Roam+Board :: Nevis

[trip style = beach + sun]

{Editor's Note: This is our last Roam+Board of 2011 (next Friday is Fashion Friday), so we thought we'd go out with a bang with an exclusive hideaway sans the exclusive price tag. I've never stayed here, but it's on my hot list.}

What Sitting atop a lush hill in an old sugar mill, the Golden Rock Inn is the quiet, confident type who doesn't need to be the centre of activity. With six pastel cottages painting the grounds like the Inn's bouquet of tropical flowers, 11 rooms occupy this beautifully restored property.

The escape from escapes, and surprisingly more approachable than posh, the property is more of a hideaway than hotel. Case in point, Anna Wintour, her monsieur and their kids vacationed here over last Christmas and New Year's. You'd think she'd want to jetset to a Missoni or Armani property, but maybe she lets her guard down---or takes her sunglasses off on vacation---hence the gorgeous, yet modest location that's more TOMS than Tom Ford.

A mix of old, new, country and modern, the hotel is owned by artists and the photos communicate just that. Restored rock buildings, juxtaposed with mod pool loungers, splashes of colour and plantation-style furniture.

Where Golden Rock Estate, Gingerland, Nevis. Fly there via San Juan, Puerto Rico, St Maarten or Antigua.

When Nevis is in the Caribbean's hurricane belt, so unless you're the adventurous type who likes a great deal, stay away June - November. If you want to chance it a little, August - October are usually the worst culprits.

Who/Why You're artsy and value a tranquil, secluded, boutique escape paired with lush grounds. You like an ocean view, but don't need to be oceanside.

Cost Cottages from $175 in off-season {apr 15 - dec 22} and from $240 in high season {dec 23 - apr 14}.

More Roam+Board The Ace NYC - New York The Viceroy – Palm Springs The Parker – Palm Springs Sorobon Beach Resort – Bonaire Kura Hulanda – Curacao Hotel Kakslauttanen – Finland The Met – Vancouver Custom Hotel – LAX Bitter End Yacht Club – BVI Sleep On The Water – London A Woodsy Hideaway – Big Sur, CA

[photos via golden rock inn]

Spotlight :: The Palm Springs Pull

[trip style = sun + weekend getaway + active & adventure]

{Editor’s Note: Today is the LAST DAY to enter to win a $200 credit for zozi, an online hub for local experiences in 63 cities in Canada and the US. Perfect as a Christmas gift for the person who has everything.}

{Don't miss next Thursday's Spotlight :: A Palm Springs Holidette}

It's sundown in 1950, and you're waiting for the signal. As the day fades into the night, an invitation is delivered. Not by mail or messenger pigeon, but by the raising of a Jack Daniels flag in the distance. Cocktail hour has arrived, and so have you. You're headed to Frank's---Sinatra that is---for his almost nightly happy hour. With a Jack on the rocks in hand, you chinwag with the Rat Pack crooner at his Twin Palms Estate in the Movie Colony neighborhood.

That was then. But who says you can't carry on Frank's tradition now? Trip style = sun + weekend getaway anyone?

Palm Springs is full of crooners, characters and community. Its pull spans generations, movements and time, with the first inhabitants being the Native Americans followed by an influx of Hollywood's elite. Audrey, Cary and Marilyn first flocked to the desert oasis to lounge and let their hair down. It was the perfect location outside of Hollywood's limelight, and fell within their 100-mile clause set by the studios, meaning they had to be within two hours of LA while filming.

A few of these 50s and 60s-era Hollywood actors still call Palm Springs home, as does a brood of artsy types who color the landscape. Robert's one of them, and so is Raven. Dressed in a fedora and retro-cool outfit, Robert leads modern architectural tours around Palm Springs neighbourhoods. His knowledge is encyclopedic, but he's the real attraction; a celeb unto himself with stories that are as entertaining as his tours. {More info on this next week}.

