Luxury

Oscar Swag Bags Soar to New Heights

terravelo tours oscars 2015

[trip style = luxury]

While the Oscars are, like, so 10 days ago, the six-figure swag bag is NOT. Because who needs a gold statue when you can go glamping, travel on a luxury train through the Canadian Rockies or stay at a 10-room villa in Tuscany?

The glitzy gift bag, which only went to nominees like Meryl Streep, Emma Stone, Julianne Moore, Bradley Cooper, Steve Carell and Benedict Cumberbatch in the acting and directing categories, takes Oscar contenders from red carpet to runway with these jet-set escapes worth more than US$38,000.

Trip Style = Glamping
TerraVelo Tours’ opulent-meets-outdoorsy glamping trip takes Oscar contenders from Hollywood to Heaven-on-earth in the most awe-inspiring alcoves of Wyoming, California and Utah. Here, guests are wooed with A-list amenities from plush memory-foam beds with Frette linens to "transportable luxury bathrooms” stocked with C.O. Bigelow toiletries and Turkish towels. Couple these frills with the option to go surfing, cycling, hot air ballooning, or do sunrise yoga, and we’d like to put our name forward to be Bradley Cooper’s +1. 

Trip Style = Train
For those red carpet regulars who just can't give up the red carpet treatment, the Rocky Mountaineer has them covered. The luxury train company unfolds a red carpet every time guests step on and off the train. I experienced this journey first-hand a few years ago, and here's an except of the ride, touted as one of the "top five trains in the world" by Conde Nast Traveller.

"Meandering past frothing rivers, glassy lakes and snow-coned peaks in my glass-domed car, I was briskly reminded that I live in a place sought out by both seasoned and trip-of-a-lifetime travelers for its wild open spaces. On the Rocky Mountaineer, you co-exist with nature while dining on exec chef-prepared meals and drinking Canadian chardonnay. At one point, I remember rushing to my coach's outside viewing area to snap the scenery, camera in one hand, wine in another. At that moment, a smile came to my face. I was relaxed, well fed and wonderstruck in my own backyard."

rocky mountaineer oscar 2015

Trip Style = Luxury
Fancy a nine-night lesson in la dolce vita? First stop: Tuscany, where nominees can unwind in Villa Armena, a grand late-Renaissance-era villa only 20 minutes from Siena. From there, they can stop for an espresso with George and Amal in Lake Como at the Grand Hotel Tremezzo, an Art Nouveau palace with a floating pool on the lake and a spa with panoramic views of the ritzy region. Finally, the stars will jet-set to Grand Hotel Excelsior Vittoria, a 180-year-old property perched on the Amalfi Coast, surrounded by a five-acre Mediterranean garden. 

Villa Armena

Villa Armena

[photos via travel providers]

Bali's X-Factor

IMG_7525.JPG

[trip style = beach + sun]

Sultry sunsets. Steamy beaches. Scintillating views. Meet Bali, the sexiest stopso faron the TS flight map.

After a life-long obsession with the Indonesian island's photogenic seascapes and far-flung location, I finally satisfied my longing to visit Bali last year. 

With so much pent-up desire for the place, Mr. Trip Styler and I didn't stay at a reasonably priced pension just off the beach {of which there are many}. Since we traveled more than halfway across the globe to get there, we decided to turn up the heat and book three beachfront hotelstwo of which had oceanfront infinity pools, and one of which had its own bath...on the view-for-miles balcony!

And don't even get me started on our moonlit dockside dining, or late-night tipple at Rock Bar, a low-lit lounge perched over the edge of the Indian Ocean {only reachable by open-air elevator}.

As a member of the crew piloting the Expedia Viewfinder Travel Blog, I was asked to write about the sexiest destination on my jet-set list. Bali won by a mile.

It turns out I'm not alone in my infatuation with sand and sea, based on the findings of the Expedia Heat Index, released just in time for Valentine's Day. Almost a third of Americans {29%} identified beach vacations as the most romantic trip style, and a whopping 64% chose "room with a view" as the most romantic hotel feature.

What trip style and hotel amenity is sexy to you? While I don't expect you to jump on a plane to your x-factor destination in time for February 14th, just thinking about it is enough to set the mood, mais oui?  

---

Check Expedia's Instagram to see other spicy stops chosen by my fellow Expedia Viewfinders {and, if you're an American citizen, details about a LAN Airlines sweepstakes valued at $2,500}.

--- 

Anantara Seminyak, one of my Bali beachfront stays. 

Anantara Seminyak, one of my Bali beachfront stays

Just a "typical" restaurant along Seminyak Beach in Bali. 

Just a "typical" restaurant along Seminyak Beach in Bali. 

Dockside dining in West Bali at The Menjangan {glamping!}.

Dockside dining in West Bali at The Menjangan {glamping!}.

Bali's famous cliffs and, nestled amongst them, the private beach for RIMBA and AYANA Resorts.

Bali's famous cliffs and, nestled amongst them, the private beach for RIMBA and AYANA Resorts.

Sundara {see below for more information}.

Sundara {see below for more information}.

Mr. Trip Styler swimming at Sundara beach club at the Four Seasons Resort Bali at Jimbaran. Read about how to get into Sundara and other tips about Bali.

Mr. Trip Styler swimming at Sundara beach club at the Four Seasons Resort Bali at Jimbaran. Read about how to get into Sundara and other tips about Bali.

[Photos by @tripstyler. Post presented in partnership with Expedia.] 

Slideshow :: Best of 2014

TripStyler2014Best

[trip style = all] 

I know, I know; today we *should* be focusing on post-travel detox juices or healthy getaways to jump-start TS 2015, but in the name of zigging where others zag, and *hopefully* inspiring your 2015 travel plans, we're taking a step back before we move ahead.

