Most of us gather at the homes of family or friends for Thanksgiving but that isn't the only option. Some opt for a warm weather escape outside the U.S. and hotels in Mexico and the Caribbean can do a brisk business this time of year. But here in the U.S. a wide variety of hotels offer different types of Thanksgiving specials that include dinner but also spa treatments, winery tours and outdoor sports. Another way to do a non-tradiitional Thanksgiving is to opt for a dinner cruise (a couple of examples are in the gallery below).

via luxist.com

When the time comes for you to move out of your home and into a facility, be it a nursing home, assisted living center, or just a retirement community, get ready to pay a huge rent check. The estimated average annual cost of living in an assisted living facility starts above $30,000, not including the entry fee that could be over $100,000.

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Pirates have attacked another luxury yacht. This time is was the Tiara, a 178-foot sailing sloop that first came to my attention in 2005 when the owner, Jonathan Leitersdorf listed his yacht and his Broadway loft with the same agent real estate agent.

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Financial whiz turned "lifestyle designer" Richard Nilsson apparently felt that plain old luxury had lost its luster, so he decided to focus on "extreme luxury." When he was running a business empire Nilsson was only able to take one week off per year, so for his first project he came up with the "Résidence Supérieur" concept as an ultimate retreat where vacationing moguls and movie stars could pack as much luxury and privacy into their vacation as possible, cost be damned.

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Now a work by the mysterious street artist Banksy could be driven away – for an estimated £500,000 ($977,865). The design, on the side of a lorry trailer – which doubles as a family home for the current owners – is due to sell at auction. Called Fragile Silence, it shows commandos landing stereo equipment on a beach. The trailer’s owners, Maeve Neal and Nathan Welland, say Banksy has authenticated the work, which he completed before they drove the truck to the Glastonbury Festival in 1998.

via luxurylaunches.com

Vietnam wants your tourism dollars and is going after them with a bit of Vegas-style. Las Vegas architectural firm, Steelman Partners is behind the plans for the $4.2 billion Ho Tram Strip, which will be Vietnam's largest single tourism venture. The resort will be built on the white sand beaches of Ba Ria - Vung Tau Province, in southern Vietnam.

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Tynan at our globetrotting sister blog, Gadling recently checked out Taiwan's only six star hotel, The Lalu Hotel. The Lalu Hotel is located at the tranquil Sun Moon Lake, a place of rare beauty. The hotel is built on a hill leading down to Sun Moon Lake and all the rooms have huge balconies with tables, chairs, and daybeds to enjoy the view. Tynan reports that the hotel's restaurants are excellent (and willing to accommodate special requests) and that the spa treatments are as sybaritic as you'd expect.

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Pictured above is an idiosyncratic little laptop case enthused by the My Document icon in the Windows, hence features the bold tag of ‘My Documents’. Lately, it is inviting eyeballs at International Contemporary Furniture Fair (ICFF) at Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in NYC from 17-20 May 17. For owning one, you need to touch space with the designer. They say these bags for available are designer for other accessories as well likewise: camera bag, a MP3 case, and a wallet.

via elitechoice.org

Galloping on a horse like Alexander The Great is almost everybody’s childhood dream but riding a horse is not that easy, especially as horses tend to be very temperamental animals. To do away with injuries while learning to ride on real horses, Racewood Simulators have the Ridemaster Pro. This simulator will make learning horse riding mush easier and will give you all the thrills that a real horse can.

via bornrich.org

All phases of the three-year, $65 million renovation have finally been completed at the Condado Plaza Hotel & Casino in San Juan. Owner LXR Luxury Resorts brought in New York-based architect David Rockwell, whose firm is best known for its work on Nobu, the W New York and the upcoming JetBlue Terminal at JFK airport, to do a 20,000-sq.-ft. multipurpose lobby redesign. Manhattan meets Latin in the vibrant revamp, which includes two bars and a banquet hall.

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With cruises being so popular in every possible part of the world, it was only a matter of time before anyone started out a luxury cruise at the Amazon and sure enough a company named Aqua Expeditions picked up on that. A region previously immune to the charms of 280-thread-count sheets and en-suite air conditioning, the company’s boat named the M/V Aqua resembles a floating boutique hotel with a dining room, indoor and outdoor lounges and an observation deck and boutique.

via luxurylaunches.com

The latest exotic Anantara resort has opened. The Anantara Resort Seminyak is located on the beautiful island of Bali in the Indian Ocean. The resort has 59 large suites with Balinese-inspired decor, floor-to-ceiling glass doors and windows. Enjoy the ocean views from terrazzo hydro tubs from your own private balcony. Other features include dark Indonesian wooden floors, oversized built-in beds covered with 300 thread-count linen, a double-sized Hansgrohe 'rainmaker' shower, BOSE DVD player, a surround-sound system, 42 inch LCD TV, 80GB iPod with docking station, Wi-Fi internet and espresso machine.

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The battle for the world's most expensive cocktail remains a fierce one with many bars and restaurants promoting a cocktail that is made pricey by the addition of a piece of jewelry plunked inside. But one of the world's most expensive hotels sounds like the perfect place to enjoy the new contender in the ultra costly cocktail sweepstakes. The chief mixologist at Skyview Bar in the Burj Al Arab in Dubai has created the "27.321," named for the cost in UAE dirham (27,321 AED which is about $7,450) the floor where the Skyview Bar is located (27th) and the height of the Burj Al Arab.

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Explore some of the most pristine virgin rainforests in the world – the Amazon jungle – from the comforts of your king-sized bed on board the MV Aqua, the first luxury vessel to cruise the Amazon.

The flagship of Aqua Expedition, the MV Aqua is designed by Peruvian architect Jordi Puig. The three story ship boasts 12 suites with oversized windows offering generous panoramic views of the Amazon.

via goldarths.com

Fine hotels don't have to sacrifice comfort for conscience. At Proximity Hotel in Greensboro, North Carolina they have been taking the steps to reach their LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification with solar panels and waterless urinals, along with a rooftop garden, plenty of natural light through large windows and the restoration of a nearby stream. But along with those earth-friendly changes the Proximity Hotel is beautifully designed with a fantastic restaurant, spacious rooms and stylish lounges. Rooms run about $200 per night and special packages include tickets to Art Beat or Appalachian Echoes.

via luxist.com