Jules Undersea Lodge, Key Largo, Florida

The oldest running underwater hotel deserves to be at the top of the list. Although built in the 1970’s as a research lab near Puerto Rico, it moved to Key Largo and opened as a lodge in 1986.

You either have to be a certified diver or go through a three hour course to go down to your room for the night. They also offer diving excursions and training as an additional amenity option. Your room is stocked with air, showers, air conditioning, stereo, tv and great underwater views. Dinner and breakfast are provided at your door…or hatch.

Utter Inn, Vasteras, Sweden

Is it art or an inn? Well you can sleep in it and it looks great. You don’t have to dive for this one. You actually just climb down a ladder to your room below the water line. On top, it’s a offshore buoy. Underneath the buoy is your simple and sparse room. It is only one room so book it far in advance. Drive ups are not available. Price is around $250 a night.

Hydropolis, Dubai

If there is a challenge out there in building, Dubai will be doing it. This is a ridiculously expensive luxury resort built on the ocean floor, 66 feet below the surface in the Persian Gulf. When fully completed, it will have a land station with a see-through train tunnel going into the water and below to the hotel. With 220 suites, it will be the first of it’s kind, each suite with clear glass around the sleeping and bathing areas. This company plans to build them all over the world as well. According to their website look for them in Monaco and New York as well as places without water like Munich and London. I look forward to seeing an underwater resort without the water…wait, we have those. They are called hotels.

Poseidon Undersea Resort, Fiji

The Poseidon is a 5-star resort opening off of Fiji. You will enjoy this one much more than the passengers of the 1970s movie. And you won’t have to climb any upside Christmas trees to get back out. You’ll have your own submarine instead! The resort also built it’s own island, the Poseidon Mystery Island, for guests to explore. Price is set to start at $1500 a night.

Huvafen Fushi, Maldives

This one is an honorable mention in that you have to arrive by boat or seaplane and you sleep above the water but the hotel spa is underwater and truly unique. So it’s not sleeping underwater but it’s the first underwater spa and it looks amazing. I’m ready to go.

So if you are looking for something different and expensive, check out some of these underwater hotels. If any of these larger resorts actually open and are successful, I’m sure we’ll be seeing many more of them around the world.

The area around Napa and Sonoma, California is one of those that you really can enjoy any time of the year. The weather is always decent and the colors and scenery change by the season. The time of your visit will depend on if you want to be there around harvesting, what kind of processes and tours you may want to take in or the different colors that span to the horizon. And of course, the price may vary accordingly to the popularity of that time.

There are a great many fine little inns and bed and breakfasts around the area that are worth a stay on one of your visits. But if you want a truly special journey to this wine country, or if you are only getting to come here once, you may want to look closer at the places on my list of the five best hotels in the Napa and Sonoma area. These are all great and you can’t go wrong at any of them. You can also vary your budget quite a bit with these. You can spend anywhere from two hundred dollars a night to seven hundred dollars a night at these top places.

Auberge du Soleil, Rutherford CA

On 33 acres of groves and vineyard, you can find peace and privacy here. With a little under 50 rooms and a couple cottages, it is small but not too small. A restaurant and bar are on site as well to provide everything you need in your getaway.

Calistoga Ranch, Calistoga, CA

This is run by the same folks at Auberge Resorts who run the number one place on my list, Augerge du Soleil, among a handful of others. Here again we have just under 50 cottages with cedar shingles to remind you of camp and summer places of your youth. Set on 157 car-free acres, you can do yoga in the morning, sit in a mineral pool, tour a wine cave and relax in the privacy of your cottage or in front of an outdoor fireplace. And you can do it again the next day or perhaps have a choice of spa treatments.

Hotel Healdsburg, Healdsburg, CA

With 55 rooms, a restaurant and a bar, this country inn is very close to around sixty vineyards in the nearby countryside. Staying here puts you in the center of many shops, restaurants and galleries in Healdsburg as well. At less than half the price of the first two places listed here, it is both a great deal and location for visiting the area.

