The Ultimate Home 2011

< Back to Concierges' Guide to London  AMAN SPA LONDON AT THE CONNAUGHT The Asian hospitality brand’s “first and only” spa that does not reside within an Aman resort. Set in a serene contemporary space in the Connaught’s basement. (AH) +44.20.3147.7305, http://www.the-connaught.co.uk BLISS At the U.S. spa chain’s first London outlet, in Chelsea, expect a “youthful” […]

< Back to Concierges' Guide to London  THE A LOUNGE, AT THE ALBANNACH “True whisky connoisseurs” bypass the ground-floor Scottish restaurant at this Trafalgar Square establishment and head “doon stairs,” as they say, to the trendy bar. “They have every Scotch you could want,” as well as “signature whisky cocktails that pay homage to the […]

< Back to Concierges' Guide to London  SIMON THOMAS (ST) BROWN’S HOTEL LONDON Walk in the door of London’s oldest hotel and go straight back under the staircase, and head concierge Simon Thomas will be standing behind the desk on your right. The 40-year-old Thomas joined Brown’s—which debuted on Albemarle Street in Mayfair in 1837—when […]

< Back to Concierges’ Guide to London  ALAIN DUCASSE AT THE DORCHESTER Michelin three-star French cuisine from the renowned chef in a “contemporary and relaxing” space at The Dorchester. The four-year-old restaurant stands out both “for the food and for the style of the room.” For an elegant and adventurous evening, reserve Table Lumière, an […]

< Back to Concierges' Guide to London  APSLEYS, A HEINZ BECK RESTAURANT “Very popular” afternoon tearoom is home to England’s first tea sommelier, Karl Kessab. The elegant establishment, within The Lanesborough hotel, also might be home to the country’s first gluten- and dairy-free tea service. (AH, CS) +44.20.7333.7254, http://www.lanesborough.com THE CARAMEL ROOM The Berkeley hotel’s […]

< Back to Concierges' Guide to London  THE FAT DUCK Multisensory molecular gastronomy “just outside London, in Bray,” from self-taught chef Heston Blumenthal. “Go with an open mind” and experience such concoctions as red-cabbage gazpacho, snail porridge with Jabugo ham and shaved fennel, or salmon poached in licorice. Allow four hours for the tasting menu—if […]

< Back to Concierges’ Guide to London  ANDERSON & SHEPPARD A member of the Savile Row Bespoke tailors, this outfit is popular with “American clientele” for its “trendy” cuts. But “service is what sets them apart.” (MDC, AH, BM) +44.20.7734.1420, http://www.anderson-sheppard.co.uk BERLUTI This fourth-generation “contemporary” shoemaker creates the “best shoes in the world.” The “made-to-measure” […]

< Back to Concierges’ Guide to London  ANYA HINDMARCH Renowned designer’s “bespoke shop on Pont Street” draws women in search of one-of-a-kind items like the Bespoke Ebury handbag. Craftsmen in the shop personalize the made-to-order bags with your initials and secret messages embossed onto the interior leather. (BM) +44.20.7838.9177, http://www.anyahindmarch.com ASPREY “The shop to go […]

< Back to Concierges’ Guide to London  ASPREY New Bond Street department store carries “everything from backgammon sets to porcelain and silverware” but is recommended first and foremost for “bespoke high-end jewelry and watches.” “Everyone likes something from Asprey.” (MDC, AD, BM, CS, ST, MW) +44.20.7493.6767, http://www.asprey.com AUSTIN KAYE This family-owned dealership of new and […]

< Back to Concierges' Guide to London  ALLENS OF MAYFAIR Oft-touted as the “best butcher in the whole of London,” this “traditional” shop in Mayfair “specializes in beef and game.” “Most of the top restaurants use this butcher,” but walk-in customers are welcome. Also offers butchery classes. (AD, GM) +44.20.7499.5831, http://www.allensofmayfair.co.uk BERRY BROS. & RUDD […]

< Back to Concierges' Guide to London  THE CONRAN SHOP Founded by Terence Conran, one of the UK’s “greatest designers,” this shop is “the type of place where you could buy your cups and saucers, cutlery, and furnishings—and you’ll be very happy with the outcome.” (MB) Chelsea, +44.20.7589.7401; Marylebone, +44.20.7723.2223; http://www.conranshop.co.uk DESIGN CENTRE CHELSEA HARBOUR […]

