In Kuwait's plans for Silk City (Madinat Al Hareer), no one will ever be more than three blocks from water or gardens. A vast National Wildlife Refuge is in the works. And medical treatment along with fresh, healthy food will be accessible on foot for 80% of residents. The centerpiece of the hugely ambitious project will be the tallest building in the world, the Mubarak al Kabir Tower, at 200 stories and comprised of seven distinct "vertical neighborhoods." (Fun fact: the tower will reach to 1,001 meters, an imposing physical reference to the Arabian Nights tale.) Add to that the four main quadrants of the city: Finance City, Leisure City (I'm totally moving there), Culture City and Ecologic City, and what is ostensibly an architectural feat becomes an experiment in crafting entire ways of life. With government investment of $132 billion, London-based design firm CivicArts/Eric R. Kuhne are ready to break ground ... and continue its labors until the estimated date of completion for Silk City, 2023.

Investors in the project state that their hopes to renew Kuwait's cultural influence are highly motivational, and the idea is based on the crucial links established over a thousand years ago when Kuwait was a center on the silk trade routes. Now planning to link itself with cities like Damascus and Baghdad, stretching ultimately all the way to China, Kuwait intends to reestablish its connectivity in more than just symbolic measure.

Clearly imitative of nearby architectural playgrounds like Dubai and Abu Dhabi, Silk City and all its outrageous goals does come off feeling a bit more commercial than its underlying motives might imply. They're tossing around terms like the "Arabian Riviera" and plan to incorporate such enclaves as "Film City" and multiple "pleasure facilities." Maybe it's that the intentions aren't just outrageous but highly-regimented. The planners are busy designing 28 different "lifestyle zones" specifically branded by interest (sports, film, media, etc.). While all the bells and whistles sound pretty awesome (in the true sense of the word) the overly manufactured quality of every detail -- especially the neighborhoods, oops "lifestyle zones," which force homogeneity not diversity -- make this huge community appear rather disconnected after all.

I guess we'll have to reevaluate in 2023. But judging from a fairly recent visit to Dubai, a model of speedy construction and ambitious contemporary architecture, I'd be willing to bet Silk City is operational much before then. Those oil prices don't hurt the timeline, either.

While workers put the finishing touches on buildings for the Olympics, Beijing hotels are dropping prices hoping to fill empty rooms for the celebration. Many hotels had raised rates hoping for a huge tourism leap before the Games, which start on August 8. The AFP reports that three- and four-star hotels are cutting prices by 20 percent or more. Five star hotels seem to be faring best, earlier this month the Beijing municipal tourism bureau said that they were 70 percent booked while four-star hotels bookings during the Olympics stood at 44 percent and rates for three-star hotels were even lower.

The hotel suite where JK Rowling finished the Harry Potter series has become a monument of sorts. Last year, Rowling checked into room 552 of the Balmoral Hotel in Edinburgh, Scotland to finish Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. Now this suite has been named the JK Rowling Suite and it will be available to guests for £965 per night. The room contains a marble bust of the Greek God Hermes that Rowling signed after she finished the final book. The 180-square-foot suite also includes the desk and bed she used during her stay. A brass plaque is now on the front door and the door knocker has been replaced by a brass owl like those in the books.

[via The Telegraph]

The poolside Skybar at the luxe Shore Club in Miami Beach (above) has revamped their chic cocktail menu in time for the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week swimwear shows (check out a sizzling slideshow of bathing beauties here). The indoor/outdoor oasis, which is comprised of four different settings - the Redroom, Redroom Garden, Sandbar, and the Rumbar, which has 75 different varieties of rum - is intertwined with lush gardens ad secret passageways. Check out the gallery for photos and recipes of the new libations, but you'll have to actually go there to get the special Skybar Bento Box prepared by the Shore Club's own branch of Nobu.

We've seen the rise of "voluntourism" and eco-tourism of the luxe variety (think private bugalow in Figi, not hippie yurt). But giving back and luxury travel have rarely been an oft-cited pair. Until, that is, CharityFolks.com came on the scene, crafting unique travel plans including exclusive meet-and-greets like an evening with the cast of The Sopranos, then sending along the proceeds to charity. Each trip functions as an auction, so you'll need to get your virtual paddle up if you want to claim jaunts like a weekend at the Newport Jazz Festival, or luxe accommodations at Vail. The site hosts more traditional charity auctions as well, which have been written about here in the past, but if you planned to stay at the Four Seasons whilst touring Provence anyway, why not do it through an organization that will then donate on your behalf to UCLA's Jonsson Cancer Center?

