Editor's Tips - Luxury Travel Magazine Australia

TOP TEN LUXURY SKI RESORTS TO BE SEEN IN THIS SEASON

Your DisplayName here! — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 06:47:46 GMT

The Northern hemisphere ski season will soon get under way. Here are the Top Ten Luxury Ski Resorts to be seen in this season, in no particular order. Some are classic choices which never really go out of style, some are the new in-destinations for the ski elite, and all offer the ultimate in luxury accommodation, gourmet restaurants and sublime skiing.

Aspen, Colorado, USA. Haunt of the rich & famous since the 1940’s. The slopes are as groomed as the celebrities who ski here, the runs as smooth as a botoxed face. Serious skiers go for the snow of Aspen Highlands. The older crowd still head for après-ski at the bar at Little Nell Hotel, the younger crowd head to 39 degrees in the chic Sky Hotel. EVERYBODY wants an invitation to the members-only Caribou Club.

St Moritz, Switzerland. The European jetset have always loved St Moritz. The landmark Badrutt Palace Hotel has been welcoming celebrities and royalty since 1896. High flyers also like to head to Kempinski Grand Hotel des Bains when they are not trying out the 400 kilometres of downhill runs. Eat at Chadofo grill in Chesa Veglia.

Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy. A place of furs and Ferraris. During the obligatory early evening stroll down the main street you’ll see a parade of fur coats and perfectly coiffed hair, the owners of which may never actually get on skis. Classy and costly, this historic Dolomites resort also has a great range of serious skiing. Make like the Italians and get above the tree line early, eat on the mountain and ski the bowls all day.

Corchevel, France. Frequently voted the world’s best ski resort, this is definitely the place where the French, always good at striking a pose, love to be seen. It is rivaled in style only by Megeve in the Mont Blanc region. A playboy’s paradise the resort offers the vast linked ski terrain of the Three Valleys. Jardin Alpin is a billionaire’s boulevard of chic chalets and ritzy hotels.

Lake Louise, Alberta, Canada. Those who like a little traditional style will love the fairytale sleigh rides on frozen Lake Louise and the charm of Banff. Lake Louise in the Canadian Rockies also has Canada’s largest ski area. Stay at the stunning Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise.

St Anton, Austria. This picturesque Tyrolean resort has a mix of great skiing and serious après-ski activity. This has long been Austria’s resort of choice for luxury ski lovers. Although those searching for a new ‘in’ destination are also heading to Ischgl.

Beaver Creek, Colorado, USA. Serious money looking for a pretty, more exclusive ski town head for Beaver Creek ,west of Vail. Stay at the Ritz Carlton at the foot of Bachelor Gulch and take a snow-cat ride to fine dining at Beano’s Cabin on the mountain.

Telluride, Colorado, USA. Secluded Telluride is very much an open secret. Locals will tell you,"Aspen is where the stars go to be seen, here they come to escape”. Tom cruise and Katie Holmes escape here often. After a hard day skiing try the Golden Door spa at The Peaks.

Whistler, British Columbia, Canada. Regularly named one of the top ski resorts in the world because of its snow and terrain, Whistler also offers enough to keep luxury lovers happy. The Fairmont Chateau Whistler at the foot of Blackcomb and Whistler Mountains is still the place to stay.

Klosters, Switzerland. Big in the Sixties and always a favourite with the British royal family, the Klosters-Davos ski area is now back in vogue not least because Prince William and Kate Middleton are fond of its slopes..

LUXURY HOTELS: NOT JUST A PRETTY FACE

Your DisplayName here! — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 08:39:01 GMT

For all their designer spas, state of the art beds, marble bathrooms, plush furnishings and executive service, far too many five star hotels are indistinguishable from each other. Which is why your average frequent business traveller can easily wake up in yet another hotel suite with very little clue as to where they actually are, except possibly the day of the week.

This is known as the ‘It’s Tuesday It Must Be Dusseldorf" syndrome. There is no shortage of air-conditioned splendour, but what many of these hotels lack is a spirit of place - an interior design that gives you an essence of the country you are waking up in.

But combining luxury and location can be tricky. Take Australia for example, too many kangaroo motifs can look kitsch very quickly, and what appeals to an overseas tourist might not appeal to a local (think Ken Done artwork). Clearly hotels have to cater for both, and there is a real knack to getting this right.

