A Luxury Travel Blog

Concierge.com, the online home for inspired travel from Conde Nast has posted its picks for the third annual World’s Sexiest Beaches list.  Beaches are both on and off the beaten path and are chosen for their beauty, buzz factor and overall steamy appeal.  Here’s their top ten:

1. Caprera Island, Sardinia, Italy
2. Salvador, Bahia, Brazil 
3. Cousine Island, Seychelles 
4. Playa de los Lances, Tarifa, Spain
5. Pink Sand Beach, Harbour Island, Bahamas 
6. Kuta Beach, Bali, Indonesia
7. South Beach, Miami, Florida 
8. Pigeon Point Beach, Antigua 
9. Bodrum, Turkey 
10. Santa Maria Beach, Ilha do Sal, Cape Verde

Starwood Capital Group (not to be confused with Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide) has announced the creation of a new five-star luxury hotel brand inspired by Baccarat’s global iconic status. The new brand, to be known as Baccarat Hotels and Resorts, aims to ”deliver a distinctively personalized experience at the world’s most sought-after locations”.  From their press release:

Each Baccarat Hotel will be unmistakably unique, designed to draw upon its surroundings while upholding the passionate attention to detail one would expect from the Baccarat name. From its impeccably high standards of service to its refined interior and exterior design, guests and residents will be instantly enveloped by Baccarat’s world-renowned blend of culture and aesthetics from the moment they walk through the lobby doors. Every shimmering detail will radiate elegance, from luminous expansive rooms and residences, which will number from 80 to 250 per property, to luxurious furnishings, which will feature signature Baccarat chandeliers. Other features will include world-class dining options and exclusive services designed to shape personalized experiences for every guest.

The first hotel from Baccarat Hotels and Resorts will be in Wailea, Hawaii, and is expected to open in 2010. Further projects in the Caribbean, Europe and the Far East are anticipated.

Equestrians looking for a vacation to pursue their passion need look no further than Half Moon, the only resort to boast its own equestrian centre in Jamaica and one of only three such resorts in the Caribbean. Led by skilled and passionate trainers, the centre offres exciting programmes for all ages. Guests can take advantage of the signature Beach Ride, which takes riders for an exhilarating swim on horseback into the sea. The Jungle Jaunt, ideal for beginners and those looking to refresh their skills, leads riders through a wooded grove and along paths on a scenic hillside. Little ones need not feel left out also, as the centre offers pony rides for children under six. Prices for riding experiences are $15 for pony rides, $50 for the Jungle Jaunt and $70 for the Beach Ride, while a private riding lesson is only $50 for 30 minutes.

Forbes has run an interesting feature on the world’s most expensive hotel suites, featuring geographically widespread hotels and resorts, from Mexico to the Maldives. To make their top 10, you’ve got to be charging at least $10,000 a night. Here is an abbreviated summary of the incredible suites that they list:

• Two Story Sky Villa, The Palms Fantasy Suites, Las Vegas
  Cost per night: $25,000
• Bridge Suite at the Atlantis Resort, Paradise Island, Bahamas
  Cost per night: $25,000
• Royal Penthouse, President Wilson Hotel, Geneva, Switzerland
  Cost per night: $23,000
• Hans Badrutt Suite, Badrutt’s Palace, St. Moritz
  Cost per night: $16,700
• Presidential Suite, Mandarin Oriental, New York City
  Cost per night: $15,000
• Grand Suite, Grand Wailea Resort, Hawaii
  Cost per night: $15,000
• Coral Suite, Four Seasons Resort Punta Mita, Mexico
  Cost per night: $15,000
• Royal Suite at the Burj Al Arab, Dubai
  Cost per night: From $13,600
• The Imperial Suite, Ritz Paris, Paris
  Cost per night: $13,500
• Private Reserve, Soneva Gili Resort & Spa, Maldives
  Cost per night: $10,000

It’s not happened yet but apparently Starwood Resorts & Hotels Worldwide, Inc plan to elimiate trans-fats from food, catering, room service, bar and lounge menus at many of its properties by the end of 2007.  Their press release states that:

[Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc.'s] goal [is] to eliminate all artificial trans-fats from the food and beverage operations at more than 400 hotels in the U. S., Canada and the Caribbean by the end of 2007. This includes food served at Starwood-operated restaurants, banquets, catering, room service, bars and lounges. Starwood’s efforts to eliminate artificial trans-fats in its food service is a result of a two-year process at its hotels in the U.S., Canada and the Caribbean, including Sheraton, Westin, Four Points by Sheraton, St. Regis, The Luxury Collection, Le Meridien, and W brands.

