Kiawah island

Susan Kime's Top Five Most Excellent Travel Adventures of 2010: Unexpected, Unbelievable, Unforgettable

Filed under: Apparel

The two curses of any seasoned experiential/destination travel journalists are word count and deadline. At Luxist, I have been blessed by having no such constrictions, so it is my fault I have not written about these adventures before. My only justification is that I had to let the most formidable, yeasty experiences foment, simmer and rise. After defining my three criteria -- unexpected, singular, unforgettable of 2010 -- here are my top five -- with four out of the five being from my travels in New Zealand in June 2010.

1. New Zealand: Hiking the Southern Alps

I wrote three articles for Luxist about luxury travel trends in New Zealand this year. While there, I was given some great opportunities to explore the country. On the top of my list is hiking in the Southern Alps, near Queenstown, NZ.

I had been in the Southern Hemisphere once before, but had forgotten that mid-June was Winter. Hiking the Southern Alps was one of those upside-down experiences as I just come from Arizona, where the weather was in the mid 90's. It was therefore, an unexpected cold, where I looked around and saw a lot of snow on the mountains ( see above), as the 2010 ski season had just begun. The Southern Alps, also called The Remarkables, was the backdrop of some of the Lord of The Rings films. I was shown where Mordor's Castle was, well, virtually. But realistically, if he had a view below, in the distant perimeter would have been the Kawarau River, and in the greater distance, over the river, the first Bungee Jumping Bridge in New Zealand, constructed in 1986. You first.

2. Traveling On The Otago Wine Road, near Queenstown, NZ.

I wrote about one of the most exceptional wineries, The Peregrine Winery, on this road for Luxist, but I did not write about the others, which has been bothering me for the past 6 months. The Otago Wine Road is one of those highways that could be compared to some in Napa Valley, except the Otago lies at the foot of the Remarkables Mountain chain, AKA The Southern Alps, and many of the wineries are built on very rocky, yet fertile soil. This is Pinot Noir country. But it is also Pinot Blanc , Pinot Gris, Riesling,and Gerwurz country also. My reasoning for including this journey lies in the unexpected nature of the wines sampled. There were tastes I had not experienced before, and I thought I knew wine! The wine road was part of my ongoing Oenophile education.

Tags: adventure travel in New Zealand, Aurum Wines, Bungee Jumping Bridge Kawarau River, Central Otago Wine Raod New Zealand, Chard Farm, Christchurch, deconstructed meals, Dolphin strand feeding, Kawarau River, Kiawah Island, Kiawah River, Lake Ohakuri, Lord of the Rings New Zealand, Mt. Difficulty Winery, NZ, Oraki Korakau, Pescatore restaurant, Queenstown, Rotorua, Ruatupu Cave, Shotover River, Southern Alps, The Geirge Hotel, The George Hotel, The remarkables Mountain Range, thermal cave at Orakei Korako

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High Living In Lowcountry, Kiawah Island, Estate Of The Day

by Susan Kime (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Estates

Kiawah Island, is located 21 miles south of historic Charleston, on the South Carolina coast. The island is about 10,000 acres, over 10 miles in length and 1.5 miles at its widest point, bordered by protective sand dunes. It is one of the few places still left in our country where elegance co-mingles with eco-sensitivity. Houses built here are extremely high end, but with a green perspective, as Kiawah itself is a place with untouched marine forests, wild birds and mammals, bordered by marshland and ocean.

At present, this Estate Of The Day is the largest in terms of acreage and square footage on Kiawah, as well as the most expensive at $29 Million. It is a 15,000-square-foot gated residence, with a five-car garage, a separate guest home with fitness facilities, an additional 5,000 square feet of outdoor living space --open decking, porches, balconies, and an infinity pool. Other amenities include a media wall, butler's pantry, stocking room, wine cellar, office, and a mahogany paneled study. The home interiors were created by Jacquelynne P. Lanham Designs of Atlanta, who worked with the estate's seven bedroom, eleven bath interior to make each room balance one another, through texture, color and light. As an example, the master baths are his and hers, with his highlighting a Japanese Ofuro tub, and hers a french-style pewter soaking tub. Both share a sauna.The exterior is made of Western Red Cedar shingle, handmade 'Savannah Gray' brick, with mahogany trim.

The outdoor landscaped gardens, were designed by Oehme van Sweden of Washington, D.C., who created complimentary flora and fauna highlights to the marsh grasses that leads to the owner's private deepwater boat dock at Kiawah's westernmost tip. Further, the 11.7-acre grounds include two additional homesites. The bucolic setting for both estate and homesites include mature live oak, sea grass, leafy palmetto, and pine. The views are of the Atlantic, the Stono Inlet and the Kiawah River.

This Estate Of The Day was generously provided to Luxist by Kiawah Island Real Estate

Gallery: Blue Heron Pond Road

Tags: Charleston South Carolina, Kiawah island, KiawahIsland real Estate, Lowcountry South carolina, Savannah Gray Brick, south carolina real estate

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Kiawah Island, Estate of the Day

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Estates

Most of the time when I mention Kiawah Island it's to talk about a new resort on the idyllic South Carolina island. But today I'm highlighting a home, a charming four-bedroom on the picturesquely named Cormorant Island Lane. The home was built in 2004 and has over 6,000 square feet of space. Unlike some of the homes I have checked out in the area, this one isn't a massive monstrosity perched on this delicate island, it actually seems to blend in with the environment. The main kitchen and living space is a touch too faux-rustic for my taste but overall I love how the house is set amidst the natural vegetation. As the listing mentions it could make a lovely family compound. The home owner will have to contribute 1/2 of 1% of purchase price to the Kiawah Island Community Association, which, at the current listing price of $6.5 million would be $32,500. After the jump, long porches and Spanish moss.

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Tags: estate of the day, kiawah island, KiawahIsland, south carolina

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