There's a gap in the upscale travel market right now. The companies that plan these limited-access excursions aren't selling as much as they used to, and once-upon-a-time buyers still have a thirst for the experiences not available to the general public – but not at the prices they paid before the recession. A new website, Jetsetter, is planning to help luxury travel planners and buyers meet in the middle.

Jetsetter, now in beta, bills itself as a "flash-sale website" for the up-market. This Gilt Groupe enterprise is invitation-only. So, the opportunities provided are not subject to the mass competition of the entire travel market. Nonetheless, inventory is likely to move quickly, and the window within which to act is not wide. "International trip curators" roam the world to conduct primary research – including on-site visits. These experts, including veteran travel writers and industry experts, then compile their findings on Jetsetter's site, with editorial accounts and photographs used to help would-be travelers make informed decisions.

Members of the online community will receive e-mail alerts every evening announcing the coming sales. Once that e-mail goes out – at 8 PM – the clock starts to tick.

Destinations available through Jetsetter include The Cotton House on Mustique, Negresco in Nice, the Paws Up resort in Montana (an amazing space) and Encantado in New Mexico.

Remember the days when the only reason you needed to go to a spa was that you felt like it? Yeah, so do I, but it looks like they're behind us for a while. A tight economy makes even luxury decisions tough to execute, resulting in a similar tightness in necks and backs. When you need that deep-tissue rub most, it seems, it's hardest to reach. So, I'm pretty excited to see spas make it easier to pry open your wallet for a bit of bliss.

Spa AQUA is making it pretty easy for you to enjoy Cancun. The latest deal cuts 50 percent from the nightly room rate and lops dining and spa service by 25 percent. If you're looking for excuses to dust off your passport, this is about as good as it gets. Need to be seduced? Consider the adobe clay sauna and mandarin and rose aromatherapy pool. Yep, that's where I was hooked, too.

This destination bills itself as a "modern lifestyle resort," with a "sensory stay" philosophy. Call it what you want, but I'm drawn to anything that clears the tension from my mind, back and shoulders. Integrating Asian techniques into its spa therapies, you can enjoy rice wraps and a variety of massage treatments, including Shiatsu, Samuprai and (my favorite) Shinodarah. Western touches include milk wraps and diamond facials. Manicures, pedicures, fitness centers and the other spa stables are also offered.

The resort, of course, is just the beginning. Once you're in Cancun, walk along the beach, grab a filling meal and sip more than your share of tequila. Forget about home for a few days: you've earned it.

Check eBay next week for an online auction. The 19 leading luxury tourism companies in New Zealand (New Zealand Luxury) are coming together to offer an amazing travel deal for the starting bid of only NZ$1 (only 50 cents in the United States). Each participant is estimated to have donated NZ$1,500 (US$855) worth of travel goods and services for this effort – for a total value of NZ$33,000 (almost US$19,000).

So, what does the winning bid get you?

Come out the other side of this 10-day auction a winner, and you'll fly on a private jet to New Zealand, stay in private villas and upscale hotels for four weeks and dash around the country on helicopters and in chauffeur-driven cars. You'll even get to hit the water on a private yacht.

The largesse from the top bid will go to the Untouched World Charitable Trust, the non-profit arm of the Untouched World clothing brand – which is kicking in NZ$2,000 (more than US$1,000) in apparel for this auction.

Save the planet, and treat yourself as you demand to be treated!

Sometimes, the hardest part of choosing a vacation spot is balancing between your wants and the kids' needs. Sprawling out on the beach or sipping a cocktail by the pool works for you, but children need distraction ... constant distraction.

In perhaps the most creative travel offer I've seen this year, Eden Rock – St. Barths is offering an easel, a paint brush and a palate of watercolors. Rather than splatter aimlessly, each kid will receive a one-time lesson with the Eden Rock Artist in Residence (the next is still to be announced).

Even for the caliber of guest that you find at Eden Rock, this can only be described as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

During the lesson, kids will also be exposed to the gallery's exhibitions in progress. In the recent past, this gallery has been home to the likes of Richard Prince and Will Cotton. The natural St. Barths aesthetic plus that created by the artists invited to show their work in the gallery yields a unique combination that is sure to inspire any budding artist.

The lessons are only available when the artist in residence is, in fact, in residence, so check with the Eden Rock Hotel when making reservations. The program runs through August 2009.

If you've been considering a vacation to Asia but want to be sure you'll have an unparalleled luxury experience you may want to consider Remote Lands. Through extraordinary insider connections with local people Remote Lands takes you on an adventure tailored to your specific needs and desires with locations in the top twenty travel destinations in Asia. Personally I think their focus on creating opportunities to meet monks and maharajas, nomads and nobility, farmers and financiers alike is what makes this travel design group so intriguing and worthwhile. Each package in tailored specifically to your interests, hence the 'bespoke travel experience' they advertise, so prices will vary greatly.

In the Val d'Orcia region of Italy, Massimo Ferragamo is restoring a 4,500 acre property called Castiglion del Bosco, known also as how my mind spent its summer vacation. The 800-year-old estate boasts two 14th century chapels, Gothic ruins, fields of deep red poppies, a macchia forest and vineyards where some of the best Brunello first grows. It's where parts of The English Patient were filmed. And soon enough, you can stay there, too.

Part of Ferragamo's restoration is to create an unparalleled travel experience, as he oversees the creation of 20 villas on the property and 26 additional hotel-like suites. A Tom Weiskopf-designed golf course, restaurants, infinity pool, cooking school, 12,000 square foot spa and library are either underway or in the plans, as well.

