Travel Blog - Mr & Mrs Smith Boutique & Luxury Hotels

Right, Smith-blogettes, we’ve a very special post today. To commemorate what’s more or or less our blogging birthday (give or take a month or two), and to introduce what we hope will be a regular series of travel competitions, we’re giving away a rather astonishing prize: a £250 Get a Room! gift card and membership to our SilverSmith travel club, worth £99.

Our gift cards are not only elegantly presented in an intricate black display box (seriously, it’s a marvel of hi-tech packaging know-how), but they can also be used to book anywhere in our worldwide boutique hotel collection, either online or by calling our Travel Team. Our prize gift card will have a value of £250 – so if you’re in the American end of the world, we’re talking US$400, or if you’re more Australasially inclined, AU$500.

Our SilverSmith members get special added extras at all Mr & Mrs Smith’s hotels, access to a bewildering array of deals and discounts from hotels, travel companies such as Hertz and Eurostar, and luxury brands such as Jo Malone, Myla, Liberty, and more. There’s also the last-minute availability newsflashes, the guidebook and CD, and money back to spend on future stays every time they book… In fact, there’s too much to mention. Check out the full range of shiny-shiny enticements on our members’ page.

In order to get your hands on this heartbeat-skippingly exciting prize, all you need to do is tell us:

Where in the world are we?

The snapshot below was taken by a member of Team Smith on one of their boutique hotel-hunting adventures. We want to know what it’s showing, and where in the world you’d find it. Just leave your answer in the comments, and we’ll pick a winner from the correct answers, then get in touch with you via email to arrange sending you your prize. We’re keeping this competition open until midnight Friday 10 July 2009 (although we reserve the right to keep it going for a bit longer if nobody gets it right, or replies).

So, best of luck. And keep your eye on the Smith Travel Blog for more competitions – if you follow us on Twitter, we’ll make sure you get a heads-up before we post one.

Looking for the perfect music to take on your trips? Here, our very own TuneSmith, DJ Rob Wood, compiler of the Mr & Mrs Smith: Something for the Weekend CDs, makes his essential monthly recommendations…

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ALBUM OF THE MONTH

Nouvelle Vague 3 by Nouvelle Vague

When On the road to your weekend away
Why It’s in-car karaoke with a twist

When the first Nouvelle Vague project was initiated in 2004 it seemed, on paper, to be ambitious if not sheer folly. Taking on classic punk and new wave songs and covering them in a bossa nova style shouldn’t have worked, but it did to become an all-conquering soundtrack to a thousand cocktails. With the help of a carefully-chosen team of chanteuses, producers Marc Collin and Olivier Libaux reinvented the songs they loved with real humour and panache. Nouvelle Vague 3 invites some of the original authors and singers to join them in dusty country reinterpretations of songs by Psychedelic Furs, Gary Numan and even The Sex Pistols. Despite the vocal presence of Funboy Three’s Terry Hall, Echo & The Bunnymen’s Ian McCulloch and Barry Adamson, such an exercise could have easily gone limp. Instead the standout tracks give the album enough zip and sparkle to elevate 3 above any bog-standard covers collection. Depeche Mode’s ‘Master And Servant’, Violent Femmes’ ‘Blister In the Sun’ and Simple Minds’ ‘The American’ are celebrated to glorious effect in particular. You simply can’t help but sing along.

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THE SMITH CLASSIC

Gurrumul by Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu

When Sunday with the papers
Why Peel away any hangover or stress with these gentle and heart-winning songs

An Aboriginal superstar in the making, Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu is a blind musician from the remote northern territory of northeast Arnhemland. Having played with Australian rock outfit Yothu Yindi and his current band Saltwater, he has turned his attention to a solo collection of incredibly personal, gospel-tinged acoustic folk songs. Singing in the Yolngu language is no barrier to enjoying his uniquely warm voice, the intimacy of which has already made Gurrumul a word-of-mouth success that has won plenty of awards down under. His upside-down guitar playing and shy demeanour are surprisingly powerful when matched to his extraordinary voice during live shows. He’s performing in the UK this summer. Seek and discover.

