Bora Bora, Image Source: Tahiti-Tourisme.com
10. Nantucket Island, Massachusetts
9. Kauna’oa Bay, Hawaii
8. St. Bart’s
7. Langkawi, Malaysia
6. Fraser Island, Australia
5. Lanikai Beach, Hawaii
4. Lagos, Portugal
3. Bora Bora, Tahiti
2. Maldive Islands, Asia
1. Seychelles Islands, Africa
(The Plaza Hotel: The New York landmark played a part in “Crocodile Dundee”, “North By Northwest” and “Arthur”.
1- Millennium Biltmore
Los Angeles
Opened in 1923, downtown L.A.’s grand hostelry has been associated with moviedom for decades. In the 1930s and ’40s, its ornate ballroom played host to the Academy Awards ceremonies. “The Biltmore has also been a familiar screen presence over the years,” Reeves says. “Among other roles, it served as the ‘Beverly Palms’ in Eddie Murphy’s blockbuster Beverly Hills Cop and became New York’s ‘Sedgewick’ in Ghostbusters. The Biltmore is also where Michelle Pfeiffer vamps it up in The Fabulous Baker Boys.
2- San Domenico Palace
Taormina, Sicily
Built on the site of a 15th-century monastery and incorporating some of its original structure, the luxurious San Domenico sits on a bluff overlooking the Mediterranean. “It’s a gorgeous setting that’s featured in Michelangelo Antonioni’s classic 1960 film L’Avventura,” Reeves says. “The film ends with a famous scene on the hotel’s terrace, with the peak of Mount Etna visible on the horizon.”
3- Hotel Alfonso XIII
Seville, Spain
“This palatial hotel’s courtyard stands in for the ‘Cairo Officers Club’ in David Lean’s 1962 epic Lawrence ofArabia,” Reeves says. “Star Wars fans will also recognize the Alfonso as the exterior of Princess Amidala’s ‘Naboo Palace’ in Star Wars, Episode II: Attack of the Clones.”
4- York Hotel
San Francisco
Located in the heart of San Francisco a few blocks from Union Square, the York recently completed a major renovation. “The hotel is now much grander than it appeared in the 1958 Alfred Hitchcock suspense classic Vertigo,” Reeves says. “As the ‘Hotel Empire,’ the York is where — in the eerie green glow of its illuminated sign — Kim Novak was transformed into the ‘dead’ Madeleine in the film.”
5- Sidi Driss
Matmata, Tunisia
” ‘Iconic’ is an overused word when it comes to film locations, but if any place deserves the term, it’s the Sidi Driss,” Reeves says. The unusual sunken hotel — a traditional Berber underground structure of “cave rooms” radiating from a large central pit — was used by George Lucas in the Star Wars saga. “Most memorably, the Sidi Driss served as Luke Skywalker’s subterranean home on the desert planet of Tatooine,” Reeves says.
6- The Plaza
New York
Overlooking Central Park, the distinctive Plaza — built in 1907 and currently undergoing a $400 million renovation — is a familiar movie star. “Paul Hogan as Crocodile Dundee figured out the function of the bidet here, and Dudley Moore entertained working girls in the hotel’s famous Oak Bar in Arthur,” Reeves says. “But my favorite Plaza scene is the abduction of Cary Grant from the hotel’s lobby in Alfred Hitchcock’s classic North by Northwest.”
7- Columns Hotel
New Orleans
Built by a New Orleans cigar magnate as his palatial home in 1883, the Columns is located in the Garden District — a short streetcar ride from the historic French Quarter. “The splendid interior of this grand structure became the elegant bordello in Louis Malle’s controversial 1978 drama Pretty Baby,” Reeves says. “This is the film in which a young Brooke Shields shot to stardom.”
8- Timberline Lodge
Mount Hood, Ore.
Nestled on the flanks of Oregon’s spectacular Mount Hood, Timberline Lodge was built by unemployed craftsmen hired by the federal Works Progress Administration in 1937. Fashioned from mammoth timbers and native stone, the lodge was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1978. “The Timberline is an ideal place for a stressed writer to get away from it all,” Reeves says. “But if you’ve seen Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining, you’ll remember that Jack Nicholson’s relaxing winter break goes somewhat awry there.”
