We are always inspired by a good quote. What inspires you?
“This life is what you make it. No matter what, you’re going to mess up sometimes, it’s a universal truth. But the good part is you get to decide how you’re going to mess it up. Girls will be your friends – they’ll act like it anyway. But just remember, some come, some go. The ones that stay with you through everything – they’re your true best friends. Don’t let go of them. Also remember, sisters make the best friends in the world. As for lovers, well, they’ll come and go too. And baby, I hate to say it, most of them – actually pretty much all of them are going to break your heart, but you can’t give up because if you give up, you’ll never find your soulmate. You’ll never find that half who makes you whole and that goes for everything. Just because you fail once, doesn’t mean you’re gonna fail at everything. Keep trying, hold on, and always, always, always believe in yourself, because if you don’t, then who will, sweetie? So keep your head high, keep your chin up, and most importantly, keep smiling, because life’s a beautiful thing and there’s so much to smile about.”
Spring has sprung and what better time to start planning your breaks. You’ve earned it. So, go have a bit of fun, let your hair down, and get a little wild. The question is where to venture to this year? Well, Forbes has us all covered with their 2013 Travel Guide Star Awards (http://www.startle.com/forbes-travel-guide-star-award-winners/2013-star-award-winners), and this year they gave out more awards than ever before! The list gives you top hotels, spas, and for the foodies the top restaurants. The hardest decision will be what destination first. I say go with Hong Kong the city with the most 5 star hotels and work your way around the world. With such a large list there are plenty of destinations and you don’t have to stop at just Spring Break. Take a break every season this year.
Every venue is not built the same; nor should they be lumped into one big category when you are trying to select the perfect venue for your event. Thanks CUR8EUR for asking us for our opinion on how to select the best venue! We are delighted to share our two cents…
Admit it, one of the first things you do when you check into a hotel room is look out the window to take in the view. Unfortunately, most views are nothing to write home about. How many times have you just looked out over the parking lot, into the office building next door or into a brick wall? You need a much better travel agent, if this is the case! We can help! When you do get treated to an amazing view, it makes all the difference! Check out these spectacular hotel room views around the world. We are giving you a little mental break from your busy day….
There is nothing I like more in life than a vacation – especially when a passport is involved – but I’m not always great about disconnecting. I admit, I love all of my Apple products and they always accompany me on every trip. I like to stay connected to the outside world even when I am soaking up the sun in the tropics. What vacation does allow me is the opportunity to stay connected on my own time; not at the demands required back home. If you are like me and you can’t quite break the tether to technology, check out the 8 Ways to Stay Connected While on Vacation as presented by Conde Nast Travler.
When you vacation, do you stay connected or get lost completely?
Well on Friday, June 1st you have permission to try every doughnut under the sun because it’s officially National Doughnut Day! What a great way to show some appreciation to your staff or clients by treating them to a box of doughnuts in honor of this offbeat holiday!
We love any reason to celebrate and have a great time, especially when it comes to sugary goodness!
We are proud of our affiliation with Cadence Travel, which allows us to offer our clients full travel planning capabilities. Cadence is recognized in the travel industry as one of the top agencies internationally. Given that Cadence is a member of the Virtuoso Network, it allows us to offer our clients the best in luxury travel and experiences. We are delighted when we have the chance to work with our clients to plan fabulous adventures, tours to wonderful places and family experiences.
Hasn’t the dawn of the internet caused a decrease in the need for working with a travel agent? NO! We all agree that the internet provides the vehicle to learn about new and exciting places but someone still has to take the time to actually coordinate all the details. On average, we spend 10-12 hours coordinating a 2-week trip overseas for our clients. If you spent 10 hours planning your vacation, you would need a vacation from your vacation planning! Isn’t there something else you would like to do with 10-hours?
As “Architects of Experiences,” we are well positioned to step in to ease the burden of travel planning. Wouldn’t you rather just make one call to your personal concierge to discuss your travel desires rather than being glued to your computer researching which 4-star hotel will meet your needs?
