Top picks: our annual survey reveals the best places in Latin America to work or rest.

If you had to guess where people were in Latin America this year, you could safely say Chile and Brazil, according to the LATIN TRADE annual Best of Latin America survey. When we asked our readers to name anything from the best airport to the best coffee, Chile and Brazil won over 60% of the categories. But there's good news elsewhere. The best beach was nowhere near South America. And an embattled Buenos Aires shines. Check out Latin America's best.

BEST BUSINESS CITY

In 2004 Sao Paulo celebrated its 450th birthday, and the readers of LATIN TRADE for the third consecutive year selected it as the best city to do business in Latin America. The list of reasons continues to impress: South America's biggest city, Sao Paulo has 10.5 million inhabitants (not counting the larger metropolitan area of Greater Sao Paulo, which has close to 18 million residents) and the third-largest public budget in the country. It's not surprising that traffic is chaotic: One out of four cars in Brazil is driving the streets of Sao Paulo. It's a city with a precarious mass-transit system, high crime levels and a smog problem, and there's better weather elsewhere in the country. But all this matters little when it comes to doing business and attending to the needs of business people who land here from all corners of the planet every day. Here is where 38% of the country's biggest private companies have put their headquarters; 63% of international companies are also here; 17 of the 20 largest banks; eight of the 10 biggest stock brokerages and nearly half of the 200 biggest technology companies. The stock exchange, the Bolsa de Valores de Sao Paulo (Bovespa), is South America's largest, and the commodities and futures exchange, the Bolsa de Mercancias y Futuros, is the sixth largest in the world in trading volume.

Long famous for being an industrial and financial center, Sao Paulo is also known today for its important role in the service industry. Fifteen million people take part in more than 70,000 business events in Brazil's economic capital. Of the country's 170 major trade fairs, 150 occur in Sao Paulo. In order to handle the flow of business travelers, the city has 50,000 hotel beds. In recent years, various international chains have opened their doors to meet that demanding market, including Hilton, Hyatt, Melia and InterContinental. After a hard day's work, there's plenty of cultural opportunities for the visiting executive, including 92 theaters, 11 cultural centers and 70 museums.

Sao Paulo is also known as the gastronomic capital of the country, with 12,500 restaurants featuring 46 cuisines, a reflection in part of the high number of immigrants to the country and the influence their descendants have had on the culture. A modestly-sized city for centuries, Sao Paulo exploded in population in the late 19th century, taking in people from all over the world. The biggest foreign communities are Italian, Japanese and Arabic. Sao Paulo later became the heart of the Southern Cone Common Market, known as Mercosul, and the major point of entry for foreign visitors to Brazil arriving by air. The Cumbica International Airport has 39 airlines and 1.3 million annual arrivals. As LATIN TRADE readers have noted, it's quite a place. Good luck on your next trip to the business capital of the region, Sao Paulo.

BEST BUSINESS HOTEL

A US$96 million investment, the Hilton Sao Paulo Morumbi opened in 2002 and remains high on the list of favorite hotels, according to LATIN TRADE'S business-traveler readers. "I stayed at the Hilton Morumbi, and it has the best service in Sao Paulo," wrote one reader who took our annual survey. Located in the city's newest business center, a 100-building cluster known as Berrini, it's close to the World Trade Center and the headquarters of various large multinational corporations. The hotel is inside a 28-floor tower and has 485 rooms and more than 2,000 square meters of space for conventions and events. The Morumbi, Moema and Itaim salons host corporate events and have modern equipment to assist visitors in making functions work. The modern, glass lobby has a 15-meter-high ceiling that lets natural light brighten the entire area. In addition to the prize-winning Canvas Bar & Grill (selected as the best business restaurant in Latin American in this edition), the hotel also has Caffe Cino, an Italian-style coffee bar, a piano in the foyer and another restaurant, Sol & Sombra. In the mezzanine there are several rooms equipped for business meetings. Nearby, the business center has every piece of equipment imaginable for a business visitor.

