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Your summary of what else is new and noteworthy
 Insider News From the World of Luxury<<With the opening of the new Pelican Hill Golf Resort, Newport Beach has added a gem to its crown of luxury seaside resorts. Authentic Italian plasterwork and fully grown foliage disguise its newness. Don’t miss sunning at the circular “Coliseum” pool or strolling nearby Crystal Cove State Park. (800) 585-1654, www.pelicanhill.com  >>At the Grand del Mar, San Diego’s newest luxury resort featuring an 18-hole Tom Fazio golf course, wood-beamed ceilings and wrought-iron accents strike a perfect chord of casual luxury. A highlight: the stunning 21,000-square-foot spa lined with arches and imported white Carrera marble. (858) 314-2000, www.thegranddelmar.com <<At the new Qua Baths & Spa at Caesars Atlantic City, partake in “social spa-ing” around the Roman baths or at the stunning rooftop pool. Hit the spa’s Crystal Body Art Room for a drop of glitter before a big night out in AC. (609) 343-2400, www.caesarsac.com >>The Royal Hawaiian, known as “The Pink Palace of the Pacific,” where Elizabeth Taylor sipped Mai Tais along the beachfront, reopens after a multimillion-dollar renovation, including the stylish new restaurant Azure. (808) 923-7311, www.royal-hawaiian.com
 <<The brand new 119-room Shangri-La Hotel, Vancouver — the company’s first foray into North America — offers Asian hospitality and an ideal downtown location. Don’t miss exploring the outdoor public art space curated by the Vancouver Art Gallery. (604) 689-1120, www.shangri-la.com >>Escape the bustle of Tokyo at the Peninsula Spa by ESPA, the luxury hotel’s wellness center, which features eight treatment rooms, each with a private shower and adjustable heated beds, in addition to aromatherapy “lifestyle” showers. Linger before or after a treatment at the pool with its views of the Imperial Palace and the lively Marunouchi district. Prices vary; a 50-minute session, including lunch, is around $500. 011-81-36270-2888, www.peninsula.com <<Sip green rose tea in The Spa at Encantado’s eucalyptus-scented steam room before your Mountain Spirit Purification treatment: a warm Sedona mud body mask followed by a juniper-sage-infused hot-stone massage. Or opt for The Enchanted Facial, which uses herbal enzymes and tourmaline stones to reveal a younger, softer complexion. (877) 262-4666, www.encantadoresort.com
BY NICOLE ALPER, ANNA PHILPOT, CHRIS WARREN
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DO NOT DISTURB
IF YOUR IDEA OF A GREAT GETAWAY IS TO TRULY ESCAPE THE WORKADAY, TRY ONE OF THESE ULTIMATE RELAXATION VACATIONS. — NICOLE ALPER
Tucked in a quiet Southern California valley, CAL-A-VIE HEALTH SPA is like a cross between a luxury-boutique spa escape and a visit to an antiques shop. The Mediterranean-inspired respite, with its 25 elegant country villas, is decorated with European treasures (think giant French chandeliers hanging over the gym). You might be 40 minutes from San Diego, but you’ll feel like you’re spending a dreamy week in Italy. From $7,795 per week, including all meals, 16 spa treatments, and many activities. (866) 772-4283, www.cal-a-vie.com 
You might be just two hours from Manhattan, but at the Hudson Valley’s EMERSON RESORT & SPA, alongside the rushing Esopus Creek (near the birthplace of fly-fishing), you’ll feel worlds away. One thing contributes to remoteness: no cell phone service. Trade in your work worries for a dreamy Indian head massage or a spiritually charged visit to the nearby Mount Tremper Zen Mountain Monastery. From $380. (877) 688-2828, www.emersonresort.com
Featured on the final season of Boston Legal, NIMMO BAY
is a remote, helicopter fly-fishing/heli-adventure lodge in the heart
of British Columbia. See a stream you want to fish? You’ll swoop down
(watching out for bears!), landing right on the bank. When evening
falls, a resident musician plays music to lure guests to a gourmet
dinner. Around $5,945 per person for the three-day “Denny Crane”
package, including transfers, meals, accommodations, and activities.
(800) 837-4354 or (250) 956-4000, www.nimmobay.com
The new 21-room eco-luxury SOUTHERN OCEAN LODGE on Kangaroo Island blends seamlessly with the surrounding Australian bush. Rise to watch orcas slip along the coast and wallabies hop past your patio. Read a book in the Great Room, where an entire wall of windows frames a pristine section of Hanson Bay. From $900 per person, per night. (931) 924-5253, www.southernoceanlodge.com
 Travelers are getting in touch with their inner cowboys, signing up for dude ranch vacations. But if you think you have to give up luxury in order to giddy up, think again: THE HOME RANCH in Clark, Colorado (outside Steamboat Springs), is the only working dude ranch that is also a Relais & Châteaux member. Six lodge rooms and eight private cabins range from one to three bedrooms and include antiques, down comforters, wood-burning stoves, and private hot tubs. $5,280 for seven nights, including all meals. (970) 879-1780, www.homeranch.com
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GIFTS TO FEEL GOOD ABOUT
All of the proceeds from the sale of the JUDITH RIPKA AUTISM SPEAKS NECKLACE (above,) go to Austism Speaks. Paying tribute to the organization’s signature color blue, a silver pendant in the shape of the Autism Speaks puzzle-piece symbol is embellished with a blue sapphire stone and hangs from a delicate blue cord. $229, autismspeaks.org
A personalized letter from the hotel management written to those staying at the LA RESIDENCE D’ANGKOR BY ORIENT EXPRESS in Siem Reap, Cambodia, reminds guests that sometimes the best gifts are the easiest to give. Guests are encouraged to leave objects behind which they might not need, from used clothing to books and pencils. Everything left is donated to local charities and hospitals. residencedangkor.com
Based on organic argan oil from Morocco’s southwest, KAHINA is the first line under the Giving Beauty label, which sources rare essential ingredients from around the world and donates 25 percent of profits to the women of the country of origin (one example: helping the Berber women of Morocco through literacy and women’s rights programs). kahina-givingbeauty.com
What is a GRATITUDE CIRCLE? Register a group of friends at any local WILLOW STREAM AND FAIRMONT SPA across the globe, then select a registered charity on behalf of your “circle,” and each quarter Willow Stream issues a charitable donation of 10 percent of the total spa bill to your charity of choice. fairmont.com
Remote Controlled
Luxury and high performance come together this winter with Ralph Lauren’s (ralphlauren.com) technically advanced Remote jacket, part of the designer’s sporty RLX Ralph Lauren label. The surprisingly weightless-yet-warm topper, $1,895, is built from watertight, nylon-oxford fabric and features a built-in Recco avalanche detection device capable of transmitting a signal to rescue workers in case of unforeseen emergencies on and off the slopes. -- W.K.
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