Sandra‘s Closet

Pink Paradise: My Visit to the Malibu Barbie Café in Boston

If you follow me on social media, you already know I have a soft spot for immersive experiences and anything that comes wrapped in a generous shade of pink. So when the Malibu Barbie Café landed in Boston, a visit was absolutely non-negotiable. Though honestly, it was not even planned. My daughter spotted it on a spontaneous walk past Faneuil Hall, and within seconds we looked at each other and the decision was made. We are going to make a reservation.

The pop-up has taken over a space at 101 South Market Street, right in the heart of the Faneuil Hall neighbourhood, one of Boston’s most historic and lively corners. Cobblestone streets, a buzzing marketplace, the waterfront just steps away, and that unmistakable New England energy all around. It is an area where centuries of history meet a very current, very vibrant city scene, which makes it the perfect backdrop for something as boldly out-of-time as this.

The moment you step inside, you are transported to 1970s Malibu California. Every corner is drenched in that iconic Barbie pink, layered with beachy motifs, retro details, and a whole lot of glam. It is the kind of space that makes you reach for your phone before you have even sat down.

And that, honestly, is the main event. For anyone who loves photography, fashion content, or simply living their best Barbie life for an afternoon, this place truly delivers. There is a life-size Barbie Box made for stepping into with your best pose, a scenic lifeguard chair, a wave arch, and several other photo moments scattered throughout. Every corner has been considered with the perfect shot in mind.

Now, a word of honesty about the food and drinks: it is not the reason to go. The menu leans heavily into the aesthetic rather than the culinary. Everything felt a little artificial and very calorie-laden without a lot to show for it in terms of actual taste. We ordered drinks, but truly just for the photo. The menu simply did not tempt us beyond that.

Every ticket does include a ten dollar food credit and a five dollar merchandise credit, which is a nice touch. Just be aware that the food credit applies only to food, not to drinks. The gift store is worth a browse, though I personally did not find anything I could not live without.

None of that took away from the experience. We had a genuinely wonderful time, and the atmosphere is joyful and immersive in a way that is hard not to smile at.

One tip I would give anyone planning a visit: we went on a Tuesday morning, and it made all the difference. The space was calm, relaxed, and the photo moments were completely free to enjoy without crowds or waiting. If beautiful, uncluttered shots are your goal, I would strongly recommend choosing a weekday and an early time slot. Weekends and peak hours will be a very different story.

The Boston pop-up runs until July 19, 2026, so there is still time to plan your visit if you are in the city this summer. And the Malibu Barbie Café has already toured quite a number of cities across the US, including New York, Miami, Chicago, Austin, and Las Vegas, before recently making its very first stop outside of America in Melbourne, Australia. As for Europe, there is nothing announced yet, and as someone based in Switzerland, I will be the first to say: we would absolutely be ready for it. Fingers crossed that Mattel is listening.

Tickets start at 25 dollars per person and include a 90-minute seated experience. All ages are welcome, and children under two do not need a ticket.

As for what I wore, I had not planned the visit at all, so I put together a fitting look entirely from what I already had with me that trip. I will be sharing the outfit details very soon, so stay tuned.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Sandra Bauknecht
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The Best Gift You Can Give a Mother? This.
There are days that ask nothing of you. No deadlines, no decisions, no notifications. Just the quiet luxury of being somewhere beautiful with someone you love.

On one of our recent days in Boston, Anouk and I did exactly that. We gave ourselves over to a full day at the Guerlain Spa at the Raffles Boston, and I have been thinking about it ever since.

The Raffles Boston has become my favorite hotel in the city, and for good reason. There is a level of care here that is hard to articulate but impossible to miss. Everything feels considered, generous, and effortlessly refined. It is the kind of place that makes you want to stay longer than planned.

The spa occupies the entire fourth floor, and it shows. Three private treatment suites with hydrotherapy baths and showers, a dedicated couples suite, separate saunas for women and men, a steam room, invigorating experience showers, a 20 meter vitality pool, and a fitness center equipped with Technogym. It is a world unto itself.

You sink into the spa the moment you arrive. The duvets are impossibly soft, the light is warm, the whole space has that rare quality of feeling genuinely unhurried. We had a couples massage, side by side in the same room, and were offered a choice between two oils: one with a gardenia note, the other a deeper, warmer blend of patchouli, tonka bean and vanilla.

We chose the latter. Both of us, without hesitation. The massage was exceptional, the therapists precise and intuitive, and the Guerlain products throughout were simply extraordinary. The scents alone are worth the trip.