The room design was planned for business travelers, integrating comfort and work space. The rooms are divided into six categories, from the deluxe to the presidential suite, and all of them come with broadband Internet access, a CD player, flat-screen televisions, and a work area. In the upper floors, guests will find a gym and the Living Well spa for relaxation. The pool has a panoramic view of the city, South America's largest. On the 26th floor is the Executive Salon, offering special services for guests on the five business floors. Here you can register, check out or have breakfast in a private dining room. From the hotel, guests can reach several nearby buildings via underground passages, including the CENU shopping complex, Shopping D&D and the World Trade Center. Hilton's largest project in Latin America, the Morumbi is ready and able to host executives interested in doing business in Sao Paulo. "Stay at the Hilton Morumbi" wrote one reader. "The service is excellent" [55] (11) 6845-0000. www.hilton.com

BEST BUSINESS RESTAURANT

Inside the Hilton Sao Paulo Morumbi, the Canvas Bar & Grill is an ideal stop for anyone interested in both fine dining and fine art while on a visit to Brazil: The architecture, by Argentine Daniel Piana, is a conglomeration of concrete, steel and glass. The restaurant dedicates 275 meters of space to Brazilian art, with 25 suspended panels creating an exhibition of works by well-known national artists such as Aldemir Martins and Romero Britto. In command of the Mtchen is Chef Yvan Didelot, a Frenchman inspired by various countries he's visited, including Mexico, Switzerland and Lebanon. As a restaurant turned gallery, the chef turns each dish into a true work of art, notably the pastas, risottos, meat and fish dishes, which are quite creatively prepared. Some of the better choices include the salmon and the lula risottos. Another good choice is the gaspacho de frutas vermelhas. Inside the glass, climate-controlled wine cellar are 600 bottles of wine from 160 vineyards. This elegant atmosphere is perfect for a business dinner in Sao Paulo and the bar next door in the hotel is equally charming, with a modern feel, including a video wall with music and film clips. The bar also has a menu for champagne and caviar. Reservations: [55] (11) 6845-0055. www.canvasbaregrill.com.br

BEST AIRLINE

The world's largest passenger airline, American Airlines has always bet big on Latin America. American inaugurated service to Mexico in 1941, but the real story began in 1987, when it added Caracas. Two years later, the airline acquired former Eastern Airlines' routes into Central and South America for US$430 million, becoming a serious competitor. Eastern at the time had 18 daily flights into the region. (Caribbean service began in 1971.) Miami now is the company's third hub with 9,000 employees, and it flies to 37 destinations in 18 countries in Latin America, as well as from New York, Dallas-Fort Worth, Los Angeles and San Juan. More than 15 million people fly American just from Miami in a year. In addition, American Eagle commuter planes reach 13 Mexican destinations. American and American Eagle also fly from 13 North American cities to 36 destinations in the Caribbean and to the Bahamas and Bermuda in the Atlantic. The airline says it has spent $2 billion upgrading facilities in San Juan and Miami, most of it in Miami to build a 48-gate terminal in conjunction with Miami-Dade County, due to be completed in November 2007. It's not all about buildings. American is quite proud of its staff, which is quite purposely nearly 100% nationals in the countries it serves, a business decision the airline hopes will help it forge long-term ties in each market. It also belongs to the Oneworld Alliance, creating a significant code-sharing relationship with Chilean airline LAN, which services several other countries in the region from the Southern Cone, as well as code-sharing arrangements with Mexicana, TAM and TACA. www.aa.com

BEST BUSINESS CLASS

Silence. A soothing foot massage. A personal DVD player. Doesn't sound like being on a plane, does it? Well, you have to rub your own feet, but American Airlines does go to some length to take the edge off of long trips in its business class. One key luxury is Bose's Noise-Cancelling Headphones, available on flights to and from Japan, Bueno Aires, Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Europe and from New York's Kennedy Airport to and from Los Angeles and San Francisco. Developed for pilots, the headphones kill all that buzz and rattle of a big, noisy jet plane and leave only the movie or conversations you want to hear, or nothing at all. Add to that a mini-spa-in-a-bag (with foot-rub cream), an adjustable leather headrest, lumbar support on the seat, increased reclining space and legroom, power for laptops and electronics, as well as access to airport lounges on certain tickets. LATIN TRADE readers voted American No. 1 for the experience of traveling in business class, certainly a testament as well to the airline's level of service. www.aa.com

BEST AIRLINE FOOD

If an army travels on its stomach, Chilean airline LAB can't Be accused of undersupplying the troops. Road warriors and tourists alike revel in the carrier's excellent menus and variety. It's a hard crowd to please. Besides the predictable tastes of their own countrymen, LAN's chefs have to worry about passengers boarding on the airline's various international stops in Lima, Quito and the Dominican Republic, as well as passengers on board from its American Airlines code-share agreement. So far, that's not been a problem, no doubt due to selection of fine Chilean wines onboard. New to the list this year, thanks to the carrier's own sommelier, are wines from the Chilean vinas Undurraga, Porta, Haras de Pirque, Bisquertt, Casablanca, Ventisquero, and from Chandon Mendoza in Argentina, www.lan.com