< Back to Concierges' Guide to London  ALFIES ANTIQUE MARKET “Famous throughout the years” for being “really good fun,” this converted warehouse on Church Street draws “a collection of dealers all under one roof” to offer “a little bit of everything.” More than 70 vendors. (AH, GM, CS, MW) +44.20.7723.6066, http://www.alfiesantiques.com   BERMONDSEY SQUARE ANTIQUES […]

< Back to Concierges' Guide to London  DAUNT BOOKS Of this bookshop’s six locations, the Marylebone High Street store is recommended for its “beautiful Edwardian interior.” Offers a wide selection of “travel books for everywhere.” (GM) +44.20.7224.2295, http://www.dauntbooks.co.uk FOYLES The Charing Cross Road outlet of this UK book chain is “the largest one in London,” […]

< Back to Concierges’ Guide to London  APSLEY HOUSE The former home of the Duke of Wellington (who famously defeated Napoleon in the 1815 Battle of Waterloo), Apsley House is a treasure trove of spoils, holding “all of the gifts he was given after winning battles.” Find masterpieces by Italian painters such as Correggio and […]

< Back to Concierges' Guide to London PRIVATE ACCESS NetJets Europe provides the most comprehensive private-jet services to and from London. While its most popular route is from New Jersey’s Teterboro Airport to the London Luton Airport, the company flies into 10 other airports in the area from the East Coast, including Gatwick, Stansted, and […]

< Back to Concierges' Guide to London  ALL ENGLISH LAWN TENNIS CLUB (WIMBLEDON) “You can play” at the world’s most famous tennis venue. “It’s not easy. It’s not something that’s advertised. But you can do it.” (MW, ST) +44.20.8944.1066, http://www.wimbledon.org BRITISH MUSEUM “One of the greatest museums in the world.” Period. (MDC, BM, CS) +44.20.7323.8299, […]

< Back to Concierges' Guide to London JERMYN STREET “One of the most famous” shopping destinations in London “for handmade shirts, ties, and accessories.” The bustling street located just behind Picadilly has “an excellent choice of gentlemen’s shops” offering “off-the-shelf and made-to-measure” menswear, as well as “antiquish” accessories for the connoisseur. “You can find shaving […]

BOND STREET For those short on time, a trip to Bond Street affords door-to-door shopping at jewelery and watch houses such as Cartier, De Beers, Graff, Tiffany, and Van Cleef & Arpels. “It’s all there in such a small condensed area that if you had the odd $5 million, you could easily spend it.” (MDC, […]

< Back to Concierges' Guide to London BEAUCHAMP PLACE “For cocktail dresses and made-to-order pieces,” visit this charming thoroughfare in Knightsbridge, home to such stores as Panache, Bruce Oldfield, Fitriani, and Caroline Charles. (AD) http://www.beauchamp-place.com BOND STREET Famously chic hotspot for luxury goods and designer labels in Mayfair. “All the major boutiques”—Chanel, Dolce & Gabbana, […]

Not since 1645 has the Tibetan capital of Lhasa welcomed such a palatial retreat. In that year, the 5th Dalai Lama commenced construction of the 1,000-plus-room Potala Palace on Mar-po-ri, or Red Mountain. Now the nearly 12,000-foot-elevation city is home to perhaps the world’s highest high-end hotel: the St. Regis Lhasa Resort. Opened in November, […]

The crash of bowling pins is at first inaudible as you enter Daly’s Pub & Rec at Montage Deer Valley. The resort’s four bowling lanes—which guests can book as they would a tee time—can be seen but barely heard through the soundproof French windows that separate them from the main pub area, where hamburgers and […]

In 1970, Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts founder Isadore Sharp opened his first property in Europe, the 227-room Inn on the Park in London. Later renamed Four Seasons London, the modern tower offered a less stuffy alternative to the city’s old-guard hotels. But after nearly 40 years, the Four Seasons had become a bit too […]

