Category Archives: Journeys

‘Amazing Hotels, Life Beyond the Lobby’ – Screen Time

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Pandemic Preoccupations. Yes, I’ve enjoyed too much Netflix binging, sharing movie and docuseries faves with friends and colleagues – is Poldark a soap opera, yes! Was Ozarks truly terrifying, yet addictive, yes! My son hung up on me when I inadvertently asked a question that would be revealed in the final episode. Fauda, I adore the lead Israeli actor, Lior Raz, the brooding solider at the heart of the series. He had a nontraditional path to stardom; his role is partly based on his personal service in the Israel Defense Forces. How do I know?  He was in my little Cineplex for three hours every night for 2 weeks! I had scarcely returned from Jordan, the predominantly bleached architecture, a skyline punctuated by gleaming domes and minarets and the sandy landscape was identical to my travels, I had learned a few Arabic words, the costumes, the ethereal call to prayer by the local muezzin, the cuisine and background resonated with my Journey. Wanderlust had barely evaporated. During the pandemic, I’ve adhered to a pretty firm rule of no tv before 5 pm, primarily to maintain my personal dignity; pandemic procedures: cocktails after 5 pm, unless in a foreign country, then no rules apply, or garden lunches – Champers is allowed; all screen binging after 5 pm.

Amman Jordan

Grounded in March after an exquisite 2-week exploration and adventure in Egypt and Jordan followed by several days cocooned at Hotel Bel Air, where I plotted a five-star Hotel Lifestyle – truly, I could live in a hotel for a few weeks every month. Aman Resorts invited me to a travel event, how could I say no? Covid-19 cancelled those reveries. It sounds glamorous, our clients know I stay in every hotel I recommend, but do they know I schlepp a few 60-pound bags with me? Drivers transport me across town and I am warmly welcomed everywhere; my online videos sometimes encourage rivalry between hotels – we can best the elegant Queens Suite in London with the classy Presidential Suite with an immense deck. It’s amusing to arrive and enjoy the furtive smile of the GM and team who surprise me with an OTT (over the top) suite. Champers on ice. Yes, it is a difficult life, and I miss it immensely. Not just the sumptuous suites, but the hotel peeps who have all become my friends, dining with my international partners and catching up on their new exclusive client offerings, wandering to museums, shopping, hearing foreign languages. In between, I perform site inspections at new hotel properties, it’s work, after-all!

My Queens Suite at The Dorchester, London, I shouldn’t have ever left!
The Roosevelt Presidential Suite – where I stayed last year at The Beaumont, London. The fav of one of our clients, he texts when he arrives: Thank you! I know exactly where he is staying!

Living in hotels may belong to novels, these alluring lifestyles have uniquely disappeared, a lingering getaway once belonged to eras past; to the well-heeled, faintly neurotic characters of one my favorite authors, F. Scott Fitzgerald in Tender Is the Night. Or the legendary Gilded Age’s ladies of leisure who sailed with custom Vuitton trunks to Europe every season. A few years ago, in New York, Louis Vuitton presented an enchanting exhibit “Volez, Voguez, Voyagez” or, “Sail, Fly, Travel” – a captivating look at the brand’s history. Subsequently a book was published on the exhibit: ‘Travelers Tales, Bags Unpacked’. It is a beautiful description of travel in another era. The garments were all there: day and evening dresses, clouds of tulle, muslin, feathers, kimono jackets, velvet jackets – essential attire for a certain lifestyle.

“Volez, Voguez, Voyagez” or, “Sail, Fly, Travel”. Manhattan

To alleviate my five-star Hotel Lifestyle withdrawal, I’ve discovered a fun British series: ‘Amazing Hotels, Life Beyond the Lobby’. Presented by television host and writer Giles Coren (How to Eat Out) and chef and restaurateur Monica Galetti (Monica’s Kitchen: Exciting Home Cooking for All Occasions), are globetrotters who visit extraordinary hotels across the globe. In addition to giving viewers a glimpse of hotel areas that are rarely, if ever, seen by regular peeps, Monica and Giles spend time with hotel staff to learn about their work, the establishment, its impact and more — and then take on some of the staffing duties. Season 1 episodes find Monica and Giles visiting Mashpi Lodge in Ecuador, Giraffe Manor in Kenya, Royal Mansour Marrakech in Morocco, Fogo Island Inn in Canada, and Icehotel in Sweden; in Season 2 they travel to The Brando in French Polynesia, Anantara Al Jabal Al Akhdar Resort in Oman, Grand Resort Bad Ragaz in Switzerland, Ashford Castle in Ireland, The Silo in South Africa, and Hacienda Vira Vira in Chile, plus Kulm Hotel in St. Moritz, Switzerland, in the Christmas special.

