By Margaret Loftus
You dream, They deliver: Virtuoso travel advisors created singular itineraries for your top 10 destinations.
1. Italy
Discover Italy’s unrivaled style on IC Bellagio’s 11-day trip. In the heart of Venice, travelers enjoy stunning views of the lagoon at the regal 32-room Hotel Londra Palace, where Tchaikovsky, a guest in 1877, was inspired to compose his Fourth Symphony. Meander through beautifully preserved medieval hill towns in Petrignano in the Umbrian countryside and tour ancient Orvieto, with its volcanic-stone architecture, before spending three days in Florence at the 12-suite Palazzo Magnani Feroni Hotel, an elegant base from which to explore the great masterpieces in the Uffizi, Duomo, and Boboli Gardens and, of course, Michelangelo’s David. Departures: Any day through 2009; from $10,356 for two.
Created by Anthony and Kristy Adler of Cruise and Resort, Inc.
The highlight: Venetian Maria Grazia leads an outing to the Rialto Market to choose ingredients for a cooking class at her home, where you’ll prepare local specialties, with breaks for cicchetti, the tapas-like snacks beloved by Venetians.
Days One – Three
Venice – gondola ride, sightseeing, cooking class
Days Four - Seven
Petrignano – explore Petrignano, Perugia, Assisi, Todi, and Deruta
Days Eight – Eleven
Florence – tour Orvieto and Florence
2. Australia
From the lush Hunter Valley, where a horse-drawn carriage ferries tasters among wineries to sample the region’s acclaimed sémillons, to cattle mustering amid boab trees in the Northern Territory, Swain Tours’ ten-day trip captures the essence of Australia. Explore Sydney from the impeccably restored 509-room InterContinental Sydney, formerly the city’s landmark treasury building, with its panoramic view of the harbor, the Sydney Opera House, and Royal Botanic Gardens, then fly to the Red Center for a sunset look at Uluru, a UNESCO World Heritage site held sacred by the Aboriginal people. Departures: Multiple dates through March 31, 2010; from $8,495.
Created by Bonnie Humble of Humble Travel Service, Ltd.
The highlight: Styled after South African safari camps, Longitude 131° has 15 tents on the edge of Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park, where the rusty peaks of the “rock” are always in view.
Days One – Two
Hunter Valley – winetasting via horse-drawn carriage
Days Three – Four
Sydney – private city tour, motor yacht cruise
Days Five – sSx
Uluru – sunrise walk at Uluru, dinner under the stars
Days Seven – Ten
Northern Territory – fishing, birdwatching, cattle mustering, horseback riding
3. New Zealand
Pair high adventure with signature New Zealand style on this family vacation. The eight-day journey with Seasonz Travel features a helicopter ride from Queenstown, taking you above the Southern Alps’ alpine lakes to Milford Sound, where you’ll enjoy cheese and Champagne at a secret wilderness spot. Travelers zip across the Dart River on a jet boat in the shadow of snowcapped peaks and crashing waterfalls, and rest up at 20-room Huka Lodge in Taupo, renowned for its royal service – Her Majesty stays here when she’s visiting – and tranquil setting on the banks of the Waikato River. Departures: Any day through October 31, 2009; from $24,075 for two.
Created by Ken Neibaur of Cardoza Travel Services
The highlight: Join a professional sailing crew in Auckland’s Waitemata Harbour for an outing on an America’s Cup racing yacht. Take the helm, trim the sails, or just soak up views of the City of Sails aboard the sleek 78-foot sloop, built for the 1995 competition in San Diego.