BEST FREQUENT-FLIER PROGRAM

The granddaddy of the travel industry's now-ubiquitous loyalty programs, American Airlines' AAdvantage program, begun in 1981, now extends hundreds of complementary services like hotel stays and car rentals--even theoretically competing airlines. The last time American publicly released data in AAdvantage, it expected to issue free travel awards to 2.6 million passengers in a year. That's 8% of the people who flew with the the company and recognized the value of counting free, discounted or upgraded travel. Through the Oneworld Alliance, customers can redeem miles on Aer Lingus, British Airways, Cathay Pacific Airways, Finnair, Iberia, LAN and Qantas Airways, whose combined destinations along with American total 576 worldwide. The company gives credit to fliers for staying at any one of the 35 chains representing 75 brands of hotels and the seven largest rental-car companies. It has extended the program in recent years to allow members to earn miles by choosing specific phone and Internet service, credit and debit cards, restaurants, financial services, retailers, vacations and cruises. You can donate your miles to charities, such as the Make-A-Wish Foundation, or give your leftover foreign-currency change to the airline for the United Nations UNICEF program, among other causes. As an interesting twist, charities can also get miles to give to donors as thanks for cash contributions, www.aa.com

BEST AIRPORT LOUNGE

What does the busy traveling executive need most? Be what it may, he or she wall almost certainly find it in abundance at Chilean airline LAN's Pablo Neruda Lounge in Santiago, Chile. There's a business center with 11 work stations, fax machines, photocopiers and printers. There's a meeting room, in case you need to move forward on a project during a layover. The whole place is wired for network connectivity, as well as wireless Wi-Fi. There's a bank of phones for local and international calls. But it's on the comfort side where the lounge really shines. A road-weary traveler can grab a shower, change clothes and collapse into a couch or chair with a selection of international publications. The staff is top notch; they'll even arrange to iron your clothes between flights. Business-class and first-class passengers are welcome to take what they need from the buffet and open bar, and the wine list is brimming with excellent Chilean vintages. www.lan.com

BEST AIRPORTS

As airports go, Comodoro Arturo Merino Benitez International in Santiago, Chile is not the biggest, but LATIN TRADE readers certainly felt it was best. That could be, in part, because of its size. Getting in an out is a breeze, and the concourses are still relatively close the main terminal. Parking is no hassle at all, and the highway to and from Santiago recently got a big facelift, including state-of-the-art electronic tollways and wide, easy-to-drive cloverleaf turns. It's just 14 kilometers to downtown Santiago. A lot of the land around the facilities is slated for development, and that will eventually increase traffic, but for now it's probably the simplest airport to land and leave from in the Americas, as more than 5.8 million travelers find a year. For a small airport, though, it's big on service, with plenty of space to stretch out and relax, do some duty-free shopping and grab a bite to eat. Customs is straightforward, fast and efficient, and transit from the airport to the city is easy to negotiate. Cellular-phone rental and Internet access round out the offering, making the little airport with the big name a winner all around. www.aeropuertosantiago.cl

One hundred thousand workers, visitors and passengers pass daily through the halls of Guarulhos International Airport, which provides carrier service for metropolitan Sao Paulo. Also known as Cumbica, the airport connects Brazil with 28 countries via 41 airlines. It has two passenger terminals on three floors and handles both national and international flights. The 14 square-kilometer area the airport occupies is simply and efficiently used, where executives can find banking services, currency exchange, pharmacies, various types of stores and restaurants, among them The Collection, which has a view of the runway and is a good choice while awaiting a flight. If you're going to land at Guarulhos, time your arrival to local auto traffic to and from Sao Paulo: Despite being just 25 kilometers, it can be chaotic during certain times of the day. Once again a favorite among LATIN TRADE readers, it's the main airport in Brazil. www.infraero.gov.br

BEST IMMIGRATION AND SECURITY

How did Brazil get voted best for immigration and security in Latin America? Easy. Brazilians who took our poll chose it as the best. Not for any reasons of nationalism, as you might expect in a soccer-crazy country like Brazil. Just consider arriving at Guarulhos International Airport: Upon departing from an international flight, Brazilians immediately see a sign that asks they open their passport to the photo page upon reaching the immigration desk. From there, it's a fast and efficient process; getting by the federal police takes seconds. In contrast, the line of foreign visitors is enormous and snakes backward. After picking up any suitcases, it's time for Brazilian customs to shine: The bags are X-rayed. If nothing is suspicious, the passenger is on his or her way out of the airport in minutes.

