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- Blueblood vacations: The most expensive trips in the U.S.A.
- Tanzania voted best safari country in Africa
- Which luxury hotel brand is the world's most popular?
- How to have a perfect day in Hanoi
| Blueblood vacations: The most expensive trips in the U.S.A. Posted: 21 Jun 2013 07:00 AM PDT What's a life's savings compared to a week lived like the world's elite?  The latest remake of "The Great Gatsby" reminds us how extravagant American vacations can be. But a lot has changed since the Roaring Twenties. Champagne and caviar in a posh private railcar or trans-Atlantic sailing on a luxury liner are no longer gold standards when it comes to living large. These days it's all about exclusivity -- engaging in activities or events that mere mortals can't afford, and access to people or places that are normally off limits. Like playing poker in Vegas with legends of the game, helicopter skiing in the remote Alaskan wilderness or hiring Adele to sing at your Hamptons beach party. More on CNN: America's most luxurious hotel suites Sure, you can attend the same music festival or stage play as the hoi polloi, but with VIP tickets, backstage passes or box seats. Even tooling around in a chauffeur-driven limousine pales in comparison to driving California's Highway 1 in a $16 million Ferrari Testa Rosa prototype that you just picked up at auction in Carmel. Here are some of the most luxurious, sophisticated and pricey holiday experiences in the good old red, white and green U.S.A. The Berkshires
The area's counterculture vibe has added a chic side in modern times, highlighted by the posh Canyon Ranch spa and resort in Taylor's longtime hometown of Lenox, which offers luxury treatments for mind and body starting at an all-inclusive $1,850 per day. There are also special events like a Broadway Dance weekend and the Gilded Age New Year's Eve bash, which sprawls across three decadent (but healthy) days of food, music, comedy, astrological readings and inspirational speakers. Beyond Canyon Ranch, the Berkshires offer cultural distractions. You can book box seats for Tanglewood music events, mingle with artists at the Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival or purchase museum-quality American art from galleries like Harrison (Williamstown) and Ferrin (Lenox) located in the towns that inspired Norman Rockwell. Estimated vacation cost: $14,700, plus $50,000 art budget More on CNN: Getting U.S. natural wonders to yourself Monterey Peninsula
The $2,000-per-night suites make the Lodge at Pebble Beach the place to stay on the Monterey Peninsula. And yes, you can bring your purse dog. Plan right and you can visit during Pebble Beach Automotive Week, the world's most extravagant car show. Among events are the legendary Concours d'Elegance, which features 200 prized collector cars, and the Pebble Beach Auctions, where rare and historic vehicles are sold for world record prices (like the $7.26 million sale in 2010 of a 1959 Ferrari 250 GT LWB California Spider Competizione). After-auction activities include driving your new ride down Highway 1 to the Esalen Institute in Big Sur, where you can meld mind and body with massage, meditation and nude group encounter sessions in the hot springs. Estimated vacation cost: $22,000, plus classic car expenses Yellowstone
With so many celebrities and dot-com gazillionaires living in Montana and Wyoming, the Yellowstone experience has gone decidedly upscale in recent years. The exotic yet posh Amangani near Jackson Hole is a fave with the Hollywood crowd (Justin Timberlake, Jessica Biel, Emmy Rossum). Private bungalows range up to $7,500 per night. Horseback riding and whitewater rafting are favored activities, but mostly these are just excuses to grab a chakra stone facial and hot stone massage in the Amangani spa. In the park, private guides are available from the Yellowstone Association. At $495 for eight hours, they'll lead wilderness hikes and locate the wolf packs, bison herds and grizzly bears that roam the world's oldest national park. If it's summer, your yacht -- because you have one -- can be delivered to one of the park's two marinas for a sail across Yellowstone Lake to a remote cove where you can anchor for the night. If it's winter, a private dogsled foray or snowmobile trip at around $600 per day will take you into the vast white wilderness to see Old Faithful erupt through the snow. Estimated vacation cost: $67,000 More on CNN: 6 best places to be a cowboy (for a while) Alaska
