The Luxury In this economy, one of European travel’s most classic experiences – a grand tour of Italy’s most iconic cities, Rome, Florence and Venice – could seem more a luxury than an imperative. And if a week is all the vacation time you have, it helps to have the legwork done for you. Select Italy is giving a smart twist to the classic urban trinity tour with its new Big Three package. You’ll still see the big sights over the course of a seven days, but with thoughtful touches like a tasting at Rome’s most exclusive wine bar, Casa Bleve (with ruins in the wine cellar, naturally), advance reservations to the Vatican Museum, Sistine Chapel, and Florence’s Uffizi (as infamous for its long lines as famous for its great art!). Read the rest of this post »

When I arrived in Playa del Carmen last week, a stretch of sugar white shoreline nestled along Mexico’s famed Riviera Maya, I expected to find, well, the expected: a barrage of all-inclusive mega-resorts and pop-up American franchises interspersed with a cultural hotspot or two. Such is what Playa’s cousin, Cancun (a 45 minute drive north), has become known for. What I didn’t expect to find was an exciting new crop of oceanfront resorts not just embracing an eco-chic mantra, but successfully combining a seemingly incompatible ménage a trois of sustainability, luxury, and all-inclusivity. Blasting the belief that eco-luxury is a myth, these posh properties are not your average all-inclusives – providing Ritz-defying quality and green initiatives that go well beyond watered-down margaritas and suggested towel reuse. Read the rest of this post »

SHERMAN’S EXCLUSIVE

The Luxury Situated within the historic Mitte district, the five-star Regent Berlin has 195 lavish suites and guestrooms with marble bathrooms, deep-soaking tubs, and twice-daily housekeeping. Overlooking Gendarmenmarkt Square, the hotel’s two-star Fischers Fritz restaurant (pictured) specializes in seafood and creative New German cuisine, but don’t miss afternoon tea for a tasty selection of Prussian coffees and teas, scones, sandwiches and English tea cakes. Read the rest of this post »

SHERMAN’S EXCLUSIVE

The Luxury Opened in May, the surfer-chic Shorebreak Hotel capitalizes on the recent rebranding of Huntington Beach, California, as Surf City U.S.A. It offers a hip and sophisticated take on Orange County culture with plush oceanview rooms, courtyard fire pits around which s’mores and cocktails are served, and beach butlers who can provide surfboards, wet suits, and beach volleyball courts. The pan-Mediterranean Zimzala restaurant offers a seafood-heavy menu by James Beard award–winning chef Joyce Goldstein. Read the rest of this post »

SHERMAN’S EXCLUSIVE

The Luxury Perched on a hillside near the historic heart of Provence’s enchanting capital, the opulent La Villa Gallici welcomes guests to a quiet street, decked each fall with orange- and yellow-hued cypress and plane trees. During this season the wine harvests begin in nearby vineyards like Châteauneuf-du-Pape. The villa’s rooms bear sumptuous furnishings and fabrics; many include claw-foot bathtubs and private balconies. Read the rest of this post »

* * * SHERMAN’S EXCLUSIVE * * *

The Luxury Be among the first to indulge in Oregon wine country’s newest luxury resort, The Allison Inn & Spa in Newburg. The property, which just debuted last month, features luxe, eco-friendly digs, one of the largest spas in the Pacific Northwest, and 35 acres including private pinot noir vineyards. Its location is ideal for further exploration of the more than 200 wineries in the acclaimed Willamette Valley (pictured).  Read the rest of this post »

The Luxury Just outside Siena in the heart of the Tuscan countryside, a new luxury retreat opened in July inside an 11th-century medieval village, Monastero d’Ombrone. Once home to Italian nobility, Castel Monastero (pictured) comprises 76 guest rooms and suites with high, beamed ceilings and views of vineyards and olive groves. Downstairs in the barrel-vaulted 13th-century cellar, guests can sample more than 130 Tuscan vintages, including chiantis produced and aged in the resort’s winery. Rustic regional fare is served at Contrada, a new restaurant from celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay. Don’t skip a stroll through the foothills during harvest season, a time for local food and wine festivals. Read the rest of this post »

Visitors to Anguilla’s upscale CuisinArt Resort & Spa can expect some novel perks. First, there’s the island-influenced French fare from the new chef, Daniel Le Guenan, whose resume includes a stint at Alain Ducasse’s legendary Saint-Tropez outpost of Spoon. Second, the revamped spa has 16 fresh treatment rooms (7 with outdoor showers) and even a men’s club (bestowing lavish hot-towel shaves). But the pièce de resistance is the resort’s new indoor Healing Waters Pool. Filled with saltwater warmed to body temperature, the pool is best sampled via the unique 80-minute Anguillan Water Journey ($250), which pairs a sea salt scrub and rinse with a 50-minute waterimmersed massage. Consider staying at CuisinArt in the summer, when beachfront junior suites cost $395/night (versus the peak-season high of $920/night). 

From the April/May 2009 issue of Sherman’s Travel magazine.

Luxury river cruise line, Peter Deilmann recently announced a fantastic offer on four of its January and February 2010 South American itineraries. Passengers can enjoy a round-trip business class flight the embarkation port from just $99. Or, they can opt to book their own flight, and save up to $2,500 per person of the price of the cruise. Whichever path you take, you can’t go wrong with these great savings.

In order to take advantage of this offer, passengers must book an H-category stateroom on one of the select voyages available aboard the MS Deutschland. This ocean liner provides 5-star accommodations, personalized service, an elegant Roman Spa, and an imperial ballroom. The itinerary options with this special offer include the Chilean Fjords, Antarctica’s Drake Passage, the Falkland Islands, the Amazon Rover, and more. Passengers also receive a free shore excursion package valued at over $700, free transfers to and from the ship, and their choice of 73 North American airports where they can redeem their free airfare offer. Prices on these exotic sailings start at $7,405.

The Luxury: High-end lodging in Argentina’s Mendoza wine region doesn’t get better than Cavas Wine Lodge, a superb Relais & Châteaux property nestled in a private 35-acre vineyard at the foot of the Andes. The lodge is outfitted with just 14 decadent and spacious rooms — each with a private pool, terrace, and outdoor shower — and a sumptuous on-site restaurant and spa. The Value: Book the 2-night Special Programme in harvest season (March to April) to get airport transfers, chauffeur-driven winery visits and tastings, all meals at area restaurants, outdoor activities in the Andes, a 60-minute massage per person, and a luxury room for two at $1,595. Yes, it’s pricey, but it’s also smart: You won’t need to spend another cent during your visit, and vineyard visits are all prearranged. Read the rest of this post »