Southern Ocean Lodge on Kangaroo Island, South Australia (www.southernoceanlodge.com.au) is one property that successfully manages to do this. Owners James and Hayley Baillie, the talented team behind Capella Lodge on Lord Howe Island, purposely used local talent wherever they could. The architect Max Pritchard is a Kangaroo Island local, and regional artists were used for both the interior artworks and many of the furnishings - for example the subtle kangaroo motif on the soft furnishings was designed by Julie Patterson of contemporary Australian fabric company, Cloth. The spa too uses Australian treatments from L’itya, rather than the ubiquitous Asian therapies you so often tend to find in hotels worldwide. These touches of Australiana appeal to the overseas market without alienating sophisticated Sydneysiders or Melbournians looking for a wilderness stay.

Of course it is always easier to imbue a small boutique property with a local flavour than it is a larger hotel, so it is admirable to see the results of the just-completed re-fashioning of the Cape Grace hotel on the waterfront in Cape Town, South Africa (www.capegrace.com). The 121-room five star property has just undergone a refurbishment to be unveiled this month.

Kathi Weixelbaumer a respected interior designer born and bred in the Western Cape, was commissioned to give the hotel a distinctive local feel, and she’s succeeded. Weixelbaumer is known for her elegant interior designs for wealthy home owners, but this is her first hotel project. This may well be why she avoids so many of the usual traps and combines five star style with twist of humour and originality - and a very successful spirit of place.

The history of the Dutch East India Company in the region and the beauty of the old porcelain, paintings and antiques, have all been incorporated into designs, and the skills of local talent have been utilised to create bespoke hand-painted fabrics with a series of beautiful botanical designs depicting native flowers such as the bold, blue Agapanthus. The result is a suave five star refurbishment with subtle reminders of the beauty of the Western Cape, and the history of the V & A waterfront, over which the hotel presides.

Another hotel that has long managed to pay homage to its native surroundings is The Sukhothai (www.lhw.com) in bustling Bangkok. Buddha statues, calming water features, Thai silks, and lush fabrics in this hotel ensure that you never forget the country you are staying in was once exotic Siam.

I only wish more five star hotels would follow suit and save us from the relentless horrors of beige.

LUXURY HOTELS – CHECK IN WITH A CONSCIENCE

Your DisplayName here! — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 07:21:14 GMT

Luxury hotels are palaces of opulence and indulgence but this doesn’t mean they can't be green. Although keeping that green hue when guests expect extravagant linen and lavish amenities can be tricky. As a pampered luxury traveller what can YOU do to be fashionably green (or chartreuse, or emerald, Darling)?

1. Hang up those 100 per cent cotton, thick, fluffy towels
In my experience over-zealous housekeeping in five star hotels (and after all that’s what we’re paying a premium for) tends to mean that even if you do hang up your towels someone will whisk them away and replace them with fluffy fresh ones anyway. Nevertheless 50 per cent of the time you might save a wash cycle or two.

2. Adjust the thermostat
By lowering the temperature by 2 degrees in cold climes or raising it 2 degrees in hot climes you can save a surprising amount of energy and your body won’t notice the difference. If you can, turn it off and OPEN A WINDOW. This may not possible or wise if you are 30 floors up but one of my benchmarks of a truly luxurious boutique hotel is actually being able to open a window. Thank you Le Meurice hotel for the view over the rooftops of Paris when I opened my stained-glass bathroom windows.

3. Take shorter showers
I love the indulgence of a super shower and luxury hotels are known for having showerheads that are bigger and better than normal – I still remember the restorative power of the Niagara – like flow at The Dorchester, London after a 21 hour flight to the UK. Nevertheless it is a shock to learn that the average five star hotel showerhead spills out 9.4 litres a minute, that is over 140 litres for a 15-minute shower. So enjoy the flow but cut the timing.

4. Leave the pen behind
It is beautiful and streamlined and has the hotel’s name on it but do the Earth a favour and save it from yet another biro landfill. If you must have a monogrammed memento of your stay go to the hotel boutique or take the barely – used toiletries (Bulgari, L’Occitane -you know you’re tempted) they’ve been opened anyway. Which brings me to….