Day One
Auckland – sightseeing
Days Two – Three
Queenstown – cable car ride to Bob’s Peak, helicopter flight to Milford Sound
Day Four
Glenorchy – Dart River jet boating
Day Five
Taupo – explore Huka Falls
Day Six
Rotorua – helicopter flight to White Island
Day Seven
Bay of Islands – explore historic Waitangi grounds
Day Eight
Auckland – yachting
4. South Africa
South Africa seduces travelers with its unspoiled savannas, majestic Table Mountain, and warm hospitality. African Travel Inc.’s nine-day experience kicks off with three days in Cape Town, then heads to Stellenbosch for winetasting and game drives in Sabi Sands Game Reserve. Participants rest up at some of the country’s premier properties, such as the 70-room Twelve Apostles Hotel and Spa overlooking the Atlantic Ocean, Cape Winelands’ 11-suite La Residence, and Ulusaba’s new two-suite Cliff Lodge, an exclusive oasis in the middle of a private game reserve. Departures: Any day October 1 through December 31, 2009;
from $10,350. – Created by Barbara King of Great Getaways
The highlight: Pet and cuddle baby cheetahs at Spier Wine Estate’s Cheetah Outreach in Stellenbosch, which works to save the endangered cheetah through educational programs.
Days One – Three
Cape Town – cable car ride up Table Mountain, driving tour to Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve
Days Four – Five
Stellenbosch – Spier Wine Estate’s wildlife sanctuary, private wine tasting and estate visits
Days Six – Nine
Sabi Sands Game Reserve – game drives
5. Greece
Discover the land of the gods, from the temples of the Acropolis to the beaches of Mykonos, with Greece a la Carte’s ten-day odyssey. Explore the Parthenon, surrounding sanctuaries, and Olympic Stadium with a private guide, then board a yacht for a day trip to Hydra, long a jet-set favorite, to wander ancient alleyways and browse local handicrafts and jewelry. Next, the Cyclades beckon: Mykonos with its whitewashed buildings, windmills, and nightlife; and Santorini, where travelers are introduced to the island’s bounty with a cooking lesson and lunch of traditional specialties, such as taramosalata, a spread made from fish roe.
Departures: Any day through September 30, 2009; from $7,921.
Created by Stephen Smith of Vision 2000 Travel Group
The highlight: Watch the sun set over the Aegean aboard a catamaran as it sails into Santorini’s caldera, a bay created after a volcanic eruption some 3,500 years ago.
Days Four – Six
Mykonos – sightseeing, shopping, day trip to Delos
Days Seven – Nine
Santorini – cooking lesson, catamaran cruise
Day Ten
Athens
6. French Polynesia
With white-powder sand beaches and impossibly blue lagoons, Bora-Bora and Tahaa vie for the title of preeminent island escape. Weigh in on the winner after nine days that include the tranquility of the 100-room St. Regis Bora Bora Resort on Motu Ome’e, where native ingredients such as mother-of-pearl and monoi oil infuse spa treatments. From there, it’s just a quick hop over to Tahaa for snorkeling, windsurfing, canoeing, kayaking, and scuba diving off Le Taha’a Island Resort & Spa’s 48 overwater bungalows and 12 beach suites. Guests can explore the island’s interior with an off-road jaunt to a black pearl farm and a family’s vanilla plantation. Departures: Any day through 2009; from $13,725 for two. – Created by Angela Lepley of Tangerine Travel, LTD.
The highlight: A helicopter spin around Bora-Bora for a spectacular bird’s-eye view of aquatic life, such as manta rays and sharks, and Mount Otemanu, the island’s highest peak.
Days Two – Five
Bora-Bora – spa treatments, snorkeling
Days Six – Nine
Tahaa – water sports, overland safari, Polynesian entertainment
7. France
The highlight: One of Burgundy’s most extensive wine lists and favorites such as pan-fried langoustines with ricotta ravioli at the three-Michelin-star restaurant Relais Bernard Loiseau in the village of Saulieu.
