For a thrilling city adventure, take flight with Chicago Helicopter Experience (2420 South Halsted Street, Tel: 312-967-8687. www.chicagohelicopterexperience.com) in Chicago. These unique choppers are virtually all window so you feel like you’re literally floating in the sky (many helicopters take flight without doors!). It feels daredevil, but it’s safe and exciting. Halfway through the ride, the tour pauses at the John Hancock Tower, so close you can see the tourists inside taking photos of you. Talk about reaching great heights! Book it with Ritz-Carlton Chicago (160 East Pearson Street at Water Tower Place, Tel: 312-266-1000. www.ritzcarltonchicago.com), which recently unveiled new suites and a brand-new Club Lounge.
More hotels are offering helicopter tours than ever before, whether smart packages or in-house choppers. Kimpton Hotel Marlowe (25 Edwin H Land Blvd., Cambridge, MA. Tel: 617-888-8000. www.hotelmarlowe.com) in partnership with Kimpton Taconic Hotel (3835 Main Street, Tel: 802-362-0147. www.taconichotel.com) in Manchester, Vermont offered a package this past fall where guests could book a chartered helicopter ride from one resort to the other to see the golden colors of New England’s fall foliage. Four Seasons Las Vegas (3960 Las Vegas Boulevard South, Tel: 702-632-5212. www.fourseasons.com/lasvegas) partnered with Maverick Tours for private helicopter rides to remote locations in the Grand Canyon and Valley of Fire.
Overseas, helicopters are in high demand, especially in simply sublime, rural places like Evian, France. The century-old, five-star Hotel Royal, a member of Luxury Hotels of the World (960 avenue d Leman, Tel: 800-745-8883. www.evianresort.com), which just completed a massive, $100 million renovation, recently begun offering helicopter rides over the Alps. From the hotel’s private helipad, guests are mesmerized by the landscape and are dropped off in a gorgeous picnic area, surrounded by captivating views of Mont Blanc.
COMO Hotels Cameron Yacht
YACHTING AND BOATING
As history proves, there’s nothing more glamorous than setting sail on a yacht. A typical day for a CEO, celebrity, or millionaire on vacation involves champers at sea, proving wealth brings the good life—and some stunning, seaside views to boot.
Boating in America is highly lucrative. The US recreational boating industry rakes in $35.9 billion annually, and boat sales are on the rise. According to National Marine Manufacturers Association, an estimated 238,000 new powerboats were sold in 2015, an increase of 8.5 percent compared to 2014. Boat sharing is also starting to gain speed in the nautical market. Peer-to-peer boat rental companies and boat clubs are becoming more popular, making boating more accessible (especially for millennials) with companies like Freedom Boat Club and SailTime. Also, Discover Boating (www.discoverboating.com), a national campaign to get people on the water has helped the nautical movement.
In tradition of sumptuous living, sailing on a yacht is becoming a standard at luxury hotels across the globe. More hotels and resorts are touting their own masterfully designed vessels to take guests out for a sail in beautiful destinations, where sightseeing the coast is as unforgettable experience.
One of the gay-friendliest destinations in the world, San Francisco is known for its bay, where traversing the waters is a must when visiting. While most travelers will cram into a touristy boat ride, the historic Casa Madrona (801 Bridgeway, Tel: 800-288-0502. www.casamadrona.com) in neighboring Sausalito is the best launching point for the serene waters. Sausalito is known for its sail culture, and plenty of private boats for hire await. Casa Madrona has terrific ties with the best captains, and their exclusive partnership with Freda B (www.schoonerfredab.com), a massive, luxury schooner, is a privileged way to experience the bay. Food is served, views of the Golden Gate Bridge are up-close and personal and, best of all, you don’t have to share the boat with other visitors.
In Venice, Italy, the entire city is a network of romantic canals where visitors must cruise the waters to navigate. While historically the means of travel was in a gondola with a dapper boatman paddling away, most luxury resorts have taken canal cruising to a whole new level by featuring posh, private yachts for sightseeing. The historic The Gritti Place, a Luxury Collection Hotel (Campo Santa Maria del Giglio, Tel: 39-041-794611. www.thegrittiplace.com) is the grand dame of the canals, where celebrities like Elizabeth Taylor and Angelina Jolie have made it their Venetian playground. The hotel recently debuted a private boat, Riva, costing half a million dollars, that tours the canals.
Over in the Maldives, COMO Hotels and Resorts (www.comohotels.com) recently introduced Cameron, the brand’s new 68-foot Hatteras yacht, which provides seamless, luxury-drenched nautical access between COMO Cocoa Island and COMO Maalifushi. The live aboard vessel, equipped with resident marine biologist and surfing instructors, is available for multi-night itineraries where guests can sleep under the stars.
Meanwhile, Four Seasons (www.fourseasons.com) Maldives allows passengers to stay aboard as long as they like with Four Seasons Explorer, the first hotel-on-water concept where guests can embark on three-, four- and seven-night cruises aboard an elegant, three-deck catamaran.
Belmond Grand Hibernian Ireland Train
TRAIN TRAVEL
Nothing conjures centuries-old, stylish sightseeing like train travel. In the 19th century, railways were the only way to travel between long-distance destinations, where riders were awe-struck with immense landscapes, foreign cultures and met likeminded travelers. Train travel (with luxurious sleeper compartments) is still popular today, and it’s considered the only means to travel well through some exotic destinations like Mongolia, India, Switzerland, and Scandinavia. It’s even a rite of passage for college students who want to see Europe (Eurail), or check out the Pacific Coast Highway (via Amtrak).
Now, luxurious train travel is making a solid comeback thanks to Belmond (formerly Orient Express, which perfected luxury train travel). Belmond (www.belmond.com) recently debuted Belmond Grand Hibernian in Ireland, the country’s first luxury touring train that features unforgettable land and train experiences. The journey, inaugurated in August, traverses the country’s very-green landscapes like in Cork, Kilarney, Galway, and Westport, with tours and activities that include behind-the-scenes at Jameson’s Whiskey distillery, kissing the Blarney Stone, and private access to Blarney Castle Gardens. For those on a timebudget, the two-hour tour from Dublin to Belfast and Portrush take visitors to the magnificent Giant’s Causeway and Old Bushmills Distillery. The highlight, of course, is the comfortably elegant carriages that reflect the colors of the tartan, two dining cars, an observation car, and wellappointed, decorative cabins.
Come May 2017, Belmond will introduce Belmond Andean Explorer, South America’s first luxury sleeper train that traverses the Peruvian Andes, from Cusco to Lake Titicaca and Arequipa. The Explorer will accommodate 68 guests in refined, en-suite cabins and offer fresh, seasonal Peruvian menus created by the chefs at Belmond Hotel Monasterio in Cusco.