Author and editor Peg Samuel set up Social Diva, a diary-planning site full of insider info on the elite and exclusive events going on in some of Mr and Mrs Smith’s favourite cities, including San Francisco, Los Angeles, New York, Miami and, coming soon, London. We talk parties, preening and how exactly one becomes a diva…

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First of all, Peg, can you tell us what Social Diva is and what inspired you to start it?

Social Diva is the go-to resource for all of a woman’s social needs. I wanted to build a resource that talks about the hottest, newest and most noteworthy things that a social, fabulous woman would need to know paired with unique events that would allow the best and brightest to mix and mingle. I combined my knowledge of the internet with my passion for events and voilà, Social Diva was born!

Okay, so now tell us a bit about the diva behind the operation - what’s your background, and what first made you assume the mantle of diva-hood?

I started Social Diva in an attempt to answer to the infamous and age-old question, ‘Where can a girl go to have some fun?’ I wanted to create a solution to weekday and weekend doldrums where doing the same things with the same people can become such a drag. I began to produce unique, hip, exciting events with creative, carefully selected themes with hopes of making going out more exciting and fun.

Since founding Social Diva in 2000, my business sense paired with my love of all things social has allowed me to do what I love most: connect, socialise and promote really fabulous products and events.

What can we expect to find on the Social Diva site?

All sorts of things! The Social Diva site always has amazing things to do, fun and unique events, new and noteworthy places to go, luxurious destinations for relaxation and pampering, and experts to help with health and wellbeing. If it’s on our site, it’s all Diva-tested, Diva-approved.

Do you have three top tips for a diva-worthy social life?

1. Always take care of yourself first. You have to be solid to be the best for others.

2. Make sure both your insides and outsides are cared for properly: healthy eating, exercise, hair maintenance, a great mani-pedi and fab shoes and you should be set! It’s all about balance.

3. Smile. It uses fewer muscles than frowning and people will always wonder what you know that they don’t.

[Smiling] And how do you decide whether to feature an event on Social Diva?

My staff and I just live our lives and see who impresses us when we are out and about. Social Diva is more than just cool places: it has to be truly new and noteworthy to make it into Social Diva. Everything about a location, an expert or a service has to be completely on point.

We see where you’re coming from. One of the things your new book promises to reveal is how to fit your life into a clutch bag. Can you tell us more about it? Or do we have to buy a copy?

I’d love to tell you about the book but there are so many amazing tips, tricks and advice in there that you’re really better off buying it. Pick up a copy of How to Be a Social Diva: an Essential Guide for the Girl about Town and then put it in your clutch bag for quick reference. It’s essential reading for the ultimate Diva.

And what are Social Diva’s plans for the future? Are we likely to see a Diva London site any time soon?

More everything is our motto! We’re realising how many fabulous women are ready for this type of thing in London so we’re working on it.

We’ll look forward to it. What’s been your most memorable event so far?

We host so many fabulous events I’m not sure if I can pick just one. Some of my favourites have been the Turks and Caicos Film Festival, our Summer Soiree at the Hotel on Rivington Penthouse, and our annual Yoga Surf Beach Adventure. It’s never boring here at Social Diva!

And your biggest let-down?

I’m not sure I believe in let-downs; only experiences for growth.

Is there a dream event you’re determined to get onto the guest list for? Or a past event that you wish you could have attended?

As far as past events, I really wish I’d been able to party at legendary nightspot Studio 54 back in the Seventies - what an amazing party that must have been. As far as dream events, my social calendar is pretty packed right now so I’ll have to get back to you on that one.

So fabulous. What is your essential kit/outfit for an A-list event? Or, what do you never leave home without?

My advice is that if you treat life like an A-list event, you’re always ready for something amazing to happen to you. Having said that, never leave home without your lip gloss and phone.

