It should be more widely known that Canadians are a giving people. The folks in the geographical apartment above ours invented provided the pager, the foghorn, and basketball. We also have them to thank, or perhaps curse, for the Blackberry. As for talent, or something close to it, Canadians Alannis Morissette, Leonard Cohen, Keanu Reeves, and Natasha Henstridge have all come down to borrow our proverbial cups of sugar.

And although the Maple Leafers didn't give us The Fairmont Hotels -- that's a San Francisco invention -- they own them now, and they're offering you ten days of deals. Book a room in a Fairmont between November 10-19, and you can spare your bank account up to 25% off the normal rate or get a night free.

Of course there are terms and conditions, because even honey comes with bees. Still, when The Fairmont Orchid Hawaii can be had for $299, The Fairmont Southampton in Bermuda for $199, The Fairmont Singapore for $195, and for you devil-may-care MI6 types The Fairmont Monte Carlo for $370, well, bees be damned. Should you wish to visit the company's on its home turf, The Fairmont Le Château Frontenac in Québec City (pictured) is just $165. While you're there, have a Reese's Cup -- they were invented by Pennsylvanian H. B. Reese, but peanut butter and candy bars are yet more Canadian gifts to the world...

The Fairmont Kea Lani is one of Maui's finest (and most expensive) hotels, with its own unique character. Luxury and casual relaxation are rarely so effortlessly combined.

Firstly, the property is gorgeous (see above). I know, I know; throw a rock in Maui and you'll hit something scenic, but the Fairmont, in Maui's lavish Wailea area, doesn't impose upon the landscape. Because the hotel wasn't originally a Fairmont, it doesn't ascribe to the usual layout standards and blends nicely into the island. The pools are lovely and include a terrific 140-foot waterslide, which takes you directly from the pool bar to the basketball net. (For those looking for a quieter or more romantic place to sun and swim, there's a chicly appointed adults-only pool set at a distance away.) One of the real draws is the beach upon which it sits -- all beaches in Hawaii are public by law, but the rock outcroppings on either side of the stretch keep the beach feeling private and secure, and the sand is a beautiful mixture of white sand and ... sand-colored sand, creating a lovely marbleized effect.

Not only does the hotel fit into the environment, but it respects it, as well. Fairmonts are known for being among the greener choices in the bunch, and this hotel recycles water, uses biodegradable materials when possible, they give food scraps to local pig farmers, and in each room they have a special thermostat that starts cooling when you check in and stops when you check out -- it's wired to the computer. There's more: "The smart thermostat detects when a door is opened, signaling motion detectors to scan the room. If no motion is detected, the temperature adjusts to five degrees higher." These thermostats reportedly save them over 20 percent on their electric bill AND help save the Earth.

Every room in the Fairmont Kea Lani is a suite (unless it's a whole villa), and each has its own refrigerator (not a minibar) and a microwave. There's also a "Deli" located on the premise which sell everything from cereal for the kids to beer and wine for grown-up time. The hotel is equally popular with families and with couples on honeymoons -- maybe other hotels should pick up on this "I don't want to spend $200 in a restaurant every night" mentality. The hotel is by no means cheap; prices range from $339 for a one-bedroom suite (the smallest room they've got) to $2,000 per night for a 3-bedroom, 2200 square foot, ocean-view villa (includes rental of a minivan, convertible or luxury car). It's nice that they give you the option to eat and drink by your own rules.

The guests and staff alike seem to love the place. A bartender, an east-coaster who's been there since before it became a Fairmont eight years ago, noted the "casual elegance" of the place, and the guests agreed. "At the Four Seasons, you have to have closed toed shoes, and dress up ... here it's just more casual. And the staff remembers you -- they don't have it all plugged into their computer; they recognize you from last year, know you by name and know what you like for breakfast." His wife added with a relishing smile that the nearby golf course is fantastic. The bartender reminded me of the type you'd find in a pub in Brooklyn or even Dublin; easily comfortable with the well-to-do and the young partying types, and striking up a witty conversation with everyone. "I don't feel like I have to 'perform,'" he said.

"Casual elegance" really is an excellent descriptor for the hotel. The staff exudes an almost midwestern friendliness, and the guests are smiling and unaffected. No one around the pool was sucking in their stomach. I liked that.

