COVID-19 Cocoon Bursting

In five to 21 days, a butterfly stays inside their chrysalis or cocoon and transform over time to become a moth or butterfly. The magic within the cocoon has not translated quite as well with our own cocoon or shelter in place process. We are just emerging from over 60 days of quarantine and the Pandemic Cocoon is bursting with clients craving travel or at least seeking a fresh horizon. After sheltering at home with work and family responsibilities, we mourn our long planned exotic summer Journeys, all cancelled and everyone in need of a protected escape.

Nantucket - Wikipedia
Nantucket

We spent two weeks in quest of an elusive coastal beach house, we felt it was a jester’s dream, the client gave up the idea of driving to the sea and we uncovered several sensational Right Coast compounds. In the hunt, we rounded up a secluded private ranch in Colorado, a buy out at a former Rockefeller Adirondack Great Camp on Saranac Lake, had options at an amazing western ranch in Santa Fe – if you are looking for isolated exclusives there isn’t much left for summer in the U.S. Yacht charters vary, as the sea borders off the east coast open up, call to discuss options!

Hotel Bel-Air Plunge Beverly Hills
Hotel Bel-Air Suite with Pool Beverly Hills

Hotels – a few of our VV Favorite are open now! Hotel Bel Air and The Beverly Hills Hotel, with numerous isolated bungalows and suites are safe steps back into civilization, the pool is open, restaurants are slowly opening with limited seating. Our Diamond Club Membership assures best of stay amenities! Spa service at all hotels may not open until end of summer. https://www.gwenbooks.com/2020/03/state-of-emergency-why-not-stay-awhile/https://www.gwenbooks.com/2018/05/hotel-bel-air-brief-break/

UPDATE ON opening The Beverly Hills Hotel
Wednesday, June 3: Soft Opening, Hotel Guests Only
Sunday, June 7: Full Re-Opening, All Guests Welcome
Hours of Operation:
Polo Lounge 8am-10pm
Cabana Café 10am-5pm
• Reservations are highly suggested due to our limited seating capacity with a max party size of 6 people
• There is no bar seating available and all guests are required to order food (no parties for “drinks only”)
• Guests are required to wear facial coverings at all times other than when they are seated at their tables
• Fountain Coffee Shop and Bar Nineteen12 will remain closed until further notice
• The swimming pool remains open and available to our guests 10am-5pm only so that social distancing guidelines can be enforced by our lifeguard and security team.
• Pool Cabanas will remain complimentary on a first come, first served basis until further notice.
• We are working on finalizing menus and will get them updated on the website ASAP.

Hotel Bel-Air
Currently with the existing restrictions we will not be opening the Bar and Lounge.
• June 3, Wednesday – Soft opening inviting hotel guests only at WP restaurant.
• June 7, Sunday- Full re-opening for WP restaurant and opening the “Garden/Fireplace Bar” which is a new estate dining area designed to extend the bar and lounge to our grounds – all guests welcome.
Hours of Operation:
WP restaurant 7:00 am – 11:00 am breakfast, 11:00-3:00 pm Lunch, 5:00 – 10:00 pm dinner
Garden Bar 2:00 pm- 10:00 pm
• As we are following social distancing protocols we have limited seating in the restaurant so reservations are highly recommended for all guests.
• Facial coverings are required for all guests entering and dining and can only be removed once they are seated at their tables.
• Max party size at our tables is currently 6 and under.
• The pool is open for swimming with food and beverage available from 9:00 am- 5:00 pm.


Malibu Beach Inn – while it doesn’t offer bungalows, the sea air, delicious farm to table dining and beach walks are guaranteed to provide a stress-free escape. I’ve stayed several times and absolutely adore this sweet property. The Northwest corner room has divine views, one-bedroom suite is a bit larger, but all rooms are simply scrumptious – take me to the beach! If you drive, make it a coastal drive from the bay area and stop in Santa Barbara and Montecito. https://www.gwenbooks.com/2019/10/malibu-beach-inn/

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Suite Malibu Beach Inn
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Malibu Beach Inn, Beach lounging!

