THE POSHEST

Introducing … The Superlatives Issue

Remember what it felt like to know you could take off on the biggest and best adventure imaginable any time you wished? The joyous anticipation, the world of possibilities, the spirit of discovery? Last year’s uncertainty forced us to put those dreams on the shelf. This year, we’re ready to take them out, dust them off, and go—full speed ahead. To travel farther, faster, cooler, hotter, deeper, and wilder than we’ve ever traveled before. Let’s do this.

THE POSHEST

Ritz-Carlton

The Maldives, of Course

For those considering cashing out their GameStop earnings to buy an island, there is a largely submarine mountain range in the Indian Ocean that comes to mind. We’re referring to the Maldives, of course. Word has it, the archipelago extraordinaire is auctioning 50-year leases on several of its petite land masses.

Imagine having unrestricted access to the most enviable escape for India's jet-setting elite—not to mention Taylor Swift, Madonna, Kate Moss, Joe Jonas, Shakira, Gwyneth Paltrow, Liv Tyler, The Beckhams, John Legend, Novak Djokovic, Chanel Iman, and more.

Thankfully, buying in isn’t the only option. With a stop on route in Abu Dhabi to pick up a new designer swimsuit, and a seaplane hop or yacht trip out to your atoll, getting there is surprisingly doable. The bigger challenge is choosing from perhaps the greatest selection of resorts on earth.

Would you prefer the sparkling, new Ritz-Carlton? The expansive Amilla Fushi? The rare and wonderful One & Only? Soneva Jani? Waldorf Astoria’s Ithaafushi? So many places to disappear to; so few ways to go wrong.

Waldorf Astoria Ithaafushi

Amilla Fushi

VIDEO VIDÉO

Soneva Jani

One & Only Reethi Rah

VIDEO VIDÉO

INTERVIEW ENTREVUE INTERVIEW ENTREVUE

Star Struck

What it’s like to stay at an ultra-luxurious villa resort on a private island in the Caribbean where guests are treated like A-listers

by Ali Wunderman

Leonardo DiCaprio may own his own island in Belize, but when he visits the Central American country on the Caribbean Sea, he can most likely be found at Cayo Espanto instead.

Admittedly, I hoped to cross paths with an A-list celebrity like Leo during my four-day stay on the ultra-exclusive cay, but privacy is so thoughtfully built into the landscape that I was barely aware six other villas existed beyond my own. The moment my Tropic Air flight touched down in San Pedro, the team at Cayo Espanto whisked me away into a world of elegance and service, starting with a private boat ride directly to my 2,600 square-foot, two-bedroom villa with its own dock, personal plunge pool and al fresco showers.

Hundreds of islands can be found peppering the coast of Belize, but none offer the level of luxury afforded Cayo Espanto’s guests. Each villa is staffed by two dedicated attendants, able to meet essentially any whim their charges may have. Detailed pre-trip surveys gather information like what types of desserts you prefer, or how involved you want your attendants to be in your stay. The open-air villas are stylish and wellconstructed, combining comfort with relaxation and decked out with perks like Turkish bathrobes, Egyptian cotton linens, a butler’s pantry with snacks and drinks. It’s exactly what any celebrity vacation should entail.

I, at least, felt famous being flown by private charter to visit the Lamanai Maya ruins, the pilot waiting on the jungle runway for me to finish my leisurely tour. When I spent a morning fishing before eating our freshly-grilled catch on a white sand beach, I half expected the paparazzi to burst from the surrounding mangrove.

Indulgent excursions would surely please anyone, but it’s the details behind the

All photos credit: www.aprivateisland.com

decadence that really made Cayo Espanto stand out. To preserve guests’ privacy, dinner is served nightly in your villa (featuring a menu catered individually to each party), and my attendants made sure to place and set the table somewhere unique each night: out on the dock, on the sandy beach, at the edge of the deck. Although I was always dining in my villa, a two-story architectural wonder called Estrella, they ensured I experienced the sensation of novelty every night.

In fact, I was most impressed by the team’s ability to anticipate my needs, which was not only delightful, but allowed me to truly relax instead of getting bogged down with decision anxiety. After snorkeling with sea turtles at Hol Chan Marine Reserve, my guide asked if I would like a drink waiting upon returning to my villa. When I asked for a banana, he suggested I get a strawberrybanana smoothie instead, a much more delicious way to get the potassium my body was craving.

It’s no wonder celebrities like Jennifer Lawrence, Bill Gates, Robert De Niro, Tiger Woods, and Bradley Cooper have all reportedly stayed at Cayo Espanto. The combination of heightened privacy, top notch service, and being on a beautiful exclusive island in the Caribbean Sea is everything an A-lister could want from their Belize vacation. Belize is home to the second largest barrier reef in the world.

Experience the Expertise That Sets Us Apart

Join us on a voyage led by an award-winning Expedition Team comprised of real-life explorers, adventurers and famed experts. Every cruise we lead is exclusively chartered on a luxurious small ship with a guest capacity of no more than 199, and features all-balcony accommodations and all-inclusive amenities available only through A&K. From the Komodo Islands to Antarctica and beyond, we take you to the world’s most inspiring destinations in unmatched authenticity and style.

