A view from the top.

by Mollie Chen

My grandmother is from Molokai, which is interesting because no one is from Molokai, Hawaii's least developed island. Growing up, the main excitement for her and her sisters was the arrival of the Sears boat, which would pull into the harbor every Friday bearing provisions from Honolulu. My family took a short vacation on the island recently and found that not much has changed. The commercial center, Kaunakakai, is a few tumbleweeds short of a ghost town, there isn't a single stoplight on the entire island, and the nightly entertainment consists of buying baked goods. If anything, with the recent closing of Molokai Ranch, the island is retreating further into the past. "The Friendly Isle" is a particularly ironic nickname, considering Molokai is most famous for its Kalaupapa leper settlement (read John Tayman's fascinating account, The Colony).

Empty seats did them in.

by Tom Loftus

It's getting to be commonplace. This morning it was the all-business-class carrier Silverjet's turn to refresh its homepage with a letter beginning, "To our dear customers..." 

Sixteen months after its inaugural flight, the airline known for its fully reclinable seat/beds joined fellow all-business-classers Eos Airlines and MAXjet Airways Inc. in the good idea/sorry breaks category.

Bloomberg does a nice summary of Silverjet's demise--rising fuel prices, an inability to secure a last-minute loan--and unloads a bomb from analysts at Numis Securities: "There are likely to be a number of spectacular casualties as brutal economic reality hits home.''

Photo: Wikipedia Commons

* Take a "flavor trip" with miracle fruit!  The possible solution to the link below. 

* Just when you thought airline food couldn't get any worse.

* Druids and Spinal Tap fans rejoice! A new Stonehenge discovery.

* Start the media hype. Ground zero for boomer nostalgia gets a museum.

* Amazonian tribe buzzed by plane. We don't blame the response.   

O Ya's kinmedai sashimi.
Photo: Boston Globe

Every May, Conde Nast Traveler releases its Hot List, a collection of the best new hotels, spas, restaurants, and nightspots. Check the Daily Traveler every day for a new post from this year's list.

Tucked into an alley in Boston's Leather District (because "next to the bus station" might scare away visitors), O Ya proves that a truly great meal may be worth your very last dime. The lengthy izakaya-style menu imaginatively pairs Japanese staples with flavors from around the world. Foie gras, seasoned with balsamic chocolate kabayaki and raisin cocoa pulp, is served with a sip of aged sake, while cucumber, avocado, carrot, and a ponzu vinaigrette bring a crunchy sweet-sour tang to smoky tea-brined chicken. In honor of the Beantown fixation on clam chowder, there's a version featuring tempura, potato, Kurobuta pork fat drizzle, and cracklings. The dark wood, soft lighting, and quietly expert servers in this renovated firehouse transform what could be an overly fussy experience into a personal seating at Babette's feast: You walk away delighted, even though your wallet is empty and the buses are rumbling past (dishes, $5-$160).

Further reading:
* Hot List 2008.
* More Boston nibbles.
* The Boston Globe's O Ya review.

Aaay!
AP Photo

by Beata Loyfman

If it wasn't for the incredible sleuthing skills of TMZ, the most important event of the year might have come and gone with little fanfare. Luckily, word got out. On August 19, the city of Milwaukee will unveil its newest treasure: A bronze statue of cultural icon Arthur Fonzarelli, a.k.a. the Fonz!

And that's not all. An entire day of activities on the Riverwalk will be dedicated to the unveiling, including a free custard social and an appearance by the cast of Happy Days. Marion Ross, Tom Bosley, Erin Moran, Don Most, and of course, Henry Winkler himself will be on hand to reprise their roles.

Click here for news and event details, and here for a tutorial on the origins of Milwaukee by noted anthropologist Alice Cooper.

Want to take part in the festivities? Check out how after the jump.

Count Gherardo Scapinelli,
my benefactor for the evening.

Conde Nast Traveler stuntman Mark Schatzker is on a mad quest to make himself into a modern-day Da Vinci during a month's stay in Europe. So far, Mark has "mastered" golf in Scotland, "excelled" at gardening in England, "ruled" the kitchens of Paris, tinkled the ivories in Vienna, and painted beside Lake Como.

