Category Archives: Hedonism

Resist the blandness of the sleeping masses shouted a garishly dressed punk rock band before a pogoing crowd in Walter Van Beirendoncks Neon Shadow video, pretty much summing up the energy at the Paris mens fashion week that closed today: a wildly hedonistic, riotously liberated affair high on neon colours, crazy shapes, glimpses of skin and the long repressed desire for gatherings and trippy connections in out-of-the-ordinary clothing.

Rave was the byword, so much so that at times what one saw in largely digital form looked like a dizzying paragraph from Rainald Goetzs seminal novel by the same name. Although fiercely apart from mainstream fashion, Van Berendonck needs to be mentioned first because with his theatrical, colour-drenched, post-human world, he has always inhabited this territory, where definitions of masculinity are constantly twisted and blurred, notions of good and bad taste do not apply and fashion is wildly playful.

This season, Van Beirendoncks influence was apparent across the spectrum of fashion land. One could definitely feel it at Louis Vuitton, although it was not as literal as what we saw one year ago with the infamous teddy bear incident. Over the last couple of seasons, Vuittons mens creative director Virgil Abloh has found his own timbre and tone of voice the addition of stylist Ib Kamara to the team was a smart move and this resulted in Ablohs most accomplished and compelling collection to date. What stood out was the use of colour, the intersection of tailoring and tracksuits, the psychedelia of checkerboards and the skirts that looked solemn more than feminine.

Louis Vuitton Spring/Summer 2022. Courtesy.

All of it was mingled into one striking jumble that, as usual, Abloh served with a brainy rationale that sounded plausible more than pretentious. By referencing the sample culture of hip hop, Abloh put the whole debate on originality and copy into the right perspective, implicitly stating that the DJ mentality which creates meaning in the assemblage of already existing stuff is the one that dominates contemporary fashion, a place where styling, essentially DJing with clothing, has finally replaced design.

But there are still places where old-school design matters. Loewe is one, thanks to creative director Jonathan Anderson. There was a pagan, feisty brand of liberated energy to this seasons outing that was best captured in the kitschy, sequined disco ensembles, in the draped tops like giant deconstructed neckties and in the parkas, jumpers and tunics with large portholes showing glimpses of skin or underlayers of colour. This is the kind of wardrobe one imagines stuffed into the glittery suitcase of an Ibiza party-goer or in the closet of a Liquid Sky extra.

The format Anderson chose was another testament to an original mind at work. The perimeter of the collection, in fact, was contained between a book on painter Florian Krewer, whose hedonist and escapist nightscapes and personal photos sparked Andersons design process, and a volume containing the trippy, layered, palimpsestic pictures taken by David Sims to document the collection on a gang of street-cast guys of all shapes and ages. It was like seeing the beginning and the end of the whole creative path, with an added plus. With the ongoing dialogue between art and fashion generally translated solely into the souvenir-like mandatory print, it was refreshing not to see a single Krewer painting simply transferred onto the clothing. Here, the art reference was all about the mindset.

Equally feisty was Andersons latest outing at his eponymous label JW Anderson, where the goings took an exciting and derailed stay-at-home feel, conveying mind-warped altered states of domesticity complete with beaded curtain dresses and blend-with-the-wallpaper attitude.

Elsewhere, the hedonistic strain materialised mostly as bright colours and energetic hues. There were acidic pastels in shiny fabrics and loose shapes in Dries Van Notens captivating ode to Antwerp. By toying with the kitsch idea of the city souvenir, and by consciously opting for an all-encompassing jumble in place of a tight edit the collection featured a mix of everything, from menswear to womenswear, from generous outerwear to tailoring to sportswear Van Noten offered wearers an open invitation to this world, allowing everyone to find their own personal mix.

The bright pops of shine and the mix of sharply tailored items and sportswear was striking at Dunhill, where Mark Weston explored a bunch of archetypes, dissected them and put them back together in another order, never forgetting about elegance, one of the most neglected qualities in contemporary fashion.

Gmbh Spring/Summer 2022. Courtesy.

Apart from the longing to escape, playfulness and hedonism can also be unexpected conduits for deeper thoughts. It was the case for GmbHs terrific outing, conceived as a reversed safari tour of sorts. Taking their clue from the traditional custom, in western fashion, of basing entire collections on exotic trips, designers Serhat Isik and Benjamin Huseby took their own trip into tropes of whiteness, in particular posh elegance and country club snobbery, and deconstructed them into a punch of a collection that was as camp and fun as it was compelling, not least because all the deconstruction applied to a feminine wardrobe, which was reconfigured into a new vision of machismo.

At Rick Owens, abandon and thoughtfulness mixed in an eerily serene vision of hedonism complete with portable fog machines for the party goer on the run. In fact, there was also a darker streak to the seasons vitality. It came in the shadow plays and surrealistic applications over the slouchy forms and sea of black of Yohji Yamamoto, fashions everlasting punk poet, as well as in the tribalistic, ubermensch innuendo of Burberry, where creative director Riccardo Tisci managed to grasp back the cool factor of his Givenchy heyday. Of course, back then, it was all very original, while today it came with a formulaic feel that can look a bit forced for Burberry. But what it lacked in originality, it gained in straightforwardness. After missteps, Tisci has perhaps found his path with the revered British brand, and it will be interesting to witness where it leads.

Y/Project Spring/Summer 2022. Courtesy.

Amidst all this welcomed and welcoming chaos, straightforwardness affirmed its refreshing powers, too, taking forms as different as Hed Meyners abstract, voluminous take on functional pieces meant as wearable architecture, Nicolas di Felices streamlined minimalism with glimpses of the skin for Courrges and Homme Pliss Issey Miyakes poetic focus on modular clothing that frees the movements. Glenn Martens design approach at Y/Project is straightforward, too, albeit highly and inventively twisted. By allowing the wearer to interact with his garments and adapt them in multiple ways, Martens hit the pulsating nerve of the me generation and scored. This new outing was particularly spot on, streamlined and piercing, and featured a collaboration with Fila that was full of interesting pieces.

Clarity of design, which is just another expression of straightforwardness, looked particularly exciting at Herms, where Vronique Nichanian delivered a supremely airy, featherweight collection strong on natural colours, faint nautical hints and the supplest suede turned into shirts. It was a joy to behold: a vision of pure serenity. At Jil Sander, clarity got an electrifying bolt of freedom and boldness in a mix of codes work and leisure, day and night that felt fresh and invigorated the usually stern Jil Sander lexicon with a frisson of rebellion. Lucie and Luke Meier continue to expand the scope of the brand, and it is always interesting to see where their thought process goes.

Dior Spring/Summer 2022. Courtesy.

