Tag: Luxury Travel

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Kicking Back in Cathay Pacific First Class, Halfway to Hong Kong

November 15, 2012 at 9:06 PM | by | Comments (0)

Flying long-haul in First Class is a dream for many, a reality for only a few. Among first class cabins, Cathay Pacific’s suites are widely considered the sine qua non for comfort and service—and as tickets can fetch $15,000 for a return between New York-JFK and Hong Kong, they’d better be.

We’ve previously taken you inside the Economy, Premium Economy, and brand new Business cabins on board Cathay, and now we can tell you first-hand what flying First is like. And no, we did not win the lottery; there are ways to make this work without maxing out your credit cards, even without leaving North America.

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Got $50,000? Then You've Got a Private Jet to Taste 70 Wines in Napa Valley

October 25, 2012 at 12:07 PM | by | Comments (0)


So, which one?

Quick question: do you like wine? How about private jets? Now, how do you feel about wine and a private jet? Exactly. They're awesome on their own, but put the two together and your salivary glands start working overtime.

If you think you can handle tasting 70+ wines in two days after stepping off a Magellan private jet, then listen up. Napa is about to celebrate their second annual wine festival, called Flavor! Napa Valley, and they're doing it in proper baller style by offering a package deal that bundles everything from airport transportation to the private flight to Napa, to a 5-star hotel and the aforementioned wine marathon.

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Riding the Hiram Bingham Orient-Express Train from Machu Picchu: Part 2

October 23, 2012 at 6:42 PM | by | Comments (0)

Talk about bucket list locations, Machu Picchu is up there (literally). The sacred Inca city high in the Andes mountains of Peru isn't an easy place to visit, but thousands head there every day for a glimpse at the archaeological site. Having just returned ourselves, all this week we'll give you the low-down on how to get to this high place.

The Jaunted Goes to Machu Picchu Series:

1. Flying into Cusco
2. Sorting out documents
3. Riding the Vistadome train
4. Riding the Hiram Bingham Orient-Express (Part 1 - the train)
5. Riding the Hiram Bingham Orient-Express (Part 2 - the dining & extras)
6. MACHU PICCHU

So you've been hiking Incan ruins all day, likely in the sun, and you've been fed finger sandwiches and teacakes until your stomach bulged...so the last thing you'd want to do is eat again, right? Wrong. The grueling daytrip of Cusco to Machu Picchu and back made us ravenous like no other and so, when it came time for a four-course meal and drinks onboard the Hiram Bingham Orient-Express train, "si" was the answer to every question asked by our waiter.

Si, keep the agua flowing (con gas, yummy).

Si, I'm having the steak.

Si, there's no way I'm skipping dessert.

Si si si after-dinner drinks in the bar car.

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Riding the Hiram Bingham Orient-Express Train from Machu Picchu: Part 1

October 22, 2012 at 1:05 PM | by | Comments (0)

Talk about bucket list locations, Machu Picchu is up there (literally). The sacred Inca city high in the Andes mountains of Peru isn't an easy place to visit, but thousands head there every day for a glimpse at the archaeological site. Having just returned ourselves, all this week we'll give you the low-down on how to get to this high place.

The Jaunted Goes to Machu Picchu Series:

1. Flying into Cusco
2. Sorting out documents
3. Riding the Vistadome train
4. Riding the Hiram Bingham Orient-Express (Part 1 - the train)
5. Riding the Hiram Bingham Orient-Express (Part 2 - the dining & extras)
6. MACHU PICCHU

The train is blue. Unlike its European cousins, the cars are not painted with "Orient-Express" down the sides, but "Hiram Bingham" in gold lettering.

What would Hiram himself, explorer/Yale professor/politician, think of this train that makes traversing such forbidding terrain look so easy? Hiram Bingham discovered the site of Machu Picchu in 1911 and worked to uncover and preserve it for study and, yes, tourism. Even the switchback road up to the ruins from the town of Aguas Calientes and the Urubamba River is named the Hiram Bingham Highway (though it's hardly a 'highway').

But before we digress on some History Channel-ish tangents, back to the train! A one-way ticket averages $329 per person, in high contrast to the Vistadome which runs $76 and the Expedition at $62. There are a few dining cars and one bar car with a lounge and rear observation area, complete with an open-air platform. The locomotive is also blue, though a lighter shade that's the signature of its operator: PeruRail.

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A Million Dollars Cash is Not Carry-on Friendly

July 3, 2012 at 11:31 AM | by | Comments (0)

Mo money, mo problems. Sounds like a problem we all wish to have, if at least for a minute.

Even millionaires, billionaires, and trillionairs have cash problems and Christo Wiese is no exception. Back in 2009, South Africa's third wealthiest man ran into some issues with border officials in the UK when he tried to fly from the London to Luxemburg with 3 suitcases full of cash. We're talking full of cash to the tune of the equivalent to $1 million US dollars.

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A Wistful Peek at First Class on a Qantas A380

Where: Australia
June 22, 2012 at 3:52 PM | by | Comments (0)

Now that we've pitted Economy vs. Premium Economy on the Qantas A380, it's time to go to the other end of the spectrum and do some daydreaming about First Class.

