Snow season to an end

The view from the balcony. I love the exterior of this recently renovated house with apartments and I never get full of this view. And the sun coming up over the mountain. 

The slopes are always a good idea. I always feel full of life. 

Kids chilling after a full day of skiing.

The bar at hotel Åregården. 

Entrance at hotel Åregården.

Although it´s been a few weeks since getting back, my mind is still on skiing and my favourite Swedish skiing resort Åre. There are several great hotels in the village, although this has always been my favourite, Åregården. A classic Swedish skiing hotel with super cosy interior. Minimalistic interiors and ski holidays are not my style. These photos will have to end the season for me. See you next Winter slopes.

Älskar skidåkning och särskilt i Åre, i Sverige. Favvohotellet är Åregården mitt i byn. För några år sedan genomgick hotellet en större renovering. Jag gillade det gamla också, och har varit där sedan barnsben, men säkerligen var det nog så att det behövdes hottas upp lite. Minimalistiska hotell är inget för mig när det kommer till skidsemester. Jag vill ha mysigt, genuint och ombonat. Nu får skidåkningen vara slut för säsongen, tyvärr. Längtar redan till nästa vinter faktiskt. Det som var extra kul i år var att alla tre barnen åkte skidor. Det blir den ultimata familjesemestern och så fantastiskt mycket glädje. 

The scent of Grand at home

 

Big news for hotel lovers like me. Especially when it comes to one of my all-time favourite hotels, Grand Hôtel Stockholm, now launching its own scented candle. I´ve had the bliss and fortune to stay at the Grand several times. Sometimes with a bunch of girlfriends, sometimes with my husband and one time all by myself (when being exhausted from being up all nights for months with our then young baby, it was an incredible luxury to just rest and not leave the hotel at all...) This candle is quickly coming up on my Christmas wish list, scented with Champagne to fill your home with the  right, sparkly ambience. The candle is available in online shop of Grand Hôtel and in the beautiful hotel shop Grand Affections. And if you´re curious on the excellent SPA at the hotel, well have a look...

Epic hotel pools

Singapore’s Marina Bay Sands 

Udaipur, India, the Oberoi Udaivilas 

Four Seasons Safari Lodge in Tanzania’s Serengeti National Park

Today, as the rain is pouring down outside (what happened with beautiful May?), what can possible fit better to day dream about than pools...Dive into the world's most epic hotel pools at Architectural Digest. 

Bliss in the snow

My ride to the top...

There´s something very tranquil and meditative with the Swedish mountains

My favourite hotel is Åre's oldest hotel, Åregården, although recently renovated.

Last week we took the family for a week of skiing in Swedish mountain resort Åre. I´ve been to Åre so many times it´s impossible to say, coming there only 6 months old the first time. This makes up for a lot of happy and fantastic memories during childhood until now, also something that I want to give to my children. We had a fantastic week, with great weather for several days and snow during night. With young children you cannot ski all day long...so after ski school and time in the slopes we hit the bubble pool belonging to the apartment or went to larger pools in the village hotels. I also had time for some shopping and most of all, eating great food. Everywhere in Åre there is a great restaurant. Since we have a toddler we ate lunch at the restaurants in the slopes every day, and went to after skii in the afternoon (brilliant concept after skii). Later in the evening we mostly ordered take out from many of the great restaurants, e.g Supper and Dahlboms, eating great food (and I didn´t have to cook:) in the comfort of our home. Åre has many great hotels as well, with Åregården being one of my absolut favourites, having stayed there several times. It recently got a design make over and I must admit it´s even better. The typical cosy mountain hotel with extra comfort where you can hide from the rest of the world and every day problems. I must check in there soon. Even though I don´t tend to go to Åre year round, I have been in the fall, and this is an absolutely amazing time in fascinating nature.

INFO:
Åre360
Hotel Åregården
Supper
Dahlbom på torget
Skistar Åre

Images from Åregården and my own

Dreaming of...

OUTER BEAUTY

Who wouldn´t dream about this, breakfast in bed with a view over Central Park...? 

Image from Pinterest via snowcladpines.tumblr.com

Miami vibes

How convenient is this? Three pools and you can choose between chilled, medium or warm

The mimosa and the view...(not sure if the tv is really necessary...)

OUTER BEAUTY
For those of you going to Miami any time soon this is a hot tip to visit. The Setai Miami Beach, which is said to be "an oasis of tranquility amidst the energy of South Beach". Apparently people agree with this since the hotel was voted "Best hotel in Miami and Miami Beach" by Condé Nast Traveler Magazine last year, and the pros there do know what they talk about. And if you´re not going to Miami, pop over to the site and fill your senses with the gorgeous images anyway. That´s what I will do today.

Tour the VOGUE office

OUTER BEAUTY
Have you ever wondered how it looks like at the VOGUE headquarter in NYC? I know I have. In this short film from Condé Nast you get a closer view at the office, the every day life of chief editor Anna Wintour and her employees. And Anna Wintour answers 73 questions of all kinds, like why is she wearing her trademark Chanel sunglasses, when she gets up in the morning, what word she thinks everybody over uses and what she will never wear...

Restaurant with a view [Sthlm]

OUTER BEAUTY
Nothing much beats Stockholm during summer, this because of all the easy access to water. The other day a new restaurant called Mr French opened up with a magnificent view over Stockholm entrance. Not only the view is tempting me here, the food I must admit looks delicious...

Press photos from Micael Bindefeld. 

It´s a Hamptons life

OUTER BEAUTY
The Hamptons never goes out of style. Swedish company Lexington with its significant New England inspired lifestyle has really taken it to the Hamptons, opening up its second boutique in Hamptons. For this occasion Lexington has teamed up with the "Hamptonite" Hilaria Baldwin and making it a charity project. Read a short interview about the project here. TV-profile and charity worker Hilaria is married to actor Alec Baldwin and the blue shirt dress is called "The Alec dress". You know I love a blue shirt dress...so maybe another one...

Press photos 1-3 from Micael Bindefeld 4 from Pinterest

Room with a city view...

OUTER BEAUTY
I´m still not really here. A little part of me is still in Berlin...this was the view over the city and excellent spa terrace from our hotel room...More photos to come soon!

The perfect weekend getaway [La Libertie France]

OUTER BEAUTY

A while ago friends told me about this little pittoresque gem they knew about in France. They had actually just come back from a weekend there, praising the place. I knew I had to look into it...Turns out that this little bed & breakfast is not your ordinary b&b. More like a small luxury hotel with character. Although situated in France this hotel is run by a swedish couple with many years of experience from top hotels and restaurants. - Sometimes all the pieces fall into place. On a vacation, we found this wonderful house in southwestern France. It was the perfect match! It was time to make the leap and finally run our own business and work for ourselves, says the owners. I just love it when people follow through with dreams like this and make something beautiful out of it. Let´s have a closer look!

 

Christina & Johan Österlund, owners of La Libertie

La Libertie is located in Campsegret, a small hamlet between Périgueux and Bergerac in the Dordogne area. This is what the owners describe as "a really, really good bed & breakfast." However, since it is a b&b it has just a few rooms making it a personal hotel. With the owner's backgrounds in top restaurants the food is said to be fantastic. During October - March La Libertie organises cooking classes. If you don´t want to do that there are many activities in the area to choose from, or maybe just enjoy the silence in the lush garden or, when the weather is good enough, just hang by the pool...The prices for staying here are also really, really good I must say, between 85-95 Euro per room/night for two persons with breakfast included. A bed and breakfast de qualité supérieure!

[All images with permission from La Liberte]