Pack your bags for Tunisia! A new Radisson Blu Resort & Thalasso has opened in Monastir. It's the second Radisson Blu in Tunisia and boasts 280 rooms on beachfront property -- facing the Gulf of Hammamet in the Mediterranean Sea. The resort has 264 guestrooms, 14 junior suites and two senior suites, all equipped with high-speed access (no fee!) and a private balcony or terrace overlooking the pool and sea.

Of course, it's nice to have a comfortable room, but when you really want to unwind, you're looking for the spa. The Radisson Blu in Monastir has a 150,000-square foot facility in the Royal Elyssa Spa Cinq Mondes & Thalasso, with a 48,000-square foot Thal'ion Thalasso center that specializes in restorative treatments using seawater. The spa facilities are set to open early next year and will also have a fitness club and salon. The saunas, hammams and treatment rooms are great, but you'll want to get to the top floor, where you'll find 20 spa suites, many of which will boast private Jacuzzis.

Akvinta, the world's first Mediterranean luxury vodka mentioned by my colleague Deidre Woollard when it was introduced to Europe last year, has just launched in the U.S. and is now available in New York, New Jersey and California.

The Croatian spirit was first introduced in New York as the official vodka of the recent Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week. The brand is also available exclusively on Virgin Atlantic Airlines as well as in the airline's Upper Class Clubhouse at JFK airport, and at Nobu in New York and California.

Akvinta Vodka is a super-premium, USDA-certified organic spirit, carefully crafted using only premium ingredients including 100% organic wheat alcohol from Italy, pure Dalmatian spring water, and no additives of any kind.

Akvinta's revolutionary quintuple filtration system uses five natural filters - charcoal, marble, silver, gold and platinum - to purify the product, resulting in a smooth spirit with a light citrus nose with a touch of sweetness, a light peppery mouth feel, and a finish with no afterburn.

The new $175 million Verdura Golf & Spa Resort on the southern coast of Sicily from the Rocco Forte Collection opening August 1 will be the only luxury resort in the Mediterranean offering a five-star experience across golf, hotel, dining and spa facilities. The Collection's 13th property features 203 ocean view rooms and suites, each with a private terrace overlooking 1.2 miles of private coastline, two championship golf courses, six tennis courts, a 43,000-sq.-ft. spa, fitness and yoga center, four restaurants, 55 private villas, a conference center, ballroom, open-air amphitheater and helipad.

To celebrate its much-anticipated opening of the 570-acre beachfront resort, Verdura is offering guests visiting between August 1 and December 31 complimentary benefits including green fees for unlimited golf play on its three world-class courses, dinner every evening at any of its four superb restaurants and thalassotherapy spa treatments as well as a 50% discount on a second family room. Starting rates for a three-night stay range from $1,399 for a December visit to $2,967 for a visit in August.

French boutique luxury hotel group La Réserve has just opened its third property, an elegant, intimate getaway in St. Tropez with never-ending views of the Mediterranean. The 23-room luxury hotel and 10,000-sq.-ft. spa, called La Réserve Ramatuelle, also offers 12 beautifully-appointed villas on the property that are available per night, week, or longer. The hotels seven rooms and 16 suites each have a private terrace or garden and feature natural materials in a soft palette of ocher, white, and sandy beige.

Chef Eric Canino oversees La Réserve Ramatuelle's eatery, Le Restaurant, which features a sophisticated menu with a fresh Mediterranean influence and an overall focus on health and well-being. The spa features an indoor pool with a jet lane, an outdoor pool and pool house, a steam bath, and a fitness center. Superior rooms start at €400 and suites from €1,500; villas range from €4,000 to €5,000 for one night or €15,000 to €30,000 (or about $40,000) for seven nights.

A group of billionaire investors including Oleg Deripaska (Russia's richest man) and LVMH chairman Bernard Arnault are backing a scheme to turn Tivat, a derelict port and ex-Yugoslav naval base in the former communist country of Montenegro, into the next playground for the megarich. The site's former naval dockyard fronting the Adriatic Sea will be converted into a lavish marina for superyachts, officially dubbed Porto Montenegro and biiled as "the Monaco of the Balkans," at a cost of around $350 million, the Times of London reports.

"The yachts are getting bigger and bigger," says Canadian mining magnate Peter Munk, who conceived of the project. "And people are complaining that they can't find proper berths for their boats. That's no problem in Tivat. It used to cater to warships." In addition to the great natural beauty of Montenegro, the development will feature moorings for up to 800 yachts as well as repair yards, hotels, restaurants, shops and possibly a casino. In addition, the Four Seasons is building its first Mediterranean resort there on the site of a former warehouse, slated to open in 2010.

Meanwhile, another oligarch, Luxist mascot Roman Abramovich, is said to be in talks to purchase an eight-mile strip of beach to build his own Montenegrin luxury resort, while Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones and Venus and Serena Williams have recently been spotted house-hunting in the area, the paper reports. This is something of a throwback to the 1950s and 1960s, when stars like Elizabeth Taylor, Sophia Loren and Kirk Douglas holidayed on Montenegro's beautiful red-tiled resort island of Sveti Stefan (above). See the gallery for more.

