Nov 24th, 2009 at 2:30PM: Last week, while on Hawaii, I had the chance to wander over to Kona Village Resort and stroll through the grounds. I was pretty impressed by what I saw. While the resort is located right next to the Four Seasons, the feel (while still luxury) is totally different.
Rooms here are hale - thatched roof bungalows in various forms. In keeping with the barefoot, carefree style of the resort, the ...Click on a label to read posts from that part of the world.
luxury posts
Book a stay at Hawaii's Kona Village and get an $800 flight credit
Nov 24th, 2009 at 2:30PM: Last week, while on Hawaii, I had the chance to wander over to Kona Village Resort and stroll through the grounds. I was pretty impressed by what I saw. While the resort is located right next to the Four Seasons, the feel (while still luxury) is totally different.
Rooms here are hale - thatched roof bungalows in various forms. In keeping with the barefoot, carefree style of the resort, the ...An open letter to Kim Jong-Il of North Korea
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Nov 13th, 2009 at 11:00AM: Dear Leader, I've heard that's how you like to be addressed by the people of North Korea, but since this is the beginning of a letter I guess I should say Dear Dear Leader. My editor sent me this article claiming that while your people are starving you own six luxurious trains fitted with high-tech communications facilities, conference rooms, and even ballrooms. Since you're reportedly afraid of ...Plan a luxury safari in the US with American Safari Cruises
Nov 9th, 2009 at 1:30PM: When most people think of a "safari" they think of hiking through the bush of South Africa or trekking through the jungles of Costa Rica in search of exotic animals native to the region.
But here in the US we have plenty of our own wild animals to see and going "on safari" here doesn't have to mean doing one of those drive-though "wild animal" parks where non-native animals like zebras and ...New luxury trains coming to India
Oct 29th, 2009 at 3:00PM: It just goes to show that luxury travel may be as enduring as the Taj Mahal. Even in this economy, not one but two luxury trains are debuting in India in the next few months. The Indian Maharaja-Deccan Odyssey, the first privately-operated luxury tourist train in India, will launch on November 18. Its seven-night, eight-day itinerary includes ...Tailor your stay to you at the new Phulay Bay Ritz
Oct 28th, 2009 at 4:00PM: Imagine passing into the new year in the newest Ritz-Carlton in the world. On December 22, 2009, the company will open a new property, Phulay Bay, in Krabi, Southern Thailand. This is the world's first Ritz-Carlton Reserve, an upscale brand targeting affluent travelers. It will consist of 54 villas and a pavilion boutique hotel.
"Ritz-Carlton Reserve will feature signature, one-of-a-kind ...Sign up for flash-sale alerts with Jetsetter.com
Oct 22nd, 2009 at 2:00PM:
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Want to be in the know about deep discounts and deals on luxury travel packages and top-tier hotels? Well then you need to wrangle yourself an invite to the Jetsetter.com email list (or just surf on over to Wendy Perrin's post and use her "exclusive link" for ...Dream Escape: the name says it all
Oct 14th, 2009 at 4:00PM:
The problem with most vacation packages is that they're ... well ... packaged. You may have some room for a little tweaking, but you aren't going to stray far from the menu. As an alternative, you could reach out to an upscale travel agent or concierge, but you'll probably wind up with an experience centered on destinations rendered inaccessible only by price – which, for a particular ...Inside of Bangkok's five star luxury hotel, lebua at State Tower
Oct 14th, 2009 at 1:30PM: Perched at the top of the second tallest tower in Bangkok among the skyscrapers, steel and concrete is the strangest sight. Twenty Ionic columns, white stone and glass come together to form a Roman styled building, as if the center of the Pantheon was picked up and moved halfway around the world. The structure is called The Dome, it's home, the lebua hotel at State Tower. As one of the finest five ...Abercrombie & Kent vacation clubs: try before you buy
Oct 13th, 2009 at 8:00AM: Let the tough timeshare and vacation club market work to your advantage this year. Upscale travel firm Abercrombie & Kent's Residence Club is offering two-year trial memberships starting at $18,700 a year for 15 nights – that's a tad under $1,250 a night. The residences tend to be around 4,000 square feet and have four bedrooms. A&K suggests that you can "even travel with the ...Escape from Chicago with low Fall rates at The Abbey
Oct 6th, 2009 at 3:30PM:
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Several weeks ago, I had the chance to check out The Abbey Resort and Spa on Lake Geneva in Wisconsin. 80 miles from Chicago and even less from Milwaukee, it's the perfect Fall escape from either city. Chicago residents don't even need a car to get there; the ...Roll with the rich in five easy steps: travel like you're on the Forbes 400
Oct 6th, 2009 at 2:00PM:
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From peaking through the curtain to first class to eyeing the VIP check-in line at the hotel, travelers are envious creatures. Someone else always has something we want – be it an experience, device or amenity. We fantasize about the perfect ...Outside of Lake Okareka Lodge by lebua in Rotorua, New Zealand
Oct 6th, 2009 at 8:30AM: Perhaps the best thing about staying at lebua's Lake Okareka Lodge in New Zealand is the setting. The island nation -- and Rotorua especially -- is known for it stunning landscapes, nature's "greatest hits" so to speak. One can sit on the lodge patio and stare out at the lake and rolling, coniferous hills all afternoon, content in the southern hemisphere sun. Or if one had the hankering for ...Inside of Lake Okareka Lodge by lebua in Rotorua, New Zealand
Oct 5th, 2009 at 8:30AM:
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Opulence. It's a term that I as a traveler have rarely been able to use in my years on the road, but I finally found a reason to use it this past September.
