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 …

Ambrosi Abrianna has stepped to the tee for the first time with the introduction of the company’s AA Pro golf bags (www.ambrosiabrianna.com). The bags are made from fine crocodile and ostrich leathers that the Manhattan-based handbag maker harvests from Australia and Africa. Ambrosi Abrianna treats the skins in a Parisian …

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For the past 45 years Meadowood has served as the heart and soul of the winegrowing community—as a center for social and family life and as a second home for travelers from around the world wishing to immerse themselves in the region, its wines and its people. Founded …

Considering scotland’s abundance of storied links, it would seem ludicrous to label a new golf course as "the best in Scotland." And yet Scottish golf-course architect Graeme Webster used that exact phrase to describe Castle Stuart Golf Links following the course’s debut during the British Open week last July. Another …

Visitors who walk down Barcelona’s famed Las Ramblas, in the heart of the city’s shopping district, will be happy to note that Mandarin Oriental has opened its newest hotel just steps away. Located on Passeig de Gràcia, an impressive avenue not far from the bustle of Las Ramblas, it is …

From the 33rd-floor helipad at the top of the St. Regis Mexico City, it is easy to overlook the Mexican capital’s flaws. Yes, the megalopolis is overpopulated, polluted, and at times perilous, but it is also one of the planet’s most culturally rich and, from the right perspective, visually dramatic …