Category Archives: Uncategorized

2015 Was the Year of the Luxury Sedan. Which One Is Your Favorite? [SLIDESHOW]

    Once the automotive equivalent to ordering low-fat vanilla yogurt when surrounded by exotic Italian gelato, sedans are no longer considered cars of compromise—a sensible conveyance for the slippery slope of increasing responsibility. Instead, many of today’s top family-friendly models would be equally at ease on the track, and they have the looks to boot. Whether it is a 640 hp coupe, a limo limited to 195 mph, or a million-dollar masterpiece, the following four-door cars were among the most popular we presented in 2015. —…

    Indian’s Roadmaster Gives BMW’s Sport Touring Bike a Run for Its Money

    Originally published in the December issue of Robb Report as “Borne to the Wild”

    An Indian Roadmaster carries its rider along South Africa’s scenic coastal roads to the country’s private game reserves. 

    An hour into a 10-day journey across South Africa, the Indian Roadmaster full-dress tourer was already proving its prowess as it powered up the cliff-side curves of Chapman’s Peak Drive, a highway at the southwestern extremity of the continent. When the floorboard scraped the pavement, it was a signa…

    Sneak Peek: Four Seasons Hotel Casablanca, Morocco

    Here’s looking at you, Four Seasons Hotel Casablanca.

    Why Go: When in North Africa, Casablanca—Morocco’s largest city—is a convenient point of transfer. In addition to being Morocco’s chief port and one of the largest financial centers on the continent, its Mohammed V International Airport accommodates far more direct international flights than Marrakech—a 2.5-hour drive south. Marrakech remains the mecca for vacationers, however, with sprawling luxury resorts and a splendid medina, and the busy busines…

    Ten Advancements in Brain Science Worth Celebrating [VIDEO]

    Originally published in the Fall 2015 issue of Robb Report Health & Wellness as “Cognitive Concerto”

    A celebratory score for the gains made in brain health

    The late neurologist Oliver Sacks famously likened the brain to a “vastly complicated orchestra with thousands of instruments, an orchestra that conducts itself, with an ever-changing score and repertoire.” Remarkably, that entire orchestra weighs just 3 pounds, a mere 2 percent of the average person’s total body weight, but it requires 20 percent…

    Celebrate the New Year with California Flair

    Bid adieu to 2015 with a personalized party designed specially for high rollers. Offered by Fairmont Miramar Hotel & Bungalows in Santa Monica, Calif., the January One in Bungalow One package ($25,000) kicks off on December 31 with a private, 20-person dinner party catered by Fig restaurant. Next, the partygoers will head to a black-tie celebration hosted by the Bungalow lounge where they will be treated to VIP access, reserved seating, and unlimited food and drinks. When the revelry comes to an end, guest…

    Sneak Peek: Faena Hotel Miami Beach

    An $18 million Damien Hirst piece stands outside Miami’s hottest new hotel.

    Why Go: The annual, four-day December Art Basel show only arrived in Miami in 2002. Yet it has forever changed the city—now more than ever before. Enter Alan Faena, an Argentine fashion designer turned cultural engineer, who took a forgotten warehouse district back home in Buenos Aires and reimagined it as a center for art and architecture. Here in America, Faena wanted the cultural energy of Art Basel to remain in Miami year-round,…

    A Staple of Swiss Luxury Receives a $6.8 Million Renovation

    Sybarites seeking delight in the winter wonderland of St. Moritz, Switzerland, are once again welcome to the newly renovated Kulm Hotel St. Moritz. An iconic haven for the well-heeled since 1856 (the first hotel in in town), the 172-room Kulm focused the 7-month, $6.8 million transformation on its Neukulm Complex wing, transitioning 33 rooms into 26 more ample accommodations. Taking on the task was the French interior designer Pierre-Yves Rochon, who adorned each new room and suite in a palette of light blue a…

    This 50-Foot Yacht Is Built Like a Vessel More Than Twice Its Size [VIDEO]

    The new Galeon 500 Fly yacht is the quick-change artist of production motor yachts. At speed, the Galeon looks like any normal flybridge—sleek, aggressive, and sexy. But at anchor, the glass windows slide into the hull sides, the bulwarks fold down, and the 50-foot Fly looks more like a 125-foot superyacht. Its designer Tony Castro—whose superyacht designs have won many awards over the past two decades—has been steadily including superyacht features as he creates new Galeon models. But the 500 Fly is the most …

    A Staple of Swiss Luxury Receives a $6.8 Million Renovation

    Sybarites seeking delight in the winter wonderland of St. Moritz, Switzerland, are once again welcome to the newly renovated Kulm Hotel St. Moritz. An iconic haven for the well-heeled since 1856 (the first hotel in in town), the 172-room Kulm focused the 7-month, $6.8 million transformation on its Neukulm Complex wing, transitioning 33 rooms into 26 more ample accommodations. Taking on the task was the French interior designer Pierre-Yves Rochon, who adorned each new room and suite in a palette of light blue a…