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.

In the heart of Budapest, Dió is a stylish showcase for New Magyar cooking--traditional Hungarian dishes deliciously reinterpreted to reflect a growing local taste for lighter, healthier fare. The intimate vaulted space has a long bar with a backlit glass wall, lovely chandeliers, and plenty of mirrors. Istvan Szur's menu follows the seasons, and dishes such as guinea fowl soup with vegetable strudel, roasted goose liver with cinnamon rolls and sour cherry sauce, and venison steak with sunflower seeds and garnishes of fried quail eggs, truffles, and noodles show his talent for mixing earthy and elegant ingredients. The cheesecake with apples, dates, and medlar puree is superb, and there's an outstanding list of Hungarian wines (entrées, $23-$48).

Address: 4 Sas utca
Tel: 36-1-328-0360

Further reading:
* Hot List 2008
* Guy Martin rolls through Budapest on the EuroCity 179

Good old days

* Flight attendant sounds off on Gadling.

* Airline cutbacks mapped state-by-state by USAToday.

* Teleconferencing companies are just loving the end of the jet age.

* Meanwhile, airports attempt to go green.  Cutbacks certainly are one way to reduce CO2.

* Given all the bad news, NYC-based airline industry types may find this Gridskipper map useful.

The Bare Pool at Mirage.

by Beata Loyfman

Do you ever want to get naked? Just strip to the buff, but without the judicial stares of everyone around you? Well, good news: Many hotels now have dedicated adults-only areas.

Here are a few clothing-optional playgrounds:

Occidental Grand Fuerteventura in Spain's Canary Islands has a private naturalist area with a pool, steam rooms, and lounge where you can watch the sunset over Playa de Butihondo. Just keep your eyes on the ball.

Closer to home, Bare at the Mirage in Las Vegas is a posh, rooftop pool lounge where 21-and-over guests can bask in the sun European-style, while sipping cocktails and listening to the DJ mix. You may even run into the newly demure Britney Spears (thanks for the tip TMZ). Reserve day beds and boat beds in advance.

Nearby, the Sapphire Pool at Rio does away with any pretense to classiness with a similar adults-only pool lounge. But this one is courtesy of Sapphire Gentlemen's Club. Ahem. As you'd suspect, Brazilian beauties frolic in the waterfalls, and VIP cabanas are available for privacy-seeking guests. You know the motto: What happens in Vegas...

Check out HotelChatter's list of top 10 reasons to vacation at a clothing-optional resort. They make some excellent arguments.

Have you been to these or any other adults-only hotel zones? Post a comment and tell us all about it. 

Whew! The Daily Travelers are exhausted. Last week we:

* Said goodbye to Renaissance Man.
* Saw polar bears (responsibly, of course).
* Kept an eye on luggage fees and the airlines charging them.
* Found out how bikes are keeping West African students in school.
* Joined the Layover Nation.
* Stayed beautiful (and healthy) in transit--and in Minneapolis.
* Gave you the skinny on the ultimate travel device.
* And finally, we put together a travel wish list for next time around.

What's more:
* The saga of the sorry dollar in Europe continues.
* But you can do Oslo on a budget.
* Jimmy Buffet's singing a new tune.
* Texas may be the land of barbecue, but Vegas is the new spot for detox-friendly cocktails. (Who knew?)
* What's truly amazing, though, is ice cream on plane.

And from the Hot List, we:
* Filled up at Fort Worth's Love Shack.
* Had massages al fresco in Phuket.
* Found an Iconic Tokyo restaurant.
* Nested in Bangkok.
* And drifted through Vegas.

 

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 new resort in a fledgling suburb has a 100,000-square-foot spa that is a Xanadu for grown-ups: Millions of glittering tiles decorate the walls of rooms offering a collection of water therapies (ice igloo, brine cavern, steam grotto, medium-hot saunarium, and monsoon showers with light and sound effects). All 12 private spa pavilions have humongous baths, gardens, and glassed-in wet rooms; four couples pavilions can be rented for overnight stays. Spend an hour in the Hydrothermal Garden ($113), a large scalloped pool with nine bubble, jet, and resistance current stations next to a wet maze of 15 domed chambers that are visited in sequence for steaming, showering, and mud- and salt-scrub slathering. Plus, there's the region's largest modern hammam (massages, $120).

