Aromatic Journeys: Awaken Your Senses

AQUA CANCUN
Stroll past two sparkling white Rolls Royce Phantoms through the sliding glass doors into paradise. Inlakesh. That’s how the staff of this ultra-chic Cancun resort greets you. In Mayan it means, “We are different faces of each other.” And this is what it means to ‘Feel AQUA.’ At peace and one with the environment. From the custom aromatic oils pumped throughout the hotel to Watsu treatments, Ashtanga Yoga, Regional Cooking Classes and your choice of two superb restaurants, Siete and MB, home to James Beard Winner, Michelle Bernstein’s stellar boite...

This certainly ain’t your parents run-of-the-mill Cancun resort. Think the W’s modish elegance meets Ritz-Carlton’s flawless service. Fans include the likes of Paris Hilton, Kim Cattrall, and… me. When they say awaken your senses, they truly mean it. Right down to a nightly choice, delivered straight to your room, of six aromatic oils blended specifically for the hotel.

www.feel-aqua.com

FOUR SEASONS RESORT MAUI at WAILEA
Intoxicating, sensual, and unique. Just like you. Sure, anyone who’s anyone knows about the Four Seasons Resort Maui, but do they also know about their brand-spankin’ new demi-blending scent analysis? Through a discussion with your mélanger, along with an in-depth computerized test, personalized perfume sessions target elements of your personality and aspects of your health that directly affect the scents - and senses - you’re drawn to. Ajne Rare & Precious, the expert all-natural and organic essential oil perfumerie out of Carmel, California, is run by husband and wife duo, Jane Hendler and Rex Rombach, and Handler personally trains each mélanger at the Four Seasons Resort Maui to guide you during your prêt-à-porter fragrance consultation.
Hendler is one of the few accredited Certified Master Essential Oil Therapists in the nation and has been called the 'Star Perfumer' by US Weekly. Some of her clients have included Jessica Biel, Reese Witherspoon, Alanis Morrisette and Rob Lowe. In addition to owning their own lavender farm in Carmel Valley, Jane and Rex work with small growers from around the world to obtain the organic and sustainably-harvested fruit, flower, leaf, grass, wood, lichen, fungi and spice oils that Jane transforms into parfum, lotions and skin care preparations in her Carmel laboratory boutique. Hand-blending each formula to a customer’s specific needs, Handler also developed a signature scent for Four Seasons Resort Maui, Palena`ole, available at the Spa’s retail.

Custom blend and consultation from $250

www.fourseasons.com/maui/

So bring the sweet smell of vacation home with you.
OJAI VALLEY INN
Feel like a guided aromatic meditation? Might we recommend a personal aromatherapy session with Renate, the on-site Artist-in-Residence, at the Ojai Valley Inn's Artist Cottage and Apothecary? This German beauty will guide your senses through a holistic journey of self-discovery in a variety of media, whether it’s pottery, painting, drawing, wreath-making, or, my personal favorite, scent. Allow for time alone or share the experience with your family and friends. I had the pleasure of being guided through an afternoon of aromatic self-discovery with my husband - who just happened to develop my current favorite anointment he lovingly called ‘Orchard Floor.' It was the perfect experience to end a perfect birthday weekend. Each scent is composed of essential therapeutic oils which you can also introduce into lotions, gels and creams that will carry your own name. Also worth mentioning... The Personal Mandala class, another Signature Ojai Experience, recommended at times of transition or when seeking clarity. Quiet and introspective, with insightful feedback from your instructor, these sessions reveal a deeper meaning to what lies on the paper.

From $150

www.ojairesort.com

Santa Fe: Your Romantic Vacation Cheat Sheet

We bet you've never contemplated your belly button in the center of Tent Rocks before.

Or how about made love in an adobe den under the multi-hued skies of Santa Fe?

So what, we ask, are you waiting for?