Carneros Inn, Napa, CA

A choice of 86 cottages and three restaurants awaits you here in wine country. Overlooking the vines, you can enjoy your own tin roofed cottage and relax on the porch. The design was inspired by the local countryside which includes silos, barns and ranching cottages. This Inn falls into the mid price range on our list.

Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn and Spa, Sonoma, CA

If you want something bigger and maybe with a brand name behind it, you can try this new entry into the area. As always, Fairmont provides a high level hotel experience here with 226 rooms, a spa, golfing, two restaurants, three lounges and it’s own source of thermal mineral water for it’s treatments. This is one of the most affordable luxury option on my list right now at well under $300 a night.

Vintners Inn, Santa Rosa, CA

No, I haven’t had too much wine while writing this. I just have a number six on a top five list of wine country hotels. But who could blame me if they took a look at the 10 million dollar renovation put on top of this small resort estate. With only 44 rooms, two restaurants, a bar and a brand new spa, you can have your wine retreat here for the lowest cost on this list. At harvest time, in the fall, you can even watch the process from your room.

Alexanders

Hotel Grande Bretagne, Athens, Greece
Everyone from business people to politicians and artists can be found here.

Rooftop Bar at the Glenn Hotel

110 Marietta St NW, Atlanta GA
Great views of downtown with comfy outdoor furniture.

The Bar
Ritz-Carlton Boston, Boston, MA
A great mix of local students, Beacon Hill residents, tourists and guests of the hotel.

Plaza Bar
Marriott Plaza Hotel Buenos Aires, Argentina
This hotel was built in 1909 and is still a landmark meeting spot today.

Bascule Bar

The Cape Grace, Cape Town, South Africa
From locals to an upscale crowd of guests, you’ll love the waterfront views.

The Bar

The Peninsula Chicago, Chicago, IL
A young crowd of late twenty-somethings fill this hip Chicago spot.

Felix

The Peninsula Hong Kong, Hong Kong, Kowloon
This famous spot with both locals and visitors from around the world takes up the top two floors of the Peninsula Hotel.

Lobby Lounge

Four Seasons Hotel, Houston, TX
Mix of business people to sports fans, upscale locals and the opera crowd

Last Bar Opened
Las Vegas goes through many trendy hotel bars. The hottest is usually the latest started by a celebrity team or at the latest hotel resort. This growth has slowed lately so some have lasted a little while now such as ghostbar at the Palms, Red Square at Manadalay Bay, Tryst at The Wynn and the list goes on.

Claridge’s Bar

Claridge’s, London, England
Now a lively spot in London, you can find celebrities, hotel guests and upscale locals here.

Roof Top Bar at the Standard
The Standard, Los Angeles, CA
Something is cool again with great looking young people in downtown Los Angeles.

Velazquez Bar
Hotel Ritz, Madrid, Spain
From royalty to the rich, this landmark has been here since 1910.

Falstaff Bar
Grand Hotel et de Milan, Milan, Italy
From locals to tourists, you find a comfortable mix here.

D’Lounge

National Hotel, Miami Beach, FL
There are many great bars on Miami Beach and this is one of them with a vintage feel complete with Art Deco.

Rose Bar

Delano Hotel, Miami Beach, FL
A popular and yes rose colored, yet comfortable bar.

Alexandrovsky Bar
Le Royal Meridien National Hotel, Moscow, Russia
A great mix of business people and politicians spend the evening here.

Vier Jahreszeiten Bar
Kempinski Hotel Vier Jahreszeiten Munchen, Munich, Germany
If you’re looking for a crowd of old business men, this is it.

Bemelmans Bar

The Carlyle, New York City, NY
A mix of old and young, locals and tourists makes for a good crowd interested in the piano music.

Cellar Bar

The Bryant Hotel, New York City, NY
One of the coolest (and underground) bars in New York if you can get in.

Bar Hemingway
Hotel Ritz, Paris, France
Hemingway’s favorite bar brings in business people and tourists for a diverse crowd looking for something more diverse.

