Interesting Places From Around The World

The Tallest Vehicular Bridge in the World - Millau Viaduct

2009-07-14T09:19:00.003+08:00

The Millau Viaduct is a large cable-stayed road-bridge that spans the valley of the river Tarn near Millau in southern France. Designed by the structural engineer Michel Virlogeux and British architect Norman Foster, it is the tallest vehicular bridge in the world, with one mast's summit at 343 metres (1,125 ft) - slightly taller than the Eiffel Tower and only 38 m (125 ft) shorter than the Empire State Building. The viaduct is part of the A75-A71 autoroute axis from Paris to Béziers. It was formally dedicated on 14 December 2004, inaugurated the day after and opened to traffic two days later. The bridge won the 2006 IABSE Outstanding Structure Award.

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Hydropolis Underwater Hotel and Resort

2009-07-06T11:31:00.006+08:00

The Hydropolis Underwater Hotel and Resort is a planned hotel, designed by Prof. Roland Dieterle which will be the world's first underwater luxury resort. It's situated 66 feet below the surface of the Persian Gulf, just off Jumeira Beach in Dubai. Reinforced by concrete and steel, its Plexiglas walls and bubble-shaped dome ceilings will enable guests to see fish and other sea creatures. It is basically divided into three sections: the land station, where guests will be welcomed; the connecting tunnel, which will transport people by train to the main area of the hotel; and the 220 suites within the submarine leisure complex. It will cover an area of 260 hectares, about the size of London's Hyde Park, and will cost an estimated £300 million. It is self-acclaimed to be a 10-star hotel and will be charging circa $5,000 per room per night. The hotel was scheduled to open in late 2006; however, due to the engineering and environmental difficulties of constructing an underwater hotel, the project is currently delayed and there is no sign of construction beginning anytime soon.

Architects working on Hydropolis have had some difficulty selecting a suitable position for the complex, as concerns have been repeatedly raised about the displacement effect of building a 260-hectare underwater structure. If their calculations are incorrect, tides and sea levels off the coast of Dubai could be severely affected, rendering vast tracts of coast uninhabitable due to chaotic tides, flooding, unpredictable wave patterns and a high possibility of whale and other sea-mammal beaching.

Disney corporation are reportedly in talks with the developers of Hydropolis to bring a fully underwater production of The Little Mermaid to the hotel's lobby. World-standard free divers are allegedly to play the lead roles and sophisticated animatronics are to be used for background/non-speaking characters.

Extended Hydropolis Trailer

Source: Wikipedia

Some Interesting Heritage Hotels in Jaipur

2009-06-24T11:37:00.014+08:00

Jaipur was founded in 1727 a.d. by one of the greatest rulers of his time - the astronomer, Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh and designed by architect Vidyadhar Bhattacharya. Jaipur also popularly known as the Pink City, is the capital of Rajasthan state, India.

The Rajmahal Palace was built in 1729 A.D. by Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh of Jaipur for his favorite Maharani. From 1821 onwards, the palace was used to house the British resident at Jaipur. This Palace has played host to several VVIP's like Queen Elizabeth and Jacqueline Kennedy. Set amidst 15 acres of well-maintained lush green lawns, the Rajmahal Palace was converted into a hotel in 1979. The palace has spacious suites with high ceiling, chandeliers and period furniture. Beautiful paintings and antiques have been carefully preserved and are reminiscent of the royal past.

The Bissau Palace is an elegant and traditional hotel built by Rawal Raghubir Singh in 1909. Situated in the heart of pink city, this hotel is amazingly gracious and calm untouched by the hustle-bustle of city life around it. Visitors are treated to a fascinating collection of royal portraits, old silver and armory dating back to the 17th century. Its spacious and comfortable rooms, the lounge and the wood-paneled library with its collection of rare books, all these wear the charm and grace of a golden era in history.

The Jai Mahal Palace was built in the 18th century by Hargovind Natani in a typical palace style with high domes, chhattries and cupolas with intricate lattice work done in the Rajasthani tradition. It was taken over by the Taj Group in the early 80's. The palace has been painstakingly restored to its former glory. The palace has most of the rooms overlooking a rooms overlooking a beautiful garden that replicates an 18th century garden laid out by a Mughal Emperor, 200 kms east of Jaipur. The interiors have been tastefully done. The elegant and luxurious suites have very interesting 19th century imprints of Rajput Architecture by Sir Swinton Jacob. Other interesting features in the palace are old crystal mirrors and chandeliers, miniature paintings and tapestries, stained glass panels and marble inlay work. Other special events here are the cultural programmes organized by the hotel in the evenings. A beauty parlor, a solar heated swimming pool, a bar and a lounge that serves tea, coffee and snacks are among the other facilities available.

The Rambagh Palace is one of the most beautiful palaces in india. It was constructed in the 19th century originally as the garden house of a royal maid. After the death of the maid Kesar Badaran, Sir Swinton Jacob, a British Engineer was given the task of converting the garden house into a guest house cum hunting house. Rambagh Palace later became home to one of the most beautiful women in the world, Maharani Gayatri Devi of Jaipur. The palace played host to several royal visitors of India and abroad including queen Elizabeth and prince Philip. Several lavish banquets and celebrations were held here. Events of interest include tours to the city and nearby places of interest. The hotel is well equipped to organize meetings, conferences and theme parties. Tennis, squash, cultural programmes, indoor swimming pool, coffee shop and a bar are the other attractive features.

Source: Wikipedia and Indiatourinfo

A Village Called Giethoorn

2009-06-15T13:20:00.001+08:00

A village called Giethoorn is a village in the Dutch province of Overijssel. It is located in the municipality of Steenwijkerland, about 5 km southwest of Steenwijk. Giethoorn used to be a carfree town known in the Netherlands as Venice of the North or Venice of the Netherlands. A carfree town is an area of a city or town in which automobile traffic is prohibited. They are instituted by communities who feel that it is desirable to have areas not dominated by the automobile. Converting a street or an area to car-free use is called pedestrianisation. It became famous, especially after 1958, as the Dutch film maker Bert Haanstra made his famous comedy Fanfare there. Therefore, Giethoorn is an internationally well-known tourist attraction in the Netherlands. In the old part of the village, there were no roads (nowadays there is a cycling path), and all transport was done by water over one of the many canals. The lakes in Giethoorn were formed by peat unearthing.