Reminiscing about 2014 over the Christmas holidays, I was struck by how I'm keen to re-visit a bevy of the hotels and destinations that colored my year-in-travel. Waking up in Mexico on January 1st, and clocking my last set of air miles when visiting California in early December, 2014 saw me take about 40 trips.

Some were big, some were weekenders. Some were luxe, some were rustic. Some were zen, some were busy {with the addition of Baby Styler to the TS crew}. True to the Trip Styler mission, we covered every category of trip styling: active+adventure, beach+sun, food+wine, weekender, glamping, urban, luxe, steals, spa. 

Here's the best of the best. Stay + play details in each photo. 

PS - I case you missed it, Trip Styler Sis went all Scandi on me, and wrote travel guides to Denmark, Finland and Sweden

[photos by @tripstyler]

Roam+Board :: RIMBA

RIMBAJimbarabBali

[trip style = luxe + sun + beach]

What
Set back from Bali's verdant cliffs towering over the Indian Ocean, RIMBA Jimbaran Bali is a 282-room excuse to call your boss and tell her you're extending your vacation. If she protests, you might want to quit and stay awhile.

Completed in late-2013, the gleaming-white high-rise hotel struts a sleek aesthetic mingling clean lines, modern Balinese touches, and wow-factor like a crescent-shaped infinity-edge water feature jetting out beyond the lobby. Fronting the structure, six outdoor swimming pools—many with sunken sunbeds—cascade as if they were terraced rice paddies to create a styled stay that won’t leave you indebted to your credit card.

Starting at $159 a night, the luxe-for-less price tag is a mega-steal because this five-star stunner is 10x the architectural muse as hotels in the $300-$500 range.

Trip Styler approved.

Where
Jimbaran, Bali: An upscale hotel area perched over cliffs rising up from the Indian Ocean. RIMBA is 10 kilometers/7.4 miles from Ngurah Rai International Airport {DPS}, and is a 20-minute drive by cab or private driver.   

When
Cozied up near the equator, the weather in Bali is consistently hot 'n heavy year-round hovering around 30ºC/85ºF.  The major "when-do-I-go?" consideration relates to precipitation levels. Rainy season lasts from October to March covering the region in humidity and short-lived torrential storms. Bali's dry season—aka the best time to visit—runs from April to September and drenches the island in its signature vitamin D.

Who/Why
Modern hotels amuse your art and architecture leanings, and you feel right at home when other guests are sporting Karen Walker sunglasses and reading Contemporist dispatches on their tablets.        

Cost
Rates start around $159/night and include hotel-wide WiFi, bottled water, a free shuttle service within 190-acre AYANA Resort including its beach, pools, restaurants, and priority access to the famous Rock Bar.

Trip Styler Tip: Heading to Bali? Check out my need-to-know tips in the Expedia Viewfinder.

Photos

Infinity pool extending the lobby's reach.

Infinity pool extending the lobby's reach.

Submerged lounge.

Submerged lounge.

One of six pools.

One of six pools.

Not your average pool chairs.

Not your average pool chairs.

High design details at every turn.

High design details at every turn.

More pool.

More pool.

Where I spent my time {because of the rocking chair-style lounges}.

Where I spent my time {because of the rocking chair-style lounges}.

Rooms, each with their own unique driftwood sourced from nearby shores and carved by local artisans.

Rooms, each with their own unique driftwood sourced from nearby shores and carved by local artisans.

Preggy Styler

PreggyStyler

[trip style = any]

Editor's Note: Have you checked out the online Trip Styler Store? Stop by for handpicked finds from around the globe. 

In case you missed last week's surprise there's-a-new-Styler-in-town-post, I've added a new member to the TS flight crew: Baby Styler.

To say that Baby Styler is well traveled is an understatement. Logging almost as many miles as an airline captain, he jet-set and road-tripped to more destinations in my womb than I visited in my first 20 years on planet Earth {too bad he couldn't start collecting frequent flyer miles nine months ago...}.

While I was a little {read: a lot} nervous to travel with him in my belly when it came to common considerations such as turbulence, adverse reactions to foreign foods or constant mountain-to-tropic climate changes, I got the go-ahead from my doctor for every trip, so I went. Since I travel frequently and am acclimatized to the lifestyle, I was fortunate enough {and very careful} to avoid any major issues on the road {unless you count the time I came within one meter of a boa constrictor in West Bali} though I always made sure I had access to medical care in case I suddenly needed it.

Doing every trip styleactive/adventure, beach/sun, weekend away, food-focused, glamping, urban, steals, luxe, spaover the course of my journey into babydom, I learned that traveling while pregnant is not about what you can't do {i.e. food restrictions, drink restrictions, spa restrictions, exercise restrictions, etc.} but tweaking the trip styles you love to fit your preg 'n' traveling comfort level. 

Here's how I made each trip style work during my womberlust:

  • In Tokyo at one of the best sushi restaurants in the world, I chose the vegetarian omakase menu over the raw fish menu. 
  • In Northern Thailand, I had a facial instead of a massage at the spa. 
  • In Bali, I lounged under a palm tree versus in the direct sun. 
  • Also in Bali, I consumed fresh-pressed fruit juices over poolside cocktails.
  • In Mexico, I stayed in a shorefront glamping hut with air conditioning instead of one naturally cooled by the beach breeze {because midday temps reached 41 degrees C}.
  • In Kuala Lumpur, where temperatures hovered in the 43-degree-C range, I stopped into malls and restaurants every 30 minutes to cool down, rest, re-hydrate and nibble while exploring the city on foot.
  • On a road-trip from Vancouver to San Francisco, I became well acquainted with Washington, Oregon and California's highway-side rest stops.

Preggy Styler Photo Gallery

[photos by @tripstyler]