Roam+Board :: Banyan Tree Mayakoba

[trip style = sun + beach + luxury]

Editor's Note: The last scenes of my Expedia storybook were shot at the Banyan Tree Mayakoba, a hotel I specifically hand-picked for the project. Once you drool over this styled stay, enter to win it! The contest runs June 24, 2014 - Wednesday, July 2nd, 2014 at noon PST.  

What
The 107-villa Banyan Tree Mayakoba epitomizes the jet-set lifestyle {and it has a treasure trove of Gold-List awards to prove it}. When every room's footprint starts at 3000 square feet and comes complete with its own private plunge pool and Italian espresso machine, the lap of luxury lingers in every moment.

Thankfully, its brand of Caribbean-chic is understated meaning you won't see Saint-Tropez-tanned men clad in white-linen ensembles or women wrapped in bedazzled beach coverups strutting the grounds like resort-wear models. On the flip-side, you will find a tranquil elegance marked with Thai taste and Mexican mi-casa-es-su-casa hospitality. 

I've been eyeing Mexico's Yucatan Banyan Tree since I visited the region four years ago. After taking a gander at the beachfront pool and eating in Tamarind restaurant, Mr. Trip Styler and I vowed we'd one day return.

Our recent stay confirmed our trip styled suspicions. Set beside a series of natural canals meandering between mangroves, the resort has a village-on-water wherewithal nearing mystical realms.

Rooms carry on this aesthetic with celestial-high ceilings—ours was near three stories—private indoor-outdoor living, and bathrooms the size of city apartments. In other words, there's no reason to leave your foxy plot, unless of course you're a beach-, spa- or restaurant-lover. Trip Styler approved. 

Where
Mexico's Riviera Maya, 40 minutes by car from the Cancun {CUN} Airport and 15 minutes from Playa Del Carmen. 

Trip Styler Tip: Taking a cab from the hotel into Playa Del Carmen costs approx. US$23. If you like err on the side of soft-core adventure, consider taking an air-conditioned Colectivo, a fleet of 15-passenger vans that transport people from A to B. To catch one, simply ask the hotel to drive you to the main road, stand on the side in the direction you want to go, and one will stop. They come every 5-10 minutes. {I took one all the way to Tulum!}. That same trip into Playa now costs 30 Pesos or US$2/person. 

When
While 95% of the year is near postcard-perfect along the Riviera Maya—home to the second-largest coral reef in the world—the region does rest on the edge of the hurricane belt. This area *can* get stormy from June to November, with August and September being the worst offenders. However, even during this sometimes-tumultuous period, the weather is still beautiful *most* of the time.

Who/Why
Space and design matter to you. So do beach treats à la lemongrass popsicles, and the option to skinny-dip in your personal plunge pool. 

Cost
Rates start at $365/night—I spotted this price on Expedia in June—and inch up into the $1000+ range in high season. Each stay includes complimentary resort-wide WiFi, twice-daily fruit delivery, bottled water, in-room Lavazza espresso machine, use of stand-up paddleboards or kayaks at the beach, and transfers to the restaurants at the other hotels {Fairmont and Rosewood} on the Mayakoba property, as well as the Banyan Tree beach and pool. If you want to use one of the on-site bikes, that will set you back $6/day. Kids welcome.

Photos

The lobby

Another shot of the lobby, which is set back from the ocean. Boats leave every 15 minutes for the beach (or, you can walk, hail a golf cart or bike}. 

The beach

Our villa's private plunge pool {every villa comes standard with a private pool}

Feather-down beds anchoring a headboard soaring up to the villa's ceiling

Our villa 

The apartment-sized bathroom with Mexi-gorgeous earthenware sinks

Private outdoor bath

More Roam+Board
Painted Boat Resort - Pender Harbour
Villa Samadhi - Kuala Lumpur
Four Seasons Tented Camp Golden Triangle
Korakia Pensione - Palm Springs 
La Gazelle d'Or - Morocco
Mandarin Oriental - Las Vegas
Korakia Pensione - Palm Springs
Four Seasons Resort at Manele Bay - Lanai
Hotel Lone - Croatia

[photos by @tripstyler taken as a guest of the hotel]

How Carmen Sandiego Fuelled My Wanderlust

[trip style = any]

Editor's Note: Read until the bottom. Our biggest-ever giveaway awaits! 