5. Look for hotels with Bulk Amenities
A trend among Asian up market resorts groups such as Banyan Tree and Six Senses, and at Australian properties like Southern Ocean Lodge on kangaroo Island, is to provide stylish refillable ceramic or metal containers in bathrooms. Look for a resort that does this – less packaging and less waste. Which brings me to…

6. Move the Soap
Seriously, when was the last time you used a complete bar of hotel soap... or two or three. Yet luxury hotels scatter beautifully wrapped, scented soap cakes around bathrooms like confetti – I counted five on offer in one luxury bathroom recently. Unwrap one and give it your undivided attention.

7. Ask the Green Question
Asking about the hotels green polices when you book or check in lets them know you care. The more customers show they are aware, the more hotels will respond.

8. Turn Things Off
It is surprising how many people who wouldn’t dream of leaving their own houses with the lights glaring and TV blaring will let a hotel door glide shut behind them with everything still on. So lights, TV, thermostat – turn them off before you leave.

9. Get Yourself a Map
Hotel jogging trail maps can help fitness but a common or garden city map means you can walk from A to B for a business meeting rather than jump into a cab, so at least the taxi won’t be burning a hole in the ozone layer on your account. For leisure travellers by far the best way to get to know a city is by wandering around it on foot.

10. Mention the R Word
I’ve yet to find a hotel that has a recycling bin for paper in its business centre or under the desk in the room and despite all that five star wireless Internet we still generate a lot of paper. Of course this needn’t mean the hotel doesn’t divide rubbish at a later stage. Ask your hotel whether they do re-cycle and have a bin you can use.

FIVE FABULOUS BATHROOMS

Your DisplayName here! — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 06:08:56 GMT

I have spent a lot of time in the bath recently, all in the interests of research. Where once five star resorts were concerned with providing the ultimate Heavenly Bed or the best room service, the latest obsession is with bathrooms. Once upon a time a marble vanity was enough to spell luxury, these days we expect far more.
To judge a hotel room by its bathroom isn't a mere indulgence because the truth is that if a property has taken the trouble to install a state of the art bathroom and taken care over the power shower and the designer tub chances are the rest of your suite will be well thought out too.

Five Fabulous bathrooms

1.The newly opened Puku Lodge in Zambia is one of a new breed of luxury tented safari experiences that are pitching camp in the country's game reserves. As Zimbabwe continues to suffer, Zambia, just across the border, is the newest destination for those hunting big game with their telephoto lens. After a dusty early morning game drive nothing is more indulgent, or unexpected, than stepping into deep, hot bath under canvas. At Puku you also get a bath with a truly wild view. As you sink into the scented water you can look out at the wide plain below and watch swabbling baboons, dainty puku deer and impala and herds of elephant making their way to the waterholes. All of which beats a cold shower on family camping holidays when the only wildlife you were likely to encounter was the odd damp spider. Puku Lodge is run by Sanctuary, the hotel arm of Abercrombie and |Kent, which might explain why it is so good, www.abercrombiekent.com.au

2. If an urban jungle appeals to you more, then few things beat the view from the bathrooms of the corner suites at The Peninsula Hong Kong. From your Bulgari bubble bath you can see the skyscrapers of the city lit up like giant Chinese lanterns and the silver grey waters of Hong Kong harbour. The Peninsula proves the theory that a good bathroom reflects the standard of the hotel. At The Pen they've thought of everything before you have, right down to the adapter plugs in the drawers and the hole in the walls to put your shoes in for an early morning polish, www.peninsula.com

3. Push back the windows in the bathrooms of the waterview rooms at Qualia on Hamilton island in Queensland and you feel as if you are in a tropical rainforest. The bathrooms have an outdoor shower, but once you've pushed back the wide, folding windows your deep, stand-alone bath also feels as if it is in the great outdoors. Warm tropical breezes blow through your luxury bathroom while you soak in the tub. Qualia bathrooms are the size of most peoples' sitting rooms – a generosity of size which pervades the whole five star resort, where villas have deep verandas and stylish separate sitting rooms, www.qualia.com.au

4. Water views are also a feature of the bathrooms at Six Senses Hideaway on Koh Samui in Thailand. Here the sunken stone bath is almost as big as a plunge pool and you walk down steps to the water. The eco-friendly resort has no glass in its bathroom window just a series of shutters that you push back for views of the blue sea. The feeling of being at one with nature is echoed all over the resort with its natural weathered wood and cotton furnishing from Barefoot, www.sixsenses.com

