Virtuoso

Android Virtuoso Tunsgten Tourbillon Watch

Highly anticipated among the ShopNBC watch crowd of US timepiece consumers is this Android Virtuoso Tungsten Tourbillon watch. While by no means a first of its kind, the propulsion of this type of watch in to the mainstream of US watch buying is interesting. Set as a budget-friendly tourbillom movement-based timepiece, this watch still carries with it a $3,000 price. Does this mark an interest in tourbillon movements by "regular" watch loving Americans?

A tourbillon is a type of rotating escapement that was originally designed to make mechanical watches more accurate. Most Swiss watches that feature a tourbillon complication are priced in the the tens of thousands of dollars is not more. They are often found on very high-end timepieces and are known to be very difficult to make. For years China has been making their own tourbillon movements as well. No one claims that these compete directly with their Swiss counterparts, but the availability thereof does help satiate the desires of watch aficionados who cannot afford more traditional types of tourbillon movement-based watches.

Tags: android, tourbillon, tungsten, virtuoso, watch

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2011 Luxury Travel Trends Forecast From Virtuoso Luxe Report

by Susan Kime (RSS feed) —

This week, Virtuoso®, luxury travel industry's leading travel network, released their Virtuoso Luxe Report, forecasting relevant travel trends, based on travel decisions and other motivating factors for upscale 2011 travel.

The year of 2011 may mark the end of the "staycation", the popular vacation where individuals, couples and families stayed in one place during their whole trip. According to Virtuoso®, travelers are once again desirous of multi-destination exploration. Indeed, Virtuoso® says its clientele increased their travel purchases by 36 percent from 2009 to 2010, with luxury international leisure trips being the dominant choice.

This year's report shows international travel is slated to be the most popular type of trip in 2011, with 57 percent of respondents reporting clients reserving international trips of eight days or longer. Italy, France and South Africa are the three most popular international destinations for travelers in 2011, followed by Australia and Mexico. Vietnam took the front-running spot as the most popular emerging destination – a position previously occupied by India, which instead became the second most popular emerging destination; followed by China, the Galapagos Islands and Morocco.

For families traveling in 2011, Europe is also in position to be the most popular destination, continuing to support data that international travel is on the rise. Italy and England were ranked the two most popular family travel destinations for this year. Also included were trips to Hawaii and Costa Rica, followed by Alaska.

Interestingly, the survey reported that family and multi-generational travel is the biggest emerging travel trend for 2011. Additionally, the survey found that more travelers are including infants and toddlers in their trip planning. Of those booking travel, the top three motives influencing travel choices included: seeking authentic experiences in new destinations; rest and relaxation; and spending time or reconnecting with loved ones – further supporting the reasons for the increased interest in family travel.

"The Luxe Report findings offer great insight into the mindset of the upscale traveler and predict the trends in luxury-focused, leisure travel for 2011," said Virtuoso CEO, Matthew D. Upchurch. "A strong return to international travel indicates a certain level of economic recovery, as does the increase in families traveling together"

Here are more results of the Virtuoso Luxe survey:

Tags: luxury international lesiure travel, Luxury travel trends 2011, Virtuoso, Virtuoso Luxe Report 2011, Virtuoso Travel Network

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The 10 Luxuries of the Saxon Hotel

by Annie Scott (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels

The Saxon Boutique Hotel, Villas & Spa is a celebrated Johannesburg hotel which is well-known to luxury travelers as one of the finest boutique hotels in not just South Africa, but the world. The Saxon has hosted Oprah Winfrey, the Black Eyed Peas, Shakira and Kevin Spacey (how's that for a diverse sampling?) and features a distinguished collection of African art worth approximately 6.5 million South African rand (over $925,000).

If the art doesn't sway your fancies, the history will. The Saxon, a Leading Small Hotels of the World and Virtuoso member, was the private residence of insurance giant Douw Steyn until the year 2000. Nelson Mandela famously stayed there after his release from prison, and it was there that he edited his autobiography, Long Walk to Freedom. The former South African president continues to visit The Saxon today, reportedly every year around the same time -- but naturally, they're not saying when.

Tags: Abercrombie Kent, Africa, art, Black Eyed Peas, Douw Steyn, Johannesburg, Kevin Spacey, leading small hotels of the world, Long Walk to Freedom, Nelson Mandela, Oprah Winfrey, Saxon Boutique Hotel, Shakira, South Africa, spa, The Saxon, Villas Spa, virtuoso

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Travel Dreaming: World Cruises; Galapagos Islands top Virtuoso's Annual Travel Survey

by McLean Robbins (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels

ar-flung locations are tops on travelers' "bucket lists," states the fourth annual Travel Dreams Sweepstakes Survey, released last week by leading travel network Virtuoso®.

"This year's survey results reflect a shift in consumers' motivation to travel," says Elaine Srnka, editorial director for VIRTUOSO LIFE, the travel network's in-house magazine. "Travelers want to see the world. They are no longer content with staying in one place. Whether it's visiting the far corners of the earth on a world cruise, hiking through remote Machu Picchu or tasting local cuisine through cooking schools, travelers want unforgettable, once-in-a-lifetime experiences."

Travelers opted for a world cruise as their top "trip of a lifetime" experience. Visiting all seven continents and the new wonders of the world were also top-rated wish list items. The Galapagos Islands were ranked the number-one island escape, the second best outdoor adventure destination and the third best destination for family travel.

The top 10 dream destinations also reflected readers' longing to visit far-off lands, with Australia, Italy, New Zealand, South Africa and Greece nabbing the first five spots. Paris held onto its reign as the most romantic city to spend time with a loved one, as well as the best gourmet city. Rome remains the city with the most beautiful architecture, and Tuscany continues to be the wine region travelers want to toast the most. Again this year, readers felt going on a safari to Africa would merit the best outdoor adventure.

Nearly 11,000 readers of Virtuoso's magazine, VIRTUOSO LIFE, participated in the survey.

Tags: galapagos, galapagos islands, luxury travel, survey, virtuoso, virtuoso life, world cruise

Self-Playing Violin

by Nicole Weston (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Gadgets

The Virtuoso is a self-playing violin that was developed by a former NASA administrator. The instrument does not have any built in speakers, though it appears to be mounted atop one, and uses no wiring or gadgetry to produce sound. The sound is actually produced by the bow being pushed and pulled across the strings of the violin, just as though a real player had taken it up! Not only is the instrument interesting to watch and listen to, but it takes up far less room than a player piano would, making it more practical for those who live in smaller spaces and do not play instruments but want the sound of classical music performed live in their home. Price: $17,500.