Derinkuyu Underground City

2009-06-09T13:12:00.003+08:00

Video thanks to TravelChannelTV

Derinkuyu Underground City is located in the homonymous Derinkuyu district in Nevşehir Province, Turkey. It is on the road between Nevşehir and Niğde, at a distance of 29 km from Nevşehir.

It was opened for visitors as of 1969 and to date, only ten percent of the underground city is accessible for tourists. Its eight floors extend at a depth of approximately 85 m.

The underground city at Derinkuyu has all the usual amenities found in other underground complexes across Cappadocia, such as wine and oil presses, stables, cellars, storage rooms, refectories, and chapels. Unique to the Derinkuyu complex and located on the second floor is a spacious room with a barrel vaulted ceiling. It has been reported that this room was used as a religious school and the rooms to the left were studies.

Between the third and fourth levels is a vertical staircase. This passage way leads to a cruciform church on the lowest level.

The large 55 m ventilation shaft appears to have been used as a well. The shaft also provided water to both the villagers above and, if the outside world was not accessible, to those in hiding.

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Royal Caribbean Freedom of the Seas

2009-06-04T14:29:00.007+08:00

The Freedom of the Seas is the largest cruise ship ever built. She is called an Ultra-Voyager because she is an extension of the Royal Caribbean International (RCI) Voyager of the Seas class. The Freedom of the Seas is larger than the Voyager and carries 500 more passengers. The ship's extra length and size has enabled RCI to include lots of exciting options never seen on a cruise ship before such as a surfing pool.

The Freedom of the Seas left Aker Finnyards shipyard in Turku, Finland on 24 April 2006. With gross tonnage of 154,410 tons, they surpassed Cunard Line's Queen Mary 2 as the largest ships in the world even though they are five meters shorter than the Queen Mary 2. The Freedom of the Seas includes two new features: the Flowrider and the H2O Zone for kids. The Freedom of the Seas continues the traditions of the Voyager Class Ships with a 400-foot (120 m) mall named the Royal Promenade, featuring pubs, shops, arcades, bars, and a 24 hour Cafe Promenade.

Click here for more details.

Corbett National Park

2009-05-26T14:18:00.001+08:00

The Jim Corbett National Park, located in the foothills of the Himalayas, is a primal jungle as Rudyard Kipling put it. It is named after the hunter turned conservationist Jim Corbett who played a key role in its establishment - is the oldest national park in India. Despite extensive tourism, the park has managed to retain its primeval ambience, where man must walk timorously, in awe and with a strong sense of his own insignificance. Home to a variety of flora and fauna, it is famous for its wild population of Tigers, Leopards and Elephants.

The park was established in 1936 as Hailey National Park. The park spans across some 920.9 square km at an altitude of 600 to 1100 metres about the foothills of the western Himalayas in the districts of Nainital and Pauri Garhwal in the state of Uttaranchal (formerly part of Uttar Pradesh). In its eventful 64-year life, it has grown considerably in size and now includes the Sonanadi Wildlife Sanctuary as a part of its 1,319 sq km of reserved forest area.

Pictures via corbett-national-park

Floating Swimming Pool

2009-05-16T09:54:00.005+08:00

This is the Badeschiff or "bathing ship" in Berlin, Germany - an old barge or cargo container which has been converted into an outdoor swimming pool. Beached on the shoreline in the East Harbour section of the River Spree, the Badeschiff allows citizens to swim in a safe and sanitary environment in their river, at least in a figurative sense. The Spree itself is far too polluted to permit safe bathing.

The Badeschiff opened in the summer of 2004 as an art project organized by the Stadtkunstprojekte (City Art Project Society) of Berlin. It was created by local artist, Susanne Lorenz, to enliven city life along the long-neglected Spree. The facilities have proved highly popular as it has allowed Berliners to swim (at least in a figurative sense), in the long polluted and unsanitary Spree.

The 32 metre-long pool also has a bar with DJs until midnight. Disc jockeys commonly spin records outside the pool entrance where there is also a bar. It is open to the public daily from 8am to midnight and even open all-year-round.

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Christmas Island Red Crab

2009-05-12T14:02:00.003+08:00

The Christmas Island red crab, Gecarcoidea natalis, is a species of terrestrial crab endemic to Christmas Island in the Indian Ocean. The Territory of Christmas Island is a territory of Australia in the Indian Ocean. Although restricted to a relatively small area, it is estimated that up to 120 million red crabs may live there, making it the most abundant of the 14 terrestrial crab species on Christmas Island. Christmas Island red crabs eat mostly fallen leaves and flowers, but will occasionally eat other animals, including other red crabs if the opportunity arises. The annual red crab mass migration to the sea to spawn has been called one of the wonders of the natural world and takes place each year around November; after the start of the wet season and in synchronisation with the cycle of the moon.

Some of the Breathtaking Aquariums Around The World

2009-05-05T22:12:00.006+08:00

Georgia Aquarium, Atlanta

World's Largest Aquarium, Georgia Aquarium, Atlanta, features more animals than any other aquarium in more than eight million gallons of water. Through a path of more than sixty exhibits, the Aquarium tells a global water story, with features modeled after the greatest zoos and aquariums in the world. Each majestic exhibit is designed to inspire, entertain and educate.

Churaumi Aquarium

World's Second Largest Aquarium, Churaumi Aquarium, part of the Ocean Expo Commemorative National Government Park located in Motobu, Okinawa, Japan; capacity: 7,500-cubic meters (1,981,290 gallons) of water; one of the few places where visitors can see a great variety of sea creatures including sharks and manta rays.

UShaka Marine World

Largest Aquarium in Africa - UShaka Marine World, located on the strip of land between the beachfront and the harbor in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa; a beautiful amusement park and at the same time the worlds fifth largest aquarium with 32 water tanks. The sea creatures found in the aquarium range from small sea horses all the way through to sharks and dolphins. The Aquarium is built to look like an old wreck.

Interesting Hotels from Around the World

2009-04-27T13:21:00.002+08:00

The Giraffe Manor

The Giraffe Manor is an elegant, personally hosted, small and exclusive hotel, located just outside Kenya's capital, Nairobi, famous for its resident herd of giraffe and famous for its resident herd of giraffe. The Giraffe Manor offers a rich blend of welcoming accommodation, highly trained and friendly staff, as well as one of Nairobi's finest kitchens. This is the only place in the world where you can enjoy the breathtaking experience of feeding and photographing the giraffe over the breakfast table and at the front door.