Our 2022–23 Luxury Expedition Cruise Destinations Antarctica | The Arctic | Japan | Australia | Indonesia | Baltic Sea | British Isles | Italy | Greece

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The Making of a Private Jet Journey

An interview with Ann Epting from Abercrombie & Kent

by Nancy Hellmrich

All Photos Courtesy of Abercrombie & Kent

Few experiences are more exceptional for serious travelers than world tours via private jet. Yet, little is known about what goes on behind the scenes to assemble these extraordinary journeys and ensure every detail is just so. To paint a clearer picture, we caught up with Abercrombie & Kent’s Ann Epting, SVP of Private Jet & Special Interest Travel.

Q: What goes into an A&K Private Jet Journey?

A: A lot of planning and forethought. These trips are literally years in the making. There are usually about five or six of us. We review guest ideas, we brainstorm, and we investigate new destinations that are just opening up. Then it's just a matter of getting in a room with a big world map and saying, “Okay, is this doable?” We look at the map and kind of whittle it down. Q: Does Geoffrey Kent get involved?

A: Of course, Mr. Kent has a big hand in it. He's very well-traveled, but there still are some places he hasn't been. He has a big say in the trips he hosts, obviously. And in his travels he meets people. I will very often get emails from him saying, “Oh, Ann, look into this.” There's a lot of back and forth, then we put together a final recommendation for him to sign off on.

Cartagena (Colombia)

Q: What happens when the locals say no?

A: A great example is in Cartagena, in Colombia. We found this lovely little square and thought, why don’t we have a dinner set up here? They said, “Absolutely not. The government would never allow it.” It took months of negotiating. Ultimately, persistence paid off, they issued the permit, and it was a really, really beautiful evening.

Q: So “impossible” just takes a little longer?

A: That’s what we do. When we were in Mongolia, we bypassed Ulaanbaatar and went straight out to the Gobi Desert. We brought acrobats and a throat singer in from the city so our guests could experience them. And local villagers recreated the traditional Naadam Festival competitions for us.

In Sicily, we thought it would be fun to drive from Taormina to Savoca, but we wanted to do it in true A&K style. So we brought over 35 vintage Alfa Romeo convertibles so our guests could drive themselves along the coast.

Q: Was Mt. Everest another tough negotiation?

A: When we told them we wanted to land our guests at 19,000 feet they said, “There’s no way.” No one had ever asked them to do it before. We started a year ahead of time working with the helicopter pilots and the airport to have air traffic control clear some space for us. We had a lot of meetings, drank a bunch of coffee, talked it through, and got them to agree.

Amboseli guide (Kenya)

A privileged landing on Mt. Everest (Himalayas) Whale sharks in Oslob (Philippines)

Q: Once they had agreed, what did the operation entail?

A: We sourced high-altitude helicopters from all over the region. Two weeks before the landing, we sent a team of Sherpas up to build three landing pads.

We also set up a base operating camp and sent an advance team with our chef and, of course, the espresso machine. Behind the scenes, we had a medic, oxygen tanks, a refueling zone. We had our own photographers and a Buddhist lama up there who offered a blessing. We rotated the helicopters in and out. All that was done by noon and then we came back down. Our guests had lunch with the Bhutanese royal family the next day.

Q: How do you get an audience with royals or dignitaries?

A: The people we work with are typically very well connected so we ask them to reach out and see what they can do. In Ethiopia, we’ve even been able to have our guests go to the palace to meet the president. A lot of it is through Geoffrey Kent, who served as Chariman of the World Travel & Tourism Council for six years.

Archery in the Gobi Desert (Mongolia)

Greeting from a Buddhist lama (Nepal) Forging new friendships (Tanzania)

All Photos Courtesy of Abercrombie & Kent

Q: What goes into the transportation aspect?

A: We partner with Iceland Air for the chartering of the jets and the pilots. The crew is typically Icelandic or Scandinavian. There's a pretty intense interview process for the cabin crew. Everybody wants to do it.

During every operation we are on the ground in advance to make sure everything is ready before the guests arrive. We use police escorts to avoid traffic delays. In some destinations, we charter helicopters or small aircraft. We do a lot of helicopters. And it’s window seats only. No matter how many helicopters it takes, everybody has a window seat.

Q: What about accommodations in remote areas?

A: If it's something we think the guests really can't miss, we go in and create the luxury experience. We paint rooms, bring in furniture, luxury linens, toiletries, espresso machines. We do extensive training with the staff. One couple wanted eight feather pillows, so we brought along eight feather pillows. We have a high repeat rate and that sort of attention to detail has a lot to do with it. Q: Does covering so much territory take a toll?

A: As luxurious as it is, when you’re changing time zones, it can be physically demanding. Of course, we have a doctor who travels with us on all of our private jet journeys. But it’s really important that we pace things well. When we are linking destinations together, we consider the timing, the range of the aircraft, the crew hours. The logistical pieces all have to fit.

Q: What are you working on now?

A: Ladakh, India. That's an area that Mr. Kent has wanted to visit for a very long time. We’re building it into a private jet trip in 2023. And, this afternoon, we're having a brainstorming session for 2024. We’re planning a new wildlife trip for the end of 2023 that includes going to Kazakhstan to see the snow leopards. I was just speaking with our partners on that yesterday.

If you could see the world in just a few weeks, where would you go?

Contact your travel advisor to explore all the possibilities.