The 2010 Jane Austen Festival takes place in Bath from September 17th-25th. Now in its 10th year, the event grows annually, with more and more  people dressing in Regency-style costume celebrating the life and works of Jane Austen.

Tickets for each event are now on sale at the Bath Festivals Box Office. The most spectacular day each year is the first Saturday, when the festival officially “opens” with the Regency Costumed Promenade through the streets of Bath. (Think promenaders from all over the world dressing in 18th-century attire led by Bath’s Town Crier and accompanied by soldiers and sailors.)

The rest of the festival is comprised of small soirees, theater, concerts, walking tours, food, talks and dancing, plus the opportunity to dress throughout the week, if you wish, in 18th century costume.

Where to stay in Bath? We suggest two charming options: The Bath Spa Hotel and The Bath Priory Hotel Restaurant and Spa.

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Here’s a tool that could come in handy when plotting your next trip. A new website called AirportHotels.com helps travelers find and book hotels near airports with a hotel comparison ‘meta-search’ site using Google maps to display 100 airports and 3,700 nearby hotels, while simultaneously searching 10 hotel websites to find cheap airport hotel deals. You’ll see the exact location of the hotel relative to the airport terminal, so no more unpleasant surprises when trekking miles on a hotel shuttle bus to get to your flight.

Related Article:
Airport Hotels Get Swanky

Image of the swanky InterContinental O’Hare in Chicago via The New York Times

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Traveling across the continents with your pet? Fly with Lufthansa, and Fido will be privy to some VIP pampering at the “Animal Lounge” in the Frankfurt Airport. The airline recently opened a specialized animal station for pets during transit, billed as the “world’s most modern animal airport facility.” Spanning 4,000 square meters, the dedicated space offers care, handling, feeding, and shelter facilities as well as veterinary care. “The name ‘Animal Lounge’ is very appropriate for the new animal station because just like in an airport lounge for passengers, the animals can relax and rest there before and after transport,” said Axel Heitmann, director, Competence Centre Animals of Lufthansa Cargo. Some 14,000 household pets and 1,500 horses and wild animals pass through the Animal Lounge annually (ranging from polar bears to tropical fish), and Lufthansa promises that these animal “passengers” are ensured “the ultimate comfort.”

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A former military fortress– hidden on a clifftop overlooking Mallorca’s Bay of Palma– has been converted into an “adults only” luxury hotel. A member of Small Luxury Hotels of the World, Cap Rocat is making headlines for its unique setting just 20 minutes from Palma, where “subtle reminders of the fortress’ original purpose are brilliantly incorporated into the décor with the suites created out of the old munitions stores, complete with private patios and cocktail tables made from gun carriages.” The New York Times Magazine declares Cap Rocat as the new “it” spot for “the island-loving jet set of Europe.” Here’s the skinny:

The local architect Antonio Obrador — who did the seaside retreats of, among others, Claudia Schiffer and Michael Douglas — let the structure’s past set the design tone. The 24 rooms and suites are fashioned from old munitions stores and connected by a series of sunlit ramps and alleyways to the many vaulted public spaces. The old gunpowder depot is now a dimly lit space for private parties, with gun carriages serving as cocktail tables and stylized bullets as door handles. There are two restaurants, including one waterside, and an infinity pool created from one of the ramparts. Soon to be completed will be a wooden jetty, from which guests can sail, dive and water-ski the aquamarine Mediterranean.

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Shopping, bungalows and foody delights: We bring you the latest intel from this posh Hollywood playground.

By Meagan Drillinger and Ruthanne Terrero

Who doesn’t want a little taste of  SoCal luxury? Beverly Hills, is giving travelers the opportunity to sample its culinary scene. The “Taste of Beverly Hills,” presented by Food & Wine, is being held September 2 (or 9.02.10…get it?) through September 5 next to the Beverly Hilton Hotel.

