OutNext by Steph & Alek

THE AMANGIRI RESORT IN UTAH

Looking for the perfect place to stay while discovering the wild wild west !? Don't look any further, we have exactly what you (and I) need, the Amangiri part of the Aman Resorts.



Amangiri just opened in October 2009, it is located in the southwest region of the USA also known as the Four Corners, where the states of Utah, Colorado, New Mexico and Arizona meet.



Boasting one of the most dramatic landscapes in the USA with deep canyons and towering plateaus, the region has been home for centuries to the native Navajo and Hopi tribes yet is sparsely populated and presents the raw landscape for which the American Southwest has become famous.

Amangiri offers 34 suites in total: 13 Desert View Suites, 14 Mesa View Suites, one Terrace Suite, two Pool Suites, two Terrace Pool Suites, the Girijaala Suite and the Amangiri Suite.

Prices range between $600 and $3,300 a night.

+ The Amamgiri

THE NEW HILTON HOTEL ... IN MONGOLIA

Does the Mongolian desert needs a fancy Hilton hotel!?
My first answer would be no ...



... but then on a second though, if one day I wake up and decide to go to Mongolia ... that can happen (after a night of heavy drinking ... don't take it personal mongolian people, I am sure it is beautiful there) I would be the first one to look if there is a contemporary hotel for me to stay and recover from what brought me there.

VMX Architects designed a contemporary international hotel for the city of Ordos [Google Map It] The urban plan dictates a maximum height of only 3 storeys. So they came up with the idea of a round building! Taking maximum advantage of the view in every direction.



From above, the hotel appears as a flower (that is if you can fly I guess or play on google earth and use a good dose imagination, maybe I need to see some more flowers!

SOUTH BEACH ULTIMATE DESTINATION

Oh Boy! I just came back from Miami (I know my life is so glamourous ;-) and as always I had a great time. Miami is my favorite city in the US to get away for a couple of days. Caliente people, great food, amazing beach, what's not to like !?



South Beach is also known for its luxury hotels, on this trip I have just discovered my new home away from home, it is called De Soleil South Beach!



De Soleil South Beach - Crowne Plaza Hotel (formerly Vincci South Beach) is perfectly located boasting entrances on both Ocean Drive and Collins Avenue.

Each Rooftop Terrace Suite features a spiral staircase leading from the balcony to a private 625 square foot private rooftop terrace complete with a four-person Roman hot tub and wet bar. All 27 of the Rooftop Terrace feature a four-person Roman hot tubs and romantic outdoor dining areas.



+ De Soleil South Beach

EVERYTHING IS SMALLER IN VEGAS

When it comes to Las Vegas and buildings, size does matter ... But have you heard about the shrinking Hotel!?

Topping out at 28 stories instead of the proposed 49, the incredible shrinking Harmon seems unfortunately fated to look like a stubby, squashed stepchild next to its soaring CityCenter siblings, the 61-story Aria Resort & Casino and the 57-story Vdara condo-hotel.

WHY!?

That is the result of construction flaws, 15 floors of wrongly installed rebar that forced MGM Mirage, which is developing the project with Dubai World, to rapidly call for a significant reduction of the nongaming boutique hotel. More details on the Las Vegas Sun

Ok now it does not even make me want to walk by that building, not to mention staying a night in.

'Oups! we actually f*** Up the construction so let's just leave it that way!' Wow if I need a contractor for my future mansion in the Hills I will make sure to hire those guys!

I am honestly wondering is this is a real onstruction flaws or just the effects of an economy that is getting worst by the hour!?

LE NOUVEAU MONDRIAN / LOS ANGELES

I live just minutes away from the Mondrian in Los Angeles and I have to say it is one of my favorite place for a summer lunch by the pool.



In 1996, Morgans Hotel Group and iconic designer Philippe Starck dazzled the hospitality industry with the opening of Mondrian Los Angeles. the design united a quintessentially Californian embrace of nature, the outdoors, and the casual within the West Hollywood tradition of glamour and fantasy.



Now, in 2008, Morgans Hotel Group commissioned visionary designer Benjamin Noriega Ortiz to rejuvenate this beloved destination.



“the design of the hotel is so adored in the industry that I’ve heard the word Mondrian used as an adjective,” says Benjamin Noriega Ortiz. “I didn’t want to eradicate Philippe Starck’s original vision, I wanted to build on it; I wanted to enhance it.”





