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

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 British monarch who ruled the largest empire in history would no doubt be pleased by the new 2 million ocean liner that the fabled Cunard Line recently christened after her. By any standard, Queen Victoria, known simply as “the QV,” is an imposing vessel.

Though it dates to 1861, Beau-Rivage Palace in Lausanne, Switzerland, is by no means fusty and old-fashioned. A recently completed million refurbishment—which spanned 12 years—has kept this Belle Epoque gem on the banks of Lake Geneva looking shiny and new.

Turn-of-the-20th-century Finnish composer Jean Sibelius is said to have seen music in shapes and colors. This may explain why, when he needed inspiration, Sibelius retired to the Hotel Kämp in Helsinki, Finland.

In Munich, Germany, new boutiques and fashionable wine bars mingle with the city’s traditional beer-hall, brass-band gusto. This merry dance of old and new continues at the Hotel Vier Jahreszeiten Kempinski München, a 150-year-old grande dame that occupies a commanding position on the broad Maximilianstrasse.

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.

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).

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