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Aurelio Lech Wins Editors' Choice Award for Best in Winter Travel (with video)

Hotel Aurelio Lech wins the Editors' Choice Award for Best in Winter Travel from Luxist.

Aurelio Lech, the quaint boutique hotel nestled in the exclusive resort of Lech am Arlberg, is the winner of Luxist's Editors' Choice Award for Best in Winter Travel.

The hotel is located in Lech am Arlberg, in the Lech and Zürs area. One of Europe's finest skiing destinations, the area offers the glamour and glitz of Milan or Paris in the setting of a quaint mountain town. Packed with top-notch restaurants, stellar scenery and copious entertainment opportunities, the area dates back to the fourteenth century. Like many ski resorts in Austria – as opposed to ones in France and Switzerland – Lech and Zürs offers a slightly younger, more laid-back atmosphere.

Though the Aurelio Lech is located in an longtime ski village, it is new, only opening in December 2008. The hotel is well-equipped and provides all the sophistication and comforts of a world-class hotel, from its gorgeous spa to the lovely indoor swimming pool where guests can relax after a hard day on the slopes.

Gallery: More from Hotel Aurelio

Tags: aurelio lech, Austria, awards-main, lech and zurs, Lech Ski School, luxist-awards, ski, ski hotels, ski resorts, winners-editors-choice, winners-winter-travel

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Four Seasons, George V wins Readers' Choice Award for Best City Hotel

by Carrie Coolidge (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Dining, Luxury Travel & Hotels

Only a few short steps away from the Champs-Elysées, is the world-renowned Four Seasons Hotel George V Paris. This world-renowned hotel in the heart of Paris is the Luxist Awards' Readers' Choice Winner for Best City Hotel.

The opulent hotel's gracious lobby is beautifully decorated with an impressive collection of objets d'art; the 17th-century tapestries adorning its walls are breathtaking. The hotel has a spirit that lives on in thoroughly reborn, highly advanced spaces. The Four Seasons George V Paris redefines luxury and impeccable service in the City of Light.

Rising eight stories above the city, the hotel was built in 1928. It offers 245 guest rooms with nearly one-quarter being suites. All feature unique architectural details and many feature private terraces overlooking Paris. The guest rooms are among the most spacious of all Paris hotels.The hotel is ideally situated in what is referred to as the "Golden Triangle of Paris". The River Seine is nearby as is the Arc de Triomphe and the Eiffel Tower, while some of the world's best shopping is a delightful 10 minute walk away.

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Cunard Wins Readers' Choice Award for Best Caribbean Cruise Line

by Carrie Coolidge (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Dining, Luxury Travel & Hotels

Arguably the grandest, most magnificent ocean liner ever built, Cunard Line's Queen Mary 2 is the winner of the Luxist Awards' Readers' Choice Award for Best Caribbean Cruise. Queen Mary 2 is the flagship of Cunard, whose history dates back to 1839 when Her Majesty Queen Victoria awarded Sir Samuel Cunard of Halifax, Nova Scotia, the first ever license to deliver mail across the Atlantic Ocean.

While she is described as "timeless elegance", Queen Mary 2, which debuted in 2004, offers the latest luxury amenities, from the pampering services of the first Canyon Ranch SpaClub® at sea to a pool with a retractable roof, allowing it to be enjoyed in inclement weather. Queen Mary 2 also offers an award-winning intellectual and entertainment enrichment program led by prestigious experts in a variety of fields, including literature, the arts, politics, the sciences, culture, maritime history and academia.

The ship, which cost an estimated $800 million to build, is 1,132 feet long--113 feet longer than her predecessor Queen Mary, with space for 2,592 guests in lower berths and 3,056 total guest capacity, when including third and fourth berths. Her crew numbers 1,253.

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Vail and Beaver Creek Win Readers' Choice Award for Best Luxury Family Winter Vacation

by Carrie Coolidge (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels, Sports

If escaping to warmer weather isn't your optimal idea of a vacation, head west to the Rockies for a family ski trip. There, the air is clear, the powder is fresh, and the amenities are plenty. For the best of all three, try Beaver Creek and Vail – the winners of the Luxist Awards' Readers' Choice Award in the Best Luxury Family Winter Vacation category.

Perhaps the most famous of America's ski resort towns, Vail has its reputation for good reason. Vail Mountain, at 5,289 skiable acres, is the largest single mountain ski resort in the U.S.; the town of Vail is a luxury ski bum's dream. The area, which is reminiscent of renowned resorts such as Switzerland's St. Moritz, Italy's Cortina and Spain's Val d'Aran, it is a year-round destination for families with plenty of activities geared for all ages. Its legendary ski slopes make Vail the ultimate place to enjoy world-class skiing and snowboarding in addition to Nordic skiing, snowshoeing and ice skating. Kids ages four and under ski free; children's lift tickets start at age five and go to age 12. Nightlife includes world-class theater productions and some of the best dining in Colorado.

Vail offers plenty of other activities, such as the Nature Discovery Center atop Vail Mountain. The Nature Discovery Center has provided guests with access to the wonders of the natural world in addition to a variety of environmental education and interpretive programs led by naturalists. During the winter season, Vail Ski School students visit the Discovery Center as part of the ski school's SKE-Cology program, which educates youth about mountain safety and mountain ecology. In winter and summer, naturalists lead snowshoe tours and nature hikes that explore the sub-alpine habitat atop Vail Mountain, including Nature at Night, a free nature talk held under the stars. Expert naturalists also host regular moonlit snowshoe tours, allowing guests to learn about their surroundings while snowshoeing through the White River National Forest.