On arrival, before the suite becomes lived in, take photographs for future blog posts and social media, unpack, respond to emails. Test the bed and scrunch the six pillows, yes, six plush pillows, to form a comfy cocoon, who knew we needed six king size pillows? I belong to The Tribe of the Bed Girl, and work in bed. A king size bed offers bountiful real estate for sleeping, mounds of glossy hotel magazines, work and dining. At home, I sleep in an antique French double bed, purely room for sleep and not much else! Hotel Lifestyle will instill a scrumptious pillow addiction. Of course, the linens are perfectly pressed, and someone watches your whereabouts, if you slip out of the room, all is tidy again on return. One pandemic directive I’ve followed: make my bed every day, to feel slightly civilized. Although my Covid-19 wardrobe has been limited…jammies for winter, sundresses for summer, the gate has been locked since March.

Men of Egypt could have been in Fauda!

Hotel Lifestyle: commute time for client meetings is eliminated – close laptop, mosey amid the tree lined paths or the row of loungers, if I’m in my pool suite and pad down to Wolfgang Puck. When I stay in Beverly Hills, I offer clients and friends a generous invitation – breakfast, lunch cocktails or dinner – at my hotel: Hotel Bel Air or Beverly Hills Hotel, I don’t move, once I arrive, I’m in. For a bit of variety, I may take the hotel car between the sister hotels for meals…my darling niece lives a mile away, she plops at the pool with me for hours of catch up and sharing travel fantasies, her first Journey to Africa was with me – oh, the tales we can tell – lions at our door, and in her magazine bag, spitting Cobras whose venom can blind you, and yet we survived!

Brando Island – amazing property

Hotel Lifestyle – Room service – anything you desire will be delivered with a quick call or iPad swipe. My away from home comfort food used to be a hamburger, over the last few years, Club House sandwiches have reigned. Food I never eat at home, who would prepare and serve? Bacon is not a staple of a plant-based diet! I’ve learned to order a CH sandwich before a travel industry event, much easier to sip wine, gather collateral and chat without an intricate balancing act.

Giraffe Manor, a client favorite Karen, Kenya

I have no intention of replicating the series hosts performing work duties, suite inspection is my specialty! It’s a light fun series with stunning hotels interiors and exteriors. Seeing how local Omani’s have adopted the hospitality business is heartwarming, one grizzled old Omani man is the expert in making rose water for a variety of uses in the hotel. Monica, the chef host, goes to the local animal market to inspect and negotiate the sale of goats for a celebration dinner, who knew you should look at their teeth to understand the age of a goat. You will learn how to pry open a goat’s mouth to calculate its age! If you find hotel towel art droll, several hotels have resident experts, who radiate immense pride in this creative skill.

You can find the series on an Appletv app: Journy.

I find travel the absolute essential antidote to everyday routines. Fresh vistas, foreign languages, interesting foods, curious customs, and people in indigenous dress – seeing places I’ve never seen before. A pleasing adventure of searching new locales for client travel, the pursuit never gets old.

Warning: Wanderlust May Overwhelm you. Be safe, we will wander again.

The Brando Hotel – paradise!

Ana Palza – Bolivian Haute Couture

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Pandemic Travel Activities, in all the travel webinars I’ve appreciated, I never expected a webinar on Bolivian Haute Couture. When one thinks of Bolivia, movie buffs may remember the masked bandits Butch Cassidy and his partner The Sundance Kid who robbed banks and had their final shoot out and are buried in the cemetery in San Vicente. Another action hero, James Bond, finds himself in Bolivia in Quantum of Solace, the quintessentially suave British spy confronts his arch nemesis, who planned to take control of the country’s water supply.

I’ve always wanted to visit Bolivia, a country brimming with diverse travel options: The Amazon, the soaring Andean peaks, and stay in a hotel made entirely from salt at Uyuni, in the incredible bright white salt flats of Bolivia. In spite of a relatively small population, Bolivia is culturally diverse with three official languages: Spanish, Quechua and Aymara.

With over 50% of the population indigenous, Bolivia has the least changing population on the continent. As such, it offers an excellent opportunity to view the remnants of ancient civilization embodied in life today as well as in the old Colonial cities, traditional villages and occasional ruins scattered across the landscape. Bespoke travel Bolivia will enable you to take the best of Bolivia’s highlights. A land of extremes, the country is an adventurers dream – but you needn’t be a hardened adventurer to enjoy luxury travel Bolivia.

We have a cracker jack team to create a bespoke Journey when you are ready to escape!

But back to Bolivian Haute Couture, the webinar was an interview with renowned Bolivian jewelry & clothing designer, Ana Palza. She designs beautiful jewelry and traditional outfits for cholitas, Andean women who have maintained their ancestry through culture and tradition.  Creating haute couture in Paris.

