Hey, hidden and extra fees are keeping the airline industry afloat. So why not resorts as well? Here's the newest extra fee scheme, coming straight out of Germany:

The travel firm Thomas Cook is giving Germans the option of pre-booking their loungers. Reserving a lounger and beach umbrella in advance will cost about three euros ($4.30) a day. One of the firm's managers, Peter Fankhauser, said that 'with this we're relieving our clients of early morning stress.' He said he too found it "really tiresome" on holiday to be sent out by his wife early in the morning to place beach towels on the desired poolside loungers, Sueddeutsche Zeitung reported.

]]> Omri 2009-08-07T09:14:28-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2009/6/5/113916/8059 West Coast web media princess, and Jaunted Embed, Shira Lazar rushed off to Hawaii for a couple days at the bequest of So Much More Hawaii. We will be bringing you her travel videos between June 1st and 5th, in hopes of creating a glorious on-the-fly travel guide using as much point oh social webbing as we can. Enjoy.

The Queen's Bath in Kauai is a small freshwater pool carved out of a lava shelf next to the ocean. Watch the video to see more of this natural wonder!]]> shiralazar 2009-06-08T15:07:08-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2009/5/27/115124/451

Last one in's a rotten egg! We're finding the best places in the world to stick our toes in this summer (or next winter) for our World's Coolest Pools map. Know of any pools we must check out? Let us know.

Sometimes it's the accessories that make the outfit, and this Thailand resort pool wouldn't be complete without the cabanas that have doubtless been the subject of many a turf war at this new property's shore. But to dip your toes in this beauty is worth a "Home Alone"-style booby trap or two. ]]> egw 2009-05-27T14:43:31-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2009/5/26/144752/072

Last one in's a rotten egg! We're finding the best places in the world to stick our toes in this summer (or next winter) for our World's Coolest Pools map. Know of any pools we must check out? Let us know.

Without a cutesy shape or a benevolent aura, you'd never recognize this mega-pool as the domain of the Mouse. But we had to check out the Yacht and Beach Club combined pools after a tipster promised not only a sandy bottom but "a slide from a pirate ship." And you all know we have a weakness for pirate travel. ]]> egw 2009-05-26T17:01:06-05:00 28.3709760 -81.557323 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2009/5/20/1203/69830

Last one in's a rotten egg! We're finding the best places in the world to stick our toes in this summer (or next winter) for our World's Coolest Pools map. Know of any pools we must check out? Let us know.

The invention of the sandy-bottomed approach was one of the great pool innovations of the '90s. But the pool at the Le Méridien Tahiti takes it a step further: There's nothing real about this white-sand beach, but your toes won't know the difference.

The sand in question is claimed to be natural, but is in fact imported from other parts of the island to give the Le Méridien lagoon that particular sparkle. The blob-shaped pool is somewhat remote from the nearby city of Papeete, but the hotel also features an on-site artist's studio and horseback rides should you be bothered to change out of your swimsuit. ]]> egw 2009-05-20T17:06:36-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2009/5/19/143116/892

Last one in's a rotten egg! We're finding the best places in the world to stick our toes in this summer (or next winter) for our World's Coolest Pools map. Know of any pools we must check out? Let us know.

Further proof nature has a sense of humor? A natural outcrop of rocks provided the inspiration for city officials in Bude, a popular Victorian seaside destination, to lay in the groundwork for one of England's rapidly disappearing "sea baths."

Before chlorine ruled the pool world, swimmers looking for a space more placid than the open ocean turned to natural pools along the coast of Cornwall to bathe -- same seawater, no undertow. Many of these sea baths have since been closed, but Bude's remains thanks to a small but dedicated cadres of locals who fought to keep the pools open (albeit with municipal lifeguards) after a 2005 study deemed them unsafe. ]]> egw 2009-05-19T15:29:16-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2008/9/11/163925/666

Mango mint cocktails on the pool deck... truffled duck fat fries in the private tented cabanas... swordfish steaks in the plush dining room. Gotta be Miami, right? Or maybe Vegas?

Nope, try Boston. Beantown's chicest new hotel, the Hotel Indigo in Newton, recently debuted what clearly aims to be the town's trendiest restaurant-bar, BOKX 109 American Prime.

With a nightclub-like atmosphere and an upscale comfort food menu, this peculiarly-named restaurant certainly has started a late summer buzz in Boston. But is the nation of Red Sox and Sam Adams ready for high-heeled pool parties, $40-entrées and chefs who are touted as "performers?" One thing's for sure: A line of trendy restaurant moguls are eagerly awaiting to see whether Bostonians bring their wallets.

Related Stories:
· BOKX 109 American Prime [Official Site]
· Boston Travel coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: BOKX 109]]]> BS 2008-09-12T11:00:26-05:00 42.3345275 -71.253349 Search Jaunted string http://www.jaunted.com/search/