Top of the Mark
InterContinental Mark Hopkins, San Francisco, CA
A mix of tourists and business people, from young to old, make up a diverse crowd.

The Terrace

Fairmont Olympic Hotel, Seattle, WA
This great tech city hosts this watering hole for business people and tourists alike.

Cloud 9

Grand Hyatt Shanghai, Shanghai, China
International business people and tourists as well as some local Chinese fill up this bar on the 87th floor. If you go to Shanghai, stop by here.

Club 22

Windsor Arms, Toronto, Canada
A mix of business people, celebrities, locals and tourists who can get in make this a cool place with the younger crowd.

Off the Record Bar
The Hay-Adams, Washington DC
From White House workers to press reporters, this hosts a younger crowd of people in the know.

Widder Bar

Widder Hotel, Zurich, Switzerland
Hip and upscale locals meet after work here.

If I could snap my fingers and be anywhere right now, Eden Rock might just be it. Actually it’s a big world and I’d be snapping my fingers till they hurt to go to all the great places out there but that’s another story. For now, I’ll just think of places warm and tropical with a ocean breeze drifting across the lip smudged rim of my cold drink…ahhh

Eden Rock, St. Barths

So you want to do very little on your retreat? And you want a small place, with only say, sixteen units and a hundred and forty person staff? This is your place to get away. Relax with a ocean view the way Howard Hughes once did. There is nothing else like it in the world. Explore the website, dream a bit and go there.

Cap Juluca, Anguilla

Just a short boat ride from St. Maarten, you can be on a two mile stretch of beach on nearly two hundred acres of land. Maybe you want a villa, a private terrace of your own or dinner right on the beach. They just went through a $22 million dollar renovation to make it even better.

One and Only Ocean Club, The Bahamas

You may think of the heavily advertised casinos like the Atlantic Resort when you think of the Bahamas. But just a short distance away from all the people there, you can enjoy your own beach and private villa or one of just 106 guest rooms. You can get away from it all just like a celebrity would. And you may even see one here.

Anse Chastanet, St. Lucia

Jungles, volcanoes, waterfalls, forests, the dramatic out of the sea Piton peaks and you. 49 rooms are offered, designed in a day where an ocean breeze was better than air conditioning. Some rooms are in the lush hillside and others are at the beach level. You can do nothing or go mountain biking. Enjoy a spa treatment or go scuba diving. There are 100 stairs between beach and hillside level so the resort may not be for everyone.

Sandy Lane, St. James, Barbados

You’ll know this is a five star resort upon arrival. This premier resort opened in 1961 but it has had major renovations to update everything. You can stay like royalty here but there are many great packages making it a bit more affordable. Some of them inlude romance packages, family, golf, spa and even honeymoon specials.

Bitter End Yacht Club, Virgin Gorda, British Virgin Islands

With a mile of beach, waterfront and a marina village, this is the place if you are into the sea. You can only access it by boat, either your own or from nearby Tortola’s Beef Island Airport. From scuba diving and fishing to weddings, they can set up a package for you. Accommodations range from older cottages to suites and villas. 2008 renovations brought the original cottages more up to date.

Half Moon Rose Hall, Montego Bay, Jamaica

Hundreds of acres in Jamaica for your pleasure including two miles of coastline. From rooms to villas, you have hundreds of options in accommodations as well as numerous restaurants and bars on the property. You may not even want to stray a few miles to the city center.

Honorable brand mention goes to…

Four Seasons, Nevis

If you have to add a big brand to the list, this is it. It’s the Four Seasons and of course it’s great. In 2008, they made it even better and added beach cabanas that can be rented sunrise to sunset. What could be better with a friend or two?

7 Centers Yoga Arts, Sedona, Arizona

This is a 1700 square foot center with Spanish mission architecture that holds daily classes, retreats and workshops.

Sewall House Yoga Retreat, Island Falls, Maine

Escape to a very small retreat of 2-8 persons with daily yoga, meditation and the peace of the surrounding nature and lakes close to Mount Katahdin Baxter Park in Maine. Retreats are seasonal here in beautiful New England from May through October. Other times can be arranged.