Afterwards we swam, sat in the sauna, let the steam room do its work. One of those days you want to press pause on.

On a day like today, it feels worth saying: if you are still looking for a way to celebrate the mother in your life, an experience like this is the answer. Not a thing. Time, beautifully held.

And for those of us in Switzerland: Guerlain Spas are closer than you think. In Geneva at The Woodward, in Lausanne at the Beau-Rivage Palace. Both are destinations in their own right.

Happy Mother’s Day!

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Sandra Bauknecht
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A Retreat for the Overwhelmed Soul: Four Seasons The Nam Hai Brings Back Its «Inner Peace & Wisdom Programme»

If you have ever felt like the noise of modern life simply will not let up, a small stretch of coastline in central Vietnam might be exactly what your nervous system is asking for.

From 7 to 9 August 2026, Four Seasons The Nam Hai returns with its «Inner Peace & Wisdom» Retreat, held within the celebrated Heart of the Earth Spa on the pristine shores of Ha My Beach. The programme is co-led by guest expert Judy Xu, founder of Balance Health Hong Kong and co-founder of Manifest Co-Pilot, alongside Sudha Nair, the resort’s own wellness manager and resident healer, who brings over two decades of experience in naturopathy and yoga across India, Hong Kong, Thailand and Vietnam.

The retreat is built around three interlocking ideas: returning the nervous system to calm, cultivating emotional resilience in the face of difficulty, and accessing a deeper state of stillness where clarity and inspired action naturally arise. Over three days, guests move through a layered programme of breathwork, somatic practices, energy healing, yoga and meditation, each session designed to build on the last.

What makes this edition particularly compelling is the collaboration between Judy and Sudha, who will co-facilitate every session rather than dividing the programme between them. General Manager Marcel Oostenbrink describes the guest response to last year’s programme as remarkable, with participants reporting shifts that continued long after they returned home.

The spa itself sets a fitting stage. Rooted in the teachings of Vietnamese Zen master Thich Nhat Hanh, the Heart of the Earth Spa weaves crystal singing bowls, overwater treatment villas and tropical lotus lagoons into a philosophy that moves with the rhythms of nature rather than against them. The retreat is further supported by the resort’s Balance Menu, a mindful eating programme centred on fresh, unprocessed ingredients that encourages guests to reconnect with the body’s own natural signals.

For anyone ready to trade overstimulation for genuine stillness, Ha My Beach in August is a quietly compelling invitation.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Courtesy of Four Season The Nam Hai
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Where Wine Meets Performance: L’oscar London Launches Cabaret & Cabernet

Some evenings are simply dinner. This is not one of them.
L’oscar London, the discreet five-star boutique hotel housed in a former Baptist church off Holborn, has created something genuinely hard to categorise. Cabaret & Cabernet is a monthly experience series launching this summer, held on the first Friday of each month in the hotel’s extraordinary Committee Room. Just 25 guests per evening, no exceptions.

The premise is seductive: each wine is not merely poured but performed. Working with Crowd Pleaser Events, a collective with over two decades of theatre production experience, L’oscar has choreographed bespoke cabaret performances for every pour. Movements mirror tannins, rhythm follows acidity, gesture tells the story of origin and vintage. The table becomes a stage. The glass becomes a prop. The sommelier, armed with expertise and a flair for dramaturgy, guides the room through it all.

Executive Chef Arturas Kondratjevas completes the picture with a multi-course menu designed not to accompany the wines but to meet them as equals. Textures, temperatures and flavours are calibrated with precision, always leaving space for the real conversation happening between glass and stage.

The setting feels almost inevitable for this format. Teal walls, peacock motifs, bespoke chairs and a sweeping 19-foot table create a room that sits beautifully between opulence and intimacy. Jacques Garcia’s baroque reinvention of the original church interior is the kind of backdrop that makes everything feel slightly theatrical already.

Cabaret & Cabernet runs on the following Fridays in 2026: 5 June, 3 July, 7 August, 4 September, 2 October and 6 November. More at loscarlondon.com.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

L’oscar London, 2-6 Southampton Row, London WC1B 4AA
+44 20 7405 5555

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © L’oscar London
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May 1st is not just a date on the calendar. In France, it is la Fête du Muguet, a centuries-old tradition of gifting lily of the valley to those you love as a token of luck and happiness. The custom is said to trace back to 1561, when King Charles IX received a sprig of the delicate, bell-shaped white flowers and, enchanted, decided to offer them to every lady of his court each spring. The tradition has never really stopped since.

