There is a number of public transportation close to The Luxe that residents can make use of. The closest MRT stations are Dhoby Ghaut MRT, Bencoolen MRT, Rochor MRT and Fort Canning MRT. The closest bus stops are located at Dhoby Ghaut Station, School of the Arts, Peace Centre, Sunshine Plaza and Concorde Hotel Singapore. For those with vehicles, the shopping district located at Orchard Road can be easily accessed via Penang Road, Fort Canning Road and Exeter Road in 5 to 10 minutes. Teddy Cutting is a kind, wealthy young man who has had a crush on Elizabeth for many years. He's light-hearted and proposed to Elizabeth twice without being taken seriously. He is the good friend of Henry Shoonmaker and the more sensible of the two. Teddy has blond hair and serious gray eyes. The Luxe Bali has extensive spa treatment facilities located on the ground floor next to the gym and cinema room. The spa facilities include a solid massage bed and amenities, a private redwood aromatic dry sauna, a travertine lined steam room and shower. Garden & Pools

Elizabeth Holland and her best friend Penelope Hayes rule Manhattan's social scene. But when Elizabeth learns her family's status is far from secure, suddenly everyone is a threat to a golden future. Elizabeth is forced into an engagement to Henry Shoonmaker, a man she barely knows, with a terrible reputation as a ladies man, who happens to be the person Penelope is in love with.

SOCIALS

Elizabeth wird geradezu als Vorbild für die jungen Damen angesehen und ist eigentlich auch die vornehme, luxuriöse Dame, wäre da nicht ihre geheime Liebe für den Kutscher. Ihre Lage und ihr lieber Charakter machen sie noch zur sympathischsten und ehrlichsten Figur in diesem Roman. Ihre Schwester Diana hingegen ist eine Rebellin, die den Gedanken an Armut aufregend findet und gern hübsche Männer küsst. Sie sieht sich selbst als modern, aber ich sah in ihr eher einen aufmüpfigen Teenager, der sich nach Aufregung sehnt und dabei Chaos stiftet. Anna Godbersen’s young adult historical novel The Luxe (2007) is the first book in a tetralogy. Set in 1899 New York, it follows two sisters, Elizabeth and Diana Holland, who hail from the elite class of Manhattan. When the sisters’ father dies and his rich legacy suddenly holds no weight, they scramble to stabilize their lives before they fall from high society and are forced to undergo a drastic shift in consciousness. The novel is structured episodically, rotating perspectives between three minor characters, as well as the two sisters who are its central protagonists. This complex, shifting, and non-linear plot serves to produce an anachronistic characterization of the destructive social dynamism of American capitalism’s upper echelons.

The plot. Imagine Gossip Girl set in the 1900's, that's basically the book. B-O-R-I-N-G! Maybe it's just me. But I didn't like Gossip Girl and I really couldn't bring myself to even finish this one. And I normally like historical romances. When reputations are at stake and secrets become a currency, friends turn on friends and no one is safe. I was actually pleasantly surprised with the writing and worldbuilding. While I am under no illusions that it is perfectly researched and historically accurate in terms of dialogue or general conduct- it served its purpose of transporting me to the time with its descriptions of fine gowns, lavish balls and court like intrigue. The book begins at the funeral of Elizabeth Holland. Diana and Elizabeth were known as daughters of New York City’s elite tradition. Elizabeth died just before she was to marry into one of the city’s richest families, reinforcing the sisters’ position. Elizabeth’s fiancé, Henry Schoonmaker, who harbors a secret crush on Diana, notes that the circumstances of Mr. Holland’s disappearance are suspicious.The bitch of the book is Penelope, of course - and she's marvellous at it. She's the character you "love to hate". She's the most straight-forward of all the characters, and spiteful, and duplicitous, and you have to admire her tenacity.

The Luxe Bali’s living areas take up most of the villa’s second level, with multiple seating areas offering lavish room for entertaining or relaxing. A 58-inch TV provides entertainment for the whole family, while a quiet study is lined with books covering Bali, Indonesia and life in the tropics. The floors of the living and dining areas are all beautifully waxed timber surrounded by a cream travertine edge. Dining Room

Floor 2

Your stay in The Luxe Bali is made enjoyable by the professional staff: there when you need them, invisible when you don’t. The Luxe Bali’s staff have been professionally trained to the highest level and will do their utmost to please with their warm and friendly Balinese hospitality. Villa Manager

Pretty girls in pretty dresses, partying until dawn. Irresistible boys with mischievous smiles and dangerous intentions. White lies, dark secrets, and scandalous hook-ups. This is Manhattan, 1899. The Luxe Bali is a fabulous garden estate featuring a private garage and entrance through an amazing rainforest with waterfalls and large pond containing colourful koi. The villa is terraced, with easy wheelchair access provided by a six-person lift connecting all four floors. Large marble floor covered terraces on the oceanside adjoin a white marble pool and a covered timber floor terrace on the peaceful rainforest/koi pond area. The Architect Freedo Taufin of KU DE TA fame designed the villa and the centrepiece being his spectacular open stairway leading to all four floors. A stay at The Luxe Bali is a real once-in-a-lifetime experience, with many amazing spaces and facilities. Living Room At that time, I haven't read enough historical fiction to know what was the good quality ones and the bad quality ones. I was only interested on what this book was going to contain. There was plenty to love and enjoy here, despite the somewhat clichéd characters. The setting is vividly brought to life, though I would imagine some people wouldn't care for the little asides about dress fabrics and ormulu (gilt-bronze) inlaid chairs, but to me it added some necessary and authentic detail, as well as showing (without actually telling) the disparity between classes and "breeding": the gaudy over-the-top grandeur of the Hayes' new mansion; the stately but stuffy Schoonmaker home; and the refined, old-world elegance of the Hollands' - all highlighting the still-pervasive class clash between old money and new, inherited from the British. And, oh my god yeek I loved this book! I don't know how to explain it but I did! I fell in love with a historical romance third person book! Who would have thunk it? I can't even begin to describe how much I loved this book.The day after the ball, he proposes to Elizabeth and is accepted (even though her heart belongs to the young coachman, Will, whom her maid, Lina, also loves), because Henry's family has money and the Holland family now has none - which no one know about except them. You have to keep up appearances, after all. This is the day he also meets Elizabeth's younger sister, Diana, and there's something about her that captivates him like no other girl ever has. It's a tangled mess and it's about to get a whole lot messier as Penelope schemes to break up the engagement. The second reason is that this book is in the third person. When I read books in third person, I hardly ever give them five stars, no matter how well written because as I've said before, I want to make a connection to the characters. I understand that this is difficult to do, especially when a writer wants to incorporate more than one voice in the novel but at the same time, I feel almost shut off from everyone. Elizabeth's secret relationship with Will isn't the only thing that becomes more difficult after the wedding becomes public. Henry doesn't want to get married any more than Elizabeth does. He resents the fact that he is being forced to wed and give up his freedom. Penelope, her supposed best friend, is infuriated by the news of the wedding. She expected to marry Henry herself and is planning to break up the wedding by any means necessary. Elizabeth's personal maid, Lina, finds out about Elizabeth and Will's relationship and is hurt because she has grown to love Will herself. Even more problems crop up when Elizabeth's younger sister, Diana, begins to have feelings for Henry. Finally, and most devastating to Elizabeth, Will tells her he is leaving New York and heading west to California. How can a proper girl deal with all of these problems and be expected retain her poise?