Montecito – Santa Barbara. Four Seasons Resort The Biltmore Santa Barbara, an enchanting escape, the divine combination of secluded garden casitas and the Coral Casino pool complex will surely suffice on a toasty sunny day. Oh, and the recently opened Ty Warner Villa – unique beachfront hideaway! Within the main building, we recently reserved the best ocean view rooms, 702 and 703. Our darling British clients raved about the comfort and the views, ‘brilliant and immensely happy’ was their actual description! Tucked between the Pacific and the Santa Ynez Mountains, a historic hideaway on the American Riviera. Set within 22 lush acres, woven with secluded courtyards, fountains and sun-dappled, red-brick pathways lit by gas lanterns, our Spanish Colonial villas and bungalows invoke the same casual glamour that first delighted Hollywood’s power players in the 1930. Particular suites include access to the famed Coral Casino Club. Think South of France setting, take a dip in one of the largest hotel swimming pools in the world – or just sunbathe beside it, overlooking the Pacific Ocean and Channel Islands from the second-story, peninsula sundeck. Sip a cocktail up in the Crow’s Nest, enjoy a soak in the oceanfront whirlpool, then walk down to Butterfly Beach through the Club’s private, gated stairway.
https://www.gwenbooks.com/2019/10/malibu-beach-inn/

Four Seasons Biltmore Resort, Ty Warner Villa

Further afield: Four Seasons Maldives Private Island – Voavah. A heavenly hideaway, a sublime sanctuary offering the utmost in privacy and iconic Four Seasons pampering at the world’s first exclusive-use UNESCO hideaway, Voavah. A seven-bedroom private island Maldives home, the sojourn includes a 62-foot luxury yacht: Voavah Summer and a marine territory that’s utterly your own! Voavah, private island is a welcome addition to the two luxurious Four Seasons Resorts in the Maldives.

Four Seasons Maldives

Our mantra on the art of the opening act, your arrival sets the stage: with a personal VIP Seaplane, alighting on the pristine pure white sand, your private beach! Tip toe over the scuttling white shelled hermit crabs and the delicious dilemma develops, what shall you do first: laps in the pool, a discovery afternoon of diving or casting, or snooze until sunset? Decisions, decisions!

Sneak peek: accommodating up to 22 guests in seven bedrooms, with its own chefs, staff, private spa, and a 65-foot-long PADI equipped motor yacht with a dedicated dive master. This extraordinary five-acre, island paradise is your private playground – retreat or indulge in the total privacy as a castaway!
https://www.gwenbooks.com/2018/02/four-seasons-maldives-private-island-voavah

Border status changes every day, our clients are not ready to leave for far flung out of country destinations yet, but if high-end properties and Villas for summer are sold out, we would advise you think of Festive Season asap… High on my list for December is Bhutan, time to trek!

Be well, we are ready to plan your dream Journeys!

Aman Transformative Wellness

In this traumatic and stressful time, it was inevitable to be personally connected to a heartbreak, a friend who owns a travel firm has lost two of her clients, until this pandemic personally touches you, it may not feel as real.

Bonded to televisions and social media for news or Netflix binging, we send you our heartfelt message: be safe, be well. There will be time to explore and celebrate life again but hunkering down maintaining your health is paramount for the universe. Have you noticed the brilliant blue sky on our robin egg blue sky days? The gemstone blue in the midst of the colossal cumulous clouds? The air feels fresher, brighter and cleaner, the roads and skies are practically empty, a little prezzie to the universe. A silver lining.

Barely a few months ago, one of my last escapades was to Hotel Bel Air as a guest of Aman for their yearly road show – a gathering of Aman hotel GM’s sharing their amazing lodges. I’m profoundly guilty of the depiction: Aman-junkie. If you haven’t stayed at an Aman property, add to the top of your must stay list! Distinctive hotels in exceptionally unique locations; the settings are spectacular; arrival welcome ceremony sets the stage for an unparalleled visit. A visit to Amanbagh in India left me in awe, an individual blessing by a small army of Sari clad staff, etherial flute music, gifts of local craftsmen, oh and always a fragrant chilled cloth to dab away the travails of travels, accompanied by a refreshing chilled infusion – based on indigenous fruit. 

Amanbagh Welcome Ceremony
Amanbagh Arrival Ceremony

Beverly Hills, we were traditionally welcomed as well, the Aman Road Show arrival didn’t disappoint. Greeted with mounds of brilliant flower petals, our path guided by petals trailing to the dimmed lounges; linger to listen to a woman melodiously performing a sound bath, exotic vibrations setting the stage for the event. Smoky aromatic burning sage scented the air in the darkened space, I was approached by a few of the wellness experts to share a healing ceremony. Getting comfy on a stool, the wellness director offered to gently perform Auricular Acupuncture, a diagnostic and treatment system based on normalizing the body’s dysfunction through stimulation of definite points on the ear. He gently pierced the outside of my ears with small seeds, to be left in place until falling out. Ear acupuncture, is a technique similar to reflexology. My next few days at Hotel Bel Air were very relaxing, perhaps a combination of ear acupuncture and the perfect hotel environment!

