The site of the original Cannes Film Festival has received an extensive renovation—to the tune of million. The Palais Stephanie, located in the center of the Promenade de la Croisette just steps from the beach, features 261 rooms with views of the bay. The expansive upgrade, unveiled in time …

In Tuscany, the most ordinary landscapes are strewn with the detritus of history. Rutted roads and trails dating to the Roman Empire cut through the countryside, leading past Renaissance manors, medieval cathedrals, and centuries-old wineries. The region’s timelessness, however, has an inconvenient corollary: Things do not move very fast in …

The Orient-Express company’s Royal Scotsman has offered luxury train itineraries through the Scottish Highlands for 25 years. This year, for the first time, the train will venture outside Scotland for its Grand Tour of Great Britain (www.orient-express.com). Highlights of the seven-night, ,800-per-person trip, which departs from Edinburgh on July 9, …

Parking valets at the new Ritz-Carlton Highlands, Lake Tahoe, abscond with your ski equipment the moment you arrive at the resort. To retrieve your gear, simply stroll down from your room to the mountain-concierge desk, where the hotel’s ski valets will fetch your boots, strap your buckles, and escort you …

With its abundance of beach resorts and wellness retreats, Hawaii has become a haven for spa-goers. But unlike other popular spa destinations, such as Italy and Japan, the Hawaiian Islands have no real spa culture to speak of, and few traditional spa practices from which to draw. So when the …

The Mandarin Oriental, Barcelona, opened in November in a former bank building on the city’s main shopping avenue, Passeig de Gràcia, within walking distance of such sights as Casa Milá and Casa Battló, two of architect Antoni Gaudí’s best-known residential designs. Guests enter the 98-room hotel via a glass catwalk …

Amid a sea of skyscrapers on the corner of Walton and Rush streets, the 60-story Elysian hotel opened in December as the newest addition to Chicago’s chic Gold Coast neighborhood. A circular driveway leads to the black-and-white lobby (top and above right), where several of the hotel’s 65 contemporary artworks—including …

My rafting adventure last May on Idaho’s Bruneau River began well before our group reached the white water. Two hours into a drive across empty sage-strewn desert, our caravan of Suburbans transitioned from a gravel road to what appeared to be a cow trail. We halted abruptly in front of …

Can a sexagenarian still be an enfant terrible? French designer Philippe Starck may be 61, but, as his latest hotel project attests, he is still deserving of his pet moniker. Known for his brash, outsize interiors at such hotels as the Mondrian in Los Angeles and the Delano in Miami, …

Following a .5 million renovation that began in November 2007, the Hôtel Majestic Barrière in Cannes finally reopened its doors last month. The hotel’s new wing features two penthouses, each with its own private pool and terrace, 12 new suites, 30 junior suites, and the Barrière U Spa. Located on …