By JULIE EARLE-LEVINE

"Look at that! It's so beautiful! Here we come!"

And there we go.

Tigre is a former international surfing champ, and he's helping me brush up on my skills, here in the easy-going village of Sayulita, Mexico. He will later prove invaluable as a source on where to find the best tacos.

There are many agreeable little coastal towns on Mexico's Pacific Coast. Few can say they are next door to a Four Seasons resort, or, for that matter, a villa where Beyoncé is staying.

Sayulita can. It is located just a few minutes' drive north of Punta Mita, the famous (and famously exclusive) luxury community near Puerto Vallarta that was designed to lure the high-end traveler to the region.

It seems to be working: At the Four Seasons, you can currently book a one-bedroom suite with a garden view for $1,025 a night. Over the holidays, you'll pay close to $2,000.

At the Villa Amor, located on the beach in Sayulita, an oceanfront one-bedroom currently starts at $88 per night, rising to a prohibitive $123 over Christmas.

Sure, your suite at the Four Seasons would feature a private plunge pool, but at Villa Amor, Sayulita Bay is yours to plunge into, anytime you like.

As you'd expect in a small town, the vibe here is relaxed. Dogs, cats and chickens roam free and everyone, even the locals, seem to be on holiday.

Experienced surfers and novices alike flock here to soak up the local culture.

Greg Shove, founder and CEO of luxury vacation real estate guide the Helium Report, found his way to Sayulita four years ago. He generally considers himself a luxury traveler. But at least once a year, he makes time to go to Sayulita with family and friends.

"We love the atmosphere, the warm water, great surfing and fresh food," said Shove, whose family learned to surf there. Sayulita is renowned for surfing, but there is enough in town to keep you happy beyond catching waves.

Quick, so you can walk again, go to Nicole Brandt, a Texan transplant, who does deep-tissue massages in a private palapa studio on the beach for $50 to $75/hour.

HOUSE AND HOME: 'The vibe is sophisticated but relaxed'

By Julie Earle-Levine
Jul 28, 2007

Vikram Chatwal is an Indian hotelier, actor and socialite who lives on the island of Manhattan in New York City and has a holiday home on Long Island. He is president of the boutique division of Hampshire Hotels and Resorts. He and his wife, the model Priya Sachdev, have a baby daughter.

Where did you grow up?

I was born in Addis Ababa [Ethiopia] but I moved to Manhattan when I was three and have lived here ever since. I love New York because it is so accessible. It has something for everyone because it is constantly changing. I also spent much time travelling to India, visiting family, and throughout Europe as well.

What was your childhood home like?

Growing up, we resided at 30 Lincoln Square Plaza on Central Park West. There was an interesting juxtaposition between the modern design of the building and the traditional Indian furnishings in my family's three-bedroom apartment. Our home was filled with warm colours and antiques we collected during our travels everywhere from London to Bangkok to Japan. All of the artwork and antiques I grew up with are still in our family homes. I loved the New York apartment, especially its location. My brother Vivek and I spent all of our time in Central Park playing basketball and swimming.

Tell me about your apartment.

It's very white and bright with sweeping views of Central Park. The sun pours in through floor-to-ceiling windows. I like to see the park's green tree-tops. It's very relaxing.

What is your favourite room?

The main living area. I have a bar crafted from stainless steel and with white fur. There are photos of friends including Naomi [Campbell]. I have a white, custom-designed, L-shaped, leather lounger, with black and white pillows, and a white, calfskin rug. All of this is reflected in a floor-to-ceiling mirrored wall. The black-and-white composition in general is attractive because it is very polarising. It can make a room feel both elegant and warm, yet also staunch. The lack of colour leaves open the imagination to focus more on the room and furniture.

The black-and-white theme seems to be echoed at one of your boutique hotels, in Manhattan, called Night.

Yes, all my hotels have a story, a connection to the heartbeat, culture and pure energy of the city they're in. Night is my homage to the drama, power, vitality and innate sensuality of New York. The space was designed to elicit the feeling of the city after dark. There are wrought-iron gates, black curtains on the outside of the building and black-and-white tiled carpet throughout. Also, black-and -white photographs, shot for the hotel, are on the walls in our public spaces.

What kind of mood have you created in your own home?

