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Tags: Hotel Lust / Italy Hotels / Luxury Hotels / Royal Hotels / → All Tags

This Week In Hotel Lust: Villa D'Este, Lake Como

Where: Via Regina, 40, Cernobbio, Lombardy, Italy, 22012 Lake

Views of the lake and villa

If comments made in recent months by Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke are to be believed, then "the recession is very likely over." Most of us continue to scoff in disbelief, and inversely, there are others that may have missed the memo that the economy was in upheaval at all. We're talking about the well-monied types that have continued to swipe their Black AmEx cards with reckless abandon—on Michelin-rated dinners, sports cars, and certainly pricey vacations and hotel suites.

Even for those of us sans trust funds or Swiss bank accounts, reading about what's luxe in the hotel world proves to be endlessly entertaining. It could inspire fantasies about staying in the $15,000 Imperial Suite at Paris' Park-Hyatt Vendome, or lead to a few "you must be kidding me" laughs.

So, we're going to seek out exclusive resorts and amenities the world over and highlight what the luxury hotel world has to offer. Yes, we'll be confessing our Hotel Lust to you all, starting with the Villa D'Este in Italy.

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Tags: Paris Hotels / Hotel Blacklists / Royal Hotels / → All Tags

Princess Hides from Creditors at the Four Seasons George V

Where: 31 Ave George V, Paris, France, 75008

This lady has some balls. Princess Maha al-Sudairi, the wife of Saudi Arabia's Interior Minister, charged nearly $24 million dollars at Paris' luxury fashion houses over a year-long period but decided not to pay up and then claimed diplomatic immunity from inside her suite at the Four Seasons George V hotel.

Why the Four Seasons? Well, it's partly owned by her nephew, Prince Al Waleed bin Talal, so she's sure to get a good Friends and Family discount on that $4,000 a night rate.

But seeking refuge in a family-owned hotel still could not prevent a court bailiff from showing up and threatening to seize her things. According to the BBC, a check was promptly made out for $125,000 to a clothing chain Key Largo after the bailiff arrived. Yet the Princess still has a lot more moolah to dole out. Including debts owed to the swank Hotel Crillon. We're guessing Parisian hotels now have her name on their black list.

Tags: Escape the Economy Hotels / London Hotels / Hotel Bars / Royal Hotels / → All Tags

Escape the Economy Hotels :: London Gets In On the Game

All this week we will be running Escape the Economy hotel packages. We doubt this will make you feel better about your dwindling stash of money but you might actually have a good time.

The economic woes that we are all facing today aren't just limited to those in the States. Nay. Europe is having its own troubles too and London especially since so many major American banks have...er...had offices in London.

Thus The Metropolitan London and sister hotel, The Halkin are offering over £200 the normal rack rates now through May 31, 2009.

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Tags: Fall Foliage Hotels / Winery Hotels / Royal Hotels / Ontario Hotels / → All Tags

Fall Foliage Hotels :: Vacation Like A Windsor in the Commonwealth

Where: 48 John Street, Niagara-on-the-Lake, ON, Canada

When it comes to taking in the changing leaves of autumn, no mention of Prince of Wales hotel in Niagara-on-the-Lake, as we did yesterday, is complete without mentioning its countryside doppelganger, Pillar and Post. If Prince of Wales is Buckingham Palace, then Pillar and Post is the queen's country home, Sandringham Estate. The hotels have the same owner, with a clear fixation on British aristocracy.

The building, constructed in the 1890s, was originally a canning factory. Now a five-star hotel, it bears little resemblance to the original structure. The grounds include an enormous spa, a saltwater pool, and faux waterfall whirlpool.

Be forewarned, as the buggy photo above shows, the hotel takes its country cottage theme a little too seriously. For those who feel a surge of nausea at the sight of a ruffled bed skirt, this place is not for you. But if craft fairs are your favorite Saturday activity, book a room now.

[Photo: Dave Mather]

Tags: Fall Hotels / Winery Hotels / Royal Hotels / Fall Foliage Hotels / → All Tags

Fall Foliage Hotels :: Prince of Wales Found In Ontario

Where: 6 Picton Street , Niagara-on-the-Lake, ON, Canada, L0S1J0

October begins today. The month ushers in with it the transformation of brightly colored leaves and crisp, comfortable air. After we finish our trips to bungalows on the beach and before we head off to ski resorts, there are a few places best suited for taking in Autumn.

At Niagara-on-the-Lake in Ontario, Canada, in addition to the abundance of foliage in the surrounding areas, fall offers the town's best wine tours and its annual Shaw Festival, a play series held at local venues. The most renowned and, well, fanciest hotel in town is Prince of Wales, which takes its moniker literally.

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