It's not hard to feel like you're on vacation in a place where the calm envelops you with a warm embrace. Here, fine art and dining are as approachable - and enjoyable - as that lovely girl with a wide grin smiling from across the crowded room. Ladies and gentlemen, Santa Fe, New Mexico, is the next best place to vacation (and invest your retirement money). There's a reason stars like Harrison Ford and Julia Roberts love this state so here are Jaunt Magazine's top picks for a great spa/art/adventure away from this rat race.

Santa Fe Hotels

The Inn and Spa at Loretto is one of our top picks right in the center of town. Impressive adobe architecture and easy access to all of Santa Fe's attractions, makes this property a favorite for Jaunt staffers. Special packages with spa, ski, and golf amenities are also available for Girl's or Boy's Getaways. Priced around $300-$400/night.

www.innatloretto.com

Inn of the Anasazi, a Rosewood Hotel, has massive hand-carved doors, sculpted stairways and sandstone walls as part of their authentic Southwestern Pueblo touches characterizing an intimate 57-room hotel. They also offer award-winning dining and an ideal location near the city’s historic central Plaza. Four-poster beds and other handcrafted furnishings grace each of the beautifully decorated rooms, along with cozy gas-lit kiva fireplaces. Rooms start at $309/night.

www.innoftheanasazi.com

Encantado, an Auberge Resort: This exceptional new retreat opened this August in a spectacular setting at the foothills of the Sangre de Christo Mountains, seven miles north of downtown near the Santa Fe Opera. Featuring 65 casitas luxuriously appointed in New Mexican native adobe style with private terraces, outdoor fireplaces, state-of-the-art technology and sweeping views of the Rio Grande, Los Alamos, and the Jemez Mountains, Encantado also introduced Santa Fe’s first world-class resort spa, a gourmet restaurant and an expansive outdoor sculpture garden. For those wishing to explore Santa Fe, Encantado also offers complimentary Mercedes-Benz car service and easy access to the city's famed art galleries and restaurants with its centrally located Concierge Lounge offering VIP services. Rates start $425/night.

www.encantadoresort.com

Galleries/Museums
Leading galleries of contemporary art have quickly made a home in the new Railyard District, including Zane Bennett Contemporary Art, which has moved from Canyon Road to a striking new two-story gallery space on South Guadalupe Avenue. The gallery has represented contemporary masters from Richard Serra to Robert Motherwell, and Louise Nevelson to Robert Rauschenberg.

Gebert Contemporary recently expanded from its Canyon Road gallery and sculpture garden to add a Railyard District location with 6,000 square feet of “project space” that can encompass monumental sculpture and painting as well as video and installation pieces. Gebert specializes in the contemporary abstract painting and sculpture of an international group of established and emerging artists.

The Georgia O’Keeffe Museum, which recently celebrated its 10th Anniversary, is the only American museum devoted to a female artist. Hollah! One of the most significant artists of the 20th century, Georgia O’Keeffe (1887-1986) was devoted to creating imagery that expressed what she called “the wideness and wonder of the world as I live in it.” The largest single repository of O'Keeffe's work in the world, with a collection of nearly 3,000 works, including more than 1,000 O’Keeffe paintings, drawings, and sculpture, the museum displays works by this great American modernist. Over 140 artists have been also exhibited at the Museum including Frank Stella, Jackson Pollack, Andy Warhol and Arthur Dove.

Santa Fe Restaurants
Learn about the rich culinary history of the "City Different” with a restaurant walking tour and progressive lunch starting at the Santa Fe School of Cooking, the authority on Southwestern cuisine. The tours are led by native Santa Fean, television host, and chef/guide, Rocky Durham. Then it’s out for a guided tour to three of Santa Fe 's most prestigious dining destinations:

Amavi, recently voted 'most romantic restaurant in Santa Fe' in the May 2008 issue of the Santa Fean. Chef/owner, David Sellers and his wife, Heather highlight regional specialties from the cuisines of Italy, Spain and France.

www.amavirestaurant.com

Tom Kerpon, Executive chef of Rio Chama, will share some of his secrets about his award-winning regional cuisine that has made him one of Santa Fe's favorite chefs!