The event will call together the region’s celebrated chefs and restaurateurs. Think Wolfgang Puck, Ted Allen, Scott Conant and more. A select group of chefs have been handpicked to showcase their skills and talents in a 120,000-square-foot epicurean paradise. The whole event kicks off with a special “9.02.10 City of Beverly Hill Celebration,” which will include a picnic under the stars with guests such as Larry King and live musical performances. Festival highlights include lessons on concocting cocktails, featuring the city’s top mixologists and DJs, insider secrets from chefs and master sommeliers, and a special brunch that even includes a pie-eating contest. We say, bring it on!

Visit www.thetasteofbeverlyhills.com.

Hotel Choices: We know; hanging out at The Beverly Hills Hotel (pool shown above) is one of your favorite pastimes, but we say that sport will get a bit more exciting when the big Pink Palace hotel opens its two new Presidential Bungalows next January.

The hotel has given up its tennis courts to create space for the two private residences, which will both be more than 5,500 square feet of indoor and outdoor living space. Each will have three bedrooms and three-and-a-half baths. They’ll also boast a chef’s kitchen (with a wine cooler and private entrance for staff), a great room and study, plus a dining area. Bang and Olufsen high-definition TV’s are promised for virtually every room.

The outdoors will have a private pool with underwater speakers, a garden shower, a fitness area and a fireplace. We say that’s a pretty swell way to soak up that glorious year-round California sun. The architectural style all around will be Mediterranean (as in vaulted ceilings, tile roofs and pretty little gardens), to match the hotel. Read more »

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Rosewood Hotels & Resorts is celebrating their 30th anniversary with a special recognition program called 30 Under 30. Do you know someone under 30 who shows special drive and promise and is on their way to becoming a leader in their field? Rosewood is looking for nominations for the program; the individuals should demonstrate qualities that Rosewood considers on par with the company’s own core values:

*Mindful of the community
*Leadership with integrity
*Passion of conviction
*Dedication to preserving our natural environment
*Strong sense of life balance

Applications will be accepted through November 1, 2010 and on December 1, Rosewood will debut a website of 30 Under 30, featuring the 30 people who most lead lives of consequence. On behalf of each finalist, Rosewood will make a $100 donation to the non-profit organization of their choice. What’s more– each finalist will enjoy a complimentary dinner for two at any Rosewood property (like The Carlyle in New York, pictured). The grand prize: Rosewood will select just one nominee whose life is truly exemplary to receive a $1,000 donation to the non-profit of their choice and a complimentary three-night stay at any Rosewood hotel or resort. Helping to select the best 30 Under 30 will be a panel of judges including Peter Greenberg, CBS News Travel Editor, Jason Binn, CEO of Niche Media and Pamela Fiori, Editor-at-Large of Town & Country.

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Eric Ripert, celebrity chef and judge on this season’s Top Chef – Washington, DC, currently airing on Bravo, said it best when speaking about contestant Kenny Gilbert of PGA National Resort & Spa in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida.  ”I love garlic, and I use it a lot.”  Wait, hold on, that’s not the quote I’m looking for.  Wasn’t there one about Kenny, and how brilliant he is…?

I’ll keep searching, but this might be a time where, and pardon the cliche, the food speaks for itself.  Yes, Kenny Gilbert… IS… THAT… GOOD!

And he’s proven it, week after week, on the latest season of Top Chef.
Yet if those dazzling concoctions that you see every week don’t draw you into the culinary master world of Kenny Gilbert, than perhaps his long history as an outstanding chef will.  At only 23 years of age, Gilbert became the youngest African-American chef to ever run a Ritz-Carlton hotel restaurant, and he just keeps getting better.

Now in his mid-30s (peak years for chefs), Kenny Gilbert is mesmerizing diners everyday as the Executive Chef at the PGA National Resort & Spa.  The food is so good that patrons are forgetting that the PGA National Resort & Spa. is most famous for award-winning golf on a luxurious setting.  Heck, you’ll even be forgiven if you only shoot nine holes so you can have more time for dinner.

But don’t take my word for it… What does Eric Ripert have to say about Kenny’s food?  “For us, it’s the grand slam!”  Thanks, chef.  That’s more like it!

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Avid readers, take note: The Miami Book Fair International takes place Nov. 14-21, 2010.

The event is acclaimed as the oldest and largest gathering of authors coming from all over the world to read from their books, answer questions from the audience, and sign autographs.

