All posts tagged: VACATION

How to Do Autumn in New York Like a Luxury Insider

Published by Pamela Thomas-Graham

Autumn in New York is sung about and lionized in the jazz standard song (best rendered, in our view, by Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong) and in classic films like When Harry Met Sally, the 1995 remake of The Thomas Crown Affair, Hannah and Her Sisters and the namesake film itself (the one with Richard Gere and Wynona Ryder – you remember that one, right?) Romantics, dreamers, adventurers and wanderers imagine the city at this time of year as the most brilliant place of all. And we can’t say that they’re wrong. If you decide to visit New York City this fall in pursuit of your own magical experience, what should you be sure to do? We asked some of our pals who are lifelong New Yorkers – and some who are transplants – about their absolute favorite fall activities in Gotham. It goes without saying that if you’ve never been to the city, there are some iconic things that you just need to do (including a stroll through the leaves in Central Park; window-shopping …

How to Take a Luxury Insider Holiday-Shopping Trip

Published by Pamela Thomas-Graham

If you haven’t already, it’s time to start your holiday shopping. What’s that, you say? Not feeling it this year? We’ve got just the remedy for those who need to find wonderful holiday gifts but have no desire to hit the mall, the avenue or the Internet. Why not do your holiday shopping in Italy this year? In case you think starting your holiday shopping in October is a nutty idea, let’s look at some facts. According to the National Retail Federation, in 2016 U.S. consumers reported that they began shopping for the holiday season at the following times: 41.4% during the month of November; 12.2% before September, 6.5% in September and 21.9% in October. See? Some people may already be done!

In Luxury Travel, Mystery is the New Transparency

Published by Pamela Thomas-Graham

In recent conversations, a new trend has become clear to us here at Dandelion Chandelier: for luxury travel experiences, word of mouth is the new social media. Analog is the new digital. Silence is the new shouting. How do we know this? Because some of the best luxury properties in the world have exited social media completely. We recently interviewed a devotee of ultra-luxury destination health and wellness retreat Vana in Dehradun, India. It’s a unique and highly exclusive spa for the jet set (frequent guests call themselves “Vanavasis,”) and it’s not well known amongst the hoi polloi. Hearing about its many wonders made us keen to visit: the property’s website is filled with images of a dreamy tropical paradise where serenity might actually be within reach. Eager to share our discovery, we published our post and then set to work on our usual social media promotion for the post. A curious thing happened on the way to social media, though. We went looking for the Instagram handle for the Vana retreat, and we couldn’t …

Where is the Best Luxury Wellness Retreat in the World?

Published by Pamela Thomas-Graham

Are you a Vanavasi? Should you be? These are pressing questions to ponder as we roll into the action-packed fall season. This time of year can bring stimulation, anxiety, excitement or stress – and sometimes all of the above, all at one time. As we head into the autumn, it seems fitting to take a look at a wellness retreat about which we’ve been hearing rave reviews from our jet set friends. A financier and close friend of our Paris Bureau Chief kindly agreed to share his inside views on Vana, an upscale wellness retreat located in North India at the foothills of the Himalaya. He shared his thoughts after returning from his third stay there.  Based on his report, we’re booking our visits right now. It is quite possibly the best luxury health and wellness retreat in the world.