We wouldn't put it on Luxist if it weren't a fabulous place, but in the interest of full-disclosure, here are the drawbacks: Nothing is included but coffee, neither breakfast nor boogie boards, so unless you're a coffee-and-cigarettes-only type, you should expect to spend some money (and cigarettes aren't included, either). The decor in the villas is somewhat bland -- there isn't much on the walls and nothing feels Hawaiian or otherwise remarkable -- but they are slated to be remodeled in a couple of months. Lastly, the hotel has no shuttle and is a $56 cab ride from the airport before tip.

If that stuff doesn't phase you too much (and after you have a look through the gallery, it probably won't), I recommend you come and visit the Fairmont Kea Lani. "Every hotel attracts a certain kind of guest," said an Indiana-native PR rep. "I love the guests we get here. They're so relaxed." We looked around and found she was quite right. Someone urgently stopped her as we were heading out, but it was only to ask how much a nearby sculpture cost. Some people just can't turn it off.

The Fairmont Hotel in San Francisco has unveiled the remodel of their lavish penthouse suite. The $15,000 suite with the gorgeous bay views, a billiard room, dining room, living room, two-story library and terrace is being reopened this month just in time for a wedding that unites two prominent wine families. The suite takes up the entire eighth floor and has three bedrooms. For your $15,000 a night you get the services of a butler, housekeeper, chef, masseuse and personal trainer and the use of a Ferrari California.

[via MSNBC]

The Fairmont Scottsdale has declared this "The Season of Personal Discovery", and happily for people who love books, much of the personal discovery comes from what amounts to a super-mega book club meeting: weekends centered around books in different genres, that include panel discussions, Q&As and several opportunities to rub elbows with the authors themselves over dinner and cocktails.

Pick your genre. If you're a self-help addict (and no one will judge you for that), try Living Your Best Life, September 25th-27th, which will make you likable, fit, sexy, and a music expert. Or the Ultimate Girls Getaway Weekend, October 9th-11th, which will help you lose weight, and develop an expertise in wine, social media, and your own soul. If fiction is where your heart lies, For the Love of Books,October 2nd-4th, features Anita Diamant, Lisa See and Debra Dean, while Literary Stew, brings in Ridley Pearson, Dave Barry and Scott Turow. Check out the rest of the schedule here.

On our way back from a summer sojourn to Nova Scotia a few weeks ago we had to seek refuge from Hurricane Bill, and wound up at a luxurious, historic seaside resort in New Brunswick that turned out to be the highlight of the trip. Built in the 1880s, the Tudor-style Fairmont Algonquin, in picturesque St. Andrews overlooking the Passamaquoddy Bay, is a veritable castle by the sea. A Canadian Maritime tradition in its second century of impeccable hospitality, the hotel has played host to many notable personages over the years including the first Prime Minister of Canada, Sir John A. Macdonald, President Theodore Roosevelt and Diana, the Princess of Wales.

The hotel was originally the enterprise of the St. Andrews Land Company, established in 1883 by wealthy American businessmen who found the town to be the ideal vacation spot; a 1902 brochure described it as '"an incomparable resting-place and retreat from the cares of business and the heat and dust and bustle of the city." During this period most guests arrived by train and so it was only fitting that the Canadian Pacific Railway Company took over ownership in 1903. The hotel was sold to local interests in 1970 and the Province of New Brunswick leased the property in 1973. The Province eventually purchased The Fairmont Algonquin along with two golf courses and a private beach in 1984, and it is now run by the Fairmont Hotels & Resorts luxury group.

The hotel now has 234 impeccably-appointed guest rooms and suites retaining the resort's classic style, updated with modern amenities. Many rooms have ocean views and look over the lush gardens, swimming pool and tennis courts. The public spaces are elegant and inviting, with fireplaces for cooler weather and plenty of spots to relax indoors and out, while the charming town of St. Andrews is only a few minutes walk. The nearby Bay of Fundy lays claim to the highest tides in the world with rising and falling water levels nearing 55 ft. in some areas twice daily. That provides the scenic backdrop for the award-winning seaside Algonquin Golf Course and Academy, home to two of the top ten golf tees in Canada, while others may choose to go on whale-watching excursions or explore the scenic surroundings.

President Obama got a tour of the Pyramids with Dr. Zahi Hawass, head of Egypt's Supreme Council of Antiquities and you can too. The charismatic Dr. Hawass, who has also been part of a host of documentaries on Egypt's rich past, headlines a weekend discovering the wonders of Cairo November 27-30, 2009. The Wonder With One Of The Seven Wonders package features one night at Fairmont Towers, Heliopolis and two nights at Fairmont Nile City with breakfast and dinner; a full day tour of the Great Pyramids of Giza and Saqqara; a guided tour of the Cairo Museum, Nile Felucca ride and a dinner lecture with Dr. Zahi Hawass. Rates for the three-night package start from $960 per person.

