Travel

Checking-in: Round the world via Galle

Here is an exclusive look at some of the coolest, new (and soon-to-open) properties around the globe, from Travel Leisure, the world's premiere tourism magazine.

The Fortress: Sri Lanka

Pedigree

Sri Lanka's post-tsunami renaissance has been propelled by the recent openings of two Aman properties. The Fortress, in Galle, 70 miles from the capital of Colombo, is sure to add to the already building buzz.

The sprawling resort pays homage to the UNESCO-preserved Galle fort and promises to bring modern sophistication to the misty 2,000-year-old merchants' port town.

What to expect

Singapore's C&C Design (which recently won an award for the design of Huvafen Fushi, the Fortress's sister resort in the Maldives) chose a soothing aesthetic: simple lines, Burmese teak panelling, a Dutch vaulted entrance, and expansive garden colonnades that draw the eyes toward panoramic vistas of stilt fishermen casting their lines into the Indian Ocean.

Room stats

The 49 guest rooms are divided into five types, including two Fortress Residences, each of which features a frangipane-shaded infinity pool, plasma TV's, and two bedrooms with super king size rotating beds dressed in Frette linens.

Don't miss wine: a wine bar housed in a 750-square-foot glass cave, offers degustations from the 2,000-bottle cellar. Visit the T room, meet with the hotel's tea sommelier, and try Sri Lankan handpicked white-tip tea, reputed to protect skin from sun damage.

The facts

Galle; 800/ 525-4800 or 94-91/438-0909; www.thefortress.lk; doubles from $370, including breakfast and dinner. Opens September 2006.

Fesdhu Retreat & Spa: Maldives

Pedigree

The progenitors of the affordable-chic urban hotel experience"defined by vast swaths of sleek stone surfaces, mood lighting, and techno-dub sound tracks in the lobbies, plus genially insouciant service from a youthful staff "would hardly leave all their hip credentials behind just because they're setting up shop on a pristine deserted island in the middle of the Indian Ocean.

What to expect

Away-from-it-all privacy, but with modern conveniences a "whatever, whenever" phone call away. The resort's 28 beachfront villas and 50 over-water retreats filter traditional island elements (thatching, bamboo) through W's signature contemporary aesthetic.

Guests can pick their own fruit for breakfast "orange and grapefruit trees have been planted in abundance all over the property and have it prepared and delivered to their rooms (likewise with fish: hook your own catch of the day for dinner, and the chef will bone, fillet, and cook it to order). The Away Spa, with its four guest room"sized treatment rooms for facials, wraps, and massages, will offer yoga and guided meditation.

Cool factor

For the Maldives, off the charts: where else within one hundred miles can you find a subterranean bar with live DJ's every night"or a manicurist who makes beach calls, ready to spiff up your ragged nails while you sip a cocktail under your palapa?

Room stats

Seventy-eight Retreats: 28 Marvelous Beach, 46 Marvelous Aqua, three Wow (suite-style), and one Extreme (villa-style). Book an inflatable "island," a raft that accommodates up to six and comes stocked with a cooler full of your libations of choice.

The facts

North Ari Atoll, Fesdhu Island; 877/946-8357 or 011-960/ 332-9489; www.whotels.com; doubles from $1,300. Opens July 2006.

Boccadileone Suites: Rome

Pedigree

Boccadileone Suites (the temporary name at press time) is the first property that the Ferragamos' Lungarno Hotels has established outside of the family's native Florence, where the fashion clan already owns the design hotels Continental and Gallery Hotel Art, as well as the classic-but-cool Hotel Lungarno and Lungarno Suites. With a heritage like this, great style seems guaranteed.

What to expect

The location, a 19th-century palazzo above the Ferragamo men's store on Rome's Via Condotti.

Cool factor

The hotel's interior and Ferragamo's brand are explicitly linked with details such as sofas in tailored grey suiting fabrics, silk-lined curtains splashed with the Ferragamo buckle logo, and black-and-white photographs illustrating the shoemaking family's history.

