Travel Posh

St. Lucia is a popular holiday destination in the West Indies which attracts tens of thousands of tourists every year. For this fall season, which is expected to attract 50,000 visitors, the island has spruced up its resorts and hotels and increased its connectivity with the introduction of JetBlue flights. The airline has launched direct flights from New York on Sundays, Mondays and Thursdays. Also, the American Airlines is also offering tickets to the island at just $150 each way.

St. Lucia’s three main hotels are under renovation right now, while one resort is under the third phase of its construction and another one will be opening in February next year. Let’s have a look at the ongoing changes in the hotel scene on the island:

• Cap Maison: This hill resort lies above the Smuggler’s Cove beach in Cap Estate. It used to be a sugar plantation and has now been turned into a 1,500 acre hill resort. The resort has the Atlantic ocean on one side while the Caribbean Sea provides another breathtaking view on the other. The hotel is renovating it private Villas all through September and the renovations will be completed by October 10th, 2009.

• Discovery at Marigot Bay: The Discovery resort is another popular resort in St. Lucia. It is going under a complete remodelling to provide a more intimate environment. The resort is importing 800 tons of white sand from Barbuda to improve its beach. The resort also plans to start a beach club and add two more restaurants to its property. The renovations have started on September 1 and the resort will reopen on October 31st, 2009.

• Rendezvous: This is a romantic, couples-only resort with intimate and tranquil settings. Rendezvous is undergoing a $12 million dollar renovation to improve the property’s look, feel and experience. This resort started the Rendezvous closed August 9 and will re-open on October 18, 2009.

• The Landings, a Rock Resort: The Landings, a Rock Resort is under the third out of four phases of its apartments by 2010. Sixty-five new apartments will be completed in this new phase.

• Saint Lucia will have a new hotel named Hotel Chocolat. It is expected to bring new experiences and attractions to the island. Lying on Rabot Estate on West Coast of the island, this hotel will be offering guests a chocolate making experience. The hotel will be connected with a cocoa plantation and will also offer bird watching, hiking and guided Fruit Safari Tours. Hotel Chocolat will open for business in February 2010.

For more information about the island of Saint Lucia, call 1 800 456 3984, or visit www.saintlucianow.com.

If you are planning a vacation and want to holiday in amazing luxury, then give the Punta Cana Resort & Club on the east coast of Dominican Republic a try. This world class luxury resort provides you an opportunity to retrace the path where Christopher Columbus once walked. You can also climb to the highest point of the place and take a relaxing swim in the Caribbean Sea. The resort includes a Six Senses Spa and a golf course too.
A resort and spa development company, Six Senses has won numerous awards for the spas developed by them all over the world and this is their latest venture in the Caribbean island of Dominican Republic. Their spas have been recognized by Travel & Leisure, Forbes Travler.com. This spa and resort in Punta Cana is set to increase the destination’s popularity as luxury vacation spot.

The destination possesses extraordinary natural beauty that mesmerizes everyone who is lucky enough to experience it. The Puntacana Resort & Club is totally eco-friendly and have been built with the idea of co-existing with nature, rather than destroying it.
At the spa, guest can treat themselves to the wide range of treatments including a special signature message and the world famous hot stone therapy. The Six Senses team of master therapists guides the guests through the Six Sphere Philosophy that is believed to rejuvenate mind and body. Other beauty and health treatments are also available in the spa.

This resort offers world-class luxury accommodation with all kinds of activities like Golf, sightseeing, nature walks, beaches etc. For more information or to make your reservations, log on to puntacana.com.

If you are looking for a luxury trip in Colorado, then this is for you. The Arrabelle at Vail Square has teamed up with Kessler Canyon which is a luxury wildlife retreat and luxury resort, to offer their guests an all-inclusive package. Kesslor Canyon is situated in the western slopes of Rocky Mountains. The package includes a six night stay with transportation and all meals in Colorado. Guests can take part in a number of activities of their choice also. This package has been designed to let you enjoy the splendid beauty of Colorado without compromising on comfort and luxury.

This trip gives you the best of both worlds. On one hand, you will be able to enjoy the breathtaking beauty of Rocky Mountains, and on the other hand, you will enjoy bright and happening evening in the Vail, Colorado.

You will be able to pick the activities you want to take part in and create your own itinerary for the trip. There is a huge list of activities to choose from and you can enjoy anything from golf to rafting and Jeep tours to horseback riding. Everything will be pre-arranged for you at the destination. This is a holiday package for all those people who want a stress-free holiday that’s full of activities and adventure.

The two partnered companies are calling it the "From Mountains to Mesas" trip and it is available from now till August 23, 2009. All guests will stay at The Arrabelle at Vail Square in Vail and Kessler Canyon in De Beque. The packages start at $750 for one person per night and vary according to the itinerary created by the guests.

