14 Most Famous Celebrities Owned Resorts

Movie stars and musicians have branched out from their primary careers to become owners of hotels, inns and resorts around the world. Here are 10 places to stay where you’re sure to feel like a celebrity.

Bedford Post Inn

Actor Richard Gere and his wife, Carey Lowell, restored an 18th-century house and barn into a small luxury hotel called the Bedford Post Inn, which opened in July 2009. Located in the tony enclave of Westchester, N.Y., just 45 minutes from Manhattan, the inn has eight guest rooms, an on-site gourmet restaurant and yoga and meditation studios frequented by Gere.

Palazzo Versace

Donatella Versace’s glittering Palazzo Versace in Queensland, Australia, is as stylish and chic as you’d expect from a fashion designer. White, stately Italian columns and palm trees under the Gold Coast sun lure sun-seekers from around the world.A popular surfing beach nearby is a bonus, but there’s also a warm-water lagoon pool and beach at the hotel itself. Want a more private water experience? Book one of the condos with a plunge pool.

Ulusaba Safari Lodge

Virgin Group founder Sir Richard Branson has developed a luxurious private game reserve, Ulusaba, near the border of Kruger National Park in South Africa. When you’re not traveling by Jeep looking for lions,  buffaloes, leopards, elephants and rhinoceroses, you can kick back in style in the reserve’s two lodges, built high on hills with amazing views.For extra fun, walk on swinging bridges between the treehouse-style rooms of the Safari Lodge. Tennis, swimming and a spa are also available, as is a daily bush walk for those who really want to get up close to wildlife.

Vermejo Park Ranch

This wilderness area near the New Mexico-Colorado border has been a recreational retreat since 1902 and over the years has been host to President Herbert Hoover, director Cecil B. DeMille and actor Douglas Fairbanks, to name just a few. CNN founder Ted Turner purchased the 920 square miles around Vermejo Park Ranch in 1996 and began multiple conservation programs designed to reintroduce endangered species and restore forest and prairie ecosystems.Today, visitors can see herds of elk, bison, antelope and deer — as well as their predators, bears and mountain lions — in their natural habitat. The ranch caters to nature-lovers, fishermen and hunters out to bag an elk, deer or bison.

Eleven Cadogan Gardens Hotel

Located near the River Thames and Hyde Park in the Knightsbridge district of London, Eleven Cadogan Gardens Hotel (or No. 11 to those in the know), is a chic, 60-room, private club and hotel owned by actress Elizabeth Hurley. Luxury features include claw-foot tubs, Victorian-era furnishings, private dining and a chauffeur service through which you can ride in style in a Rolls-Royce or Bentley.

Twin Palms

Singer Frank Sinatra originally requested that his architects build his Palm Springs, Calif., house with lots of opulent columns, but they talked him into this more casual “desert-appropriate” home. He lived in the home from 1947 to 1957, years that saw many ups and downs in his personal life, including a divorce from his first wife, Nancy, and his marriage to and divorce from Eva Gardner. Through it all, it was a refuge for Sinatra and the Hollywood elite.True to Sinatra’s style, Twin Palms remains a fabulous house for entertaining. Visitors can now stay overnight at the estate, sleep in the master bedroom — secluded from the rest of the house for privacy — swim in the pool and soak up the sun and desert mountain views.

The Greenwich Hotel

When a vacant lot opened next to his office in New York City’s Tribeca neighborhood, actor Robert De Niro seized the opportunity and created The Greenwich Hotel, which opened in 2008. De Niro, who co-founded the Tribeca Film Festival and the film studio Tribeca Productions, among other ventures in the lower Manhattan neighborhood, wanted to build a property that represented the historic architecture of the area. The result is an eight-story building housing 88 rooms and suites. Reclaimed wood was used for the floors and doors, and the spa features a 250-year-old pine-and-bamboo house transported from Kyoto, Japan, which was reconstructed in the building

Terrace Beach Resort

The Terrace Beach Resort in Ucluelet, British Columbia, Canada, is a collection of waterfront cabins surrounded by evergreen forest. Actor Jason Priestley and his family opened this haven on the rugged southwestern coast of Vancouver Island, on the edge of the Pacific Ocean. Popular with surfers, hikers, whale watchers and storm watchers, the cabins and rooms, starting at $99, offer in-room spa treatments and modern amenities such as kitchens and hot tubs.