Coordinating your travel plans is just one way we help design a lifestyle management program that allows you to benefit from the gift of time!
We were excited to see Virtuoso CEO Matthew Upchurch, appearing on NBC’s TODAY show this morning. Matthew was interviewed by the TODAY show’s Ann Curry for a segment titled “When to Use a Travel Agent.”
We look forward to helping you plan your next trip!
It’s becoming a tradition that we spend the first weekend in January in Cabo to conduct a business development seminar with the event professionals in this beautiful corner of the world. Our friends at Lifestyle Villas are wonderful partners and they handpick the vendors to be included in the workshop. This year the topic was Pricing for Profit! I always love sharing the stage with my girl, Marley Majcher, The Party Goddess. This year was a bonus because my darling sister Jodi was able to tag along. What better way to start the year than talking business in paradise? We are locking in dates for 2013 so keep your eyes peeled on our blog for more details so you can join the fun next year.
There are LOTS of very talented people who we have to thank for a fabulous weekend. The more event professionals we meet in Cabo, the more impressed we become with the business climate in Mexico.
Without hesitation, I would recommend every one of these vendors:
Lifestyle Villas (Lifestylevillas.net) – Ali & Sheri Ordonez are the owners of Lifestyle Villas, the largest lifestyle management company in Cabo. I freak’n love these two! Ali & I met several years ago at a concierge conference. We became fast friends, which had nothing to do of course with his access to the most stunning luxury villas in Cabo!! We quickly figured there was plenty of reason to partner and we have been off to the races ever since. I’ve been lucky to travel lots of places around the world but Villa Serena stopped me in my tracks. We are talking 5500 sq. ft of beach front loveliness. The entire experience with the Lifestyle Villas team is first rate. They truly define a quality customer service experience. Susana on the Lifestyle Villas team is a total rock star and always manages every detail of our stay from arrival to activities to departure. Why would you chose to stay in a hotel in Cabo when you could have this personalized service in a stunningly beautiful home?
Cheque (Lifestylevillas.net) – He is driver extraordinaire. He picked is up at the airport so we didn’t need to deal with any nasty taxis. Before even leaving the airport he gave us an ice cold bottle of water and a super refreshing towel to tidy up for our drive. He is super sweet, helpful and informative. We are all convinced we need a driver at home too!
Daniel (Lifestylevillas.net) -Our personal concierge – LOVE him. He’s the go to guy for everything for our stay. He makes sure we had dinner reservations (super swanky or just down and local like we like it), delivered snorkel gear so we could just walk out the back door and putz around, coordinated Cheque’s arrival, finalized our breakfast menu and just overall made sure we had everything we needed for a flawless experience. Let’s not forget his daily dose of homemade guacamole and fresh margaritas!
El iTaKate Catering (www.casianos.com) – Love their mantra – “No Menu, No Rules, Spontaneous Cuisine.” Yea! They provided this super decadent lunch of lobster rolls, flank steak sandwiches, little coconut chicken salad leaves and white chocolate dipped strawberries and Mexican cookies and pastries. Their service was so attentive, professional and sweet. We wanted to bring them home in our suitcase they are so fabulous!
A Matter of Taste Breakfast (www.CateringInCabo.com) - The morning of the seminar we started with a fabulous spread from A Matter of Taste. You think you have tasted fruit until you taste fruit in Mexico and then you realize that everything else you’ve been eating has been a fraud! We were treated to delicious muffins, cinnamon rolls that made you want to cry they were so good and of course the aforementioned fruit! We met A Matter of Taste last year when they attended our workshop and treated us to a crazy delicious dinner. They continue to blow us away with their quality.
