National Geographic Traveler magazine has announced its annual list of their picks for Tours of a Lifetime, selecting 50 fantastic journeys to the far flung corners of the globe. For each of the past six years, Traveler has examined thousands of tours in a variety of categories, including volunteer vacations, family friendly trips, small-ship voyages, and adventure travel. From all of those itineraries, they’ve narrow down their choices to this select group, which represent the absolute best in travel, offering amazing cultural experiences, unique activities, and a commitment to sustainability.
On their website, Traveler has broken down the selected tours into six regions of the world, including Africa, Asia, Central and South America, Europe, North America, and Oceania. By clicking on one of those options, readers are presented with the magazine’s recommendations for the very best tours operating in that area, complete with a brief description, links to the tour operator’s website, and price, which can vary wildly depending on the destination and options.
Amongst the selections for this year’s Tours of a Lifetime are Serengeti bush treks, whitewater paddling in Siberia, and a journey deep into the interior of Guyana. There is a journey along the Inca Trail on horseback and cycling tours of Italy and France, as well an expedition to the South Pole on skis. In short, there is a little something for everyone, depending on their interests and budget.
Since all of these trips are researched and vetted by National Geographic, you can rest assured that all of the tour operators are not only legitimate, but also top tier. These trips were specifically selected because they offer something that is a little out of the norm. Something unique that you can’t generally get anywhere else. I’m pretty sure, even if you think you’ve been everywhere and done everything, you’ll still find something to appeal to you on this list.
This week, Grace Hotels announced the official acquisition of their first U.S. property, The Vanderbilt Grace.
The Vanderbilt Grace, formerly known as Vanderbilt Hall, was commissioned in 1909 by Alfred Gwynne Vanderbilt and opened as hotel in 2008 after several years of restoration. The original owner died aboard the ill-fated RMS Lusitania in 1915. Before before its acquisition by Grace Hotels Vanderbilt Hall formed part of a collection of hotels and private clubs owned by British entrepreneur and philanthropist, Peter de Savary.
In recent years, the property has undergone an extensive renovation to restore the hotel to its original Beaux Arts glory. Today, the property features 33 rooms and suites, two restaurants, a cocktail bar and spa and fitness center with indoor and outdoor swimming pools. The building dates from 1909 and has a rich history: it was one of many mansions in the area owned by the Vanderbilt family.
This summer, the hotel is opening Muse by Jonathan Cartwright, a fine dining experience created by celebrated New England chef, Jonathan Cartwright. Chef Cartwright is best known as Grand Chef Relais & Châteaux at Vanderbilt Grace’s sister hotel, The White Barn Inn in Kennebunk, Maine.
Guests can expect local favorites, such as New England Clam Chowder alongside classic Cartwright creations including Pan Roast New England Pheasant Breast with Mushroom and Cranberry Puree, Braised Red Cabbage and Madeira Sauce.
The boutique hotel brand, started in 2007, has properties throughout Europe but is just now branching into the states.
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Up for an adventure? How about two weeks flying across the Australian Outback in a private plane, guided by your on-board photographic expert and visiting the most photogenic destinations in the country? Sounds great to us.
Led by Air Adventure Australia, an experienced tour outfitter with more than 30 years of experience, the tour guides participants through paths that would take more than three months to see by road, and many that are inaccessible by anything other than air transport.
Want to know a bit more about what you’re getting? Tour everything from the Red Centre, to the Kimberley Coast, to the wetlands of Kakadu. The photography is guided by award-winning travel photographer Ewen Bell, who has been running photo tours and shooting images for nearly a decade. The combination is perfect, with the ability to land on remote air-strips and cattle stations and spend the best times of the day with Australia’s most iconic scenery. In the air, the flying time is limited to short hops of two hours or less, and on the ground, a
combination of private transfers, comfortable lodging and plenty of good wine. Travelers also get a tailor-made book on photography from Bell himself to remember the trip by.
Limited to eight photographers, the $15,990 fee includes all lodging, food, and transportation costs for the duration of the trip, which begins on June 4, 2012. (Book here) Want to see a taste of what you’ll get? Photos from the most recent trip are below.