The Clarence

Rock stars don’t have a great reputation as hotel guests, but evidently they make fine hotel owners. As young band mates in the 1970s, U2’s Bono and The Edge, among other artists, musicians and writers, frequented the Temple Bar district of Dublin. By 1992, The Clarence hotel, on the banks of the River Liffey, had fallen into ill repair, so the pair bought and restored its 50 rooms.

Jardin Escondido

Director Francis Ford Coppola not only has a thriving winery in Geyserville, Calif., he has a handful of hotels around the world, including Turtle Inn in Belize and La Lancha in Guatemala. Perhaps his most intimate hotel is Jardin Escondido in Buenos Aires, Argentina, a garden retreat with just seven bedrooms. It also features a solar-heated pool, an outdoor kitchen and multiple levels of gardens.Even though the bustling and fashionable neighborhood of Palermo Soho is just outside the front door, the hotel is so secluded that Coppola himself occasionally comes here to write.

Mission Ranch

The Mission Ranch, on California’s Monterey Peninsula, was bought and restored by Academy Award-winning actor and director Clint Eastwood in 1986. The barn dates back to the 1850s, and the 22-acre ranch was the site of one of California’s first creameries. It is adorned with gardens, cypress and eucalyptus trees and has sweeping views of the surrounding meadows and coastline.

Sundance

In 1969, actor Robert Redford bought a Utah ski resort with a vision of creating a community for environmental conservation and artistic experimentation. Today, this year-round resort, Sundance, is popular for skiing, hiking, fly-fishing and horseback riding. Redford has become practically synonymous with Sundance, which is also the name of the independent film festival he founded in nearby Park City, as well as the character he played in the 1969 film “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.”

Cardozo Hotel

The Art Deco Cardozo Hotel in Miami’s South Beach neighborhood is owned by singer Gloria Estefan and her husband, Emilio Estefan Jr., who helped refurbish the iconic, 1930s beachfront building.

Gaia Retreat and Spa

Musician Olivia Newton-John is co-owner of the Gaia Retreat and Spa on Australia’s New South Wales coast. Set in the lush, rolling hills around Byron Bay, this relaxing retreat opened in 2005 and offers classes on fitness and well-being in addition to a full-service spa.

15 Man-Made Breathtaking Modern Marvels

Henderson Waves

Our world is full of wonders great and small, ancient and contemporary, natural and man-made. Here are 15 modern marvels that fill us with awe through the sheer scale, beauty, backbreaking effort and inspiration that brought them into creation. At 12 stories high, Henderson Waves is Singapore's tallest pedestrian bridge. It snakes across Henderson Road, connecting Mount Faber Park and Telok Blangah Hill Park. The bridge, which opened in 2008, is made of seven undulating curved steel ribs that alternately rise over and under its deck. The curved ribs form alcoves that function as shelters with seats within.

The Ledge at Willis Tower

Not afraid of heights? Check out the view from the Ledge at Willis Tower, formerly Sears Tower, in Chicago. The five-sided balconies, which opened in 2009, are suspended 1,353 feet in the air and jut out four feet from the building's 103rd floor Skydeck. They're actually more like boxes than balconies, with transparent walls, floor and ceiling. Visitors can see unobstructed views of Chicago from the building's west side, and a heart-stopping vista of the street and Chicago River below — if they're brave enough to look straight down.

Palm Jumeirah

Palm Jumeirah is an artificial island, the first and smallest of the three Palm Islands created off the coast of Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The palm-tree shaped island is so large that it can be seen from the International Space Station. It is currently home to luxury homes and the megaresort Atlantis, The Palm, and will eventually tout many other deluxe hotels. In the years since construction began in 2001, this island effectively has doubled the length of Dubai’s coastline.