When Bill Lyon competes in vintage races, which he does on a fairly regular basis, he usually drives a Porsche—a 1957 356 Carrera, a 1960 RS 60, or a 1961 Carrera Abarth. But he plans to race in a different marque soon, a bright-red 1965 Alfa Romeo TZ2 that he acquired four years ago. It […]

With the sweet scents from the adjacent sake brewery wafting through the air, Elizabeth Norris is busy selling, framing, and restoring intoxicating treats of a different kind. Covering the magnetic walls of her Vintage European Posters shop in Berkeley, Calif., are massive movie posters displaying vivid colors, conveying lots of attitude, and possessing the priceless […]

1980 BMW M1 The M1, the first production car from BMW Motorsport, was clad in Italian bodywork, by Giugiaro, and was supposed to have been built in Italy, by Lamborghini. But Lamborghini’s financial misfortunes in the late 1970s prompted BMW to terminate the partnership and bring manufacture back to Germany, where convertible coachbuilder Baur produced […]

Adorn your table with the works of silversmith Kevin O’Dwyer, and dinner conversation may turn to the likes of Daniel Libeskind. “Maybe I’m a ‘wannabe’ architect,” O’Dwyer posits when discussing his latest coffee and tea services. “I can actually see them scaled up as large sculpture and buildings.” The 57-year-old Irishman’s angular creations, which were […]

A curiously foggy domed glass bowl arrives at the table. When the sous-chef lifts the top, orangewood smoke wafts into the air, revealing a single raw oyster bathed in a briny escabeche and sweet honey foam. It is a spectacular presentation—and a pretty good smoked oyster—at the latest hot ticket in Las Vegas: José Andrés’ new […]

Architecture and ambience have long played critical roles in marketing the world’s great wine regions. In past centuries, the denizens of Bordeaux, for instance, erected neoclassical châteaux among their meticulously tended vineyards to advertise the character and quality of their wines, while today, in California, vintners mark their estates with postmodern pavilions or imposing stone […]

In the 1930s, Paris was the creative center of the avant-garde, and the Duchess of Windsor certainly captured the spirit of the times with an avant-garde idea of her own: She wanted a fully functioning zipper embellished with gemstones and diamonds, and she asked the French jeweler Van Cleef & Arpels to create it. The […]

Peter Whalen, the head pro at the new Baker’s Bay Golf & Ocean Club in the Bahamas, predicts light traffic for the community’s Tom Fazio–designed course. “We’re projected to do around 1,800 rounds a year,” says Whalen, adding that this figure translates to about five rounds per day. “So we have no excuses for not […]

Of the many ingredients in his life, business and pleasure are perhaps the two that chef José Andrés mixes most admirably. This is among the countless reasons why the 42-year-old Spaniard’s considerable success in the kitchen has spawned equal success beyond it. After training with Ferran Adrià at El Bulli, Andrés moved to Washington, D.C., […]

In the early years of the last century, polo was an obscure sport in the Southern California resort town of Santa Barbara. In fact, the first exhibition match had taken place only a few years before, on a rainy afternoon in 1894, during the local flower festival. But that did not stop a band of […]

Driving the XKR175 is as refreshing as reading a Jaguar review that has no feline references. Jaguars have never been known as hot rods; even the marque’s byword of the XK era—”Grace . . . Space . . . Pace”—shuffles performance to the end of the slogan. But with a new 5-liter V-8 engine spooling […]

Founded in the mid-1970s, Duckhorn Vineyards fast earned a reputation for producing excellent Cabernet Sauvignon and stylish Merlot, but still the prospect of pursuing the perfect Pinot Noir tantalized owners Margaret and Dan Duckhorn. In the early 1990s, the couple searched for the vineyards that would enable them to realize this ambition, exploring the Carneros […]

Diane von Furstenberg has something to say with Sutras (www.hstern.net), the fashion designer’s latest jewelry collection for H. Stern. Each of the collection’s eight gold-and-crystal designs displays inspirational words—love, laughter, harmony, truth—engraved in von Furstenberg’s handwriting. Forged in high-polish 18-karat gold and set with cabochon-cut rock crystals that reference Indian Mogul-era jewelry, the weighty pieces […]