Tel: 973-17-84-5000

Further reading:
* Banyan Tree Bahrain
* Hot List 2008
* Travel guru Rick Steves just returned from the Middle East, too

Checkpoint Charlie: Old school.
Photo: AP

by Guy Martin

The EuroCity 179 rolls through the hills of Saxony from Hamburg to Budapest. Next up, the Czech industrial town of Usti nad Labem, or Aussig an der Elbe, as the Sudeten Germans called it before they were all shoved out of Bohemia after World War II. We stop for a couple of minutes in Usti, then roll on toward Prague. As we come down out of the hills, there's the familiar border clatter down the gangway to the left of the compartments: a group of boots, the serial sliding of the compartment doors, and the slightly steely question in Czech and in German: Identity card or passport?

Thing is, we're well past the border, we're well past where these cops should be doing this, identity cards aren't really required for Europeans anymore, there's no dispensation of visas, and the two pairs of border police--one Czech, the other German--aren't really doing anything except monitoring who's on the train. Well, of course. They're armed with the daily watchlist of bad boys, court proceedings, and missing persons from the Schengen Information System in Strasbourg, France. Let's face it, it's interesting to cops all over who's moving through their jurisdiction.

This is Europe's new (since January 1) non-border border control. Schengen was the Belgian town in which the original countries, Germany, France, the Netherlands, Belgium, and Luxembourg, hammered out the original borderless agreement in the mid-1980s. There are several interesting facets to its current expansion over Eastern Europe. The first is, not many people are left to control the borders. That is simply shocking to people who lived through the Cold War and are accustomed to battalion-strength military, police, and customs people standing in serried ranks to inspect every aspect of their travel. 

Rick Steves in Iran

Just a week after Rick Steves' return from a ten-day shoot in Iran, the Daily Traveler's Julia Bainbridge chatted with the travel guidebook writer and television host about what he calls "the most poorly understood yet fascinating land" he's ever visited. His upcoming hour-long public television special will air in January 2009.

CNT: So, why Iran?

Rick Steves: The whole mission of a travel writer is to help his countrymen better understand the world. Our understanding of Iran is miserable; [it's] stuck in 1978. We can learn a lot by going there.

When I teach about Iran, I'm not saying we're right and they're wrong or we're wrong and they're right or anything like that. We have to deal with Iran; it's a powerful, rich culture that's been a leader in its corner of the world for years. We have to learn more about it. I went in there with all sorts of misperceptions and had a fascinating ten days.

No vodka tonics here.
Photo: Urban Diner

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.

Hipsters keen on old-fashioned cocktails head to this bar in Mount Pleasant, a neighborhood of indie clothing boutiques, sidewalk cafés, and vintage furniture shops. Dark-gray walls, exposed wood beams, circular black leather booths, and flocked wallpaper set the mood, as do potions made from premium liquor and fresh-squeezed juices created by mixologist Nick Devine. On balmy nights, locals go for more tropical drinks, like the Batida de Maracuja, a Brazilian blend of fresh passion fruit, castor sugar, and fresh lime juice whisked up with cachaça.

Address: 2616 Main Street
Tel: 604-709-8650

by Brook Wilkinson

If you book travel online (and is there any other option these days?), now you can contribute to your favorite charities at the same time. Start your search at Goodshop.com, choose a cause (anything from the ASPCA to your local elementary school), and then begin shopping at any of more than three dozen travel Web sites--Travelocity, Expedia, Budget Rent-A-Car, Delta, and the like. Every time you complete a transaction, a certain percentage or dollar amount of your purchase will go to the charity you've chosen. It's that simple! I'm kicking myself that I didn't find out about this until after I booked a flight through CheapTickets the other day.

Goodshop is a spin-off of Goodsearch, another site you might want to bookmark. This search engine donates 50 percent of its revenue to charity. Searches are powered by Yahoo!, and the proceeds go to whichever cause you choose.

