As I plan my next business travel, my health promise to myself has to be taken in to account. I am over 40 and the spread is beginning to show. I have always used the excuse of my travels, but now more then ever I am committed to loosing weight and creating a new fitness regime to get healthy. After all a healthy body is a healthy mind!

The spa and fitness business has become big business with hotels worldwide; it’s no longer enough just to have a room stashed away in some corner with a few pieces of equipment. Now clients expect a facility that will cater to all the needs, from a swimming pool to the complete gym to spa treatment rooms. But its not only hotels guests who crave this facility, city location hotels have realised that there is big business to be made in the gym business, but clients are also actively searching for hotels with extended facilities.

Athens, Greece: The Grande Bretagne
The newly renovated hotel has combined the complete health facility in the basement. As you enter into this almost Roman bath area a wonderful combination of boutique gym, lap pool, various steam rooms awaits you. Relax after and then enjoy a truly grand hotel experience, maybe with breakfast or dinner on top floor looking over Athens.

London, England: The Grove
This award wining Sequoia Spa was voted Best UK Spa Retreat’ Condé Nast Traveller. The wonderful gym with every dreamable work out tool and personal trainers is complemented by a superb spa centre and to cap it all a beautiful black swimming pool. The centre is built in an old farm house sunk into the ground and is a spectacular sight by night time. If the gym is not enough, then why not try 18 holes on one of the world great PGA courses. Even a certain Tiger had his challenges with that course!

Sydney, Australia: The Sydney Hilton
This gym is most likely one of Australia’s best gym facilities. Well planned and maintained the facility incorporates a 25 m lap pool with various spas & sauna’s and a smaller spa treatment area. Sydney residents can join up and have few excuses not to do with such a facility.

Melbourne, Australia: Crown Towers
Located on the 8th floor the gym looks over the brilliantly designed pool and spa area. The gym has a large glass panels face area and also looks on to the tennis courts in addition to the pool.

New Zealand: Kauri Cliffs Lodge
The latest edition to the brilliant Kauri Cliffs Lodge and golf course. Hidden in a small kauri forest, the spa has been designed with privacy in mind. A perfect boutique gym and lap pool is incorporated with 8 treatment rooms and even a small river that run along side the spa, offering the complete relaxation.

Hong Kong: Grand Hyatt Hong Kong
Located on the 11th floor, you step into another world. Welcome to the www.plateau.com.hk. With stunning views of Victoria harbour the spa is a step above most. Outdoor 50-metre heated swimming pool, open year round 400-metre jogging track.

Las Vegas, America: The MGM Skylofts
In a world of it’s own lies the MGM Spa. Away from the many restaurants, gaming machines and action lays a facility that may not loose you few dollars, but maybe a few pounds! A serious work out can be attained here, with machines you did not even know would exist.

Part of the luxury travel experience are the special perks afforded to the discerning traveler that make the destination that much more enjoyable. We think that we’ve amassed some pretty unique luxury properties in the Kiwi Collection, ones that provide that something extra…thats why we individually choose and inspect each property we add to the Collection…ensuring that our word is golden in the eyes of you, our clients.

One of the things that gets my mojo going is having a cool bevvie on a fabulous rooftop, or simply enjoying the sunset. So here’s a list (in no particular order) of Seven Sensational Rooftop views. Agree? Disagree? Have other recommendations? Let me know what you think. Enjoy!

1. Cavalieri Hilton, Rome, Italy
For the best birds-eye view of the Dome of St Peter’s and what seems like the whole of this beautiful city, dine at the Michelin two-star La Pergola on the ninth floor rooftop of the Cavalieri Hilton, near the Vatican (you get the same views too from the two 200 sq m duplex suites on the corners of the eighth and ninth floor – and they have private entrances to La Pergola. Hotel General Manager is Marcus-Milan Arandelovic.

2. Banyan Tree Bangkok, Bangkok, Thailand
The Banyan Tree’s 62nd floor Vertigo restaurant is not for the faint-hearted, but where else can you dine so high, out of doors, while checking the city’s rooftops? If you are fit enough, by the way, enter the annual September vertical marathon, 1,073 steps from ground to the top of the building. General Manager is Bernold Schroeder.

3. Athenaeum InterContinental, Athens, Greece
The eighth floor Club Continental terrace of the Athenaeum InterContinental allows you to enjoy complimentary cocktails as you watch the sun set over the Acropolis. Later, enjoy floodlit views of this center of ancient Greece from the hotel’s rooftop Premier restaurant. General Manager of this art-filled hotel is Panos Panayotopoulos.

4. Hotel Gansevoort, New York, NY, USA
The 13-floor Gansevoort, in the Meat Packing District, has a popular rooftop. There is a 45-foot long outdoor heated pool with underwater light and music show, and the bar gives 360-degree views over lower Manhattan and, west across the Hudson River, to New Jersey (you are also a three floors higher than the members-only Soho House so you can watch the rooftop antics there). General Manager is Elon Kenchington.

5. Burj al Arab, Dubai, UAE
Unless you are THE Woods (who hit a golfball there), or Agassi or Federer (who had a mock tennis game over a specially-constructed net), the only way you can get out on the cantilevered 28th floor helicopter landing pad of the Burj al Arab is to arrange helicopter transfer in from the airport. And yes, it is worth it, if only for the view! General Manager is Luc Delafosse.

6. Las Ventanas al Paraiso, Los Cabos, Mexico
Take one of the two-floor casitas – say 208 – at Las Ventanas al Paraiso, and head upstairs to watch the stars over the Sea of Cortez as you enjoy the jacuzzi on your private terrace. The resort’s spa offers, in addition, a Sea and Stars massage. General Manager is Luis Fernandes.

7. The Peninsula Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
Arrange to fly in by helicopter and you land on the roof of The Peninsula’s 28th floor tower – the view on the way is magnificent, and as you land you look over Victoria Harbour to Hong Kong Island. If you do not, of course, fancy a chopper, come in from the airport by a hotel Rolls, take a high-floor Harbour-facing suite and dine up at Felix restaurant and the view of the Island is the same. General Manager is Ian Coughlan.