A hundred miles from the nearest road, the only way to get here is by air. Even in the middle of nowhere, of course, there's indulgence: wood-fired cedar sauna, king-sized feather beds, gourmet meals predicated on fresh fish and game straight from the wild, as well as bread and pastries made from scratch at the lodge each day. Airborne explorations of the vast Wrangell-St. Elias National Park will have you landing on glaciers and snowfields and snatching bird's-eye views of grizzlies and other wildlife. Remote kayaking, fishing and hiking can also be arranged, or you can fly down to Icy Bay for a gourmet picnic among humpback whales, waterfalls and icebergs. Flights within the park are included in the lodge's all-inclusive rate. The nearby Chugach Range is one of the holy grails of backcountry skiing, a vast white wilderness best tackled by helicopter. Points North runs choppers to the most remote snowfields, $5,500-per-day treks that include pro guides and up to a dozen runs in virgin powder. Estimated vacation cost: $90,000 More on CNN: 8 best beer towns in the U.S.A. Napa Valley
Meadowood Resort offers the valley's most exclusive digs -- bungalows sprinkled through the woods and around an 18-hole golf course on a 250-acre estate. There's also tennis, croquet, spa and a Michelin three-star restaurant. Nearby Yountville is home to the legendary French Laundry, twice named Best Restaurant in the World (average bill $800) by Restaurant Magazine, or the hyper-trendy Bottega, with sassy waiters and catwalk clientele. Napa's best wine dwells behind locked gates: invitation-only wineries like Screaming Eagle and Harlan Estate, where the average bottle is $500-plus and sought-after wines fetch more than $2,500. For an initial fee of $140,000 and annual dues, the Napa Valley Reserve tenders your own row of vines and everything you need (including an expert vintner and label designer) to produce your own vintage each fall. Estimated vacation cost: $207,000 More on CNN: 10 classic American experiences Florida's Gold Coast
For around $200,000 per week you can charter a seagoing palace with six staterooms, main salon and formal dining room, sky lounge bar and sundeck with a Jacuzzi or plunge pool, plus Waverunners, scuba and deep-sea fishing gear, and a fleet of three speedboats to whisk you to secluded beaches or upscale shopping. Other shore excursions might include $200-per-hour private lessons with a professional player at Palm Beach's International Polo Club, 18 holes at the Blue Monster course at Doral golf club ($250 per round) or a night on the town in South Beach that includes a VIP table with bottle service in the exclusive Trophy Room (plush leather chairs, paparazzi-free privacy, exclusive window onto the dance floor) at the swank SET nightclub. Estimated vacation cost: $224,000 More on CNN: America's most amazing hotel pools Las Vegas
The Hardwood Suite ($25,000 per night) boasts a basketball court and scoreboard; the Hugh Hefner ($40,000) features a rotating king bed and cantilevered swimming pool that hangs over the side of the building. Both come with 24/7 limo service. After settling in, a driver will whisk you to the Bellagio Casino and the elite Bobby's Room, which stages the highest stakes poker games on the planet. Minimum buy-in is $20,000, but pots often top six and seven figures. You can spend your winnings (you won, right?) on adventure in the Nevada wilderness. If it's winter, Las Vegas Private Jet Charter Flights ($5,000-$13,000, depending on the plane) will fly you to the Ruby Mountain sky area in northern Nevada for a day of heli-skiing on snowy slopes above the desert. The rate is $1,375 per person. If it's summer, the call of the wild means manning a tricked-out houseboat at Callville Bay Resort & Marina, with six bedrooms, wet bar, water slide, Jacuzzi and companion ski boat for a long, hot day of water sports on Lake Mead ($2,000 per day). Estimated vacation cost: $256,000 (plus or minus poker winings/losses) More on CNN: Best eats at 20 busiest U.S. airports The HamptonsNo place does decadence better than the posh Long Island enclave, where having a