Yes, that’s Ali Larter, and she’s beautiful. But perhaps more beautiful is the abundance of chocolate adorning the Godiva Decadence Suite, unveiled inside the Bryant Park Hotel in Manhattan today. The hotel suite is made completely of chocolate - right down to the walls - and features opulent touches like a chocolate version of Gustav Klimt’s The Kiss, a chocolate and crystal chandelier and a chocolate fireplace (which, we assume, is just for decoration).

The over-the-top suite is part of the Ultimate Chocolate Fantasy contest from Godiva, which will award one lucky couple a weekend in the suite (with a non-chocolate bed, we hope) and perks like a private chocolate tasting with a Godiva chocolatier, chocolate spa treatments and a year’s supply of Godiva chocolate.

photo source

Here’s a promotion for DailyCandy readers that you can take advantage of: Book by Jan. 30th for travel through Oct. 31, 2008, and you can save $125 off Silverjet flights between Newark Liberty International and London Luton Airports with the promo code DAILYCANDY08. Choose a “Very Sivilised Fare,” and a roundtrip ticket will cost $1,509 (including taxes and fees). Not a bad deal considering you fly in private-jet style with no more than 100 passengers (cabin pictured) on each flight, 6′3″ flat beds, seat back massagers, in-seat power outlets, noise reduction headphones, in-seat entertainment systems and meals designed by London restaurant Le Caprice.

Silverjet DailyCandy Promotion

Note to self: When next sending suitcase full of jewels across international borders via airplane, do not mark with obvious tempting phrase like High-Value. Instead, mark contents with sneaky alternative, such as Dirty Underwear.

JFK Baggage Handlers Accused of Stealing Loot

I recently became one of the gazillion travelers to fall in love with the iPhone. It. Just. Rocks.

Since acquiring my iPhone, I’ve been having some fun exploring all the applications and widgets that make this little device even cooler than it is on its own. To be sure, there are a slew of add-on applications, widgets and programs available for download out there. But which ones are the best for travelers? Here is my list of the Best iPhone Applications and Widgets for Travelers:

New York on Tap

Use this well-designed application to find bars in New York, as well as subway stops and directions.

Hotel Widgets

A simple, but easy-to-use search tool for finding flights, hotels, car rentals and cruises using your iPhone.

Earthcomber

With its iPhone-optimized interface, Earthcomber helps you find what you’re looking for (restaurants, wi-fi, banks, gas stations, ice cream – you name it) and locates it on Google Maps. You can also get driving directions, read reviews and see the location of friends who also use the app.

Sudoku for iPhone

For those addicted to this travel-friendly game, we like the simple interface of this iPhone-based Sudoku widget. There are several similar widgets out there, but this one has a cleaner appearance and also offers players a choice of simple, easy, intermediate and expert game levels. Too bad you can’t play on the plane (yet).

iEventful

This application lets you search for events by city. If you find yourself in a new town with an evening to kill, this simple search will return plenty of options in categories ranging from Food-Wine-Cuisine to Performing Arts.

SoonR

Need access to computer files, photos and programs like Skype from your iPhone? SoonR allows you to do just that. The downloadable program loads the SoonR Desktop Agent onto your home computer and allows you to search, find and share files with any mobile phone – even when your computer is turned off.

iPhone Miles

A simple tool that allows business travelers to track auto mileage with their iPhones. We especially like the way this application allows users to specify driver, purpose and distance and then exports the information to Excel for easy record-keeping.

IM+ for Skype

ddicted to Skype? You can use your account to call or instant message contacts via your iPhone with this application. The only bummer: it’ll cost you $25 to download the service.

Cool Gorilla Phrase Books

Much like traditional translators, this iPhone-friendly application offers phrases in five languages (French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish). But unlike many electronic handheld language gadgets, this application will actually pronounce the phrases for you using Quicktime.

Flight Stats

Search for flight status, departure and arrival times, airport and airline information, security wait times and current airport delays all from your iPhone.

JiWire Wi-Fi Finder

Find wi-fi hotspots in cities around the world. Allows you to browse by country, city, address, wireless provider and even connection type. An added bonus? You can search exclusively for free wi-fi hotspots.

iPhone Tipper

While many tipping applications exist for the iPhone, we like this one because it allows you to split the check among up to 10 people and offers an easy interface for viewing 15, 20 and 25 percent tip amounts alongside the bill total .

Travel writer Lorraine Sanders has been editing the TravelPost.com Insider blog since 2005. You can reach her at news (at) lorrainesanders (dot) com.

