TRAVEL & ADVENTURE
Rancho Santana, Nicaragua
Nicaragua’s Emerald Coast has long been favored by hardcore wave chasers, lured by the astonishing, 300-plus days annually of ridable surf. When Rancho Santana opened eight years ago, the 2,700-acre estate with its sea turtle sanctuary, treetop spa, and three pools unlocked the area for a new class of traveler. Now the Taste of the Good Life package lures newcomers with a five-night stay for two people, private daily yoga sessions, a private surf lesson from a pro, and sunset horseback rides on the beach. And they can put their iPhone down too: the package includes a photographer to document the entire experience. $12,000/five nights; ranchosantana.com
Paris Coquillade Bike Ride Challenge, France
Recipients can release their inner MAMIL (middle-aged man in Lycra) with this opportunity to compete in the October Paris Coquillade Challenge, a five-day, 441-mile bike ride from Paris to the Coquillade resort in the south of France. The route winds through the hilly massif of Provence’s Luberon region, filled with olive groves, vineyards, and flower farms. Nightly payoffs for athletic pursuits consist of dinners cooked by Michelin-starred chefs and overnight berths at Relais & Châteaux member hotels. $7,755/person for seven nights; coquillade.fr
The Family Coppola Hideaways
Hopscotch among The Family Coppola Hideaways, including Blancaneaux Lodge and Turtle Inn in Belize and La Lancha, a 10-room lakeside lodge in Guatemala’s rainforest. The package includes two nights at La Lancha to explore the UNESCO-recognized Mayan ruin of Tikal. Over four nights at Blancaneaux Lodge, horseback ride to Big Rock Falls, canoe through Barton Creek Cave, and zip-line through the canopies. Turtle Inn’s focus is the ocean: Spend four nights snorkeling by day and cruising the Caribbean at sunset. $14,900/10 nights; thefamilycoppolahideaways.com
Bushtops Safari Camps, Tanzania
Bushtops Safari Camps’ co-founder Andrew Stuart, a fourth-generation safari pro, came up with the idea for this pop-up, buyout-only safari camp to see the best game in Tanzania. Custom Rovers inspired by boats (a nod to Stuart’s background in marine engineering), transport guests, who sleep in 1,000-square-foot tents with in-room bathrooms, running water, and Wi-Fi access. Locations alternate between the southern and central Serengeti twice a year, modeling animal migration patterns. $30,200/night, minimum two nights; bushtopscamps.com
Black Tomato, Palm Springs, and Globe-Trotter Luggage
British luxe outfitter Black Tomato, in partnership with Globe-Trotter, has launched a California desert travel itinerary to celebrate Globe-Trotter’s latest luggage collection, a mid-century-inspired range dubbed Palm Springs. The four-night trip comes with a carry-on or checked case of your choice and focuses on behind-the-scenes access: visits to private modernist marvel homes and Joshua Tree National Park, an in-depth private tour of the Palm Springs Art Museum, a gourmet cookout, and an astronomer-led night on a private ranch. From $8,375/person/four nights; blacktomato.com
Bürgenstock Hotel & Spa Memoir Project, Switzerland
Swiss grande dame Bürgenstock Hotel & Spa in partnership with the autobiography specialists Master Storytellers has installed a Biographer in Residence to work with guests on a memoir project during their stay. The writer teases out their subject’s best stories during conversations that can take place by either chatting in the hotel or hiking along alpine paths. The package includes 20 paperback copies of the resulting book, as well as an e-book version. Perched above Lake Lucerne, the hotel has plenty of stories of its own: This is where Goldfinger was filmed (Sean Connery stayed there during the shoot) and Audrey Hepburn was married there. $13,400/three nights; burgenstockresort.com
Golden Rock Dive & Nature Resort, Caribbean
For diving aficionados, a highlight of the Caribbean is the 13-square-mile island officially called Sint Eustatius, but most locals call it Statia. Ringed by a national marine park with 36 standalone dive sites that include pirate-era shipwrecks and Volcano Fingers (petrified lava flows), the island also boasts the 2-year-old Golden Rock Dive & Nature Resort. The 70-room retreat on 40 acres has an oceanfront gym, a 17-hole mini-golf course, and a tennis court; the PADI dive center and scuba school opens early next year. $8,020/person/seven nights; goldenrockresort.com
Bardstown Bourbon Company, Kentucky
The decade-old Bardstown Bourbon Company typically produces unique mash bills for 30-plus other brands, but launched its own Origin Series this year and has added visitor-friendly elements to its 100-acre Kentucky campus. From tastings to educational events such as food pairings and cocktail-making classes, the most exceptional experience is the Taste of Whiskey History, where guests sample three rare, exceedingly limited vintage tipples and learn their stories while sitting in the company’s bottle-decorated library. $250/person; bardstownbourbon.com
Leela Palace Trail, India
Follow the Leela Palace Trail, a new itinerary intended to deepen your understanding of India’s centuries-long heritage. The journey begins at the Lutyens-inspired Leela Palace, New Delhi, close to the Diplomatic Enclave and many major monuments, and continues at Leela’s Udaipur resort palace on Lake Pichola that’s an ideal base for exploring Rajasthan. Ornate ceilings and copper domes demarcate The Leela Palace Bengaluru and echo the Vijayanagara empire. Come here to see modern India emerging, as the city has become a homegrown answer to San Francisco. Idle in The Leela Kovalam, sitting on the Arabian Sea in the lush, laid-back state of Kerala. At each hotel, enjoy ceremonial rituals, art walks, and tours. From $3,500/six nights; theleela.com
True North, Australia
Expedition cruise line True North skips ice breaking in the poles for journeys around Australia’s rugged coastline. Now expanded to the Queensland coast, offering Great Barrier Reef–adjacent voyages, the route visits the white-sand beaches and deserted rainforests of the Whitsundays and the undulating, UNESCO-protected dunes of K’gari (Fraser Island). Passengers can snorkel amid the coral reef as much as they can dawdle on a beach with a glass of Champagne at sundown or take a trip in the ship’s own helicopter to a magnificent perch for 360-degree views. From $13,225–$18,515/person; truenorth.com.au