We had been taken to a small lodge deep in the heart of New Zealand, a 7000 square foot ...Inside Zurich's finest hotel, Baur au Lac
Sep 23rd, 2009 at 8:00AM:
Zurich is famous as the financial and cultural capital of Switzerland, a vibrant metropolis of over 1.6 million residents, a city full of sharply intelligent, extremely focused, well-dressed people. It's a clean, refreshing environment, with culture and class balanced perfectly to create the ideal city and tourist destination. Baur au Lac, arguably the best hotel in the city, reflects these ...Dive the Great Wall of China with Urbane Nomads
Sep 21st, 2009 at 11:30AM: Did you know that parts of the Great Wall of China are underwater? Yeah, me neither. But according to Urban Daddy, one particular section of the wall has been submerged under a lake since the 1980's. And now a luxury tour company called Urbane Nomads is offering the first-ever guided diving trips to the hard-to-reach spot.
Guides will carry your gear to the submerged portion of the Wall and ...Destination spas hard up for guests, slashing prices
Sep 19th, 2009 at 11:00AM: Upscale spas may not be accustomed to offering deep discounts, but the current economic situation has left them little choice. As a result, you'll be able to take advantage of some fantastic deals and go to spas that might be out of reach otherwise. Live like the wealthy (used to) for a few days.
For the top shops in the spa business, the International Spa Association (ISPA) says that visits are ...Sanctuary Swala reopens in Tanzania
Sep 15th, 2009 at 2:00PM: The Sanctuary Swala Camp has just reopened in Tanzania, and the luxury destination is ready for guests. The $1.5 million rebuild has updated the retreat's 12 canvas pavilions with covered open spaces, large living areas and en suite bathrooms. The indoor and outdoor showers sound particularly enticing to me. But, the best part is probably the view from the large private lounge decks, where you can ...Maldives President proposes green tax for tourists
Sep 12th, 2009 at 11:00AM: The Maldives, an archipelago of over 1000 islands in the Indian Ocean known for their stunning beauty and expensive, luxurious resorts, aren't exactly cheap to visit. And they aren't about to get any cheaper. The President of the Maldives has proposed a $3 per day "green tax" on tourists.
The tax would help fund the President's plans for fighting climate change and for making the Maldives a ...The Abbey Resort and Spa: Luxury on Lake Geneva
Sep 11th, 2009 at 10:30AM:
Billing itself as "the only full-service resort" on the shores of Lake Geneva in Wisconsin, The Abbey Resort and Spa is one of those places where you can almost feel the ghosts of the past whispering around you. The resort was completely renovated in 2005, but its timber A-frame and low-slung bungalow style buildings look much as they did when it was built nearly 50 years ago, when the ...Theatre in Branson, Missouri has "America's Best Restroom"
Aug 21st, 2009 at 2:00PM: Worst airports. Best hotels. Rating these things, I understand. But bathrooms? Yes, the Cintas Corporation recently sponsored an online vote for the best bathroom in America.
Apparently, it's no longer good enough to offer a clean toilet (truly a luxury in some places, believe me), running water, towels and maybe a mirror for good measure. Nope, to compete in the race for best bathroom, you'll ...