The Expanding Light, Nevada City, California

Ananda yoga is taught here at retreats and workshops. The 700 acre property is surrounded by nature and hiking trails.

Maya Tulum, Tulum, Quintana Roo, Mexico

One hour south of Cancun, you can enjoy one of many programs offered here. You can enjoy the sea breezes year around with plenty of sunshine. It is a way of life and much busier than some of the other retreats on the list. You can immerse yourself here and stay in one of 41 stone and thatch cabanas.

Paradise Found Yoga, Salt Spring Island, British Columbia

In beautiful British Columbia, you can find both scheduled and private retreats, specializing in Kundalini Yoga. Only eight guests max at a time means you can really relax and enjoy the privacy, gardens, meals, outdoor jacuzzi and real personal attention.

Esalen Institute, Big Sur, CA

Can you have a list like this and not include Big Sur? Guess not. Over 400 workshops are held here on 27 acres of coastline. The onsite farm and garden supplies fresh vegetables that end up on your plate.

White Lotus Foundation, Santa Barbara, CA

Founded by Ganga White, this highly regarded training program and retreat center is an oasis in the mountains. It offers various group retreats throughout the year as well as personal retreats.

Kalani Oceanside Retreat, Big Island, Hawaii

From the ocean to the jungle, you will love this lush setting for your next retreat. Various teachers and their groups come here throughout the year to provide retreats of all levels.

There are many more yoga retreats around the world that are nearly as enticing. Now is a great time to save big on travel costs and get to that retreat you’ve always wanted to experience.

New Age Health Spa, Neversink, NY

They have some great package deals on their website right now. From returning guest deals to specials for bringing a friend.

New Life Hiking Spa at Inn of the Six Mountains, Killington, VT

One great price gets you a room, gourmet meals, a hiking program, exercise classes, use of all facilities and a massage or facial. You can also add on other services as you desire. They are open May to September as I suspect that hiking through deep snow in January isn’t a real treat.

The Biltmore Hotel, Coral Gables, FL

They have some decent spa packages for Miami. And with some long massages for less than a $100, they are reasonable for any place.

Hotel Hana-Maui and Honua Spa, Hana, HI

It’s not easy to find any kind of “value” in Hawaii but the deals here are the best we found with top notch levels of service and quality. They have packages ranging from for the individual to a complete dinner and spa evening in a couple’s own room.

Mohonk Mountain House, New Paltz, NY

Set at a Victorian castle in a wonderful wooded natural landscape, a world class spa resides to offer some great values. Going back to 1869, Mohonk Mountain House has been offering renewal and rejuvenation to guests. Check their website for a absolutely incredible menu of options including Day Spa Packages if you can resist staying overnight.

Ritz-Carlton Orlando Grande Lakes, Orlando, FL

Yes it is a Ritz-Carlton on the list of value spas. You may not have thought that is possible you say? I just assumed that they would be out of reach on price as well when I began reasearching this piece. But they have many full massages below and just above a $100. And as of this writing, you can get a Ritz-Carlton room, a choice of wonderful spa treatments and a luxurious spa robe to keep for just $324. Repeat that line again in your head, thinking of the normal cost of each of those items and you’ll see that it’s a pretty good deal.

Bookmark this page as I’ll keep updating it further as I dig for more deals on an ongoing basis. Please feel free to share any deals you find as well or if you have good or bad experiences with any of these.

March is one of the snowiest months of the year at ski resorts in the western US and Canada. You never know for sure where the skiing will be the best once March hits and spring begins but there are some places that are more reliable for snow seekers.

Bargains abound in March and on into spring, except for the spring break peak which is around the last week of March. You can an incredible range of deals on either side of this week. If you need some new stuff, many places try to reduce their inventory as well so you’ll find some bargains.

The days are longer, the prices are lower and the crowds are a bit lighter. At least they are not always in your way.

Ski the Corn

Corn is the name given to the large rounded snow structure the evolves from a melt and freeze cycle. The warm days melt the snow pack, form larger snow crystals and then refreeze at night leaving shapes like baby corn.

