A Luxury Travel Blog

Today and the next two days sees the premier show dedicated to skin and spa professionals and the companies that serve them. Held in New York at the Jacob Javits Convention Center, the American Spa Expo is co-located with the International Beauty Show. The event attracts top-level buyers from around the world.

The owners of a seafront hotel in Hove, near Brighton, East Sussex have vowed to continue with the £5 million renovation project currently in progress, despite the middle section of the hotel caving in without warning on Friday night. After an inspection on yesterday, engineers said the Sackville Hotel was safe and would not fall down any further. Sackville Hotel Ltd said it still intended to deliver a five-star hotel that Hove “could be proud of”.

President George W. Bush spent last weekend at The Lodge at Rancho Mirage and, as you might expect, he stayed in the presidential suite. Cradled by the Santa Rosa Mountains, this lavish oasis offers world-class service the unequalled desert elegance for which the Palm Springs area is known.

The Occidental Grand Aruba re-opens on Palm Beach tomorrow after a $42 million renovation, reducing the total number of guest rooms slightly from 402 to 391. Stay at The Royal Club, an exclusive 50-room boutique-style hotel within the resort, with its own private a la carte restaurant and lounge.

The Casio Pathfinder PAG-80 is no ordinary watch.  It comes with a compass, altimeter, and barometer. In addition, it’s solar-powered (so no need for batteries), has a world time feature and a great backlight for night visibility.  While it might not be the most elegant-looking watch in the world, it would be great for the adventure traveller or for someone casually dressed in shorts.

Avoid costly overweight luggage penalties with the Solutions Luggage Collection from Ricardo Beverley Hills. These cleverly designed cases feature a built-in digital scale that instantly weighs baggage and its contents. It has received top honours from the Travel Goods Association, winning the Innovative Award at the 2006 Travel Goods Show.

The InterContinental Resort and Thalasso Spa Bora Bora in French Polynesia will make its debut tomorrow. Everything from the thalassotherapy treatments at the Deep Ocean Spa by Algotherm (designed by the acclaimed Dr. Yves Tregger and opening in September) to the 80 generously-sized overwater villas is influenced by the sea. Most notable is the environmentally friendly, CFC-free air conditioning system, which uses naturally cold deep-sea water to cool the air.

Keith Richards, guitarist to the Rolling Stones, is suffering from mild concussion having been hospitalized after falling out of a palm tree.  The incident is reported to have happened at The Wakaya Club, a luxury resort on a private island in Fiji.  The resort was winner of Andrew Harper’s ‘Hideaway of the Year Grand Award’ back in 2004, and has recently opened a new spa.

Guardian Unlimited Travel has teamed up with Gulf Air to offer one lucky Guardian reader a trip for two to Bahrain staying at the Ritz-Carlton, Bahrain Hotel & Spa for three nights. The winner and a friend will travel business class to Bahrain before being whisked off to the Ritz-Carlton, a 20-acre resort complex on Bahrain’s beachfront. The Spa and Sports Club offers an extensive menu of treatments and facilities including indoor and outdoor swimming pools, tennis courts and magnificent Turkish baths. The competition will close at midnight on 7th May 2006.

Fairmont Mayakoba is a new luxury resort positioned just 40 miles south of Cancun. Situated on the Tulum corridor in the province of Quintana Roo, this is a superb location with excellent beaches and Mayan ruins close by. Cozumel and the world’s second largest coral reef are also within easy reach. Check out their excellent ‘Only One Way Summer’ package, with prices beginning at just $199 per night, for double occupancy.

A National Historic Monument, the Hotel Negresco is a Belle Epoque palace on a charming seafront promenade. Furnished with an eclectic collection of antiques and contemporary art, the hotel offers individually decorated suites complete with every modern convenience. The exclusive private beach ensures ample relaxation in the legendary Bay of Angels.