Associated Content writer Zane Ewton posted an interview with Ed Hamilton, author of Legends of the Chelsea Hotel: Living with the Artists and Outlaws of New York’s Rebel Mecca, published in November. While the interview is mostly about Hamilton and his journey as a writer, his connection to this famous New York hotel is what caught our traveler’s eye. Not only is the Hotel Chelsea famous for its star-studded roster of former guests (everyone from Leonard Cohen to Patti Smith has stayed there), but it’s also been at the center of much debate recently thanks to a controversial change in ownership. The interview is worth a read for any travel junkie hungry for the what’s what and who’s who.

Virgin America is having a pretty good fare sale that runs through Friday. Good news if you live in one of the cities that the new-ish airline flies to (San Francisco, Las Vegas, San Diego, New York, Seattle, Los Angeles and Washington, DC). You’ll need to book travel by Jan. 11th and fly by March 12th.

Wondering what’s so friggin’ great about Virgin America? Check out the TravelPost.com Insider’s adventure on the airline:

A Virgin Flight with Virgin America

While most gossip hounds are interested in rap mogul Jay-Z’s recent decision to step down as CEO/President of Def Jam records due to the job’s low monetary payout (such drudgery), we are more interested in a little tidbit included in the New York Post Page Six story that broke the news (Page Six: Bigger Paycheck). Apparently, with his newfound freedom under his belt, Jay-Z is thinking of getting into the lodging business. The semi-retired rapper and lucky Beyonce boyfriend is said to be scouting for a Manhattan space to house a chic boutique hotel to be named The Jay. (Personally, I think that he should have checked his ego and made his lady happy by naming the future hotel The Beyonce. Or wait, wait. What about The Hotel of Hard Knox? Or 99 Rooms? Okay, I’ll stop). Whatever the name, if Jay-Z launches a hotel, we’d want to stay there and are pretty sure half the free world will, too.

With the push of the holidays upon us, travelers have even more reason to seek out pampering and personal maintenance services in airport terminals. And hey, what better way is there to spend a lengthy layover than indulging in a massage? But which airports have the best spas? According to Style.com, the Five Great Airport Spas that stand out from the crowd are:

1. Oasis Day Spa - John F. Kennedy International Airport

2. Jetsetter Spa - Boston Logan International and Miami International Airport

3. OraOxygen (pictured) - Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport and Calgary International Airport

4. Departure Spa - Newark Liberty International Airport and Orlando International Airport

5. Elemis Travel Spa - John F. Kennedy International Airport and London Heathrow Airport

Looking for a second opinion? Citysearch has a longer list titled Top 10 U.S. Airport Spas.

Read the Los Angeles Times story No Plane Ticket for the Holidays? Good Luck, and travelers who have yet to buy their holiday plane tickets are likely to panic. The story makes it sound like anyone who’s waited until now to purchase an airline ticket is doomed to exorbitant prices and crappy schedules. While the latter is, in many cases, a correct conclusion, there are plenty of options for reaching your destination for a reasonable price - maybe not a bargain, but something that’s not going to completely break the bank. That said, the longer you wait, the fewer options you’ll have. When you do start your search, keep these tips in mind:

A Few Tips for Buying Tickets

- Check meta-search engines like SideStep, which gives you search results culled from thousands of travel retailers in a simple format that shows fare differences for multiple airports, flight schedules, number of stops and airlines. It’s easy to scan the results quickly and determine how different travel choices result in increased or decreased fares. For example, I found that New Yorkers on a budget may very well be better off driving to Philadelphia International Airport instead of the airports around Manhattan.

- Visit the individual sites of airlines that don’t offer tickets through online ticket outlets like Orbitz, Priceline, Travelocity and Expedia. For example, Southwest and Virgin America don’t sell through any of these, so you’ll only know what is available if you check with these airlines directly.

- Consider itineraries you wouldn’t ordinarily. Flying early in the morning or choosing different departure and return airports on the same itinerary can sometimes result in cheaper fares.

- Don’t have time to hunt or monitor fares? Let a travel agent do the work for you. Here’s a link for finding a travel agent in your area.

Yup, reality TV star Kim Kardashian (who made her way onto television thanks to esteemed accomplishments like starring in a sex tape and being born with a near-scandalous badonkadonk) has caused quite a ruckus with her claim that she was robbed of almost $50,000 in personal belongings at the John F. Kennedy International Airport earlier this month. Kardashian has garnered lots of sympathy press (I mean, it’s just always so sad when a girl is separated from her Cartier watch) with her claim that valuables like diamonds, a laptop and a digital camera were stolen from her bags while fans and Delta airline employees surrounded her to get autographs and pictures. Yesterday, the New York Post reported that authorities suspected that the undeniably attention-hungry star had fabricated the incident as part of a publicity stunt. But today, TMZ.com turned up with documents it says prove Kardashian’s innocence.

While you chew on the disturbing news that Kardashian actually has enough fans to mask a robbery in progress, consider her plight a tale of what not to do while traveling through major airports: don’t leave your bags lying around - especially when they have diamonds in them. Sheesh.