There was a certain solemnity and starkness to the elongated tailoring at Dior, where creative director Kim Jones actively involved superstar musician Travis Scott in a creative dialogue that basically transformed Scotts look into a Dior look, complete with one-of-a-kind George Condo shirts. It was an interesting experiment in both creative collaboration and fashion as entertainment, which nonetheless came with a certain coldness of expression. Jones is very passionate about his own passions, and his intuitions are always spot on. Its the translation into product and collection that feels somehow manufactured, losing authenticity along the way. That is one of the conundrums of contemporary fashion: where big groups are concerned, money-making comes before creativity, and in some way kills it.

This is why the extra long and extra slow but oh-so-entertaining movie that Thom Browne produced felt so relieving. Focusing on an athlete in training, and implicitly comparing physical discipline with creative discipline, the movie came across as a manifesto of sorts: a testament to stubborness and sheer dedication to creative ideas, no matter the prevailing trends.

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In Paris, Raving Out of Lockdown | Fashion Show Review, Opinion | BoF - The Business of Fashion

In the Northern Hemisphere, the days of late spring and early summer are considered the happiest of the year. There is even talk of Yellow Day to refer to June 20.

On the contrary, the Blue Monday The third Monday in January, midwinter it is called the saddest of the year.

But the truth is that these days of happiness and sadness leave aside the most important components to quantify these states: the internal and subjective mechanisms of people.

It can help people increase their happiness? How could subjective well-being be promoted? Why do the findings suggest that mental training programs help improve psychological well-being?

In short, is happiness modulable and trainable?

An article published in the journal Frontiers in Psychology evaluated subjective well-being by analyzing the effectiveness of mental training to help develop new ways to nurture our own happiness.

The feeling of happiness has been conceptualized as the well-being experienced by people, both in thoughts and feelings.

Since the first studies, subjective well-being has been defined as the way in which individuals experience the quality of their life in three different mental aspects. Of course, interrelated.

These are: the infrequent negative affect, the frequent positive affect and the cognitive satisfaction assessments with life in various domains (physical health, relationships and work).

A growing body of research has been carried out with the aim of identifying the factors that affect happiness, operationalized as the subjective well-being.

Although the definition of happiness has a long history and dates back to philosophical arguments and the search for practical wisdom, in modern times it has been equated with hedonism.

Hedonism is based on the achievement of immediate pleasure, the absence of negative affect and a high degree of satisfaction with ones life.

However, experts now argue that authentic subjective well-being goes beyond this limited view and support an interpretation of happiness as a eudemic effort.

Today, several scholars argue that high levels of subjective well-being depend on a multidimensional perspective that encompasses both components hedonic as well as edemonic.

From this point of view, individuals seem to focus more on optimal psychological functioning, living deeply satisfying lives, and actualizing their own potential, personal growth, and sense of autonomy.

In psychology, this position is supported by the theory of Maslows human motivation.

The aforementioned program to train subjective well-being was, essentially, an informed and gentle training of the mind, and in particular of the emotions.

It was based on the principle that individual well-being is inextricably linked to development of virtues Y internal human strengths.

Like emotional balance, the inner self, conscience, an open and supportive attitude towards oneself and others.

All this endows the person with a mental clarity that can promote a deeper understanding of their own reality and that of others.

To date, the evidence suggests that happiness is, to some extent, modulable and trainable.

Therefore, the simple cognitive and behavioral strategies that individuals choose in their lives could improve happiness, more than the external and environmental conditions that Yellow day propose.

But why dont we ask ourselves the reverse? Why do we train day by day, without knowing it, not to be happy?

The exclusively hedonistic and external conception of happiness has permeated our overstimulated news brains.

Tips, news and an infinity of material available to be consumed. Without choosing it, without asking for it or without knowing why and for what.

With our brains abducted by the input of external information, we seek the zero negative affect.

It is an extremely difficult goal to achieve. Ultimately, to survive and adapt to human nature, there is a large volume of unpleasant emotions required that must be experienced. Negative affect is part of our day to day.

Another condition that we seek with too much intensity, duration and frequency is hedonism.

We ignore how habituation will decrease and the hedonic will change and how, to resist it, we will increase the enjoyable to such high levels that they will be incompatible with the other demands.

In short, to achieve a better subjective well-being (or happiness) we should not focus only on the external.

Knowing what to train to achieve a better internal state is getting closer and closer.

The results of research in psychology show that our brain will be able to adapt. But, Is it in the industrys interest for this to happen? And most importantly, do we want it to happen?

The benefits of contemplative mind training programs to improve our subjective state of happiness speak for themselves.

Of course, the general ignorance of the population about these programs and measures makes them look at with distrust and disbelief.

The dissemination of specific scientific articles on subjective well-being should be a central axis to break the barriers that society has on happiness.

Let us not forget that humanity is made up of people who do not stop, nor have they stopped, looking for it.

*Ftima Servin Franco is a general health psychologist and director of the RNCR and PDI Psychology Center at the International University of Valencia. This note originally appeared on The Conversation and is published here under a Creative Commons license.

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Can you learn to be happy? - The Saxon

Spotify has chosen to promote Ed Sheerans new single by sitting it at the head of a playlist of his previous hits. The plays column of the latter makes for mind-boggling reading: the figures look less like streaming statistics and more like long-distance phone numbers. Every track is immediately recognisable you could have spent your every waking hour engaged in a dogged attempt to avoid the music of Ed Sheeran and youd still know exactly what they were and who they were by within seconds of them starting. Hes spent the last decade enjoying the kind of success that, in one sense at least, brooks no argument: even his loudest detractor couldnt argue against his ability to write one song after another that attains a weird kind of omnipresence, hits that evolve into inescapable facts of daily life.

This is not a state of affairs that Bad Habits looks likely to change. That Sheeran has trailed it as a surprise and mad tells you more about his innate populism than the song itself: its a well-written, extremely commercial pop song, cowritten by regular collaborators Fred Gibson and Snow Patrol guitarist Johnny McDaid, the latter of whom also had a hand in earlier Sheeran hits Shape of You, Photograph and Bloodstream.

His acoustic guitar is lower in the mix, the track is synth-heavy and propelled by a four-to-the-floor house beat, the lyrics have a stronger hint of the confessional about them than usual on the surface, it reads like a song in the vein of Sing or Shape of You, but the object of the narrators lust fairly clearly comes in a bottle or a wrap. However, anyone given to taking his pronouncements at face value should be warned that were not dealing with Trout Mask Replica here.

Its primary influence appears to be the Weeknds last album After Hours. The sound offers a similar glossy update of 80s dance-pop by way of Daft Punks take on house to that found on In Your Eyes or Save Your Tears; just as After Hourss biggest hit Blinding Lights gives every impression its about to turn into A-has 1985 chart-topper Take on Me, so the hook of Bad Habits has a distinct hint of Bronski Beats 1984 smash Smalltown Boy about it. You might also detect the Weeknds influence in its lyrical conflation of sex with wracked, compulsive hedonism.

