World's Most Romantic Islands

Romantic island getaways from the Caribbean to the South Pacific to help start—or stoke—the flame.

It’s easy to fall in love on an island. “I wore a bikini for five days straight and never put on real clothes for anything,” recalls Christina Greer, a New York professor who took a vacation to Panama’s Bocas del Toro a few years back with her boyfriend. “We went dolphin watching and snorkeling all day,” Greer says. “It was total relaxation.”

The two are now married and have visited 15 countries together on a tireless quest to uncover the world’s most romantic destinations.

Being marooned in the middle of the ocean with your beloved brings out the starry-eyed traveler in all of us. Travel agent Julia Douglas runs Jetset World Travel, a Virtuoso-member agency that attracts well-heeled couples looking for ultra-romantic escapes. Her clients often use words like “authentic,” “exclusive,” and “pampered” to describe their ideal island destination. Not surprisingly, bells and whistles like Wi-Fi and 24-hour room service aren’t as important as a beautiful beach and warm weather.

That perfect romantic island getaway might be a longtime favorite destination. Santorini, for example, offers black-sand beaches, sweeping views out over the Aegean Sea, and the classic whitewashed architecture thatGreece’s islands are known for. Increase the romance factor even more by heading to one of the Old World vineyards that produce fantastic wines.

Sometimes, however, romantic-island seekers have to travel a bit off the beaten path. Pamalican Island is a tiny island—not even 1/2-mile wide at its widest—surrounded by crystal-clear blue water in the Philippines’ Sulu Sea. And it has just one resort—Amanpulo—with only 40 villas, each with a private chef and butler. Luxurious seclusion on a pristine beach is what lures travelers—and keeps them coming back.

Whether you’re after all-out luxury or sand-between-the-toes casual, there’s a romantic island for you. And while many of these dream destinations have “remote” and “secluded” as their principle selling points, others are surprisingly close to home. (One you can practically see from the Hollywood sign.)

No matter whether you’re a new couple just getting to know each other or you’re celebrating your golden anniversary, these romantic islands will help you holiday happily ever after.

RANGALI ISLAND, THE MALDIVES

Of the 1,192 islets that make up this island nation in the Indian Ocean, roughly 1,000 are uninhabited. Suffice to say, your chances of finding romantic seclusion are pretty high. Like most of the resorts here, the Conrad Maldives Hotel occupies its own private atoll, called Rangali Island. The romance factor kicks in before you even arrive, thanks to a seaplane ride over the shallow, impossibly clear lagoon. Soon enough, you're dining in the underwater restaurant and kicking back in the over-water spa.

Rangali Island, The Maldives

Courtesy of samyoyobelinda.com

MOLOKAI, HAWAII

A conspicuous absence of international hotel chains is just one reason this idyll-situated east of Oahu in the Hawaiian archipelago-draws romantics from all over. Hike to remote waterfalls, kayak secluded rocky coastlines, and ride donkeys into the lush valleys, or just laze beachside. (Head for the golden sands of secluded three-mile-long Papohaku Beach, at the far-west end of the island.) With just one traffic light on the island, the only gridlock you'll encounter is caused by colonies of curious sea turtles frolicking in the outrageously clear waters.

Molokai, Hawaii

Photo Resource Hawaii / Alamy

CAPRI, ITALY

Sure, noon in Capri Town can be a tourist swarm, but the bulk of visitors depart on the last ferry back to Naples or Sorrento-leaving the island blissfully free for lovers. And this dramatically craggy outcrop, a Mediterranean Garden of Eden splashed with floral color and perfumed by lemon trees and herb gardens, has remained a magnet for the A-list since antiquity, when Emperor Tiberius set up camp here.

Capri, Italy

Jon Arnold Images Ltd / Alamy

ST. LUCIA, CARIBBEAN

If the Caribbean Sea were a catwalk, St. Lucia would be its most bankable supermodel. This 27-mile-long island is lush, mountainous, and blessed with gorgeous beaches and verdant cocoa plantations. The jade-green twin peaks of the Pitons, jungle-swathed volcanic plugs that rise from a silvery ocean on the southwest coast, are the Caribbean's most striking backdrop.

St. Lucia, Caribbean

Courtesy of Jade Mountain

BOCAS DEL TORO, PANAMA

Located in the Caribbean Sea near the border with Costa Rica, this group of islands is all about low-key relaxation with a Latin American flavor, pitch-perfect for sybarites who don't want to pack a designer bikini. The main island of Colon has a buzzy downtown full of waterfront bars and laid-back nightclubs, while the smaller islands offer deserted beaches, rainforests, mangroves, and coral reefs.

