Friday May 24, 2013
California's Napa Valley furnishes fabulous fun any time of year. Here, you'll savor the USA's most beloved wines and many of the country's best restaurants and resorts.

Napa Valley has it all. And from July 12 to 21, it has Napa Festival del Sole.
Inaugurated in 2006, this tasteful festival has become a summer must for visitors who love great wine, food, and the performing arts.
In other words, luxury travelers.
Top two photos: Castello Amorosa dinner and concert at Festival del Sole İTom Sullivan. Sunrise over Napa İVi Bottaro. Coveted table at Chef Tom Keller's The French Laundry İDeborah Jones.
Tuesday May 21, 2013
Loyalists -- American colonists who sided with England during the Revolutionary War -- were run out of the soon-to-be USA. Some of them fled to Harbour Island in the Bahamas. When you see where they ended up, you can't think of them as losers.
Luxury Travel's guide to this patch of paradise is resident India Hicks. Once known as Princess Diana's 13-year-old bridesmaid, the native Brit is today a designer, entrepreneur, and creator of award-winning Crabtree & Evelyn potions. Allow India to...
Photos: Harbour Island pink sand beach at sunset. İLarry Deack/Wikimedia. India Hicks İTim Monro. Cycling on Harbour Island İThe Islands of the Bahamas.
Saturday May 18, 2013

In the restaurant biz, energetic is a euphemism for noisy. So what does that say about the city famed for its 24-hour energy?

Yes, New York City is noisy. And its hubbub can intrude on hotel guests' peaceful slumber.
One Big Apple hotel, The Benjamin, has developed a comprehensive Sleep Program and guarantees sound shuteye.
Photos from top: İThe Benjamin's Sleep Concierge, Anya, with her wares. Manhattan Bridge seen from Brooklyn İKaren Tina Harrison. Sleeping dogs lie happy; 1927 Art Deco home of İThe Benjamin.
Wednesday May 15, 2013

The Ritz-Carlton first became a legend in the early 20th century, and was revived by the Marriott hospitality company in 1983. Once again, The Ritz-Carlton is a beloved luxury hotel brand.
This top-drawer name now graces 82 hotels in 27 countries. Ritz-Carlton properties to open in 2014:
- Two in Morocco: at Marrakech's jet-set Jnan Amar Polo Resort (top); and on Rabat's famed golf course
- Ritz-Carlton, Kyoto, on Kamogawa River near the Gion geisha district (left)
2011 marked the opening of the futuristic Ritz-Carlton, Toronto (below) and the first ultra-luxe Ritz-Carlton Reserve, in Phulay Bay, Thailand (right). Two hotels, one word: breathtaking.
The takeaway: Ritz-Carlton remains charismatic and cutting-edge, like a true superstar.
Photos from top: İThe Ritz-Carlton, Marrakech; İThe Ritz-Carlton, Kyoto; İPhulay Bay, a Ritz-Carlton Reserve, Thailand; İThe Ritz-Carlton, Toronto; Kids' club at İThe Ritz-Carlton, Palm Beach.