Villa Amanzi, A Modern Cantilevered Villa on Phuket's Coast Available To Rent.

I don't know if you're planning a trip anytime soon, but if you were considering Thailand, this Phuket villa ought to be on your list. This jaw-dropping vacation rental is located on a little-known stretch of coastline in Kamala, with its sheltered coves, dramatic cliffs, tropical forest, picturesque hills and crystal waters. The area is one of Phuket’s best-kept secrets, and home to this incredible six bedroom residence of outstanding modern architecture and design.




The land plot size is a large 27,000 sq ft, 8,000 sq ft of which is dedicated to the villa designed by Original Vision, Ltd..

The Infinity Pool:
The modern cantilevered home includes a 15m infinity swimming pool that juts out over the rocks below, offering the most dramatic sea views imaginable:







The Exterior:
Flooded with light, glass catwalks, views to die for and an expansive, open-plan living area, the tranquil design features 18m long glass doors that slide back to provide a natural flow from the entrance garden.








The Interior:
Villa Amanzi offers six spacious guest rooms, each with its own ensuite bathroom and private balcony with uninterrupted views over the Andaman Sea. There are three king bedrooms and three twin rooms, which can also be brought together to form three king size beds. The master suite also has a large outdoor terrazzo bath tub in addition to separate showers. The bedrooms all have high quality cotton bed linen.









The stunning photos of this home are by Marc Gerritsen

In room features include:
• Individually controlled air-conditioning
• Remote controlled sun blinds and curtains
• 32inch plasma screen TV and DVD player in Bedroom 1, 2, 3 and 4
• Complimentary wireless Internet access
• Luxury Paresa bathroom accessories


Rates:
• Daily rates from US$2,000 to US$4,500 for the villa (depending on Season)
• Daily rates include a full time Chef (food and beverage costs charged to guests on account)
• Minimum stay of 3 nights (14 nights Peak Season)
• Rates shown are for a maximum of 12 (twelve) Guests (including children)
• Rates are inclusive of VAT
• Airport transfer: approximately US$35 per trip for a maximum of 7 passengers in private mini bus or car
• For weddings and private parties, a surcharge may be applicable depending on number of guests

For reservations or more information visit http://www.villaamanzi.com

Design team: Original Vision Ltd
Project architects: Adrian McCarroll, Waiman Cheung, Jamie Jamieson
Location: Kamala beach, Phuket, Thailand
Project year: 2008

Images courtesy of Villa Amanzi, Original Vision, Arch Daily and Welcome Beyond

The Coqoon Treetop Spa Provides Mid-Air Pampering At The Indigo Pearl, Phuket.

Award-winning 5-star Phuket resort Indigo Pearl has just opened a cutting-edge designer spa, most unique for its suspended treetop room providing mid-air pampering.



Modeled on the boyhood vision of internationally renowned designer, Bill Bensley, who is responsible for the entire resort’s raw-industrial meets sensual-chic styling, Coqoon Spa takes guests on a ‘journey of discovery and healing’.






It is set amongst lush tropical rainforest as the resort’s very own ‘Garden of Eden’ and uses a banyan tree as the hanger for its signature treatment room.




Coqoon Spa features six deluxe treatment rooms as well as an exclusive ‘Coqoon Suite’ complete with private pool, rain shower, steam room, sauna and Vichy shower available for private hire for up to 3-days. It comes complete with a spa butler for ease and convenience of multiple treatments throughout guests’ stay.





The ‘pièce de résistance and must-try for all spa enthusiasts is ‘The Nest’ – a luxurious spa suite suspended midair and accessed by a flying bridge, allowing guests to get up close and personal with nature.





Coqoon Spa is adorned throughout in silvery-blue palms and hues of plumbago. It takes the typical ‘zen’ approach to spas and gives it a lively / unusual twist with industrial touches and a fresh colour scheme. Its treatments menu is steeped in Thai tradition whilst embracing holistic ideals in the pursuit of better health and wellness.



On offer is a range of aromatic body treatments, scrubs and wraps, Anne Semonin facial treatments, hand and foot care, and beauty treatments. Rare plant essences, Andaman elixirs and Thai herbal spices excite the senses and rejuvenate the mind, body and spirit, administered by highly qualified therapists ensuring guest comfort and privacy at all times.



This wellness journey extends to the privacy of guests’ own accommodations with custom-designed ‘D-Buk’ spa suites, where individual experiences can be tailored to suit special requests and needs – with spa executives designing an individual treatment programme which is both enjoyable while also meeting specific goals and objectives. These can incorporate diet, exercise, activity, rest and relaxation with spa treatments to ultimately rejuvenate mind, body and spirit.