For Christian Dior, the muguet was nothing short of a religion. He was never without a sprig in his buttonhole, his florist grew lily of the valley year-round in a specially heated greenhouse just to ensure that. He also kept some in a finely-wrought box in his pocket, and during preparations for his fashion shows, he would ask his petites mains to sew sprigs into the hem of a sleeve or a dress. A man who understood that good luck, like good style, requires daily commitment.

Anouk and I with Carlos Bueno, General Manager at Raffles Boston, a hotel I can highly recommend.

So what better flower to wear on a day like this? My dress and jacket are embellished with lily of the valley, which felt entirely right, not just seasonally, but spiritually. We were celebrating Anouk’s graduation, and if ever a moment called for a little extra luck and a lot of elegance, this was it.

The evening unfolded in the only way it should: drinks at the Raffles, my favorite hotel in the city, followed by dinner at the French restaurant Bistro du Midi where the night gently dissolved into laughter, good wine, and the kind of conversation that makes you feel like time is standing still in the very best way.

The Long Bar & Terrace is amazing place to enjoy drinks before dinner …

… with spectacular views over the Boston skyline during sunset. I recommend the Boston Sling.

Graduation dinner at Bistro du Midi, that has the best bouillabaisse.

And my bag? A frog. A little sculptural frog clutch that caused more commentary than any It-bag ever has. Let me be clear: this is the only frog I kiss. Because when you’ve spent enough time in fashion, you learn quickly, better a frog bag than the wrong prince.

Bonne chance à tous. And to Anouk, the luckiest thing about this day was you.

My look: Addison bow jacket, and Velia floral appliqué bandeau minidress, both by Alice + Olivia, silver-tone crystal necklace, and heart shaped earrings with pearls, both by Alessandra Rich, Aevitas leather platform boots in black by Versace, floral tights by Calzedonia, and frog resin clutch by JW Anderson.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Sandra Bauknecht
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Spring has arrived at Aliée Istanbul with something truly special. The hotel’s new Art Cycle runs from April through October, turning the entire property into a living art route, from the garden and courtyards to interior spaces and the surrounding urban fabric.

Rather than decorative additions, the works are conceived as genuine artistic interventions that shape space, atmosphere and perception. The program brings together an impressive roster of international artists: Swiss artist Giulio Gallana contributes a land art piece in the Hasbahçe garden that draws from the landscape itself, while British sculptor Tony Cragg brings his signature energy to the courtyard. German artist Gregor Hildebrandt weaves materiality and memory into his installations, and Ghada Amer explores identity and representation in the interior spaces.

Rounding out the cycle are paper animal sculptures by Papier Atelier around the Little House, and a large-scale mural by Mantra appearing on the façade of Mondaine de Pariso Istanbul in early May.

As Aslı Ünal, Director of Art and Culture at Tersane Istanbul, puts it: «the temporary nature of these works only deepens their significance. Each piece exists here for a limited time, and that transience makes every encounter all the more meaningful.»

Nestled in the historic shipyard district of Tersane on the Golden Horn, Aliée Istanbul is the latest addition to the Paris Society Hotel Collection. With 122 rooms and suites, a 4,000 m² wellness spa and a dedicated art program including its own collection and artist residencies, the hotel has established itself as one of Istanbul’s most creatively ambitious addresses.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Courtesy of Aliée Istanbul
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What if a place could follow you home? Château Saint-Martin & Spa, the storied hilltop retreat above the French Riviera, has bottled exactly that feeling. In collaboration with Maison Godet, the property presents L’Eau du Château, a fragrance drawn directly from the estate’s own landscape.

The scent opens with grapefruit, bergamot and lemon leaf before softening into jasmine, peony and the floral signature of the region: the rare Tango rose, fruity and sun-warmed, finished with a whisper of morning dew. Composed by Sonia Godet, great-granddaughter of the house’s founder, it carries a lineage as layered as the property itself.

Château Saint-Martin traces its origins to a 12th-century Templar commandery; Maison Godet has been creating art-world fragrances since the early 20th century, with early commissions for the muses of Bonnard and Matisse.

The two houses share more than geography. Both are rooted in craftsmanship, provenance and a distinctly French sense of beauty that the region around Vence has long inspired.

L’Eau du Château is available from May 2026, exclusively through Maison Godet, for € 95 (30ml) and € 210 (100ml) at the boutique in Saint-Paul de Vence and at Château Saint-Martin & Spa.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Courtesy of Château Saint-Martin & Spa and Maison Godet
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Nestled along the untouched coastline of Sicily, Verdura Resort is raising the bar for luxury sports travel in 2026. With a newly expanded racket program that reads more like a Grand Slam lineup than a hotel activity schedule, the Rocco Forte property is positioning itself as one of Europe’s premier destinations for tennis and padel enthusiasts, without sacrificing an ounce of its signature elegance.