Financial whiz turned "lifestyle designer" Richard Nilsson apparently felt that plain old luxury had lost its luster, so he decided to focus on "extreme luxury." When he was running a business empire Nilsson was only able to take one week off per year, so for his first project he came up with the "Résidence Supérieur" concept as an ultimate retreat where vacationing moguls and movie stars could pack as much luxury and privacy into their vacation as possible, cost be damned.

The first RS is the Villa Oxygene in Cannes on the French Riviera. In addition to ultra-luxe surroundings, it includes exotic sports cars, a private jet and helicopter, yacht, butler, chef, bodyguards and basically anything else you could wish for. Desperate Housewives star Eva Longoria recently shot an ice cream commercial there, and Nilsson is now planning other equally outrageous outposts. See the gallery for pix.

Right now the last thing on your mind is ski season but if you act quickly you could save 25% off your winter ski adventure. A new luxury hotel is opening in the upscale ski village of Beaver Creek, Colorado this winter. The Osprey at Beaver Creek is undergoing a $7 million overhaul and will be the first new hotel to open in Beaver Creek in 10 years. The Osprey will have 41 guest rooms including a two-bedroom penthouse. Amenities include a tapas restaurant and bar, outdoor pool, hot tub and poolside bar, fitness center with steam room and sauna, ski valet and ski storage, butler and concierge services. The Osprey will be the closest ski-in/ski-out hotel to a chairlift in North America making it the ideal spot for your ski vacation when in six months, you'll have traded in your summer shorts and sandals for a parka and boots. Sunday through Thursday rates start at $355.50 and pricing is valid for travel January 4, 2009 - February 11, 2009.

Eco travelers there is a new place to check out in Borneo. The Gayana Eco Resort is located on Gaya Island 10 minutes off the Borneo coast and the city of Kota Kinabalu. Gaya Island is one of the five coral reef islands that make up the Tunku Abdul Rahman Marine Park. The location is also home to a marine ecology research center which works with coral reef rehabilitation.

The resort has 44 luxury rooms all located over water and feature balconies, large bathroom with Harnn luxury amenities, in villa private bar, king or twin beds with luxury linens, feather pillows and duvet, LCD televisions and DVD players. Some villas also have steps directly from their balconies into the lagoon for that afternoon swim. The resort offers gudied kayak trips and nature tours and there is also a spa at the resort which includes double treatment suites with Jacuzzis. The resort's cafe Macac" sits beside the resort's infinity pool and offers cocktails, cool drinks and lunch specialties to the pool including pizzas from a wood fired pizza oven. The resort also includes the Alu Alu restaurant, an overwater restaurant which serves seafood and has over 15 display tanks of live seafood from spectacularly bright coral trout to giant lobsters, prawns and snapper. Rates start around $200 a night.

There are all-inclusive resorts, private villas and adult-only getaways but Cavalli Island is now offering resort style vacations with two exclusive options: only your private party will have access to the resort at one time or you share it with only one other party at one time, no more than six people total at the resort simultaneously. Located north of New Zealands Bay of Islands, Cavalli Island Resort & Spa is a retreat into paradise with inclusive personal chef services, spa treatments, water sports and other activities. Starting at $5000 per couple per night this is one intimate trip where you won't feel encroached upon.

[via Travmedia]

The weather may be a little steamy but there are benefits to heading to South Beach in the summer. Less crowds means more room to enjoy the sights and sounds of Miami Beach. The Tides South Beach's "Summer Serenity" package offers the chance to recline along the exquisite art deco-inspired pool terrace, share cocktails in the chic new bars of the magnificent lobby, enjoy breakfast amid the stunning interiors of La Marea restaurant and relax before serene ocean views in a spacious Kelly Wearstler-designed Studio Suite. The package includes a night in an Oceanfront Studio Suite, rum summer cocktail for two upon arrival and full American breakfast for two. The package is available Sunday through Thursday and is $390.

