Month: December 2023

As we step into 2024, it promises to be an extraordinary year for those seeking luxury travel experiences. Whether you’re dreaming of a romantic train journey or an overwater bungalow, seeking the thrill of a safari adventure or a yacht charter, or planning to turn it up a notch with a private island experience, these are the luxury travel experiences you need to book in 2024. 

Luxury train journeys

Photo credit: @rockymountaineer

Experience the romance of a bygone era with a luxury train journey in 2024. You could board the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express for a nostalgic voyage across Europe, see the South African bushveld aboard the iconic Rovos Rail, or traverse the majestic landscapes of the Canadian Rockies on the Rocky Mountaineer. From regal bedrooms and gourmet dining, to breathtaking scenery and private viewing decks, these journeys are an unforgettable way to explore the world’s most beautiful destinations. 

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After hours VIP experiences

For a true luxury experience, you’ve got to go behind the scenes, where few have gone before. Luxury Gold takes you there with our one-of-a-kind VIP experiences, where you get exclusive, after hours access to some of the world’s most iconic sites. You don’t need to wait in line or battle with the crowds. Simply step beyond the velvet ropes and have the space and time to explore places like the Tower of London, Castle Howard, Schönbrunn Palace, Luxor Temple and Doge’s Palace. You’ll also meet Local Experts in many of these places for a private tour as they share fascinating insights. 

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Yacht charters

Sailing through the world’s most stunning coastlines aboard a private yacht is a luxury travel trend that’s here to stay. Charter a superyacht in the Mediterranean, explore the Caribbean’s hidden coves, or cruise the Galapagos Islands in style. You’ll have the freedom to tailor your itinerary, enjoy water sports, and savor gourmet cuisine prepared by your onboard chef.

Exclusive culinary experiences

Photo credit: @lanticmoli

Gastronomy plays a significant role in luxury travel, and 2024 is no exception. With Luxury Gold, you could go from dining at Michelin-starred restaurants like L’Antic Molí in Spain to wine-tasting tours in the world’s most renowned vineyards like South Africa’s Cape Winelands, or opt for exclusive cooking classes with renowned chefs. Whether it’s a private sushi-making class in Tokyo or a cooking class and lunch in Tuscany, you’ll indulge your palate in the most exquisite flavors of the world. 

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Overwater bungalows

Overwater bungalows have long been synonymous with luxury travel. Picture yourself staying in a lavish overwater villa in Bora Bora, the Maldives, or Fiji, where you can step directly from your room into the warm, turquoise ocean. From glass floors and private pools, to direct access to vibrant coral reefs, overwater bungalows are a very special experience.

Safari adventures

Photo credit: @lionsandsgamereserve

If you’ve always wanted to go on a safari, 2024 is your year to experience it. You’ll find exclusive safari lodges and camps in destinations like Botswana, Tanzania, and Kenya, where you can witness the Big Five and other remarkable wildlife in their natural habitat. From private game drives and bush picnics, to infinity pools and dining under the stars, you can safari in style.

With Luxury Gold, you’ll visit some of the most extraordinary luxury safari lodges in the world, from Lion Sands Game Reserve or the Sabi Sabi Bush Lodge in South Africa to Nahargarh Ranthambhore in India. 

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Wellness retreats

In 2024, prioritize self-care and rejuvenation at the top wellness retreats in destinations like Bali, Thailand, and Costa Rica. Indulge in luxurious spa treatments, yoga sessions, meditation classes, and delicious dining to help you unwind and recharge.

Private island retreats

For ultimate seclusion and exclusivity, private island resorts are the epitome of luxury travel. Properties like Necker Island in the British Virgin Islands, North Island in the Seychelles, and Velaa Private Island in the Maldives offer an unparalleled level of privacy and personalized service. With pristine beaches, crystal-clear waters, and opulent villas with your own butler, chef, and private infinity pool, you don’t get more luxurious than this.

Scotland’s capital is well known for its warm hospitality and fairytale architecture, but luxury shopping in Edinburgh is also to be revered. One reason is Scotland’s reputation for quality products, from loom-woven tweed to traditional fudge and whiskies distilled over decades. But this city is also physically a delight to shop, with secret-feeling passages and arcades branching off cobbled, sloping streets.  

Of course, any modern European city now has the chain boutiques and typical designer labels you’ll find everywhere. This means, for a quality Edinburgh gift or souvenir you have to know where to go. Whether you’re after quality scarfs and sweaters or a local delicacy to give to friends, visit these seven fabulous shopping spots before you leave. 

