Editor's Tips - Luxury Travel Magazine Australia

 
What makes a tropical island resort truly luxurious? It is a question we often get asked on Luxury Travel Magazine. Once upon a time just having 24-hour room service ensured a resort was considered a cut above the rest, a complimentary shoeshine was once considered pretty swanky too; but the gold bar has been lifted, as around the world ever more luxurious destinations are created.

So here is Luxury Travel Magazine’s foolproof checklist of five reasons a resort is YOUR sort of place.
1. A Personal Plunge Pool
Never mind that you’re only a sandy footprint away from a pristine beach, or that the hotel already has a choice of several pools including a mind-blowingly beautiful infinity-edged number. These have to be shared. The whole point about having your own plunge pool is that you choose whom you share it with if anyone and a bikini is a matter of choice not decorum. It used to be that only the top suites had to have such indulgences: Now no new luxury tropical island resort is being built without one.  The pools at the Four Seasons Ko Samui for example, are not so much plunge, as lap since many of its private pools are long enough to swim a decent length in. Ahead of its time the Banyan Tree Phuket has long offered some almost full-sized pools in it premium villas.

2. Your own Butler
No matter how good a hotel’s service is this can’t beat the personal attention that your own butter can lavish on you. Which is why a growing number of premium resorts are assigning one particular staff member to guests for the duration of their stay. At Soneva Gili in The Madives your butler is called a Man Friday and has to row out to the top suites by boat, so secluded are they from the rest of the resort.

3. A Private Beach
By now you’ve probably realised that the buzzword here is privacy so obviously there is little point staying in a luxury resort when you wander down to the beach and discover the local backpackers next door can share your slice of paradise. So a private beach is the next thing on the wish list complete with towels, sun-lounges and hot and cold running beach cocktails.  

4. An Exclusive Island
When Robinson Crusoe was dumped alone on a desert island the prospect of all that isolation didn’t exactly thrill him however luxury lovers are no longer looking at resorts that offer just a private beach but a WHOLE ISLAND to themselves –and their fellow high paying guests of course. In place like the Maldives, where most of the islands are pretty small anyway this isn’t too hard. One of the most up-market offerings is Doni Mighili, which is the only island in the Maldives that can be booked exclusively.  Voyages Wilson Island in the Whitsundays offers barefoot, tented privacy while Fregate Island, Seychelles offers privacy to the like of Bill gates and Brad Pitt.

5. World-class Food
No matter how remote your island escape it has to have a seriously good chef and a decent wine list. The more remote the destination the more complex the organization behind the scenes to ensure you get you fresh veggies. Produce is often flown in twice a week from the mainland. The latest trend is for chefs to plant their own herb or vegetable gardens to ensure produce is fresh and organic.

6. A Spectacular Spa
 I know I said five but there is one more thing to consider. Spas these days have to be as over the top, luxurious and architecturally designed as the main villas. Two rooms and a massage table in the basement  will no longer impress anyone. The spa should be housed in its own separate building and preferably incorporate some exotic delights such as an underwater treatment room or ultimate packages that go on for hours, leaving your body relaxed and toned and your wallet considerably slimmer too. The people who run Evason and Soneva properties have realised the pulling power of the spa. So well know were their Six Sense Spas that they have now re-named many of their properties Six Senses Hideaways, dropping the name Evason.

Everyone’s idea of luxury is different so what is YOUR personal check list? Where have you been you will never forget? What is on your wish list? Send me a letter and let us know. The best letter to the Editor published in the Luxury Travel Magazine Autumn edition will win a Mobilizer bag from Victorinox.

At this time of year there are usually a rash of hot list detailing the ‘in’ countries for the year, but backpacker hot lists are not the same as a hot list for those who are willing to spend to see the world in style. This list from Luxury Travel Magazine is exclusively for luxury lovers who are also world travellers who love to explore.

OMAN
With Six Senses Hideaway Zighy Bay just opening and The Chedi already a firm favourite, Oman is beginning to rival the Dubai and the UAE for designer destinations. Intersperse your spa-ing with some dune bashing and desert exploration for a true Arabian experience – night and day, www.sixsenses.com, www.omantourism.gov.om

NAMIBIA
Every since Brad and Angelina headed to Namibia, it is the safari destination of choice for those who want to beat their neighbours to the newest in-destination for game viewing. But following in the footsteps of the Hollywood elite is not the main reason for going. The amount of game you see by the waterholes in Etosha National Park is extraordinary. This West African Country also has vast sand dunes and historic German-built towns. The upmarket Kempinski hotels group is planning to open a string of luxury hotels here in the coming years, www.kempinski.com, www.namibiatourism.co.na