+ Benjamin Noriega Ortiz Designs
+ Mondrian Hotel Los Angeles

MANDARIN ORIENTAL NEW YORK

If like me you always (at least since they opened 5 years ago) wanted to stay at the Mandarin Oriental in New York, you should know that the Mandarin Oriental, New York is celebrating its fifth birthday with a Suite Fifth Anniversary Promotion valid until 30 April 2009.

The special deal offers guests savings of 50% with a three-night suite.

+ Mandarin Oriental New York



The hotel is offering visitors and residents access to its 35th floor Lobby Lounge on New Year’s Eve with a special evening of live music, dancing, passed hors d’oeuvres, a champagne toast and party favours. Cover charge is $200

VERSACE PRESENTS THE WORLD FIRST REFRIGERATED BEACH

Ok before you think this is crazy, let me tell you that I have been to Dubai during the summer and it is impossible to walk barefoot on the sand without being burned !!!! So with all the money spent in Dubai for developing some crazy resorts and covering them with gold leaves (yeah kind of everything has to be gold to be classy in thsi part of the world ... Not a big fan of that!) let me tell you that this is money well spent.

So in order to please jet setters and deal with the competition, the revolutionary beach of the Palazzo Versace hotel will include a system of heat-absorbing pipes built under the sand and giant wind blowers, designed to keep tourists cool.

+ Palazzo Versace Dubai

MY NEW ADDRESS! 123 WASHINGTON STREET

The 56-story tower will have 220 hotel rooms and 180 residential condominium apartments. The future W Hotel and condominium is expected to open in October 2009. I want to own a piece of it !!! This amazing residence is located 123 Washington Street on one of the most expensive and magic island in the world, Manhattan. This address will be home between floor 6 and 22 of a W hotel (perfect when your mother in law will come to visit you). Between floor 23 and 30 the W furnished residences, a pied-a-terre ready to move in. Between floor 33 and 56 ... one of my future condo preferably on floor 56 for the best view!

The residential entrance, cosy, stylish modern, simple, welcoming ... it will make you forget that you don't actually live in the lobby.

The outdoor plaza is nice but hey ... I am a roof top guy, I like to seep my champagne looking at the stars sitting by a fireplace listening some lounge music. Simple things ....

Now let's visit my future condo will you ...

I love cooking so this kitchen will be perfect for me and my friends, a good glass of wine to enjoy and celebrate the sunset ... isn't that great a good excuse to drink every night ... the sunset!

Once your done drinking and your friends have left, you can retreat and relax in your bedroom looking at the city light, even if all this as a pricy price think of the savings you will make on curtains .... because at 123 Washington Street all you'll want to do is enjoy the fantastic views. Time to rise and shine in your ultra modern bathroom and get your ass to work otherwise you will never be able to afford this Manhattan jewel ;-)

+ 123 Washington Street
+ Google Map

NURAI ISLAND RESORT

This is the most amazing project I have seen lately. Nurai Island is a private community of limited edition resort beach front estates and water villas on a natural island off the coast of Abu Dhabi.

One boutique luxury lodge resort equipped with 60 suites, 31 beachfront manor and 36 water villas. The colossal project is an association between New york based Studio Dror Benshetrit and the Paris-based firm AW2. The cost of this island $6 billion.

The seashore estates would comprise of six bedrooms, seven bath, private beach and rooftop garden. here will be no cars on the island, so you can either walk or take one of the golf carts. The island itself is only 1.5km long and 400 metres wide.

Nurai resort residents will have access to all of the services and comforts provided by the boutique resort. In addition to the amenities of the contemporary hotel, which include three restaurants and multiple lounges, Nurai also offers a private helipad and marina with arrivals lounge, a fully equipped spa and fitness centre, private beaches and water sports facilities.

It is expected to open in 2010, and the price for this piece of paradise start at $19 million.

+ Nurai Island Resort
+ Studio Dror

ROOFTOP GARDENS IN MANHATTAN

Those are the most hidden and exclusives places in New York City. It is the ultimate luxury in the most expensive city in America. We invite you to a voyeur bird's eye view on some of New York City rooftop gardens + Source

If like me you can't afford a condo in Manhattan with a rooftop garden, maybe we can start saving some pennies and treat us with a night or two at the Hotel Gansevoort famous for having a rooftop pool in the heart of Manhattan. This pool was featured in one of the episodes of Sex & The City.