Where’s your favourite place in the world? Any top tips for anyone visiting?

My heart belongs to New York City. If you decide to come visit, read www.socialdiva.com/newyork and you’ll be prepared for everything.

And do you have a favourite hotel? What makes it your favourite?

One of my favourites (and we write about it in the book) is the W Hotel. Any place that has a “Whatever Whenever” button on the phone and has the service to back it up is always at the top of my list.

Oh, wow. We love service like that at Smith. Do you know St Regis in Washington DC has butlers equipped with BlackBerrys, ready to receive your every emailed request? But, back to business, who would be your ideal travel companion?

Someone who is flexible, adventurous and has a taste for the highest quality things in life always makes a great travel companion. You don’t need a ton of money to travel well; you need a discerning eye, excellent taste and a sense of adventure.

Share some secrets from your travel address book with us: your favourite restaurants, Miami clubs, New York bars, favourite shops…

My favorite rooftop is at Soho House in NYC’s Meatpacking District. It’s my home away from home. I adore the Miami Standard spa - so relaxing and sublime. Everything about it is high quality and so well done. My favourite nightspot right now is SET in Miami: super-sexy, amazing vibe and the best sound system out there. You’re always in for an amazing night at SET.

Our award-winning GoldSmith travel consultants (yeah, I know I promised we wouldn’t go on about it, but it’s relevant, okay?) are on the lookout for a scimitar-sharp super-concierge to join our London-based Travel Team. If you think you might fit the exceedingly tight-fitting mould, we’d absolutely love to hear from you. Details are below but, basically, if you’re brilliant in every way, get in touch.

Experienced and style-savvy travel consultant wanted.
You’ll have a true passion for boutique hotels, and will have the skills to source and organise a full range of travel options for our GoldSmith members.  The successful candidate will have the ability to build one-to-one relationships with our most discerning members through excellent customer service and possess tailor-made worldwide travel knowledge.

You’ll need:

* Excellent knowledge of boutique and luxury hotels
* Extensive personal travel and sales experience
* Experience of creating tailor-made itineraries
* Meticulous attention to detail and admin skills
* Ability to work under pressure and to deadlines
* Reservation experience using a GDS would be ideal (but, hey, we’re not unreasonable).

To apply, please send us your CV and a covering letter about why you’re perfect for Mr & Mrs Smith. There’s a few more details on our jobs page too.

Bolly corks are flying around Smith HQ like Wimbledon tennis balls today, and the level of group-hugging going on is almost sinister. Why such festivity? No, it’s not just Prince William’s right royal name-thievery earlier this week, we’re as pleased as Punch, as happy as Larry and as, er, delighted as Delia because the Smith Travel Blog can now add the prefix ‘award-winning’ to its name.

Because we won an award.

The annual Luxuria Awards are intended to celebrate excellence in the European luxury sector, and are awarded by a highbrow panel of judges, which this year included bigwigs from the likes of Alessi, Vanity Fair, Berry Bros, Conran & Partners and the Orient Express. At the ceremony at The Orangery Gallery in Holland Park on Monday night, the illustrious panel picked out this blog for the Best Use of New Media award, and have given us a gorgeous watercolour certificate and a chunky marble ‘L’ plaque to mark the accolade.

We’re especially pleased because, if you’ve followed us from the early days when we started posting here, you’ll know that our first stumbling steps into the blogosphere weren’t exactly shining examples of web-savvy wonderfulness (‘We need pictures? Really?’ ‘What’s “pingback” again’?). Over the last year, we’ve tried our hardest to keep producing a regular stream of interesting, engaging content – not just about boutique hotels, but about everything that touches on our travel adventures – and also to open up a new channel of communication with our members, fans of our boutique hotels, and anyone out there who’s interested in life, Smith-style. As the lovely Heather from Heather on her travels put it the other day, we’re ‘like a slightly eccentric friend you can gossip with over a few cocktails.’ (Thanks, Heather, you’re not so bad yourself). And for Luxuria to decide that we’re worth a very heavy hunk of marble really is an honour.