DasParkHotel

While the idea of sleeping in a pipe might not immediately connote luxury in your mind, this hotel design turns concrete pipes into quite the comfortable space for your next overnight stay. Located in Ottensheim, Austria, almost like glorified camping, the DasParkHotel is a series of individual hotel room pipes, set on a beautiful flora-filled backdrop just steps from the Danube River.

Harbour Crane Hotel

Located in Harlingen, one hour drive from Amsterdam, Netherlands, the Harbour Crane offers you total control over your accomodation. Used until 1996 to unload timber, the crane is now offered for day-time and night-time occupation by two people.

Dog Bark Park Inn

A hotel dog lovers will particularly enjoy, the Dog Bark Park Inn is a hotel located in Cottonwood, Idaho, in the shape of a beagle. Guests enter the body of the beagle from a private 2nd story deck. Some of the dog's decorative furnishings are carvings by Dog Bark Park chainsaw artists Dennis & Frances. Inside and up another level to the head of the dog is a loft room with additional sleeping space plus a cozy alcove in the muzzle.

Hotel Everland

Perhaps one of the most luxurious places you can stay in is the Hotel Everland in Paris, a one-room inn on the roof of the Palais de Tokyo museum. The hotel includes bathroom, a king-size bed and a lounge, being only available one night. The view is one of the most magnificent - Seine and the Eiffel Tower shining bright at night. You can only make reservations online, just one random hour a day.

The Marmara Hotels and Residences

Mixing Turkish and European influence, the Marmara Antalya, in Antalya, Turkey, is Turkey's most prestigious chain, taking pride in stunning views, great architecture and warm service. The exciting detail is that each of the two dozens room spins slowly so that guest take in the entire view. The Marmara Hotels and Residences marries the warmth of Turkish hospitality with European style. Whether you're visiting for business, pleasure or a combination of the two, you can find the perfect venue for your stay with Best Available Rates and quick, effortless reservation.

Gamirasu Cave Hotel

Gamirasu is the name of an exquisitely restored twenty-five-room troglodyte cave house opened in 1999, in Ayvali Village near Urgup in the heart of Cappadocia, Turkey. A building literally carved into the Yunak Evleri mountain cliff. It offers cave houses, just like the Flintones had, and a 19th century Greek mansion - complete with 30 rooms dating back to the 5th and 6th century. The hotel is located in a restored thousand-year-old Byzantine monastic retreat which offers modern conveniences without distracting from the spiritual feeling of the area which has been known to be inhabited for more than five thousand years. Gamirasu cave Hotel is featured in major international travel guides as one of the best cave hotels of Cappadocia. It is also mentioned as a romantic escape for honeymoons in wedding magazines.

The Hobbit Motel

Part of the Woodlyn Park in New Zealand (the Hobbit Motel) is likely the place where hobbits stayed while shooting Lord of The Rings. You can stay in one of the two hillside burrows that are almost identical to the ones J.R.R. Tolkien talks about in his books.

Out 'n' About Treehouse Treesort

Just outside of Cave Junction, Oregon, the the Out 'n' About Tree sort Tree house Institute offers 18 tree houses you probably couldn’t have dreamt up as a child. Many rooms have bathrooms and refrigerators. Some are located at an amazing height of 300 feet. Nothing better for a serene vacation than living it up in the woods.

Wagon Stays

Another interesting destination for New zealand, Christchurch more precisely, is the Wagon Stays. The name says it all: you get to stay in wagons equipped with bathrooms, kitchens, and satellite TV. Wagon Stays offers the atmosphere of an early settlers wagon combined with modern facilities to maximize your comfort. Wagon Stays is a new concept in luxury accommodation. Where luxury meets history, Wagon Stays offer unique Early Settlers style accommodation in beautiful natural surroundings.

Top 5 World's Most Amazing Islands

2009-04-20T11:40:00.002+08:00

Check out these interesting Islands, very interesting info!

5. ALCATRAZ ISLAND (USA): Home to the first lighthouse on the Pacific Coast

Alcatraz Island (sometimes informally referred to as simply Alcatraz or by its pop-culture name, The Rock) is a small island located in the middle of San Francisco Bay in California, United States. It served as a lighthouse, then a military fortification, then a military prison followed by a federal prison until 1963, when it became a national recreation area. The first European to discover the island was Juan de Ayala in 1775, who charted the San Francisco Bay and named the island "La Isla de los Alcatraces", which means "Island of the Pelicans".

The discovery of gold in California in 1848 brought thousands of ships to San Francisco Bay, creating an urgent need for a navigational lighthouse. In response, Alcatraz lighthouse #1 was erected and lit in the summer of 1853. Because of its natural isolation in the middle of a bay, surrounded by cold water and strong sea currents, Alcatraz was soon considered by the U.S. Army as an ideal location for holding captives. Alcatraz was the Army's first long-term prison, and it was already beginning to build its reputation as a tough detention facility by exposing inmates to harsh conditions and iron fisted discipline. Due to rising operational costs because of its location, the Military Department decided to close this famous prison in 1934, and it was subsequently taken over by the Department of Justice and later became the famous federal prision and finally a recreation area.

4. EASTER ISLAND (Polynesian triangle, Chile): World heritage site and one of the most isolated inhabited islands in history

Easter Island is one of the world's most isolated inhabited islands. It is 3,600 km (2,237 miles) west of continental Chile and 2,075 km (1,290 miles) east of Pitcairn. Nowdays, it is a Chilean-governed island, and is a world heritage site with much of the island protected by the Rapa Nui National Park.

First settled by a small party of Polynesians, Easter Island is one of the youngest inhabited territories on Earth, and for most of its history it was the most isolated inhabited territory on Earth. Its inhabitants the Rapanui have endured famines, epidemics, civil war, slave raids and colonialism; have seen their population crash on more than one occasion, and created a cultural legacy that has brought them fame out of all proportion to their numbers.

3. SEALAND (Principality): World's smallest island

The Principality of Sealand is an island and a micronation located on HM Fort Roughs, a former Maunsell Sea Fort located in the North Sea 10 km (six miles) off the coast of Suffolk, England, in what is claimed as territorial waters using a twelve-nautical-mile radius.

Since 1967, the installation has been occupied by associates and family of Paddy Roy Bates, a former radio broadcaster and former British Army Major, who claims that it is a sovereign and independent state. Critics, as well as court rulings in the United States and in Germany, have claimed that Roughs Tower has always remained the property of the United Kingdom, a view that is disputed by the Bates family. The population of the facility rarely exceeds ten, and its habitable area is 550 m2 (5920 sq ft).

