The ultimate in luxury holidays

Think you’ve seen it all when it comes to luxury getaways? Take a look at these travel spots we’ve found, and start preparing for the holiday of a lifetime. Just you, your partner, and your passport – and an online casino jackpot to pay for it all, of course!

Suspend your disbelief in Colombia

Skydiving, bungee jumping, zip lining – if you’re an adrenaline junkie, you’ve probably seen and done it all by now. But have you spent a night in one of the Ritakuwa rooms at the Refugio La Roca Hotel in the Colombian Andes yet? If not, that’s the very next item that needs to be ticked off your must-do list. Because these are no ordinary hotel rooms – instead they’re rooms suspended off the side of a cliff, with unique mesh balcony spaces for lying down, reading, or just enjoying some me-time.

Let’s just say that again. Mesh balconies. Like a hammock. That you can see all the way through. So if you don’t have a head for heights, this might not be the best room for you to book.

If you’re all about thrill-seeking though, a Ritakuwa room is the way to go – because not only does it have a suspended balcony and breath-taking views to recommend it, it’s also hugely relaxing as well. Glass walls and a thatched roof give it a wonderfully rustic, airy feel, while the absence of any kind of TV and technology allow you to commune with nature and with each other, connecting with what’s most important in life. Sure you might want to snap a few pics for the ‘gram (and who could blame you), but a stay here is less about social media and more about enjoying all the awesomeness that life has to offer.

So if you have the $107 nightly hotel tariff, and want to get back to nature (literally), it’s time to discover all the delights that the Colombian Andes have to offer. Along with all the thrills as well.

Do Walt Disney World like a boss

Don’t pretend you don’t want to go to Disney World – we know it’s your guilty pleasure. After all, who wouldn’t want to spend all day going on rides, snacking on delicious fairground food, and snapping pics with Mickey and the gang? It’s your childhood revisited – except now thanks to a new initiative by Disney, it’s a hugely luxurious VIP indulgence at the same time.

Known as the Crown Collection, this newly introduced host of Disney services brings together a collection of lavish experiences under one name. Join in the excitement of the Crown Collection, and you’ll be able to personalise a fully customised Disney holiday for yourself, curating every moment of your visit, and enjoying The Happiest Place on Earth like never before!

So what can you look forward to? Firstly, private VIP tours round the park, with no waiting for rides for hours on end (a bonus within itself). Then there’s vacation planning with a dedicated Disney cast member, ensuring every moment of your trip is taken care of and overseen for you. Want to have an original song or musical performed for you? Just ask the creative geniuses at Disney Special Events. Or if you’d prefer a taste of something delicious instead, try one of the fine dining venues in the park, as well as wine tasting and professionally mixed cocktails too. Throw in a sunset sail, luxury accommodation, and membership to the ultra-exclusive Club 33 (with a $25 000 joining fee and $10 000 annually) and your status as a Disney VIP is set! Sure it’ll cost you a little more than a general entrance fee, but with so many perks, it’s more than worth it. And who knows, you might even get a private meet-and-greet with Mickey too! Worth every penny.

Live like royalty in a Scottish castle

Who needs hotels when you can spend your holidays in a genuine castle instead? Specifically Glenapp Castle in county Ayrshire, south-western Scotland. And as you’ll see when you come up the winding driveway, this is no castle in name only; this is one with ramparts, turrets, towers and battlements – everything that comes to mind when you think ‘castle’.

Step inside, and far from Glenapp being cold or draughty, instead it’s old-world decadence and opulence round every corner, with extravagant décor, lavish interiors, and five star luxury from floor to ceiling. Once you’ve settled in, take a turn round the 36 acres of forest outside, blooming with exotic trees and featuring a stone-walled garden filled with flowers, plants and fruit trees too. And if you’re feeling peckish, the tea room on the other side of the wall will titillate your taste buds with glorious cakes and scones, and enough tea to revive you till dinner time.

Speaking of dinner time, best you go hungry, as with six courses to enjoy, each featuring the best of fresh Scottish produce, every bite is an adventure in gourmet dining, each one more delicious than the last. And when it comes time to turn in for the night, you’ll be able to do so in one of 17 gorgeously furnished suites, with finishings fit for a king (or a laird, in this case). So if the closest you’ve ever come to Scotland till now is binge-watching episodes of Outlander, it’s time to enjoy the real thing – the sooner, the better!

Go on a trip that’s out of this world – literally

Do you have $50 million lying about the house? Then you’ve got a return ticket to one of the most insane holiday destinations on Earth. No, scratch that. Because this getaway isn’t actually on Earth – it’s in outer space. Yes, you read that correctly. Outer space.

No, NASA doesn’t need you to drill holes into an asteroid about to obliterate the planet. Instead they’re offering trips to tourists, or ‘private astronauts’ as they’re apparently called, aboard the International Space Station! That’s right – if you’ve got the money, then NASA is all set to play host to you as you finally make your dreams of space travel a living, breathing reality!

So how is it all going to work? Essentially, NASA will be opening the ISS up for commercial business, allowing private companies to offer tours up to the space station for a maximum of 30 days. And not too far into the future either, as the first adventurers are scheduled to travel into space as soon as 2020.

Commenting on behalf of NASA, a spokesperson has elaborated on the almost unbelievable opportunity: “The agency can accommodate up to two short-duration private astronaut missions per year to the International Space Station. These missions will be privately funded, dedicated commercial spaceflights.” And the cost of these space flights? Only a cool $50 million, or $35 000 per night – so if this is the kind of holiday you’re after, best you get saving, and quickly!

Happy Spinning 🙂