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Aurelio Lech Wins Readers' Choice Award for Best Ski Hotel

by Carrie Coolidge (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels, Sports

Aurelio Lech, Austria's most luxurious ski and spa lodge, nestled in the exclusive resort of Lech am Arlberg, is the winner of the Luxist Awards' Readers' Choice Award for Best Ski Hotel.

Aurelio Lech, which opened in December 2008, provides all the sophistication and comforts of a world-class hotel combined with the ambiance and elegance of a private residence. Each of its nineteen bedrooms and suites were individually designed and offer cozy, chic and extremely luxurious amenities. The resort's 14 deluxe double rooms and five suites and junior suites all offer views of the snowy slopes.

The resort offers two spas, including the Spa at Aurelio Lech which is a holistic day spa with exclusive treatments, a modern fitness center complete with the latest equipment and a personal coach, several indoor pools including an activity pool, an extensive thermal suite and a tranquil meditation center where guests relax in front of an open fire. The Ski Spa has a herbal sauna, aroma vapor bath, cooling-off pool, blossom bath, adventure showers, Jacuzzi, Techno-Gym equipment and treatment rooms. At 23 meters in length, one of the resort's two swimming pools is the largest and deepest swimming pool in Lech.

The hotel's butler and concierge service can arrange a variety of activities, including heli-skiing and heli-boarding in the Arlberg Mountains. There's also Nordic walking, tobogganing, horse-drawn sleigh rides, ice-skating, snowshoeing, paragliding and much more.The resort has professional instructors and fully certified ski guides. The Lech Ski School is one of the first of its kind and was established in 1925.

One part of the Hotel Aurelio, "The Aurelio Club", can be rented exclusively as a chalet with nine rooms, its own spa, including a swimming pool, chimney room lounge and a separate meeting room.

Rates for a deluxe double room range from 675 euros to 1,500 euros per night, depending on the date; while suites range from 900 euros to 2,200 euros a night. A video of the hotel can be viewed here.

Gallery: More from Hotel Aurelio

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Lech and Zurs Wins Readers' Choice Award for Best International Ski Destination

by Carrie Coolidge (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels, Sports

Lech and Zürs in Austria is the winner of the Luxist Awards' Readers' Choice Award for Best International Ski Destination.

One of Europe's finest skiing locations, Lech and Zürs offers the glamour and glitz of Milan or Paris in the setting of a quaint mountain town. Packed with top-notch restaurants, stellar scenery and copious entertainment opportunities, it is made up of the neighboring hamlets Lech am Arlberg and Zürs.

Lech and Zürs dates back to the fourteenth century. Like many ski resorts in Austria – as opposed to ones in France and Switzerland – Lech and Zürs offers a slightly younger, more laid-back atmosphere. It is established as one of the world's greatest ski resorts and a snowy playground for Europe's rich and famous. Renowned for its five month guaranteed snow season, glamour and quality skiing, attractions include outdoor performances like "Viva Verdi: The Magic of Arias in the Alpine Landscape," a riveting performance of light, fire and passion enacted on a unique outdoor stage setting consisting of several hundred cubic meters of snow and ice with an impressive natural backdrop.

Located in a particularly snowy region, the road between Lech and Zürs is sometimes blocked during the winter, making the villages unreachable each other except by ski or snowmobile. Fortunately, the two towns are linked by countless trails and lifts. Lech is almost entirely self-sufficient thanks to a local biomass power plant.

The Lech ski lift system has a limit on the number of day passes to prevent over-crowding and queuing. A 14,000 limit on the number of day passes is strictly enforced but anyone staying in the village of Lech has a guaranteed pass during their visit. The 2009/2010 winter season began on December 4 and will last until April 24th.

The villages of Lech and Zürs have only a few dozen hotels and guest houses between them. When in the area, check out Hotel Aurelio (a nominee for a Readers' Choice Award for Best Ski Hotel) or Hotel Almhof Schneider. With an unfavorable exchange rate for Americans, an Austrian ski vacation won't be cheap, but it will no doubt be as memorable as any in the international ski destination category.

Tags: Austria, awards-main, hotel almhof schneider, Hotel aurelio, HotelAlmhofSchneider, HotelAurelio, lech, luxist-awards, ski resorts, SkiResorts, winners-winter-travel, wintertravel-awards, wintertravel-main, zurs

Readers' Choice Award Nominees for Best in Winter Travel

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Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels

Best Caribbean Cruises
Each of finalists for the Readers' Choice for the Best Caribbean Cruse offers the ultimate in luxury. One features a ship that cost $800 million to build, measures 1,132 feet in length and is outfitted with the latest and most modern amenities, including a pool with a retractable dome. Another offers all-suite, all-balcony ships and the must inclusive ultra-luxury experience with everything included in the fare, including air, gratuities and unlimited shore excursions. The third nominee is perfect for anyone seeking an exclusive experience on a smaller ship while the fourth nominee bills itself as the world's best upper premium cruise line. Finally, there's a nominee known for the feng shui-inspired elegance of its ships as well as the rich cultural activities for its passengers.

Crystal Cruises
Cunard Cruise Lines
Oceania
Regent
Silversea

Best City Hotels
Nominees for Readers' Choice for Best City Hotel include one considered to be the most glamorous in all of London that has been the destination of choice by Kings and Queens alike, not to mention a smattering of Hollywood stars. Another, designed by world-renowned architect, I.M. Pei, rises high above Manhattan offering stunning views. The third nominee is a historic hotel that is only a few short steps away from the Champs-Elysées in Paris. Another nominee, also in Paris, is a breathtakingly beautiful property that was originally a palace commissioned by Louis XV. The final nominee is a tranquil, lush getaway amid gorgeous manicured gardens in Venice, accessible only by boat.

Claridge's, London
Four Seasons, New York
Four Seasons George V, Paris
Hotel Cipriani
Hôtel de Crillon, Paris

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