Holiday Destinations
Thirty-eight people make reservations for space hotel
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Thirty eight travelers have made reservations to be the first guests on the Galactic Suite space hotel. The four day vacation will take passengers to a distance of 300 miles (450 kilometers) from the earth at a cost of €3 million (USD$4.46 million). Read More
The luxury motor coach with its own private balcony
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Country Coach’s Veranda series of luxury motor coaches incorporate a veranda which is designed to transform your living area into a luxury suite with a view. The veranda is essentially a 4.6 foot wide by 13 foot deep steel desk with railings. It is created by lowering the coach’s side wall and is separated from the interior by 12-foot, three-section glass doors, which can be opened wide to increase the living space. The deck is designed to bear 3000 pounds of weight and can be lowered by the push of a button in less than 20 seconds and raised in under 30. Read More
Palm Jumeirah to feature Dubai's most expensive penthouse
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Breaking property records is one thing, but when the property happens to be in Dubai, it's another ball game entirely. The AED 2.9 billion (around USD$790 million) contract for the construction of the spectacular 62 storey tall Trump International Hotel & Tower on Palm Jumeirah was announced earlier this month and with pre-sales of some properties fetching as much as $3000USD, real estate developer Nakheel and the Trump Organization expect that the tower's exclusive penthouse will break property records. The 270 meter tall design which features two towers that merge at the 40th floor will include 378 hotel rooms and suites, 385 condominiums, 12 townhouses, 45,000 square feet of retail and 60,000 square feet of office space along with a private beach and super-marina. Public sales of the residences began on June 23 and Donald J. Trump himself has already reserved an apartment in the Tower which is expected to be completed in May 2011. Read More
Going underground: the world's subterranean holiday destinations
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If men really do retreat to their cave when they are under stress, then we have some wacky and wonderful caves to choose from. How about a cave which has been carved out of volcanic rock, is thousands of years old and is surrounded by the beautiful landscape that is Cappadocia, Turkey? Or maybe you fancy heading to Australia and going "down under" in a desert-like opal mining town? Perhaps the Provence region in France sounds idyllic, particularly when you are perched atop an ancient fortress in a room carved from rock? Read More
Google co-founder joins space tourism club
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Google co-founder Sergey Brin has forked out a US$5 million deposit to reserve a seat on future orbital spaceflights and join the select group of private space tourists. Space Adventures, the company that helped Dennis Tito become the world’s first private astronaut in 2001, has also announced an agreement with the Federal Space Agency of the Russian Federation (FSA) to launch a dedicated mission to the International Space Station (ISS) in 2011. Read More
Silver Rapids: waterpark meets ski resort
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Located in Idaho’s Northern Rockies, the Silver Mountain Resort is a ski destination in the winter months. Visitors will now be able to enjoy adventure all year round in the area, with the addition of an indoor waterpark. Read More
Sustainable holidays: renewable energy and solar-powered houseboats on the Mississippi
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April 24, 2008 Ecologically responsible tourism is becoming big business around the world, particularly with young backpackers who wish to see the glory of nature without contributing to its destruction. The same concept is now starting to trickle through to resort and leisure tourism - such as this block of condos on the Mississippi in Iowa. Using recycled materials, renewable energy and a small fleet of solar-powered houseboats that contribute solar and wind turbine energy back into the grid when they're moored, the Holiday Shores Condo-Tel development will provide 64 suites for the environmentally conscious. Read More
Beijing's gargantuan Capital International Airport
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Terminal 3 of the Beijing Capital International Airport became fully operational on March 26, becoming the largest airport terminal complex built in a single phase. The US$3.5 billion expansion commenced in March 2004, and the 986,000 square meter airport can now absorb all five of Heathrow’s terminals with 17% left to spare. Read More
Pocket Guidebook personalized travel guides
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April 16, 2008 Any seasoned traveler will tell you that packing space is limited and guidebooks can be an unwanted (but necessary) addition to a backpack. Now online travel resource, ProfessionalTravelGuide.com, has announced a partnership with SharedBook Inc that will enable travelers to create their own unique, professionally printed travel guidebook that should both save space and allow for customization of information. Read More
The world's largest man-made island
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The property boom going on in the Persian Gulf at present knows no bounds, largely because it has been given a grand vision. Conceptualised to solve Dubai's beach shortage by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the person who has masterminded the emergence of Dubai, the Palm Trilogy is to be completed with a collossus, adding a few records to Dubai’s already splendid set of man-made biggests. Nakheel will employ its now highly-refined island building methods to create the largest man-made island on the planet, housing more than a million people in fine style. With a surface area of 46.35 million square metres, the Palm Deira will be bigger than Paris. That's it on the right, next to the World, then Palm Jumeirah, then Palm Jebel Ali on the left. Check out the great piccies and renderings in the photo library. Read More
The world’s biggest racetrack
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April 14, 2008 Yet another Dubai-based megaproject is underway – this time the world’s biggest horse racecourse, and it’s already being hailed as the future horseracing capital of the world, given the infrastructure it plans for the industry. Unlike Ascot, Lexington or Newmarket, Meydan will in fact be an ENTIRE CITY built around The Sport Of Kings - a gigantic mixed use development centered on the racecourse which will be the new home of the Dubai Racing Club and the Dubai World Cup.