At the heart of the offering are six red clay championship courts, two padel courts and a dedicated pickleball court, all set against the kind of dramatic Sicilian scenery that makes even a warm-up feel cinematic. A new partnership with LUX Tennis brings additional coaching expertise to the resort, expanding the program to cover all ages and levels, from complimentary introductory sessions to private coaching and group clinics.

The real headline, however, is the Academies with the Stars series. Former World No. 1 Martina Hingis kicks things off with a masterclass from April 27 to 30, followed by a session with beloved Italian duo Fabio Fognini and Flavia Pennetta from July 21 to 24, a combination that promises as much personality as it does technique. Gilles Muller rounds out the tennis calendar from August 27 to September 2, while padel takes center stage on August 18 and 19 with masterclasses led by Teo Zapata and Iñigo Joffre.

New for 2026 is the Sport & Lifestyle Hub, where a dedicated concierge team curates bespoke itineraries combining sport, wellness and outdoor adventure. Think Jeep tours, cycling routes and quad excursions into the Sicilian hinterland.

For those who believe that a perfect holiday should leave you both energized and utterly restored, Verdura Resort in 2026 may well be the answer.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Courtesy of Verdura Resort
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If you know me, you know there is exactly one luggage brand I travel with. Full stop. So when Rimowa unveiled its latest seasonal colours, I was immediately sold.

The Cologne-based house has introduced two new shades, Orange and Magenta, across its Essential and Groove lines, both drawing on the optimistic energy of Pop design. Orange is bright and unabashedly bold; Magenta is deeper, almost fuchsia, with a quietly sophisticated edge. Individually each is a statement, but it’s the combination of the two that truly gets me. There is something so joyful and unapologetically chic about wearing them together.

The campaign stars Rossy de Palma, Almodóvar muse and Gaultier icon, moving through a vividly decorated interior where the cases read less like luggage and more like art objects. Perfectly cast, perfectly composed.

The Orange extends beyond the suitcase into a Groove Cross-Body Bag in Italian calf leather, matching packing cubes and a toiletry pouch, creating a fully considered travel universe in one saturated hue. That kind of cohesion is exactly why I have never once considered travelling with anything else.

Obsessed? Always. This season more than ever.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Courtesy of Rimowa
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TRAME: A JOURNEY INTO PUGLIA’S ARTISANAL SOUL
Masseria Torre Maizza, Season 2026

Puglia has always seduced the discerning traveller with its bone-white trulli, silver-olive light, and a pace of life that feels almost defiant in its ease. This season, Masseria Torre Maizza offers something rarer still: a way in.

Rocco Forte’s sun-bleached retreat opens its 2026 season with Trame, Italian for threads, and also, fittingly, for plots. Curated exclusively for hotel guests in partnership with a local specialist, the programme is less itinerary, more immersion: a slow unravelling of Puglia’s artisanal soul, told through textile, light, and the hands that shape them.

THE ART OF TEXTILES
At Fondazione Le Costantine in Casamassella, traditional embroidery and four-shaft wooden loom weaving have been kept alive for generations. Guests explore an original tool archive, a remarkable textile library, and walk through surrounding nature,  the very flora that has inspired the patterns for centuries.

In Francavilla Fontana, Bottega Dalmut represents the finest expression of Italian bespoke: hand-finished garments and shoes crafted from noble fabrics and leathers. A private style consultation unfolds inside a 19th-century palazzo; fittings follow in the comfort of your own suite.

Further into the Valle d’Itria, a master of Tombolo lace, historically woven into every Puglian bride’s trousseau, opens his atelier for an intimate bobbin lace workshop. Meditative, rhythmic, and quietly moving.

THE ART OF LIGHT
No experience of Puglia is complete without its luminarie: the elaborate hand-crafted light installations that have illuminated southern Italian festivals for centuries. A master craftsman opens his studio for an intimate introduction to the tradition, every element made by hand, traditional motifs reinterpreted with contemporary sensibility, resulting in light sculptures that are as much architecture as they are art.

Trame is not a tour programme. It is an argument for a different kind of travel, one measured not in landmarks visited, but in things genuinely understood. Each experience can be personalised through the Masseria’s concierge. Because the most beautiful journeys, much like the finest cloth, are always made to measure.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Courtesy of the Brands
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