International departures are checked over several times, including manually before check in. But, at least for Brazilians, the security services at the airport gets high ratings.

WORST IMMIGRATION AND SECURITY

How did Brazil get voted the worst for immigration and security in Latin America? Easy. Lots of U.S. citizens who have to travel to Brazil are rankled, still, by the government's decision to impose tit-for-tat security measures on U.S. visitors. Executives used to getting five-star treatment at their foreign business destinations were suddenly getting a taste of what nearly all foreigners now face upon entering the United States: bureaucracy with a capital B. While Brazilians and most foreigners breezed by security counters, U.S. folks were shunted off to a line that seemed to move to crawl, if it moved at all--often there is only one officer for the line. Then they were fingerprinted and photographed. It didn't help that Brazilian security officers promptly went on strike after the decision. Lines stretched out for eight hours or longer, making a three-day trip to Sao Paulo turn into four. The policy makes some sense, considering Brazil's position on diplomatic affairs: We do to you whatever you do to us. But for many regular business travelers, often representing huge multinationals behind billions in investments in the country, it's mighty hard to imagine how slowing down just U.S. visitors can bring any kind of security benefit to Brazil.

BEST CONVENTION CENTER

In the city of Sao Paulo there's a meeting or business event of some kind every seven minutes. The city hosts fairs, conventions and conferences representing 56 economic sectors. Parque Anhembi, the largest events center in Latin America, was selected by LATIN TRADE readers as the best in the region. It has a convention area of 363,000 square meters, known as the Pavilhao de Exposicoes, where more than 20 major trade fairs are held each year, each one receiving more than 50,000 visitors. Nevertheless, the center can handle three events simultaneously. In 2004, 2.5 million visitors attended fairs like Couromoda, Francal and the traditional auto show. The complex is also home to a cultural center known as the Sambodromo, which has 70,000 square meters of open-air space for events like the parade of the Sao Paulo Carnival and the Convention Palace, which has four rooms and five auditoriums for smaller venues. The Grand Auditorium has infrastructure for theater performances and musical concerts for up to 2,500 ticket-holders. Anhembi is easy to reach from domestic and international airports, as well as the metro and the city's main highways. A Holiday Inn hotel is part of the building, with 780 rooms on 13 floors and direct access to the entire complex. Everything is big at Parque Anhembi, including its parking lot, Latin America's largest with room for 7,500 cars. [55] (11) 6224-0400. www.anhembi.com.br

BEST SMALL MEETING PLACE

The Hilton Sao Paulo Morumbi ranked high among the readers of LATIN TRADE as the best place for small corporate meetings in Latin America. In 2004, more than 142,000 people attended business events at the hotel.

Modern equipment includes video-conferencing, broadband Internet, plenty of telecommunications infrastructure and screens transmitting the event around the area. The Hilton has large meeting rooms capable of holding any size of event, including the Morumbi, Moema and Itaim salons. The Morumbi faces the lobby and has capacity for 600 people in 420 square meters. It can be divided into three spaces and has and adjacent area for coffee breaks. The Moema holds up to 380 people and has high-tech lighting systems and an area of 320 square meters. Next door is the Itaim room. It has 40 square meters of space and can accommodate 50. It can be used also as a small meeting room as an annex to the Moema. All of the rooms have the latest in technology, connect directly to the hotel kitchen, and offer trained event staffs. For scheduled meetings, the Hilton Morumbi has 11 more smaller rooms for known as Hilton Meetings. Altogether, this multifunctional room can handle up to 150. [55] (11) 6845-0000. www.hilton.com

BEST BEACH

The sun shines 240 days a year and temperatures hover around 27 degrees Celsius. There are great beaches and lively resorts. You're in Cancun, of course, on the Yucatan peninsula. The town center is actually on the mainland of the Yucatan peninsula in the state of Quintana Roo; the famous beach and hotel area is on what was once an isolated, narrow barrier island. Now sandbars and two causeways connect it to the mainland. At last count, 65 hotels and resorts lined the hotel areas main street, the 22-kilometer Boulevard Kukulcan, named after a Mayan god. Most hotels face the Caribbean Sea's fine, white-sand beaches, with the rest along the sands of Bahia de Mujeres looking out towards Cancun's sister island, Isla Mujeres.