Bocas del Toro, Panama

Courtesy of Punta Caracol Acqua-Lodge

CATALINA ISLAND, CALIFORNIA

Just 22 miles southwest of Los Angeles, Santa Catalina has a certain Mediterranean flavor. Yachts jostle in a glinting harbor, sorbet-colored homes cascade down the hillside, and the secluded coves are ready-made for romance-including the aptly named Lover's Cove, east of Avalon.

Catalina Island, California

iStock

SANTORINI, GREECE

Sweeping views over a picture-perfect caldera -- the result of a volcanic eruption around 1600 B.C. -- is just one factor in Santorini's romantic charm. Gorgeous, striated cliffs and black-sand beaches don't hurt, either. Head to the famously picturesque village of Oia (book a room at the 18-suite Mystique) with its classic whitewashed, cliff-edge architecture, blue-domed churches, and stone houses overhung with bougainvillea canopies.

Santorini, Greece

iStock

BARBUDA, CARIBBEAN

If your idea of Eden is unpaved roads, truly deserted beaches, and nary a nightclub, this 68-square-mile island in the Eastern Caribbean is for you. Barbuda features just a handful of high-end hotels, including Coco Point Lodge, on its own 164-acre peninsula fronting glorious pink-sand beaches. Take a boat trip to the Frigate Bird Sanctuary on a lagoon in the island's northwest and ogle the 5,000 namesake birds that call it home.

Barbuda, Caribbean

Claire Frank

LAUCALA ISLAND, FIJI

The South Pacific fantasy of swaying palm trees and extravagantly lush scenery reaches its fullest expression here. There are just 25 cottages on this privately owned resort, which occupies the entire island, each with a private pool, dining pavilion, and outdoor hot tub and shower. While the resort attracts deep-pocketed travelers, don't expect glitzy lobbies. The emphasis is on rustic, pared-back luxury; every detail seems crafted to appeal to couples, including the lagoon pool with its man-made "islands" big enough for two.

Laucala Island, Fiji

Courtesy of Laucala Island

PAMALICAN ISLAND, THE PHILIPPINES

You'll find only one resort here-Amanpulo, set on its own private island southwest of Manila with just 40 secluded pitched-roof traditional villas, strung along a pristine beach with sand so white it's blinding. Beachcombers can navigate the entire island on foot in less than two hours, keeping their eyes out for baby sharks, kingfishers, and sea turtles, which lay their eggs here between March and October.

See More of the World's Most Romantic Islands

Pamalican Island, The Philippines

If you want to look younger...

Who knew looking younger could be this easy! Discover 10 brilliant tips that turn back the clock and find 7 more must-try tricks here.

1. Choose a Lighter Lipstick
Dark shades can be unflattering on mature skin because lips get thinner with age, explains makeup artist Matin Maulawizada, who works with celebrities like Angelina Jolie. To keep lipstick from looking too severe, choose rosy reds or flesh-colored shades, and stay away from peaches and oranges, which can make teeth appear yellow. We like Lancôme Color Design Lipcolor in Natural Beauty ($22). And remember, swiping on lipstick without other makeup can make you look older than if you wear no makeup at all.

Related: 10 Stunning Beauty Trends for Fall

2. Baby Your Hands
Derms agree that hands are a dead age giveaway. To keep them young, apply the same retinoid from your face to your hands and add a layer of Vaseline, says New York dermatologist Heidi Waldorf. Wear cotton gloves to bed to keep the treatment in place overnight. Skin looks suppler, and cuticles will benefit too.

3. Schedule an Eye Exam
When you can't see properly, you squint, overcompensating for the work your eyes should be doing and deepening frown lines, says Hirsch. She adds, "Ninety percent of the time when women in their 30s come in for Botox, I send them to the ophthalmologist because they need a stronger prescription."

4. Invest in the Right Concealer
Cover-up can be tricky to apply; many formulas sink into crevices, emphasizing every fine line. To get the most coverage with the least product, try "camouflage," a dryer form of concealer that can take years off of your face, says Maulawizada. It doesn't contain as much oil as regular concealer, so it won't move, and it's better at hiding sun spots. Try Laura Mercier Secret Camouflage ($28).

Related: Supermodels Without Makeup

4. Lift Your Eyes with a Pencil
Use an eye pencil. Its softness enlarges the eyes more than liquid liners do. To reverse droopy-looking lids, blend liner up at the outer corners with a Q-tip. We like L'Oréal Paris Le Kohl Pencil Smooth Defining Eyeliner in Onyx ($8.49).

