Luxe Beat Featured Articles

Temecula, California, is quickly becoming a destination for sipping wine, enjoying excellent food, and relaxing in a climate cooled in the summer by the gentle breeze flowing into Temecula Valley from the Pacific Ocean.  People in San Diego, Los Angeles, and Palm Springs are all within driving distance of Temecula, 1.5 hours or less, so it has been a haven for day trips. With an eye to the future,...

Ravi Thundil is power mad. He is the chief engineer at the five-star Hilton Seychelles Labriz Resort & Spa on Silhouette Island , a thirty-minute enclosed boat transfer from Mahe which once took eight men six hours to row. Thundil wants his guests to shower and bathe less. The Labriz Seychelles Hilton, which was voted TripAdvisor’s Hotel of 2022, must be one of the few luxury hotels in the wor...

Recently I discovered some of the most stunning architecture at Garvan Woodland Gardens , a botanical garden in Hot Springs, Arkansas. Nestled in the picturesque Ouachita Mountains of Southwest Arkansas on 210 acres, local industrialist and philanthropist Verna Cook Garva gifted the diverse gardens for all to enjoy. It’s an ideal spot for nature lovers and plant enthusiasts, among some of the most...

AI Supercharging U.S. E-Commerce Counterfeit Crisis The counterfeit goods crisis continues to escalate in the United States, posing serious threats to the economy, consumer safety, and brand integrity across every facet of the luxury sector. In 2025, the economic toll from counterfeit products, pirated software, and trade secret theft is estimated to range between $225 billion and $600 billion ann...

AI has shattered the technical and cost barriers for counterfeiters, with fake e-shops and deceptive ads proliferating at record speed The counterfeit luxury goods market in the United States continues to pose significant challenges. This as U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) reports seizing thousands of shipments annually that violate intellectual property rights, with the total retail valu...

Sometimes it’s fun to step out of our comfort zone. I did that recently with a visit to BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir in Gwinnett County. The building is made of three types of stone (Turkish limestone, Italian marble, and Indian pink sandstone). The 34,000-plus individual pieces were carved by hand in India, then shipped to the USA and assembled here. The result is a magnificent temple with five...

Rae Yue Pung is a Singaporean pianist who has won prizes in international competitions and performed around the world. From a young age, she was accepted into many prestigious institutions, ultimately studying in Oberlin Conservatory, Fondazione Accademia Internazionale di Imola, and The Purcell School. Rae’s mother was a piano teacher and she started taking lessons at the age of three. It was nat...

The compiler of the first English dictionary isn’t quoted very often anymore. When a Samuel Johnson line is used, it’s usually by those about to go or just returned from Northern Ireland. The “ Worth seeing, yes; but not worth going to see” one about the Giant’s Causeway. His answer would be different now. For three reasons. Because it now takes two hours to get there by easyJet and car up to Co....

While exploring the sights in Hot Springs, Arkansas, I stayed three-nights in the charming and historic 1890 Williams House Inn.  Arriving on a Tuesday evening, I was the only guest staying in the sprawling 6,500 sq. feet home. It might have been spooky to some to be all alone, since the innkeepers don’t stay inside the home, however I felt safe, comfortable and appreciated how quiet it was for a...

Founded in 1904, The Explorers Club (TEC) was established by explorers to create a fellowship among those who push the limits of human capability and offer a gathering place for explorers to share stories and strategize for their next expeditions. More than just a meeting spot, the club is a historical hub of groundbreaking discoveries, scientific advancements, and unwavering human determination....

HBO’s salacious ‘ The White Lotus ” has sparked a significant rise in tourism to the locations featured in the season’s series. “The White Lotus” first season at the picturesque Four Seasons Resort Maui at Wailea, and the second season in Sicily, Italy along with the third season filmed in Koh, Samui,  Thailand have experienced a notable increase in interest and bookings. To read the full article...

Loews Ventana Canyon Resort dispels the notion that one side of a hotel offers a much better view than the other. In fact, no matter which direction they look, all of the guests at this Tucson , AZ, luxury resort enjoy epic views of the Catalina Mountains, two Tom Fazio -designed golf courses, a waterfall, and sunscapes that are suitable for framing. This 100-acre retreat was built not only with g...

Most wine lovers who visit California will naturally want to explore the state’s most iconic wine regions – Napa Valley and Sonoma County. However, California is also home to over 150 inviting wine regions, many uncrowded, under-the-radar, and producing some outstanding wines. One of our favorites is less than a two-hour drive from downtown Napa. So, after you’ve tasted wine in California’s famous...

