Multiple Regions Art & Culture, Wellness
Real luxury: Travel experiences that go beyond the surface
Authentic experiences – Ceylon Tea Trails
Discover immersive luxury journeys for 2025 — from Raja Ampat yacht expeditions and tea trail hikes in Sri Lanka to cultural tours in Paris and Bali surf adventures
Aquatic adventure
Abercrombie & Kent has long been a pioneer when it comes to transporting adventurous travellers to far-flung corners of the globe. And now the luxury travel group has teamed up with expedition yacht Aqua Blu to offer an exclusive, and extraordinary, journey around one of the world’s most marine diverse pockets of the planet. The 14-day Raja Ampat & the Spice Islands itinerary takes you to the West Papua region of Indonesia – in serious style. Think Michelin-starred meals, private jet transfers… and then the chance to explore some of the archipelago’s 1,500 dreamy islets, secluded bays, unspoilt beaches – and of course that underwater world on dive and snorkel expeditions. Added bonus: you’re in the company of lecturers, biologists and marine scientists who know this part of the world better than anyone else.
Ancient culture at your fingertips
Visiting Mungo National Park in the Murray-Riverina region of southern New South Wales is like stepping onto the moon, all surreal sand and clay dunes carved over millennia and showing evidence of Aboriginal communities dating back more than 50,000 years. The First Nations community here has just launched a nifty new app, Mungo Stories; Walk Together, to help you gain an Indigenous connection to Country and take a deep dive into the park’s vibrant heritage. The app features 10 living stories narrated by First Nations Custodians who lead tourism experiences on Mungo Country – and it is only accessible when you are there. Each story is discovered via story markers been placed throughout Mungo, immersing you in the knowledge and traditions that live at important sites.
A cultural deep dive
COMO Hotels and Resorts has luxe properties that span the globe, from Fiji to Bhutan. The hotel group has always been known for holistic wellness offerings, and now it’s dedicated to providing authentic, live-changing journeys through its freshly minted range of Iconic Experiences. Think more than 50 experiences, some appealing to adventure seekers, others to foodies and wine lovers, and still others to the spiritually depleted. If you’re headed to Bali, don’t miss the surf adventure offered at COMO Uma Canggu, a partnership with luxury guides Tropicsurf that offers world-class instruction as well as a ‘surfari’ visiting Bali’s best secluded breaks.
Walk this way
To coincide with a momentous year for the art world – including the 150th anniversary of Impressionism – Dorchester Collection has expanded its Legendary Artists series, with six expert-lead walking tours now on offer in four cities. Guests visiting its properties in Paris, Rome, London and Milan can follow in the footsteps of renowned creatives that have left a lasting impact on each destination. Among the experiences on offer from the Le Meurice, Paris hotel (pictured here) is new tour, Monet – Revolutionary Brushstrokes, allowing you to explore the beginnings of the Impressionist movement. From the hotel’s rooftop, overlooking the Tuileries Garden, your journey covers the city and concludes at Monet’s immersive water-lily panels at Musée de l’Orangerie.
Tea time
Steeped in history and immersed in the verdant scenery of Sri Lanka’s UNESCO World Heritage Central Highlands, Ceylon Tea Trails is a collection of five restored historic tea planters’ luxury bungalows in Hatton in the high country. Together, the properties have launched the Pekoe Trail Journey, discovering part of the 300-kilometre, 22-stage Pekoe Trail walking track that takes hikers through some of the most gorgeous mountain terrain in the South of Asia. Resplendent Ceylon’s Pekoe Trail Journey covers two stages of the track, and along your route through this iconic tea region you’ll get to explore hidden waterfalls, lush valleys and take in panoramic vistas. Then at the end of the day you’re lucky enough to check in to three of the properties Tea Trails bungalows. Thank us later.
Bawah bliss
Situated on a six-island archipelago in the ultra-remote Anambas Islands of Indonesia, Bawah Reserve is like a salve for the soul – the kind of place you come to disconnect from technology and reconnect with yourself, in serious resort style. And you can now amplify the pulse-slowing feeling through the property’s new Journeys to Wellbeing – six different retreat-style programs formulated by healing gurus. Throughout each, the six pillars of wellbeing are addressed: physical, emotional, intellectual, spiritual, social and environmental. Think a stay focused on the healing properties of water – cruising, aqua yoga, scuba diving, snorkelling safaris. Or another dedicated to getting active: ocean swimming, jungle workouts, kayak excursions and hikes. Whichever you choose, you’ll leave feeling revitalised and reenergised, and have a new appreciation for the healing power of nature.
The need for speed
Is there any better way to experience Spain and Italy than from behind the wheel of a Ferrari, Lamborghini or Aston Martin? Captain’s Choice is now offering two new supercar itineraries designed to immerse you in the fast lane of Mediterranean culture, navigating the stunning coastal roads, rolling hills and historic routes of Spain and Italy. Supported by an expert crew, including rally car champion Lorenzo Granai and professional racetrack driver Fabio Mancini, you’ll be guided to destinations including San Sebastián and Granada, the Amalfi Coast and Tuscany, all the while enjoying Michelin-starred meals, exclusive experiences and sumptuous accommodation.
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