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Hawaii is a safe and wonderful destination for your family and/or group of friends. A friend has sent me an email full of pictures of Hawaii and suggested my next vacations should be there.. What do you suggest? :-)

Emerald Waters


Golf...


Hanauma Bay, Oahu


Kaanapali Beach, Maui


Lanikai Shoreline, Oahu

French Polynesia's Bora bora island is likely the most famous tropical island in the world. Bora bora is truly an experience worth having. A wonderfully relaxing place to be as well as a great island for you to experience

There are many reasons to visit Greece and one of them is certainly Lefkada. One of the most beautiful islands in the Ionian Sea, Lefkada has to show only nature's beauty.

It is located in the western part of Greece and it's a province of Eptanisa (this word means "7 islands" in Greek).

It has many beautiful and isolated beaches to enjoy and explore. Some of them are Agiofili, Agios Nikitas, Egremni, Kathisma, Mikros Gialos, Mylos (Ag. Nikitas), Mylos (Gyra), Porto Katsiki and Vasiliki.

Egremni beach
Egremni beach
Kathisma beach
Porto Katsiki beach

One of the most exotic destinations is Cancun in Mexico.

Calcun has transformed into a beautiful city with lots of places for sightseeing. The refreshing waters of the carribean sea, the wonderfull resorts and the warm smiles of the people there makes it a good holiday destination.

Fashion and travel go together like size double-0 dresses and coffee-and-cigarette breakfasts. They need each other. Sure, fashionistas need someplace to lay their coiffed heads once the after-party winds down, but the fashion flock can also put a hotel on the cultural map—Bryant Park Hotel, anyone?—or strip it of its influence like yesterday's Donna Karan collection. No wonder savvy hoteliers from Paris to Milan not only hire designers to redo rooms or entire properties, but lately designers are buying up hotels themselves. So, just in time for New York Fashion Week, we give you a cheat sheet to the couture world's Travel Dos—where to stay, eat, and drink. Our only request? When you show up, please be fabulous.


TOO MUCH IS NEVER ENOUGH

In 2000, the House of Versace jump-started the fashion hotel phenom with the Palazzo Versace, a self-proclaimed six-star temple to guilt-free gilt located—where else?—on the Gold Coast, Australia's answer to Miami Beach. It has since played host to everyone from the Rolling Stones to Crown Prince Albert of Monaco. Versace's there's-no-such-thing-as-excessive aesthetic imbues everything: The enormous Imperial Suites with bright yellow furnishings; five lagoon pools accented with Roman statues; a lobby chandelier that once hung in Milan's state library. After a few hiccups, the brand is set to expand in 2009 with a new outpost in that capital of overkill, Dubai. Details are sketchy (expect Medusa heads), but word has leaked that the property will have an inexplicable "temperature-controlled beach." Don't want to wait that long? Book instead at the Presidential Suite at Casa Colonial in the Dominican Republic: Donatella had the room done to her specs when the hotel opened three years ago and she stayed over—the changes actually included the architect redesigning the outdoor terrace for the design doyenne. The savvy owners left it all as is—"decorated" by DV herself.


ROOM WITH A VIEW

Lycra-loving '80s icon Azzedine Alaïa is enjoying a resurgence these days. The designer is also renowned for his hospitality—he's famous for throwing family-style dinners in the fitting room for models and stylists, and, back in the day, for letting a young model named Naomi Campbell crash on his floor. The next logical step? A boutique hotel. Alaïa opened 3 Rooms-5 rue du Moussy in Paris's trendy Marais district. It's comprised of three large full-floor apartment-style suites, each with a private entrance and furniture and fittings handpicked by the designer: Marc Newson and Jean Nouvel furniture, and shocks of bright yellow and green. (If the concept sounds familiar, it's because it's modeled after Milan's 3 Rooms-10 Corso Como, which teamed up on this project.) Since the 18th-century building is right next to Alaïa's flagship store, guests can peer out back windows for a bird's-eye view of the bustling atelier.


THE TRADITIONALISTS

Sometimes cutting-edge modernity doesn't translate into actual comfort (ever try sitting in a Marc Newson chair?). If you'd prefer to rest your head at a fashion-plate property that's both well-executed and traditional, look no farther than Italy's Palazzo Viviani, owned by designer Alberta Ferretti and her brother Massimo. Unlike Versace and others who are keen to extend their brand, the Ferretti siblings were simply passionate locals who grew up near the medieval hilltop village, half an hour's drive inland from the Adriatic resort of Rimini. Keen to find a way to preserve the crumbling old town, they bought its centerpiece, the castle, and turned it into a lavish hotel that opened in 1994. Palazzo Viviani has 53 rooms, eight of them inside the castle walls, and each made up in the same swoony romantic style for which the designer is known. Ferretti's own pick is the white-walled Heloise's Room, with exposed beams and overstuffed chairs. The village feels like a living museum, with long-lost local crafts revived and thriving: Pick up artisanal cheese or olive oil during your nightly passegiatta.


