Coming soon! We are wrapping up all our notes/photos and videos of our family trip to Moorea in French Polynesia. Stay tuned! The post Hilton Moorea – French Polynesia first appeared on Our Luxe Life ..read more

Last weekend marked seven weeks (seven.weeks.!) since our family had been in nature other than the park in our neighborhood, and I was eager to find a place where we could stay social distanced and be surrounded by trees. (We’re still under shelter-in-place rules in the Bay Area.) A quick Google search for open parks pointed me to hiking at Villa Montalvo. Santa Clara County Parks including Montalvo are open during normal daytime hours while the State of California’s “Shelter in Place” ordinance is in effect. Hike was a bit of a generous term; we took the route in yellow below starting at P4 ..read more

This is the photo I shared with the WFH Times for my interview (see the article here) about launching my retreat business (Tentacles and Tea), as well as “community, bravery, mindfulness and more.” Rainbow Spice matches the decor so well, doesn’t she? #notplanned I’m sitting on that chair right now in my home office/shoe storage which triples as the cats’ litterbox area. Painting those stripes took longer than the DIY instructions claimed it would, and no one warned me about the neck pain that comes with painting on the ceiling, but I’m happy with the outcome. What you don’t see against the f ..read more

Have you heard of Dapper Day? It was started in 2011 by a designer (Justin J.) in LA for people to “step out in style” at places like the opera, museums, and my favorite, Disney Parks. All styles (not costumes) are welcome, but I notice the majority of people lean toward a 1940’s-1960’s look. Disneyland opened on July 17, 1955 in Anaheim, so it’s fitting. This past weekend would have been the spring Dapper Day celebration in California, which includes an expo, pop-ups and parties, but due to current events (for those reading this blog in fifty years, we’re in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemi ..read more

Today I’m feeling antsy. It’s been over a month that we’ve been “social isolating.” I want to get out of the house, and I don’t just mean to the park next door, or out to get groceries. I simultaneously crave the energy of Disneyland and the quiet of my house when the kids are at school, and I’m alone. I miss being alone. I also miss having dinner or coffee or drinks with friends. Maybe I’m just missing what I can’t have right now. The sense of freedom I’ve lost. I miss date night at Alexander’s Steakhouse where we would start the night with a cocktail (filthy Botanist gin martini with blue ch ..read more

As I shared in the last post, Jonathan and I spent one day at the JW Marriott in Mumbai. We didn’t spend much time in the room since we wanted to check out Bombay Bakery (photos in previous post), Quan Spa (photos below) and Dashanzi (photos coming soon). The eyeless/mouthless man art was everywhere in this hotel. View from our room Marble bathroom Quan Spa We were in this couple’s room that had a (concrete?) tub, lounge area and shower; we just used the tables for massages. I love when spas have something pretty to look at when face down (even though most of the time I have my eyes closed ..read more

After the wedding festivities were over and we checked out of the Sun-n-Sand Hotel, Jonathan and I had about 14 hours before our flight left Mumbai at 1:20AM, so we booked a room for the day at the 5-star JW Marriott a 7-minute drive down the road. The lobby was expansive with tall ceilings, and the flowers throughout the hotel were impressive. Since we didn’t stay overnight, we didn’t have breakfast in this spacious ground floor buffet, but it looks like they’d offer many choices with all those stations. (They were either setting up for lunch or finishing breakfast service here.) The hote ..read more

Jonathan and I had the privilege of attending a beautiful Indian wedding at the Sun-n-Sand Hotel in Juhu, Mumbai, India in January of this year. Here is the baraat, the groom’s wedding procession up to the hotel; the groom’s guests were encouraged to join. I’ve heard it’s customary to travel through town to the bride on a mare; in this case the mare was a Mercedes Benz. There was a band, drumming and dancing as we slowly made our way. Baraat Once the groom arrived, he and the bride saw each other and were lifted on shoulders. It was a joyous affair, not as ceremonial a walk down the aisle as i ..read more

Macarons are often an indulgent treat, not a quarantine staple, and I wanted to feel a little normalcy this past weekend, so I whipped up some macarons, using my Mauviel copper bowl and hand-whisking my egg whites for the first time ever (switched off whisking with Jonathan twice; my Kitchen Aid arms weren’t prepared for that task).  Mauviel copper bowl* (affiliate link) And by whipped up, I mean spent the appropriate amount of time babying these finicky cookies. It was worth it to see those frilly feet. Although it may sound overwhelming, the matcha, red bean, sake-flavored buttercream ..read more

It’s been three weeks since the “shelter-in-place” order was issued for the Bay Area, California. We are currently isolating, quarantining, insert COVID-19-recommendation-here, at home. I went grocery shopping today for the first time in weeks, and it’s a strange world. I stood in line outside Whole Foods, waiting for my turn to enter the store with a few others. Social distancing line to enter Whole Foods (Bonus Tesla) Due to the new recommendation of wearing a mask, I donned said item, plus plastic gloves, as did many (but not all) of my fellow shoppers. Reusable bags were not allowed (see t ..read more