More man-made designer realty – Reef Island
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March 21, 2008 As Arab States continue to build for the future using oil-buoyed economies, the region is beginning to explore the concept of creating designer islands. Dubai gave the idea currency with its megadollar World and Palm projects, effectively showing the world how to build artificial realty. Neighbouring Qatar came up with the Pearl, and now Bahrain is in the process of building Reef Island at a cost of BD 450 million (US$ 1.20 billion). Of course you could always go for a floating island.
Sunreef 100ft+ luxury charter catamarans
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March 4, 2008 Sunreef is adding to its fleet of luxury charter boats with an enormous 102 ft. double-deck, sailing catamaran. This vessel will be the largest boat in their current fleet but not for long as there are grand plans to launch 150, 170 and 200 footers in the future. Read More
Extreme swimming pools: the biggest and deepest dips on the planet
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February 28, 2008 Looking to beat the heat this summer by installing your own swimming pool? We thought we would give you a taste of what you almost certainly can't have when designing your dream backyard aquatic paradise. Firstly, there's the world's largest pool with an area equivalent to an incredible 6,000 standard-size 26 ft long domestic pools located at the San Alfonso Del Mar resort in Chile, and, going to the other extreme, there's Belgium's amazing 100 foot deep, 660,000 gallon (and heated!) Nemo33 dive pool. Read More
America’s largest Ferris wheel
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Pepsi has announced it will create America’s largest Ferris wheel in New Jersey. The 287-foot-tall “Pepsi Globe” will be incorporated into Meadowlands Xanadu, a unique sports, leisure, shopping and family entertainment destination in East Rutherford. Read More
Planning underway for the world's largest single building
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December 31, 2007 U.K. architectural firm Foster + Partners has announced that preliminary planning permission has been granted for the world’s largest single building - the Crystal Island project in Moscow. Read More
Under the sea: Dubai's underwater hotel takes shape
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December 13, 2007 Anywhere but Dubai, the idea of building a luxury hotel 66 feet underwater would sound far-fetched. But next to the Burj-al-arab, the rotating skyscraper, manufactured islands and indoor ski slopes of the desert commerce capital, the Hydropolis will fit right in. At a rough cost of UK£300 million, this jaw-dropping engineering challenge will allow guests to get a true taste for the peace and beauty of underwater life – and at a projected pricetag of up to USD$5500 per night for a room, you'd certainly be hoping that life is much better down where it's wetter. Read More
Ferrari Theme Park underway
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October 7, 2007 Not satisfied with your Ferrari branded hat, sunglasses, sports-binoculars, speaker system and carbon-fiber laptop? Fans of the famous marque will soon be able to visit the world’s first Ferrari Theme Park in Abu Dhabi. A Foundation Stone Ceremony was held on 3 November to signify the start of construction with the official opening of the park scheduled for 2009. Read More
Responsible tourism: sustaining world cultures
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October 31, 2007 As global tourism in the developing world grows, so too does the awareness of the importance of responsible travel - being mindful of local customs, cultures and ecosystems is vital to striking a safe balance between traditional societies and new world economies. The emergence of terms like “Volunteer tourism” and increasing recognition of travel organizations that seek to promote the practice of providing help or services to the region being visited is evidence that this shift in attitude is continuing to gain momentum. Read More
"Condo-cam" keeps an eye on your second home
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October 26, 2007 Having a holiday home is a wonderful luxury, but the casual nature of visits to the property can leave it open to security risks such as break-ins and vandalism. By fully embracing the benefits of remote technologies now on the market, a new property development at Le Paradis Beach, Golf & Marina Resort in St. Lucia acts is helping residents keep a close eye on their second homes. Read More
The Pearl-Qatar: multi-billion dollar man-made island home
