The recent explosion of resort construction in the Maldives has been concentrated in the now-crowded central atolls, leaving the island nation’s southern reaches relatively untouched. Opened last August, Alila Villas Hadahaa is the first resort on the 1,120-square-mile atoll of Huvadhoo. The remote southern isle, the second largest atoll in …

For his company’s first destination resort, Sir Rocco Forte—the British hotelier behind Brown’s in London and the Augustine in Prague—selected a 568-acre site on the rugged southwest coast of Sicily. His 203-room Verdura Golf & Spa Resort, which opened on the Italian island in August, makes the most of its …

In celebration of its 20th anniversary touring Antarctica, Abercrombie & Kent created three extraordinary Antarctic journeys aboard the newly unveiled expedition ship MV Le Boreal. The expansive luxury liner, equipped with stylish, spacious staterooms, many with private terraces, will be limited to 199 passengers. A team of naturalists, geologists, historians, …

When a public-smoking ban took effect in London in 2007, the Lanesborough’s Library Bar could no longer serve cigars. So the hotel set three umbrellas on a sunken outdoor patio and served cigars in the makeshift space. The spot became so popular that the hotel sought permissions to upgrade it. …

When Botswana residents Dereck and Beverly Joubert are not traversing continents to promote their latest film, book, or photography exhibition, they live in the bush, tracking the lions and other super predators that are the focus of their Emmy Award–winning documentaries. After 32 years of exploring together, the Jouberts—who are …

Caesars Palace has raised the stakes. The Las Vegas resort’s three Octavius Tower Villas—the property’s only individually designed suites—opened in September as part of an ongoing billion expansion. Central to the development, the 5 million Octavius skyscraper was built to house 665 guest rooms and 71 suites, including this …

If God lives in Italy, then he vacations in the south of France—or so the Provençals say. Such superlatives, however, pass almost without notice in this land of blue skies, lavender fields, olive groves, and vineyards, all of which—after disembarking from an 11-hour transatlantic flight—I have watched roll by during …

Dereck Joubert strides through tightly planted rows of pyrethrum and sweet potatoes on a steep rise in the Rwandan countryside. Reaching a craggy overlook near the mountain’s peak, he points down to the valley floor, where a muddy footpath snakes through the farmland.
"The road will come up through there," says …

By the third day of the Audi Hamilton Island Race Week 2009 off Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, the weather gods are clearly unhappy. A high-pressure system has settled over the island on this August morning, bringing the winds to a standstill and leaving a flotilla of roughly 200 becalmed sailing …

Big and bold like its surroundings, the 74-room Bilila Lodge Kempinski is one of just five non-tented lodges in Tanzania’s 5,700-square-mile Serengeti National Park. The million property, which opened in July, includes all the requisite amenities of a five-star resort—infinity pools, sun decks, a wine cellar, a spa—plus such …