Those with a taste for richly flavored Mangalica ham no longer have to visit a big-city butcher shop or high-end restaurant such as the Modern or Bar Boulud in Manhattan to order this Spanish treat. Now it is available online, from D’Artagnan (www.dartagnan.com), the specialty-meats purveyor in New Jersey that has made foie gras almost […]

Charter-flight provider JetSuite recently expanded into Texas, further revitalizing the air-taxi concept that had been gaining momentum prior to the recession. Through its JetSuite SuiteSpot (www.jetsuiteair.com) service, the Southern California–based company offers discounted on-demand light-jet flights along set short-distance routes to and from more than a dozen metropolitan areas of the western United States. JetSuite, […]

Debuting at the European boat shows this past fall was the Absolute Yachts Fly series (www.absoluteyachts.com), the first flybridge models from the 9-year-old Italian builder. The inaugural offerings are a 50-footer and a 43-footer (U.S. prices unavailable at press time), both of which can be configured with either a third stateroom or a full-beam master […]

Craig Van Den Brulle, whose namesake gallery in Manhattan’s Nolita neighborhood carries furnishings by Gio Ponti, Robsjohn-Gibbings, and other design-world luminaries, has begun showcasing his own furniture collection, Delaunay (www.craigvandenbrulle.com). Van Den Brulle, who named his new line after a type of mathematical triangulation, uses computer design and laser soldering to create maximalist, architectural pieces. […]

While most SUVs are never asked to demonstrate their recreational capabilities—why would anyone actually take a Cayenne off-road?—the XPLORE Adventure Series FJ Cruiser (www.xplorevehicles.com) demands to see frontline action in the outback theater. This sportier, more utile version of Toyota’s SUV is part of a specialty-vehicle lineup from Venchurs, an OEM parts and logistics company […]

Some of the durable yet superlight materials that Swiss watchmaker Tag Heuer uses to make its timepieces also can be found in the company’s new collection of sunglasses and frames. Priced from $890, the TAG Heuer Eyewear L-TYPE LW (www.tagheuer.com) is made from titanium, carbon fiber, and rubbery elastomer materials. The temples are ceramic-coated and […]

A propensity to corrode usually is not a selling point for a watch, but it is a compelling feature of the Panerai Luminor Submersible 1950 3 Days Automatic Bronzo 47MM (www.panerai.com). The dive watch, which has a depth rating of about 984 feet and a price of $10,700, features a bronze case that acquires a […]

A Collection of one-of-a-kind costume jewelry pieces created by the late Los Angeles designer Tony Duquette will be made available to the public for the first time this spring. On April 18 in Los Angeles, Bonhams & Butterfields will conduct Talismans of Power (www.bonhams.com), an auction of more than 100 lavish necklaces, pendants, and bangles […]

Photography by Lisa Charles Watson; Styling by Charles W. Bumgardner Some of the most creative jewelry designers are exploring a wilder side of the natural world, combining elements from rough lava rock to liquid freshwater pearl with more traditional precious metals and stones. The results are as sensual, raw, and beautiful as nature itself. Photo […]

Unadorned functionality has remained the guiding principle of modern German watch design ever since A. Lange & Söhne helped to revive the tradition in the mid-1990s; yet the industry’s newly reemerged preference for function over form has drawn a certain amount of criticism from observers. Perhaps in response to this perception, the usually staid, Glashütte-based […]

On October 1, 2009, in Bryn Mawr, Pa., a wrecking crew arrived at the gates of a Mediterranean palazzo with Gothic windows and a massive swallowtail battlement that would have been more appropriately perched on a promontory above the Grand Harbour in Malta than nestled on this suburban parcel. But like our 2011 Ultimate Home […]

The 15-minute drive to Àni Villas Anguilla from the island’s bustling port of entry is an exercise in decompression. Anguilla’s long, skinny shape and undulating topography dictate that roads on the Caribbean island are narrow and winding, snaking past roadside fruit and barbecue stands and brightly painted beachfront shanties. Delays are the norm, frequently in […]

Perched atop a hill in Southern California, this newly completed family compound rises above the competition with its dramatic interplay of light and shadow, unparalleled city and ocean views, full spa, and other arresting amenities, earning it the distinction of being named Robb Report’s Ultimate Home 2011. Face Value | When the owner of this […]