9- Cardozo Hotel
Miami Beach
Owned by singer Gloria Estefan and her husband, the Cardozo sits amidst the shops, restaurants and nightclubs of Miami’s vibrant South Beach area. “It’s an art deco gem with great ocean views,” Reeves says, “and it’s been employed in a host of notable films.” Among them: The Birdcage with Robin Williams and Nathan Lane; Oliver Stone’s Any Given Sunday with Al Pacino and Jamie Foxx; and Frank Capra’s 1959 comedy A Hole in the Head, starring Frank Sinatra. “The Cardozo is also Ben Stiller’s hotel in the raunchy comedy There’s Something About Mary.”
10- Oakley Court
Windsor, England
Set on 35 acres of landscaped gardens on the bank of the River Thames, the Oakley Court was built in 1859 as an estate for a British nobleman. The Victorian Gothic country house was transformed into a hotel in 1981, but during much of the 1960s and ’70s it stood vacant. “Right next door was Bray Studios, where many classic British horror films of that era were made,” Reeves says. “The Oakley was used regularly as the lair of Dracula, Frankenstein and various Cornish zombies. In 1975, it achieved screen immortality as the castle of Frank-N-Furter in the cult classic Rocky Horror Picture Show.”
According to www.usatoday.com
1- Idaho: Pull into the Dog Bark Park Inn outside Cottonwood, Idaho, and you’ll be greeted by the world’s largest beagles, Toby and Sweet Willy. While Toby is a 12-foot-tall wood carving, Sweet Willy is literally a dog house — a comfy, modern and kitschy place to crawl into and lay your head for the night. As Dog Bark Park artists and owners Dennis Sullivan and Frances Conklin write on their Web site, “At Dog Bark Park Inn, sleeping in the doghouse is a good thing!”
2- Chile: Elqui Domos is a collection of geodesic domes in the Elqui Valley of Chile’s Coquimba Region. The valley is renowned by astronomers for its arid, rarefied air, which is why a number of top-notch international observatories are located there. The night sky is what endows Elqui Domos with its magic; each of the seven domes with detachable roofs is equipped with a telescope as well as astronomical charts and books.
3- Netherlands: The Harlingen Harbor Crane stands on spidery legs next to the Wadden Sea in Harlingen, Netherlands, a testament to what technological creativity can accomplish. Once used to offload timber, the crane now serves as a sleek and modern lodging for two. A unique feature is the guest-controlled view: Stay in the Harbor Crane and you’ll be able to turn thousands of pounds of steel to rotate the crane in the direction of your choice.
4- Turkey: The Anatolian Cave Suites are located in the heart of the fantastic canyonlands of Cappadocia, home to some of the earliest Christian communities. Since prehistoric times, humans have burrowed into the soft, volcanic rock near Goreme-Nevsehir, Turkey, creating complex structures that honeycomb the earth. Today, travelers can stay in unique luxury, surrounded by art and history in well-appointed cave suites.
5- Kenya: Ngong House in Nairobi, Kenya, is a former hunting lodge built among the verdant, rolling hills that provide the setting for Karen Blixen’s novel “Out of Africa,” written under the pen name Isak Dinesen. The lodge is airy and warmly welcoming, and despite being secluded in the bush, it’s only a short drive from the heart of the capital city.
6- Sweden: Fulfill your desire to have your own little house on your own (tiny) private island with a stay in the Utter Inn. Sleep soundly while surrounded by fish almost 10 feet below the surface of Lake Mälaren, in Västerås, Sweden. Be like the inn’s namesake, the otter — dive in and frolic in the water and explore all that the lake has to offer.
7- British Columbia: Tucked into a harbor on Princess Royal Island in northern British Columbia, the King Pacific Lodge floats amid the Canadian wilderness. Come aboard for a rustic yet refined adventure, which could include kayaking near orcas, fly-fishing or bear viewing, any of which can be followed by pampering in the lodge’s spa.
8- New Mexico: 70 feet below the ground near Farmington, N.M., is a luxurious burrow called Kokopelli’s Cave Bed & Breakfast. The cave may be underground, but it is also 280 feet above the La Plata River, a setting that affords expansive vistas of the entire Four Corners region and the surrounding mountain ranges.
