Top 10 (+1): World’s Sexiest Resorts
by Mark Ellwood
The benefits of a romantic vacation: Time to talk about the relationship, share feelings, get closer emotionally. Benefits of a sexy getaway: Time to get close, in a more physical way—no talk necessary. Romance is candles. Sexy is furry handcuffs. Romance is a beachside dinner with sand between your toes. Sexy is a beachside romp with sand everywhere. We’ve chosen 11 resorts around the world that are best suited to this latter, more indulgent type of vacation. The kind that makes you want to get out of bed and into the tub for two. Where the bellboys are buff and bare-chested, and where the steam room at the spa is not only coed, but completely au naturel (that’s the Hotel Victor in South Beach, pictured). Go ahead: Give yourself over to the pleasures of the flesh. There will be plenty of time to talk on the flight home.
1. MOST STUD-TASTIC STAFF
Where: InterContinental Resort Tahiti, French Polynesia
Ideal for: Jilted-at-the-altar brides who braved that far-flung honeymoon solo.
Sexiest detail: The shirtless bellboys padding around in loose-draped sarongs.
The lure: For once, there’s a reason not to travel light—go ahead, fill up that third suitcase if you’re planning a vacation at the InterContinental Tahiti, just a mile from the airport in Papeete. Otherwise you’ll have no excuse to ogle the bellboys, whose required uniform consists of nothing but a sarong, a six-pack, and a killer smile. The only baggage you shouldn’t bring? That pesky boyfriend.
Sexiness factor: As buff as Daniel Craig on a workout binge.
InterContinental Resort Tahiti
2. ULTIMATE HOT TUBS
Where: Hotel Valley Ho, Scottsdale, Arizona
Ideal for: Sybaritic bath-takers bored with solo soaks.
Sexiest detail: High-style bathtubs that peek into the bedrooms.
The lure: The mid-century-fabulous Valley Ho helped pioneer the boutique hotel bedroom/bathroom fusion when it reopened after a mod makeover last December. After all, what’s sexier and more intimate than an ogle-ready tub just steps from a plush king-size bed? The Executive Suites have huge Champagne glass–shaped baths big enough for a private party. But even the 20 studio rooms are romance-ready, with freestanding Starck-designed tubs surrounded by drapes. Order up a pupu platter and a couple of Mai Tais from the revived Trader Vic’s downstairs to truly channel vintage Hefner.
Sexiness factor: Snazzier than Sinatra crooning “My Way” to Mia Farrow.
3. MOST PRIVATE BEACH
Where: Little Dix Bay, Virgin Gorda, British Virgin Islands
Ideal for: Sand-romping Ivy Leaguers keen to re-create Deborah Kerr and Burt Lancaster’s wave-lapped clinch.
Sexiest detail: Couples’ day trips (picnic included) to one of 11 different private beaches.
The lure: Laurance Rockefeller’s eco-retreat may sit on a private crescent of sand, but couples can also book a free “beach drop”: The hotel will shuttle them solo by speedboat to one of the sandy retreats dotted around Virgin Gorda and the Dog Islands and leave them alone for up to four hours. The best spot for frolicsome twosomes is Valley Trunk beach, but since none takes more than 15 minutes to reach, if another couple’s already claimed that spot, it’s easy to shuttle to the next spit of sand. The day pack includes towels, umbrella, and a cooler full of food and ready-popped Champagne (whipped cream and strawberries strictly optional).
Sexiness factor: More ardent than a double feature of From Here to Eternity and The Blue Lagoon.
4. MOST EROTIC DECOR
Where: Puro Oasis Urbano, Mallorca, Spain
Ideal for: Modern sultans keen to channel their Ottoman forebears.
Sexiest detail: Louche harem-inspired design.
The lure: This 14th-century palace has been converted into a luxe boho hideaway, its bleached-out Mallorcan exterior now hiding Moroccan-inspired innards. There are feather-decked light fittings, romp-ready scarlet and purple overstuffed pillows, spa-style bathrooms—plus canopied daybeds and a black-tiled plunge pool on the roof deck. The camel-bone bracelets left on pillows are said to “bring strength and good fortune”; it wouldn’t be surprising if they were just a little bit of an aphrodisiac as well.
Sexiness factor: More seductive than a palace-full of concubines.
5. MOST WINSOME SERVERS
Where: Hôtel Saint-Barth Isle de France, St. Barths
Ideal for: Models, modelizers, and sun-seeking talent scouts.
Sexiest detail: The hotel hotties who moonlight as mannequins.
The lure: Sure, the Hôtel Saint-Barth is chic—that preppy French vibe, all floral fabrics and Caribbean breezes—and the setting, on the Baie des Flamands, is refreshingly stashed away (ideal for topless sunbathing). But on an island where the ample swimsuit-clad eye candy causes a constant sugar rush, this spot stands out thanks to its foxy, double-duty staff. Come cocktail hour each Tuesday, they swap front desk and bar-back for catwalk and backstage, sashaying around the pool as part of the hotel’s weekly fashion show. Supermodel of the moment: waitress Christelle, St. Barths’ blond and bronzed homegrown rival to Gisele.
Sexiness factor: Fiercer than Naomi Campbell with a phone in her hand.
Hôtel Saint-Barth Isle de France
6. STEAMIEST SPA
Where: Hotel Victor, Miami Beach
Ideal for: Adventurous, exhibitionist couples with South Beach–ready bods.
Sexiest detail: The saucy steam room that’s both coed and clothing-optional.