So what? We’re gloating.

But, the back-slapping doesn’t end quite yet. We also came home with the Luxuria award for Best Customer Care Programme – in reference to our GoldSmith travel concierge service, which takes care of any travel whims or requirements our members might have, from booking hotels, flights, restaurants and events to getting you onto the most pernickety guest lists in clubland, or even feeding your goldfish while you’re away. GoldSmith membership also comes with automatic room upgrades, VIP airport lounge access, luxury brand discounts and oooh, about a million other special extras that earned us another nod from Luxuria.

So, two awards. Not bad. Not bad at all.

We’ll stop being so smug about it soon. Normal service will resume on Monday. On the award-winning Smith Travel Blog.

KITEBOARD PRO

Date 1-5 July

Place Tarifa, Spain

Style Elemental acrobatics

Setting Andalucian surf

On the southern tip of Spain, Tarifa has rising kudos as a sun-kissed weekend party town and is now a hot spot for windsurfers and kitesurfers - the Strait of Gibraltar channels perfect, warm winds right onto the sandy beaches here. Since 2005, it has hosted a leg of the Professional Kiteboard Riders Association World Tour on its Valdevaqueros beach. The world’s best kiteboarders plus accompanying rad dudes, surfer girls and adrenalin junkies descend for a week in September, alongside the boho-luxe crowd who love this part of Spain. The competition has three sections: the Freestyle, which appraises technical difficulty and innovation; the Big Air Tricks, which is about how high you can fly; and the Boardercross slalom, which is all about speed. As crowds gather on the beach to gasp at the spectacular aqua-aerobatic circus, the wind riders’ daredevil energy breezes into the beach shacks and tapas bars of this white washed town, creating a fiesta atmosphere throughout the tournament.

Event highlight Try to catch former champions Aaron Hadlow and Kevin Langeree in action if they make it to the finals – they’ll be flying up to 20 metres into the air and scudding across the waves at speeds reaching 80 kilometres an hour.

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IN THE KNOW

Head count About 1,000 specators pack the shoreline.

Packing tips A windbreak and a Gore-tex jacket might come in handy if the wind picks up – and it will. If you fancy looking the part and you don’t have the obligatory beads/ board shorts/kaftan in your wardrobe, head to Calle  Batalla del Salado in Tarifa, which is lined with surfwear shops and boutiques selling hip local brands such as Mala Mujer.

Bar chat Brits in a particularly patriotic mood might feel the urge to remind one another of Nelson’s victory at the Cape of Trafalgar, only a few kilometres away. Other popular topics include the magical mud at Punta Paloma beach, and the notorious Levante and Poniente winds, which are said to send the locals loco.

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DOS & DON’TS

• Do tan and tone up before you go, to minimise self-consciousness among all those buff teenage champs.
• Do learn about the riders and lingo so you can speak knowledgeably about Aaron’s incredible ‘aerial back to blind’, instead of just oohing and aahing. (Get the lowdown at www.pkra.info – click on ‘riders’ profiles’ and ‘terminology and trick definitions’.)
• Do ditch your usual beverage of choice for a fino or a tinto de verano (red wine, Martini Rosso, lemonade, lemon and ice).
• Don’t try kitesurfing yourself when the Levante is up, or you might end up in the middle of the Atlantic.
• Fancy a go? A 10-hour beginner’s course at the Club Mistral costs about €280.
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NEED TO KNOW

Getting there Fly to Jerez, Gibraltar or Málaga – 120km, 40km and 150km from Tarifa respectively. It’s best to hire a car at the airport, as Valdevaqueros and Tarifa’s other glorious beaches (such as Los Lances and Punta Paloma) are several kilometres out of town and the public transport system in this part of Spain is not great.

Children Tarifa’s broad, sandy shores go down a treat with kids, and there are lessons for any children with ambitions to join the PKRA World Tour in years to come.

