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The Big Splash
ON A HOT SUMMER DAY, NOTHING BECKONS LIKE A COOL, REFRESHING POOL -- ESPECIALLY WHEN IT’S AS ELEGANT AS THE PROPERTY ON WHICH IT SITS. DIVE INTO ONE OF THESE FIVE SPECTACULAR RESORT POOLS. BY NICOLE ALPER
 ■ AT LE MÉRIDIEN TAHITI, slip your toes and feet into the largest sandy-bottom pool in the South Pacific while drinking in views of the neighboring blue lagoon. www.starwoodhotels.com/lemeridien
■ Dive on the edge of the French Quarter at the pool of the lovingly restored MELROSE MANSION, New Orleans. www.melrosemansion.com
■ Located on the 42nd floor, with views of the Hong Kong skyline, LANGHAM PLACE hotel’s swimming pool dazzles with underwater music and fiber optic lights. www.langhamplacehotel.com
■ What could be better than diving into KNYSNA, Africa’s PEZULA RESORT HOTEL & SPA castle pool, built into the rugged coastal cliff face? www.pezularesorthotel.com
■ Private cabanas -- some with their own whirlpools -- adorn the elegant pool at THE REGENT BAL HARBOUR, Florida. www.regenthotels.com/balharbour
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GOOD SPORTS
Once
the exclusive property of athletes who used them to carry all the
accoutrements of the sportsman’s daily life, duffel bags are doing
double, even triple, duty now as travel carry-ons and computer
carriers, among other things. Ostensibly unisex by design, the only
issues one has to contend with are color, material, and whether it’s
large enough to cram into it all the necessities of daily living. Need
some guidance? Try one of these on for size. BY WILLIAM KISSEL
 MORGAN GRAYS.
Design partners Morgan Molthrop and Stewart Grays have long been
enamored with history books, which is where they found the inspiration
for their Bulldog duffel, a replica of those carried by Olympic
athletes at the 1948 games. The red/white or navy/white two-tone
overnighter is made of genuine American buffalo leather and is
vegetable-dyed to protect the environment as well as your belongings.
At Neiman Marcus and Bergdorf Goodman/NY. $1,350. (866) 531-6447, www.morgangrays.com
SALVATORE FERRAGAMO.
Keeping pace with the trend toward metallics, Salvatore Ferragamo dyed
its linen and cotton duffel in metallic pewter and trimmed it with
chocolate canvas and leather. The tote has a handy side pocket for easy
access to cell phones and travel documents. $950. (800) 628-8916, www.ferragamo.com
BOTTEGA VENETA.
Bottega Veneta has made a signature of its proprietary
intreciato-weaving technique, which is typically found on the Milan,
Italy-based luxury brand’s leather goods. This duffel is woven out of
linen and detailed in Madagascar crocodile to up the luxe factor.
$21,150. (877) 362-1715, www.bottegaveneta.com
TUMI.
Designer David Chu knows great design and what sells, having sold his
Nautica menswear brand to VF Corporation in 2003. Now, as executive
creative director for Tumi, Chu has brought his fashion sense to
luggage. The all-purpose Townhouse Montague duffel is made of
khaki-colored cotton twill with leather detailing and features multiple
inside pockets to help you keep your life organized. $695. (800)
299-8864, www.tumi.com
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Dining IN
Why
ask the hotel concierge for dining advice? Major destination
restaurants -- the kind that bring in people from miles around -- are
increasingly found in-house. by ELAINE GLUSAC
 A
Located on the 16th floor of the new Trump International Hotel &
Tower in Chicago, SIXTEEN surveys the city skyline from a matchless
riverside locale. Chef Frank Brunacci’s delectable dishes demand
attention in a fittingly opulent room. (312) 588-8000, www.trumpchicago.com
B Named
for the fossil resin amber, AMBAR, the lagoon-side restaurant at the
new Mandarin Oriental Riviera Maya, showcases the sophisticated Latin-
Asian cooking of chef Ignacio Granda del Gallego in an exhibition
kitchen. 011-52-984-877-3295, www.mandarinoriental.com
C Acqualina
Resort and Spa in Sunny Isles Beach, north of Miami, boasts an outpost
of the acclaimed New York eatery IL MULINO. Outstanding complimentary
antipasto plates foreshadow an evening of Italian treats such as veal
chops and lobster risotto, all in a cool setting brimming with energy.
