Travel briefs: Sunday, May 11, 2008

The best "green” golf resorts, according to Golf magazine:

1. Kiawah Island Golf Resort, Kiawah Island, S.C.

2. Mauna Lani Resort, Big Island, Hawaii.

3. Turning Stone Resort and Casino, Verona, N.Y.

4. Barton Creek Resort and Spa, Austin, Texas.

5. Pinehurst Resort, Pinehurst, N.C.

6. Pebble Beach Resorts, Pebble Beach, Calif.

7. The Broadmoor, Colorado Springs, Colo.

8. Amelia Island Plantation, Amelia Island, Fla.

9. Reynolds Plantation, Greensboro, Ga.

10. Kapalua Resort, Maui, Hawaii.

A new hotel in New York and a new resort in Florida have big celebrity names behind them. In the Tribeca section of Manhattan, the Greenwich Hotel — owned by actor-director Robert DeNiro and three partners — opened April 1 at 377 Greenwich St. The eight-story luxury hotel has 88 rooms, with no two alike; 13 suites; a spa; restaurant; and 2,500-square-foot penthouse. DeNiro is also part owner of the Japanese restaurant Nobu.

Singer Gloria Estefan is opening the Costa d'Este Beach Resort in June in Vero Beach, Fla., about an hour north of Palm Beach on Florida's east coast. The oceanside resort has 94 rooms, spa and restaurant. Estefan and her husband, Emilio, own four other restaurants including Larios and Oriente in South Beach, and the Cardozo Hotel in Miami Beach.

For a city in the middle of the desert, Las Vegas has many aquatic attractions, from Bellagio's dancing fountains to the Shark Reef aquarium at Mandalay Bay casino resort.

One such attraction off the beaten path is Mermaid Lounge in Silverton Casino Lodge on Blue Diamond Road, about five miles south of the main Las Vegas Strip.

The Mermaid Lounge is next to a 117,000-gallon aquarium (an oval that's 26 feet across and 15 feet tall) that houses more than 4,000 tropical fish, including stingrays and sharks. Three times a day, divers swim through the aquarium, feeding the fish and answering visitors' questions (the divers wear communication masks). Thursday through Sunday, a "mermaid” makes her way into the tank. And it's all free.

The Mermaid Lounge has tiered seating that provides unobstructed views of the sea creatures. In addition to the giant aquarium, there are two 500-gallon wall tanks with jellyfish illuminated by light-emitting diodes.

• In today's Living section: A look at the winners of the Mother's Day essay and picture contest.

From Staff and Wire Reports