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We made it! It’s the final stretch. If you haven’t had a chance to run around town yet, make sure you get out there, as nowhere does the holidays like London. In this issue, we’ve featured a few friends who are launching new things – which is always great – and we’ve also included a volunteer and sustainable gift idea for the festive season.
We hope you have a healthy, happy, fun holiday. Here’s to a new year filled with good health, peace, adventure and opportunities. And, as always, thank you for reading UJ.
HAPPY HOLIDAYS!
Love,
Taryn and Team UJ. ❣️
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 | |  | | | FUN | | The vibe | | | If Art Basel is anything to go by, it seems like brands are having a little more fun lately. Unveiled during the annual fair was Gucci’s XXL snow globe in the Design District, with mini replicas taking viewers through the house’s history. Over at the Miami Beach Botanical Garden, Pucci had a fun fair, with games, fortune tellers, a dance floor and lots of treats, and at Design Miami, Bottega Veneta showed ‘The Ark’, their playful animal lounge chair inspired by the Zanotta Sacco. Dear Santa…
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|  | |  | | | Marine & Lawn | | Frio H20 | | In the wild | | | No, cold water baths aren’t new, but they are certainly taking over; and more than just on the gym/spa/at-home front, we’re now seeing outdoor cold water options as a key offering at retreats, too. At Marine & Lawn in Troon, Scotland (we urge you to take a quick look at their homepage; if that doesn’t make you want to hop on a train…), the outdoors are the focus of their adventure weekends, with their January and February retreats being led by acclaimed cold water swimmer, Sophie Hellyer. HOOKE London are launching three-day Longevity and Wellness retreats at Wilderness Reserve in Suffolk, that combine cutting-edge science and holistic wellness, with wild swimming on offer. And if you prefer to keep it in a hotel, last weekend’s Art Basel festivities also saw The Miami Beach EDITION unveil their Kohler x Remedy Place Beach Club with four ice bath stations – brrrrr.
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|  | |  | | | Gift Ideas | | Primary brights | | | Need a mid-priced gift, and not sure what to get? Here are a few ideas based around scent.
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| | |  | | | Book Now | | Opens 9 January | | Sponsored Listing | | A political thriller with talent including actor Stephen Kunken (The Handmaid’s Tale) and award-winning directors Stephen Daldry and Justin Martin (Stranger Things), this dark comedy looks at the moment all nations tried to set aside their differences for the sake of the planet.
Welcome to the Kyoto Conference Centre, 11 December 1997. The nations of the world are in deadlock; 11 hours have passed since the UN’s climate conference should have ended – time is running out – but the greatest obstacle is American oil lobbyist and master strategist, Don Pearlman… WhatsOnStage calls it ‘truly remarkable; theatrical magic’; The Guardian says it’s ‘tense and gripping’; and The i calls it ‘rich and vital’. Following a critically acclaimed run at Stratford-upon-Avon, Kyoto is on @sohoplace from 9 January for a 16-week run.
Kyoto is an RSC, Good Chance, Rachel Styne & Jessica Foung production, by arrangement with Nica Burns.
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|  | |  | | | Fiona Leahy Shop | | Launches today | | | Event art director and tablescaper extraordinaire Fiona Leahy is launching a shop – today! It’s also her birthday, so happy birthday and congrats Fiona! We’re sure anyone would be thrilled to find a FL-wrapped gift under the tree.
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|  | |  | | | The Vinyl Factory: Reverb | | House Music | | Acid House and Frankie Knuckles’s Birthday | | To wrap up The Vinyl Factory: Reverb exhibition at 180 Studios, Jeremy Deller will be in conversation with Miranda Sawyer, going through the history of Acid House, including its socio-political impact and cultural legacy. Waitlist yourself for the talk and book a ticket to the exhibition now.
And to mark 10 years since his passing (we can’t believe it’s been 10 years…) and celebrate what would have been his 70th birthday, Fabric and the Frankie Knuckles Foundation are throwing a party/fundraising event, ‘For Frankie’. Parties will be happening in his hometown of Chicago and in London on 25 January – book tickets.
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|  | |  | | | Cas Gasi | Soho Farmhouse Ibiza | | News | | Sunshine stays | | A few new ones that we are excited about. Chef José Pizarro is spreading his wings; his Andalucian villa, Iris Zahara, is seafront and available to book by the room or the entire property; it also has cooking and foodie experiences.
In Athens, the recently launched Ace Hotel & Swim Club looks like a rather grown-up Ace and is the brand’s second Swim Club property (after Ace Palm Springs). The hotel is located on the Athens Riviera, a short drive from town, and has retro swim vibes, a bistro restaurant, Sebastian, serving natural wines, and contemporary artwork from mostly local artists.
And lastly, we’re sure you got the memo, but Soho House is opening a Soho Farmhouse in Ibiza in 2025. All we know so far is that it will be located in what used to be Cas Gasi, which is truly an incredible location complete with palms, bougainvillea and olive trees over four hectares of land (read our review here). Good choice Soho House! We can’t wait to see how this unfolds. Stay tuned.
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|  | |  | | | Benji’s 2024 Mixtape | | Part 1 | | | Always a type of musical annual, Part 1 of Benji B’s 2024 mixtape is out now – ’a musical mixtape meant to cut out and keep’, he says – featuring Mk.gee, Tyler the Creator, Four Tet and a host of others. This is always such an eclectic, insightful mix. Part two is out tomorrow; tune in.