Gas prices got you down?
Photo: CNT Dream Trip Contest

by Mollie Chen

I love road trips (the cooler full of snacks, the singing loudly with the windows open, the offbeat stuff you see along the way) and this month's Saveur got me craving an adventure more than ever. Their special Road Trip issue seems a bit ill-timed (gas prices don't seem to have a ceiling) but even so, it's a must-read--and, for me, the closest I'll get to the open road this summer. (One thing you get very good at when working at a travel magazine: living vicariously.) The issue is chock-full: New York Times Frugal Traveler Matt Gross on the problem with religiously Chowhounding your pit stops (I've been known to spend hours Blackberry-ing the best ice cream in Cape Cod); tricked out Airstreams; the best regional road snacks (including San Francisco's famed It's-It ice cream sandwiches); and Todd Coleman and James Oseland's epic Duncan Hines-themed journey from Chicago to New York. Just when I'd finished salivating over the pictures of Kentucky chess pie and Hollyhock Hill's fried chicken, I picked up the June Bon Appetit and found yet another envy-inducing piece: Liz Welch's odyssey through Mississippi with the Ya-Ya-esque duo of Martha Foose and Lynda Posey. I was sold even before I got to the line, "The doughnut shop is closed, alas, and I am distraught." (Haven't we all been there?) And one final way to virtual road trip: Alton Brown's "Feasting on Asphalt," in which the goofy food expert takes a motorcycle from Savannah to California to explore the history and traditions of road food.

Up, down, and lots of wine
in the middle
Photo: wolfgangpuck.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.

The political capital's latest culinary darling is Wolfgang Puck's stylish restaurant in the recently opened Newseum, strategically set amid the downtown bustle. Unlike Puck's other ventures, The Source is premised on culling organic produce from both Maryland and Virginia farms for its Asian-inflected menu. The small plates and cocktail set head downstairs for smoked salmon pizza and bigeye tuna tartare in the glass-wrapped white lounge punctuated with votive candles, but serious eaters (and drinkers) migrate upstairs to the elegant dining room. Here, there are white linens, dark woods, and a soaring, temperature-controlled glass wine wall (with an impressive 2,200 bottles) that links the two floors. Satisfying appetizers such as Maine lobster daikon roll and stir-fried Colorado lamb make a lovely meal by themselves--or try well-executed entrées like grilled lamb chops with Hunan-style eggplant. Unfailingly gracious service and knowledgeable sommeliers keep finicky Washingtonians coming back--not a small feat in a city that's known for being divided (entrées, $29-$58).

Address: 575 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Tel: 202-637-6100

Selinda's thatch-roofed dwelling
Photo: www.tagasafaris.co.za

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.

Located in a 500-square-mile elephant-rich reserve, Selinda Camp--co-owned by Beverly and Dereck Joubert, the famed African wildlife documentarians--has been re-imagined with open-air thatched areas furnished with leather sofas, chaises made from traditional mokoros (dugout canoes), and a long dining table that overlooks a hippo-filled marsh. Inside the nine spacious, elevated tents, reed-covered canvas walls enclose a king-size bed, a writing nook, and a sitting area. The tub in the gargantuan bathroom out back makes for perfect soaking after a late-afternoon game drive. Following a dinner of grilled ostrich and triple-death chocolate mousse, hope that the self-anointed Selinda Choir (the entire staff) will break into an impromptu song and dance.

Solo a no-go?
AP Photo

by Ondine Cohane

I am definitely not a group traveler. In fact, I have a deep aversion to being part of more than a party of four. Friends who I like to explore with are subject to an exacting criteria and my husband is often called into service for driving, map reading, coffee getting and general forms of assistance (which he puts up with graciously). When I do go on assignment alone, I don't always feel comfortable reading a book over a solo dinner, especially in honeymoon destinations where the pity party can get heavy if the staff sees you as a strange creature with no friends. So, I am intrigued by a new service the outfitter Absolute Travel recently launched. The company matches partners with the same love of travel and similar ideas of what makes an itinerary scintillating, but who don't have companions to take along for their journeys.

Absolute Travel came up with the novel concept when two of the group's employees met a wandering widow in Chile who bemoaned the lack of like-minded mavericks to take with her on her getaway. She inspired them to set up this offshoot of the company for others like her. After filling straightforward questionnaires about where they want to go and what they want to see, potential travel buddies exchange emails and phone calls to see if they are ready to venture to far-off lands together (China, Vietnam and Africa are among the itineraries). Luckily, there is still an escape route: for new acquaintances who aren't hitting it off like they expected, separate guides and itineraries can be provided with short notice. The New York Times reported on some other groups who similarly understand those who don't want to hit the road alone, or if they do, that they don't want to pay the same supplements they would à deux.