On to Wellness! Aman has perfected Individual Wellness Immersions at many of their resorts. From the hammams of Morocco to the hot springs of Japan, Aman Wellness offers a journey of reawakening. Across the globe, they integrate local spa rituals with indigenous ingredients, a profoundly therapeutic touch, and a gentle sense of joy and discovery. They believe that reconnecting with your and the purity of Nature offers a means to rediscover the universe inside the Self.

Amanbagh Pool Suite

Amanbagh. Escape to a secret garden estate in India’s rugged Aravalli Hills and reconnect within the rose-pink, Mughal-inspired sanctuary that is Amanbagh. Drawing on India’s remarkable wellness heritage, Amanbagh’s Ayurvedic Immersions offer a unique experience of this 5,000-year-old system of preventive medicine. I stayed and relished a pleasing afternoon in the Wellness Spa. After my massage, we wandered slowly in our robes, returning to our suites when the British GM greeted us and invited us for tea – we protested our attire, and he said no, come to the garden for tea with us – you are perfectly fine! So, we sat, in our fluffy white robes and sipped tea and munched traditional cookies with the GM and his utterly charming wife. https://www.aman.com/resorts/amanbagh

Memories are made at Aman.

Amanpuri - Luxury Resort & Hotel in Phuket, Thailand - Aman
Amanpuri

Amanpuri. Inspired by its serene tropical setting on the shores of Thailand’s Andaman Sea, Amanpuri invites you to experience one of its multi-day Original or Intensive Individual Wellness Immersions. Designed to promote profound change with the support of a diverse wellness team and a dedicated wellness chef, these carefully calibrated programs aim to steer you onto a new path making full use of the resort’s extensive wellness facilities. Whether you seek to shift unwanted weight and its emotional root causes, deep cleanse your entire system or manage stress, Amanpuri’s Immersion experiences ensure palpable results and a deep sense of inner peace and happiness. Amanpuri’s Wellness Centre provides a range of adaptable wellbeing programs tailored from start to finish to meet personal goals. Offering condensed one- and two-day sessions, as well as Original and Intensive Immersions lasting three nights or more, the Centre’s scope ranges from medically led therapies to holistic treatments designed to alleviate stress and lift the spirit. https://www.aman.com/resorts/amanpuri

Amanyara. Throughout the year, Amanyara welcomes some of the world’s most accomplished experts for an exclusive series of specialized wellness programs. The calendar of visiting specialists includes revered practitioners in health, fitness and holistic wellbeing traditions from all over the globe – ranging from masters of Traditional Chinese Medicine and acupuncture to world-leading sports therapists and monks. Movement, mindfulness and spa therapies amid year-round sunshine of Turks and Caicos. Traditional Chinese Medicine takes a holistic approach to wellbeing, working on preventing illness by addressing every individual’s unique patterns of disharmony – the areas of imbalance that could lead to ill health. ​Conducted by a certified TCM practitioner, Amanyara’s Traditional Medicine Immune Support Retreat will begin with an in-depth TCM consultation and be tailored to each individual’s specific needs. Personalized retreat programs will include TCM therapies, complementary spa treatments, a comprehensive nutrition plan, herbal supplements, breathing and medication classes and private cardiovascular exercise sessions. https://www.aman.com/resorts/amanyara

Amanyara - Luxury Turks & Caicos Resort - Aman
Amanyara

Amanera. Inspired by the shamanic healing traditions of the Taíno Indians, the jungle-cocooned clifftop spa at Amanera combines the Caribbean’s plants and herbs with enriching natural blends from the Aman Skincare range. Amanera’s holistic approach to fitness and wellbeing encompasses a menu of massages, facials, scrubs and wraps, as well as transformative signature Spa Journeys to bring about lasting change. Unique to Hispaniola, larimar is a rare blue gemstone believed to encourage physical and emotional healing, closely linked to the phases of the moon. Amanera’s signature lunar journey therapies pair the chakra-balancing influence of larimar with a palo santo smudging ceremony, a traditional Dominican ritual featuring the aromatic smoke of the sacred wood. Join us in learning how the forces of the moon govern and empower the human physical and emotional healing. Embodying the ancient Taíno methods of medicinal herbal wisdom, guests will discover the abundant flora and fauna surrounding Amanera through various outdoor excursions. Activities include sunrise yoga and meditation, a cacao eco tour, boat trips to bird sanctuaries or mangroves and jungle hikes embracing nature and its healing, restorative qualities. 

