A Luxury Travel Blog

You want and deserve the finest luxuries in life! Sure, you could go to a beach or an aquarium anytime to see exotic aquatic life.  But why not take a trip or build a customised aquarium in your home? Okeanos Aquascaping, a NYC-based international custom aquarium and pond company, which specializes in the integration of cutting edge designs, hand-picked exotic aquatic livestock, brilliant colours, and mesmerising effects, now offers educational seminars and customised luxury vacations for clients.

Clients can travel luxuriously (five-star accommodation) around the world with Okeanos’ staff to hand-pick their aquatic environment’s livestock (fish, coral, etc.) and Okeanos will duplicate the surroundings in clients’ homes and offices, or wherever the client wishes.

Okeanos also offers educational seminars – both public and private – around the U.S. Okeanos’ staff teaches about the habitats and environments that aquatic livestock live in, including ponds and aquariums. Educate yourself, take a fabulous trip, see the world, hand-pick your exotic fish and coral – then take it home!

This week Forbes Traveler has run a feature entitled “10 Gorgeous Glaciers“. It caught my eye not only because of the beautiful pictures but also because I have a particular interest in this subject. Few of you will know this, but my PhD was in glaciology.  Alas, Greenland – where I worked – doesn’t get a look-in; instead, the following make the shortlist:

• Biafo Glacier, Pakistan
• Perito Moreno Glacier, Argentina
• Glacier Bay, Alaska
• Furtwängler Glacier, Mount Kilimanjaro, Tanzania
• Pasterze Glacier, Austria
• Vatnajökull Glacier, Iceland
• Yulong Glacier, China
• Fox and Franz Josef, New Zealand
• Athabasca Glacier, Canada
• Antarctica

Alfajiri Villas luxury accommodation on the Kenyan coast near Mombasa is perhaps best-known for serving as a getaway for Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie back in 2005, shortly after Pitt’s divorce from Jennifer Aniston. Described as “one of the most luxurious villas in the world” by Sarah Miller of Condé Nast Traveller magazine, it actually consists of three villas: the cliff villa, the garden villa and the beach villa. Owned and hosted by Fabrizio and Marika Molinaro, each skilled in the safari business and interior design respectively, the accommodation is widely regarded as the very best East Africa has to offer. Rates typically start from around $400 per person per night. Other notable guests have included journalist Katie Couric and actress Emmanuelle Béart.

There’s more to Altantic City than just gambling and two new hotels that have both opened this summer are helping to re-iterate that point. The Water Club from the Borgota Hotel Casino & Spa is a $400 million hotel that bills itself as “Atlantic City’s first cosmopolitan-lifestyle hotel” with 800 rooms, a spa with five sensual pools, and six designer retail shops. The Chelsea on the other hand has 330 rooms, two signature Stephen Starr restaurants, a 10,000 sq. ft. luxury Sea Spa and a red hot social scene at the 5th Floor.

Enjoy the serenity of your own private world, courtesy of Rikki Davis Yachts at Churchill Yacht Partners. Their elite luxury yachting experiences are set in the world’s most beautiful locations. They’ll pamper you with a discreet, personal service with every amenity with their chartered yacht services, working with partners in the Caribbean, New England, Italy, France, Greece, Turkey, Croatia, Northern Europe, Alaska, Mexico, the Galapagos, the Seychelles, the Far East and the South Pacific.

Just an 8-minute walk from KLCC, Hotel Maya offers services and facilities beyond compare. Enjoy space, comfort and breathtaking views of Kuala Lumpur’s skyline. Indulge yourself in the various eateries serving local and international cuisine. Step into Anggun Spa and be captivated by its serene ambience and the skills of its friendly masseurs.

An insight into Tahune Airwalk, one of Tasmania’s best-known attractions.

