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All-Star Resorts

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Scan the skies at these hotels and resorts. Check with the concierge-most can arrange a private session with an astronomer.

By Krista Meyerhoff

Arizona

Four Seasons Resort Scottsdale at Troon North (480/515-5700; fourseasons.com; doubles from $345) Free group star tutorials are held once a week on the main lawn-or have the in-house astronomer come to your balcony for a private lesson. To discover out-of-this-world craters and canyons, call Stellar Adventures (877/878-3552; stellaradventures.com; 3-hour tour $150 per person) for a Hummer tour through Tonto National Forest.

L'Auberge de Sedona (Sedona; 800/905-5745; lauberge.com; cottages from $400) On Friday nights, professional stargazer Dennis Young shows guests distant galaxies and nebulae with his homemade portable scopes. Or lie back on the hotel's binocular chair-a beach lounger with binoculars strapped on-for hands-free viewing of exploding stars.

California

La Quinta Resort & Club (La Quinta; 800/598-3828; laquintaresort.com; doubles from $279) On Friday and Saturday nights, guests gather on the outdoor plaza to study the star map with a local astronomer and take turns at the telescope.

Hawaii

Hyatt Regency Maui Resort and Spa (200 Nohea Kai Dr., Maui; 808/661-1234; maui.hyatt.com; doubles from $350; Tour of the Stars, $20 for adults, $10 for kids, $25 for outside guests; reservations required) Climb nine stories to the hotel's rooftop for nightly astonomer-led sessions with a "Great White," one of the largest telescopes in North America . Push a button and the high-tech scope tracks hot spots in the sky to guide you across the moon's surface or help you spot Saturn's rings. The hourlong star hunt concludes with a goody bag filled with Milky Ways and Starburst.

Nevada

Ritz-Carlton, Lake Las Vegas (1610 Las Vegas Pkwy.,Henderson; 702/567-4700; ritzcarlton.com; doubles from $309; stargazing, $95 for groups of up to five, $125 with s'mores and cocktails; reserve with the concierge) Assemble your gang on the spa balcony for an hourlong star-spotting jamboree, complete with raspberry mojitos for you and s'mores for the kids.

Caribbean

Club Med Columbus Isle (San Salvador Island, Bahamas; 888/932-2582; clubmed.com; 7-night all-inclusives from $1,400 per person; inquire about discounts for kids) Come sundown, staff manager and self-taught stargazer Bruno Bazzuchhi brings out a GPS-equipped Meade telescope and a pair of astronomical binoculars and leads a tour of the skies. Dazzled? Stick around for a discussion on celestial mythology.

The Westin St.John Resort Villas (St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands; 866/716-8108; westin.com; doubles from $229) Join Kelly Hunter, a local who has been studying the night sky for 35 years, at the pool deck for a free study session with sky guides and a telescope. Extra enticement: a nighttime swim in the USVI's largest pool.

Chile

Explora en Atacama Lodge (St. Pedro de Atacama; 56-2/206-6060; explora.com; doubles from $1,642 for a 3-night stay for adults, plus $300 for kids 12 and under and $600 for kids over 12) Stroll past pimiento and Chanares trees to a desert field for a 90-minute sky exploration with a professional guide. Beginning in October, stargazing enthusiasts can stake out a spot in the new cupola, where a GPS-equipped telescope identifies galaxies and constellations.

Mexico

Las Ventanas al Paraiso (Los Cabos; 52-624/144-2800; lasventanas.com; suites from $700) Greet the galaxies during twice-weekly astronomy sessions with a telescope programmed to target the best of the southern Baja skies. Back at your suite, step on to your terrace to browse the heavens with a sky map and telescope-directions included.

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