If you travel a lot it having nice places to stay can get really expensive. The May Fair Hotel in London is looking attract those types of travelers by offering them a way to defray those costs a little: buy one of their hotel suites for an entire year. Of course the price tag is not cheap at $585,000 but it does represent a savings of 60% compared to their regular nightly rates.
It might be nice to be able to leave some things in the suite and treat it like an apartment of sorts (an apartment that includes a daily maid and room service!) but you'd really have to travel a lot to make the cost economical. What do you think, would you do it?
In September, a new hotel concept will open in the Balearic Islands, the cluster of islands off the coast of Spain that includes Ibiza and Mallorca. The Aguas de Ibiza Spa & Resort will be a waterside hotel located by Ibiza's Santa Eulalia Bay marina. The glamourous new hotel was built by local architect Juan de los Ríos, designed by Barcelona-based Triade Studio and run by the Torres family. It will offer 112 rooms and suites. Deluxe rooms and suites will have private terraces and large glass windows. The fourth floor is home to the Cloud 9 club, a hotel within the hotel that will have its own check-in desk, design scheme, services and amenities. Cloud 9 will offer loft rooms including the Presidential Ibiza Loft which is a two-story luxury suite. All rooms have Bang & Olufsen televisions.
Aguas de Ibiza is designed to be "eco-luxurious" combining eco-friendly materials with techniques to reduce energy usage by more than 35 percent in comparison to luxury properties.
The resort also has a gym, climatized pools with mineral salts, three outdoor pools including a rooftop pool, beauty salon, boutique and a business center. The Revival Wellness Club will offer everything from treatments with Ibiza salts to aromatherapy with seagrass and almonds. The resort will also include the Scuba cocktail bar and Air Ibiza, a rooftop par with a red-tiled pool. There will be three restaurants serving tapas at the Alabastro Lounge, Mediterranean specialities at the Oligo: Madeinterranean and modern interpretations of traditional Ibizan dishes at the gourmet restaurant La Sal.
A while back we told you about Itlay's poshest places to stay; now we'll tell you about the poshest way to get to them - Red Travel Italia has upgraded their Ferrari tours we first mentioned last year. At the wheel of the Ferrari of your choice - their new models include the 430 Scuderia F1, 599 GTB Fiorano F1, F430 Spider, and 612 Scaglietti F1 - you can tour regions such as Tuscany, Umbria and Lazio, and cities such as Milan, Rome, Florence and Naples, with five-star stops along the way. Itineraries ranging from one to eight days are custom-tailored for a "subtle blend of art, gastronomy, fashion, architecture, and spectacular scenery." And now an assistant in an Alfa-Romeo will follow at a discreet distance to attend to your every need and make sure you don't get lost en route. Visit www.red-travel.com and see the gallery for more.
Situated on the Great Barrier Reef off the coast of Cairns, Reef Encounter, Australia's exclusive floating luxury boutique hotel, offers "the ultimate reef experience." Its Top Deck Club offers a relaxed ambiance and is designed for discerning of guests: Guests are cared for by a crew and stay in modern, spacious staterooms with A/C, a private ensuite and plenty of space for clothes and luggage. Sleep on crisp Australian bed linen, silk doona, cotton sheets and feather down pillows. Naturellement, soft fluffy robes, plush bath sheets and Australian beauty products are replenished daily. All gourmet meals are freshly prepared onboard with local Australian and exotic ingredients accompanied by Australian wines and beers.
Calling itself a "reef resort" (and sounding suspiciously like what I would call a cruise, but with a smaller ship and fewer passengers), Reef Encounter takes place on a 35-meter luxury catamaran that has A/C throughout, spacious decks, roomy dining and recreation areas, and a heated spa. Off the ship, scuba divers can interact with a Green Sea Turtle colony at Breaking Patches or the friendly resident giant Maori Wrasse, "Frank." Transfers to the ship, on the new luxury vessel Reef Experience, are available via a 1-hour boat ride from Hastings Point and a 1.5-hour ride from Norman. Or, use the Reef Encounter's heli pad. Prices vary by length of trip. Get more info here.