The funny thing about Renaissance Men is that there is no recognized international standards body. A Renaissance Man doesn't have to pass any kind of exam or pay for some kind of license, and he doesn't have a plaque hanging on his wall inscribed with the words "I hereby certify that..." followed by his name in laser-printed calligraphy. Any mono-talented fool can rent a storefront in some suburban strip mall and go into business as a Renaissance Man. It's just not right.

So let me be the first to lay down the preconditions for what it takes to be a Renaissance Man: You have to work in at least two different fields for a member of authentic European nobility.

Troncones, Mexico.
Photo: Melanie Acevedo/CNT

New! Several times a week, the Daily Traveler will spotlight a travel news item by taking a look at how it is reported by the growing mass of travel-based blogs, magazines, and assorted Web sites. We call this section the Aggregator.

by Tom Loftus

Surf paradise Zihuatanejo, Mexico, has been the site of three shark attacks, two of them fatal, in the past month. Jaunted.com uses the opportunity to add the area to its Killer Beaches 2008, a Google mashup documenting recent shark attacks worldwide. Gadling.com also runs a post on the attack, although it makes the mistake of running a photo of the fearsome-looking, but harmless sand tiger shark. The shark(s) in question may be greys or tigers.

Not too shabby.

Conde Nast Traveler stuntman Mark Schatzker is on a mad quest to make himself into a modern-day Da Vinci during a month's stay in Europe. So far Mark has "mastered" golf in Scotland, "excelled" at gardening in England, "ruled" the kitchens of Paris, and tinkled the ivories in Vienna.  His last task: Painting beside Lake Como.

You see before you "La Villa Clooney." I for one and shocked. I'm not saying this painting is going to be hanging in the Louvre anytme soon--the Musée d'Orsay would be more appropriate--but those of you with some familiarity of my artistic history will be able to appreciate this feat of applying paint to canvas.

Hotel La Tremoille.
Forbes.com

Every May, Conde Nast Traveler releases its Hot List, a collection of the best new hotels, spas, restaurants, and nightspots. Check the Daily Traveler every day for a new post from this year's list.

A fixture among Paris's luxury digs since 1883, the Hotel La Trémoille has renovated and reopened Louis2, a bar and lounge that adds a contemporary twist to the property's classic architecture. Situated near the Champs-Elysées shopping district, Louis2 has an intimate atmosphere, with private alcoves, a library, and a fireplace seating area with live piano music. The design reflects the 1930s, with updated embroidered fabrics and thick carpets. Stop in for a Negroni after an exhausting bout of shopping.

Address: 14 rue de la Trémoille
Tel: 33-1-56-52-14-00

Further reading:
* Hot List 2008.
* Check out Renaissance Man Mark Schatzker's journey to one of Paris's best kitchens.

My sammy soul mate.

by Mollie Chen

Nostalgia is a funny thing. Some people think back to their college years and remember the endless cups of coffee or Solo cups of warm beer or perhaps dining hall chickwiches. I'll admit, when I go back to Boston I do get a bit misty-eyed over the stately redbrick buildings and the good old Charles. But it's a sandwich that does me in.

There's a specific type of coffee shop that seems to flourish in college towns. Haphazard, vaguely folksy decor with worn, cushy armchairs and too-small tables, indie rock in the background and scruffy, friendly servers. Darwin's Ltd., just outside Harvard Square, fits the mold perfectly. The first time I dragged my parents there, promising them a transcendent experience, my father took one look at the earnest undergrads highlighting away, and sighed. "Oh, so it's a Friends place," he said. Fair. Darwin's looks as if it's a movie set left over from With Honors. But it also has--and I am not exaggerating--the best sandwiches in the world. I know ex-Bostonians living in every far corner of the globe who would happily trade a perfect banh mi or croque monsieur for a single overstuffed Darwin's creation.

The fish of Lake Como.

Conde Nast Traveler stuntman Mark Schatzker is on a mad quest to make himself into a modern-day Da Vinci during a month's stay in Europe. So far Mark has "mastered" golf in Scotland, "excelled" at gardening in England, "ruled" the kitchens of Paris, and tinkled the ivories in Vienna.  His next task: Painting beside Lake Como.

