Years ago, a mild case of sunburn might have been the most hair-raising experience of summer vacation, but today’s globe-trotters are seeking out journeys that go far beyond surf and sand. For travelers who prefer mountains to monuments, cycling to sightseeing, and treks to tour buses, two new resort programs are aiming to infuse a heart-pumping dose of adrenaline into the average guest stay.
Set along a plateau at the base of New Mexico’s Sangre de Cristo Mountains, the Four Seasons Resort Rancho Encantado S…

The British designer Ross Lovegrove has created a four-piece outdoor furniture collection that is inspired by the geometric shapes of Antoni Gaudí’s unfinished Barcelona church, the Sagrada Família. With rippling lines and curvilinear forms, Lovegrove’s new series for the Spanish company Vondom comprises two chairs, a loveseat, and a table, all of which take on an amplified sculptural effect when lit at night. The pieces are made from molded polyethylene resin and are available in eight colors, including white…

Two new offerings and a recent product announcement from Snaidero attest to the Italian kitchen-cabinet manufacturer’s impressive range.
The Board and Lux kitchens, designed for Snaidero by Pietro Arosio, debuted earlier this year. Board features a Corian counter that cantilevers from an anchored cabinet, making it ideal for smaller spaces. The unit is meant to take the place of a larger, monolithic island and comes in more than 100 colors. The Lux kitchen, by contrast, features traditional framed doors, inte…

“Time, motion, and wine,” the Roman poet Ovid wrote, “cause sleep.” One modern admirer of the author of Metamorphoses, however, might argue the opposite—that wine, at least, or the making of it, usually causes a lack of repose. The classicist Mark Nelson and Dana Johnson, a library-sciences expert, underwent a metamorphosis of their own in 1998, when they sold their company, Ovid Technologies, and bought a 14-acre parcel in the Napa Valley’s Oakville region. With the aid of winemaker and managing partner Janet…

The latest tabletop 2.1 music console from Klipsch offers as much power as a pair of 4-foot-tall speaker towers. To produce what Klipsch claims is its highest-caliber sound to date, the $2,000 Stadium console, which hits stores next month, features the company’s signature three-way speaker system utilizing Klipsch’s signature horn-loaded tweeters, separate midrange drivers and dual, built-in subwoofers. Onboard digital-signal processing maintains fully balanced sound at all times and the result is sound that c…

Solage Calistoga Napa Valley is giving guests a bird’s-eye view of nearby Napa wineries—which include Château Montelena, Phifer Pavitt, Kenefick Ranch Vineyards and Winery, Fleming Wines, and Fisher Vineyards—as a part of a new helicopter-tour-and-dining package (starting at $1,540). Two guests will take a helicopter ride and land atop Spring Mountain, where they will take a tour of the latter vineyard, led by a member of the Fisher family. Afterward, Solage Calistoga’s Michelin-starred executive chef Brandon …

The Hermès Dressage watch—which pays homage to the brand’s roots as a saddlemaker with equestrian references including lugs designed like stirrups and saddle-stitched black alligator straps—debuted its first chronograph movement. The self-winding mechanical H1925 movement, named for the year Hermès created its very firstchronograph, combines the brand’s automatic base movement with a Dubois-Depraz chronograph module. Available for $11,600, the watch beats at 28,800 vibrations per hour (4 Hz) and comes in two d…

Known for its eclectic themes and technically creative designs—which have included moon dust and metal from the wreck of the Titanic—Romain Jerome is looking to the future for its next timepiece. The new Spacecraft model, released in just 99 editions at $24,900 apiece, looks vaguely like a cross between a vintage Pontiac and a spaceship from Star Trek. It is the result of a three-year collaboration between Manuel Emch, the company’s CEO; the watch designer Eric Giroud; and the heralded watchmaker Jean-Marc Wie…

One of the most respected Cabernet Sauvignon producers in Napa Valley, Araujo Estate Wines, was acquired last week by the French billionaire François Pinault, who also controls Château Latour in Bordeaux under his Parisian holding company Artémis Group. The French conglomerate acquired the 162-acre estate namely for the illustrious 38-acre Eisele Vineyard, which is certified biodynamic and organic and has produced some of the world’s top Cabernet Sauvignon vintages, including Robb Report’s Best of the Best win…

The InterContinental Osaka Hotel opened in June as a part of the city’s new Grand Front Osaka commercial complex, which also includes more than 250 shops and restaurants. The hotel has 272 rooms (from approximately $440 per night) 57 are designed for long-term stay and include laundry and kitchen facilities, while an additional 75 come with access to a private lounge. There are two restaurants, a bar, a lounge, and a patisserie on-site—including the 20th-floor Lounge 3-60, which overlooks the city—as well…