Parking There’s a free car park alongside the beach.

Food & Drink Hotel Valdevaqueros, which is virtually on the sand, serves Spanish favourites. Top bars in the area include the one at Explora, opposite Valdevaqueros beach (+34 956 689 132), and, in town, at the Misiana hotel (+34 956 627 083). La Ruina, also in Tarifa, is a perennial favourite for drinking and dancing. Fill your belly with one of the lamb tagines or Thai curries at Souk Tarifa on Calle Mar Tirreno (+34 956 627 065); Anca Curro on Calle Morena de Mora and Los Melli on Plaza Gúzman el Bueno are great for tapas.

Sleep Escondrijo is an exquisite boutique hotel with just five suites in lovely Vejer de la Frontera, half an hour from Tarifa. Closer to the action is shabby-chic La Sacristía.

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We’re keeping a close eye on the international event calendar, so watch this space every month for more insider info on inspiring shenanigans around the world.

Well, we are honoured. This is the second time we’ve been able to claim the ‘by royal appointment’ badge (although, admittedly, the first time may have been stretching the truth somewhat).

It emerged in the Telegraph yesterday that even the uppermost echelons of society are partial to a romantic saucy weekend away when none other than the future king squired his consort Kate Middleton into a stylish holiday home under the assumed names of ‘Mr & Mrs Smith’ to celebrate Wills’ 27th.

Haven’t we heard those noms d’amour somewhere before?

We haven’t been able to ascertain exactly where His Not-Quite Majesty was staying; all we know is that the princely pad was located ‘near the mediaeval town of Fowey in Cornwall’, that it was well equipped to host a barbecue, and that it was some kind of luxurious ‘private house’.

Hmmm.

Luxurious self-catering? Near Fowey? With excellent outdoor dining facilities? That could be described as a ‘house’? Fit for a prince? Obviously we’re only speculating here, but among our Smith & Friends collection of self-catering properties in the region, Pencalenick House seems to fit the bill eerily neatly.

An architect-designed modernist hideaway on the Fowey estuary, Pencalenick is exactly the kind of place we’d book if we wanted an incognito birthday weekend and had the Royal Treasury to dip into. There’s bed space for 10, a private chef on hand, its own blissful beach, and a beautiful 1930s motor yacht for hire. And, of course, it’s gorgeous. When we first wrote about it, we noted that it was ‘the ultimate special-occasion luxury accommodation’ – if my hunch is correct, then how right we were.

Whether or not William and Kate have perused the Smith collection, however, it’s reassuring to know that the royals still choose adopt the dirty-weekend pseudonym that inspired us six years ago (although apparently Charles and Camilla tend to plump for the less-than-glamorous monikers of ‘Fred’ and ‘Gladys’ – oh what a different company we’d be if we’d have followed their lead).

If, as they say, imitation is the highest form of flattery, then, Your Highness, we are very flattered indeed.

The summer’s most glamorous festival is almost here. That might sound like an oxymoron, but this weekend at Glastonbury will see more sequins than the Strictly reunion tour. And, if you haven’t been able to secure suitably stylish accommodation at Charlton House down the road (or Babington House half an hour away), you may find yourself facing the fields with some trepidation. Well here’s one couture comfort that almost makes tenting it worthwhile…

Anyone who’s ever braved the trip past Stonehenge knows that the only must-have at Glasto is a pair of wellies, and the fashion houses are falling over themselves to dress mud-loving A-listers in rubber.

Yes, yes, Jimmy Choo might have created a pair of wellies so exclusive that even the fashion eds can’t get their hands on them.
But if you are what you wear (and let’s face it, you are) wouldn’t you rather give a more charitable message through your rubber boots?

Step up Water Aid’s collaboration with Hunter. £10 from the £60 sale price of these boots goes straight to the Wateraid charity. Plus they’re classic black so they’ll go with everything (darling).

