Little Italy: The Venetian Las Vegas

Las Vegas is one of the few cities in the world where the ethnic districts are not marked out by a cultural difference in the food or architecture, but rather wholly created by casino hotels. The Venetian Las Vegas has carved out its own special place in Vegas for the other city that starts with V and has quite a bit more of a storied history to it.  The Venice on the strip offers a facsimile of the canaled streets, narrow buildings, and thousands of years of Italian history that come with the real thing. While you might not see the authentic purveyors of Murano glass in this Venice, you will dine on amazing italian food while staying in any of their all-suite rooms.  The grand canal shoppes are practically a mall in and of themselves, but with all the charm of old Italian streets, with over 80 international boutiques to choose from.

19 restaurants feature in the Venetian, with an unprecedented six James-Beard-award-winning chefs from Emeril Lagasse to Wolfgang Puck. Madame Tussauds' famous wax museum is a part of the resort, as is the Guggenheim Hermitage Museum for those who prefer their art to be a little less malleable.  It's hard to call anything an authentic Las Vegas museum, when so much is built upon the pageant of mimicry, but it is certain that no one does that better than, or on the same scale as, the Venetian Las Vegas.

Special Offers and Packages at the JW Marriott in Cancun, Mexico

The JW Marriott Cancun Resort is a beautiful five star property located on the eastern most tip of the Yucatan right on the beach in Cancun. It is one of the most exquisite hotels in Cancun with 448 beautifully decorated rooms featuring private balconies and stunning views of the white sand beaches and bright blue water of the Caribbean. Check out the following phenomenal specials and offers that are too good to pass up, and get ready for a phenomenal vacation!

Sand Dollars Package, 4th Night Free!

Available for ocean view rooms with private balconies, a living/sitting area, and 1 king or 2 double beds as well as junior suites with pool and ocean views, a balcony, 1 king bed separate sitting area, sofa bed, and a dining area . These rooms have a maximum occupancy of 4 people, and for every 4 nights you stay, you get the 4th night free, to be discounted at the front desk.

Escape for 2 Package!

This package is perfect for honeymooners or couples looking for a romantic getaway. It features a premiere ocean view room with a private balcony, 1 king or 2 double beds, and a living/sitting area. This package includes transportation to and from the airport for 2 adults, breakfast buffet for 2 adults at Sedona Grill, wireless internet access, 24 hour room service, unlimited domestic alcoholic beverages by the glass, and 3 course lunch for 2 adults at the Beach Walk Market Place or Sedona Grill.

Escape Connecting Rooms Package!

This is a perfect option for family vacations. It features a premiere ocean view room with a private balcony, 1 king or 2 double beds, and a living/sitting area. This package includes $100 daily resort credit, daily internet access for one device in 1 room, and the rate includes 2 interconnecting rooms.

Escape Spa Package!

This package features a premiere ocean view room with a private balcony, 1 king or 2 double beds, and a living/sitting area. This package includes daily $50 resort credit, daily internet access for 1 device, early bird special treatments (1 per day), 1 spinning class per day, and a 25% discount on treatments at the JW Marriott Spa not applicable to packages, beauty salon services, or treatments less than 50 minutes.

The Best Luxury Hotel Pools Now Open in Las Vegas

With the summer rolling in and temperatures on the rise, the luxury hotels in Las Vegas are combating the heat by opening their pools for their guests! Check out the list of the best luxury hotels in Vegas to find the perfect pool to swim, lounge, and tan!

Wynn Las Vegas and Encore

These two sister properties have 6 pools total, so you have your choice between a variety of options and styles. There are two semi-secluded European pools which allow topless sunbathing and feature black jack tables or bars, and the Encore Beach Club is a lively scene with Djs and lily pads for lounging.

Vdara Hotel and Spa

This is a four star hotel and it is a casino-free and smoke-free property, which can offer a pleasant break from the craziness of Las Vegas. This hotel has a 40,000 square foot pool deck for guests only, and it is lined with chaise lounges and daybeds available for rent.

Mandarin Oriental Las Vegas

There are 2 lap pools and a Jacuzzi on the 8th floor of the hotel perfect for families as well as a plunge pool and a hot tub set up in a quiet zone for adults. Only guests can access the pool on weekends, but anyone can reserve a cabana Monday through Thursday, which come with drinks, fruit, soft robes, and a flat screen TV.

The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas

This hotel’s three pools are considered to be the center of the hip and trendy. Its Marquee Dayclub has 3 story bungalows with private infinity edge plunge pools. The Bamboo Pool is a quiet, more relaxing scene, and the Boulevard Pool is the largest one which has activities such as ping pong and foosball available for its guests.