Grand Canyon Skywalk

The Hualapai tribe of Arizona commissioned this horseshoe-shaped, glass walkway that opened above the Grand Canyon in 2007. The Skywalk juts off the rim of a side canyon 4,000 feet above the Colorado River. Despite the vertigo-inducing views, the glass bridge reportedly is very sturdy — it can support more than 71,000 pounds and can withstand gusts of wind over 100 mph.

Channel Tunnel

The Chunnel, as the 31.35-mile tunnel under the English Channel is known, opened in 1994, connecting Calais, France, with Folkestone, England. It is the second-longest tunnel in the world (behind Japan’s Seikan railway tunnel), and has the longest underwater section of any tunnel. The Eurotunnel Shuttle is a special vehicle transport train that has the largest rail cars in the world.

Three Gorges Dam

Located in China’s Hubei Province, this largest hydroelectric power station in the world contains a 375-mile-long reservoir within its impressive 7,661-foot concrete bulk. The scale of the controversial project is so huge that it has displaced millions of people, submerged hundreds of cultural sites in the Three Gorges area and precipitated an untold amount of damage on the regional environment. Construction began in 1994, but the dam is not expected to become fully operational until 2011.

Panama Canal

One of the most difficult engineering endeavors ever attempted, the Panama Canal is a 50.72-mile-long passage between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans that was begun by France in 1880 but completed by the U.S. in 1914. It drastically reduced shipping distances between New York and San Francisco, from 14,000 miles around Cape Horn to 6,000 when passing through the canal. During the American construction phase, 211 million cubic yards of dirt and rock were scraped away over 10 years to finish the canal.

Akashi-Kaikyō Bridge

Also known as the Pearl Bridge, this structure spans the strait between the islands of Honshu and Awaji in Japan. Upon its opening in 1998, the Pearl Bridge became the longest suspension bridge in the world, with a center span measuring 6,532 feet in length — making it a full quarter-mile longer than the previous record-holder. The entire three-span bridge is more than 12,000 feet long.

The Dreamliner

The Boeing 787 Dreamliner took off on its long-awaited first flight on Dec. 15, 2009. The Dreamliner is the first commercial airplane that’s mostly built from carbon-reinforced plastic. This composite material is light and strong and won’t corrode or be susceptible to metal fatigue. Using this kind of construction also reduces both the financial and environmental costs of building a new plane.

Hoover Dam

Visiting Las Vegas? Consider a side trip to Hoover Dam. It spans the Colorado River between Arizona and Nevada, about 30 miles southeast of Sin City. The massive dam, built between 1931 and 1936, is 726.4 feet deep, from foundation rock to the roadway on the crest of the dam. Hoover Dam generates, on average, about 4 billion kilowatt-hours of hydroelectric power each year for use in Nevada, Arizona and California — enough to serve 1.3 million people.

International Space Station

Orbiting Earth with a resident crew since November 2000, the International Space Station is accessible only to enterprising tourists who have bank accounts flush enough to afford approximately $25 million for the round-trip ticket offered by Space Adventures. To date, six space tourists have boarded the ISS to experience days of zero gravity orbiting the planet. However, that number is sure to rise in coming decades as private companies develop commercial spacecraft and programs to make the final frontier a viable travel destination.

Time Warner Center

This 750-foot tall skyscraper in New York City, which opened in 2003, consists of two towers bridged by an atrium containing upscale retail shops. It was the first major building to be completed in New York City after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. This “city in a building” contains the offices of Time Warner Inc., residential condominiums, and the Mandarin Oriental, New York hotel. Anderson Cooper 360° broadcasts live here from CNN Studios, and you’ll also find the 1,200-seat Jazz at Lincoln Center.

