As painful as waking up at 4am was to grab a 5am cab to catch a 7am flight out of Mallorca earlier than planned (but for good reason! Off to german adventures to see siblings of my car being made and meet the guy who built my engine! but more on that later) ~ the sunrise was gorgeous out the airplane window from Mallorca to Barcelona… take a peek on the next page!
Wow. So when i first heard about Orient Express’ rebranding and “A Journey Like No Other” campaign coming up, i didn’t quite grasp how magically inspiring it would all be. Then amidst the chaos of running literally ALL over europe at lightning speeds for a few weeks of work trips, they offered the opportunity to experience it first hand, so i’ve been hiding out for a few days in between the madness in Mallorca at La Residencia in Deia. I supposed the truth is, i’m a sucker for other worldly escapes ~ be it in film or photography, there’s something nice about being pulled out of your everyday life, pressing pause for a moment, slipping into as much inspired relaxation as possible before leaping back into the thick of it.
The Orient Express’ seems to have captured the essence of this other worldly escapism perfectly through the 4 perspectives of a family in their new campaign ~ from Father, Mother, Son, and Daughters views spanning travel via luxurious train, boats to Venice, drives to Rio, and more. The mini films (and matching instagram-esque photo galleries) help you feel like you’re peeking into another life ~ and it’s so fun seeing the same trips from various perspectives… both nostalgic and modern, watching them while curled up in Mallorca, a mere few hours before hopping a 7am flight, just makes me want to duck away into yet another Orient Express styled adventure in luxurious relaxation… but perhaps a few more work bursts before the next one is needed! As for now… take a peek at some of the first few “A Journey Like No Other” videos on the next page ~ and see more on the site!
On great escapes, the Orient Express (and their Journey Like No Other) seems to know how to do it ~ this week in particular we’ve been hiding out at La Residencia in Deia, Mallorca, Spain in between trips (See the madness surrounding this escape and a peek at the views at night). I can guarantee your stress levels will drop ten fold even from the drive in from Palma (or via private jet)… the softly twisting roads bring you deeper into the island’s canyons and terraced lush green hillsides. The hotel and surrounding town have apparently changed little over the last few decades, and before joining the Orient Express family in 2002 was owned by Richard Branson since the late 80s, and a favorite escape for many high profile clients over the years. Luxurious accommodations, great service, and breath taking views… not to mention divine tapas… while you have multiple pools, tennis, spa and lots of hiking, sailing, and more available, it’s hard to beat taking a few hours curled up on the patio of our suite staring out at the mountains and ocean… so take a peek inside the Alfabia suite, our ridiculously large bathroom, luscious four poster bed (with tv that pops out from the foot of the bed)… in addition to a few other fun details ~ from the call buttons that are poolside… to the various donkeys, sheep, and olive groves around the property (which they make their own olive oil from!) as well as an organic garden next to the spa!
p.s.
You have to see the amazing little cove that is a quick walk/hike down into the canyons to the water…
In exactly a week i’ve gone from LA to Frankfurt to a few hours at the Auto Show, doing a live interview with the heads of global communications for Mercedes, to Paris and directly into a car to Reims to visit the Hotel Du Marc of Veuve Clicquot for a few hours, only to be back in Paris by dinner, then driving through France, stopping by a chateau, sleeping on a ferry, only to wake up in the UK and end up at Goodwood, crash for a night in London, and have ended up in Mallorca yesterday. Phew. What. A. Week. Is your head spinning as much as mine right now just reading that?
Well before another week not too dissimilar than the last, the Orient Express has invited me to experience one of their relaxing escapes, and the timing seemed perfect to see the world of Hotel La Residencia, nestled in Deia, Mallorca, Spain while catching my breathe. Currently curled up on the patio lounge chair in a bathrobe with laptop staring out at the most serene town, mountainside, and peeks of ocean 5 minutes away as i write this post. And last night after getting in, you can see the delectable tapas and wine we indulged in… before coming back to a nice bottle of bubbly cava they kindly left for us… at which point i couldn’t not grab my camera and share the stunning star filled night and glow of the town. So before i give you a peek into the room ~ take a look at the breath taking night! Exactly what i needed after quite the euro-whirlwind of a week!
Rubber tree bridges, Argentinian glaciers, and a caravan on the water are all part of this week’s roundup from NotVentures. To find out more about each post, click on its individual image.