In our annual Dream Trip Contest, you can upload a photo you took on your travels and explain what made it unforgettable. Wow the editors and win a $25,000 dream vacation to anywhere you wish. But that's not all. Condé Nast Traveler staff, including consumer news editor Wendy Perrin, will work with the winner to craft a truly flawless journey. Last year's winner traveled down the east coast of South America and on to Antarctica.

Every month, our editors pick five winners to be added to the final pool at the end of the year. Here is the best of May:

* Schoolgirls in Governer's Harbor, Eleuthera by JenniferMutz

* Sailboats in the Tuileries by MSTONE482

* Monkey King by fraspa

* Mt. Kilimanjaro, Summit of Uhuru Peak by maryammehrkast

* Where is the ice? Churchill, Canada by JH16

Alaffia founder Olowo-n'djo
Tchala with bike recipients

by Julia Bainbridge

As a follow-up to our post on Alaffia's Bicycles for Education project, we found ways you can donate:

* If you happen to live in the Puget Sound area of Washington, you can donate bicycles by calling 360-866-0080 or emailing bike@alaffia.com.

* People the outside this area can donate bike parts such as inner tubes, chains, helmets, cables, and tires by mailing them to 540 B Ronlee Lane NW, Olympia, WA 98502. 

* Don't have bikes or bike parts but want to help? You can donate funds through the Alaffia website. Shipping from the US to Togo, initial repairs, and maintenance for two years costs about $40 per bike, so these donations really help. You can also mail a check to Alaffia's non profit, the Global Alliance for Community Empowerment (GACE) at PO Box 12114, Olympia, WA 98508-2114.

Further reading:
* Learn how you can improve children's health worldwide
* Make a difference

In September, Conde Nast Traveler contributor Michael Kinsley will be racing around the globe, testing some of the best activities you can do during airport downtime.  But there's one problem:  We don't have his itinerary.  That's where YOU come in.  Send us your best ideas for things to do between flights when you're in or near major international air hubs.

An example? Here's what consumer news editor Wendy Perrin thinks:

Munich Airport: If Michael has four hours to kill, he has time to take the S-Bahn train from the airport to Marienplatz, Munich's medieval town square, see the sights--the Rathaus (City Hall) with its famous glockenspiel, the beautiful old Frauenkirche (Church of our Lady), et al.--then walk 10 minutes to the Hofbrauhaus, the world's most famous beer hall, dating from 1589. Sit down at one of the long communal wooden tables of old, order up a liter (you won't drink the whole thing, of course, but you want to have to use both hands to lift that giant mug; makes for the best snapshot), listen to the oompah band, and soak up the Bavarian atmosphere. Yeah, sometimes it can get a little touristy, but it's one of the most colorful places in the world to have a beer, what with the Stammtisch (a table reserved for the regulars) and the locals dressed in traditional lederhosen and Bayern hats adorned with feathers and brushes. Michael can even strike up a conversation with the locals sitting next to him; enough of them speak English.  Caveat: IF Michael is making this trip between September 20 and October 5, forget Marienplatz and the Hofbrauhaus: Just go straight from the airport to Oktoberfest!

Check out her blog, the Perrin Post for how to enter--and what you might win!

Grillers love staycations.

* Signs of the apocaplyse part XXVIII: the word, "Staycation."  The Daily Show takes notice.

* The busiest museum in the U.S. is also an airport.  We would kill for this collection.

* The airline is fake, but given this and this it seems like the next logical step.

* Does Guinness really taste better in Ireland? Join the discussion.

* Does street food really taste best in Singapore?

Buffett's all smiles
AP Photo

by Beata Loyfman

Last week, the comb-overed mogul Donald Trump announced the sale of his poorly-performing Trump Marina Hotel in Atlantic City to none other than Jimmy Buffett. Why, you ask? Well, it turns out the singer is adding another Margaritaville paradise to the roster of properties based on his popular song (in case you are already three sheets to the wind, these lyrics will refresh your memory).

While the deal is finalized, you can check out the construction cam of Buffett's newest property in Biloxi. Harrah's is reportedly pouring $100 billion (not a typo) into the sprawling resort. For that sort of coin, we expect a singing parrot and unlimited yard-long plastic margarita glasses in every room.