bigger, better beach house is how you scale the social ladder. Paul McCartney, Steven Spielberg and Sean "Diddy" Combs are among those who have vacation spreads here. But you don't have to be a celebrity to wade into the fray -- you can rent a vacation home complete with swimming pool, tennis courts and putting green for $35,000 a day. Naturally, you'll want to fill it with servants from Hampton Domestics -- chef, butler, personal trainer, chauffeur, nanny, gardener, social secretary, maids and a major domo to manage them all -- and a fleet of Bentleys, Ferraris and/or MacLarens from Gotham Dream Cars starting at $750 a day. (Discounts begin at just three days!) With some help, you can draft a guest list of who's who in the Hamptons this summer and throw a lavish "Gatsby" bash, a multi-day party, with live entertainment provided by A-listers like Al Green ($250,000), Tony Bennett ($350,000) and Brad Paisley ($1.5 million) available for private gigs through the William Morris Agency in nearby Manhattan. Estimated vacation cost: $989,000 (not counting the Paisley appearance your guests will be expecting from a bon vivant of your eminent standing in the community) More on CNN: 6 exclsuively New York shopping experiences Tags:      |
| Tanzania voted best safari country in Africa Posted: 21 Jun 2013 12:19 AM PDT A new poll crowns the East African country the king of safaris  First problem when considering a safari -- where to go. Zimbabwe has the majestic Victoria Falls, South Africa great boutique reserves. Kenya offers chances to see big cats and Botswana is a leader in eco-friendly tours. But you'd be best off selecting Tanzania, according to a recent poll on safaribookings.com. The Netherlands-based website polled 1,000 safari tourists and 756 experts, including guidebook authors from Lonely Planet, Rough Guides, Frommer's, Bradt and Footprint, over two years. The result: Tanzania is a clear favorite for novice and veteran safari-goers alike. "Tanzania is home to Serengeti National Park and Ngorongoro Crater," wrote Tim Bewer, a Lonely Planet guides author and one of the experts polled. "This alone makes a solid case for declaring it Africa's best safari country." Also on CNN: Southern Africa's best boutique safari reserves Adventure callsTanzania has seven UNESCO World Heritage Sites, including safari favorites the Ngorongoro Conservation Area and Serengeti National Park, home to millions of wildebeest that form one of the world's most spectacular sights as they migrate the area year-round. The country is also home to Mount Kilimanjaro, the highest mountain in Africa. Tanzania's only drawback, according to Safari Bookings, is that there are "too many highlights to fit in one safari." The news comes as welcome affirmation of the country as a tourist destination, after a recent bombing at a rally that killed two in Arusha. That event sparked anxiety among visitors. Ratings out of 5 of Africa's top safari countriesAs voted by tourists and safari experts
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| Which luxury hotel brand is the world's most popular? Posted: 20 Jun 2013 11:00 PM PDT A new study looks at which hotels are on top, the most popular high-end destinations and where luxury consumers are coming from  Looks like someone at Hilton might be getting a raise. A new index by the Geneva-based Digital Luxury Group (DLG) says the 93-year-old company is the most sought-after high-end hotel brand in the world, followed by Sheraton, Westin, Four Seasons and Hyatt. DLG says its World Luxury Hotel Index is based on information derived from 133 million online consumer searches and analyzes demand for 70 luxury hotel brands within 10 key luxury markets. Despite reports that the global economy is barely sputtering along, the index suggests that global interest in high-end accommodations remains stable with 1.5% growth over last year. Though the United States continues to dominate as the world's largest consumer of luxury hospitality (66.3%), Russians are the fastest growing global segment (+12.8%) followed by the British (+8.5%) and Chinese (+3.3%). On the other end of the spectrum, demand for luxury digs fell among luxury lovers in Italy (-14.3%), Brazil (-12.1%) and Japan (-11.1%). New York remains the top searched destination for luxury seekers worldwide, while London, Dubai and