Hersha Hospitality, the company behind the recently opened Duane Street Hotel in Tribeca, New York City, is now taking on Brooklyn. The Nu Hotel is billed as Downtown Brooklyn's first boutique hotel. The 93-room, newly built hotel was designed by Datumzero Design Office and has guest rooms in three styles, the Nu Standard, the Nu Friends Suite, and the Nu Urban Suite. The Nu Friends Suites are equipped with bunk beds and modular furniture and Nu Urban Suites feature a cozy bed niche with leather surroundings, a sitting area and custom hammocks. Rooms have cork flooring, organic bedding materials and custom furnishings crafted from FSC- certified, sustainably harvested teak wood. Rooms also include 32" flat-screen televisions with "jack packs" to dock audio, video and computer electronics and complementary wifi access. The bathrooms have stone and glass showers, rain head showers, Aveda bath products and chalkboard walls where guests can jot notes for housekeeping, travel companions or themselves.

The hotel also includes Nu Bar, the hotel's cafe/lounge and the Nu Gym as well as bike storage and bicycle use service. The lobby, like many these days, is designed for lingering with a business center, custom concierge service and the "library nook" which offers a comfortable place to hang out. Rates begin at $200 per night.

New Zealand's Waiheke Island is soon to be the home of a new lavish resort. International chain Langham Hotels and Auckland developer Brent Gibson are creating Langham Place which is said to be the country's first five-star boutique vineyard resort. The 79-room resort will have a Tuscan theme and will capitalize on the growing wine tourism in the region. Hotel amenities will include the Chuan Spa, a gym, tennis courts, fine dining and meeting facilities. The hotel will also have an interactive wine theater and will highlight wine from the region. The resort will be 35 minutes by ferry and 8 minutes by helicopter from the heart of downtown Auckland and is set to open in 2010.

[via Stuff]

If you are looking for a vacation that won't make your teenagers roll their eyes at you in dismay, The Landings St. Lucia has a possible answer. The all-suite resort, which opened last December on scenic Rodney Bay, has created the "Teen Island Vacation" package. The package includes accommodations in a harbor front villa residence with a plunge pool, daily breakfast at the Yacht Haven restaurant, a guided tour of the local rainforest including a zip line experience, a kayak and snorkeling trip to neighboring Pigeon Island National Historic Preserve, unlimited waterskiing and wakeboarding at the hotel's beachfront location and an in-room movie night with snacks and DVDs. The hotel also includes a 7,000 square foot spa with eight treatment rooms, relaxation rooms, a fitness center and a full-service salon which features a variety of service customized for teens. The summer rates for the package start at $310 per night for a Harbor Front Villa two-bedroom residence but be prepared to stay a while, there is a seven-night minimum stay is required.

The second "Pinot Lovers' Cruise" is scheduled for May 31 - June 12, 2009, and combines the wines of August West with Freeman Vineyard & Winery. The 12-day trip on Oceania Cruises' Insignia makes stops in 12 cities, starting in Rome and ending in Istanbul. Oceania only carries 650 passengers and is known for its relaxed, no-tie policy, and gourmet cuisine, overseen by Executive Chef Jacques Pepin. The cruise includes a private winemakers' dinner, wine tastings and discussions, tours of top Italian wine-estates and plenty of Pinot parties.

Freeman has been named as one of the Magnificent 30 "Hottest Pinots" by the Wine Spectator, while the San Francisco Chronicle recognized August West as one of its top 10 wineries of 2005. Both wineries have received multiple 90+ scores from Wine Spectator, Wine Enthusiast and the Connoisseurs' Guide to California Wine.

Cruise prices range from $3,649 - $7,049 per person double, including free airfare from 20 major U.S. airports. Book by September 1 and receive prepaid gratuities, worth up to $300 per cabin.

In November, the Cunard line's famed QE2 will make its final voyage to a new home at the Palm Jumeirah in Dubai World, which paid $100 million to acquire the ship for a floating hotel, retail and entertainment annex. Carol Thatcher has compiled a beautiful book about the legendary oceanliner's colorful history, QE2: Forty Years Famous.

The QE2 was launched by (and named for) Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II in September 1967, and since then she has undertaken 25 world cruises, crossed the Atlantic more than 800 times and carried more than 2.5 million passengers, establishing a reputation as the world's greatest and most luxurious liner - a grande dame pre-dating and outclassing the modern cruise ship era. See the gallery for more.