The Grand Mauritian, a Luxury Collection resort and spa from Starwood Hotels & Resorts, "invites you to experience the magic of Mauritian hospitality in a truly luxurious setting." (I accept!) Located on the northwest coast of the island of Mauritius on Turtle Bay, on the Indian Ocean, the resort is set to open on July 1 and is the the Luxury Collection's first foray into the Indian Ocean and Africa.
The resort will offer 193 guest rooms and suites, all of which offer ocean views (some have private terraces and tropical outdoor showers); a kids' club; a 1,500 sqm Mandara spa with 11 treatment rooms; and a selection of upscale restaurants and bars. Spread over 10 hectares, the resort is bordered by the reef and ocean nature park on the coast with sugar cane fields behind. You'll find water sports and diving in the two swimming pools and on the natural sandy beach.
For business travelers, the resort has plug-and-play high-speed Internet access in the guest rooms; wireless high-speed Internet access in public areas; a business center; and venues for conferences, meetings and social events.
Scenic Stowe, Vermont has a new resort. The Stowe Mountain Lodge, which opens today, lies at the heart of Spruce Peak at Stowe and is the first-ever Audubon International Sustainable Community in a mountain resort area. The 139-room lodge is positioned for beautiful mountain views and has a 21,000-square-foot spa with 18 treatment rooms and therapy pools, health and wellness programs through the Cooper Wellness at Stowe, ski-in, ski-out access to over 100 legendary trails, an 18-hole mountain golf course, a heated outdoor pool, high-end boutiques and restaurants.
Conscious of gas prices, the resort is offering a Relax and Refuel Package. Guests who book two nights will receive a a $25 gas card, a three-night reservation includes a $50 gas card and four or more nights will receive a $100 gas card. Hybrid vehicles valet park for free (a savings of $17 per night). The Relax and Refuel special offer is valid from June 20 through Dec. 30, 2008. To enjoy the Stowe Mountain Club golf course try the Mountain Fairways package which includes overnight accommodations for two, 18 holes of golf for two, including golf cart, yardage guide, personalized bag tag, bottled water and club cleaning and picnic lunch for two prepared by Chef Sean Buchanan, to be enjoyed on the course. Rates for this package start at $634 per night.
Whether you are dreaming of a European vacation or something a little closer to home, Travel + Leisure's The World's Greatest Hotels, Resorts and Spas book offers fuel for all your vacation fantasies. The book covers everything from Casa Morada in Islamorada, Florida to Delta Nature Resort along the Danube in Romania. This year's edition includes the usual assortment of gorgeous pictures along with reviews and Travel + Leisure's rankings that include information on prices, service, decor and more. We're giving away two hardcover copies of this beautiful book to two winners at random who tell us about their favorite summer place.
Some other important details:
* To enter, leave a confirmed comment below telling us about your favorite summer place. * The comment must be left and confirmed before Friday, June 13 at 5:00PM Eastern Time. * You may only enter once. * Two winners will be selected in a random drawing. * Two winners will receive Travel+Leisure (value $34.95 each). * Open to legal residents of the 50 United States, the District of Columbia and Canada (excluding Quebec) who are 18 and older.
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?
Vietnam wants your tourism dollars and is going after them with a bit of Vegas-style. Las Vegas architectural firm, Steelman Partners is behind the plans for the $4.2 billion Ho Tram Strip, which will be Vietnam's largest single tourism venture. The resort will be built on the white sand beaches of Ba Ria - Vung Tau Province, in southern Vietnam. Phase 1 of the project calls for a five-star hotel resort with 1,100 rooms, a championship golf course designed by Greg Norman, and Vietnam's first Las Vegas-style casino. The second phase will include an additional resort, another casino and more restaurants and nightclubs. When the Ho Tram Strip is complete there will be five resorts and a conference center. The first phase is scheduled to open in late 2010 and the entire complex is scheduled to be completed in under 10 years.
