Scottsdale is best known for baseball spring training, blazing hot summer weather and thousands of cool swimming pools. It’s also home to the Hotel Valley Ho, a 1956 landmark that was recently refurbished as a stylish boutique with a long list of designer amenities, such as Nelson bubble lamps, Phillipe Starck bathtubs that sit in…
If you’re lucky enough to have scored a ticket to the World Cup in Germany, you may need a place to unwind and relieve the stress of rooting for your favorite team. One of the world’s most exclusive spas resides as the uber posh Brenner’s Park-Hotel. In fact, it’s often called the “Spa of Spas”….
Holy crap! Get a load of these absolutely incredible, drop dead gorgeous double Pool Villas in Thailand for sale for $2.5 million US. This September, the world-famous, uber-luxury Banyan Tree Resort in the beach town of Phuket will start selling off these new villas, which you can “own” for 60 days a year. Celebs, royalty…
I’ve lunched at the world-famous Auberge du Soleil in beautiful Napa Valley. It is a truly spectacular Mediterranean style getaway. Now, the owners, Solage Hotels, have created a new, less expensive luxury hotel called Solage Calistoga, slated to open next Spring at the northern end of this renowned winemaking region. It will feature: • Comfortable…
We just watched the Queen Latifah movie, “Last Holiday,” and most of it took place at the Grandhotel Pupp in the alpine town of Karlovy Vary, Czech Republic. And what a grand hotel it is! The opulent main building was erected in 1701. The Presidential Suite goes for about $4,000 US per night, but a…
I’ve been to Sydney in April and the weather was perfect. If you’re going Down Under this Spring for their Fall weather, one of the city’s most luxurious hotels is offering three Easter Specials starting at $299 for one night, $499 for two and $699 for three, including daily buffet breakfast for two and valet…
I’ve skied at Squaw Valley USA, about 200 miles east of San Francisco for many winters. I’ve swum in the chilly, snow-fed waters of Lake Tahoe in the summers. Now, you can do both activities on the same day without leaving the top of the mountain, because this year-round resort opened its High Camp Swimming…
Whenever I see my backyard’s lawn puddling up with wintry rain, I daydream of escaping to a warmer climate. There’s no better time to transport yourself to the white sand beaches and sparkling blue sea of Mexico’s Yucatan with its recently rebuilt five-diamond Paraiso de la Bonita — “Beautiful Paradise.” The resort is scheduled to…
A good friend of mine has been taking an annual trek to Rancho La Puerta, a world-famous spa and retreat that’s about an hour south of San Diego and 30 miles inland from the Pacific. She says there’s no place like it anywhere on Earth. She says they have dozens of classes during the day…
How’s this for chutzpah? In Sunday’s San Francisco Chronicle, an ex-California realtor ran a dominant ad offering pre-construction pricing on affordable housing — on the Intracoastal Waterway in Ft. Meyers, Florida, the fastest-growing area in the U.S. The Monaco Resort and Spa is a 300-unit waterfront hotel and condo with a posh spa and resort…
My wife is a spa aficionado. She enjoys massages, wrap therapy, enzyme baths, facials and other types of spa treatments whenever we travel (as well as at home). So she’s sure to love Spas of America, a new site about premium resorts, hotels, and destination spas across the U.S., Canada and the Caribbean. This comprehensive…
When it’s snowing and in the 20s, wouldn’t you love to be sunning yourself in southern Florida’s 70s? I would. I love getting away to warm climes during the holidays to exfoliate my stress. A great place to do just that with renowned pampered service is Kimpton Hotel’s Mayfair Hotel and Spa in the popular…