HOT SPOT: Tulum

Coqui Coqui only has 7 rooms, but all of them have plush bedding, hand-carved stone bathtubs, antique rugs and traditional Mayan hammocks. The day you arrive, the owner’s childhood nanny prepares your bath with fresh rose petals and scented oils. The sea view spa is sweet, simple and special with 5 to 8 master therapists utilizing the natural botanicals produced in the magnificent Perfumery that Coqui Coqui owns nearby.

The hotel is run on solar energy from panels on the thatched roofs and there is no Internet access, air-conditioning (gentle cross-breezes will have to suffice)!, or electrical outlets. The energy you get will be hobnobbing with Kate Moss, Calvin Klein or Sienna Miller…

2. …and speaking of the Riviera Maya, one of the best resorts to open anywhere in a long time is Rosewood Mayakoba. This luxury hotel has everything you could possibly want in a vacation ; elegant accommodations with private plunge pools or roof-top sun decks, a dazzling white sandy beach bordering the turquoise waters of the western Caribbean, a fabulous spa centered around a natural spring-fed pool, a fully equipped gym with yoga and meditation classes, 4 restaurants serving refined Mexican and European cuisine, a wine cellar, a cigar bar, 24 hour butlers catering to your every need, a Greg Norman-designed golf course, snorkeling, diving and deep sea fishing, horseback riding and excursions to the Mayan ruins. I could continue, but what a run-on sentence that would be! Look for special offerings soon in the Bear & Bear Weekly Wire.

3. If you’re looking for that perfect ‘staycation’ (and let’s face it, who isn’t)!, consider the Rhinecliff Hotel located near historic Rhinebeck, NY.  With sweeping views of the Hudson and Catskill Mountains, this nine room boutique hotel was originally built in 1854 and the wood floors, antique beams, oak bar and fireplaces have been lovingly restored to their original grandeur.

Nearby is FDR’s Presidential Library & Museum, the Vanderbilt Mansion, the Val-Kill Cottage of Eleanor Roosevelt and the list goes on and on. If you’re a real foodie, the Culinary Institute is nearby, if you’re a collector, there’s loads of antiquing and if you’re an alcoholic , the Rhinecliff Hotel has the coolest bar this side of the Hudson!

4. With all the airline baggage allowance restrictions , every pound counts!  Globe-Trotter has designed the lightest suitcase in the world, weighing just over 2 lbs ! Although they have been around a long time (Winston Churchill used their attaché case and Princess Diana took Globe-Trotter luggage on her honeymoon), this brand has been rejuvenated thanks to a new industrial designer who took two years to research and develop the new materials for these high tech totes. This luggage has to be the slickest carousel candy around……

5. The new darling of Australia’s Great Barrier Reef is Qualia.

Located at the northern tip of Hamilton Island, there are only 60 secluded pavilions, all with private plunge pools . On the outdoor timber decks, there are king-size daybeds with picture postcard views of the coral sea. Qualia’s spa is a blissful sanctuary that offers the ultimate in anti-stress or cleansing treatments, 300 million year old stones are used for the hot stone massages and there is even a yoga and meditation pavilion. In the kitchen, local products and produce are showcased, fresh fish is caught daily and the wines are from Australia’s most famous wineries. The New York transported General Manager, Jason Friedman, opened Four Seasons Hotels around the globe and could not resist the beauty and luxury that Qualiarepresents. Traveling to paradise is worth the trip…

6. The skies just got friendlier and furrier…you can now enroll your pet in JetPaws, JetBlue’s animal Frequent Flyer program ! Your pet can receive 2 bonus award points for each flight they take, a pet travel etiquette on- line guide and a downloadable booklet listing pet-friendly hotels and restaurants in various cities.

JetBlue still charges for the pet blanket on board…!

7. Where can you find an authentic eco-chic, eco-friendly, eco-nomical, eco-logically beautiful lodge ? You have come to the right place, my fellow travelers.

Costa Rica’s Pacuare Lodge is nestled in the rain forest on the banks of the Pacuare, one of the most scenic rivers in the world. Typically, a transfer is by car or flight, but to get to Pacuare Lodge, you raft the rapids from San Jose!

Located on a 740 private nature reserve, the 15 rustically elegant palm-thatched bungalows are luxurious , yet simple with wide screened windows, teak floors, hand-crafted furniture and king sized canopy beds perfectly situated to offer you a 360 degree panoramic view of the surrounding rainforest. Since there is no electricity (there is a generator used for kitchen appliances or to light the paths of the lodge), you will truly feel a oneness with nature! Pacuare Lodge’s priority is to protect the fragile rainforest environment and the culture and traditions of the local Cabecar Indians that live there.

Pacuare Lodge is a very special place for those of you who want to escape from civilization as we know it…

8. For the stylish ‘recessionista’, our very own Sky Stylist, Regina Caridi, owner of Cesare + Lili boutique, recommends the perfect affordably-chic spring traveling ensemble: an ankle length, charcoal gray cotton tie dyed skirt by Love Tanje ($108) (which can double as a tube dress in the hot Caribbean), paired with a white Brianatee by Velvet ($48) and silver Python ballet flats ($88). Carry all your essentials in a must -have oatmeal colored canvas tote by Chan Luu ($138) and, if the plane gets a little chilly, throw a white linen baby cardigan by White and Warren ( $138) over your shoulders.

9. With some cool, new hotels on the horizon, you definitely have something to look forward to this season…

Viceroy is the hottest brand right now—their hotels are super sexy, sophisticated and seductive! Viceroy Miami on Brickell Avenue is opening in February and Viceroy Anguilla, in the Caribbean, is opening in June.

The Gansevoort Hotels are definitely fly !… look for the Gansevoort Turks in Turks & Caicos scheduled to open in late March.

Just when you thought the New York real estate market has gone soft, four successful, savvy hoteliers have changed the downtown landscape for the better:

The Standard Hotel (Andre Balazs Properties) in the Meatpacking District is opening ‘as we speak’.

Smyth Hotel (Thompson Hotels) in Tribeca is scheduled to open in February.

Crosby Street Hotel (London’s Firmdale Hotels) in Soho is slated to open up in the Spring.

Trump Soho (Trump Hotels) is due to open on Greene Street in September.

Keep on the lookout for our fabulous rates in the Bear & Bear Weekly Wire .

10.          Idlewild Books is the best kept secret in New York…until now, that is !

With a love for travel and books, David Del Vechhio, a former United Nations press officer, decided to open up this unique bookstore in 2008 turning his passion into a reality.

All books-whether it is a guide book, novel, memoir, cookbook, language-learning book or map—are categorized by destination and the options are endless.

Idlewild can even custom-design a Destination Kit geared to your requests or interests for a destination.

Going to Vietnam ? Why not pick up The Eyewitness Guide to Vietnam and Angkor Wat for sightseeing suggestions, the Luxe guide for fail-proof restaurant and shopping tips, A Lonely Planet Vietnamese Phrasebook and the fast paced novel Up Country by Nelson De Mille which takes place in Vietnam.

They also host numerous travel related events.

Idlewild Books, 12 W 19th St., 212-414-8888. Look for special offerings soon in the Bear & Bear Weekly Wire.

Be on the lookout for our very own : Bearometer … a true gauge of where the real deals are!