. There, on a site positioned about a half-mile west of the original clubhouse, Gil Hanse has created a 7,391-yard marvel, a course whose name seemingly contradicts each of its design characteristics. There’s nothing contemporary about the New Course’s aesthetic or the playing experience that the layout provides—Hanse intentionally tried to route and build fairways and greens into the sandy terrain, which reflects how today’s classic courses were created to replicate the way courses were built in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
It’s a stark contrast to how Robert von Hagge designed and built the club’s Old Course during the 1980s, which was routed across a bog-like parcel of land that required fairways and green complexes to be built up. “The vegetation, sandy soils, pine trees—it’s just the total opposite character to what we have with the Old Course,” explains Jack Laws, the director of golf at Les Bordes. “[On the Old Course], it’s very much target golf, shots are really played through the air. The New Course is a different kettle of fish. The ball will bounce and release and skid across the fescue grass. So, we get these two strikingly different golf courses that are both great.”
Although exclusively private, Les Bordes is actively accepting new members. As Laws explains, the club is selective in who it accepts, but that’s only to say that Les Bordes is focused on adding members who are experienced players and have a proficiency in the etiquette of the game. (This doesn’t mean you need to be a single-digit handicap to gain entry.) Prospective members who already possess a membership at a similar private club are ideal candidates.
Up until recently, an exclusive membership was the only way you could tee it up at Castiglion del Bosco (golf.castigliondelbosco.com), Italy’s only private golf club, which is set in the Tuscan hills about 50 miles south of Florence. Although the course opened for play more than a decade ago, a recent arrangement with the prestigious Rosewood Castiglion del Bosco now allows guests staying in one of the resort’s 42 suites or 11 villas—the latter of which are restored 17th- or 18th-century farmhouses—to make advanced tee times during their stays.
Designed by the late Tom Weiskopf, the collection of golf holes blends into the gentle contours of the estate’s rolling hills and valleys, which makes the course look much older than it is. As Weiskopf once acknowledged, the conception of the course was an intimidating venture given that the sprawling property had remained untouched for at least 500 years. But the course architect quickly focused his attention on the landscape and let the beauty of the Italian countryside serve as his inspiration. “The best ingredients that we have here were
around the golf course—these long-distance vistas,” Weiskopf once said. “We had to play down certain valleys; we had to play on ridges; we had great green locations, great changes of elevation here; and we tried to utilize those features into the golf course to make some of the holes pretty dramatic.”
The upcoming Ryder Cup at Marco Simone will no doubt become a stage for a compelling golf drama—and golf travelers will assuredly get a thrill playing the Ryder Cup course for themselves. Within a three-hour drive from there, however, an enchanting encore at Castiglion del Bosco can be had for a round of golf and an overnight stay that are unparalleled across the Italian countryside. “You look forward to every moment here because it’s so peaceful,” Weiskopf said. “It’s one of the prettiest places—without a doubt, one of the most unique places—I’ve ever been.”
Back in the British Isles, an emerging boutique hotel brand is developing its portfolio on the doorsteps of golf’s most iconic courses.
Historically, few luxury resorts or hotels across Scotland have catered to golf, but Adventurous Journeys (AJ) Capital Partners is changing that. The ongoing revolution began in 2019 when the hospitality and real estate company acquired Rusacks St. Andrews, a historic hotel ideally positioned just across The Links road and adjacent to the 18th fairway of the Old Course—yes, the Old Course.
A thorough renovation put a modern spin on the property’s traditional Scottish style and was desperately needed, since the hotel’s general manager, Seamus Coen, previously described the Rusacks as “an old lady in need of a complete face-lift.”
The cosmetic transformation also included
the construction of a new wing that added 42,000 square feet and increased the hotel’s total room count to 120. Additionally, this overhaul created two new restaurants and a rooftop patio, the latter of which leverages the property’s unparalleled location.
“I immediately fell in love with the property and the destination and the view,” says Phillip Allen, then AJ Capital’s chief development officer for international markets. The company’s acquisition of the Rusacks prompted the creation of a new brand—Marine & Lawn Hotels & Resorts (marineandlawn.com)—with Allen promoted into the role of president. Since then, five properties have been added to the portfolio, each located across Scotland and Northern Ireland and all in various states of transformation.
On the heels of the Rusacks’ reintroduction during the summer of 2021, Marine & Lawn celebrated the grand opening of Marine North Berwick, an equally historic estate comprising 84 rooms. The sprawling edifice with its brick façade is positioned, quite literally, along the boundary of the North Berwick Golf Club, so much so that a wrought-iron gate set into an ancient stone wall along the back edge of the property is all that separates hotel guests from the revered, early19th-century links course.
Such proximity to world-class golf is at the nucleus of every Marine & Lawn hotel. In fact, as Allen scours the British Isles in search of prospective acquisitions, he begins each search with a focus solely on iconic courses. “So many of these beautiful, world-renowned courses didn’t have high-quality hotels anywhere near them,” he explains.
In some cases, the actual buildings were there; the existing hotels just needed plenty of TLC (and sometimes a reinvention). The Slieve Donard in Newcastle, Northern Ireland, for example, was originally built by the Belfast and County Down Railway in 1898 and conceived as a holiday destination for the affluent rail passenger. In January, AJ Capital initiated a comprehensive renovation of the property. Soon, the 180-room hotel will emerge with a new interior aesthetic that reflects the property’s history and its affluent DNA. While the Slieve Donard is captivating both for its architecture and its history, avid golf travelers will be swayed most by the five-minute walk between the hotel and Royal County Down, a celebrated Irish links layout that routinely ranks among the best courses in the world.
Similarly, last summer the brand unveiled Marine Troon. The reimagined, 89-room property is positioned merely a flip of a wedge away from the 18th fairway of Royal Troon, which will host the Open Championship in 2024. And speaking of future Opens, Marine & Lawn recently finalized the acquisition of the Adelphi Portrush Hotel, which is set along the coast of Northern Ireland and will emerge from the brand’s customary metamorphosis in late 2024, in time for the 153rd Open Championship at the nearby Royal Portrush golf course in July 2025.
Looking toward the more immediate future, this summer Marine & Lawn will unveil Dornoch Station, a hotel that first welcomed guests at the turn of the 20th century and is just a few minutes’ stroll from Royal Dornoch Golf Club. There, guests will enter a lobby adorned with original wood paneling and design cues inspired by the many hunting lodges around Loch Ness. They will also find Royal Dornoch’s official tartan on the walls surrounding the hotel’s snooker table. “Guests will be encouraged to leave behind golf balls representing their home courses to create an experience of pilgrimage for keen players around the world,” Allen says, explaining that the logo-ball collection will be displayed along the molding of the hotel’s common areas.
“As stewards of these incredible properties,” he says, “we recognize that we are responsible for carrying on their legacies. Our goal is to elevate the hotels by investing in upgrades and modernization to meet the discerning traveler’s standards, while maintaining the distinct allure of these iconic assets.” —S.T.
The birthplace of golf is the destination for golf travelers, so anytime a new course opens it is big news. But when a new links golf resort opens, it is front-page, bold-type news, as true links are still largely limited to the British Isles and the vast majority of top courses have no lodging.
Dundonald Links—flush with great food, great whisky, and a great links course, all just 45 minutes from Glasgow—is the first such notable resort to open in Scotland in many years. And it happens to sit in one of golf’s Holy Grails, amid several pilgrimage courses that have no lodging of their own. Dundonald abuts Western Gailes and Barassie and is minutes from Royal Troon and Prestwick, both multiple British Open venues and World Top 100 courses.
The original Dundonald course was built in 1911, then shuttered and converted to a military base during WWII. In 2003, it was rebuilt as Southern Gailes by acclaimed architect Kyle Phillips of Kingsbarns fame for the highend private club Loch Lomond. In 2019, Loch Lomond sold it to a UK-based leisure operator who took advantage of the downtime to build a new twostory clubhouse and an all-suite luxury boutique hotel, investing $40 million. The space features 22 hotel rooms and 18 standalone lodges featuring two to six bedrooms, a central living area, a full kitchen, a patio, and an outdoor grill.
The clubhouse was built from natural materials, including local stone, dark wood, leather, and woven grass for texture on the roof; there’s a full pro shop, fitness center, and well-appointed men’s and women’s locker rooms with saunas and steam rooms. Gourmet, farm-to-table restaurant The Canny Crow features contemporary Scottish cuisine with a focus on fresh Ayrshire produce and indoor-outdoor dining. There’s a bar lounge with a pool table, as well as a dedicated whisky room offering tasting flights and more than 140 Scottish whiskies for every palate and price range.
The new owner brought Phillips back to renovate the course for the resort reopening in 2021 and it easily holds its own among venerable company. The design has been extremely well received, hosting the 2022 and 2023 Scottish Women’s Open and the final qualifier for the 2023 Open Championship. Taking advantage of its setting, Dundonald partners with famous neighbors to offer turnkey stay-and-play packages and has quickly emerged as a desirable new regional anchor.
dundonaldlinks.com u
—Larry OlmstedThe medevac benefits of most travel insurance is only to the “nearest acceptable” hospital. Which may not be “acceptable”
As a MedjetAssist member, if you are hospitalized internationally or domestically - 150 miles or more from your primary residence - Medjet arranges medical transport to the hospital of your choice AT HOME, regardless of “medical necessity”. MedjetHorizon adds an unprecedented suite of travel security benefits. It’s our fastest growing membership, and includes access to a 24/7 crisis response line and coordinated in-country response to a wide variety of safety threats: Terrorism, political threat, violent crime, disappearance, kidnap for ransom, natural disaster and more
Beautiful and charming, Budapest long ago earned the nickname “the Queen of the Danube.” Now, new hotels and attractions are adding even more allure to Hungary’s capital, a city the river divides into two sections: Buda and Pest.
BY DON NICHOLSSEE Hungarian State Opera
After a five-year, $160-million renovation, this jaw-dropper of an opera house that dates to 1884 reopened in 2022, all polished and enhanced with modern technology. Even if you don’t come for an opera, ballet, or symphony concert, take a guided tour of the refreshed NeoRenaissance building dazzling with oldworld charms: chandeliers, frescoes, gilded vaulted ceilings, marble columns, murals, oak paneling. opera.hu
This modernistic facility in City Park is part of an ambitious government project to transform Budapest’s largest park into an urban cultural center. Opened last year, it’s designed to look as though it’s another natural element in this green oasis: Trees poke through holes in an undulated roof that some say looks like a mushroom, and abstract shapes like foliage create a canopy overhead. Take in performances at two glass-walled concert halls or an outdoor stage and delve into a comprehensive history of European music (with an emphasis on Hungarian pieces) in its inviting exhibition space, where imaginative use of technology adds appeal to exhibits. zenehaza.hu
In a glass-walled kitchen, local celebrity chefs Szabina Szulló and Tamás Széll give goulash, fish soup, and other traditional Hungarian dishes a contemporary twist. Opened in 2018, the restaurant nabbed a coveted Michelin star within a year. In 2022, Stand earned two stars to become the only Budapest restaurant with such bragging rights. standrestaurant.hu
St.
Sip smart cocktails and fine wine alongside locals while taking in a bird’s-eye view of the city at this rooftop bar above Vörösmarty Square in a UNESCO World Heritage building. With two outdoor terraces and a glassed-in bar area, it’s open year-round and is the place to be for dreamy sunsets. standreaskybar.hu
Arguably Hungary’s finest porcelain manufacturer, Herend has been producing exquisite hand-painted pieces since 1826, with a who’s-who client list that has included Habsburg emperors and the British Royal Family. Of its three Budapest stores, the main one on József Nádor Square sells the largest selection, including tableware, home furnishings, figurines, and jewelry, priced for every budget. herend.com
In 2022, Bangkok-based Anantara took over this former Autograph Collection Hotel in an ornate 1894 Belle Epoque architectural gem originally designed as a palace. In rebranding the property, Anantara has redesigned the bright, airy, and elegant atrium lobby; refreshed the 185 rooms; renovated the spa (which mixes Thai healing philosophies with the thermal bath heritage of Budapest); and added an upscale restaurant serving Hungarian favorites. That new dining outlet overlooks the hotel’s big drawing card: the famed New York Café, a stunning room with chandeliers, frescoes, and marbled columns favored by the literati for more than a century. anantara.com
Opened with 130 rooms in 2021, this former Belle Epoque palace showcases a sense of place from its rooftop Loft Rooms with large sloping windows looking out to city or Danube views. Wolfgang Puck oversees the culinary operations, introducing a Spago serving modern Hungarian cuisine. The Duchess, a see-and-be-seen rooftop bar, drips with glamour and dramatic vistas and the spa delights with both thermal therapy and a hammam. matildpalace.com
SEE
Hungarian National Gallery
Artworks dating from medieval times to the present fill the four wings and four floors of this museum inside the Royal Palace on Castle Hill, an area packed with major tourist attractions. Its massive collection includes winged altars, paintings, and sculptures by Hungary’s most lauded artists such as Mihály Munkácsy and József Rippl-Rónai. If the museum’s size seems intimidating, a map available at the ticket counter lists the location of 18 not-to-miss works, including Munkácsy’s Woman Carrying Brushwood mng.hu
EAT
Stand25
The chef duo behind Stand rake in accolades for their popular neighborhood bistro, opened in a Pest market hall in 2017 and relocated to Buda in 2019. A short walk down from Castle Hill, the restaurant is more casual than Stand, with a homespun menu. As a hostess explained, “It’s a Hungarian grandma’s cooking but modernized.” The comforting cuisine earned the restaurant a Michelin plate recommendation in 2021. stand25.hu
DRINK
Faust Wine Cellar
Descend 54 steps into this dark and moody establishment beneath the ruins of a 13th-century Dominican monastery. Sample vintages from nine of Hungary’s 22 wine districts in a group of no more than 20 people, plus owner and host Gábor Nagy—an affable Hungarian with vast vinicultural knowledge. The cellar is not affiliated with the Castle Hill Hilton hotel through which it’s accessed. gbwine.eu
STAY Hotel Clark
This 79-room, adults-only hotel has a sophisticated, contemporary style and prime location a stone’s throw from the Chain Bridge (one of the main bridges connecting the two sides of the city). Here you’re still close to all the action in Pest while also being near Castle Hill. The cozy rooftop bar serves up stellar views of Pest, especially the imposing Hungarian Parliament building regally lit up after dark. hotelclarkbudapest.hu
This small but impressive gallery in Castle Hill shows quality artwork produced by 40 specially selected Hungarian artists. The collection includes leather goods, paintings, sculptures, and jewelry priced from affordable to expensive. +36.30.656.1213
SPA
Rudas Baths
Bathe in an octagonal pool built by the Turks in the 16th century with a striking cupola roof anchored by eight pillars. In the facility’s wellness area, you can soak outdoors via a large whirlpool spa overlooking the city from the rooftop terrace. Come Friday and Saturday evenings for night bathing and bright city lights. Another facility worth a visit in the future is the grandest bath in Buda—Gellért Bath—currently undergoing renovations. rudasfurdo.hu u
Is this the safest island in the Caribbean? Though most villa owners here could afford to buy their own atoll, the historic lure of its landscape and inhabitants is nothing short of magical—as is the security force.
BY DEBORAH FRANK
With this year’s coronation of King Charles III, everything and anything British is front of mind, including the final season of Netflix’s royal hit The Crown, set to air late fall. In seasons 3 and 4, Princess Margaret escaped to her holiday hot spot, Mustique, a threemile-long Winward Island in St. Vincent and the Grenadines. Filming, however, took place on the Canary Islands, as Mustique wanted to maintain the privacy of its residents and guests. A quick hopper flight from St. Lucia or Barbados, the secluded island vets all visitors and preapproves their arrival. Private jets or the island’s exclusive charter service with its own fleet of 18-seater Twin Otter aircraft shuttle VIPs during daylight hours because the small runway at the iconic bamboo airport has no lights.
Mustique’s director of security and aviation, Paul Hurley, runs the airline and secures every inch of the island and its perimeter with his 29-member staff of Vincentians, who are mostly former coast guard or police officers. “They all have a policing security background,” says Hurley, who himself spent 33 years as head of homicide and organized crime in South Wales. “When I came in, I reshaped the department to meet the demands of the island and what was happening globally, from terrorism to serious organized crime. We have high-net-worth clients coming here, we’ve got to be able to respond on a tiny island to what could be a major incident.”
The security aspect of Mustique dates back to Princess Margaret’s time. She arrived here in the early ’60s after receiving 10 acres as a wedding gift from Scotsman Colin Tennant (aka Lord Glenconner), who bought the island in 1958 to create the ultimate tropical vacation haven for a curated group of high-profile friends. Today, her much-beloved six-bedroom, Oliver Messel–designed home, called Les Jolies Eaux (meaning beautiful waters), is available for rent from $25,000 to $50,000 per week and comes with a butler, a chef, and two housekeepers.
Over the years, other celebs followed: David Bowie, Mick Jagger, Bryan Adams, and Tommy Hilfiger, whose villa, named Palm Beach, stands out like a massive estate from its eponymous city. Jagger, in fact, owns two villas on this 1,400-acre island. “He’s part of the fabric of Mustique,” says Hurley, “one of the godfathers, and a massive contributor to development of the island.” Prince William and Kate Middleton vacation here regularly, and with security as tight as it is, it’s a wonder Prince Harry and Meghan Markle didn’t hole up here during their traumatic time with the paparazzi.
“From a security perspective,” says Hurley, “the key factors are privacy, discretion, and safety. Those wanting privacy are not being elitist; it’s just how we protect them from paparazzi and threats. We want to make sure that the people arriving here are coming for the right reasons, which is to enjoy the peace and tranquility of a beautiful island. Not to capture a photograph of a celebrity or a member of the royal family or somebody of
note.” The important thing to remember, he says, is that Mustique is not an exclusive club; it’s a private island owned by shareholders that is operated by the Mustique Company, established more than 50 years ago to govern the island and its development on behalf of those shareholders.
The island does have a relaxed, troublefree vibe without feeling upper-crust and exclusionary. After a few days visiting, people treat one another like neighbors they’ve known for years, waving hello as they pass by in their electric Kawasaki mules. No one dares ask what one does for a living; that comes after perhaps four days of spending time together. The thinking is, if you are vacationing on this island, you can afford it. And with some villa rentals costing upward of $60,000 a week during peak season, that’s a fair assumption.
“We don’t exclude anybody from coming here,” says Hurley, “but we know who’s coming and where they’re coming from. We have advanced passenger information so we can check off why they’re visiting and make sure they have accommodations. They have to be staying with a friend, or they must book a villa or a room in the Cotton House.” The island’s only inn, the Cotton House is the epitome of tropical shabby chic. It’s the social center of the island with its main building acting more like a clubhouse than a boutique hotel (from $730/ night). Within walking distance to its beach and three restaurants are 17 suites and cottages with private verandas and plunge pools, plus a main swimming pool, gym, and four-room
spa offering treatments by British skincarebrand Bamford. The Residence, situated on its own hilltop, has two bedrooms with ensuite bathrooms and a private villa–like feel.
Activities abound, from varying levels of hiking trails with stunning views to horseback riding on the beach to fanciful picnic parties that are the talk of the island. In town on Britannia Bay is Basil’s Bar, an open-air, Balinese-style restaurant designed by Philippe Starck that has become a community hangout since its founding in 1976. Boats anchor at its pier to unload guests for lunch and dinner, but only if they called ahead and paid the high mooring fees. “No matter how you get here,” says Hurley, “there’s always a security filter. Many people who own villas on Mustique first came here by boat. They arrived on a yacht, came to Basil’s, and enjoyed the environment.”
In February 2021, Hurley and his team got a new, high-tech security boat with all the latest bells and whistles. “We have a 1,000yard fishing exclusion zone around the island to protect the coral reef,” he says. “So, we not only patrol for people coming in, but for those abusing the environment.” According to Hurley, this has led to a massive influx of turtles whereas in years gone by that wasn’t the case. “We patrol the island by land, sea, and air,” he says. “People return here because they know it’s safe. You can leave a key in the mule or your iPhone in a car and it won’t get stolen.” Like a good British mystery, there’s not another island like it in the Caribbean. mustique-island.com u
A duo of best-in-class wakesurfing toys produce big-air thrills.
PHOTOGRAPHY BY FRANKIE BATISTA STYLING BY HEIDI MEEKPractice cutbacks, rail grabs, and lip slides anytime with the 2023 MasterCraft X24 wakesurf boat (from $233,100). The model is without equal, bringing an Ilmor 6.2-liter engine to the water, along with 4,300 pounds of ballast. Choose the optional supercharged upgrade and the X24’s powerplant is the most capable towboat engine on the market, delivering 630 hp and 665 lb-ft of torque. That allows the boat to reach a maximum speed exceeding 41 mph, while it can cruise around 26 mph. When equipped with the standard Ilmor 6.2-liter engine, the X24 surges to a maximum speed of more than 37 mph and cruises around 25 mph. The vessel’s ballast is no less important, however, since heavier boats create more wake—and more wake means more dynamic (and more challenging) riding conditions.
For the hat trick, MasterCraft has enhanced its SurfStar system, which uses military-grade underwater actuators—each delivering 3,000 pounds of lift—to create repeatable waves that are consistent and customizable in size and amplitude. The system relies on patented position-sensing technology and allows users to save custom wave settings, ensuring predictable waves best suited to your abilities. For the captain, the helm seat can be customized and programmed to a specific angle of incline, and an intuitive dashboard comprises classic gauges and digital touchscreens. Furthermore, the vessel is equipped with an industry-leading stern thruster, making those occasional (but necessary) sideways maneuvers a breeze.
With adjustable seating capacity for 18 people, there’s no shortage of space onboard. MasterCraft’s pickle fork–shaped bow creates a squared-off seating area that’s more
spacious than triangular seating sections inherent in traditional V-shaped hulls. Across the interior, plush, transom lounge seats feature CoolFeel upholstery, which stays up to 30 percent cooler than other maritime fabrics. If you should need an immersive escape from the heat, the 2023 X24 model now features a flip-down swim step at the stern for easy access into and out of the water. When it’s time to ride, take Big Easy, Habit, and Benz, three wakesurf boards crafted by Connelly and included in the MC Surf Demo Kit ($3,125). Big Easy and Habit work well for surfers who have at least intermediate skills; Habit features a flat rocker line and a single center fin for a looser feel. The Benz, by contrast, is a hybrid board intended for more advanced riders. It features a diamond tail shape that releases water for a faster feel and a twin-fin setup that allows for more speed due to less resistance through the middle of the board.
—Shaun Tolson
RIP CURL wetsuit, $150; ripcurl.com
MC BIG EASY wakeboard, $650; connellyskis.com
Opposite: EVARAE swimsuit, $320; evarae.com
You may have noticed more and more electrified vehicles on the road. Not just the usual suspects like the Toyota Prius or Tesla Model S, but other vehicles from all sorts of manufacturers, in all shapes and sizes. Your eyes are not deceiving you. While there remains a bit of trickiness to owning a fully electric vehicle—it’s a lifestyle decision as much as a transportation decision—electrification is having a massive impact on the motoring landscape.
Here, we look at three new vehicles breaking ground in different ways. These three—two battery electric vehicles (BEVs) and one plug-in hybrid (PHEV)—represent the new generation of electrification, paving the way for more exciting, better-equipped vehicles to hit the open road.
BY MARK HACKINGThe all-electric 2023 BMW i7 xDrive60 is the team captain for a comeback story of sorts for the Munich-based manufacturer. Almost a decade ago, the firm released its first BEV, the criminally under-appreciated i3. Despite its nerd-chic design and capable performance, the i3 was too far ahead of its time. Now, a new fleet of BMW BEVs, higher performing than ever, exemplify the very pinnacle of this subset of vehicles.