MOST STYLISH SPOT TO ROMP

All lace and frills and heart-shaped pillows, many honeymoon suites are crying out for the touch of an elegant designer. The Halekulani, one of Waikiki's best hotels, hit upon one of those why-didn't-I-think-of-that ideas: Hire Vera Wang, the designer synonymous with fabulous wedding gowns, to decorate theirs. The detail-obsessed onetime Vogue editor personally oversaw every element of the one-bedroom, 2,100-square-foot suite, dressing it in wedding-ready chocolate, lavender, and ivory; it also has a tremendous view of the craggy Oahu landscape from the enormous bed. Wang—whose own husband proposed to her in Hawaii—crammed the room with branded goodies from her housewares collection, including linens, glassware, and candles, and stocked it with her favorite DVDs (romantic comedies galore: My Big Fat Greek Wedding, Love Actually). Her setup has been such a postnuptial hit that Wang is eyeing other spots across the globe to open in the next few years.


CHIC CHAINS

Most one-off designer hotels and suites are mostly marketing gimmick (case in point: The Nicky O in South Beach has hired Cavalli, Heatherette, and Fendi to do "specialty" rooms). But a few labels are taking the concept seriously—and pulling it off with panache. Funnily enough, they're all Italian: Three years ago, Bulgari, the Rome-based jeweler known for its chunky, avant-garde designs, teamed up with Ritz-Carlton for its first hotel, in Milan's artsy Brera district. It's now one of the city's swankiest spots, with a lobby dominated by slabs of gleaming black Zimbabwean marble and a constant crowd of beautiful people. A second location just opened in Bali: a Zen cluster of 59 luxury villas perched on a cliff top on the island's far southwestern tip. Meanwhile, the Ferragamo family's Lungarno Hotels chain continues to expand across Italy. They own some of the best hotels in Florence (including the Savoy and the Gallery Hotel Art), and in July 2006 brought their look of contemporary cool to Rome: The 14-room Portrait Suites sits above the Ferragamo store. Finally, long rumored to be an aspiring hotelier, Giorgio Armani has committed to a partner (Dubai-based megadeveloper Emaar) and at least three sites (Milan, Dubai, and Marrakesh). As is his wont, Armani is playing the details close to his vest (okay—his black T-shirt), but you might be able to sleep in one of his beds sometime in 2008.


HOUSE OF MANNEQUINS

Sure, there are models hanging out at any South Beach hotel worth its Frette linens, but only one spot has a modeling company headquartered on-site—the Raleigh. Ford Models' Miami office is actually four guest rooms knocked together into an improvised suite on the second floor of the trendy hotel. The firm moved here in 2002 because agency owner Katie Ford was then married to hotelier André Balazs, who had just bought the hotel and was transforming it into a shabby-chic Chateau Marmont–by-the-sea. Much of Ford's international business funnels through Miami, so the busy office throngs with nubile neophytes—convenient, as the Raleigh's Esther Williams–era pool is a photo shoot staple. Modelizers take note: A chaise by the pool is a prime spot to enjoy the Raleigh's varied delights. You might even spy supermodel and Ford mainstay Ines Rivero—who, we hear, lives nearby.


A PROPER MANSION

Roger and Monty Saul are the husband-and-wife team who founded the oh-so-English leather label Mulberry (not to be mistaken for that oh-so-English label Burberry). They own the Charlton House, a huge, renovated mansion in the English countryside south of Bath. The property has a habit of attracting movie stars like Cate Blanchett and Clive Owen, who stay here while they shoot period flicks in nearby Wells. And there is a correlation between the label's designs and the 25 rooms themselves: classic but never chintzy, with a propensity of burgundies, dark browns, and golds. There's an on-site croquet lawn, and you can easily arrange some trout fishing, clay-pigeon shooting, or horseback riding (tallyho!). The Sauls were ousted from their company in a bitter battle a few years ago, so there's no Mulberry discount for guests (sorry), but the factory shop, with deep discounts, is just a brisk five-minute hike away.


THE WILD ONE

When you first see the G's Alice in Wonderland look and realize that renowned milliner Philip Treacy was behind the design, it's awfully hard not to make a Mad Hatter joke. So go ahead, take a seat in the bright op art–patterned Pink Salon, have a couple of cocktails, and tell everyone you've fallen through a rabbit hole. One of the Irish Monogram chain of hotels, the G is located in the up-and-coming port town of Galway, where Treacy was raised. He had a hand in the entire place: the rainbow-hued chairs, the fabulous Tom Dixon globe chandeliers, the Warhol-print upholstery. He even hung up the iconic Irving Penn portrait of Jean Patchett that he bought at Christie's. The 101 rooms are more normal than the public spaces might suggest (dare we say too normal?). We especially like the baths carved of fossilized Jura limestone. If it's available, book a night in the 2,500-square-foot Evangelist suite—named after Treacy's own muse. No word on whether it will make you refuse to get out of bed for less than $25,000.


