Itacare #2, Worldwide

Concierge, online travel connoiseurs, announces Itacaré, gateway to the Maraú Península, top of the world's "coolest" destinations. In fact- #2.

Trendspotters associated with international tastemakers Conde Nast, Architectural Digest, etc, publishes worldwide "2007 'IN' List" ..........

http://www.concierge.com/ideas/styledesign/articles/detail?id=1339

Leading destinations are exotic, erudite. Selection criteria, below, are interesting.

1. Beijing, China
2. Itacaré, Brazil
3. Puebla, Mexico
4. .....for complete list and why, see below.


"Brazil has no shortage of stylish beach getaways—or of perfect little coastal towns still untapped by the outside world. For a few years, stylish bohemians— Gisele, Jade Jagger, Sean Penn—have been quietly coming to Itacaré, in Bahia, for their sleepy-fishing-village escape, keeping its white-sand beaches, aquamarine sea, waterfalls, and mangrove swamps to themselves. But now word is out, with a new resort called Warapuru set to open by October. Portuguese hotelier João Vaz Guedes, with the help of designer Anouska Hempel (of the Hempel and Blakes in London), is turning the sleepy enclave—about 800 miles from Rio—into an eco-fabulous showcase: 40 pavilion rooms nestled into the virgin rain forest with reflecting pools, floating fireplaces, an all-white travertine lobby, and a terraced beach club and spa with phenomenal views of the sea. It's sited sensitively enough to satisfy the environmentally anxious, but is sufficiently high-octane for the jet-setters—who can swoop in to the private heliport and, if they like the place enough, buy a customized villa all their own."
Warapuru warapuru@warahotels.com

The 'List':

1. Beijing, China
2. Itacaré, Brazil
3. Puebla, Mexico
4. Gabon
5. Istanbul, Turkey
6. Argentina's Estancias
7. Macau, China
8. Dominican Republic
9. Ljubljana, Slovenia
10. Miami

Selection criteria from concierge for the 'List".........

What makes a destination "hot"? It's a combination of ingredients, sometimes easy to decipher—new hotels opening, shiny architectural icons being unveiled, a mega-event luring new visitors. But it can be more ineffable, the whisperings of the tastemakers and mavericks for whom getting there before the tipping point is a matter of pride. To travel on the cutting edge, you often need the scoop on the relative unknowns (the West African nation of Gabon, for instance). But perhaps all you have to do is glance at the front page (Beijing, and China in general, keeps grabbing headlines), or even just head to one of those perennials that keep reinventing themselves (Miami molts again!). Or, well, don't think about it at all. Just read our "It" list of the places you'll be hearing about—and, with any luck, visiting—in 2007.\

Concierge's picks are deferred to by gadling, another very cool travel site selecting Itacaré, number 3 of 2007's "Hottest"...

http://www.gadling.com/2007/03/21/2007s-10-hottest-destinations/