5. Supersize your Sunglasses
By now you know how damaging the sun can be, so besides coating on sunscreen, shield yourself with chic accessories. Swap your thinly rimmed aviators for oversize frames and you'll get more protection around your eyes, which wrinkle first, says Boston dermatologist Ranella Hirsch. And don't forget a hat: "Buying a five-dollar fedora now will save you $10,000 with me later," adds Hirsch. Throwing on a scarf can also help prevent sun spots in the décolleté area.

6. Stock Up on Olive Oil
Extra-virgin olive oil contains fatty acids similar to those found in our skin and is an incredibly gentle moisturizer. If you have skin that's dry and sensitive from overloading on harsh face and eye antiagers, bring your skin-care regimen to a halt, says Jessica Wu, an L.A.-based cosmetic dermatologist, and slather on a thin layer of unflavored oil at night instead.

Related: How to Get Glowing Skin at Any Age

7. Reverse Your Brown Spots
Lemon juice diluted with water helps fade sun spots on all skin tones, says New York dermatologist Jessica Krant. Since acids can be irritating, apply it before bed with a Q-tip, and gradually increase to twice daily. Stop if your skin gets too light.

8. Brush Blush Above Your Apples
For an instant cheek lift, place your blush brush at the highest point of your cheekbone and apply color in a circular motion, advises makeup artist Sandy Linter, who works with Elizabeth Hurley. Go for warm pinks, apricots, or bronzes since they create less contrast and make you look younger. A great option is Kevyn Aucoin Pure Powder Glow in Myracle or Neolita ($37 each).

Related: How to Work with Your Skin Type: Top Products and Routines

9. Shield Your Windows
Did you know the average commuter gets almost 200 hours of sun exposure each year just driving? And, Hirsch says, "Eighty percent of all sun exposure is through windows." To ward off sun spots, wrinkles, or worse — skin cancer — derms recommend investing in a clear window film such as Solar Gard, which blocks 99 percent of UVA and UVB rays with SPF 285 in your home or car.

10. Remove Makeup Before Bed
Duh, right? But this is about more than just avoiding clogged pores. It's extremely important to rid your skin of the environmental pollution you've been exposed to throughout the day and wash away free radicals to avoid the breakdown of collagen and elastic tissue, says Wexler. We like St. Ives Fresh Skin Make-up Remover & Facial Cleanser ($3.99).

Related: Products That Make You More Beautiful Overnight

More from Harper's Bazaar:

Sexiest Woman Alive

What makes a woman truly sexy? The criteria are up for debate, but what we do know is that Minka Kelly stands out. She's Esquire's Sexiest Woman Alive of 2010.

So what makes Minka so sexy? Yes, the former Friday Night Lights star is gorgeous, but it's the way she does things. Things all of us do, like growing up, tackling a career, and getting older. It seems that the way a woman plays her cards — rather than simply which cards she's been dealt — is what truly makes her sexy. (Check out last year's Sexiest Woman Alive.)


Related: The Sexiest Women Alive... from Every Country on Earth

What Is Sexy: Staying Positive
Growing up, Minka didn't have much. She was raised by a single mom and they moved a lot. They had very little money. Resourcefulness and love got them through some rough years.

"My mom lived a fast life," she says now. "It was all about what we could do to have fun with nothing. She — for most of my life, she was a dancer. An exotic dancer. She was a stripper. Um, so she would come home at like three, four o'clock in the morning, and sometimes she would have a really great night, and so she would wake me up in the middle of the night and we'd go to Ralphs and go grocery shopping. And that was so much fun. We'd have the whole grocery store to ourselves, and we would have a blast and buy ahundred dollars in groceries. And it was just the best day ever. The bestday."

Related: Funny Jokes from Minka and More Beautiful Women
What Is Sexy: Loving Yourself the Way You Are
Minka got the job working as a scrub nurse after high school in Los Angeles. On a test shoot for a modeling agency, the makeup person, a former PlayboyPlaymate, approached Minka with an idea. She said she wanted to manage Minka and turn her into a Playmate of the Year. Minka was nineteen. The woman got her a job answering phones at a surgeon's office, the idea being that Minka would work enough hours to get free breast implants. The procedure was already on the calendar when Minka decided she liked herself the way she was and called it off. Her manager had her fired from answering phones — but Minka, having gotten to know the scrub nurses in the office, asked about becoming one. She went to school for a year and became a surgeon's assistant.

But her acting career is a whole other story. Find out how she got her break.
What Is Sexy: Aging with Confidence
Growing older is one thing. But aging with confidence? Some would say it's a total turn-on. Minka is newly 30, a big birthday, we point out.

