Abercrombie & Kent vacation clubs: try before you buy

by Tom Johansmeyer on

Let the tough timeshare and vacation club market work to your advantage this year. Upscale travel firm Abercrombie & Kent’s Residence Club is offering two-year trial memberships starting at $18,700 a year for 15 nights – that’s a tad under $1,250 a night. The residences tend to be around 4,000 square feet and have four bedrooms. A&K suggests that you can “even travel with the extended family,” but I’m sure I could find other uses for the extra space (I’m not a fan of traveling with a lot of people, regardless of connection).

Okay, so it’s basically a decent amount of cash for access to some great properties in places like the Turks & Caicos and Deer Valley, Utah. The details, however, make the difference. A&K takes care of airport pickup, grocery shopping before you hit the ground and the other prep activities that could slip your mind when you’re worried about catching planes and disappearing from the “real” world for a few days or weeks. The Global Experience Manager will take care of all this for you, including any unique needs or interests you may have – from a behind-the-scenes private tour of the South Carolina Aquarium’s Turtle Hospital to skiing withOlympic athletes in Sun Valley, Idaho.

“This two-year trial offer is designed for those considering a second home or who simply want an extended opportunity to experience club life before making a long-term commitment,” says Abercrombie & Kent Residence Club President Scott Wiseman. “Families can enjoy the privacy of a spacious home in their choice of popular resort destinations for much less than the cost of comparable hotel suites. Club membership is an affordable, maintenance-free alternative for those thinking about buying a second home.”

Under this trail program, you can play without having to drop any cash up front. Instead, you pay the normal dues with a 10 percent premium. If you join later, A&K will credit it to your capital contribution. Fifteen-, 30- and 45-night programs are available, so you can choose your level of decadence. If you choose, you can exchange your nights for credit toward other A&K travel, like a cruise in the Galapagos or an African safari.

This is a pretty wild deal – a chance to date a vacation club before marrying it.

Escape from Chicago with low Fall rates at The Abbey

by Katie Hammel on

Several weeks ago, I had the chance to check out The Abbey Resort and Spa on Lake Geneva in Wisconsin. 80 miles from Chicago and even less from Milwaukee, it’s the perfect Fall escape from either city. Chicago residents don’t even need a car to get there; the Metra train runs from downtown Chicago to the Harvard stop, where a resort shuttle bus will pick guests up. Relaxing on the train as the colorful Autumn leaves go by sounds like a great way to get into “vacation mode:”

Fall rates normally start at $216 per night, but for select weekends throughout the next two weeks, The Abbey is offering a special promotion for its Twitter followers and pricing rooms at just $79 per night. The deal is valid on October 7, 11, 12, 13 and 14 with limited availability.

Covered in the rate is daily admission to the spa, which includes use of the locker room, pool, sauna, steam, whirlpool, and all group fitness classes. The resort also offers plenty of Autumn activities onsite and nearby, like games, fall foliage drives, wine-tasting, and you-pick farm stands.

To snag the deal, follow The Abbey on Twitter, and book online using the promo code: TWEET.

Roll with the rich in five easy steps: travel like you’re on the Forbes 400

by Tom Johansmeyer on

From peaking through the curtain to first class to eyeing the VIP check-in line at the hotel, travelers are envious creatures. Someone else always has something we want – be it an experience, device or amenity. We fantasize about the perfect travel experiences, wondering what it must be like to [fill in the blank with what you dig most].

Nobody knows how to travel quite like the billionaires on the Forbes 400. Sure, this crowd isn’t hitting hostels, mingling with the locals and doing all the stuff we say we prefer. They’re busy with butlers and maids and yachts and poetry readings (sorry, not joking on this one). You’re not going to get the “genuine” travel experience if you roll like the rich, but who the hell cares? The last thing I’d want is genuine if I had that kind of cash.

Interested in traveling like the insanely wealthy? After the jump, there are five simple steps to running with the big dogs when you tour the world. It’s not nearly as hard as you might think … as long as you have the cash to back it up.

1. Vacation homes are a must
Yes, there’s something to be said for the luxury of a hotel’s best penthouse with butler service, private dining and a special entrance. You don’t want to mix with the proletarians, after all. But, this type of travel means you’re not in control. Eventually, you’ll find boundaries. So, to travel like the insanely rich, buy vacation homes in the places you like best.

2. Yacht or not
Vacation homes are nice, especially when they’re on the water, but you’ll never get away from land. To dart out from your troubles – or a collapsing Ponzi scheme – you need a yacht. Right now, yacht sales are in the tank, so you can get a better price than you may expect. Keep in mind that this is a billionaire‘s game: don’t try to do it on the cheap. If you can’t afford a yacht (or simply don’t want one), you can always explain away your yachtlessness with something about seasickness or a penchant for other vices (like mistresses).

If you do go the yacht route, pimp it out properly. Rupert Murdoch took friends and families on a cruise to Alaska. Just in case that wasn’t enough, his sailboat is decked out with a “technogym,” deep-sea diving equipment and king-sized sleeping cabins.

