An exceptional array of art, antiques, and jewelry will add to the allure of Florida’s Gold Coast as the Palm Beach area hosts the American International Fine Art Fair, February 4 to February 8, 2009.

More than 90 prestigious exhibitors from more than 13 countries are anticipated to attract local and global connoisseurs for an international event highlighted by carefully vetted exhibits featuring artwork of all periods and disciplines. The fair also provides the largest collection of period and haute couture jewelry found in any U.S. exhibition, with participants including Harry Winston, Van Cleef & Arpels, Veronique Bamps, David Morris and Buccellati, to name a few.

“Within the realm of art and antique fairs, the Palm Beach event is globally recognized as America’s most glamorous and elegant art and antique fair,” says David Lester, who founded the event in 1997, alongside his wife, Lee Ann.

Daytime activities will include golf, tennis, and beach outings, in addition to daily educational and informative lectures. Invitation-only events include private dinners at the Norton Museum of Art, the Flagler Museum, and Donald Trump’s exquisite Mar-a-Lago estate.

The event commences February 3 with a private art preview and reception, sponsored by legendary jewels Van Cleef & Arpels, with proceeds benefiting the Norton Museum of Art.

Lester says, “The event provides a unique, elegant yet intimate atmosphere, which makes possible a special interaction between the dealers and collectors. The goal of the fair is to provide exhibitors with a world-class venue for showcasing their artwork and opportunity to develop new relationship with fledgling collectors as well as connoisseurs who regularly peruse the global marketplace seeking rare and unusual acquisitions.”

He continues, “The extraordinary scope of art, antiques and jewelry are only part of what makes this annual fair week so wonderful.”

For details on activities, exhibitors, and pricing, please view the following link: American International Fine Art Fair.

—Holly Marie Busacca

Above image courtesy the American International Fine Art Fair website, www.AIFAF.com

Brasada Ranch, a 1,800-acre luxury outdoor and golf community located in Central Oregon recently earned its second LEED gold rating. The development’s 17,000-square-foot Ranch House headquarters that houses guest suites, a restaurant and the community’s administrative offices has received a LEED gold certification.

The Ranch House was built with reclaimed wood from the nearby Ochoco lumber mill. Artifacts from the 75-year-old mill have been integrated into the Ranch House’s décor, along with lava rock and native material featured in the stonework. 

Other environmental designs that helped the Ranch House earn its LEED gold rating include the roof that is made with durable 100 percent recycled materials and a unique permeable paver system in the parking area that allows for rain water to soak into the ground instead of running off the roof to other areas of the property.

The Ranch House, as well as all of Brasada Ranch’s core community buildings are heated and cooled by a high-tech, ground-source lake-loop system that is tied to the pond on the ranch’s private championship golf course. The system is 60 percent more efficient when compared with traditional systems for heating and cooling.

Last year, Brasada Ranch became the first newly constructed destination resort in the country to receive a gold rating when the Discovery Center, the 8,300-square-foot centerpiece structure of the community was LEED certified.

—Shari Barbanel

For those who have ever dreamed of owning a rustic villa in southern Spain, this dream can now be realized in Paradise Valley, Ariz. for approximately $2 million. On November 6, InterContinental Hotels & Resorts and Crown Realty & Development announced the opening of InterContinental Montelucia Resort & Spa, the first U.S. resort of the InterContinental brand.

Nestled in the awe-inspiring foothills of Camelback Mountain, the European-influenced, 34-acre resort offers 34 detached, privately owned, single-family villas; 253 guest rooms; and 40 suites, including two presidential suites. A Spanish (particularly the Andalusia region of southern Spain) influence is evident throughout and is exemplified by many courtyards and the Alhambra walkway, modeled after the Alhambra in Grenada, Spain.

Like any luxury resort, InterContinental Montelucia is chock full of appealing dining options; unlike other luxury resorts, guests can find everything from a menu of more than a dozen French fries from around the world at Kasbah Poolside Bar to a comprehensive selection of 100% agave tequilas and tapas at Mbar, within the resort’s signature restaurant, Prado, which is reminiscent architecturally of Michelangelo’s Villa San Michele in Tuscany.

Additional amenities within InterContinental Montelucia include Castillo Lucena, Arizona’s only private wedding chapel within a luxury resort; the 31,000-square-foot Moroccan-inspired Joya Spa; five pools; a full-time golf concierge and complimentary driving range at Mountain Shadows Golf Club; and proximity to elite shopping, dining, hiking and the exciting metro areas of Phoenix and Scottsdale.

For more information, visit www.icmontelucia.com

– Sarah Binder

Donald Trump is seeking to build a $2.5 billion golf resort in Scotland.  This Wall Street Journal report mentions how Trump recently visited his mother’s birthplace on the Isle of Lewis, Scotland, with his sister.

ORLANDO, Fla. – In bringing together crosstown rivals in the ultimate showdown to determine the World Golf and Country Club Champion, the 2008 Tavistock Cup presented by Citi Private Bank welcomes Annika Sorenstam and Paula Creamer to this unique team competition. Creamer joins Team Isleworth and returning captain Mark O’Meara as they stand ready to defend their home turf against Sorenstam and returning captain Ernie Els of Team Lake Nona.

The fifth annual tournament between the touring golf professional members of Isleworth and Lake Nona Golf & Country Clubs will be the first for Creamer, a new resident of Isleworth, and the third for Sorenstam of Lake Nona. Complete team rosters will be released in March, with many of last year’s players expected to return for the 2008 Tavistock Cup.

Team Isleworth claimed the inaugural Tavistock Cup in 2004 and again in 2006, with the 2005 matches resulting in a tie following a sudden death playoff. With home course advantage last year, Team Lake Nona clinched its first Tavistock Cup victory. The Payne Stewart Salver Award for low medalist on Day 2 went to Stuart Appleby in 2004 and Tiger Woods in 2005, 2006 and 2007.

The professional golfers of Isleworth and Lake Nona have won a combined total of 48 major championships and more than 680 career worldwide victories.

“For these players, the Tavistock Cup provides a relaxed atmosphere where they can compete with their friends in their own backyard. But when all is said and done, the competitive drive is truly evident in their desire to claim the Cup for their club,” said Andy Odenbach, vice president of sports ventures for Tavistock Group, the private investment company that owns both clubs. “The addition of Annika and Paula to this year’s tournament adds yet another element of excitement to this unique competition.”

The Tavistock Cup, an officially sanctioned PGA Tour event, will be held Monday and Tuesday, March 24 and 25. Players will vie for a purse of $3.88 million, with $1 million donated on behalf of the winning team to the charities of their choice. In addition, players will compete for team hole-in-one prizes including Cadillac Escalades, Correct Craft Air Nautique boats, Full Swing Golf simulators and more.

TavistockCup.com will feature real-time scoring of the tournament, which will also be broadcast live on the Golf Channel in the U.S., Canada and Japan and to over 40 countries around the world through international affiliates.

For more on the Tavostock Group, click here.

Tiger Woods removes his glove March 27 during the Tavistock Cup at the Lake Nona Golf & Country Club.

For the first time in the Tavistock Cup’s four-year history, the Lake Nona Golf & Country Club’s touring professional golfers defeated Tiger Woods and the rest of their peers from the Isleworth Golf & Country Club last week. Woods still managed to win the Payne Stewart Salver Award for low medalist, finishing 8-under-par as a result of seven consecutive birdies. The exclusive two-day tournament, which can only be attended by those who receive a special invitation, spotlights Orlando’s two premier luxury golf communities.

www.tavistockcup.com

www.lakenona.com

www.isleworth.com