The distress call from the North Atlantic read: “SOS 11.50am. We have struck an iceberg. Sinking fast.  Come to our assistance. Position Lat 41.46 north Lon 50.14 west. We are putting passengers off in small boats. Weather clear.” Built at the Harland and Wolff shipyard in Belfast , Northern Ireland, RMS Titanic was launched on May 31st, 1911. With 2,223 people aboard, the most luxuriously-appoint...

We hailed a taxi standing outside London Bridge Train Station in the 35°F winter weather, bundled in our wool coats and gloves. The ride to The Hub by Premier Inn London Westminster Abbey Hotel was captivating. The route was similar to a sightseeing tour. As the cab drove along the Thames, we saw the brightly illuminated London Bridge, Scotland Yard, MI5, and the London Eye. We were mesmerized as...

The tires rumble across the cattle guard and roll onto the gravel drive. An ancient cedar tree dominates the skyline with its grey twisting trunk and branches. To the north, cattle graze in the headlands and meadows. To the west, the Pacific Ocean crashes against the rocky, wild Mendocino Coast . The inn’s peaked metal roofs and cozy chimneys stand out against the bright blue sky. The Inn at Newpo...

“A safety pin, a safety pin. My kingdom for a safety pin.” Those were Mary’s words when the zipper on her jeans broke while traveling in Bulgaria. Of course, we didn’t have one, and no one on the bus had any idea what we needed. That day, we began brainstorming to determine what to pack to deal with life’s mishaps and emergencies. We made a list of everything we thought of. As you might imagine, w...

Interested in all things WWII, I knew my friends and I would have to visit the Meridiana Wine Estate while I was in Malta last year, enjoying a few weeks’ vacation from the States. I mean, it’s not every day you learn about a reclaimed RAF airfield once used during the height of the war, now a very successful business benefiting from the balmy Mediterranean climate and moisture-retentive blue-clay...

An immersive exhibition exploring the life and legacy of Nelson Mandela opens May 24th at the Museum of History & Industry (MOHAI) in Seattle . “Mandela: The Official Exhibition” offers visitors a rare look at Mandela’s journey from activist to global icon. And it features previously unseen artifacts, personal effects and a variety of deeply moving multimedia displays. To read the full article...

Most people happily missed World Sleep Day … because they were asleep, celebrating it. For many hotels around the world, a happy guest is an unconscious one. Although sun loungers are essential for a luxury holiday in the sun, a good bed and mattress are just as vital for unforgettable vacations anywhere at any time of year. More and more luxury hotels are offering sleep wellness packages and cate...

Its exact location is a secret and has no address, but it’s relatively easy to find the Hattiesburg Pocket Museum if you know where to look. Situated in an alley behind the Saenger Theater , this tiny gem has surprised and delighted hundreds of thousands of visitors since it opened in August 2020. As for the lack of the museum’s specific whereabouts, that’s deliberate, on the part of the Hattiesbu...

Foodies visiting or staying overnight in Anaheim are flocking to the  VIV Hotel a Tribute Portfolio Hotel.  Up on the top floor 12th floor, the elevator opens to one of Anaheim’s finest dining venues, Top of the V.  Tables near the floor to ceiling glass windows offer spectacular panoramic vistas of Southern California and Disneyland. Stay until 9:30 for Disneyland’s stunning firework show. To rea...

Somerset Maugham thought Capri the perfect place to practice and preach indolence. Which means cocktails. At La Palma Bar & Terrace cocktails can only be ordered one way. Non-verbally. The food and beverage team of Daniele Chirico, Cosimo de Rosa, Davide Rossie. Gheorghe Marius Tintas, Giovanni Articolare and Armando Gattone  have invented a new cocktail list based on well-known Italian gestur...

Looking for a last minute Irish Whisky for St. Patrick’s Day cocktail? McConnell’s Irish Whisky is the ultimate traditional Irish Whisky. Dating back to 1776: McConnell’s Irish Whisky , one of the first whiskies and distilleries in Ireland. To reach the full article click here .

Englishman Michael Leathley , head chef of The Wee Hotel Company’s Pierhouse Hotel & Seafood Restaurant at Port Appin in Argyll . has been named Scotland’s ‘Chef of the Year’ and The Three Chimneys on the Isle of Skye won the prestigious ‘Scottish Restaurant of the Year’ title. Hotels of the Year Scotland Awards honour achievement and distinction across Scotland’s hotel and hospitality industr...