Whenever we talk about a luxury vacation, a picture of lavish sea facing suite in a Five Star Hotel comes to our mind. But once in a while, we all must step out of the box and embrace nature.

Imagine being lulled to a sound sleep by hypnotizing waves and awaking to the most wonderful view in the world of Sea of Cortes. Sounds good!?! Then, come to Espiritu Santo Island in Baja California Sur. Connected with three international airports Baja is easily accessible from all part of the world.

Espiritu Santo Island is located around 20 miles away from La Paz coast and is a favourite among divers, travellers and kayakers. This uninhabited island is a Natural Protected Area and a nature reserve that has over 235 types of plants, 292 types of fish and marine animals, 98 of birds and 32 of reptiles.

Camping is the best way to enjoy the true beauty of Espiritu Santo. These days, a number of tour operators offer camping trips which include itineraries luxury meals and equipment to ensure a comfortable, luxurious and memorable stay.

Following are some operators that offer camping trips in Espiritu Santo:

•Baja Camp: They have a small camp base on the island that offers a unique experience to the travellers. There are 5 tents in the camp and separate bathrooms. The vacation includes snorkelling scuba diving and other such activities.

•Fun Baja: This operator offers a luxurious Safari package that includes all camping equipment, food, and drinks.. The trip also includes kayaking, snorkelling, and other outdoor activities.

•Sea & Adventures, Inc: This adventure holiday company specializes in whale watching and kayaking expeditions. The tour starts from La Paz. It includes camping on Espiritu Santo Island, food and drinks and camping equipment. This trip includes kayaking, swimming with sea lions, sandy beaches and hiking.

Popular travel magazine ‘Travel+Leisure’ has announced its annual list of "World's Best Cities" and Udaipur has been chosen as the best city for luxury travel. Udaipur is a picturesque city in the state of Rajasthan in India which overthrew Bangkok last year’s No. 1 city.

Udaipur is an ancient city that’s situated around a beautiful lake and has great luxury hotels and resorts with one being bang in the middle of the lake, connected to the mainland only by a boat service. The city is also dotted with many palaces and other historical buildings. Due to the rising tourist inflow many more luxury hotel chains are also planning to open hotels in Udaipur, a destination that is still unspoiled by commercialization and has a rich sense of tradition and culture. The city also has fantastic shopping opportunities and tourists find it very hard to resist shopping for Rajasthani antiques, jewelry and handicrafts.

According to the magazine’s editor in chief, there has been a noticeable change in the traveling habits of people. The world has become a much smaller place and travelers, especially luxury travelers are now looking towards newer and fresher places to visit. As a result, there has been a significant shift of interest from traditional European destinations. Travelers want to go to a place that offers a mix of ambience and foreign culture. All these qualities are present in Udaipur.

Apart from Udaipur, Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Cape Town, Luang Prabang, Buenos Aires, Florence, New York and Rome were also featured in the list. Apart from the best city, the magazine also announced best hotel which was Bushmans Kloof Cedar Mountains hotel in South Africa. Bali was announced as the best island for travel and Singapore Airlines was judged the best international airline

Considered by many as the lesser known cousin of Tokyo, Seoul has been making big strides towards establishing itself on the global travellers list. An ancient city which boasts of an exotic blend of history and the modern world, Seoul has a lot to offer to the curious traveller. Seoul is already an international travel hub and is also known for its culture, art & design, food, shopping and friendly people. The ‘City by City’ tour begins with a stay at the 16th century Bongeunsa Temple (www.bongeun.org) which was once the leading temple of the city but is now open to visitors to stay. Here you can experience the life of a Buddhist monk thanks to the tranquil environment which lends itself brilliantly to prayer and meditation for revitalizing your ‘chi’. The stay here will help you experience inner peace and calm.

For the more luxury oriented, there is the ultra modern Hotel W (www.wseoul.com), currently the hippest hotel in town. A contemporary luxury hotel The W features avant garde interiors mostly done up in white with occasional splashes of wood, metal and colour. The interiors are furnished with futuristic Swedish style furniture and numerous designer decorative pieces like the wooden mirror which has cubes which depress and tilt to reflect. The hotel has a choice of designer restaurants and Wooba which is a 24 metre bar, the longest in the city and is a must visit.

If you like motion art and cinematography, then head to the Nam June Paik Art Centre in the suburbs. This new art centre features work of the revolutionary South Korean video artist and also features other artists.

The foodie in you will love the Naos Nova (www.naosnova.com), a unique restaurant designed by former clothing designer Kyle Lee. The restaurant is made essentially of cement and glass with stark diagonal lines, deep black and red furniture upholstery. The designer call it a Disneyland for dining. The Naos Nova runs across three floors, which are based on three themes, Heaven, Earth and Hell.