Suzanne Morel (SuzanneMorel.com) – If there is ever a company you want to know, it’s the team at Suzanne Morel. Seriously – the greatest spa experience you will ever have. They turned our crazy huge beach front villa into a spa haven! The Suzanne Morel team discretely set up massage tables in each of our bedrooms. Rose petals were sprinkled through the doorway to greet us as we headed to our table of paradise. When our face wasn’t pressed into the little massage table snorkel, we could look up and see the waves crashing onto the beach. This is the second year we have had the pleasure of enjoying Suzanne Morel’s services. To say we have a serious girl crush on this company is an understatement!
Annie Murphy and Pez Gato Marine Adventures / Tropicat Cabo (PezGato.com / Tropicatcabo.com) – If you are looking for the best experience to enjoy the water in Cabo look no further than Annie Murphy and her team at Pez Gato Marine Adventures & Tropicat Cabo. The sunset cruise aboard her catamaran was stunningly beautiful. What’s better than taking in the marine life frolicking in the Sea of Cortez / Pacific Ocean, while enjoying margaritas and the most breathtaking sunset? The catamaran is a perfect for special events, group tours and families. We even had the pleasure of watching a wedding proposal take place on the bow of the ship. The Tropicat team is super professional, attentive and want to make sure you are having a wonderful experience. They didn’t disappoint!
Take a little break and enjoy the photos from our trip! Hopefully this will inspire you to head South of the Border real soon!
As the year comes to a close, it allows us time to look back at all the projects we have been involved with over the past year. If you have ever wondered how a personal concierge spends their time, here’s a list of the tasks we performed in 2011. By managing the to-do lists of busy folks, we are able to give them back the gift of time. We are excited that the personal concierge industry continues to grow so we can be of service to even more clients in the coming year!
EVENTS:
Planned a retirement party for 75 guests
Planned a 3-day romantic “staycation” for a couple in San Diego
Created and managed a San Diego Scavenger Hunt for conference attendees
Coordinated transportation and tours for a Chinese delegation visiting Salk Institute
Produced a viewing party for Oprah’s Last Show – 300 guests
Planned a 60th birthday party for 100 guests
Managed a variety of non-profit fundraising events
Produced a high-profile conference for event planners and entrepreneurs – 80 guests
Coordinated an exclusive Royal Wedding tour to London
Managed an executive golf outing and VIP tour at Callaway Golf
Managed a wedding at a private estate
TRAVEL:
Coordinated a cruise in Tahiti
Coordinated a 10-day trip through Eastern Canada via train
Coordinated a family cruise in Alaska
Coordinated a 3-week family excursion to Europe
Coordinated a 14-day family experience in Mexico
Coordinated a 2-week trip to Croatia, France & Spain
Managing the Executive Travel Program for an international medical device company
LIFESTYLE:
Successfully relocated 25 international executive families to San Diego between June and November 2011 – managed home finding your, settling in services and school selection
Hired a private investigator for a client
Coordinated a closet organization and delivery of clothing to a consignment store
Created unique gift baskets for an employee appreciation program
Designed a VIP concert experience for 20 guests to see Elton John
Coordinated household services from window washing to carpet cleaning
Offered holiday support from carving pumpkins to ordering Christmas trees for clients
Facilitated the ordering and delivery of client appreciation gifts
Personal shopping for a client’s professional wardrobe
Created legacy videos for a retirement party & 60th birthday party
Our focus is to help clients to enjoy a little more RECESS in their lives through unique experiences, travel, events, lifestyle, etc. The ball started rolling for RECESS given the success of our self-produced events, such as Sex & The City, Sales & Cocktails, the Obama Inauguration, etc. Likewise, our concierge clients started asking us to plan getaways and stay-cations. We realized what our clients liked was the unique "experience" that all these events offered them without having to plan a detail. People still want to have fun and to play - they just don't have the time to research, coordinate and execute the logistics that it takes to plan something different. Our RECESS blog will become a portal for exposing our clients and friends to experiences we think they should try, products and services we adore, people we think you should know and most importantly give everyone the permission to play more and to create the life they want! See you on the playground of life!
