So you've got your tax refund back. You can play it safe and go somewhere affordable, or you can do the fun thing and splurge. (Hey—you worked hard all year). So where should you burn those tax refund dollars? We have a few ideas.
Tucked away within Canyon Point, this resort has dramatic views of the surrounding mountains and desert. Those are played up during its yoga and Pilates sessions; the studio in which they take place overlooks a mesa wall, and the hotel offers a Full Moon Yoga class that happens underneath a canopy of stars.
Because if you're going to Costa Rica and staying at a palace, you might as well stay for a whole week, right? At $65,000 a week, you have access to 20,000 square feet of pure opulence, including a private ballroom, infinity pool, and a sprawling spa. (Unfortunately, you have to put up with that hideous view).
Gargantuan chandeliers hang from stratospheric ceilings in rooms decorated in a regal white, gold, and navy-blue palette. The living room is big enough for two sitting areas, a desk, and a dining table—all on a parquet floor with intricate marquetry. Bragging rights: The suite has hosted countless luminaries, from Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton to Lady Gaga, with Brad and Angie in between.
Why limit yourself to one room when you and up to ten friends can sprawl out on 400,000 square meters of Mediterranean real estate on your own private island? We found 11 beautiful options here. You're welcome.
At the end of a 240-mile flight from Malé International Airport (involving two stops), there's absolute relaxation for the taking. Your private deck offers bliss-inducing immersion in the blazing sun, cooled by languid breezes and a dip in the outdoor rain shower. Once revived, you can acquaint yourself with sea turtles, leopard rays, and barracudas via a guided plunge, or snorkel unsupervised with colorful fishes close to shore. Dinner at Falhumaa, perched at the end of a long pier, is memorable not for the food—menus at this and the onshore restaurant are limited and service slow—but for the brightly illuminated view of reef life.
The Park Hyatt's biggest draw is its waterfront address within the Rocks, Sydney's oldest precinct and a fascinating hive of convict-built pubs, galleries, eateries, and boutiques. With position comes price. Upon reopening, the 155-room hotel boasted Australia's highest average room rate and, on its newly created fourth floor, the city's largest penthouse: the panoramic two-bedroom Sydney suite, which has a sauna and a round-the-clock butler. Sliding walls and other deft design elements imbue the smaller, apartment-style guest rooms with a seductive intimacy. The service is, in a word, superb. Doubles from $790.
Luxury abounds at this hotel as it is, but in the Penthouse Suite guests lounge on a Karl Lagerfeld sofa, stare at Warhol paintings on the walls, and retreat to a rooftop gazebo and solarium.
Need a relaxing getaway? This stucco resort on the Kohala Coast is fronted by a white sand beach, and you'll be greeted by a ukulele player upon your arrival. And the food is incredible too: Try dishes like sea urchin eggs, Hawaiian abalone, and octopus.
The price tag speaks for itself: $45,000 a night is not a typo—it's the actual rate for less than 24 hours in a maharaja's former residence, which is now the Presidential Suite.