Here’s the latest so far: Confirmed to attend this year are novelist and screenwriter, Nora Ephron, Songwriter/Singer Patti Smith, Tennis Pro Venus Williams and U.N. Deputy Specialty Envoy to Haiti, Dr. Paul Farmer. Award-winning fiction and non-fiction writers attending are Ann Beattie, Michael Cunningham, Pat Conroy, Robert Dallek, Jonathan Eig, Jonathan Franzen, Cristina Garcia, Myla Goldberg, Carl Hiassen, Kay Redfield Jamison, Sebastian Junger, Sue Miller, Joan Nathan, Eugene Robinson, Salman Rushdie, Gay Talese, Judith Viorst, Geoffrey Wolff, Jeffrey Zaslow.

Where to stay,  you ask? Luxury hotels worth checking out are The Four Seasons, Miami; the Viceroy Miami, the Conrad Miami and The Mandarin Oriental, Miami.

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We serve up insider information on the City of Light…

By Jena Tesse Fox and Mary Winston Nicklin
If you’ve been to the Hotel San Régis, you’ll be surprised upon your return. The popular Parisian hotel, located between the Champs-Elysées and Avenue Montaigne in the 8th arrondissement, has just revealed a new look. The Classic Room category has undergone a complete renovation by star designer Pierre-Yves Rochon, with all 10 rooms undergoing a top-to-bottom overhaul.

We love the fresh new fabrics and swell headboards and armchairs but we must say the new bathrooms really do it for us: they’re decked out in black-and-white marble, with separate tubs and Italian-style showers. How posh.

Travel agents voted this hotel tops in the Small Luxury Hotels chain last year, so we say how can it be bad?  If you haven’t been, it’s housed in a 19th-century private mansion.

Insider Secret: Jean-François Chauvin, the “Clefs d’Or” Concierge, is known for handling all manner of requests: limousine transfers, river cruises on private boat, reservations to the hottest restaurants in town, tickets for museum exhibitions or the theater, personal shoppers to discover the city’s secret boutiques.

 Shopping

Did you know that Uniqlo has opened its store on rue Scribe in the Opéra district? Needless to say, the Paris press has been buzzing about this global phenomenon, explaining that “it’s impossible to leave the store with your hands in your pockets.” Chances are, you’ll leave with shirts, jeans, leggings, maybe even a puffy jacket. Indeed, a recent article in Hemispheres Magazine describes how “irresistably low prices and an uncanny sense for how the world wants to dress have made Uniqlo’s owner the richest man in Japan.” At 2,150 square meters, the Parisian flagship store is the third largest for Uniqlo worldwide– after the New York and London locations. What’s the brand’s appeal? Perhaps it’s the range of colors as plentiful as the Pantone shades, muses A Nous Paris: 35 different options for cashmere sweaters, 60 tints of colorful socks, from cerulean blue to mimosa… And now available: Jil Sander’s +J Line at Uniqlo.

Visit http://www.uniqlo.com/us/

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First it was the book. A fixture on the New York Times Best Seller List, selling over seven million copies worldwide, Elizabeth Gilbert’s “Eat, Pray, Love” was a smash hit, inspiring countless individuals to consider copying the author’s soul-seeking voyage around the world- from Italy to India to Indonesia. Now there’s a film adaptation starring Julia Roberts, and “Eat, Pray, Love” mania has infected the population. Balinese hotels are getting in on the action, catering to folks seeking to recreate Gilbert’s trip. Case in point: the “Eat, Pray, Love” package at Ubud Hanging Gardens, the luxurious Orient-Express property that’s not far from Bali’s cultural capital of Ubud, perched above the rice terraces overlooking the Ayung River gorge. Subject to availability and with a two-night minimum required, the package includes:

  * One way airport transfer
* Balinese welcome drink
* Daily breakfast buffet for two
* One Balinese dinner at a Hindu temple followed by a blessing ceremony at the Holly Water Temple
* Love candle gift
* Use of mountain bikes
* Shuttle to Ubud centre (on schedule)
* Complimentary daily afternoon tea, bottled water and daily fresh tropical fruit in room
* Free Internet access

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