Raven was my Native American Ranger/guide in Palm Canyon, the world's largest fan palm oasis with m-i-l-e-s of easy to rugged hiking terrain. What I thought was going to be a one-hour nature walk turned into an hour of power as Raven dished out sage advice like "A man either leads, follows or serves. Serving is the greatest honor." He's obviously a man of wisdom, but when he told me what he does in his "free" time, the deal was sealed; he's a medicine man, raiser of scorpions for arthritic relief, flutist with a few CDs, speaker {at the same events as Deepak Chopra}, counselor to kids in prison and youth ranger leader. For all I know he also walks on tightropes, but I'll have to return to confirm this...

These individuals and 49,998 others make up the desert retreat's fun-loving, modern-thinking and art-collecting community. Include the winter and weekend swell and these numbers heat up like the hot-to-trot town's 354 days of sunshine per year. This impressive average---which makes my Vancouver soul cry/rain a little inside---is part of what pulls people to this oasis of relaxation and activity. The other reason is the community; the locals, young weekenders {aka "the margarita crowd"} and greying snowbirds mix like a cool gin and tonic with a twist.

The Palm Springs pull is as relevant today as it was in the mid-century mod boom. Sinatra's nightly cocktail hour invite nailed it. Don't wait for an invitation to come in the mail---the Jack Daniels flag is always flying in Palm Springs.

PS - Walk in Frank Sinatra's shoes at his former home---complete with living room recording studio, piano-shaped pool and twin palms---now a vacation rental. While many of the original fixtures are included, the Jack Daniels flag pole is not. Rent it for $2,500/night.

Related Winter Heat Palm Springs Cool Roam+Board :: The Viceroy Roam+Board :: The Parker

[photos by @tripstyler, taken when I was invited to explore Palm Spring with their CVB in November]

December Gift Guide :: Cool Christmas Finds

Earlier this month we promised travel-themed Christmas gift guides and ideas, and like Santa's elves, we've been working overtime to make sure it happens!

Last week we wrote about a website dedicated to local activities in 63 cities in North America as our "experience gift"; this week we're featuring wall art for Instagram enthusiasts and the cool Christmas finds below; and next week we'll highlight our travel beauty picks. Before sugar plums start dancing in your head, here's a list of things to buy for others ... and hope others buy for you!

Trip Styler Holiday Gift Guide 2011

1/ Turner Mountain one-day ski rental When a ski pass isn't enough, rent an entire mountain, in Montana! Cost: $3,000 {but if you get 30-60 of your closest friends together, this is a steal ... not to mention a great time}.

2/ MAPTOTE {+ bandanas/napkins, baby onesies, wine totes} A lightweight, worldly and carry-anything tote{s} with your favorite city printed on the front. Cost: $17 + shipping

3/ Bon Voyage by Jetsetter A 227-page coffee table book with 24 bespoke travel itineraries and drool-worthy photography to the hippest destinations du moment. The cost also includes a private travel consultation from one of Jetsetter's experts! Cost: $199

4/ HG2 Guides Street-savvy, pocket-sized and tres-cool travel guides from Miami to Verbier. So pretty, you might just want to stare at their bright, embossed covers, but it's what's inside that counts. Cost: $10 + shipping from the UK

5/ American Fashion Travel: Designers on the Go {via Amazon} Jetset with some of world's most fashionable jetsetters. Designers like  Phillip Lim, Alexander Wang and Tory Burch share their collections of personal travel photos, scrapbooks and reveries. Cost: $30 + shipping

6/ Flux Productions Leather Goods {*found at Brooklyn Flea, buy via Etsy} Heavy-duty, hand-made, unisex totes and backpacks. Cost: designs from $110, item shown $380 + shipping

7/ Vapur Anti-Bottle {via Chapters Indigo} Foldable, freezable and washable water bottle. Cost: $13.99 + shipping

8/ Travalo Tiny, refillable, lightweight, spill-proof perfume atomizer. Cost: $15.99 + shipping

9/ Roll Up Travel Charger {Restoration Hardware} Charge most electronics at once, including Apple and Samsung, and do so in style. Cost: $33.99

PS. Don't miss 2010's Christmas gifts for travelers!