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|  | |  | | | Open on 25 Dec | | And a Christmas Eve pick | | | We’ve always thought a luxe hotel Christmas Day would be fun, and we can’t think of anywhere we’d rather spend it than Claridge’s; their Christmas Day lunch is pricey, but what an afternoon it would be. The two Michelin-starred Alex Dilling at Hotel Café Royal also has a 25 December menu, which features several of the greats (caviar, truffle, lobster). For a restaurant pick, The Wolseley is open Christmas Day with a more reasonable menu, and for a festive Christmas Eve, we think Bentley’s would be a good choice.
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|  | |  | | | Ralph Moore On Tour | | First in | | | Our Ralphie has a book out! Perfectly titled Ralph Moore On Tour: A Wild Ride in the Dance Music Press, the music journalist and music consultant is a bit of a dance music legend. Norman Cook/Fatboy Slim says ‘Ralph Moore’s genius in journalism has always been not just to write but to get involved, to live the life. To talk the talk you have to have walked the walk. He would not just write the story, but be part of it.’ We couldn’t have put it better ourselves. Coming out 7 March, pre-order it now to get your name in the book and receive it first in February. Yes RM!
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|  | |  | | | Tamarind Terrace | | London Restaurants | | A few to note | | First, the ones everyone is talking about: Canteen (in Notting Hill, with two ex-River Café chefs at the helm, no reservations so expect queues); AngloThai (Marylebone, the first bricks and mortar restaurant from husband-and-wife team John and Desiree Chantarasak); The Barbary Notting Hill (Layo and Zoe have done it again); The Georgian (posh pies and chandeliers in Harrods); and opened awhile ago, but still being talked about, Agora (David Carter’s fun, delicious, vibey spot in Borough).
Then there’s the luxe refurb (Gallery at The Savoy – oooooh, that marble bar); a big birthday (30 years) for Tamarind, who recently launched a stylish all-year terrace in Mayfair and a celebration menu, including things like crispy lobster in chilli sauce and coconut chilli sea bass. We think this terrace will especially shine when the sun is out, as the roof is retractable; and a just-announced Barang pop up (from an ex-Kiln chef ) at Mambow from 18-21 December for Cambodian flavours.
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| | |  | | | Ibiza Airport, 1958 | | Ibiza Culture Club | | By Maya Boyd | | | Another one of our talented friends doing interesting things: Maya Boyd, the Ibiza journalist (author of Assouline’s Ibiza Bohemia, CNT and Vogue contributor) has very very recently launched the Ibiza Culture Club (follow them today!), where she’ll be spotlighting both locals and foreigners who have contributed to the fabric of the island in a variety of ways (amongst other things). What Maya doesn’t know about Ibiza isn’t worth knowing! We love this initiative; stay tuned….
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|  | |  | | | Quintal de Flor | | Ceramics that you order on demand | | | We were influenced. We saw a yellow ceramic pot with lemons (something we’d been after) on a content creator’s post; we followed the trail, and lo and behold, were led to Quintal de Flor. So far so normal, but the Instagram page had no website, no details of prices, and no real buying information. So we DM’d and received a very personable reply (from what seemed to be an actual person) outlining that pieces are made on demand (for quite reasonable prices; said pot was €56). Now, we don’t have our pieces yet (they take 45 business days unless they have them in stock), so we can’t confirm we haven’t wired our Euros to an account in space, but we have high hopes… A very refreshing, more sustainable way to gift. We’ll report back.
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|  | |  | | | Lunch/Shop | | Ways to help out | | As we know, the holidays can be a very hard time for many. There are many initiatives around town to help at this time of year, but one that caught our eye is H&F Giving’s Big Christmas Day Lunch, which hosts up to 500 elderly people on Christmas Day, providing some festive cheer with lunch, live music, and dancing. If you can help via your time or funds, get in touch.
Also, as a reminder: Choose Love have products for sale that are urgently needed by refugees; they also have Choose Love merch which makes a great, meaningful gift, with profits from each sale going toward the charity’s humanitarian initiatives.
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|  | |  | | | Openings | | Rural junkies | | | We’re seeing a bit of Devon news coming through right now. Fowlescombe Farm is a regenerative farm at the foothills of Dartmoor, and opening this spring, they’ll have eight suites with a concierge on hand to arrange on- and off-site activities. Caitlin Owens, whose family owns the farm and who previously worked at Four Seasons in London and Relais and Châteaux’s Hotel Schönegg in Zermatt, is behind this new property; her family also own (and she manages) the acclaimed 18th-century Millbrook Inn in South Pool Devon. Lastly, they say that Burgh Island is known for its natural healing powers, and the Burgh Island Hotel has a curated selection of holistic wellbeing offerings that make the most of the island’s natural powers.
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|  | |  | | | Chinese New Year Special | | The Tent (at the End of the Universe) | | | We are John Javier fans, and if his collab with Chef Sirichai “Siri” Kularbwong from Singburi tomorrow night is too last minute for you, book now for his Chinese New Year special on 29 January, where he’ll be joined by Seb Meyers, the ex-Chiltern chef who is now heading up the excellent Planque. Tickets here.
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|  | |  | | | London Hotels | | There’s really nothing better than a day in town, holiday shopping and dining, followed by a night in a hotel. From tucked away townhouses on both sides of Hyde Park to a central five-star with excellent dining, a last-minute festive stay is always a good idea. Here are three London hotel ideas.
The Ampersand | Inhabit, Queen’s Gardens | Nobu Portman Square
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Reproductions of any portion of this website only with our express permission. Urban Junkies is a free weekly mailer. All listings and features are editorial: We do not receive any payment from venues, artists or promoters. Every effort has been made to ensure accuracy of information listed but we cannot accept responsibility for errors or omissions.
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