For tropical vacations, Sir Richard Branson escapes to his private Necker Island in the Caribbean. But when he hears the call of the mountains, the founder of the Virgin conglomerate heads to Verbier, Switzerland. Broad and accessible off-piste terrain, a sociable community of English-speaking expats, and a central European location …

At Fiji’s Laucala Island resort, the rest of the world can seem, well, unnecessary. After all, you have just about everything you need to lead the good life: shelter (in the form of 25 ocean-view villas), sustenance (from one of five restaurants, which use produce grown on the island), good …

King Wenceslas II of Bohemia founded Prague’s St. Thomas Monastery in 1285, and the structure, which was rebuilt in the 1700s after numerous fires, still serves as the home of an order of Augustinian monks. Today, however, the holy men share their sanctum with followers of London hotelier Sir Rocco Forte, …

The new La Réserve Ramatuelle resort offers a six-day antiaging program that promotes a youthful glow and a sense of well-being—traits one could ascribe to the property itself. Opened in May, the French Riviera resort centers on a renovated 1970s building perched on a hilltop above the Mediterranean Sea in …

What do you do when your 19th-century Heidelberg villa is too big for your family? You make it even bigger and turn it into the German university town’s first luxury boutique hotel. Owner Peter Huetter and his brother-in-law, Italian architect and interior designer Michele Bonan, spent five years expanding and …

The restored British Colonial buildings that mark the entrance to Capella Singapore shield an even greater architectural treasure. After passing through the 18th-century structures, which house the resort’s lobby and library, you step onto a grassy terrace offering views of a curvaceous edifice that sinks into the hillside below. Designed …

On the One&Only Cape Town’s first official day of operation, I rose before the sun. Parched from the many signature cocktails served at the previous night’s opening celebration, I craved a refreshing swim in the resort’s pool. But as I made the short walk across the footbridge leading to Villa …

Las Vegas may be famous for its nightlife, but those seeking respite and rejuvenation lying poolside at the Palazzo hotel during hot afternoons will melt over the new Azure pool service. Azure brings the opulence of the French Riviera to the Las Vegas strip, offering butler service to guests in …

The tropical rain oscillates between drizzle and downpour as Bill Tapia takes the stage, ukulele in tow. He steps dexterously over electrical cords to reach his stool and, after readying his instrument and voice, begins to play for the 1,000 or so guests at the reopening gala of Waikiki’s Royal …

• Las Vegas’ first nightclub, Pair O’ Dice, opened in 1930.
• When Paul Anka first played Vegas he was too young to be allowed in the casino.• Bugsy Siegel named his casino the Flamingo after the long legs of his showgirl girlfriend.• Howard Hughes stayed at the Desert Inn for …