The launch-edition BMW i7 xDrive60 was developed in parallel to the visually similar, gas-powered, seventh-generation BMW 7 Series and features a pair of e-motors with a combined output of 536 hp and 549 lb-ft of torque. In other words, this sedan has all-wheel drive and sports car levels of straight-line performance (the run from 0 to 60 mph takes just 4.5 seconds).
But the i7 is not a corner-carving demon, as we discovered during a first drive along the mythical Palms to Pines Scenic Byway near Palm Desert, California. Of course,
this is not the primary purpose of the i7, nor has it been for any of the previous seven generations of the 7 Series. Rather, the i7 is an executive sedan par excellence that offers a heady mix of engineering, luxury, and technology.
The exterior design is, safe to say, polarizing—a familiar comment that covers a number of models in the current BMW lineup. But it’s the passenger cabin where this executive sedan sets itself apart from every other competitor on the planet. Fair warning: If you’re a technophobe, you need to go in another direction because the i7 is a wildly sophisticated car.
A large glass panel incorporates the instrumentation and infotainment system displays (it’s massive and somewhat intimidating). Other buttons are recessed in unexpected places, making the i7 an unquestionable opportunity for learning.
The available rear-seat entertainment system is even more intimidating: A
31.3-inch screen unfolds from the roof, giving passengers the chance to access their favorite streamers through the onboard 5G network connection. Another worthy option, the Executive Lounge package, includes reclining rear seats and a wireless smartphone charging pad. It’s a place to unwind and to get work done.
A few final notes: The BMW i7 xDrive60 features a 101.7-kWh lithium battery pack, comparable to other BEVs in this class. When hooked up to a DC fast-charger, the i7 gains 80 miles of range in around 10 minutes—competitive, to be sure. The total expected range of 318 miles falls short of the leaders, but BMW balances this out in two ways. First, every new i7 comes with three years of free and unlimited charging sessions through the Electrify America network. Second, the motors are produced using no rare earth materials, an approach all manufacturers will need to adopt before long. From $120,295; bmwusa.com
When the first Range Rover Sport hit the tarmac almost 20 years ago, it was a bit of an anomaly. At that time, the idea of an ultra-fast SUV was not all that common for a simple reason: Engineers had yet to figure out how to make an ultra-tall, super-heavy vehicle accelerate and handle like a supercar. Yet, here we are, in the year 2023, looking at the all-new, third-generation version, which encompasses four different models: one plug-in hybrid, two mild-hybrids, and one throwback all-gasoline twinturbocharged V-8. In addition, an all-electric Range Rover Sport is on its way next year, but until that one arrives, we sampled the next best thing: the 2023 Range Rover Sport
P440e Electric Hybrid
The power train on the PHEV sees a turbocharged 3.0-liter 6-cylinder linked to a 105-kW electric motor and a 31.8-kWh battery. Net result: 434 hp, 619 lb-ft of torque,
and an all-electric range of around 60 miles. While the P440e is not the quickest Range Rover Sport in a straight line, it proved responsive from everywhere in the rev range. In fact, while powering around the extra-urban roads outside Madrid, the P440e felt just as engaging as the monstrous P530 with its twin-turbo V-8. The reason: That heaping amount of torque, an allwheel steering system to help with handling, and an air suspension system to soak up imperfections in the road.
The latest Range Rover Sport line also features the latest version of the eminently capable Terrain Response system. This tech boosts the inherent capabilities of Land Rover’s legendary four-wheel drive system with a series of driver-selectable modes. You can choose settings for sand, snow, rocks, and the like, but the automatic mode is so smart that it handles pretty much everything you can
throw its way. In Spain, we tackled some mild off-road trails and tight tree-strewn descents; these proved no challenge at all for the vehicle.
The P440e is also an authentic luxury vehicle with all of the expected comfort, convenience, and technology features. Highlights include active noise-canceling, 22-way adjustable heated/cooled/massaged front seats, and an air purification system that monitors and compensates for carbon dioxide in the cabin. The curved center touchscreen, center console, and digital instrument panel combine to create a slick impression. The controls for various functions are not hyperintuitive, but once you grow to know them, they start to make more sense.
All things considered, the 2023 Range Rover Sport P440e is an inspired addition to the lineup and a significant upgrade from the outgoing second-generation model. From $105,675; landrover.com
Quietly and without undue fanfare, Volvo is going all-electric. The Swedish fleet already encompasses eight models that are either BEVs or PHEVs; the entire model range will be all-electric by the year 2030. The latest offering is the forthcoming 2024 Volvo EX90, the brand’s first vehicle engineered from the ground up to be all-electric.
Sharing a platform and much of its engineering with the soon-to-arrive Polestar 3, the EX90 joins the much-loved XC90 in the lineup and is described as being the new flagship SUV for Volvo. While the Polestar 3 is a two-row, five-seat SUV, the EX90 is a three-row, seven-seat model.
When the EX90 arrives on these shores, slated for early next year, customers will have two versions to choose from, both of which feature a dual-motor power train and all-wheel drive. The base version will boast
total power train output of 402 hp and 568 lb-ft of torque; the Performance model will ring in with 496 hp and 671 lb-ft of torque. Based on those numbers, this Volvo will have no trouble keeping up with traffic.
The battery underpinning all this performance is a 107-kWh number with expected range of up to 300 miles. When hooked up to a DC fast charger, the EX90 is expected to charge up to 80 percent capacity in approximately 30 minutes. Like the Polestar 3, the Volvo supports bi-directional charging, meaning battery capacity can be sent back to the grid or used to recharge items such as power tools and e-bikes.
The interior of the EX90 is minimalist by nature. There’s a large 14.5-inch center touchscreen that will house almost all the controls. While some have complained about the move away from traditional buttons and
switches, the Volvo approach to touchscreens is as intuitive and stress free as any on the market. There’s a slim strip of an instrument panel behind the steering wheel and a gear selector mounted on the steering column and that’s about the sum total of it all. The panoramic glass moonroof makes the passenger cabin seem incredibly spacious and downright peaceful.
From the perspective of safety, Volvo continues to lead the field. The EX90 will have one of the most advanced suites of safety technology when it arrives. There are cameras intended to detect driver inattention, a new interior radar system that identifies children or pets mistakenly left in the vehicle, and all the hardware required for truly autonomous driving. While pricing has not been confirmed, it’s expected to be under $80,000; volvocars.com
BY FRANK VIZARD
As more drivers turn toward electric vehicles, some automobile lovers are determined to bring the best of the past into the present. They’re converting classic cars powered by polluting internal combustion engines (ICE) into emission-free vehicles driven by electric motors. A big appeal has to do with what some now call an upcycled electric vehicle (UEV)—a new environmentally guilt-free expression of luxury. Companies in the conversion business are developing modelspecific processes for the most iconic of classic cars, ranging from Bentley to Porsche. “In fully restoring and redefining iconic cars, we are not only providing our customers with a clean, distinctive, and luxurious way of traveling but we are also future proofing them,” says Justin Lunny, founder and CEO of Everrati (everrati.com), a leader in this burgeoning field with operations in the UK and California.
“We are ensuring vehicles equipped with state-of-the-art electric power trains have a legacy, preserved for generations able to continue to use and enjoy them guilt-free with zero emissions, as the automotive landscape changes around them. Sustainable luxury
is a growing trend, and our products are right in the zeitgeist of that.”
Everrati’s list of conversions to electric vehicles is a classic car lover’s dream. The list includes a few Porsche 911 variants; a Land Rover Defender and Series IIA; plus a Range Rover Classic for SUV fans; a Mercedes-Benz 280Sl Pagoda; and even a GT40 muscle car, electrified to produce 800 hp and a flash speed to 60 mph in four seconds.
Everrati approaches every conversion as if the car was rolling off the assembly line for the first time. The car is weighed first with a full fuel tank and then again emptied, and then a 3D-scan of the chassis is made. A bespoke electric power train is designed to fit the space available. The company maintains a hyperfocus on ensuring the car weighs the same or less than the original car, even installing the batteries so that the weight distribution remains the same as the original ICE model. Once the conversion is completed, the car undergoes rigorous testing for safety and engineering integrity.
“It’s very important to us—and our customers—that while the car may no longer have its engine, it certainly hasn’t lost its soul because it steers, stops, and corners in a way that feels like the
original,” says Lunny. “In other words, it retains its character.”
Of course, there are some differences. Range is often less than a brand-new EV, averaging in the 200-mile range as opposed to 300 for modern models. Classic cars made before 2000 are easier and less costly conversions due to the absence of complex electronics, braking systems, power steering, and assorted driver aids that require a plethora of electronic control units (ECU). But the demand for specific models evolves with the customer base. “With many of our customers being sustainability-conscious millennials and Gen Zers, there is definitely a focus on cars from the ’90s, and that is starting to shift to more modern eras such as the 2000s too,” says Lunny.
At the moment, converting a classic car into an electric one is an expensive proposition, one that may come close to the original purchase price of an ICE vehicle. One other consideration is how an UEV might affect the overall value of ICE vehicles that are staples of classic car shows. “As of now, we don’t see a premium for electric-converted classics over their conventional counterparts beyond the cost of modification,” says Jonathan Klinger, vice president of car culture at Hagerty (hagerty.com), a leading insurer of classic cars. “The decision to carry out a conversion is mainly from a place of passion, rather than investment. As infrastructure improves and tastes shift, there may be economic value in conversions, but we don’t see that on a broader scale just yet.” But don’t be surprised if you see UEVs participating in major classic car shows like Monterey Car Week in California.
That “place of passion” might be the creeping realization that there is an end date on the horizon for ICE vehicles, a future with more stringent emission regulations that may make driving a classic ICE car impossible. For now, the UEV scene is focused on classic models that occupy a rarefied level. For example, Lunaz Design (lunaz.design), a British UEV converter that has attracted investors like soccer luminary David Beckham, offers conversions for models like the Jaguar XK, Aston Martin DB6, Bentley S2 Continental, and classic Range Rovers.
There are hints that this may change in due course. Toyota earlier this year showcased two Corollas from the 1980s at an auto event in Japan that had been converted to run on electric power and compressed liquid hydrogen. And while Toyota stopped well short of saying it would enter the UEV business, then-CEO Akio Toyoda cryptically noted: “It is important to provide options for beloved cars that are already owned.”
Ford, meanwhile, is offering an electric crate motor for around $4,000 that is essentially the same as the one in its new Mach-E electric vehicle, a move that will likely encourage the creation of a new breed of volt-savvy tinkerers akin to the American hot rodders of old. Meanwhile, in England, the MINI Recharged ( mini.co.uk ) program is converting older models into EVs with a 100-mile range. And Renault in France is offering conversion kits for some popular older models with prices from around $12,000.
Additional encouragement may be legislative. A California bill that would tie UEV conversions to a $2,000 tax credit may be among the first of many incentives that encourage existing ICE cars to go green. Notes Lunny: “Taking a vehicle which had its manufacturing carbon sunk many years ago and redefining it with a zero-emission, e-power train is far better for our planet—and there are millions of cars out there that are perfect candidates for this process.”
Porsche 911 Range Rover ClassicAmerica’s passion for horsepower and torque is in jeopardy, but these automotive enthusiasts are doing everything they can to keep it alive.
BY DEBORAH FRANKIs Gen Z ending America’s love affair with the car? More than 70 percent of people aged 16 to 26 don’t have a driver’s license and they appear to be more into ridesharing services where they can text and watch TikTok videos than be behind the wheel. Which is why McKeel Hagerty, CEO of Hagerty (hagerty.com), a leading insurer of classic cars with multiple product and program offerings, is on a mission. From 2019 to 2021, his company acquired car shows The Amelia, Greenwich Concours d’Elegance, and Detroit Concours d’Elegance, plus the revered California Mille tour. “We’re stewards of this idea of saving driving and car culture for future generations,” he says. “The cultural piece has to have events. It has to have media. It has to have the things that will bring people in.”
Hagerty believes a concours d’elegance has a language and rhythm to it that has been going on for decades. “Pebble Beach really set the tone as the No. 1 concours,” he says. “Others around the world tend to emulate each other.” According to Hagerty, the best of the best typically come out on Sunday in some leafy, beautiful spot. But in recent years, the events have gone from one day to multiple days, starting on a Thursday with a tour, followed by parties and seminars, then culminating with judging and Best in Show on Sunday. “We’re emulating that,” says Hagerty, “but believe the event needs to live in a digital space, right down to the way we register the cars and create QR codes [that explain each vehicle’s provenance].” The point is to make the event more interactive and accessible, and a permanent digital installation. “That’s been a big part of our investment to reach
a wider audience, if you weren’t fortunate enough to be there and attend the show.”
Another way Hagerty is working toward better accessibility is to eliminate the velvet rope. “Years ago, we started plugging in youth judging at preexisting events,” he explains. “We preselect cars and make sure the owners are willing to have kids around them. These events used to have velvet ropes around the cars, and I said they all had to come down. People should be able to walk right up to the cars and see them.”
Until now, this world of classic cars had been an exclusive club firmly in the hands of the Baby Boomer generation. “2021 was a real turning point,” says Hagerty. “It was the first year that more than 50 percent of our new members were born post 1965, the Gen Xers. And Millennials are collecting cars too. The one difference, though, is
The wow factor of spectacular cars ignites the spirit, even if you’re not a knowledgeable collector.CarCoterie at The Hangar Ferrari at The Bridge
they really like performance cars, and they tend to like newer cars.”
Shamin Abas recognized the potential for that passion back in 2016 when she cofounded the by-invitation-only classic car event The Bridge ( thebridgehamptons .com ), which takes place each September in Bridgehampton, New York. It’s an initiation into not only vintage classics but cars from the ’90s and later. “There are so many car shows,” says Abas, “and we just want to do things a little differently, shake it up a bit.”
As such, The Bridge has built a reputation of being the world’s best garden party with a wow factor of spectacular cars that ignite the spirit, even if you’re not a knowledgeable collector. It’s also about the lifestyle of collecting with delicious food, creative cocktails, and exhibitors like Triton Submarines and Zegna. “You’ll notice as
you walk around that the spouses and the girlfriends are there too,” says Abas. “It’s a fun atmosphere, not just a bunch of guys looking at cars. It’s more about the hospitality and the experience.”
This year, Abas and one of her Bridge cofounders, Jeffrey Einhorn, took this winning formula to Amelia Island and launched CarCoterie (carcoterie.com) at The Hangar as a kickoff to The Amelia concours. “CarCoterie is our community of collectors that we have developed and nurtured and built,” says Abas. “We are the new kids on the block so we decided to bring something that was very different, knowing that the folks attending would enjoy it.” The Hangar is the first event of CarCoterie, so Abas and Einhorn wanted to find an interesting location that was truly out of the ordinary. They found it at Fernandina Beach Municipal Airport’s Bent Wing Flight Services facility. The airport was built during World War II by the U.S. Navy as a training
ground for the F4U Corsair airplane, famous for its inverted gull wings, aka the bent wing.
“We saw that airport and said: We love the history, we’re going to bring vintage aircraft together with vintage cars, new aircraft with new cars, and make it this incredible play on older machines that people love,” says Abas. The curated exhibition included a 1938 Lockheed 12A and a 1944 North American P-51D Mustang aircraft. Sports and racing vehicles included a 1957 Mercedes-Benz 300SL, 1964 Ferrari 250 GT Lusso, and a 2008 Koenigsegg CCX with manual transmission.
“We drew in edgy collectors who are doing things a little differently and those just starting to collect,” explains Abas. “It was good for the first year and we’re going to expand considerably next year.” In 2024, The Hangar will feature a second location in the United States, proving true love can’t be denied after all. u
The Hangar brought together aircraft and automobiles.
Traversing over 1,600 miles of Nevada and California desert, the Rebelle Rally puts endurance—and vehicle electrification—to the test.
BY DEBORAH FRANK
Last year’s longest competitive off-road rally in the United States had its largest variety of automotive models participating since its inception.
“When we first started eight years ago, we had only two makes,” says Rebelle Rally Founder and Director Emily Miller. “We try to throw in new twists and new challenges every year.” Back in 2020 that new twist was Rivian with its all-batterypowered prototype.
The motto of this 10-day, eight-stage driving event for women is “the vehicle in your driveway is more capable than you may realize.” The rally features four-wheeldrive and all-wheel-drive vehicles that can be minimally modified, but are otherwise standard daily drivers. It’s not a race for speed, but for strategy. It’s about time management and navigation, with a unique and demanding format based on the elements of headings, hidden checkpoints, pace, and distance using maps, compasses, and roadbooks without GPS and cellphones. It’s about teamwork and leadership. The 55 two-person teams (a driver and a navigator) that competed last year were compromised of women aged 23 to 74 from 94 cities, 24 states, and four countries. “They’re all the kind of women who are more afraid to say no than yes,” says Miller.
Miller too is of that ilk, supporting the rally’s commitment to environmental stewardship. “Before Rivian got involved, nobody was ready,” she says. “I always wanted
this to be a proving ground for all vehicles, for companies to test their products with the people who use them. And I really wanted to see EVs in here testing. I’m a data and technology nerd, so I just said, ‘Look, we will make it happen. I’m going to calculate all the power usage, kilowatt miles per kilowatt consumption, and build a program that you can do.’ I believed in it early on.”
By 2022, seven electric vehicles participated, including the Toyota Tundra hybrid and plug-in hybrid Jeep Wrangler 4xe. In 2021, the electrified Jeep 4xe took first and second place, beating out the internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles in its class. Automotive journalist Emme Hall was part of the first team to drive a Rivian in the rally.
“We had less range than the stock Rivian do now,” she says. “It’s mostly rolling resistance and wheel spin that takes more power to get the wheels turning, because you take some air out of the tires to get a bigger footprint in the sand. Even ICE vehicles see a big drop in their range. The only difference is that it takes EVs a lot longer to charge than it does to fuel.” So Miller added 35 minutes to the daily time limit for EV participants and partnered with Renewable Innovations to rapid-charge the vehicles on the course with renewable hydrogen power.
“Renewable Innovations is a huge partner,” she says, “I couldn’t do it without them.”
Robert Mount, the company’s president and CEO, has invested significantly in the rally. “This is costing us half a million dollars each year,” says Mount, “but what I’m trying to do is educate people. And that’s the investment.”
The first year Renewable Innovations got
involved with the rally, they underestimated the amount of power they would need to supply. “We had a hard time keeping the cars running,” says Mount. “So the second year, we put $4 million into building assets. Now we have a 53-foot trailer that can bring a magnitude of power anywhere at any time. We’re about generating green power independent of the utility grid.”
For Rivian, which competed with a preproduction R1T vehicle in 2021 and included its R1S SUV in 2022, the learnings have been successful, placing them fourth overall last year. “We added SAND mode and made software-related tweaks because of what we learned on the rally,” says Shaheen Karimian, Rivian’s automotive communications manager. “We even got to test out the camping accessories in the truck bed.” The company has also developed the Rivian Adventure Network to allow access to the outdoors by building charging stations in remote locales.
But the bigger issue with electrification right now is that the nation’s power grid can’t handle it. “If the government gets its way, and everyone goes to an electric vehicle,” says Mount, “we’re in trouble.” Miller agrees, “There are a lot of expectations that I believe are a little unreasonable right now about the adaptation of electric. But we’re doing it. We have to start somewhere and the Rebelle is a great place to develop and learn those lessons out in the middle of nowhere.” According to Mount, “People talk about colonies on Mars and the Moon, but this is our moon right here.” This year’s Rebelle Rally will take place October 12 to 21. rebellerally.com u
“We have to start somewhere and the Rebelle is a great place to develop and learn those lessons out in the middle of nowhere.”
—Founder and Director Emily MillerCourtesy Rebelle Rally (4)
Requisite looks for summer fun in the sun: color, crochet, and sequin.
PHOTOGRAPHY BY JOSH RYAN STYLING BY CAT WENNEKAMPFrom left:
MYRA Jardin bikini top, $99; myraswim.com
CULT GAIA Aadya crochet pant, $498; cultgaia.com
JANESSA LEONÉ Felix bucket hat, $237; janessaleone.com
PANACEA wrist cuff, $32; nordstrom.com
VILEBREQUIN linen shirt, $280; vilebrequin.com
CALVIN KLEIN T-shirt, $34; calvinklein.us
RALPH LAUREN chino short, $395, and braided suede belt, $170; ralphlauren.com
OLIVER PEOPLES Romare Sun sunglasses, $542; oliverpeoples.com
S hot on location on Providenciales in the Turks & Caicos Islands and at the exclusive BEACH ENCLAVE villas and WYMARA Resort & Villas. See “What’s What: Island Update” on page 40 for more information about the properties.
SIMON MILLER shirt jacket, $345; simonmillerusa.com
MYRA Davis one-piece, $230; myraswim.com
RACHEL COMEY lucite earrings, $150; rachelcomey.com
BONNIE CLYDE sunglasses, $148; bonnieclyde.la
Opposite:
FINNEY silk shirt, $585; finney-co.com
CALVIN KLEIN T-shirt, $35; calvinklein.us
RALPH LAUREN shorts, $170; ralphlauren.com
GIUSEPPE ZANOTTI leather sandals, $750; giuseppezanotti.com
OLIVER PEOPLES Merceaux sunglasses, $560; oliverpeoples.com
MONTCE bikini top, $132, and bottom, $95; montce.com
JENNIFER FISHER Baby Samira hoops, $350; jenniferfisherjewelry.com
The pool at one of BEACH ENCLAVE’s private villa residences.
CANALI camp collar shirt, $580, and pants, $850; canali.com
CALVIN KLEIN T-shirt, $35; calvinklein.us
GIUSEPPE ZANOTTI Aymon suede sandals, $995; giuseppezanotti.com
G.O.D sunglasses, $395; god-eyewear.com
GOMEZ-GRACIA gown, $2,100; gomez-gracia.com
JOANNA LAURA CONSTANTINE earrings, $275; joannalauraconstantine.com
TIFFANY cuff, $21,000; tiffany.com
From left:
SER.O.YA Vernon crewneck, $245; seroya.nyc
RALPH LAUREN chino shorts, $395; ralphlauren.com
TOMMY HILFIGER monogram jacquard sneakers, $199; usa.tommy.com
OLIVER PEOPLES Oliver Sun sunglasses, $585; oliverpeoples.com
ERES Symbole crop top, $270, and Conquete swim brief, $245; eresparis.com
PLAN C sequins skirt, $950; plan-c.com/en-us
GIUSEPPE ZANOTTI Intrigo sandals, $795; giuseppezanotti.com
FENDI sunglasses, $390; fendi.com
BOTTEGA VENETA triangle hoop earrings, $600; bottegaveneta.com
Down by the water at one of WYMARA’s private residences.
CULT GAIA Elfreda knit dress, $458; cultgaia.com
SIMON MILLER Zumi dress, $375; simonmillerusa.com
FRANCESCA BELLAVITA Dea heels, $650; francescabellavita.com
MARTHA CALVO hoop earrings, $70; marthacalvo.com
BONNIE CLYDE Big Trouble sunglasses, $158; bonnieclyde.la
MAGUIRE Cati handbag, $160; us.maguireshoes.com
SER.O.YA Murray cardigan, $295; seroya.nyc
MYRA Farrah one-piece, $230; myraswim.com
JOANNA LAURA
CONSTANTINE earrings, $266; joannalauraconstantine.com
VILEBREQUIN linen shirt, $280; vilebrequin.com
G.O.D Twelve sunglasses, $395; god-eyewear.com
VILEBREQUIN linen shirt, $280, and shorts, $280; vilebrequin.com
DUNDAS swimsuit, $345; dundasworld.com
PARKER THATCH bubble cuff, $168; parkerthatch.com
NORMA KAMALI bodysuit, $125; normakamali.com
MISHO Kod Kaddu hoop earrings, $184; mishodesigns.com
On her:
RETROFETE Marie sequin crochet dress, $615; retrofete.com
MISHO Flow earrings, $150; mishodesigns.com
On him:
CALVIN KLEIN T-shirt, $35; calvinklein.us
DOLCE & GABBANA wool stretch pants, $1,075; dolcegabbana.com
At home in the Indian Ocean yet worlds away from each other, the Maldives and Seychelles are a duo of distinct dreamscapes elevated via ultra-luxury lodging.