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An exotic name befits an exotic destination. The Pearl-Qatar is a multi-billion dollar man-made island under construction off the coast of Doha, Qatar covering 985 acres (400 hectares) and fronted by more than 12 miles of pristine beaches. The island retreat is set to become an exclusive home for 40,000 international residents as well as a sought after holiday destination for 800 guests enjoying three marinas, three 5 star hotels, plus almost half a million square feet of retail, dining and entertainment space. These stunning illustrations showcase this extraordinary address as it will look when the ribbon is cut in 2009. Read More
New Boardwalk Bullet roller coaster opens in Texas
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September 11, 2007 A new roller coaster at Kemah Boardwalk in Houston, Texas offers riders a stomach-dropping 92-foot plunge in wooden carriages. The aptly named Boardwalk Bullet offers a hair-raising ride with a spectacular view of nearby Galveston Bay.
Holiday in orbit: Galactic Suite space resort opening 2012
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August 22, 2007 ‘Space tourism’ is the latest buzz phrase to hit the high-end travel industry with cosmos tourists already visiting the international space station and now news that a hotel stay in space is as little as five short years away. The Galactic Suite Space Resort, run by directors Xavier Claramunt and Marsal Gifra, aims to offer travellers the “most thrilling and transcendent experience ever” with a stay on board an orbital luxury getaway. Upon arrival at the first ever space resort, guests will be able to experience a new world of sensations including weightlessness, star gazing, amazing views of planet Earth with 15 sunsets in a day - not to mention being aboard a spaceship that takes you from 0 to 28,000kmh in 10 minutes. Read More
Free food allergy translations take the stress out of eating on vacation
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June 10, 2007 This isn't a gizmo so much as a fantastic free Web service that we see as being exceptionally useful. It's tough enough working out how not to order the monkey brains when you're in a foreign country where you don't speak the language - let alone communicating to restaurant staff and stall vendors about food allergies that could ruin your holiday and even cost you your life. Food-info.net is a great free service that lets you download printable PDF files of more than 200 allergenic food items and their translations in a wide range of languages. Read More
The New Seven Wonders of the World revealed
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July 10, 2007 After a global poll attracting 100 million votes online and via mobile phone, the new seven wonders of the world have been unveiled. The monuments making the final cut were Chichén Itzá in Mexico, Christ Redeemer in Brazil, The Great Wall of China, Peru's Machu Picchu, Jordan's Petra, The Roman Colloseum in Italy and The Taj Mahal in India. Surprise omissions from the shortlist of 21 sites included The Acropolis, Easter Island Statues and Stonehenge, which were all among the top contenders when Gizmag last checked the odds back in May. Read More
Making history – your vote decides the new seven wonders of the world
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On the seventh of July – the seventh of the seventh, 2007 to be exact – it will be out with the old and in with the...old. Bernard Weber and the N7W committee have organised a ceremony in Lisbon to unveil the new seven wonders of the world. It will be a truly international event, designed to transcend differences in politics and culture and focus on humanity’s crowning achievements. And although the structures themselves are the focus of the event, the fact that, so far, over 40 million online and mobile phone votes have been cast for something that isn’t Big Brother is so comforting it is almost worthy of a second celebration. Read More
Charles in space: Hungarian space tourist loving the view from the International Space Station
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April 16, 2007 Billionaire Charles Simonyi, the 5th civilian space traveller ever, has now completed more than a week of his 13-day space journey. He's currently enjoying zero gravity on board the International Space Station (ISS) with its current long-term crew Michael Lopez-Alegria and Sunita Williams. Private space tourism is taking off as an industry - even with trips like this costing around US$20 million, tour organiser Space Adventures is almost fully booked until 2009. Read More
The intelligent travel humidor