There are two ways to take in the Tour de France. One is to cram yourself into a spot along some godforsaken stretch of road with all the other riffraff. You can hope to get a look at the action ... as long as they person in front of you isn't tall. Or, you can find your way to Monaco's F1 circuit, where the race departs. Instead of schlepping out to the site, you can stay nearby. Without the hassle of getting to and from, you might actually enjoy the experience!

To help you enjoy the kickoff of the 96th Tour, the Fairmont Monte Carlo has put together a great package. Stay from July 1 to July 5, and you can pick up a room for €529 (around $735) a night, with a buffet breakfast included.

So, if you've ever wanted to witness the greatest cycling spectacle of all time, here's your chance to do it the right way. Once the riders depart, drop some cash on the roulette table, and sip a wine carefully crafted in Provence. Do everything that those dedicated athletes can't. The lucky racers won't be back until next year, but you can take a few more days to play with the wealthy.

The Fairmont Royal York Hotel in Toronto, Canada has a hidden amenity that I've never heard another luxury hotel claim, its own apiary. The hotel set up three beehives on its roof last summer in partnership with Foodshare's Field to Table Centre and the Toronto Beekeeping Co-operative. The bee colony of over 10,000 bees created close to 300 pounds of honey. This year the hotel added three more hives hoping to increase production. Royal York's chefs use the fresh honey in salad dressings, baked goods and other items. The honey also makes its way into the milk and honey pedicures at the hotel spa.

The hotel already has a rooftop herb garden growing mint and other culinary herbs which contribute to the unique taste of the honey. The hotel's success with the bees has inspired the Fairmont Algonquin in St. Andrews, N. B., and the Fairmont Waterfront in Vancouver to set up their own apiaries. Guests at the Fairmont Royal York can request educational beehive tours over the summer. The potential disappearance of bees in recent years due to colony collapse disorder has also caused other brands, including Haagen-Dazs ice cream which donates money to beekeeping research, to be concerned for the future of the busy pollinators.

Chicago's Fairmont Hotel just re-opened after a $50 million renovation that includes a new 1,850-sq.-ft. top floor Presidential Suite dedicated to the city's own Barack Obama. Overlooking Chicago's Grant Park, where Obama made his historic acceptance speech on the eve of his election as the 44th President of the United States, the plush suite features an "illustrative montage" of Obama's life along with a selection of memorabilia including campaign buttons, newspaper headlines and seals of the various offices he has held throughout his political career.

The Fairmont has created a special package to inaugurate the suite which includes an intimate, chauffeur-driven tour of Obama's favorite spots in Chicago in the hotel's private Bentley Continental Flying Spur (above). The package features roundtrip airport transportation, fresh floral arrangements upon arrival, a fully-stocked butler's pantry, a personal concierge to assist with reservations, museum passes and basketball or baseball tickets, and spa and restaurant credits. The two-night package is available for $8,244 plus tax.

[via JustLuxe]

Ever since I read about it in this month's Archaeology, I've been obsessed with the Hidden Treasure of Afghanistan story. In 1988, Omara Khan Massoudi, director of Afghanistan's National Museum in Kabul and a team of museum workers hid over 20,000 precious artifacts dating from 2000 B.C. to A.D. 100 to keep them from the Taliban and others who would seek to destroy them when civil war erupted. For a long time the collection was believed destroyed or sold but in 2002, Massoudi revealed that he had hidden the items. Now 228 of the artifacts are part of an exhibit which has been exhibited throughout Europe and came to the U.S. this May. It will appear in just four cities, staying in Washington, D.C. until September 7 then San Francisco October 24–January 25, 2009, followed by Houston February 22–May 17, 2009, and finally New York June 23–September 20, 2009. The exhibit features golden bowls, bronze sculptures, ivories, glassware and more. Some pieces which had been imported from around the world and excavated from ancient storerooms discovered in the 1930s and 1940s others are gold ornaments from the "Bactrian Hoard," found in 1978 in Tillya Tepe.

It's not coming to my town so I'll have head to the nearest city near me that has it San Francisco. The Fairmont has partnered with the National Geographic Society on special packages at their hotels in Washington, San Francisco and New York in conjunction with the National Geographic exhibition, "Afghanistan: Hidden Treasures from the National Museum, Kabul."Starting October 24, 2008, when the exhibition opens at the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco, guests will be able to stay at The Fairmont San Francisco with the Golden Treasures of Afghanistan package. The package includes a one-night stay, two entry tickets to the museum, a traditional Afghan treat of baklava and Turkish coffee for two and a set of note cards commemorating the exhibition. Rates start from $299 USD per night, and the package is available through January 25, 2009.