The vibe is sophisticated but relaxed. With Priya it became more intimate and personal. She bought me a 17th-century gable from a Buddhist temple in Thailand and we have this hanging on a mirrored wall, opposite a Picasso linocut entitled "Spanish Woman". When we are not travelling Priya and I like to cook at home: good Indian food. We dine under an antique silver candelabra. The apartment is now a mix of both of our styles.

You have an impressive art collection.

I love art and became an avid collector during my tenure as an analyst at Morgan Stanley in New York. Art is very important to my being. In the foyer we have an oil painting of the Hindu elephant-headed god Ganesh; a Francesco Clemente oil on canvas; a Peter Beard diary/collage called "Hot Rod"; and a linear Brice Marden. A "decision tree" drawing by artist Beth Campbell is by the dining table. I love her work. To me, it is the various probabilities that we contemplate, sometimes unconsciously, before making decisions and evaluating their outcomes. In the den I have a Sante D'Orazio photograph of Pamela Anderson [topless] next to our formal portraits. I love the fact that it is very Pam Anderson, daring and fun yet still a really natural photograph. My favourite portrait here though is of the Maharaja Dalip Singh, a poet. There are beautiful swords in this portrait and I have them in a sword collection.

You say the apartment now reflects your travels. What items?

A lot of what I have is relevant to a time and a place that I want to remember, such as artifacts from Thailand, one of my favourite places. I also like to collect art that reminds me of moments in time: "The Dream" from Dalí, one of Thierry Despont's masks and Picasso's "Spanish Woman", just to name a few.

Tell me about your 'den' and how that helps your creativity.

It's about comfort. I have two brown leather recliners, next to a bed with Indian throws and a soft, peach headboard. The drapes are pale gold silk. There is also a flat-screen television with a Sony PlayStation and an Xbox for when I want to really relax. I like to collect thoughts and ideas for my next hotel or film in this room. I'm mostly thinking about my hotels but sometimes I just like to look at the beautiful greenery and its various shades. It's so refreshing.

Your bedroom?

It's a quiet room with a four-poster bed and Indian silks and beads. The colour scheme is sombre tones and rich woods. There are two portraits of Sikh prophets hanging above the bed. I really like Indian silks and throws with tassels. They are part of my environment here and in India.

How many homes do you own?

Two - one home in Long Island and the Manhattan apartment. My weekend home is a Charles Gwathmey-designed farmhouse. It's on the north shore of Long Island in Nassau County, close to the water. It is decidedly more traditional inside than my home in Manhattan. It is a wonderful place to escape to. It is so relaxing and very convenient, being close to the city. I enjoy the architecture of the house just as much as the calm interiors. I also have a collection [of art] here and one of my favourite additions is a Ross Bleckner painting of flowers. I like these pieces because they stimulate emotion and provoke thought. I also know my [art] investment is safe and will grow in value.

Do you also invest in real estate?

I invest in real estate as it relates to hotels but not straight real estate investments per se.

You live in a Trump building in Manhattan. Is it glitzy - all gold and chandeliers?

I live in 1 Central Park West, probably the most reserved of the Trump buildings in that regard. The location works well for me and I can see my hotels from there along with the rest of the city I love.

HOUSE AND HOME: 'I've always had a huge amount of junk'

By Julie Earle-Levine, Financial Times
Jul 14, 2007

Betsey Johnson has always made her own rules since she started as a fashion designer in the 1960s. Andy Warhol was a close friend and Edie Sedgwick her house model. At 64, she still wears fluorescent baby-doll dresses and tutus. Johnson is passionate about her living quarters and recently launched her first home collection, designed for women who like her funky, eye-popping clothes.

You lived at the Chelsea Hotel in New York in the late 1960s. Tell me about that.

I moved in with a toothbrush for one night, after a break-up with a boyfriend, but I ended up living there for two years in a big loft. This is where I met John Cale [co-founder of the Velvet Underground, for whom she designed velvet suits and whom she married]. The place was very artsy, incredibly visual, with some of Andy Warhol's 1960's pop art thrown in. I made most of the costumes for Warhol's [film] Ciao Manhattan there and would sit in the lobby and try them out to see if anyone blinked - but no one ever did. I'd spend evenings at Max's Kansas City and then work all day. It was the second home where you hung out with "your kind". It was either Max's or Chelsea, a home for very "special" people.

How many homes do you own?

