JACMEL, HAITI — A couple of rumpled aid workers were sucking down a Sunday morning beer at the Hotel Florita here when the minister of tourism rolled to the curb, followed by the interior minister with body guards toting AR-15s, and then the star of the show, New York fashion designer Donna Karan of DKNY. Read full article > >

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Haiti dreams of tourism revival

Gunmen have abducted two French citizens from their hotel in the central Mali town of Hombori, in the first kidnapping south of the Niger river.

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French citizens abducted in Mali

From the moment he opened the Bazaar in Los Angeles, Jose Andres gave Tinseltown something to gaze upon other than its own navel — or Katherine Heigl ’s. In her four-star review for the Los Angeles Times, critic S. Irene Virbila wrote: How to describe the experience at the Bazaar by José Andrés in the new SLS Hotel at Beverly Hills? Fellini-esque, a gastronomical circus, a flirtation with the flavors and soul of Spain? Los Angeles has never seen anything remotely like this exciting restaurant from Spanish chef Jose Andres. Read full article > >

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Could Jose Andres open a Bazaar in Washington?

From the moment he opened the Bazaar in Los Angeles, Jose Andres gave Tinseltown something to gaze upon other than its own navel — or Katherine Heigl ’s. In her four-star review for the Los Angeles Times, critic S. Irene Virbila wrote: How to describe the experience at the Bazaar by José Andrés in the new SLS Hotel at Beverly Hills? Fellini-esque, a gastronomical circus, a flirtation with the flavors and soul of Spain? Los Angeles has never seen anything remotely like this exciting restaurant from Spanish chef Jose Andres. Read full article > >

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Could Jose Andres open a Bazaar in Washington?

You knew the moment would come; it always does. The transaction’s over, and you have a crucial decision to make: Do you tip the hotel doorman who swung the portal open for you? What about the pool guy who brought you a towel? Or the room-service waiter who handed you a bill that includes a service fee? Or anyone who assisted you in Japan? Read full article > >

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Brother, can you spare a tip?

The Cuban government has rebuffed a mission by former New Mexico governor Bill Richardson to free a U.S. government contractor jailed in Havana, even ruling out a visit with the man, Richardson said Sunday. Richardson vowed to remain in Cuba until he was allowed to see jailed American Alan P. Gross. “We were supposed to leave yesterday. We’ve extended our stay in the hotel. My position is, I’m not planning to leave until I get a chance to visit Alan Gross,” Richardson said in a telephone interview from Havana. Read full article > >

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Richardson rebuffed in effort to free Alan Gross

In 2009, when Ryan Gosling reached out to Nicolas Winding Refn to direct “Drive,” a taut, quietly mesmerizing thriller about a getaway car driver, he found the Danish director in one of Hollywood’s most notorious neighborhoods: Development Hell. Refn had been trying to convince Harrison Ford that his character should die in the CIA thriller they were doing. To make matters worse, the 40-year-old filmmaker, who lives in Copenhagen with his wife and two daughters, was suffering from a vicious case of flu, and first met Gosling while “completely stoned” on medication, finally asking the actor — after an awkwardly quiet dinner — to drive him back to his hotel in Santa Monica. Read full article > >

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Director Nicolas Winding Refn talks about ‘Drive’

Matthew Fox — the actor best known as Jack Shephard, the man who saved the island on “ Lost ” — was reportedly detained over the weekend for allegedly punching a woman in Cleveland, Ohio. According to the Hollywood Reporter , TMZ and other outlets, on Saturday night/early Sunday morning Fox attempted to hitch a ride to his hotel via a private party bus, but the female driver of the bus refused to let him enter. In response, Fox allegedly punched the woman in the chest and stomach and she retaliated by allegedly socking him in the mouth. Read full article > >

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Matthew Fox allegedly punched woman

The jury in the trial of two men accused of murdering a honeymoon couple is given a graphic description of their hotel room after they were shot.

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Jury hears honeymoon deaths scene

So, I’m lying on a fluffy white duvet and surfing the flat-screen TV embedded in my hotel room wall. I’ve just finished a meal of Milanese risotto flavored with saffron, washed down with a glass of chilled pinot grigio. Through the window, I can see the twinkling lights of what claims to be the oldest continually inhabited city in the world, giving way to the darkness of the plains of northern Iraq. That’s right. I’m in Iraq. In a five-star hotel. With Italian wine and Italian food, cooked by a real Italian chef. There are buckets of iced champagne sitting on the bar downstairs, and a Bulgarian pianist is playing classical music in the marbled lobby. It’s just too un-Iraq to be true — and in some ways it’s not true. Read full article > >