Amanera - Playa Grande, Dominican Republic
Amanera

A beach, jungle and adventure paradise, with kite surfing, horse riding and mountain exploration. Adjacent to world-renowned 18-hole championship golf course, with 10 holes on ocean cliffs. Nature-immersed Caribbean retreat Backed by verdant jungle with all-encompassing ocean views, Amanera commands a dramatic location on the Dominican Republic’s pristine north coast. Perched above the gold sands of legendary Playa Grande Beach alongside the island’s most exclusive golf course. https://www.aman.com/resorts/amanera

Amanjiwo. Java Indonesia Located just two kilometers from the UNESCO site of Borobudur – the ninth-century Buddhist temple and the world’s biggest Buddhist monument – Amanjiwo is a timeless sanctuary in central Java. Named ‘Peaceful Soul’ for the serenity, privacy and beauty of its setting, the resort provides the ideal location in which to focus on wellbeing. https://www.aman.com/resorts/amanjiwo

Amanjiwo

Amanoi. The first of their kind in Asia, Amanoi’s two Wellness Villas combine the comforts of the resort’s villa accommodation with the unparalleled convenience of private spa facilities.  Wellness Villas are nestled in the tranquil setting of the Núi Chúa National Park in Vietnam and are surrounded with lush greenery and peaceful white sand beaches. Each includes a double treatment room, steam room and outdoor pool, as well as a hammam or Russian banya, making them the ultimate wellness option for Immersion guests. Surrounded by Nui Chua National Park on the shores of Vinh Hy Bay, Amanoi invites you to experience one of its Individual Wellness Immersions, a spa retreat designed to promote profound change. https://www.aman.com/resorts/amanoi

Amanoi

Amanemu. Pilgrimage and Purification, 3- to 14-night programs. The region around Amanemu is historically one of pilgrimage and purification, from the shrines of Ise to the Kumano Kodo pilgrim paths and the sacred surrounding forests. Peppered with natural hot springs, the area has a centuries-old association with onsen bathing, a ritual traditionally enjoyed from the sanctuary of a ryokan retreat. All of this informs Amanemu’s Wellness Immersions, drawing on specialized Japanese therapies to steer you gently on a new path. https://www.aman.com/resorts/amanemu

Amanemu

Amanzoe. Personalized pathways to a better self. Signature programs starting from three nights. Taking place in one of the great healing centers of the ancient world, Amanzoe’s Individual Wellness Programs are comprehensive wellbeing programs, expertly tailored to the wellbeing needs and health goals of every guest. Lasting three nights or more, both cleansing and weight-management pathways balance movement, nutrition and mental and spiritual elements to deliver meaningful, lasting change in body and mind.

Designed to holistically strengthen and support your immune system, these impeccably curated programs aim to boost your overall wellbeing by taking a multifaceted approach to the prevention of disease. https://www.aman.com/resorts/amanzoe

Amanzoe

Amanpuri. Wellness programs designed for you. Starting from 3-5-night programs, each resort offers an experience tailored to your individual goals. Designed to promote profound change, these carefully calibrated programs aim to gently steer you on a new path. Targeted and tailored down to the finest detail, the Immersions have a journey-like nature and are named to reflect their goals. Mindfulness & Stress Management is exclusively an Original Immersion, while Weight Management & Transformation and Detox & Cleansing are offered as both Original and Intensive Immersions. Recovery & Sport Rehabilitation and Rejuvenation & Optimal Wellbeing are exclusively offered as Intensive Immersions. https://www.aman.com/resorts/amanpuri

Deciding on a wellness path can be overwhelming, as often every option appeals. Aman’s Wellness Concierges connect with you before your arrival to guide you through the different wellness choices available and assist in choosing the experience best suited to your needs. A broad choice of locations: Amanpuri, Amanbaugh, Amanyara, Amanoi, Amanemu, and one of my favorites outside of Athens Amanzoe.

Reinvigorate your immune system with Aman, perhaps this would be a perfect family Journey after hunkering down during these jittery times.

https://www.aman.com/wellness

Please let us know if we can help you make an Aman decision. Be Well, be Safe.