Disney to add resort

Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts will build a luxury hotel and 18-hole championship golf course along the northeast border of Walt Disney World, theme park officials said Thursday.

The Toronto-based luxury hotel chain is part of two expansion plans that will take eight to 10 years to fully develop and will include single- and multifamily vacation homes, fractional ownership homes and a 450-acre retail, dining and lodging district, said Meg Crofton, Disney World's president.

The number of jobs the two developments will bring to the area is unknown, Crofton said. Disney currently has 60,000 employees.

Four Seasons, with 74 hotels in 31 countries and two locations currently in Florida, will anchor a 900-acre development which already houses two golf courses.

Dominican Paradisus Palma Real Resort enters world luxury hotels list

In recognition of its level of excellence, Paradisus Palma Real Resort, a five-star, luxury, all-inclusive which opened its doors in December 2005, has been honored as a member of the world's most prestigious collection of luxury hotels, The Leading Hotels of the World.

The Leading Hotels of the World is the renowned luxury hospitality organization representing more than 430 of the world's finest hotels, resorts and spas. Since 1928, the company's reputation for excellence derives from the exacting levels of quality it demands of its members, each of which must pass a rigorous, anonymous inspection covering 1,500 separate criteria.

"Achieving the coveted status of The Leading Hotels of the World so early in our tenure is a great honor, ensuring Paradisus Palma Real Resort's position as one of the finest hotels in the world, we are pleased to be included in a group that shares our standards of service and excellence," stated Susanna Mander, Director of Brand Management for Paradisus Resorts.

Ground Broken On New Luxury Resort In South Bay

Lowe Enterprises broke ground Wednesday on a multimillion-dollar, oceanfront resort on the site of the old Marineland aquatic park in Rancho Palos Verdes. The $450 million development, known as Terranea, is expected to open in spring 2009. "We have the rare opportunity to create the only true luxury destination resort along the coastline of the Pacific Ocean in Los Angeles County," said Robert J. Lowe, chairman and chief executive of Lowe Enterprises. "We are extremely mindful of the responsibility that comes with this amazing opportunity," he said in a statement. "To ensure that Terranea will be a jewel for the entire region, we have brought to its planning all of what we have learned in 35 years of developing exceptional resorts." The 102-acre development will feature a 360-room resort, along with 20 two-bedroom bungalows, 50 three-bedroom casitas and 32 villas.

Teenage Caribbean holiday heaven on Antigua

Moody teenagers complaining they have nothing to do and are bored can dampen any family holiday. But help is at hand for Caribbean holidays at least, as Curtain Bluff, Antigua's leading luxury all inclusive resort, has launched a determined bid to attract families with teenage children to holiday at the hotel this summer. While many resorts in the Caribbean concentrate on offering facilities for young children and toddlers, Curtain Bluff is targeting older offspring. The resort is remaining open throughout the summer this year to attract British families and is offering teenagers a whole range of interesting activities including learning to deep sea fish. The fishing lessons take place on the hotel's own fishing boat which is used to catch the fresh fish featured daily on the resort's dinner menus.

Top California golf resorts: Pebble Beach rocks, but La Quinta's no. 1

The best golf resorts in California? Our top pick, La Quinta Resort & Club, may surprise Pebble Beach fans. But La Quinta is a classic that has aged well, and golfers here can take on Pete Dye's epic Mountain and PGA West TPC Stadium golf courses. Don't fret, Pebble devotees, it's no. 2.
California knows resorts like Paris Hilton knows partying.
The Golden State practiced relaxation as a religion long before the rest of the country caught on. Plush accommodations, on-call masseuses, fine wines in the cellar and knockout golf courses outside your door became high-life staples here. That Michigan golf resort you loved? It probably picked up many of its tricks from California.
"Resorts just fit in with the California lifestyle," said Tim Hurja, a PGA Professional who worked at his share of resorts before starting Palm Springs Golf Central, a hotel and golf packaging company.