luxury travel

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Stanford Had a Castle, Fleet of Planes

Paternity-suit docs reveal lifestyle of the rich and fraudulent

(Newser) - Say this for Sir Allen Stanford: He knew how to live large. The alleged fraudster once lived in his own Florida castle, complete with moat, and owned, among other baubles, $100 million worth of airplanes, Bloomberg reports. Those assets and others are detailed in court documents from a paternity case...

Citigroup Drops $50M on Fancy Corporate Jet

... After taking $45B in federal bailout funds, fumes indignant Post

(Newser) - Citigroup may be going down in flames, but at least the seats will be nice. Citigroup is buying a brand-new $50 million corporate jet, the New York Post reports, headlining the sale, “JUST PLANE DESPICABLE,” on account of the $45 billion the company has received from Uncle Sam....

Wall Street Execs Still Fly Private Jets

Costly travel rationalized as time saver

(Newser) - Six ailing Wall Street firms that eagerly took bailout funds still spend thousands to operate fleets of private jets that whisk their executives to company—and personal—events, AP reports. AIG, which scooped up $150 billion from the government, beats its peers with a seven-jet fleet. Fuel alone for a...

Find Your Tipping Point Abroad
 Find Your Tipping Point Abroad 
TRAVEL
Nov 20, 2008 2:26 PM CST

Find Your Tipping Point Abroad

With gratuity varying by country, it's important not to offend

(Newser) - Knowing the appropriate level of gratuity can be tricky, and it gets even more difficult abroad, where tipping practices widely vary. Forbes offers some help, noting, for instance, that for a cab ride in South America, rounding up the fare to the next dollar is an acceptable tip, while in...

Restored Jailhouses Rock as Trendy Hotel Destinations

Old schools, factories get facelifts too as hoteliers aim to attract upscale crowd

(Newser) - Taking aim at travelers who want more than just Wi-Fi or a pool, hoteliers are converting former prisons, schools, factories, and other odd sites into luxury hotels, Portfolio reports. Younger guests who travel for leisure are demanding distinctive experiences, and the unusual locations help hotels market their rooms in a...

Foreign Airlines Soar Past US Carriers

Adding services, expanding routes helps margins; take heed, US carriers

(Newser) - As US airlines flounder, and consumers pay the price in baggage fees and reduced services, foreign carriers have an antidote: Buy new, more fuel-efficient aircraft, offer more services, and watch the money roll in. Dubai-based Emirates, which introduced the Airbus A380 on the Dubai-to-New York route Friday, charges first- and...

Today's Hitchhikers Fly by Cushy Private Jet

High society fliers take rides with friendly billionaires

(Newser) - Today’s brand of hitchhiker isn't on a street corner thumbing rides, but at airports that serve cushy private planes, the New York Times reports. Seeking the prestige and elation of flying in a $40 million jet, these riders reserve seats with friendly billionaires. “There are a lot of...

Deuces Wild: QE2 Gets Royal Sendoff

Historic liner, launched by Elizabeth II in 1967, will become floating Dubai hotel

(Newser) - Queen Elizabeth II toured the QE2 cruise liner today ahead of its retirement in November, the BBC reports. The Queen herself launched the liner in 1967; though it's the second ship to bear the name, it's not named after the current monarch.

For Hotels, Upgrades at Top Boost Bottom Line

Making suites even sweeter has trickle-down effect to lower income brackets

(Newser) - Luxury hotels are spending money to make money, but the dollars aren’t flowing into the average traveler’s quarters, the Wall Street Journal reports. With competition growing and demand for rooms lacking, hotels are burnishing their top suites—some costing $30,000 a night—hoping the added glitz will...

Best Hotels for Star Sightings
 Best Hotels for Star Sightings 
May 24, 2008 7:14 PM CDT

Best Hotels for Star Sightings

Tips on staying where the celebs stay, the world over

(Newser) - Ensure your vacation pics won't bore your friends by holing up in a lavish resort populated with A-list celebs. Travel+Leisure lists 10 hotels fit for the pages of US Weekly:
  1. George Clooney was spotted at the Bellagio in Las Vegas, where each 6,500-square-foot villa has a private courtyard with
...

SATC Tour: Mr. Big Not Included
 SATC Tour: Mr. Big Not Included 
TRAVEL
Apr 3, 2008 9:46 AM CDT

SATC Tour: Mr. Big Not Included

Carrie Bradshaw wannabes can re-create her life for $24K

(Newser) - Whether you’re a Carrie, Miranda, Charlotte, or Samantha, you can live out your own Sex and the City fantasy—for $24,000. That’s the price for one travel company’s five-night re-creation of the ultra-popular TV show. The posh tour, limited to 12 women at a time, includes...