Paris are the fastest growing international cities on the list. More on CNN: America's most luxurious hotel suites Which brands lead the posh pack?According to the report, Hilton, Ritz Carlton and Four Seasons are the most sought-after brands in their respective categories: luxury brands of a major integrated chain; luxury brands of a small/medium-sized exclusive luxury chain and upscale brands from integrated chains. Hilton Worldwide, Hyatt and Starwood are the top three leading hotel groups worldwide, but Jumeirah is the most rapidly growing company among the top 25 luxury hotel groups. Here's the full list of the 50 most sought-after luxury hotel brands. 1. Hilton 2. Sheraton 3. Westin 4. Four Seasons 5. Hyatt 6. Hyatt Regency 7. Ritz‐‑Carlton 8. Embassy Suites 9. Renaissance 10. InterContinental 11. Fairmont 12. JW Marriott 13. Sofitel 14. Grand Hyatt 15. Loews 16. Shangri-La 17. Mandarin Oriental 18. St. Regis 19. Le Meridien 20. Regent 21. Park Hyatt 22. Kempinski 23. Jumeirah 24. Langham 25. Taj Hotel 26. Kimpton 27. Nikko 28. Banyan Tree 29. Andaz 30. Swissotel 31. Oberoi 32. W Hotel 33. Affinia 34. Rosewood 35. Pan Pacific 36. Vivanta by Taj 37. Hotel du Vin 38. Raffles 39. Steigenberger 40. One & Only 41. Omni Hotel 42. Peninsula 43. Anantara 44. Six Senses 45. Dusit 46. Radisson Blu Hotel 47. Bulgari Hotels 48. Guoman 49. Angsana 50. Conrad More on CNN: How to book the ultimate luxury london weekend    |
| How to have a perfect day in Hanoi Posted: 20 Jun 2013 03:00 PM PDT Five locals share their favorite ways to enjoy the Vietnamese capital -- drinks and eats included  In most cases, tourist hot spots are worth checking out. But it's nice to get away from the crowds and explore sites that haven't been sprayed across the pages of every major guidebook and travel site in the world. We asked five Hanoi locals to share, in their own words, the best ways to mix it up and have the perfect day in the Vietnamese capital. Ha Anh Vu: Model, singer, TV personality
Hanoians don't mind traveling to one specific alley for one dish. As a Hanoian, I love pho, of course, which was founded in Hanoi, and bun rieu, which is crab soup. Mien luon, eel noodles and bun cha, pork patties with vermicelli and fried spring rolls, can be found everywhere in the city. I love the fresh green bean and young rice ice cream on a stick from Kem Trang Tien, located on the street leading to the Opera House. But you have to eat it on the spot before it melts! In the evening, people in Hanoi enjoy dressing up and getting together for a long dinner at a nice restaurant. At sundown I like to go to the Sunset Bar that is right on the water at the Intercontinental Hanoi Westlake. It's a unique space that you don't usually see in the big city. I also like the five-star eateries at the historical Sofitel Legend Metropole Hotel and around Tay Ho there is Restaurant Bobby Chinn and El Gaucho steakhouse. El Gaucho Steakhouse, 99 Xuan Dieu St., Tay Ho; +84 (0)4 3718 6991 Intercontinental Hanoi Westlake, 1A Nghi Tam, Tay Ho; +84 (0)4 6270 8888 Kem Trang Tien, 35 Trang Tien, +84 (0)4 3824 0294 Restaurant Bobby Chinn, 77 Xuan Dieu St., Tay Ho District, +84 4 3 719 2460 Lilian Tran: Make-up and special effects artist
The temperature is 18 to 25 degrees (65-77 F), cool with a light breeze and you can start your day by walking along old streets such as Phan Dinh Phung where the aroma of hoa sữa -- Alstonia flowers -- hangs thick in the air and shafts of sunlight filtering through the leaves cast dancing figures on the street. Visit the quiet peaceful old citadel of Hanoi, right in the center of the city but far from the noisy over-crowded traffic and hurried life outside. It was only opened to the public after the excavation to renovate the National Assembly a few years ago. Here you can relax or read a book while sipping a cup of coffee at Highlands Café, a famous local Vietnamese brand, right under the thousand-year-old flag tower. Visitors should try the famous Hanoi specialty cha ca -- fried fish with turmeric and dill and vermicelli noodles -- at Cha Ca Thang Long. It's a good local spot and much better than the Cha Ca La Vong listed in all the guidebooks. At night time, start at Hoan Kiem Lake and wander the night market to find some cheap souvenirs and gifts; visit one of the dozens of small bars in Ta Hien or check out a local night club. Taboo, a floating discotheque, is always packed. Cha Ca Thang Long, 19-21-31 Duong Thanh, Hoan Kiem; +84 (0)4 3824 5115 Highlands Café, 28A Dien Bien Phu, Ba Dinh; +84 (0)4 3823 3339 Taboo, 4 Thuy Khue St., Tay Ho; +84 (0)4 3728 2996 More on CNN: 40 delicious Vietnamese dishes Benjamin Rascalou: Founder, Le Badiane and Linh & Ben
