Exotic Hotel Tips

 There will soon be a fresh new way to cool off in the Middle East-via an $1 billion dollar ski resort.  Yes, the government and private sector partnership in Dubai has announced its plans to bring the winter sport experience to Dubai.  Dubai is famous for its excess-luxury hotels, exotic rental cars, exquisite cuisine, and now it is about to add even more indulgence.

Plans include an oversized ski dome set to rise from Dubai’s mega tourism development project-Dubailand.  The project is called “Dubai Sunny Mountain Ski Dome”, and it is the first of its kind in the Middle East.

Star Island is located in the Bahamas, and is announcing exciting plans for an eco friendly future-in the form of a luxury resort powered by trade winds, sun and currents.  But it gets more fabulous. 

Star Island is a 35-acre cay near the Bahamian island of Eleuthera.  Developers intend to transform this island of sand, coral rock, and trees into the world’s first carbon-neutral island resort.  This eco friendly luxury resort will define green, with no reliance on fossil fuels that add carbon dioxide to the atmosphere.

Who says luxury hotels can’t be eco-friendly?  The growing trend of going green has infiltrated even the most luxe of hotels, making strides toward a decidedly green future and preservation of our planet.

Savvy travelers in growing numbers are supporting conservation by selecting which establishments they visit, and that also extends to luxury hotels around the world. 

Yes, sustainable hospitality practices are becoming increasingly prevalent among the luxury hotels of today.  Many luxury hotels are becoming LEED Certified, which stands for “Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design”.

South Beach is famed for its excess, lifestyle and its luxury hotels.  Today we will explore and compare the luxurious Gansevoort South Beach with the (equally?) exotic Shoreclub South Beach. 

Both luxury South Beach hotels are oceanfront.  Both are considered upscale, decadent and indulgent.  You can enjoy a delicious upscale culinary adventure at both.  The differences will lie in the types of cuisine, the vibe of the bar areas, the spa, amenities and of course, the accommodations.  So let’s compare.

This Saturday, February 13th, will mark the 47th annual Coconut Grove Arts Festival.  The event will take place in beautiful Coconut Grove, Florida, from February 13th-15th.   Hours for the festival are 10am-6pm all three days.

We at Imagine Lifestyles love all that is luxury living, so when we heard about this ultra-luxe spa treatment, we decided to share it with our fans.  In Turks and Caicos, a new trend is cracking open-a Queen conch shell scrub. 

You can find this aqua exotic treatment at the Regent Palms in Turks and Caicos; just ask for a 30-minute Mother of Pearl body treatment. Queen conch shells are found in the shallows of the Caribbean and southern Atlantic seas where the waters are tropical and warm.  These mollusks have large shells lined with pink tinted mother-of-pearl. 

In our quest to turn over every leaf in the world’s available exotic and luxury hotels, we stumbled across a true “icebreaker”-the fact that there are numerous “Ice Hotels” worldwide.  Is this a cool concept?  You be the judge as we slide into three of these intriguing igloos:

•    Hotel de Glace, Quebec City, Canada
•    Ice Hotel, Sweden
•    Snow Castle, Kemi, Finland

With the big game just 3 weeks out, Miami and all of South Florida has been busily preparing itself for the onslaught of football fans, visitors and excitement.  Here are some of the ways Miami is prepping for Super Bowl XLIV:

•    Hotels altering arrangements
•    Restaurants creating special menus
•    Clubs booking high-profile entertainment
•    Exotic rental cars booking up
•    Boutiques and shopping options stepping it up