Lifestyle and Adventure

Featuring Take diving to a more luxurious level – all you need to...

How? By having it tailor-made just for you, of course. One company that specializes in creating tailor-made diving holidays is Original Diving. The company sets out to create itineraries for the individual based on precisely what that individual is seeking during their experience. Not only that, but the company sees to it that every single detail is taken care of so that the only thing one needs to remember is their passport. For convenience, a 24-hour helpline is just a phone call away; customers can rest assured that they will always have someone at the other end to answer quick questions or to rely on should anything go wrong. Of course, it goes without saying that Original Diving is made up of expert divers. Let us, however, get to the more exciting bits, like where to go diving. The choices seem endless: From North America, the Caribbean, Antarctica and Africa to the Far East, Australia and the Pacific Islands, how do you choose?

For your next private function or wedding, experience...

The Sybarite has had the pleasure of visiting this stately residence and we are giving it the grand OK for those looking to host a private function or wedding in France that offers convenience, beauty and exclusivity. Chateau Bouffemont is the ideal place for a “homely” wedding ceremony where guests are able to mingle and hold intimate conversations in an atmosphere that provides the 5- star touch yet shows no signs of unpretentiousness. The Chateau has undergone a complete refurbishment after being bought from its new proprietor in 2012 – the theme is chic and elegant. Imagine, Tiffany coloured walls, wooden floors; gorgeous verandah overlooking the landscaped gardens, a magnificent staircase, private elevator and ten magical suites. We feel that the interior design of the Chateau combines both a masculine and feminine touch, as if its proprietors were a couple – you can certainly feel the male-touch in one of its five reception halls decked out with leather arm chairs and a fireplace, whereas the main hall hangs a large ornate chandelier with walls coloured in a sort of Tiffany turquoise green. It is by all means, a setting that is great for photo taking.

Karl Lagerfeld and The Odyssey

Featuring Explore Europe’s ‘off the beaten track’ waterways aboard...

It is rather fascinating with so many waterways to be discovered – through the vineyards of Burgundy, the historic Po Valley in Italy to the Caledonian Canal in Scotland and the more open waters of Loch Ness, cruising along Europe’s waterways is one adventure to add to that bucket list – we think. The best way to explore Europe’s waterways is of course a gentle cruise on a hotel barge; one that is replete with perfectly adorned suites and a well-rounded crew. European Waterways has been pioneering hotel barges for nearly 40 years and currently has a fleet of hotel barges to suit different passengers – an example is the Hotel Barge Finesse, a luxury double-decker hotel barge that is currently being commissioned. The Finesse offers room for 8 passengers in four spacious twin or double-bedded suites with air-conditioning and private shower rooms to match. “She will also boast a large saloon with panoramic windows and a demonstration galley where guests can watch their chef preparing delicious gourmet meals”. Cruising for the Finesse will begin from May 2016 travelling through River Saone and Southern Burgundy where one can discover its vineyards.

Featuring Emirates takes to new heights

It will be the “world's longest non-stop flight and the only one to offer First Class service” The Dubai based airline will commence its first non-stop flight from Dubai to Panama City come 1st February 2016 and will take approximately 17 hours and 35 minutes. Our question is, how does one keep themselves entertained on a 17-hour flight? Well, forget about popping those sleeping pills, as the airliner is one of the world’s longest-range jetliner - Boeing 777-200LR, capable of flying 10,817 miles and can even carry up to 15 tonnes of cargo. The flight will outstrip Qantas as being the longest overhaul flight, which flew from Sydney to Dallas. This will be an experience in itself. The flight is also going to prove a great connector to Central America, especially for travellers leaving from Dubai and heading onto the Caribbean to the northern parts of South America.

Featuring For the tourist-goer this is not for you – Bali’s best...

Located off the beaten track, crossing many a rice fields, small villages and lakes you could not imagine that a resort would be this remote. Once the car reaches the inclined hill, you find yourself atop a historical village greeted by the sounds of xylophone music, the smell of fresh air and a view that has you deeply exhaling that tension away. It is quite an experience for the Bali holiday goer as there aren’t too many guests either. It feels private and quite frankly, it feels wonderful. In short, it is a true find. The aim for the Puri Sebatu Resort is to offer its guests a place of tranquility and respite from the many tourists who often holiday in Bali. That is why its location is rather difficult to find but The Sybarite promises you that upon reaching, one will find that this is a truly special escape. Its design “incorporates traditional Balinese architecture. Guests are surrounded by the textures and color of nature, dressed slate, terracotta floor, smooth unpainted wood, soft homespun fabrics, intricate worked copper, fragrant alang-alang grass roofing, natural bamboo, rough cut stone, flowers and foliage”

Featuring A modern day palace that will leave nothing short of...