(305) 918-8000, www.acqualina.com
D At
the new restaurant in the just-renovated Stoneleigh Hotel & Spa in
Dallas, BOLLA, chef David Bull serves market-driven regional Italian
fare -- think veal cheeks with preserved lemons -- in the Art Deco
landmark. (214) 871-7111, www.stoneleighhotel.com
E At
the Hotel Principe di Savoia in Milan, locals queue up for the new
Sunday brunch at ACANTO. In the hotel’s Winter Garden Bar, culinary
cocktails come paired with canapés. And with AA’s new direct JFK-Milan
service, getting there is easy. 011-39-02-62301, www.hotelprincipedisavoia.com
F Once
a notorious jail, the Liberty Hotel in Boston has all its
food-and-beverage bases covered -- the VEUVE CLICQUOT CHAMPAGNE BAR,
CLINK for small plates, and SCAMPO, the newest Italian outpost from
popular chef Lydia Shire. (617) 224-4000, www.libertyhotel.com
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Family
ADVENTURES
School’s
out, and the family fun is on. Get it recreational or educational at
these new clan-friendly attractions, exhibits, and programs. BY ELAINE
GLUSAC
 A Get
weird with a visit to “MYTHIC CREATURES: DRAGONS, UNICORNS &
MERMAIDS” at The Field Museum in Chicago. Through September 1, compare
models of the fantastical (including a dragon with a 19-foot-plus
wingspan) with the real (an extinct nine-foot-plus bird). (312)
922-9410, www.fieldmuseum.org
B Get
wet at the new GREAT WOLF LODGE in Grapevine, Texas. The
$100-million-plus waterpark resort includes a four-story treehouse fort
with 60 interactive water features, a 191,000-gallon pool,
northwood-themed suites, and a kiddie spa serving up pedicures. (817)
488-6510, www.greatwolf.com
C Get
into the groove at the new HARD ROCK PARK, the world’s first
rock-and-roll theme park, in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Complete
with rides, attractions, and -- of course -- music, the park is built
around six “rock environs,” each themed to a specific genre of music.
(843) 236- 7625, www.hardrockpark.com
D Get
smart at Loews Hotels, which introduces “EDU-CATIONS,” site-specific
learning programs for teens. Compose with a Nashville songwriter, surf
a custom-made board in San Diego, or go behind the scenes on the NASDAQ
trading floor. (800) 235-6397, www.loewshotels.com
E Get
wild at BIOPARC VALENCIA, Europe’s biggest immersion zoo, newly opened
in Valencia on Spain’s Mediterranean coast. Exhibits recreate the
African savannah amid herds of antelope and giraffes, with lions
overlooking them from a rocky plain. 011-34-902-250-340, www.bioparcvalencia.es
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Tech Your Summer
Shed a few pounds this summer, thanks to new tech products whose designs will lighten your load.
| INSTEAD OF: | BRING ALONG: | | A heavy, metal camera | CANON EOS
DIGITAL REBEL XT, a professional-grade camera all wrapped up in a
compact, lightweight plastic package. www.usa.canon.com
| Your cell phone, iPod, portable DVD player
| The
new SAMSUNG INSTINCT (available in June), a touch-screen cell phone for
Sprint that offers Web browsing, email, music, Sprint TV, and Sprint
Exclusive Entertainment. www.sprint.com
| A bag full of bulky books, the daily paper, and a stack of magazines
| AMAZON’S
KINDLE, an electronic reading device that really gets it right, letting
you download books, newspapers, and magazines wirelessly.
www.amazon.com/kindle
| A shoulder-aching laptop
| APPLE’S MACBOOK AIR. At just 3 pounds, you’ll almost forget you are carrying a computer. www.apple.com -- L.S.
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Blu-Ray Beauty
Now
that Blu-ray has come out victorious in the format battle, we knew it
wouldn’t be long before audio-video purists had a Blu-ray player they
could call their own. The EIDOS 20BD
by Goldmund, priced at $16,900, is the first high-end Bluray player to
hit the market … and it does hit the mark. The player features an
AC-Curator power supply circuit that dramatically improves picture and
sound stability, and mechanical grounding construction to remove
vibrations from the player. www.goldmund.com -- LORI STACY
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