The lure: André Balazs may have opened South Beach’s first official spa hotel, the Standard on Belle Isle, but Uma’s beau wasn’t brave enough to go all the way: The coed steam room there is prudishly swimsuit-required. The 500-square-foot version at the Hotel Victor’s spa, however, is strictly a bikini-free zone—and all the better for it. The shy but spa-curious can book a treatment such as the clay and olive oil cleansing Hammam V ($250), which is performed in a private Turkish-style hammam with a heated marble bed just off the main area.
Sexiness factor: As steamy as a Grey’s Anatomy ménage à trois.
7. MOST SEDUCTIVE LANDSCAPE
Where: Villa San Michele, Fiesole, Italy
Ideal for: Uptight Brits and their would-be suitors (well, it worked for Julian Sands and Helena Bonham Carter).
Sexiest detail: Swoony, Renaissance-packed views.
The lure: No wonder they called it A Room With a View. This 15th-century monastery turned ultraluxe hotel—a favorite of Brigitte Bardot, Madonna, and Julia Roberts—has jaw-dropping views of Italy’s most heart-stopping skyline thanks to its unbeatable perch on a hill just outside Florence. To best appreciate the Renaissance beauty of the city spread out in the valley, book one of the suites in the Limonaia, so called because it’s where the monks used to store their lemons in wintertime.
Sexiness factor: As breathtaking as a newly discovered nude by Raphael.
8. BEST SPOT FOR AN INDECENT PROPOSAL
Where: Pink Flamingo Resort, Port Douglas, Australia
Ideal for: Wayward boys, naughty girls, and those who love them.
Sexiest detail: Furry handcuffs, made available to all guests.
The lure: Cath, Sam, and Lee, the trio of chicks who run this gay-friendly resort near the Great Barrier Reef, call themselves the Go Go Go Girls. Not because they’re part-time strippers, but because they handle every aspect of the kitschy spot. It’s perfect for a little pre-dive canoodling: 100-percent kid-free, the dozen or so rooms are prime seduction suites. If the handcuffs are too much, each villa has a two-person outdoor tub with candelabra, incense, and bubble bath.
Sexiness factor: More outrageous than a flock of plastic flamingos.
9. WILDEST ADVENTURE
Where: VirginBush Safaris, East Africa
Ideal for: Alpha males with an indulgent side.
Sexiest detail: The foxy twosome—one blond, one brunette—who lead the trips (oh, and that naughty name).
The lure: Self-proclaimed safari snobs, Cindi Crain and Lisa Rolls were high-flying Manhattan media execs until they ditched that life for a sexier alternative—leading posh trips around the veld of East Africa. (You can still spot them braving the urban jungle when they come back to woo new clients each year at New York’s Soho House.) After a pretrip interview, the pair customizes each vacation, which usually includes Bedouin-style tented camps with canopied beds and fresh-mixed cocktails after a day of elephant-spotting. The standout feature, though, is Shompole Lodge, where the private rooms are partly open to the elements: Guests are advised to go au naturel the entire time so they can, well, commune with nature.
Sexiness factor: Wilder than a pack of starlet-hunting paparazzi.
10. BEST PLACE FOR AN AFFAIR 
Where: Aleenta Resort and Spa, Phuket, Thailand
Ideal for: Frill-phobic romance-seekers who want to get away from it (and them) all.
Sexiest detail: The isolated elegance of the place.
The lure: Sometimes skin is in, and sometimes less is more—like at the effortlessly sexy and low-key new Aleenta resort on the quiet northeastern coast of Phuket. A short jaunt from Phang Nga Bay, it debuted last summer and has managed to stay under the radar—perfect for a secluded rendezvous. The wabi-sabi style rooms have an outdoors-inside aesthetic, including a view-hogging glass wall that can be folded back for maximum access. And since there’s a private plunge pool for each suite, skinny-dipping is more than possible. You’re certainly not going to run into anyone you know.
Sexiness factor: As secluded and exotic as a Brangelina vacation.
+1 MOST TORRID RETREAT 
Where: Chalet Eugenia, Klosters, Switzerland
Ideal for: Old World old money (Charles, Harry, and Will slalom here regularly) and royal-loving nouveaux riches.
Sexiest detail: The romp-ready fur rugs and open fireplaces.
The lure: This rustic-looking chalet in ultraexclusive Klosters, in the Engadine region of the Swiss Alps, was built in 1957 and remodeled in 2002 by Baron Steven Bentinck for a few million dollars—petty change when you’re the nephew of steel magnate, museum founder, and all-round billionaire Heinrich Thyssen-Bornemisza. The place is now a luxe Swiss lodge, with on-site sauna and steam room, hand-carved doors, oak-beamed ceilings, vintage Champagne in every ice bucket, and a roaring fireplace in three of the eight rooms. It sleeps a dozen bright young things at any one time—perfect for your après-ski orgy.
Sexiness factor: As smoking as a pack of nicotine-deprived hipsters huddled outside a dive bar.
Source: Concierge.com
March 10th, 2010 at 8:19 am
Have just turned back from a grand holiday to Phuket, stayed at Palm Beach Inn in the northwest part which is less hetic than southeastern areas, superior hotel and wonderful bays. We rented a jeep for only 450 baht per day and would drive around the whole area. So many marvelous places to eat, our beloved restaurant was Thai Food Heaven which had the most extraordinary view over the beach, the faculty was really nice and the food so yummy, we would go for sunset cocktails. My girlfriend and I had a brilliant time in Phuket City and will be back for Christmas.