Hotel Principe di Savoia, one of Milan’s finest five-star deluxe hotels, has extended the Da Vinci package. The package allows visitors to Milan to see great works of art by Leonardo da Vinci in luxury and comfort. Package includes accommodation, complimentary limousine service for duration of the stay, complimentary entrance to Leonardo da Vinci’s world-famous Last Supper fresco at the Santa Maria delle Grazie church, and more. See website for further details. Valid for weekend stays at the hotel until December 2006.

The World’s 50 Best Restaurants – now in its fifth year – announced its ‘50 Best’ for 2006 earlier this month. And, without further ado, the winners were:

• 1 El Bulli, Spain
• 2 The Fat Duck, UK
• 3 Pierre Gagnaire, France
• 4 French Laundry, USA
• 5 Tetsuya, Australia
• 6 Michel Bras, France
• 7 Alain Ducasse – Le Louis XV, Monaco
• 8 Per Se, New York
• 9 Arzak, Spain
• 10 Mugaritz, Spain
• 11 El Raco de Can Fabes, Spain
• 12 Nobu, London
• 13 Gambero Rosso, Italy
• 14 Gordon Ramsay (Ryl Hosp Rd), London
• 15 Alain Ducasse – Plaza Athenee France, Paris  
• 16 Jean Georges, New York  
• 17 Le Cinq, France  
• 18 Daniel, New York  
• 19 Oud Sluis, Holland
• 20 Chez Panisse, USA  
• 21 El Celler de Can Roca, Spain
• 22 Pascal Barbot – L’Astrance, France  
• 23 Hof Van Cleve, Belgium  
• 24 Troisgos, France
• 25 L’Atelier de Joel Rebuchon, France  
• 26 Charlie Trotters, USA  
• 27 Le Gavroche, UK
• 28 La Colombe, South Africa
• 29 Enoteca, Italy  
• 30 Rockpool, Australia  
• 31 Le Calandre, Italy  
• 32 Le Bernardin, New York  
• 33 Noma, Denmark  
• 34 Dieter Muller, Germany  
• 35 St John, UK  
• 36 Hakkasan, UK  
• 37 Martin Berasategui, Spain  
• 38 Le Quartier, South Africa  
• 39 Chez Dominique, Finland  
• 40 L’Ambroisie, France  
• 41 Schwarzwaldstube, Deutschland  
• 42 Dal Pescatore, Italy  
• 43 Bocuse, France  
• 44 L’Arperge, France  
• 45 Gramercy Tavern, New York  
• 46 Bukhara, India
• 47 De Karmeliet, Belgium  
• 48 Oaxen, Sweden  
• 49 Comme Chez Soi, Belgium  
• 50 DOM, Brazil

At The Resort at Paws Up, the entire month of May 2006 is going to be dedicated to women. Whether you are coming to spend time with family you love or friends you enjoy, or whether it is the mystique of Montana and the adventure of trying new things that draws you, May is the perfect time for Girlfriend Getaways! Each week will boast a variety of culinary delights, guest speakers, and themed adventures. And Mother’s Day Weekend offers a perfect family getaway featuring the fun and delight of Missoula’s Wild Walk Parade and Fest.

Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group has announced that it will manage a new, luxurious hotel currently under development in Barcelona. Mandarin Oriental, Barcelona will be a stylish, 144-room hotel, ideally located on Paseo de Gracia, Barcelona’s most prestigious address, at the very centre of the city’s commercial and entertainment district. The hotel will open in late 2007, with some of the largest guest rooms in the city; it will include 52 spacious and exquisitely designed suites.

This one is only for the ultra-wealthy out there. Rent the whole of Tides South Beach for $1.2 million as part of their Million Dollar Buyout package. This whopping price tag buys you “up to three days of all-inclusive luxury at Miami’s most stylish venue”.  I like how they say “up to” as it implies that you might not wish to stay the full term… if I was paying that kind of money, I don’t think I’d leave early! As part of the package, you’ll get an opening ceremony, dinner for 90 at the Versace Mansion, and lots more.  You could even have a private pool party with professional salsa dancers or a pyjama brunch party if you so wished.