Before I unveil my painterly masterpiece, let me take a moment to discuss the pressing issue of the culinary status of freshwater fish. Most people tend to think fishes that come out of oceans taste better. That explains why you can buy canned tuna and salmon, but not canned crappie or goldfish. Only the Chinese, so far as I know--or knew--have a preference for river and lake fish.

A view from The Top.
Adriana Hvar Marina Hotel

Every May, Conde Nast Traveler releases its Hot List, a collection of the best new hotels, spas, restaurants, and nightspots. Check the Daily Traveler every day for a new post from this year's list.

This stunning harborfront hotel marks a new level of style for Hvar, providing the city's sleekest lodgings, its cushiest day spa, and a slick roof-level bar, The Top, that is the place to be seen for the new Riviera's beau monde. Part of the Adriana's appeal is the array of facilities: The rooftop lounge has cabanas for massages as well as an indoor-outdoor seawater pool for dips between sessions in the sun. The 59 rooms (which include nine spa suites) are done in earth tones, polished woods, and natural fabrics delicately embellished with lavender accents; most look out on the harbor and Old Town, allowing guests to take in the daily arrival of ever-larger yachts, the colorful evening promenade, and the spectacular sunsets. With such amenities, it's easy to overlook the staff: While Croatia's appeal has always relied upon spectacular natural beauty rather than stellar service, if there were more hotels like Adriana, the Dalmatian Coast might be known as much for its hospitality as for its delicate Venetian architecture and the sparkling Adriatic Sea.

When to go: June through August for the action; to avoid the crowds, try late May or early September.

Which room to book: Though No. 118 has only a "partial" harbor view, it has access to the spacious waterfront patio, like pricier suites do.

Further reading:
* Hot List 2008
* Check out our June story on Montenegro, Croatia's western sister

The San Francisco Recycling Sculpture Garden.

by Brook Wilkinson

I never thought I'd be recommending a city dump as a tourist attraction. But that was before I visited San Francisco Recycling & Disposal's "transfer station." The Pit, where the city's garbage is dumped every day before being trucked to landfills, is a smelly mess inhabited by scavenging seagulls. But just outside is a sculpture garden worthy of any city park. And every single piece of art in it is made from trash.

And.....done!

Conde Nast Traveler stuntman Mark Schatzker is on a mad quest to make himself into a modern-day Da Vinci during a month's stay in Europe. So far Mark has "mastered" golf in Scotland, "excelled" at gardening in England, "ruled" the kitchens of Paris, and tinkled the ivories in Vienna.  His next task:  Paint.

There comes a time in the life of every Renaissance Man when he faces great challenge. Famously, Leonardo Da Vinci sat down one day and contemplated how it might be possible for a powder skiing enthusiast to ski twenty five thousand feet of vertical in a single day. Da Vinci spent most of the morning peering into the existential chasm, but by lunch he'd invented the solution: the helicopter.

Meet the people traveling old school, reporting on the fly, going green, dishing the latest, gobbling everything in sight, scoping out celebrities, being generally amazing, and teching-it-out. 

JULIA BAINBRIDGE
After college in Boston, culinary school in San Francisco, and lots of traveling in between, Julia Bainbridge settled into a New York life at Food & Wine magazine. She soon un-settled herself, though, high-tailing it through Southeast Asia (on a red motorbike, no less) for a month. Now she's back in the city and all over the blogosphere at Condé Nast Traveler. She often finds herself in Mollie's office, snagging chocolate and face cream.

MOLLIE CHEN
Amazing | Catch of the Day | Health & Beauty
Mollie grew up in Miami, where she spent a good deal of her time on or around sailboats. These days she's more familiar with stilettos than Sperrys, but she still has a constant need to be near the water, be it in Hawaii, Maine, or Manhattan. Mollie covers food, restaurants, beauty, and spas for Condé Nast Traveler, which means that she's the person to know if you are in need of chocolate or face cream. She thinks the best way to explore a place is through street food and markets and has what some people would call an unhealthy obsession with peanut butter. She once got seven spa treatments in five days in the name of research, and more recently underwent a three-day juice cleanse for the magazine.