But more than the Weeknd, what Bad Habits sounds like is an enormous, globe-swallowing hit, destined for a kind of ubiquity you might describe as Sheeran-esque.

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Ed Sheeran: Bad Habits review a certain smash thats ready for the Weeknd - The Guardian

June 28, 2021 Prada

The simple pleasure of a holiday was the starting point of Miuccia Prada and Raf Simons new collection, accompanied by a short film which saw models emerge onto a Sardinian beach from a lacquered red corridor, in surreal style. The silhouette was brief rolled-up romper suits, thigh-bearing skorts, low-cut tabard-vests capturing a recognisable desire to shed the skin of the last year. To expose yourself to nature, to go to the beach its freedom, they said.

How you see things, and from where you see them, has never been more important, said Silvia Venturini Fendi of her latest collection, which responded to a year of stasis by drawing inspiration from her immediate surroundings namely, the Fendi HQ in Rome. The soft, sun-soaked shades of the Palazzo della Civilt Italiana and its city-spanning views coloured a carefree collection, with midriff-bearing cropped blazers offering a playful take on warm-weather tailoring.

Jonathan Anderson transported the viewer into a teenagers inner sanctum, the bedroom, for his latest outing. Likening the collection to taking a hairbrush and singing into the mirror, going into your wardrobe and trying things on, the designer captured the joy of youthful experimentation with riffs on menswear staples oversized hoodies, skimpy running shorts in bold colours and playful prints, from flowers to strawberries. The glorification of being who you are or what you want to be, Anderson described.

Kim Jones is known for his high-profile collaborations; this weeks show saw his first with a musician, the American rapper Travis Scott. A conversation between two friends, two cultures, and two different eras, said Jones of the collection which melded Diors Parisian roots with the open plains of Scotts home state, Texas. Sinuous stand-collared tailoring in luminous shades of pink and green met roomy basketball shorts and Dior Jack-emblazoned T-shirts in the landmark collection, set to shift the designer-celebrity paradigm for seasons to come.

This season Grace Wales Bonner looked towards the tradition of West African studio portraiture notably, the photographs of Sanle Sory who worked in Burkina Faso (then Upper Volta) in the 1970s. Liberated from France in the 1960s, the portraits captured a culture in a golden age whereby new art forms, including volta jazz, energised the country. Flamboyance and majesty, was how the designer described the collection itself, which melded 70s-inspired shapes with the carefree ease of 90s minimalism.

A bold amalgam of inspirations and a promise from the designer to let his imagination run wild made this Virgil Ablohs best collection at the house yet. Titled Amen Break after a drum break by funk and soul group The Winstons which is now the most-used drum loop of all time, Abloh likened the collection to sampling hence a dense list of cultural touchpoints in the colourful collection, tracing a link from the early days of rave to martial arts and Wu-Tang Clan. People dont know that the drum pattern in their favorite song was from a very specific soul song, Abloh told US Vogue. Its a sampler that makes it possible.

Dries Van Noten said his latest collection emerged from his desire to get back to real life, to see people, to party again. Photographing the collection around his home city, from centuries-old squares to neon-lit dance floors, the clothing was an attempt to capture this hedonistic, going-out mood. Silhouettes were voluminous, perforated fabrics added strange surface interest, and blurred prints reminded of driving through a city fast at night.

A message of electrifying hope and optimism, said Anderson of his rave-tinged Spring/Summer 2022 outing for Loewe, presented in a series of images by David Sims. Like at his eponymous label, Anderson found inspiration this season in the sartorial experimentations of teenagers his own, he remembers, was an orange nylon jacket and velour trousers from TK Maxx that he wore to a school disco. The collection itself captured this sense of abandon with a pile-up of colour, print and shimmering details, marking perhaps Andersons freest collection at the house yet.

We wanted to explore what whiteness is, maybe because were tired of exploring what our brownness is, Serhat Isik and Benjamin Alexander Huseby told Vogue of their latest collection, which playfully riffed on the archetypes of WASP and country club dressing on an entirely BIPOC cast (ballroom categories were one point of inspiration). White denim jodhpurs, riding boots and prim, tied-up shirts and sweaters followed this rationale, reinterpreted in GmbHs sensual, nightclub-ready signature style.

You would be forgiven for thinking that the desert landscapes which backdropped Burberrys latest collection were in far-off climes, in reality, they were the Millennium Mills in east Londons Royal Victoria Docks. Riccardo Tisci mined this urban mood to push his conception of Burberry into a bold new direction one inspired by days raving in his twenties with sliced-sleeve trench coats, leather aprons and skirts, and a multitude of straps, some wrapping around models chests like rib cages.

A slimmed-down London Fashion Week was not without its impactful moments case in point, Ahluwalias Part of Me, a collection which celebrated Black and brown hair, the artistry, the politics, self-expression, as she explained. Presented in a film by Akinola Davies, the collections boldly-hued prints took their motifs from the photographs of hair and braids (a collaboration with Lagos-based artist Dennis McInnes), while hybrid tracksuits and denim continued to be Ahluwalia signatures, refreshed here with an upbeat, going-out mood.

Rick Owens returned to the shoreline of Venices Lido di Venezia for his latest collection, titled FOGACHINE. Wanting to capture a feeling of hedonism though not of the type which forgets the lessons of the pandemic so far, Owens assured models walked the beaches emitting clouds of fog from their pockets, each fitted with their own miniature fog machine. It gave proceedings an otherworldly air, echoed in the clothing wide-leg white trousers, flowing sheer shirts and sinuous spiderweb knits, demonstrating a softer side to Owens oeuvre.

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Highlights From the S/S22 Menswear Shows - AnOther Magazine

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here is something truly magical about Ibizas impossibly crystalline waters and achingly cool bohemian vibe that just lures you back year after year. Well, at least it did in the days when we were allowed to travel freely.

And, really, Ibiza is the only antidote to your pandemic-induced burnout.

From the zen oases perfect for spiritual souls to the hedonistic party hotels, and most staggering sea views, heres where to flop on the island.

Atzar Agroturismo Hotel and Spa

Showing off its stellar A-list credentials, Atzar is where Fendi heiress Paola Fendi recently chose to throw her lavish wedding reception - and its not hard to see why. Set on 10 acres, the sprawling estate, surrounded by orange groves, gardens and pools, is an absolute must for wellness seekers. Get stuck into the spa, which features a 43-metre freshwater pool, yoga and Pilates pavillion, juice bar, hammam, sauna pod set in a botanical garden and an endless menu of treatments for poolside pampering. Each of the 24 rooms comes with giant four-poster beds and some also feature their own private plunge pools to cool off in after a day of beach hopping.

