Tired of staring at your run of the mill gadgets everyday? Etchstar offers a stylish and fun solution. Their simple website provides customers with a vast array of designs that can be lasered onto the backs of iPods, laptops, cell phones and more! Celebs are jumping all over the trend, Nicky Hilton visited the Etchstar booth at a recent event. Popular designs include the skull and crossbones, flowers and the peace sign. You can go as elaborate as you want (the Mona Lisa looks great on a laptop!), or keep it simple. Send in your own gadget and Etchstar promises to rush it back to you with it's new look, or purchase one of theirs. Prices range...so check out their user friendly website or visit their flagship design studio at 7600 Melrose Avenue in Los Angeles for details.Etchstar Creative Technology
Tired of staring at your run of the mill gadgets everyday? Etchstar offers a stylish and fun solution. Their simple website provides customers with a vast array of designs that can be lasered onto the backs of iPods, laptops, cell phones and more! Celebs are jumping all over the trend, Nicky Hilton visited the Etchstar booth at a recent event. Popular designs include the skull and crossbones, flowers and the peace sign. You can go as elaborate as you want (the Mona Lisa looks great on a laptop!), or keep it simple. Send in your own gadget and Etchstar promises to rush it back to you with it's new look, or purchase one of theirs. Prices range...so check out their user friendly website or visit their flagship design studio at 7600 Melrose Avenue in Los Angeles for details.SeatGuru Can Make Your Flight More Comfortable
Use SeatGuru to search airplane layout charts before you select your flight seat so you'll never again be stuck with only partial reclining ability or in the back near the stale coffee. SeatGuru calls itself "the ultimate source for airplane seating, in-flight amenities and airline information" and it works -- I've used it. Even though the site is intuitive, there are directions right on the home page.
It's simple: Look up your airline. There's all kinds of info that you can navigate using the tabs that pop up, such as baggage rules, traveling with infants, policies regarding unaccompanied minors and travel with pets. Amenity info is listed, along with phone numbers that may be of use, all specific to your airline.
To get to the good part, the seating chart, break it down further by type of plane. A cool, color-coded chart assists you in picking the best seats for your needs (long legs, near the bathroom, not near the bathroom, etc.). First-class is included. Here's an example.
Thanks to my experienced travel buddy Laura for this tip.
Carbon Footprint Got You Down? Share a Yacht!
Yacht owners often are too busy to use their boats for more than a few weeks each year. Another thing to consider, certainly, is the cost of ownership. Yikes. That's the theory behind Luxury Yacht Partners of N.Y. Purchase fractional ownership, rent a yacht for a day or sell part or all of your yacht.Fractional ownership yachts are a Sunseeker 61' Predator 2003, 25% share, $335,000; or a Burger 81' 1972, 25% share, $195,000, with an optional Robinson R-44 helicopter, 25% share, $45,000. Depending on whether your yacht will stay in the Northeast or be relocated to Florida during the winter, you get 30 - 70 cruising days each year.
All the operational expenses are shared by the up to 4 shareholders, and of course you pay for your own consumables. Operational expenses include docking fees, maintenance, crew payroll, insurance, repairs and a management fee.
Sounds good, and economical, but hold on -- not thrilled about others using "your" yacht? That's why you pay a management fee: A concierge service will ready the yacht for your time at sea, such as stocking your preferred beverage or having available your special sheets. Summer's coming, so buy that share, and get out the sunblock!
Growing Controversy Over Online DNA Testing
Earlier this month we mentioned Navigenics -- a DNA testing service where you send in a swab of your spit to be analyzed for a variety of genetically testable diseases. Now there seems to be a growing controversy concerning these over-the-mailbox testing kits. Both New York state and California have issued warning letters to such companies including Navigenics and 23andMe stating these tests should not be administered without oversight from a practicing physician. Although no formal charges have been made yet, interested customers from New York have been put on a waiting list at Navigenics until this mess can be sorted out. At least that particular company offers genetic counseling services for individuals who find out they may be predisposed to get Alzheimers and other diseases... a small step in the right direction.
"Moment of Luxury" on PBS, with Bill Stubbs
William (Bill) Stubbs, a Houston-based designer and one of Architectural Digest's top 100 designers, shares his knowledge and philosophy in 13 half-hour episodes of the new PBS series A Moment of Luxury. Presented nationally by WLIW New York, the series premiered nationwide this month (check local listings for your channel and broadcast time). Its aim is to make "the experience of luxury -- excellence, comfort and high quality -- accessible at any budget with transformational tips inspired by international locales and top experts. The website has lots to read, such as an episode guide, a list of Stubbs' travels and of course, a blog, so you can "create your own interaction with luxury." Don't we all want that?Proximity Hotel, North Carolina Goes Green
Fine hotels don't have to sacrifice comfort for conscience. At Proximity Hotel in Greensboro, North Carolina they have been taking the steps to reach their LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification with solar panels and waterless urinals, along with a rooftop garden, plenty of natural light through large windows and the restoration of a nearby stream. But along with those earth-friendly changes the Proximity Hotel is beautifully designed with a fantastic restaurant, spacious rooms and stylish lounges. Rooms run about $200 per night and special packages include tickets to Art Beat or Appalachian Echoes.