5. You will also find a sunken bath in the suites of The Chedi in Muscat in Oman. The Chedi was the first true designer resort in Muscat and is still one of the best. Its cool white interiors and Islamic-influenced architecture make you feel as if you are staying in a sultan's palace. The Chedi is all about secret spaces and walled gardens, so the large bathrooms are shuttered and secluded as if you were spending time in your own personal hamman, www.lhw.com

BUSINESS CLASS AIRLINE UPGRADES

Your DisplayName here! — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 03:17:07 GMT

There will be a dog flight in the skies next month as the major airlines battle over business class.

'All-business' is the new buzz-word. Both Singapore Airlines and British Airways take to the air this May with new services aimed at the premium flyer and luxury traveller.

Slick black leather seats which convert into the same flatbeds you’ll find on the monster A380 are what Singapore Airlines is offing passengers who fly its new all-business class planes; along with stellar service and the comfort of knowing you’ll be flying with 99 other high-paying customers. Singapore Airlines is the first airline to announce an all-business class plane on a trans-pacific route. Five Airbus 340-500 ultra-long-range aircraft have been converted into all-business planes for daily flights from Singapore to New York and Los Angeles and are being phased in from mid-May.

Meanwhile British Airways' new start up airline, Open Skies, due to start flying between New York (Newark) and Paris at the end of May will be mostly premium class. That ‘mostly’ means there will be a few rows of economy right at the back.

Lufhansa is also launching a new all-business service this month with flights between Munich and Dubai in the air from 1 May.

BA has announced it also intends to fly an all-business service between London and New York by 2009.

It is not alone, the air space over New York is groaning with all-business class options. Executive airline Silverjet flies all-business class 767s with 100 flat beds between London and New York. L’Avion a French all-business class airline flies between Paris (Orly) and New York and Lufthansa flies all-business into NewYork (Newark) from three separate German cities; Munich, Frankfurt and Dusseldorf through its jet service, PrivatAir. It also flies all-business class from Dusseldorf to Chicago.

However, not everyone is keen to join this particular Jet Set. Nine months after Sir Richard Branson announced Virgin Atlantic would be launching an all-premium class carrier by 2009 the business-savvy billionaire has backed down, at least for now. “People are losing their shirts, literally” said Branson recently, a reference to the demise of two boutique airlines that were offering London - New York all-business services; the now defunct Eos and MaxiJet.

Whatever the cost for the airlines, one thing is crystal clear, pampered premium-class fliers are the winners.

MILLION DOLLAR HOTEL STAYS

Your DisplayName here! — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 01:45:33 GMT

In the hotel one upmanship stakes, this one beats the lot. Hilton Sydney have just come up with a novel way for the well-heeled to spend their small change, a hotel package that costs a record AUD$1,000,000 aimed, says the hotel at ‘Australia’s flashiest high-rollers who desire the ultimate luxury hotel experience’.

So what do you get for a mere million?
Well, there is two nights in the hotel’s Master Suite where you’ll receive a number of bespoke in-room services (the hotel doesn’t specify exactly what but they’d better be good) and as many Payot spa treatments as your body can take in one weekend. There is no limit to how many you can ask for – a massage for the wallet possibly?

It is not just you that gets a spa treatment. The three Executive Floors of the hotel will be booked exclusively for your 100 ‘best friends’ for one night. And by now you probably have more besties than Paris Hilton since the entourage get exclusive access to the Executive Lounge and the chance to party on champagne and canapés, courtesy of your million dollar tab. Meanwhile either you or your partner will be looking pretty sharp in a new suit that has just been measured up for you by the tailor service of suit specialists Henry Bucks.

From this point on its party time with exclusive use of Luke Mangan’s glass Brassiere and a degustation dinner for all, featuring signature dishes developed personally by Luke for those other big spenders, celebrities including Nicole Kidman, Tom Cruise, Princess Mary, Richard Branson and Bill Clinton; later the Zeta bar is closed for your own private use. And guests will indulge in a Hennessey cognac and cigar pairing with DJ Jim Wood flown in direct from London to spin your favourite tunes while the Dom Perignon bubbles over.

