The Good Life

Forget sailing around the world in 80 days. Try 126. That's how long Silversea's first luxury circle-around-the-earth cruise takes. And it is not the only new marathon cruise out there; for 2007, luxury liners are offering up an assortment of lengthy new itineraries with shore excursions in plenty of remote as well as urbane locales. "There is a new market out there," says Joe Proto, Silversea

Cruises' director of world cruise and business development, citing a mix of empty nesters and entrepreneurs among those seeking an ultraluxurious--and ultralong--holiday at sea.

Silversea's "World Cruise 2007" is the longest on the market. Travelers spend more than a third of the year aboard the all-suite vessel, docking at 61 ports on six continents. Among the 200 shore excursions and 22 overland treks: breakfast at the Royal Stables in Dubai, stays at exclusive spas in Asia and a "Lord of the Rings" tour in New Zealand. "The response has been phenomenal," says Proto ($52,794; silversea.com ).

Crystal Cruises is offering the 109-day "Treasures of Sun & Sea" voyage, which visits 44 ports on five continents. Side trips include a wildlife expedition in Antarctica, a cruise down the Amazon River and a hike up the glaciers of Patagonia. Extended offerings in Africa promise maiden calls to Tunisia and Mozambique, along with a wide range of overland safaris ($47,290; crystalcruises.com ).

Cunard offers two world cruises in 2007: the Queen Elizabeth 2 will make a 108-day round-trip between New York and London in honor of the British monarch's Silver Jubilee, and the Queen Mary 2 will sail "Around the World in 80 Days" on her maiden world crossing (From $19,682; cunard.com ).

After a five-year hiatus, Princess Cruises will return to world circumnavigation in 2008. Covering 42 ports in 102 days, guests can explore some of the world's most iconic sites, including Machu Picchu, the pyramids of Giza, the Taj Mahal and the ancient temple of Angkor Wat ($19,995; princess.com ).

If Quentin Tarantino were to design a bar, this would be it. Inspired by the professional assassin character Gogo Yubari in Tarantino's gore fest "Kill Bill: Vol 1," the lounge transports customers into a world of Japanese animé in the heart of the Mexican capital's posh Polanco district.

Ambience: Located behind a secret entrance disguised as a wooden wall, the Go Go Lounge is a dimly lit bar dominated by a massive disco ball. A spiral staircase wraps around the DJ booth, where local celebrities like Café Tacvba keyboardist Emmanuel (Meme) del Real perform occasional guest stints.

Best Drink: The house special is the Takeshi cocktail prepared with sake, passion fruit juice and mango ice cream. The bar also offers the Gigi, a tantalizing lychee martini.

Food: Japanese appetizers are provided by the acclaimed restaurant Nando-Yo, located just downstairs. For a taste of Mexican-Japanese fusion cuisine, try the tacos kaiten, which combine teriyaki rib-eye with flour tortillas

Service: Cocktails are served by sassy waitresses in Catholic schoolgirl uniforms that seem to have been lifted directly from the wardrobe department of Tarantino's blockbuster.

Hours: Open Thursday through Saturday from 9 p.m. onward. Don't even think about showing up before midnight.

José Pacas

If you've got only a short time in the Italian capital, don't fight the tourists in the city center; instead spend it above town on the best of the seven hills: the Aventine.

PEER through the keyhole at the closed door of the priory of the Knights of Malta for a unique tree-lined view of St. Peter's Basilica, which looks as if it's floating above the city (Piazza dei Cavalieri di Malta, 3).

SMELL the orange blossoms, wisteria and jasmine in the walled Giardino degli Aranci while taking in an extraordinary panoramic view of the city from the terrace (Via di Santa Sabina).

STROLL among the tombstones of famous poets like John Keats and Percy Bysshe Shelley in the tranquil setting of the Protestant Cemetery under the shadow of the hard-to-miss Pyramid of Gaius Cestius (Via Caio Cestio, 6).

TASTE some of Italy's finest balsamic vinegars, olive oils and cheeses at the Volpetti gourmet food shop before buying some to take home (Via Marmorata, 47).

Bored with bikinis? There's a new way to flash a glimpse of burnished skin this summer. The latest designer swimsuits feature sexy peekaboo cutouts. British swimwear visionary Liza Bruce, who pioneered the use of Lycra in the 1980s, has created a tummy-baring aqua one-piece suit with a gleaming abalone shell at the hip; she even makes bespoke swimsuits ($490; lizabruce.com ). The glam Australian label Zimmermann has a range of daring, navel-flaunting designs (from $214; zimmermannwear.com ). Cutout prints are white hot, too; Pucci's Luna halter-neck swimsuit comes in the designer's signature swirling pattern ($536; pucci.com ). And graphic artist Jasper Goodall's so-hip-it-hurts new label JG4B includes cute backless one-pieces, with strategically placed lightning bolts and hearts in wild colors ($324; net-a-porter.com ). Just watch out for those unusual tan lines.

Alex McRae

Want your cards to show you really mean business? Try Smythson's Havana Pistachio business- and credit-card case, made from pale green alligator-print calfskin with silver riveted corners (£115; smythson.com ). The Densworth leather case by Links of London snugly holds up to 35 cards, and comes in colors like pumpkin and cocoa (£45; linksoflondon.com ). Tiffany's minimalist case is made from sleek, engine-turned sterling silver (£165; tiffany.com ). And the C de Cartier chocolate calfskin case with ivory stitching is embossed with that all-important motif (£195; cartier.com ).

Alex McRae

Noise-canceling headphones improve sound quality while shielding your ears from excessive decibels. And now they no longer look so dorky. Bose's new QuietComfort 3, a compact on-ear (rather than over-ear) headset makes the symphony on your iPod sound as if you're in the concert hall ($349; bose.com ). Sennheiser's PXC300 mini-headphones fold up to the size of a spectacles case ($199; sennheiser.com ). And Shure's forthcoming E500PTH earbuds provide an in-ear seal and boast a push to hear button so you don't have to remove them to hear the flight attendant offer you another Scotch and soda ($499; shure.com ).