16 of the 26 suites are complete, but you can't simply book a night or two at the estate. Instead, you'll pay a fee to be part of a membership club that bestows visiting privileges. The 120 memberships have been estimated at close to $4 million each and are by invitation only. See the gallery for the breathtaking views, an original Lorenzetti fresco inside the Chiesa di San Michele Arcangelo and images to induce every kind of wishful thinking.

The Danube Express (above), billed as the "first five-star hotel on wheels to be launched in central Europe for almost 30 years," just completed its maiden voyage from Budapest to Berlin. The Express' classic train cars were retrofitted with hand-built wood-paneled sleeping compartments with en suite baths at a cost of $200,000 apiece, the London Times reports. There's also a VIP compartment with velvet and copper accents that was formerly the private quarters of Hungary's last Communist president, which costs $5,000 for the journey. Other destinations including Prague, Vienna and Istanbul will be added soon.

Starting next month, you can hire the private train carriage built for the Prince of Wales in 1919 on an unparalleled journey through the heart of Australia. The carriage will be available on The Ghan's journey from Adelaide on the continent's southern coast to the port of Darwin at its top, one of the world's great railway excursions. The historic carriage was built for Edward, the Prince of Wales (later Edward VIII and then the Duke of Windsor), for his royal visit in 1919. Accommodating up to ten guests in its ornate wood-paneled lounge and suites, the beautifully-restored carriage costs about $15,000 for a one-way, two-night trip.

[via UrbanDaddy]

Back in May we quoted Adam Katz, founder of on-demand luxury private jet charter and management service Talon Air, to the effect that despite the sluggish economy the luxury travel sector would continue to grow. That seems to be holding true in Katz's case, anyway; the company just added a $4 million Sikorsky S-76B helicopter to its fleet. The S-76 is a twin-engine craft designed to provide premium comfort and privacy for up to six passengers and two pilots in a "jet-like environment." The interior features first-class leather seats, wood paneling and a 4.5-foot tall cabin with more headroom than a typical helicoptert. In October, Katz plans to branch out even further - to sea, with the launch of a 135-foot, 6-bedroom, 5-bath, Serqué yacht.

We've seen the rise of "voluntourism" and eco-tourism of the luxe variety (think private bugalow in Figi, not hippie yurt). But giving back and luxury travel have rarely been an oft-cited pair. Until, that is, CharityFolks.com came on the scene, crafting unique travel plans including exclusive meet-and-greets like an evening with the cast of The Sopranos, then sending along the proceeds to charity. Each trip functions as an auction, so you'll need to get your virtual paddle up if you want to claim jaunts like a weekend at the Newport Jazz Festival, or luxe accommodations at Vail. The site hosts more traditional charity auctions as well, which have been written about here in the past, but if you planned to stay at the Four Seasons whilst touring Provence anyway, why not do it through an organization that will then donate on your behalf to UCLA's Jonsson Cancer Center?

In November, the Cunard line's famed QE2 will make its final voyage to a new home at the Palm Jumeirah in Dubai World, which paid $100 million to acquire the ship for a floating hotel, retail and entertainment annex. Carol Thatcher has compiled a beautiful book about the legendary oceanliner's colorful history, QE2: Forty Years Famous.

The QE2 was launched by (and named for) Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II in September 1967, and since then she has undertaken 25 world cruises, crossed the Atlantic more than 800 times and carried more than 2.5 million passengers, establishing a reputation as the world's greatest and most luxurious liner - a grande dame pre-dating and outclassing the modern cruise ship era. See the gallery for more.

As some business jet services like MAXJet and Eos are folding, while fuel costs and other annoyances plague private plane owners, a company called Talon Air apparently sees nothing but clear skies ahead. The on-demand luxury private jet charter and management service just added the ultra-luxe Legacy 600 (pictured here) to its fleet in order to meet increasing demand. We asked Adam Katz, Talon's owner and founder (and full-rotation pilot) to explain his apparently incongruous bullish outlook.

"The luxury travel sector will continue to improve," Katz tells Luxist. "The absence of those jets in the market just increases the demand for ultra high-end services like ours. Operators providing safe, luxury travel with all the amenities that are associated with these services will continue to prosper." As for onerous tariffs, "The government's inclination to impose further taxes on the general aviation and corporate or luxury travel operators will not change the broad demand for high end services," he insists. "People will always be willing to pay a fair price for exquisite, safe and convenient travel."

The twin-engine Legacy 600 (see the gallery below) can accommodate up to 13-passengers in its plush, Wi-Fi equipped 6-ft. tall cabin. It cruises at a speed of up to Mach 0.80 and has a range of 3,250 nautical miles, enough to fly nonstop from New York to London, from London (or Geneva) to Dubai, and from Singapore to Beijing. And judging from the glowing testimonial on Talon Air's website, tennis ace Pete Sampras is a big fan.

The more and more Russian millionaires there are, the more and more events there are to help them spend their money. The latest is Luxury Leisure Moscow which will be held September 19-22  in Moscow. The event will be held along with “Otdykh-Leisure”, Russia’s international autumn tourism show and “MIBEX/MICE Moscow”, the first meeting industry & business travel exhibition in Moscow. The three trade fairs will be held in the Crocus Expo. Luxury Leisure Moscow will have exhibits dedicated to luxury resorts, destination spas, golf, jets and yachts.