www.riochamasteakhouse.com

Coyote Café, where the new chef/owner Eric DiStefano, formerly of Geronimo, will prepare a dish and share some of the rich history of the world famous Coyote Café. Phenomenal food and the chefs were so charismatic and generous with time, preparation instruction and portions!)

www.coyotecafe.com

San Miguel de Allende, Mexico: Casa de Sierra Nevada

Maybe it's because I love cochinita pibil. I'm not really sure what it is about Mexico that keeps me coming back for more. One such location - a veritable carrot in front of my hungry horsey mouth - is the protective colonial town of San Miguel de Allende, recently declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO (The World Heritage Committee of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization). The fortified town, first established in the 16th century to protect the Royal Route inland, reached its apogee in the 18th century when many of its outstanding religious and civic buildings were built in the style of the Mexican Baroque. Some of these buildings, masterpieces of the style that evolved in the transition from Baroque to neoclassical, acted as a melting pot where Spaniards, Creoles and Amerindians exchanged their cultural and artisanal influences. Founded in 1542, the town of San Miguel de Allende sits at 6,400 feet above sea level and the streets of this colonial town are lined with palacios that today are a mixture of residences, galleries, restaurants and boutiques.
One and a half blocks from the main city square of San Miguel de Allende, my pick for hotel properties is the boutique Casa de Sierra Nevada, a mixture of 16th to 18th century Spanish colonial buildings. With 31 rooms and suites spread among five colonial mansions, including a 17th century fort, and the former residence of San Miguel de Allende's Archbishop in the 16th century, all we can say is... talk about living la vida purista. The hotel's buildings, situated around the town rather than one location, creates an experience akin to living in a beautiful, historic apartment with new amenities and genuine Mexican hospitality.
Known for countless years as a center of art and literature, famous mexican artists and ex-pats flock to the cobble-stone streets and historic enclave to perfect their art and find peace and inspiration. With sculpture, glass-blowing, silversmithing, and photography workshops all within local reach, check out the link below for some spectacular art programs that will be sure to lift your creative spirits and make you say...

"Hay que dejar tiempo para el esparcimiento!"

Which basically means something like: 'All work and no play sure makes Juan (or Juanta) a real snoooooze.'

http://www.casadesierranevada.com/web/omig/omig_courses_art.jsp

New York Getaway: The Lodge at Woodloch, PA

Everyone thinks you have to go to the Hamptons for a quick getaway from the stress of the city, but little do they know about a secret gem Jaunt Magazine uncovered only 90 miles (that's two hours) from NYC in the beautiful lake region of Northeastern Pennsylvania.

Surrounded by 75 acres of scenic woodlands and a private 15 acre lake, we're talking about the Lodge at Woodloch.

Inspired by Adirondack and Western lodge architecture, The Lodge at Woodloch features stunning lake views, walls of windows, an internationally recognized destination spa, four fitness studios, and soaking pools with hydro-massage WaterWalls. Just what you need to momentarily forget about that VC deal or a boss that won't stop breathing down your neck.
The Indoor Pool

The Lodge’s philosophy of ‘awakening’ teaches guests to listen to their inner wisdom through fitness classes, delicious healthy cuisine, chef’s cooking classes, art and watercolor classes in their studio, meditation by a fire circle and taking in the beauty of nature.

There's hiking, kayaking the Delaware River, antique shopping in Hawley, and even championship golf if you want to get your tee on. Innovative five-star spa cuisine comes from award-winning chef, Mark Timms, who places emphasis on flavor and real-life choices while their restaurant, Tree, offers live music every night and an impressive wine list. Oh, and each of The Lodge’s 58 guest rooms has its own private veranda with beautiful views. Check it.

So what are you waiting for? Your boss to suddenly become enlightened?
Unlikely.
You better get on it first.

$350-$450/per person, per night

www.slh.com/usa/hawley/hawlod.html

Italy: The Flower of my Secret

Shhh... Italy is...
The flower of my secret.

