Category: Travel

Historic Nepenthe in Big Sur, Ca

November 4, 2012

Posted by naturally modern under Architecture, Beach Houses, Houses We Love, Indoor-Outdoor, Naturally Modern, Restaurants, Travel, Vacation Homes

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Just came across this amazing historic photo of Nepenthe restaurant in Big Sur, Ca, one of our most favorite places in the world! This amazing place is perched high above the Pacific Ocean, constructed of redwood and glass. It has an amazing front patio with a sculpture of a Phoenix rising from the ashes as you walk up. The windows throughout the structure drown the space with natural light. Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton starred in the classic movie “The Sandpiper” which was famously filmed here. ”Nepenthe” means “no sorrow.”

(Photo via www.lokiloos.com)

Modern Vacation: The “Beach House” at qualia, Australia

October 30, 2012

Posted by naturally modern under All Posts, Beach Houses, Hotels & Resorts, Houses We Love, Travel, Vacation Homes

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For your next modern, beach vacation, consider booking the “Beach House” at the qualia resort, Great Barrier Reef, Australia. We wish this was our house!

Private Retreat in Big Sur, CA

September 29, 2012

Posted by naturally modern under All Posts, Architecture, Beach Houses, Events, Houses We Love, Naturally Modern, Outdoor Design, Travel, Vacation Homes, Wedding

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Big Sur is one of the most amazing places on the planet as far as we’re concerned. Aside from the spectacular, natural coastline, there is something very modern about this little slice of heaven. Its natural beauty is timeless and, yet, ever changing with the dynamic coastline and free wildlife. Eagles and condors in flight, ocean waves crashing, sun rising and setting…serenity defined. And, without cell phone reception, you’re forced to enjoy it. :)

One of the most exquisite private estates in Big Sur is known as Anderson Canyon. A long time celebrity favorite for weddings and retreats (it is rumored Natalie Portman and Anne Hathaway held their weddings here), it can be reserved for private rental, whether for a fabulous vacation or for a private event. Imagine yourself staying a week, or hosting an unforgettable soiree, at this amazing, natural, modern, coastal retreat.

(All images via AndersonCanyon.com)

Sebastopol, California – One of California’s Best Towns

August 24, 2012

Posted by naturally modern under Natural Healing, Travel

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Outside Magazine has named Sebastopol one of California’s best towns. The article did a great job of describing this natural, but modern, town, highlighting that it is home to “….half a dozen yoga studios, two massage schools, several home-based meditation groups, an Ayurvedic healing center, a Buddhist zendo, a spa offering Japanese enzyme baths, two ‘equine experiential learning institutes,’ and a clinic that treats cancer patients with not only conventional Western protocols but also Chinese medicine, acupuncture, osteopathy, and jin shin jyutsu.”

“Sebastopol is a hotbed of green/eco/health-conscious lifestyles and businesses,” says David Klein—and as editor of Living Nutrition magazine, which espouses a raw-food diet, he would know. Not too surprisingly, greens dominate town hall, and organics prevail at Andys Produce Market and the Sunday-morning farmers market. Even an alliance of vegan jocks, OrganicAthlete, is headquartered in town. Local businesses doing well by doing good include Traditional Medicinals herbal teas and Gourmet Mushrooms Inc. suppliers to chefs and nutraceutical labs. If a career in the healing arts isnt your bag, you can always become a cellar rat: More than 100 Sonoma County wineries are a short commute away.REALITY CHECK: Recent transplants from Marin County have helped inflate the median home price past $650,000. But with lots of under-the-radar options—granny units, barns, the occasional yurt—locals arent packing their bags. (via Best Outside Towns: Sebastopol, California | Adventure Travel Guide | OutsideOnline.com.)

Sebastopol has some very cool, natural, modern homes as well. Check out this amazing modern house in Sebastopol by San Francisco based architect Turnbull Griffin Haesloop.

