Build Bath & Shower

THESE American students have proved that you don't have to miss out on a bit of luxury just because you're living in halls of residence. Skylar Bantz and Adeline Vela, first years at Texas State University , transformed their drab shared 16 x 16foot bedroom into a stunning home from home. team spent ten hours transforming the room" /> Facebook The girls and their team spent ten hours transforming the room Facebook The room was pretty drab when they got there Along with six friends and relatives, the pair spent ten hours decorating their  bedroom in Sterry Hall, nicknamed Scary Hall by former residents. The girls swapped their desk chairs for monogrammed acrylic versions and turned the area underneath one of the beds into an entertainment centre complete with TV, coffee machine and printer. They added some stylish faux brick wallpaper to give the room a 'loft feeling', and added customised headboards, a mini-fridge, coffee maker, faux-marble desks, a TV a...

Ted Marules' new bathroom is neither subtle nor cheap. "We had visions of grandeur," he says of the $20,000 renovation to his Houston-area home. "We planned to have some wonderful moments in there." Marules and his wife sprung for all the frills: special- order Spanish tile , marble floors, gold faucets and the Texas- sized whirlpool bathtub . "We got some really nice, fancy stuff, and we spent the damned money for it," says the 53-year-old accident reconstruction expert . "Looks like a Roman whorehouse, but it's beautiful." The centerpiece of Marules' marble palace is the hourglass tub, a 10- jet Jacuzzi mounted like an acrylic altar at one end of the room. It set him back $1,897.70. In its promotional materials, Jacuzzi says the tub Marules bought , the Real model, "surrounds the bather in sumptuous curves for an exceptional bathing experience ." Through the Magic Touch controls and PowerPro jet system , it promises ...

Hotel Review: After the 25th "I'm exhausted and I can't keep working these crazy hours," I decided it was time to force my husband to take a vacation, and although he was (and is) a classic workaholic, he sheepishly agreed. Knowing that I travel somewhat extensively for my job, he left the destination up to me. My choice — a magnificently restored hacienda in the Yucatan region of Mexico, known simply as Hacienda Petac. After a short flight from our home in South Florida, we began our journey via rental car to the tiny village of Petac, about 30 minutes outside the city of Merida. I should probably explain what I mean by tiny. I mean two streets, a soccer field, a basketball court, two churches of different denominations, a corn grinding factory , known locally as a tortillaria, as well as three corner stores known as tiendas. That's what I mean by small. In truth, the village of Petac exists because of the Hacienda. Consisting of roughly 170 residents, m...