Here’s to a cracking Year of the Dragon [Photo: Alamy/Destination MO]

Dear hearts, if you’re in Hong Kong over Chinese New Year, you just lucked out. Traditionally, the holiday is a time for families to gather at home to eat, drink, and eat some more, which means the usually frantic city is gloriously peaceful, and all yours to explore. What’s more, this year’s zodiac is the prime symbol of good fortune, so what better fortuity could befall you than to be in Hong Kong to meet that Dragon? As ever, we love to share our faves with you Leggy Lovelies, so here are some top tips on what to see, do and eat in the Fragrant Harbour, compiled for Mandarin Oriental’s Destination MO magazine by the man behind LUXE City Guides, Grant Thatcher. Kung hei fat choi, darlings!

Want more fab tips on Hong Kong? Check out the LUXE Hong Kong guide, or download the handy app with maps.

Clearly not a dragon, but oh-so-cute

Wouldn’t you know it, the Christmas tinsel is barely down and it’s already time to get your house in order for Chinese New Year. The omens are especially auspicious this year, the Year of the Dragon, the most powerful and luckiest sign in the Chinese zodiac. It’s your best chance in many moons to make it rich, and the year will see a boom in weddings and babies as couples seek to cash in on the dragon’s charms. To help you on your way to prosperity, here are eight lucky greetings to bring in the new year. Gracious, is there an obsession with money or what?

Kung hei fat choi: May you be prosperous

Sum seung si sing: May all your wishes come true

Nin nin yau yu: May you have an abundance of money, year after year

Yut bun maan lei: May a small investment bring 10,000 times the profit

Saang yi hing lung: May your business thrive and prosper

Sing gwoon fat choi: May you get a job promotion and handsome pay rise

Lung ma tsing sun: May you have the energy and vigour of a dragon and horse (wishing the elderly longevity)

Cheut yup ping on: May you come and go in peace (especially useful for travel)

The LUXE Life Q&A

Eric Standop, Face Reader

Wouldn’t it be great if you could learn to suss out that handsome Henry (or sexy Susie) that just invited you to dinner, simply by looking at his or her face? Well, according to face reading and nutrition guru Eric Standop, who’s been in the biz for over seven years and trained under one of the last masters of face reading, you can. That’s not all, Eric, also a trained nutritionist, can point to illness and nutritional deficiencies just from facial cues in the skin, lips and eyes too. Based in Germany, Eric is well versed in the ancient art of face reading, including the Chinese version siang mien, and Greek and Roman physiognomy techniques, and travels the world over for consultations. While in Hong Kong working with The Mandarin Spa at the Mandarin Oriental Hong Kong, Eric found time to divulge a few juicy tidbits about his unique skill.

Read more…

Marble-lous [Photo: szgmc.ae]

Happy Friday, poppets! For today’s travel inspiration, we whip along to Dubai’s sensible big brother, Abu Dhabi, for the architecturally mind blowing Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque. At 22,412 square metres, the imposing site is equivalent to five football fields and big enough to accommodate 40,000 worshippers – it is in fact the largest mosque outside of Mecca. You’re bound to need a little R&R after tottering around, so head to the shiny show-stopper Rocco Forte Hotel for the spa and hamman, or go straight for the Blue cocktail bar in the 11-storey glass atrium, complete with panoramas of the twinkling city below.

Grand ol' reception featuring five of the said pillars

If historical, old-world elegance tickles your fancy but you can’t do without your luxury mod cons, then be sure to check out (or into) the beautiful 137 Pillars House boutique hotel. Set a block back from Chiang Mai’s Mae Ping River, this 19th century former teak residence of the manager of the East Borneo Company, has been transformed into a charming 30-suite getaway in the ‘Rose of the North’.

Read more…

Suiboku - gorgeous, stylish, commodius, and a LUXE fave

Calling all ski bunnies, this is a WIN WITH LUXE you won’t want to miss! To celebrate the launch of the brand new LUXE Niseko mobile app, we’re giving away FIVE nights in a two-bedroom loft at the gorgeous Suiboku in powder paradise, Niseko United Resort, Japan. An ode to industrial-luxe in a hard-to-beat location on the main street in Upper Hirafu village (and a mere two-minute trot or 20-second ski to the lifts), the loft comes complete with a roaring fireplace, heated floors, Japanese soaking tub, breathtaking Mt. Yotei views and much, much more. It doesn’t stop there though, we’re also throwing in an iPhone 4, so you can take full advantage of our fab app about where to ski and eat once you’re there. Now how’s that for a prize?

All you have to do is sign in or register here to enter. The lucky winner will be announced on our Facebook page, so keep those peepers peeled. Easy!

Whoosh you were here...

Dear hearts, forget about post-holiday blues, it’s time to start planning your next trip, and this week, we’re dreaming of whooshing down the slopes of Zermatt in the Swiss Alps, with the stunning Matterhorn as backdrop. After a worryingly slow start to the 2011/2012 ski season, it finally began to snow heavily before Christmas and it’s still snowing. Bed down right in the centre of town at the sleek, chic and spacious Zur Matte B apartments, which are great value despite the strength of the Swiss Franc. What’s more, guests have complimentary access to the fabulous pool and spa facilities of swank neighbour Mont Cervin Palace hotel. Zermatt has plenty of good restaurants, and one of our favourite meals of 2011 was at the mountain restaurant Zum See – we’re still drooling over their sweetbreads with morel cream sauce and noodles, and save room for the Napoleon slice too. Skis on!

Cheeky brekky moment

Happy new year, dear globetrotting hearts! We at LUXE are kicking off 2012 with our regular travel column for Singapore Airlines’ new website silverkris.com. This month, it’s all about keeping chipper on hols with the wee nippers in tow, and no one in Asia does family as well as Singapore. Blessed with lots of verdant public space and parkland, wide pram-friendly footpaths, an extensive and easy-to-use public transport network, high levels of safety and cleanliness, fantastically eclectic food everywhere you turn and a ton of indoor and outdoor activities, the Lion City is almost purpose-built for children. Only stopping for a layover? Not to worry, we’ve packed all our faves into a short and sweet one-day itinerary, so all you need do is round up the kids, and go. Easy peasy.

Don’t forget, silverkris.com readers get an exclusive promo code to score 15% off Little LUXE Singapore, and all other LUXE guides and boxsets. Parents, rejoice!