La Samaritaine Pont Neuf Paris, France

‘Le must’ visit new attraction in Paris 2021, no doubt should be La Samaritaine Pont Neuf, knows as the project of ‘Passage of Samaritaine’ (100% owned by LVMH), a new street with social & commercial activities that run through the length of the existing building. Connection between the historical façade of the Sauvage building overlooking the Seine and the façade of Rivoli building on Rue de Rivoli. This is a complex revamp spanning of 70,000 m2, the new premises will house a hotel, department store, social housing & a crèche, offices, in 4 buildings.

-Cheval Blanc, in a late Art Deco building, is a five-star 72 rooms & suites luxury resort hotel facing the Pont Neuf, with a price tag of minimum EURO 1500/room/night.

-La Samaritaine, the emblematic department store which was founded in 1870, is an Art Noveau architecture. Now has been entirely restructured. With its historic and heritage features, such as the glass roof, monumental staircase and peacock painting, have been refurbished to match the original décor. France's top ateliers Vinci handled the conservation and restoration of the façade's hallmarks, including the enameled lava panels, ridges, composite decorations, the ceramics and the mosaics.

-A historic Art Nouveau building designed by architect Frantz Jourdain (a Belgian architect 1847-1935) now includes 96 social housing units meeting the targets of the city of Paris' Climate Plan, with primary energy consumption lower than or equal to 80 kWh/sqm/year.

-Rivoli building, with contemporary wavy exterior façade, served as retail areas and offices. Designed by Sanaa, the Pritzker Prize winners of 2010, Kazuyo Sejima and Ryue Nishizawa.

‘Passage of Samaritaine’ give the world a profound idea of how to balance commercial interest and social responsibility & environmental consciousness. After all, where there’s a will, there’s a way. LVMH bravo!

Want to know more about this project, visit Vinci Construction’s webpage for details.

IKUCHIJIMA Island(生口島), Japan

IKUCHIJIMA Island(生口島) aka Art Island, Japan

Since ancient times, this island been called ‘Island of God’, due to the town Setoda’s sloped terrain of the peninsula, sufficient sunshine throughout the year, and a mild climate that faces south with little rain, it become the most suitable place to ‘grow lemons’ in Japan, so it is also known as the ‘lemon town’. With this God gift, no wonder it become the popular spot for cycling & sightseeing destination. Imagine every breath you take infuse with citrus aroma, so refreshing!

Beside the nature advantage, in recent years, it has attracted a large number of artists to create here which include 17 works of art scatter around the island’s town Setoda, plus a museum of Japanese art master Mr. Ikuo Hirayama and numerous popular photo op landmark, such as "Kosanji Museum".

Now the brainchild of Aman Hotel Group Adrian Zecha has launched a series of people-friendly projects in Setoda Town in the year of 2021.

Soil Setoda (Compound Facility):

A project that connects local townspeople and tourists together. It is located in the center of Ikuchi Island and was converted from a 140-year-old warehouse. The project transforms the entire warehouse into a compound facility, and builds a "Soil Stay" next to the warehouse for backpackers to stay. At the same time, the islander’s cafeteria "Minatoya" and a place for people’s exchange activities "Living Room" are introduced to create a "home". the concept of. The warehouse itself serves as a tourist service center, and at the same time introduces the coffee brand "Overview Coffee", a brand that emphasizes environmental protection and donates part of its income to the Earth Climate Improvement Organization. Since the citizen exchange center and the visitor center are built together, this form objectively improves the communication and interaction between local residents and foreign tourists, and allows foreign tourists to get a better experience.

About the price of accommodation, it all depends on the view and size, it ranges between 13,200 yen and 17,600 yen/room/night. If you are a backpacker, and $$$ is your only concern, capsule rooms also available with a price tag of 4000 yen per person.

Azumi Setoda (High-end Ryokan):

Azumi Setoda is a 140-year-old property which has been restored and converted to offer 18 suites and four duplexes. All accommodation is housed in a two-story pavilion, with a cedar kakine-framed courtyard at its center. Each suite or duplex has a private garden or a balcony, and offers a unique view of the courtyard in creating a sense of peaceful, warm hospitality is central to the visitor experience.

As a ryokan, the food provided in the hotel needless to said, by using the most seasonal local ingredients reflect the region’s role as a historic sea hub place where cultures intersect.

Yubune (Public Bath House cum Inn):

Yubune has 14 guestrooms and bath house. The most commendable is the bath house is a facility open to the public. Because it is a public facility and the price is relatively easy, the residents of Azumi Setoda are free, and the average person can enjoy the authentic Japanese-style large bath for only 900 yen (half price for children), and feel the high-quality art and design.

Brickyard at Mutianyu Great Wall, Beijing

BRICKYARD is not a fancy 5-star resort, is more like a village community with 25 rooms in the main house & 11 vacation homes nearby, the most luxury of this place is all rooms have the view of the ‘Great Wall’! Original a tile factory, revamped to a cosy, warm & homey cottage resort. Only 2 hours’ drive from Beijing downtown, perfect location for a weekend hideaway or if you like to climb the Great Wall like the Chinese said: One who fails to reach the Great Wall is not a true man. Brickyard is a great starting point of being a TRUE MAN.

Beginning of 2021

Ding Ding Dong, welcome to the year of 2021. What happens in 2020 stays in 2020 is my new motto. Let’s have a good new start in year of “Ox” (Chinese Zodiac Sign of 2021) usually represent as grounded, loyal, gentle and trustworthy, this inspire us how to overcome the worst moment of our time and march to the uncertainty future with steady feet and hope.

Every now and then we will share our found with you and at the same time welcome others to share their discoveries and opinions with us. All we humbly ask for is be kind and respectful of using this platform.