Price: room rates start from 230 per night for a double bedroom including breakfast (in low season).

Six Senses Ibiza

On the northern tip of the White Isle, the brand new Six Senses Ibiza, spread over 20 acres and boasting 134 rooms, is gearing up to open its doors. Sustainability is at the heart of this finca-style resort which features a 400-year-old olive press that will supply organic produce to the restaurants, caf and bars. Head here for the spiritual learning centre and spa offering specialist programmes and retreats, while fitness buffs will love the yoga deck and boxing ring on the roof. Thats not to say theres no fun to be had. Theres also an all-night DJ down at the beach caves and organic cocktails by the pool. Healthy hedonism at its best.

Price: rates start from 1,080 (approx. 920) per night based on two people sharing including breakfast.

Oku Ibiza

Oku Ibiza has just opened its doors having taken over the former Casa Cook Hotel and transformed it into a boho chic sanctuary with stylish Japanese influences. Situated on the edge of Cala Graci Bay, boasting no less than four tempting pools - including the islands largest - two restaurants overseen by Mark Vaessen, of Sushisamba fame, 184 rooms and suites, an intimate spa and rooftop for daily yoga, Oku is another of the islands hottest new openings. Feeling boujie? Book your gang into the four-bedroom villa which comes with its own private pool.

Price: Rates start from 360 (323) B&B based on two sharing.

Nobu Hotel, Ibiza Bay

Overlooking the shores of Talamanca Bay, on the southern side of the Balearic islands coast, Nobu Hotel, Ibiza Bay, is a five-star resort with immaculate decor. The whitewashed complex has 152 designer rooms and suites in a cool palette of whites, blues and golds, with marble surfaces and stone embellishments softened with rope features and bamboo accents. Rooms feature floor-to-ceiling windows and open terraces allowing you to lap up the sound of the waves, take in the scent of wild jasmine and watch the boats bobbing on the turquoise waters. Of course, sushis the biggest draw here, and it doesnt come much sexier than Nobu - though you can take your pick from the four onsite restaurants and pool deck bar.

Price: room rates start at 323 per night (644/night in high season).

ME Ibiza

ME Ibiza is a celebrity hotspot set in a secluded bay near Santa Eulalia on the east coast and neighbouring the famous Nikki Beach club. Offering 360-degree views of the white sandy beaches, minimalist Ibiza-inspired interiors and an adults-only pool surrounded by Bali beds with a DJ, this is a five-star retreat with all of the luxury trimmings. Indulge in some morning aerial yoga, take a trip in style to sister island Formentera on the ME motor boat and tuck into platefuls of Lebanese haute cuisine at Noura washed down with sumptuous cocktails on the Radio Rooftop Bar. Pure bliss.

Price: room rates start from 359 per night for a double.

Pikes Ibiza

The famous pool at Pikes

Come for the party, stay for the good vibes - nestled in the hills, Pikes is hands down Ibizas most iconic hotel, steeped in hedonistic history and famed for being the location of Whams Club Tropicana video, of course. Kitsch, colourful and home to its own nightclub, Freddies, and acid pink tennis court, the 26-bed boutique hotel offers guests a slice of authentic rocknroll Ibiza. Pikes restaurant, Room 39, draws the local foodie crowd and is renowned for its weekly Sunday roasts followed by pool party.

Price: Room rates start at 149 for a double in low season.

Cas Gasi

Nestled in the hills in the heart of Ibicencan countryside, surrounded by olive groves, pine forests, almond and fig trees, Cas Gasi is a private and discrete agroturismo hotel set around a converted finca on four acres. Wake to the sound of a rooster on the neighbouring farm before partaking in some gentle yoga on the decking and refuelling over a tasty organic brekkie. With Benirras and Salinas beaches both within a 15-minute drive and the charming village of Santa Gertrudis de Fruitera and its growing gourmet scene within 10 minutes, this is a wonderful place to use as a base to explore the bohemian side of the white isle - but be sure to squeeze in plenty of downtime by the pool.

Price: rates from 325 per night based on two adults sharing.

Bless Hotel, Ibiza

Tucked safely away from the party crowds in Cala Nova, situated on the north of the island, Bless Hotel oozes refined glamour, with its white poolside daybeds and Coco Chanel-inspired interiors. Think monochrome mixed with hints of rustic Ibiza charm, the result is trs French Riviera chic. Offering private access to the cove, where you can enjoy sundowners from beachside restaurants Aiyanna or Atzaro, you feel like youve stumbled across a real hidden gem. Its a foodie haven, too, with five gastronomic spaces headed up by Spains most Michelin-decorated chef, Martn Berasategui (12 stars and counting).

Price: rooms start from 325 a night on a B&B basis.

7 Pines Resort Ibiza

Perched on a cliff edge on the west coast of the island, 7 Pines is a sprawling five-star resort set over 13 acres with two pools, 186 suites and a huge spa complete with a thermal circuit (including steam bath, sauna, cold mists and water beds). The main sea-facing pool is adults-only and comes with semi-submerged loungers and a glass wall at one end through which you can see the sea. The Laguna Pool, meanwhile, is surrounded by the Laguna Suites, shallower and frequented by families. Arrive in style by booking a private pick-up with the Seven Pines limousine service.

Price: room rates vary depending on the season and occupancy, and start from around 430 per night.

Hotel MIM Es Vive

Just two miles - or a ten minute taxi ride - from Ibizas buzzing Old Town, Hotel MIM Es Vive, set in an iconic three-storey art-deco building, is another Ibiza institution. Towering palm trees line the entrance, framing the pool with crisp white sun loungers. Rooms are decadent and feature period furniture with plush silk and velvet fittings, while the rooftop Sky Bar offers king-sized beds perfect for posing on. Back in the day this was a party hotel, but these days wellness takes the focus. Order (wheat grass) shots from the detox juice and smoothie menu and sweat it out in the Virtue Spa, which boasts a sauna, steam room and jacuzzi.

Price: room rates vary, from 190 per night (high season).

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10 best hotels in Ibiza as its added to UKs green travel list - Evening Standard

Last April, Jesse Katz was meant to open the doors of his strikingly modern Aperture tasting room on the outskirts of Healdsburg. The co-owner and winemaker had crushed in his new winery close by for the first time the previous fall. And with this visitor center, Katz (who also has Screaming Eagle and The Setting on his resume) would have both a state-of-the-art production facility for crafting his wines, and a very artistic setting for sharing them with people. Covid-19 kicked that opening back to July. Come August and beyond, fire and smoke were threatening, and he had to close up intermittently again, but he soldiered on until the pandemic dictated another lockdown in December. This became my personal office, says Katz. I would take my laptop into one tasting room, then move to another.