"It is a big one, and I love it. I think it's the most exciting birthday I think I've ever had. I'm so excited to be a woman. Done with the twenties. I'm confident — confident in my skin, and I'm cool with my flaws and all that stuff. It just feels nice to be at peace with yourself. I think my thirtieth birthday gave me permission to have all that. The twenties were a pain in the ass — figuring it all out. What am I doing? Where do I go?"

And when we ask what's in store for her thirties, she responds, "I don't know.And I'm glad I don't know."

Related: More Sexy Women We Love

What do you think makes a woman sexy?

The web never encourages us to slow down!

Not all distractions are bad. As most of us know, if we concentrate too intensively on a tough problem, we can get stuck in a mental rut. But if we let the problem sit unattended for a time, we often return to it with a fresh perspective and a burst of creativity. Research by the Dutch psychologist Ap Dijksterhuis indicates that such breaks in our attention give our unconscious mind time to grapple with a problem, bringing to bear information and cognitive processes unavailable to conscious deliberation. We usually make better decisions, his experiments reveal, if we shift our attention away from a mental challenge for a time.

The constant distractedness that the net encourages—the state of being, to borrow a phrase from T S Eliot, “distracted from distraction by distraction” — is very different from the kind of temporary, purposeful diversion of our mind that refreshes our thinking. The cacophony of stimuli short-circuits both conscious and unconscious thought, preventing our minds from thinking either deeply or creatively. Our brains turn into simple signal-processing units, shepherding information into consciousness and then back out again.

What we seem to be sacrificing in our surfing and searching is our capacity to engage in the quieter, attentive modes of thought that underpin contemplation, reflection and introspection. The web never encourages us to slow down. It keeps us in a state of perpetual mental locomotion. The rise of social networks like Facebook and Twitter, which pump out streams of brief messages, has only exacerbated the problem.


There’s nothing wrong with absorbing information quickly and in bits and pieces. We’ve always skimmed newspapers more than we’ve read them, and we routinely run our eyes over books and magazines to get the gist of a piece of writing and decide whether it warrants more thorough reading. The ability to scan and browse is as important as the ability to read deeply and think attentively. What’s disturbing is that skimming is becoming our dominant mode of thought. Once a means to an end, a way to identify information for further study, it’s becoming an end in itself — our preferred method of both learning and analysis. Dazzled by the net’s treasures, we have been blind to the damage we may be doing to our intellectual lives and even our culture.


>> more at: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/internet/7967894/How-the-Internet-is-making-us-stupid.html

Blogging out of Balance

SEVERAL INDEPENDENT ASSESSMENTS HAVE REACHED IDENTICAL CONCLUSIONS: IN THE SCIENCE BLOGOSPHERE, MEN SIGNIFICANTLY OUTNUMBER WOMEN. IS THIS EVIDENCE OF DISCRIMINATION?


Could the disparity in numbers of bloggers be related to a difference in the underlying population of scientists? A recent report (PDF) by the Council of Graduate Schools (CGS) showed that in 2009, women received more PhDs than men in the U.S. But do those numbers hold for science PhDs as well?


While men do slightly outnumber women in science, math, and engineering PhDs, the disparity in numbers is much smaller than the disparity we see on the major blogging networks, including ResearchBlogging, where male bloggers outnumber female bloggers by over three to one in the same fields as the CGS report. 


Of course, even though women have nearly drawn equal with men in earning science PhDs, men still far outnumber women in tenured- and tenure-track positions. At MIT, for example, a 2006 report found no department with more than 30 percent women faculty, and just three of six with more than 20 percent women. Could this male dominance in the upper echelons of academe be discouraging women from blogging?
§ SEEDMAGAZINE.COM
>> more: http://seedmagazine.com/content/article/blogging_out_of_balance/

People match one another’s language

People match one another’s language when speaking and do it more so when they’re happy:

“When two people start a conversation, they usually begin talking alike within a matter of seconds,” says James Pennebaker, professor of psychology at the University of Texas at Austin. “This also happens when people read a book or watch a movie. As soon as the credits roll, they find themselves talking like the author or the central characters.”

And:

Because style matching is automatic, it serves as an unobtrusive window into people’s close relationships with others.

Astoundingly (and perhaps implicit in our behavior), this idea can be used to reveal something about future partners:

Style matching has the potential to quickly and easily reveal whether any given pair of people — ranging from business rivals to romantic partners — are psychologically on the same page and what this means for their future together.

Does style matching extend beyond language to fashion? To food? To travel preferences? It would explain a great deal.
>> more at: http://www.futurity.org/society-culture/language-a-bellwether-for-compatibility/

Which way is she turning?