[images sourced via web]

Tech Tuesday :: Dashboard to Wall

[trip style = any]

{Editor’s Note: Have you entered to win a $200 credit to zozi, an online hub for local experiences in 63 cities in Canada and the US? Perfect as a Christmas gift for the person who has everything. Contest Ends Thursday!}

Today's tech tuesday is a double-whammy; a) a pretty cool December gift-giving idea, and b) an excellent way to convert travel memories into art.

The Prelude Earlier this year we wrote about Instagram, a iPhone photo editing and sharing tool that had one million downloads in three months {back in February} and has continued to explode in the ranks of Twitter and Facebook.

Yes, it's great to have thousands upon thousands of photos digitally, but in the words of Olivia Newton John and Pat Benatar "let's get physical" and "hit {the wall} with your best shot".

The Real Deal Now you can convert all your Instagram photos {or other digi shots} to wall art by going to canvaspop {a Canadian company!} and selecting the print from instagram link. In a few weeks, a personalized canvas in a 12" x 12" or 20" x 20" size featuring your stylized and insta-filtered photo{s} arrives at your doorstep {$30 - $60}.

If Instagram'ing isn't your thing, but capturing memories on canvas is, upload everything from digi cam pics to Facebook shots to canvaspop for small-to-big and single-to-triptyc photo artwork.

More Tech Tuesday Travelzoo App Fotopedia Hipmunk Gets Organized Urban Dig City Guide Travelstormer {Group Travel Planning} Virtual Shopping Get A Callback Google Flight Search Hotel Tonight Getting There Direct

[images via canvaspop]

Jetset Jingles :: Palm Springs Rat Packin'

[trip style = sun]

{Editor’s Note: Have you entered to win a $200 credit to zozi, an online hub for local experiences in 63 cities in Canada and the US? Perfect as a Christmas gift for the person who has everything!}

This holiday season I’ll be trading in my winter coat for a bathing suit and swapping out my ice scraper for a set of golf clubs. Goodbye wintery Vancouver, hello sunny Palm Springs.

In the 60s, Palms Springs was the weekend playground famously frequented by members of the Rat Pack. Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr. and Dean Martin could be spotted sipping cocktails at the latest “it” hotel pool or partying at Melvyn's Diner. Today it has become one of the hottest trip style = weekend getaway spots for a younger generation.

Whether this historic hotspot is drawing in hipsters for the Coachella Music Fest, throwing the most notorious White Party of the year or reeling in the golf pros for the Bob Hope Classic, Palm Springs has a little something for everyone.

To give you a taste of the classic cool Palm Springs vibe, this month's Jetset Jingles features tracks from the Rat Pack crooners {or songs made famous by them}.

Happy listening…

Song List 1/ Come Fly With Me - Nothing But the Best - The Frank Sinatra Collection (Remastered) 2/ The Way You Look Tonight - Nothing But the Best - The Frank Sinatra Collection (Remastered) 3/ Dream a Little Dream of Me - Special Delivery - EP 4/ Feeling Good - It's Time 5/ Mambo Italiano - Dino - The Essential Dean Martin (Deluxe Edition) [Remastered] 6/ A Little Less Conversation - The Essential Elvis Presley (Remastered) 7/ That Old Black Magic - Sammy Davis, Jr.: The Decca Years 8/ You're Nobody Till Somebody Loves You - '50s & '60s Lost & Found Records 9/ I've Got the World On a String - Call Me Irresponsible (Bonus Track Version) 10/ That's Life - Nothing But the Best - The Frank Sinatra Collection (Remastered)

Playlist {Can't view this playlist? Click here.}

{Jetset Jingles publishes once monthly and is mixed and mastered by Nicole, amateur DJ by night and movie maven by day.}

More Jetset Jingles Caribbean R+R Summer Staycation Camping Tunes Aussi Songs Best of Coachella Turbulence Calm

[photo by @tripstyler outside Elvis' Palm Springs home]