Days Four – Five
Burgundy – drive to Burgundy, tour Dijon and Beaune
Days Six – Eight
Lyon – explore Beaujolais wine country and Lyon
Days Nine – Eleven
Vence – sunbathing on the Riviera
8. Antarctica
The seabirds and dolphins that often escort the 114-passenger Corinthian II south from Ushuaia are just a taste of Antarctic marine life. Travel Dynamics International’s ten-day passage employs a fleet of Zodiacs for encounters with thousands of penguins nesting on pebble beaches and land excursions at Deception Island and Port Lockroy. Nimble enough to navigate narrow ice-packed channels, the ship provides a front row seat for the spectacular scenery of the White Continent, including mountain passages and the occasional calving glacier. The 16-day journey runs round-trip from Buenos Aires, where three final nights at the 165-room Palacio Duhau - Park Hyatt Buenos Aires heat things up with two tango lessons and a private milonga (dance party). Departures: Multiple dates December 19, 2009, through January 28, 2010; from $9,780. – Created by Thomas Jackson and Terri Stanfield of World Travel Bureau
The highlight: Weather permitting, groups call on Deception Island, a former whaling station with a dramatic caldera and the world’s largest chinstrap penguin rookeries.
Days One – Two
Buenos Aires – explore the city
Day Three
Ushuaia – board the Corinthian II
Days Four – Five
At sea – onboard lectures
Days Six – Ten
Antarctic Peninsula – Zodiac landings, sightseeing
Days Eleven - Twelve
At sea – whale-watching, onboard presentations
Days Thirteen – Sixteen
Buenos Aires – tango lessons
9. Egypt
Navigate the ancient wonders of the Nile from Aswan to Luxor aboard the elegant 30-cabin yacht Alexander the Great; sites include the Greek-built Temple of Horus (the falcon-headed son of Osiris) and the sprawling temple complex at Karnak, a culmination of 1,500 years’ work. Guided by an Egyptologist, the nine-day Cox & Kings’ journey begins in Cairo with the Great Pyramids at Giza and the Egyptian Museum, home of King Tutankhamen’s golden mask and the mummified bodies of 11 kings and queens, followed by dinner with a retired Egyptian ambassador at one of the city’s private clubs. Departures: Multiple dates through 2009; from $4,600. – Created by Anne Morgan Scully and Katie
The highlight: Get an exclusive peek at the latest discovery at Memphis – believed to be the tomb of the holder of the royal seal (Beta Am-Waya) – guided by the archaeologist supervising the dig.
Days One – Three
Cairo – visit the Great Pyramids at Giza and the Egyptian Museum
Days Four – Six
Alexander the Great yacht – Abu Simbel, tombs and temples of the Nile
Day Seven
Luxor – tour the tombs of Ramses IV and King Tutankhamen, attend sound and light show at Karnak
Days Eight – Nine
Cairo – sightseeing
10. China
Reflective of the contrasts that define twenty-first-century China, this ambi-
tious 14-day family vacation with Abercrombie & Kent from Beijing to Shanghai juxtaposes classic sites – the Forbidden City, the Great Wall (see Big Shot, page 148), and Xi’an’s terra-cotta warriors – with modern marvels such as the Three Gorges Dam, Beijing’s “Bird’s Nest” stadium, and other 2008 Olympics venues. The Middle Kingdom reveals many surprises along the way, including a private tai chi lesson, Shanghai’s contemporary M50 art district, local opera performances, and the chance to hug a panda at the Chengdu Panda Base. Departures: Any day through 2009; from $27,872 for a family of four. – Created by Meg North of Brownell
The highlight: Go behind the scenes at the Shanghai Acrobatic Training School, where young talent is groomed to join the world’s premier acrobatics troupe.
Days Five – Six
Xi’an – visit Yangling Museum and Shaanxi History Museum
Day Seven
Xi’an, Chengdu – visit the Forest of Stone Stele, attend a Sichuan opera performance
Day Eight
Yichang – tour Chengdu Panda Base, Du Fu’s Thatched Cottage, and Three Gorges Dam
Days Nine – Fourteen
Shanghai – visit ancient river town of Zhujiajiao, attend an acrobatic show