PART THREE:

Distrito Capital, Mexico City

Distrito Capital is the latest venture from the team behind two of Mexico City’s hottest hotels, Habita and Condesa DF. The 30-room hotel takes its inspiration from the Park Hyatt Tokyo and other hotels that float above their cities: Rooms occupy the top four floors of an office building, with reception, restaurant, and gym at the bottom. And like the Park Hyatt, Distrito has an international, cosmopolitan swagger.

While some may not associate Mexico City with jet-setting soirees, the country’s capital is in fact home to a handful of cutting-edge design hotels with Diddy-worthy party scenes.

Opened in February 2009, Distrito Capital, the latest from high-design Habita hotel group, is the city’s hot-spot party place-to-be.

Located in the Santa Fe quarter (a growing business hub and shopping district), the stylish 30-room hotel towers above the city in a 28-story high-rise (the mixed-use building is also home to restaurants and residential condos) and features interiors by French designer Joseph Dirand (think tailored minimalism in a palette of muted greys, vintage furnishings and artwork, modern touches like mounted flat-screen TVs and retro accents like old-school rotary phones).

But the hotel’s forte is its public spaces, located on the fifth floor, which encourage social interaction and, consequently, partying. The open-air pool lounge is home to a sexy 65-foot pool, and is the venue for DJ-driven weekend pool parties that commence at noon and wind down at dusk, with the unofficial after party at the 31st-floor Suite Royal, which wows with fabulous city views, its own bar and gym.

Next to the pool lounge, separated by a sliding glass wall, is the hotel’s five star restaurant serving artful Mexican fare courtesy of celebrity chef Enrique Olvera. Weekend rates start from $170/night for a double room.

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PART TWO:

Buddha Bar Hotel, Prague

This legendary outlet is located in the heart of the brand new Boutique Hotel concept bearing its name; a unique urban resort designed to redefine Lifestyle within the Hospitality Industry. With luxury rooms and exquisite suites, the first Buddha-Bar Hotel embodies the essence of contemporary modern Asian interior design with French colonial influence and is located in the heart of Prague, in a historical building just a few steps away from the Old Town Square.

The ever-so-stylish Buddha Bar Restaurant and Lounge chain dominates the world’s top party cities (London, Paris, and Sao Paolo all claim Buddha Bar outposts) with a reputation for attracting party animals prepped for all-night revelry, so it’s no wonder that the hot-spot brand now offers hotel rooms in equally groovy environs.

The chain opened its first Buddha Bar Hotel in January 2009 in the old town of Prague, a city previously known for boisterous beer-swilling. But the Buddha Bar changed all of that: decked out with statement-making reds, golds, and exotic prints, each of the 39 rooms also comes outfitted with rain showers, in-bathroom televisions, and high-def TVs that can play the music mixed by the DJs in the mezzanine-level bar.

The party vibe continues downstairs where DJs spin nightly at the property’s namesake lounge, while the Buddha Bar Restaurant dishes inventive Asian-Pacific Rim fusion cuisine and the more casual Siddharta Café offers international eats in what is dubbed a “Pop Art Eatmosphere” environment (think an Andy Warhol-inspired colour palette with funky, semi-psychedelic décor). Rates start at approximately $494/night.

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The world’s 10 most happening holiday destinations – to party, unwind and dance the night away!

After working hard at office and earning your pay for the best part of the year, who could blame you for yearning for the chance to escape the nine-to-five and head for climes, exotic and extravagant?!

Anything goes in the world’s top party cities. And the big names, such as Rio, London and Vegas play host to the hottest hotels around – each one a self-contained pleasure-dome. Mega-cllubs, rooftop bars, sexy pool lounges, trendy restaurants, and venues for concerts, movie-screenings, and even sports events – the world’s top 10 party hotels have all you could possibly need for an unforgettable party experience.