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March 27, 2007 It’s the first intelligent travel humidor and the result of two and a half years of hard labour by CAO CEO Tim Ozgener. Perhaps the most remarkable aspect is that it’s just the packaging for the Vision Cigar which has been four and a half years in the making. The CAO Vision Sensi-Box is a showcase, travel cigar box and humidor. It will keep your Vision cigars at 68-72% relative humidity for up to three months before needing a Humidipack refill, and the AAA batteries that power the electronics that regulate the humidity and power the theatrical blue LED lights will last longer with moderate usage. Spacers inside the box adapt it to each type of cigar and a neoprene travel bag protects the box against scratches. Read More
The Grand Canyon Skywalk
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March 22, 2007 Creating a structure as spectacular as the new U-shaped Grand Canyon Skywalk observation platform requires reliable engineering - visitors will be standing on all-glass flooring suspended 4,000 feet above the Colorado River. The architect's vision is that visitors will have the sensation of floating freely without the intrusion of visible supports and can enjoy a panoramic view. The graphic shows the height of the Grand Canyon Skywalk compared with the world’s tallest buildings. The Skywalk opens March 28 when visitors will be able to scare themselves silly looking between their feet, through two inches of ultra-clear DuPont SentryGlas Plus structural interlayers and onwards to the depths below them. The DuPont material provide strength and stiffness plus optical clarity for the all- glass flooring that enables visitors to have an unprecedented viewing experience while standing safely on the observation platform. Analysis done by DuPont; the glass supplier, Saint-Gobain; and structural engineering consultants show that the laminated glass floor can hold the weight of up to 120 people and maintain a top safety rating even in the face of 100 miles per hour winds. Read More
The solar-powered rotating skyscraper
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December 20, 2006 Gulf city state Dubai’s growth and far-reaching vision continues to astound us – we’ve already written about the World's tallest building and largest mall and the monumentally-large real estate synthesis projects such as the Palm and world island groups and then there’s the world’s largest airport which is currently under construction and dozens of other projects which would make any city proud. Then earlier this year Dubai-based High Rise Real estate announced a Rotating Tower with four rotating penthouses and a rotating villa. Now the Rotating Tower has been seriously gazumped with the news of the Time Residences tower which will become one of the most unique engineering feats of the modern world - a solar-powered rotating skyscraper. The 30-floor Time Residences will provide 200 one- and two-bedroom apartments as well as duplexes and penthouses with continuously-changing views of one of the most exciting skylines on Planet Earth. Just so you know they’re serious, the company has announced plans to build a further 23 such rotating towers around the world. Read More
Residential Cruise Ships - how to change the scenery outside your home
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October 20, 2006 We’ve looked at luxury homes on wheels (A, B, C, D, E), relocatable homes that get delivered to the location of your choice (A, B, C, D), mobile homes that float (A, B) and even relocatable homes that hang in the trees (A, B). As the world becomes geographically untethered, we expect the market for taking it with you will just grow and grow. If you love the serendipitous discovery of travel but long for the creature comforts and space of home, the Residential Cruise Ship option might be for you. One of the first such concepts we covered in our first print issue four years ago was the Freedom Ship (A, B) and the first fully-operational residential cruise ship was the Residensea. Now there’s a US$650 million dollar private residential cruise ship project underway named the Magellan. Buy an apartment on the Magellan and your residence will regularly circumnavigate the globe while you live in the epitome of luxury with a full service retractable marina, on-call private Bell 429 helicopters and 150 ports of call. Residents have anytime access to their floating penthouses which live within the amenities and services of the what is being billed as one of the world’s finest resorts. On-call housekeeping staff, a world-class spa and marketplace, 24-hour concierge staff, indoor and outdoor pools, four restaurants, a 450-seat theatre featuring Broadway-quality entertainment, a casino worthy of Monte Carlo and a Starbucks cafe are just a few of the conveniences. Residences on the Magellan range in price from US$1.8 million to US$8 million, there’s fractional ownership available which might make it available through share clubs, and the destination map is here. Read More
Nowhere Else Road, Nowhere Else
