From Basel to Miami to our fair city!

First launched in 2007, ArtHK grew rapidly over its five successful editions to become one of the world’s leading art fairs and arguably the most important art platform in Asia. Newly monikered Art Basel, this year the prestigious event for modern and contemporary art will showcase the work of more than 3,000 international creatives with a packed lineup of 245 galleries from 35 countries (half from Asia-Pacific), including 26 from our hometown, Hong Kong. Spectacul-art!

May 22-26, Wan Chai Exhibition Centre. W: artbasel.com, tickets via hkticketing.com

To read about our exhibition highlights, find the full story at PenCities! 

The brothers nail Nikkei

They brought the world el Bulli, Tickets and 41º, and in the process placed their visionary molecular philosophy at the forefront of the world’s culinary evolution. But Albert and Ferran Adrià’s latest Barcelona-based offering, Pakta, eschews their signature foam and vapours almost entirely, instead plating up relatively straightforward Japanese-Peruvian Nikkei fusion fare with just a hint of faff. In a small, woody space accented with bright spools of strung yarn, the brothers Adrià, along with head chefs Kyoko Ii and Jorge Muñoz, present two tasting menus of 25 and 19 courses for a fraction of the former Bulli’s prices, at 98 and 68 euros respectively. Diners are encouraged to eat dishes like deep-fried baby whiting with kimchi and seaweed, leche de tigre-marinated and sesame-rolled baby carrots, seared salmon causa and grilled Iberian pork sushi with their fingers, making this a new and fully constructed experience from the kings of deconstruction. Viva Adrià!

Lleida, 5. W: pakta.es

For more of Barcelona’s best bites, check out our LUXE Barcelona guide or download our handy 2-4-1 Barcelona-Madrid app with maps!

Kicking back on the cape

It’s that time again, lovelies…

Perched above the shores of Cape Town’s Clifton Beach, this new boutique beauty boasts jaw-dropping views of the Cape’s coastline and is set to become South Africa’s must-stay spot this summer. Luckily, here’s your chance to get a head start – enter to WIN a 4-night stay, on us!

READ MORE…

Go bespoke with our sizzling summer series

Save the date: This Saturday, May 18, we’re hosting a massive global flash sale!

Everything, and we do mean everything – from guides to box sets to our brand-spanking-new white linen summer series – is a whopping 50% off, so if you’re in the market for great gifts, good ol’ travel inspiration, or just want to add to your fabulous LUXE collection, don’t forget to visit www.luxecityguides.com and enter the code ‘LUXESUMMER’ at checkout! Get clickin’!

Prohibition takes Phnom Penh

Last year we were (and frankly, are still) hopelessly, romantically giddy about Phnom Penh sunset sipper The Bungalows, but there’s a svelte new after-dark drink den in town and she goes by Bar.sito. With the resurgent speakeasy phenomenon having taken the world by storm, sure enough Cambodia is the latest to partake: Bar.sito occupies a tricky-to-find space down an unmarked alleyway, but boy is she worth the extra effort to locate. Slip into this warm, woody cubbyhole and you’ll find some of the very best cocktails in town, from Mint Juleps to Bloody Marys (arguably the best in PP) to good ol’ Martis, and blessedly none of the tourist faff. GPS out!

240½ Alleyway, Phnom Penh. Closed Mon. T: +855 77 555 447.

Sign us up for some R&R at the Raffles Dubai, stat

Welcome back to our weekly LUXE Links, in which we source some of the week’s best reads from around the web and around the world. Get clickin’, chickens!

Glam fash all over the Red Carpet at the 2013 Met Ball for this year’s Punk-themed exhibit [Vogue]

A look back at the short-lived but much-loved Holiday mag, for glam travel tidbits circa 1948 [VF]

After her extensive nip/tuck, Baselworld unveiled a fabulous new look at this year’s watch fair [T]

Finally: Inside the mind (and medicine cabinet) of our fave street style photog, Garance Dore [ITG]

The Middle East redefines luxury with 21,500 sq ft of opulence at the Raffles Dubai [Hotel Chatter]

Central city stunner

The hippest addition to Hong Kong’s happening hotel scene came with the April unveiling of Hotel Indigo, the ultra-mod hotel chain that swept the US and Europe before setting its sights on Asia. At its brand new home base, the hotel boasts colourful suites with wood floors, floor-to-ceiling windows and oriental-inspired decor throughout, from wall mosaics to hanging lanterns. With mod cons like complimentary WiFi, fab city centre position amidst the Wan Chai bustle, and come June, a glass-bottomed rooftop infinity pool sure to give fearless guests a unique angle on the city, Indigo’s ticking all the right boxes. But until the pool officially opens next month, slip on the stilettos and head up to the 29/F rooftop Skybar for snacks and sips under the stars, or get a taste of local flavour at the second floor restaurant Cafe Post, which seeks to fill big shoes by promising Wan Chai’s best coffee. With fab digs, views, and eats, Indigo’s in business!

246 Queen’s Road East. T: +852 3926 3888. W: ihg.com

For more of HK’s hippest hotels, check out the LUXE Hong Kong guide or download the handy app with maps!

Argos in Cappadocia, true Turkish extravagance

Welcome back to our weekly LUXE Links, in which we source some of the week’s best reads from around the web and around the world. Get clickin’, chickens!

Noma, ousted from #1 by El Celler de Can Roca, on 2013′s World’s 50 Best Restaurants list [Eater]

Up close and personal with Prada’s Great Gatsby – crystals, feathers and fur galore [Fashionologie]

Now open: Mandarin Oriental in Pudong, Shanghai, plus a presidential sneak peek [Destinasian]

The new hybrid, top-to-toe gent’s outfitters are part bespoke, part rock n’ roll [How To Spend It]

Travel inspiration: Turkey’s Cappadocia hotel gives new meaning to Ottoman opulence [Tablet]

Luxuriate in this Alpine abode

Dear hearts, we are thrilled to introduce you to our brand new online hotel bookings site, LUXE Offers! With monthly, highly-curated flash deals, our sassy booking engine brings the latest and greatest global luxury digs direct to you, with all the five-star indulgence but without the wallet-crippling prices. Right now, our handpicked hot offers include a 50% discount at Shanghai siren The Mansion Hotel, 30% off Richard Branson’s stunning The Lodge Verbier in Switzerland, and Maltese paradise at five-star Corinthia Palace, for over 40% off!

Book now to receive a discount voucher exclusive to LUXE members, and with each booking you make, enjoy a complimentary LUXE City Guide of your choice! Frequent fliers can rest assured that the travel-savvy LUXE team will regularly select more of the best offers worldwide, so pack your passports and get ready, jet-set… Go!

No kitschy chalet decor here…

The hills are alive… the Beverly Hills, that is. With what you ask? Well, it’s the not the sound, but the taste of Austria at Bernhard Mairinger’s widely acclaimed restaurant, BierBeisl. Humble, unassuming and surprising, Mairinger’s light and delicious take on the traditionally heavy cuisine has had Los Angeles foodies scrambling to secure a table at the diminutive concrete-and-wood diner. There’s home-cured char (bacon), creamy gulasch and a lush signature sausage menu, not to mention an extensive, boomsadaisy-inspiring fine Eau de Vie schnapps and European beer list. Yodel-ay-hee-hoo, Bernie!

9669 South Santa Monica Blvd, Beverly Hills. T: +1 310 271 7274. W: bierbeisl-la.com

For more of LA’s best eateries, check out our LUXE Los Angeles guide or download the handy mobile app with maps!