Cholita fashion, Bolivia

Ana Palza was born in La Paz and raised by an American mother who taught her to cherish and celebrate all that is unique about Bolivia. As a child, she would accompany her mother to the market; where she learned to see beauty in the mountains of ají in their brilliant reds and yellows, as well as to appreciate the fragrant Bolivian herbs like quirquiña. To this day, Ana’s biggest inspiration comes from walking through the streets of La Paz.

An amazing highlight of her career, one of Ana’s recent collections of haute couture was presented by eight cholitas at the Cartier Foundation for Modern Art in Paris, France. For the first time, indigenous Bolivian women from the Aymara community modeled their traditional Bolivian attire in Paris, in the capital of haute couture. Ana, who makes jewelry and clothes for mujeres de pollera, accompanied the cholita models to Paris for the three-day event. In an event space designed by famed Bolivian architect Freddy Mamani – whose cholets in El Alto have gained worldwide acclaim as of late. The cholita, or the mujer de pollera, is an iconic representation of Bolivia and La Paz. For Ana, her work is not only about designing jewelry and clothing, but also empowering the very women she designs for.

She has presented her designs in fashion shows across Bolivia and has sold her collection internationally. Her work has also been featured in German documentaries.

Cholita fashion, Bolivia

In a time of great social discord in Bolivia, Ana Palza pioneered the creation of jewelry meant for the Bolivian woman – regardless of class, race or background. Her work draws on rich historical and ancestral motifs, integrating the past with the present to create a product that is both dynamic and authentically Bolivian. She bridges two cultures, honoring the past while creating haute couture for the indigenous woman of today.

Palza, who has created jewelry for 19 years, began to focus on cholita fashion about five years ago. She noted that most jewelry was too expensive to be worn by participants in La Paz’s extravagant Gran Poder – pieces were frequently stolen during the wildly chaotic celebration. Palza wanted to create a line of affordable but elegant jewelry. So instead of using gold or silver, she created pieces using pearls, finding inspiration from the style of the cholitas. Palza then started making clothes after realizing that there were no traditional cholita wedding gowns.

The first thing you notice in Ana Palza’s design studio, Disenos Ana Palza, are the mannequins adorned in colorful cholita dress, outfitted with the iconic bowler hat, plush petticoats, shawl and huge decorative jewelry.

“It wasn’t too long ago when Cholitas would have been shamed for the way they dressed. They were discriminated against in their education, job opportunities and were even banned from certain parts of the city. Now, Cholita fashion is huge and even non-indigenous Bolivians are taking part, like me.” Ana participates regularly with the numerous fashion shows in La Paz, featuring solely Cholita dress. But, the most significant event in Cholita Fashion is Gran Poder, a two week long Christian religious celebration observed by the indigenous community in La Paz.

Traditional Bolivian Women

An important reason why Cholita fashion has become a movement in Bolivia, was the presidential election in 2005 when Evo Morales, Bolivia’s first indigenous president was elected for the first time. His two terms have ushered in pride for Bolivian roots and reduced social injustice. The president was elected for a third term on January 22, 2016 (historically only two, five-year terms have been legal).

The firm we work with is proud to collaborate with these inspiring cholitas and can organize visits to Ana´s atelier providing a unique and memorable experience.

Cholita fashion, Bolivia

Highlights of Bolivia – Seven days
Marvel at the mesmerizing white expanse of the Salt flats of Uyuni, a photographer’s paradise.
Cruise to the Sun Island on Lake Titicaca, the birthplace of the Incas.
Ride La Paz’s cable car network for a unique perspective on the burgeoning capital.
The landscapes and vistas in Bolivia are truly matchless. This landlocked Andean nation boasts some of the most extreme, diverse topographies on the planet. At a dizzying 11,975 feet above sea level, snow-capped mountains frame La Paz. Pristine Lake Titicaca, the highest navigable lake in the world, is so grand it almost looks like an ocean from its shores. The Salar de Uyuni is iconic in its otherworldly splendor. Bolivia’s rusticity makes it a destination best suited to seasoned travelers, but the rewards are plentiful for those with a sense of adventure. Highlights of Bolivia, takes you through Bolivia’s most incredible sights and is designed to take your breath away. Visit the lush Yungas, descending from snow-capped mountains to tropical climes in a day trip from La Paz.

Ana Palza dancing

Two years ago, Ana started Disenos Ana Palza. “We are the only option available in Cholita fashion in the mid-tier price range. But, I know that because we have been successful people will soon start to copy our model. Our competitive advantage is our styles. We mix today’s Cholita fashion with older indigenous styles and modern western flairs. For example, this year our fish and coin jewelry has been very popular.”

Ana Palza, Bolivia
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