For travel inspiration: Scotland destination guide

Johnstons of Elgin, Multrees Walk 

Credit: @johnstonsofelgin on Instagram

Multrees Walk is Edinburgh’s luxury boutique enclave, where the cashmere and fabrics specialist Johnstons of Elgin nestles alongside Louis Vuitton, Burberry and Max Mara. The textiles company has had a store in Hawick, Scotland since 1797 and created its first tweed in 1846; this ultra-modern two-floor boutique sells menswear, womenswear and accessories, all made in Scotland. From buttery soft cashmere scarves (perfect for the flight home) to Fairisle knitted sweaters and timeless plaid coats, Johnstons has all of the cozy garb you’re craving.  

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Strathberry, Multrees Walk 

Credit: @strathberry on Instagram

A leader in handcrafted leather goods, Scottish label Strathberry is the place to snap up a smart tote bag or sophisticated leather wallet. An staple of luxury shopping in Edinburgh, it was founded in 2013 by husband and wife duo Leeanne and Guy Hundleby.  The brand is Edinburgh born and raised but inspired by leather artisans in southern Spain, where the couple once lived. Each item is handcrafted in Spain but rooted in the Scottish luxury scene; head to the company’s glossy Multrees Walk boutique to peruse the softly illuminated displays of bags in pine-needle greens, toffee browns and oxblood reds. There are also three branches in London.  

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Hamilton & Inches, George Street 

Credit: @hamitoninches on Instagram

Iconic jeweler Hamilton & Inches has had a headquarters in Edinburgh since 1866, with a history as watchmakers to the British royal family as well as high-end jewelry design and expert stone setting. This company’s showroom, all marble pillars and ornate ceiling mouldings is set across five storeys of a Georgian townhouse, looking more like a luxury bank than a jewerly store. This is where the city’s great and good come to get their engagement rings and milestone-marking watches.  

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TBCO (The Tartan Blanket Co), Great Junction Street 

Credit: @wearetbco on Instagram

Situated in the delightful waterfront suburb of Leith, this fabulous woolen goods specialist sells snuggly sofa throws, cushion covers, pajamas, picnic blankets and even Christmas stockings. Its modern collections and fresh colourways are a great example of how Scottish artisan brands can adapt to a modern interiors landscape: many collections are curated with tablescaping or Instagram-worthy picnics in mind, while gift boxes of monogrammed scarves, socks and scrunchies packed with mugs and candles are thoughtfully curated. TBCO is also big on sustainability: look out for the recycled wool blankets for an earth-friendly choice.  

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The Fudge House, Canongate 

Credit: @thefudgehouse on Instagram

Luxury shopping in Edinburgh isn’t just have to be about wearable goods. For an edible souvenir, you can’t beat fudge – also known as “tablet” in Scotland. This crumbly snack made with milk, butter and condensed milk is mentioned in Scottish records as early as the 17th century, and the most decadent place to shop for it is this third-generation family business dating back to 1949. Based on the iconic Royal Mile, the Fudge House’s team hand-makes small batches of the brown stuff in flavours as diverse as spiced ginger, maple walnut and lemon meringue pie. But purists will want to snap up boxes of the classic Highland Cream style. 

Walker Slater, Victoria Street 

Credit: @walkerslater on Instagram

For elegant menswear that harks back to the past, visit this tailoring and tweed specialist on Victoria Street. The Walker Slater brand originated in the Highlands before opening shops in Glasgow and Edinburgh. At this flagship store, a highlight of luxury shopping in Edinburgh, signature jackets and waistcoats come in flattering cashmere, tweed and lambswool styles. Alongside you will also find more casual cable knits and cotton herringbone shirts. A made-to-measure service ensures you get the perfect fit; and there’s a Walker Slater womenswear boutique at number 46 on the same street. 

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Cadenhead’s Whisky Shop, Canongate

Credit: @wmcadenheads on Instagram

Tucked into Edinburgh’s labyrinthine old town you will find Scotland’s oldest independent bottler, Cadenhead’s Whisky Shop. This store may look modest in size, but it’s known for a personalized service style that luxury shoppers will love. What the team behind this emerald-green facade doesn’t know about whisky isn’t worth knowing; kindly attendants can help you select rare bottles or give you tasters to try. There’s an olde-worlde charm to the boutique, decorated with dusty bottles, portions of whisky barrel and handwritten labels; be sure to check out the mysterious “cage” of rare and small-batch whiskies. 

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A punchy New Orleans cocktail, the Sazerac has a long history, but remains a favourite in the Big Easy. We know the Sazerac was invented in New Orleans, but as for the exact bar it was born in?  

“There’s really no way to know,” says Matt Ray, the cocktail expert at the city’s Sazerac House. “Cocktail history is notoriously fuzzy, because not many people cared what bartenders were doing in the mid-19th century. And not many bartenders thought that what they were doing was important enough to catalog it.” 