Cancun is so wall-to-wall with hotels that in many cases the only beach access is through a lobby. By government decree, all beaches in Mexico are public, so if you are not staying at the hotel on the sand, make like a tourist when you walk through. Watersports are Cancun's main daytime activity and plenty of tour operators along Kukulcan can fix you up for a day of fun, including skiing, scuba, snorkeling (the world's second-largest barrier reef runs through here), deep-sea fishing, dinner cruises or side trips. Sea kayaking is also popular and some hotels provide kayaks for their guests free of charge. Cancun is a mecca for spa lovers, combining modern treatments with ancient sciences. Spas are located in many of the hotels and in shopping plazas, but Cancun natives also praise the natural benefits of their beaches. They claim the sand exfoliates the skin, saltwater heals cuts or abrasions, swimming gives a full body work out and walking barefoot along the beach provides a gentle massage for the feet and legs.

If shopping is your passion, at last count there were four modern shopping plazas along Boulevard Kukulcan, along with restaurants, bars and nightclubs. When darkness falls, the hotel area hops. Cancun is a very popular spring-break destination for U.S. students, so if you hanker for a little less exuberance during this time, usually March and April, spend a few days on Isla Mujeres, an idyllic eight-kilometer-long island with splendid beaches just a 45-minute ferry ride away. Or take a side trip to the Riviera Maya along the mainland coast to visit Xcaret (which means "small inlet" in Mayan). Xcaret is an eco-archaeological park just 45 minutes from Cancun. It has the largest butterfly pavilion in the world, a wild-bird aviary, botanical gardens, an orchid farm, dolphins, shady islands for jaguars and pumas, underground rivers and an endless list of other attractions. At night, pre-Hispanic ball games take place in this Mayan village, along with rituals and mystical dances in the labyrinth of caves. Xcaret's colorful buses arrive and leave daily.

BEST CULTURAL DESTINATION

The problem with Buenos Aires islanding a way to say no. Other cities may have been built on top of ancient civilizations and boast colonial gems or stately museums. But no city in Latin America, and few in the rest of the world, can match Buenos Aires' reputation for around-the-clock, in-your-face energy. On any given weekend the city stages more theater performances than London. Incredible concerts, art exhibits and film festivals are frequent, and often sold-out.

But some of Buenos Aires' best cultural happenings can be taken in with just a little old-fashioned voyeurism, something long mastered by curious portenos, as the city's residents are known. The neo-classical architecture of its broad avenues, vibrant plaza life and cobble-stoned barrios are a pedestrian's paradise. Likewise, plentiful all-night bookstores and cafes, especially those along suitably seedy Avenida Corrientes, the city's version of a pre-Disneyfied Broadway, are a haven for insomniac intellectuals and artists.

The old moniker of Buenos Aires as the Paris of South America, although still flattering to the euro-centric egos of portenos, seems out of step with the country's economic reality after its 2002 meltdown. But with crisis came opportunity, and a new explosion of culture. Led by a generation brought up taking their stability for granted-only to see it vanish--the city is undergoing a cultural renaissance as young artists paint, sing, rant and film their newfound reality. Local audiences have responded in kind. One amazing fact: Despite declining incomes, portenos are spending more money, and devoting more time, to the consumption of culture than they did in the get-rich-quick 1990s.

Museums were never the city's strong point, but echoing the overall cultural renaissance the city was given, in 2001, a world-class landmark: the Museo de Arte Latino-americano de Buenos Aires (Malba) opened its doors. The museum houses one of the most extensive modern Latin American art collections, with everything from Frida Kahlo to Guillermo Kuitca, in an airy, modern building. For a somewhat less elevated experience, within walking distance you'll find the thoroughly entertaining Museo Evita, a kitsch tribute to perhaps Argentina's most famous cultural export, Evita Perdn. (Note to offended soccer fans, plans for a similar shrine to soccer demigod Diego Maradona are in the works).