BY PAUL RUBIO
Leading separate lives in the Indian Ocean—one set anchored to Southeast Asia, the other to Africa—two of the world’s most famous archipelagos relate but will never align. Maldives, some 1,190 reef-ringed coral islands, denote a vast submarine mountain range, nascent peaks dispersed over 35,000 square miles of ocean blues. Chart west and south to Seychelles, a heady mix of 115 ancient, boulder-strewn marvels and younger, low-lying coralline islets.
In each locale, the natural world puts on its finest no-holds-barred displays, albeit differently. The softest, bone white–sand beaches and lush inlands cloaked in dense native foliage and coconut forests are all hemmed in by diurnal skies and unequivocal water-worlds brush-stroked by infinite shades of blue. Discovering such beauty, resort developers have made moves again and again to match the vibe. The best in the world from nearly every major player has had a go at one or many memorable resorts. From never-seen design elements to amenities of your dreams—above, below, and beyond the water—each place delivers a modern fantasy all its own.
Asia-based Anantara is now making waves in Africa thanks to the reimagining of a beloved Bill Bensley–designed property on the southwest coast of Mahé in the Inner Seychelles. The 30-acre resort, rebranded as Anantara Maia Villas in 2020, spans both mountain and beach with a total of 30 villas fully integrated into the natural surroundings by open-air design. Highlights of each 2,691-squarefoot, thatched-roof masterpiece include an infinity pool; an outdoor, ocean-facing bathtub; a sprawling terrace; and an al fresco bar.
The property’s Beyond All-Inclusive policy means its nightly rate includes all meals and select activities plus a dedicated villa host, tasked exclusively with fulfilling vacation wishes, big and small (read: he or she will be servicing your villa and your villa only). As the name implies, the policy extends beyond endless food and drink; it’s an invitation to indulge as and when you choose. You can make a dinner reservation or have impromptu meals in your villa, on the beach, in the wine cellar, or under the stars—all of which can be requested through your host. It also entails unlimited group yoga or qigong and non-motorized water sports. Guests staying among the 17 premier villas for at least three nights are privy to daily private yoga, unlimited scuba diving (for certified divers), and a daily 60-minute signature massage. anantara.com
The pinnacle of Maldivian beauty, the Baa Atoll is officially designated a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve for its dazzling lazuline waters and biodiverse coral reefs. Within this coveted region find several swoon-worthy resorts, none more enticing than Anantara Kihavah. The 80-key property makes up a mélange of overwater bungalows and beach villas, each a grand production of transitional indoor-outdoor space. Of special note is the clever layout in Kihavah’s overwater bungalow, where a sizable infinity pool lies at the core, replacing a traditional living area and offering direct water access from all sides through sliding doors.
Next-level amenities constitute some of the Maldives’ best. The island houses the nation’s first Muay Thai boxing ring, where a resident professional boxer provides lessons at any level. At Anantara Kihavah Maldives Villas Spa, six overwater treatment suites foster a sensation of floating at sea thanks to floor-to-ceiling glass walls. Enter another dimension at underwater restaurant SEA, drinking and dining among wild, swimming clown fish, Moorish idols, grouper, and blacktip reef sharks. Beyond the glass encasement, mirrored ceilings and walls heighten the surreal scenes. Above water, at astronomythemed rooftop bar SKY, engage in instructor-led stargazing using the largest telescope and observatory in the entire Indian Ocean (see “Night Lights” on page 131). Then, sip cocktails on a lie-flat, sky-facing circular couch and let your mind drift to a fantasy galaxy far, far away—or simply revere the one you’re currently in. anantara.com
If you’ve traveled well and believe you’ve experienced the best hospitality has to offer, head to Kudadoo. This next-generation, ultra-luxe experience is the real deal, brought to life by meticulous eco-chic design, a sublime location, over-the-top amenities, and an unparalleled Anything, Anytime, Anywhere policy, meaning nothing is off-limits—nor costs extra.
The 15-residence, Yuji Yamazaki–designed property in the Lhaviyani Atoll is an exercise in sustainable, contemporary Japanese elegance. At Kudadoo’s core lies The Retreat, a bi-level, open-air, overwater pagoda crowned by 984 solar panels that power the resort in its entirety. Cross breezes off the ocean cool the bold, understated structure, which, ironically, houses the most overthe-top enticements: a world-class wine and cheese cellar, a stylish international restaurant, a sleek live music lounge, an infinity-edge swimming pool, a state-of-the-art fitness center, and the Sulha Spa.
Yamazaki’s architectural prowess is further evidenced in each of the 15 ryokan-inspired floating residences (the smallest among them measures 3,300 square feet). Lattice-style screens surround the wood-framed houses on three sides to ensure maximum privacy. On the fourth side, retractable glass doors welcome the outdoors in, opening to an expansive, tiered sundeck surrounding a private
infinity pool, a glass-bottom dining area, swinging day beds, and a ladder to the sea.
Settling into the Anything, Anytime, Anywhere mindset, you could have breakfast at The Retreat for a traditional start to the day. Or request a floating breakfast served in your infinity pool, a croissant and Champagne castaway meal marooned on a sandbar (dubbed Dream Island), or a vegan detox brunch on the beach. Almost any food item you can think of is fair game—a 21-page digital breakfast menu serves as a guide—as are the libations, and you set the location and the mealtime.
After, plan for languid or actionpacked days. All activities are private and complimentary, including snorkeling with giant mantas alongside a marine biologist, unlimited spa and beauty treatments, private fitness training, boxing, and vinyasa and hatha yoga sessions—all courtesy of a resident team of spa therapists, personal trainers, yoga instructors, and meditation gurus.
You could Jet Ski, go flyboarding, play a bit of paddle tennis (with a pro, no less), or have a wine and cheese tasting in The Retreat cellar, where six different Champagnes and 80 wines from Wine Spectator’s Top 100 list are readily available as endless pours. In all cases, experiences are flawlessly executed thanks to a dedicated butler. kudadoo.com
Barefoot Elegance
Also in the Baa Atoll, this independent, Maldivian-owned resort features oversize accommodations sparkling with colorful, boho-chic interiors. Intimate, with just 26 overwater and beach houses, the Nautilus promotes a highly personalized stay steeped in barefoot luxury. Guests vacation free of dress codes and schedules, enjoying unscripted meals and spontaneous experiences organized on a whim. Such flexibility opens possibilities for things like an in-villa, poolside breakfast at 2 p.m. or, come midnight, a presleep, volcanic stone healing massage in the Solasta Spa. thenautilusmaldives.com
FOUR SEASONS RESORT SEYCHELLES & FOUR SEASONS RESORT SEYCHELLES AT DESROCHES ISLAND
Two Topographic Extremes
From the prehistoric granitic landscape that deems Seychelles’ beaches unique on Earth rises Four Seasons Resort Seychelles in Mahé. The rare, natural grandeur, which stems from the 75-million-year-old supercontinent Gondwana, envelops the mountainside property with 67 treetop villas and suites, and 27 residences. Ancient, tropical broadleaf forest peeks through rippled slabs of granite, while mammoth, Flintstone-like boulders lay wedged between the white sands and turquoise waters of Petite Anse Bay.
Take in views from private infinity pools, lounge decks, outdoor showers, open-air reading pavilions, and floor-to-ceiling glass doors in the villas, where interiors draw on sophisticated, Creole-French influences. At the resort’s highest point, a glass-encased
welcome and relaxation lounge anchors Le Syel Spa, crowned by a rooftop meditation deck. At beach level, hand select a daily catch from the Petite Anse Fish Counter at Kannel restaurant and later look forward to enjoying cuisine and cocktails from the resort’s five other dining venues.
Travel 35 minutes by plane to sister resort Four Seasons Resort Seychelles at Desroches Island for a private island experience in the country’s untouched, remote southern reaches. At first, the low-lying, palm-studded island recalls the Caribbean or Bahamas, but the Seychellois landscape proves to be anything but familiar tropical fare. A thriving population of Aldabra tortoises outnumbers humans, a testament to the island’s primordial origins.
An excess of coastline—nine glorious miles
of it—invites the prospect of total isolation and private beach pursuits among just 71 freestanding villas, suites, and residences. Partake in any or none of 70-plus organized activities, from deep-sea fishing to snorkeling to tortoise feeding to yoga on the airstrip. If you choose to simply embrace the island’s good life, lounge around your pool—every understated villa has one. Treat yourself to restorative journeys at the Circle of Connection Spa. Or savor the most exquisite of sunsets at the island’s towering lighthouse, which triples as a lookout point, bar, and restaurant. Whatever you choose to do (or not do) on Desroches Island, expect to entirely disconnect from the world that lies beyond the confines of this singular dot in the Indian Ocean. fourseasons.com
Lifestyle-Driven Newcomer
LXR Hotels & Resorts by Hilton is redefining casual luxury in the Indian Ocean with Mango House Seychelles, the former home of Italian photographer Gian Paolo Barbieri that has been adapted into a sublime, boutique resort of 41 seafacing rooms and suites. While the mod, earth-tone guest rooms and boho vibes scream St. Barth’s, the details are distinctly Seychellois, from kimonos printed with artwork by Seychelles artist Michael Adams to fiery national cuisine at Creole restaurant Moutya, prepared using traditional methods like hot coals and steamed husks. Staff welcomes guests as if they’re reconnecting with old friends at a private home and rarely stray from this effective, personable approach. hilton.com
National Legend
While new-build properties with all-out amenities are the norm among the hotel elite in the Seychelles, one classic property from 1970 thrives on an unfussy, lost-in-time appeal. This nine-room boutique property on the island of Praslin reigns as the sole member of the prestigious Relais & Châteaux collection in the entire Indian Ocean. Today, Le Château de Feuilles attracts travelers longing to embrace a Seychelles of yore, cozy in the hilltops of Pointe Cabris (the island’s easternmost point) where they can enjoy superb French-influenced cuisine (day and night), and revel in exclusive weekend access to the pristine, picturesque, uninhabited island of Grande Soeur. relaischateaux.com
Opened in June 2021 in the North Malé atoll, the RitzCarlton’s freshman Maldives property is the futuristic vision of the late Kerry Hill, the Australian design legend behind some of the best resorts in Asia, including most Aman resorts. Inspired by the sun and its circular formation, the resort plays out as a dramatic contemporary collection of 100 circular wooden villas cast along both the beach and overwater. Plus, there’s a colossal 360-degree Eau infinity pool and a nine-room, ring-shaped overwater spa (known on island as the Circle of Life spa). The spherical villas honor the presence and beauty of water’s abundance, each with an oversize, in-room soaking tub and integrated sundeck flanked by a curvaceous infinity pool. ritzcarlton.com
Isle of Amusements
Home to the Maldives’ most over-the-top amenities, Velaa is ideal for anyone worrying they may get bored in paradise. At the heart of the island lies a José María Olazábal–designed, nine-hole golf course with instruction led by PGA professionals. Nearby, Lha Velaa Kids Club boasts the most extensive kids’ water park in the Maldives. On the water, the big kid toys await: hoverboards, Flyboards, and tandem Jetovators. At the two-story spa, marvel the ocean blues from the cantilevered hot tub and embark on a coed, hot-and-cold hydrotherapy circuit, underscored by the country’s only snow room. In the evening, fine dining restaurant Aragu features the best in global ingredients. Alternatively, savor a live-action teppanyaki dinner on the rooftop of the three-story Tavaru Tower, and after the tour, visit the tower’s prized tenant: a highly organized, 6,000-bottle wine collection, specializing in rare finds.
Among Velaa’s 47 one-bedroom villas, twobedroom houses, and four-bedroom residences, the standout Sunrise Water Pool Villa features a glass porthole in the living room floor, an ocean-facing circular bathtub with mood lighting, and an overwater infinity-edge pool as part of a tiered sundeck. While most Maldives properties court romance-seekers, Velaa remains equally popular with families thanks to its large, multi-bedroom inventory and all-ages, largerthan-life offerings. velaaprivateisland.com u
Discover additional wellness offerings worldwide in LM’s 2023 Wellness Guide at www.luxurycard.com/guide/2023/wellness
Get healthy—spiritually, physically, and scientifically—in the most beautiful settings.
BY DEBORAH FRANK
Mystras, 2.5-hour drive from Athens
Much of what makes Euphoria Retreat special is the place itself. Situated at the base of an ancient witches’ forest in the mountains above the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Mystras, a mythical village near Sparta, this holistic well-being destination spa features symbolic architectural spaces and soothing color schemes thoughtfully planned out by its Greek founder, Marina Efraimoglou. A former banker who used ancient Greek homeopathic medicine blended with Chinese methods to aid her recovery from a serious illness, Efraimoglou discovered the 1830 mansion by chance and was sold on the property as soon as she saw the private forest. “The energy here plays a big part,” she says. “It’s a sublime thing and rises at the correct time, when you need it.” With a blend of Byzantine art and Zen design, Efraimoglou built a unique healing environment featuring an 82-foot-tall water well for Kneipp Therapy footbaths and the retreat’s most striking and inviting sanctuary, the “sphere pool.” To swim in it is to experience rebirth, according to Efraimoglou. “I want it to feel like a womb, and when you dive really deep, you see the light seeping in from the dome’s circular opening. When you have the courage to go deep, you will always find the light.” Diving 13 feet to the bottom or just floating on top, you will also hear the sounds of dolphins and whales. “I love the sea and wanted to bring something from it here,” says Efraimoglou. “Also, whales and dolphins are ancient creatures of the Earth.”
The Euphoria Methodos blends ancient healing practices, Greek philosophy, and scientific innovation. “It took a lot of years of research,” says Efraimoglou, “and my aha moment came when I combined the Chinese medicine therapies I was studying with what I call the ethos, the moral values of ancient Greek philosophers.” What the two practices had in common, according to Efraimoglou, is that they view the world as an exchange of energy between humans and nature. “It’s not dictating what you should do, but rather, inspiring you and creating an atmosphere that will help you be proactive, both in your personal life and as a member of society.”
Choose from a number of programs and retreats that cover everything from emotional harmony to weight management. “It is all very tailored,” says Efraimoglou. For example, a nutritionist will determine your body’s needs and create a signature diet plan combining carbs, vitamins, proteins, and so on. “This is also unique to us, because most centers have like five meal plans, and they will put you in one of those five menus,” she explains. “We create a meal plan for each guest individually, even if we have 20 people here at one time. If you stay here, eat, and don’t exercise, you will tend to lose weight without trying.”
And if you do decide to partake in the activities, the offerings range from yoga to dance to energy walks in the forest. The signature spa offerings include such stress-relieving treatments as Sanctuary for Busy Minds and Reiki work.
The science-backed Euphoria 3GL Methodos approach supports the retreat’s holistic treatments and nutrition and exercise plans through a pre-arrival questionnaire about dietary and lifestyle habits, and the measurement of glutathione, glucose, and glycogen levels (3GL). The results help determine your body’s nutritional needs and cellular requirements for metabolic regulation, antiaging, wellness, cellular protection, and longevity. A Mediterranean diet is rich in antioxidants, and Euphoria serves dishes based on local ingredients, fruits, vegetables, and olive oil from Laconia on the Peloponnese peninsula.
All four seasons have something to offer. Winter is about cocooning in the spa’s big relaxation room and by the fireplace in the historic mansion. Efraimoglou’s favorite season is spring, “because all the oranges are blossoming and you have the smell of the flowers. But fall is also really nice.” In summer, the Greek islands are notorious for 100-degree Fahrenheit heat, but Euphoria
Efraimoglou consulted a professor of Byzantine architecture and used colors and schemes from paintings of that era to custom design the textiles, pillows, and throws in the 45 guest rooms. “We also designed the windows to open wide, almost like you’re outside,” she says. “I’m not a hotelier, so I designed it and furnished it like my home.”
Retreat is located in the mountains where the heat is dry and the nights are cool. A constant breeze of fresh pine air from the cypress forest cools things off, even on a hot day. “In ancient Greece, all the healing places were high up near the pine forest, never near the sea,” says Efraimoglou. “It’s the best oxygen provider.” euphoriaretreat.com
Courtesy Images, Clockwise
The Ranch Italy at Palazzo Fiuggi
Fiuggi, an hour’s drive from Rome
Since its inception in 2010, The Ranch Malibu has established an award-winning franchise with its immersive health, weight loss, and fitness programs. Its new Italian home at Palazzo Fiuggi is no exception. The wellness medical retreat in the historic hill town of Fiuggi, renowned for its therapeutic mineral waters, offers Ranchers an expansive spa facility featuring everything from infrared saunas to thalassotherapy baths to diagnostic testing, in addition to the Ranch’s requisite four-hour morning hikes, fitness classes, yoga sessions, and sports massages. Physical benefits aside, mental advantages are to be gained as well. “We create a structure that allows people to focus on what is front of mind,” says co-founder Alex Glasscock. “When you’re out in nature for four hours, you achieve great clarity. And it’s interesting how when you’re looking for an answer and you’re hiking with these strangers who become this bonded group for a week, you find the answers.”
In Italy, The Ranch Malibu’s signature seven-day program is expanded to eight days and includes its highly structured, plant-based diet. Palazzo Fiuggi’s locale offers easy access to the area’s organic and biodynamic fruit and vegetables, so the nutritionally dense menu features a bit of Italian flair. The weekly hiking schedule takes place in the nearby Apennine Mountains, which feature a variety of terrain from canopied forests to open meadows to steep valleys. One day’s trek is on a portion of the famous Cammino di San Benedetto, where hikers pass spiritual pilgrims making their way along the route of St. Benedict.
A new four-day program, The Ranch Italy 4.0, offers guests a chance to tack on a reset pre or post, say, a Roman holiday. From Thursday to Monday, Ranchers get all the mental and physical results along with medical insights condensed into a long weekend.
“Water, water, water” is the motto of The Ranch, so it’s only fitting that acqua di Fiuggi contains healing and detoxifying properties. Throughout history powerful families, politicians, and popes would come to Palazzo Fiuggi, which used to be the house of royals, to drink from the Fountain of Life on its property. The water is said to purify the urinary tract system and is known to dissolve kidney stones. Its unique mineral composition has a detoxifying power that helps restore balance and supports the endogenous defense mechanism crucial to long-term well-being. It is also found in the palazzo’s thalasso pools, which are revitalizing after the miles-long hikes.
In addition to Palazzo Fiuggi’s luxurious guest rooms filled with every amenity imaginable and attentive housekeeping services, the palatial hotel features a movie theater where films are screened every night, a library, and a Movement Lab, the former ballroom turned into a gym with all the latest Technogym equipment and cutting-edge ICAROS Virtual Reality workout machines.
Traveling to Italy is a bonus any time of the year, and an added premium during winter is hiking in the Apennine Mountains. The Ranch team scouts special routes to traverse limited snow and ice. But if you’re interested in staying closer to home this fall, The Ranch’s latest limitedtime wellness retreat is The Ranch Vail at The Ritz-Carlton, Bachelor Gulch. The program in Colorado will take place from September 3 to October 27 in the exclusive enclave of Beaver Creek Mountain. Limited to 25 guests a week, it will be a five-night, six-day stay featuring a daily schedule that mirrors The Ranch Malibu’s signature “no-options” experience of morning hikes, afternoon core and strength training classes, yoga, and a daily massage. Ranchers can also access the resort’s 21,000-square-foot spa complete with relaxation lounges, steam rooms, dry saunas, hot and cold plunge pools, and a stone-lined coed grotto. theranchmalibu.com
Lake Lucerne, an hour’s drive from Zurich
First things first, do not think of Chenot Palace as a medical facility or clinic. “We refer to ourselves as a Health Wellness retreat because we focus on health promotion,” explains Chenot’s chief scientific operating officer, Dr. George Gaitanos. “Health is not about the absence of disease, but rather increased adaptability and resilience to the environmental impacts that contribute to the aging process.” The whole idea is that, despite aging, you continue to enjoy life as you did when you were younger. “I would like to reach 100 without losing my functionality, having my same sexual performance, being able to climb the mountain and play football with my grandkids,” says Gaitanos. In short, the Chenot Method helps to slow the pace of age-related decline and enhance vitality for those who come regularly to reset their bodies.
The Program
Science-backed detox treatments focus on your body’s ability to heal itself and include medical and nutritional consultations; lifestyle biomarkers; minerals and heavy metals intoxication analysis; assessments to determine vascular age, oxidative stress, and skin collagen thickness; plus bioenergetic checkups and massages, among other things. A consulting doctor, an energetic doctor, and a dietitian work together to create a personalized, complementary program that optimizes results. This synergy between the departments is key, along with another integral component, the plant-based Chenot Diet. The 850-calorie-a-day fast-mimicking method has nothing to do with losing weight (though you will still shed a few pounds) and everything to do with repair. “Think of yourself when you’re not feeling well,” says Gaitanos. “Are you hungry? Of course not. Your body stops your appetite. It’s saying, ‘Please, don’t feed me. Let me get rid of the virus, release all the toxins.’ The principle is the same.”
The Molecular Lab for Optimal Living is a new service that focuses on epigenetic testing, studying how your behaviors and environment can cause changes that affect the way your genes work.
“We can actually see what’s going on in the body in real time,” says Gaitanos. “It allows us to take measures well before a problem occurs.” If, for example, you have a lot of inflammation without any symptoms, you will follow a diet plan for three months, take specific supplements, meditate, work out, then come back and get tested again to see whether or not the treatment is working or needs adjustments. If your family has a history of illness or disease, this is a form of prevention. “Everything can be reversed once you know at early stages what to do,” says Gaitanos. “It’s a new school of medicine where the responsibility is on the individual and how he or she lives their life. You train your health as you do your fitness. We just boost your system and your antioxidant defense.” Chenot offers the service as an add-on and is hoping to publish the findings in a scientific journal once they have collected sufficient data.
Chenot Palace Weggis is the headquarters and flagship for the brand, which has satellite locations at resorts like the One&Only Portonovi in Montenegro. The main building built in 1875 features curved ceilings and magnificent architectural details. A modern circular staircase connects a new, contemporary wing for a total of 97 rooms that feel very residential. Many guests travel here alone, packing a light carry-on as days are spent mostly in workout gear and bathrobes, with some guests dressing casually for dinner. The staff, led by Ivana Sgheiz, CEO of Chenot International and general manager of Chenot Palace Weggis, is welcoming, nonjudgmental, and very supportive.
This area around Lake Lucerne is known as the Riviera of Switzerland for its mild Mediterranean climate from March to August. During these months, Chenot features a “beach” with lounge chairs, SUPs to take out on the water, and e-bikes to ride to the nearby village. Winter, however, is equally majestic, and Gaitanos suggests taking a polar plunge in the lake. The minimum stay is seven nights for six full days of treatments, ideally completed once a year. “Rather than looking at this as a one-off stay, we encourage our guests to return every six to 12 months, and in the meantime to put into practice the self-awareness they gain during their stay, developing new habits to continually promote their health,” says Gaitanos. “The Chenot Lifestyle Biomarkers, our diagnostics, give you an indication of what lifestyle interventions to make in the future; what phytonutrients you are lacking; and what ongoing treatments you should consider when you get home.” chenotpalaceweggis.com
Read more about each retreat and find additional wellness offerings worldwide in LM’s 2023 Wellness Guide at www.luxurycard.com/ guide/2023/wellness u
Courtesy Images, Clockwise
Things are looking up for travelers primed for getting away from it all. In recent years, resorts located in dark-sky settings have been buying telescopes and partnering with local astronomers to provide a novel new nighttime attraction for guests. Scientists estimate that 99 percent of Americans and Europeans live under skies troubled by light pollution, and since 1988, the International Dark-Sky Association has worked to combat this, certifying more than 170 Dark Sky Places in more than 50 countries. The less light pollution, the better the astronomic viewing, so from the desert to the mountains to tropical islands, nightly star tours have become a big trend. Leading examples include Four Seasons Jackson Hole in Wyoming, Namibia’s andBeyond Sossusvlei Desert Lodge, and Utah’s Amangiri.