You'll have to excuse our poor iPhone photos of the First Class cabin—we did a quick tour of the plane before boarding, and had some technical issues with our other camera. (The blurriness, we blame on the soft lighting and, well, awe.)

Since we didn't fly First Class, we've also added some professional PR images from Qantas to illustrate how the First Class Suite works as a recliner, a dining table for two and a comfy bed.

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Pick the Best Whiskey at Lufthansa's Frankfurt Airport First Class Terminal

Where: Frankfurt International Airport, Frankfurt, Germany
June 1, 2012 at 10:09 AM | by | Comments (0)

Did you know that there's a whole separate building, just off the tarmac at Frankfurt Airport, that caters only to First Class passengers? Wait—it's even more specific than that; you've got to be flying First Class on Lufthansa or Austrian Airlines or Swiss Air and have enough time on your hands to enjoy the amenities of this special building, such as nap rooms, bathrooms with showers and and (gasp!) soaking bathtubs.

Hopefully you did already know this, because we've taken you through it with a photo gallery and this time we just want to know what's good to drink up in here.

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Clickety-Clack Down the Australian Track: Inside Queenslander Class on The Sunlander

Where: Australia
May 31, 2012 at 9:39 AM | by | Comment (1)

Train travel certainly conjures up the imagery of vintage Hollywood glamor with a touch of international mystery. Club cars, dining cars and sleeping cabins are all part of the allure that is traveling by rail. Yesterday, we introduced you to Queensland Rail luxury services all around the Australian outback. Now, we give you a peek into the actual train and sleeping berths The Sunlander offers.

Queensland Rail offers many themed rail tours, and we chose the Masterclass Culinary Holiday which involves only one night on the train with an on-board dining experience carefully orchestrated by a celebrity chef. It's essentially the glitz and posh fun of Murder on the Orient Express without the murder.

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Clickety-Clack Down the Australian Track: Queensland Rail to the Great Barrier Reef

May 30, 2012 at 9:44 AM | by | Comments (0)

We admit, traveling can become a real pain the in the ass sometime. That's why when luxury travel becomes accessible to the masses, we get excited. We have already told you about what the people down under at Queensland Rail have been up to by creating unique travel journeys to scenic destinations. Now we can show you a bit more.

The 146-year old Queensland Rail is the largest regional rail system Australia offers, and it's one that opens up the opportunity to explore a part of the sprawling continent, without having to go and from airports. Specifically we mean the state of Queensland, called the fruit bowl of Australia.

Now, onboard the Sunlander! The train commenced services in 1953, so it maintains the romantic vintage air of train travel while incorporating the modern luxuries of today.

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Traveling in 'Queenslander Class' is Down Under's Orient Express

Where: Australia
February 15, 2012 at 9:00 AM | by | Comments (0)

Let's flashback for a moment to 1974 when Lauren Bacall and Ingrid Bergman traveled in style on the Orient Express. One of the world's most famous fictional detectives, Hercule Poirot, just happened to be on the same train...and a passenger turns up dead. The rest of the story is filled with mystery, comedy and further twists. Now subtract the murder and the bungling detective, but keep the glamour; in some places, the allure of train travel remains.

Australian system Queensland Rail continues the classic tradition with a new product, pairing train travel with 5-star food and wine. QR has introduced a master class travel itinerary through the outback while sampling local nosh from famous Aussie chefs. These guys offer 7 different trips to many different parts of their extensive rail system.

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Introducing the Jaunted Wanderlist: Celeb-Favorite Destinations on Wanderfly

June 13, 2011 at 5:37 PM | by | Comments (0)

Have you played around on Wanderfly.com yet? If not, you should. Because it's pretty genius, it's free, and...umm...you might recognize us hanging out over there as one of their new Wanderlist Curators. Simply put, what Wanderfly does is let you browse destinations based on what you want to do there and how much you're willing to spend on the whole shebang. You can easily get sucked into the site, just looking at the large-format photos of tropical beaches and mountain getaways, which is where the curation comes into play.

We've plucked out the Top Ten Celeb-Favorite destinations around the world, results sucked from our own obsession with where people are going and, of course, past stories right here on Jaunted.com, the Pop Culture Travel Guide.

Check out our glorious list over at Wanderfly RIGHT HERE, and we can't forget to mention our other, illustrious company. Wanderfly also has a range of curated destinations lists from the likes of Refinery29, Mint.com and Mashable (Most tech-savvy cities, of course). See them all here.

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Have a Layover? Have a New Pair of Shoes Made at Virgin Atlantic's London Clubhouse

March 15, 2011 at 12:14 PM | by | Comments (0)

Have you ever been inside the Virgin Atlantic Upper Class Clubhouse at London-Heathrow? It. is. insane. We mean insane in the best way, of course. There's a hot tub, a pool table, old school Atari game tables, a free Bumble & Bumble salon, an outdoor deck, a sea of Eames lounge chairs and waiters who will bring you a proper teatime setup.

As you can imagine the services available are numerous during your couple hour stay in the Clubhouse, but Virgin Atlantic has gone ahead and added one more: bespoke shoes. For one month only, from March 18 to April 18, there will be a representative from Finnish cobblers The Left Shoe Company on hand to custom fit Upper Class passengers. The idea is traditional, but the process is quite futuristic:

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