If you aren’t tired by the end of your day in Seoul, try out the The Circle Club (www.thecircle.co.kr), the most happening bar in town. The city has a fast changing night club scene and as of now, the Circular Bar is one of the hottest places thanks to its uber cool interiors, good music, well stocked circular bar and young crowd.

Travelposh brings to you exclusive video’s from On Networks ‘City by City’ series. The series is an insightful tour into some of the world’s most fascinating cities which are prominently placed on most globe trotters lists. The series begins with this episode on Tokyo, the fishing village of old which has transformed into a megacity symbolic of Japan’s phenomenal economic growth and technological prowess. The cultural capital of Japan, Tokyo is a dizzying mix of the old and the contemporary and no matter how many times you visit, it’s hard to absorb everything the city has to offer.

The episode gives us an authentic glimpse of a chic retro hotel, a design boutique, a hideaway subterranean restaurant, a stylish café and bar, and the largest fish market in the world. The Tsukiji wholesale fish market is where Tokyo gets its supply of the freshest fish and seafood which also translates into some of the best Sushi anywhere in the world. The busy market does about 200 metric tonnes of business each day and one choose from a mind boggling array of 400 types of sea creatures.

We also take a sneak peek into Claska, one of Tokyo’s old economy hotels which has been completely refurbished and is now a boutique hotel featuring minimalistic design, beautiful artefacts and funky decorations which inspire fun. It also boasts of a beauty salon for man’s four legged friend. Down the road from Claska, we visit Meister design boutique which houses a wide selection of contemporary & vintage furniture from around the world besides adorable ceramic pieces and sculptures designed by artists from all over Japan. These make for excellent gifts to take back from your trip to Tokyo and are small enough to pack into your luggage.

Tokyo’s nightlife is world famous and offers something for everyone. If one is looking for authentic Japanese cuisine, then the Maru Mayfont is a great pick with refined Kyoto infused cuisine served in a cosy private dining room or in the main restaurant. For a more vibrant experience the Montoak with its three floors offers an indoor and outdoor bar, a casual yet sophisticated restaurant and is an ideal place for an intimate evening in Tokyo.

Travel is well, like food. Everyone has their own tastes and preferences. Travel is indeed something that needs to be tailor made to your preferences. Thankfully enough, there is someone who understands this need of matching travel idea to individual tastes and with a focus on South America. With Latin Excursions, be all set to be surrounded by Galapagos penguins or simply let your taste buds tingle with the flavor of choicest wines and cuisine which is part of the experience with Latin excursions. You could head for an adventurous journey in Brazil, navigating through some of the most exciting destinations. Alternatively you could pack your bags to experience the tropical marvels of Cost Rica. Latin Excursions takes you to some of the most indulgent destinations including Argentina, Chile, Ecuador and Peru, with each destination having something extraordinary to offer.

The best part about planning your trip with Latin Excursions is that you get to plan something that is in absolute sync with your travel preference. Further more, you even get to choose from some amazingly beautiful unspoiled destinations. Latin Excursions promises to make your trip to some unusual destinations eco friendly. Most luxury travel excursions are generally a dollop of glitz and glamour. But Latin Excursions on the other hand take a step further and put you closer to nature and the real surroundings of your travel destination. So you have the assurance of a more authentic journey. Opt for Latin Excursions only if you like it real.

Whether you are heading for a family reunion, honeymoon or anniversary, or annual travel, your adventure will be filled with personalized, subtle touches of luxury, where the actual activity is what defines your travel.

For more details mail at info@latinexcursion.com. The company also runs a Latin America Travel Blog, visit http://blog.latinexcursions.com/

The idea of camping is synonymous with a rough and robust experience. This is exactly why the not so sturdy ones usually choose to keep away from this adventurous experience. But even if you are one of those touch-me-not types, you still can enjoy the thrill of camping, the glamorous way. Exit camping, enter glamping or glamorous camping.

Remote lands, the luxury travel designer best known for their bespoke journeys to Asia now invite you to witness the divine experience of glamping. Satisfy your adventurous streak as you get to explore the most remote and wild regions of Mongolia, Bhutan, Myanmar (Burma) and China. And the catch is that you do the exploring new land bit with the maximum comfort you can think of.

You no longer have to sacrifice the luxury of living in a hotel suite if you want to go camping. Plush tents at dramatic locations bestow upon you the opportunity of enjoying nature, while at the same time making sure that you do not miss your five star suites. These tents can even be made to order with customized full-spring mattresses, fine linens and pillows, bathrobes and slippers, high-quality toiletries and so on.

Go hiking, horseback riding or simply explore the outdoors with breath taking views. Go ahead and experience the magic of glamping at $1,000 per person per day for a minimum of five nights.

For more information, mail to info@remotelands.com or call +1 646 415 8092.