Cuba, China to build new luxury hotel in Havana

by Melanie Nayer on

While the U.S. continues to talk tourism with Cuba, Caribbean developers will break ground on Havana’s first luxury hotel later this year, the Latin American Herald Tribune reported.

The luxe-hotel is a joint effort between Cuba and China that will cost approximately $117 million (51 percent Chinese capital and 49 percent Cuban). According to reports, the hotel complex will have 650 rooms and cover an area of about 19 acres in the “Marina Hemingway” tourist center in western Havana.

This isn’t the first project Cuba and China are working on together – China is Cuba’s second-largest trading partner, so it’s no surprise the two friends have joined together to create a luxury hotel for tourists. The two countries have a total of 13 projects currently in development and spanning various industries including mechanics, communications, agricultural production and tourism.

[via The Latin American Herald Tribune]

Daily Pampering: Japanese-themed spa opens at Miyako Hybrid Hotel

by Melanie Nayer on

There’s a new kind of relaxation sensation making its way to the U.S., and SpaRELAKEN at the Miyako Hybrid Hotel in Torrance, California, is prepping its pampering techniques.

spaRelaken opens at the hotel on June 27, 2010, as the first spa in the U.S. to feature the SGE ganban-yoku (or “bedrock bath”) treatment – a specialty of Japanese bathing culture that involves lying on a large bed comprised of ore mined from the mountains of Kyushu, Japan, known as “Super Growth Energy” stone.

The beds are placed low to the ground and located in a sauna-like steam room. When the stone beds are heated, the stones emit infrared rays as well as negative ions, which help heat the body and ignite the detoxification process through perspiration. The net effect is refreshment and relaxation, says the spa, as well as improved circulation and metabolism.

In addition to the bedrock baths, the spa features four treatment rooms, including one for couples’ treatments; separate areas for men and women to enjoy the dry sauna and deep Jacuzzi baths; and offers customized body treatments.

Want more? Get your dose of Daily Pampering right here.

Daily Pampering: The Presidential Suite at The Portman Ritz-Carlton, Shanghai

by Melanie Nayer on

Ever wonder where the (very) VIPs check in when they travel to China? If they’re staying in Shanghai, they are staying in the The Ritz-Carlton Suite at The Portman Ritz-Carlton – the largest presidential suite in the city.

The presidential suite takes your breath away from the moment you walk off the elevator on the 45th floor. The suite is the perfect blend of modern and Mandarin decor, including original local artwork and sculptures.

Think you’re worthy of a night in the lap of Shanghai luxury? Well, shell out the right amount of Yuan (and claim a pretty swanky title) and you can stay in the 5,382-square-foot suite that includes:

  • Living room with fireplace, separate sitting areas, and floor-to-ceiling views of Shanghai
  • Sauna and steam room in your suite
  • Private exercise room equipped with a treadmill and massage table
  • Full-sized dining room
  • Private office, adjacent to the fitness area
  • Walk-in closet with private butler entrance
  • and much, much more…

The suite is adorned with Chinese antiques artifacts and luxurious touches including leather walls, fresh flowers and his and her robes, designed uniquely for each guest.

The pièce de résistance of this spectacular suite, however, is in the bathroom. The bathtub is separated from the rain shower, and features magnificent views of Shanghai.

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Want more? Get your dose of Daily Pampering right here.

Daily Pampering: Brunch in Chicago Park Hyatt’s NoMI

by Grant Martin on

Seven floors above the bustling streets of Chicago’s Michigan Avenue lies one of the finest restaurants in the city: NoMI. Peering over Water Tower Plaza from a sweeping, glass-lined perch, there’s much more to enjoy at NoMI than the spectacular view. Chef Christophe David has created a brunch to best all brunches, complete with a dizzying array of stations, fares and dishes. Depending on the day, this can include a fresh, made to order sushi station, carving stations, every imaginable breakfast fare possible, scores of desserts, meats, cheeses and pasts — and that’s all before the main course.

That smoothie above? That’s the Care Smoothie, $16 worth of pureed raspberries, peaches, strawberries, aloe vera, soy milk, and ground almonds. And lo, it’s worth every drop.

