Luxe Beat Featured Articles

Much like a half-written ballad or a forgotten bridge in a country song, some historic spaces are easy for travelers to overlook. Even the most seasoned culture travelers can walk past treasures like original terrazzo flooring or locally quarried pink marble without noticing the rhythm of their significance. They might snap a quick selfie in front of a beautifully preserved art deco façade, never...

During the beginning of the pandemic, the first destination I fantasized about visiting once travel opened up, was Tahiti . My first visit was in 1989 for my honeymoon. We booked five nights at the former Club Med Bora Bora. Our favorite activities were snorkeling in the clear blue water and taking the resort's two bicycles for a ride around the island. To read the full article by Jill Weinlein vi...

Follow in the footsteps of The White Lotus Season 3 cast on a set-jetting journey through Thailand’s most cinematic escapes—from beachside luxury to treetop glamour and spa sanctuaries. From Hawaii to Sicily, HBO’s The White Lotus hasn’t just entertained—it’s turned luxury resorts into global icons. With Season 3, the Emmy-winning series ventured east, anchoring its latest ensemble of beautiful dy...

Palm Springs , California is a desert oasis, known for its hot springs, amenity-rich resorts, top-notch golf courses, eclectic boutiques, vibrant food scene, and easy access to nature. It’s also a wellness mecca, offering numerous spas where you can soak and get pampered to your heart’s content.  However, only one of these spas has a natural, mineral hot spring . Welcome to The Spa at Séc-He , one...

Koholā Brewery was a sense of place in Lahaina , Maui. Known as “The Living Room,” islanders would sit down, order a beer and talk story near the waterfront. “Locals and tourists would sit and listen to live music, meet people, and drink really good craft beer,” said Ashley Cooper, Nextipedia Marketing & E Commerce Co-founder. The owner and President of Koholā Brewery is Mary Anderson. She pur...

The Andaz Maui Resort at Wailea caters to all types of visitors celebrating special occasions and moons. This oceanfront property is ideal for those on a honeymoon, babymoon, wellnessmoon, or to rekindle romance under a Hawaiian moon. While taking an afternoon mixology class at Ka’ana Kitchen with bartender Gracie, my husband and I met the cutest newlywed couple. Recovering from a 450 person weddi...

Now is the time to visit Napa Valley’s historic  Louis M Martini  winery in St. Helena. Established in 1933, and restored in 2019, this winery is known for producing superior Cabernet Sauvignon. The significant restoration of the original winery provides visitors and guests a new array of world-class tasting and culinary experiences. To read the full article by Jill Weinlein visit luxebeatmag.com...

Our tour of the beautiful Italian island of Sicily was truly remarkable. Yet, it left us feeling a bit drained. After five days of driving, exploring, and switching hotels, rich food and wine, we found ourselves exhausted. It was a journey filled with beautiful memories, but we also felt the weight of indulgence. We acknowledged it was okay to recharge. The next four days at ADLER Spa Resort SICIL...

Old Town Scottsdale is a mecca for tourists, who flock here to shop for unique souvenirs, peruse the art galleries and public art installations, check out historic sites from the late 1880s and dine and imbibe at the many restaurants and watering holes. They also come to explore the world-class museums for a hearty dose of history and culture.  Among these museums is the top-rated Western Spirit:...

If you were to ask a Casa Velas returning guest for the one reason why he or she comes back to this boutique resort again and again, you may receive a flat-out “no.” That’s because for most guests, one reason isn’t nearly enough to explain what makes this Adults-only destination special. When Casa Velas opened in 2005, the owners welcomed their initial guests with a grand plan for luxury hospitali...

Zurich is a charming, walkable town with an impressive culinary scene. As you stroll about the town center, you will find cafes along the Limmat River and amongst the finest shopping districts in the world. As a Certified Sommelier and Certified Specialist of Wine, I seek out casual and upscale restaurants with great wine lists to share with my readers. If you are like me, food and wine are a big...

Those journeying to Japan would do well to trek over to Setouchi ——an area encompassing seven prefectures and 700 islands that flank the Seto Inland Sea .  The historically authentic, calm and soothing side of the country opens doors to its past, offering tourists explorations through untouched natural wonders, immersive culture, unique architecture, traditional cuisine and customs that reflect it...

Why would you want to visit Portland , Maine in the winter? Well, for starters, Portland’s Victorian buildings, cozy cafes, and cobblestone streets glow with an extra layer of charm as temperatures drop. Also, cruise season is over, making it easier to snag restaurant reservations and enjoy the city without the crowds. So, pack your parka and head to Maine’s most populous city! Winter awaits with...

