Lessons in Luxury: my travel highs and lows in a year of living lavishly
As the end of the year approaches, I’ve been reflecting on my notable moments of the past 12 months. It’s brought me to the realisation that I can now answer the question asked of every travel journalist: where is the best place you’ve ever been?
Until February, I could never have answered conclusively. I tend to develop a bit of a crush on wherever I’ve visited most recently. But then I spent a week sailing around Antarctica, where the skyline was studded with baby-blue icebergs the size of city blocks and thousands of penguins sprang like dolphins from inky-black waters. Every day revealed panoramas I could never have imagined – and we were often the only people to witness them.
About one-and-a-half times the size of the US, Antarctica receives just 40,000 visitors a year. It was a privilege to be among them in 2018; now, when people ask where I’d recommend for a true once-in-a-lifetime holiday, I have a solution. Here are some other things that my trips have taught me this year.
Animal magic can work wonders
In Nairobi, Kenya, I visited Giraffe Manor where giraffes amble to the property to be fed treats by guests each day. It’s a USP that commands a hefty premium: couples pay from ￡970 per night all-inclusive. At Ireland’s Ashford Castle, Irish wolfhounds Cronan and Garvan are regulars in the lobby. Seeing guests melt in their presence reminded me that the simplest experiences can often have the biggest impact.
Travel with a reputable operator
An abysmal introduction to Tanzania’s Precision Air earlier this year (in short: a nine-hour delay meant my connecting flights had left and I was stranded when I landed in Kilimanjaro) was saved from being even more disastrous when my tour operator, Abercrombie & Kent, secured a hotel and reconstructed the remainder of my journey. As with travel insurance, you only fully see the value of investing more when something goes wrong.
For absolute luxury, villas could soon surpass hotels
Among the most memorable places I have stayed this year are the 18th-century Villa Sola Cabiati, a fresco-filled mansion on Lake Como recently made available for overnight stays, and Ibiza’s newly launched Isla Sa Ferradura, featuring two pools, a spa, jet skis and a staff of 22.
Villas have always had the upper hand in terms of privacy, but the facilities, dining and service in both these properties surpassed those of many local hotels – I wonder if in-the-know high-net-worth travellers will continue to stay in them.
Fussy fine dining is boring
With a few exceptions (040 in Santiago, RitzCoffier in Switzerland’s Bürgenstock Resort, Moss at The Retreat at Blue Lagoon), I rarely relished the hours-long tasting menus I tried this year. They’re often overwrought and over-hyped, the pleasurable moments too frequently punctured by intrusions from waiters and sommeliers. More often than not, three simple courses made by a skilful chef (try Jess Murphy’s Kai in Galway) is lovelier by far.
Instagram has become even more irritating
I use Instagram, too – as a professional tool it is invaluable – but so many destinations have been commandeered by battalions of preening, filtering, selfie-taking social-media obsessives who view the world through their smartphones.
Seeing hordes of zombie-like tourists obsessively film every second of Santorini’s spectacular sunsets felt dystopian; the omnipresent peacocking I saw when in the city during Paris Fashion Week was nauseating.
Still, there is a silver lining: those displays serve to remind me to concentrate on enjoying the moment. And when I went on holiday, rather than on a work trip, to one of my all-time favourite places earlier this year, it felt like a proper indulgence to keep it secret. When somewhere is really good, why would you want all and sundry to know about it?
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