Sealand's claims to sovereignty and legitimacy are not recognised by any country, yet it is sometimes cited in debates as an interesting case study of how various principles of international law can be applied to a territorial dispute.

2. SURTSEY (Iceland): The emerging island

Off the coast of Iceland on the morning of 14 November 1963, the crew of a lone fishing trawler spotted an alarming sight. Off to the southwest of the Ísleifur II, a column of dark smoke was rising from the water. Concerned that it could be another boat on fire, the captain directed his vessel towards the scene. Once there, however, they found not a boat but a series of violent explosions producing ash. This was an unmistakable indication of a volcanic eruption taking place underwater, close to the surface. Very aware of the potential danger but eager to watch, the crew kept their boat nearby. It was indeed a remarkable event that they would witness a small part of over the course of that morning: the formation of a brand-new island.

Although now quite visible, the eruption lasted for much, much longer than the Ísleifur II would have been able to watch. After several days, the volcano had broken the water's surface, forming an island over 500 meters long and 45 meters tall. Even though the rough tides of the North Atlantic might have soon eroded the new island away, it was named Surtsey, meaning 'Surtur's island' - Surtur (or Surtr) being a fire giant of Norse mythology. The island proved to be tenacious, however. The eruption was ongoing and Surtsey increased in size more quickly than the ocean could wear it down. In the meantime two other nearby volcanic eruptions produced the beginnings of islands, but neither lasted very long. By April 1964, though, the most violent parts of the eruption were over and Surtsey remained.

1. GUNKANJIMA (Japan): The Ghost (and forbidden) Island

Gunkanjima is one among 505 uninhabited islands in the Nagasaki Prefecture about 15 kilometers from Nagasaki itself. The island was populated from 1887 to 1974 as a coal mining facility. The island's most notable features are the abandoned concrete buildings and the sea wall surrounding it. It is known for its coal mines and their operation during the industrialization of Japan. Mitsubishi bought the island in 1890 and began the project, the aim of which was retrieving coal from the bottom of the sea. They built Japan's first large concrete building, a block of apartments in 1916 to accommodate their burgeoning ranks of workers, and to protect against typhoon destruction.

Gunkanjima is one among 505 uninhabited islands in the Nagasaki Prefecture about 15 kilometers from Nagasaki itself. The island was populated from 1887 to 1974 as a coal mining facility. The island's most notable features are the abandoned concrete buildings and the sea wall surrounding it. It is known for its coal mines and their operation during the industrialization of Japan. Mitsubishi bought the island in 1890 and began the project, the aim of which was retrieving coal from the bottom of the sea. They built Japan's first large concrete building, a block of apartments in 1916 to accommodate their burgeoning ranks of workers, and to protect against typhoon destruction.

In 1959, its population density was 835 people per hectare for the whole island, or 1,391 per hectare for the residential district, one of the highest population density ever recorded worldwide. As petroleum replaced coal in Japan in the 1960s, coal mines began shutting down all over the country, and Hashima's mines were no exception. Mitsubishi officially announced the closing of the mine in 1974, and today it is empty and bare, which is why it's called the Ghost Island. Travel to Hashima is currently prohibited.

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Tropical Islands Resort

2009-04-13T14:08:00.004+08:00

Tropical Islands Resort is an artificial tropical resort in Brandenburg, Germany. It is said to be the world's largest tropical indoor pool which can accommodate up to 7,000 visitors a day. It is also the world's largest indoor waterpark at 66,000 m² (710,000 sq feet).

The resort is located in Briesen/Brand, part of Halbe in Dahme-Spreewald, Brandenburg, Germany, about 60 km (36 miles) southeast of Berlin, off the "Staakow" exit of the A13 Autobahn.

It resides inside a disused hangar 360 meters long, 210 meters wide and 107 meters high. At 5.5 million m³ (194 million ft³), it stands as one of the largest buildings on Earth by volume, and is the world's largest single hall without supporting pillars inside. The hangar cost €78 million and was originally commissioned by Cargolifter AG as an airship hangar named Aerium, but the airship it was intended to house - the CL160 - was never built.

Visitors find an exotic environment with rain forest, beach, artificial sun, palm trees, orchids, and bird soundtrack. The air is warm (25 °C). Tropical Islands is open all around the clock, every day of the year.

The complex contains a large artificial rainforest. The rainforest contains over 30,000 cubic metres of soil with over 500 species of plants taking root there. Over 29,000 individual trees are located there, with ground cover plants and creepers covering the remaining space. Animals have been excluded from this environment, as they could be a health hazard to visitors using the water. Sounds of natural rainforests are broadcasted throughout from speakers disguised as rocks or other natural features. The rainforest also hides the Tropical Village, where visitors can purchase and eat food.

A ballooning experience is also available, with a small helium balloon able to take two people at a time up to 60 metres inside the dome.

Other attractions found inside the Tropical Islands complex are a large beach, a Balinese lagoon and a camping ground, where visitors can stay for the night inside the warm complex.

The Top 15 Skylines in the World

2009-04-07T09:42:00.004+08:00

1. Hong Kong, China

Hong Kong is number one on my list for many reasons: Hong Kong has whopping 39 buildings over 200 meters tall. It also boasts four of the 15 tallest buildings in the world... that's all in one city! Hong Kong's skyline shows a large selection of distinct sky-reaching towers, with beautiful night lighting and reflection. This city exemplifies the post-modern skyscraper and skyline. Finally, the mountain backdrop makes this skyline (as you can clearly see) the greatest on the planet!

Metro/Urban Population: 6.8 million

2. Chicago, USA

Chicago is the birthplace of the modern skyscraper. When Chicago built its first steel high-rise in 1885, it was not the tallest structure in the world but the first example of a new form of engineering that would change nearly every city on earth. Chicago has 17 buildings over 200 meters tall (three of which are among the top 20 tallest buildings in the world, including the tallest in North America). Chicago has some of the finest mid-century architecture and examples of modern skyscrapers.

Metro/Urban Population: 8.5 million

3. Shanghai, China

Not to be mistaken for a space station, Shanghai is a real city! China's biggest and most advanced city, Shanghai was said to be the most cosmopolitan city in the beginning of the 20th century, but lost its glory during the "Mao era". It is now quickly regaining its position as one of the biggest economic powerhouses in the world as well as a showcase of modern architecture. In Shanghai you'll find 18 structures that are over 200 meters tall, one of which is the insanely tall, the 468m downtown Oriental Pearl TV Tower.

