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One Of Many Swiss Alpine Gems: Gstaad

One Of Many Swiss Alpine Gems: Gstaad

Gstaad is always a good idea! Didn’t know that?! I mean this luxury alpine resort has a lot of competition when it comes to wonderful and top-notch ski resort in Switzerland. Places such as Verbier, Sankt-Moritz or most famous Zermatt all compete with Gstaad in canton Bern, Switzerland. However, the latter has its unique authenticity to it. Moreover, you’ll be all ears to know that the great Michael Jackson even had tried to purchase the Gstaad Palace because he had fallen in love with the Palace located in the upscale resort.

EC60 - A Magic Celebration in Saint-Tropez

EC60 - A Magic Celebration in Saint-Tropez

Sun, soundchecks, stunning luxury and spectacular vista.

These are the ingredients to the recipe for a successful celebration! Plus it isn’t always that work rhymes with birthday parties for two legends at one of the hottest spots of the French Riviera. So we ended up partaking in a once-in-a-lifetime evening at the coastal town of Saint-Tropez in the southeastern region of France. Are you ready for it?

Montreux Jazz Festival

Here we are — it’s June!!! It is one of our favorite month not only because here in Switzerland it’s the Summer’s solstice but also because this year on June 14th we observed the women’s march for equality followed by Juneteenth the same month.

Alright but the reason for us to be psyched for this month is THE SUMMER EVENT of the Swiss Riviera… The one and only Montreux Jazz Festival(MJF)!! 2019 rings the 53rd edition of this gem of a festival! Come on guys… Please tell me you know about it?! I mean it’s a premium high-caliber festival that brings fancy folks together. Deep Purple’s “Smoke on the Water” was coined after the band came to play at Montreux and witnessed the tragic event of the Casino burning! But even if you aren’t familiar with this story, you can’t say you’ve never heard of the International Swiss festival that hosted Miles Davis, Aretha Franklin, Ray Charles, Ella Fitzgerald and Quincy Jones just to name a few… Or can you?!?

Speaking of Quincy Jones… brace yourself — he is one of the person behind the success of the festival. indeed, as said by himself, late Claude Nobs — the pioneer founder of ‘ledit’ Festival was like a brother to him. So hereafter is part of the formula behind Montreux Jazz Festival’s success — Claude Nobs’ hard work & vision coupled to Quincy Jones’ meticulousness & expertise! I guess the fact that the event takes place by the shores of Lac Léman (Lake Geneva) and its wonderful vista plays a role in the festival’s triumph! Don’t tell everyone but even for us at LeCircles it remains our favorite premium festival in the region!

Therefore, work isn’t really work over here… Don’t get me wrong — business is still conducted very seriously and we still run all over the place in order to make sure everything and everyone is all set for a great experience, artists and visitors alike! But hell yeah feels good after putting several hours of work to have a drink at Montreux Palace’s Funky Claude Bar or just by the lake at one of the short-lived terraces. What about the concerts?! Well this year’s favorites were definitely Elton John’s farewell show, Janet Jackson’s comeback, Janelle Monae who came to slay and obviously Quincy Jones’ soundtrack of the 80s which closed a Quincy Jones’ tour around Europe.

Maybe next year you will be part of the family — may it be on the artist’s side and if not… you ought to be one of MJF’s guests! For both endeavors just remember that LeCircles hooked you up on the trend! Oh yeah… the anecdote is that the city even named one of its main streets after late Claude!

Odonym after MJF’s founder Claude, Montreux Jazz Festival, Montreux VD, Switzerland. ©LeCircles

Odonym after MJF’s founder Claude, Montreux Jazz Festival, Montreux VD, Switzerland. ©LeCircles

Setting of the event — shores of Lake Geneva, Montreux Jazz Festival, Montreux VD, Switzerland. ©LeCircles

Setting of the event — shores of Lake Geneva, Montreux Jazz Festival, Montreux VD, Switzerland. ©LeCircles

Auditorium Stravinski’s Hall (B4) 2m2c , Montreux Jazz Festival, Montreux VD, Switzerland. ©LeCircles

Auditorium Stravinski’s Hall (B4) 2m2c , Montreux Jazz Festival, Montreux VD, Switzerland. ©LeCircles

Elton John’s farewell’s concert at the Stadium La Saussaz, Montreux Jazz Festival 2019, Montreux VD, Switzerland. ©LeCircles

Elton John’s farewell’s concert at the Stadium La Saussaz, Montreux Jazz Festival 2019, Montreux VD, Switzerland. ©LeCircles

Janet Jackson at Auditorium Stravinski Concert Hall, Montreux Jazz Festival 2019, Montreux VD, Switzerland. ©LeCircles

Janet Jackson at Auditorium Stravinski Concert Hall, Montreux Jazz Festival 2019, Montreux VD, Switzerland. ©LeCircles

Janelle Monae’s Powerful show at Auditorium Stravinski Concert Hall, Montreux Jazz Festival 2019, Montreux VD, Switzerland. ©LeCircles

Janelle Monae’s Powerful show at Auditorium Stravinski Concert Hall, Montreux Jazz Festival 2019, Montreux VD, Switzerland. ©LeCircles

VIP Area — 3 main paying stages’ lineup (peep the Gems at Stravinski), Montreux Jazz Festival, Montreux VD, Switzerland. ©LeCircles

VIP Area — 3 main paying stages’ lineup (peep the Gems at Stravinski), Montreux Jazz Festival, Montreux VD, Switzerland. ©LeCircles

Quincy Jones’ closing concert of the Montreux Jazz Festival 2019, Montreux Jazz Festival, Montreux VD, Switzerland. ©LeCircles

Quincy Jones’ closing concert of the Montreux Jazz Festival 2019, Montreux Jazz Festival, Montreux VD, Switzerland. ©LeCircles

Iconic MJF sculpture by the docks, Montreux Jazz Festival, Montreux VD, Switzerland. ©LeCircles

Iconic MJF sculpture by the docks, Montreux Jazz Festival, Montreux VD, Switzerland. ©LeCircles

SEF.2019 - Interlaken

It’s May but this year no Festival de Cannes for us. I know very surprising!!! But what can we say?! After the busiest of time at Coachella and around the U.S. our heavy schedule made us miss our usual stopover at “La Croisette”.