Travel+Leisure have published their third annual It List - their picks of where in the world we should be visiting next. Making the shortlist, from beach resorts to city hideaways, are the following 30 places:

• Banyan Tree Maldives Madivaru
• J.K. Place Capri, Italy
• Mandarin Oriental Riviera Maya, Mexico
• Six Senses Hideaway Yao Noi, Thailand
• Qualia, Hamilton Island, Australia
• Haymarket Hotel, London
• Regent Bal Harbour, Florida
• Hotel Fasano, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
• JIA Shanghai, China
• Onguma Plains, The Fort on Fisher’s Pan, Etosha, Namibia
• El Silencio Lodge & Spa, Bajos Del Toro, Costa Rica
• Azura Lodge, Benguerra Island, Mozambique
• Tierra Atacama Hotel & Spa, San Pedro, Chile
• Le Meurice, Paris
• Umaid Bhawan Palace, Jodhpur, India
• The Connaught, London
• The Plaza, New York City
• La Merced del Alto, Cachi, Argentina
• Cotswolds88hotel, The Cotswolds, England
• The Farm at Cape Kidnappers, Te Awanga, New Zealand
• Hotel Nord-Pinus Tanger, Tangier, Morocco
• Casa dell’Arte, Bodrum, Turkey
• Riad Meriem, Marrakesh, Morocco
• La Purificadora, Puebla, Mexico
• Hôtel Le Bellechasse, Paris, France
• Posada de Mike Rapu, Explora en Rapa Nui, Easter Island, Chile
• Hotel Terra, Jackson Hole, Wyoming
• Southern Ocean Lodge, Kangaroo Island, Australia
• St. Regis Singapore
• The Peninsula Tokyo, Japan  

Le Château d’Ouchy opens its doors today.  It consists of a hotel, restaurant, lounge bar and terrace, offering a stunning place to relax and unwind on the shores of Lake Geneva. The re-opening of Le Château d’Ouchy is the result of a model collaboration between the Loterie Romande (which has invested some 15 million CHF in the renovation fo the property) and the Lausanne Palace & Spa, responsible for the administration of the illustrious establishment.

Overlooking the Caribbean Sea, eighly newly-constructed private villas at La Samanna Resort & Spa are the ultimate holiday hideaway. Perfect for a group of family or friends, these palatial residences include beautiful pools, oversized terraces and private staff. In addition, La Samanna’s watersports, spa and beach cabanas are instantly available. What’s more, they are just 10 minutes from the international airport, and 15 minutes from Marigot, the capital of St. Martin in the French West Indies.

The sky’s the limit with Cloud9, the new private jet and lifestyle management company that arranges your travel, door-to-door, in total comfort and style. A single call to the members’ 24-hour booking line is all it takes to arrange a journey that avoids the drawbacks of commercial flights. Aircraft are mostly five and six-seater Cessna Citation planes, and limousines and helicopters are all part of the service.

Home to a number of scenes from The Da Vinci Code, Château de Villette sits in 185 acres of private gardens just 40 minutes away from Paris.  You can rent the entire property for exclusive use, with its 18 bedrooms and professional gourmet kitchen.  Alternatively, it’s also a popular wedding venue, as well as being used for special events and business meetings.

Book any studio suite at The Market Common Myrtle Beach and receive a complimentary suite upgrade. As a VIP guest you will also receive a VIP helicopter tour, Aveda products in-room, online grocery shopping with complimentary delivery, free WiFi, complimentary Starbucks at office coffee bar and late check-out (subject to availability). Mention code VIP0708 when booking.

Enjoy the delights of London this summer with a stay at the award-winning Draycott Hotel with London’s finest shopping and restaurants just minutes away. Allow them to spoil you with an indulgent Traditional Afternoon Tea on arrival and all the other luxurious trimming you’d expect from a five star townhouse.  The package also includes an early evening glass of Champagne, a mug of hot chocolate before bedtime and English breakfast. Deluxe double: £255. Suite: £335.  Rates are subject to VAT, and the offer is valid from 26th July to 7th September 2008.

The Sonoma County Vintners and Sonoma Valley Vintners & Growers will next month debut the Sonoma Wine Country Weekend - a three-day wine, food, and auction extravaganza to be held on Labor Day Weekend (29th-31st August 2008). This event will combine the best of the Sonoma County Showcase of Wine & Food and the Sonoma Valley Harvest Wine Auction to offer the definitive Sonoma Wine Country experience and raise Sonoma County’s national profile as a premier wine and food destination.

Ideally located in the heart of The World: Pangkor Laut Luxury Resort & Residence.