Of course, we’re now in the midst of a classic cocktail renaissance. Travelers do care about a drink’s provenance, especially a drink as intertwined with a destination as the Sazerac is with New Orleans. Here, Matt takes us on a deep-dive into NOLA’s signature cocktail. 

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The history 

“Today, ‘Cocktail’ means a million things,” says Matt. “But in the early 1800s, it meant your spirit of choice mixed with sugar, water and bitters. You could walk into any bar in the city and ask for a ‘gin cocktail’, ‘brandy cocktail’, or ‘whiskey cocktail’, and that’s what you’d get.  

“At some point in the 1840s and 50s, bartenders started experimenting with new products from Europe ‒ absinthe, maraschino, curacao ‒ adding a dash or two and making a new category called ‘the improved cocktail’. That’s what the first Sazerac was: a cognac cocktail perked up with a swirl of absinthe. New Orleans was still such a European city in those days, and anise spirits like absinthe and pastis are so culturally important to Europe.”

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Winds of change 

Time, politics and the economy all made their mark on the drink over the next century. “As we became a much more American city in the late 1800s, tastes changed,” explains Matt. “Americans began to prefer oaked spirits to cognac; the quality of whiskey also went up following the Revolution. So bartenders started replacing the cognac in Sazeracs with rye whiskey. Another factor was the spread of phylloxera in Europe in the mid-1800s, destroying the grapevines that produced brandy and driving up prices.” 

Then, another twist ‒ absinthe was banned in 1912 for its supposed hallucinogenic properties.  

“The product that replaced it was called herbsaint,” says Matt, “another anise spirit which is almost indistinguishable.” Prohibition in the 1920s and 30s naturally had an impact, but for Matt, the real Dark Ages for the cocktail were the 70s and 80s. “That’s when classic cocktail culture kind of diWe also think you’ll like: All Natural: Meet the woman safeguarding the Mississippi Delta ed off, and everything became a mudslide or a Piña Colada. But New Orleans was still famous for hanging on to traditions like the Sazerac.” 

A timeless classic 

These days, the Sazerac beloved aperitif that New Orleanians still offer to family and friends. In terms of enjoying it like a local, Matt advises, “people usually drink it before dinner. It has a reputation for being the first drink you should have in the city ‒ I know a lot of people who make a point of having one right when they get into town. The locals also tend to have one around Mardi Gras, and around Christmas.” 

How you drink it also says something about you. “You can sip it slowly, so it opens up as it warms in your hands, or you can throw it back heroically,” says Matt. “You’ll see them on a lot of happy hour menus because it’s so quick and simple to make.” Despite its short stature, vintage nature and simplicity, young New Orleanians still order it in bars across
town. “People here don’t shy away from things their grandparents used to drink,” observes Matt. “Rather, the opposite: they find it kind of charming.” 

The recipe for this famous New Orleans cocktail

“First, you take two rocks glasses ‒ ideally a beveled rocks glass, if you want to get specific ‒ and you chill one of them. In the other, you throw in a sugar cube, or a quarter-ounce of simple syrup if that’s easier. Add three dashes of Peychaud’s Bitters and muddle that with the sugar, then add an ounce and a half of rye whiskey (I usually give that a quick stir to help dissolve the sugar).   

“Next, you add ice and give it a brief stir, then set that glass aside. Take the glass that’s been chilling, dump out the ice and add a splash of herbsaint or absinthe. Swirl it around the glass ‒  then either drink it or throw it out. Take your whisky mix and pour it really slowly into that chilled herbsaint glass. The last step is to squeeze a twist of lemon peel so it sprays a little lemon oil. I then either throw in the twist or use it to decorate the glass.”  

If you want to go old-school, advises Matt, make it with the original spirit, cognac. “The clove-peppercorn notes of rye are traded out for these rich, raisiny dark fruits. It’s a little bit more flowery and aromatic.” In terms of what can go wrong? “One of the worst I’ve ever had was completely green because it was probably half absinthe. It’s supposed to be a hint of liquorice or anise, not a punch in the face. And I once saw someone add Sweet’N Low instead of sugar.” 

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Sazerac stars  

Okay, so we’re visiting New Orleans. Where should we go for that first, I’m-in-town Sazerac? “You could come down to the Sazerac House and take a cocktail-making lesson, or visit the museum exhibits we have. But in terms of a straight-up bar, I love Peychaud’s Bar in the French Quarter, which specializes in New Orleans classics like the Ramos Gin Fizz and the Vieux Carré (like a supercharged Manhattan). Otherwise, I’d recommend a bar called Jewel of the South, and a little dive downtown called Bar Tonique.” 

Discover the magic of the American South for yourself and sip a New Orleans cocktail on our Southern Grace limited-edition journey.