To really appreciate the majesty and wonder of the cosmos, there is no better way to see the sky than the way professional astronomers do: through a research-grade telescope in a rotating domed observatory. There are many of these around the world, but almost all are closed to the general public and solely for academics and scientists. Those that do allow access typically accept large groups and offer no lodging.
The investment in an observatory is much bigger than just going out and buying a nice telescope to set up on the beach the way many hotels do, and there are only a tiny handful of top resorts around the world that have made this investment. The good news is that when they do, they are in places with exceptional stargazing, like tropical islands or Chile’s Atacama Desert, the No. 1 spot on Earth for researchers, and home to the world’s largest observatory, the Atacama Large Millimeter Array (ALMA). They also tend to offer extras you won’t find at a museum, such as private astronomy dinners and fine Champagne.
Seeing the night sky up close and personal through these best-in-class telescopes, with guidance from a trained astronomer, can be the highlight of a vacation and is a much different leisure activity than the typical offering; great for couples, families, anyone full of curiosity, or frequent travelers craving something new. All of the following resorts are topshelf destinations to begin with, and offer much more than the domes, so you can enjoy the best of many worlds.
Five corners of the globe where resorts have made big investments so guests can see the stars better than ever.Explora Atacama Lodge, Chile
The driest place on Earth, the Atacama Desert is where NASA has tested its Mars rovers, because it feels like the surface of another planet. But the altitude, remoteness, and absence of water vapor in the air also make it tops for looking upward, and several of the world’s most advanced research facilities are here, including the biggest of them all, ALMA. Explora is a high-end outdoor activity and nature-driven South American company that operates upscale, all-inclusive adventure lodges in locations such as Patagonia and Easter Island, but only its Atacama oasis has a domed observatory. Opened in 2008, the facility is considered the best private observatory in Chile and houses a 16-inch, advanced Meade LX220R research telescope. Coupled with more than 15 years of experience, access to local scientists, and the ideal setting, star finding makes for a dramatic nighttime activity; for visitors from the United States, the southern hemisphere showcases constellations and objects that cannot be viewed at home. The program begins outside with an explanation of the cosmos and the naked eye, then continues into the dome, and because overcast skies are unheard of here, it is offered almost every night. Stargazing is just one of the dozens of included daily activities at the lodge, which also features hiking, biking, horseback riding, flamingo watching, and geothermal geyser tours. explora.com
From Top: Courtesy Explora Atacama; iStock (2).
As a bonus for visitors to the Atacama, public guided tours of the huge Atacama Large Millimeter Array (ALMA) radio telescope array can be arranged (pending pandemic-related safety closures). A joint project of East Asia, North America, Chile, and member states of the European Southern
Observatory, ALMA took 11 years to build and has been fully operational since 2013. Unlike optical viewing, radio telescopes use giant antennas, and ALMA combines 66 of these (each spanning from 23 to 40 feet and collectively weighing over 100 tons) into one telescope array so powerful it can
see individual organic molecules in space. The complex is a city unto itself, complete with staff housing and a fire department, and public tours last 90 minutes, including images of ALMA discoveries and the massive 28-wheel transporters that reposition the antennas.
almaobservatory.org
In Hawaii, a top location for scientists and serious astronomical research, the newest entrant in the rarefied astronomy travel category is this renowned beach resort owned by centibillionaire Larry Ellison, a big fan of science who doesn’t skimp on upgrades. During the pandemic, the resort launched the Lanai Observatory, featuring a state-of-the-art, 1-meter PlaneWave observatory-class telescope, which runs north of a half-million dollars. Beyond the two-story domed structure it resides in, the biggest differentiator in telescope quality is width, or aperture. A very good recreational telescope for amateur astronomers measures 100 mm, a mere onetenth of the diameter of this giant.
The result is an extensive, multifaceted astrotourism experience for resort guests, Lanai residents, and Hawaiian students. Located near the resort’s conference center, the observatory can hold 10 people at once, for an intimate experience. The centerpiece of its programming is the Kilo Hōkū Experience, during which members of the resort’s Love Lanai team couple astronomy viewing with a cultural presentation on Lanai history and how the Peoples of the Pacific navigated their way to Hawaii using celestial elements. After the presentation, guests go hands-on and explore planets, star clusters, galaxies, nebulae, and the moon. There are also private viewing sessions and other options available, and future plans include a partnership with ‘Imiloa Astronomy Center in Oahu, to create a visiting expert guest series. The facility is open to island residents and used to expose local students to STEM activities. fourseasons.com
SKY at Anantara Kihavah is the finest overwater observatory in the Maldives, located on the resort’s main central platform and connected to an open-air restaurant and circular rooftop bar. The site offers stargazing sessions three times weekly. They also have 4 a.m. sessions with breakfast, as well as private couple’s stargazing with a bottle of bubbly—from circular day beds—and honeymoon stargazing, which adds the chance to name a star after your loved one.
SKY claims to be the most powerful telescope in the Indian Ocean, the same 16-inch advanced Meade LX220R used at Chile’s Explora, housed in a custom revolving dome made of ash. Because the Maldives sit on the equator, guests have the rare opportunity to see constellations, galaxies, nebulae, and other phenomena in both hemispheres. anantara.com
One of the most visited and beloved tourist destinations in Switzerland, Zermatt is the quintessential mountain town and riding the cog railway up to the Gornergrat, a summit with sweeping alpine views, is a must-do for nearly every visitor. A fraction of those travelers have another reason for ascending the scenic mountain rail line, and that is to stay at the highest hotel in Switzerland, built way up here at 10,170 feet in 1897. Because of the altitude, low light pollution, and air quality, the site proved popular with astronomy buffs, and in 1967 the hotel built twin domed towers at either end of the main building. Over the years these have contained a constantly upgraded series of optical, radio, and infrared telescopes.
In winter the Kulm is popular with skiers, and in summer hikers and mountaineers, but everyone loves viewing the sky at night. This is the heart of the Swiss Alps after all, and home to the iconic Matterhorn, the most recognizable mountain on Earth, so the hotel’s Dining With the Stars package includes a traditional fondue dinner accompanied by a lecture from the resident astronomer and eyes-on viewing in the observatory. The dinner program is offered only in winter months, and because the observatory is run for research, public viewing is limited at other times. However, hotel guests can arrange private viewing access in advance of their visit. Small groups are able to schedule visits as well, and there is a public-facing Stargazing week every October, for which the hotel brings in a world-renowned host astronomer. The Kulm dome currently houses a massive research-grade, 24-inch deep-sky telescope. gornergrat-kulm.ch
Because Primland is a private, 12,000-acre sporting estate in the rural Blue Ridge Mountains, it controls its own light pollution and has little development around it—making it one of the best spots in the continental United States and one of the only US resorts with its own dome. The three-story observatory is equipped with two telescopes, both from leading optics specialist Celestron: a top-of-the-line CGE Pro 1400 and a CPC 800. The equipment can capture images that are 50 million lightyears away, and display them on large, highdefinition monitors so the resident astronomer can explain the view. The Tour of the Universe guided viewing is offered twice nightly all year round. Programs begin outside with a Star Walk, followed by viewing in the dome.
Just in case you need something to do during the day. Primland also has one of the best golf courses in Virginia, mountain biking, hiking, fly-fishing, a world-class clay shooting facility, an equestrian center, an off-road driving course, meditation, yoga, archery, tennis, watersports, and classes in cooking and art.
aubergeresorts.com u
Sure, Cuba is communist, but the fish like it that way.
WORDS AND PHOTOGRAPHY BY EVAN MCGLINNSoutheastern Cuba, about seven hours east of Havana by car, is a land of rich, caramel-colored farmland and sugarcane fields tended to by slim, shirtless laborers pushing plows pulled by horses. It looks more like Maui than the windswept Bahamas, with royal palms hovering over primitive wooden homes and brightly painted cinder block houses. Dense, jungle-covered mountains pierce the clouds. The largest peak is Pico Turquino—on the southeast edge of the island near Guantanamo—which stands at 6,476 feet. (That’s 188 feet higher than Mount Washington in New Hampshire, in case you’re wondering.)
From a modern, air-conditioned bus traveling south from Cayo Coco with 12 other fly fishermen, the surroundings come off as rural and peaceful, slow-paced and trapped in time. Travelers carry umbrellas to guard against the sun, standing on the side of the unpaved road to flag the chartered transportation for a lift. The bus doesn’t stop. A woman sweeps the front of her small balcony in a rundown apartment building. A little boy hugs a large tree, stretching his arms wide and looking up into its branches. More boys, barefoot, one wearing a Superman T-shirt, wave to the bus in unison.
This could have been Florida in 1885. That’s the year prominent New York architect William Halsey Wood (a friend of Andrew Carnegie) cast a primitive, 5-foot bamboo fishing rod into the waters of Tarpon Bay near Sanibel Island. The act changed both the Sunshine State and the world of sportfishing forever.
Wearing a pith helmet and seated in a tiny rowboat, Wood not only caught a tarpon on a rod and reel, but he documented himself doing it. He nearly broke a few ribs, as it looks like the fish, a magnificent silver beast with cow-like eyes, weighing 93 pounds and capable of 10-foot leaps, nearly landed in his boat. The news of his catch spread around the world and Wood became a celebrity. But he wasn’t the first to reel in a “Silver King.” Anthony Weston Dimock, a graduate of Phillips Andover Academy and a native of Nova Scotia, caught tarpon three years earlier in Homosassa, Florida, in 1882. He photographed his fish, but garnered less fanfare.
Thanks to Wood, people flocked to the southwest coast of Florida to fish for tarpon. Thomas Edison caught the bug and built a house in Fort Myers. He boasted that when the tarpon entered the river near his home, the water would rise 11 inches. Developers built hotel after hotel to accommodate the influx of anglers dying to hook a Megalops
atlanticus. Some of those structures, like the stately Gasparilla Inn in Boca Grande, still stand today. Barron Collier (Florida’s Collier County is named after him) increased his fortune building hotels for tarpon fishermen. The madness spread south to Key West where Ernest Hemingway pursued tarpon and other giants like marlin and tuna. By the 1970s, famous writers like Thomas McGuane and Jim Harrison were casting fly rods along with their buddy Jimmy Buffett.
Perhaps no one knows the madness of tarpon fishing better than Thomas M. Evans Jr. The wealthy investment banker holds two world records for tarpon—194 pounds, 8 ounces on a 12-pound tippet and another one weighing 190 pounds, 9 ounces on a 16-pound tippet. And neither catch came easy. Evans has spent some 1,200 to 1,500 days (that’s 3.5 years) of his life chasing tarpon.
“Even as late as 1985, I can remember seeing one school of over 300 fish and most times we would see schools of 40 to 60,” says Captain Mike Wilbur, who has been guiding
backcountry northeast of Key West, he saw only a handful of fish.
“It really started to wane in the late ’80s,” says Wilbur, “and advent of the cruise ships made a huge difference.” He says that the ships have gotten so big that they keep dredging the ship channel in Key West. “The bottom of it looks like a concrete bathtub.”
Today, fly fishermen are coming to Cuba to fish for tarpon, as well as bonefish and permit, precisely because it’s not like Florida, with its 22 million residents. Overdevelopment, toxic water runoff from agriculture, population growth, and a host of other ills are ruining recreational fishing in the Florida Keys as well as up the state’s east and west coasts. Just how many tarpon are in these Florida waters? No one really knows. “It’s not a commercial fish, so the government doesn’t give a rip about them,” says Monte Burke, author of Lords of the Fly: Madness, Obsession, and the Hunt for World-Record Tarpon.
As the air-conditioned bus pulls into the port town of Jucaro, Cuba, it’s like a scene out of The Polar Express. People empty out of their houses smiling and waving. Excitement is in the air. Among several motherships, which act as floating hotels for the week, is the Avalon II—a 136-foot-long, 25-foot-wide yacht featuring 12 staterooms. Carrying dozens of fly rods and reels, the Avalon II heads south 60 miles to an archipelago called Jardines de la Reina— or “The Gardens of the Queen.”
Discovered by Christopher Columbus in 1492 and named in honor of the queen of Spain, the area is the size of the Florida Keys. Fidel Castro loved scuba diving and fishing here, a fact that did not go unnoticed by the CIA, as there are several known schemes to assassinate him here during his reign. Beyond the exploding cigar and the poison pen, there was the poison diving suit. In 1963 they dreamed up the exploding seashell, painted elaborate colors so Castro would pick it up and be blown to bits.
Very much alive, Castro gave an impassioned speech at the 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development in Rio de Janeiro, warning of the dangers of man to the environment. He declared Jardines de la Reina a marine protected area in 1996 and it became a national park in 2010. In all, before he died, Castro designated 25 percent of the country’s coastline as a marine protected area. Castro the conservationist. Who knew?
While the Florida Keys see millions of fishermen each year, the Cuban government allows only about 3,000 annually to fish these waters, which are separated into three zones—each is about 300 square miles. An Italian company, Avalon, holds the exclusive leases and maintains relationships with international outfitters, such as Connecticut-based Angler Adventures (angleradventures.com). The company has the correct legal documents and expertise to have anglers travel here, since the best way to come to Cuba is constantly changing. As of March 2023, American Airlines operates direct flights from Miami to several towns in Cuba as well as Havana. The easiest route is to charter a Bahamian flight from Fort Lauderdale directly to Cayo Coco. From there, the bus ride to the port in Jucaro takes two hours.
“For me it was like stepping back in time 100 years,” says Van Harlow of Concord, Massachusetts, who traveled to Cuba for the fishing. “There is no airplane traffic, no development on the shores. The place is pristine.”
No wonder the fish are happy. In Cuba all the stars align in favor of the fish. The mangroves and the reefs are like they were thousands of years ago. “If the habitats and water quality and ecosystem that support tarpon are healthy, then the tarpon population should be healthy,” says Aaron Adams, a scientist for Bonefish & Tarpon Trust who is recognized as one of the world’s leading experts on tarpon.
The fish here like to eat a fly because they rarely see fishermen. “I fished for tarpon in Cuba and was impressed by how hot the fish seemed compared to Florida fish, who’ve all been to several rodeos by now,” says McGuane, who has written extensively about the sport in essays and novels.
Along with bonefish, there are permit here too. Closely related to a crevalle jack, but with taller bodies, permit pull like a John Deere tractor. Their eyes are as good as the Hubble Telescope, so you’d better have your act together and present your fly correctly or they will hightail it to deep water off the flat. They are considered the toughest fish to catch on a fly—but coming to Cuba might be your best chance. “Cuba is a great place for the beginning saltwater fly fisherman,” says Andy Mill, the two-time Olympic downhill ski racer who’s considered one of the finest tarpon anglers in the world. He has won over 12 tarpon fly-fishing tournaments.
A typical day kicks off around 7 a.m. with a simple breakfast of eggs, bacon, and strong Cuban coffee. Then it’s down the ship’s steps into one of the six tied-up flats skiffs. All guides speak English, so communication is not a problem, and they are as good as any guide in the Keys, most with 10 to 15 years of experience in these waters.
Over a six-day trip, huge schools of hundreds of tarpon swim by and fishermen jump several fish a day, landing two or three if they’re lucky. On a whiteboard on the main deck the guides keep score, which allows for praise (or abuse) at cocktail hour. The holy grail is a grand slam, where you catch a tarpon, bonefish, and permit all in one day. Andy Bonzagni, owner of Concord Outfitters in Concord, Massachusetts, has the magic touch. He has made eight grand slams in Cuba. “If you really want to rub it in,” he says, “I got two in one day.”
As the sport of the day winds down, it’s time for iced Havana Club rum and Cuban cigars on the upper deck, and you can look up and marvel at the darkness of the sky, the brightness of the stars and the complete absence of airline traffic. “Can you imagine if they turned this place into Fort Lauderdale?” asks Bonzagni, exhaling a cloud of smoke. “They would be miserable.”
The fish too. u
Forget everything you think you know about agave-focused spirits—and prepare for a tantalizing fresh impression.
BY SHAUN TOLSON
If mere mention of the word mezcal has you gasping for breath, it may be because most mezcals are defined by at least a faint presence of smoke. It’s a reflection of how the spirit is typically made, as the piñas (or hearts) of the agave plant are most often roasted in earthen pit ovens where they come in contact with trace amounts of smoke.
But the most exemplary sipping mezcals are herbaceous and fruity. They’re floral and complex. They’re not the smoke bombs that have turned imbibers off to the category in much the same way that peated Islay whiskies have made irreparable first impressions to single malt Scotch. A well-crafted mezcal provides so much depth of flavor, in fact, that at Leyenda (leyendabk.com), a pan Latin–inspired cocktail bar in Brooklyn, almost four dozen examples grace the spirits menu. Of even greater significance, those mezcal bottles outnumber the bar’s tequila offerings two to one.
“Mezcal is so vast and so unique and specific to where it is made,” says Ivy Mix, Leyenda’s co-owner and head bartender, who lived and worked as a bartender in Guatemala for years, often traveling to Mexico and smuggling back superlative mezcals. “What is
made in Guerrero is different from Northern Oaxaca to Southern Oaxaca to San Luis Potosi. The agaves themselves are different—all with their own unique flavors—and the methods of cooking and distilling the agaves are different, all passed down for generations. There is certainly terroir in agave, as the plants grow anywhere from 6 to more than 35 years,” she says. “Each agave has its specific flavor profiles like wine, but then added to this are the land and weather, as well as the methods of creating the spirit itself.”
Considering that at least 30 types of agave are used for mezcal and that at one time there were as many as 400 boutique producers crafting distinctive mezcals all across the Mexican countryside, it’s safe to say that the category is far more diverse than tequila—which is why those who know mezcal only as a smokeforward, agave-based spirit owe it to themselves to give the spirit a second try.
With Mix’s guidance, we’ve spotlighted six artisanal mezcals that showcase the nuanced flavors of its foundational plant, not to mention the affecting terroir that varies widely throughout the nine Mexican states where mezcal can legally be made.
CLASE AZUL MEZCAL GUERRERO
Clase Azul’s second mezcal, a full-bodied spirit distilled from agave cupreata, is remarkably light and clean. Showcasing the complexity of the cupreata plant, which is known to be earthy and somewhat savory (though also fruity and floral), the mezcal smells crisp, sweet, and floral with subtle hints of citrus. It’s equally bright on the palate, balanced by flavors of honeysuckle and vanilla, and accentuated by citrus, pepper, and faint notes of tobacco. Those who question mezcal’s diversity will find enlightenment within the majestic jade green decanter. From $250
Crafted from agave salmiana, which is cultivated in the city of San Luis Potosi in central Mexico, Metiche is defined by pleasant acidity and herbal aromas that include oregano, mint, and anise. It’s soft, sweet, and enhanced by mineral notes that reflect the soil of the Potosino plateau where salmiana grows. The agave is steamed in stone ovens—not roasted in earthen pits— which allows the fresh quality of the salmiana to shine. “It’s green, it’s crisp, it’s clean,” says Mix. “It’s the most obvious selection to break the mold of what most people think mezcal has to be.” About $45
This single-village mezcal from Del Maguey is crafted from Espadín—a type of agave angustifolia that perfectly embodies tequila’s classic flavors, plus floral and ripe fruit notes, herbaceous earthiness, and smoky undertones. Delineated by a high, light nose punctuated by citrus overtones, the spirit delivers plenty of spice and tropical fruits on the palate, which linger thanks to a long, dry, and smooth finish. “It’s a little smoky for sure,” says Mix, “but also a super tropical fruit bomb.” From $70
“Tepextate is beautifully floral,” Mix says of the specific type of agave marmorata at the heart of this mezcal, which is crafted by a family-run palenque (Spanish for mezcal distillery) located in the southern highlands of Oaxaca. The spirit introduces itself with an aroma that’s profoundly floral, enhanced by bouquets of mint and fresh jalapeño pepper. On the palate, it’s more savory and vegetal, with a richness of flavor and a touch of spice balanced by traces of vanilla. “You really get to taste the agave itself with a slight smoke,” Mix says. “But the smoke is delicate. It’s more like an incense.” $118
By its aroma alone, Real Minero Marteño is certain to be a polarizing spirit, distilled from agave karwinskii, which contains less sugar than other types of agave. A boldly herbaceous and tannic nose completely belies the flavor, which draws parallels to a well-crafted blanco tequila, albeit with a more herbaceous quality. As such, this is an ideal introduction to mezcal for those who appreciate the bright “green” agave flavors that characterize artisanal, unaged tequila.
From $185
Distilled from one of the smallest and rarest varieties of agave (tobalá)—a species that represents only 2 percent or so of all agave growing in Oaxaca—this mezcal delivers an aroma dominated by honeydew melon and papaya, though hints of vanilla, lemongrass, and bright agave character shine through. Tropical fruits abound on the palate, balanced by a deep, rich roasted flavor that some might interpret as a wisp of smoke. “It is hard to get a mezcal devoid of smoke,” says Mix. “Most mezcals should have a little hint of smoke due to how the agaves are roasted.” This particular one is pleasantly viscous and delivers a long and lingering finish with a touch of spice.
From $130
Those who question mezcal’s diversity will find enlightenment within the majestic jade green decanter as it showcases the complexity of the cupreata plant.
A new agave spirit has arrived on the international stage.
Stemming from Mexico’s beloved native plant, raicilla proves yet again that agave is every cocktail connoisseur’s best friend. Of course, to call this spirit an upand-comer belies generations of production. For centuries, farmers in the state of Jalisco—which is home to Puerto Vallarta, as well as Mexico’s second-largest city, Guadalajara—made the booze haphazardly at best, drawing comparisons to moonshine. But recently, artisanal producers have begun to standardize the ancestral methods with which this spirit has traditionally been made, increasing its quality and helping to establish a national Designation of Origin (D.O.) decreeing raicilla a Jalisco specialty. The new certification, which was first announced in 2019, has finally elevated the spirit to a level approaching mezcal and tequila.
But the comparisons to Mexico’s better-known spirits largely stop there. Raicilla comes with its own singular characteristics, owing as much to its ancient methods of production as to the distinct flavors of its signature agave, the Maximiliana. More fragrant than tequila, less smoky than mezcal, the spirit is vegetal and herbaceous, deriving notes from the terroirs in which its agave is sourced. While raicilla de la costa (of the coast) has just a hint of mezcal’s
fire, the spirit’s de la sierra (of the mountains) counterpart takes on the botanical flavors of the forest, such as pine and rosemary—much like you’d expect in a gin. The process for making raicilla is unique too, with the agave piñas distilled in wood-fired, clay-andwood pot stills using some of Mexico’s purest river water.
Since the establishment of raicilla’s D.O. in 2019, the spirit has seen a 25 percent production increase led by emerging smallbatch distillers like Estancia and La Reina (raicillalareina.com ). Ana López—whose family hails from Atenguillo, a small village that has been home to generations of raicilleros—established her label, La Reina, in 2019 and has already expanded distribution to several international markets, including the United States.
“There are so many people around the world who value this spirit,” she says, noting its versatility. “It goes just as well in an old fashioned as in a margarita, and it’s also great on the rocks.”
