The luxurious Harbour Village Beach Club is located in the Dutch Antilles within an exclusive beachfront enclave on a four-acre, private peninsula on Bonaire.

The amazing island of Bonaire can be found just eighty-six miles east of Aruba and provides endless sunshine and low rainfall. Bonaire has been designated as having the most pristine coral reef environment and most species of fish in the Caribbean by the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration.

The Harbour Village Beach Club has often been referred as “the best kept secret” in the Caribbean since some of the world’s best diving and underwater landscapes can be found nearby.

The Caribbean’s premier dive and beach resort, Harbour Village Beach Club is a beachfront oasis that makes vacationing effortless.

The resort is located on a four-acre private peninsula with well-appointed private villas nestled amid lush tropical gardens, a white sand beach, and outstanding amenities that include an onsite First Class 5 Star PADI Dive Center catering to all skill levels and dive sites just off its shore.

Bonaire diving packages are available for both non-certified and certified divers. These include the exclusive “Dive into Luxury” package, featuring a 7-night stay in a luxurious 1- or 2-bedroom suite; full American breakfast daily; six 1-tank boat dives and unlimited shore diving; unlimited use of the resort’s fitness center, tennis courts and kayaks; and airport transfers to and from Harbour Village.

Harbour Village Beach Club offers 30 luxurious guest rooms and suites, a private white-sand beach, onsite PADI 5 Star Dive and Water Sports Center, private 64-slip marina, beachfront restaurant, full-service spa,
lighted tennis courts, beachside and cascade pools, fitness center, supervised children’s programs, complimentary wireless Internet and a wealth of other premium amenities.

In addition, Harbour Village features one of the island’s finest restaurants – La Balandra Restaurant. This fine dining establishment was designed after an antique Spanish ship, La Balandra
and creates a feeling of sailing. The restaurant’s dining deck is located on a jetty that extends out to sea and offers beach service, along with candlelight dining on the beach.

Make your reservations now to enjoy the best diving and snorkeling experiences in the Caribbean. Contact The Life of Luxury using the form below to learn more about visiting Bonaire’s Harbour Village Beach Club.

Photo: ET3

For those that make the long drive from San Francisco to Los Angeles would love to find a way to cut their travel time way down. Maybe there is hope on the way from Telsa and its Hyperloop technology.

Hyperloop is a promising high-speed transportation system that could make long distance road travel actually bearable. It’s a tube transportation system that utilizes technology similar to what you can find at a bank.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk is the driving force behind both Tesla Motors and SpaceX. He now has a dream to develop high-speed system traveling that would allow passengers to travel at high speeds. This sounds like something from the old The Jetsons cartoon or even the speeder bikes seen in Star Wars.

The company leading the development is ET3 (Evacuated Tube Transport) and they are located in Longmont, Colorado. The have coined their exciting new technology project – the Evacuated Tube Transport. Travel time between and S.F and L.A. could be as little as 30 minutes! An L.A. to East Coast trip could theoretically be only an hour!!

Earlier projections consist of an automobile-sized capsule that could hold up to six-passengers. Traveling up to speeds of 4,000 miles per hour would make journeys across the U.S or even continents possible. What is amazing to comprehend is that the cost for the elevated tube system would be significantly less than today’s high-speed rail or building a freeway. Estimated costs for for a passenger to travel between New York and L.A. would be only $100.

The best way to describe the proposed technology is an elevated tube system that consists of a magnetic levitation system like what high-speed bullet trains use. These tubes can then be connected to create a futuristic superhighway all across the United States.

California is forging ahead with a $70 billion budget cost for their new high-speed rail project. Could Hyperloop from Evacuated Tube Transport make this huge project obsolete? Bets estimate today is a San Francisco to L.A. trip is done in three hours versus only 30 minutes.

The next big step is going from the drawing board of schematics to actually building a prototype. ET3 is currently working on a plan to build a 3-mile test run by the end of this year.

Jaquet Droz

Luxury watchmaker Jaquet Droz has introduced The Loving Butterfly, a distinctive, original watch in support of the 5th annual Only Watch event.

For almost three centuries, highly respected Jaquet Droz has set time under the banner of wonder, excellence, and constantly renewed creativity. A truly unique and masterful, luxury watch brand.

For many years, Jaquet Droz has been a partner of Only Watch which is a charity event that aids the fight against muscular dystrophy. The proceeds of the Only Watch event sale will benefit the Monaco Association against Muscular Dystrophy.

Jaquet Droz will offer The Loving Butterfly watch. This stunning luxurious looking watch is published as a single original and will ultimately be auctioned in Monaco on September 28, 2013.

