Thanksgiving is a week away and families across the US are finalizing plans to commune around their designated dinner table.  Most gatherings will be in the dining rooms of a parent, aunt, brother, sister, etc., etc., but some groups will choose to get out of familiar holiday surroundings and take unique trips.  There are several options in Thanksgiving travel packages, including luxurious retreats.

One holiday escape can be found at the Dunton Hot Springs Resort, across the mountain from Telluride in the Colorado Rockies.  Their Thanksgiving Food & Wine Package includes four nights in one of the resort's authentic restored mining cabins, a traditional Thanksgiving feast, day trip to Sutcliffe Vineyards, complimentary bottle of wine, and a spa treatment of your choice. 

Like countless others, I'll be gathered around my dining table filled with turkey, stuffing and all the trimmings; but the experience at Dunton Hot Springs certainly offers something unique for the crowd looking for the less customary.

In my early 20s I discovered something that would help shape the next decade of my life: whiskey.  Not in a negative way, mind you, but an educational way.  I am fascinated by the distilling process and all else that goes into the creation of a fine whiskey.  The occasional drink of the finished product only serves as a celebratory culmination of the entire process.

Recently, White & Mackay, owner of The Dalmore brand, announced a limited release of a rare Scotch whiskey much older than my love affair with the hooch.  The Dalmore 50yo was first distilled 140 years ago and offers a rare taste of an era gone by.  Also rare is the whiskey's availability, with only 191 hand-blown Portuguese decanters being created, each individually numbered and accompanied by a handwritten and signed letter from The Dalmore's creator.  A £5,000 bottle could be the centerpiece in the collection of any whiskey connoisseur.

The way my kitchen is set up, I have to uncomfortably crane my neck while cooking in order to see the TV.  A petty quibble for sure, but one that could be corrected with a stylish VELA LCD TV Rangehood from ILIVE.  My eyes could easily travel from the steaming vegetables or pots of pasta up to the 10-inch flat LCD monitor built into right into the range hood.

The VELA is the creation of Italian designer Marco Valerio Agretti and combines form and function.  Not only sleek and contemporary, the range hood is powerful enough to remove the most intense cooking fumes.  It is a great addition to the modern kitchen that is the heart of the home.

The Nomad Cook by Pyrolave looks like something you might see pushed through the halls of the Starship Enterprise in a Star Trek rerun.  Though futuristic in design and performance, one does not have to travel to the final frontier to obtain a Nomad Cook of their own.  The innovative mobile cooking unit has an instantaneous induction source below the lava stone surface (I think that means it gets hot quickly through fancier means than your average stove).  The unit is easy to use and clean, and is perfect for outdoor entertaining or indoor gatherings during the upcoming winter months.  With its sleek design and color options, Nomad Cook is a great addition to any decor, while also being highly functional.  As stated on their website, it gives you "the freedom to cook whenever and wherever you want."  And also to do it in style.

Not so long ago, being environmentally conscious seemed to be synonymous with minimalism.   With technological advances, a concentration on sustainable materials, and a greater desire of consumers to become eco-friendly, "going green" no longer has to mean huge sacrifice.  In fact, those used to the finer things in life are now demanding the finest things in green living to incorporate into their luxury lifestyle, pointing towards society's growing environmental awareness.

Modern luxury homes are at the forefront of the green movement.  One such example is a spectacular home in Boulder, Colorado dubbed "The Next West Home." The groundbreaking Boulder luxury home is the first LEED platinum, Net Zero Carbon residence in America.  Utilizing the latest green technologies, the home features hybrid solar, geo-exchange heating and cooling, a direct plumbing system, closed cell foam super insulation and LED lighting.  Sustainable materials used in construction include FSC harvested wood, low and no VOC paints and 100-year-old recycled brick.

The home beautifully combines its sustainability with a commitment to quality and luxury.  The top-of-the-line kitchen appliances are Energy Star rated, custom wood doors and floors are crafted from FSC certified American walnut, and the heated garage is pre-wired for an electric/rechargeable car.

This landmark property shows what can be accomplished when luxury comes together with an emphasis on green building and renewable energy sources.  It is currently listed at $3,400,000 by Colorado Landmark, Realtors.

There's a chill in the Chicago air and all around are signs of season change.  Browning leaves are tumbling to the ground and windows that had remained open the previous month are now sealed.  The cold of the tile floor in my bathroom penetrating the bottom of my feet this morning served as a reminder to break out the slippers and consider a change to the currently packed away warmer bed sheets.

Maybe if my bed were covered with Charlotte Thomas Bespoke sheets, the thought of changing bedding would never enter my mind.  The luxurious 'Bespoke' collection is handmade with 22 carat gold thread woven into the fabric.  Thousand-count Egyptian wool makes the sheets singular in their elegant feel and look.  Each order is made for the individual customer and can take 12 weeks to complete while the rare fabrics are collected.  The time it takes is certainly worth it, as the careful craftsmanship leads to luxury bedding that will be treasured in any climate at any time of year.

Recently I wrote about the $20,000 diamond encrusted iPhone case (along with a few thoughts on the mass hysteria created by the latest gadget).  Due to the crazed consumers, the new 3G is an unquestionable success for Apple, who claims over a million phones were sold in the first weekend of the product's global launch.

It is highly unlikely that there will be a million Amosu Ultimo Diamond iPhones sold in one weekend...actually, it's almost a sure thing that this phone will never reach the million-sold mark.  But for this elite luxury phone, that is precisely the point.  Only a select few will be able to shell out the £89,000 (a little more than $177,000) for the luxury phone that is handcrafted by artisans and outfitted with 1,179 diamonds, including 61 comprising the familiar Apple logo. 

At the very least it would make a lot more sense to fill your $20,000 case with the Amosu phone, rather than the one a million people waited hours in line for a few weeks ago. 
Check out the video below:

I recently took a trip to the "City of Lights" – Las Vegas, NV.  On most occasions my trips have consisted of discovering new restaurants and nightlife, enjoying time by the pool and testing my luck at black jack.  On this particular trip though, I discovered a service I'd not experienced before – Eminence Luxury Services – a high-end car rental service.

When one travels, a car is often a nice amenity to have on hand, but the selection at Hertz can be unimpressive to the discerning customer. Eminence Luxury offers an easy solution in providing a large selection of most en vogue, luxury cars on the market. For the sophisticated consumer, exquisite Bentleys and Aston Martins are available. Individuals looking for something a bit more edgy and exotic can choose from a wide selection of Ferraris and Lamborghinis.

The hamburger has come a long way since it first debuted in the late 1880’s – so much more than the traditional ground beef patty, bun and fixings such as lettuce, tomato, ketchup and mustard. Today it’s found its niche in the world of fine dining and haute cuisine. Kobe burgers are now a standard selection on many high-end restaurants, ranging from $22 to upwards of $125. Of course these burgers are made from the best beef and are accompanied by the finest cheeses, truffles and foie gras. 

Several establishments have capitalized on the luxury burger craze even further by weaving vintage wines into the mix. The Fleur de Lys – located in Las Vegas, NV – serves a Kobe beef patty complete with black truffles and truffle sauce served on a brioche truffle bun. The price tag: $5000. The top-notch burger isn’t the reason for the high price tag, but rather the bottle of 1990 Chateau Petrus. The Palms – another Las Vegas establishment – is offering a unique “combo” in pairing a $6 Carl Jr. hamburger with a 24-yeard old bottle of French Bordeaux. The cost of this fine grouping: $6000.

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