Worth a million yet? Wait there’s more.
You get to drive away and keep a customised brand new convertible Bentley Continental GTC courtesy of Trivett’s Bentley Sydney, NOW you’re talking and if those little adjustments you’ve demanded aren’t quite ready Bentley will lend you another for the duration of your Millionaire stay.

Oh and there’s one more thing... the one who didn’t get the suit, or if you like, the one who did (each to his own) gets to walk away with a serious rock on their finger – Australia’s largest diamond in fact. Care of Bunda, the Million Dollar Package includes an exceptionally beautiful and rare 12.16 carat pear shaped diamond – the only one of its kind in Australia. Which begs the obvious question what happens if more than one guest books the Million Dollar package? There’s going to be some unseemly squabbling over that ice then!

Of course the truth is that Hilton doesn’t expect a lot of takers. When the same package was offered at the Hilton Rome (in US dollars – since a million lire ain’t that much) there were no takers – but a lot of publicity.
I suspect the same can be said of Sydney.

However Hilton is not the only hotel chain to offer a Million Dollar Package. Any one who has a cool $US 1 million can secure seven nights at the ultra-luxurious Maldivian hideaways of Soneva Gili (44 bures) or Soneva Fushi (65 bures, 32 private pools) for themselves and a select group of good friends. For your money you get exclusive use of resort, seaplane and power boat transfers, spa, water sports and gourmet dining. Those interested should contact the General Manager of either. Soneva are coy about how many takers there have been but imply that at least one billionaire (for whom a mere million is loose change) may have taken up the package.

What would I do if I had a million dollars on the nightstand in small change? Buy my own island probably, and then I could entertain my guests whenever I chose. Palm Caye in the Caribbean would suit me just fine, at $US900, 000 for 4.15 acres there would be change.

Hilton Sydney, + 612 02 9265 6045, www.hilton.com. Soneva Resorts, +960 6600304, gm-fushi@sonevaresorts.com, gm-gili@sonevaresorts.com. Islands for sale, www.caribbeanisalndbrokers.com

TOP FIVE THINGS THAT MAKE A LUXURY RESORT

Your DisplayName here! — Mon, 18 Feb 2008 04:38:13 GMT

What makes a tropical island resort truly luxurious? It is a question we often get asked on Luxury Travel Magazine. Once upon a time just having 24-hour room service ensured a resort was considered a cut above the rest, a complimentary shoeshine was once considered pretty swanky too; but the gold bar has been lifted, as around the world ever more luxurious destinations are created.

So here is Luxury Travel Magazine’s foolproof checklist of five reasons a resort is YOUR sort of place.
1. A Personal Plunge Pool
Never mind that you’re only a sandy footprint away from a pristine beach, or that the hotel already has a choice of several pools including a mind-blowingly beautiful infinity-edged number. These have to be shared. The whole point about having your own plunge pool is that you choose whom you share it with if anyone and a bikini is a matter of choice not decorum. It used to be that only the top suites had to have such indulgences: Now no new luxury tropical island resort is being built without one. The pools at the Four Seasons Ko Samui for example, are not so much plunge, as lap since many of its private pools are long enough to swim a decent length in. Ahead of its time the Banyan Tree Phuket has long offered some almost full-sized pools in it premium villas.

2. Your own Butler
No matter how good a hotel’s service is this can’t beat the personal attention that your own butter can lavish on you. Which is why a growing number of premium resorts are assigning one particular staff member to guests for the duration of their stay. At Soneva Gili in The Madives your butler is called a Man Friday and has to row out to the top suites by boat, so secluded are they from the rest of the resort.

3. A Private Beach
By now you’ve probably realised that the buzzword here is privacy so obviously there is little point staying in a luxury resort when you wander down to the beach and discover the local backpackers next door can share your slice of paradise. So a private beach is the next thing on the wish list complete with towels, sun-lounges and hot and cold running beach cocktails.