I have a Greenwich Village penthouse, a Hamptons home and two houses in Mexico, one of which I've turned into a villa. Each home has a completely different decor. Manhattan is Hollywood modernist glamour - Marilyn Monroe, pink walls with lace and zebra-print draperies, velvet sofas and gold tassel chairs, very 1950s style; East Hampton is "tea party floral"; and in Mexico, Betsyville, "a bright floral siesta house" and Villa Betsy, "Italian villa-esque".

What are your design influences?

I've always collected antiques and vintage furniture and decorated my homes with chandeliers, great country-kitchen cupboards, English wallpapers - a big mix. I love antiques, yard sales and everything crosses every time zone of history, in terms of furniture, clothing and shoes. I've always had a huge amount of junk around but it is collectable junk.

How did you choose the homes?

They were out of necessity. My favourite is the Fifth Avenue and 12th Street penthouse apartment, a big open space, 2,500 sq ft on the 17th floor. I have gorgeous views of the old spires of the church across the street and private roofs. I bought this 15 years ago but I was terrified then of buying, of any investment. I was in the stock market once and I hit the jackpot - that is how I was able to start my business - but I have never understood the mortgage concept. I generally take money and spend it.

You were married to John Cale?

Yes, we had a house in Jamaica but after we separated I realised I needed a place to house all my stuff. We had a funky farmhouse that was in upstate New York, so I met a lot of antique dealers. I always needed chandeliers. I can get five chandeliers for the price of one and early country cupboards, things I've had for years. I've never gone to Crate and Barrel, I love what I have. After the divorce, I found a cottage in East Hampton, in the woods. Here I have chandeliers, knick-knacks, old cupboards wallpapered with English tea party florals, cabbage roses. It is very cosy. Now it is our cosy grandchild hang-out. My daughter Lulu has my first and only grandchild, Layla, and we love going there.

Why did you buy in Mexico?

I didn't have a year-round, blue-sky, no-clouds, warm-weather private Idaho escape. Five years ago when I was celebrating being breast-cancer free, I thought, "This is the year to get an island home." Over the years of working, I'd been to Hong Kong, India, Morocco but I wanted just a place for sun and surf, warm water and hot sand. I love it down there, even in the rainy season. It's so tropical and lush and green. The spirit of the people is warm and friendly, innocent and culturally rich. When I was younger, hitchhiking and poor, bussing it around, I loved Mexico.

The area you bought in Mexico is very fashionable now.

Yes. Just like I predicted in the 1960s that SoHo in downtown Manhattan would explode, my paradise has taken off but it's still lovely. I was very lucky to find it. A friend told me to visit there and to go have lunch on this little beach where the fishermen come in with their catch. I found a tiny hotel and stayed in it. On the second day at breakfast, I asked them if they wanted to sell. It is walled in, a classical Mexican home, with three hand-built palapas [palm-thatched huts]. I started dreaming of buying the little strip of land next door. I took me two years to find the owners and a lot of beer drinking but finally they gave in. The interior decor was the most fun thing to do. I've always found decorating houses was just the perfect balance to difficult or frustrating creative work.

Is your first home collection like your fashion?

Well, where you start is bed and bath - that's everything that goes in and under the bed. And then it goes into the bathroom, sheets and towels. Home is wonderful for a clothing business. If a girl likes your clothes, she might like your kind of environment. Even if I could cook, which I can't, she'd probably enjoy my meal. Interior decorating is close to clothing design, with patterns and colours but I wouldn't turn that into a business.

What did you do with Betseyville?

Betseyville was too adorable and just too big for me. I would sleep in the pink room. Then another room for fun. It is four separate palapa houses, pools, two lounge hang-outs. It was too cute not to be shared. Meanwhile, down the road, 40 minutes south, I have this other property. The views are all blue sky and water. The house is like an Italian villa, grey cement with archways. I wanted to build a glamorous monastery. All the rooms have chandeliers and their own body lotion and bath gel. I don't rent it for more than 10 weeks maximum a year and that is just fine. I've never approached it as a business. Besides, I love to take jaunts and go myself every few months. I like to do San Miguel as a side trip. It is always an exciting new experience. I don't believe in having houses unless you live in them and keep them alive so I try to go every few months. I still hate flying but I'll fly to have three days on the beach.

Are you still shopping for homes?

Mexico's coastline still has some very nice deals, but no. I'm now realising - no more homes. The ones I have are pretty much filled because I am so addicted to antiquing. When I set up in Mexico, I had two 24ft moving trunks. Now, I need to restrict myself to collecting small objects like embroidered table napkins and silver spoons.