lioninoil

Keep on Moroccan

jackie — Thu, 17 May 2012 01:58:26 +0000

Snippets from Marrakech: the entrance to the Medina, local spices and roots for sale in the souks, one of countless ornately hand-painted ceilings at Bahia Palace, a charming riad front door, and, of course, genie pants.

Brewed Awakening

jackie — Wed, 16 May 2012 03:28:56 +0000

Summer is just around the corner here in New York, which means I will start wanting a beer any day now. There’s nothing quite like a cold one on a hot day, right? Perhaps I’ll break my piggy bank open and buy one of these amazing hand-carved St-Louis Les Confidents beer glasses from which to drink. And while I’m at it, I’ll count out a few extra pennies for a custom table from Bespoke Global—something to put my glass on, of course. A girl can dream… (more…)

Magic Carpet Ride

jackie — Tue, 15 May 2012 21:34:24 +0000

Despite an abbreviated stay of just a couple of nights (resulting in, I think, more hours on an airplane than actually on the ground), my trip to Marrakech last month was no less magical than one would expect. Surely part of it was the labyrinthine souks filled with snake charmers, fortune tellers, and genie lamps, but what really transported me was Palais Namaskar. The new hotel—which I’d sooner dub a resort due to its location outside of the hectic city center and serene atmosphere filled with perfectly-landscaped gardens and lakes—chilled me out virtually on contact. Lake-side yoga, a Guerlain facial, a foie gras-heavy menu, and some seriously sexy Feng-Shui interiors were enough to turn a 72-hour stay into the ultimate retreat. And will you just look at that killer Ochre City sunset? (more…)

Except for Those Cursed Bees

jackie — Thu, 03 May 2012 14:24:41 +0000

The Colchagua Valley and surrounding winelands were my last stop in my Chilean adventure, topped off with a stay at Lapostolle Residence, a swank little resort run by the country’s most celebrated winery, Clos Apalta. The property is nothing if not decadent—I started out with a wine-paired five-course lunch and finished with a massage on my casita’s private deck, with a Grand Marnier tasting (using chocolate shot glasses!), an extensive wine tasting, and a tour of the property’s underground, lair-like wine cellar fitting somewhere in-between. With the exception of an unfortunate swarm of bees that were terribly interested in my breakfast jams, the entire stay was damn-near perfect. (more…)

A Smidge of Santiago

jackie — Tue, 01 May 2012 21:50:41 +0000

Tidbits of my time in Santiago, including the chic and sexy Aubrey Hotel; a magical, if smoggy, park in the sky (which I was told features—though viewed no evidence of—excellent vistas of the Andes); a political-statement-slash-tapas-bar; more free art and cultural spaces than an American knows what to do with; and pastel de choclo (look it up, make it, and prepare to have your world rocked). (more…)

Hearts on Fire

jackie — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 17:42:00 +0000

A last bit of Patagonia that I just couldn’t bear not to post. Sadly, my trip came on the heels a tragic fire that ravaged more than 20 square miles of Torres del Paine National Park. That the blaze just barely missed Explora’s Hotel Salto Chico was hardly luck. Rather, a devoted staff that stayed behind to battle the flames was the property’s saving grace. Nonetheless, Salto Chico was undergoing a much-needed scrubbing during my visit—thus the limited photography—rendering the great outdoors my home for much of my stay. But, really, isn’t that the point of Patagonia anyway? (more…)

Off the Charts

jackie — Tue, 03 Apr 2012 02:18:35 +0000

Between the 17-hour days (hello, golden hours!), the jagged scribbles that Torres del Paine’s mountain ranges form over the horizon, and those funky lenticular clouds that hang like orbs in the sky, Patagonia is absolutely one of those places that requires little-to-no skill to photograph. I wish I could say I’m this amazing of a photographer, but, alas, these landscapes (not to mention the breathtaking new Tierra Patagonia Hotel and Spa) really deserve all of the credit. So you’ll have to forgive me if I’m so in awe of these shots that they get a bit redundant—allow my deficiencies in self-editing this one time! (more…)

Singled Out

jackie — Mon, 26 Mar 2012 02:18:45 +0000

You always read about how Patagonia is this life-changing pocket of the world where people go to find themselves—or lose themselves—in the frighteningly vast and utterly unadulterated landscapes strewn with Krypton-like mountain ranges and furious winds. And, really, even when staying in an amazing new resort like the Singular Patagonia just outside of Puerto Natales, it’s no different. Never mind the daily-changing farm-fresh menus, the marshmallowy beds, and the massive holistic spa at this former-meat-processing-plant-turned-industrial-mod hotel, what really stuck with me were the same experiences that people have been having here for centuries: fording a river on horseback, hiking a glacier, kayaking through fjords, and stalking those cuddly cousins of the camel, guanacos. Sure, I might be fooling myself—I never had to rough it in a wind-battered tent, and even the strenuous nine-hour hike to las torres never really got to the point of “dangerous”—but how often do you get to hang out with a bunch of gauchos slamming beers right before they mount a bucking bronco? Not too often. (more…)

Camels and Carbs

jackie — Sun, 11 Mar 2012 22:26:56 +0000

I honestly don’t know which I love more: carbs or animals. So it’s no wonder I fit right in with the Negev Bedouins who make the best bread (by burying it in dirt, mind you) that I have ever tasted in my life. Both Muhammad, whom I met in the desert, and Zarifi, whose acquaintance I made at her home in the village of Derig’at, showed me a few different ways to make bread. Sometimes soft, thick, and fluffy, other times more tortilla-like, let it suffice to say that whatever the style, I ate it like a wild animal who’d just emerged from hibernation. Muhammad also provided me with ample opportunities to fawn all over his camels, not to mention letting me take one of ‘em for a spin, so, you know, I can pretty much say with confidence that the funnest day of my life has come and gone. Oh, and then there’s this little gem, about which I have absolutely nothing to say. (more…)

The Crater That Isn’t

jackie — Sun, 11 Mar 2012 00:39:04 +0000

Benni, a surly, stocky dude with a shaved head and an accent that’s part British, part Belgian, part American, and part local, was my guide through the behemoth 23-mile-wide Makhtesh Ramon. The giant hole in the Negev’s barren landscape looks so much like a crater that it’s virtually always called a crater. But if I were to dare call it such, as opposed to its, ahem, proper name—a makhtesh!—Benni informed me I’d be tossed out of his Jeep faster than a fat sand rat scurrying through the desert. Anyway, whether you care about the official nomenclature of this mammoth non-crater or not is moot—what really matters is the amazing Beresheet resort propped along its edge. Say what you will about the art at the entrance (is it a positive or negative comment on the burka?), this sweet little oasis in the middle of the desert is one hot potato in my book. (more…)