When I was a child, my Aunt Jean gave me one of the best gifts I ever received -- a travel jewelry case. It wasn't kiddie-ish, and I use it to this day to keep my jewelry clean, safe, and uncluttered when I'm away from home. Need a gift idea of your own? Felix Rey makes a travel jewelry case with a bit of glam. The "Bling" Travel Jewelry Case is a zip-around case with four compartments and a mirror. It has "bling" printed on one side and a smiley face on the other and is made of nylon with brass hardware. It's 3.5 inches deep and the compartments are approximately 1 inch deep. $90

For the rates Venetian gondoliers charge you might expect a massage and a 3-course meal during your cruise of the canals. With the introduction of the Voga Voyage at Loews Coronado Bay Resort Gondola Company, you can at least check the massage off the list.

Your vessel for the journey among the Coronado Cays will be a softly wrapped, sun-warmed massage table. In turn, that table will ride upon an authentic 33-foot gondola that launches from the resort's private marina and then embarks on an hour-long cruise of Mediterranean-like waterways. Forty minutes of that will be occupied by masseurs tending to your physical needs, which includes the laying on of sunscreen before the more serious application of massaging hands. The last ten minutes of the trip will be given to sight-seeing, if you're in any mood for that, while you and your chère company feast on the gondola's supply of champagne and chocolate-covered strawberries.

Booking the $499 Voga Voyage also gets you a free night at the resort and its amenities, spread out on a secluded, 15-acre peninsula. And having saved on airfare to the Italian province, you just might have enough left over for the 3-course meal. It's certainly not what Iago meant when he mentioned "creating the beast with two backs," but this ride has a far less drama and a much happier ending...

The third tower of The St. Regis Bal Harbour Resort is expected to be finished next February, and the resort will open its heavy glass doors to early adopters in 2011. Sitting on 1,000 square feet of sable blanc at the north end of Miami Beach, the three 27-story towers will house 511 rooms in various sizes and flavors of sumptuousness. The move south, like a snowbird from that biggest of apples, is intended to be a relocation of the New England grandeur that Colonel John Jacob Astor IV inaugurated when he opened the first St. Regis in NYC in 1904.

Think: mirrors. Lots of them. The Yabu Pushelberg interior scheme (from the firm that has lent a helping hand to Prada, Tiffany, the Mandarin Oriental, and so on) will naturally focus on textures and materials: Movingui hardwood walls, marble and travertine flooring, and etched plaster walls will abound upon entry. Guests and residents are no less looked after, with spa-like bathrooms, enclosed walk-in showers, and overflow soaking tubs. Granite makes its necessary appearance for the kitchen countertops, and the cutlery drawers will even be pre-slotted, so you'll never mistake your butcher for your cleaver.

Residences come in one-, two-, three-, and four-bedroom sizes, range from 1,777 to 6,868 square feet, and start at $1.9 million. If you need more convincing -- and proof that that this St. Regis has left behind most of its New York City roots -- the balconies alone start at 455 square feet, larger than a fair number of Manhattan apartments. Amenities will include white-glove butlers, 24-hour room service, a 12,000 square foot spa, and someone to do your grocery shopping for you. Because, you know, you'll be hungry when you finally roll in from Nikki Beach...

Sometimes it's better to start at the bottom and work your way up. But what if, at the same time, you could start at the bottom and be at the top? lebua Hotel offers just that at its Lake Okareka Lodge, set on a private estate in New Zealand. And when we say private, we mean private -- the extent of the accommodations is three luxury suites that can house, all together, nine people. Total. Maximum. When you book, even if there is just your lonesome, you get the whole thing to yourself -- "yourself" being you, your private chef, and the attendants waiting to fulfill your wishes.

Each of the suites gets lake views, private balconies, Bvlgari amenities, and the services of the estate's private chef. Should you commandeer the executive suite, you'll step up to your own lounge, spa bath, private office and walk-in wardrobe. As for things to do, the suites are set in the countryside, next to a lake, on the North Island of what is arguably one of the most beautiful countries on the planet. Should you tire of the fishing, sailing, kayaking, jet skiing, hiking, or simply being, the lodge maintains a piano room, a fantastically stocked wine cellar, and a 24-hour concierge for those urgent, 3 a.m. requests.

lebua Hotel Bangkok has quarters for more guests, but the numbers don't spoil the treatment. Each room in the all-suite hotel in the State Tower, Silom district has views of the Chao Phraya River. Naturally, all-suite does not mean all the suites have been created equal: ranging from 66 to 266 square meters, opt for the premium digs and you'll sup on multi-course meals prepared by your own chef for breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea, dinner, and that liquid meal known as "cocktails."

