ROMANTIC RENAISSANCE | Splendour in 16th Century Florentine at Villa La Massa – Elisabeth Taylor and Richard Burton’s Medici Escape

Villa La Massa is a fascinating Medici dwelling of the 16th century on the outskirts of Florence.  Its 22 acres of gardens, complete with olive groves and lemon trees, make for a pastoral setting.  It was turned into a luxury hotel in 1948. After a complete renovation by the Villa d’Este Group in 1998 it reopened and its five hundred years of history live on, telling us tales of Renaissance splendour and the lifestyle of Florentine aristocrats in every nook.

Set on the banks of the river Arno, in the Florentine countryside, next to Chianti Classico, Gallo Nero and Rufina regions, only 5 miles from the historic centre of Florence.  This Medici Villa, built in the 16th Century by the Landini Family, has been home to several aristocratic Italian, English and Russian families.  Villa La Massa was transformed into a luxury hotel in 1948 and since then many famous guests have enjoyed a stay there (Winston Churchill, Elisabeth Taylor, Richard Burton. .) … Continue Reading

JWA | John Wayne Airport Celebrates 20 Years with 20 Non-Stop Destinations -NYC Just Added by Jenny Wedge for OCAir.com

As John Wayne Airport (JWA) prepares to celebrate a milestone anniversary 20 years in the Thomas F. Riley Terminal the Airport also announced this week its newest non-stop destination: New York City. Delta Airlines has begun daily non-stop service from Orange County to New York City John F. Kennedy International Airport departing Orange County at 1:45 p.m. PST and arriving New York City at 10:05 p.m. EST. The return flight from New York City departs at 8:20 a.m. EST and lands in Orange County at 11:44 a.m. PST. Delta will operate the year-round service with a Boeing 737-300.

Commercial and regional air carriers at JWA offer non-stop service to 20 destinations in the U.S. and Canada. In March, Continental began service to Maui and Honolulu and in April, Air Canada began service to Toronto the first regularly scheduled international service from JWA. … Continue Reading

ADVENTURE QUEST | WINDY GUINCHO – Perfect Kitesurfing Conditions in Portugal’s Renown Kite Beach film by James Bedford

Guincho Portugal  known for not only its beautiful seaside Hotels and Resorts, its also recognized for  its fabulous beaches lulling visitors to its scenic rocky mountainous terrain surrounded by waters.  The beach itself is very deep and wide with strong winds that attract some of the most adventurous Kite Surfers from around the world.  We met up with Kite Surfer / Director of Photography / Filmmaker www.filmekanik.co.uk James Bedford on his short-film feature.  James in the scenic opening of your film you can practically feel the wind.. and the rush of intensity as the change goes from one smooth beautifully scenic trailer to a swift ocean action flick.   You definitely have ‘behind-the-scenes’ down with filming this beautifully scenic feature on Guincho but beyond that your also out there with the rest of the adventurous souls braving the wind and the waves.. tell us about that:

JAMES: Kitesurfing rose to prominence around 10 years ago and has been the fastest growing watersport on earth ever since. … Continue Reading

JOURNEYS TO REMEMBER | Sunsets Around the World by Romain Corraze “I strongly believe that the more you travel, the more you learn about yourself.”

When traveling, there are remarkable places to see, there are landmarks to visit,  people to meet, cultures to live, amazing lavish resorts, exquisite and breathtaking palaces not to be missed, but the most poignant travel trip are the journeys to remember,  timely, beautiful and for some, personally life-changing.  Recently HAUTEOC had the privilege of meeting Romain’s World Tour founder Romain Corraze, a french citizen currently living in Lyon (middle-east of France)  as a project manager for a national newspaper in Paris, whom after graduating with an international business degree and MBA in Luxury Brand Management, decided to leave France for an entire year to travel the world.

What began as a project to report his adventures through videos and pictures, ultimately became a journey of discovery of one’s own self. Featured here  Romain shares his  inspirational journeys to remember through a  short-film titled ‘Sunsets Around the World.’  An emotionally moving portrait of Romain’s view of some of the world’s most incredible sunsets.

HAUTEOC: What inspired you to create this beautiful film ‘Sunsets Around the World’?

… Continue Reading

INTERNATIONAL AIR TRAVEL | Ay Chihuahua! Virgin America serves up a Spicy Fare Sale across its Route Network and Spreads its Wing with New International Non Stop Service to Los Cabos and more!

Virgin America today announces it will serve San Jose del Cabo International Airport (SJD) and Cancun International Airport (CUN) with nonstop flights from California starting this winter. Nonstop flights launch from San Francisco International Airport (SFO) to SJD as of December 16, 2010, from Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) to CUN as of January 19, 2011, and from SFO-CUN as of January 20, 2011. To celebrate the new routes, the airline today launches a spicy three-day fare sale – with fares from $109** coast-to-coast and $129**to Mexico. On top of these hot fares, tech-forward flyers in need of a Mexican getaway can score a two-for-one ticket offer*** by checking in on Loopt Star, the location-based social mapping network, at SFO, LAX or select taco trucks in San Francisco and Los Angeles from 11:00am-3:00pm PT today. Proceeds from every taco purchased will benefit the City of San Francisco’s Animal Care and Control Chihuahua rescue efforts. … Continue Reading