That was the kind of year 2020 was. And those of us who love discovering wine in terrific places, with sightlines over vineyards where it was grown, were left with, well, nowhere to go. That was then and this is now, as they say. Doors in wine country are decidedly open again. And more than a few producers took advantage of the down time to rework their tasting spaces or build entirely new ones. There has never been a better summer for exploring wine on the road. Here are seven of our favorite new places to sip in California.

Photo: Courtesy of Aperture

Entering the new Aperture visitor center is to walk into the world of a photographerinto a camera itself, in fact. In the ceiling overhead, a larger-than-life aperture opens to the light. The private tasting rooms that extend from the central rotunda resemble shutters. And the entire kinetic camera (the spaces can be opened or closed), framed in concrete and glass, is a gallery for the art form, showcasing striking images from around the world taken by notable photographer Andy Katz, father of Aperture co-owner and winemaker Jesse Katz. Circling the photos, the younger Katz recalls each one, because he was there when it was taken.

Katz turns Bordeaux varieties from long-term vineyard sources in Alexander Valley into rich wines that manage nuance and elegance at the same time. His 2018 Oliver Ranch single-vineyard Cabernet ($150) mingles high-toned floral and exotic spice aromas with savory earth, hedonism with tension and energy. But surprisingly, Katz is also putting Bordeaux varieties in his vineyard right here in Russian River Valley, planting in the best soils in cool places, as he explains it, taking advantage of extreme diurnal temperature swings and long seasons to push freshness for now, but also plan for 15, 20 years down the road.

This year, though, a glassor bottleof the Aperture 2020 barrel-fermented Chenin Blanc goes down easy on the patio looking down to the Russian River. Its one of the best Chenins in the state.

Photo: Courtesy of Baldacci Family Vineyards

The Stags Leap District AVA of Napa Valley, tucked against the remarkable namesake palisade formations on the Vaca Range, has long had some grand places to taste world-class Cabernet: Shafer Vineyards, Cliff Lede Vineyards, and that 1976 Judgement of Pariswinning producer itself, Stags Leap Wine Cellars. As of July 1, add Baldacci Family Vineyards to the list. With a grand opening that day, the new modern farmhousestyled hospitality center, with comfy lounge spaces or tables to settle into, will offer appointments for a couple of different experiences. For the portfolio tasting, in the Royal Stag Hall, you can choose three wines from either Carneros favorites, or all reds that include the Baldacci Familys two estate Cabernets, from Calistoga as well as the Stags Leap District, plus some cheeses and charcuterie.

But the best option is going to be an all-Cabernet tasting in conjunction with a tour of the familys 19,000-square-foot wine cave, one of fewer than 50 in Napa Valley. (Rumor has it that president and winemaker Michael Baldacci will pop in from time to time.) Then its back to the Royal Stag Hall for a lineup of Cabs (and that cheese and charcuterie plate).

Photo: Courtesy of The Hilt Estate

Dont be fooled by the name. This particular barn, designed by famed winery architects Howard Backen and Silvia Nobili of the Backen & Gillam firm, leans way more chic than shabby, its concrete floors covered with cozy rugs and stylish lounge furniture and its soaring walls made of reclaimed wood. Its the newest place in Santa Barbara County that lovers of wine of all stripes cant afford to miss on any trek up or down Californias Central Coast.

Come if you like Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Versions from The Hilts three more-than-a-little-wild estate vineyards in this chilly southwest corner of Sta. Rita Hills, very few miles from the Pacific Ocean, are vibrant and minerally and fascinating. (Who knew that owner Stan Kroenkeowner, too, of Screaming Eaglewas a Chard and Pinot man at heart?) But come if you love Bordeaux and Rhne varieties too, because the wines of The Hilts sister brand in Ballard Canyon, JONATA (the likes of El Desafio Cab, El Alma Cabernet Franc and La Sangre Syrah are also made by the talented Hilt winemaker, Matt Dees), are poured here too. And come if you love sparkling wine, vintage or non! The Hilts are interesting and delicious. Finally, come if you like the experimental and the quirky: Pt-Nat, botrytis-affected Chardonnay, 100 percent whole-cluster Pinot. Tastings, all by appointment, can be tailored the way you lean.

Photo: Adrin Gregorutti

When Tatiana and Gerret Copeland founded Bouchaine in 1981, they were making an early commitment to Carneros, the cool-climate region spanning both Napa and Sonoma Counties just above San Pablo Bay. When they brought on general manager and winemaker Chris Kajani and then associate winemaker Erik Goodmanson in 2015, they were putting a stake in the ground for fine-tuning vineyard developments, sustainability, and cellar work to produce even more elegant (read fresh and vibrant) Pinot Noirs and Chardonnays from the estate. And with a striking new arc of a visitor center owning a hill with views across surrounding vineyards to the bay in the distance, Bouchaine has become a must-stop in the region, which itself is now home to more exciting wines and wineries than ever.

During the lockdown, the Bouchaine team made great use of video equipment for virtual experiences, even launching a seasonal series of virtual wine tastings and concerts in partnership with the Philadelphia Orchestra. (The nexus of wine and music is close to the heart for Tatiana Copeland, whose great uncle was composer Sergei Rachmaninoff.) But now the artistic melding of beautiful rescued redwood and clever metalwork is drawing guests in real time for hosted tastings. And theres no better place to reserve a picnic table in the garden or by the vineyard, order lunch provided by nearby Carneros Resort (or bring your owneven your dog if you like), and get set up with some side-by-side bottles of the fascinating single-clone Pinots Kajani and Goodmanson make, from the fresh and delicate Swan clone to the darker, more tannic Pommard.

Photo: Adrian Gaut

The long-awaited reveal of the transformed Victorian perched west of Highway 29 just north of St. Helena ran smack into the pandemic lockdown. While it was possible to taste on the terraces outside the new, dark and brooding Faustian exterior, few could see the high-design interpretation of the legendary bargain with the devil on the inside. Now, the Faust Haus is one of the valleys best new visits, inside and out. The themes of darkness and light are reflected on two floors of the historic house (with authentic detail, from windows to wood, restored): Downstairs, the walls are covered in dark, saturated colors, with ancient-looking photos of some very modern winery team members displayed. A striking mural on the stairway, by Italian artist Roberto Ruspoli plays with the themes as well, depicting the tension in black on white at the bottom, switching out to white on black at the top, as you emerge on the upper floor into light-filled, white-painted spaces. In the basement, the original owners cellar retains its Prohibition-era feel, with a rack of Faust bottles against old stone walls.

