Here’s the problem with most relaxing getaways—as soon as you pay for ’em, you’re more stressed out than you were before you left town. But with this steal of a trip to St. Thomas, you’ll be whistling a Jimmy Buffett tune even after you get your credit card statement. Just $779 will net you round trip airfare to St. Thomas, a whopping five nights at the Wyndham Sugar Bay Resort and Spa, and (you ready for this?) a $100 resort credit and a $50 Visa card. Yep, you can go ahead and knock $150 off the already rock-bottom price; in essence, you’re getting a weeklong Caribbean vacation for $630.

So, where’s the catch? Well, you won’t find one in the resort—the Wyndham boasts a private, sugar-white beach, three interconnecting pools with waterfalls and jaw-dropping views of the mountains and ocean. And it isn’t in the island itself; if you’ve ever laid eyes on St. Thomas’ pristine shores, you understand why it’s the most popular cruise port in the Caribbean. In fact, if there’s a “catch” to be had in this deal, it’s the enormous blue marlin you’ll reel in during a deep-sea fishing excursion you can arrange through the hotel.

If this deal has you ready to strip down to your bathing suit and whip up a margarita, be sure to sign up for our weekly travel alert. In it, we share more unbelievable specials like this one, so you can book a getaway that’s truly relaxing.

Checking In: Nha Trang, Vietnam
Checking Out: St. Bart’s

Everyone knows, if you’re looking for an in-the-flesh celebrity bikini spotting, St. Bart’s is the place to be. Ladies like Penelope Cruz, Mariah Carey and Victoria’s Secret spokeswoman Adriana Lima have flaunted their million dollar bodies on the beaches of this exclusive island in the French West Indies. Just like the Ivy in L.A., St. Bart’s is a sure thing for celebrity spotting, and just like at the Ivy, you’ll pay an arm and a leg to get a glimpse at the glamorous life.

Thing is, celebrity-skin is about as common as the flu these days. That’s why smart luxury travelers are looking east for alternatives to the paparazzi-infested beaches of vacation gold standards like St. Bart’s. In beach towns like Vietnam’s Nha Trang, the American dollar still has some buying power, and luxury developers are creating their own Asian invasion, throwing up beachfront resorts to keep pace with increased interest in the East.

Located about 275 miles from Ho Chi Minh City on the Pacific Ocean, Nha Trang has gained a reputation as one of Vietnam’s foremost seaside destinations. Most luxury seekers will find refuge on Tran Phu Blvd, home to most of the city’s finest accommodations. First there’s the Evason Ana Mandara, a Six Senses-run five-star hotel cast in the image of an old Vietnamese village. It boasts the city’s only beachfront resort, surrounded by private tropical gardens and spectacular views of Nha Trang Bay. Ana Mandara is a small resort, with only 17 villas and 74 suites, which adds to that oh-so-important feeling of exclusivity.

For those travelers looking to escape the city altogether, the Vinpearl Resort and Spa sits upon the white sand beaches of Hon Tre Island, just off the coast of Nha Trang City. With 485 luxury guest rooms and the “largest swimming pool in East Asia,” there’s nothing small about Vinpearl.

If five-star accommodations are too quaint, just give Nha Trang a little time. The Vinpearl Tourism and Trade Joint-Stock Company began construction in late March on Vietnam’s first six-star resort. The as of yet unnamed hotel, also on Hon Tre Island, will include two presidential villas, three super-luxury villas, and 125 six-star suites.

With six-star accommodations on the horizon, Nha Trang may soon become a celebrity hideaway, but for now it’s Vietnam’s best kept secret. So this summer, forget celebrity nip-slip bingo. It’s time to leave tired old St. Bart’s behind for the paparazzi-free beaches of Vietnam.

A couple of months ago Demi Moore appeared on David Letterman to talk about her new movie Flawless. As many conversations with the 45 year-old actress do, this one turned to her age-defying good looks. Her secret? Leeching. Moore went on to reveal that on a recent trip to Austria she underwent a detox treatment in which she was shaved and covered in the little black bloodsuckers.