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Kurdistan: the other Iraq

Lawyers for IMF chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn argued at his arraignment that the hotel worker who has accused him of a sexual attack consented to the encounter. “The evidence, we believe, will not be consistent with a forcible encounter,” said one…

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IMF Chief Claims Consent

COLUMBIA, S.C. Jon Huntsman Jr. was leaving for dinner here early Friday evening when he was greeted on the front porch of his hotel by another guest. “I’m looking forward to supporting you,” the guest said, “but I haven’t heard you yet.” The remark summed up the anticipation — and the absence of information — that surrounds the former governor of Utah. For the past two years, he was the U.S. ambassador to China, appointed by President Obama. By June, he is likely to be running for the Republican presidential nomination with the goal of unseating the man who sent him to Beijing. Read full article > >

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Jon Huntsman, former ambassador to China, tests a 2012 presidential candidacy

Fans of Justin Bieber force the closure of a Liverpool road after they gather outside his hotel ahead of a concert.

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Justin Bieber fans shut city road

An eco-luxurious getaway hidden along Mexico’s Pacific coast If you’re after a secluded, otherworldly experience on your next vacation, look no further than Verana , an intimate boutique hotel on Mexico’s Pacific coast. Tucked in a remote hillside jungle just thirty miles south of Puerto Vallarta and accessible only by boat, Verana boasts indulgently private accommodations, a blend of old-world and modern designs and a philosophy of simple luxuries—all set against a backdrop of stunning water and mountain views. The enchantment begins upon arrival, when guests disembark onto the hotel’s small, private pier. A few stone steps lead to the full-service jungle spa, which offers aqua-therapy, scrubs, massages and the like, many of which incorporate locally grown plants. Next to the spa, the first of the hotel’s two restaurants provides lunchtime service overlooking the bay, a perfect spot to enjoy the sights (on a recent visit, I saw a whale nursing her calf in the water below), while enjoying a stellar chef’s menu, updated daily. (A weekday menu might include fresh-baked bread with roasted smoked eggplant puree, guajillo chile-encrusted octopus, and caramelized pineapple with fresh strawberries and yogurt citrus sorbet.) From there, it’s a 15-minute hike through the jungle, up winding stone steps to the hotel proper. Along the way, guests pass by a dramatic, eight-foot-tall urn, as well as rustic busts made in the likeness of Verana’s owners. (Meanwhile, mules stand-in for bell-boys.) Beautifully simple, the nine individually-designed villas dotting the hillside combine the traditional architecture with modern design, also marrying the indoors with the outdoors. The hotel’s lush natural surroundings inspired the overall color palette, and its decor (all of which had to be brought uphill by man or mule) mixes streamlined, contemporary pieces with artisan-made furniture and Mexican handicrafts, carefully selected by owners, former movie set builder Heinz Legler and set decorator Veronique Lievre. The couple originally began construction on Verana intending it to be their dream house—even sleeping in a tent the first year during construction—but soon realized they wanted to share the beauty of this locale with others in an intimate hotel setting. Describing the remote estate, Lievre says, “Verana is really about the outside setting with the option to go inside.” Guests can choose from open, tranquil palapas with traditional thatched roofs, few to zero walls and rock floors, or more modern, enclosed rooms with dramatic walls of steel-framed windows overlooking the bay. The hotel’s second restaurant and spa location blend in up here as well, where guests meet nightly for a casual cocktail hour at the outdoor bar, enjoying contemporary designs and stellar service, followed by impeccable dinners—yes, once again, overlooking the bay. (Taco Tuesdays are particular standouts at Verana, with a salsa offerings fit for the spice novice or the fiery masochist.) If you somehow tire of lounging by the spring water pool while taking in 180-degree views of the mountains and ocean on your personal terrace, or have had enough of all those pesky, relaxing spa treatments, Verana also offers private and group yoga classes, kayaking, whale and bird watching excursions, an outdoor couples starlit bath (as good as it sounds, lit only by the heavens and candlelight) and the like. The nearby town of Yelapa is just a twenty minute hike away, with a long, lovely beach and a local celebrity of sorts—”the cake lady” who walks up and down the beach carrying delicious cakes and pies on her head for sale. Plan accordingly though, the trail between Yelapa and Verana is impassible when the tide is in. For those looking for the perfect getaway, Verana’s rooms for two include three daily meals, taxes and boat transportation. Verana is open to the public 1 November-31 July each year, rack rates start at $380 a night. To reserve, contact Verana.

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Verana

“Down! Down!” the man at my hotel room door said. It was 4:30 a.m. Monday in Ras Lanuf, and I had hoped to get a decent night’s sleep for the first time in weeks. Yet again, my hopes were dashed.

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A wake-up call in Libya’s Ras Lanuf