With the Democratic National Convention set to hit Denver in late August, this town which usually isn't a summer destination might just be the hottest spot around. Local hotels are getting ready for the onslaught. One of the most unique is The Curtis, a hotel that blends the traditional comforts of a hotel stay with a side order of goofiness. The Curtis is a 336-room property that offers non-standard features such as in-room board game menus, interactive video art by Denver artist Gary Emrich and a 5 & Dime Store selling Orange Crush, Etch-A-Sketch and Lemonheads. The hotel has a contemporary style and each floor has a theme including the Big Hair Floor (on 9), the TV Mania Floor (14) and Dun Dun Dunnnnn! (the ominous 13th floor), where images of Jack Nicholson in The Shining and a vintage vacancy notice from the Bates Motel cast a chilling scene. The usual amenities are here too including flat-screen TVs, wireless internet access and iPod and MP3 speaker systems in the rooms. The hotel has a business center, fitness center, and the hotel's signature restaurant, The Corner Office, offers "global comfort food" in a funky retro setting. It looks like they are already booked for the convention but otherwise rates start around $160 per night.
Flying used to be a fun (or at the very least tolerable) but nowadays it's turned into an outright chore. Lines are long, seats are cramped, there are extra fees for absolutely everything, and forget getting served anything to eat (you're lucky if you get water and a few pretzels). That might be the case for most of us but it's not the case for everybody! There are some airlines (usually those flying overseas) that offer luxuries like champagne, caviar, private cabins, and lie-flat beds. Here's the list of the most luxurious airlines in the world:
Tynan at our globetrotting sister blog, Gadling recently checked out Taiwan's only six star hotel, The Lalu Hotel. The Lalu Hotel is located at the tranquil Sun Moon Lake, a place of rare beauty. The hotel is built on a hill leading down to Sun Moon Lake and all the rooms have huge balconies with tables, chairs, and daybeds to enjoy the view. Tynan reports that the hotel's restaurants are excellent (and willing to accommodate special requests) and that the spa treatments are as sybaritic as you'd expect. Local attractions include temples, hiking trails, fishing, a tea research facility, and a peacock garden. For more info and pictures, check out the complete story here.
For the jet setting pet in your life! Your precious companion will never be away from home without his or her "essentials", with the Global Gallivanter Trunk! This luxurious collection contains a water bowl, a pet passport holder, a chew toy and your choice of either a bone or fish plush cushion. All of which are encased in a heavily padded handmade Napa leather trunk, (that doubles as a luxe dog bed) complete with collar and leash holders and a storage area to keep your k9's outfits neat and organized! My suitcase isn't even this nice! The Global Gallivanter Trunk retails for around $2,000 and is available online.
Use SeatGuru to search airplane layout charts before you select your flight seat so you'll never again be stuck with only partial reclining ability or in the back near the stale coffee. SeatGuru calls itself "the ultimate source for airplane seating, in-flight amenities and airline information" and it works -- I've used it. Even though the site is intuitive, there are directions right on the home page.
It's simple: Look up your airline. There's all kinds of info that you can navigate using the tabs that pop up, such as baggage rules, traveling with infants, policies regarding unaccompanied minors and travel with pets. Amenity info is listed, along with phone numbers that may be of use, all specific to your airline.
To get to the good part, the seating chart, break it down further by type of plane. A cool, color-coded chart assists you in picking the best seats for your needs (long legs, near the bathroom, not near the bathroom, etc.). First-class is included. Here's an example.
Thanks to my experienced travel buddy Laura for this tip.
Ah, Scotland, a land of rolling hills, craggy shorelines and legendary history. A new Scottish travel company called Dream Escape is dedicated making the most of Scotland's finer qualities. They are offering the Scotland Power Trip, a two-week adventure for a a couple. The trip includes private chauffeur transfers, touring in a helicopter and 'Spyker C8 Spyder' classic car, helicopter tour of Scottish Highlands, a rare whisky tasting and Islay island distillery tour, a yacht tour around the Western Isles, a one-on-one cooking demonstration at award-winning Kinloch Lodge on Skye with renowned chef Lady Claire MacDonald, private, off-hours tours of Edinburgh Castle and The Royal Yacht Britannia and accommodations at premier golf resort Gleneagles, the palatial Queens Suite at Inverlochy Castle, and the infamous Balmoral Hotel in Edinburgh. This once-in-a-lifetime experience costs $100,000.
