Food, Travel  | May 13th 2013
Prohibition takes Phnom Penh

Prohibition takes Phnom Penh

Last year we were (and frankly, are still) hopelessly, romantically giddy about Phnom Penh sunset sipper The Bungalows, but there’s a svelte new after-dark drink den in town and she goes by Bar.sito. With the resurgent speakeasy phenomenon having taken the world by storm, sure enough Cambodia is the latest to partake: Bar.sito occupies a tricky-to-find space down an unmarked alleyway, but boy is she worth the extra effort to locate. Slip into this warm, woody cubbyhole and you’ll find some of the very best cocktails in town, from Mint Juleps to Bloody Marys (arguably the best in PP) to good ol’ Martis, and blessedly none of the tourist faff. GPS out!

240½ Alleyway, Phnom Penh. Closed Mon. T: +855 77 555 447.

Faff & Faddle  | May 10th 2013

 

Redefining luxury at the Raffles Dubai

Sign us up for some R&R at the Raffles Dubai, stat

Welcome back to our weekly LUXE Links, in which we source some of the week’s best reads from around the web and around the world. Get clickin’, chickens!

Glam fash all over the Red Carpet at the 2013 Met Ball for this year’s Punk-themed exhibit [Vogue]

A look back at the short-lived but much-loved Holiday mag, for glam travel tidbits circa 1948 [VF]

After her extensive nip/tuck, Baselworld unveiled a fabulous new look at this year’s watch fair [T]

Finally: Inside the mind (and medicine cabinet) of our fave street style photog, Garance Dore [ITG]

The Middle East redefines luxury with 21,500 sq ft of opulence at the Raffles Dubai [Hotel Chatter]

Travel  | May 8th 2013
Central city stunner

Central city stunner

The hippest addition to Hong Kong’s happening hotel scene came with the April unveiling of Hotel Indigo, the ultra-mod hotel chain that swept the US and Europe before setting its sights on Asia. At its brand new home base, the hotel boasts colourful suites with wood floors, floor-to-ceiling windows and oriental-inspired decor throughout, from wall mosaics to hanging lanterns. With mod cons like complimentary WiFi, fab city centre position amidst the Wan Chai bustle, and come June, a glass-bottomed rooftop infinity pool sure to give fearless guests a unique angle on the city, Indigo’s ticking all the right boxes. But until the pool officially opens next month, slip on the stilettos and head up to the 29/F rooftop Skybar for snacks and sips under the stars, or get a taste of local flavour at the second floor restaurant Cafe Post, which seeks to fill big shoes by promising Wan Chai’s best coffee. With fab digs, views, and eats, Indigo’s in business!

246 Queen’s Road East. T: +852 3926 3888. W: ihg.com

For more of HK’s hippest hotels, check out the LUXE Hong Kong guide or download the handy app with maps!

Faff & Faddle  | May 3rd 2013
Argos in Cappadocia - Turkish extravagance, unearthed

Argos in Cappadocia, true Turkish extravagance

Welcome back to our weekly LUXE Links, in which we source some of the week’s best reads from around the web and around the world. Get clickin’, chickens!

Noma, ousted from #1 by El Celler de Can Roca, on 2013′s World’s 50 Best Restaurants list [Eater]

Up close and personal with Prada’s Great Gatsby – crystals, feathers and fur galore [Fashionologie]

Now open: Mandarin Oriental in Pudong, Shanghai, plus a presidential sneak peek [Destinasian]

The new hybrid, top-to-toe gent’s outfitters are part bespoke, part rock n’ roll [How To Spend It]

Travel inspiration: Turkey’s Cappadocia hotel gives new meaning to Ottoman opulence [Tablet]

Faff & Faddle  | May 2nd 2013
Luxuriate in this Alpine abode

Luxuriate in this Alpine abode

Dear hearts, we are thrilled to introduce you to our brand new online hotel bookings site, LUXE Offers! With monthly, highly-curated flash deals, our sassy booking engine brings the latest and greatest global luxury digs direct to you, with all the five-star indulgence but without the wallet-crippling prices. Right now, our handpicked hot offers include a 50% discount at Shanghai siren The Mansion Hotel, 30% off Richard Branson’s stunning The Lodge Verbier in Switzerland, and Maltese paradise at five-star Corinthia Palace, for over 40% off!

Book now to receive a discount voucher exclusive to LUXE members, and with each booking you make, enjoy a complimentary LUXE City Guide of your choice! Frequent fliers can rest assured that the travel-savvy LUXE team will regularly select more of the best offers worldwide, so pack your passports and get ready, jet-set… Go!