Room stats

Nine studios, four suites, and one split-level penthouse suite with rooftop views and a vast marble bathroom.

Tip

In warmer weather, take breakfast (locally sourced bakery products, fruit, jams, honey, and yogurt) on the sixth-floor outdoor terrace-lounge "one of the highest points on Via Condotti"with breathtaking views of Rome, from the Pincio hilltop to the Spanish Steps.

The facts

23 Via Bocca di Leone; 39-055/ 2726-4000; www.lungarnohotels.com; doubles from $485, including breakfast.

The fountain of youth: secrets of anti-ageing

by Fame Ahmed

Throughout human history, people have tried to escape the signs of ageing and the process of getting old. For this reason, anti- ageing creams, medications, devices, therapies, and other methods have crept into the market place continuously for hundreds of years.

From "magic" elixirs to miracle anti- ageing creams, people have bought endless supplies of products aimed at reducing the signs of aging or getting rid of the ageing process altogether. The only problem is that aging is impossible to ignore altogether.

There are several organisations that offer advice on anti- ageing as well and this has almost become a health issue as much as a cosmetic one. The notion of "aging gracefully" is often adopted by men and women who want to rid their faces of wrinkles and any other distinguishing features which may let others know how old they are.

Age is a bad thing. We want to be older when we're younger and want to be younger when we're older. But how much truth is there in the notion of anti-ageing and is it possible to seriously fight the signs of aging?

Nutrition and diet

All medical professionals agree: one of the best ways to fight the negative effects of ageing is with a proper diet and proper nutrition.

This includes eating balanced meals in moderation, not overeating, not under-eating, taking a wide variety of essential vitamins and minerals, using supplements for missing proteins and nutrients, and eating a wide variety of foods to gain from the nutritional values within. Nutrition is the key to a long life and a well-balanced diet is the most important step you can take to fight ageing.

Moderate exercise

One of the best ways to combat ageing is to stay mobile. Avoid living a sedentary lifestyle and move your body frequently, but take care not to over-exert yourself as that may cause injury. Steady moderate exercise that works all the muscles of the body and works on your cardiovascular health is vitally important in terms of combating ageing and staying healthy overall.

The anti-ageing secret

Everyone wants to know if there is some sort of anti-ageing secret they may be missing out on. And in reality, if you don't know much about the fight against ageing, there very well may be.

Because an anti-ageing secret may not work as well for some people as it would for others, it is important to remember just because one antiageing process doesn't work for you, doesn't mean another won't.

Keep trying by implementing one anti-ageing secret at a time to determine whether it is something that works for you. If it works, you can proceed to ad another to your list of secrets, but if it doesn't work you know you can drop the secret with no loss and move on to the next until you do find what works for you. The secrets in this article may not seem very secretive, but many people don't think about such things when it comes to anti-ageing health.

Eating vegetables may not seem like and anti-ageing secret, but in reality many people do not realize just how important eating all the vegetables you can eat really is. With the exception of a couple of things like avocados and olives, vegetables have no fat or cholesterol.

This is something most other foods cannot boast about. So instead of eating meat and potatoes for dinner with a side salad that is drenched in fat soiled dressing, try eating a vegetable salad lightly tossed in low fat oil or dressing of your choice

Don't believe the hype

If eating nothing but vegetables is something you just cannot bare to do, use this anti-ageing secret while adding meats and potatoes and other favourite foods in moderation. This will help to keep cravings at bay while still offering you the many nutritional anti-ageing benefits as if you were eating nothing but vegetables.

Most fruits are just as healthy as vegetables so to mix up your daily intake of these nutrients, add a fruit salad of watermelon pieces to your diet. Many fruits are also an excellent alternative to sugary and fatty desserts.

Finally, don't believe the promises of anti- ageing medications or miracle drugs. These are designed to make money, not make you a healthier person and they certainly can't fight natural process properly. Fighting natural process is hardly a healthy method for life.

People often take solace in "thinking young" and living a more youthful energetic lifestyle. Take a trip, find a hobby, go outdoors often, and enjoy life! That is the best advice possible in terms of staying young.