ONDINE COHANE
Word of Mouth
Ondine Cohane was born in Ireland, moved to England and then to Italy, traveled with her family throughout Europe, and went to eight schools all before she turned 12. On her Traveler beat, she has flown a small plane over Mozambique's Quirimbas Islands, climbed volcanoes in central Nicaragua, sailed around Langkawi, and skied Italy's pink-hued mountains. For Ondine, adventurous activities mixed with great food, wine, and beautiful landscapes make for the best stories. She has been with Traveler since 1998 and she considers both southern Tuscany and New York home. Ondine also writes the Travelista column for the Financial Times' How to Spend It magazine, and for GQ and Domino, among other publications.

MARK CONNOLLY
As Style Director, Mark Connolly is Condé Nast Traveler's leading expert on fashion and style. Connolly, who joined the magazine in April of 1992, has produced more than 100 fashion photo shoots for the magazine, in locations as diverse as Chile and Vietnam, Sri Lanka and Latvia, all of which integrate high fashion into the realm of high adventure.  When not jetting around the world, Mark serves as a frequent on-air commentator and broadcast personality for E!'s "VideoFashion" and VH1.

KEVIN DOYLE
As News Editor at Condé Nast Traveler, Kevin oversees the magazine's award-winning "Stop Press" section, which covers developments in politics, medicine, transportation, and the environment that influence how and where we travel.

DINDA ELLIOTT
As deputy editor/special projects of Condé Nast Traveler, Dinda spearheads the magazine's annual World Savers Awards, and she introduced voluntourism into its lexicon. Elliott has worked for the Asian Wall Street Journal, Business Week, Newsweek, and was Editor in Chief of Asiaweek. In Asia, she covered the rise of China, the fall of Suharto in Indonesia, the reformasi movement in Malaysia, and Hong Kong's handover to Chinese sovereignty, among other stories. Dinda has lived in Brussels, Moscow, and Hong Kong and speaks fluent Chinese, rusty Russian and French. She is now back in New York (most of the time) with her husband and three sons.

CLIVE IRVING
Clive Irving was a founding editor, with Harold Evans, of Condé Nast Traveler. Previously he had a long career in newspapers, magazines and television both in Great Britain and the United States. In London he was managing editor of the Sunday Times, editor-in-chief of magazines for the International Publishing Corporation and head of the public affairs division of London Weekend Television. In the U.S. he has been a writer for New York magazine, a consulting editor for McCall's, and creative consultant for the Times Mirror newspaper group. He has published five non-fiction books and three novels. He wrote the story for a TV drama, A Dangerous Man, starring Ralph Feinnes as Lawrence of Arabia, which won an Emmy for Best Foreign Drama.

TOM LOFTUS
Being the Web guy at Condé Nast Traveler, Tom's travels mostly involve going from the PC to the Mac--both sitting atop his desk. Which is just fine with him considering that his travel history has included a Manila typhoon, a Belizian cave tour involving one flashlight and two ganja-besotted guides ("check out the Bob Marley stalactite, mon"), a trip on a too-tiny boat on a too-"wavy" South China Sea, an angry monkey in Phra Nang, soccer hooligans (everywhere), and one big shark off Maui.

BEATA L. SANTORA
Boldface
After cutting her blogging chops on the Perrin Post, Beata brings her celebrity tracking skills to the DT. Originally from Odessa, Ukraine, Beata has lived in Austria, Italy, and Spain (which is why she speaks Russian, Spanish, and sometimes even English). Ever since joining her parents on a Black Sea cruise at age two, she has been obsessively traveling the world, from Paris to Tokyo and, of course, Mother Russia. When not busy editing Room With a View, analyzing data for the Readers Choice Survey, or interviewing celebs on the red carpet, Beata teaches ballet at Steps on Broadway.

GUY MARTIN
Senior Correspondent Guy Martin has reported on security matters for the magazine from tarmacs, air terminals,  think tanks, windowless concrete bunkers, legislatures and crisis rooms worldwide.  His specialty is talking to really mean and ugly, but knowledgeable, cops about bombs.

