Luxury travel

Many tour operators claim to offer the world’s ultimate vacation, but the honour currently belongs to the Around the World in 80 Ways package - a 30-day trip at a mind-numbing RM3.4mil.

People forced to stay at home or make do with visiting the nearest beach for their vacation may be outraged at the idea of someone forking out US$1mil (RM3.4mil) for a holiday. But there is nothing you can do about it, is there?

So you may as well read about the excesses of a holiday package like Around the World in 80 Ways, and fantasise about it.

“Obviously Around the World in 80 Ways is a take on the famous 19th century novel Around the World in 80 Days. We hope Jules Verne, the author, wouldn’t mind too much!” says Claudia Kozma Kaplan, vice-president of communications of Leading Hotels of the World, the organiser of this super-luxurious trip.

“It was 80 years ago in 1928 that two international legends were launched: the Academy Awards and Leading Hotels of the World.

“To celebrate this mutual milestone, Leading Hotels has drawn on the drama, romance and excitement that made the Oscar-winning movie Around the World in 80 Days so memorable for our holiday version of this epic adventure.

Our globe-trotting takes 28 nights and 30 days, not 80 days, and we do it in 80 ways to create an Oscar-worthy performance in luxury travel!” Kaplan explains.

Leading Hotels is going all out to pay homage to the epic film with their own extraordinary journey around the planet.

The novel by Verne has seen various incarnations, including a 1972 Australian animation, a 1989 mini TV series starring Pierce Brosnan, a 2004 film featuring Jacky Chan, and a 2005 video game but the best is still the 1956 classic blockbuster featuring the inimitable David Niven.

For US$1mil, you will be spared niggly details like flight cancellations and delays. You and your partner (yes, the trip is for two persons) will fly in a private jet chartered from Air Partner.

“Every detail has been richly imagined for the couple, but the Grand Tour can be customised to fit your tastes, hobbies and desires. Or you can just leave all the planning to us.

“As a sampling, you might enjoy a camel safari in Dubai in the desert like a Bedouin, a traditional Japanese tea ceremony in Tokyo, couture, and Rolls-Royce Phantom limousine service. In Paris, where else should you dine but at Jules Verne Restaurant, a gourmet experience located in the Eiffel Tower overlooking the City of Lights!”

The only snag is you have no say over the choice of hotels.

True, you will bed in the flashiest suites available but they must all be part of the Leading Hotels group. Which means no Burj Al-Arab in Dubai or the Peninsula in Hong Kong.

Leading Hotels’ in Dubai, the Al Maha, is dandy but pales in comparison with the Burj Al-Arab whose US$11,000 (RM37,500) a night Royal Suite comes with a revolving bed and mirrored ceiling.

In San Francisco, you would have to stay at the relatively unheard-of Campton Place instead of the Fairmont’s US$10,000 (RM34,000) a night penthouse with a dining room that seats 50 and a two-storey domed library.

In Hong Kong, you might be aggrieved to be forced to hunker down at Langham Hotel instead of Peninsula’s US$5,000 (RM17,000) a night presidential suite with direct access to the helipad for a quick getaway, if the need rises.

In New York, you might be peeved not to be able to check into the much-hyped, newly-renovated Plaza Hotel, whose US$15,000 (RM51,000) presidential suite - the world’s most expensive - occupies the entire 18th floor and flaunts a 2,000-bottle wine cellar.

Still, what you do get is hardly a travesty for what you have to pay. Here are some of the places and activities that you can expect:

The Ritz, London

Putting on the Ritz comes easy when you are installed at the Green Park Suite.

Arrive and depart in a Rolls-Royce Phantom. Dine at the Ritz Restaurant.

You will receive two tickets to the Royal Academy, pampering treatments at Ritz Salon’s, an original Isabell Kristensen couture gown for milady and Aquascutum trenchcoat for the gentleman.

The Crillon, Paris

Stay at a historic suite, lunch at Les Ambassadeurs, and take a personal tour of the gourmet kitchens in the city conducted by Chef Jean-Francois Piege.

There will also be limousine excursions, Baccarat gifts and dinner at Jules Verne Restaurant in the Eiffel Tower.

Al Maha Desert Resort & Spa, Dubai

Enjoy the presidential suite. Go for spa treatments, falconry, camel or horse safari.

There will also be a guided tour of Dubai Desert Reserve, where you will be served dinner while watching gazelles and rare oryxs.

A hot air balloon ride is also on the cards.

Taj Mahal Palace & Tower, Mumbai

Receive a champagne welcome at Rajput Suite. Then, personalised shopping, cocktails aboard the yacht Taj on the Arabian Sea, dinner at Chef Oberoi’s Studio and also at the Wasabi, plus drinks at the Harbour Bar.

Taj Lake Palace, Udaipur

Bed down in the Khush Mahal Suite, formerly a royal chamber.

Take a vintage car tour and enjoy a romantic candlelit dinner on a floating pontoon on Lake Pichola.

Rambagh Palace, Jaipur

A champagne welcome at the Prince’s Suite, vintage car rides, therapies in a tented spa, dinner at Suvarna Mahal restaurant and a private visit to Gem Palace to view the jewel collection of the Maharaja and Maharani.

The Langham Hotel, Hong Kong

Your room will be the premier suite. There will be unlimited champagne, a helicopter tour, hand-tailored shirts, lunch at the Tang Court and dinner at the Bostonian.

The Imperial Hotel, Tokyo

The premier suite will be your room for the night. A lavish Japanese kaiseki formal dinner, a customised tour of Asakusa, including a special lunch and tea ceremony, are among the highlights.

The Kahala Hotel & Resort, Honolulu

You will stay at the presidential suite and be serenaded by the Hawaii Symphony Pops Orchestra upon arrival.

Treats include a Hidden Dragon branded jacket by designer Anne Namba, a massage in the spa suite, a dolphin quest experience, a private Chef’s dinner in a gazebo and a curator’s tour of Princess Bernice Pauahi Bishop Hawaiiana Exhibit.

Campton Place, San Francisco

Your money gets you the luxury suite, ensuite dinner for eight, followed by an in-room movie, a limousine tour, 25 DVDs of films shot on location in the city and a limousine ride to Vine Cliff for dinner and wine-tasting. A case of fine wines will be presented to you.

Trump International Hotel & Tower, Chicago

Your room is their grand deluxe riverview suite. The Rolls-Royce Phantom service is at your disposal, and there will be a massage at The Spa and dinner at Sixteen restaurant.

New York Palace Hotel, New York

Stay in the triplex suite and enjoy their Maybach limousine service, a full day’s pampering at Cornelia Day Resort, luxurious pyjamas and robes from Donna Nadeau and dinner for four at the Gilt Restaurant.

If you are consumed with guilt at spending so much money to pleasure yourself, it may make you feel better to know that 10% (RM341,000) of what you pay will go towards the Elton John Aids Foundation.

“If you have another charity in mind, you can donate to the one of your choice,” says Kaplan.

Around the World in 80 Ways is available anytime at your pleasure. To book, e-mail jlondeen@lhw.com