desert

Platune & Sand-X to Build World's Fastest Off-Roader

European-based luxury vehicle design and tuning firm Platune has teamed up with Sand-X, a Swiss company specializing in sand dune racers, to develop the world's fastest off-road vehicle. The Platune-Sand-X mobile (above), designed to be the Ducati of off-roaders, will be the safest, fastest, and most powerful ATV ever built, with giant front tires and a rear track. Available only in an exclusive limited edition, the Platune-Sand-X will be able to accelerate from 0-100 km/h in as little as 2.8 seconds and achieve a top speed of 185 km/h. While pricing has yet to be announced, we expect the vehicle will be extremely expensive; unsurprisingly, it has already stirred considerable intertest in the Middle East. The collaboration celebrates the two companies' "mutual quest for luxury, perfection, exclusiveness [and] an extraordinary driving experience."

Tags: ATV, Desert, Middle East, MiddleEast, Motorcycle, off-road, Platune, Sand-X

Borrego Ranch Resort and Spa

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels, Spas, Real Estate Developments

The Southern California desert region is getting a new spa resort. Joseph DeNucci, former COO of the Miraval resort, is behind the Borrego Ranch Resort & Spa, which will open in November 2008. The $50 million resort is located in the Anza-Borrego Desert of Southern California and will offer a custom experience on 42 acres that includes a $25 million Tom Fazio-designed Signature Golf Course and Montesoro, a second home community. Borrego Ranch is located in Borrego Springs, 80 miles from San Diego and 150 miles from Los Angeles.

The ranch will feature 19 private casitas and 44 poolside rooms each with a service bar, sitting area with fireplace, marble bath with Cactus Tea bath amenities, coffee maker and private patio or balcony. The casitas range in size from one to four bedrooms and most have a wood-burning fireplace and private pool or spa and all include a wet bar, compact refrigerator and microwave. The spa offers massage, skin care, hair care, manicures and pedicures. The resort has an impressive amount of activities to keep you busy from golf and tennis to fitness classes, hikes, swimming and bicycle and horseback riding. There is also life-size chess, shuffleboard, bocce ball, a putting green, an archery range and championship croquet courses. Instead of being stuck to a strict spa schedule, guests can choose what interests them whether it's a romp through the desert or just some poolside time with a good book. Rates start around $300 per night.

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Tags: borrego, desert, golf, montesoro, resort, southern california, SouthernCalifornia, spa, vacation

MGM Begins CityCenter Construction

by Nicole Weston (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels

This 4th of July is, according to AAA, the busiest ever, with 40.7 million people hitting the roads. A lot of those people are headed to Las Vegas, which is the summer's number one travel destination, where they can relax in luxury and hope to strike it rich. In Vegas, they are sure that this holiday weekend is setting a trend that will prompt more and more travelers to hit the strip. Preparing for all those additional guests, MGM has finally begun construction on a $7-billion dollar resort, called Project CityCenter. While we covered the plan last year, the company poured the foundation over the weekend.

The 66-acre complex will feature a total of 7 towers, acres of retail space and 12,000 permanent jobs. Two of the towers will be residential, one will be a hotel/condo complex and two will be turned into luxury hotels. There will also, of course, be a casino. One hotel, a "lifestyle hotel," is slated to have a "shimmering facade" and a lot of ambiance. The other is going to be a five-star Mandarin Oriental hotel that will "respond to the desert environment and climate."

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Tags: desert, hotel, hotels, las vegas, mgm, nevada, Project CityCenter, ProjectCitycenter, vegas

BCBGirls Sedona Shopper, Handbag of the Day

by Nicole Weston (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Handbags

The name of the Sedona Shopper is a dead giveaway that the bag is supposed to evoke the southwestern desert, but I can't help but think of the beach when I look at it. The textured, sand-colored leather accented with pink and turquoise stones just reminds me of the LA coastline. This is in no small part because that color scheme was co-opted by the city in the 1990s and is heavily present in the signage around town. Beach or desert, both are sunny all year round, making this tote a great summertime choice. Price: $198.

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Tags: bag, bcbg, desert, handbag, handbag of the day, sedona, tote

Pala Casino Resort

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels, Spas

It's a theory of mine that eventually much of the California desert will be home to Vegas-style casinos. One of the resorts that has already popped up is Pala. Pala is a large casino resort complex located in northern San Diego County, 15 miles north of Escondido. The resort includes a casino, six restaurants, an events center, an outdoor theater and a 10,000 square foot spa with 14 treatment rooms. There are 18 Grand suites of which are 1,039 sq. ft. each and offer a Jacuzzi tub, two-person shower, two televisions, two desks and six telephones. There are special packages available including the Fairway Package which starts at $327 for a one night stay and includes a golf gift, one round of golf or 50 minute Pala Spa treatment per person and one breakfast at the Pala Cafe per person.

[via About.com]

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Tags: desert, pala casino, PalaCasino, resort, southern california