Know the conditions and try for the best corn skiing conditions. Don’t ski when it’s like a rock. Avoid the late afternoon melt when the conditions are a mess and it’s more like water skiing. You can manage this by following the sun. Ski east facing slops early, move on to the south slopes and then the west facing slopes to finish the day. Deeper snowpacks like in the Northwest’s Sierras or Cascades tend to do better corn than the drier packs in the Northeast and the Rockies.

Canada

Whistler Blackcomb: the biggest ski area in North America has something for all kinds of skiers late into the year. From vertical drops to backcountry drops, you can do it here.

California

Kirkwood: The highest altitude makes for a great longer season.

Squaw Valley: A tough ski area above Lake Tahoe.

Mammoth: Runs late into the season, often through Memorial Day and sometimes to July 4th.

Colorado

Arapahoe Basin or A-Basin operates late, usually through May and sometimes into July.

Copper Mountain and Winter Park are north faced and hold a long season.

Vail/Beaver Creek: Second in size to Whistler Blackcomb, this area is huge. Vail is a really crowded place during the season. Vail, with lots of sun exposure, is more erratic for late season skiing however. Keep in mind that you may want to avoid the peak travel times from Denver which are Saturday mornings and Sunday afternoons. An alternative to the crowds is Beaver Creek.

Aspen/Snowmass, Crested Butte, Telluride all hold good conditions late into the year. The high elevation and northern exposures hold powder late but the remote locations lead to earlier closures for lack of skiers.

Montana

Big Sky: Spring can still bring highs only in the teens for temperatures, assuring some late season winter like feel. And this rugged country truly is a getaway.

New Mexico

Taos Ski Valley: The high elevation keeps the season going longer here but like southwestern Colorado, it is more remote so the season may close before the snow is gone. And remember that in 2008, Taos Ski Valley began allowing snowboarding. They were the last hold out in New Mexico to do so.

Oregon

Mt. Bachelor: Near the town of Bend, skiing and snowboarding here is actually more active in the spring than in the middle of season due to the common winter wind closures.

Utah

Snowbird/Alta: two resorts next to each other. Big snow can come late in the year here at 11,000 feet. Get a combo lift ticket for both.

Solitude and Park City are a thousand feet lower in elevation and warm up earlier than Snowbird.

Northeast

Low elevation, less snow and more rain make for rare decent spring skiing. Your best bet is probably Vermont.

Europe

Tignes/Val d’Isere, France: Skiing goes into summer at this high altitude paradise.

Val Thorens / Les Menuires, France: Not necessarily the busiest or most beautiful area in France but higher elevation and glacier skiing carry the season longer here.

Chamonix, France: This is more of a spring and summer resort than winter due to heavy closures from the weather. The best time to ski here is also the least crowded, March into April.

Zermatt, Switzerland: This is the traditional Swiss resort. From skiing most all of the year to a cozy romantic village, it’s all here.

Oetztal Arena, Austria: This is the highest resort in the Austrian Alps and has good late spring skiing. Look nearby for the villages of Hochgurgl and Obergurgl.

That’s the round up for the best spring skiing. Get out there but don’t tell everyone, the light crowds and cheaper prices are great.

Royal Palms Resort and Spa, Phoenix, AZ

On 9 acres near Camelback Mountain, you’ll forget you are in one of the largest sprawling cities in the United States. A 1929 Spanish colonial-style mansion has been turned into a 119 room hotel. The two-level open-air Alvadora Spa is on premises to provide treatments that you’ll love.

Enchantment Resort, Sedona, AZ

This amazing 220 room resort is set inside a red rock canyon and hosts one the of best spas in Mii Amo. Activities include many locally influenced programs from sand-painting to pottery work.

Sanctuary on Camelback Mountain Resort and Spa, Paradise Valley, AZ

Nearly a hundred adobe and brick casitas make up this mountain property near Phoenix. The states largest infinity pool is on site. The property has gone changes over the years, from the Paradise Valley Racquet Club in the 1950s, to the John Gardiner’s Tennis Ranch in the late 1960s, and through several more names in the 1990s to it’s current name which was taken in 2001 after a complete renovation.

