Planning a post-pandemic trip of a lifetime? Four dream holidays, no budget allowed
Longing for a little luxe in your life? 2022 has been touted as the year of the bucket list blowout. After multiple lockdowns, we’ve never been more keen to live our travel best lives. But what if you really are thinking...or dreaming of pushing the budget boat. Whether you’re considering making a massive holiday splash or just fancy some armchair wanderlust, here are four epic getaways guaranteed to offer memories (and hopefully not Credit Union repayments) to last a lifetime.
Looking for a little je ne sais quoi for your next trip to Paris? Well, enjoying your morning café au lait in one of Paris’ most luxurious hotels should satisfy most jet-set standards! We’re talking about the exquisite Hôtel de Crillon, an illustrious landmark and dream five-star accommodation overlooking the iconic Place de la Concorde. With interiors designed by the late, great Karl Lagerfeld, this most boujee of boltholes makes for the perfect base to enjoy the art de vivre in Paris, from enjoying the city’s culture, arts, shopping, gastronomy or romantic urban strolls.
The hotel features 78 luxury rooms and 46 sumptuous suites, all billed as timeless, legendary and unabashedly elegant. The most epic option of all is to check into one of the hotel’s Grands Appartements to experience the lap of ultimate old-school luxury. In these sumptuous penthouse properties, you can enjoy an assortment of “so extra” extras, from a personal butler, personalised patisseries from Le Boudoir’s pastry chef Pablo Gicquel, or enjoy a bottle of Champagne with spectacular views of Paris from the two tonne Carrara marble bathtub. You can even order bespoke floral arrangements to the rooms if you really want to impress your plus one… While in the City of Light, spend your time living your Émilie in Paris best life by taking in some of the filming locations from the Netflix series that’s giving the city some added vogue of late. Wander along the banks of the Canal Saint-Martin, take in a show at the stunning Palais Garnier or sip a cheeky rosé at the Instagram it-spot that is La Maison Rose café. Details: rooms teeter from around €1600 per night; rosewoodhotels.com
An African safari tops many the travel bucket list…add on a few luxury upgrades and you’ll experience the journey of your all-time dreams. Luxury safari specialists Abercrombie and Kent offer a number of wanderlust-inducing tours from across South Africa to the more unheralded wilds of Botswana. But for the sheer volume of Africa’s epic wildlife, it can be hard to beat the teeming savannahs of Kenya.
The group’s eleven-day classic Kenyan tour takes guests from Nairobi to the Kenyan coast with the wilds of the country’s mighty grasslands, arguably the main event. Highlights include the incredible Lewa Downs valley under the shadow of Mount Kenya which is the ultimate location to view wildlife from the Big Five (elephant, lion, leopard, cape buffalo and rhino) to other species like the rare black rhino and East African cheetahs. After experiencing the bush, you’ll then travel to the verdant plains of the magnificent Masai Mara. Here, you’ll have the opportunity to discover the rich culture and traditions of the Maasai people with your days bookended by dawn and dusk game drives in search of wildlife.
During the trip, you’ll take the term glamping next level, not least with your stay at the luxury Sanctuary Olonana, a recently refurbed wilderness retreat in the Masai Mara. The riverside oasis offers glass-fronted suites flooded with glorious light and sumptuous interiors from opulent marble-and-slate bathrooms, private decks and living spaces adorned with specially commissioned African art. If that doesn’t sound like the ultimate relaxation you’ll end your tour relaxing on Kenya’s stunning coast!
Details: the 11-night Classic Kenya safari starts from €6600; abercrombiekent.co.uk
Dreaming of a luxury getaway…but with the thrill of some added adventure? Well, the Canadian province of Manitoba is quietly becoming an emerging destination for exclusive adventure tourism. Frontiers North are a sustainability focussed adventure outfitter who operates out of the stunning wilds of Churchill, a quirky frontier town on the province’s northern fringe.
One of their most incredible experiences of all? Their Belugas, Bears and Blooms by Train adventure which you’ll reach aboard a guided, two-day rail journey from the city of Winnipeg across Manitoba. Once arrived in Churchill, all attention turns to beluga. The rare Arctic whales (best known for their smiling faces and singing) are abundant on Hudson Bay and every summer, thousands of them converge in the bay’s southern waters to breed. You can experience the whales up close either by boat or by kayak or stand-up paddleboard for the more adventurous! Back on dry land, enjoy the spectacular summer scenes across the tundra as the landscape erupts wildflowers as summer fireweed blooms like a carpet of magenta. You might even have the opportunity to see the first of the summer polar bears as they begin their migration into the area.
Thinking of a winter getaway? Churchill is also one of the best settlements in the world to view the Northern Lights with the town experiencing aurora activity up to 300 days per year. The company’s Northern Lights and Winter Lights tour invites you to witness this incredible night-sky phenomenon from the tundra while also enjoying a fine-dining culinary experience in their panoramic Dan’s Diner restaurant.
Details: the eight-day Beluga, Blooms and Bears by Train tour starts from €3800 while Northern Lights adventures start from €4000 (excl. flights). frontiersnorth.com
It may have some stiff competition but when it comes to luxury staycations, Adare Manor, the 16th-century estate in the heart of Limerick has always been the pinnacle of a luxury Irish stay. That’s not least since its exquisite multi-million makeover which took place in 2017 and has seen a swathe of sumptuous upgrades to the property.
Furnished and decorated in the grand 19th-century styles, rooms here offer the pinnacle of comfort and elegance with rates starting from €550 per night. Beyond the luxury of your room, you can enjoy a host of on-site activities from archery and private cinema showings to savouring the hotel’s spa and wellness-focused Padel Club.
Dining takes centre stage at Adare Manor with the same exquisite attention to detail enjoyed across all aspects of the culinary offering, from the carefully created menus in Michelin-starred The Oak Room to the finest cheese and wine selected and elegantly served. Perhaps treat yourself to a highbrow tipple, from Adare Manor’s own single cask with iconic Irish whiskey Midleton Very Rare the superlative afternoon tea in The Gallery. You can also enjoy sophisticated picnics on the estate grounds, award-winning cocktails in The Tack Room or relaxed family celebrations in The Carriage House.
Local provenance is key to your stay too, and the hotel’s setting, on almost 850 acres of green parkland in the pasturelands of the Golden Vale and on the doorstep of the Wild Atlantic Way, is mirrored on every glass and plate. So much so that Adare Manor’s Head of Culinary, Loughlin Druhan, took Head Chef, Michael Tweedie and their key kitchen team on a 3,000 km road trip all around Ireland during the restoration and once again just before the pandemic. This aim of foodie road-trip was to meet the people who farm, fish and produce the artisan treasure behind the menus here along with a veritable Eden of produce created on the estate itself, from honey from Adare’s own bees to foraged plants and herbs from the grounds. Could this be your greatest gourmet getaway ever? Details: B&B rates from €550; adaremanor.com
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