Get ready to swoon. The Ritz-Carlton Palm Beach – playground of the rich and famous right on the sand in exclusive South Florida – has opened a spa that simply oozes glamour.

The Eau Spa (“Eau” is French for water) is a 42,000 square foot palace that fuses baroque designs with strong modern accents to create a sensory experience for its guests.

The heart of the spa is the open-air Self-Centered Garden, where guests can float in swinging chairs above a shallow pool of water, enjoy the warmth of a waterfall cascading on their shoulders, or recline on chaise lounges with a glass of wine.

Okay, admit it: You’ve swiped a little, or not so little, souvenir before checking out of a special hotel. You’re not alone !

Hotels have long since realized that their towels don’t disappear in washing machines. They’ve gone home with guests.

That is why the Ritz-Carlton has just launched a new online retail store, The Shops at Ritz-Carlton, so that you can order all your favorite luxury items for your home.

Royal Suite, Burj Al Arab

Demand for the top end of the luxury hotel market has been unaffected by the credit crunch, keeping prices for the best rooms at very high levels : the superrich are still willing to spend huge sums on staying at the best hotel rooms in the world, paying as much as $34,000 a night to lodge at the most luxurious suites, according Wealth-Bulletin’s survey of the Top Ten Most Expensive Hotel Rooms in the World.

Also worth noting is the appearance of Dubai (the Burj Al Arab’s Royal Suite, above) and Moscow hotels on the list, which would have been unheard of just a couple years ago. Here are the Top 10:

1. The Warner PentHouse, Four Seasons; New York, $34,000 per night.
2. Royal Penthouse suite, President Wilson Hotel, Geneva, $33,000 per night.
3. The Presidential Suite, Hotel Cala Di Volpe, Costa Smeralda, Italy $21,000 per night.
4. Royal Suite, Burj-Al-Arab, $18,000 per night.
5. Royal Armleder Suite, Le Richmond, Geneva, $17,500 per night.

6. The Ritz Carlton Suite, The Ritz Carlton, Moscow; 16,500 per night
7. The Royal Suite, Four Seasons George V, Paris; $15,500 per night
8. The Imperial Suite, Park Hyatt Vendome, Paris; 15,500 per night
9. Brook Penthouse, Claridges, London, $10,000 per night
10. Penthouse Suite, Hotel Martinez, Cannes, $9,300 per night (During the Cannes film festival week in May the price rockets to $48,000 a night).