While rumors are whirling that Cape Town hotels are booked solid for the World Cup, we’ve received word that Cape Town’s Radisson Blu Waterfront, a chic Beach Road resort with award-winning seaside bar, has available rooms in June and July – that’s prime game time.

The World Cup, the world’s biggest sporting event after the Olympic Games takes place this June 11 through July 11 (91 days away and counting); it’s also the first time an African country will host the soccer tournament. The Radisson Blu Waterfront is situated only about a mile from Greenpoint Stadium, one of two semi-final venues. All rooms have a nautical theme and sea or Table Mountain views. There’s a small infinity-edge, ocean-side pool, and Tobago’s, the hotel’s restaurant and bar, has a great, big terrace which has made it a hotspot for locals and tourists alike.

Granted, rates during this period have gone through the roof. Nightly rates at the Radisson Blu go for, ahem, $835/night (up from the usual $350/night) but inflated prices span across South Africa. At least here you get stunning views and free Wi-Fi and Nespresso machines . . . if that helps you rationalize it. South African Airways also still has availability on its direct flights from New York and Washington D.C.

For more info, see our Cape Town travel guide.

To many New Yorkers who lived in and around ground zero those nine years ago or to those who lost friends or family in the attacks (and even to those who didn’t), the concept behind the area’s newest hotel (built across from where the World Trade Center once stood) seems fairly crass. It’s all about 9/11 at the strategically named World Center Hotel, and the hotel’s marketing team has no qualms about using its memorial-side location to attract tourists; its website tastefully describes its position as “at the forefront of the World Trade Center’s revitalization and resurgence.” Yes, most coming to New York make it a point to visit ground zero to pay their respects, but do they really want to stay in a room that offers floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the 16 acres where the towers fell (now an active and noisy construction site)? Well, the folks behind the Word Center Hotel are banking that they do. It’s a morbid marketing maneuver for sure but perhaps being close to the site is what some people need to remember, to recover. There are several other area hotels, although, that offer similar “stirring” views but have not thought of their vistas as a selling point. Maybe they are late on the uptake?

What do you think? Is it too much too soon? Or is the World Center Hotel just trying to make the best of its neighborhood and its upcoming revitalization?

One can imagine that Mexico City bid farewell to 2009 with considerable relief. The bad economy coupled with spurts of regional violence kept visitors away early on, and in April, when the city became ground zero of the H1N1 pandemic, tourism fell off a cliff.

Fast-forward to the new year. In December, Mexico City became the first city in Latin America to legalize gay marriage and same-sex couple adoption. Also, it’s among seven cities worldwide selected by FIFA to broadcast all the 2010 World Cup games live on giant, public screens. Add to that the city’s humming design scene, its affordability, and legions of innovative restaurants, and the only question left is where to bed down.

After a few delays, Las Alcobas opened January 18 in the city’s affluent Polanco district. Designed by Yabu Pushelberg, whose clients include Four Seasons and St. Regis, the hotel is both modern and homey. Its 35 rooms are softened with hand-knotted rugs and contemporary Mexican art. At the top end are three penthouse suites with wraparound terraces. A small spa grants relief from the urban bustle. Near the hotel, guests can shop Avenida Presidente Masaryk, visit the modern art museum, and dine at the city’s top tables, all without hailing a cab (the traffic has yet to improve). From $415/night; lasalcobas.com

Find more exciting hotels in our Mexico City Travel Guide.

From the February/March 2010 issue of Sherman’s Travel magazine.

The Northeast’s latest snowstorm isn’t all bad (transportation hassles and slushy streets aside), the fresh blanket of snow means sweet skiing conditions at nearby mountain resorts. So, turn these snow days into ski days and head up north for thick powdery chutes - maybe the softest slopes of the season! We’ve just published a handful of ski travel guides to help you on our way. Check out our favorite hotel picks like the smart-splurge, 2-year-old Stowe Mountain Lodge and Maine’s renovated Sugarloaf Mountain Hotel. See all our latest hotel reviews here: Killington, Stowe, Bretton Woods, Jay Peak, Sugarloaf, and Le Massif. 

There seems to be a pattern to the luxury resort scene on the islands of Hawaii. Large, opulently designed facilities perched on expansive, manicured grounds; Lavish patios with large pools and sun bathing acutremants; fancy celebrity chef-run restaurants and lounges; and in-house activities to keep you constantly entertained. 

By our standards, and undoubtedly anyone’s, these are amazing features. But sometimes to truly relax, you have to steer clear of the over-developed path, give up a few of the packaged, big ticket amenities, and embrace simplicity. 

Luckily at Hotel Renew, Honolulu’s first designer boutique hotel, simplicity does not cancel out luxury.