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A collaboration between owner Ty Warner, designer Peter Marino and architect I.M. Pei, who came out of retirement just for this project, the hotel features cantilevered glass balconies and floor-to-ceiling bay windows, set beneath 25-foot cathedral ceilings and a private elevator entrance.
From the $60,000 Hastens Vividus mattress (hand made in Sweden) to the 22 carat pure gold bed canopy, you’re surely sleeping in luxury – if you’ll even want to shut your eyes for a moment.
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Amenities are as impressive as the rooms themselves: TVs programmed for every channel worldwide, unlimited global telephone calling, the services of both a personal butler and a personal trainer/therapist, and a private chauffeur for unlimited travel during your stay in your choice of a Rolls Royce Phantom or a Mercedes Maybach.
You’ll also get access to every service the hotel provides – including dining, drinks, spa treatments and more, included with the price of your stay. Yes, we said everything. Bring. On. The. Dom. And Caviar, while you’re at it.
The room holds three, so get ready for a party.
Additional suite highlights include:
Cream colored walls inlaid with mother of pearl in the living and dining rooms.
A dramatic 4-foot-high (1.2-metre-high) cut-glass chandelier by Deborah Thomas and the bronze table by designer François-Xavier LaLanne. Seating is grouped around a marble fireplace, and four French doors open to glass railings.
The library is illuminated by a LaLanne chandelier in gilded bronze. The extensive book collection is set in bookcases framed with an elaborate bronze vine-and-leaf motif, again by LaLanne. The library is also furnished with a chess table and a Bösendorfer grand piano.
Four French doors reveal a view of Central Park that is almost surreal in its perfection.
An indoor-outdoor Zen garden with a green bowenite waterfall overlooks downtown Manhattan and the Statue of Liberty.
The breakfast room is furnished with a LaLanne tree table and opens to its own large balcony 700 feet (213 metres) above Central Park.
The Penthouse also features a private spa room with a serene screen of living bamboo.
Adjacent to the spa room is an oversized dressing room clad entirely in leather.
With its ceiling, walls and floor gleaming with onyx, the master bathroom includes another outdoor balcony overlooking Central Park. Among the pampering features are an infinity-edge bathtub complete with chromatherapy, a separate glass-enclosed rain shower, radiant-heated floors, and sinks carved from a solid block of rock crystal.
Myself, like many Americans, fantasize about visiting Ireland. We’ve all seen the calendars scattered throughout malls and bookstores — cover to cover spreads of lush, green flora, craggy hills and the occasional Leprechaun. We all think we know what Irish music is thanks to the soundtrack of Boondock Saints. And the seasoned travelers in attendance know that DUB is one of the, if not the, cheapest airport in Europe for Americans to fly into. It’s not like you needed any convincing to head to The Emerald Isle, but if you’re looking for a little direction on where to go once you soar through customs, here’s a word you should absolutely consider: Powerscourt.
The Powerscourt Estate lies but 45 minutes south of Dublin’s Airport — barely further than the east side of downtown when considering traffic. But it’s akin to another world entirely in terms of attitude, altitude and sheer beauty. It’s rare that a fantasized-over location actually lives up to the hype that surrounds it, but believe me when I say that Powerscourt is straight off of a postcard, from the gardens to the River Walk to the monolithic Ritz-Carlton, Powerscourt hotel that’s nestled in so succinctly. Read on to hear more about my visit to the south of Dublin, particularly if you’re interested in making your own Irish calendar for 2012.
%Gallery-117264%The Estate is located near the cozy town of Enniskerry, in County Wicklow. It doesn’t take long to feel as if you’ve escaped the hustle of Dublin and moved on to greener pastures — both figuratively and literally. The long, windy drive up to the Estate is soothing in its own right, and moments before reaching the famed House, you’ll spot something equally massive on the left. It’s The Ritz-Carlton, Powerscourt, a 200 room giant of a hotel that’s situated between Sugar Loaf mountain and miles upon miles of pristine countryside. This palace first opened its doors to guests in the fall of 2007, and it has been fitting in ever since. What struck me was just how well integrated the property is — it may be huge, but it’s the polar opposite of an eyesore. In fact, it’d be hard to imagine the Powerscourt Estatewithout a hotel like this. After visiting, I could see why people would want to settle down right in the valley to enjoy a few days here, and it’d be a shame to have to scuttle back and forth to Dublin when all you were really after was a getaway.
