Looking to treat yourself to a spa day this holiday season? Laboring to dutifully satisfy the country’s elite and powerhouse cougars and divas, spas in the Palm Beaches have to work extra hard. In West Palm Beach near City Place shopping center, Anushka Day Spa offers first-rate services and medical treatments completed by true industry professionals. The 12,000-square foot pampering palladium houses an endless arena of self-indulgence. Breaking the mold of Palm Beach’s traditional disposition, the 42,000 square foot Eau Spa at the Ritz-Carlton, Palm Beach exudes edginess, modernism, and an explosive hip design factor that would make Philippe Starck jealous. 

In a maze of residential opulence and world class shopping, Ryan Seacrest smiles, Centurion American Express cards and eye-catching Bentleys, the reality of Beverly Hills rides an unapologetic fine line between fiction and fact. However, the ‘Pretty Woman’ days are over, and the common folk are welcome to taste the posh life of 90210 and Rodeo Drive with minimal doses of snobbery. For those of you interested in a day of health and beauty, check out the Spa Montage, House of Bijan or The Bunker Fitness Center

Have you ever found yourself impatiently waiting in line at immigration after a long international flight? Then some random guy whisks by hundreds of others in line, scans his passport at an empty self-service Global Entry kiosk, and in 60 seconds, he’s gone. You may think he has some special diplomatic status; but he’s probably just an ordinary member of the public who has applied for Global Entry, the government’s expedited immigration program for travelers. Find out how to apply after the Jump: The Global Entry Program   

Have you recently celebrated a wedding or commitment ceremony with your partner and looking for that special honeymoon retreat this winter? With Mexico’s progressive stance on LGBT issues, gay travelers are eagerly heading south of the border to explore this diverse land of astounding archaeology, crystalline beaches and luxury hotels, including Esperanza, An Auberge Resort in Los Cabos. For something a little chillier, The luxurious ICEHOTEL in Sweden boasts all the amenities and commonalities of other high-end hotels – yet in fabulous frozen form. In the Caribbean, Puerto Rico’s capital, San Juan, plays a key role as a gay ambassador at the Ritz-Carlton, San Juan.  

Despite increased competition from celeb-backed islets in the Caribbean and design-driven atolls in the Maldives, the world’s original luxury eco-retreat, the Seychelles’ Frégate Island Private, still champions an unparalleled recipe of natural grandeur and bespoke luxury.  One of Earth’s only high-rising, mid-oceanic granite islands, 750-acre Frégate retains the ecology and topography of its genesis – a splintered sliver of the 75-million year old supercontinent of Gondwana in the heart of the Indian Ocean. More after the Jump: Fregate Island Private - Seychelles

Though Florida sports only four “official” gay beaches (12th Street, South Beach; Halouver Beach, North Miami; Sebastian Beach, Fort Lauderdale, Sunset Beach, St. Petersburg) our presence nowadays is felt on just about every sandy patch of the Sunshine State. With a growing gay population more interested in natural beauty and beachside charm than underwater quickies and Speedo couture, a few unlikely swathes of downy sands are making waves in the gay battle of the beach. Case in point: Siesta Key Beach,which houses a number of hotels, motels and rental homes, including the Hyatt Siesta Key Beachthe island's most coveted address.

From transporting the sights and sounds of the gay nightclub to the top of Billboard, to depicting “queer” sexuality in her Sex book, Madonna risked losing her “Queen of Pop” crown throughout much of the first decade of her career by striking a very gay pose in the face of Middle America. Thirty years after the Virgin Tour, the Material Girl’s latest jaunt, the MDNA Tour, has become the highest grossing tour by a solo artist ever. After massive performances in Europe, Madonna’s now back on home turf in USA and (maybe) in a city near you.  More after the Jump: Madonna MDNA Tour USA

Known for its large concentration of bars and clubs, the former red-light district, Itaewon, is an ever-growing popular area with tourists, ex-pats, and less xenophobic Koreans. It is here along a single street known as “Homo Hill” that the majority of gay life converges, with nearly a dozen different venues blasting a mix of slightly dated American Top 40 and modern Korean pop.  Some of main bars along "Homo Hill" include Pulse, Queen, Always Homme and Why Not? Looking to venture outside of “Homo Hill”? Try the scene at Queer or Barcode.