Metro/Urban Population: 13.1 million

4. New York City, USA

New York City has one of the densest and most diverse skylines, with a huge collection of buildings and building styles. Thanks to Hollywood's obsession with the city, it is also the most easily recognizable skyline in the world. New York City has an amazing 44 buildings over 200 meters - the most in the world! Home of the famous, now destroyed World Trade Center Towers, the Empire State building, the Statue of Liberty and the United Nations, New York City is the financial capital of the western world. Upon the completion of the new "Freedom Tower" (built on the old site of the World Trade Centers), it may rank higher in this list (depending on how good it looks of course).

Metro/Urban Population: 21.0 million

5. Tokyo, Japan

Tokyo is the world's most populated city. Its skyline has a number of unique characteristics that set it apart from other big city skylines, among them 15 structures at over 200 meters tall (including the Tokyo Tower which changes colors every night). But because of the density and vast size of the city, every corner appears to have its own skyline. With the height restrictions and the required red lights that flash atop all mid to tall-sized buildings make the city look spectacular at night. Tokyo is filled with neon lighting and unique, contemporary architecture, and like New York City is also often portrayed in movies for its aesthetic and eye-catching cityscapes. Interesting fact: Tokyo houses the world's largest fleet of helicopters to get around town if traffic gets too crazy.

Metro/Urban Population: 32.0 million

6. Singapore

One of the best (urban) planned and cleanliest metropolitan cities in the world, Singapore looks like an architectural model city come to life. The buildings cannot be higher than 280 meters due to air traffic control restrictions, but that has added a tall (but not too tall) and consistent building height and space pattern that makes this skyline unique: Three buildings are exactly 280 meters tall and 5 others (8 total) stand at just over 200 metres. The buildings are mostly light-coloured and there is a large expanse of greenery dotted around the city core. This South-Eastern city is definitely in a league of its own.

Metro/Urban Population: 3.8 million

7. Toronto, Canada

Toronto is a meeting place, a crossroads of many cultures and ethnicities. Toronto is downtown Canada, the biggest city in the country with a skyline to match. Toronto has 7 structures in its skyline that stand at over 200 metres, including the astonishingly tall 553 metres, CN Tower, which is often referred to as the tallest freestanding structure in the world. While mostly untrue (because there are taller TV masts in the world), the CN Tower possesses the world's highest observation deck, making this city's skyline one of the most immediately identifiable.

Metro/Urban Population: 5.1 million

8. Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

This is probably the most impressive city worldwide that has less than 2 million residents. Marvelous modern buildings reach the sky here, and while the skyline is not too dense, it does allow buildings to soar and stand out. Kuala Lumpur has three of the 25 tallest buildings worldwide, including the tallest twin buildings, the Pretonos Towers (which are arguably the second and third tallest overall in the world) as well as the 420 meters Menara Kuala Lumpur Tower.

Metro/Urban Population: 1.5 million

9. Shenzhen, China

What was a tiny fishing village on the border of Hong Kong in 1970 is now a buzzing metropolis of over four million people. With 13 buildings at over 200 meters tall, including the Shun Hing Square (the 8th tallest building in the world), Shenzen is a marvel of lights after sunset. You can't help but ask yourself if you are in a video game or in a real city.

Metro/Urban Population: 4.2 million

10. Seoul, South Korea

This city's skyscrapers are divided into many clusters, spread amongst the main businesses and residential districts. Most of the recent growth in Seoul's skyline, however, has been of residential towers over 60 storeys high that are shooting up like blades of grass! There are 10 buildings in Seoul over 200 meters tall and much of the mid-rise to high-rise structures are lined up in a linear fashion, creating a "wall" of buildings like no other. Seoul is where the ancient Eastern world meets the modern West.

Metro/Urban Population: 20.8 million

11. Sao Paolo, Brazil

"What building did you say they lived in?" Finding it in the largest mass of condensed apartment buildings anywhere would be like finding a needle in a haystack. Sao Paolo has a population of over 18 million people! While the buildings are not super tall (with only a single structure at over 200 meters tall) this skyline is nevertheless stacked. Sao Paolo has a fleet of over 500 helicopters, the second largest helicopter fleet in the world.

Metro/Urban Population: 18.3 million

12. Sydney, Australia

Australia's showcase city, Sydney has one of the most recognizable skylines due to its world-famous harbour, often referred to as the most beautiful natural harbour in the world. The Sydney Harbour has many bays, inlets and secondary harbours. It is spanned by the monumental Harbour Bridge, and the Opera House decorates the shoreline like a white flower. The Sydney skyline is world-class with hundreds of skyscrapers in the central business district and many more high-rise buildings in the outlying neighbourhoods. Sydney has 8 buildings over 200 meters tall.

Metro/Urban Population: 4.2 million

13. Frankfurt, Germany

Certainly one of Europe's most interesting cities in terms of skylines, Frankfurt is home to five structures that are over 200 meters tall. These modern skyscrapers are marvels compared to those other, mostly non-existent ones scattered across European cities. The contrast here is interesting: The city combines low-rise, high-density traditional European architecture (some of which is over 1,000 years old), with modern towers that stick out like sore thumbs, but are impressive nonetheless.

Metro/Urban Population: 4.1 million

14. Dubai, United Arab, Emirates

Is this a mirage in the Middle East? Seemingly out of nowhere emerges a city in the middle of a desert. This is Dubai, a city that produces only the best modern architecture in the world. Already home of the world's tallest all-hotel building and the tallest all-residential building in the world, AND currently proposed to build the world's tallest building, this skyline might just leap to the number 1 spot in the near future. While the skyline is not so dense, each building is a marvel all on its own. As a skyline it probably can't compete with the larger cities, however the individual buildings in this city are by far the greatest examples of modern architectural accomplishments. All seven structures in this city at over 200 meters tall were built in 1999 or later ! - that's how new this city is.

Metro/Urban Population: 1.6 million

15. Guangzhou, China

Metro/Urban Population: 4.1 million

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View World's Best Rooms to Feast Your Eyes

2009-04-04T09:40:00.006+08:00

Al Maha Desert Resort & Spa is an exclusive oasis in the Dubai Conservation Reserve. The 42 luxurious suites, each with private temperature-controlled pools, offer awe-inspiring sand dune views.

Sheraton Iguazu Resort and Spa, Argentina. Surrounded by rainforest, the 180-room, three-floor resort in the heart of World Heritage-listed Iguazu National Park is within walking distance of Iguazu Falls.

