Cave hunting in Thailand, stunning Sardinia and a 48 hour adventure in Amman are all part of this week’s roundup from NotVentures. To find out more about each destination, click on its individual image.
Visits to an elephant camp, idyllic Antarctica and the Valley of the Sliding Stones are all a part of this week’s roundup from NotVentures. To find out more about each adventure, click on its individual image.
A secret river under London, touring JPL and islands to visit before they disappear are all a part of this week’s roundup NotVentures. To find out more about each post, click on its individual image.
Our London-based editor Justine Aw catches up with the latest action from the London Design Festival!
Stunning. It really is all about the details in this beautiful wooden steamer trunk. Method furniture created ‘The Journeyman’, a modern portmanteau steamer trunk for a jeanmaker. The trunk was created in collaboration with Denham and is a modern take on a classic design to be used for both display and transportation of stock. The framework of the piece is constructed of solid ash and gently curved rather than straight, almost canoe-like, creating greater rib-strength and allowing the trunk to rest comfortably on its side. The design is thoughtful and elegant throughout as well as lovingly constructed by hand with over 200 interconnected traditional joins and over 150 hand-Japanned custom engineered fixings. See pictures of it from London Design Week as well as the making-of video, pics, and sketches on the next page…
After the Mercedes-Benz Bremen factory, we drove down about 6 hours (Fun! Intense! Autobahn adventures!) to Stuttgart ~ and getting in around midnight, we promptly settled in to Der Zauberlehrling, a cute little design hotel, with only a few hours to work, clean up, sleep ~ and hop back on the road by morning! Nestled in the Sunrise room, you can get a peek at the unique space! The patio made me wish i colud have stayed longer to relax a bit! See it all on the next page.
This one is for everyone who keeps asking me where i am… and an excuse as to why i’ve been so behind on emails/everything. 9/11: FLY Los Angeles to Frankfurt. 9/14 FLY Frankfurt to Paris. DRIVE Paris to Reims. TRAIN Reims to Paris. 9/15 DRIVE Paris to Ouistreham. FERRY to Dover. 9/16 DRIVE to Chichester. DRIVE to London. 9/17 FLY to Mallorca. 9/21 FLY to Barcelona. FLY to Hamburg. DRIVE to Bremen. DRIVE to Stuttgart. 9/22 DRIVE to Affaltarbach. DRIVE to Stuttgart. FLY to Frankfurt. FLY to Nice. 9/23 DRIVE to Monaco. DRIVE to Ventimiglia. DRIVE to Monaco. 9/24 FLY (Helicopter!) to Nice. FLY to Munich. Which is where i am now! Hiding out, catching up for a day ~ then more adventures and hopefully on 9/27 FLY home to LA. As to what comes after that ~ a few things up in the air, but hope you understand why it’s been a bit crazy! So far its been planes (and helicopters) and trains and cars (both super vintage and SUPER new) and a ferry…
On amazing little journeys ~ we started at the dock/house/helipad area on the water where we originally met the group of Mercedes-AMG SLS Roadsters… and our bags were waiting for us to head to the airport… via helicopter! So i have some video of the quick flight along the Cote du Azur as well as the landing (i felt like i was in a toy as we came in to land, it’s fun riding shotgun!) Then on to a quick Nice to Munich flight… over the alps, which are always stunning. The shadows. The way the snowy mountain tips peek through the fluffy clouds. The melting snow into lakes. The tiny green towns tucked between it all… and before landing there were amazing amounts of teeny tiny sail boats below out in a lake! Take a peek at all of it on the next page!
Get inspired for your next adventure with this roundup from NotVentures. This week’s picks include hot restaurants in Paris, a guide to Budapest and Istanbul reimagined. To find out more about each post, click on its individual image.
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…
p.s. THANK YOU, Incase + Ace!
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.