Still, according to Lopez, the greatest appeal of raicilla for many is that it’s still very much an artisanal, insider’s drink—for now, anyway. “There’s a strong community here in Jalisco that has been waiting for this moment,” she says. “It will be amazing to see how much it can grow.” u
—Jackie Caradonio
Rome’s storied addresses are steadily being revamped and reopened as sumptuous luxury hotels. Here’s where to eat, spa, and stay right now in the Eternal City.
BY FRANK VIZARD
On the Piazza della Republica near statues of water nymphs in the Fountains of the Naiads, the Palazzo Naiadi has operated under a number of guises since Pope Clement XI commissioned the original elements in 1705. Poised as a hotel with 238 rooms and suites, the building maintains a mix of neoclassical and contemporary interior design. Renovated features by its new owners include SEEN bar and restaurant and a pool, both gracing one of the largest rooftop spaces in Rome. Choose contemporary Italian INEO Restaurant for fine dining. The Palazzo was built over ancient Diocletian Thermal Baths and a new Anantara Spa and fitness center taps into that early spirit of wellness. Yet another fun throwback, the hotel hosts tours of Rome in a double sidecar or vintage Fiat à la Gregory Peck and Audrey Hepburn. anantara.com
Designed by the architect Giuseppe Valadier in 1814, the landmark building was initially the favorite Roman haunt of Russian nobility and artists. Even a century later, the hotel was called “paradise on Earth” by the French poet Jean Cocteau. But the intervening years of the 20th century were not kind, as the premises were requisitioned by the government during World War II, then acquired by Count Romolo Vaselli and used to house an Italian radio and television network. Fast forward to today and the beauty has been restored as a Rocco Forte property. A key feature is the Secret Garden positioned at the center of the hotel that debuted in 2021, according to Valadier’s original sketches (see “Secret Gardens” in this issue). More recently, seven classical and contemporary garden suites have been added among 120 total guest rooms. roccofortehotels.com
On Rome’s chic Via Veneto, Ambasciatori Palace was built in 1900 to house ambassadors to the Italian capital and later served as the American Embassy Library. The architecture makes a stately first impression with imposing columns at the entrance and a central marble staircase. There are 160 rooms and suites adorned with marble as well as wood and warm-tone colors. The predominant interior design theme is the sexy and surreal vibe straight out of La Dolce Vita, the famous 1960 film by Federico Fellini that helped make Via Veneto famous. In 2023, the Anita Bar & Lounge is popular as a central meeting spot while the elegant Scarpetta NYC restaurant draws on American and Italian culinary traditions. ihg.com
Malta-based Corinthia Hotel group is on a mission to restore historically significant, 19th-century buildings to their former glory. This scope already includes success in London, and now the Rome project is scheduled for completion in the spring of 2024. The site of the former headquarters of the Central Bank of Italy on Parliament Square will have 60 rooms and suites, a spa, restaurants, and bars wrapping around a central courtyard. corinthia.com
Six Senses, best known for its wellness-oriented resorts in remote locales, has taken an urban departure with the opening of an address in Rome—its first in Italy. The brand has restored the original façade and monumental staircase of the 15th-century Palazzo Salviati Cesi Mellini, and acted as a good neighbor by restoring the façade of the adjoining baroque-style San Marcello al Corso church, all just a few blocks away from the Trevi Fountain and the Pantheon. Interiors utilize Cocciopesto plasterwork and locally sourced Travertine limestone in a contemporary fashion designed by architect Patricia Urquiola, known for her commitment to sustainability. Among the 96room hotel’s many highlights is a 60-minute ancient Rome bathing experience through three plunge pools: the calidarium, tepidarium, and frigidarium. sixsenses.com
Marriott’s Edition hotel brand strives to be the right thing for the right people and the opening of its first hotel in Italy continues the theme. But with brand co-founder and legendary hotel impresario Ian Schrager reportedly dialing back his involvement with Marriott, scene watchers will have eyes on whether the Rome Edition lives up to its anticipated cool factor. Located on a narrow street off the Via Veneto and a few steps from Bernini’s Triton Fountain, the 93-room hotel has a rooftop terrace and pool, and a signature restaurant will offer outdoor dining. The building, designed by Italian architects from the Rationalism period of the early 1920s, maintains a style embracing ancient Roman architecture’s scale, structure, and symmetry minus the ornamental flourishes. editionhotels.com
The Shedir Collection opens its fourth hotel in Rome this summer. Located on Via del Corso, the building has been renovated by architect and interior designer Giampiero Panepinto with the aim of mixing the splendor of the past with the high style of a noble Italian home. Panepinto installed Versailles teak parquet and wood paneling throughout interiors adorned with original frescoes and painted coffered ceilings. There are 39 rooms and suites with two dining establishments and one bar on premises. Common areas are decorated according to the themes of worldwide travel, music, photography, and time. shedircollection.com
Actor, Nobu co-founder, and inveterate New Yorker Robert De Niro has found his way back to his ancestral home with the first Italian Nobu hotel. Two 19th-century buildings on the rejuvenated Via Veneto combine into one anticipated destination with 116 rooms and suites, including a 5,380-square-foot Nobu Suite. Other amenities include a rooftop terrace, spa and fitness center, club lounge, and, of course, a Nobu restaurant. nobuhotels.com
Also located on Via Veneto, the Rosewood takes over what was once the headquarters of an Italian bank plus two adjacent buildings from the early 1900s to form a block-long destination. The redesign takes influences from the original architect, Marcello Piacentini, and a large dollop of dolce far niente (the Roman art of doing nothing) to create an atmosphere of sophisticated leisure—according to Rosewood. Upon completion the hotel will have 157 guest rooms, a rooftop bar and spa with a reflecting pool, a grand ballroom, and a subterranean Roman bathhouse and spa experience housed in the bank’s vault. rosewoodhotels.com
It’s no secret that this shining reopening is gunning to be the new jewel of hotels in the Eternal City. Bulgari occupies a modernist building from the 1930s revamped by the Italian architectural firm Antonio Citterio Patricia Viel, known for its restoration work at other Bulgari properties. The hotel, in the Campo Marzo neighborhood, faces two Roman landmarks, the Ara Pacis and the mausoleum of Augustus (the first emperor), so expect a liberal use of imperial marble in the decor. The hotel will have 114 rooms (mostly suites), a spa, a gym, and an indoor pool. The hotel bar and restaurant, curated by Michelin-starred chef Niko Romito, are on the top floor to take advantage of the views. One unique feature is the reading room housing volumes dedicated to the history of jewelry. bulgarihotels.com
When in Rome, Florence beckons like an artful lover. At the new Il Tornabuoni Hotel, where the core tower-house dates to the mid-1300s, it feels like a step back in time to the Renaissance itself. The palazzo was home to the aristocratic Minerbetti family until the 1700s; since the early 19th century, the building was used as a hotel. Only now has it been exquisitely restored with 62 rooms, some of which retain original frescoes. Other rooms feature depictions of butterflies, monkeys, beetles, and parrots that were status symbols in the Renaissance period. Each of the five floors has its own color scheme in another nod to 15th-century tastes. Il Magnifico, the hotel’s main fine-dining restaurant, lives up to its name with a focus on Tuscan dishes. The hotel is part of the Unbound Collection by Hyatt in partnership with the AG Group. iltornabuonihotel.com
The ancient hot spring where modern Romans go to chill under a Tuscan sky.
In ancient times, those looking to decompress from the stresses of empire life headed north into Tuscany to bathe in the restorative hot spring of Terme di Saturnia (left, from top; termedisaturnia.it). Thousands of years later you can follow in their footsteps, albeit to an experience that ensures modern and more comfortable conveniences.
Just how old the spring of Terme di Saturnia is is as elusive as the thermal mists rising from the water. Legend says Saturn, the Roman god of peace and abundance, lost his patience over the constant warfare of men and sent a thunderbolt into the earth, causing warm water to gush forth. Historical records indicate the site existed in pre-Roman times, when the mysterious Etruscans lived in the area and called it Aurinia.
The hot spring replenishes itself every four hours, maintaining a constant 98.6 degrees F temperature. The water emerges after a journey of 40 years through underground clay passages where it absorbs varying amounts of sulphur, mineral salts, carbon dioxide, sulphate, bicarbonate, alkaline, calcium, and magnesium. Thus, anti-aging and health benefits attributed to a dip in the water include improved skin, a reduction in blood pressure, and better cardiovascular and respiratory performance.
The on-site resort underwent a major renovation in 2020 (the first modern-day hotel here dates to 1919), capturing the feel of a serene, full-service wellness center adorned with soft woods and travertine stone for a modern twist on traditional Tuscan architecture. Many of the 124 rooms and suites overlook at least one of the five thermal pools. Beauty and health spa treatment varieties number in the 50s with a focus on the restorative
powers of the thermal water. Other activities include golf on a challenging course designed by Californian Ronald Fream, tennis, hiking, and mountain biking. The staff is English-speaking, although most guests are Italian. For a free-admission alternative, the nearby Cascate del Mulino is where aquamarine hot spring water descends like a waterfall through a series of terrace-like pools.
The location works well as a base to explore pre-Roman Etruscan culture (the last Etruscan king was overthrown in 509 BCE) in the Maremma area that extends from the Tyrrhenian Sea coast across much of Tuscany and Lazio. Toward the more mountainous interior, the dreamy landscape between Sorano and Sovano hosts a large archeological park characterized by a deep, trenchlike network of narrow roads that link sections of an Etruscan necropolis featuring recently excavated finds like the tomb of the Demoni Alati. The headlinemaking trove of Etruscan figures was recently uncovered in San Casciano dei Bagni in a thermal bath sanctuary and there is a museum in town dedicated to Etruscan finds. More insight into the fascinating history of the area can be gained at an ongoing archaeological dig of a villa called La Biagiola (labiagiola .it), which dates from the Etruscan days and transitions through the Roman period into modern times. Conveniently, a neighboring winery named for the villa offers wine aged in the Roman Empire–style cocciapesto amphorae to make this a perfect location to marvel over Tuscany’s eternal heritage before moving on to slightly more modern attractions like the massive, impregnable medieval fortress of the Orsini in Sorano, perhaps the most imposing of the many castles in the area.
La Compagnie, the Paris-based, all-businessclass airline, has been creating waves in the aviation industry since its inaugural flight in 2014. It offers an efficiency and ease usually associated with flying privately—but at a fraction of the cost. In 2022, the airline launched service from New York to Milan via new Airbus A321neo planes equipped with 76 lie-flat seats, hypoallergenic pillows, cozy blankets, over-the-ear headphones, and an amenity kit filled with products from the Parma, Italy–based skincare brand Davines. The in-flight dining menu (created by highly acclaimed Italian chefs) is paired with select labels from Italy’s organic wineries and there’s bottomless bubbly. In addition to the New York/Newark to Milan route, La Compagnie offers service to Paris and to Nice. lacompagnie.com
Galleria Vik Milano, in Milan’s historical center (right between the Teatro alla Scala and the Duomo of Milan), is housed within the magnificent Neo-Renaissance Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, a 19th-century shopping arcade with a star-studded list of trendy boutiques, historic shops, and tempting eateries (some dating back to the Galleria’s Belle Epoque period). Many of the Vik’s 89 art-filled rooms and suites have hand-painted murals and frescoes on stucco veneziano–finished walls as well as balconies overlooking the ornate, glass-domed Galleria. In the Vik Pellico Otto restaurant, eat velvety soups and truffle-topped ossobuco, or enjoy a wood-fired pizza at I Dodici Gatti on the rooftop of the Galleria looking out over Milan’s skyline. galleriavikmilano.com
More exciting than Bologna and easier to manage than Rome, Milan is Italy’s capital of finance and fashion and its most cosmopolitan city.
In a small, industrial-chic space (the tables are made of steel from old railroad tracks), Ratanà is the temple of saffronscented risotto alla milanese . At Manna on a quiet square in a decidedly untrendy part of town, Chef Matteo Fronduti offers a carefully considered menu that changes seasonally but, on a recent visit, included redfish with miso and lemon balm and, for dessert, nougat-persimmon-sichua pepper ice cream. Da Giacomo has the atmosphere of an early 1900s trattoria. Start with the oysters, move on to the linguini with lobster and cherry tomato sauce, and finish with the best tiramisu ever. At Fondazione Prada, stop for a beer at Wes Anderson–designed Bar Luce with terrazzo floors, retro Formica chairs, Steve Zissou–themed pinball machines, and a jukebox. Locals grab a cappuccino and fresh cornetto at one of the many Princi locations. The stylish Pasticceria Marchesi (founded in 1824 and now owned by the Prada group) has three branches and is famous for its classic panettone Marchesi (available year-round).
Via Montenapoleone, the most famous shopping street in Milan, is lined with boldtype global brands like Gucci, Prada, Bottega Veneta, Ferragamo, and Fendi. Artist and jewelry designer Ippolita Rostagno chose this street for her shop, Ippolita—a showcase for her sculptural fine jewelry “for confident women who wish to acquire their own jewelry.” Also don’t miss: Zona Tortona, full of smart shops, be-seen bars (it’s a madhouse during Milan Fashion Week); the Brera Design District for artisan shops and studios. Mitti Studio—down a dirt road off a side street in a residential area—is difficult to find but worth the effort. A mother-and-daughter team creates the most sublime pottery, from rustic raku to sgraffito-on-earthenware. Valextra has been making handbags and luggage since the 1930s. To this day, each bag is made by hand and stamped (on the inside) with the number of the artisan who made it. Visit Antonia for the most on-trend fashions. Antonia is not a designer, but a buyer with a great eye. For joyful, colorful, maximalist fashion and home goods, it’s Le Double J. Well-dressed Milanese men frequent Lanieri for those gorgeous-andsnug Italian silk suits.
Cinque Vie, a district in the medieval quarter, is a center of galleries, crafts, and antique shops, and artists’ studios. It is especially fun during Milan Design Week, the biggest annual design event in the world. Bosco Verticale, designed by Boeri Studio, is a LEED Gold-certified model of the new urban reforestation and is planted with more than 15,000 plants and 90 species of trees and shrubs (capable of absorbing 30 tons of carbon dioxide every year). The 90-acre CityLife Complex is one of Europe’s largest redevelopment projects. A three-story shopping center connects to a public park, central plaza, residential area, and the swooping Zaha Hadid Architects–designed, mixed-use, 44-story Generali Tower.
Imago Artis Travel is a boutique tour operator that specializes in personalized experiences—priority access to cultural treasures, meals at big-ticket restaurants, hands-on cooking classes with celebrity chefs, truffle hunts, and meetings with artists and craftspeople in their studios. iatravel.com
DON’T MISS
Risotto alla milanese
Bosco Verticale
That form follows function is an old mantra Italian carmakers playfully embrace, and there’s no doubt the results hold a special place in the automotive universe. It’s even fair to say that when it comes to automotive design, Italy, more than any other country, owns the ability to evoke an emotional response with its innovative body types.
Klaus Busse is the towering (both in height and reputation) German head of Maserati’s design team and the principal architect of the Italian marque’s new MC20 Cielo. For Busse, the hallmark of Italian car design is “that it lives in the moment, rather than building on previous models.” In a country where people are tripping over classical Roman architecture, time and again there’s a strong desire to create something that’s never been seen before.
Cielo means “sky” in Italian and there’s no doubt that car’s convertible profile is the main attraction. (The Italians call it a Spyder.) The MC20 Cielo, the topless sibling of the mid-engine MC20 coupe supercar, comes with a retractable glass roof that disappears in 12 seconds. This marvel of engineering, incidentally, uses advanced polymer-dispersed liquid crystal technology so roof transparency can be instantly variable depending on the driver’s sense of privacy or desire for exterior light. The most noticeable carryover from the coupe are the butterfly doors, which make getting in and out easier and show off the cool, carbon fiber cockpit with Alcantara leather seats and accents.
The entire monocoque, an often-used structural approach that keeps the car stiff but lightweight, was designed from the outset
for the convertible, so the Cielo weighs only 143 pounds more—a gain attributable to the glass roof. This same monocoque will be used in a future electric version, although with minor structural differences. Other design cues include side-mounted air vents and a new Acquamarina color specially created for the Cielo.
The interior, meanwhile, borders on the minimalist. There are two 10-inch screens— one for the driver and the other for the
qualifying stat. The soul of the engine, says Maserati, is a pre-chamber combustion system featuring twin spark plugs—a technology derived from Formula 1 racers and available for the first time in a road car.
infotainment system. The center console features a drive mode selector, two buttons for the gears, a volume control, and nothing else. All other controls are on the steering wheel in a nod to the Trident brand’s racing pedigree.
So let’s cut to the chase: The MC20 Cielo races from zero to 60 mph in an astonishing 2.9 seconds courtesy of a 630 hp Nettano V6 engine made in-house by Maserati. The top speed is just over 200 mph, a supercar
Despite these numbers, the MC20 Cielo isn’t all about brute force. On a test drive on variable roads between the Sicilian towns of Noto and Modica, the car proved quite versatile. The comfortable seats are set deep into the car so there is little chance of your hat blowing off once underway. Because it fancies itself suitable for leisurely drives and daily use, in the default GT (Grand Touring) mode, the drive is a pleasurable experience mastered by an 8-speed automatic transmission. But make no mistake. Shift into sport mode and the MC20 Cielo becomes a pocket rocket, shedding any perceived complacency like a superhero ditching their civilian threads. There are five drive modes: Wet, GT, Sport, Corsa (for a faster throttle response and racier handling), and ESC OFF, which disables traction control. Suspension settings can be set accordingly and a relatively thick steering wheel enhances the sporty feel, as do the paddle shifters. The car height is adjustable for low speeds while maneuvering around speed bumps or up driveway inclines. A 12-speaker Sonus Faber sound system is a key amenity.
With an anticipated price tag of around $250,000, the MC20 Cielo is a bit like having legendary Italian actress Sophia Loren in her prime as a spouse—unbelievably attractive but surprisingly down-to-earth in daily life. Or as a little boy on a sidewalk in Noto loudly put it: “Wow!” maserati.com u
The soul of the engine is a pre-chamber combustion system featuring twin spark plugs—a Formula 1 racing technology available for the first time in a road car.
MASERATI MC20 CIELO
An Italian beauty made for speed.
A trip to Africa is about more than game drives. Traveling with Micato Safaris can also promote positive change in three direct ways.
BY LARRY OLMSTED
There may be no travel more worthy of the overused “bucket list” accolade than an African wildlife safari, a spiritual experience that touches the soul when a leopard, elephant, or giraffe comes into view. But visitors are not the only ones who can come away better off. Doing a safari right impacts the locals, the landscape, and the animals. Multi-award-winning outfitter Micato Safaris (micato.com) has been doing it right for over half a century and, in Kenya, where the company has its roots, Micato has for decades been working closely with like-minded partners deeply involved in conservation and philanthropy.
Early safari-goers carried guns, but in the mid-20th century, the small number of hunters were supplanted by a much larger, fast-growing market: shooters on photographic safari. Surging demand led to a new breed of private lodges on large pieces of land, and numerous conservation-minded individuals and organizations stepped in to amass and protect huge properties. “As rifles gave way to film, we saw another shift: enormous tracts of formerly agricultural land converted into wildlife reserves,” says Dennis Pinto, managing director of Micato. “This was a giant leap forward for conservation as well as for the guest experience. On these former ranches, now teeming with wildlife, one can take
walking safaris, ride camels and horses, go biking, jog in the bush, engage with anti-poaching tracker dogs, enjoy farmto-table meals from in-house organic gardens, and so much more that isn’t available in national parks.”
Great Plains Conservation (greatplainsconservation.com) has preserved nearly 1 million acres across Africa as part of its mission of 100-percent sustainable tourism. The group of eco lodges was created by legendary filmmakers, photographers, and conservationists Dereck and Beverly Joubert. They are Explorers in Residence at the National Geographic Society, with whom they co-launched the Big Cats Initiative.
The Jouberts have won eight Emmy Awards and a Peabody and filmed more than 30 Nat Geo movies, including some of the most popular ever. Many were shot on Great Plains preserves, all of which are solar-powered. At their five camps in Kenya, where wilderness was once converted to farms, the Replacement of Shade Program plants a local sapling for every visiting guest, restoring indigenous trees to Kenya’s vast landscape.
Across the properties, sustainability efforts such as biodigesters for food waste, gray water recycling, and elimination of single-use plastics are standard practice. When increased human-lion interaction led to the loss of animals in Northern Kenya, the Big Cats Initiative partnered with local Samburu warriors to educate people and prevent altercations.
Doing a safari right impacts the locals, the landscape, and the animals. In Kenya, the Big Cats Initiative helps to educate people and prevent altercations.Courtesy Micato Safaris/Sara Heidinger. Opposite Page, Courtesy Images Clockwise From Top: Micato Safaris/Paul Bruce; Great Plains/Andrew Howard; Micato Safaris/Giuliana Provenzano
Great Plains’ ol Donyo Lodge (all images this page and opposite) sits on more than a quarter of a million protected acres in Chyulu Hills, the setting for Hemingway’s classic Green Hills of Africa. The Maasai land is communally owned, so game viewing coexists with tribal herdsmen. A partnership with the Big Life Foundation supports the Maasai way of life and as Micato Safaris says, “By simply visiting, we are contributing to the survival of the region’s flora, fauna, and unique local culture.”
Segera Retreat (segera.com) is another luxury lodge on former ranchland. Now the Laikipia National Reserve, it is home to one of the largest elephant herds in East Africa, more than 5,000 strong, and one of the last protected strongholds of the critically endangered black rhino. Segera works with partners such as the Gates Foundation and has a heavy conservation emphasis, from recycling gray water and running on solar power to keeping 300 hives for honey and organic chefs’ gardens for produce. A massive reforestation plan calls for 23 million new trees in the next five years to offset carbon emissions, while substantial investment in anti-poaching units protects wildlife. Both Segera and ol Donyo allow guests to participate in exercises with anti-poaching dog teams, a unique vacation adventure.
Daily excursions in off-road vehicles have long been the backbone of the safari experience, but even this is changing. Electric vehicles are spreading across luxury African camps, alongside new alternatives to game “drives.” Almost all lodges offer walking safaris, while ol Donyo has an extensive horseback safari program, and along with Segera, offers mountain biking. Mara Plains, ol Donyo’s sister camp in the Serengeti, offers hot-air ballooning, an amazing game-viewing alternative, floating silently above massive herds.
The longtime luxury safari camp aesthetic of Teddy Roosevelt–era decor—endless green canvas, wooden campaign chests, and brass telescopes—has slowly given way to more authentic, local styles. Segera was a leading force, as its founder and owner, Jochen Zeitz, CEO and president of Harley-Davidson, is an avid collector of works by African artists, and his passion quickly outgrew the lodge.
“Segera Retreat is kitted out with art and fine antiques all through the grounds, sculpture gardens, and galleries, which are brimming with evocative, contemporary African pieces that range from etchings to bronzes to video installations,” says Pinto. “Jochen began accumulating works for his private collection, and this led in part to what would become the Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa (MOCAA) in Cape Town.”
Many Micato guests arriving in Nairobi begin with a stay at the classic Fairmont The Norfolk or boutique Hemingways Eden. Owners of the former have amassed a contemporary art collection over decades, with many Timothy Brooke paintings sketched on the film set of Out of Africa. Hemingways Eden, which began as the home of fashion designer Anna Trzebinski and her late artist husband Tonio, is full of original paintings, sculptures, and ceramics (see “Home in Nairobi”). Sean Walwyn, Micato’s CEO for East Africa, is an avid African art collector and steers clients with interest to the region’s best artists and galleries—with insider access. At Walwyn’s recommendation, a recent Micato guest acquired two paintings by Peterson Kamwathi, one of Kenya’s most critically acclaimed artists.
