Wednesday, March 31, 2010

Seychelles Islands

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Seychelles

The island nation known as the Seychelles can be found in the Indian Ocean off the East coast of Africa, North of Madagascar. There are 115 islands in the archipelago. Seychelles has become a popular tourist destination, thanks to its stunning tropical beaches and interesting wildlife. Popular activities include diving, fishing, sailing, and laying around on amazing white sand beaches. Visitors can find any range of accommodation on the main islands of Praslin, La Digue or Mahé, as well as a variety on outlying islands.

Seychelles islands


Seychelles island


Seychelles beach


Seychelles island beach


Seychelles beaches


Seychelles white sand beach


Seychelles island


Seychelles islands


Seychelles islands beaches


Seychelles island beaches


Seychelles

Tuesday, March 30, 2010

10 Tallest Buildings in the World

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10. Jin Mao Tower, Shanghai, China
This 88-story skyscraper stands at a height of 421m (1,380ft). Completed in 1998, the Jin Mao Tower in Shanghai, China contains offices and the Shanghai Grand Hyatt hotel.

Jin Mao Tower, Shanghai, China

9. Trump International Hotel and Tower, Chicago, United States of America (USA)
The Trump Tower, named for Donald Trump, is located on the Chicago River in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It stands 423m (1,389ft) and has 92 stories. The tower houses retail space, a parking garage, a hotel, and condominiums. It was completed in 2009.

Trump International Hotel and Tower, Chicago, USA

8. Guangzhou West Tower, Guangzhou, China
The Guangzhou West Tower in Guangzhou, China, is a 440.2m (1,444ft) tall skyscraper that is home to a conference center, a hotel, and offices. It was completed in 2009 and has 103 floors. The tower’s twin, the Guangzhou East Tower, will be completed in 2016.

Guangzhou West Tower, Guangzhou, China

7. Willis Tower, Chicago, Illinois, United States of America (USA)
Formerly called the Sears Tower, the Willis Tower in Chicago, Illinois, USA, stands 442m (1,451ft) tall and has 108 floors. It was completed in 1973 and was the tallest building in the world at that time. It is currently the tallest building in the United States.

Willis Tower Chicago, Illinois, USA

6. Nanjing Greenland Financial Center, Nanjing, China
Also known as the Greenland Square Zifeng Tower, the Nanjing Greenland Financial Center in Nanjing, China, is 450m (1,480ft) tall. It was completed in 2009 and currently houses office space, retail space, a restaurant, and an observation deck. It has 89 stories.

Nanjing Greenland Financial Center, Nanjing, China

5. Petronas Twin Towers, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia is home to the Petronas Twin Towers, which held the record for the world’s tallest buildings from their completion in 1998 until 2004. They are still the tallest twin buildings in the world. Tower 1 is headquarters to the oil and gas company Petronas, and Tower 2 houses the offices of various other corporations. The towers are 451.9m (1,482.6ft) tall and have 88 stories each. You can see more pictures and read about my visit here: Petronas Twin Towers Skybridge Visit.

Petronas Twin Towers, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

4. International Commerce Centre, Kowloon, Hong Kong
The International Commerce Centre in Kowloon, Hong Kong, comes in at 484m (1,588ft) tall. It was completed in 2010. Its 118 stories are home to a Ritz-Carlton hotel, a shopping mall, and various corporate offices. There is a viewing deck on the 100th floor.

International Commerce Centre, Kowloon, Hong Kong

3. Shanghai World Financial Center, Shanghai, China
At 487.4m (1,599.1ft) tall, the Shanghai World Financial Center in Shanghai, China, is the third tallest building in the world. It is home to the highest hotel in the world, the Park Hyatt Shanghai. It also has the highest observation deck in the world. The building’s 101 floors also house offices, hotels, conference rooms, and shopping malls. It was completed in 2008 and it stands next to the Jin Mao Tower. I think it looks like a giant bottle opener.

Shanghai World Financial Center, Shanghai, China

2. Taipei 101, Taipei, Taiwan
The spectacular Taipei 101 spire in Taipei, Taiwan was the tallest building in the world from its completion in 2004 until 2010. Also known as the Taipei Financial Center, the Taipei 101 is 509.2m (1,670.6ft) tall and has 101 floors. There are numerous corporate offices and restaurants in the building.