Finally, BA wouldn't be BA without tango. In a city of otherwise cosmopolitan tastes, the melancholy wail about evanescent loves and dashed dreams is perhaps the only homespun blanket every porteno, sooner or later, snuggles back into. It's possible to dance tango nearly 24 hours a day at one of the city's hundred-some dance halls, known as milongas, which generally welcome onlookers as well as the eternal sufferers. Visiting provides a far more authentic look of the dance's contemporary resonance than do the overpriced, high kicking dinner shows. For an intimate intro to the music, you can't beat tango seductress Maria Volonte's Thursday-night cabaret show at Cafe Tortoni, the classiest of the city's old-world cafes. While there, don't forget to order an espresso. You'll need the boost to keep up with the fast-paced natives.

BEST RESORT

For time/but from business appointments, for family vacations or conventions, Costa do Sauipe since its inception in late 2000 has become one of Brazil's prime attractions. The resort has five major hotels, a convention center and a replica of a Brazilian Colonial Village, called "Vila Nova da Praia" with six themed inns lining its cobblestone streets, plus restaurants, bars, shops, a church and street entertainment.

The complex covers more than eight kilometers of virgin tropical beach and its sports complex includes an 18-hole PGA golf course and club; 15 tennis courts with a center court for tournaments; courts and fields for sports like basketball, paddle, squash and soccer; an equestrian center; and water-sports facilities that include harnessing up for a thrilling ride across a lake on something called the Flying Fox zip-line, which culminates in landing with a thud on the beach. There is also a small farm where you can learn how to milk a cow or slop pigs.

Located along Brazil's ecologically rich Atlantic Ocean coast in a 202-hectare environmental protection area, the mega resort is 80 kilometers north of Salvador, Bahia, off the Linha Verde highway and one hour from Luis Eduardo Magalhaes International Airport. Costa do Sauipe was developed along a section of the 190-kilometer-long idyllic stretch of beach called the Coconut Coast, named for the thousands of coconut palms that line its shores and hide behind sand dunes. But beaches are not the area's only attraction., nearby is the Tamar turtle protection project, located at the end of what was once an old fisherman's village, and inland are quiet rivers, lakes and protected areas for birdwatching, canoe rides and hiking trails.

With each year, Costa do Sauipe becomes more innovative. The resort has its own version of Brazil's famous street festival, Carnival. Held in September, it is called, Saulpe Floria, and while it is no competition for Carnival in Rio or Salvador, it is a fun happening, giving guests an opportunity for a taste of Carnival in a totally protective environment that even kids can safely enjoy--just join the crowd following the bands in the big trucks and dance and sing along.

Costa do Sauipe's hotel complex consists of SuperClub's Breezes' all-inclusive resort; Marriott Resort & Spa; Sofitel Conventions & Resorts; Sofitel Suites & Resort; and Renaissance Costa do Sauipe Resort. Guests at all of the resorts have access to the Costa do Sauipe's optional attractions at a nominal cost. Transportation within the Costa do Sauipe is by resort van, horse and carriage, bicycle or walking--also at no cost. Private cars are not allowed. The resort has a welcome desk at the airport for anyone needing information or assistance with transportation or accommodations. www.costadosauipe.com.br

BEST CRUISE LINE

If you see a big, white boat on the horizon or parked at a port in Latin America or the Caribbean, chances are pretty good it's a Carnival Cruise Lines ship. The Miami company controls the brands Carnival, Holland America, Princess Cruises, Cunard and Costa Cruise lines, among others, hitting the high seas as far north as Alaska and south to Panama, west to Hawaii and east to Europe and, of course, all over the relaxing, postcard-perfect Caribbean, the line's bread and butter (industry-wide, the islands represent 46% of the business, according to the Cruise Line Industry Association). That adds up to big chunk of a multibillion-dollar business, which has grown tremendously in just the last few years as U.S. vacationers took to cruises like never before. Carnival has responded by offering a little bit of everything for everybody, from kid-friendly ships with babysitters, parties and teen activities, to adventure-travel shore excursions, cooking classes, round-the-clock buffets and pampering all the way up to full-on spas. You can get married on a Carnival ship, hold a corporate meeting, even plan a golf vacation with stops at courses along the way. Part of the marketing power is constant attention from attentive staff that sticks with the customer from beginning to end. Carnival's marketing focus, too, has been to create "floating resorts" that provide for every need, all the while adding ports and destinations to increase the reasons to cruise--exotic, international experiences without the hassle of land and air travel in-between. www.carnival.com