That's Georgia O'Keeffe's 'Black Iris', but it sure does draw you in, doesn't it? She may have found her inspiration in Santa Fe, but we're finding it in Italy. Which reminds us of flowers, Limoncello, beauty, and a few botanically-inspired programs taking place in the country of fine wine and pasta right now (such passionate paramours of all things flowery, green, and leafy, we are). Whispered about among the upwardly-mobile artistic set, these petal-pushing programs are sure to bring out the inner O'Keeffe in you too.

HOTEL SPLENDIDO: The Discovering Herbs Package
Portofino, Italy
















The word 'love' doesn't capture the affaire de coeur I have with the Italian coast. Sweeping, terraced, cobbled, and cozy, it's one of the most romantic spots on earth; reason enough to believe in true love and eternal bliss. Surreal in it's majesty, endless in it's scope, there's simply no other place I've seen that quite compares to Italy's fine homage to love and living.


The days, the nights, alone, or in love, Italy can be sipped slowly or downed in one long lascivious gulp. Greedy, sensual, ravenous, needy, when you leave you'll want to cry yourself into the fetal position and ask yourself, "Why???" It's painful to leave her no matter what you do.

Originally a Monastery, Hotel Splendido in Portofino, is among the finest accommodations in the area. A luxury villa that stands majestically on a hillside overlooking the Bay of Portofino, it's surrounded by four acres of tropical terraced gardens of palm trees, yews, sea pines, mimosa and olive groves while the nearby harbor is full of cafes, shops, gorgeous men (whoops, did I say that?) and restaurants. So grab a girlfriend, your mom, or your husband, and see an Italian coast that'll make you swoon. Get creative and break the botanical babe in you free.

You'll spend two days and two nights learning how to recognize the spontaneous herbs of Liguria and their use in cookery. A course lying midway between gastronomy and botany, based on the aromas of the herbs typical of the Tigullio region. Here's the itinerary:

Day One: A gourmet dinner for two based on local herbs, in either the Splendido Mare’s "Chuflay" restaurant or in the Splendido’s "la Terrazza" restaurant.

Day Two: Guests set off on foot at 10am for a half-day excursion on Monte di Portofino, accompanied by a botanist guide, who will explain the uses and properties of spontaneous herbs for cooking, health and beauty.

Prices start at US $1,719* per person, for a double sea view room, including flowers, full American-style breakfast and all the activities in the program.

Reservations at: www.hotelsplendido.com or 1800 237 1236.

In addition to classes on the Italian coast, you can discover a renaissance in botanical art at properties around the world with painting classes at almost all of the Orient-Express hotels. By the end of each class, you'll have completed a number of sketches and color works.

Fun, fun, fun!

The program for 2008 includes a variety of options. Since today we're daydreaming about Italy, I pick:

HOTEL CIPRIANI
Venice, Italy

You know about the gondolas and the city among the sea, right? There's really not much more to say, but... look at that photo! We vote for a few days in the middle of that ancient Italian lovestory that is Venice. Go paint. Suck, or be amazing. Who cares? Just know this... if you go alone, you better have something to do. Like paint some flowers, take a big rosemary-filled breath, and drink some wine. Just don't say I didn't tell you so when Massimo tries to feel you up during your 80 minute massage.

Fondamenta Vetrai, Murano 50,

Tel: 041 2737211

Flower Painting Master Class: “Autumn fruits and foliage”
Sunday, October 5th – Friday, October 10th, 2008
Package price is Euro 5,365 (approx USD $7,980) plus 10% VAT. Rate for two persons, student or not, sharing a room.

Students can discover a worldwide renaissance in flower painting at an exclusive Master Class at the Hotel Cipriani taught by Siriol Sherlock.

Student Program Includes:
• Welcome at the airport or railway station by hotel representative
• Transfer on arrival and departure
• Italian Champagne and flowers in the room
• Get-together cocktail party on arrival and welcome dinner
• Daily painting Master Class
• Five nights deluxe accommodation with full American Breakfast
• Lunch and dinner daily (beverages not included)
• Farewell dinner
• Diploma

Reservations: www.orient-express.com or 1800 237 1236.