The watch represents an historical design that was drawn by one of the legendary automata, produced by Pierre Jaquet Droz in the 18th century. The Swiss watchmaker resurrects the fascination of the Enlightenment period for architecture and botany, with a cherub riding in a carriage pulled by a butterfly.

The Loving Butterfly watch is an echo of the values defended by Jaquer Droz: the right to innocence, the power of the imagination as well as confidence in one’s own dreams. This design with its romantic and poetic naturalism decorates the face of the Petite Heure Minute.

Jaquet Droz craftsmen combined their best skills to create this unique piece. Engraved and then painted, the gold decor was first worked like a bas-relief before being applied to the Grand Feu enamel dial.

In addition, The Loving Butterfly has an exposed oscillating weight. The Only Watch name is engraved on the case back to remind the owner of the special charitable event, supporting the Muscular Dystrophy cause.

We applaud the unique philosophy of generosity by Jaquet Droz. The Swiss watch brand is already synonymous with virtuoso watchmaking, the event also embodies Jaquet Droz’s philanthropic values, its support for cutting edge medical research and continued trust in a bright and serene future.

If you are interested in purchasing a watch from the entire Jaquet Droz collection, please contact The Life of Luxury using the below form:

The popular Trevi Fountain in Rome, Italy is not only Rome’s largest Baroque fountain, but also recognized as the city’s most beautiful one.

Trevi Fountain has origins that date back to ancient Roman times, when it was the terminal point of Rome’s aqueduct – Aqua Virgo – constructed in 19 BC. Aqua Virgo translates to “the Virgins Water.”

Trevi Fountain, or locally known as Fontana di Trevi, dominates quaint Trevi Square which is located in the Quirinale district.

In 1730, Pope Clement XII originally held a competition for a fountain design that would cover the whole back wall of the Palazzo Poli. In 1732, then Pope Clement XII commissioned Nicola Salvi to create a large fountain at the Trevi Square.

It took 30 years, but the beautiful fountain was finally completed. Die to the long construction timeline, three different popes served the Catholic church – Clement XII, Benedict XIV and Clement XIII.

Trevi Fountain was officially unveiled on May 22, 1732 and has been a popular Roman attraction ever since.

The primary figure of Trevi Fountain is Neptune, the god of the sea. Neptune rides a chariot that’s shaped like a shell and is pulled by two sea horses. A Triton guides each of the sea horses. The water at the bottom of the gorgeous fountain represents the sea. The statue on the right hand side of Neptune represents Salubrity. On the left is a statue that represents Abundance.

If you do visit Rome and see Trevi Fountain, you must follow the long standing tradition of tossing a coin into the fountain’s water. Legend has it that he or she who throws a coin over your shoulder with your back to the fountain …. will one day will come back in Rome.

Legend has it you will return to Rome if you throw a coin into the water. You should toss it over your shoulder with your back to the fountain.

To make reservations to visit Rome Italy and see the world famous Trevi Fountain, please contact The Life of Luxury by using the below form:

Photo: Glashütte Original

Glashütte Original just launched its latest women’s luxury watch collection named “Pavonina.”

Located in the German town of Glashütte, luxury watchmaker Glashütte Original has been producing the best in luxury timepieces for more than 165 years.

To celebrate the launch of Pavonina, Glashütte Original held an exclusive VIP event at the Waterfall Mansion in New York City. It was a fun, 1920’s theme party and everybody had a wonderful time.

The luxurious mansion is located in the Upper East Side of Manhattan in New York city and was fully illuminated in royal purple, the chosen theme color of the evening’s event.

Greater than 200 VIP guests were in attendance people attended the launch party dedicated to the new luxury watch. Dieter Pachner who is the Global Vice President of Sales, welcomed party guests to an exclusive preview and the brands significance.

Each of the exhibition rooms in the mansion celebrated a different aspect of women. For example, one room presented a series of ten black and white portraits featuring prominent women of the 20th century, pioneers who brought changes for the roles and perception of women.

The Pavonina Collection from Glashütte Original took its creative inspiration from the decade of the 1920’s, back when women liberated themselves from the constraints of society during those times.

Glashütte Original is proud to be an authentic high-end luxury watch designer and represents for modern and ingenious, high-quality timepieces that are natural expression of Germany’s excellence in engineering and manufacturing.

If you’re interested in learning more about the new women’s luxury watch Pavonina collection from Glashütte Original, please contact The Life of Luxury using the below form:

The Macallan

The Macallan was one of the first distilleries in Scotland to be legally licensed. The company was founded in 1824 and has since built a stellar reputation as one of the world’s leading single malt whiskies.

Luxury Scottish Whisky distiller The Macallan presents “M”, a limited edition decanter born out of the artistry of three masters of their field, Creative Director Fabien Baron, crystal leaders Lalique and The Macallan. Their ultimate goal was to create the world’s most sophisticated single malt whisky, contained in a beautifully designed and meticulously crafted crystal decanter.