4. An Exclusive Island
When Robinson Crusoe was dumped alone on a desert island the prospect of all that isolation didn’t exactly thrill him however luxury lovers are no longer looking at resorts that offer just a private beach but a WHOLE ISLAND to themselves –and their fellow high paying guests of course. In place like the Maldives, where most of the islands are pretty small anyway this isn’t too hard. One of the most up-market offerings is Doni Mighili, which is the only island in the Maldives that can be booked exclusively. Voyages Wilson Island in the Whitsundays offers barefoot, tented privacy while Fregate Island, Seychelles offers privacy to the like of Bill gates and Brad Pitt.

5. World-class Food
No matter how remote your island escape it has to have a seriously good chef and a decent wine list. The more remote the destination the more complex the organization behind the scenes to ensure you get you fresh veggies. Produce is often flown in twice a week from the mainland. The latest trend is for chefs to plant their own herb or vegetable gardens to ensure produce is fresh and organic.

6. A Spectacular Spa
I know I said five but there is one more thing to consider. Spas these days have to be as over the top, luxurious and architecturally designed as the main villas. Two rooms and a massage table in the basement will no longer impress anyone. The spa should be housed in its own separate building and preferably incorporate some exotic delights such as an underwater treatment room or ultimate packages that go on for hours, leaving your body relaxed and toned and your wallet considerably slimmer too. The people who run Evason and Soneva properties have realised the pulling power of the spa. So well know were their Six Sense Spas that they have now re-named many of their properties Six Senses Hideaways, dropping the name Evason.

Everyone’s idea of luxury is different so what is YOUR personal check list? Where have you been you will never forget? What is on your wish list? Send me a letter and let us know. The best letter to the Editor published in the Luxury Travel Magazine Autumn edition will win a Mobilizer bag from Victorinox.

2008 HOTTEST LUXURY DESTINATIONS

Your DisplayName here! — Mon, 21 Jan 2008 03:48:20 GMT

At this time of year there are usually a rash of hot list detailing the ‘in’ countries for the year, but backpacker hot lists are not the same as a hot list for those who are willing to spend to see the world in style. This list from Luxury Travel Magazine is exclusively for luxury lovers who are also world travellers who love to explore.

OMAN
With Six Senses Hideaway Zighy Bay just opening and The Chedi already a firm favourite, Oman is beginning to rival the Dubai and the UAE for designer destinations. Intersperse your spa-ing with some dune bashing and desert exploration for a true Arabian experience – night and day, www.sixsenses.com, www.omantourism.gov.om

NAMIBIA
Every since Brad and Angelina headed to Namibia, it is the safari destination of choice for those who want to beat their neighbours to the newest in-destination for game viewing. But following in the footsteps of the Hollywood elite is not the main reason for going. The amount of game you see by the waterholes in Etosha National Park is extraordinary. This West African Country also has vast sand dunes and historic German-built towns. The upmarket Kempinski hotels group is planning to open a string of luxury hotels here in the coming years, www.kempinski.com, www.namibiatourism.co.na

BHUTAN
Surrounded by the Eastern Himalayas Bhutan has remained relatively untouched destination, possibly because visitors have to agree to spend a minium of $US200 per night while they are there – which makes it perfect of course for the five star traveller. Aman now has a remote lodges know collectively as Amankora and Como Hotels and Resorts has Uma Paro. So now is the perfect time for a trek in that direction, www.amanresorts.com, www.visitbhutan.com

EASTER ISLAND-CHILE
This remote island famous for its strange and haunting Moai statues is getting its first luxury resort which means it is suddenly on the radar of those who like to travel in style AND see one of the modern wonders of the world (on my list at any rate). The new 30-room Explora en Rapa Nui promises a futuristic design made from with a building that uses native volcano rock and wood, www.explora.com

SLOVENIA
Croatia is SO last year darling, the new Eastern European destination is Slovenia. This tiny country the size of Wales has a lot within compact borders, ski slopes, beaches, a petite historic capital – Ljubijana and surprisingly good wine to be tasted in Posaveje. It does not have good hotels aplenty; the futuristic Hotel Mons in Ljubijana is the most interesting. The Euro-elite are renting apartments in Ljubijana or old farms and cottages in the hills or they’re sailing along the Adriatic coast, www.properazzi.com

BRAZIL
Brazil has waterfalls, jungle, and of course thong bikinis but now it has style too. The Rio Janeiro glitterati have been heading to the beach resort of Itacare for sometime, but now Hotelier Anouska Hempel’s plans to open a new eco-resort, Warapuru. The new resort has shone an international spotlight on the town – and celebrities always follow the spotlight. Hempel’s other ultra-stylish hotels include Blakes and The Hempel in London, www.braziltourism.org