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The remote Cook Islands in the South Pacific boast “the most beautiful beaches in the world,” not to mention balmy year-round temperatures and over a thousand years of island history and traditions. Escape to this sunny paradise at Sanctuary Rarotonga, a brand-new adults-only resort on the largest island of Rarotonga. Each of the 48 beachfront suites features super-king size beds, Italian-tiled bathrooms, and private verandahs with gorgeous views of the white-sand Aroa Beach. The lavish experience is rounded out by the on-site spa and restaurant and the inviting pool with swim-up bar. Guests can also make use of facilities at nearby sister property The Rarotongan Beach Resort & Spa, including the fitness center and tennis court, activities like ukulele lessons, and nightly island-themed entertainment.

Fittingly, Sanctuary Rarotonga opened on Valentine’s Day, but the super romantic resort is extending the love all year long with special opening rates. Through March 31, book a beachfront suite for $327/night with breakfast included (prices then jump to $362/night through October 30). Just mention the code WOW when you book.

To up the romance factor even more, the opening rates can be combined with Sanctuary’s “Romancing Rarotonga” package. When guests book a five-night stay, the resort will throw in a free one-hour couple’s hydrotherapy massage in the spa’s Honeymoon Suite, and a bottle of wine. Use the code MELLOW when booking to secure these freebies.

Though it’s not the easiest place to get to (Air New Zealand offers one round-trip non-stop flight a week between L.A. and Rarotonga), once there the Cook Islands are pretty easy on the wallet, since U.S. currency is so strong against the local New Zealand dollar. It’s also a spectacular wedding or honeymoon destination, and Sanctuary is happy to help with all your nuptial needs.  To book, call 011-682-25-900 or visit sanctuaryrarotonga.com.

Here again with news of yet another New York City hotel opening – but this one is the most affordable to date.  The Distrikt Hotel, opened on February 1, is offering spacious rooms from only $159/night! The hotel goes for a boutique feel with a New York theme. The city is represented (somewhat abstractly) throughout the hotel: floors are designated by neighborhood with a colorful photo collage of say Tribeca or Harlem displayed in the floor’s hallway (decoration within rooms, on the other hand, is the same regardless of which floor you chose); the hotel’s restaurant and bar features locally brewed beers and homegrown Long Island wines; in the lobby, a wooden map of Manhattan sits behind the check-in desk and an 11-foot grassy “living wall” installation represents Central Park. Its 155 rooms (video preview above) are simple, clean, and modern with great perks for the price like free Wi-Fi, flat-screen TVs, iHome docking stations, Frette bedding and robes, and ECRU New York bath amenities. Go for a room on a higher floor (16 and up) for views of the west side and Hudson. All this attention on New York ‘hoods yet its own locale is the dismal Port Authority zone – the high-rise sits across the street from the station on 40th, next to layers of scaffolding (another hotel is underway next door) and a New York City Parole Office down the way. Despite the drab street, Times Square subway stations are two blocks away and prices really can’t be beat.

Deal: Stay two nights through March 31 and get the third night free, plus a complimentary room upgrade, a welcome basket from Dean & Deluca, and a “Distrikt Kit” with city maps and coupons.

For more budget hotel ideas, check out our Top 10 City Hotels Under $100.

SHERMAN’S EXCLUSIVE

The Deal Book opening rates for 21 percent less and enjoy free massages worth $300.

Stay Antigua’s new Sugar Ridge is a hillside resort near Jolly Harbour. The 60 spacious rooms feature four-poster beds and wide verandas with ocean views. Other highlights include an Aveda spa and two large pools.

Details Discounted all-inclusive rates start at $210/night per person and include a free upgrade to a deluxe room with a private plunge pool as well as a 1-hour massage per person (worth $150).

Book It This offer is valid through April 9. Book by phone and mention Sherman’s Travel Exclusive deal; 268/562-7700, sugarridgeantigua.com.

See our updated Antigua Hotel Guide for top-rated picks.

From the February/March issue of Sherman’s Travel magazine.

You may not have noticed the island across the water from Miami’s South Beach strip (there’s enough to keep your eyes occupied on the happening drag) but just across the way, a 7-minute ferry ride to be exact, sits Fisher Island, a private residential community home to some 216 acres, a slew of luxury condos, and the Fisher Island Hotel & Resort. Onetime home to the Vanderbilt family (William Vanderbilt acquired the island from Carl Fisher in a trade in 1925 – Vanderbilt’s 220-foot yacht for the island!), the hotel is centered around the Vanderbilt’s original 1926 mansion which now houses restaurants Garwood and Café Tangier. Recently renovated rooms and villas (villa room tour above) feature traditional furnishings like poster beds and slick bathrooms with a large tub and separate shower with wide rain-shower head. Villas also come with their own private patios with loungers and an outdoor Jacuzzi. All hotel guests get their own golf cart to drive around the island during their stay. 

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The beloved bohemian hotel, Café Cultura—known for whimsical frescoes, blazing hearths, and a cozy, lived-in feel—has traded its postcolonial villa for a princely mansion in the same New Town district of Quito, Ecuador. Built in 1937, the mansion’s former incarnation was as the elite Club Pichincha where the crème de la crème of society would gather. A striking mixture of Art Deco details and Republican–style architecture, the structure won Quito’s most prestigious architectural award in 1937. Read the rest of this post »