Pl-ease tell me you remember the computer game/TV show: Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego?

When I was a kidlet, my dad surprised our family one Christmas with a Macintosh Classic II computer. The magical box' screen was the size of my hand and the keys clicked like crickets. For the late-1980s; this was the peak of at-home technology. 

Along with the Mac, my dad got us Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego, a geography- and adventure-themed computer game for kids following a female heroine {Carmen} as she trekked from Toronto to Tokyo all while wearing her signature wide-brimmed hat and cherry-red trench. 

Looking back, this is my first memory of the world map. Earth was no longer a confusing green- and blue-hued art piece suspended over the green chalk board in my grade three class, but a real place begging to be explored. 

Besides family trips exploring the West Coast or meeting Mickey at Disneyland, armchair traveling with Ms. Sandiego was my first brush with global travel. She fuelled my wanderlust {something I've never been able to ignore}.

Fast-forward to my first job post-university. After tasting Ms. Sandiego's globetrotting lifestyle in study-abroad classes at school, it became crystal clear my faux-wood desk would never grow jet propulsion engines or dole out fresh-baked croissants, so I quit and went to Paris. Twice. A stint working on a cruise ship followed. Finally, my travel dance card was inching closer to Carmen status.

In early 2014, Expedia.com launched "storybook", a campaign centred around turning travel ideas into reality. In the opening video a mom reads her son fantastical fairy tales and shows him it can all be real in a trip uncovering vast kingdoms, castles and villages on water. In partnership with this, as one of 12 Expedia Viewfinders in North America, I was asked "What's your travel storybook"? Or, what fuelled your fire for travel?

I thought about the answer for a long time—even toyed with recreating the scene when I fell in love with Mr. Trip Styler on the Great Wall of China {no joke!}. Then it hit me. I have to give credence to Carmen; she played an early role in my wanderlust.

Realizing a story touching multiple coordinates on the map had to be visual, I made a video {including my own signature twist on Carmen's classic chapeau}:

This short reel recreates my early years of "Carm-chair travel" and follows my recent trip styled quests to San Francisco, Napa, Cannon Beach, Seattle, Canada's Sunshine Coast, Tokyo, Kuala Lumpur, Bali and Mexico. 

While travel has a different impact on each wanderer, if I distill my cross-cultural adventures into one personal truth, it's this: Carmen-style curiosity is not quenched in a single country or trip, but in the stories we live along the way.

To my parents: Thank you for asking Santa to skip the neon scrunchies I asked for in 1989. The magical box ended up doing magical things in my life.

Trip Styled Travel: A Giveaway
The last scene of the video is shot in Mexico's Riviera Maya at one of my favorite hotels, the Banyan Tree Mayakoba, an all-villa resort where each abode comes with its own plunge pool {see my hotel photos + profile in TS' latest Roam+Board feature}. Having had my eye on this chic stay for the past five years, I wanted to share the TS love with the world explorer in all of us in our MOST EPIC trip styled prize package ever:

A three-night stay at the Banyan Tree Mayakoba, and a US$750 flight credit toward your trip from Expedia.com {a value totalling more than US$2500}. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Contest Details
1/ You must be 18 or over and a legal US resident to enter. {To my Canadian friends: This is because the giveaway is in partnership with Expedia.com.} 
2/ The contest is open from Tuesday, June 24, 2014 - Wednesday, July 2nd, 2014 at noon PST. 
3/ The winner, chosen at random by Rafflecopter, will be announced and contacted by 5pm on Wednesday, July 2nd, and has 48 hours to make contact once we email you with the good news. If we don't hear from you, we will do a second draw. 
4/ The Banyan Tree voucher is valid from May 1, 2014 – May 1, 2015 (excluding Christmas, New Year, Easter and Holiday periods). The US$750 flight credit from Expedia.com is valid July 1, 2014 - July, 1, 2015.