It is dedication that has led to the expansion of the Peninsula Hotel with chains across Hong Kong, its original “birth place”, Shanghai, Beijing, Manila, Tokyo to New York, Beverly Hills, Chicago and recently, the first of its kind in Europe, Paris. In an exclusive interview with Peninsula Paris’ Hotel Manager Vincent Pimont, The Sybarite gets a first glance at this modern day palace to discover what makes this gem so gratifyingly memorable and how it is able to carry the spirit wherever it sets up – be it Tokyo, New York or Paris, ultimately leaving guests with the ‘Peninsula experience’ imprinted in their sensory world. It is no wonder at all that the hotel has a record of many returning guests and although Peninsula Paris has only just recently joined the family in August 2014, guests are returning like never before which is only testament to the hotel’s approach in nurturing exceptional hospitality and attention to detail.

The app for the “cash-rich, time-poor” - Urbanologie

What is it? It is essentially a luxury lifestyle global destination guide designed to keep members in the know with up-to-the-minute insider news and exclusive content on all of the latest restaurants, bars, pop-ups, clubs and hotels openings with exclusive access to the most happening and unmissable events; from the world of fashion, the arts, music and sport. In addition to London, Urbanologie has daily-updated, insider guides to New York, Los Angeles, Dubai, Miami, Ibiza and Mallorca. Next is Paris, Monaco and Hong Kong. What began as a hobby of sending out newsletters to his influential friends and family, turned into the Urbanologie email newsletter that Hugo Campbell-Davys began sending out in 2012. Witnessing the exciting response, Hugo transformed the concept into a sort of a global members luxury/lifestyle community club, where members could expect to quickly get round-ups of the best venues to check out, even long before a critic could lay a word on it. One of the most well-connected men out there, Hugo – with investment from some founding members – launched the Urbanologie app, making it much easier for the user/member to access insider events/news on most major cities in the world – literally, in the palm of ones hand.

Featuring Meditation packages and the Dalai Lama, to find your Zen

What if you could venture to a place where your mind’s noise and distractions are taken even farther to a place of deep serenity and calm – that is, if you can focus and find it. This month, The Sybarite focuses on finding your inner Zen, through some of these unique destinations around the world.

Featuring Beautiful Contradictions: Luxury for the Culture Aficionado

Sipping a cocktail on one of the many rooftop bars in the ancient district of Beyoğlu, Istanbul, it is safe to say your impression is both one of contradictions, and one-of-a-kind synthesis. As our conception of luxury moves further away from objects towards experiences, how we synthesise these unique contradictions in culture – scale and intimacy, spectacle and conversation – become unforgettable moments. Our desire for unique experiences is stronger than ever. Equal parts invigorating and dizzying, Istanbul has an abundance of them. Rest assured, your head will be spinning with (Turkish) delight once back on the plane, but undoubtedly, it’s worth every moment. For the one in the know, the historic capital offers a contemporary haven for the culture-seeking, discerning individual. Why not check into the newly designed Soho House Istanbul: a 19th-century Genoese palazzo complete with frescoed walls and Corinthian columns. With 87 rooms and two rooftop pools overlooking the Bosphorus, an aromatic Turkish coffee from its award-winning Cecconi’s restaurant will certainly rejuvenate you for the day ahead, if it’s Turkish-tiled rainforest showers haven’t already.

Featuring Chateau de Vallery, a destination without boundaries

Look no further, as The Sybarite thinks it’s found the ideal gem of a Chateau, where freedom and space is everything. You will often find, that on your search for the ideal Chateau, most will have time restrictions in how long you can dance and drink the night away, if not the capacity to accommodate guests overnight. It seems that there is always that “win or lose” situation when venue hunting for your wedding celebration – either you host your guests for a reception at a fancy restaurant by which it then becomes the dance floor for evening festivities only to manage to say farewell (if one is sober enough by then) to everyone and realize that it went by all too quickly, there was not substantial time to ask how everyone was. Most celebrations might happen that way and most couples might prefer it that way too, but if you’re one of those couples who have big families and intend to invite many guests (especially guests flying in from abroad) but prefer to have time for intimate gatherings and conversations, than why not consider renting out an entire Chateau that is exclusive to you and your guests only, for 1 or 2 nights?

Velocity – The restaurant-billing app

Or ever caught yourself trying in vain to even catch a waiter’s attention that by the end of it, you are quite literally fed up and take it upon yourself to head to the till? Ok maybe not, but still, it is one of those things that you don’t want to be kept waiting for. Well, that dread of waiting for your bill to arrive at your table might no longer be an issue – for some 300 restaurants in London at least. Probably one of the best and most useful apps in town at the moment is the Velocity app , co-founded by childhood friends and ex Goldman Sachs employees, Zia Yusuf and Alex Macdonald. Of course, they were not the first to realize that restaurant-goers usually have to wait minutes till their bill arrives, but they are currently one of the few in the fintech world to deliver an app that is truly changing the way restaurants utilize mobile payment.