In celebration of the Coqoon Spa opening, Indigo Pearl is offering the “Coqoon Revival” package, a delicately designed package to revitalize and nourish body and soul available at THB 22,500 net from now until 15 April 2011.



The acclaimed 5-star Indigo Pearl is a fusion of modern architecture and Thai tin-mining heritage next to Nai Yang Beach, just 10 minutes from Phuket International Airport. The resort has been hailed as a design masterpiece by global media publications and boasts easy access with direct flights to Phuket from almost everywhere in Asia.


Indigo Pearl Coqoon Spa

+66 (0) 76 327 006

Pavé - The Luxury Liqueur Distilled Through Real Diamonds In Amsterdam.

An interesting unique luxury liqueur that is distilled through genuine diamonds, Pavé Amsterdam - The Luxury Liqueur™, had me intrigued from the start. I did as much research as possible and even contacted the owner multiple times for details, but I didn't learn much more than I had by poking around the internet. So, I will share with you what I can.



Nowadays the word "luxury" is tossed about quite carelessly. I've been guilty of doing so in this very blog. But when it comes to a luxury liqueur, Pavé claims to be the paragon. After all, it's said to be distilled and filtered through 500 carats of the finest grade earth-mined diamonds.



Pavé, the Luxury Liqueur, is described as an ultra premium, 60 proof clear fruit liqueur infused with a distinct blend of ripened citrus, tropical and passion fruits, hints of caffeine and delicate herbal notes. Distilled from organic fruits through genuine diamonds. It is said that Pavé is designed to be a standalone drink, though it can also be enjoyed with a splash of your favorite mixer.



The company says that Pavé’s finesse is in its elaborate creation process and secret family techniques that have been passed down for generations.



The bottle design:

From their website:

The ultra-lux liqueur is encased in its proprietary rectangular bottle. Standing strikingly tall and crystal-like, the bottle is fused with metal and Swarovski Crystals. The bottle was designed by founder Moghaddam* and inspired by the diamond distillation method used to produce the delicate liqueur. A 750ml bottle of Pavé weighs nearly 5 pounds.

The distillation process:


From their website:

Pavé is the first and only liqueur distilled with diamonds. For this “diamond-distillation” process, over 500 carats of the world’s finest genuine diamonds (category: IF/VVS1 – D/E) were examined and hand-picked by experts. After an elaborate distillation, Pavé is filtered through these flawless diamonds just before bottling, using a brand new batch of gems for every distillation. This enables filtration to 1.0 microns – conventional filters, on the other hand, only filter within a range between 30.0 and 15.0 microns. This fine, high-grade diamond dust makes this possible, removing even the most minute particles and impurities from the distillate. The sophisticated process gives Pavé its exquisite softness, exceptional clarity and clean, fresh finish - a liqueur of perfect purity and smoothness.

So, who is behind Pavé the Luxury Liqueur?



Well, this is not an easy one to answer. You may have noticed that the liqueur label and logo read Pavé Amsterdam, and when I asked owner Moghaddam*, I couldn't get a specific address nor pictures of the offices or distillation location. And from my own amateur research, I couldn't find any indication that it's created, owned, distilled or distributed in or from Amsterdam, so I am taking his word for it.

*Mehran Moghaddam, is named as the founder and President of the company, the designer of the bottle and as per his Linked In profile, a young entrepreneur who received a degree in Biochemistry at UC Davis in 1996 and a masters at UC Davis in Business Management in 2005.



The links to the "media" for Pavé on their site don't work, so I couldn't see any other articles about the trademarked "luxury liqueur". And when it comes to their social media presence, they are definitely a mess. On Facebook, one of their group pages calls it Pavé Vodka, but it is not a vodka and the marketing address for that is the Idol Music Group which is in New York. The business group page on Facebook lists Amsterdam as their location, but again, no working address or link. The myspace page for Pave is sparse and neglected and hasn't been updated in over a year.

This kind of makes me doubt the diamond distillation process. After all, 500 carats of Internally Flawless (IF) diamonds with D or E color would cost millions (unless they are chips, which is possible) and a new batch is used every time? Are there armed guards standing by during the process? And who are these 'experts' who hand picked the diamonds? Unfortunately, I could not find the answers to these questions.



Regardless of the veracity of its claims, the concept has an appeal and the bottle design is aesthetically pleasing. I can't comment on the taste because it's virtually impossible to locate in a retail location or online, with one exception -- it is available through Hi Time Wine. How did I even hear about it? Pavé seems to be most commonly present at music-related launches at the hippest events and parties.

all images courtesy of Pavé Spirits and Mehran Moghaddam