[Thank you to Expedia for making this project and this giveaway possible.]

Roam+Board :: Painted Boat Resort

[trip style = active + food/wine + luxe]

{Editor's Note: Since I was a kid, I've spent almost every summer on BC's Sunshine Coast, the location of today's R+B property. As a local, I'm excited to show off this iconic stretch, aka. BC's best kept secret!}

What
Tucked into a discreet cove along BC's 180-km Sunshine Coast, Painted Boat sprawls over a five-acre glade of redcedars and Douglas firs. Here, nature's not just a faraway vista, but in your midst.

Built over the shoreline, the one- to two-plus-loft villas come kitted out with gourmet kitchens, large dining rooms, cozy living rooms and ocean views. Saving the best sight line for the master bedroom, each cream-colored space features the dreamiest ocean vantage point in the house. In other words, pack your lingerie AND your stargazing binocs, because you'll want to sleep with the shades open to watch the sky turn from indigo to ink in your feather-topped theatre.

With the oceanfront as the resort's anchor, water beckons at every turn. During my late-May visit I was drawn to both the harbor {read: paddleboards} and the infinity pool as late as 7pm, when the temperature was 22 degrees Celsius/72 Fahrenheit. By 7:30pm, the sun was streaming so intently onto my villa's balcony that the only appropriate activity was sitting with a bottle of wine and watching the sun slather the sky in a cosmic print of pink, purple and orange.  

In an ode to all things seafaring, every night Mr. Trip Styler and I dined on local fish and foraged fare at The RESTAURANT, the Sunshine Coast's premier foodie address. Stay tuned for a special report on foraging with the chef next week. 

Trip Styler approved. 

Trip Styler Tip: Talk to the hotel about the their very instagrammable mason jar-packed breakfast baskets {from $17 per person}.

Where
British Columbia's Sunshine Coast, a 40-minute ride via BC Ferries from Vancouver on the Horseshoe Bay to Langdale route. Once in Langdale/Gibsons, Painted Boat is a one-hour drive, or a one-and-a-half-hour bus ride.    

When
Winters are typically west coast; moody, cool and sit-by-the-fire-romantic. Spring and fall provide a gorgeous summer crescendo/decrescendo showing hints of warm weather and stints of sun. During summer high season, the Sunshine Coast more than lives up to its moniker.  

Who/Why
Nature grounds you. So do infinity pools.    

Cost
Rates for the all-villa resort start around $175/night and include WiFi, large patios with a gas BBQ and complimentary parking. Bikes, kayaks and paddleboards can be rented from the resort from $30/$25/$15 respectively. Fido can tag along for $25/night. 

Photos

View over the marina

Infinity pool {find the hot tub and fitness center behind it}

An upper and lower villa, one of 31 at the hotel

Gourmet kitchen, standard in each villa 

Breakfast basket

Mr Nacho King, excited to go paddleboarding

Paddleboarding in Pender Harbor 

Sunset

Indigo night sky

More Roam+Board
Villa Samadhi - Kuala Lumpur
Four Seasons Tented Camp Golden Triangle
Four Seasons Chiang Mai
Four Seasons Hong Kong
Korakia Pensione - Palm Springs 
La Gazelle d'Or - Morocco
Mandarin Oriental - Las Vegas
Hotel Lone - Croatia
Four Seasons Resort at Manele Bay - Lanai

[photos by @tripstyler, except first and last, taken while a guest of the hotel]

Roam+Board :: Villa Samadhi

[trip style = luxe + urban + sun + food]

What
Tucked between embassies and expat-dwelling mid-rises, Villa Samadhi is a 21-room hideaway that's more guest house than hotel.

Here, service is highly personalized; the upkeep is as if the owner himself is sweeping and scrubbing, while the design harmoniously straddles styles; think: Thatched-roof tropical, lantern-lit estate and modern muse.

