Beijing Wine Classic Debuts

Beijing may be better known for tea than wine, but Amanresorts would like to change that. On November 13, the Aman at Summer Palace will host the first Aman Beijing Wine Classic, a weekend that celebrates food, wine, and local culture. The debut event will feature several notable California producers, …

Grand Openings: Bahian Bliss

Wilbert Das, creative director of the Diesel clothing company, made sure that no trees were felled during the construction of his Uxua Casa Hotel in the picturesque fishing village of Trancoso, Brazil. Originally intended as Das’ vacation home, the nine-room Bahian retreat—which is located about a 10-minute walk from the …

Grand Openings: Base Hit

Dakota Mountain Lodge is at the brink of something big. Geographically speaking, the Park City, Utah, hotel sits at the edge of the Canyons, the fifth-largest ski area in the United States. And while the Canyons has never been as fashionable as the nearby Deer Valley and Park City Mountain …

Sport: Fit to a Ski

Head to any ski mountain and you will find demo stations tempting you to take a brand-new pair of skis out for a spin. Ski shops also encourage test-drives of their inventory—which is neatly categorized by skiing style (all-mountain, carving, or powder)—so purchasing the right pair should be easy. "Except …

Grand Openings: Trail Mix

Ancient Banyan trees and 17,000 swaying palms shade the trails at Shangri-La’s Villingili Resort and Spa in the Maldives. The resident biologist at the private-island resort, which opened in July, leads tours along the trails, pointing out wildlife and plants such as the noni, the basis of Maldivian remedies for …

Travel: Mounting a Challenge

Of all the things that London seems to be short on—sunshine and dispassionate cabbies, to name two—gilded shopping byways certainly are not among them. From Notting Hill’s Westbourne Grove and Brompton Cross in Knightsbridge to Belgravia’s Motcomb Street and the burgeoning Shoreditch Triangle, avenues lined with fashionable boutiques can be …

Map of the Spas

After an exhilarating day on the slopes outside Garmisch-Partenkirchen, in the Bavarian Alps, my friend Ted and I decided to unwind with a swim and sauna in a spa. Nobody had mentioned to us that this particular sauna was a) coed and b) nude—well, not totally nude: Ted and I …