Nevertheless, we couldn’t miss to partake in the Swiss Economic Forum (SEF) — Switzerland’s leading economic conference and most important spring business event. We are talking of exclusively C-levels guests, high-profile businesses, academia, media & political figures. This isn’t your local gathering!

Indeed, with Davos WEF it is the most prestigious event with an international outreach that promotes exchange of ideas among leaders and that is — a real paragon of promotion of entrepreneurship. Wait a minute!!! Don’t think you will simply get to show up that easy. You need to go through a meticulous screening process in order to be part of the event and demonstrate high achievements in your field or be invited as a special guest given your pedigree.

For us, it remains the best business meeting in the Bernese Highlands. Aside from jaw-dropping conference and valuable exchange of ideas, we love SEF because of its setting. Indeed, it takes place in Interlaken, Bern, Switzerland. If you do not know the picturesque town at the base of several attractions such as the Jungfrauhoch and boasting lake Brienz — you should look it up. Ok as a non-Swiss these names won’t tell you much but trust me from the streets to the hotels, stores and casino you will fall in love with it! And what if you joined the millions of tourists that have had a glimpse of the municipality?

Or you could perhaps join the town during the SEF for some masterclasses or conferences on the topics that shape tomorrow — No, this isn’t the WEF Davos its the SEF Interlaken and nothing to by shy of. Don’t get it twisted.

Entry - Control Access/Security Check, “SEF”, Interlaken, Bern Switzerland. ©LeCircles

Entry - Control Access/Security Check, “SEF”, Interlaken, Bern Switzerland. ©LeCircles

Main Hall’s Entry - Partner’s Area (Casino), SEF, Interlaken, Bern Switzerland. ©LeCircles

Main Hall’s Entry - Partner’s Area (Casino), SEF, Interlaken, Bern Switzerland. ©LeCircles

Main Hall (Partner’s Zone), SEF, Interlaken, Bern Switzerland. ©LeCircles

Main Hall (Partner’s Zone), SEF, Interlaken, Bern Switzerland. ©LeCircles

Networking “Apéro” in the Garden, SEF, Interlaken, Bern Switzerland. ©LeCircles

Networking “Apéro” in the Garden, SEF, Interlaken, Bern Switzerland. ©LeCircles

Luxury Hotel Victoria Jungfrau, SEF, Interlaken, Bern Switzerland. ©LeCircles

Luxury Hotel Victoria Jungfrau, SEF, Interlaken, Bern Switzerland. ©LeCircles

Conference Auditorium, SEF, Interlaken, Bern Switzerland. ©LeCircles

Conference Auditorium, SEF, Interlaken, Bern Switzerland. ©LeCircles

Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival

April has many important dates, e.g. when Honest Abe abolished slavery in the 19th century but as usual we decided we would spend part of Earth day’s month in the best environment possible — Coachella Festival in California, USA! So hopping on a jet here we are at the festival that gathers Art, Music and your favorite celebs. It’s a must! At least, once in a lifetime! Obviously, Coachella’s headline is always a banger but the most interesting part of our stay here has always been about the amenities. You heard right… the amenities or should we say the lodging in particular! Because even in the middle of the desert we love to have our “Glamping” game on — which as usual is top-notch here. Between work and fun, a good bed is always welcome.

Let’s be clear, you have several housing alternatives but we are talking of the real ones here — the ones that will heighten your festivalgoer’s experience. Speaking about lodging with style there are three main options. Two are on-site — the luxury Safari Tents & the upscale Yurts (Resort at Coachella) — with a VIP-access to stages, private areas and gourmet artists’ catering… Another real lodging possibility, across the festival’s grounds is the Villa option. Beautiful villas boasting a Van-der-Rohe architecture and exclusive amenities.. Just makes sense… Hello! It’s LeCircles here!

Having a gargantuan workload to do and because we are here for business purposes — but still wanted to be in the heart of Coachella’s bedazzlement — we opted for the Yurt package that is just perfect! We can relax in our custom-made yurt and have some work done to finally go see our favorite acts and some friends. After our comfy stay here the shows are our obvious favorites!

Might be good to let you know these lodgings sell out very fast and you need some magic to secure some! If you have any questions just contact us.

Next year don’t stay home or with the masses — come say hey!

Coachella Festival, Indio CA, USA. ©LeCircles

Coachella Festival, Indio CA, USA. ©LeCircles

VIP Coachella’s Yurts, Coachella Festival, Indio CA, USA. ©LeCircles

VIP Coachella’s Yurts, Coachella Festival, Indio CA, USA. ©LeCircles

The VIP Yurt’s bed, Coachella Festival, Indio CA, USA. ©LeCircles

The VIP Yurt’s bed, Coachella Festival, Indio CA, USA. ©LeCircles

Yurt’s interior living space, Coachella Festival, Indio CA, USA. ©LeCircles

Yurt’s interior living space, Coachella Festival, Indio CA, USA. ©LeCircles

Francis Kéré’s Art Installation 2019, 1 of 12 towers, Coachella Festival, Indio CA, USA.

Francis Kéré’s Art Installation 2019, 1 of 12 towers, Coachella Festival, Indio CA, USA.