Hey, no one said being beautiful was easy. Or did they? Either way, women the world over are undergoing bizarre spa treatments–some costing thousands–to sustain their youthful good looks. It seems there’s nothing too gross or too weird when it comes to eternal beauty. To give you an idea of just how extreme these spa treatments can be, we’ve compiled a list of the most outlandish beauty remedies. So put down the Loofah and listen up.

Bird Poop Facial
Let’s just cut to the chase. Some of these treatments are down right nasty, but for a few brave souls, they are the key to external beauty. Once used as a bleaching agent in traditional Japanese garment dying, and to lighten the skin of Geishas, nightingale dung is enjoying resurgence at the Diamond Spa at Hawaii’s Diamond Resort. The spa begins each of its facials, which start at $144 for 15 minutes, with a mask that includes the songbird droppings. Apparently the enzyme found in the birds’ stomach and intestines–usually used to break down protein and fat–dissolves dirt while repairing and whitening damaged skin.

From Sky to Sea
At the Ooedo-Onsen-Monogatari hot springs spa in Tokyo, guests can treat themselves to a traditional Turkish pedicure. Your feet are placed in a bowl or tub filled with tiny little fish called Garra Rufa. As your feet soak, the fish go to work, dining on dry, flakey skin. The pesci-pedicure apparently leaves feet feeling baby’s-bottom soft.

Caviar Bath
If tiny fish nibbling away at your extremities sounds more like a horror film than a day of world-class pampering, consider this. At the Rome Cavalieri Hilton, the spa offerings are equally fishy, but there’s no baiting going on here. Instead, guests looking for a distinctly decadent treatment are covered from head to toe in caviar. The Caviar Firming treatment comes as a facial or full body treatment, and uses the firming agents found in the fish eggs to leave skin looking younger and healthier.

The Gold Standard
The 24k Gold facial at the Casanova Hotel spa in Barcelona will have you looking like a million bucks, or more, considering the current value of the shiny metal. The Gold Secret, as the treatment is called, includes a 24k gold flake facial, a “gold wrap,” and an exfoliating Jacuzzi bath. The spa counts the Gold Secret as it’s most coveted, but its menu also boasts a list of gem treatments, including the Mysterious Jade, which uses the sparkling green stones alongside sage extracts and cucumber to “enhance inner peace.”

Diamonds are for Facials
Being covered from head to toe in 24k gold may sound like decadence at its best, but everyone knows that diamonds are a girl’s best friend. Spas all over the world offer treatments that employ this most famous of rocks. In the beauty community, diamonds are know for their ability to reactivate cellular metabolism and stimulate collagen production, which can reduce signs of aging like sagging and wrinkling. The Lake Austin Spa in Austin, Texas offers a $230, 80 minute Diamond Facial, while the Ritz-Carlton in Doha Qatar boasts a 120 minute, full-body treatment for QR 1400, or about $385. Sounds like a facial made especially for the late Ms. Monroe.

Upstanding luxury resorts like the Arrabelle at Vail Square have a way of wooing the traveler into a sublime state of mind, full of serenity and goodwill. Indeed, it is next to impossible to resist the peaceful lull of striking Rocky Mountain views, romantic European architecture and exceptionally personalized service just steps away from the Eagle Bahn gondola. However, don’t let the Arrabelle’s many charms overcome your naturally wary travel sense—as they say, even paradise isn’t perfect.

This adage has never rang more true than in the case of the spa gift card promotion advertised on the hotel’s website, seemingly the perfect excuse to book a summer getaway in Vail. Due to either an unscrupulous deal-maker or an inept accountant, it turns out that the “Free $100 Spa Gift Card” the Belle is “giving away” with a two-or-more-night stay is not free at all! In fact, the gift card costs almost $250 more than a stay without $100 of spa services included.

Check this out: If you book through the hotel’s Rates & Specials page, two nights in a Superior King Room is $823.46, with said gift card promotion. However, if you simply search for a room on the front page of the website, you’ll find out that the “Seasonal Promotion” rate for the same room for two nights is only $575.35, a difference of $248.11.So, while no one can blame you for wanting to pamper your cares away at the Arrabelle’s state of the art spa, you’ll be better off booking a room without the spa promotion and purchasing spa services yourself. Just think of all the masks, massages and moisturizers you can buy with that extra $150…