Montréal International Jazz Festival

June 29, 2012

Posted by naturally modern under All Posts, Events, Music, Travel

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The Montreal Jazz Festival is in full swing from June 28 through July 7. This is of of the best, if not the best, jazz festivals in the world. Legend after legend have graced this modern, jazz festival: Miles Davis, Herbie Hancock, Aretha Franklin, Louis Armstrong, Diana Krall, Oscar Peterson, Ron Carter, Ray Charles, Pat Metheny, Wynton Marsalis, Ella Fitzgerald, Tony Bennet, James Brown, Dave Brubeck, BB King, Buddy Guy, Sting, Norah Jones, Van Morrison, Bob Dylan, Stevie Wonder, George Benson, Prince, and more!

Ranked as the world’s largest jazz festival by Guinness World Records, the Festival International de Jazz de Montréal has been synonymous with a passion for music for over three decades. Every year, North America’s French-speaking metropolis welcomes global music fans to 10 days of jazzcentric celebration, where fans of all types of jazz-related music rub shoulders with aficionados of the genre in its purest form. The Festival hosts some 30 countries, 3,000 musicians and public entertainers, 1,000 concerts and activities—two-thirds of them free – in 15 concert halls and on 8 outdoor stages, welcoming more than 2 million visitors to the city, from noon to midnight! And it all happens on a unique site designed to meet festivalgoers’ every need, in the heart of Montreal’s downtown core, in an area off-limits to car traffic! There’s no doubt – Montreal is the heartbeat of Planet Jazz!

via About – Festival International de Jazz de Montréal.

Get Tickets Here!

Win a Weekend Getaway at Big Sur’s Post Ranch Inn

June 15, 2012

Posted by naturally modern under All Posts, Architecture, Hotels & Resorts, Travel

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Big Sur is one of the best places on the planet – at least we think so. It is one of the ultimate natural beauties with its jaw-dropping picturesque Pacific Coastline, hidden beaches, old growth redwoods, myriad of rare birds flying around in the sky, fresh-fresh-fresh air, and… oh, yes, modern architecture. Ok, we admit that most of the lodging in Big Sur is more cabin that couture, but not so with at the Post Ranch Inn. This place is amazing. You can win a free weekend get-a-way at the Post Ranch Inn through the California Home + Design website (apparently through a Mr. & Mrs Smith Hotel Collection partnership). An entry would be well worth the opportunity to win. To learn more about the contest and enter to win – read more via Win The Ultimate Retreat to Big Sur’s Post Ranch Inn | California Home + Design.

Fodor’s 10 Best Luxury Hotel Spas

June 9, 2012

Posted by naturally modern under All Posts, Hotels & Resorts, Natural Healing, Travel

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Fodor’s just published their list of the “10 Best Luxury Hotel Spas” with some great resorts from around the world included. The list includes spas with indoor-outdoor therapeutic treatments, herbal and natural healing treatments, Ayurvedic and holistic treatments, oceanfront treatments, and of course all of the best massage and pressure-point treatments one can enjoy on regular basis. Best of all, the list is populated with modern, luxurious, design-oriented resorts. So there is no need to sacrifice your aesthetic sensibility to get a good spa-treatment.

Sandra Ramani authored the article at Fodor’s and sums it up when she writes:

Historically, wellness retreats and destination spas weren’t concerned with things like posh furnishings, gourmet eats, or locker room freebies, focusing instead on their (sometimes strict) health and lifestyle programs. Now that luxury hotels and resorts are in the spa game, though, things have changed: These days, spa aficionados are likely to find extras like homemade organic snacks, private treatment villas, and high-tech facilities (think indoor “snow rooms”) to complement the therapeutic services. Below are some favorite five-star spots that take pampering to a whole other level.

via 10 Best Luxury Hotel Spas | Travel News from Fodor’s Travel Guides.

Phulay Bay, Ritz-Carlson / Krabi, Thailand (Photo via Fodors.com)

Design Ideas for a Beach Picnic

May 18, 2012

Posted by naturally modern under All Posts, Decor, Food and Drink, Outdoor Design, Travel

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Happy Friday! We have beach picnics on our minds for the weekend here at Naturally Modern. If the idea of a picnic on the beach uplifts your spirits… here’s some picnic design ideas to help inspire a gorgeous, modern beach picnic, day or night!