Available at Topshop or www.hunter-boots.com.

A recent straw poll among my female friends on the topic of ‘what’s most attractive in a man’ (taken for professional not personal reasons, honest) yielded some surprising results. A GSOH and a way with shelving may not be as essential as I had been led to believe – the three most desirable male characteristics are, according to my impromptu focus group, ‘thick wrists’, ‘punctuality’ and ‘the ability to mix a decent cocktail’.

The first I am already blessed with, and the second is already a lost cause, so if I could master the third then I could become at least 66.6 per cent The Perfect Man.

Now any monkey can dribble some vermouth into a class of gin and call it a martini, but it takes skill, practice and Shaolin-monk levels of concentration to actually produce a drink worthy of the sequin-draped sophisticates that I fully intend to start hanging around with. Luckily for the likes of me, one of Mr & Mrs Smith’s most elegant London hotels, the St James’s Hotel & Club has arranged monthly cocktail masterclasses, designed to turn even the most spillage-prone glass-smasher into a mixologist  of mighty mettle. Costing £79 for a session including champagne, four cocktails, and gourmet nibblings, it’s just the ticket.

The man behind the muddler is bar manager Joel Lawrence, one of London’s finest mixologists. His particular claim to fame is being the creator of what was the world’s most expensive cocktail – a £30,000 affair that he created while heading up the bar at the InterContinental. Personally, I reckon using diamonds as ingredients is cheating, but Joel insists that the bulk of the price tag came from the spirits themselves. He sold one – to one of those Russian billionaire playboys that I plan to become as soon as I’ve learned to mix a mojito.

The class begins with a glass or two of champagne, a cone of the hotel’s famous flavoured popcorn (a surprisingly palatable curry today) and a quick tour through cocktail history, touching on the fact that no one’s very sure where the word came from (decorative feathers in glasses? Sticks used to beat chickens to death? Mexican bar spoons? Who knows…), and dipping into James Bond (his penchant for shaken vodka martinis apparently comes from Ian Fleming’s wish to make him the polar opposite of his gin-swilling, stir-loving American contemporaries).

It’s a small group and a chatty atmosphere, which makes for an intimate, friendly evening. I’m surprised to discover that everyone else doing the class is female. (Clearly I’m going to have a massive advantage over the rest of my fellow men.) Each participant is given their own station to work at, and is armed with a selection of premium spirits, ample ice and lemon, and a selection of the tools any self-respecting drinksmonger requires (bar spoon, muddler, shaker, and, um, the springy thing you pour stuff through (sorry Joel, I think I still have a way to go). Joel takes us through the preparation of each drink, with welcome intervals for canapés from the St James’s Hotel’s gourmet restaurant. On this occasion, we covered the classics (martini, mojito, cosmopolitan) but the line-up changes according to the season – juleps are the taste of summer, autumn brings the poire-tini, and winter is hot toddy time.

I studiously follow Joel’s instructions, counting out the gin (hardcore mixologists measure their, um, measures using only the power of numbers rather than pansy-assed jiggers), adding a splash of vermouth, and lovingly depositing the icy liquid into the glass.

The martini has always seemed to me to be a way of giving a rhino-sedating quantity of neat alcohol a veneer of sophistication – but, my goodness, this is delicious. It tastes clear and crisp, with a syrupy depth, and a slow-growing warmth to it. It is also exceedingly alcoholic. Yum.

Next up is Hemingway’s Cuban love affair, the mojito. Unfortunately, I’ve barely finished my vigorous mint-lime mash-up when I’m summoned to answer a phone call in the bar. Now this is a new one for me. I thought only Russian billionaires and people in films received phone calls in luxury hotel bars, so I’m interpreting this as some kind of sign of my ascension to the elite. I’m looking forward to returning to the class and telling my fellow students, ‘I’m so sorry. Something has come up. I must go to Geneva at once.’

Not Switzerland, but Hackney. It emerges that my lame but wayward cat has picked a fight with a moving car and needs escorting to animal A&E. Damn.