“We shall not cease from exploration, and the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started and know the place for the first time.”   ~ T. S. Eliot Welcome to my new column, Third Age Expeditions. What’s it all about you may ask? Primarily, it’s about exploratory travel adventures and doing some “off the beaten path” things you may never have thought of doing before. The Third Age ma...

“Sharks are beautiful animals, and if you’re lucky enough to see lots of them, that means that you’re in a healthy ocean. You should be afraid if you are in the ocean and don’t see sharks.” ~ Sylvia Earle Last month, I said I would tell you about scuba diving with tiger sharks. Named for their tiger-like, black vertical stripes running along its body, tiger sharks are frequently implicated in fata...

“The ocean is everything I want to be: beautiful, mysterious, wild and free.” ~ Anonymous Okay, this is our third column. How are we doing so far? We received a request for a scuba diving destination piece, so without further ado, I’ll share with you one of our favorite off the beaten path dive sites. In 2006, international marine scientists proclaimed the Philippines as being the center of marine...

Riviera Maya is a fanciful 20th century tourist slogan given to a rather scenic stretch of Caribbean coastline on Mexico’s northeastern Yucatán Peninsula. Famous for its beautiful sun-drenched beaches and all-inclusive resorts and hotels, Riviera Maya’s tourism district lies approximately 17-kilometres (10-miles) south of Cancun, Mexico beginning at the quiet fishing village of Puerto Morelos and...

“For God’s sake, hurry. The water is coming into my room!” (One of the last dispatches from the telegraph operator aboard the Princess Sophia.) S.S. Princess Sophia The steamship SS  Princess Sophia  was a steel-built coastal passenger liner in the coastal service fleet of the Canadian Pacific Steamship Line. Built in 1911, the vessel was known as a coastal class “pocket liner.” Named after Prince...

When we started our Third Age Expeditions column here on Luxe Beat, we promised to provide some photography tips and tricks from time to time. This month we are sharing some tips to help improve your underwater photography. If you’re seeking something more enlightening than just being told, “Get Close, Get Closer and Shoot at an Upward Angle,” then you’re in the right place. Since the dawn of the...

Where would you buy a Hawaiian shirt? Honolulu or from David Burrge at Honeycrock Farm, near London’s Gatwick airport? The tiny land-locked village of Salfords is the place to buy your stand-out resortwear or something outrageous for the summer. Be it barbecue, party or beach. Karmakula (“The gift of good luck”) is the British hub of Hawaiian shirt industry. Says Burrge: “It’s a long story. I star...

In his poem ‘Home thoughts from abroad,’ Robert Browning wrote, ‘Oh to be in England Now that April’s there.’ The long light nights of the English summer are truly the best time to visit this special part of the UK. The City of Bath: Elegance meets history A jewel of English heritage, the city of Bath is famed for its Georgian beauty, Roman heritage, and literary legacy. A perfect place to stay he...

“If you come to the top of this hill, you will see Bodrum. Don’t think that you will leave the same person as when you arrived. To all those who came before you, it happened that way: they lost their hearts in Bodrum.”  ~ Cevat Şakir, the Fisherman of Halicarnassus There’s a likely chance you may never have heard about a Blue Voyage before? A Blue Voyage, or Blue Cruise as it is also called, offer...

In this column we are transporting you to the Republic of Vanuatu , a South Pacific Ocean nation comprised of roughly 80 islands that stretch 8,000 miles across the cerulean blue sea. One island, Espiritu Santo, attracts scuba divers from around the globe to not only dive its coral reefs and walls, but primarily to explore a WWII-era American troopship called the SS President Coolidge , considered...

Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) recently released its 2024 State of the Cruise Industry report. This year’s report forecasts that cruising capacity is showing an increase of 10% from 2024 through 2028. Cruising is an easy way to travel and explore fascinating destinations around the world. Recently while on the Viking Modi longship river cruise along the Danube River, I now realize w...

“Supple as leather, tough as steel, cold as night!” was how Victor Hugo described the writhing tentacles of a giant octopus in his 1866 novel, Les Travailleurs de la Mer. Hugo wrote of an unimaginable account of a man embroiled in a life or death struggle with a malevolent blood-thirsty cephalopod.  Indeed, what could be more horrible than to find oneself suddenly trapped in a nightmarish death st...