Stories that are getting the most attention from our readers this week.
Travel + Leisure’s freshly released “Best New Hotels in the World” lineup crowned a just‑opened Florida Gulf‑Coast resort that features its own white‑sand beach and a 500,000‑gallon salt‑water lagoon pool teeming with tropical fish. The splashy pick lands alongside the magazine’s new lists of 2025’s best retirement towns and lake getaways, signalling that U.S. leisure travel is gearing up for another blockbuster summer. Early‑bird room rates and loyalty‑program perks are already generating buzz ahead of the resort’s official
A vast Hawaiian ranch in Hakalau offers an 8,500-square-foot cabin, 800 acres of rolling pasture, and a waterfall, conjuring visions of cattle rearing or eco-tourism. In contrast, Hay Island off Darien, Connecticut, features an 18-acre private enclave with a main house, cottage, and pool house, providing a vintage coastal retreat near Manhattan. Both command high prices, each catering to ultra-wealthy buyers seeking exclusivity—be it tropical farmland or a secluded island in Long Island Sound. The debate: Which costs more? Historically, East Coast private islands can fetch astronomical sums thanks to proximity to affluent hubs, while large-scale Hawaiian ranches offer fewer direct comparables. Each lifestyle involves specialized staffing, maintenance, and insurance complexities, leaving prospective owners weighing uniqueness against logistics.