But the art on safari is not just for viewing. Increasingly, guests learn about and participate in the making of traditional crafts. Segera maintains a workshop where guests can learn craft skills, stitch traditional fabrics, and make beaded jewelry, a uniquely memorable souvenir. Because of Micato’s commitment to supporting local artists and craftspeople, every safari includes such opportunities, and if the lodges do not have programs, guests visit galleries, markets, or maker workshops.
Thirty-five years ago, Micato staffer Lorna Macleod was in a Nairobi shopping center when a young boy approached her. He was going from person to person with a note from his headmaster, which said he was an orphan and needed to raise 700 shillings for a school uniform before he could attend. “The boy approached me,” she recalls. “He had only collected 100 shillings. I read the note and handed him the 600 shillings, the equivalent of $15. Tears running down his face, the boy stood there for a moment, said ‘God bless you,’ and dashed away. At that moment, I realized that Micato was an ideal bridge between some of the poorest people on the planet, and some of the wealthiest, our travelers.”
After relaying her experience to company executives, Macleod cofounded AmericaShare (americashare.org), Micato’s charity arm, and is now executive director of it and sister organization Huru International (huruinternational.org). “This encounter set the tone for AmericaShare’s approach,” she explains, “which is to help one child at a time and work with that child as long as possible, so she or he grows and thrives.”
Pinto adds, “AmericaShare has been steadfast in its belief that education is the most powerful tool for sustainable change.” Inspired by the model of TOMS shoes,
which pioneered the One for One model of donating a pair for each one sold, Pinto added a program that pays a child’s education costs for every client traveling. AmericaShare also runs computer centers and awardwinning libraries.
Affiliated nonprofit Huru was launched to provide reusable sanitary-pad kits to the hundreds of thousands of impoverished teenage girls staying home from school during their periods. Sewn by women and men from underserved communities, nearly 2 million complete Huru kits have been distributed to date, with millions of missed schools days saved. As Macleod notes, “Our guests know that just by virtue of booking their safari with us, they’re enabling a child to go to school through the One for One commitment, but that is just the beginning.” When guests see the impact in person, many are so moved that they make impromptu donations, including classrooms full of computers or commercial sewing machines.
AmericaShare and Huru come back full circle to the ethos of conservation, as they tie to an ongoing effort to place more women in the traditionally male-dominated safari and tourism industry, one of Africa’s best-paying fields. “It is this younger, educated generation who are the future stewards of Africa’s
wildlife and conservation,” says Pinto. “The power of conservation education in particular is illustrated beautifully by Team Lioness, an all-female, anti-poaching ranger unit that works in and around Amboseli National Park. It’s rare enough to have female rangers, but rarer still that all the women in this unit are highly educated.”
In this vein, the ZEITZ Foundation helped create The All-Women AntiPoaching Ranger Academy (zeitzfoundation .org), designed to achieve the highest standards of anti-poaching and security. In March 2019 the first candidates were recruited from Segera’s local communities, providing opportunity to those who had been marginalized. Several classes have graduated and supplied Segera with trained anti-poaching rangers.
Last year, the Great Plains Foundation launched its Female Ranger Program (greatplainsfoundation.com). Co-founder Dereck Joubert says, “This initiative holds equally tremendous significance for gender equality and conservation, the challenging of gender norms, reducing human-wildlife conflict, and building the next generation of local change agents prepared to conserve African wildlife and wild landscapes.”
German-born, Kenyan-raised fashion designer Anna Trzebinski has opened her family estate to guests wishing to stay, shop, dine, and socialize.
Hemingways Eden is more than a stop for the night on the way to a safari in the bush. An urban sanctuary in the upscale suburb of Karen, the home of tastemaker Anna Trzebinski is filled with beautiful art, locally crafted furnishings, and lush gardens that border a forest with trails leading to a giraffe sanctuary. Spend a few nights to experience the creative community Trzebinski has fostered with her social dinners, soirees, forums, and humanitarian and sustainable investment programs. Writers, publishers,
bureau chiefs, UN ambassadors, and UNESCO workers have been known to congregate for cocktails and conversations in the open-air bar and lounge overlooking the property’s lake. Another evening may feature artists, conservationists, musicians, and filmmakers turning the richly hued and pattern-strewn living room into a speakeasy-like setting hosted by Trzebinski.
The on-site workshop is a couture trunk show of jewelry, handbags, and clothing designed by Trzebinski and her all-female team
of local artisans. The main house features three spacious guest rooms while a former painter’s studio has been transformed into five loft-style suites. All are decorated in an eclectic mix of textures and traditional patterns from Kenya’s Samburu and Maasai people, as well as with natural materials like driftwood and sculptures and ceramics created by Trzebinski’s son and daughter, respectively. The entire property is a sort of living museum and shoppable gallery worth the side trip. hemingways-collection.com u
A parade of luxury hotel openings has the once-quiet upstate countryside on an upswing.
BY JACKIE CARADONIO
Few regions are as ill-defined yet proportionally vast as Upstate New York. Take a poll of 100 Manhattanites asking where its borders lie, and you’ll elicit exactly 100 unique responses—though nearly all of them will inevitably boil down to one general concept: It’s just about everywhere in New York State that isn’t New York City (or the Hamptons).
What the region lacks in geographic clarity, it makes up for in a whole lot else: endless peaks and valleys, lakes and falls—each more beautiful than the last—and charming towns brimming with homegrown style from passionate makers (many of them reformed New Yorkers). The quintessential escape, reflected in the stillness of the Hudson River and bordered by the Adirondack Mountains, has been drawing weary city folk to the country-mouse lifestyle for more than a century, luring them with winter skiing, spring and summer hiking, and fall leaf-peeping—perhaps the most enthusiastically practiced “sport” of all.
But lately, something new has sprung from the endless wealth of natural splendors: a crop of luxury hotels that are bringing a touch of elegance to the rustic, agricultural style that has long defined upstate. Blending just enough city into the effortless arcadian scene, these new retreats are fast becoming the place to be—more authentic and less crowded than the Hamptons, a getaway where you can loosen the tie and kick off the heels but still expect fine dining, plush details, and indulgent spa treatments.
That’s especially true at the new Wildflower Farms, Auberge Resorts Collection Hudson Valley, New York (aubergeresorts.com) oasis nestled into the foothills of the Shawangunk Mountains. Owners Kristin Soong Rapoport and Phillip Rapoport are part of a growing archetype of successful corporate types drawn upstate to “create an antidote to urban life,” as Phillip, a former partner at a private investment group, puts it. That meant transforming 140 acres of pristine woodland into a veritable sanctuary dotted with 65 freestanding cottages, cabins, and suites. Each is a private retreat where guests can wrap themselves in hand-stitched quilts, cozy up next to the fireplace, or soak in giant bathtubs surrounded by dried lavender. At Clay Restaurant, the house red is a custom blend bottled by Ev&Em, media mogul Dan Abrams’ new buzzed-about Long Island winery. At the spa, the treatments range from herbal aromatherapy to Biologique Recherche facials.
Despite its many indulgences, Wildflower Farms is practically puritanical in other ways. Its namesake farm is far and away a favorite attraction, especially in the mornings, when guests gather at the chicken coop to collect eggs before sitting down to fresh omelets made with their haul. There are also pickling classes and pottery workshops, and hiking
trails that head out into the wild straight from the property. In the evenings, guests congregate around the giant fire pit on the Great Porch to sip hot toddies and cocoa before heading to Clay for pork chops with chicory and blue oyster mushrooms.
Considering the history of this fabled region, Wildflower Farms seems like an inevitability in the great evolution of upstate hotels. The first inn of note in the area was the Catskill Mountain House, which made its debut atop the Catskill High Peaks in 1824. The new demand for a getaway beyond the industrious bedlam of New York City was at least in part spurred by the romantic notions made popular by the then-budding Hudson River School. Painters like Thomas Cole and Frederic Edwin Church inspired intrigue far and wide with their lush depictions of mountains and rivers saturated in heavenly, almost surreal, light. And just like that, upstate tourism was born.
Two centuries later, the COVID pandemic might be considered the second great accelerator in the region’s travel scene, as city dwellers fled to the country in unprecedented droves—and to accommodate them, hotels popped up by the handful. Before Wildflower Farms debuted last October, there was Piaule Catskill (piaule.com), with 24 cabins and a modest spa on 50 acres near the sleepy town
of Catskill, and Callicoon Hills (callicoonhills .com), a century-old resort revamped with 65 guest rooms and a new yoga deck, sauna, and pool bar on 23 lakeside acres. Hutton Brickyards (huttonbrickyards.com) made its debut on the edge of the Hudson River with a collection of cabins dotting the waterfront and, on a hilltop, a renovated 19th-century mansion with a restaurant and 12 guest rooms. The renovated 3,000-acre The Eldred Preserve (theeldredpreserve.com) and lakeside The Chatwal Lodge (thechatwallodge.com) also opened their doors—and vast grounds— to guests in the past two years.
Eastwind, Oliverea Valley (eastwindhotels .com) is another new arrival combining the local pastoral setting with clever styling and amenities. In a natural wooded valley along Esopus Creek, the hotel has scattered a collection of custom cabins and suites ranging from modest A-frames for glamping guests to suites for less outdoorsy types. The latter accommodations feature lofts with canopies and sitting areas along with picture windows that frame the forest edge. A main house feels a bit like Soho House meets summer camp with its wraparound deck and a lounge stocked with local spirits such as Hudson Whiskey and Widow Jane. On the edge of the property, a pair of A-frames have been outfitted as infrared saunas.
Courtesy Images From Left: Callicoon Hills/Chloe & Mitch; Auberge Resorts Collection.
Courtesy Images, Clockwise
The hotel arms race has also extended to more established properties, like Mohonk Mountain House (mohonk.com), upstate’s grande dame since opening in 1869. The 259-room, all-inclusive resort recently put the finishing touches on a newly renovated spa, adding a new outdoor treatment room on the cliffs overlooking Mohonk Lake. The 22room Kenoza Hall (kenozahall.com) has just added 10 freestanding bungalows to bring more upscale accommodations to the edge of Lake Kenoza. And in the popular Hunter Mountain ski resort area, Scribner’s Catskill Lodge (scribnerslodge.com) is expanding with the Rounds, a new resort-within-aresort featuring 12 freestanding, 12-sided accommodations, each with a private terrace and a Japanese soaking tub overlooking the forest—and all significantly more luxurious than upstate has seen previously.
Marc Chodock, founder and managing partner of Escape Hospitality, which owns Scribner’s, attributes the lodge’s upward growth to the evolution of travelers coming to the region. “The Catskills have been overlooked by hospitality for decades,” he says. “We came to realize travelers’ desires and the demand for quality travel in the area.”
With so many fresh arrivals, one could easily spend a month or longer crisscrossing from new hotel to new hotel, and in-between each stay they would encounter the other upstate allure: its surprisingly robust towns. Strung together like a pearl necklace, each is a gem in its own right, and together they are the beating heart of upstate. Some are quirky (like Big Indian, marked by—what else?— a big statue of a Native American) while others are home to an outsize number of unique businesses, like tiny Narrowsburg, whose Main Street is lined with stylish boutiques, including Sunny’s Pop, designer
Sunrise Coigney’s wonderland of handmade housewares, vintage furniture, and one-of-akind fashions sourced from near and far. A few upstate towns have cultivated enough of an urbane atmosphere as to even require their own hotels. In Kingston, Hotel Kinsley (hotelkinsley.com) certainly punches above its weight for a hamlet of 24,000 people. Owned by Manhattanites Charles Blaichman and Taavo Somer, it has all the confident style of a downtown New York City hot spot (Somer is behind the Lower East Side’s Freemans restaurant, after all) with 10 eclectic rooms, a wood-paneled
modern. Owners Lev Glazman and Alina Roytberg, founders of the iconic fragrance and beauty brand Fresh, oversaw every small detail with aplomb.
Rhinebeck is another town that swells with appeal, both old and new. On the new end of the spectrum is House SFW, a stylish home boutique brimming with international treasures (Turkish kilim purses, decadent candles from Bari, Italy) and owned by the founders of New York City–based architecture and interior design practice Studio SFW.
A block away, it doesn’t get older than Beekman Arms, the oldest inn in the United States, which dates back to the preRevolutionary era. While the estate is worth a visit for its many historic relics—including an old guest registry from the 1800s that lists how many horses visitors arrived with—more amenable lodging awaits just down the road at Habitas on Hudson (ourhabitas.com).
cocktail bar, and an airy restaurant set within a renovated 19th-century bank. Thirty-three more rooms are scattered among three other historic buildings in town, sandwiched between bohemian cafés and home-goods shops. Hudson, meanwhile, is easily the most cosmopolitan of all upstate municipalities, for better or worse, thanks to its glut of farmhouse-chic shops, vintage and antique furniture stores, and New York City expats. In the center of it all, The Maker Hotel (themaker.com) is practically an institution for its impeccable design sourced from all over the world and embracing every movement from the Belle Epoque to mid-century
Opened in December by budding hotel brand Habitas, upstate’s newest kid on the block is a colorful mélange of eclectic modernism splashed across the white canvas of a Neo-Classical manse. The “experimental manor house,” as the company calls it, has its own rich history beyond its 19thcentury architecture: Hotelier and wellknown upstate local André Balazs originally acquired the property and was the visionary behind most of its hypercolor design, which includes a lacquer-red barroom and original lampposts painted a shocking hot pink.
Though the 20-room Habitas on Hudson already comes with plenty of quirk and charm—from the retro bathroom fixtures to the vintage-inspired game room—there’s still more to come, says General Manager Michele Alfonso, pointing to plans for a swimming pool, a speakeasy, and 10 villas
Crisscrossing from new hotel to new hotel one will encounter the other upstate allure: its robust towns, each a gem in its own right.
If you thought the Hamptons were going to sit back and let upstate have all the fun, think again. The glamorous summer getaway is showing off its own set of new hotels—and offering yet another reminder why the iconic stretch of white-sand beaches and shingled mansions is still the original Manhattan escape.
Hampton Bay’s historic inn got a face-lift last summer when it reopened with a collection of new one- to three-bedroom cottages and boathouses. Its Mediterranean restaurant, Good Ground Tavern, is fast becoming East End’s hottest new dining spot. canoeplace.com
The Hamptons’ first wellness resort, Shou Sugi Ban House, opened in 2019 to scratch a very big itch among the well-heeled local clientele. Now, those in need of further pampering have a new place to stay with this five-room B&B featuring a private pool, lounge and dining areas, and access to all of the movement and meditation offerings at the main property. shousugibanhouse.com
The striped awning skirting
the porch of this 150-yearold manse is pure old-school Hamptons, but inside is a whole other story with 16 recently renovated rooms featuring Hästens beds in Frette linens and designer furniture from the likes of Eero Saarinen and Alvar Aalto. The extensive wine cellar and private garden add to the feeling that this is a private Hamptons home for a lucky few. themaidstone.com
A more boho-chic side to the Hamptons awaits at this twoacre retreat in Amagansett, where a collection of cottages is scattered around a lush lawn on the edge of East Hampton. The emphasis here is on easy living—playing bocce, riding a cruiser bike into the village, and sipping rosé at the daily happy hour at Rosie’s. theroundtreehotels.com
that will eventually climb the hillside behind the main house. There are also grand designs for an upstate beach of sorts: “We’d like to purify our pond and bring in some sand to make a sort of natural watering hole with cabanas,” Alfonso says. “We are so inspired by the nature around us.”
A relative newbie on the upstate scene, Alfonso came to the Hudson Valley by way of Gurney’s Montauk Resort. The differences between his old property and Habitas on Hudson are evident in many ways (trading the chichi beach for the humble mountains, chief among them) and yet, he says, there’s something that feels faintly familiar to his days in the Hamptons. “It’s a lot lately; it’s just crazy how popular this area is getting,” he adds. “It’s definitely the new place to be.”
As if any further evidence of the great upstate boom was needed, just down the road from Habitas another big project is rumored to be lying in wait: A 236-acre plot possibly purchased by Six Senses Resorts—a rather telling shift after the brand scrapped plans to build a hotel in Manhattan in 2021. And a few miles south, in the Lower Hudson Valley, The Ranch Malibu’s acclaimed wellness retreat, is set to open its doors on 200 lakefront acres next year. As Alfonso says, it is a lot. But one thing’s for sure: There’s plenty of room up here in Upstate New York. u
A principal draw for centuries and still unique today, beautifully landscaped hotel properties offer a special bonus amenity.
BY JORGE S. ARANGO
Le
Manoir aux Quat’Saisons, A Belmond Hotel, Oxfordshire
Hotel Property: Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons, A Belmond Hotel, Oxfordshire, belmond.com
Scope of Gardens: Nearly 30 acres
Highlights: 11 distinct gardens: vegetable and herb, Japanese, English, wildflower, ornamental, heritage; plus a micro leaf “tunnel,” wild mushroom valley, and orchards
Peak Times: April through September
“You will spend as much time in the garden as you will at the table,” says Anne-Marie Owens, head gardener at this 15th-century manor house in the Oxfordshire countryside. Developed over 40 years (since 1984) and the vision of chef-patron Raymond Blanc OBE, the property specializes in, as Owens says, “garden gastronomy” and “soil-toplate” Michelin-starred dining. Blanc has established a cooking and gardening school on property for guests, offering courses from $340 per person. When asked about his favorite spot at Le Manoir, he responds enthusiastically, “The unexpected orchard! Over the past 10 years, my team and I have planted an orchard of 2,500 trees.”
Combining English- and French-style orchards has yielded apples, pears, apricots, and mirabelles (plums) “that my father and grandfather grew, and my grandmother and Maman Blanc cooked, bottled, and preserved to feed our family.” Blanc is also proud to keep “a zero-landfill policy.”
Courtesy Images
From Top: Belmond Hotels/Paul Wilkinson; Belmond Hotels/Jason Ingram.
Opposite
“You come here to get food for your belly,” says master gardener Gundula Deutschlander. “But you also get food for your soul. As you walk along, you are eating, tasting, smelling.” The property excels in plant collections, some very rare (there are cycads that have grown since prehistoric times, for instance), and a cluster of restaurants serve food harvested from the farm by some 600 workers. Everything is edible or medicinal. “If there’s anything pretty, it has a function,” Deutschlander says. Among innumerable activities and workshop offerings, visitors can collect eggs from the henhouse, take garden tours or a beekeeping class, learn to make healing plant medicinals, and prune fruit trees.
“We have a fabulous climate, so things hardly go to sleep,” she says. “It depends whether you want to see the fynbos, eat figs, or see clivias in bloom. I think people should come four times a year!”
Hotel Property: Babylonstoren, babylonstoren.com
Scope of Gardens: About 8 acres, plus a 2,450-acre working farm
Highlights: A fynbos biome (shrubby, droughtresistant plants like tree aloe), a cycad collection, a culinary garden, a healing garden, orchards, vineyards, rose pavilions, mass clivia plantings, the Succulent House, the Spice House, the Greenhouse
Peak Times: Year-round
Hotel Property: La Mamounia, mamounia.com
Scope of Gardens: 17 acres
Highlights: 160-square-foot vegetable and herb garden, trees (groves of citrus and olive trees, some of the latter said to be 300 years old), grand esplanades of over 20 varieties of cacti and palm trees, views of the Atlas Mountains and Koutoubia Mosque
Peak Times: Spring and fall
The 12th-century walls of this ravishing private garden park shelter a modern Eden. In the 1700s, the sultan Mohammed Ben Abdallah gave the orchard to his son as a wedding gift. Many remarkable people have strolled the graveled paths since, through the oasis of dense plantings. These have included Charlie Chaplin, Alfred Hitchcock, Francis Ford Coppola, FDR, and Charles de Gaulle. Arguably, however, La Mamounia’s most famous guest was Winston Churchill, who went there often to paint the gardens from various balcony vantage points so he could capture the hypnotic, ever-shifting Marrakech light. The garden is not just a visual delight, but an immersive sensory experience. The air is perfumed with roses; herbs such as verbena, mint, and oregano; jasmine; and the tangy scents of lemon and orange blossoms. Babbling fountains lend a calm rhythm to the sounds of birds, as the chaos and hustle of the city feels farther and farther away.
Courtesy La Mamounia (2). Opposite Page:Hotel Property: Hotel de Russie, roccofortehotels.com
Scope of Gardens: Nearly 0.7 acres
Highlights: Formal Italian garden with a central axis and neoclassical architectural components (terraces, balustrades, grottos, basins, fountains, and statues), fragrant and colorful plantings, views of the Piazza del Popolo and Pincian Hill
Peak Times: April through November
In the 20th century, French poet Jean Cocteau called Hotel de Russie—the buildings and garden of which were conceived in the 1800s by architect Giuseppe Valadier—“paradise on Earth.” Standing today amid the elegantly terraced Secret Garden and listening to the trickle of fountains, you can see why. A 2021 garden renovation based on Valadier’s plans has reintroduced its original splendor. Anna Grinici, the hotel brand’s regional director of sales and marketing, calls the result “a spectacular, perfectly preserved monument” and points out that Valadier used the space as a kind of template for developing the surrounding Pincian Hill slope. Indeed, a 1981 historical document produced by the city cites the hotel as “a work of art” and a “cultural heritage, architectural, and environmental resource.” The name “de Russie” comes from its association with many guests from the Russian Imperial House, as well as Russian intellectuals and Romantic painters, all of whom, along with Pablo Picasso and Jean Cocteau, strolled the Secret Garden for inspiration and leisure.
Hotel Property: Borgo Santo Pietro, borgosantopietro.com
Scope of Gardens: 13 among a 300-acre farm estate
Highlights: Rose garden, lemon garden, relaxing garden, water garden, herb and water gardens, formal terrace and courtyard garden, forests leading down to the River Merse
Peak Times: Spring and fall
From derelict medieval villa to boutique hotel and farm estate—that is the modern trajectory of Tuscany’s Borgo Santo Pietro, which was restored and planted by Danish couple Jeanette and Claus Thottrup in 2001. Together with head gardener Izudin “Giustino” Mazic, they oversee the preservation, development, cultivation, and harvest of the Borgo’s extensive gardens. Various garden tours are available to guests, including a new Seed to Skin offering that reveals the processes behind the skincare products made on the premises. “I love the rose garden,” says Jeanette. “It’s like a little universe on its own with the sound of water everywhere and the scent of roses. I always imagine myself sitting reading a book there.”
Another favorite scent, she says, is melissa (lemon balm). “The herb is calming and uplifting at the same time, and our Divine cleanse is perfumed with these golden drops. The subtle lemony scent is like a drug for me.”
“The most notable thing about the garden at Cheval Blanc St. Barth Isle de France,” says the award-winning landscape designer Madison Cox, “is its unique layout, which was inspired by the concept of connection—connecting the island’s sweeping greenery with the ocean. The maison’s paths, therefore, are imagined to create that connection for guests through winding tropical paths filled with native species of plants and trees. Every turn leads to a new discovery.” Indeed, hotel guests weave in and out of views of the pristine Flamands Beach and stumble across sculptures at crossroads, such as JeanMichel Othoniel’s The Constellation of Pegasus, made of entwining strands of blown-glass spheres that move in the breeze. Cox’s favorite moment, “a peaceful spa garden, with the centerpiece being a tropical pavilion,” appears out of the dense jungle-like environment. The garden, a collaboration with Manhattan-based landscape firm Garden 26, is meticulously maintained by head gardener Alain Bernard. In-depth tours by request.