Millau Viaduct

The Millau Viaduct in southern France, which opened in 2004, is the tallest vehicular bridge in the world, with a roadway nearly 900 feet in the air. The cable-stayed design gives the bridge the appearance of a row of sailboats at sea, and the masts rise 1,125 feet — higher than the Eiffel Tower.

Oasis of the Seas

Royal Caribbean’s Oasis of the Seas made its debut in 2009 as the world’s largest cruise ship. It’s nearly five times the gross tonnage of the Titanic and 1 1/2 times longer than the U.S. Capitol building, has 16 decks and a capacity for 6,296 guests. The ship offers weeklong sailings in the eastern and western Caribbean. Cruises depart from Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

Burj Khalifa

Dubai, United Arab Emirates, opened the world’s tallest skyscraper in January, 2010, and superlatives have poured in ever since. If you stuck the Eiffel Tower on top of the Empire State Building, you still wouldn’t have a structure as tall as the Burj Khalifa. It rises 2,717 feet from the desert and provides views of the Persian Gulf, the sail-shaped Burj al-Arab hotel and the man-made Palm Jumeirah island. Originally named Burj Dubai, the building was renamed in honor of Sheik Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the ruler of Abu Dhabi, which pumped tens of billions of dollars into Dubai in 2009 as it struggled to pay enormous debts.

The World's Largest Yachts 2010

 

The World's Largest Yachts 2010

 The world's super yachts are some of the biggest and most expensive toys of the super rich, floating palaces with unique features that can carry price tags into the hundreds of millions.

Super yachts are privately owned vessels that are professionally crewed and are found in the greatest abundance in the Mediterranean, Caribbean and the Middle East. Each year, SuperYachts.com compiles a list of the largest yachts currently on the water, giving owners the bragging rights of having one of the world's largest boats, and at times, competing with each other.
Although some of these yachts have not yet had their first voyage, the vessels not yet on the water are expected to be delivered before the end of 2010.
1. Eclipse

Length: 533 feet
Top speed: 25 knots
Total power: N/A
With a reported price tag of nearly $1.2 billion, the Eclipse is not only the largest yacht, but also the most expensive. The Eclipse is due to be delivered later this year to Russian Billionaire Roman Abramovich, who is known worldwide for big spending on everything from super yachts to England's Chelsea Football Club.
The Eclipse has two helicopter pads, 11 guest cabins, 2 swimming pools, exterior fireplace and a dance hall. The vessel is also equipped with intruder detection systems and a German-built missile defense system, while bullet-proof glass and armor plating in the master suite and bridge. Abramovich also made news in 2009 when he had an "anti-paparazzi" shield installed, which reportedly uses lasers to detect a camera and ruin any photographs taken by it with a flash of light.
The Eclipse also features a three-person submarine and can accommodate up to 30 guests and 75 crewmembers. Although much of the details of the ship have yet to be confirmed, estimates place the ship between 533 and 557 feet long. It was delivered for testing in September 2010 and is expected to be delivered to Abramovich before the end of the year.
2. Dubai

Length: 531 feet
Top speed: 26 knots
Total power: 38,500 hp
Although currently owned by Sheik Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum, the ruler of the Emirate of Dubai, the yacht was originally commissioned by Prince Jefri Bolkiah of Brunei. The construction was originally delayed until 2001 when Sheik Mohammed bought out the project for a rumored $300 million.
The vessel includes luxurious interior designs, including fine fabrics and handmade mosaics, a dramatic spiral staircase with color-changing glass steps, numerous VIP and guest suites and 7 decks. She also has a mosaic swimming pool, several Jacuzzis and the helicopter pad can service a helicopter in excess of 10 tons. The Dubai has room for 115 people including crew and guest staff and boasts a range of 8,500 miles.
Sheik Mohammed has also been reportedly considering an extension to the Dubai, adding up to 8 feet in order to reclaim the title of world's largest. For now, however, it remains at the number 2 spot.
3. Al Said

