Saudi Arabia opens its first women-only hotel

The first women-only hotel opened this Wednesday in Riyadh, the capitol of Saudi Arabia.

"Inside this physical structure, we are all women. We even have bell-women. We are women-owned, women-managed and women-run, from our IT engineer to our electrical engineer," says Executive Director Lorraine Coutinho.

"This is meeting a very big demand. There are women's hotels all over the world, from Berlin to the United States to everywhere," she said.

According to Luthan Hotel & Spa website:

Luthan means “escape”, at the spa we create a world that offers you refuge from the pressures of daily life.

Luthan has 25 luxurious individually designed suites and bedrooms for those who wish to extend their day with a weekend stay at this privately owned Boutique Hotel.The rooms are an extension of the spa where treatments can be carried out en suite on request.

A wide choice of leisure activities is available for all guests to enjoy. Guests to the Luthan Hotel can also attend the regular programme of excercise classes,where a varying choice from Aerobics to Yoga are available.

From the moment you step in our doors your senses will be awakened. A spa treatment which is uniquely yours, that will restore your peace of mind. Our first consideration is your personal comfort and relaxation. This reassurance never leaves us which is why a hands on treatment is so overpowering to the body.

At Luthan we cater to all your senses, the perfect urban retreat.

Your weight in gold, so get fit

The Bioferienhotel Mandler's Landhaus hotel in Austrian Alps has quite a new idea about their pricing system – it charges per pound of flesh – literally. The rates at this all organic food hotel are determinated on arrival, when hotel guests are "weighted-in" at reception; the skinnier you are, the smaller a rate.

“It is not only encouraging health and weight awareness, it also stimulates people to do more fitness training,” a hotel spokesman said.

Source: Times Online

The ugliest hotel 5 - Bad Blumau , Austria

Straight from the Gaudi - Klimt nightmare comes out my next contender to the honourable name of the ugliest hotel in the world.

The designer spa Rogner Bad Blumau Hotel near Graz in Austria was designed by Austrian sculptor and painter Friedensreich Hundertwasser, who is famous for calling straight lines “the devil’s tools”.

The hotel claims to be the world's largest habitable work of art and offers 290 rooms, some underground in few differently themed areas. The spa is at the centre of the complex and provides a variety of saunas and health facilities and offers a number of wellness programmes. The hotel is also home to Europe's leading holistic health centre.

According to the hotel’s philosophy ‘The absence of kitsch makes our life unbearable, you can’t do without romance.’ Can someone explain to me how kitsch is related to romance?

Switzerland famous for chocolate, cheese and… spas!

The TripAdvisor’s readers named Top Ten World Spas. Among them there are 5 European spas with 3 of them in Switzerland, the other four are in USA and one in Bali.

"Situated in stunning environments with luxurious accommodations, these top spas offer a truly exceptional experience, enabling travelers to completely unwind and rejuvenate," said Michele Perry, spokeswoman for TripAdvisor.

The full list is as follows:

1. Ojai Valley Inn and Spa, Ojai, California
2. Victoria-Jungfrau Grand Hotel & Spa, Interlaken, Switzerland
3. The Lodge At Woodloch, Hawley, Pennsylvania
4. Les Sources de Caudalie, Aquitaine, France
5. Como Shambhala, Bali, Indonesia
6. Canyon Ranch Lenox, Lenox, Massachusetts
7. Casa Palmero at Pebble Beach, Pebble Beach, California
8. Lausanne Palace & Spa, Vaud, Switzerland
9. Hotel Le Mirador Kempinski Genfer See, Vaud, Switzerland
10. Schlosshotel Buehlerhoehe, Buhl, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany