" Material things aren't about money, but lifestyle."

 

N [Nourishment]

The Seattle-based online food boutique ChefShop.com (877-337-2491) carries obscure but popular products--like balsamic vinegars and sea salts from around the world--for even the most discriminating chef.

O [Office]

Play DJ for clients who call--if you're going to make them wait, the least you can do is fill their minutes with song. Drop a CD of your choice into the On-Hold Plus 5000 Series, for digital or analog phone systems, which makes an eight-minute recording. ($250; www.101phones.com)

P [Personalize]

Stand out with a truly one-of-a-kind bag from British accessories designer Anya Hindmarch, who imprints your favorite photograph onto one of seven styles. Can't place your order in person? E-mail the image, and the firm will ship your bag in about four months. ($175 and up; www.beabag.com)

Q [Quiet]

Unless the fireflies are particularly raucous, you won't hear a thing from the candlelit cabanas at the Hotelito Desconocido, less than two hours' drive from Puerto Vallarta. Windmills pump water, and there are no electrical devices (including phones) at Mexico's original ecolodge. (Doubles from $230; 800-851-1143; www.hotelito.com)

R [Relationships]

Leading the new wave of intimacy resorts (the kind without hirsute wife-swappers and crystals) is Canyon Ranch's frank and popular five-day Sex: Body & Soul workshop for you and your beloved to reconnect. Viagra samples included. ($6,000 and up per couple; 800-742-9000; www.canyonranch.com)

S [Service]

Do away with a traveler's least favorite element: luggage handling. For $1.65 per pound, Luggage Free courier service will pick up, plastic-wrap, and tag your bags at home, then deliver them so they'll be waiting for you--skis to the mountain, stroller to the amusement park--at any U.S. destination. (800-361-6871; www.luggagefree.com)

T [Toys]

No more hauling the laptop on pleasure trips just for its DVD player. Sony's latest portable DVD player, the DVP-FX700, is less than six inches wide and an inch thick. Its sharp LCD screen gives the highest picture quality available on a seven-inch screen. (About $600; 800-222-SONY; www.sonystyle.com)

U [Unwind]

Elizabeth Arden's new Print-A-Gift feature lets you name your price, purchase online, and print out a gift certificate. It's good for services that treat the body and soothe the soul at more than 15 Red Door spas nationwide, and an ideal instant reward for yourself. (www.reddoorsalons.com)

V [Vice]

Roy West, author of the bestselling 7 Card Stud: The Complete Course in Winning (Cardsmith) and the best-known poker teacher in Las Vegas (the 68-year-old says so himself), gives private lessons to tourists and locals; "Ladies are welcome." ($420 for a four-hour tutorial in your hotel room; 800-548-6177, ext. 03)

W [Wish fulfillment]

No idea is too outlandish for the folks at BlueFish Concierge, a sky's-the-limit service that recently arranged for J.Lo to sing at a wedding and for two friends to fly in a Russian MiG fighter plane. (www.bluefishconcierge.com)

X [eXpertise]

High Cascade Snowboard Camp has been teaching adults to ride for 11 years. Morning lessons take place on Oregon's Mount Bachelor, which has enough snow to bring the snowboard season up to May. ($1,775 single, $1,575 couple for six-day clinics; 800-334-4272; www.highcascade.com)

Y [Yesterday]

Few things become more handsome as they age than a wristwatch. Watch Commander buys, sells, and trades all the vintage goodies, from understated Rolex Oyster Perpetuals to one sweet $12,500 diamond-framed Cartier Tank Mini Divan. (www.watchcommander.com)

Z [Zen]

Legend holds that monkeys gathered leaves from high tea trees to help Chinese monks make Tieguanyin oolong. This golden tea starts slightly bitter, then sweetens--as we all should do. ($120 per pound; 888-832-8008; www.holymtn.com)

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