Length: 508 feet
Top speed: 25 knots
Total power: 21,992 hp
Another royal super yacht makes the list, owned by the Sultan of Oman. The vessel features 6 decks and a concert room capable of accommodating a 50 piece orchestra. At its widest point, the ship measures nearly 79 feet across.
The Al Said was completed in 2008 and was designed by Espen Oeino International, which is the same company that designed Paul Allen's Octopus. The yacht can accommodate as many as 70 guests and up to 154 professional crewmembers.
4. Prince Abdulaziz

Length: 482 feet
Top speed: 22 knots
Total power: 15,600 hp
Owned by the Saudi Royal Family, the Prince Abdulaziz was the largest yacht built in the 20th century, first setting sail in 1984. The vessel is used by the Saudi Royal Family for both official business and personal voyages.
At its widest point, the Prince Abdulaziz measures 60 feet and has a superstructure and hull composed of steel. She can accommodate up to 64 guests and 65 crewmembers, carrying a gross tonnage of 5092 tons.
5. El Horriya

Length: 478 feet
Top speed: 16 knots
Total power: 19,550 hp
The fifth largest yacht in the world is also one of the oldest super yachts still in operation. El Horriya was originally built in London in 1865 for the King of Egypt and the length was extended in 1872 and in 1905 and last refitted in 1987.
The yacht is berthed out of Alexandria and is listed as a training ship by the Egyptian Navy, but it still has the capacity for carrying up to 160 crewmembers.
6. Al Salamah

Length: 457 feet
Top speed: 22 knots
Total power: 17,540 hp
The sixth largest yacht in the world is the Al Salamah, owned by Saudi Arabia's defense minister Prince Sultan bin Abdul Aziz. Built in Germany by HDW and Lurseen Yachts, much of the ship is kept secret, but it is believed to have over 80 rooms, a helipad and an indoor swimming pool with a glass roof.
During its construction it was code named "Mipos," standing for "Mission Impossible" because it was built after only 2 years and cost in excess of $200 million. She can accommodate up to 40 guests and 96 crewmembers and was last refitted in 2009, a decade after her first launch.

The Top 5 Cities Where Prices Are Being Slashed

 

The top 5 cities where prices are being slashed

A large percentage of houses in these towns are offered at deep discounts. For the lucky few who are buying homes, this may be good news: The latest data show that people selling homes are increasingly abandoning their original asking price and offering their listings for a discount.

 The housing recovery has stalled and sellers are slashing asking prices. In some cities, half the listings on a block have been reduced, according to Trulia.com. See which metros--and which neighborhoods or suburbs--have the highest proportions of discounted homes.

Metro: Minneapolis

Percentage of for-sale homes marked down: 43%
High concentrations of discounted homes: Lynnhurst, Ericsson, Audubon Park
Low concentrations of discounted homes: Downtown East, Near North, North Loop
Example: 4528 Fremont Ave. S
Price: $1.3 million
Markdown: $500,000

Metro: Milwaukee

Percentage of for-sale homes marked down: 40%
High concentrations of discounted homes: West Allis, Wauwatosa, Donner Woods
Low concentrations of discounted homes: Kilbourn Town, Historic Mitchell Street
Example: 3220 North Lake Drive
Price: $1.4 million
Markdown: $100,000

Metro: Phoenix

Percentage of for-sale homes marked down: 39%
High concentrations of discounted homes: North Mountain, Camelback East
Low concentrations of discounted homes: Central City, North Gateway, Desert View
Example: 4908 East Calle Del Medio
Price: $2.5 million
Markdown: $450,000

Metro: Mesa, Ariz.