The Macallan’s sublime and highly complex whisky, M is the ultimate reward for the most discerning of whisky connoisseurs.

Capturing the expressive aesthetic of Fabien Baron’s illustrious creative vision, M’s tall, slim dimensions and geometric form challenge the perceptions of traditional decanter design. Its sharp, angular facets gave inspiration to the name M itself, selected by Baron as a typographic representation of the decanter’s striking design.

Its six striking facets are Baron’s homage to The Macallan’s heritage, reflecting the six pillars at the heart of its ethos
1) The Spiritual Home – the breathtaking 390-acre Macallan Estate where every drop of M is created
2) The distillery’s Curiously Small Stills, whose unique shape gives the spirit its fruity, full-bodied character
3) The Finest Cut, the 16% of the new make spirit, the smallest figure in the industry, selected for maturation
4) Exceptional Oak Casks, acquired and cared for without thought to the cost, infusing every drop with distinctive aroma and flavour
5) Natural Colour created solely through the interaction between spirit and wood
6) Peerless Spirit, marking The Macallan’s unsurpassed place in the hearts of the world’s most discerning consumers

Just 1,750 crystal decanters of M, each engraved with its own individual number. The M Decanter is now on sale and has a retail prince of around $4,500.

Born in Australia, Cimon is a popular artist who’s paintings and sculptures are coveted by collectors around the world.

Cimon is most recognized for his elegant Collector’s Edition crystal fragrance bottle for Chantecaille Beauté. That stunning fragrance bottle won the famous artist incredible acclaim by both the media and top retailers including Bergdorf Goodman.

Absolut Birthday is the latest creative masterpiece from Cimon. The project began as a very special birthday present request. Cimon was honored to be part of the project and the final result is an amazing piece of creative art.

Cimon was asked to crystallize a bottle of Absolut® Elyx, which is the ultra premium label in the Absolut family of fine vodkas.

Cimon created this latest work of art by utilizing clear and iridescent SWAROVSKI® ELEMENTS that change color from a fire red to a burnt orange. The artistic result is one of masculine flare and exudes confidence for any man who has it in his bar.

The popular art sculptor has working with a variety of media in the past, including both LEGO and beautiful Swarovski crystals. In 2012, Cimon created a stunning art piece – 3-liter bottle of Perrier-Jouët’s Grand Brut with a wooden case that was personalized and beautifully decorated with crystal Swarovski Elements.

Absolut Birthday continues Cimon’s signature style of exploring the dynamics of color and refracted light through the use of crystals and design.

Photo: Biennale

For lovers of the art and those who can’t get enough of the romantic city of Venice, Italy … you are in luck. Now you can combine the best of both worlds.

The world famous Venice Biennale is one of the most illustrious art festivals in the world and showcases contemporary art, architecture, cinema, dance, music and theatre on every corner of Venice.

First established in 1895, Biennale is historically the oldest art festival. This special art event runs between June and November and draws art and culture lovers from all over the world to experience all that is truly one of Italy’s most beautiful cities.

Venice Biennale will be held at the Giardini, at the Arsenale, in addition to other venues thoughout the famous Italian city.

In 2013, Biennale will celebrate its 55th anniversary. The renowned art festival will showcase works from almost 90 countries, and offer 48 collateral events.

To make this a trip to remember, you need to stay in one of the luxury hotels in Venice. The BAUERs Group is widely recognized for having four of the most luxurious properties to stay in Venice – L’Hotel, Il Palazzo, Il Palladio Hotel and Spa, and Villa F.

If you still desire to soak in more art during you rVenice stay, then consider:
– The Seguso Exhibit at the BAUERs L’Hotel, daily through September 29th, 2013. The name Seguso became synonymous with quality glasswork during the fifties and sixties when the prestigious glass factory was under the direction of creative genius Flavio Poli, winner of the Grand Prix at the Brussels International Exposition of 1958.

– See the painting, Le Cortigiane (The courtesans) by Carpaccio at Museo Correr, the civic museum. Another location to visit is The Ghetto – the Venice Jewish museum.

– Ai Wei Wei Exhibit at Zuecca Gallery, on Giudecca Island, runs daily until September 15th, 2013. This exhibition at Zuecca Project Space presents us with an immediate sense of the drama of an event, which underlines the contradictory development of contemporary China.

There is so much to see and do in Venice, Italy anytime of the year. Please contact The Life of Luxury to make your travel reservations and plan your trip of a lifetime to Venice.

Getty Images

The British can finally celebrate. On Sunday, Andy Murray became Britain’s first Wimbledon men’s singles tennis champion in 77 years with a hard fought 3 set victory – 6-4, 7-5, 6-4.