The multi-level terrace out front, surrounded by stunning oaks, remains the best place to settle in and taste. The sweeping view across the valley might take in significant damage from last years fire at the moment; still, you feel as if you own the region from here, as a talented team member brings you a clever box of snacks and pours Faust wines. The latter arent from around here, actually. The estate vineyard is in the south valley, in the newest and coolest (in every sense of the word) Coombsville AVA. Vibrant and complex from the lower temps and longer growing season, they contrast with the warmer-weather wines of St. Helena. Whether you taste it onsite or not, do take a bottle of The Pact 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon ($125) home with you. Pure-fruited and vibrant, its generouseven hedonisticin the moment but has the fine-grained structure to go a distance in the cellar.

Photo: Courtesy of Opus One Winery

Not long after its founding in 1978, the grass-covered rise of Opus One took shape opposite Robert Mondavi Winery, equal parts Greek or Roman temple and alien space ship. The wine, though, absolutely fulfilled the vision of partners Robert Mondavi and the Baron Philippe de Rothschild of proving to the world Napa Valleys capacity for producing a California First Growth equal to Bordeaux. And now, Opus is opening with world-class hospitality to match the wine, with a stylish new complex of living-room-like spaces to host visitors. The vibe honors the partnershipOld World and New, modern and classicwith square wood tables flanked by gilded French chairs, even a mirror that reportedly hung in Baroness de Rothschilds bathroom. The Rothschild family themselves were involved in this renovation, and contributed some pieces.

Tastings are all hosted now, and they can be customized to your interest. If youd like to see the legendary barrel room, you can, or visit the lab to peek in on yeast trials; if optical sorters are your thing, speak up. But also plan to settle in for a three-vintage taste in the lounge area, a private room, or the lovely new outdoor patio. In a recent tasting, the Opus One 2006 was stunningfloral sachet aromas mixing with dark chocolate liqueur, blackberry, and cherry. Perfumed, smooth, and still vibrant.

But wait, theres more. Come early fall, there will be an estate chef onboard creating food experiences such as the Art of the Table, a multi-course meal sounding an awful lot like high times at the French Laundry.

Photo: Courtesy of Sixmilebridge

New tasting room aside, Sixmilebridge is the newest producer in Paso Robles you should know about. In limestone-rich soils on Pasos west side, the Bordeaux varieties loved by founders (and Texas natives) Jim and Barbara Maroney are overseen by Hillary Yount in the vineyard and her husband, Anthony Yount (maker of great Rhne varieties at Denner), in the cellar. The 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon ($96) is a classic, revealing what their site can do. Violets, resiny herbs, and other botanicals, layered with dark mulberry fruit and crushed rock minerality are fresh and energetic while still offering some Paso Robles opulence.

But there is that new tasting room too. Modern lines are framed with beautiful stone and wood. Good use is made of outdoor spaces, with a bar on the porch and clever shades to manage the elements. But its the deck under a 150- to 200-year-old oak, topped with lounge furniture, thats the sweet spot for tasting here. And high-level hospitality is the bar. A host is dedicated to every partyno sharing. Its the best new place in Paso to settle in.

Read more:

Californias 7 Best New Winery Tasting Room Experiences You Should Visit This Summer - Robb Report

Wondering distantly how many more times I will watch Kylie Minogues Glastonbury set before I die. I must be on the, what, fourth or fifth viewing now? There is no occasion when putting the Kylie Glastonbury set on isnt a good idea. It is a party in a box. Back-to-back bangers. Costume changes. The iconic Oh, you smile-and-nod at the crowd. A drone shot of a billion people in a field, losing their minds. That quite strange slow-down bit where the lad dressed as a sort of haunting triangle starts to mutely dance around. The Nick Cave section come on. There is no party that putting the Kylie Glastonbury set on in the background doesnt improve. Im watching it again, now. Six. Still good.

So Glastonbury weekend (From Friday 25 June, BBC TV, radio and iPlayer), then. As a never-attender, Ive always had quite a strange relationship with the BBCs Glastonbury footage. In my early years, it always inspired in me a sort of seething Fomo, something that crashed through the simple fear of missing out and became something else: a tumultuous, poisonous sort of jealousy. The backstage footage was always shot by shakingly, vibrantly hungover people and featured shakingly, vibrantly hungover people and it showed: Edith Bowman would shout slightly too loudly into a microphone and someone who woke up at 8pm would be very slow to adjust the levels. Carnage, chaos, and then the blockbuster production of Coldplay on the main stage. Why am I watching these people simultaneously get sunstroke and have the time of their life in a field? I used to think, primly. Why is Fearne Cotton interviewing a visibly high Fun Lovin Criminal?

But then, slowly, I started to get it: Glastonbury weekend is arguably the hedonism high point of the entire British calendar, the sheer vibes emanating from Worthy Farm pitching the mood up for the rest of the country. Without it, we are shorn of something. BBC coverage allows clean and snug non-attenders to participate in about 10% of the Glastonbury experience, and it also allows actual attendees who for whatever reason! clearly forgot entire chunks of the week to catch up and see what their eyes watched but their brains abandoned. For the second year in a row, we do not have this service. How can the national mood possibly adjust?

Well, with highlights, I guess. Last year, during historys most miserable summer, putting the old Glastonbury performances on TV and iPlayer was a no-brainer: at home we put three all-time classic sets on the TV, then got drunk and danced shoeless on the carpet, which was fun in a very pathetic way. This year, with the sun peeking out and the threat of real life approaching, Glastonbury on TV/iPlayer feels different, somehow: a kind of aching Why cant we have this, Boris? feeling; a more aggressive Fomo attack; an all-too-tangible reminder of what real life was like before hand sanitiser, and how were so close but so far away from having it again.

Will I ever have a psychically normal reaction to Glastonbury highlights on iPlayer? Doesnt really look like it, no. Will I still be putting Kylie highlights on when I get in steaming from the pub this weekend? Absolutely, undoubtedly yes.

Continue reading here:

Carnage, chaos, Coldplay: Glastonbury at home is a sad, brilliant reminder of real life - The Guardian

The top local film of the year is La Desse des mouches feu, a 90s Saguenay-set coming of age story that avoids the afterschool-special pitfalls of the genre its the story of a teenage freefall into hedonism, based on a novel by Genevive Pettersen. Its popularity with our readers pushed its director Anas Barbeau-Lavalette to #4 Best Filmmaker, a category topped once again by Denis Villeneuve, whose Dune adaptation has been a victim of COVID delays but will finally come out in theatres on Oct. 1. Not surprisingly, Old Montreals pimped out gallery/Virtual Reality hub came out on top in the new Best Multidisciplinary Art Space category, while Best Visual Artist (also new) features multifaceted visual/sound artist Marc Gagnon, graphic designer Pony, street artist Stikki Peaches as well as two artists whose work is currently on display at the MMFA, Caroline Monnet and Manuel Mathieu.