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October 15, 2006 This folks, is a picture of Nowhere Else. Indeed, this is Nowhere else Road, Nowhere Else, situated in Tasmania,Australia’s second largest island. Tasmania has always been one of the most remote places on earth. 20,000 years ago its inhabitants lived further southward than any other humans and the island was chosen as the site for a remote and inescapable penal settlement in 1803 as it is separated from the main continent of Australia by several hundred kilometres of the roughest water in the world – Bass Strait. It is not just remote, being spectacularly beautiful and possibly the most unspoiled natural environment on the planet with a fiercely green vote at the ballot and more than 40% of its of 68,332 square kilometres being National Parks and World Heritage Sites. Taswegian’s are a relaxed bunch, with a reputation for an oddball sense of humour, as evidenced by some of the official town names. Doo Town in Tasmania is a holiday village where all the house names contain doo, such as This Will Doo, Doo Come In, Love Me Doo, Much-A-Doo, and Doo Little. There’s also the quaintly named Tasmanian location of Nowhere Else. Situated 20 minutes from Devonport, Nowhere Else shares a postcode (7306) but has no pub, no council, not even a general store. The general store is nearby but it’s not in Nowhere Else, cos its somewhere else. So when we saw that a property was for sale on Nowhere Else Road, in Nowhere Else, Australia, 7306 we figured that it might be useful to one of our readers, if only for value on your business card. At an asking price of AUD$350,000 (US$260,000) for 40 acres of prime rural land, it's worth a look. Read More
Delta’s Lie-Flat Airline Seats
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October 13, 2006 Long haul flights can indeed feel very long if you’re not comfortable when attempting to sleep, so we’ll bet that there will be many of our readers eyeing the new Delta fully-horizontal BusinessElite sleeper suites and picturing themselves catching zeds in much more comfort than ever before when travelling. The reclining seat adjusts to multiple comfortable positions, including a completely flat surface offering travelers a 6-foot 3-inch bed. Whatsmore, there’s a privacy screen that incorporates a pull out meal table, fold-out video monitor, integrated footrest and personal stowage compartment for bags, shoes or blankets. All the sleeper suites will offer on-demand digital video and music at every suite and immediate access to the aisle so they don’t have to disturb another passenger when exiting their seat. Read More
Another outsourcing opportunity – the Sleepover Suite
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August 8, 2006 Any parent who has presided over a girl’s sleepover will well know the problems – no sleep, lots of noise and mess, and a totally disrupted home. Indeed, it’s one aspect of a child’s growing up that is tailor-made for outsourcing and sure enough, it’s now on offer. Based on research that shows British parents annually spend over a GBP1 billion on kids' parties, speciality hotel Alton Towers has created a purpose built sleepover suite where up to six friends can hold the ultimate girls' sleepover party. Some absolute "must-haves" for the design included the ability to have very loud pop music, make up and styling products galore, movie marathons plus party food on tap. As a result the soundproofed room features the latest home entertainment systems, karaoke and dance area, theatrical style dressing tables and cleverly designed Chill-out beds which can clip together to make one big bed for gossip sessions! The Sleepover suite pilot scheme opened on July 14 and is priced from GBP300 – not surprisingly, demand is very strong. Image gallery here. Read More
The World’s First Mobile Hotel Room
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August 8, 2006 If camping is not your go, but from time to time there’s an outdoor music festival or some other gotta-be-there outdoor event, take heart – help is on the way. British budget hotel brand Travelodge is exploring the concept of mobile hotel rooms. Each Travelpod is sealed in a 6 x 2.4 x 2.6 metre clear polycarbonate box but inside has features that you will find in any Travelodge hotel across the country. The room comes complete with a luxury double bed, bedside tables, lights, duvet, pillows, fully carpeted floor, dressing table with light, mirror, chair and even its own WC. The concept is being evaluated in a series of soft trials and trials will be opened to customers next summer, targeting festivals and other major outdoor events. It is envisioned that the mobile room will be transported on the back of a lorry to each location and positioned by crane as required. The trial price will match the company’s leading room rate of UKP26 per night which makes it an entirely new class of accommodation – wonder if they’ll offer a luxury suite? Read More