Hotel Property: Cheval Blanc St. Barth, chevalblanc.com
Scope of Gardens: 17 acres
Highlights: Boardwalks that traverse dense plantings of fruit trees, bougainvillea, and many types of palms; colonies of iguanas, exotic birds, and turtles; quiet clearings for rest and contemplation; hiking paths leading up a lush hillside
Peak Times: Late November through February
Hotel Property: The Newt in Somerset, thenewtinsomerset.com
Scope of Gardens: Throughout the 1,000-acre estate
Highlights: Parabola Garden, Woodland Garden and The Grotto, cottage and villa gardens, culinary garden, winter garden, intensive educational program for guests and members
Peak Times: April through September
The founders of The Newt, parts of which sit atop a 351 A.D. Roman settlement, were determined “to produce a unique country estate with formal gardens, but in a way different from so many other gardens in England,” says Head Gardener Stephen Herrington. First planted in 1690 and expanded by subsequent generations of gardeners, the site today offers tours and workshops for both guests and members (who number an astonishing 35,000). Member fees get you garden access yearround and a steady stream of educational workshops. Guests are automatic members but also have exclusive access to the hotel gardens as well as all others after public hours. One of Herrington’s favorites is the Roman Villa Garden. “It’s planted only with plants that would have been in the United Kingdom in 350 A.D.” Constantly evolving, the gardens recently added plantings of 250,000 snowdrops, a Japanese garden, a grotto in the woodland, and expanded plant collections.
The hotel stands on what was once a sprawling residence designed in the 1940s by Pritzker Prize–winning architect Oscar Niemeyer for the wife of a famed Brazilian industrialist. The project (encompassing surrounding gardens designed by legendary landscape architect Roberto Burle Marx) was abandoned after the businessman’s scandalous love affair with actress and Princess Ira von Fürstenberg shattered his marriage. In 1990, the city engaged landscape architect Rosa Glena Kliass to finish what Burle Marx had started and update the vision within her own master plan. The result is an enormous municipal park sporting hundreds of plant varieties and wildlife (marmosets, coatis, toucans, and parrots). Around the hotel, landscape designer Sergio Santana created an “elegant garden that makes the transition between the hotel’s architecture and the native Mata Atlântica (Atlantic Forest) of the Burle Marx Park that surrounds it.” Hotel gardens are exclusive to guests, but the park is open to everyone and well worth a visit. u
Hotel Property: Palácio Tangará, oetkercollection.com
Scope of Gardens: 26 acres, including the adjacent Parque Burle Marx
Highlights: The hotel gardens and the park’s fountains and ponds, wooded trails, checkered lawns with reflecting pools, outdoor sculptures, allées of royal palms, community gardens, recreation areas
Peak Times: Year-round
Brushing off their archives, furniture makers and designers are reissuing or tweaking classics for a second time around.
BY JORGE S. ARANGOThere was nothing like Richard Sapper’s Tizio lamp on the market when it was released 50 years ago—the graceful swivel, the attenuated crane-like shape, the balletic functionality, its perfect balance. Now, Artemide is rereleasing this 1972 classic in its original white, black, and a new fire-engine red. From $445; artemide.net
Poul Kjærholm designed his PK4 lounge chair for family and friends in 1952. Fritz Hansen celebrates its simplicity anew (it’s just seven pieces of welded steel and a single strand of halyard) with three versions: a brushed stainless frame with black or natural halyard, or black powdercoated steel with natural halyard. From $2,760; fritzhansen.com
Brothers Pier Giacomo and Achille Castiglioni designed the Arco floor lamp in 1962, the same year Flos was established. To commemorate the 60th anniversary of both icons, Flos released a limited-edition (2,022 total) Arco K, replacing the original Carrara marble base with a lead-free crystal block. $12,000; flos.com
In 1984, perhaps wanting to cocoon from some impending Orwellian dystopia, Zanotta released the Campiello by the design trio Jonathan De Pas, Donato D’Urbino, and Paolo Lomazzi. The new Campiello+ has roomier proportions and is made from regenerative materials. The swivel armchair comes in four colors of leather-wrapped plywood and other fabric options. Price upon request; zanotta.it
Designed in 2014, Lella and Massimo Vignelli’s Vignelli Rocker for Heller showed at ICFF but never went into production. Now the company has brought it back, but with a few tweaks. It’s available in eight colors and made of 100-percent recyclable, low-density polyethylene. Hello, 21st century: It comes with an authenticating NFT identifier. $795; hellerinc.com
The Italian-born Brazilian architect Lina Bo Bardi designed her Bowl chair in 1951, but it was not manufactured until Arper began producing it in 2012. Met with great success, the company introduced a signed and numbered limited edition (500) available in a rainbow of colors. $5,670; arper.com
The name Vilhelm Theodor Lauritzen doesn’t ring a bell? He was one of Danish modernism’s earliest progenitors and an important mid-century architect. In 1944, his love of butterflies led Carl Hansen & Søn to produce just 10 copies of his VLA61 Monarch chair. The design was reissued and will be in stores this June. From $4,140; carlhansen.com
German artist Hans Hopfer (1931–2009) is known as the inventor of “seating landscapes,” as his 1981 Informel sofa for Roche Bobois exemplified. A reimagining of the Informel’s particular landscape has neatened up its bulbous shape into a more tailored aesthetic with elastic technical fabric (rather than the original ruched and quilted duvet) and random tufting. $7,705; roche-bobois.com
A reintroduction and an introduction in one, Poltrona Frau’s reissue of Italian architect Gio Ponti’s 1965 Dezza chair and sofa has all the Ponti signatures: sexy play of straight and curved lines, elegant detailing (polished steel upholstery tacks up the back seams), tapered legs. But it also comes swathed in a never-before-used archival Ponti fabric. From $4,500; poltronafrau.com
Italian design pioneer Gaetano Pesce’s unmistakable sense of humor shone through in his 1980 Tramonto sofa for Cassina. The company just rereleased a limited edition (50) of this piece, essentially an upholstered New York cityscape complete with a satin setting sun, in specially developed sustainable materials, exclusive fabrics, and roomier proportions. $22,130; cassina.com
It may have been designed in 1968, but George Nelson’s Cube Sofa is as timeless as anything the American industrial designer produced. Reissued by Herman Miller, the piece has been meticulously reengineered for our day, yet it retains the functionality and incomparable streamlined elegance of its predecessor, thanks to access to Nelson’s original drawings and a vintage example. $9,595; store.hermanmiller.com
Vulcan, the Roman god of metalworking, is having a moment with stunning designs that celebrate the weight, presence, and materiality of metal.
The Melbourne-based lighting studio Volker Haug recently introduced its und Messing collection of wall, ceiling, and floor lamps. The Index 11 chandelier, like the rest of the series, is made of hand-worked brass— brushed, aged, bronzed, or polished—with some designs also available in fiberglass. $14,600; volkerhaug.com
The visual impact of Roche Bobois’ Island lamps by Aimé Cécil and Pierre Dubois depends on their balance of angular and organic shapes, and contrasting matte and polished finishes. A black metal base and stem support a hammered gunmetal disc, while the smaller polished-brass disc mutes the light’s glow. $3,685–$4,055; roche-bobois.com
Ad Hoc’s designs draw inspiration from quotidian Mexican household objects. In their limited-edition Nafih Collection for the Mexico City gallery Ángulo Cero, it’s the anafre, a type of metal and clay oven. Brushed steel, velvet upholstery, and wood—which fuels the anafre’s heat—are used in this stunning bench (a stool is also available). Price upon request; adhoc.mx
New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art collaborated with American luxury furniture company Abner Henry on seven incredibly crafted, limited-edition, collectible designs relating to the institution’s paintings. In the polished brass Ventana standing mirror one could imagine the subject of Diego Velázquez’s Portrait of Juan de Pareja regally gazing upon himself. Collection pieces from $50,000 to $150,000; abnerhenry.com
For the Knot Series, a collection of decorative pulls and knobs by Nest Studio, California sculptor Katie Gong drew on her love of knotted, interlocking shapes, which she usually produces large-scale out of steam-bent wood. Four variously sized designs are available in polished nickel and polished or antiqued brass. $165–$950; neststudiocollection.com
At John Pomp Studios, designer John Pomp specializes in what he calls his primitive-futuristic look. Caldera tables, made at his in-house Philadelphia metal and glass studios, combine burnished-silver steel bases with hand-poured iridescent glass for a trio of tables that are reminiscent of natural craters. $11,195–$12,685; johnpomp.com
Brother-sister duo Juan and Paloma Garrido are among the most innovative metalsmiths in Spain. Maison Rapin in Paris recently showed their suite of chunky, radically angular tables that look like glacial icebergs. The latest ensemble of Cristal tables are gold-plated with alternating brushed and polished surfaces to dramatic effect. Price upon request; maison-rapin.com
Budapest-born designer Boldizar Senteski, who created the Aether 1 floor lamp for STUDIOTWENTYSEVEN, could hardly have devised a more sublime or poetic expression of a floor lamp. Each is a perfectly cast, consummately graceful wisp of bronze that is numbered, signed, and comes with a certificate of authenticity. Price upon request; studiotwentyseven.com
Soft Corners, a new table for Cassina by Dutch designer Linde Freya Tangelder, uses three modules of stainless-steel oblong tube shapes and stacks them to create a dynamic, offbeat functional sculpture. The interiors are hollow, so the piece brings built-in storage possibilities. Available in stainless steel with a brushed finish or a painted cast-iron color. $4,370; cassina.com
From Studio Liaigre, distinctive organic elegance characterizes this Tohil candle holder. At nearly 20 inches tall, its muscular shape and presence (given extra vigor via a masculine, blackpatinated bronze finish) brings a sense of contemporary Brutalist sculpture to the table or mantelpiece. $6,480; 212-210-6264, liaigre.us
The deluge of design tomes continues, including these new and noteworthy titles.
A gift for the bibliophile, Lalanne: A World of Poetry (Assouline) is a paean to the art of bookmaking. It is also a ravishing chronicle of works by FrançoisXavier and Claude Lalanne, arguably the most outlandishly imaginative couple in art and design during the latter half of the 20th century, with text by their foremost dealer Jean-Gabriel Mitterrand. $1,200; assouline.com
Although architects and designers earn the limelight, in Arranging Things (Rizzoli) an interior stylist gets his due. Author Colin King has made an art— indeed, a veritable spiritual practice—out of creating still-life arrangements that bring finishing touches to hundreds of rooms. He has much to teach us. $50; rizzoliusa.com
Though his fame spans worldwide, Bobby McAlpine is arguably the most esteemed name in Southern interior design. Featuring recent projects by his firm, McAlpine: Romantic Modernism (Rizzoli) illustrates why. Under his eye a home becomes a sumptuous tone poem effortlessly balancing modernism and classicism. $60; rizzoliusa.com
The voyeuristic appeal of beholding the personal rooms of designers informs Inside: At Home With Great Designers (Phaidon), which allows exclusive looks into the apartments and townhouses, beach bungalows, and grand palazzi of some 60 creatives and interior decorators, including Sheila Bridges, Darryl Carter, and Joseph Dirand. $55; phaidon.com
To truly be transported pick up The House of a Lifetime: A Collector’s Journey in Tangier (Rizzoli). Not only is this very private aesthetic vision exotic and fascinating (with dreamy photography by Ngoc Minh Ngo), but the prose of the villa’s owner, novelist Umberto Pasti, elevates the text to a hypnotic form of literature. $65; rizzoliusa.com
To peruse Shingle and Stone: Thomas Kligerman Houses (Monacelli, a Phaidon Company) is to realize how the two title materials, which became popular in 19th-century New England, remain endlessly adaptable to any genre. From a grand Hamptons estate to a modernist Pacific Northwest home, Kligerman proves an innovative advocate of both elements. $75; phaidon.com
Soul: Interiors by Orlando Diaz-Azcuy (Rizzoli) chronicles the most recent work of the legendary Cuban-American designer, who rose to prominence as both an interior architect and furniture designer, and whose early juxtaposition of minimalism and ornament presaged what we now commonly refer to as soft, or lyrical, modernism. $65; rizzoliusa.com
Miguel Flores Vianna has photographed interiors and architecture for decades. But no place mesmerizes him like Greece. Haute Bohemians: Greece (Vendome) offers abundant examples of Hellenistic allure. This volume peeks inside diverse abodes—from a shepherd’s dwelling to the residences of Jacob Rothschild and Helen and Brice Marden. $75; vendomepress.com
The New Antiquarians: At Home With Young Collectors (Monacelli) is the antidote to cool and controlled modernist interiors. Art historian and designer Michael Diaz-Griffith turns his erudite eye toward young collectors who relish a rare 19th-century majolica stand or an over-the-top gilded Chinese Chippendale chair from the 1700s. Talk about rooms with personality. $65; phaidon.com
Language of Home: The Interiors of Foley & Cox (Monacelli) celebrates 20 years of projects from the firm headed by Michael Cox. Known for mostly white interior envelopes with thoughtful applications of color and an overall sense of serenity, the firm maintains a personalized and consistently tailored approach that comes through in these pages. $60; phaidon.com u
BURTON [ AK ] GORE-TEX jacket, $465, and pants, $460; burton.com
TIMBERLAND boots, $210; POC helmet, $250; pocsports.com
OAKLEY goggles, $216; oakley.com
ARC’TERYX neck gaiter, $40; HESTRA gloves, $136; hestragloves.us
MOONBIKE , from $8,900; moonbikes.com
Healthy homes have become a necessary luxury as buyers increasingly demand sustainable-living technologies like solar panels and green roofs alongside health-inspired kitchens, vitamin C–infused showers, and best-in-class systems for air purification, circadian lighting, and water filtration.
BY IRENE RAWLINGS
It goes without saying that the absolute healthiest homes are the ones good for everyone and everything. While the terms “environmentally friendly” and “sustainably designed” have been trending for the past two decades, now it’s about coupling them with healthy-living amenities: green materials, smart thermostats, energy-efficient windows, and floor plans with spaces for exercise, yoga, steam, and spa.
“Post pandemic it is even more common for luxury homes and new developments to offer not only space for well-being but also to feature new technology for solar, air purification, water filtration, and dynamic lighting,” says Chris Lim, president of Christie’s International Real Estate. “While we’ve seen an increase in wellness in all homes, locations, and price points, these amenities are still seen as a luxury. Because these homes are typically in low supply and high demand, buyers are willing to pay the premium of between 15 to 25 percent more than general real estate.”
According to Facts & Factors Marketing Research Co., Ltd., an international research company based in India, the global wellness real estate market was worth about $279.4
billion in 2021 and is expected to grow to about $863.9 billion by 2028. North America is expected to account for 38 percent of that market growth, a forecast corroborated by the research firm Technavio.
Residential developers are responding with amenities like outdoor yoga studios, gardens filled with fragrant herbs, and meditation courtyards. In Manhattan, a canopy-shaded yoga garden at 212 West 72nd Street and the meditation deck at No. 33 Park Row are just two examples. Embracing the healthy buildings movement from the ground up, architects are designing properties that reestablish dialogue between our built environment and the natural world. Or, as wellness guru Dr. Deepak Chopra calls it, they are wellness-building.
Property Markets Group (PMG) and S2 Development have teamed up with Chopra and Paul Scialla of Delos Living (which pioneered the WELL Building Standard) to design residences that prioritize human biological and spiritual well-being, with a particular emphasis on preventative health. Chopra’s core belief is that wellnessbuilding systems collectively can improve an occupant’s energy levels, hormonal balance,
heart health, sleep quality, respiratory patterns, and dietary rhythms. Muse Residences (from $4.8 million; propertymg .com), a 50-story, Carlos Ott–designed parabolic tower in Miami, includes seven Chopra Residences. The project’s sold-out success prompted other PMG developments like E11even Hotel & Residences (from $1 million to more than $20 million; e11evenresidences.com), which includes a Chopra Spa and Studio offering mindbody assessments and personalized health plans, heart-centered movement, meditation sessions, and wellness education classes.
According to Coldwell Banker Global Luxury, affluent buyers, particularly among younger generations, are flocking to homes that incorporate personal and environmental wellness. They are prioritizing health and well-being and their view of luxury is defined by functionality, environmental harmony, and ease of use. The Report (Coldwell Banker Global Luxury’s annual luxury real estate outlook) confirms that moneyed buyers— no matter how young or old—are becoming aware of good health, nutrition, wellness, and beauty, and they want their homes to reflect those things.
Velvaere is a thoughtfully envisioned, 60-acre mountainside community conceptualized by Magleby Development. Adjacent to Utah’s Deer Valley Resort, the location provides residents a holistic and adventure-centric lifestyle. Velvaere features the innovative Delos system (a sciencebacked solution for healthier indoor spaces) and is pursuing WELL Certification with the International WELL Building Institute. The 115 ski-in/ski-out residences have an on-site chairlift, discovery-focused outdoor spaces, and access to a family adventure center. The 20,000-square-foot Wellness Center features a vast selection of treatments: a hyperbaric chamber, sound healing sessions, thermal and contrast bathing, breathwork classes, forest bathing walks, sleep programs,
nutrition consulting, and a grocery service to deliver locally grown produce. 12 cabins from $4.5 million; 68 residences from $5.7 million; 35 custom estates from $12 million; velvaereparkcity.com
In New York, Maverick Chelsea at 215 West 28th Street is a 21-story, DXA Studio–designed building with 87 distinctive residences. Encompassing three floors, the wellness-focused amenities include a 60-foot, indoor mosaic-tiled pool, steam and sauna rooms, a meditation room with a backlit Himalayan salt wall, a massage room, and a fitness center with the latest cardio and conditioning equipment. Residents have access to an on-call spiritual concierge to assist in meditation and other healing rituals. From $1.99 million; maverickchelsea.com
Charlotte of the Upper West Side, a sanctuary of wellness and sustainability, received a Passivhaus Institut certification for reducing its energy consumption for heating and cooling by about 90 percent. Substantial insulation, special windows, and airtight seals keep interiors both comfortable and quiet. These, along with a unique air filtration system, are only some of the intentional, remarkable building practices attracting health-conscious buyers. From $9.95 million; charlotteuws.com
The waterfront along Palm Beach’s North Flagler is one of South Florida’s most desirable neighborhoods. Olara, a 26-story condominium tower, was designed by architect Bernardo Fort-Brescia, founding principal of Miami-based Arquitectonica. Endless glass windows and grand glass terraces maximize natural light in the
European-style kitchens outfitted with honed Volakas marble countertops and Gaggenau appliances. On the sixth level, a massive 13,000-square-foot fitness center from The Wright Fit comes equipped with everything from indoor-outdoor turf lanes to a Pilates studio to a Normatec recovery zone, open-air yoga deck, Japanese-style onsen, sauna and steam rooms, cold plunge and vitality pools, and meditation rooms. Reconnect with the outdoors around a resort-style swimming pool and find ample UV protection within private cabanas. From $2 million; olarawestpalmbeach.com
In Costa Rica’s legendary Guanacaste province, one of the planet’s five Blue Zones (regions where people live longer and healthier lives), Waldorf Astoria Residences —19 hotel-branded condominiums and 22 single-family estate
homes—are currently under construction. The sustainable site plan preserves natural topography and native species, and buildings will be equipped with a highefficiency heating and cooling system. Following biophilic design principles, water elements throughout the property bring nature indoors and the cenoteinspired spa incorporates a natural creek. Sales have begun and completion is expected in late 2024, with a 190-key Waldorf Astoria resort coming in 2025. Steve Case, the billionaire co-founder of AOL and the CEO of the project’s developer, Revolution, says, “Anybody who goes to the Cacique Peninsula will fall in love with it ... there’s something magical about this place.” From $1.62 million to $6.37 million, fully furnished; waldorfastoriaresidencesguanacaste.com
Residence clubs appeal to both the heart and the wallet.
Residence clubs are enjoying a surge in popularity. Membership buys fully deeded fractional ownership to a vacation home, and often an adjacent portfolio of properties, operated with five-star hotel services. Gain the equity, privacy, and comfort of owning a second home without the burden of managing maintenance, repairs, or housekeeping details.
Because these clubs are at the pinnacle of the vacation real estate market, they offer prime locations, updated interiors, and amenities from pools and spas to fitness centers and game rooms, plus access to golf and other club-exclusive
activities. An on-call 24/7 concierge service will stock the pantry, set up tee times, plan scenic hiking routes, make last-minute dinner reservations, and score impossible-to-get concert or theater tickets.
According to Equity Residences (equityresidences.com), it is a very satisfying choice for many people with a high net worth who see their purchase as a lifestyle investment that provides a private club environment, personalized service, overall a very predictable experience. It’s an alternative to the high costs and responsibilities of solely owning a second home in an increasingly expensive market.
Kiawah Island, South Carolina
Oceanfront on Kiawah Island, three- and four-bedroom residences with stacking glass doors leading to private balconies. Ten miles of beach, direct access to saltwater fishing in the Kiawah River, 123 acres of parkland, and 30 miles of hiking and biking trails. Close to five world-class golf courses, including the home of the 2021 PGA Championship. Ownership includes reciprocity with other Timbers properties like Esperanza in Cabo San Lucas, Mayacama in Sonoma, and 5th & 55th in New York City. From $625,000 for a one-ninth share; timbersresorts.com
At the base of Aspen Mountain adjacent to the Silver Queen Gondola with ski-in/ski-out access. Three- and four-bedroom residences equipped with gourmet kitchens and large decks and balconies with mountain and townside views. Neighboring The Little Nell, Aspen’s only five-star, five-diamond hotel, which provides in-room dining and other services to the Residences. Heated rooftop pool and garden deck, gym and yoga studio, kids’ playroom, and owners’ lounge. From $2.1 million for a one-eighth share, offered by On Aspen Real Estate; thelittlenell.com
Access to the 6,250-acre Victory Ranch community. Modern-meets-rustic cabins have multilevel decks with panoramic views of the Uinta Mountains. Each cabin has use of a six-person Moto EV. Over 3,500 acres of backcountry for outdoor adventures (snowmobiling, snowshoeing, mountain biking, hiking trails); a Rees Jones–designed, highcountry golf course; pool and lake swimming areas; tennis and pickleball courts; and flyfishing access along 4.5 miles of the Upper Provo River. Arrange a helicopter pickup for heli-skiing at Snowbird. From $410,000 for a one-eighth share; victoryranchresidenceclub.com
Courtesy Images, From Left: Timbers Resorts Kiawah; Residences at The Little Nell; Victory Ranch Residence Club. Opposite Page, Courtesy Images Clockwise
Lush greenery, lagoons, and fairways surround homes with expansive floor plans, double-height ceilings, and private terraces for seamless indoor-outdoor living. Residents access services of the Fairmont Mayakoba hotel and the master-planned Mayakoba resort community with more than 30 restaurants, multiple spas, a scuba diving school, a water sports center, tennis courts, and several beach clubs. The 18-hole golf course, El Camaleón, is now home to LIV Golf League’s first tournament in Latin America. Owners may exchange one week for accommodations among Fairmont, Raffles, Swissotel, and select Sofitel properties. From $219,000 for a one-twelfth share; mayakoba.com
When it opens later this year, Club Ki’ama will be the world’s first 100-percent solar-powered, fully sustainable, carbon-neutral residenceand-yacht club. The removed-but-not-remote, shared-ownership resort includes 16 four-bedroom residences, a beach club, a spa, a restaurant, a two-acre protected marina, six private white-sand beaches, and eight wholly owned Estate Residences of four, five, or six bedrooms. A fleet of crewed, solar-powered yachts and electric day boats are available to explore surrounding cays and islands. Owners have a minimum of five weeks annually and access to the prestigious Elite Alliance (elitealliance.com) exchange program with more than 120 international destinations. From $525,000 for a one-tenth share; kiamabahamas.com
Although not, strictly speaking, a residence club, Pacaso is a technology-enabled marketplace that modernizes real estate co-ownership. The company buys luxury residences with premium amenities and high-end, contemporary interiors, offers one-eighth to one-half ownership with integrated financing, and, after purchase, professionally manages each home. Co-founded by two former Zillow execs, Pacaso operates in top second-home destinations around the world such as Napa, Vail, Palm Springs, Miami, Aspen, Cabo, and London. The website offers shoppable listings of what’s currently for sale. From $220,000 for a one-eighth share in Lake Tahoe; $2.3 million/share in Malibu. pacaso.com u —I.R.