Peru Swaps Backpackers for Well-Heeled Tourists

Luxury tours aim for big bucks from the wealthy

(Newser) - Peru’s government hopes to carve a thick slice out of the world’s luxury travel market,  aided by sumptuous trains with fancy oxygen enrichment systems and high-altitude 5-star hotels, reports Reuters. "It's not that we don't like backpackers," says the country's tourism minister, but with big...

Spas Get the Vegas Treatment
 Spas Get the Vegas Treatment 
Mar 26, 2008 1:50 PM CDT

Spas Get the Vegas Treatment

Relaxation is another of Sin City's pricey pastimes

(Newser) - Las Vegas' go-big-or-go-home attitude runs from its slots to its spas, which now rival the Dead Sea as the world's favored soaking grounds, W reports. But what separates Sin City from Baden-Baden is the de-emphasis on escaping it all: At these luxury bathhouses, seeing and being seen is equally important...

How to Be Middle-Class Rich
How to Be Middle-Class Rich
Feb 21, 2008 10:26 AM CST

How to Be Middle-Class Rich

You don't have to have über-big bucks to spend like you do

(Newser) - Middle-class millionaires are carving out a luxe lifestyle to define their 16.5-million strong group, Forbes reports. And while the $1 million to $10 million stashed in the bank doesn’t make them all that rich, that doesn't put much of a dent in lavish spending habits:
  1. Mega-home improvements, to
...

Guests Want It All at Lux Hotels
Guests Want It All at Lux Hotels
Feb 13, 2008 1:57 PM CST

Guests Want It All at Lux Hotels

Rising prices, competition, encourage heroic feats of service

(Newser) - Luxury hotels don't bat an eye at charging $500 a night, and guests are responding with increasingly zany requests, W reports. Concierges, once downright neglected by the average customer, are now routinely tasked with the impossible: Deliver an unspecified amount of breast milk, or procure a rub-down for a dog....

10 Best Valentine Getaways
10 Best Valentine Getaways
Feb 10, 2008 5:00 AM CST

10 Best Valentine Getaways

Luxury travel website picks its favorite romantic spots

(Newser) - With Valentine's Day on the horizon, the luxury travel experts at globorati.com have come up with a list of 10 swank hotels for memorable romantic getaways. Fools for love are crazy about:
  1. Las Ventanas al Paraiso: Los Cabos, Mexico
  2. L'Hotel: Paris, France
  3. Nam Hai: Hoi An, Vietnam
  4. Maxim Bungalows:
...

Laos Tops List of 53 Hot Spots
Laos Tops List of 53 Hot Spots
TRAVEL
Dec 10, 2007 9:52 AM CST

Laos Tops List of 53 Hot Spots

The 53 must-see tourist destinations of 2008

(Newser) - The New York Times has anointed the top 53 tourist destinations for 2008, and some are a walk on the wild side.
  1. Laos: Because Vietnam is so over
  2. Lisbon: It's Europe, but affordable, and up-and-coming on the cultural map
  3. Tunisia: The next North African watering hole for luxury travelers
  4. Mauritius:
...

Mile-High Luxuries Abound
Mile-High Luxuries Abound
Nov 5, 2007 4:28 PM CST

Mile-High Luxuries Abound

Live the high life in more ways than one on today's finest luxury airlines

(Newser) - Airbus' long-awaited A380, with its private suites and double beds, isn't the only luxury to be found at 30,000 feet. Jet Airways' Boeing 777-300ER features a champagne cooler loaded with vintage Dom and a 23-inch flat-screen TV with 500 on-demand programs. Malaysia Airlines' Boeing 747-400 lets fliers dine face-to-face...

Before You Take That Cruise ...
Before You Take That Cruise ...
Oct 23, 2007 6:04 PM CDT

Before You Take That Cruise ...

Five things every intrepid traveller ought to know before shipping out

(Newser) - Don't travel blind on your first cruise.  USA Today has some tips for novices:
  1. Find the right cruise for you by consulting CruiseCritic.com, TripAdvisor.com, or a travel agent.
  2. Need formal wear for dinner? Probably not, but check out the eating arrangements before you pack.

Try Camping&mdash;Sans Roughing It
Try Camping—Sans Roughing It
Sep 22, 2007 7:12 AM CDT

Try Camping—Sans Roughing It

(Newser) - If "four seasons" makes you think of a hotel chain, glamping ("glam" and "camping") may be as close to Mother Nature as you want to get while not surrendering your hairdryer, writes the Los Angeles Times. At Paws Up in Montana, for example, "rough it"...

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