Percentage of for-sale homes marked down: 37%
High concentrations of discounted homes: Liesure World, Dobson Ranch
Low concentrations of discounted homes: Las Palmas Grand
Example: 3615 East Quenton Dr.
Price: $2.3 million
Markdown: $456,000

Metro: Albuquerque

Percentage of for-sale homes marked down: 35%
High concentrations of discounted homes: Wildflower Area, Uptown, Tanoan East
Low concentrations of discounted homes: Los Poblanos, University Heights
Example: 11505 Sky Valley Way NE
Price: $550,000
Markdown: $29,000

Metro: Memphis

Percentage of for-sale homes marked down: 35%
High concentrations of discounted homes: Midtown, Jackson-University Area
Low concentrations of discounted homes: South Memphis
Example: 460 Woodmere Lane
Price: $729,000
Markdown: $63,000

Metro: Boston

Percentage of for-sale homes marked down: 35%
High concentrations of discounted homes: Roslindale, West Roxbury, Dorchester
Low concentrations of discounted homes: Beacon Hill, South End, Back Bay
Example: 128 Commonwealth Ave.
Price: $9.5 million
Markdown: $1 million

Metro: Tucson

Percentage of for-sale homes marked down: 34%
High concentrations of discounted homes: Prince Tucson, Rosemont West, Glenn Heights,
Low concentrations of discounted homes: Los Ranchitos, Santa Cruz Southwest
Example: 2900 North Spirit Dancer Trail
Price: $
Markdown: $

Metro: Baltimore

Percentage of for-sale homes marked down: 34%
High concentrations of discounted homes: Loch Raven, Cedmont, Guildford
Low concentrations of discounted homes: Downtown, Orangeville, Union Square
Example: 4313 Saint Paul St.
Price: $995,000
Markdown: $100,000

Metro: Dallas

Percentage of for-sale homes marked down: 34%
High concentrations of discounted homes: Lakewood, Highland Park, Preston Hollow
Low concentrations of discounted homes: Oak Lawn, Cedar Crest, South Dallas
Example: 4300 Saint Johns Dr.
Price: $5.5 million
Markdown: $760,000

World's Craziest Monuments

 

World's Craziest Monuments

 Unusual Monuments

Carhenge

Monuments around the world honor important individuals or movements in politics, religion and history. The message and intent of most of these tributes is clear, but some are more obscure than others. Here are a dozen of the most unusual monuments around the world. In the northwest corner of Nebraska, a unique replica of England’s Stonehenge rises out of the high plains. Carhenge was constructed in 1987 with vintage automobiles painted gray to replicate stone. The site was built by Jim Reinders as a memorial to his father, who once lived on a farm located where Carhenge stands today.

Le Palais Ideal, France

Ferdinand Cheval was a French postman in the village of Hauterives in southeast France, who gathered stones on his mail route each day to build Le Palais Ideal, “The Ideal Palace.” The work took 33 years, from the late 1800s until the 1920s, mixes a variety of architectural styles, and drew inspiration from the Bible as well as other religious sources. Cheval is buried in a cemetery nearby, in a mausoleum he also constructed from stone.

Crazy Horse Memorial

Begun in 1948, the still unfinished Crazy Horse Memorial in the Black Hills of South Dakota will someday be the world’s largest sculpture, at a planned 563 feet high and 641 feet wide. The model pictured above, with the actual carving in the background, will immortalize the Oglala Lakota warrior, bare-chested and on horseback.

Switzerland

In the Swiss city of Bern, a disturbing fountain depicts an ogre devouring a naked child, while holding an armful of other terrified-looking children. Built in 1546, the Kindlifresserbrunnen, or child-eater statue, is said to depict the story of Kronos from Greek mythology, who eats his children to keep them from taking his throne. There are other legends about the statue’s origins, but regardless of its meaning it remains successful at reminding local children to behave.

Fremont Troll, Seattle

Lurking under a bridge in a quirky neighborhood of Seattle, the Fremont Troll stares down visitors with its one hubcap eye. The 18-foot-high troll, sculpted by artists in 1990 who received the commission after winning a national competition, clutches a Volkswagen Beetle in one hand.

Stone Mountain, Georgia

Stone Mountain is a large granite dome that reaches nearly 1,700 feet high with a circumference of approximately 5 miles. Located in Georgia, in a town sharing the same name, the side of the mountain displays a bas relief that depicts three key figures of the Confederate States of America: Stonewall Jackson, Robert E. Lee and Jefferson Davis.