Since 1568, the rich and famous have been drawn to Italy's Villa d'Este to feast their eyes on Lake Como's ethereal beauty. The hotel's 152 rooms and suites are decorated with period furniture, oil paintings, Como silk and linen sheets.

Designed to capture views of one of the world's most-visited man-made wonders, the Taj Mahal, the Moorish and Mughal-inspired Oberoi Amarvilas is an opulent shrine to luxury.

A room overlooking the harbour at the InterContinental Hong Kong has seats to the world's largest permanent light-and-sound show - a dazzling display of Hong Kong's skyline with flashing neon-lit skyscrapers, laser beams and searchlights.

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Biggest Resort in The World

2009-03-17T10:13:00.005+08:00

Yes, its in Bahrain. Durrat Al Bahrain is an artificial island project in Bahrain. It is similar to the Palm Islands in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Durrat Al Bahrain Urban Living, Island Style Durrat Al Bahrain is a unique place where contrasting lifestyles complement each other. The idea of urban living, island style is derived from the contrasting nature of life at Durrat Al Bahrain both in terms of its geography, where the desert meets the sea, and what life will be like - a vibrant and contemporary urban environment, full of different and contrasting opportunities on an idyllic island resort. It's an island and a city, it's the desert and the sea, it's a holiday and a home, it's a place to be together, it's escapism and adventure. It's one world that offers you endless possibilities. It is a place like no other. It is a place where contrasts come together to beautiful effect, and create a world full of richness and unique experiences.

World's Best Places for Cocktail Hour

2009-03-12T16:42:00.003+08:00

Raise your glass to the globe's best heat-beating, thirst-slaking places to meet for drinks as the sun sets.

Leopard Bar and Lounge, Cape Town. The west-facing Cape Town suburb of Camps Bay is one of the world's top spots for sunsets over the sea. Bars on the main boulevard are uber-trendy and often crowded but at the Twelve Apostles Hotel's Leopard Bar a white balcony, white awnings and blue-and-white striped cushions make for a calm, classy setting.

Kastro, Greece. The jewel of the southern Cyclades, Santorini is the postcard vision of a Greek island. Kastro restaurant is loved for its location: with open-air tables at the top of a flight of about 300 stairs down through Oia to Ammoudi port.

Thundi Bar, Maldives. Veligandu Island Resort is the island's one and only and its guests may enjoy sunset from the comfort of their Jacuzzi Water Villas - doubles from $US440 ($677) a night - or at the Thundi Bar, on a deck overlooking the lagoon.

Mallory Square, Florida. In Key West, Americans have bypassed Africa's small-time sundowner concept in favour of a full-on festival. For four hours each evening, Mallory Square Dock becomes party central, with pretzels and popcorn, bagpipers, buskers, craft stalls and psychics.

Dhow Safari, Zanzibar. Sail off into the sunset with the Original Dhow Safaris, which has a fleet of three dhows, each taking up to 16 passengers. Cruises from 4.30-6.30pm drift along the coast, with guests encouraged to sink back into the cushions and relax.

El Tovar Hotel, Grand Canyon. The Griswold family came to El Tovar in 1983's National Lampoon's Vacation, starring the imitable Chevy Chase. Today, folks stop by for a sundowner on the hotel's deck to watch the canyon's layers of rock glow red in the sun's last rays.

FCC Phnom Penh, Cambodia. The bar at the FCC Phnom Penh Hotel, a classic example of French colonial architecture, is a capital haunt in the South-East Asian kingdom.

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Dubai's Incredible Atlantis Hotel

2009-02-25T15:27:00.005+08:00

Atlantis The Palm, Dubai's latest and possibly greatest luxury hotel, water is an ornament and a plaything.

It's the latest word in Gulf excess - a sprawling $US1.5 billion ($A1.8 billion) resort boasting a $US25,000 ($A30,044.50)-a-night suite and dolphins flown in from the South Pacific, all atop a palm tree-shaped island.

Inspired by the legend of the lost continent, the resort offers "experiences that are new to the Middle East," said its president and managing director Alan Leibman.

The Atlantis hotel's ornate lobby with glass fountain.

"Aquaventure", a water playground of over 18 million litres of water, is accessible to visitors for prices ranging from A$64 for children to A$75 for adults.

The waterscape features water slides with names such as "Leap of Faith", including two which catapult riders through shark-filled lagoons.

Atlantis' marine habitat will be stocked with thousands of marine animals and include a "Dolphin Bay".

For the moment, the Atlantis shares the Jumeira Palm Island only with rows of high-end houses and construction sites. But other international names are set to move in..

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Traditonal Crafts in Intangible Heritage Exhibition

2009-02-24T11:32:00.007+08:00

Xu Xueming (L), a folk artist, teaches a visitor skills in making umbrella at an exhibition of of China's intangible cultural heritage in Beijing, China, Feb. 22, 2009.

A girl learns how to make sculpture from a sculptor named Huang Zhiwei (L) at an exhibition of of China's intangible cultural heritage in Beijing, China, Feb. 22, 2009.

An employee helps a foreign girl make print with an engraved block at an exhibition of of China's intangible cultural heritage in Beijing, China, Feb. 22, 2009.

A girl (L) learns skills on embroidery from a woman of Qiang ethnic group at an exhibition of China's intangible cultural heritage in Beijing, China, Feb. 22, 2009.

A foreigner learns the skills of knitting brocade cloth from Liu Aiyu (2nd, R), a folk heir in brocade knitting from east China's Shandong Province, at an exhibit of China's intangible cultural heritage in Beijing, China, Feb. 22, 2009. Many visitors have been attracted to learn and practise traditional crafts while visiting the exhibition, which was held here from Feb. 9 to Feb. 23.

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Ice Hotel Opens in N Japan's Hokkaido

2009-02-06T10:19:00.006+08:00

Women drink cocktails at an ice bar during a photo opportunity in the Alpha Resort-Tomamu's ice village in Shimukappu town, Japan's northern island of Hokkaido, Feb. 3, 2009. The hotel where dining room, bed room and bath room are made out of ice, charges 80,000 yen (US $696) for two per night and provides dinner served on an ice plate. It opens until Feb 15, 2009.

A woman drinks cocktail from an ice glass at the ice bar during a photo opportunity in the Alpha Resort-Tomamu's ice village in Shimukappu town, Japan's northern island of Hokkaido, Feb. 3, 2009.

