Kim Fredericks

The most popular dish on Marc Haeberlin’s menu at Auberge de l’Ill, in the Alsace region of France, is an irresistible paragon of excess. Dubbed La Truffe Sous la Cendre and invented 40 years ago by Haeberlin’s now-semiretired father, Paul, it features a 1-ounce (30-gram) black Perigord truffle, which is covered in layers of foie […]

The recent surge of residential development in downtown Seattle is part of mayor Greg Nickel’s plan to create a vibrant, walkable urban core. The Four Seasons Hotel and Private Residences Seattle (206.239.1814, http://www.seattleprivateresidences.com), set to open in spring 2008, will contribute to the mayor’s efforts with restaurants, retail space, 149 hotel rooms, and 36 residences. […]

Amanresorts was among the first luxury brands to establish accommodations on Turks and Caicos, the British West Indies islands on the Bahamas’ southeast fringe. The firm’s Amanyara resort, an assemblage of lavish pavilions, soon will have as company the Ritz-Carlton Molasses Reef resort (in 2008) and the Fairmont Turks & Caicos (in 2009). But the […]

Last Fourth of July weekend, 64-year-old Larry Saliterman took a spill on his mountain bike, got up, brushed himself off, and then hopped back on and continued riding. Unaware that he had injured himself seriously, Saliterman remained active throughout the weekend, going in-line skating and completing Aspen’s annual five-mile footrace. “The day after the race, […]

Accolades are not unfamiliar to the Yellowstone Club. Last June, the Big Sky, Mont., mountain retreat—the world’s only private ski and golf community—earned Robb Report’s Best of the Best honors for the second consecutive year. This exclusive enclave on more than 13,000 acres again receives our award in part because it added a third lodge, […]

Ritz-Carlton Club owners can play golf in Jupiter, Fla., ski in Aspen and Bachelor Gulch, Colo., or lounge on the beach in St. Thomas. In the coming years, members in search of an American city experience will have an option on either coast. Ritz-Carlton is transforming a landmark building in San Francisco into a hotel, […]

The fractional program at the Villas at Tristant, a ski-in/ski-out development on the perimeter of Mountain Village near Telluride, Colo., offers more than just a few weeks’ vacation per year. Ownership at this collection of 20 three- and four-bedroom villas incorporates a Telluride ski and golf membership, which includes two season ski passes, preferred tee […]

Not every 200-year-old estate in Tuscany comes with crumbling walls and spotty phone service. At Castello di Casole, a 5,500-acre domain that once served a noble family from nearby Siena, owners reside in one of 29 casali (farmhouses) equipped with nearly every modern amenity. A steady flow of Gabbro Cabernet, a wine produced at the […]

The base of Ajax Mountain is Aspen’s social hub, where you can catch the Silver Queen gondola to the slopes, share a plate of truffle fries at the Ajax Tavern, or vie for space at the Little Nell’s bar. The only ski-in/ski-out resort in Aspen, the 92-room Little Nell is as luxurious as it is […]

The challenging terrain at Aspen Highlands (800.525.6200, http://www.aspensnowmass.com) helps the resort lure expert skiers away from Aspen Mountain and other high-profile neighbors. Highlights at the ski area include the heart-shaped Highland Bowl, which sprawls beneath the resort’s 12,392-foot summit and offers a gut-wrenching vertical charge of steep pitches and chutes. Until recently, however, the arduous […]