I’m all smiles when NOTCOT favorites team up ~ and i really can’t stop grinning when a rough few days get turned around by thoughtful little surprises ~ like this exclusive Dopp Kit from Incase and the Ace Hotel New York which matches the new Incase x Atelier Ace FW2011 collection. Complete with Ace/Incase logos cobranded on the zipper pull ~ and all the favorite Rudy’s Barbershop goodies usually in large pump containers in the Ace NY bathrooms now in adorable mini form ready for other travel adventures! It’s as if they knew i’m running around in a packing frenzy trying to pack for a few weeks in europe, and as i get to organizers, the perfect sized dopp appears. In standard Incase fashion, the quality is amazing, nice sturdy yet soft cotton ~ bright “taffeta” orange interior making it easy to fish around for things. This may just be the perfect bag for the many action HD cameras and mounts and cables and madness i need to pack for this trip! Take a peek at all the details on the next page…
A Zambian safari, an escape in the Philippines and top destinations for volcano lovers are all part of this week’s roundup from NotVentures. To find out more about each post, click on its individual image.
Get ready for the weekend, with a roundup of travel inspiration from NotVentures. This week’s roundup includes picnics in Portland, emigrating to New Zealand and the undiscovered charms of the Antilles! To find out more about each post, click on its individual image.
This week’s roundup from NotVentures includes a 100 mile bikeride, some of the world’s saltiest places and tightrope walking through the Bavarian mountaintops.
We went offroading in the new Range Rover Evoque! I had no idea while wandering around between the beautiful cars on the golf course at The Quail that just behind the course is one of 4 Land Rover Driving Schools. It takes you straight up into the lush trees of Carmel as you twist and turn along their dirt track… occasionally with a camera man popping out as you round a corer ~ after all, this was fun test drive experience Range Rover set up for Quail visitors to experience what the Evoque can really do. The highlight? The glass roof is amazing! And when clean, the pictures and view you get through it are incredible! While having grown up in many SUVs, i must say the clearance in the front was a bit tough, particularly while trying to navigate their offroad course, but there are some UI details that are pretty interesting… take a peek on the next page at the mini-adventure and some Evoque details!
Happy Friday travelers! Space hotels, the Aurora Borealis and safari season are all part of this week’s roundup from NotVentures. To find out more about each post, click on its individual image.
So, who would have thought the Pittsburgh/LA direct flight route (one a day in each direction on United!) would be so awesome. With no wifi, a small plane, magical first class upgrades, food, and super nice crews… with window seats and great timing on the flights to catch sunsets mid flight… i’ve been getting some of the best meditative/ME time! Awesome naps and placemats filled with notes ~ and between naps today i scrambled for my camera as soon as my eyes opened a crack and thought i was in some otherworldly place. Turns out a cloudy day below can make for quite the surreal flight home… some of the shapes were unreal, how did the clouds even make those angles and layers?!?! How did those layers of clouds start to look like a glassy ocean with peeks of the midwestern farmlands below barely showing through? And the way the dramatic shadows change as the sun begins to set… mesmerizing. While cloud watching is fun laying on the grass, staring up at the sky… seeing what creatures and objects you spy… it can be even more amazing from the side, or from within the layers of them! So take a peek at Operation Window Seat’s first Cloud edition on the next page… what do YOU see in them?
p.s.
for whatever reason the first thing my subconscious thought was: care bears + game of thrones. And the picture above looks like a rather pointed submarine with an arrow like periscope… or am i just seeing periscopes since its one of the current NOTlabs research project?
On fun new web resources, loving Google’s Hotel Finder experiment. It has a beautiful UI allowing you to search for hotels in the US filtering by location (with 4pt shapes), dates, price, hotel class & user rating… you can also flip between map and list view and even have hotels in your shortlist in a different color… But my favorite feature is definitely “Highlight popular areas” ~ which is perfect for new cities you are visiting when trying to figure out what hot spots are. Read more about it on the Google Search Blog and see more pics of the details on the next page.
Vast Canadian national parks, sandy dunes and underwater adventures are all part of this week’s roundup from NotVentures. To find out more about each post, click on its individual image.
p.s. I know we seldom back to back round up here ~ but it’s been a rough week or so, so taking a little break in Pittsburgh at the moment, and taking a bit more me time, but will be back to normal in a few days!
As painful as waking up at 4am was to grab a 5am cab to catch a 7am flight out of Mallorca earlier than planned (but for good reason! Off to german adventures to see siblings of my car being made and meet the guy who built my engine! but more on that later) ~ the sunrise was gorgeous out the airplane window from Mallorca to Barcelona… take a peek on the next page!
Wow. So when i first heard about 
On great escapes, the 
In exactly a week i’ve gone from LA to 
I’m all smiles when NOTCOT favorites team up ~ and i really can’t stop grinning when a rough few days get turned around by thoughtful little surprises ~ like this exclusive Dopp Kit from 
We went offroading in the new 
So, who would have thought the Pittsburgh/LA direct flight route (one a day in each direction on United!) would be so awesome. With no wifi, a small plane, magical first class upgrades, food, and super nice crews… with window seats and great timing on the flights to catch sunsets mid flight… i’ve been getting some of the best meditative/ME time! Awesome naps and 
On fun new web resources, loving 
Just got to PIttsburgh for the week ~ woke up mid flight to some fascinating views for 