BHUTAN
Surrounded by the Eastern Himalayas Bhutan has remained relatively untouched destination, possibly because visitors have to agree to spend a minium of $US200 per night while they are there – which makes it perfect of course for the five star traveller. Aman now has a remote lodges know collectively as Amankora and Como Hotels and Resorts has Uma Paro. So now is the perfect time for a trek in that direction, www.amanresorts.com, www.visitbhutan.com

EASTER ISLAND-CHILE
This remote island famous for its strange and haunting Moai statues is getting its first luxury resort which means it is suddenly on the radar of those who like to travel in style AND see one of the modern wonders of the world (on my list at any rate). The new 30-room Explora en Rapa Nui promises a futuristic design made from with a building that uses native volcano rock and wood, www.explora.com

SLOVENIA
Croatia is SO last year darling, the new Eastern European destination is Slovenia. This tiny country the size of Wales has a lot within compact borders, ski slopes, beaches, a petite historic capital – Ljubijana and surprisingly good wine to be tasted in Posaveje. It does not have good hotels aplenty; the futuristic Hotel Mons in Ljubijana is the most interesting. The Euro-elite are renting apartments in Ljubijana or old farms and cottages in the hills or they’re sailing along the Adriatic coast, www.properazzi.com

BRAZIL
Brazil has waterfalls, jungle, and of course thong bikinis but now it has style too. The Rio Janeiro glitterati have been heading to the beach resort of Itacare for sometime, but now Hotelier Anouska Hempel’s plans to open a new eco-resort, Warapuru. The new resort has shone an international spotlight on the town – and celebrities always follow the spotlight. Hempel’s other ultra-stylish hotels include Blakes and The Hempel in London, www.braziltourism.org

TUNISIA
The Marrakech Express is pulling out and the in-crowd who once flocked to Morocco will start heading to Tunisia instead. Rjad-style boutique hotels are being created in court-yarded town houses and beach babies are heading to Jerba. Sightseeing-wise El Jem is still one of the most impressive ancient colosseums I’ve seen – and that includes the one in Rome. Stay at The Residence in Tunis or Villa Didon in Carthage, www.viladidon.com

It’s the time of year when everybody is doing it so why not lovers of luxury too. Here are five resolutions that anyone who is serious about travelling in style should add to their 2008 aspirations. You’ll be glad to know that not one of them demands that you take more exercise, read more uplifting literature or go on a diet. Your New Year Luxury Travel resolutions should be:

1. ALWAYS BOOK A LIMO FROM THE AIRPORT. Begin travelling luxuriously from the minute you land. This way you avoid unseemly fights for taxis at the rank and taxi sharks who promise to deliver you to your destination in their brother-in-law’s clapped out car. A simple sign with your name on as you step through customs control ensures that someone else pushes your trolley, negotiates airport madness and takes you to your hotel in air conditioned, engine-purring splendour; usually with a bottle of mineral water, the day’s paper and a warm towel laid on.

2. MAKE THE WORD 'SUITE' PART OF YOUR EVERY DAY VOCABULARY. Resolve never to book the entry-rate room at a hotel, a small up grade will ensure you stay in something which is inevitably called a suite not a room, or at the very least has the word ‘deluxe’ in front of it. A little basic negotiation at the check-in desk, or before you arrive will often ensure that your upgrade is free, or at very little extra cost.

3. MAKE THE POOL YOU PLUNGE INTO PRIVATE. Resolve that at least one resort you stay at this year will have a private plunge pool. This ensures your stays really are luxurious. Hotel groups such as Banyan Tree, Sixth Senses, Four Seasons, Taj and Oberoi all offer this kind of paradise in places like the Maldives, Thailand or Mauritius. Heaven.

4. EXTEND ALL WEEKEND BREAKS BY ONE DAY. Go on, it isn’t as hard as you think to get away from work for a little longer and you’ll feel SO much better if you do. Take a Friday or a Monday to make that break just a little more indulgent – and take more of them why don’t you. There are some wonderfully luxurious guest houses out there just waiting for you to book in.

5. GO SOMEWHERE NEW IN STYLE. Pick a new country to explore then book into one of the best hotels you can. So what is on the hot-list for 2008 luxury destinations? The places that the in-crowd are heading to this year? You’ll have to wait for the next Editor’s Tips to find out. Here’s to a World of Luxury in 2008 - YOUR NEW YEAR RESOLUTIONS. Everyone’s idea of luxury is different so what are YOUR travel resolutions for 2008 ? Send me a letter and let us know. Simply email hdoling@luxurytravelmag.com.au. The best letter to the Editor published in Luxury Travel Magazine's Autumn magazine will win a Mandarina Duck duffle bag.

I am often asked what I think are the most luxurious experiences the world has to offer. So here, in no particular order, are my TOP TEN ULTIMATE LUXURY TRAVEL EXPERIENCES.