Enroute to Bali in April 2014, the flight path Mr. Trip Styler and I took stopped in Kuala Lumpur. Never having touched Malaysian soil, we decided to spend three days acclimatizing to the time zone and exploring the city-in-shift full of ingenue restaurants {that would put the dining scene in many other metropolises to shame}, record-breaking twin towers, copious shopping and greenery-filled parks {avec jogging paths}!   

After exhaustive research, we chose Villa Samadhi—a four-minute cab from downtown—because we wanted a leafy base to sample both urban and villa life without enduring a time- and cash-intensive commute to/from the city.

In keeping with the retreat theme, most rooms come with either a plunge pool or indoor jacuzzi. Our indoor jacuzzi was the size of a lap pool, and every day at 7pm it automatically heated up and the jets lured us in. Just as splashy: The hotel's six-person rooftop Bumbung Bar with views of the Petronas Towers {a much more pleasing perch than Kuala Lumpur's popular SkyBar}.

When you pick a hotel in a foreign country based on photos and the odd review, you NEVER know what you're going to get, but this quickly climbed into the realm of trip styled stay. Trip Styler approved. 

Where
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, about an hour by taxi {$30 usd} from the Kuala Lumpur International Airport {KUL}. Note: Whether you take a cab or the KLIA Ekspres train into town, your journey will be about an hour, especially since reaching most of the city's hotels requires boarding an additional train. For two people, it is about the same price to take a cab or the train. Also note, all cabs charge a nighttime rate {a 50% premium over day rates}.  

When
Only a few degrees north of the equator, the weather in Kuala Lumpur is humid and hot, its heat exaggerated by the traffic and concrete-clad contruction. Expect heavy tropical rainfall in Oct, November and December, and frequent spurts of moisture outside of these months.  

Who/Why
Instead of staying in a bland tower, you're the sultry sanctuary type seeking somewhere small-scale and personalized. Amenities like a lagoon pool with a waterfall, fresh-pressed juices and the resort's watermelon-eating turtle are just bonuses.    

Cost
Rates start around $200/night and include WiFi, glass-bottled water, a drool-worthy breakfast spread, daily canapé delivery and a nightly shuttle to and/from town.

Trip Styler Tip: If you are arriving at the hotel before 8am or after 8pm, make sure to email or call them to ensure someone will be at the front desk when you arrive. 

Photos

Room

The hotel restaurant, Mandi-Mandi

Day beds beside the lagoon pool

The resident turtle {who LOVES watermelon} 

The scene at dusk

Kuala Lumpur's most famous landmark: Patronas Towers, a 25-minute walk from the hotel

More Roam+Board
Four Seasons Tented Camp Golden Triangle
Four Seasons Chiang Mai
Four Seasons Hong Kong
Korakia Pensione - Palm Springs 
La Gazelle d'Or – Morocco
Mandarin Oriental – Las Vegas
Hotel Lone – Croatia
Four Seasons Resort at Manele Bay - Lanai

[photos by @tripstyler—except the room and restaurant via the hotel]

Roam+Board :: Four Seasons Tented Camp Golden Triangle

[trip style = luxe + glamping + adventure + spa + sun]

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Editor's Note: This R+B is the final part in a series on my trip style = luxury jaunt to Asia. Earlier not-to-miss posts include: flying Cathay Pacific's business class, exploring Hong Kong, checking into the Four Seasons Hong Kong, and a trip into Thailand's Lanna Kingdom {land of a million rice fields} at the Four Seasons Chiang Mai. 
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What
From the lookout at the highest point of the Four Seasons Tented Camp Golden Triangle in Thailand, I could see Myanmar and Laos in the distance. As if this scene in my Thai playbook wasn't exception enough, I had just come from meeting a herd of rescued elephants I would trek with the next day. In a state of geographic and animal awe, I stood in silence surveying the landscape—clutching a flute of Champagne {it is the Four Seasons after all}—wishing I had the power to freeze time.  

In the world of glamping, the Four Seasons Tented Camp crosses at the high point of luxury and experiential travel. As the ONLY all-inclusive Four Seasons, no service is spared, not even a trip to the tree house spa, open on two sides to the bamboo jungle below. 