See all the Best of MTL 2021 Top 5 lists in the Juneissueof Cult MTL.

Read this article:

Best of MTL 2021: Film & Arts in Montreal - Cult MTL

When I tell people I'm going to a naked resort in Jamaica, they respond as though I've just revealed my salary or the details of my last menstruation. It's a long blink or a visible shift backward in their seat. Several ask, after a pause, "Are you a naked person?"

I don't know. What's a naked person? A naked person probably owns more beads than I do, just beaded necklaces every day. A naked person probably sleeps with crystals under her pillow to ward off negative stuff and leaves candles burning and pees with the door open. I think I'm naked the appropriate amount. I'm naked in locker rooms and in front of my friends when we're getting dressed and in front of sexy friends when we're not. A naked person? Me? It's relative.

I watch as they cram into the bar, probably casually touching their genitals to each others thigh areas.

But I decide to go to Hedonism II in Negril, Jamaicaa clothing-optional resort that bills itself as "the world's most iconic adult playground"because they invite me and I'm devoted to having experiences. I'm a professional experience-haver.

At the front desk, the receptionist gets me a Red Stripe beer and asks if it's my first time to "Hedo," as everyone calls it. Yep! "So you're a virgin," he says with an eyebrow up. First time to Jamaica? Yes. "A double virgin!" Oh god. So this is where I am.

Courtesy Hedonism II

There are two sides to the resort: the prude side (where you can be naked) and the nude side (where you must be nakeda policy put in place to stop fully dressed creeps from coming over just to stare). My room is on the nude end, with a little deck that lets out onto the sand and the Caribbean sea, which means that my view will include the unadorned masses. A mirror on the ceiling captures me sleeping alone.

When I roll over in the morning, I'm greeted by two flaccid dicks and the dawn. My next-door neighbors, who are gay men or maybe just naked man friends, are strolling the beach together outside my sliding-glass door. I go to yoga (clothed) and breakfast (also clothed; it's a health violation otherwise). In the omelet line I meet the guy I sat next to in yoga. "That was really a great practice, huh?" he says, trying to engage. I nod and devote my entire gaze to the eggs. I'm not ready to make friends yet. What kind of people even come here?

Like a wuss, I start the vacation proper by reading in a hammock on the prude side. But then it starts to rain, so I rush back toward my roomat the same time everyone else on the nude side also dashes for cover. Forty to 50 middle-aged naked people are running to the beach bar for shelter. I stand on my deck watching the rain and their 80 to 100 butt cheeks all in a row as they cram into the bar, chatting and laughing and probably casually touching their genitals to each other's thigh areas.

It's around then that I start making some fresh observations about the human form. Men naturally have more muscular butts; their default is toned, even as they get older, which is so unfair. Most women just look like their torsos were sliced toward the bottom. We also all have the same roll of fat below our belly buttons, provided by God and Darwin to protect the uterus, and it casts a shadow over our crotch. For all the mental and financial and cultural effort put into maintaining the pubic-hair trend du jour, you can't even really see what women are doing down there unless you're at close range. Nature put in a portico.

When the rain blows over, I decide to wade into the proverbial waters of my own nakedness. I start by just hanging out on my patio topless with a bikini bottom on, which is easy. Topless is basically my preferred state of affairs already. Then I inch out further, past my deck, so I'm sitting on a lounge chair in just bottoms and a large, floppy, necessary-not-just-for-privacy-but-for-sun-protection hat. I am armed also with my favorite kind of book, a hefty 500-page novel about college kids coming of age. After sitting still for around four minutes, I rip off my bikini bottoms quickly, like I'm about to pee behind a tree.

No one so much as shifts their gaze. I'm naked in public by myself. There are beach breezes alighting on areas of my skin that have never felt breezes before.

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I wade into the actual water, a turquoise sea that is partitioned off so people from nearby resorts can't make marathon snorkeling treks over to gawk. A little yellow plastic island floats toward a deeper end, so I swim out to it and then climb up. I lie on my back in the sun like a cat, or maybe a seal, in view of the entire resort or any low-circling airplanes. It's a kind of peace and relief I didn't know I could feel.

My deck also offers a private hot tub, and I'm sitting in the bubbling water alone watching the sunset with a champagne flute when a muscular man and his penis walk by. I'm admiring it when he pivots toward me and asks if I would like to get dinner with him and his girl tonight? A bemused "sure" falls out of my drowsy, sunburned face. What the hell have I just done?, I wonder as he saunters away.

I lie on my back naked in the sun in view of the entire resort. Its a kind of peace I didnt know I could feel.

Getting ready for this date resembles how I get ready for others: shower and blast Beyonc and text my friends about what could go right and wrong. Dressed and wearing what I think is the right amount of makeup for Jamaican humidity, I head to our meeting spot at the bar, where a woman in a pageboy wig and a dress cut to her belly button comes up to me immediately and says my name. It's my date! We head to the Italian restaurant on the property and settle in. Come here often?

The couple tells me some things. They met while in a threesomehe was dating her friend and she stole him away but all three people are cool now! They've been together for eight years but aren't in any rush to get married. He has a school-aged daughter from a previous relationship, she has a son in law school. They've been to Hedonism a few times, not so much for the swinging but for the thrill of public sex and nudity. They ask me about my romantic life and career, and are more engaged in my answers than most dates I've ever had.

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I feel extremely comfortable with these middle-aged people. They ask what I want out of the trip, and I tell them about my quest to find out if I'm a naked person, how I feel very comfortable being naked thus far. They agree: "That's why we asked you to dinner. We really admired your confidence on the beach. And your pubic hair situation." Sure.

At the end of the meal, I feel those nerves that I get at the end of any first date. How do I end this and is the person going to kiss me and do I want them to? But the couple announces they are going back to their room to fuck. It's casual, like someone begging off because they're tired. I wish them well and, fortified with four to six strawberry daiquiris, I attend the resort's Tuesday-night theme party alone: the Bare As You Dare Glow Pool Party. Black lights are lit and glow sticks are distributed and I take off my dress and dance around sans any creepers. This is fun.

My dinner companions fly home the next morning, which is kind of a relief. Were we going to be buddies at the buffet every day? I wake up feeling like the college party girl I never quite was, with glow-in-the-dark necklaces and blinking rings in my sheets and empty strawberry-scented glasses on my nightstand. Everything hurts.

I consider stand-up paddle boarding but that seems like a huge effort, so I embark on my other goals for the trip: reading for hours without interruption or responsibility, and taking a napnakedin publicin a foreign country. I figure it's the most vulnerable a human woman can possibly be. After a morning spent reading and snoozing and reading and snoozing, I realize that some of the other women here have even better ideasI observe two separate women receiving cunnilingus.