A gin and tonic at sunset in the bush of a private African game reserve. Your Land Rover has stopped mid-game drive, food and drink have miraculously been produced, the sun is a red ball filling half the sky (only in Africa have I seen sunsets like that) and there is roar of lions in the distance.
Offering the ultimate experience:  www.londolozi.com, www.ccafrica.com

Being treated like royalty in a real palace. Nowhere does this better than India where the old forts and palaces of the maharajahs have been turned into exotic hotels, for example the exquisite wedding-cake white Lake Palace Hotel  reached by water launch in Udaipur or the stylish Devi Garh near the village of Delwara.
Offering the ultimate experience: www.tajhotels.com, www.deviresorts.com, www.abercrombiekent.com.au

Staying on you own private paradise island, complete with platinum-white sand, Tiffany blue water and complete privacy. You will of course have the ultimate in luxury bures too. Follow Bill and Melanie Gates to Fregate island, Seychelles, seven beaches are yours alone or  drop anchor at Dhoni Mighili the only island in the Maldives that can be booked exclusively.
Offering the Ultimate Experience: www.fregate.com, www.dhonimighili.com

Having a personal butler for the duration of your vacation. The fabulous rich and famous often travel with their own staff, but for the rest of us the ultimate in service can be experienced if we stay at the right places. For example on Soneva Gili in the Maldives your Crusoe Residence can only be reached by water and the butler has to row out. Take a signature suite at The Ritz London and your butler comes complete with waistcoat and tails.
Offering the ultimate experience: www.theritzlondon.com, http://www.theritzlondon.com

Being transferred to your hotel in extraordinary style. The Peninsula Hong Kong has a fleet of bottle-green Rolls Royce to make sure you glide through the traffic in style or pick a hotel with a helipad, like the Burj Al Arab in Dubai, or for making a real entrance try tandem Hang-gliding into the hotel grounds from the cliffs above Evason hideaway Zighy Bay, Oman.
Offering the ultimate experience: www.peninsula.com, www.burj-al-arab.com, www.evasonhideaways.com

Staying where the spa is the experience. These days no self-respecting resort can truly call itself luxurious without a spectacular spa. For example Huvafen Fushi in The Maldives, has an underwater spa where you can watch the tropical fish as you unwind, Four Seasons Chang Mai, Thailand has a three-storey spa building as exotic as many hotels, Pangkor Laut in Malaysia has its own Spa Village.
Offering the Ultimate Experience: www.fourseasons.com, www.pangkorlautresort.com, www.huvafenfushi.com

Seeing the wonders of the world without the crowds. ‘Must see’ lists are full of sights, like the Taj Mahal or Machu Picchu in Peru that you have to see before your die but seeing them in style is the real key. For example Sanctuary Lodge, a five star hotel in the shadow of Machu Picchu, offers private tours of the monument early in the morning or late afternoon when the hoards of day-trippers aren’t there. Bespoke travel agents can also organise this kind of thing.
Offering the Ultimate Experience: www.orient-express.com, www.virtuoso.com.au

Staying in luxury somewhere truly remote. Somewhere you’d never expect to be pampered. For example you bump down a dirt road to get to Banyan tree Rhinga in China’s remote, high altitude Shangri-La region but among the villages and the yaks you’ll stay in a re-built antique Tibetan house, with a vast bathroom and a bed swathed in silks and exotic fabric. High altitude isolation also awaits you at the ultra-luxurious COMO Shambhala at Uma Paro, Bhutan.
Offering the Ultimate Experience: www.banyantree.com,  www.como.bz, www.uniquetourism.com

Having the world come to you. Cruising from port to port means you see a whole range of places without having to unpack more than once. Personally I’d prefer my own yacht and crew but many people like the space and company aboard some of the world’s most luxurious liners. Book the captain’s suite for the ultimate onboard stay.
Offering the Ultimate Experience: www.silversea.com, www.traveltheworld.com, www.cunardline.com.au

Sleeping in the same bed as the famous (although not at the same time, which is an entirely different ultimate list). Those with obscene amounts of money look for privacy and exceptional luxury so following in their footsteps means you’re on the right track. Knowing where they go is the key, so subscribe to a magazine like Luxury Travel Magazine for insider information. Obviously you’ll be checking into some of the world’s top suites or you could simply rent their houses directly; for example stay in HRH Princess Margaret’s old villa, Les Jolies Eaux on Mustique in the Caribbean or Richard Branson’s retreat on Necker Island.
Offering the ultimate experience: www.lhw.com, www.neckerisland.com, www.caribbeanway.com

Everyone’s idea of luxury is different so what do YOU rate as the World’s Top Luxury Travel Experience? Where have you been you will never forget? What is on your wish list? Send me a letter and let us know. The best letter to the Editor published in the Luxury Travel Magazine Autumn edition will win a Mandarina Duck duffle bag.