JOHN OSEID
Boom Box
John Oseid, a Research Editor at Condé Nast Traveler, speaks German, French, and Spanish. His real love is covering the music scene any chance he gets, whether it's Carnival in Trinidad or Guadalajara for a mariachi festival or Rio to check out top Carioca artists. And that's just what John's doing for the DT. An intrepid traveler, his favorite countries of late have been Ethiopia and Colombia. "I love going to places where people assume you can't go, whether for poverty or politics. You can, and should."

BARBARA S. PETERSON
On the Fly
Barbara has spent two decades reporting on the aviation industry. She has written two books: Blue Streak about upstart JetBlue (Portfolio), and Rapid Descent, about airline deregulation (Simon & Schuster). Last year, she received a Lowell Thomas Award for "The Great Escape," an article about airline evacuation that ran in the November 2005 issue, and people are still talking about Barbara's undercover work as an airport screener. Her report appeared in the March 2006 issue.

SARA TUCKER
The Aggregator
Sara Tucker had been leading walking safaris in Tanzania when she came to the magazine six years ago as a copy editor. "It's not that different from animal tracking," she says of the work in the copy department, "only you're looking for dangling participles instead of leopards' tails." Sara still spends as much time in the outdoors as she can. She's a fan of slow travel--walking, bicycling, snow shoeing--and of flying over country roads on the back of her husband's Harley.

BROOK WILKINSON
Responsible Traveler
A true believer in travel as the best education, Brook started early and has visited 32 countries in 28 years. She's gotten chicken pox in Nova Scotia, bought a car from a woman in an Australian outback pub, walked the "Wild Wall" in China, had a baby named after her in the Peruvian Amazon, and been medivacked out of the Serengeti in Tanzania. Brook earned a degree in sociology from Harvard University and a certificate in open-wheel racecar driving from the Skip Barber Racing School in Lime Rock, Connecticut. Now, as Conde Nast Traveler's consumer news correspondent, she covers ecotourism and adventure travel.

Relax, recharge, detox.
Spa InterContinental

Every May, Conde Nast Traveler releases its Hot List, a collection of the best new hotels, spas, restaurants, and nightspots. Check the Daily Traveler every day for a new post from this year's list.

Part of the InterContinental London Park Lane's three-year, $150 million refurb, this 3,000-square-foot retreat skips the usual East-meets-West trappings in favor of something a little more nightclub-meets-spaceship. British hospitality design firm RDD outfitted six podlike treatment suites with black-glass surfaces, wenge wood panels, and a palette of chocolates and golds. Featuring Elemis and La Thérapie services, the menu organizes scrubs, massages, wraps, and facials by intended goal (relax, recharge, or detox), then further breaks down time into increments starting at 15 minutes, so clients can mix and match. Thirty minutes will get you a dry float--that is, a restorative nap on a heated waterbed ($89); with 50 minutes, you can do the couples' fave Steam Temple mud ritual ($148); and with 75 minutes, a signature Elemis Visible Brilliance Facial ($222), which yields glowing results (massages, $178).

Further reading:
* Spa InterContinental
* Hot List 2008
* Check out our Hot List London video featuring the Spa Intercontinental

Beijing-ites ready to rumble.
Photo: AP

by Ondine Cohane

My father-in-law was just visiting us from Taipei. (He is an immigration lawyer who works between offices in Taipei and Shanghai.) While in Tuscany, he told me that people in Beijing are moving in with their families for the Olympics just so they can rent their apartments for a premium; the run on beds will apparently be that huge. Hopefully most people traveling there for the Games won't have to depend on that kind of arrangement.

I have heard of a slew of boutique hotels opening there this summer. Among them: the Opposite House, a 99-room property in Sanlitun with restaurants by Australian chef David Laris (he has a fabulous restaurant, Laris, in Shanghai's Three on the Bund with some of the best views in that city), an 82-foot stainless steel pool (not sure if I have ever seen one of those before), and big rooms with iPod docks and tubs for soaking. Then there is Hotel G, the first of a new chain of Asian hotels in Gong Ti Xi Lu, which also promises big loftlike rooms (I am sensing a trend in size here) and a fleet of eateries on-site including Moroccan and Japanese restaurants. I like the sound of its garden terrace with outdoor Jacuzzis. The Emperor, part of the Design Hotels group, opened in late spring near the Forbidden City. With that kind of location, the rooftop bar, glass-enclosed spa, and fusion restaurant are sure to become city hotspots. And just today I got a press release that Aman Resorts is opening a property in September--too late for the Games, I know, but it sounds fantastic. Just outside the Summer Palace (built in 1750), it has only 18 rooms, with king-size four-poster beds and Ming-style furniture. The spa also sounds fabulous, with a Pilates and yoga room, a hair salon (but of course!), two squash courts, a juice bar, and an 80-square-foot indoor lap pool.

