Queen Elizabeth ii was on hand to name, bless, and christen, with a bottle of Château Lafite Rothschild, the 90,600-ton Cunard ocean liner Queen Elizabeth when it debuted in Southampton, England, last October. The third Cunard ship to bear the Elizabeth name, the 2010 QE—named after the Virgin Queen—recalls the …

Just before the turn of the 20th century, Prince Roland Bonaparte, a grandnephew of Napoléon I, constructed a grand family residence just across the Seine River from the then-new Eiffel Tower. This past December, after a four-year restoration, the 115-year-old structure opened as the Shangri-La Hotel, Paris.
The hotel—the first …

The longest-operating Four Seasons hotel in the world and the brand’s European flagship reopened January 31 after a two-year renovation. Formerly known as Four Seasons London, this 11-story edifice nestled in the heart of London’s Mayfair district reemerges as Four Seasons Park Lane. The 192-room hotel’s interior spaces—including 45 suites, …

Rosewood Hotels and Resorts opened its latest location in historic San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, on February 8. It features 67 guestrooms and suites (starting at 5 per room), as well as the Artesana Rosewood Residences—a limited collection of two- to five-bedroom villas (from approximately 0,000)—whose residents will have full …

Built in the late 15th century, the English countryside estate of Ellenborough has long been a playground of the British aristocracy, even serving as the one-time residence of the Earl of Ellenborough and Viceroy of India. On February 1, the 100-acre estate opened its doors to guests as the Ellenborough …

Raffles opened its new location on the northeastern tip of Praslin, an island in the Seychelles, on February 1. The resort features 86 villas and six dining options. Amenities include an expansive spa—where unique services include a crushed pearl exfoliation treatment—a kids program, kayaking, scuba diving, and sailing. Island attractions …

Mandarin Oriental in Munich is offering the Car Package for automobile aficionados to preview, tour, and drive some of the great German brands. The four-day excursion begins with two nights at the Mandarin Oriental in Munich where guests will have use of their own Mercedes-Benz for the stay. Excursions includes …

Situated on privately owned Hayman Island, within Australia’s Great Barrier Reef Marine Park, the secluded Hayman Beach Villas offers luxury accommodations and some of the world’s best diving all surrounded by a pristine nature preserve that is home to wallabies and tropical birds, among many thousands of other exotic species. …

Exotic travel of the type highlighted in this month’s special issue is not always the reward for financial success; sometimes it furnishes the source of one’s wealth. This thought may have occurred to Mrs. Warren Delano II on October 31, 1862, as she and her seven children approached the harbor …

The morning rush hour in downtown Beirut is a study in chaos. One might expect such a situation in a 5,000-year-old city whose roads originally were built for chariots and sandals. But the antiquity of the urban grid is only part of the problem. To Lebanese drivers, it seems, traffic …