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A lot of high-profile families are exploring smaller destinations with bespoke stays within the country.
Small and slow is good. A laid-back vacation at a two-room villa and winery in New Zealand. Long, blissful rail travels through Japan’s scenic delights. Rediscovering Asia of yesteryear on a serene boat ride through the Chindwin in Myanmar. This year, luxury travel is going to be all about precious, rare and soul-touching experiences far from the madding crowds.
Moving away from marble suites and gold interiors, the rich and the famous are craving to tap into native cultures and enriching interactions with the locals in the boonies. “The three key trends observed by our travel designers this year include ‘intimacy and privacy’, ‘slow travel’ and ‘feel the universe’. In this era of accelerated life, communication and action, the ultra-wealthy need a really relaxing holiday,” says Quentin Desurmont, founder of Traveller Made, a Paris-based group of travel designers from 270 agencies spanning across 55 countries.
Chilled out: Saurabh Pandey travelled to Kakslauttanen, an enchanting Arctic resort, for his birthday last November.
Catering to the fantasies of over 2,00,000 families worldwide with a net worth of $30 million, Traveller Made has been busy creating dream holidays in private luxury villas, in chalets and on islands across the globe. “Wealthy travellers are desperate to reduce their pace of life and take time to get bored delectably. From rail rides on luxury trains like the Grand Hibernian in Ireland to exploring the Moroccan desert, slow travel is getting vast and varied. “For instance, you can stay in a tented desert camp in Morocco and reduce the pace of your journey by taking an airline, then an eight-seater turboprop, followed by a four-wheel drive and finally a camel ride that takes you to the beautiful camp nestled between sand dunes at sunset,” explains Desurmont, whose tailor-made travel designs cost anything between ¤50,000 and ¤150,000. “It can go up to nearly a million euros, and sometimes a lot more.”
Desurmont’s team recently produced a high-definition travel experience covering a two-week-long journey of one of his clients through Indonesia. “He became the producer and hero of his own adventure movie. The crew included a director and scientific experts who captured the eight family members diving and climbing volcanoes, with drones supported by jets, helicopters and yachts. It cost him ¤980,000,” he says.
Yearning to reconnect with nature and feel far more than a tourist at culturally vibrant destinations, most travellers are pushing themselves out of their comfort zone for authentic experiences. “Our guests are not looking for city-life or city-lights, but something very private, secluded and luxurious,” says Aditya Tyagi, founder, Luxe Escape. “They don’t want branded hotels but something small and boutique where they get personal attention. We recently had eight couples travelling to Mongolia to experience the nomadic life. They stayed in traditional Mongolian homes called Yurt. Nothing fancy but an exceptional travel experience.”
While experiential travellers are exploring Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Colombia, Ecuador, Myanmar, Cuba, Iceland and Fiji, adventurers are aiming for the Poles. “This is an extension of the trend to experiment. Our partners have organised expedition cruise—en petit comité—by the Arctic or Antarctic, where a turbopropeller plane takes you to the Poles in solid camps,” says Desurmont.
In November, Saurabh Pandey, vice president of a Delhi-based health care firm, travelled to Kakslauttanen, an enchanting Arctic resort. “It was my birthday week and I wanted to celebrate it gazing at the Northern Lights. So I flew to Helsinki and from there to Ivalo. We then took a two-hour-long drive to reach this resort in the middle of the forest. We stayed in a glass igloo offering the most stunning, panoramic view of the Northern Lights. Our little abode was fitted with a small shower cabin and we were spoilt with a two-course meal, which is a luxury at the Poles,” says Pandey, who paid around ¤700 a night for this extraordinary experience.
While outbound travel has always been on the top of the list for luxury travellers in India, this year, a lot of high-profile families are exploring smaller destinations with bespoke stays within the country. “Our hotels in Rajasthan, especially Devigarh, are doing exceptionally well. Smaller destinations like Mihirgarh, which are a little away from the bigger towns, give our guest the chance to explore the wilderness and enjoy fine gastronomic experiences in the middle of nowhere. Mihirgarh and Rohet boast the best stables of the Marwari breed of horses in the country. Our itineraries are tailor-made to suit the guests, keeping riding ability and duration in mind,” says Yeishan Goel, CEO, Privy, a bespoke ensemble of independent luxury boutique hotels in India.
The glass igloo where Saurabh stayed.
One of the best-kept secrets at The Leela Palaces, Hotels and Resorts was the visit of Pippa Middleton a few years ago. A self-confessed curry lover, Pippa ate her way through Rajasthan, feasting on meals exploding with spices. At The Leela Palace Udaipur, Pippa, along with the executive chef, cooked a couple of traditional recipes—laal maas, zafrani pulao, makki ki roti and chilgoza methi palak. Totally bowled over by the 'savoir-fare', she documented her culinary experience in Waitrose magazine.
“The Leela’s culinary journeys have been very well received by guests from around the world,” says Rashmi Vasisht, director, public relations and corporate communications, The Leela Palaces, Hotels and Resorts. “From exploring the culinary history and local culture through curated epicurean encounters to delighting in customised and memorable bespoke dining, we have created a series of exquisite experiences tailored to each property and destination. Additionally, guests enjoy fresh, locally sourced produce whenever possible, literally offering them a taste of the location.”
The ITC Hotels offers its guests a cumulative experience of the destination through its various properties and their signature styles. Right from the restaurants to the room amenities, each hotel encapsulates the best from the city. The ‘Food Sherpa Trails’ and the ‘Local love’ menu, for instance, give the guests an opportunity to absorb the most intricate details of a city. “The team at ITC Hotels endeavours to present a true experience of India,” says Nakul Anand, executive director, ITC Ltd. “The Namaste that we chose as a symbol of our brand experience, over 40 years ago, is a commitment to showcase the diversity of our great nation—whether it is in the sheer architecture of the building, our philosophy of service, our researched showcase of Indian cuisine or the attire that our associates adorn. All this put together, the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. It is true luxury, rooted in India. That is what sets us apart as a collection of luxury hotels, as opposed to a chain. If I had to sum it up—nobody gives you India like we do.”