Then I would find a nice place for a breakfast bowl of pho ga, chicken noodle soup, or pho bo, beef noodle soup. Pho 24 by the lake is a good bet for both. In the afternoon, enjoy a romantic moment on Tay Ho, then visit nearby Phu Tay Ho pagoda just as the sun goes down. For dinner, come to La Badiane for French fusion and International dishes like grilled aubergine with goat cheese mousse and parma ham or beef carpaccio with wasabi and sesame. Or for delicious Vietnamese food I like Quan An Ngon, which literally means "delicious food restaurant." I like to order the banh hoi nem nuong, grilled pork meatballs, because you can't find it in many places and I love the way you roll them yourself. In the evening, explore the Old Quarter and enjoy the twinkling lights and atmosphere of Hanoi, and stop at Ta Hien street to enjoy a cold bia hoi, or fresh beer, with a mixed crowd of local Vietnamese and tourists. La Badiane, 10 Nam Ngu; +84 (0)4 3942 4509 Pho 24, 31 Hang Khay, Trang Tien, Hoan Kiem; +84 (0)4 3938 1812 Quan An Ngon, 18 Phan Boi Chau; +84 (0)4 3942 8162/63 More on CNN: 5 top coffee shops in Hanoi Betty Pallard: Business/media consultant
The people keep Hanoi green: the city has 83,000 trees, 80% of which are older than 200 years, all financed by anonymous sponsors. Hanoians also enjoy walking and bicycling more than other places in Vietnam: on Saturdays and Sundays from 3-8 p.m. the area around the lake is closed to traffic so people can walk and run there. I live in the West Lake area and there are lots of little places to have coffee where people observe a certain decorum and responsibility to the area: you cannot drink alcohol, you have to behave. Here you can enjoy a coffee for $1 -- it's not as commercialized as Ho Chi Minh City. At the Hanoi Club at West Lake, the food is good, you can enjoy the spa and even non-members can rent 100 balls for just $22 at the driving range. In the evening, join the city's F&B directors and visit Le Paul Conti. Vietnamese sommelier Mr. Hai Ha studied in France for five years with Paul Conti before opening this wine bar just over one year ago. All the food is great and the café gourmand with glass of Ricard and hot chocolate is the best in Hanoi. Hanoi Club, 76 Yen Phu, Tay Ho; +84 (0)4 3823 8115 Le Paul Conti, 59A Nam Ngu; +84 (0)4 3941 1959 More on CNN: 25 essential Hanoi travel tips Nguyen Minh Quan: Travel assistant, United States Embassy in Hanoi
First-time visitors should visit Hoan Kiem Lake and check out the 36 streets of the Old Quarter where people have kept their houses the same for centuries. Then, try to see some art galleries, such as Hanoi Studio or Apricot Gallery for more famous Vietnamese artists. Le Thanh Son is one of my favorite well-established artists and I also like some young artists, like Ly Tran Quynh Trang. Her work is quite abstract and very emotional. She knows how to describe a strong character. For a traditional Vietnamese experience, visit the water puppet theaters at Hoan Kiem Lake, or do some shopping along Hang Gai street. For silver, visit Huong jewelry shop along Hang Ngan street. For dinner, Wild Lotus is a good high-end Vietnamese restaurant. I particularly like the green mango salad with shrimp and peanuts there. Club Opera Nouvelle, set within a former hand-embroidered linen shop house, is another good upscale option for things like soft-shell crab and duck salad.
Apricot Gallery, 40B Hang Bong; +84 (0)4 3828 8965 Hanoi Studio, 13 Trang Tien; +84 (0)4 3934 4433 Huong jewellery, 62 Hang Ngan; +84 (0)4 3828 1046 Ho Chi Minh Museum, 7 Le Loi, Ba Dinh; +84 (0)4 3846 3757 Club Opera Nouvelle, 17 Trang Tien; +84 (0)4 3972 8001 Rooftop, 19/F Pacific Place, 83B Ly Thuong Kiet, Hoan Kiem; +84 (0)4 3946 1901 Thang Long Water Puppet Theatre, 57B Dinh Tien Hoang, Hoan Kiem; +84 (0)4 3824 9494 Wild Lotus, 55A Nguyen Du; +84 (0)4 3943 9342 More on CNN: The problem with Hanoi's Old Quarter Tags:    |
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