Fine art photographer TONY KELLY creates more than a pretty picture, rather his imagery is a visual journey of escapism.
BY BROOKE MAZUREK
As a 27-year-old press photographer, Tony Kelly had done well for himself.
The self-taught, Dublin native had worked his way up the ladder in the world of photojournalism— starting as one of the youngest-ever hires at the Evening Herald, a local paper, before moving to national news, and finally to News International’s London office based in Ireland.
“When you’re a reportage photographer, you’re an observer. You’re recording a moment,” says Kelly, 48. The war in Afghanistan, the World Cup in Japan, celebrities and supermodels in town for both work and play: Kelly’s photographs at this time were indeed like documents recording life itself. In 1996, he was the only one to capture Liam Gallagher sticking his tongue into Bono’s mouth when Oasis came to play in Ireland—a moment that went viral before “viral” was even a thing.
“I really thrived on [the] excitement and the pulse. You’d be driving your car, eating your lunch at the same time,” he says of this window in his life. “It was high paced but rewarding when you got the picture, ya know?”
Yet it was the pictures Kelly wasn’t getting—the conceptual ones forming within his mind’s eye—that began coming most into focus. On the occasions he was assigned to shoot the newspaper’s fashion page, a groundswell of a feeling would arise.
“It was one of the few jobs where you were able to create your own kind of story or world,” Kelly recalls.
While the other photographers did what had always been done and shot the models “out the back door in the laneway,” Kelly took them to the beach. He staged shoots that were loosely threaded to the sense of escape and fantasy that would later permeate his conceptual work, and found himself thinking: “This is what I wanna do.”
He wanted to change course. So that’s exactly what happened.
At 27, Kelly quit his job and moved to Barcelona, where he began knocking on the door of an internationally recognized photographer named José Manuel Ferrater. After about six months of knocking, Ferrater agreed to something that would change the course of Kelly’s life entirely. He let Kelly assist him.
Anyone who has spent time in the darkroom knows there’s a moment in blackand-white photography where the paper is dipped into trays of chemical solutions. Though the paper looks blank at first, the lines and shapes and tones of the photograph begin to reveal themselves as they soak. It’s what’s known as “processing,” and it’s what Ferrater was for Kelly. In Barcelona, the Spanish photographer was engaged in a process of watching Kelly become himself—
sensing the portrait of the artist before the artist could fully see the portrait with his own eyes.
“José Manuel said to me: ‘Few people have your background as a reportage photographer. You need to continue the same thing. Create your own stories, just put a model in them.” He told Kelly not to bother with all the lighting equipment or the black backdrops. “‘You need one light source: the sun,’ he said.”
As Kelly’s aesthetic began to reveal itself, Ferrater imparted one more piece of wisdom that still makes the hair on Kelly’s arms stand up: “Your work belongs on an American landscape.”
In the 13 years since Kelly first set foot in West Hollywood, Los Angeles has become the nucleus of his fine art work. If it isn’t the backdrop itself, La La Land is the genie spirit emanating through the imagery’s hypersaturated color palette, tone, and distinctly Californian light. You can see this in Rooftop Parking, for example, where the tail end of a Porsche protrudes from a roof that a nude model in heels climbs toward. In Off-Piste, a model wearing skis mounted to the top of a Ferrari is driven through a mountainscape. The work brings the drama and cinematic excess of a James Bond film; it’s also coated in the Irish wit that emanates from the photographer when he’s in story-mode.
From a hotel room in Rio de Janeiro, where Kelly was preparing for an upcoming shoot, we spoke about the creative process, Los Angeles as a pronoun, and the essentialness of fun. This interview is a condensed and edited version of that conversation.
If it isn’t the backdrop itself, La La Land is the genie spirit emanating through the imagery’s hyper-saturated color palette, tone, and distinctly Californian light.
You’re in Rio.
Yeah, I’m preparing to shoot here next week. I haven’t been in about 10 years, but I used to come to Rio to shoot and to hang out. You know when you have a special vibe with a place? But I think the pandemic hit pretty hard. This place seems to have lost a little bit of its beat. Maybe it’s because it’s a Tuesday—we’ll see over the next few days.
What was it like growing up in Ireland?
That’s my foundation. That’s my DNA—not just physical DNA, but social DNA, visual DNA. Everything starts there. When I travel the world, or when I am seeing things or visualizing ideas or concepts, I see them through Irish eyes. Even though I live in West Hollywood and that’s my kind of studio, I’m still an Irish guy and I always want to be a tourist. I’ve been in Hollywood for 13 years and I still see it with fresh eyes.
But to answer your question, growing up in Ireland is a very unique experience. It’s an island, so you always have the longing to travel—which is a great thing. In terms of the Irish people, that’s the real warmth and strength. Whilst the climate can be cold and damp, the people can be quite warm. Tropically warm. It’s a very grounding place that I suppose nourishes decency and respect for people. As a guy who lives abroad, if I were to go home and start blabbing on about what I’ve done or who I’ve taken pictures of, I’d be quickly grounded.
You’d be put in your place ...
In America, the richest guy [is the one] who gets the attention. In Ireland it’s whoever’s the funniest. That’s who has the power.
There’s a definite sense of luxury woven into your work. When did you first become interested in that side of things?
I remember going to the bookstore in the early days of my career and buying Yachting World
I was looking at these millions of dollars of yachts for sale and just kind of loved the visual, the fantasy of it. I didn’t really have aspirations to save up money and buy a $10 million yacht. I still don’t. That’s not what inspires me at all. It was the visual. The escapism, I suppose. And that’s what I do today with people: I take them on a visual journey. But I’m very much still Tony from Dublin.
Were your parents in the arts?
No. My father is in the print business, and my mother was a mom. She didn’t really work. But she played guitar and piano and would be quite musical and a bit artsy as well.
So how did you get into photography?
I just started taking pictures. I liked the camera. I liked that it was kind of a magic wand in a way. There was this great journey that you could go on with the camera—and I’d get into football games and events, even horse show jumping. I was going to events when I was 18 or 19, kind of as a press photographer, but I wasn’t working for anybody. I just did it for myself. And most of what I do today is for myself, including my fine art collection. There are certain photographers who need to be told what to do. I am the opposite.
What did press photography teach you?
When I look back retrospectively, it taught me to be resourceful. Today, if my camera doesn’t work—and I don’t mean this to sound cocky—I have an assistant and I have a digitech. Back then, I had myself. If my camera broke, I had to work it out. I remember before I even got the job at the newspaper, I was taking an important picture and the flash wasn’t correct. I was shooting through a car window and the flash reflected, so I didn’t get the picture of the Prime Minister of Ireland. He was going into an event, and my brain was immediately thinking: “What time is the event finished?”
I went back and waited for him to come out so I could get the picture. Determination is definitely an element for me. I had to do that with a recent [helicopter] and ski lift shoot in the Alps. We got the shot, but it was OK I wasn’t happy with the sky. And I was like: “No question, I don’t care. We go back the next day and keep going until we get it.” That’s the way it works. And that all comes from those early days: the grind of it.
From the beginning I’ll see the finished product in all its glory. I feel it, I can see the color, and often I’ll work backwards. But the real simple philosophy of my work is: It’s fun. It’s to be enjoyed. If you ask psychologists what’s lacking in people’s lives, it’s fun. To be entertained, to have a smile on your face— these are powerful things. It’s not always fun when you’re making the pictures, but there’s always fun elements to it.
LA is central to your work. Tell me about the day you arrived.
It was the day Michael Jackson died. The taxi driver was like, “MJ is dead.” And I was like, “MJ? Michael Jordan?” It was a public, city-wide wake. People were dancing, playing his music in their cars. With my press background, I said, “Where is Michael now?” The driver said he was at UCLA, so we drove there. I still have the pictures somewhere.
When I got to LA, I remember I had initially thought: “I don’t like this place. These people are fake.” From Ireland, you have a radar that’s pretty strong with what’s bullshit. But I remember opening the curtain in the hotel room I was in—The Mondrian looks over the city and also the Boulevard. It was a bit misty that morning, but the moment I opened that curtain and saw the billboards and the hills I was like, “I love this place. The visuals are so strong.”
If you had unlimited funds and could live anywhere in LA, which part would you choose and why?
I need to be close to Sunset Boulevard, which I’m about 100 meters away from now in West Hollywood. It’s the lifeline of Hollywood for me, the backbone, the spine of it all. Chateau Marmont and the Sunset Tower, these are my point A. If I lived up in the hills in Bel Air or Holmby Hills, I’d probably have to get in the car and drive down the Boulevard every day to check out what was happening.
What’s inspiring you right now?
There’s something I’m working on that goes back to a Bond movie where a Lotus goes off the end of a bridge and into the water. I want to do that with a Ferrari and I have some of the elements in place. James Bond was a
big influence of mine growing up. Beautiful ladies in a helicopter, men in tuxedos. I just love that stuff.
On a personal level, we were just at Alan Faena’s wedding in Buenos Aires and I was super inspired by the people there. The people in Argentina were just very warm, friendly, and very, very inspiring. I was really inspired to come to Rio too. There was a surfing documentary called Riding Giants and in it, one of the first guys to surf the North Shore is nearly in tears as he’s remembering a wave that came in. He says, “I swear man, she just winked at me.” I haven’t felt that wink from Rio yet, but I’m waiting for it. This place is the ocean, the rocks, the greenery, the colors, people of all shapes and sizes. It’s like a cocktail that just blends together. u
Winston Flowers, a thirdgeneration, family-owned business, started in the 1940s as a pushcart on Boston’s Newbury Street. Working directly with growers around the world, the florist now provides best-in-class blooms to New York City, Westchester County, Fairfield County, and Greater Boston. Gourmet gift boxes ship nationwide. winstonflowers.com
Lladró’s first concept boutique opens in New York’s Meatpacking District. Clean lines and soft colors provide the background for displaying the 70-year-old brand’s universe of entirely handmade creations—from the Heritage Line and modern sculptures to lighting, home fragrances, and contemporary jewelry. lladro.com
Luca Nichetto designs light fixtures, furniture, textiles, and now pianos. Nichetto Studios partnered with Steinway & Sons to create the Gran Nichetto, a limitededition piano (four years in the making) inspired by Nichetto’s hometown of Venice and celebrating the elegantly curved form of a traditional Venetian gondola (below). From $299,900; nichettostudio.com
Métier creates a leather backgammon set handmade in Italy. Conveniently compact (rolls up for travel) with hand-stitched dice shakers and artisanal leather game pieces that pack away in a dedicated zippered compartment. The leather develops a unique patina with age. $950; us.metier.com
At Westime Beverly Hills (located on world-famous Rodeo Drive), a certified, pre-owned watch boutique, expect Rolex Oyster, Audemars Piguet, Patek Philippe. Also home to a Richard Mille lounge featuring the Swiss manufacturer’s out-of-production timepieces. westime.com
A must for the traveling sportsman and their best friend. Expedition Dog Bowls, made of bridle leather and twill canvas (with dark brass hardware), will transport both food and water in separate bowls. Monogramming included. Limited lifetime guarantee. $195; wrenandivy.com
Shop the flagship store of high-end heritage label Mulberry (a favorite of Kate Middleton, Princess of Wales) in New York’s SoHo. The brand’s iconic Bayswater bags are crafted in The Rookery or The Willows, either of Mulberry’s two carbon-neutral, Somerset-based factories in England. Available in a rainbow of colors, including Lancaster Red Glossy. mulberry.com
Taiwan was first named Ilha Formosa, meaning “beautiful isle,” by Portuguese explorers. MRA Fragrances has encapsulated the country’s indigenous scents in its new release, Formosa (above). The bottle—a carved faux jade ball atop a sleek slice of heavy glass—combines the charm of old Formosa with the dynamism of modern Taiwan. Exclusive to Bergdorf Goodman. $295; bergdorfgoodman.com
Amaffi’s Black Jasmin ($5,000) is a dark, daring fragrance that elicits memories of secret meetings at twilight. Deja Vu ($2,800) smells more masculine with notes of spice, tobacco, and geranium. Each sold with a 50 ml companion bottle—great for travel. amaffi.com
Orveda offers a minimalist skincare routine with biotechnologydriven formulas and products that multitask. There’s a hydrating mask ($235) that doubles as a moisturizer and a prebiotic emulsion ($330). orveda.com
La Prairie’s completely revised formula of its White Caviar Pearl Infusion ($660) launched this spring and with it, an embrace of sustainable packaging and replenishable vessels.
Scientifically, the beauty product incorporates the proprietary Lumidose molecule, which inhibits melanin, the pigment that causes brown spots. laprairie.com
Italy on a Plate: Travels, Memories, Menus by Susan Gravely (founder and CEO of high-end tabletop company VIETRI) showcases recipes straight from the kitchens of her dearest friends and includes glimpses into their beautiful Italian homes and gardens. Vietri Publishing. $48; vietri.com
Created by Louis Cartier in 1917, the Tank watch was inspired by the Renault FT-17, a French WWI tank, and is an icon of modern watchmaking; it was one of the world’s first wristwatches. The Cartier Tank Watch (right) celebrates the 100-year legacy of the timepiece. Rizzoli. $85; rizzoliusa.com
Andy Warhol and Friends is a candid, behind-the-scenes look at the rise of the Pop Art legend in a new, limited-number hardcover photo book—just 600 editions packaged in an acrylic slipcase. More than 150 photos by American photojournalist Stephen Schapiro. Taschen. $1,000; taschen.com
Chronorama: Photographic
Treasures of the 20th Century publishes works that first appeared on the pages of Vogue, Vanity Fair, House & Garden, GQ, and Glamour
Nearly 400 original images by top photographers such as Penn, Newton, Steichen, and Beaton. Abrams. $80; abramsbooks.com
Arturo Fuente Since 1912 charts the colorful history of the family-owned premium cigar brand. This oversize volume is finished with authentic handtipped cigar bands and comes in a hand-crafted clamshell box. Assouline. $1,200; assouline.com
Glimpse the sophisticated residences of collectors and painters, from their island hideaways to their centuriesold tavernas, royal follies, gardens, and even a restored sailboat. Intimate, atmospheric photography and engaging essays. Haute Bohemians: Greece. Vendome Press. $75; vendomepress.com
Airline lost your luggage? If you’re a guest of Le Royal Monceau – Raffles Paris, you need not worry. In partnership with Parisian department store Printemps, a new personal-shopping package will have you set with all the necessary accoutrements— from bikini to ballgown. Transport by Range Rover is arranged to the fashion-andbeauty department store’s exclusive VIP lounge, where you’re greeted with coffee or Champagne and your personal shopper. “When the customer arrives, he or she becomes a VIP member and we find the right person to help them,” says Barry Rock, guest relations manager at Printemps. Personal shoppers bring a well-curated selection of designer pieces from globally renowned fashion labels (Prada, Hermès, Burberry, Ralph Lauren, Versace, Moncler, Lanvin, and others) to the private dressing area. A tailor stands by to make any alterations. For lunch, the Printemps du Goût rooftop terrace boasts Eiffel Tower views. “With Le Royal Monceau – Raffles Paris, Printemps has created a tailor-made package that also gives the client a historical perspective of Printemps, a shopping institution in Paris since opening its doors in 1865,” Rock says. The experience includes a 5 percent discount on all purchases. leroyalmonceau.com
The M Room in Chicago (right) pairs a five- or 10-course tasting menu with the perfect Macallan single malt. Maybe Wagyu tataki with barley miso sauce and fresh truffle or American Wagyu Wellington with a Macallan demi-glace. Neat pours of limited-edition and rare whisky, such as The Macallan Double Cask 30-yearold. mroomchicago.com
Japanese for “adventure,” Bōken at Eau Palm Beach Resort & Spa (below) showcases the creativity of the head sushi chef, who prepares seasonally inspired menus featuring fresh seafood from premier fish markets in the United States and Japan. Reserve a seat at the chef’s table for a nine-course or 15-course omakase experience on Saturday. Sizable sake list. eaupalmbeach.com
Upscale Saltie Girl Seafood Bar on LA’s Sunset Strip offers impressive shellfish towers, smoked whitefish, truffled eggs, and the famed fried lobster with waffles and spicy maple syrup. Don’t miss the baked-toorder sweet buns from Sweet Boy (available on Wednesdays). saltiegirl.com
Perched on the top floor of Harrods (one of the few rooftop terraces in London’s Knightsbridge), Studio Frantzén is Swedish chef Bjorn Frantzén’s newest restaurant. Expect bold but refined flavors like roasted Orkney scallops with truffles and grilled porterhouse with pine-scented bone marrow and oxtail ponzu. harrods.com
Chef Paul Pairet (he helms Ultraviolet, a three-Michelin-star restaurant in Shanghai) returns to Paris to launch Nonos et Comestibles inside Hôtel de Crillon, A Rosewood Hotel. The brasserie serves classics like côte de boeuf, tuna tartare, and cheese soufflé—in addition to a gourmet deli featuring French meats, smoked fish, farmhouse
cheeses, and sandwiches to go. rosewoodhotels.com
Each season brings a new menu at The Elysian Bar in Hotel Peter & Paul, a historic churchand-convent restoration in New Orleans. Start with the perfect Sazerac cocktail. Then order the crab-and-ricotta gnocchi or chicken-under-a-brick with pickled green garlic. Chocolatehazelnut tart is a perfect ending. theelysianbar.com
Caviar Kaspia, a celebrity favorite caviar boutique in Paris since 1927, launches an outpost at The Mark Hotel in New York. Emerald green mohair banquettes, woodpaneled walls, and a sculptural black marble bar. To eat: perhaps a twice-baked potato with caviar or caviar-topped blinis paired with a glass of Champagne or a shot of vodka. caviarkaspiany.com
The high-energy, open-air rooftop restaurant and bar in artistic Wynwood, Fabel Miami draws inspiration from lazy summers on beaches in southern France
and on Greek islands. Among the Mediterranean menu’s shared plates, try salt-crusted dorade with kaffir lime (above left). Extensive wine portfolio. fabelmiami.com
Tucked
be hard to find—but maybe that’s the point. Launched by three Masa alums and backed by Daniel Boulud’s hospitality group, the intimate (just 18 seats) omakase restaurant is minimalist—washi paper walls and a wooden counter. Chill hip-hop and jazz soundtrack. jojiny.com
In the heart of San Francisco’s Financial District, above a parking garage, opens romantic, Italian Bar Sprezzatura (above and top right), designed by Martin Brudnizki with massive window walls and glowing Parisian streetlamps. Serving lunch and dinner. barsprezzatura.com
Swans Bar (center right) at Maison Assouline in London is a bastion of elegance in what the brand calls a luxury cultural destination. Explore travel title–inspired cocktails and dozens of single malts, complemented by light bites like fillet Tolstoy salmon or jamón ibérico de Bellota. maisonassouline.com
The Meadowlark in Chicago, a diminutive, moody cocktail bar (sister to Lardon and Union), seats only 30 on leather Chesterfield sofas and stools lining the white quartz bar. Cocktails are named for birds native to the Midwest. Try the Ruby-Throated Hummingbird made with Bolivian brandy, Amontillado sherry, amaro, and smoked orange bitters. meadowlarkchicago.com
A 1962 Steinway baby grand piano takes center stage at The Jazz Club at Aman New York. The space is inspired by the underground glamour of Prohibition-era speakeasies (but with the latest sound technology). Live music Tuesday through Saturday. Reservations required. thejazzclub.com
Artists’ Bar (below) at The Dorchester, London, opened in January as a glamorous and sparkling space for evenings of flowing Champagne, seafood, and showtunes played on Liberace’s restored, wow-
factor mirrored piano. Floral arrangements the size of hot-air balloons; engaging artwork. dorchestercollection.com
A rooftop destination for poolside dining and late-night drinking, Dante Beverly Hills (below right) brings Dante NYC’s award-winning cocktails and Italian-and-Mediterranean small plates to The Maybourne Beverly Hills hotel. Sip a Negroni Bianco or Seville Spritz. Nosh on cedar-smoked rainbow trout and fire-roasted organic chicken. Views across the city to the Hollywood Hills. maybournebeverlyhills.com
Made with only two ingredients— premium spirits and ultra-purified still water—Bluebird Hardwater (above) launches VODKA + WATER, made with a clear, smooth, 10-times distilled vodka; TEQUILA + WATER, crafted with a Mexican blanco tequila; and WHISKEY + WATER, a warm, aged whiskey (tastes like the perfect last sip of whiskey on the rocks). 4-pack from $14; bluebirdhardwater.com
From fireman to pie man. Fireman Derek’s makes pies in all flavors, but his key lime put the company on the map. Shops in Coconut Grove, Wynwood,
and Fort Lauderdale. Ships nationwide. From $75; firemandereks.com
After 10 years in the cellar, Dom Pérignon’s Vintage 2013 (a rare, late-harvest release) is ready to be celebrated and enjoyed. The legacy Maison collaborates with Lady Gaga for this, the next chapter in Dom Pérignon’s creative process. $260; domperignon.com
From Alaska’s Salmon Sisters, a curated gift box of tinned fish and shellfish—wild smoked salmon, octopus, and geoduck from Alaska, wild-caught
WORTH TRAVELING FOR…
Mint Julep Experiences’ Jack
Daniel’s multiday tasting and private barrel selection is set up so that after you make your selection, the distillery will bottle the whiskey (usually 200 bottles/ barrel) for you with personalized labels. Comes with a wooden barrelhead with your name on it. $38,000/four people; mintjuleptours.com/nashville
sardines, and mackerel from Spain ($68). Wild, line-caught sockeye salmon fillets (from $180). aksalmonsisters.com
Stock up on exotic pantry staples at Milk Street
Shibanuma Yakiniku BBQ Sauce ($17) is an umamirich condiment brewed and aged in wooden barrels by a 330-year-old Japanese company. Vain Vanilla’s smallbatch Original Baker’s Blend is made with top-shelf rum ($37). Fragrant and slightly sweet Casablanca Market Preserved Moroccan Lemons ($12). store 177milkstreet.com
Luxury boxed wine? Yes, indeed. Juliet Wine—sustainable, womanowned, eco-friendly packaging (above). Juliet currently offers three vintages: 2021 Grenache Rosé, 2021 Sauvignon Blanc, and 2021 Pinot Noir. From $45; drinkjuliet.com
Chef Daniel Boulud’s Beef & Butter Kit includes three cuts of beef (all different in texture and taste) paired with compound butters: red wine shallot, smoked red pepper, and persillade (below). $250, serves up to six; goldbelly.com
During an Outstanding in the Field event, award-winning local chefs cook for guests who gather at long tables. A moveable feast, from Todos Santos in Mexico to California’s Big Sur to ranches in Jackson, Wyoming, to an 84-year-old winery in Burgundy. Plus, in some locations, glamping tents for spending the night. From $350/person; outstandinginthefield.com
From Il Borro Toscana , a truffle-foraging experience that includes the help of specially trained dogs in Italy. Book now for fall. The 58-suite estate hotel on a 2,700-acre Tuscan estate hosts a truffle adventure followed by a multicourse, truffle-centric dinner. From $175/person; overnight from $747; ilborro.it u
—Irene Rawlings
Experience enriching explorations of the North and South Poles guided by an expert expedition team on shore landings and Zodiac safaris. Come closer to wildlife as you navigate pristine environments without disturbing marine life. And it all happens amid an ambiance of relaxed luxury, highly personalized service and always included amenities. CONDÉ
Readers’ Choice Awards: Named among the Best Expedition Ships in the World Hot List: Named among the Best New Cruises in the World