Everyday brunch at NoMI runs $55 for adults and $27 for 12 and under children, while a typical holiday brunch can reach around $100 per person. For the view, quality and company, however, in Chicago it can’t be beat.

Abercrombie & Kent: Five cinema-cations around the world

by Tom Johansmeyer on

You may not have that look that Hollywood craves, but you still want to get close to the action, right? You want to touch the greatness that comes with being splashed across screens from coast to coast. Thanks to the latest concept from luxury travel company Abercrombie & Kent, you don’t need talent. The latest “cinema-cation” packages send you to the locations where some of the hottest movies of the last year or so have been shot. There are enough options that you’ll definitely find something to match your personal style.

1. Sex and the City 2
After seeing this movie opening night on May 27, 2010, dash off to Morocco. A&K Group Managing Director George Morgan-Grenville was actually over there while movie was being filmed at the Amanjena Hotel and in the Djema el-Fna Square souks. The interiors and pool scenes, he says, were shot at the soon-to-open Mandarin Oriental Jnan Rahma and Palmeraie over in the foothills of the Atlas Mountains. Suggests Morgan Grenvile: “Take a camel ride at sunset and spend the night under the stars in a Bedouin-style tented camp surrounded by the largest sand dunes in the world.”

2. Eat , Pray, Love
Before going to see Eat, Pray, Love on August 13, 2010, check out the treasures of Northern India with this A&K Journey for Women. You’ll take apersonal journey with A&K guide Shagun Mohan, who says, “We spend time with local women at a bead-making workshop in the holy city of Varanasi, witness a spiritual Aarti ceremony on the Ganges at night, see the Taj Mahal at both sunrise and sunset, and visit Khajuraho’s Hindu temples. This kind of journey is a life-changing experience for almost anyone.” 3. Harry Potter & The Deathly Hallow Part 1
Families can get a feel for Harry Potter‘s Great Britain ahead of the November 19, 2010 opening with the A&K Tailor Made Magical Great Britain package. According to Duncan Hambidge of A&K Europe, who has visited may Harry Potter film spots with his family, “One highlight for children is the Great Hall at Oxford University, Hogwart’s Dining Room. Another favorite is crossing the dramatic Glenfinnian Viaduct in the Western Highlands aboard The Royal Scotsman, the route taken by the Hogwart’s Express train in the Chambers of Secrets, The Prisoner of Azkaban and The Goblet of Fire.

4. The Hurt Locker
Last year’s Academy Award winner for Best Picture, The Hurt Locker captured the attention of audiences across the United States. A&K suggests following in the footsteps of Lawrence of Arabia if you’re looking for travel inspired by this movie. The A&K Extreme Adventures Jordan package is the way to go, led by Raed Omar Saleem.

Saleem’s been leading thrill-seeking visitors through Jordan since 1997 and recalls from a recent excursion, “In the middle of nowhere, we pitch our tents and gather around the campfire for dinner, recalling the hikes through ancient cities, the 4X4 treks and mountain climbs that brought us here. Without speaking of it, we all share the same sense of awe, the palpable sense that time passes through this desert yet barely seems to touch it. The moon-like landscape stretches to the mountains, bannered by multicolored striations in the rock. The smooth reddish sand is devoid of stones, and our camels’ toes rouse no dust as they thudded in their steady pace. There is no dust here in the valley of Wadi Rum, once a sea basin and later the place T.E. Lawrence found his calling. That is the beauty of the desert: it is nothing and everything.”

5. Creation: The True Story of Charles Darwin
Trace the history of life with the A&K Wonders of the Galapagos trip. Says A&K’s Ian Mackinnon, “The islands of the Galapagos offer an opportunity to interact with the natural world to a degree that’s virtually impossible anywhere else.”

He suggests, “Swim and snorkel with sea lions and turtles. Stroll past colonies of penguins and blue-footed boobies. Imagine yourself as Charles Darwin seeing a tortoise for the first time. Every island is unique; it’s no wonder Darwin was changed by his time there.”

I suggest: “Bring a creationist and ask constantly if he thinks dinosaurs walked the earth 5,000 years ago. Point and laugh.”