A chef prepares dinner on an ice plate for the visitor of the ice hotel during a photo opportunity in the Alpha Resort-Tomamu's ice village in Shimukappu town, Japan's northern island of Hokkaido, Feb. 3, 2009.

Dinner, served on an ice plate is pictured at the ice hotel during a photo opportunity in the Alpha Resort-Tomamu's ice village in Shimukappu town, Japan's northern island of Hokkaido Feb. 3, 2009.

A woman eats dinner, served on an ice plate at the ice hotel during a photo opportunity in the Alpha Resort-Tomamu's ice village in Shimukappu town, Japan's northern island of Hokkaido, Feb. 3, 2009.

Women sit on the bed of an ice hotel during a photo opportunity in the Alpha Resort-Tomamu's ice village in Shimukappu town, Japan's northern island of Hokkaido Feb. 3, 2009.

A woman uses a mobile phone at a bed room of an ice hotel during a photo opportunity in the Alpha Resort-Tomamu's ice village in Shimukappu town, Japan's northern island of Hokkaido, Feb. 3, 2009.

Women bathe at an outdoor bathroom of an ice hotel during a photo opportunity in the Alpha Resort-Tomamu's ice village in Shimukappu town, Japan's northern island of Hokkaido Feb. 3, 2009.

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Last Minute Deals on Accommodation

2009-01-25T14:08:00.002+08:00

Lastminute.com.au is the Australian arm of the worldwide LastMinute travel brand. They have just re-launched the Australian website and and offers a range of products and services including last minute hotels, international and domestic last minute flights, holidays, gifts, entertainment and experiences. They offer cheap flights as well where you can compare airfares from 70 Australian and international airlines. Lastminute.com.au is all about maximising your life!

When talk about flights, if you are a in hurry and you have nothing except place you want to visit, you can choose international airline like Qantas and Singapore airlines. And at the same time, you can also search for last minute accomodation from the site. These airlines service flight go around the world and offer excellent service and has proven for many years. Visit Lastminute.com.au now for availability and to secure your fare.

For those who are looking for a great deal on a Jetstar domestic flight also available and they offer special airfare deal - buy early to secure your ticket! They boast a new fleet of aircraft, cheap tickets and sale fares, and a friendly, enthusiastic crew. Jetstar is Australia's newest budget carrier, and a subsidiary of Qantas. Jetstar's entry to the budget airline scene in Australia has promoted greater competition, and helped push air ticket prices down, as they compete with Virgin Blue for passengers.

Well, what are you waiting for? Visit Lastminute.com.au now for more details.Lastminute.com.au is the Australian arm of the worldwide LastMinute travel brand. They have just re-launched the Australian website and and offers a range of products and services including last minute hotels, international and domestic last minute flights, holidays, gifts, entertainment and experiences. They offer cheap flights as well where you can compare airfares from 70 Australian and international airlines. Lastminute.com.au is all about maximising your life!

When talk about flights, if you are a in hurry and you have nothing except place you want to visit, you can choose international airline like Qantas and Singapore airlines. And at the same time, you can also search for last minute accomodation from the site. These airlines service flight go around the world and offer excellent service and has proven for many years. Visit Lastminute.com.au now for availability and to secure your fare.

For those who are looking for a great deal on a Jetstar domestic flight also available and they offer special airfare deal - buy early to secure your ticket! They boast a new fleet of aircraft, cheap tickets and sale fares, and a friendly, enthusiastic crew. Jetstar is Australia's newest budget carrier, and a subsidiary of Qantas. Jetstar's entry to the budget airline scene in Australia has promoted greater competition, and helped push air ticket prices down, as they compete with Virgin Blue for passengers.

Well, what are you waiting for? Visit Lastminute.com.au now for more details.

Wedding in Jukkasjaervi Ice Hotel

2009-01-21T11:54:00.007+08:00

An ice hotel is a temporary hotel made up entirely of snow and sculpted blocks of ice. They are promoted by their sponsors and have special features for travelers who are interested in novelties and unusual environments, and thus are in the class of destination hotels. Their lobbies are often filled with ice sculptures, and food and beverages are specially chosen for the circumstances.

All of the ice hotels are reconstructed every year, and are dependent upon constant sub-zero temperatures during construction and operation. The walls, fixtures, and fittings are made entirely of ice, and are held together using a substance known as snice, which takes the place of mortar in a traditional brick-built hotel.

The Icehotel in the village of Jukkasjärvi, about 17 km from Kiruna, Sweden was the world's first ice hotel. In 1989, Japanese ice artists visited the area and created an exhibition of ice art. In Spring 1990, French artist Jannot Derid held an exhibition in a cylinder-shaped igloo in the area. One night there were no rooms available in the town, so some of the visitors asked for permission to spend the night in the exhibition hall. They slept in sleeping bags on top of reindeer skin - the first guests of the "hotel".

The entire hotel is made out of snow and ice blocks taken from the Torne River - even the glasses in the bar are made of ice. Each spring, around March, Icehotel harvests tons of ice from the frozen Torne River and stores it in a nearby production hall with room for over 5 000 tons of ice. The ice is used for creating Icebar designs and ice glasses, for ice sculpting classes, events and product launches all over the world. About 1 000 tons of what is left, is used in the construction of the next Icehotel.

When the temperature drops and the snow guns start humming on the Torne River shore, usually in mid-November, the building process begins. The snow is sprayed on huge inverted catenary shaped steel forms and allowed to freeze. After a couple of days, the forms are removed, leaving a maze of free-standing corridors of snow. In the corridors, dividing walls are built in order to create rooms and suites. Ice blocks are now being transported into the hotel where selected artists start creating the art and design of the perishable material. Icehotel in Jukkasjärvi opens in phases, the first phase opens in the beginning of December and for each week, another part of the hotel opens up for visitors and guests until the beginning of January when the entire construction is completed.

When completed, the hotel features a bar, church, main hall, reception area and rooms and suites for over 100 guests to sit and sleep on blocks of sculpted ice in the form of chairs and beds. There is also warm accommodation available next to the hotel. The Icehotel in Jukkasjärvi is known to be the biggest hotel of ice and snow in the world, spanning over some 6 000 m2. Each suite is unique and the architecture of the hotel is changed each year, as it is rebuilt from scratch. Each year artists submit their ideas for suites and a jury selects about 50 artists to create the church, Absolut Icebar, reception, main hall and suites. When spring comes, everything melts away and returns to the Torne River. The Icehotel only exists between December and April, and has been listed as one of the Seven Wonders of Sweden.