Never heard of Pantelleria? I hadn't either but it turns out that it is a small island in the Mediterranean off the coast of Sicily. What makes this island particularly noteworthy is that it is of volcanic origin and is still home to hot mineral springs and steam eruptions. The Pantelleria Dream is a new luxury resort on this island that has managed to stay below the radar for a long time. The hotel is made up of suites called dammusi, structures made from black volcanic rocks which have spare, gently curving white interiors like those found in Greek island hideaways. The hotel also has an infinity pool overlooking the sea. Prices start at 90 euros per person.

[via Vogue]

This one didn't make it onto our top ten list of yachts for charter because it only recently made it to the charter market but it is definitely worthy of a look. Alibi is a 168-foot yacht which was built by CBI Navi in 2005. The yacht has room for 12 guests and has plenty of space for outdoor activities. There is a panoramic open deck area with half moon large sunbathing mattresses and an extendable table for 12 guests and a bar. The sundeck boasts large cushions, a Jacuzzi, a U-shaped settee and another table for 12. There is a dumb waiter between decks for delivering all your snacks and supplies. Alibi also features a gymnasium and a garage that holds a tender, three jets skis and more.

Inside there are five cabins: a full-width master with an office and a Jacuzzi tub, two VIP cabins with Jacuzzi baths and two double and one twin guest cabin all with ensuites. The staterooms have flat screen monitors with cable and on-demand movies from a central movie server and there is a library of over 200 music CDs. This yacht also has its own wireless network system. She charters for $250,000 to $260,000 per week and will be gallivanting around the Mediterranean this summer. More shots of this beautiful yacht after the jump.

The never-ending quest for the most expensive one-night stay in the world continues, as the Hotel Martinez now offers a suite that costs $37,200 per night. The Hotel is in Cannes, France and attracts more than its fair share of celebrities when they flock to the international film festival every year, but the luxury hotel is popular all year round. The penthouse suite, also known as the Exceptional 7th Floor Suite, is over 2,000 sq. feet, has four bedrooms, marble baths, multiple luxury living and dining rooms, plasma screen TVs with satellite programming, and a spa on a terrace which affords panoramic views of the Mediterranean. Interestingly, the rooms are also soundproofed. For those looking to save a few dollars, the floor can be divided into four individual suites, as well.

The Costa Concordia, the latest ship from Costa Cruises, will offer a unique feature, the biggest health spa at sea. The new ship, which will be launched in July is like a floating destination spa with over 20,000 square feet of space over two decks. The spa , known as Samsara, will have a gymnasium and a spa pool that will give massages using air jets and hot ionized seawater. The spa will offer Ayurvedic treatments, fitness and meditation classes, a tea ceremony, mudwraps and personalized wellness evaluations. Like a true destination spa, guests can stay there, Samara will have 67 cabins and suites with an Oriental theme.  And just in case you aren't into the spa experience the ship also has another unique feature, Formula 1 race car simulators.The ship's first voyage leaves from Italy on July 14.

[via tvnz.co.nz]

As Matt pointed out yesterday, it's a great time to be a yacht owner, there are so many lovely places to play. For those looking for a new place to berth in Italy there is the Marina Genova Aeroporto. Marina Genova Aeroporto is located in Sestri Ponente, a short hop from Genoa, Italy. The port which will be officially opened  in December 2006, will be home to up to 1000 boats up to 230 feet. The port will include a large amount of parking spaces, private garages, boathouses and private parking on the docks for some customers. There will be a complete repair facility and a clubhouse with accommodations, restaurants, shops and other services. There is also an apartment complex with private berths. According to a recent article on the new marine superports, the International Herald Tribune reported that the cost of the larger ports is $3.1 million for a 45-year term.

Hotel Travel News has an interview with Lorenzo Giannuzzi, the managing director of Forte Village. What's Forte Village? It is an a resort on the Italian island of Sardinia that includes seven hotels, a spa and restaurants.  The hotels are all four and five star and each has a slightly different feel, from village quaint to seaside luxe like the Hotel Castello, shown here. The village recently went through a big renovation and  will host the German soccer team before the FIFA World Cup. A future renovation will include a dedicated pool with sea water. For those of us who can't do without our laptops, the village offers wireless in the rooms and most public areas around the resort. Currently the resort caters mainly to an Italian crowd but more and more people are finding out about the resort which offers a wide variety of recreation opportunities from golf and tennis to diving and jet-skiing. They are currently booking Easter packages that start at 600 euros for a three-night stay with breakfast, lunch and dinner with mineral water and local wine and  free entrance to the “Thermae del Forte” spa  with use of the thalassotherapy pools, gym, sauna and Turkish bath.
 

We've covered plenty of car rallies but what about yacht rallies? The Med Red Rally is for those who are interested in spending time dashing around the Mediterranean in a convoy of large sailing yachts. This year's rally starts in Marmaris, Turkey on April 6 and hits major spots in Israel and Egypt, squeezes through the Suez Canal and winds up in the Red Sea ending on May 2. According to BYM News, sailors from Turkey, USA, Canada, France, Belgium, Russia, South Africa, Great Britain, Switzerland, Holland, New-Zealand, Turkey and Israel will take part in the grand adventure. Events along the route include a bus trip to Jerusalem, a trip to Cairo and the Pyramids, a starlight party at Tawila Island and an Egyptian Style ceremony in Sharm-El-Sheikh. Sounds like an amazing experience.