Audiophiles only embrace convenience when technology ensures that it does not interfere with sound purity. Case in point is the Aurender N100H music server, which takes leaps in both audio quality and convenience by Aurender’s incorporating recent technological advances into their internal designs. The N100H ($2,699) is a combined music player and server containing two terabytes (2 TB) of file-storage space—ample room for a high-resolution music collection. While most consumer electronics claim storage sizes l…

Belmond, a global collective of luxury hotels, train tours, and river cruises, has enhanced its already elegant escapes by adding new, distinctive rail destinations, sparkling amenities, and a bit of theatrics. Launched June 2, Belmond offers train service between London and Berlin aboard the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express. The overnight journey—with a starting price of $3,432 per person—includes breakfast, a Bellini brunch, a three-course lunch, and a four-course dinner while crossing the English Channel and p…

Expedition yachts have undergone a radical transformation over the last decade. The first supersize explorers were often supply vessels or commercial freighters that had been converted—often compromising comfort—into bare-bones, long-distance cruisers. These days, the modern explorer yacht has evolved into a go-anywhere vessel designed to reach the outer limits, with all the comforts and space of other superyachts.

The new Sanlorenzo 460EXP, which will debut at this year’s Monaco Yacht Show, is a great exam…

The Artist: Raised in Florida—just a short drive from some of the East Coast’s most fruitful gem mines—Pamela Huizenga’s passion for stones was sparked at age 16 when she landed an apprenticeship with a local gem cutter and began faceting stones, which she unearthed in his North Carolina mine, using a machine in her family’s garage. At 19, Huizenga started her first jewelry-dealing company and scoured gem fairs for vibrant opals, tsavorites, and aquamarine. She ran a jewelry boutique for the better part of a d…

No one was complaining about Fregate Island Private. To have a reservation among just 17 accommodations on the 741-acre paradise has been a privilege. In 1998, Fregate Island Private started the trend in the Seychelles for low-density, high-priced resorts to keep tourism selective and the archipelago’s delicate ecosystems intact. The resort is home to 2,200 free-roaming Aldabra giant tortoises, endemic plant and animal species, and birds abounding. Two years ago Fregate became the sister property of Le Bristol…

Astell&Kern, known for pushing the sonic boundaries of portable media players, have released yet another flagship model, the AK380. Created for audio professionals and audiophiles alike, the AK380 can play back the full spectrum of digital audio sampling ratios (up to 384 kHz) and delivers the cleanest digital sound possible when playing back Direct Stream Digital files. The player is capable of handling mastering-quality sound files—which reproduce music exactly as it was recorded in the studio—using its …

Golden Eagle Luxury Trains is about to make journeying to Russia even more memorable by celebrating the 100th anniversary of the Trans-Siberian Express railway with two new routes planned for 2016. Golden Eagle’s current 12-day tour travels a quarter of the planet’s circumference and through eight time zones between Moscow in the west and Vladivostok in the east—riding the longest point-to-point rail system in the world, completed in 1916. On the way, passengers receive private admission to the Kremlin; swim i…

Whether camp is set in the California redwoods or amidst the grasslands of western Kenya, these items—from Hemingway-inspired Louis Vuitton furnishings to a portable grill for preparing a moveable feast—will elevate any outdoor expedition to a luxurious retreat.

Singita improves on its original South African safari lodge.

Why Go: Fresh from a major reconstruction, Singita Ebony Lodge has not looked better since opening 22 years ago. Back then, the stand-alone property was an experiment for Singita founder Luke Bailes, who built the lodge on his family’s former hunting concession. With Ebony, Bailes and his team raised the bar in South Africa for safari services, interior design, guiding, food, and wine. On that reputation the brand has grown to encompass 12 lodges …

With sugary white beaches, lush jungles, and cobalt-blue water, island destinations take the concept of getting away from it all to the next level. So take a break from the world, sit back, relax, and have a peek at 10 of the world’s most incredible island resorts.