2010 January travel tips and stories. Vacations ideas, cruises spa and resorts

The journey to Colome is part of its magic. From the crumbing colonial splendor of Salta city, the road snakes up through the dramatic Cuesta del Obispo, a deep gorge cut into green velvety mountains, then streaks straight across a red plateau filled with cactus. Nothing else seems to grow there at the 8,200 m altitude. But, descend through canyons of terra-cotta rock into a remote valley of stark and spectacular beauty, and suddenly you come to  a stretch of emerald green, perfectly ordered, rows of vine.
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There is an air of intimate luxury at Tauana, a new hotel on an unspoiled Bahia beachfront. There you can relax listening to the slight noise of wind rustling leaves and the gentle lap of the waves, but otherwise it is silent. Portuguese architect-owner Ana Catarina Ferreira da Silva designed everything herself in an ultra-cool blend of Brazilian and Danish design, with a hint of 1960s modernism. It conforms to many of her eco-principles, too.
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An Eden for the eco-conscious, Dominica‘s Morne Trois Pitons National Park offers some of the most spectacular hikes in the Caribbean, with more than 483 km of trails. A designated World Heritage site, the park sprawls over 6,870 ha of steams, waterfalls, unspoiled tropical rain forest, and mountains, not to mentioned five volcanoes, fifty fumaroles, and numerous hot springs. The park’s star attraction, sitting beneath a thick vapor cloud, is Boiling Lake, the second largest lake of its kind in the whose milky-colored waters range in temperature from 180 to 197 Fahrenheit (82 to 92 Celsius).
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Villa Casagrande is located in Figline Valdarno, a medieval town 25 kilometers from Florence, Italy, and within 40 kilometers of neighboring Siena and Arezzo. Housed in a 14th century palace, built by a Florence’s important nobleman, this impressive villa, has been now beautifully restored in all its splendour. Nowadays as in the past, you would find Villa Casamaggiore of the Serristori Family, well-known as Casagrande. This building half palace and half villa, was constructed in 1392 by Ser Ristoro notary of the Signoria of Florence.
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Steeped in its own cloud forest reserve, El Silencio is a sophisticated retreat of just sixteen elegant villas. Each is poised on the jungle-clad hillside so that there are perfect views of mountain and forest through huge windows. The design is simple, using natural materials, and yet is utterly luxurious.
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Just off the balmy tropical coast of Belize lies one of the world’s greatest natural wonders – a 290 -km -long coral reef second only in extent to Australia’s Great Barrier Reef. Although it may be smaller, Belize boasts one significant advantage over its antipodean rival: ease of access. Photo by: perato
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This adorable hotel in the quiet residential area of Ascona in the Ticino is the perfect place to really unwind. Albergo Giardino is situated in the immediate neighborhood of the golf court.
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The Palace of Fontainebleau is located only 50 km from the centre of Paris. A monument of French history, it is one of the largest French royal chateaux and offers visitors its art and architectural treasures, its gardens and the thousands of fascinating and precious objects that it has preserved.
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Majestically surrounded by 10 acres of private gardens, on the shores of Lake Geneva, the Beau-Rivage Palace offers breathtaking views of the Lake and Alps. Originally built in 1861, 47 years later, in 1908, opens the second part of the hotel, the Palace wing. Built in a different style, neo-baroque, the Palace was connected to the Beau Rivage wing by its beautiful and impressive masterpiece. It is the ideal place for business and social activities, and is only a five-minute walk from the Olympic Museum.
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For the intrepid traveler prepared to go the extra mile in order to experience something truly unforgettable, 360 Leti will reward tenfold any effort put in to get there – and it has to be said, it is not easy to reach. To get to the Himalayan town of Pithoragarh from the capital, New Delhi, you can either take an overnight train followed by a seven hour drive, or else a private charter flight for just over an hour followed by a three-and-a-half-hour drive. From there, Sherpa porters will carry your bags on the final one-and-a-half-hour trek to 360 Leti: Himalayan vistas envelop and reinvigorate the senses, and the panoramic views from the 2,400 m high plateau are second to none.
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