It's almost time for Valentine's Day and if you are planning a getaway the Fairmont hotels have a list of packages called Holidates. Each of the packages offers more than just a place to bunk down for the night. The options, which cost from $259 to $1,435 per night per couple include a variety of features which play off the location. For example, the Fairmont Le Château Frontenac in Quebec City, shown above, offers the Icebreaker Package which includes a deluxe riverview room, a welcome drink and mixology session with the hotel's bar manager, choice of Ice Climbing at Montmorency Falls or a visit to the Ice Hotel Canada, a romantic dinner with wine pairing at the award-winning Le Champlain restaurant, and breakfast in bed. Package rates start from $975 per night with a two-night minimum. Other packages include the Drunk with Love holidate at The Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn & Spa which includes a hot-air balloon ride in wine country and a wine-blending session and the Fairmont Chicago's Wooed In the Windy City holidate which offers couples spa treatments.

There have always been lots of things to consider when making traveling plans, and these days there's at least one more thing to add to the list: how "green" is the hotel you plan to stay in?

Thankfully, with more and more hotels going green in recent years it's getting easier to find somewhere to stay that's environmentally friendly. Some things, like encouraging guests to reuse towels to installing low-flow shower heads, are getting to be fairly standard efforts. But others are getting a little more creative with things like:

• Putting designer recycle bins in individuals rooms
• Switching to all organic menus
• Offering incentives to employees who carpool to work
• Routing undrinkable water to irrigate nearby golf courses
• Offering parking incentives to guests who drive hybrid vehicles
• Switching to non-toxic and organic cleaning supplies
• Donating unused amenity bottles to local charities
• Sending half-used bars of soap to companies who use them to make cleaning products
• Recycling used coffee grounds as golf course tee-off mounds.

Come across something particularly creative and green in a recent hotel stay? Share with us in the comments!

Mina Al Fajer Resort will be a new mixed use mountain-sea front community in the Hajar Mountains of Fujairah, one of the seven emirates that make up the United Arah Emirates and the only one that is mainly mountainous.The $163 million project will have a 200 room five-star hotel managed by the Fairmont Hotels and Resorts. The property is located on the ocean and will feature a marina, 48 mountain villas, 13 solarium villas, and 80 marina apartments, The resort is the first in a planned portfolio of projects planned for the Middle East , Europe and India. Building will start in June 2007 and is expected to finish before the end of 2009.

The town of Hamburg seems to be headed for a tourism revival. The Fairmont hotel chain has announced their new hotel in Hamburg, Germany, the Fairmont Hotel Vier Jahreszeiten, will join the collection on April 30.The hotel is located on the western side of the Inner Alster Lake shore and is home to four restaurants, two bars, a spa and fitness facility and function space. The hotel was originally founded in 1897 by Friedrich Haerlin and once offered only 11 rooms but Haerlin gradually bought up one house after another until he had the whole block and the hotel now has 157 rooms and suites. The public areas of the hotel are furnished with a collection of 16th- and 17th-century Flemish Gobelin tapestries, baroque cupboards and Renaissance chests. The hotel is offering a Welcome to Hamburg package where guests receive a complimentary third night when staying two consecutive nights starting at 570 euros until the end of the year.

This may be the first time I have seen a major resort make a move into developing townhomes in Maine. Fairmont Hotels has announced they will be creating the Fairmont Residences at Bar Harbor. The 25 homes will be located in the village of Bar Harbor and will have views of the island-studded bay and Acadia National Park. There will also be a Clubhouse with a heated outdoor pool, jacuzzi, billiard room, clubroom and fitness center. The homes will cost from around $1.2 million to $1.6 million and offer over 2,600 square feet of space. Groundbreaking is anticipated for this fall and the homes should be ready 2008 summer season.

Bar Harbor is one of the spots to experience classic New England charm and while it is a popular destination it isn't absolutely overrun with tourists most of the time (although the price of a lobster roll does seem to climb somewhere in June). According to the press release, the Fairmont and their partner Bayview Financial, are making nice with the locals by doing things like underwriting the cost of the Rotary Club's annual pancake breakfast and seafood festival during Bar Harbor's Fourth of July celebration.