The Venetian and The Palazzo Resort Hotel Casino

These sister properties have the perfect pool options for partiers and loungers alike. Tao Beach and Azure are the pools for the party crowd, and the rest of the pool options offer a calm and relaxing atmosphere, featuring a children’s pool.

As a Lhasa Resort: Stay at the St Regis in Tibet

The St. Regis Lhasa Resort is a rare chance to experience the wonders of one of the traditional spiritual regions in the world.  Nestled in the mountains of Tibet, the Lhasa Resort stands on the roof of the world, granting you a perspective on life you have never before seen. Of course, that may just be due to the lightheadedness from a low oxygen count, but either way, it seems incredibly revelatory.

The property itself is gorgeous, merging the traditional beauty of Tibetan forms with modern architectural feats to create a mixture of the local with the international, bringing you into its private world.  Iridium, the on-site spa, soothes the world-weary traveler using thousands of years of accumulated physical and spiritual knowledge.  Its 162 rooms and villas are individual tailored to your experience by the St. Regis butler, who is happy to help you design the perfect stay to surpass your own expectations.  And any hotel with a tea room is a winner in my book.  Check out the St Regis Lhasa Resort for a truly wonderful stay at the heart of a spiritual movement. 

Packages and Specials at the Carlyle in New York City

The Carlyle, a Rosewood Hotel has quickly become one of our favorite luxury hotels in the Big Apple. It was built in 1930 and has 187 elegant rooms and 64 timeless suites. It is brilliantly positioned on Madison Avenue, and it is a true New York landmark. The Carlyle is a family friendly hotel and it goes above and beyond to ensure that even the smallest travelers feel like royalty. Each room description includes a floor number range and most rooms have a description of the view, so book with confidence knowing that there will be no surprises and you will get exactly what you wanted! Be sure to check out the following packages and specials and choose the one that fits your needs best!

Special Promotional Rate

The Rosewood Spa is now open, and the Carlyle has a few special promotional rates to celebrate. Room types include a quiet courtyard location on floors 4 through 18, a Manhattan cityscape view on floors 23 through 33, and a 2 bedroom suite with 1 king and 2 twin beds featuring skyline views.

Suite Special

Traveling with kids or with your entourage of a few friends? Then this special promotion is certainly for you. Enjoy 15% off the Tower 2 Bedroom Suite which is 1800 square feet with 1 king and 2 twin beds and features a skyline view towards the East River.

Rosewood Escapes Bed Breakfast Package

This package features a variety of room types including a quiet courtyard location on floors 4 through 18 and a Manhattan cityscape view on floors 23 through 33. This package includes buffet breakfast daily for 2 in the restaurant.

Welcome Amenity Package

This is for the ladies and gentleman hoping to get a relaxing treatment at the now open spa at the Carlyle. This package includes a $50 spa credit which can be applied to a facial, massage, or the many other treatment options available. This spa credit excludes Blissful Basics, Yves Durif Services, and all retain merchandise.

Want to stay at the Carlyle for free? Then be sure to sign up for our newsletter by April 15th, 2012 to automatically be entered to win 2 free nights at this phenomenal hotel!

Capital Braggadocio: Cappadocia Cave Resort and Spa

Unless you're a professional spelunker, a cave probably isn't something you see every day, although sometimes I do think my cubicle feels like one. But if you're the kind of guy who's got a nice corner office and a fulltime assistant just to get coffee for you, then yours probably feels a bit more like the Cappadocia Cave Resort and Spa. Nestled into the jagged landscape of the Cappadocia region of Anatolia, known for its extensive system of caves, this resort is the perfect offbeat destination.  

Combining the Turkish spa tradition with modern techniques, you'll bathe in the natural healing powers of an area that dates back to 4,000 BC, when people first began to hew their monasteries directly from the rock formations.  With only 79 rooms, it's the perfect intimate getaway, an escape from the banal normality to a place exotic and alive, so natural as to be formed from the very earth itself.  I love the Cappadocia Cave Resort for its innovative adaptation of one of the most historic regions on Earth to the modern luxuries we all hold so dear. Check out the Cappadocia Cave Resort and Spa. It's a luxury you shouldn't take for granite.