Customers visit one of the bedrooms in Jukkasjaervi Ice Hotel in Sweden, the world's first ice hotel, on Jan. 8, 2009. An ice hotel is a temporary hotel made up entirely of snow and sculpted blocks of ice. The Jukkasjaervi Ice Hotel has 91 rooms this year and is rebuilt every winter.

A Swedish couple pose in the chapel of the ice hotel in Jukkasjarvi on January 9, 2009 after getting married. Around 150 marriages happen at the chapel each winter. The chapel and ice hotel are temporary buildings since the structure of the chapel and of the ice hotel melts away in spring.

A Swedish couple pose for pictures after being married at the chapel of the ice hotel in Jukkasjarvi on Jan. 9, 2009.

A bride and her mother enter the chapel of the ice hotel in Jukkasjarvi on Jan. 9, 2009 to get married.

Visitors stand in the hallway of Jukkasjaervi Ice Hotel on Jan. 8, 2009.

A customer sleeps in one of the bedrooms in Jukkasjaervi Ice Hotel on Jan. 8, 2009.

A bride poses for a photographer at the chapel of the ice hotel in Jukkasjarvi on Jan. 9, 2009 after getting married.

Source: Wikipedia

Travel Luggage

2009-01-14T12:54:00.003+08:00

Going for travelling? You will definitely need luggage. You might want to make sure that you can take all of the important necessary items with you and that's when your luggage is a much needed travel necessity no matter how long or how far you are planning on traveling. Luggage allows you to carry your clothes, hygienic items and other personal items like wallets and shoes in one large bag.

You heard of Village Luggage And Gifts? They are an authorized online luggage retailer and has been in the travel business for over 57 years. They offer quality travel luggage at very reasonable prices and some actually offer free shipping and returns. Travel luggage comes in many different types like garment bags, carry-on luggage, and duffel bags. So, be sure to find one that can accomodate whatever you might need to bring along with you on your next holiday.

Maybe some of you might prefer designer luggage partly due to the brand name and brand recognition. They come in all sorts of shapes and sizes to fit your travel needs. Some of their luggage collections are Briggs & Riley luggage, Vera Bradley luggage, Tumi luggage, Hartmann luggage, Mosaic luggage and many more. By the way, you can pay by credit card. They accept MasterCard, Visa, and American Express.

Do check out their website at http://www.villageluggageandgifts.com for more luggage collections.

Hotel Set Within A Beautiful Water-Filled Quarry

2009-01-02T23:18:00.002+08:00

Atkins has won an international competition to design a five-star resort hotel set within a beautiful 100 meter deep quarry in the Songjiang district close to Shanghai in China and this project is expected to be completed by May, 2009.

Travel Picks: World's 10 Best Secret Dining Clubs

2008-12-16T09:11:00.002+08:00

For gourmet food lovers seeking somewhere different to eat, a number of secret dining clubs have popped up around the world, mixing guests and wines.

Web site Travel + Leisure has compiled a list of the world's 10 best secret dining clubs.

1. Supper Underground, Austin, Texas, United States

Despite demanding day jobs, Hannah Calvert and her business partner opened SUG in 2006 as a way to meet their desire to cook, entertain, and even matchmake. From a 1,500-person mailing list, they select 30 a month to dine in secret locations from flower-filled nurseries to stately private residences.

2. Hidden Kitchen, Paris, France

Seattle transplants Braden (a chef) and Laura (a baker) decided to throw dinner parties to make friends after moving to Paris. After 18 months, their dining atelier, which is also their apartment, has seen hundreds of diners. Dinners start with an aperitif and end with petit fours in a silver jewel box.

3. Clandestino Suppers, Chicago, United States

Supper club veteran and chef Efrain Cuevas launched a new culinary club earlier this year with bimonthly Chicago-style locavore dinners held in lofts and gardens. His favorite events, however, are collaborative meals with artists in their gallery, such as a Caribbean comfort food feast inspired by Puerto Rican painter Edra Soto.

4. Home Food Italy, Bologna, plus 20 Italian cities/regions

Home-cooked meals in Italy are a holy grail for any food-obsessed traveler, and are now in reach due to Egeria Di Nallo, a sociology professor from Bologna. Since 2004, she's anointed and galvanized an army of 100-plus cesarine, or "empresses of the kitchen," to educate and cook for strangers in their homes as well as at museums, castles, and decrepit farms.

5. Plate & Pitchfork, Portland, Oregon, United States

During summers since 2003, founders Erika Polmar and Emily Berreth have held a series of dinners at working farms near Portland. Chefs, many from Portland's top restaurants, set up makeshift kitchens amid the crops. After a tour and local wine tasting, guests sit down to long banquet tables adorned with meadow flowers for family-style dishes.

6. Homeslice West, New York City, United States

One of the early dining clubs on the NYC scene, this five-year-old self-proclaimed "culinary speakeasy" is still hot due in large part to its talented hosts Becky and Hayden. The duo churn out unabashedly rich dishes from Kentucky to Louisiana for diverse crowds that are anything but calorie-phobic.

7. Aronia de Takazawa, Tokyo, Japan

In Tokyo's Akasaka district behind an unmarked door is one of the world's smallest fine restaurants with only two tables. From his post in his open pop-up-size stainless-steel kitchen, master chef-owner Yoshiaki Takazawa, with the help of his wife, Akiko, choreographs near-private sensorial feasts that are part Japanese tea ceremony, part edible art experiment.

8. Cook Here and Now, San Francisco, United States

This two-year-old culinary experiment in communal dining brings hungry like-minded diners together. Founder and Rome native Marco Flavio Marinucci announces upcoming meals on his blog, inviting friends and strangers to cook using local ingredients, eat, and clean up together.

9. Casa Felix, Buenos Aires, Argentina

In this steak-mad city, a fish-and veggie-focused supper club is a welcome dining option -- even better that it's in the cozy Chacarita neighborhood home of a 33-year-old vegan-leaning chef, Diego Felix, who enchants visitors with indigenous South American ingredients. He and his American girlfriend, Sanra, cook together, sometimes even inviting guests to pitch in.

10. theDiningRoom, Vienna, Austria

Opened in 2007 in a residential Vienna neighborhood near Schonbrunn Castle, this hidden private home restaurant is a dream realized for self-trained chef Angelika Apfelthaler. As with so many dining clubs, her kitchen is open, and conversation over steaming pots is encouraged. While Austrian flavors make guest appearances, Apfelthaler's menus are mostly Mediterranean.

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