Jet lagged? Even if you’re on holiday, sometimes the thought of walking far beyond the realms of your hotel is just too much, when you’d much rather be in your trackies, veging out. What you need is a home away from home – except without the humdrum of putting the rubbish out. The solution: a hotel with amenable amenities, in-house entertainment and the luxury of living space. Read more »

Hot enough for ya? Then maybe it’s time to ditch terra firma and get an early taste of summer, on an H2Go Asia holiday. From big city boat rides and bubbling spas to white water jungle jaunts and sandy beach slothings, we’ve got aqualiscious hotels, tours and and activities you’ll be sweating to get your hands on. Read more »

Move over Hal, 2001 was years ago. Hi-tech gadgets, gizmos and games are no longer the realm of spacemen and their naughty computers.  Here’s some hotels that use software for seduction, toys to train the brain and the chance to play a round of cyber golf anywhere in the world. Check out these silicon-savvy suites in our Hotel Odyssey 2009.

Blending playfulness, sophistication and a whole lotta gadget grunt is the Hotel Sax in Chicago, home to ‘The Studio: An Experience by Microsoft’. Try out the latest Xbox games, listen to the hotel’s music library on a Zune music player or even hold a meeting in the techno conference room. Then instant message the concierge for room service while you kick back watching flicks in your own private theatre — very saxy. 

You can’t honestly say you’re a true technophile until you’ve made a pilgrimage to the Mecca of geekdom, Silicon Valley, in California. At Hotel Avante, the in-room entertainment is designed to stimulate the brain, where even the unique furniture includes left brain/right brain objects. For example, your left brain can live it up with the post-its and pens, while your right brain parties with renowned wild boys Rubik’s cube, etcha-sketch and yo-yo. Hit the hi-fi lounge where a suite of hotel cds will get you in the mood to break out ‘the robot’.

Dropping out is not an option at Hotel 1000, in the heart of Seattle, a small town in the state of Google. The entire area has high-speed wireless and VoIP phones for complimentary local and long distance domestic phone calls. Call your friends and brag about the hotel’s virtual golf experience, which uses sensors and tracking to beam you up to one of 50 championship courses including St Andrew’s in Scotland. Once you’re finished, walk to the 19th hole at the in-house bar ‘The Library’, or head back to your room and challenge the auto-stocked private bar to a race you can’t possibly win (but will have a great time trying). When it’s time for a lie down, watch the pretty colours on the custom selected artwork displayed on your giant LCD HDTV while the infrared sensors adjust the room to your desired temperature.

Dishing out face to face pick-up lines is sooo 20th Century. Instead, use the Microsoft Surface touchscreen at the Rio All Suite Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas to concoct your own cocktail and interact with other tables at the iBar. On the 30-inch flat screens you can play video games, or games of another kind to send drinks, winks and the perfect pick-up line all without leaving your seat or stumbling over your words. At the very least, a successful seduction ends the evening with a virtual stroll down the Las Vegas strip.

Open a door to cloud nine in the blink of an eye at the penthouse suite of Boston’s Nine Zero Hotel. The Mission Impossible iris recognition security system lets you in to gaze upon the breathtaking views, and at night, use the viewing telescope to spot some stars. The electronic drapes will block off the world from your own little techie burrow so you can play video games on the 27-inch TV with surround sound and complimentary wireless internet. And after your gruelling thumb workout, sink into the in room jacuzzi.

Once upon a time there was a world of horse-drawn carriages, fine furnishings and the sipping of tea on silk cushions, beyond the hustle and bustle of the 21st century. Wouldn’t it be grand to lounge about with some marmalade toast on a four poster bed in a castle, stroll around the cobble-stoned streets of an ancient city, or dine in an echoe-y sanctuary? Toss on a top hat and frock up for some old-time European hotels.

Prince and Princess pretence is possible in Belgium’s medieval city of Bruges, where the royal treatment awaits you at Hotel Heritage, complete with fine French and Italian fabric décor. The unique 14th century cellar is no longer full of dungeons, but a Turkish steam bath located inside the torture chamber of the 21st century - a gym. The hotel even offers a package to fully experience the days of old, with a horse drawn carriage ride, a canal ride and a stroll arm-in-arm through the park near the Lake of Love – enough to work up an appetite for a 4-course gastronomic feast at the on site restaurant.

En garde! Shine up your armour for a stay at Clontarf Hotel Castle in Dublin, a medieval-themed hotel built around a centuries-old castle. Every room is like a Robin Hood flashback, including dark timber and heavy curtains, and yet modern with new furniture and 28 inch LCD screen TVs. Walk within the thick castle walls towards the Knights Bar for an ale.

Get thee to a nunnery! Shakespeare’s Ophelia would have loved that idea if she were staying at Hotel Jules Cesar, in Arles of the Provence region, France. Formerly a 17th century convent, the hotel is an indulgently updated sanctuary in the heart of the old town, which still has Roman relics scattered about the narrow medieval streets. Take a vow of relaxation and take a dip in the heated pool set within lavender gardens, then later enjoy a true Provincial meal within the cloistered galleries at Restaurant Lou Marques.

Time to hit the refresh button on life? From ancient Chinese rituals to spicy shopping adventures, our hotel beauty experiences and wardrobe-bursting shopping sprees are the only way to give your body, mind and soul the extreme makeover they deserve — you can even have your papaya mud cake and eat it too.

Stay at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel, Hong Kong, and indulge in their sedatingly seductive Ayurveda and traditional Chinese ‘Sleep Ritual’ aromatherapy and massage treatments. You can even treat your tummy to a pre-nap refreshment of soya milk, oats and nutmeg. Once your senses return to orbit, head to the hotel’s M bar for oriental tapas and exquisite views.

You’ll be tasty enough to eat after a six sense spa experience at the Earth Spa at Evason Hideaway in Hua Hin, Thaliand. Using ingredients from the local garden, therapists apply exfoliants, masques, and wraps using coconut husks, papaya, kaffir lime and sesame seeds and leave you to drift into tropical bliss within your private mud-brick cave. Emerge refreshed with senses heightened and we challenge you to wipe that goofy smile off your face as you feast on exotic fruits and vegetables from the same garden.

Want to know where the Singapore locals shop for bargains? Jump on a Singapore Shop and Eat Heartlands Trail Tour, and your guide will reveal the best places for antiques, clothes and arts. The tour takes you to bohemian Holland Village to wander the malls, before fueling up on a spicy laksa and then to non-traditional shops to pick out something uniquely impressive for the folks back home. Kick off your shoes back at Novotel Clarke Quay, and plan your next day’s shopping adventure to nearby world famous Orchard Road.

Experience a living, breathing fashion parade along the 2.6km stretch of Japan’s largest shopping street—Osaka’s Tenjimbashi-suji. If you’ve ever wanted fluoro orange hi-tops, knee high socks and insane bargains on just about anything, everything from ‘2 dollar shops’ up to the finest credit card chomping boutiques are located at nearby Shinsaibashi street. The extreme makeover shopper hits a new level here – pigtails, nail polish… and that’s just the guys! After all the hustle and bustle, chill out at the nearby Toko City Umeda Osaka Hotel, where comfort comes at a reasonable price – and you’ll have more money to spend on those must have pearl coathangers.