Art Gallery Opens at the Hotel Palomar San Diego

According to our friends at HotelChatter, the Hotel Palomar San Diego is the first Kimpton hotel to have a dedicated art gallery space! This luxury downtown hotel provides guests with the ultimate urban retreat within easy reach of San Diego’s phenomenal attractions. The Hotel Palomar San Diego is a luxurious and sophisticated boutique hotel surrounded by award-winning theatres, a lively nightlife, and within walking distance from the Gaslamp Quarter. This is certainly the hotel where Art in Motion is alive in every regard, and with the new Art Gallery addition, the Hotel Palomar San Diego is the place to be to experience art, culture, and luxury, all without needing to leave the hotel property! A small section of the lobby has been converted into Salazar Contemporary Art Exhibits which will feature art work of local artists. The art display will rotate roughly once a month and the profits will be donated to a children’s charity that supports the arts. Be sure to explore this incredible hotel and its newly opened art gallery on your next trip to the beautiful San Diego!

Everybody in the Club: Houstonian Hotel Club and Spa

The Houstonian Hotel Club and Spa is a special kind of retreat.  Boasting one of the largest hotel fitness clubs in the US, the Houstonian Club has over 30 certified personal trainers and its 125,000 square feet of space features a rock-climbing wall, three resort pools, a boxing ring, eight tennis courts, and a full gymnasium court.  If you want your hotel to come with a sports complex, then the Houstonian is right for you.  Not only that, the Houstonian's spa, Trellis, offers more than 100 different treatment options and an indoor float pool alongside all of the traditional spa options.

Despite its premium facilities and total self-sufficiency, the Houstonian Hotel Club and Spa manages to hide itself from the greater Houston metropolis.  Houston has a wonderful 18-acre forest in its heart, and it is within this oasis of serenity that the Houstonian lies. You get all the convenience of the city with the atmosphere of the countryside.  Its 288 rooms are adorned with floor-to-ceiling windows which provide unparalleled views of the surroundings.  It's serene, subtle, and full of the options that every sort of luxury travel is looking for, from business to leisure.  The Houstonian Hotel Club and Spa is a unique expansion of the standard hotel facilities, and it helps it stand out from the crowd.

The Best Romantic Getaway Hotels: Rocco Forte Hotel de Russie in Rome, Italy

Certain hotels have a beautiful romance to them, an elegant charm that sweeps you off your feet and leaves you feeling like you’re floating on a cloud. Whether you’re planning an anniversary, a birthday, or simply hoping to have a romantic weekend with your significant other, we certainly have the perfect hotel in your city of choice. Check in with us often as we will be featuring our favorite hotels for a romantic getaway all over the world!

Our first feature is the Rocco Forte Hotel de Russie. This luxury hotel is located in the heart of Rome on the fashionable Via del Babuino, next to the Piazza del Popolo and near the Spanish Steps. This 122 bedroom property is a favorite amongst the Hollywood A list and it has gained fame for its beautiful terrace gardens. These so called “Secret Gardens” are hidden behind the building and offer guests the perfect place to enjoy each other’s company in tranquility, away from the bustle of Rome. Enjoy al fresco dining at ‘Le Jardin de Russie’ restaurant and take advantage of the hotel’s health club and spa with a hydro pool, Jacuzzi, sauna, Turkish steam bath, and much more. Make your reservations at this romantic gem in Rome and get ready for a phenomenal time with your loved one!

It's Business Time: Fairmont Singapore Best Business Hotel in Singapore

There's a very interesting split in the travel industry between business and leisure travelers. And if you're one of the business types, you know well that you're on the road constantly and the things that matter to you, travel convenience, efficiency, and connectivity, are almost the opposite of what a leisure traveler might want. If the word 'secluded' ever appeared in a hotel description, you'd cross it off the list immediately. So I'm here to use some adjectives you might appreciate hearing in describing some of the world's best business hotels. Today? Singapore.

In real estate, it's all about three things: location, location, location. For the business traveler, it's much the same, and the good folks at Fairmont kept that in mind with the Fairmont Singapore. The hotel is located at the crossroads of Singapore's major business, cultural, and shopping districts.  A staggering 70,000 square feet of meeting space means that you can host an event of just about any size in the hotel's wonderfully furnished top-of-the-line meeting rooms.  The main ballroom itself can host up to 3200 people, and there's another auxiliary room that can hold up to 1,000. After you're done with business, relax and unwind, or treat your guests, at the Willow Stream Spa, one of the largest in the city, ensuring that you can find exactly what you're looking for.  And with 769 rooms and suites, all of the executives can stay on-site; there's no having to worry about booking additional rooms and coordinating transportation to other hotels. The Fairmont Singapore is a business center in the center of business for Southeast Asia.