FASHION FOOD

The official diet of Fashion Week might consist of little more than Marlboros and Moët, but that doesn't mean the rest of us can't indulge. A few hotels in Europe have created design-inspired menus for those of us who don't need to fit into a size 0. When Rocco Forte renovated Brown's Hotel in London, he rechristened its drinking den the Donovan Bar, after the modeling photographer Terence Donovan. It's now a Kate Moss–approved watering hole with a Fashion Week cocktail menu—a special tipple for each of the Big Four (New York, London, Milan, and Paris). Try out the Milan: bitter Campari, red vermouth, and a splash of Prosecco. Down the road, the Berkeley Hotel's Prêt-à-Portea may at first seem cloyingly cutesy, but the pastry chef's artistry is undeniable and the cakes pretty yummy. Each season, key looks are turned into sweets—bite-sized-cookie versions of Jimmy Choo gold boots, an Anya Hindmarch beach bag, pictured—all served, of course, on Paul Smith china. In Paris, the Café de la Paix—the in-house Gauloise-and-gab spot for jet-setters staying at the InterContinental Le Grand—features its own couture cakes. Agnès B., Paco Rabanne, and Chantal Thomass have all overseen a personalized teatime nibble—ideal after one of the shows held inside the hotel.


FOR RUGGED INDIVIDUALS

Former Levi Strauss CEO Tom Tusher brought about the company's 501-fueled renaissance in the 1980s, and once he retired he decided to open a luxury lodge and live out the denim-clad, western-saddle American dream. But in New Zealand—on the South Island, to be precise. Tusher and his wife had owned the 59 lakeside acres outside Queenstown since the '70s, and in 1999, they threw open the doors to a newly built Blanket Bay lodge, catering to the town's high-end visitors (Queenstown is the Kiwi version of Aspen, a swanky ski spot with a Louis Vuitton branch on the main drag). The rooms are classic lodge-style with exposed beams, huge beds, and private terraces overlooking the lake and the mountains beyond. There's wine-tasting, fishing, hiking, heli-skiing, and, yes, horseback riding on offer. But, thankfully, no denim bedspreads.


BOHEMIAN PARIS

Sometimes there's nothing more fun than surrendering to a designer's vision (just ask Björk), and few visions are as entertaining as those of ruffles-and-taffeta-obsessed designer Christian Lacroix. The theatrical designer has worked his wacky fashion magic on the Hotel du Petit Moulin, a onetime bakery in the heart of the Marais, the Paris district where he now lives. Reception is housed in what was once the storefront—there's just space enough there for a tiny bar, open only to guests. Each of the 17 rooms is individually decorated and includes riotously colorful fashion sketches by the couturier himself. Lacroix's personal favorite is room 301, the gold-and-black suite painted with a trompe l'oeil night sky. If this tiny five-story spot is booked up (and it's definitely a favorite of the glam set), hold tight: Lacroix is currently prepping his next hotel project, the Hôtel Bellechasse, set to open late this year in the 7th arrondissement, close to st-germain-des-Près. Either way, book your transatlantic flight on Air France: Despite their sober look, the flight-attendant uniforms were designed by you-know-who.


FASHION WEEK HANGOUTS

Mere mortals might not be able to wrangle a front-row seat at the shows, but you can find yourself sharing elevators with the fashion editors if you know where to stay. For us, an insider gave up the details in her private black book. Milan: "Everyone who is young and hot hangs out at the Principe di Savoia," says our stitch snitch. "The old-school set—the Anna Wintour types—hang out at the Four Seasons." During the Paris shows, the crowd at the Westminster Hotel is "a bit more insider, a lot of models and agents. The Hotel Costes gets a mix of fashion people—though some are only buyers [sniff]. During couture, it's obviously the Ritz." And London? "There's usually not a great confab, but it will be packed this season, since Marc Jacobs is showing here in conjunction with the opening of his first London store. One Aldwych is chic as hell and very close to where you pick up the Eurostar to Paris." In New York, even though the runways shows are held in Bryant Park, the fashionista demigods are all farther downtown, at SoHo's Mercer: "That's where you'll find people like [French Vogue editor] Carine Roitfeld. If you're fabulous, you have a car and driver, so getting to and from Bryant Park is not difficult."

The Maldives | 15 April marks the day that the first ever all-glass undersea restaurant in the world opens its doors for business at the Hilton Maldives Resort & Spa. Ithaa* will sit five meters below the waves of the Indian Ocean, surrounded by a vibrant coral reef and encased in clear acrylic offering diners 270-degrees of panoramic underwater views.



















"We have used aquarium technology to put diners face-to-face with the stunning underwater environment of the Maldives", says Carsten Schieck, General Manager of Hilton Maldives Resort & Spa. "Our guests always comment on being blown away by the colour, clarity, and beauty of the underwater world in the Maldives, so it seemed the perfect idea to build a restaurant where diners can experience fine cuisine and take time to enjoy the views - without ever getting their feet wet."
Created by MJ Murphy Ltd, a design consultancy based in New Zealand, Ithaa's distinctive feature is the use of curved transparent acrylic walls and roof, similar to those used in aquarium attractions. "The fact that the entire restaurant except for the floor is made of clear acrylic makes this unique in the world," continues Schieck, "We are currently planting a coral garden on the reef to add to the spectacular views of the rays, sharks and many colourful fish that live around the area.