You can follow the Watkins
beauty routine, too

by Mollie Chen

Ah, Minnesota. The land of Target, the Walker Art Center, and arguably the world's best peanut butter. I made an ill-timed visit to Minneapolis this past January, and even with the negative 20-degree weather, I found plenty to love (and eat and buy). There are an inordinate number of talented graphic artists there; I spent a fortune on stationary at Letterbox Creative, a sweet stationary store that also sells cupcakes on Saturdays. Now I have a new favorite Minnesota export: J.R. Watkins Natural Apothecary, a 140-year-old line of good-for-you, good-for-the-earth beauty products.

Joseph Ray Watkins, an amateur remedy concoctor, launched the company in 1868 with a single product, red liniment, which is still available today. The company has maintained independent ownership (a rarity these days), and continues to operate out of its original building in Winona, Minnesota. They recently gave their entire line a complete makeover, tweaking formulas and giving the packaging a chic vintage look. Everything is 95% natural, and with most products coming in at 99.40% or higher, they're well on their way to getting certified by the National Products Association.

My picks: The super-moisturizing mango body cream, made from shea butter and a slew of natural oils (coconut, avocado, jojoba), smells good enough to eat and doesn't feel greasy at all, and the beeswax-based lemon salve worked wonders on my chronically dry hands. None of the products costs more than $14, which is incredibly reasonable considering the quality of ingredients (and how cute the packaging is--admittedly always one of my considerations). And if you need one more reason to hop on their bandwagon: Watkins, their gourmet spices and extracts sister company, recently held a healthy recipe contest. The winning appetizer? Spice-glazed bacon bites. Be still my heart.

Shea butter production for
Alaffia skin care products

As responsible travelers, the Daily Travelers are always looking for ways to give back to the communities they journey through. Condé Nast Traveler's Five & Alive Fund, for example, created in partnership with Population Services International, helps children five and under access malaria prevention and treatment, nutritional supplements, pneumonia treatment and safe water. Here's another cool project we found in West Africa called Bicycles for Education.

by Julia Bainbridge

Bicycles for Education, a project founded by Alaffia Sustainable Skin Care and the Global Alliance for Community Empowerment, just shipped its second round of over 2,000 bicycles to disadvantaged students (mainly girls) in Togo, West Africa.

About 90% of girls in rural areas of Togo drop out before finishing secondary school, according to UNICEF. Only large towns house these schools, so students from outlying villages can walk up to 10 miles just to get to class every day (there is no bus service). It's physically demanding, often leaving them tired and unproductive, and given girls' household roles as their mothers' assistants, domestic responsibilities come first. So, in the end, the choice is simple for them: stay home.

Enter Alaffia. By supplying qualifying individuals (depending on household income, distance from school, and gender) with a bicycle, helmet, and training session, the people behind the Bicycles for Education project believe they will gradually reduce the reliance of African countries on Western societies. The thinking goes something like this: Get girls back in school, reduce gender and economic inequalities, increase self-empowerment, and eradicate poverty.

Since the first shipment in 2006, bicycle recipients in the 15 communities where they were distributed are still using the bikes for their intended purpose (getting to school). The next 2,000 used bikes were collected through drives in the US and shipped to Togo, where they will be repaired by local mechanics and prepared for distribution. (Bicycles for Education impacts donor communities, as well: It keeps bikes from ending up in landfills and recycles those in bad condition.) Funding for all aspects of the project comes from the sales of Alaffia's skin care line.

Further reading:
* Learn how you can improve children's health worldwide
* Make a difference

Drift Spa's co-ed hammam

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.

In a city with an over-the-top reputation, minimalism might be the dirtiest word of all. This 20-room spa in the new Palms Place residential tower, west of the Strip, rebels against the neon ostentation with a decidedly low-key atmosphere. From the blessedly pared-down service menu to the muted maroon-and-gray palette, it's an ideal antidote to the Sin City fray. The steamy co-ed hammam has seating alcoves and a suggestive overhead tile pattern that elicits a few giggles; after visiting it, opt for the Muscle Melter deep-tissue massage ($150). But request a final hot towel compress on your feet unless you like slip-sliding your way to the dressing room (massages, $150-$205).

Further reading:
* Hot List 2008
* Cocktails in detox, Vegas style

by Barbara S. Peterson

It's official:  with United's announcement that it will follow American's lead and begin charging passengers $15 each way for the first bag you check, it won't be long before the rest of industry follows suit. United is doing it a little differently, however; while those buying tickets starting tomorrow will be subject to the fee, it will only start kicking in for domestic trips scheduled for Aug. 18 or later. American's applies to tickets purchased this Sunday and beyond. 

