Tag: island destinations
My room number has five digits.As in, room number 11-544. Can I tattoo this number onto my hand? You know, so I can find my room, or simply remember to keep looking for it? I’ve been distracted by a Maya temple, Chihuly glass sculptures, underwater ruins, 12-foot manta rays, shopping malls, slot machines and thousands of smiling kids — slipping and skipping through miles of water slides, rivers and aquariums.
Of course, all this is Atlantis, visionary Sol Kerzner’s take on the mythical sunken city, raised from the depths as a modern-day, semi-sunken resort. Perhaps the world’s most ambitious. I’m here for a travel conference. It’s an odd setting for one. Atlantis is decidedly not the Bahamas, nor travel. It’s a fantasy. A megasize one.
Now, if only I could locate my room in it all ... whoa, a race-car track?!”
A rare type of honey found in Greece could be the world's greatest cure-all.
Luxury island trendsetters take note: China is the next hot thing in tropical getaways. Or, more specifically, Hainan, known as China's Hawaii.Proof? The luxury resort One&Only—which has properties in Bahamas, Dubai, Mauritius, and Maldives—just broke ground in Sanya on Hainan Island; its first property in China.
Scheduled to be opening in early 2014, the resort will comprise 40 acres of coconut palms and ancient rosewood trees on Tufu Bay with views of the South China Sea. The posh property is expected to have 180 guest rooms, a sybaritic spa, and restaurants featuring regional specialties by internationally known chefs (Gordon Ramsey, Jean-Georges Vongerichten, and Nobuyuki "Nobu" Matsuhisa have all worked with O&O in the past).
So pack your Aloha shirts and get ready to say "Ni Hao" Hainan!
For more information: oneandonlyresorts.com
What does it take to get to a beautiful private island resort? Three planes, a golf cart, and a boat got us to Petit St. Vincent.Open Floor Plan
I’d say this villa is decent in size. But when I slid two glass doors open, the place was basically down to two walls. The sea and constant breeze became an extension of the villa. I felt like an invisible king on the hill.Talking Flags
The resort has its quirks. No phones. No TVs. Quiet beyond belief. When I wanted a drink or a towel, I’d raise a yellow flag outside, with a note. A guy would swing by in a Mini Moke, drop off what I requested and disappear.Outside Life
Only once did I see a boat cruise past the shoreline. I did find two restaurants on the other side of the private island, both within walking distance — or within reach of a Mini Moke with the help of that little yellow flag.
She's Jamaican. He's from Louisiana. Together they've been to every island in the Caribbean. Here's how they do Jamaica.
A new-school chef explores the culinary renaissance of Ireland with an old-world grandmother