We really admired your confidence on the beach. And your pubic hair situation.

One couple is on a lounge chair about three over from mine, the guy kneeling in the sand to do the damn thing. With the other pair, the woman is truly aspirational: She floats on a pool raft in the shallow sea, naked facing the sun, while a guy stands in the water in front of her going to work. They have to stop because the small waves keep smacking him in the face, making his task a bit dangerous, but what a hero! The woman, I mean.

Do they want me to watch? They must. So I do, behind my sunglasses. I walk back up to my patio for some water to find that my next-door neighbors are having sex on theirs, maybe 18 inches from my door. They're standing in their hot tub, with the woman bent over the edge. It's kind of like hearing your roommates have sex but worse because you can see them and hear their conversation when they discuss whether or not to stop because she's a little sore from last night.

Courtesy of Hedonism II

At dinner, I receive no invites from well-hung couples, but a hostess for the Japanese restaurant on the property automatically seats me with two lesbian couples. I learn that two of the women are sisters, and this is their first family trip. Who kicks off a tradition of sister vacations by going to a sex resort? Even I have my limits.

The next morning is my final morning. I take a final naked swim and pack up all the clothes I didn't wear. My shuttle to the airport is shared with a strikingly attractive young couple. The wife looks exactly like Dakota Johnson and seems to be about her age. She's bleeding from one of her scratched-up knees. "Babe, what the fuck did we do last night?" This is their sixth trip to Hedo, they tell me. She and I discuss how strange it is to be wearing bras again, but how it's necessary in what will likely be a freezing cold airport. "Well, she's not wearing underwear, so the vacation's still going," says the husband, poking her in the crotch of her jean shorts with one finger. She bops him on the shoulder but laughs.

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Somehow none of it is weird. The best part of Hedonism isn't the penises or the all-inclusive drinks or the spying on other couples or the Caribbean breezes felt on nipplesnot any of the lascivious or lurid stuff. What's nicest is just how easy and relaxed everybody is about all of the above. One level of pretense falls away and small talk becomes less small. It's that sensation of finding your people and thus not having to pretend. It's happened to me before; like when I matriculated at a women's college and found myself surrounded by 1,500 ambitious Hermione Grangertypes, or when I find out the person I'm talking to is also from New Jersey.

It's a common language, a sigh from the soul, the feeling that you have so much to say you can't get the words out fast enough. Are naked people my people? Oh god.

They're without the weight of propriety, expectation, the need to hold in their stomachs.

When I get home, everyone wants to hear the outrageous stories I might provide. And I'll share them (I'm sharing them now), but I hesitate to laugh because those people had something the rest of us don't: an openness, an honesty, a lightness of being. They are quite literally lightenedvia the absence of clothing's weightbut also without the weight of propriety, expectation, pleasantries, small talk, the need to hold in their stomachs. They are calmer, and happier. What's there to make fun of? I wish I could be like that all the time.

"Welcome home," the man at Hedonism's front desk had said when I arrived, and I rolled my eyes. But I get it a bit more now, all those repeat and repeat and repeat visitors. They want to feel free.

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Real Stories of Nudist Sex Resorts - Hedonism II in Negril ...

Throughout the GTA series, there are several questions without any definite answers. Players are still searching high and low to understand these elusive mysteries.

Given the open-world environment of the GTA universe, players are encouraged to explore. However, they may end up discovering clues that lead them on a wild journey. The Mount Chiliad mystery was a major one among GTA players, and some believe the Doomsday Heist solved it, while others aren't entirely convinced.

Nonetheless, there are secrets that lurk within the shadows of the GTA series. Players are often perplexed by these unsolved puzzles, since they don't have all the pieces together. Rockstar remains vague on many of these mysteries. They prefer the players to come to their own conclusions as to what happened.

Donald Love is a media tycoon with a penchant for human flesh and hedonism. He kills political rivals, instigates gang warfare and spreads widespread destruction to maintain power.

During the events of GTA 3, he instructs Claude to obtain a mysterious package and rescue an older gentleman. Once Claude completes his missions, however, Donald Love vanishes without a trace. In the aptly named Love's Disappearance, all Claude finds is the empty package. What happened to Love is unknown.

Rockstar refused to divulge any further information. GTA players speculate he may have been killed by a vengeful cartel, while others believe he fled Liberty City. It's one of the biggest early mysteries in the GTA series.

Aliens have been trending when it comes to conspiracy theories in GTA ever since the release of San Andreas. Top secret research in Area 69 suggest there is life beyond the reaches of this planet. .

GTA 5 has several references to this popular theory. These range from mind-boggling hallucinations to a frozen alien in the cold waters of North Yankton. GTA Online also has a resupply job where players can find a dead military force, presumably killed by aliens. It's a rare event that only takes place late at night.

Along with appearances from UFOs, the existence of extraterrestrial creatures seems to be all but confirmed. However, what remains unclear is the main objective of this mysterious race.

Out in the Eastern Pacific Ocean in GTA 5, players can use a submarine to explore the ocean depths. Both darkness and deep waters form a frightening combination; anything can be lurking beneath the backdrop. Players can find an underwater hatch, reminiscent of the famous one from the television show Lost.

Since the metallic structure is located right below the killzone, GTA players who swim too close will instantly die from the undersea pressure. During the evening, a bright light shines through the window, suggesting someone is inside. A few players claimed they could hear a morse code message.

Vice City often pays respectful homage to the classic 1983 movie, Scarface. One of the more disconcerning ones is Apartment 3c in Ocean Beach. There is a scene in Scarface where Tony Montana almost gets killed in a dangerous trap, but not before his friend is brutally dismembered with a chainsaw.

In a direct reference, Apartment 3c also contains a chainsaw and a bloodied interior bathroom. This location never shows up in the main storyline, which means players can accidentally walk right into a murder scene.

It can be an unsettling experience for first-time players since no explanation is given as to what happened. The mafia is presumably involved, but this murder is otherwise a mystery.

Merle Abrahams was a psychotic man with an unhealthy obsession: the number eight and the infinity symbol. Dubbed the Infinity Killer, he was charged with the murder of eight hikers in 1999. However, he died five years later, denying his involvement in those grisly murders.

There are too many unresolved plot threads in this GTA 5 storyline. Original news reports suggest the victims were male. However, GTA players can search the sea to find female bodies instead, wrapped in plastic. They can also find the same in the Cayo Perico heist, although it could also be an Easter egg.

It's entirely possible that the Infinity Killer is still out there or a copycat is committing the same crimes. Needless to say, Merle Abrahams was a disturbed individual with an unstable mind.

Note: This article reflects the writer's personal views.

See more here:

5 unexplained mysteries in the GTA series - Sportskeeda