If you must go out, the bar and five restaurants under The Dome will reward you for the slipper-shod trek: Sirocco, 63 stories up, is the world's highest open air restaurant; the tables at Breeze sit on jutting balconies, where you can dine on modern Asian fare while descrying views of modern Asia; the Mezzaluna specializes in Italian and amore -- every proposal made there has been accepted; Café Mozu mashes up a DJ, a pool, and Italian, Lebanese, and Indian courses; and Distil is where you go to wash it all down... in moderation, of course.

What could be better than 5-star suites and food? Why, a party to celebrate their opening. lebua will be hosting a gala launch of the New Zealand property and the Tower Club addition to its Bangkok location in, of all places, Sydney, Australia. The soiree goes down in November, on a private yacht that will be moored in front of the Opera House, where lebua chefs will be on hand to tempt you to make the trip to those other points distant.

If one were tempted to wonder about flying to Australia to have a party for resorts in lands at least five hours away by plane, we must remember that ours is not to question why. Ours is only to ask, "Why not?" And then make reservations...

We're only a month and change into winter, but here on the East Coast it's been a tough one so far. I've been daydreaming about a vacation, but my luggage is not travel-ready -- it's old and drab. Looking for something with more panache, I came upon Tumi's Townhouse Collection.

My favorite piece is the Groom Train Case. Traveling with this would make me feel as if I were one of the ladies boarding a ship for a cross-Atlantic journey many years ago, when wealthy travelers seemed to pack their whole houses into trunks and then have their staff move them on and off the ship at every port of call.

The Townhouse Collection features 38 styles that range from the $6,995 Wardrobe Trunk to the $150 Constitution Tie Case. All styles are offered only in black (I would love to have seen some brighter colors), and are made from leather or fabric. The collection has two sub-sets: Travel and Business, which include trunks, wheeled cases, hand-held briefcases, satchels, a garment case, duffels, messenger/body bags, clutches and small zipped cases.

Check out the gallery for a look at a few of the styles.

The One Key Travel Card is a like a membership card to a time share but more upscale. It includes first-class homes, personalized service, and local knowledge, without a significant outlay of upfront capital or whole ownership. Members have access to a worldwide portfolio of selected homes, as well as a dedicated member services representative. Cards are available by number of nights: 15, 25 or 45, for $34,900, $49,900, or $84,900, respectively. Use the nights in any combination. Pricing includes access to One Key Homes, daily housekeeping, and member services. Inquire about membership here. Choices of home style / themes include beach, city, mountain, leisure, and "hidden gems."

Last week L'Auberge Del Mar re-opened in Del Mar, California with a new design that's more like a high end private estate than a typical luxury resort. The renovation cost about $25 million dollars, or $200,000 per room, and the result is a combination of both upgraded appearance and upgraded services and amenities. There's too much detail to talk about it all here but some of the new features that caught my attention are the Waterfall Terrace (which includes a 14-foot illuminated waterfall) and the 4500 sq ft luxury spa. The rooms all have walk-in showers, marble-topped vanities, the best in technologically advanced amenities (i.e. 42" plasma TVs and iPod docking clock radios), and many have fireplaces. Where do I sign up?

If you can get past the cheesy promotional video and the fact that the whole thing is blatantly geared towards wealthy English-speaking tourists, The Great Brazil Express luxury train tour sounds like it might actually be a travel experience worth taking. 7 day tours are available starting next week on the 23rd and take place on board a fairly intimate (fits only 22 guests) train that travels through the gorgeous Brazilian countryside. The tour starts at Curitiba and goes as far as the famous Iguazu Falls, and the train accommodations seem nice enough (albeit small) with leather couches, decor inspired by the Brazilian landscape and wildlife, music, and food/drink. Prices start at $3500.


Via Gadling

When it comes to travel the question of rare is open to interpretation and likely depends on what you dream of doing with your vacation time. For some of us, merely taking time off for real vacation is rare enough. Recent studies have shown that as a workforce we are opting to use our allotted vacation time more and more for long weekends than for the traditional one or two-week immersion escape.

Rare travel used to be easily defined by the exotic. That no longer seems to be the case. Thirty years ago, an African safari would have been considered a rare getaway. These days, people go on safaris for their honeymoon or bring the kids during winter break. Travels to remote islands such as Tahiti or the Seychelles are equally common with luxury resorts setting up shop in just about every corner of the globe. You can even tackle the whole world at once, private jet trips that take you around the world are becoming more popular and likely the recent film the Bucket List will inspire more people to see the wonders of the world. The LA Times found that doing your own Bucket List trip will cost you over $105,000.

Another category in the rare experience category is being able to experience a side of a place that few seldom experience. Often this involves a great deal of money. Concierge recently did a great piece on the world's most extravagant vacations. Many of them offer the type of experience that only money can buy. Take for example the $300,000 week in Paris offered by travel expert Andrew Harper. For your money you get a suite at the Ritz, private tours, a chauffeur, 24-hour-a-day concierge service and dinner reservations at hot spots such as Alain Ducasse and Voltaire. The trip also includes a private tour of the Louvre, a couture fitting at Chanel and a meeting a French custom perfume designer. Other trips on their list include heli-skiing and, of course, a round-the world excursion.

