TRAVEL & ADVENTURE
The Best of South African Golf With Micato
Exclusively from Micato for Luxury cardholders, this 12-day whistlestop tour around South Africa is primed for the golf-mad globetrotter. Start in Cape Town with rounds at both Steenberg Golf Club (the 7th hole is a peninsula green that owes a debt to the 17th at TPC Sawgrass) and Royal Cape Golf Club (the oldest championship course in the country; spectacular views of Table Mountain). Moving into the wine country, stay at the Delaire Graff Estate in Stellenbosch and juggle tours of more than 40 vineyards with the chore of teeing off at the Jack Nicklaus–designed Pearl Valley and Paarl Golf Club. The last stop: Legend Signature Golf Course in Limpopo. Each hole was designed by a different top golfer, from the par-4 15th by Vijay Singh to the Extreme 19th (the world’s highest and longest par-3, which begins 1,400 feet above the green—reachable only by helicopter). $130,590/couple; micato.com
Charter La Blanca With Northrop & Johnson
The six-cabin, 194-foot La Blanca is a supermodel in the superyacht world, designed and built by interiors specialist RWD and shipyard Benetti. Its splashiest feature is its 15-seat, lit-up Jacuzzi and swim-up bar, plus it can start up its own beach club via the lower deck’s transom transformation. There’s a jam-packed toys garage with paddleboards, Seabobs, and a brand-new Williams jet tender. La Blanca is now available for charter via Northrop & Johnson, with a focus on the Leeward Islands and the Bahamas; come winter, it will focus on the wider Caribbean. From $395,000/week, plus expenses; northropandjohnson.com
Tropical Island Buyout Near Cartagena, Colombia
Founded eight years ago by onetime yacht broker Portia Hart, Blue Apple Beach is offering a three-night buyout on Tierra Bomba island, a spit of land 20 minutes off the Colombian coast. Indulge every whim, with horseback riding, scuba diving, and yoga, plus massages and a DJ on tap for four hours each day to kick-start the pool party. When you do want to leave the premises, Hart (for an additional fee) will act as your personal, on-call concierge, offering her insider take on this destination and granting instant VIP status at the city’s buzzier nightclubs and restaurants. From $30,000 for up to 22 people, all-inclusive; blueapplebeach.com
River Safari With Delfin Amazon Cruises
The Upper Peruvian Amazon River in the heart of the namesake rainforest is the largest protected flooded forest in the world and home of howler monkeys as well as the freshwater pink dolphin (the brighter colored specimens are the males). Explore the jungle on foot, bird-watch at dawn, and kayak through the waterways, since the best way to see this hidden corner of the world is with Amazon cruise specialist Delfin. The company operates three vessels through the Pacaya Samiria National Reserve that range in size from four suites with private terraces and plunge pools to 22 suites with a day spa onboard. They all deliver the same exceptional service and food during their three- or four-night voyages. From $3,600/person for three nights; delfinamazoncruises.com
Deep Sleep With TCS World Travel
Eliminate jet lag with the new Deep Sleep itinerary from private jet travel specialist TCS. The 25-day trip by Gulfstream G550, Bombardier Global Express, or similar plane is customizable and follows circadian rhythms in Dark Sky destinations (where there is little to no light pollution) and favors designated quiet ecosystems around the globe. Over the three weeks, travelers finesse habits to improve the quality and length of their sleep. For example, they could explore Queensland’s bushland, kayak and fish in New Zealand’s Bay of Islands, and sample the Asaya spa on Hawaii’s Big Island at the reimagined Kona Village, a Rosewood Resort. From $230,000/person, all-inclusive; tcsworldtravel.com
Oysters Take Flight With the Four Seasons Hotel New Orleans
Oysters have long been fundamental to life in NOLA. The reefs that they stabilize slow storm surges and they’ve remained a staple of local cuisine for more than two centuries. Oysters Rockefeller—broiled, breaded, and buttery—was invented here in the 1880s when an enterprising French restaurateur subbed them in during a shortage of escargot. Now the Four Seasons Hotel New Orleans’ Oysters Take Flight day trip flies guests via Cessna 206 seaplane over the wild coastal marshlands to Little Moon Oyster Ranch, where farmer Ryan Anderson rears more than 100,000 of them at any one time. Following a Champagne lunch on a working oyster boat, travelers return to the hotel for dinner at its James Beard Award–winning Chef Donald Link’s Chemin à la Mer, which has its own oyster bar. From $7,500/four people; fourseasons.com
Lemur Trekking in Madagascar With Miavana by Time & Tide
Endemic to Madagascar, lemurs are the world’s oldest primates. More than 100 species roam the treetops here, with their wide, cartoonish eyes readily spotted amid the branches. Miavana by Time & Tide, the island’s foremost luxury resort, operates its own sanctuary for the animals. Guests can bike around the four-square-mile private island to see them or take one of the resort’s helicopters to a wilder setting. Nearby reserves protect several critically endangered species such as the golden-crowned sifaka and Perrier’s sifaka, one of the world’s few black lemur species. It’s a bracing chance for conservation-minded travelers to engage with extraordinary flora and fauna. From $2,500/three people; timeandtideafrica.com
Sand, Sea, City, and Safari With Roar Africa
New from outfitter Roar Africa, this five-destination private jet tour for up to 10 people is scheduled next year from May 13 to June 1. The journey begins in the shimmering red-sand dunes of Namibia’s Sossusvlei with a hot air balloon ride and game drives to see desert-adapted animals like oryx and ostrich. Next is cosmopolitan Cape Town and then the country’s winelands. Singita in the Sabi Sand will be the base for drives around one of the most game-rich reserves in the country, before the jet flies to the Seychelles, where the crystal-blue waters surrounding the island nation are like an underwater game reserve, filled with tropical fish. The Emirates-operated A319 includes 10 private suites and an onboard shower spa. $175,000/person; roarafrica.com
Texas Quail Hunt With Joshua Creek Ranch and The Post Oak Hotel
Over two nights, experience two of the top resorts in Texas: The Post Oak Hotel and Joshua Creek Ranch. The latter, a hunting lodge in Texas Hill Country outside San Antonio, will facilitate a guided quail hunt. Then take a quick helicopter transfer to Houston’s The Post Oak Hotel’s rooftop helipad to meet Jean Luc Royere (the hotel’s executive chef) with the morning’s spoils. Following post-hunt massages at the spa, it’s the feast prepared by Royere and this team. The stay in The Post Oak’s executive suites includes a fitting with hunting and fishing outfitter Gordy & Sons, as well as a private Glenfiddich whisky tasting in the hotel’s cellar and dinner for six at the hotel’s steakhouse, Mastro’s. $60,000 for up to six people, available from October 1 to December 30; thepostoakhotel.com
Bhutan Wellness Retreat With the Gangtey Lodge
Come to Gangtey Lodge, located high above its namesake valley in the center of Bhutan, for a five-day, four-night experience focused around the five keys to well-being (as the Bhutanese believe), including nature, spirituality, and community. You’ll hike through forests of tall blue pine trees, pausing to smell their distinctive, pungent aroma, and follow monk-guided meditations in local shedras (teaching places) with morning or evening prayers. Visit local villages to connect with the distinctly Bhutanese traditions, learning two of the most popular sports at a local farmhouse: dha (archery) and khuru (darts). The lodge’s spa will be central to each day for treatments ranging from hot stone baths to bodywork massages. From $600/person; gangteylodge.com