Aruba has opened a new airport terminal for private jets in a bid to attract more upscale travelers to the Dutch Caribbean island.  The facility has its own customs and immigration so private jet travellers no longer have to go through the main terminal. The number of private jet flights to Queen Beatrix International Airport increased by 21% in the first quarter of 2007 compared to the same period last year.

Bimini Bay Resort and the Bahamian Culinary Team are to join forces at the First Annual Bimini Bay Resort Food Festival, taking place on 28th April 2007, at 6pm. The festival will offer guests an assortment of activities and mouth-watering Bahamian food in a laid-back bayfront setting and will feature seven interactive cooking stations with cracked conch, grouper, conch fritters, jerk fish and more. Tickets are priced at $20 for adults and $10 for children.

Fern Tree Spa at Jamaica’s Half Moon resort is due to open next month following a $4 million investment.   The spa was once the resort’s signature villa, Fern Tree House, but is being transformed into a 68,000 square foot sanctuary for the mind and body. The spa will meld modern spa techniques with Jamaica’s ancient healing remedies of native herbs, fruits and botanicals.

Ritz-Carlton is launching a new brand, Ritz-Carlton Reserve, to cater for those who prefer more unusual destinations. The first such resort within the brand will be Molasses Reef in the Turks & Caicos Islands, scheduled to open in 2008 with 125 suites, 60 villas starting from $2.6 million, two restaurants and a spa. Over 50% of Phase I has been sold and just 13 villas currently remain.

Think what the most popular tourist attraction in the Bahamas is, and you’d be forgiven for saying something like Atlantis Paradise Island or Long Island’s deserted beaches.  However, you’d be wrong.  Apparently, the most popular tourist attraction there right now is the grave of Anna Nicole Smith and it’s bringing visitors over in droves. Such has been the interest that officials at Lakeview Cemetry have closed entry to the general public.

The brand new, 110,000 Carnival Freedom superliner has been officially named in Venice by Kathy Ireland who serves as Godmother. The ship will set sail on its inaugural European tour next week, before going trans-Atlantic in October. From November 2007 until April 2009, the vessel will focus on a series of Eastern and Western Caribbean itineraries.

The 2007 Cricket World Cup Series is just around the corner, and will be held in the beautiful Caribbean in April 2007. But getting between islands to watch your team will be a challenge. The big jets don’t do the inter-island hops. Can you imagine flying from island to island in tiny little planes to get from one stadium to the next? Can you imagine the long lines, the delays, the cancelled flights the lost luggage? Have a look at Celebrity Cruise Line’s Galaxy cruise ship which can take you and your family from island to island, game to game, in sheer luxury.

New lunch and dinner menus at the private island resort of Guana Island showcase pistachio-crusted goat cheese over mesclun, West Indian chicken roti with mango chutney and poached pear with raspberry sauce. And for those really looking to indulge, the spa and yoga centre menus have also been updated with soothing treatments such as the Brown Sugar Scrub and Dead Sea Black Mud Wrap.

In recognition of its level of excellence, Paradisus Palma Real Resort, a five-star, luxury, all-inclusive resort located on the legendary Bávaro Beach in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, which opened its doors in December 2005, has been honoured as a member of one of the world’s most prestigious collection of luxury hotels, The Leading Hotels of the World.

Newly acquired by Victor International and following multi-million dollar renovations, all accommodation at the Biras Creek Resort now consists of non-smoking rooms including 300 thread count cotton linens and Sealy Plush pillow-top mattresses. Luxurious amenities also include Sony LCD TVs and Bose iPod sound decks in the Grand Premier suites, a fitness centre and private dining rooms.

One for all the art fans out there. Des Moines’ Drake University’s Anderson Gallery is hosting “Cuba: Women Artists in the Revolution”, a rare exhibition featuring 50 works by major Cuban artists including Jacqueline Brito, Yamilys Brito, Rocio Garcia, Elsa Mora, Sandra Ramos and Julia Valdes on loan from the Center for Cuban Studies in New York.  The exhibition will run until 16th February 2007.