Further reading:
* Check out our Hot List Beijing video

What a view! The iPhone, I mean.

Conde Nast Traveler stuntman Mark Schatzker is on a mad quest to make himself into a modern-day Da Vinci during a month's stay in Europe. So far Mark has "mastered" golf in Scotland, "excelled" at gardening in England, "ruled" the kitchens of Paris, and tinkled the ivories in Vienna. He's taking a break to rummage through his gear bag and review the iPhone, the MacBook Air, a Canon HD camcorder, and the photo software program Aperture.

Florence, where I happen to find myself as of this morning, is a funny place. It was the scene of possibly the world's greatest blossoming of culture and technology, a stretch of history we call the Renaissance. As a result, thousands, though it feels like billions, of tourists come here every year to witness the place where it all went down. The funny thing, though, is that all that progress kind of stopped dead in its tracks. You can travel to Florence to see Galileo's telescope, but don't go looking for the workshop where artisans crafted the Hubble telescope, because someone will try to sell you a leather handbag.

With that in mind, let me propel Florence forward a century or five by reviewing some of the more recent technological innovations that accompanied me on this trip.

Sashimi-topped goodness.
Photo: Myoga

Every May, Conde Nast Traveler releases its Hot List, a collection of the best new hotels, spas, restaurants and nightspots. Check the Daily Traveler every day for a new post from this year's list.

Chef Mike Bassett's global brand of cooking continues to wow, first at Cape Town's celebrated Ginja and now at Myoga. Located in the Vineyard Hotel and Spa, in the tony suburban area of Newlands, the restaurant is named for an obscure type of Japanese ginger. Also obscure is the menu format, which includes a laundry list of "trios" (soup to nuts, literally) plus a page-long glossary. The scallop trio is a winner, especially the iteration with grilled mango and foie gras, as is the seared salmon with seaweed-laced potato mash and the straightforward aged ribeye. The playful decor has eye-popping orange sofas, metallic gray walls, and black chandeliers dripping with crystals, and one wall has floor-to-ceiling windows with stunning views of Table Mountain. The service is informed and helpful, and the impressively varied wine list has both local cult labels and award-winning estates (prix fixes, $13-$32).

Further reading:
* Hot List 2008

AP Photo

by Barbara S. Peterson

British Air's spinoff, Open Skies, has secured landing slots at JFK, where it will launch service from the Paris-Orly airport on June 19. The subsidiary is using new rights under the "open skies" treaty with the EU, which allows European carriers to fly to any point in the U.S. from any point on the continent. Open Skies will offer three seating classes aboard a single 757; fares start at $1746 for business class, $720 for premium economy and $554 for economy (prices are one way based on a roundtrip purchase). Some of the perks? Fully flat-lying beds in business class, a new economy category called Prem+ that will feature reclining seats with a 52-inch pitch, personalized concierge services, and participation in the BA Executive Club.

Seemingly not one to rest on its wings, Open Skies will introduce a second plane from another European city (possibly Brussels) later this year. And BA's offspring doesn't end there; it's introducing business jet flights between Newark and London City Airport, the capital's closest airport, next year. The plane will seat only 32, though, so it's strictly a business class operation. Meanwhile, Air France is turning the tables--it has already started operating nonstop from L.A. into BA's turf, Heathrow Airport, under a code share deal with Delta. Alas, the launch fares for that service are now history.