Taipei 101, Taipei, Taiwan

1. Burj Khalifa, Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE)
The massive Burj Khalifa in Dubai, UAE, is by far the tallest man-made structure ever built. It stands an awe-inspiring 828m (2,717ft) above ground and has 160 floors. It became the world’s tallest building when it opened on January 4th, 2010. It took six years to construct and it is home to hotels, residences, restaurants, and offices.

Burj Khalifa, Dubai, UAE


Burj Khalifa, Dubai, UAE


Burj Khalifa, Dubai, UAE

Saturday, March 27, 2010

Top 10 Most Expensive Hotel Rooms in The World

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Did you ever have a dream of spending a relaxing night at one of the luxury hotels? Or maybe planning a romantic evening or a honeymoon and want to impress your beloved one? What would you need to be included? A good view from the window, large comfy bad, Jacuzzi, a personal butler?
Did you know that prices at the best hotel suites have gone up by 10% this year? So are you ready to drop about $30,000 for one night? Would you be willing to spend that kind of money on a hotel room? And by the way none of the nightly room rates includes tax, so be prepared to add another 10 – 17% to your bill at check-out.
Here are the 10 most expensive hotel rooms in the world for the last year.

10. The Penthouse Suite, The Martinez Hotel, Cannes

Nightly Rate: $18,000
The biggest, most expensive and the only terraced penthouse suite on the Cote d’Azur. Each of the two suites has a Jacuzzi, plasma screen televisions, DVD library, kitchen, open bar, private butler on call 24/7 (ditto for a limousine) and an option to join both suites into one big apartment. The luxury has no limit here – the design is kept in the Art Deco style, with streamlined furniture, silk curtains and teak parquet floors.
The wraparound terrace is 2,000 square feet with the views of the Lerins Islands as well as the entire Bay of Cannes and can comfortably hold 100 people. One Saudi sheik liked the suite so much he wanted to rent it for five years. The hotel said no. What else can you say? Tres magnifique!














9. Ritz-Carlton Suite, Ritz-Carlton Moscow

Nightly Rate: $18.200
The most beautiful view on the Kremlin, Red Square, St. Basil’s Cathedral and Christ the Savior Cathedral will give you the floor-to-ceiling windows in the Ritz-Carlton Suite. The furnishing is made in a Classic Russian Imperial style. The 2,500 square-foot suite comes with a spacious living room, library, dining area, library, office room and boardroom, grand piano and heated floor.
You will get to enjoy five meals a day and their very own KGB-approved autonomous energy supply system and secure telecommunications array.










8. Royal Suite, Burj Al Arab, Dubai

Nightly Rate: $19.000
The two-story, 8,400-square-foot suite with the view over the Arabian sea, with marble flooring, rotating four-poster bed in the master bedroom, dining area and the suite’s private cinema and elevator between the split-level rooms.
The marble bath comes fully stocked with full-sized products from Hermes. Guests are met by a chauffeur driven Rolls-Royce Silver Seraph or for a bit extra by a helicopter. A personal butler stands 24/7 at the ready to fulfill every wish. The Royal Suite is the last word in luxury with a marble and gold staircase, leopard print tufted carpets and Versace linens.
What you can also enjoy is a submarine ride to an underwater restaurant complete with shark-infested aquarium.














7. Imperial Suite, Park Hyatt, Vendôme, Paris

Nightly Rate: $20.000
This pricey suit is located on the 5th floor and takes 200-sq.-metres. A 60-sq.-metre balcony is overlooking the Rue de la Paix, with an outstanding view of the Vendôme column. The Imperial Suite has high ceilings, a dining room, kitchenette, bar and a mansard roof. Also includes in-suite spa with whirlpool bath, steam room shower and a built-in massage table. A High-speed Internet access and a computer with flat screen, multi-line telephones and actually a separate work area with make you enjoy the work process.










6. The Bridge Suite, The Atlantis, Bahamas

Nightly Rate: $22.000
The Bridge Suite is located on top of a bridge that connects the two Royal Towers buildings, so it overlooks the entire resort and marina. An 800 square foot balcony and 12-foot high ceilings throughout with full length windows allow you to enjoy a 360 view of the water, lagoons and pools in Paradise Island. We can make a guess that most of the price is paid for the location of the suit. Forbes reports the suite has hosted guests including Oprah and Michael Jackson, Celine Dion and Bill Gates.
The suite has 10 rooms that are decorated in black, red and gold (22-karat gold chandelier is in the dining room). The living room is a 1,250-square-foot room with grand piano and twin entertainment centers. The master bedroom has a sitting area, his-and-hers closets so larger that you can park your car there, and hand-painted linens. The kitchen also has its own entrance, so a permanent staff of seven, including a butler and a cook can access the rooms without bothering you.