Food, Travel  | April 30th 2013
No kitschy chalet decor here...

No kitschy chalet decor here…

The hills are alive… the Beverly Hills, that is. With what you ask? Well, it’s the not the sound, but the taste of Austria at Bernhard Mairinger’s widely acclaimed restaurant, BierBeisl. Humble, unassuming and surprising, Mairinger’s light and delicious take on the traditionally heavy cuisine has had Los Angeles foodies scrambling to secure a table at the diminutive concrete-and-wood diner. There’s home-cured char (bacon), creamy gulasch and a lush signature sausage menu, not to mention an extensive, boomsadaisy-inspiring fine Eau de Vie schnapps and European beer list. Yodel-ay-hee-hoo, Bernie!

9669 South Santa Monica Blvd, Beverly Hills. T: +1 310 271 7274. W: bierbeisl-la.com

For more of LA’s best eateries, check out our LUXE Los Angeles guide or download the handy mobile app with maps!

Faff & Faddle  | April 26th 2013
An Umbrian paradise

We’ve just located paradise and it goes by the name of Umbria, Italy…

Welcome back to our weekly LUXE Links, in which we source some of the week’s best reads from around the web and around the world. Get clickin’, chickens!

Tokyo trips: a trad Japanese ryokan gets a swish spruce (hello, in-house hot springs!) [Wallpaper]

One for the wishlist - Noma chef René Redzepi’s upcoming 3-volume cookbook and journal [Eater]

Three words – Brian Atwood’s closet. Need we say more? Behold, stiletto heaven [The Coveteur]

One of our fave LA hangs, the Trails Cafe in Griffith Park, with fab perch for pooches too [The Selby]

Italy’s Castello di Reschio is what the doc ordered for ultimate Umbrian opulence [The Coolhunter]

Food, Travel  | April 24th 2013
Steph's sassy little sis [Photo: Thrillist]

Steph’s sassy little sis [Photo: Thrillist]

Little Goat may be younger sis to Top Chef alum Stephanie Izard’s smash hit Girl and the Goat, but that’s precisely where the ‘little’ ends. Clocking in at an impressive 8,200 sq ft, and boasting a covers-all-bases credo, the not-so-small Chicago venue incorporates a retro diner serving classic-with-a-twist Americana plates, coffee shop, artisan bread store filled with baker Greg Wade’s heavenly sourdough, private dining area and cooking school. And if that weren’t enough, the diner ramps up after dark with sixteen rotating taps serving local craft beer, plus solid wine and party-starting cocktail lists. Go big, go Goat!

820 W. Randolph, Chicago. T. +1 312 492 6262. W: littlegoatchicago.com

For more Windy City sup spots check out our saucy LUXE Chicago guide!

Food, Travel  | April 22nd 2013
Where old meets new

Where old meets new

Shanghai’s Bund district has no shortage of historically significant buildings, but the oldest of them all is the 160 years young Qing Dynasty relic 19 Fuzhou Lu, where you’ll find the city’s newest oenophile playground, Choir Wine Bar & Kitchen. Set amidst granite arches, and packing both atmosphere and character in spades, the sultry interior is a feast of brick, stone and raw timber vintage redux architecture, while the 2000+ bottle-strong, in-house glass cellar fuels a wine list boasting more than 300 Old and New World names. Add in a solid classic cocktail selection and chef Danny Lu’s internationally-inflected tapas menu, and you’ve got a pitch-perfect recipe for hitting your high note. 5, 6, 7, 8…

19 Fuzhou Lu. T: +86 21 6321 2336.

For more sleek Shanghai sipsters pick up our LUXE Shanghai guide, or download the handy mobile app with maps!
Faff & Faddle  | April 19th 2013

Gorgeously Gritti

Welcome back to our weekly LUXE Links, in which we source some of the week’s best reads from around the web and around the world. Get clickin’, chickens!

The truly majestic, luxury-with-a-capital-L Gritti Palace in Venice, after her extensive facelift [AD]

A first look at the staggering collection of art to be housed in the Louvre Abu Dhabi [CN Traveler]

Our all-in-one NYC shop, sup, and cut spot Freemans Sporting Club opens a branch in Tokyo [FSC]

At long last, Amsterdam’s (and the country’s) grand dame Rikjsmuseum is complete [Superfuture]

Iconic, Art Deco train Orient-Express makes its maiden journey into Scandinavia – all aboard! [DA]