The hotel
A hip new bolthole, Hotel Zoso (001 760 325 9676; www.hotelzoso.com), has just opened in downtown Palm Springs in California. Rooms are decked out in simple earthy tones and cost from just £55 a night. A Clinique spa will open this spring and the Nick and Stef's restaurant offers a modern twist on the steakhouse. The gorgeous pool area is surrounded by lush gardens that look onto snow-capped mountains in the distance, and features a quartzite crystal fire pit.
The flight
The airline that launched business class-only flights from Stansted to New York last November, MAXjet Airways (0800 023 4300; www.maxjet.com), is to open a route to Washington in mid-February. Fares will start at £854 return with taxes.
The website
Aiming to inspire readers to travel more responsibly, the webzine www.ecoescapes.co.uk reviews eco-friendly holidays, debates environmental travel issues and carries gorgeous photographs. It launches this week.
The product
Offering older children a cooler alternative to stuffy lessons about shopping in markets, a funky new language CD series, called Berlitz DJ, has been launched. The fun hour-long audio course uses a radio show format that draws on rap, pop, dance music and lively chat to help kids learn French, Italian or Spanish. The CDs are available for £8.99 from bookshops and www.berlitzpublishing.com.
The book
Killing Yourself To Live - 85 per cent of a True Story by Chuck Klosterman tracks the author's 6,557- mile journey from New York to Mississippi and on to Seattle, on the trail of a number of dead musicians. While visiting sites connected with deceased rockers such as John Lennon, Sid Vicious and the Notorious BIG, Klosterman encounters snakes, drugs and 'the truth' about American culture. The book is to be published by Faber on 26 January for £12.99.
The spa
The five-star Macdonald Bath Spa Hotel (0870 400 8222; www.bathspahotel.com) has opened a £3m thermal spa, housed in a Greek temple-style building. It features a hydro pool, infra-red cabin, rock sauna and gym. Packages including lunch or dinner cost from £99.
The ski deal
In an effort to increase the safety of skiers, the French resort Meribel is offering free avalanche camps to educate everyone from ski professionals to beginners. Contact the Meribel Tourist Office (0033 4790 86001; www.meribel.net).
The deal
Stay in the four-star Hotel Principe on the Grand Canal in Venice for two nights in January with Carefree Italy (0870 330 3133 www.carefree-italy.com) from £179 pp including return flights. Or choose from a selection of one-bedroom cottages in Dorset, for just £163 for three nights until 30 March from Dorset Coastal Cottages (01305 844454; www.dorsetcoastalcottages.com).
The giveaway
The London Boat Show opened yesterday at the ExCel exhibition centre in east London and it runs until 15 January. Hundreds of sailing and watersports tour operators will be selling their holidays, and equipment from yachts to dinghies will be on show. The British Indoor Wakeboard Championships take place from tomorrow until Thursday. Show tickets cost £14 per adult (0870 060 0246; www.londonboatshow.com), but the first 10 Escape readers to call 020 7492 0906 win a pair.
