Riga, Latvia’s capital, is set on the Baltic Sea at the mouth of the River Daugava. It’s considered a cultural center and is home to many museums and concert halls. The city is also known for its wooden buildings, art nouveau architecture and medieval Old Town. The pedestrian-only Old Town has many shops and restaurants and is home to busy Livu Square, with bars and nightclubs.
Latvia is a country on the Baltic Sea between Lithuania and Estonia. Its landscape is marked by wide beaches as well as dense, sprawling forests. Latvia’s capital is Riga, home to notable wooden and art nouveau architecture, a vast Central Market and a medieval Old Town with St. Peter’s Church. Riga’s museums include the Latvian Ethnographic Open-Air Museum, showcasing local crafts, food and music.
Tetiꞌaroa is an atoll in the Windward group of the Society Islands of French Polynesia, an overseas territorial collectivity of France in the Pacific Ocean. Once the vacation spot for Tahitian royalty, the islets are under a 99-year lease contracted by Marlon Brando.
Marlon Brando
“My mind is always soothed when I imagine myself sitting on my South Sea island at night. If I have my way, Tetiaroa will remain forever a place that reminds Tahitians of what they are and what they were centuries ago.”
Marlon Brando first came to Tetiaroa while filming Mutiny on the Bounty and was immediately enchanted by the island’s rare beauty and the sense it gave him of being closer to paradise. Enthralled by the Polynesian way of life – and the leading lady Tarita, the love of his life – he resolved to find a way to own this piece of paradise and succeeded in his goal in 1967. It was in this natural wonderland that he settled down, and finally found a home.
Brando was passionate about preserving Tetiaroa’s natural beauty, biodiversity and cultural richness and was determined to find a way in which it could be a center for research and education, and a model of sustainability. He was convinced that this small atoll could bring good to the entire world.
In 1999 he asked Richard Bailey, a long-time resident of Tahiti who shared Brando’s passion for the environment and who had created some of the region’s finest resorts, to help him conceive a plan that would help Brando achieve his dream. Together, Brando and Bailey pursued a vision of creating the world’s first and foremost post-carbon resort—an island where innovative new technologies would enable a self-sustaining luxury environment for hotel guests, residents and scientific research. The Brando is the legacy of that shared vision.
Cabo San Lucas, a resort city on the southern tip of Mexico’s Baja California peninsula, is known for its beaches, water-based activities and nightlife. Playa El Médano is Cabo’s main beach, with outdoor restaurants and numerous bars. Past the marina is Land’s End promontory, site of Playa del Amor (Lover’s Beach) and El Arco, a natural archway in the seacliffs.
PHOENIX is one of very few yachts in the highly desirable Sanlorenzo SD122 range available on the market today. Presenting a rare opportunity in Asia, with the potential for a short delivery to a new Owner anywhere in the world, she has never been chartered, rarely been slept in and comes to the market with only 1,250 engine hours.
With a fresh feel throughout, she sleeps 12 guests in 5 suites, ideal for comfortable cruising with family and close friends. She has a long range of 3000NM at displacement speed. Her vast social spaces are impressive yet relaxing, and whether you are reading in the salon or taking in the view from the hot tub on the sundeck, enjoyment is guaranteed.
In sestiere Cannaregio, on the banks of the Canal Grande and two steps from Santa Lucia train station, majestic 430-sqm luxury apartment on the first floor of a restored historic palazzo. The property, finely restored and maintained, currently hosts three bedrooms (one of which overlooking the Canal Grande), three bathrooms and a beautiful hall decorated with plaster and frescoes. The palazzo is located a few steps from the Ponte degli Scalzi and enjoys quick access to the most renowned monuments of Venice.
The rolling hills and quiet pastoral setting of Whitehall, Texas have a wonderful secret – the 656± acre Whitehall Ranch, a master-planned ranch property with architectural consistency throughout every improvement within commuting distance to Houston or College Station.
Despite a very private and pristine setting, the ranch is easily accessed via Highway 6 and the new Highway 249 extension. Anchored by a private, family compound tucked into a natural protected setting, Whitehall Ranch reflects the thoughtful merger of inspiration and architecture. The main residence, two guest homes, and pool complex are a masterpiece of design and modern luxury with soaring ceilings and wall-to-wall windows.
No mechanical or aesthetic detail was overlooked. Terraced landscaping and manicured grasses offer a Zen-like setting among architectural symmetry and dramatic lines. The ranch is an incredible place to take pleasure in a multitude of year-round activities and to relax in luxury and savor the amazing scenery. The owner was in no rush to get this right and went to, and continues to go to, extraordinary lengths to ensure this ranch’s place among Texas’s finest properties.
Ziedlejas is a wellness resort rooted in the Latvian sauna tradition. With a secluded location in rural Latvia, it offers natural retreats away from the crowds. Two saunas have already been completed and a third is underway.
Number 1 or the ‘baltā pirts’ (white sauna) is a concrete structure built into the hillside to avoid interfering with the view from the guest cabins. It benefits from natural light and the proximity of the pond for jumping into. We used locally sourced natural materials like wood, herbs and linen to complete the interior.
The more primeval ‘melnā pirts’ (smoke sauna) is built from spruce and fittingly tucked into the woods. While the sauna buildings remain traditional in terms of their purpose, we made sure to enhance functionality and overall aesthetics from a contemporary design perspective.
In 2020 four corten steel and glass cabins opened to overnight guests. Tea houses by day and bedrooms by night, they are designed to be multifunctional. The glass front affords unspoilt views of the landscape. Thanks to the neighbouring herb patches, guests can literally pick and mix their own herbal tea blend.
This is a place to enjoy slowly. Open AD has been involved in the development since day one in partnership with the owners and Landshape landscape architecture firm.
Narai is one of the post towns of the Nakasendo, the old golden route between Tokyo (Edo) and Kyoto. The Town remains unchanged as it was in Edo Period.
Paris, France’s capital, is a major European city and a global center for art, fashion, gastronomy and culture. Its 19th-century cityscape is crisscrossed by wide boulevards and the River Seine. Beyond such landmarks as the Eiffel Tower and the 12th-century, Gothic Notre-Dame cathedral, the city is known for its cafe culture and designer boutiques along the Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré.
Louisville, Kentucky’s largest city, sits on the Ohio River along the Indiana border. Every May, its race course Churchill Downs hosts the Kentucky Derby, a renowned horse race whose long history is explored at the Kentucky Derby Museum. Baseball is celebrated at the Louisville Slugger Museum and Factory, where Major League bats are produced and a giant baseball “slugger” marks the entrance.
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