Starting with a splash, your stay begins by boat. My captain picked me up an hour from the city of Chiang Rai and swished me along the Ruak River to camp in one of Thailand’s famous long-tail boats. 

Seven minutes later, over fresh papaya-guava smoothies served in handmade bamboo tumblers, I was greeted with three clangs of a gong {to health, happiness and prosperity}, and guided to my 581-square-foot tent perched over northern Thailand's lush plains. 

Each of the fifteen Bill Bensley-designed tents sit discretely scattered over a half-mile, hidden between palms and bamboo clusters. Inside, dark hardwood floors, elephant-inspired bathtub fittings and an outdoor shower make you feel as though you're a 19th century explorer on assignment for your kingdom.

Though, it was the bed that really beckoned me to take up permanent residence; positioned with a view of the roaming elephants below who would occasionally remind me of their presence by lifting their trunks and trumpeting their position.

When the sky turned from orange to ink, the camp custom I treasured most came in liquid form: Pre-dinner cocktails in the thatched-roof Burma Bar {not surprisingly, overlooking Burma (Myanmar) in the distance}. Here, over lemongrass martinis, I met other adventure-prone guests. Instead of discussing the weather or current events—typical topics when you meet a new friend—we shared our trekking tales and the best way to mount an elephant.

During the day, moments meander between learning how to ride elephants bareback, to practicing serenity-now by the oasis-like pool. Then came my spa appointment—part of the all-inclusive package—a 10-minute walk deep into camp for escape and privacy reasons. 

Inside the wooden-platform bungalow blending into the verdant valley like a chameleon, I changed into my spa robe in the open as if I was a Jane of the Jungle. The setting in and of itself was enough of a spa treatment, yet I welcomed my mahout recovery treatment {the perfect remedy after a day of trekking} with its au naturel soundtrack of chirping birds and wind-blown palms. And again, felt the urge to freeze time. 

Trip Styler approved.     

Where
At the northern tip of Thailand where the country meets Myanmar and Loas, about an hour from the Chiang Rai Airport {CEI}, a 75-min flight from Bangkok.

When
Weather in the Golden Triangle ranges from warm to hot year round. In this part of the world there are three seasons: hot {Mar - Jun}, rainy {July - Oct} and "cool" {Nov - Feb}. The cool season is the most popular due its lack of rain and average of 25-degree Celsius temperatures.   

Who/Why
Venturing "off the beaten path" is your middle name, but you like to do so with a dash of adventure and a spoonful of style.  

Cost
Rates start around $2400/night (for two people) and include Chiang Rai airport pick-up and drop-off, all meals and drinks, an elephant trek with mahout training and a spa treatment. Kids above the age of 12 are welcome.

Trip Styler Tip: I know this property comes with an haute couture price tag, but rest assured, in the realm of luxury trip styling, this experience is WELL worth the save-to-splurge investment.

Photos

Taking a long-tail boat to camp

The first sight I see when docking

Entering camp

Welcome drinks served in hand-carved bamboo tumblers

My tent

My tent's rope-secured veranda

Meeting a two-week-old elephant

Learning elephant-riding commands. Note the amazing denim getup: Traditional crop pants, a short-sleeve button-up shirt and a waist sash. If you spot Crocs on my feet, you're not mistaken. Each guest is given a pair to use while trekking. This is one of the ONLY instances wearing crocs is remotely acceptable in my trip stylin' lookbook. 

My elephant and mahout

Trekking

Nearing the end of the trek

The pool 

The spa

Burma Bar

Nong Yao, the camp's gorgeous restaurant

More Roam+Board
Four Seasons Chiang Mai
Four Seasons Hong Kong
Korakia Pensione - Palm Springs 
La Gazelle d'Or – Morocco
Mandarin Oriental – Las Vegas
Hotel Lone – Croatia
Four Seasons Resort at Manele Bay - Lanai

[photos by @tripstyler taken as a guest of the hotel]