5. Presidential Suite, Ritz-Carlton, Tokyo

Nightly Rate: $25.000
The suite is located on the 53rd floor above Tokyo with spectacular views that include Imperial Palace outer gardens and Roppongi Hills.
In the total of 3300 sq ft you will get a suit of pure luxury with a stunning four poster bed in the master bedroom, personal concierge, connected living room/dining room, an oversized marble bathroom with Sony BRAVIA 20 inch flat screen television and access to indoor pool and fitness studio.












4. Villa La Capula Suite, Westin Excelsior, Rome

Nightly Rate: $29.000
The suit is located on the fifth and sixth floor underneath the cupola of the hotel which was made famous by Fellini’s movies. It covers 6,099 square feet and has an additional 1,808 square feet of balconies and terraces. While it only has two bedrooms, five more can be joined to it. The entire suite was just remodeled in 1998 for a cost of around $7 million. So now you will have all things Roman and excessive – a cupola, a Pompeii-style Jacuzzi pool, frescoes (The painted horizons on the frescoes were designed to match perfectly with the real Roman one.), stained glass windows and almost 2,000 feet of balcony space, including a sun deck, overlooking the Via Veneto district.
The downstairs also has a private kitchen, and the dining room features an antique Murano glass chandelier, a private wine cabinet with over 150 wines to choose from and a study/library covered in hand-carved wood. And what really makes this suite over the top is a private cinema with Dolby surround sound.
Now that’s living la dolce vita.










3. Ty Warner Penthouse, Four Seasons Hotel, New York

Nightly Rate: $34.000
The $50 million Ty Warner Penthouse at the Four Seasons NY, designed by legendary architect I.M. Pei, Peter Marino and hotel owner Ty Warner.
The nine-room suite has walls inlayed with mother of pearl, gold and platinum-woven fabrics. The suite is located on the 52nd floor of the New York’s tallest hotel with floor-to-ceiling bay windows offering a breathtaking 360 degree view of the City. If that is not relaxing enough you can enjoy a waterfall in the Zen Room, play the grand piano in the library or soak in a tub overlooking Central Park. Full spa treatments, a personal trainer and a 24/7 butler are all included and if you still find a will to leave, you can choose to be chauffeured in a Rolls Royce or Maybach, and you’re always guaranteed a table at the hotel’s renowned L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon restaurant.










2. Hugh Hefner Sky Villa, Palms Casino Resort, Las Vegas

Nightly Rate: $40.000
If someone knows how a good vacation at Las Vegas should be – that will be Hugh Hefner, even though he is known as a homebody he has spent a few nights away from the mansion at the Sky Villa. The Suite itself was built to model the original playboy mansion; it also incorporates elements derived from a vintage Playboy magazine article about the ultimate bachelor pad The suite cost roughly $10 million to build but the high-rollers can rent it for a small $40,000 a night. Everything screams S-E-X-Y at the Sky Villa. The two-story 9,000 square foot Villa includes a glass elevator, a rotating bed set beneath a mirrored ceiling, and a glass wall Jacuzzi that extends out over the hotel and offers amazing Strip views, around-the-clock butler service, massage and spa rooms, work-out room and poker table, fireplace, three bedrooms, and pop-up plasma TVs.
Sorry, Bunnies not included.


1. Royal Penthouse Suite, President Wilson Hotel, Geneva

Nightly Rate: $53.000
The Imperial Suite which is actually an entire top floor of the hotel, is reached via a private elevator and has four bedrooms, six bathrooms with mosaic marble floor, even a cocktail lounge and a terrace with a dramatic views over the bulletproof windows over the city, Lake Geneva and Mont Blanc, all of which overlook Lake Geneva. The suite is decorated in a contemporary style, with marble and hardwood floors. The living room has a billiards table, a library and a cocktail lounge with a view of the water fountain, and can accommodate 40 people. The dining room seats 26 people around an oval mahogany table.
The hotel’s staff reassures guests that the security in the Imperial Suite is among the best in the world, ideal for celebrities or traveling heads of states who visit the United Nations headquarters next door at the Palais Wilson.










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