An unabashed love for luxe

MANILA, Philippines - Contrary to popular belief, I’m a simple girl. Not in the head, because that would be a blatant lie in a national broadsheet, but I’m an experientially simple girl. I just like nice things, one of which is to be in a tangle of Frette sheets with an Orange Sapphire hair spa under a shower cap and an SK-II mask partially blocking my vision as I type this article. Einaudi’s piano melody caresses the room while Fäe’s Silvergil beeswax candle wafts about luminously to inspire a state of mind that I can only describe as luxury. It might just outclass a week-long gem and jewelry fair spent standing for ten hours straight, lifting a sofa in five-inch-heels to find an earring, and gasping at Columbian emeralds the size of an iPhone. What could be better than this bed? Maybe a few things on my list. Or maybe I’m delirious from the show and my flight, but Cathay’s Business Class concierge did give me a fabulous duvet to sleep with and it was the deepest plane-sleep of my life.

This is not going to be an exhaustive list of the most expensive things to acquire in Manila. Let’s look into the experiences instead. Isn’t that what life is all about?

Timepieces

While it’s easy to get caught up in the ultimate class of a Patek, the elegant ease of a Cartier, or the moth-to-flame bling of a Rolex, one fundamental element in choosing a timepiece to last forever (unless you’re just buying them left and right: ALL HAIL!), is to know who does your movements. To be clear, watches are not just purchases. On the same note, neither is jewelry. They are everyday experiences and companions. They dictate your agenda. They are accoutrements to every important moment in your life. This is where Jaeger le Coultre comes in, apart from the fact that they were among the first to pioneer wristwatches for ladies in the late 1800s. Their expertise is so fine that they even supply movements and parts to industry giants like Patek, Panerai and Cartier among others. Jaeger also has gorgeous ladies watches currently modeled by Diane Kruger, one of which is the classic Reverso, a solid start for those just beginning their collections. For lovers of more horological complications, there is the 1930s-inspired Rendez-Vous Night & Day, which has an artful day/night indicator, a superb guilloché dial on a mother-of-pearl face, and a diamond-set bezel to dazzle even the most stringent of women. For true timepiece enthusiasts, flip the face over to expose the clear-cased back for complications to rival that of the watches on your male companions. It also kind of emasculates them and makes them buy you more drinks! Werq.

Bespoke holidays

Bespoke travel has probably never been more popular than it is now. With fantastic companies like Remote Lands, which specializes in custom holidays now competing with Jetsetter (who began promoting discounted luxury before they began their own tailor-made service for their increasingly demanding clientele), it’s easy to be captivated by faraway cultures. That’s great for when we have time, but not everyone has the luxury of time — the greatest luxury of all. Many have to work to access the luxury they so love, and that is why we are incredibly lucky to live in this Philippine paradise. It takes longer for me to get to work via EDSA than to fly from Manila to Balesin. When you land from your 15-minute flight, it’s a whole new world. Or WORLDS. Alphaland has really created something quite wonderful. And can you imagine the outfit changes in between “Mykonos,” “Bali” and “Costa del Sol”? It’s every fashion lover’s dream. We’re all fairly aware, however, of the multimillion-peso price tag on the membership to this fair island. So, for someone who may perhaps be looking to put his or her holiday investment elsewhere, there is the incomparably divine Amanpulo. 

The legendary Amanpulo. Peaceful Island. The villas are so well-appointed, the butler and chef service is incredible, and by God, the food is unreal. Even the pizza. The island has two sides, one with more vigorous waves for the adventurous, and one with the calmest, clearest, waters you could ever imagine. From the island, you can visit other breathtaking parts of Palawan including the limestone cliffs of El Nido, the famous Snake Island where they can set up a fabulous gourmet picnic, or even book a chopper for jewelry enthusiasts to visit a South Sea pearl farm in nearby Taytay. There’s heaven and then there’s Amanpulo. The trick is to use their concierge to his/her  fullest capacity. Just don’t forget the intense bug spray, buy several jars of their lotion, tip generously, and also look into their special rates for locals. If that’s not enough for you, my enthusiastic butler once told me Johnny Depp was buying one of the villas there and he and Vanessa Paradis are over. So, GO BIG OR GO HOME!

