As a new year begins, so do new travel plans. I crisscrossed the globe in 2010 – from Shanghai to Sydney and Manhattan to Miami – and visited many hotels that left a lasting impression. Now that 2010 is over and 2011 has begun, I’ve put together my list of the must-see luxury hotels to [...]

Before entering the treatment rooms at the spa at Canyon Ranch Miami Beach, all guests are asked to choose a crystal rock from a bowl. The crystal stays with you throughout your stay. Each time you enter the spa you choose another crystal; each crystal has a different meaning. I chose the Tiger Eye – [...]

The fashion world came to a screeching halt the day Gianni Versace was shot outside his Miami home in 1997. The Italian fashion mogul produced accessories, fragrances, makeup and home furnishings, as well as clothes that dressed generations. Few people inspired fashion the way Gianni Versace did. Few people did it in a way that [...]

Any traveler will tell you the best food in any destination is likely found off the beaten path. Case in point: Miami’s Red Light Little River. Don’t let the decor fool you… this little restaurant tucked inside Biscayne Boulevard may look run down from the outside, but the kitchen serves up some of the best [...]

Yin. Yang. Up. Down. Breathe in. Breathe out. Relax. Repeat. That was the instruction from my spa therapist at the Mandarin Oriental Miami‘s spa during my Mandarin Oriental Signature Spa Treatment (MOSST). I needed a quick getaway alone – away from the laundry, the dirty dishes, the emails, the dust bunnies… I grabbed a cheap [...]

A quick recipe for rejuvenation is a long weekend at a great hotel in a familiar city, add in a spa treatment and an excellent meal at a new restaurant, and you’ll feel revived and ready to go. Sometimes, these escapes are as simple as booking a hotel room in your own city. Other times, [...]