Do it big.

3. Join a club
Rich people and clubs … crazy. It starts in college, with the likes of Skull and Bones, and by the time these kids become adults, they’re paying ridiculous sums of money just to be allowed to spend money on dinner and drinks. Michael Bloomberg, New York‘s mayor, belongs to the Game Creek Club in Vail, Colorado. The privilege involves a $50,000 initiation fee, but I imagine the grub is fantastic.

4. Have the right friends
Again, Mayor Mike does it right, golfing with Ross Perot and Silvio Berlusconi. They’re both unbelievably wealthy and turned to politics after amassing fortunes in the technology/media space. When you’re that rich, you need to travel with people like you. So, be prepared to trade in your old friends – it’s nothing personal.

5. Do weird stuff
We all know that billionaires are crazy. So, when you travel, you can’t resign yourself to sightseeing, beach-sitting and cocktail-sipping. You have to do something bizarre … because you can. Stephen Spielberg attended a cliff-side poetry reading on Ireland’s Aran Islands before touring the moors on a motorized bike. Oracle chief Larry Ellison prefers speed, flying around in a MiG 29.

Outside of Lake Okareka Lodge by lebua in Rotorua, New Zealand

by Grant Martin on

Perhaps the best thing about staying at lebua’s Lake Okareka Lodge in New Zealand is the setting. The island nation — and Rotorua especially — is known for it stunning landscapes, nature’s “greatest hits” so to speak. One can sit on the lodge patio and stare out at the lake and rolling, coniferous hills all afternoon, content in the southern hemisphere sun. Or if one had the hankering for adventure? Well, Rototura is that sort of place.

Many of the locals call it Rotovegas, actually, and for a good reason: it’s the exhillirating, thrill riding sort of place that inpires the same sort of high that Vegas does, a never ending urge to stay out, stay up, drink in as much of the landscape as possible and be happy.

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And there is plenty to keep one happy in Rotorua. An outdoor adventure mecca, one can barely turn throw a stone wihtout hitting a new, adventure soaked activity begging to be visited. Yes, there’s the traditional, sky diving, white water rafting and bungee jumping. But there’s also monster truck and time trials at Off Road NZ, Zorbing, trout fishing and sledging (read: being dragged down white water on your face). They’ve even got big game hunting, which is a treat not for the joy of hunting or killing an animal, per se, but purely for the experience of mashing through the unique forests and landscapes of New Zealand, immersed in fauna and nature.

It’s the combination of myriad available activities and endless pampering that make Lake Okareka Lodge by lebua special, from departing on a volcano tour from your private helicopter pad to catching your dinner from the dock and having your personal chef cook it for you. Check out our profile inside of the property for more details.

Disclaimer: lebua sponsored our trip to come check out their hotels, though our opinions and experiences were all of our own design. No animals were harmed in creating these blog posts.

Inside of Lake Okareka Lodge by lebua in Rotorua, New Zealand

by Grant Martin on

Opulence. It’s a term that I as a traveler have rarely been able to use in my years on the road, but I finally found a reason to use it this past September.

We had been taken to a small lodge deep in the heart of New Zealand, a 7000 square foot stone and wood mansion perched on a peninsula in Lake Okareka, just outside of Rotorua. A property managed by the Thai luxury hotel brand lebua, it’s got only three suites, each with a stunning view over the lake and premium furnishings.

Inside of each room there is the perfect balance of comfort, technology and elegance. One can plug an iPod into the Sonos sound system, order a complimentary scotch from the butler and gaze out into the New Zealand hills, jump on the bed and watch the BBC on the flat panel television or surf the internet from private patios — everything has been done to ensure a plush stay.

Into the bathroom, visitors are treated to luxurious, overhead rain shower heads and Bvlgari amenities. Were it not so comfortable in the suite, this room could seriously be a great place to spend the day.

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Downstairs, a private chef and butler are at your service around the clock. David, the genius behind each of your meals will custom tailor everything to your tastes or if you’re feeling adventurous, can surprise with the fresh, local fare of his creative invention.

The entire lodge, staff and property are effectively at your service while you’re at Lake Okareka Lodge. If you’d like to arrange fireworks over the hill as you sit on your patio, you can do that. If you’d like to eat a five course meal at 3AM with no pants on, well, they can arrange that too.

Those interested in getting out into the property have a fishing boat, kayak, hot tub, jet ski and helicopter landing pad at their disposal. If it’s raining, there’s also a work out room, fully stocked bar, wine cellar, lounge and grand piano to keep busy.

So is it for you? lebua’s Lake Okareka lodge is expensive, exclusive and off the beaten path. Those looking to get away from civilization and be treated like royalty will find this place to be heaven. For a visitor with a tight budget or a desire to walk into the city to visit the nightlife, it’s not the best place. Why anyone would ever want to leave this lodge, however, is beyond me.

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Disclaimer: lebua sponsored our trip to come check out their hotels, though our opinions and experiences were all of our own design. No animals were harmed in creating these blog posts, but that’s only because the rifle sight wasn’t calibrated.