Located 26 miles south of Cancún, the Mandarin occupies a one-mile-long, 150-yard-wide sliver of land that stretches from the region’s main highway to the Caribbean Sea. Reflecting pools line a thatch-roofed pavilion at the front of the property, where guests board golf carts for a ride through the jungle, past a cenote (a freshwater sinkhole), and along canals to their rooms.

The St. Regis Singapore is the first major luxury hotel to be built in this tiny island nation in 10 years.

It took the Rosso family, the owners of several small, exclusive hotels in Italy, several years to convince Milan’s city government to approve their plans to develop the Town House Galleria. Beyond the usual difficulty in getting past one of Italy’s labyrinthine bureaucracies, the boutique property required special consideration because of its proposed location: inside one of Milan’s most famous landmarks, the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, a massive, architecturally stunning indoor arcade compl

Visitors arrive at the Peninsula Tokyo in green Rolls-Royce Phantoms, the Hong Kong–based hotel group’s signature cars. Managers then usher their guests into the hotel’s cavernous lobby, where Japanese businessmen from the neighboring Marunouchi financial district and women in high heels drink cocktails beneath a transfixing concave light fixture that sparkles with 1,313 bulbs.

Apreamare’s new 82 Maestro combines the nautical heritage of the 150-year-old shipyard with a modern Italian interior. Unveiled at the Cannes boat show in September, the Italian shipyard maintained a classic-looking, expedition-style exterior while inside it’s designed with a surprising sense of openness achieved with details such as a picture window in the master suite and sleek, off-white furnishings.

Depending on engine choice, the blue-water hull can deliver a top end of 31 knots and cruising range of 400 nautical miles. It’s a yacht that is designed for ocean running but is faster than many other explorer yachts in its class.  In addition to spacious interiors, the designers also maximized the exterior three decks: The bridge has three lounges, sun platform, Jacuzzi, and wet bar, while the teak-laden cockpit area below is a good spot for al fresco dining. The new Maestro series will include 51 and 65 models. (www.apreamare.it)

—Michael Verdon

Since 1867, the Amstel has been a fixture on the banks of its namesake river in Amsterdam, Netherlands. The hotel became an InterContinental property in 1981 and since has reduced the number of accommodations (which now total 55 guest rooms and 24 suites, most with views of the Amstel River).

The historic Hotel Caruso, Orient-Express Hotels’ fourth property in Italy, incorporates the excavated remains of an 11th-century palace, a colonnade that dates to the 17th century, and buildings and artworks from the 1700s. But the property, which opened after a million restoration in 2005, does not lack for modern comforts.

12/08/2008
Trouble in paradise… It started on November 30th with 13 employees refusing to leave after being fired from the luxury resort island. The situation escalated into a full on riot with over 200 employees clashing with somewhere between 20 and 50 police. Police used pepper spray and electric batons to subdue the crowd and make arrests.

Then Tuesday December 2nd, the employees rose up again with 100 employees protesting. Management says that the strikers have given no specific demands, and that they will be also be fired on Monday with the resort closed, if they do not return to work. 4 days later 200 employees began a hunger strike. Organizers of the protest say that they are following tactics that worked for the employees of similar resorts in Manafaru and Cinnamon.

No resolution has been reported as of yet.

Sources:
Human Rights Commission Defends Report
We Will Close Down If Necessary: Resort Manager

Wyoming hole? You mean Jackson Hole, Wyoming. You will ski and snowboard it like you mean it! 4,139 vertical feet with 2,500 acres of in bound terrain, and over 3,000 back country. With that much area, Jackson Hole has one of the lowest skier densities in the country.

Okay, after skiing you’ll chill out and put your feet up at a really sweet mountain resort. Hotel Terra at Jackson Hole is one of the best around. At the high end, this and the Four Seasons are your best resort options in Jackson.

Terra offers the advantage of a smaller carbon footprint, as it is one of the first eco-friendly green hotels. What does that mean? Well, to name a couple things: 100% recycled shingles, 90% of interiors capture natural sunlight, made from 80% recycled steel, super high tech water and air filtration systems, and more.

Here are some photos:

luxury suites

The brand new Chill Spa at Terra

View of the Terra hotel, which is pending LEED certification (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) at night

what you can expect heading into town

here’s the trail map, so that you can plan your day:

allright, now get psyched!

A few more links:
http://www.hotelterrajacksonhole.com/
www.jacksonhole.com
http://www.jhunderground.com/
http://www.jacksonhole.net/transportation.htm

The newest phase south beach luxury hotels has just opened. Designed to be “Sleeping Beauty’s Castle” Mondrian is now open in South Beach Miami. The Morgans group does it again, putting fun hotels in beach towns where the glamorous hang out. The grounds are full of secret pathways through lush gardens, plunge pools, pool bars, and cabanas – with a separate area for kids.

The unique thing about this hotel is the condo aspect. Residences at South Beach Mondrian start at $500,000. Owners enjoy the same concierge and amenities as guests, only they never have to leave the renowned FL beach city.

MONDRIAN
1100 West Avenue, Miami Beach, FL 33139
T 305 514 1500 F 305 695 3277
Reservations US 800 697 1791
Reservations International 00800 4969 1780