PART ONE:

ARIA Resort & Casino, Las Vegas

FAST FACTS

- Designed by the world-renowned firm Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects

- 4,004 guest rooms, including 568 suites

- An exhilarating casino floor designed to provide intimate gaming spaces

- 300,000 square feet of meeting and pre-function space

- Three primary pools with 50 cabanas, one adults-only pool retreat

- 16 restaurants and 10 bars and lounges, including a nightclub

- 1,800-seat theatre housing Viva ELVIS™, a tribute to Elvis Presley from Cirque du Soleil

Few cities demand as much unadulterated partying as Las Vegas, and the towering, 4,004-room ARIA Resort and Casino in the 68-acre City Center (both opened in December 2009), has quickly become one of the Strip’s hottest party hosts. Partnered with The Light Group, the name behind Sin City clubs like JET and The Bank, ARIA executes its onsite nightlife scene with die-hard partying in mind: Three of the party hotel’s eight bars and lounges mix cocktails 24/7 (the rest close at the early-bird hour of 4 a.m.), so it’s all too easy to keep the party rolling until the early hours without even stepping foot outside the resort.

Head to Haze, the resort’s onsite nightclub, for a chance celebrity sighting (Mariah Carey, Usher, and Katy Perry have all held events at the 25,000-square-foot space) or look for notable gourmands at one of the 17 restaurants, which have celebrity chefs like Jean-Georges, Masayoshi Takayama, and Michael Mina at their helms.

Floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the city grace all the guest rooms as do automated curtains (so you can catch some shut-eye after the sun comes up), one-touch lighting and temperature controls, and gadgets that automatically notify the front desk when batteries are running low. Rates start at $129 on weekdays, $199 on weekends.

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Hot Travel Destination for 2011 PART 2

7. Karnataka, India

Reasoning: Goa’s quite over-developed these days, so Indian beach bums are turning to Karnataka instead. Southern India’s least-visited state, it has stunning monuments; Mysore, the city of palaces and sandalwood; national parks; and the hip IT capital of Bangalore – where the 2011 Judi Dench-vehicle The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel is currently being filmed. Expect a Slumdog Millionaire-style tourism take-off.

8. Libya

Reasoning: Last year saw such a tightening of restrictions on Libyan tourist visas as to make it almost impossible to travel without tenacity. The good news is that normal service has now resumed, making this land of magnificent and unsurpassed ancient sites accessible to the discerning visitor once again. Make life even easier by booking with a tour operator that’ll do all the admin on your behalf.

9. Nepal

Reasoning: 2011 has been appointed Nepal Tourism Year by the Nepalese government, with a lofty aim of attracting 1 million tourists, and no bandas for 12 months.  New trekking trails have been opened, while Explore is peddling a new ‘Manaslu Circuit’ tour, billed as the new Annapurna and flanking the world’s eight-highest peak via remote villages, traditional teahouses and passes adorned in fluttering prayer flags.

10. Meknes, Morocco

Reasoning: Vineyards are an unlikely sight for any Muslim country – let alone one partly set in the Sahara. But local wine “appellations” and Morocco’s first self-styled “Chateau” are now present in the beautiful town of Meknes, as is the Riad Lahboul – the first decent place to stay in the city. Combining well with breaks to Fes, Meknes is likely to take off next year.

11. Yunnan, China

Reasoning: Bordering Vietnam, Laos and Burma and home to 25 ethnicities, Yunnan is a rugged and unspoilt region of forested peaks and tropical jungles. It’s home to Tiger Leaping Gorge, one of the world’s deepest, and somewhere long loved by French and US visitors, but a secret to the rest of the western world. The 5,500m-high Jade Dragon Snow Mountain and thousands of 270 million-year-old limestone pillars will also appeal.

12. Syria

Reasoning: Voyages Jules Verne’s bookings to Syria have risen significantly over the last two years, helped in no small part by a 2009 talk at the Royal Geographical Society entitled ‘Old Aleppo – A Resurrected Gem of a City’. Rich in history and renowned for the friendliness of its people, Syria’s appeal has also been boosted of late with the development of several new boutique hotels.