Haute cuisine

It seems that every crevice in the Metro is a bourgeoning new high-end restaurant. The highest priced buffet is probably still Spiral at the Sofitel, which is amazing based on the charcuterie and cheese room alone and then augmented by the fact that the kitchens and rows and rows of food can only be considered as cavernous in the best possible way. And then there’s the degustation menu of Vask, which seems like the most promising one in the city today. There’s a special ritual to getting dressed with your girlfriends, having cocktails outside to ambient music, and then ignoring each other for a few hours to properly savor and devour the 14-course degustation rapture. It is for this reason, and aging in general, that we are thankful for this season’s roomy silhouettes. Finally, a fitting death to the bandage dress. 

accessories

My personal pick for luxury accessories goes to the venerable Tina Maristela Ocampo, whose success in Barneys, Lane Crawford and others have already proved what we in Manila have already known. There is some world-class realness in those ULTRA chic handbags and accessories that only get more and more beautiful with wear. Her daughter Betina, who has her own luxe T-shirt line in Barneys incidentally, uses her Celestina tote as a beach bag and the thing is so banged-up beautiful that I’d be hard-pressed to find something so surprisingly luxe!

Beauty

Much has been featured about the fabled Dr. Aivee Aguilar-Teo, from her Instagrammable waiting room that looks more like a Park Avenue living room than a waiting area for “patients.” Another factor that makes this doctor so in demand is that she and her children spend half their time in Singapore, where her husband is a surgeon, creating a family-career life balance that impresses this writer to no end. But the great thing about Aivee is that while she is at the cutting edge of technology for aesthetic, dermatology, and cosmetology like body contouring, “vampire therapy” for facial rejuvenation/anti-aging and more, she will always tell you the truth, always attend to you personally and genuinely care about you and your life. My friends all just needed slimming cocktails, facials, vitamin or collagen injections and the like, but I had a medical condition and she saved me from a life of wild rashes and intense scarring due to skin asthma. Call at least a month ahead to see Aivee, because the woman is in demand for a reason.

Art

I am hearing the most incredibly things about Jigger Cruz. An art enthusiast friend, whose opinion I hold at the highest regard, whispered about his work over dinner once and his last piece just hit a million at an auction late last year. Cruz produces pieces that progress from conflicted to defined in the most human of ways as they unfurl and deconstruct with emotional flourish. The artist is in his 30s: acquire his pieces now for a collection that will be worth a veritable portfolio tomorrow and in the years to come.

Spa and wellness

If you’re looking to go one step beyond a lavish massage and make a real change in your life, drive down to Lipa and discover The Farm at San Benito. Be not discouraged by the vegan cuisine, which you can actually try at the Peninsula Manila Hotel before heading out (I promise, it’s delicious). Whether you’re looking into a wellness holiday to relieve stress or encourage deep healing after some medical difficulty, The Farm has its newly-opened Lakan Villa for the lovers of luxe with a 372 sqm indoor area, an expansive pool deck, and a sumptuous private pool. The delightful staff will tailor a medical-wellness agenda for your specific needs, but make sure to schedule with the ethereal Lem, who will do a healing that he doesn’t even charge for. It cannot be put into words, but it is sure to be one of the most spiritual experiences of your life. There is a reason that people from all over the world fly in for The Farm. They also offer memberships because once you’ve been, you’ll be a devotee forever.

Breathing luxe

Karl Lagerfeld once said, “Luxury is the ease of a T-shirt in a very expensive dress.” It’s a personal belief I share in a way, because luxury isn’t luxury if it isn’t comfortable, if it isn’t as easy as breathing. It’s eating a whole pack of prosciutto di Parma in bed. It’s having the luxury of sleeping in all morning, actually having taken your makeup off the night before. Or not. The quiet beauty and even un-beauty in everything. It does take quite a bit of money sometimes, but perhaps not as much as one would think.