Each airline exempts international travelers, first and business class customers and some very high-milers from the fee.  That means, of course, it'll fall hardest on the vacationing families who are flying on the lowest fares--a family of four, checking one bag each, would pay $120--for something they long assumed was part of the overall ticket price. The price goes up with each bag you add:  it's $25 for the second one,  heads skyward from there. United says it expects about a third of its passengers to pay the fee.  But it's not surprising the airlines would be looking for any and all ways to raise revenue; according to the Air Transport Association, the price of jet fuel has risen about 90% in the last year, and now accounts for fully 40% of the average airline's total expenses, up from 15% in the early part of the decade.

Southwest, by the way, which hedged its fuel prices at around $50 a barrel versus the $120-plus others are paying, lets you carry two bags free but does charge for the third bag. 

Further reading:
* Luggage Fees:  Watch the Deals...and Your Wallet
* Baggage Fees: A GOOD Idea

Perched atop Thailand's capital
Photo: gourmettraveller.com.au

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.

Nine stories up, this rooftop bar has a grass floor, cushy daybeds, padded hammocks, and a canvas-covered bar. Come for the unobstructed sunsets and stay to listen to chill tunes into the night, while quaffing cocktails from former Amanresort staffer Joseph Polito's menu of forgotten classics--like the Martinez, a taste of the 1860s with gin, Campari, Dubonnet Rouge, and maraschino liqueur. Teetotaler? Have concoctions made with fresh mango, green apple, and ginger juice. Weekend afternoons, late sleepers stumble in for sourdough waffles and banana pancakes topped with mascarpone.

Address: 33/33 Sukhumvit Soi 11, Klong Toey Nua
Tel: 66-2-255-0638

Further reading:
* SALA Phuket Spa
* Hot List 2008
* New Thailand openings on our wish list

Reaching for a refund.
AP Photo

by Barbara S. Peterson

However you may feel about the new luggage fees for airline passengers, it didn't take long for some savvy hotelier to smell a business opportunity. Loews and Kimpton have both announced they will reimburse guests who can provide proof they paid an airline a fee to check a bag. Most airlines are charging between $20 and $25 for a second bag, but American has announced that all bags will be subject to a fee. Starting June 15, even your first bag will set you back $15.

Speaking of which, I've been hearing some disturbing reports about fliers forking over the $15 fee before it goes into effect; apparently some unscrupulous skycaps or airport curbside workers are taking advantage of the confusion and pocketing the dough as an unintended tip. An American spokesman said that the company was unaware of any problems with passengers paying the fee prematurely.  The previous $2 per bag fee for checking luggage curbside will be rescinded, however, since it is now considered part of the new $15 fee, he added.

Keep in mind that there are a lot of exceptions to the new fees. For example, international and full-fare fliers are exempt, and so are various strata of frequent flier mileage holders. So don't hand over any money to check your bag unless you've first checked the rules.

Meanwhile, the fee fad is spreading: American is raising the price of onboard drinks from $5 to $6, and US Airways is no longer dispensing free snacks on domestic flights.

Canyon Ranch's new Venetian bar.

by Mollie Chen

As someone who overindulges on a daily basis, I find the idea of detoxing--erasing a multitude of sins in a matter of days or hours--incredibly seductive. Earlier this spring, I jokingly asked one of my editors to send me to a destination spa for a week. Her solution was to throw me into a three-day juice cleanse so that I could write about it for our June spa supplement. Interesting experience, but not for me; life without food is just too boring. (Also not on my list: the detox foot patch. Ew.)

I've got detox on the mind for a few reasons, the first being that after weeks of nonstop gluttony, my jeans are too tight. Secondly, I recently reread Michael Pollan's In Defense of Food and was guilted/inspired to give up Splenda (I'm stocking up on agave nectar) and processed foods (oh, how I'll miss my granola bars). And just yesterday, I met with the team from Canyon Ranch to talk about their plans for the future. The brand has big things coming up, literally: Their addition to the Canyon Ranch SpaClub at the Venetian, opening this September, will bring their total square footage to 135,000, making it the largest spa in the world. (Take that, Dubai.)