TUNISIA
The Marrakech Express is pulling out and the in-crowd who once flocked to Morocco will start heading to Tunisia instead. Rjad-style boutique hotels are being created in court-yarded town houses and beach babies are heading to Jerba. Sightseeing-wise El Jem is still one of the most impressive ancient colosseums I’ve seen – and that includes the one in Rome. Stay at The Residence in Tunis or Villa Didon in Carthage, www.viladidon.com

2008 NEW YEAR LUXURY TRAVEL RESOLUTIONS

Your DisplayName here! — Mon, 07 Jan 2008 02:21:03 GMT

It’s the time of year when everybody is doing it so why not lovers of luxury too. Here are five resolutions that anyone who is serious about travelling in style should add to their 2008 aspirations. You’ll be glad to know that not one of them demands that you take more exercise, read more uplifting literature or go on a diet. Your New Year Luxury Travel resolutions should be:

1. ALWAYS BOOK A LIMO FROM THE AIRPORT. Begin travelling luxuriously from the minute you land. This way you avoid unseemly fights for taxis at the rank and taxi sharks who promise to deliver you to your destination in their brother-in-law’s clapped out car. A simple sign with your name on as you step through customs control ensures that someone else pushes your trolley, negotiates airport madness and takes you to your hotel in air conditioned, engine-purring splendour; usually with a bottle of mineral water, the day’s paper and a warm towel laid on.

2. MAKE THE WORD 'SUITE' PART OF YOUR EVERY DAY VOCABULARY. Resolve never to book the entry-rate room at a hotel, a small up grade will ensure you stay in something which is inevitably called a suite not a room, or at the very least has the word ‘deluxe’ in front of it. A little basic negotiation at the check-in desk, or before you arrive will often ensure that your upgrade is free, or at very little extra cost.

3. MAKE THE POOL YOU PLUNGE INTO PRIVATE. Resolve that at least one resort you stay at this year will have a private plunge pool. This ensures your stays really are luxurious. Hotel groups such as Banyan Tree, Sixth Senses, Four Seasons, Taj and Oberoi all offer this kind of paradise in places like the Maldives, Thailand or Mauritius. Heaven.

4. EXTEND ALL WEEKEND BREAKS BY ONE DAY. Go on, it isn’t as hard as you think to get away from work for a little longer and you’ll feel SO much better if you do. Take a Friday or a Monday to make that break just a little more indulgent – and take more of them why don’t you. There are some wonderfully luxurious guest houses out there just waiting for you to book in.

5. GO SOMEWHERE NEW IN STYLE. Pick a new country to explore then book into one of the best hotels you can. So what is on the hot-list for 2008 luxury destinations? The places that the in-crowd are heading to this year? You’ll have to wait for the next Editor’s Tips to find out. Here’s to a World of Luxury in 2008 - YOUR NEW YEAR RESOLUTIONS. Everyone’s idea of luxury is different so what are YOUR travel resolutions for 2008 ? Send me a letter and let us know. Simply email hdoling@luxurytravelmag.com.au. The best letter to the Editor published in Luxury Travel Magazine's Autumn magazine will win a Mandarina Duck duffle bag.

TOP TEN ULTIMATE LUXURY TRAVEL EXPERIENCES

Your DisplayName here! — Tue, 11 Dec 2007 00:02:39 GMT

I am often asked what I think are the most luxurious experiences the world has to offer. So here, in no particular order, are my TOP TEN ULTIMATE LUXURY TRAVEL EXPERIENCES.