[via Intelligent Travel]
Gallery: Proximity Hotel
QTrait, Genetic Testing by Trait
Ever wondered if you were likely to have premature children or if you are genetically more of a night-owl than a morning person? How about your propensity for an addiction to smoking or resistance to an addiction to cannabis? Well, QTrait may have the answers you are looking for. Pay $500 for the entire battery of tests or choose which ones you are most curious about. Amazingly, this is all done by mailing your spit! You can get started for as low as $99 but keep in mind science isn't perfect...Pop-Up Store Sells $2500 Genetic Testing
Starting on April 8th and continuing for ten days, Navigenics will pop-up on a well-known block in SoHo to market their genetic testing kits as well as hosting panel discussions on genetics and other health related programs. These genetic testing kits are designed to screen your DNA for seventeen diseases and conditions including Alzheimer's, breast cancer and Type II diabetes, in order to share with customers the likelihood of them developing these diseases later in life. No pin-prick needed -- just a swab of your saliva will do the trick. Sent off to a laboratory your risk assessment results are returned to you via email, with password protection for privacy, within weeks. It certainly is pricey but for some individuals, their health and knowing the possibilities is worth the $2,500.
Renting a Car the High-Class Way
I think having an excuse to rent a car is fun, and what makes it even funner (yeah, I know that's not really a word!) is to get a really nice car that's comfortable and fun to drive. Now for some people a Mustang convertible might be the height of car-renting luxury, but for others names like Lamborghini, Ferrari, and Bentley are what really sound good. Car clubs and car rental agencies that specialize in high-end luxury automobiles have seen major growth over recent years, resulting in more opportunities for those car lovers who, for whatever reason, just aren't looking to commit to a purchase.
And who doesn't want to be that person spotted in a new luxe car?
Travel Like A Celebrity (i.e. Better than First Class)
For millions of travelers every year who fly coach it's hard to walk past the spacious first class seats and through the little curtain to the cramped rows in the rear, but what do those first class passengers look up to? Those traveling better than first class, of course.
Many airlines offer "extra special" treatment to celebrities and other big names, and although the services vary from airline to airline some things are consistent across the board: little to no waiting in airport lines, extreme efforts to protect privacy, and extra security. Plus, of course, VIP lounges and premium food/drink. Not a celebrity? You can buy the services yourself and feel like one for only about $100.
Most of the airlines who offer special upgrades don't advertise their services, and many don't even post them on websites and flyers. Airport Assistance Worldwide, though, is one that isn't so secretive. On their website you can check out services and even make a reservation. Happy travels!
Marriott's New Orleans Volunteer Package
Taking a vacation can be about so much more than just treating yourself -- what about getting away from it all in a way that's not only fun for you but also helps others? Marriott is offering a "Big Easy Spirit to Serve Getaway" package that offers luxurious amenities combined with charitable donations and volunteerism. The package includes a room at a Marriott hotel with breakfast for two in the morning, a "Care Concierge" who will help hook you up with volunteer organizations in the area and help you find a way to help that is meaningful to you, and then $50 of every night's room rate will be donated to Habitat for Humanity. All for rates of $159-$259/night.Via LA Times Travel Blog
Krug's Champagne Balloon Trips
It's a dream of mine to go up in a hot air balloon someday, but something tells me my first trip will probably not be via the "Krug is in the Air" program. Krug has come up with a new way to attract luxury consumers by offering the world's most expensive balloon rides, available in locations all over the world for a price tag of €50,000 for a group of up to 8 people. Besides the obvious trip up in a luxury balloon (gleaming hardware, basket lined with premium white leather) you also get gourmet dining complete with champagne and butler service while you're in the air.
Sigh. Sounds dreamy.
Sir Hans Sloane Bespoke Chocolates
The Bespoke Chocolates service from Sir Hans Sloane is about so much more than just customizing a box of chocolates by ordering how many you want each of different available flavors -- they actually mix and make personalized chocolates just for you. As in no two patrons have the same formula.
My mouth is watering already.
The process starts with a series of interviews, followed by a series of tastings, and finally ending in the delivery of 60 chocolates made by master chocolatier Bill McCarrick in a handmade rosewood-and-maple inlaid box. Also included is a copy of the chocolate tasting consultations and a backup box of an additional 60 chocolates. YUM. $2400.
Gallery: Chocolate Delights
Prepare for the $35 Movie Ticket
It seems like the price of movie tickets is getting ever more expensive, but would you be willing to pay even more if it meant luxury amenities like plush reserved seating with waiter service and upscale food and drink options? I would! At least sometimes anyway. It would totally make going to a movie feel more like going to a "show."
Village Roadshow Gold Class Cinemas is opening a luxury movie theater later this year in Chicago that will offer just those amenities, along with others like seating limited to 40 people and special parking privileges, for ticket prices of just $35 each.
That's pretty steep for a movie, but they're not expecting that to deter the luxury crowd -- plans are already in the works for 20+ more Gold Class Cinemas around the country by 2010.
The Diamond-Studded Master Card
Here at Luxist we cover all kinds of things studded with diamonds but this just might be a first for us: a diamond-studded credit card.
The Dubai First Royale MasterCard will be available only in Dubai (darnit!) and by invitation only to even further limit its distribution. Those who are lucky enough to get one of these cards will enjoy not so surprising features like unlimited credit, special deals, and access to VIP benefits at companies around the world, but perhaps most noteworthy is what the actual credit card looks like. It's black with a gold metal border and it features a crest in the center with a real diamond embedded in the middle.
No word on just how big the diamond is (or what the actual value of the card itself is) but that's one card I would be taking very careful care of.
Via Agenda Inc.