What is the rarest trip? There's no real consensus on this but I would say that the trek to summit Mount Everest still remains among the rarest trips in the world. But even this has become something that is accessible to more people. In two months and for around $60,000 you can join a group and make the attempt of a lifetime.

Another gorgeous resort is opening in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. Casa Dorada Los Cabos, Resort & Spa is located on the Playa Médano and has a 186 deluxe ocean-view rooms and suites including thirteen penthouse suites which face Cabo's Land's End Rock. The hotel has a 7,000-square- foot Saltwater Spa that offfers treatments including a Chinese Balls Stimulating massage that uses special metal balls that release tonal vibrations for physical and emotional equilibrium, a saltwater ritual that guests receive with each service and the Couleur de Vie, combining color therapy, aromatherapy and thalassotherapy (salt water). The hotel is also home to a restaurant and a lounge that features 50 different beers, including a custom mango-flavored brew.

The guest rooms are lavish with marble bathrooms that have whirlpool tubs and separate showers. All rooms have goosedown comforters, plasma screen satellite TV, complimentary wireless Internet, ceiling fans, multiple telephones, electronic safes, and kitchens or kitchenettes. The penthouse suites have
multiple bedrooms, kitchens and furnished terraces and balconies. Special introductory rates start at $530 and the hotel opens January 21.

The island of Nantucket off the coast of Massachusetts is often seen as a summer destination but as someone who grew up on Cape Cod I can attest to the fact that the fall can be one of the best times to visit the island. Here's a reason to visit, the White Elephant is holding their third annual Chef and Shop series beginning October 26th. The series runs four weekends and each weekend, a new premier chef from New York, Boston, or New Orleans will visit the hotel to mingle with guests and give a demonstration and tasting with paired wines on Saturday afternoon on the heated Harborview Terrace overlooking the Nantucket Harbor. The four chefs are Alexandra Guarnaschelli of Butter in New York, Dan Silverman of Lever House in New York, Geoff Gardner of Sel de la Terre in Boston, and Bob Iacovone of Curvee in New Orleans. The hotel includes a library with a fireplace, morning coffee and danish, exercise room, an afternoon Port and cheese reception and in-room spa treatments. Rates start at $175 per room, per night

Is the worst part of traveling trying to get a good night's sleep? It can be tough to sleep like you do at home in even the nicest of hotels, but The Benjamin in NYC has something most places don't: a sleep concierge.

And the sleep concierge is just the beginning. They offer a menu of 12 different pillows, choices of specialized sleep enhancing snacks, and before-bed massages. In fact, The Benjamin is so sure they can give you a good night's sleep that's as good as what you get at home they'll give you a free night's stay if they fail.

Do you think it's worth it? What would you need to make the hotel feel like home?


Via A Luxury Travel Blog

Although 2 week vacations are awesome the trouble is that it's often so hard to get away that they rarely (if ever) happen. But why delay that trip to Paris or Buenos Aires til who-knows-when? A long weekend, which is much easier to do for most people, can be more than enough to have a fabulous time in an exotic far-off location if you do things right. Vienna, Milan, and even Sydney are realistic possibilities. Why take the chance that a trip to your dream location might never happen when you can be there later this month? 1, 2, or 3 nights is better than none at all, right? I'd say so.

Why rent a luxury hotel room when you can step it up a notch and have a villa instead? Many people don't consider villas by sheer reason that the thought doesn't occur to them, or if it does it's intimidating because people aren't sure how it works. It's really not that complicated, and the benefits of having your own luxury home (as opposed to just a suite in a hotel) at your disposal for the duration of your vacation are amazing.

As far as which villas you might want to consider take a look at the 10 on this slide show, which are complete with villa renting tips like how to consider whether or not you'll need to rent a car and how to choose the best season. Apparently Croatia is becoming one of the hottest villa-vacation hot spots in Europe, and Meikloeur Castle in Scotland is one of the priciest renting for $37,200 per week (but for that you get your own 18 hole golf course).

Perhaps the poshest hotel in the city of Bucharest in Romania is the five-star Carol Parc Hotel which opened this year. The boutique hotel is home to 20 rooms and suites and the rooms boast wood-burning fireplaces, terraces, plasma televisions, and Bulgari amenities. The hotel is also home to the Poem restaurant for fine dining. It is also one of the priciest hotels in the area with rooms starting at 300 euros but first-time guests are eligible for a 50% disount on the first night's stay, and a room upgrade for the entire stay. The hotel's website has an excellent virtual tour that gives you a look at this beautiful property.