9- Florida: Jules’ Undersea Lodge in Emerald Lagoon, Key Largo, Fla., is described as being like a comfortable clubhouse on the bottom of the sea. The lodge, originally a submerged research station in this mangrove lagoon, embodies a balance between adventure and relaxation. The main benefit of sleeping under the waves is the plethora of marine life that serenely swims or sways outside the porthole windows. Guests who wish to scuba dive can take advantage of an unending supply of air for their tanks, and even order a pizza that can be delivered from the surface.
10- Sri Lanka: If seclusion and romance are what you crave, it doesn’t get much better than a fabulous Palladian-style mansion set on 2.5-acre Taprobane Island, the only privately owned island in Sri Lanka. Wade through the surf like the many statesmen, artists and adventurers before you to reach the airy, octagonal abode and the tranquil, lush gardens that surround it.
According to www.travel.msn.com
10. The Greenbrier, West Virgina
9. Boulders Resort & Golden Door Spa, Arizona
8. Four Seasons Scottsdale at Troon North, Arizona
7. Doral Golf Resort & Spa, Florida
6. Princeville Resort, Hawaii
5. Bandon Dunes Golf Resort, Oregon
4. Kapalua Resort, Hawaii
3. Pebble Beach Resorts, California
2. Kiawah Island Golf Resort, South Carolina
1. Pinehurst Resort, North Carolina
According to CNN.com
1 Cotton House Resort, West Indies
2 Inn at Little Washington, Virginia
3 St. Moritz, Switzerland
4 Cannes Film Festival, France
5 Antigua Race Week, St. John’s
6 Le Manoir aux Quat’ Saisons, England
7 Delano Hotel, Florida
8 Le Trois Glorieueses , France
9 Buck’s Diner, California
10 Positano, Italy
According to Travel Channel
1 Isla Navidad Golf Course, Marina & Resort
2 Le Meridien Cancun, Resort and Spa
3 La Jolla de Mismaloya
4 Casa del Mar Golf Resort and Spa
5 Westin Regina Puerto Vallarta
6 Fairmont Acapulco Princess
7 Fiesta Americana Grand Coral Beach
8 Camino Real Las Hadas
9 Westin Regina Golf & Beach Resort Los Cabos
10 Melia Cabo Real Beach and Golf Resort
According to Travel Channel
1. Finger Lakes
2. Lake Kawaguchi
3. Lago di Como
4. Lake District
5. Lake Mead
6. Lake Superior
7. Lake Tahoe
8. Lake Taupo
9. North Hatley
10. Thousand Islands
According to ShermansTravel, a guide to top travel deals and destinations.
New Orleans
Hotel Monteleone Orlando
Universal’s Halloween Horror Nights
Denver
The Brown Palace Hotel
Venice, Italy
Ghosts and Legends Tour
Manchester Village, Vermont
The Equinox Hotel and Resort
New Orleans
Cemetery Tours
San Antonio
The Historic Menger Hotel
Tampa Bay, Florida
Busch Gardens Tampa Howl-O-Scream
Coronado, California
Hotel del Coronado
New Orleans
Ghosts and Spirits Tour
According to Expedia.com, 10 To Know series.
Hyatt Regency Kauai Resort & Spa—Kauai, Hawaii
The Ritz-Carlton, Bali
Mauna Lani Bay Hotel—Big Island, Hawaii
The Oriental, Bangkok
Fairmont Chateau Whistler—British Columbia
The Breakers—Palm Beach, Florida
Wyndham Peaks Resort & Golden Door Spa—Telluride, Colorado
The Ritz-Carlton, Naples
The Phoenician—Scottsdale, Arizona
La Costa Resort & Spa—Carlsbad, California
According to Expedia.com, 10 To Know series.
1 Miraval, Life in Balance,
Catalina, Arizona
86.67
2 Mii Amo, a Destination Spa at Enchantment,
Sedona, Arizona
85.84
3 Green Valley Spa,
George, Utah
85.00
4 Hilton Head Health Institute,
South Carolina
84.82
5 Rancho La Puerta,
Tecate, Mexico
84.31
6 Canyon Ranch Health Resort,
Tucson, Arizona
83.64
7 Golden Door,
Escondido, California
83.13
8 Terme di Saturnia,
Grosseto, Italy
82.61
9 Canyon Ranch in the Berkshires Health Resort,
Lenox, Massachusetts
81.64
10 Lake Austin Spa Resort,
Austin, Texas
80.88
According to Travel & Leisure