13. India (Tiger Tourism)

Reasoning: After a shaky start, this autumn’s Commonwealth Games have sparked renewed interest in India whilst the country’s ongoing ‘tiger tourism’ debate has once again reminded wildlife enthusiasts of the need to travel responsibly on the trail of these magnificent animals.

14. Maliau Basin, Borneo

Reasoning: Maliau Basin is a largely unexplored, unmapped enigma in Borneo’s Sabah region, just waiting to be discovered. At 25km wide and enclosed by 1,700m-high cliffs, this mind-blowing, uninhabited wonderland is home to 12 types of forest and, at the last count, 80 orchid and 270 bird species. Not to mention majestic waterfalls, which are still being discovered.

15. Angola

Reasoning: With even Northern Namibia now fairly well on the tourist map, safari-goers seeking little-known lands in Southern Africa are venturing even further northwards. Adventure specialist Explore has introduced Angola for 2011; its tour a rugged camping/expedition-type trip focusing on the country’s south. On the bill are Iona National Park, gamelands bordered by the Atlantic, Lake Arco, hidden in a canyon, and the Portuguese colonial city of Lubango, plus sights in Namibia.

16. Baracoa, Cuba

Reasoning: Having been the first city founded in Cuba back in the 16th century, the beach town of Baracoa will celebrate its 500th anniversary in 2011. The area in general, on the island’s far-east, is time-lost: women wash clothes in the river and farmers shake coconut trees – and it’s virtually unknown. But perhaps not for much longer…

17. Chile

Reasoning: Basking in the glow of its heightened international reputation, Chile is sure to reap the rewards of the feel-good factor after the successful miners’ rescue. Nobody would begrudge this stunning country its moment in the spotlight and tourists are now expected to flock to Chile to discover the friendly people and breathtaking scenery for themselves.

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Hot Travel Destination for 2011 PART 1

The hottest travel destinations for the new year!

1. Vorarlberg region, Austria

Reasoning: In the first art project of its kind, renowned British artist Antony Gormley has placed 100 life-size cast-iron figures over an area of 150km² in the High Alps of Austria’s tranquil Vorarlberg region. Forming a horizontal line, the sculptures are mounted at intervals ranging from 60m to several kilometres, looking in every direction but never facing each other. Catch ‘Horizon Field’ until April 2012.

2. Peru

Reasoning: It’s the 100th anniversary of Machu Picchu’s rediscovery by Hiram Bingham in 2011. But here’s a twist to the trip – focus instead on Espiritu Pampa. For it is this place where the Inca Empire’s concluded, not Machu Picchu as Bingham posited.  Pampa’s now proven to have been the Incas’ final outpost as they fought the Spanish in 1571.

3. West Sweden

Reasoning: The west coast of Sweden, with its rugged coastline, excellent seafood and gastronomic reputation, is opening up to the world market. Sweden’s second-largest city, with its surprisingly good-value Michelin-starred restaurants and scenic surrounds, is definitely one to watch.

4. The Philippines

Reasoning: The Philippines saw a rise in popularity in 2010 following the political unrest in Thailand. The central region remains relatively unknown in Europe, yet offers deserted beaches and fantastic parks, while Donsol Bay has whale-shark experiences and firefly-watching, plus the grumbling Mount Mayon Volcano.

5. Majella National Park, Italy

Reasoning: Getting away from it all is getting harder to achieve as formerly far-flung destinations move into the mainstream. Italy’s Majella National Park is one of 11 PAN Parks, a European network of unspoilt wilderness areas with at least 100km² that’s entirely free of man’s footprint, and where ‘off the beaten track’ takes on a whole new meaning.

6. Brazil

Reasoning: What with a growing number of new flights to Rio de Janeiro, and just-introduced Iberia routes from Europe to the north-eastern resorts of Fortaleza and Recife, Brazil’s never been more reachable. Go north for magnificent beaches, or check out Rio’s bohemian Santa Teresa district, Brasilia’s mind-boggling modern architecture or the surreal rock formations and rapid rivers of Chapada dos Veadeiros National Park.

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