The Phoenician, Scottsdale, AZ

Another gem in the valley, this 250 acre resort came out of a makeover in 2006. A huge complex with 647 rooms, 9 pools, 12 tennis courts, a golf course, many restaurants and more offers a staff to guest ratio of 2 to 1.

JW Marriott Starr Pass Resort, Tucson, AZ

Only open since 2004, this the youngest property on my list. It is in a heavenly slice of the Sonoran Desert spiced up with all kinds of trails for hiking and biking. The on site Hashani Spa is also one of the best.

There are many other hotels where you can’t go wrong so honorable mentions go to the Ritz-Carlon, Four Seasons, The Fairmont and the Boulders Resort, all of which are in the Phoenix valley area.

You can find only and all four and five star lodging properties in my Arizona luxury hotel guide.

photo by Timothy Mueller

Disney World has a series of wonderful resorts and spas, great shopping, food, and experiences geared towards the grown-up crowd.  You just have to know where to look.  And my dears, I’m here to help. Did you know that Disney World alone has 16 resort hotels, half of which are gorgeous deluxe hotels that each offer a different unique experience.  You want an exotic vacation?  Check!  Disney’s Polynesian Resort offers a tropical and relaxing destination with waterfalls, beautiful greenery, and exotic birds.  They even have a luau dinner show with dancing and music from Tahiti, Samoa, Tonga, New Zealand and Hawaii. Not looking to transport yourself to a tropical paradise?  Looking more for a place to unwind with beaches, massages, and a Victorian elegance hard to find in your bustling day to day life?  Yeah… they’ve got that too.  The Grand Floridian Resort and Spa has a full service spa where you can get everything from a manicure to full service nutrition and fitness counseling.  Sounds good right?  I think so too!  There is shopping, a pianist in the lobby, a gorgeous private beach where you can go to take a mid-afternoon nap.  They’ll even shine your shoes for you if you ask. Disney hotels offer a variety of experiences.  And if the deluxe resorts are a bit out of your budget, they have moderate and value resorts to choose from too.  The value resorts however don’t offer the same amount of adult attraction as the other resorts do.  Giant bowling pins and guitar shaped pools are great for the kids, but not always as appealing to adults as a lakeside boardwalk inn might be (yup, they have that too!). Visiting Disney without the kids is a completely different and equally wonderful experience.  My last word of advice though is this… If you do decide to take an adult oriented Disney vacation it may be wise not to mention it to your kids because if you do, the begging to bring them with you is soon to follow. Have any of you taken a Disney vacation that was just adults?  How did it go?  Any good tips for having a magical and grown-up time?

Claridges Hotel

Celebrity Sightings: Mariah Carey, David and Victoria Beckham, Hugh Grant, Eva Longoria

Hotel: The Beverly Wilshire, Beverly Hills, US

Beverly Wilshire

Celebrity Sightings: Who hasn’t been here? Tom Cruise, Scarlet Johansson, Steven Speilberg, Christian Bale, Drew Barrymore

Hotel: Hotel Ritz Paris, Paris, France

Credit: Vlastula (Wikimedia)

Celebrity Sightings: Ernest Hemingway, Coco Chanel, Nicole Kidman, Gwyneth Paltrow, Tom Brady

Hotel: Las Ventanas al Paraiso, San Jose del Cabo, Mexico

Celebrity Sightings: Oprah Winfrey, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Janet Jackson, Jodie Foster

Hotel Facts: Oprah brought her entire Harpo staff here for a summer vacation. The Grand Wailea just had a $50 million dollar renovation. All rooms feature 37″ flat screens, soaking tubs, and marble vanities. But let’s face it, the real reason to go to Hawaii is the spectacular beaches, and the best reason to chose the Grand Wailea is that not only will you see stars, you’ll be treated like one.

Rates start at $436 plus $25 daily resort fee