I’m a Travel Agent: 5 Spring Break Destinations My Rich Clients Love
Written by
Jennifer Taylor
Edited by
Cory Dudak
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Wealthy travelers typically don’t take an average spring break. Instead of cramming into a budget hotel at an overrun tourist destination, they tend to go a different route.
GOBankingRates got the inside scoop from two luxury travel agents. Here are five high-end spots their wealthy clients are headed to this spring break.
Santa Ynez Valley, California
This Central California wine country destination offers “a relaxed but refined wine country getaway with high-end tasting rooms, boutique hotels and farm-to-table dining,” said Aida Mollenkamp, founder at Salt & Wind Travel, a boutique travel planning company specializing in high-end, food-focused trips.
For five-star accommodations, she highlighted The Inn at Mattei’s Tavern, part of the Auberge Resorts Collection, located in Los Olivos, California. There, rooms average $1,000 to $2,500 per night, she said. Alternatively, she said travelers can opt for private rentals at vineyard estates, which average $2,500 to $7,000 per night.
When dining, rich clients enjoy spots like The Gathering Table in Solvang, California and the Michelin-starred Bell’s in Los Alamos, California, which average at least $200 per person, Mollenkamp noted.
Popular activities include sommelier-lead winery tours (which average at least $1,500 per person), private horseback riding through vineyards ($500-plus per person) and hot air balloon rides over wine country ($2,000 for a private charter).
Cap d’Antibes, France
“[A] Glamorous Côte d’Azur getaway with old-money charm and private beach clubs,” Mollenkamp said of Cap d’Antibes, further detailing tha five-star hotels like the Hôtel du Cap-Eden-Roc, part of the Oetker Collection, cost around $1,500 to $3,000 per night. Alternatively, private villas average $10,000 per night.
Foodies looking to dine at Michelin-starred restaurants can expect to spend at least $250 per person – per meal, she added.
As far as activities, Mollenkamp said private yacht charters average at least $7,000 per day, private market tours and cooking classes are roughly $500 per person and custom perfume-making in the town of Grasse is $500 per person — at minimum.
Taormina, Sicily (Italy)
Rich tourists flock to Taormina for “breathtaking coastal views, historic charm and A-list level exclusivity,” Mollenkamp elaborated, noting that luxury accommodations like the Four Seasons San Domenico Palace cost around $1,000 to $3,000 per night. Alternatively, private villas start at around $5,000 per night.
Fine dining at Michelin-starred restaurants like Principe Cerami costs at least $200 per person, she continued.
For entertainment, there’s private Etna wine tastings and tours (approximately $1,000+ per day), a Jeep tour of the Mount Etna lava fields (roughly $500 per person) and luxury yacht charters along the Sicilian (around $7,000 per day), noted Mollenkamp.
Galápagos Islands
When her wealthy clients visit the Galápagos Islands, Kristin Winkaffe, founder and sustainable luxury travel designer at Winkaffe Global Travel, said staying on a private charter of a 20-person Ecoventura luxury yacht is a preferred option. This costs roughly $160,000 per week — $8,000 per person, including gourmet meals.
Several experiences are also included in this cost, such as snorkeling with sea lions and penguins, private island landings with naturalist guides and a sunset beach barbecue with premium wines, she said.
“It’s like having the Galápagos to yourself,” she continued.
Botswana
When visiting Botswana, Winkaffe’s luxury-seeking clients enjoy staying at Sitatunga Private Island Camp, which costs around $2,500 per person, per night (inclusive of all meals) she said.
One of the highlights is “watching elephants wade through the water just steps from your plunge pool.”
Some of the other included experiences are a Mokoro canoe safari, game drives with private guides and waterfront sundowners, she said. Travelers can also opt to add a scenic helicopter flight over the Delta for approximately $3,000.
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