Carnival Cruise Line Bans "Offensive" Clothing Aboard Ships
Posted on 01/09/2020, 5:00 PM
Passengers on cruises used to wear tuxedos and evening gowns. Now one cruise company has determined that standards have slipped so far that it had to issue an explicit ban on "offensive" clothing. Carnival Cruise Line recently made that revision to its onboard dress code. "All guests are expected to ensure their clothing and accessories are respectful to fellow guests," reads a new addition to the...
Love Chocolate? Check Out Slovenia’s New Chocolate-Obsessed Lodge
Posted on 01/08/2020, 5:45 PM
A new retreat in Slovenia will put to the test any chocolate lovers who refuse to believe there can be too much of a good thing. Located near vineyards and the red-roofed city of Maribor in the country's northeast, Chocolate Village by the River kicks vacations into choco-overdrive with chocolate breakfasts, chocolate-making workshops, melted-chocolate massages, and even toiletries made from chocol...
Staying in Amsterdam Will Cost You Extra This Year
Posted on 01/03/2020, 1:30 PM
An increase in Amsterdam's tourist tax went into effect on January 1. Going forward, visitors who stay in hotels in the Dutch capital will be charged a fee of €3 (US $3.35) per person per night. That's on top of the current 7% tourist tax—one of the highest rates in Europe—already added to hotel bills. Those overnighting at campsites will have to pay an additional €1 (US $1.12) per person per ni...
Washington, D.C., Gets a Hotel "Celebrating" Women
Posted on 01/01/2020, 7:00 PM
August of 2020 will mark the 100th anniversary of the ratification of the U.S. Constitution's 19th Amendment, which gave women the right to vote. A new hotel in Washington, D.C., might be the perfect place to stay if you're planning to celebrate that centennial. When it opens in D.C.'s trendy Logan Circle neighborhood this spring, Hotel Zena will be the "first hospitality establishment solely ded...
In India, a 14th-Century Fort Becomes a Luxury Resort
Posted on 12/27/2019, 7:30 PM
A 14th-century fort-and-palace complex in northern India will soon begin welcoming guests as a luxury resort. Fort Barwara, built more than 700 years ago by the Chauhan rulers of Rajasthan, will be the first property in India from Six Senses, a Bangkok-based brand of resorts, hotels, and spas under the InterContinental Hotels Group umbrella. When the historic Rajasthan property opens as a resort ...
New Service Lets You Rent Designer Fashions While Staying at W Hotels
Posted on 12/19/2019, 7:00 AM
A dedication to fashion can get in the way of packing light for vacation—after all, you've gotta have bags to carry all those outfits.Fortunately, a new partnership between W Hotels and the couture-lending service Rent the Runway is here to help. With Closet Concierge, guests who have booked stays in W Hotels in Aspen, Colorado, Miami's South Beach, Washington, D.C., or Hollywood can choose up to f...
Now You Can Go Inside Barcelona's Most Notorious Prison
Posted on 12/18/2019, 5:00 PM
Built as a “model” penitentiary, La Model opened to much fanfare in 1904 in the L'Eixample neighborhood, which was then the outskirts of Barcelona. Its panoptic design was cutting-edge for the time: It had a circular watchtower ringed by cells, enabling one guard to monitor all inmates from one post. Six wings were later added, radiating out from the central tower, and the imposing stone complex...
Airline Opens Restaurant to Sell Plane Food on Land
Posted on 12/16/2019, 6:00 AM
Have you ever dug into an airplane meal of gray salad and gelatinous chicken and thought, Why oh why can't I enjoy this cuisine on land?If not, you probably don't spend much time aboard AirAsia flights. That Malaysia-based low-cost carrier says that passengers' raves for its onboard meals persuaded the company to open its own land-based restaurant where guests can dine on the same fare served on Ai...
Miami’s New Museum of Graffiti Gives a Permanent Home to Street Art
Posted on 12/11/2019, 4:00 PM
By its nature, graffiti tends to be a here-today-gone-tomorrow type of art form. But a new museum in Miami aims to preserve the history and celebrate the artistry of a movement that began, it has been said, with tagging New York City subway trains in the 1970s and '80s. Located in the city's hip and colorful Wynwood neighborhood—already a destination for fans of street art, thanks to the Instagr...
Into the Vault: Walk-In Safe Converted to Hostel Room in Edinburgh
Posted on 12/06/2019, 7:00 AM
Developers in Edinburgh discovered a surprise while working to convert a 19th-century produce market in the Scottish city's Old Town into a modern hostel for the St. Christopher's Inns chain. During preparatory explorations of the building, architects happened upon a secret, walk-in safe that wasn't on any blueprints. The vault was likely used to store each day's earnings from the market. No hidd...
