ALEXANDRA FOSTER

Mexico City has a new, sleek luxury hotel: Las Alcobas, which in Spanish means “the alcoves.” Located in the posh Polanco district, it is billed as a modern guest house comprising 35 rooms, including a two-bedroom suite and three penthouses with wraparound terraces featuring sweeping views of the city. Just steps away from La Zona […]

Anita Lo’s beloved Greenwich Village restaurant Annisa is back on track after a closing as the result of fire a year ago. The decade-old establishment reopened in the same space in April with new dishes inspired by the year Lo spent traveling while her restaurant was being rebuilt. Lo characterizes her Asian-fusion cuisine as “contemporary […]

Sotheby’s London just may lay claim to the art market’s next big sale: An auction of Old Master and British paintings on July 7 will feature British darling Joseph Mallord William Turner’s stunning Modern Rome—Campo Vaccino, offered in its original frame. The 1839 painting is distinguished by its “mint, untouched condition,” says David Moore Gwyn of Sotheby’s, who calls the […]

While most African safaris allow adventurers the chance to see animals from a relative distance, Baobab Expeditions—a leader in adventure expeditions throughout Africa’s remote and tribal areas—is taking exploration a step further with a private gorilla and rhinoceros trekking safari through Rwanda and Kenya for a closer observation. Offered in June and November 2010, the […]

The site of the original Cannes Film Festival has received an extensive renovation—to the tune of $51 million. The Palais Stephanie, located in the center of the Promenade de la Croisette just steps from the beach, features 261 rooms with views of the bay. The expansive upgrade, unveiled in time for the Cannes Film Festival […]

Steven Holtzman, founder of Maîtres du Temps, collaborated with master watchmakers Christophe Claret and Peter Speake-Marin on the latest addition to the Chapter One series creating a technological feat complete with tourbillion, mono-pusher chronographer, retrograde date, and rolling bars indicating the day of the week and phase of the moon. Only 11 of the sleek […]

Watchmaker F.P. Journe has opened flagship stores in New York City and Beijing. It’s a bold move for the highly exclusive French watchmaker who produces less than 900 timepieces annually, but Francois-Paul Journe wanted to take advantage of some prime real estate that presented itself during the economic downturn. For the past 30 years F.P. […]

Visitors who walk down Barcelona’s famed Las Ramblas, in the heart of the city’s shopping district, will be happy to note that Mandarin Oriental has opened its newest hotel just steps away. Located on Passeig de Gràcia, an impressive avenue not far from the bustle of Las Ramblas, it is moments from the city’s top […]

Wine enthusiasts, mark your calendars for March 20: The date marks the Sotheby’s New York sale of the collection of Lloyd Flatt, whose compilation of rare Bordeaux, Burgundy, and Champagne is set to sell for more than $600,000. Flatt, who passed away in January 2008, was “a legendary figure who hosted some of the most […]

Loiminchay, the pen company known for its modern interpretation of ancient Asian culture, has introduced a new design in its Chinese calligraphy-themed writing instruments. Loiminchay’s Calligraphy II models, which come in white or rose gold, are decorated with xingshu (Chinese calligraphy) characters. Just 28 pens will be created in white and rose gold. The black, […]