A gin and tonic at sunset in the bush of a private African game reserve. Your Land Rover has stopped mid-game drive, food and drink have miraculously been produced, the sun is a red ball filling half the sky (only in Africa have I seen sunsets like that) and there is roar of lions in the distance.
Offering the ultimate experience: www.londolozi.com, www.ccafrica.com

Being treated like royalty in a real palace. Nowhere does this better than India where the old forts and palaces of the maharajahs have been turned into exotic hotels, for example the exquisite wedding-cake white Lake Palace Hotel reached by water launch in Udaipur or the stylish Devi Garh near the village of Delwara.
Offering the ultimate experience: www.tajhotels.com, www.deviresorts.com, www.abercrombiekent.com.au

Staying on you own private paradise island, complete with platinum-white sand, Tiffany blue water and complete privacy. You will of course have the ultimate in luxury bures too. Follow Bill and Melanie Gates to Fregate island, Seychelles, seven beaches are yours alone or drop anchor at Dhoni Mighili the only island in the Maldives that can be booked exclusively.
Offering the Ultimate Experience: www.fregate.com, www.dhonimighili.com

Having a personal butler for the duration of your vacation. The fabulous rich and famous often travel with their own staff, but for the rest of us the ultimate in service can be experienced if we stay at the right places. For example on Soneva Gili in the Maldives your Crusoe Residence can only be reached by water and the butler has to row out. Take a signature suite at The Ritz London and your butler comes complete with waistcoat and tails.
Offering the ultimate experience: www.theritzlondon.com, http://www.theritzlondon.com

Being transferred to your hotel in extraordinary style. The Peninsula Hong Kong has a fleet of bottle-green Rolls Royce to make sure you glide through the traffic in style or pick a hotel with a helipad, like the Burj Al Arab in Dubai, or for making a real entrance try tandem Hang-gliding into the hotel grounds from the cliffs above Evason hideaway Zighy Bay, Oman.
Offering the ultimate experience: www.peninsula.com, www.burj-al-arab.com, www.evasonhideaways.com

Staying where the spa is the experience. These days no self-respecting resort can truly call itself luxurious without a spectacular spa. For example Huvafen Fushi in The Maldives, has an underwater spa where you can watch the tropical fish as you unwind, Four Seasons Chang Mai, Thailand has a three-storey spa building as exotic as many hotels, Pangkor Laut in Malaysia has its own Spa Village.
Offering the Ultimate Experience: www.fourseasons.com, www.pangkorlautresort.com, www.huvafenfushi.com

Seeing the wonders of the world without the crowds. ‘Must see’ lists are full of sights, like the Taj Mahal or Machu Picchu in Peru that you have to see before your die but seeing them in style is the real key. For example Sanctuary Lodge, a five star hotel in the shadow of Machu Picchu, offers private tours of the monument early in the morning or late afternoon when the hoards of day-trippers aren’t there. Bespoke travel agents can also organise this kind of thing.
Offering the Ultimate Experience: www.orient-express.com, www.virtuoso.com.au

Staying in luxury somewhere truly remote. Somewhere you’d never expect to be pampered. For example you bump down a dirt road to get to Banyan tree Rhinga in China’s remote, high altitude Shangri-La region but among the villages and the yaks you’ll stay in a re-built antique Tibetan house, with a vast bathroom and a bed swathed in silks and exotic fabric. High altitude isolation also awaits you at the ultra-luxurious COMO Shambhala at Uma Paro, Bhutan.
Offering the Ultimate Experience: www.banyantree.com, www.como.bz, www.uniquetourism.com

Having the world come to you. Cruising from port to port means you see a whole range of places without having to unpack more than once. Personally I’d prefer my own yacht and crew but many people like the space and company aboard some of the world’s most luxurious liners. Book the captain’s suite for the ultimate onboard stay.
Offering the Ultimate Experience: www.silversea.com, www.traveltheworld.com, www.cunardline.com.au

Sleeping in the same bed as the famous (although not at the same time, which is an entirely different ultimate list). Those with obscene amounts of money look for privacy and exceptional luxury so following in their footsteps means you’re on the right track. Knowing where they go is the key, so subscribe to a magazine like Luxury Travel Magazine for insider information. Obviously you’ll be checking into some of the world’s top suites or you could simply rent their houses directly; for example stay in HRH Princess Margaret’s old villa, Les Jolies Eaux on Mustique in the Caribbean or Richard Branson’s retreat on Necker Island.
Offering the ultimate experience: www.lhw.com, www.neckerisland.com, www.caribbeanway.com

Everyone’s idea of luxury is different so what do YOU rate as the World’s Top Luxury Travel Experience? Where have you been you will never forget? What is on your wish list? Send me a letter and let us know. The best letter to the Editor published in the Luxury Travel Magazine Autumn edition will win a Mandarina Duck duffle bag.