A lit version.

by Mollie Chen

My desk smells like the ocean...Palm Beach, to be more precise. Ever since I nearly set off a smoke alarm while working late one night, I have refrained from burning scented candles at my desk. (I steer clear of desk diffusers: Clumsy girl + scented oil = broken keyboard.) But I've discovered that when left unlit, candles give off just the right amount of scent for a workstation (enough to banish stale office air but not enough to offend nearby sensitive noses). I adore Diptyque, but at $55 each, their candles are a bit out of my price range. After hearing our video and photo guru Damian rave about the well-priced and subtle Votivo candles, I decided to give the company's newest one, "Palm Beach Breeze," a test run. The scent was created specifically for the Ritz-Carlton, Palm Beach, which is how I found out about it. I wasn't sold on the idea of a hotel-branded candle at first, but the packaging is simple with minimal logo-age, and the candle itself is encased in plain glass. It doesn't quite smell like the ocean--more like what you'd imagine the air would be like at a beachfront café at dusk. All in all, not a bad way to fend off the workday blahs.

Cabo, poolside.
Cabo Azul Resort & Spa

Every May, Conde Nast Traveler releases its Hot List, a collection of the best new hotels, spas, restaurants and nightspots. Check the Daily Traveler every day for a new post from this year's list.

This 332-room property just outside San Jose del Cabo somehow remains tasteful despite its large scale. The centerpiece is the vast courtyard with three massive pools (all kept at the temperature of a warm bath) that stretch down to the beach and are flanked by bamboo pods with mattresses big enough for two. The pool's proximity to the outdoor palapa-covered bar encourages guests to stay in the warm water, margaritas in hand, until well after dark. The large one- to three-bedroom villas mix Mexican touches such as dark-wood antiques and oversize lamps with amenities including flat-screen TVs, whirlpool baths, double sinks, and full kitchens--each room also comes with a sizable terrace. Other draws are the cushy spa and the romantic beachside restaurant, Javier's, with its gauzy curtains and simple but well-done local dishes. The resort's overall effect is a successful merging of form and function, and for now it remains a well-kept secret. One caveat: Watch out for the rather aggressive concierges who want to sell you everything from tours to time-shares before even showing you to your villa.

When to go: In January after the holiday/school break, to have the place almost to yourself.

Which room to book: Oceanview rooms, such as No. 2503, for an unobstructed Sea of Cortes vista.

Further reading:
* Cabo Azul Resort & Spa
* Hot List 2008

Vintage Flea finds.
Brownstoner.com

by Julia Bainbridge

Everyone seems to be jumping on the Brooklyn Flea train since it came onto the Fort Greene scene on April 16. Just a block from Dekalb Avenue's restaurant row, Brownstoner has secured the 40,000-square-foot lot at Lafayette and Vanderbilt Avenues for vendors to sell everything from wallpaper to waffles. I can't get away for the long weekend, so this is certainly where I'll be on Sunday (just like last Sunday).

Some of my favorites? Whimsy and Spice's marshmallows are to die for; I bought some Digby & Iona cuff links for Father's Day (yes, it's fast approaching); and Carla Venticinque's adorable prints inspire me to pick up my camera again.

So stop by if you're in town, too. Look for the girl with a mouth full of grilled corn and a purse full of cocktail rings.

Hello, Ambassador!
Sanrio Co. Ltd.

* Mouthless feline named Japan tourism ambassador.

* On so many levels, this theme park sounds like a bad idea.

* Field guide for anyone planning to interact with the colorful inhabitants of New York City.

* See these American places before they are strip-malled.

* The dollar still works in some places.  Wendy Perrin explains where.

Yes, your Madgesty.
Photo: AP

by Beata Loyfman

Unless you've been living under a rock for the past few months, you may have noticed that Madonna is making something of a comeback (not that she ever left, heaven forbid!). With a kickin' new album, a self-produced film at Cannes, and the upcoming Sticky & Sweet Tour whose monster ticket sales crashed Internet servers in North America and Europe, Madge has quite a lot on her plate these days.

But not so much that she's neglected her promise to Malawi. According to Starpulse, Madonna is building a multi-million-dollar school for girls in the East African nation.

Unlike celebs who preach environmental and social causes and then fly carbon-emitting private jets (I'm talking to you, Mr. Travolta), Madonna is actually putting her money where it would do the most good, into Malawi's future.

Kudos!