On the famous grass court at London’s Wimbledon tournament, Scot Andy Murray beat #1 ranked Novak Djokovic. Murray thus became first British Wimbledon men’s singles tennis winner since Fred Perry last won in 1936.

Murray was the local favorite as it seemed all of Britain was watching and hoping the long dry spell would finally be broken. Andy Murray had a formidable foe in Novak Djokovic, who himself was a six-time Grand Slam winner.

The tennis match outcome wasn’t as lopsided as the straight set battle may first appear. Top seeded Novak Djokovic played tough for the entire 3 hour, 9 minute match at the All England Club. But eventually, second seeded Andy Murray prevailed.

The celebs were also out in force, anxiously watching all around Wimbledon’s famous Centre Court. A few of the notable celebrities spotted enjoying tennis on the warm and sunny London day were Victoria Beckham, actors Gerard Butler and Bradley Cooper, soccer star Wayne Rooney, plus Prime Minister David Cameron.

The final game of the tennis match was a nail biter as much of the day’s action saw long rallies. After missing opportunities to win on three different match points, Andy Murray finally won battling through four deuces to beat Djokovic

Novak Djokovic did have chances. He led Murray 4-1 in the 2nd set as well as 4-2 in the 3rd set. Murray was the better player and broke Novak’s serve seven times to erase the two large deficits.

Murray follows this year’s Wimbledon championship after winning the Olympic gold medal on Centre Court last summer. Andy also won his first Grand Slam title at the U.S. Open last summer.

It’s an understatement to say that having some sort of an estate plan can help benefit your heirs and the various causes you support. Passing along your assets is better left to your own wishes and desires than the legal court system.

But rather than tangible assets such as money or possessions, ethical wills bequeath values, beliefs, and ideals to loved ones.

If you want to pass along your personal ideas and values, in addition to a financial inheritance, then you will need to create an ethical will.

An ethical will is a written document that includes instructions for life, morals, values and family stories that one generation hopes to pass on to the next. Ethical Wills are gaining in popularity today as some people want to find a way to leave their loved ones with “values” instead of just “valuables.”

Unlike a last will and trust, ethical wills are not legally binding documents. Ethical wills can come in a variety of forms, from a short letter to a lengthy autobiographical statement, from an audio-recorded message to a bound album.

Some people will choose to share their own ethical wills during life, usually at an important date, such as an anniversary or family milestone like sending children to college or at their own retirement.

Ethical wills have now seemed to have gone mainstream. They are a way to share personal life experiences, lessons and ideals with the people you love. Drafting an ethical will can really help you clarify and articulate what’s important to you, how you want to be remembered and the qualities you hope your family will embody for generations to come.

An important aspect of an ethical will is you are not telling anyone what to do or think, but rather providing your loved ones with a specific reminder of you and your personal beliefs.

An ethical will can also offer practical guidance to your heirs. You can use one to assist your family in understanding how you want them to handle emergencies or any changes in circumstances, such as the need for any special financial or medical assistance.

If an ethical will is right for you, then please take the time and create one. But first , you should make sure that you have an estate plan. If you already have an estate plan, then make sure it is up to date.

Remember, an ethical will is not a legal document and is not enforceable by our legal court system. Therefore, an ethical will can not be used in place of the financial documents detailed in your own estate plan.

One of the primary hiking destinations in the Desolation Wilderness, Lake Tahoe is to beautiful Lake Aloha.

Lake Aloha lies in the shadow of magnificent Jack’s Peak, and can be easily categorized as one of the most scenic alpine lakes in the entire Lake Tahoe area.

It’s a rather large lake and is scattered with islands. Lake Aloha has a wonderful shoreline that is both stunning and quite explorable by foot.

A hike to Lake Aloha begins at the Echo Lakes Trailhead. Be aware, that is isn’t an easy hike. The first couple of miles, you will experience a hiking trail of loose rock.

If you want to bi-pass the rocky trail, you can choose taking taking a water taxi to the upper dock. The cost is only $10 per person, each-way. You will be left off near the Desolation Wilderness sign.

Hikers will experience a variety of terrain. One moment you will walk through the dense woods and the next, you will pass through small pastures.

The pastures are alive with color and aromas. You can view several types of wildflowers, including such as fuchsia paintbrush, lilac daises, and tiny yellow lilies.

Due to the elevation and unpredictable, it’s probably best you attempt the hike to lake aloha between July and early October.

Remember that all hikers who plan to hike into the Desolation Wilderness, must fill out a day pass.

You can reach Lake Aloha by taking Highway 50 from South Lake Tahoe to the intersection with California 89 on the west side of the lake. Continue on another ~10 miles, then make a right on Johnson Pass Road. Next you will turn left onto Atwood Road, then follow it to the Echo Lakes Chalet.