The Right Brain vs Left Brain test ... 
do you see the dancer turning clockwise or anti-clockwise?

A spinning dancer has been fascinating me for a long time now. I am sure you have seen it online somewhere already....
Few years back I got an email with animated (gif) image with a silhouette of dancing ballerina. I took time to further analyze it. And I couldn't decide why the direction of her movement sometimes would change during the spin. Sometime, but not always. My eyes and my feelings played tricks on me!? Why the perception was not stable? It's been puzzling me ever since.

I have tried with few of my friends. It didn't help me — the tricky spinning/pirouetting ballerina still dances tirelessly... So lets see if we can find out how my readers perceive her movement. [I put a poll above, on the top of this page, please make your choice.]

If you are a left brainer, you will see the ballerina turning anti-clockwise.
The left brain function includes:

1. uses logic
2. detail oriented
3. facts rule
4. words and languages
5. present and past
6. math and science
7. can comprehend
8. knowing
9. acknowledges
10. knows object name
11. reality based
12. forms strategies
13. practical
14. safe

And if you are a right brainer, you will see the ballerina turning clockwise.
The right brain function includes:

1. uses feelings
2. ‘big picture’ oriented
3. imagination rules
4. symbols and images
5. present and future
6. philosophy & religion
7. can ‘get it’
8. believes
9. appreciates
10. spatial perception
11. knows object function
12. fantasy based
13. presents possibilities
14. impetuous
15. risk taking

So, which side of the brain do you think with most of the time? You can see for yourself how the ballerina turns and you will get the answer.But there again, the human mind is never one sided. We all have the ability to ‘see’ the ballerina turning both clockwise and anti-clockwise.

Read more > http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Spinning_Dancer

Everybody wants to be happy, you too! (simple recipe)

21 Simple Ways to Be Happy,
Tips to Help You Find Happiness

If you are looking for happiness, you've come to the right place! Happiness is a state of being that only you can create. Happiness is a choice that you make. Using what I've learned as a life and wellness coach, this gallery will share with you the best tips on happiness that can help you to create happiness in your life! Get ready to smile, chant, eat dark chocolate and dream... big!  By Janice Taylor

Be Your Own BFF > Enjoy your own company. Embrace everything about you! Without a doubt, it’s the most important step towards. Smile, Giggle, Snigger, or Chuckle! > Smiling releases serotonin in the brain, which instantaneously gives your mood a lift. Warm Up Your Tootsies > Pull on your best pair of warm socks, wiggle your toes and enjoy a cozy kind of bliss. Sing Out Loud! > Shut the doors and the windows tight, put on your favorite song, and let your voice ring! Indulge in Dark Chocolate > Savor a small piece and watch your mood improve. Expect a Miracle > Believe that something wonderful will happen for you today. The universe is waiting to shower happy blessings on you. Meditate, Pray, and Chant > Research shows that people who are spiritual tend to be happier and healthier than those who are not. Laugh at Your Shortcomings > We all make mistakes; none of us is perfect. Forgive your imperfections, accept your faults, and laugh. Sleep, Baby, Sleep. 7 or 8 hours each night should increase your energy and decrease moodiness.Count Your Blessings Daily > Gratitude, the emotion of thankfulness, is one of the key ingredients for living a happy life. Make gratitude a habit and happiness will be yours. Wake Up Early! > Start the day off on a happy foot, with a happy thought. The morning hours are full ofspiritual energy and prana (life force). Let the Sun Shine In > 20 minutes of sunlight per day improves mood and wards of Seasonal Affection Disorder (SAD). Create a Positive Affirmation > Think it, read it, say it, sing it! "My happiness brings me more happiness." Say "Good Job!" > Give yourself permission to pat yourself on the back. Recognize your accomplishments and positive qualities. Catch Happiness from Others > Remembering that happiness is contagious, surround yourself with happy, positive people who share your values, goals, and dreams. Grow a Garden >  Watching plants grow and thrive under your care is thrilling! Pencil in 'Quiet' Time > Each and every day sit awhile, without television, without magazines, without the Internet. Just be! Look to the Future > Set goals and then make plans to succeed and take action. Pursuing something we value always makes us happy. Accept What You Cannot Change > Don't waste your precious time, energy, or thoughts on something that is beyond your control. Let it go. Take a Cat Nap > A 10-minute nap is all it takes to rejuvenate your spirit and get the happiness to flow. Love Everything > Love who you are. Love what you are doing. Love the person you're with. Love your friends and your enemies, too. Love! Love! Love!

....or how Julia Roberts would say: EAT PRAY LOVE!