Since the armistice separating North and South in 1953, South Korea, which hosted the 1988 Summer Olympics, has evolved as a world economic power, holding steadfast to a strong cultural heritage yet embracing futuristic R & D. Over the next few weeks, Paul Rubio will share his eye opening visit to Seoul, including the city’s most fabulous (but affordable) hotels, burgeoning gay life, and spectacular tourist sights. First stop: the hotel scene queens, including the Park Hyatt, Seoul and The Ritz-Carlton, Seoul.

Spa treatments don’t come cheap, but often they are worth a second mortgage! There’s no shortage of excellent spas across the globe, but a few select pampering palaces deserve special recognition as the crème de la crème of the spa industry.  Here we detail three of our favorite spas around the world offering the ultimate in spa indulgence – The Spa at the Mandarin Oriental, Miami, The Spa at Anantara Dhigu Resort & Spa, Maldives, and The Spa at the Mandarin Oriental, Washington DC

Hollywood, Florida has garnered plenty of attention for its natural and man-made assets, including a bustling Broadwalk, pristine beaches, stunning nature trails, and fabulous gambling. But most recently, thanks to a booming restaurant scene, Hollywood is getting some much-deserved recognition as a national foodie hotspot. Between the city’s two main fronts – Downtown and the beach -visitors and locals are spoiled for choice when it comes to dining out. Check out some of these Downtown favorites: Fulvio’s 1900, Lola’s on Harrison and Chocolada Bakery & Café.

While best known for The Godfather films in the United States and Europe, the name Francis Ford Coppola is synonymous with eco-luxury in Belize. Since Coppola unveiled Blancaneaux Lodge in Belize’s Mayan Mountains nearly 20 years ago, his Mesoamerican empire has spread to the shores of Belize’s Placencia Peninsula with Turtle Inn and to neighboring Guatemala with La Lancha, situated near the ancient city of Tikal. With excellent tourism infrastructure between the three lodges, visitors to the Coppola resorts are privy to a highly varied and incredibly sumptuous Central America sampler platter, even when coming for shorter visits. 

Since hosting the 1992 Olympics, Barcelona has emerged as Spain’s superstar city, endowing the country with a riveting, culturally rich destination that rivals France’s Paris and England’s London. A month after recovering from America’s June pride festivities, the gay global greats congregate at Circuit Festival Barcelona in August - the biggest European Gay & Lesbian dance music event, attracting over 70,000 partygoers annually. More about this beautiful city after the Jump, Gay Insider's Barcelona

Botswana’s game-rich north headlines the safari diaries of the globe’s savviest wildlife enthusiasts. The remote safari camps of the Okavango Delta pepper the breathtaking floodplains, reached exclusively by small, light aircraft required to traverse the undeveloped terrain. Lodges here are categorized as either “wet” or “dry,” depending on proximity to the permanent flood zones, thus determining if a vehicle or a boat will serve as the primary method of transportation after touchdown. More after the Jump, Botswana: Nature's Playground

There’s no case of “lost in translation” for “Las Ventanas al Paraiso.” These “windows to paradise” overlook a stunning juxtaposition of desert and sea, showcasing panoramas that dutifully define our contemporary definition of “paradise.” Eleven whitewashed, low-rise buildings enveloped by diverse cacti and framed by the most brilliant blue skies and scintillating seascapes, “Las Ventanas” exudes an ambience of far and away storybook romance. More after the Jump, Las Ventanas al Paraiso, Mexico

Napa County generates a lot of global buzz, but neighboring Sonoma County is hardly the “Rhoda” of wine country. Less gimmicky than its celebrated neighbor, Sonoma County offers a mom-and-pop approach to experiencing wine country, heavy on the artisanal wineries and light on the pre-packaged tour buses. In addition to its (literally) intoxicating world of vineyards, Sonoma County flaunts the landscapes of storybooks - miles of rugged rock-hewn coastline, towering Redwood Trees, and picturesque sleepy towns along the Russian River, each one more charming than the next. More after the Jump, Sublime Sonoma County