(Photo: Photograph by Rob Melnychuk)

Now that Bloomberg has declared war on cigarettes, you might want to use your vacation time to start shaping up -- instead of lighting up. These days, resorts and destinations are adding "smoking cessation" services to their pool, tennis, and water-sport offerings. The Duke Diet & Fitness Center in Durham (800-235-3853; from $4,885 per person for two weeks), the Hilton Head Health Institute (800-292-2440; from $2,395 per week), and both Canyon Ranch locations, in the Berkshires and in Tucson (800-742-9000; from $1,864 for four nights), have tobacco-addict treatments like acupuncture, movement therapy, and exercise physiology. Not tough enough? Carnival has just launched a week-long "Quit Smoking" Caribbean cruise, where you'll be fined $250 if you're caught taking a puff; the next ship sets sail from Miami on December 1 (866-512-2777; from $619). And the new Spa Atlantis in Pompano Beach, Florida, now offers quitters a seven-day seminar beginning January 10 (800-583-3500; from $1,762).
-- BETSY GOLDBERG

(Photo: Photograph by Rob Melnychuk.)

Canada Fly

It's taken Canada a while to catch on to the boutique-hotel craze, but this winter, our northern neighbors are making up for lost time -- most recently with Opus, a swank 97-room hotel that just opened in Vancouver. Common areas are jazzed up with furnishings by designers ranging from Eames to Starck to Nienkämper, and the guest rooms are grouped into five different décor schemes, based on the tastes of fictional characters like Susan, a Blahnik addict; Mike the Saab-driving doctor; and Bob and Carol, an outdoorsy dot-com couple from San Francisco (866-642-6787 or opushotel.com; from $95). And this February, look for Toronto's first two trendy boutiques: Hotel Le Germain, where guests can buy just about anything they find in their rooms, from mattresses and duvets to glasses and bathrobes (866-345-9501 or hotelboutique.com; from $144), and the 88-room Soho Metropolitan, which will feature a full-service health club and spa and an over-the-top Chihuly installation in the lobby (416-597-6327 or metropolitan.com; from $189).

Deals on Wheels

Everyone loves a bargain. But to be honest, hotel packages bore us silly: Free breakfast? Yawn. A complimentary bottle of champagne? Whoop-dee-do. But when the toss-in comes with four wheels and a V-8 engine, well, that's another story. A few Los Angeles hotels that will put you in the driver's seat of a ride to match your swank digs: At the Fairmont Miramar Hotel in Santa Monica, $419 a night buys you a deluxe ocean-view room and use of a Mercedes SLK or BMW 323; $449 gets you a Porsche Boxter; and for $1,669, you can tool around in a Bentley (800-441-1414; through the end of 2003). Over in Beverly Hills, a room at Maison 140 comes with a BMW Mini Cooper and free parking for $259 a night, through the end of this year (800-432-5444); and Avalon's "Classic Holiday Package" includes accommodations for two, overnight parking, and the use of a T-bird convertible for $298 nightly (from November 28 to December 30; 800-535-4715).

Deal of the Week

The Ocean Key Resort, nestled between Key West's harbor and its historic downtown, is offering New York readers 20 percent off an ocean-view room, plus a free dinner for two, if you stay four nights in December (800-328-9815 or oceankey.com; rates from $329 a night, based on availability).

etc.

• Restaurant News Palm Beach's historic Brazilian Court hotel is freshening up with new condos, a new pool, a new spa, a new screening room, and -- the best part -- a new Café Boulud, opening in March (doubles from $390; 561-838-4445).

• Sweet Dreams The Four Seasons Resort Nevis -- a longtime playground for America's head honchos -- is adding a full-service spa in December. The 12,000-square-foot facility will resemble the island's early sugar plantations and will incorporate coconut, sugarcane, and rum -- all past Nevis exports -- into its treatments (800-332-3442).
  • Tee Time This week, Zagat introduces its first golf survey, a guide to more than 1,000 courses in the United States and the Caribbean. Each property is rated on its course, clubhouse, service, and value ($14.95).
  • Small Wonders The skin-conscious set has been lining up for DDF's anti-sun-damage products for years. Now mini-bottles of the blocks, aloes, and post-sun remedies are available in convenient, Spa on the Go travel kits ($25 each at DDFskin.com).

Related:

• Archive: “Travel Column”
• Articles by Tara Mandy
• Table of Contents: Nov 25, 2002 issue of New York | Subscribe!