Reluctantly, I make my goodbyes, take a longing look at my unfinished mojito masterpiece, and head for the door. Joel stops me to present me with a certificate informing the world that I have passed the St James’s Cocktail Masterclass. We both know that, really, I haven’t, since one and a half cocktails do not a mixologist make, but , hey, who needs actual skill when you have written proof that you’ve mastered the most desirable talent  a man can possess?

Had I stayed, I’d have also learned the dark art of the cosmopolitan and enjoyed the competitive climax of the evening when Joel’s pupils get to try their new-found mixing skills behind the bar – the maker of the night’s best cocktail gets a bottle of St James’s whisky to take home. As it is, I’ve pulled out early – not a good trait in The Perfect Man. I resolve to come back and finish the course another day.

But until then, at least I have the faintest glimmer of ‘an ability to mix a decent cocktail’. And a certificate to prove it.

St James’s Hotel & Club’s next masterclasses:

16 September
14 October
11 November
9 December
13 January
10 February

Combine your class with a stay at the hotel and enjoy St James’s modern take on the old-school Mayfair gentleman’s club. Rooms start at £345 a night, but, crikey, they’re worth it.

PS The cat was fine. Which is almost more annoying.

Mistress of make-up Bobbi Brown has worked her magic on the fairest faces all over the world in the name of beauty, staying at some pretty praiseworthy places on her travels, too.

We cast our eyes Stateside to New York (we’ll be adding more hot New York hotels to our online collection soon) and get some sneaky insider tips from the lady herself on the prime places to go and the all-important packing essentials to get there in style…

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As much as we delight at the thought of sneaking away to a gorgeous boutique hotel, there’s one thing here at Smith HQ that really gets our goat: airport regulations.  Don’t get us wrong, we’re all for safety and security, but stuffing our specially selected stock into pokey plastic bags makes us want to weep a wee bit.

Well, let us invite you in on a luxury travel-set secret – Bobbi’s got a nifty new range of Travel Empties to solve the problem. The set, which includes a variety of jars and bottles for £9.79, allows style-savvy frequent flyers to fill the empty pots with their perfect pampering possessions.  They even come with darling little labels to record the contents, and fit inside a transparent resealable pouch to keep them in one darned-handy place.  Stylish, organised and unbelievably useful? Yes, please. We’re putting these packing essentials on the Smith wish list.

Other than thirsting over incredibly ingenious travel sets, we’ve also been busy getting Bobbi’s insiders’ guide to SoHo. She picks her favourite fashion boutiques and jewellery joints, points out exquisite eateries, and homes in on the hottest hair and spa places around – all of them within a credit card’s throw of hip Big Apple hang-out Soho House.

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Bobbi’s picks – where to go-go in SoHo

For first-class food…

Balthazar
80 Spring Street
+1 212 965 1414

Dean & Deluca
560 Broadway
+1 212 226 6800

Spring Street Natural
62 Spring Street
+1 212 966 0290

Kelley and Ping
127 Greene Street
+1 212 228 1212

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For unbeatable fashion…
Calypso
424 Broome Street
+1 212 274 0449

Bloomingdale’s SoHo
504 Broadway
+1 212 729 5900

Tory Burch
257 Elizabeth Street
+1 212 334 3000

J. Crew
99 Prince Street
+1 212 966 2739

Prada
575 Broadway
+1 212 334 8888

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For finely crafted jewellery…
Ted Muehling
27 Howard Street
+1 212 431 3825

Helen Ficalora
21 Cleveland Place
+1 212 219 3700

DeVera
1 Crosby Street
+1 212 625 0838

Gas Bijoux
238 Mott Street
+1 212 334 7290

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For hot hair and superb spas…

Mario Diab Salon
62 Crosby Street
+1 212 226 6596

Haven Spa
150 Mercer Street
+1 212 343 3515

Compiled by Emily O’Brien