There are regular splurges, and then there are splurges so special that the cost becomes irrelevant.
asserted
cost → be → ?
We asked Traveller experts to nominate the travel indulgences they believed justify the credit-card tap, from the world’s greatest luxury experiences to the small upgrades that make any journey infinitely better.
asserted
journey → ask → upgrades
Take a train to step back in time
This is old-fashioned luxury at its most decadent.
asserted
This → take → decadent
Invite your 11 poshest friends, roll through English countryside at an aristocratic pace, start speaking like a Mitford sister before you know it.
asserted
you → invite → it
See belmond.com
A resort that actually feels like its destination
Everyone needs a little fantasy in their lives, and luxury is one of its finest vehicles.
asserted
luxury → see → vehicles
When the world feels chaotic, who doesn’t want to wrap themselves in a little Gucci-branded cotton wool and pretend otherwise?
asserted
who → feel → wool
The White Lotus’s Tanya McQuoid (Jennifer Coolidge) understood the assignment.
asserted
McQuoid → understand → assignment
She drifted through the resorts of the first two seasons of the series with barely a grasp on reality, cocooned in a world where everyday concerns simply ceased to exist.
asserted
concerns → drift → world
That’s what many of us seek from a luxury resort: a glorious escape from real life.
asserted
many → ’ → life
But when that escape comes at the expense of connection to place, what are we even travelling for?
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we → come → what
True resort luxury strikes a happy balance.
asserted
luxury → strike → balance
It creates fantasy without losing sight of where you are actually located.
asserted
you → create → sight
The Anam Mui Ne in Vietnam does exactly that, making it a standout in South-East Asia, where too many resorts are either interchangeable or bubbles of design adrift from the surrounding culture.
asserted
resorts → do → culture
Undeniably indulgent, The Anam’s rooms feature $5000 clawfoot bathtubs, pressed-metal ceilings, original artworks and fabulous Indochine design that manages to be stylish rather than theatrical.
asserted
that → feature → bathtubs
That’s the line the whole place walks: providing an elevated experience alongside grassroots belonging.
asserted
place → ’ → belonging
The gardens surrounding the resort swimming pools open directly to public Rang Beach, where kitesurfers and windsurfers ride Mui Ne’s famous breezes.
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kitesurfers → surround → breezes
Step outside, and local bars and restaurants are an easy stroll away.
asserted
bars → step → ?
Afternoon tea has a Vietnamese character, while the resort’s thoughtfully curated art collection exhibits the work of local artists.
asserted
collection → have → artists
The fantasy never comes at the expense of the destination which is the greatest luxury of all.
asserted
which → come → all
With three slices of toasted bread, guacamole replacing mayo (controversial) and pancetta instead of bacon (allowable), Le Sirenuse’s version of the multi-tiered icon is served poolside with chips.
asserted
version → toast → chips
It’s not cheap, but neither is the panoramic Positano view.
asserted
view → ’ → ?
See sirenuse.it
A safari from a hollowed-out tree trunk
Gliding through the Okavango Delta in a hollowed-out tree trunk hand-poled by a local, who knows the waterways like the back of his hand, followed by a view from above via helicopter.
asserted
who → see → helicopter
The room with a view
Not every upgrade is worth taking.
asserted
upgrade → take → view
A cruise you’ll talk about for the rest of your life
You might wince, as if someone has squirted lemon juice in your eye, when you see luxury-ship cruise fares, but the heaven that awaits you on a Scenic Cruises ocean ship is unique: tranquillity in grey tones and mood lighting, attractively backlit bars, some of the best nosh at sea, a butler and a bed as comfortable as it gets.
uncertain
it → talk → sea
An observation lounge where you can gaze at the ocean and let your troubles blow away.
asserted
troubles → gaze → ocean
But this is an active sort of heaven, so you shouldn’t just lie around on cloud nine with your cocktails, canapes and tinkling piano music.
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you → lie → cocktails
Scenic’s hybrid luxury-expedition ships take you to legendary places, from Antarctica to remote Pacific atolls.
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ships → take → atolls
You can’t get better than gliding on a Zodiac among icebergs, catching sight of polar bears or joining traditional performances in Papua New Guinea.
asserted
You → get → Guinea
If that isn’t enough, its ships carry two helicopters and a submersible.
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ships → carry → helicopters
If you trade in boasting rights, your friends will have to admit you’ve trumped them all.
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you → trade → them
And admit it: isn’t that part of what indulgence is about?
asserted
indulgence → admit → what
See scenic.cruisescom
Seeing Norway from the sea
One of the world’s priciest places is also one of its most beautiful, which makes a 14-day luxury cruise seem almost a bargain.
asserted
cruise → see → beautiful
Besides, this convoluted coast of fjords and islands is best seen from the sea.
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coast → see → sea
If you aren’t astounded by Norway, you’re beyond help.
asserted
you → ’re → help
See seabourn.com
A private transfer after a red-eye
You’ve already spent eight hours in the air.
asserted
You → see → air
This is not the moment to follow the signs to the taxi rank.
asserted
This → follow → rank
A chef just for you
A really good sushi chef watches diners, gauging hunger and enjoyment and altering the menu as the meal progresses.
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meal → watch → menu
A yacht you can ski off
There’ll be wind in your sails and snow to the water’s edge when you hop aboard the yacht Nanook and explore West Greenland, sailing the fjords and ski-touring the slopes above.
asserted
you → ski → slopes
Whether you’re surfing, skiing or getting a handle on the local cuisine, learning is more indulgent when it’s done at your own pace and not that of five strangers you are randomly grouped with.
asserted
you → surf → strangers
You don’t need to be a sports nut to get that proximity is the whole point.
asserted
proximity → need → ?
…and 120 more, not listed.
The Aporia