A look around (and inside) The Ritz-Carlton, Powerscourt
To paint the picture a bit better, the hotel is just a three minute walk from the Powerscourt House — a castle that was constructed in the 13th century, reshaped in the 1700s, torched, and revived in 1996. Today, it’s a beautiful work of art, and it’s home to an exhibit of its own as well as a few niche shops and eateries. For some, it’d be good enough to just spend a few hours unwinding within the house, but the real magic lies just outside of the backdoor. There, you’ll find the Gardens. One step outside and you’ll appreciate the handful of Euros it took to gain admittance — “manicured” doesn’t even begin to explain just how flawless the place is. I’ve been to to the gardens surrounding North Carolina’s Biltmore Estate, and while I adore my homeland, the gardens here in Ireland are simply a notch above.
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Opposite the gardens is one of the more peaceful golf courses the island nation has to offer, and just a few more minutes walk lands you at The River Walk. Right about here is where you realize that leaving this slice of heaven would probably be to one’s detriment, and it provides a good opportunity to mention that a free pass down is just one of the complimentary extras that The Ritz-Carlton, Powerscourt provides. Guests at the hotel are treated more like guests of the estate; when you check in, you aren’t really checking into a hotel — you’re checking into a region. You’ll also have access to complimentary cycles, which I can confess are ideal for zipping around the gorgeous River Walk. Certain scenes of Braveheart were shot down by the streams, and it’s pretty exciting to bike around and try to spot certain shots from memories of the film.
A walk through Powerscourt Gardens in County Wicklow, Ireland
If you’re sold so far on the idea of shaping your vacation around doing nothing more than hitting the links, browsing beautiful gardens and cycling through forests that have been around for longer than you could even fathom, there’s hardly a reason to overlook another staple of the Estate: the hotel. It’s not everyday that you find a place that truly emphasizes the area like this; I’m a documented fan of choosing lodging options that integrate well with the purpose of the trip, and this particular Ritz-Carlton does this impeccably.
I’m not one to gloat about hotels unnecessarily. In the vast majority of cases, even the most esteemed 5-star property feels somewhat like a money grab to the average Joe, but this case is different. Rooms can be booked here for under 200 Euros if you play your cards right, and that includes a multitude of freebies not typically associated with high-end properties: complimentary bicycles, River Walk admission, parking and Wi-Fi. Yeah, Wi-Fi! It’s actually one of the only high-end hotels that I’ve stayed at with this luxury, and it’s greatly appreciated. Frankly, it’s beyond time that every hotel began offering gratis access to the internet. But that’s another story for another day.
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You’ll notice that you’re treated like a king (or queen) at the Powerscourt House and Gardens, and that bleeds over at the hotel. Service and hospitality is clearly top priority here, second only beautifully appointed rooms and an impressive array of (delicious) food options. Although the hotel was completed in 2007, it feels as if it were originally constructed centuries ago — well, aside from the hotel-wide Wi-Fi and indoor plumbing. By and large, Ritz-Carlton properties are both a) located near city centers and b) viewed as out-of-reach for many from a financial perspective. To its credit, this one fits neither of those categories. It’s a luxurious escape to a luxurious place, and the two fit together like peas in a pod. It’s safe to say I’ve never had a hotel experience quite like the one offered at The Ritz-Carlton, Powerscourt, and a lot of that has to do with the warmth of the staff and the screensaver-worthy surroundings. I’ve always heard that it’s all about location when talking real estate, and now I get it.
Obviously, the nearby Gardens are most lively in the summer months, but there’s really no bad time to visit Ireland. Sure, it may rain a bit on you, but you’ll have even greener pastures to show for it. Better still, you can duck back into Dublin if the escapism just becomes too much for your pampered heart to bear, but I get the feeling that said scenario isn’t likely to play itself out.