Gleneagles Hotel

The Ten Best Family Vacation Destinations Around the World

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels, Children

Four Seasons Hualalai on the Big Island's Kona Coast.

Luxist readers have selected their favorite luxury vacation spots for families around the world. From Scotland, France, New Zealand, and South Africa to Hawaii, Colorado and the Galápagos Islands, these destinations offer wonderful programs tailored specifically for children, in addition to luxurious accommodations and other incredible amenities.

The top ten vacation destinations for families, according to our readers, include:

Abercrombie & Kent's River Barge Cruise Through the Burgundian Countryside (France)
Abercrombie & Kent offers many once-in-a-lifetime opportunities for family vacations, but one of the most special trips has got to be its river barge cruise through the Burgundian countryside. A chartered seven day cruise aboard La Belle Epoque, A&K's 126-foot-long, 16.5 feet wide barge, is a luxurious and relaxing way to travel and taste award-winning Burgandy wines.

The barge, which is equipped with six cabins, all outside facing and each equipped with en-suite bathrooms. There's one deluxe double cabin; one deluxe twin/double; two twin/double cabins and two cabins each with twin beds. There's also a small swimming pool, a sauna and several sun decks. Bicycles are also available for anyone in the family wanting to cycle in the towns the barge visits. A gourmet chef is on board to prepare all of the meals, which are included in the cost of the excursion.

Tags: Abercrombie Kent, awards-main, Beaver Creek, best family vacation, Burgandy, Cruise, Ebony Lodge, family vacations, galapagos, GalapagosIslands, gleneagles, Gleneagles Hotel, Grand Wailea, Hawaii, Kenya, kona village, Kona Village Resort, Lindblad Expeditions, luxist-awards, Maui, National Geographic, New Zealand, Sabi Sand Reserve, Singita Game Reserve, south africa, treetops, Treetops Lodge, TreetopsLodge, Vail

Continue reading “The Ten Best Family Vacation Destinations Around the World”

Gleneagles: Where Familes Can Experience Scottish Outdoor Pursuits

by Carrie Coolidge (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels, Sports

Scottish Pursuits at Gleneagle Hotel in Scotland

When the Gleneagles Hotel opened in 1924, it was described as 'a Riviera in the Highlands' and 'the eighth wonder of the world'. Then as now, the Gleneagles Hotel was the glorious playground for people dedicated to leisure and pleasure in the most luxurious surroundings. Nearly ninety years later, Gleneagles, which is still considered one of the world's most coveted five star resorts, is nominated for a Luxist Award for Best Family Luxury Summer Vacation.

Built by the former Caledonian Railway Company (and complete with its own railway station), the resort has long been a fixed part of high society's calendar. During the 1950's, after the London "season", the elite went to Gleneagles for grouse shooting.
The hotel was only opened during the summer months until the early 1980's when a total renovation and restoration program was initiated. Since then, a total capital investment of more than £46 million has made it possible to enjoy the elegance and traditions of Gleneagles all year round.

Gallery: Country Pursuits in Scotland at Gleneagles

Tags: archery, awards-main, best luxury family summer destination, Diageo, Falconry, fishing, gleneagles, Gleneagles Hotel, golf, golf resort, horseback riding, luxist-awards, Scotland, shooting

Continue reading “Gleneagles: Where Familes Can Experience Scottish Outdoor Pursuits”

Renovating A Scottish Icon: The Gleneagles Hotel

by Susan Kime (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels, By Design

" The Gleneagles Hotel represents more than a great golf location and resort, in many ways it represents the soul of Scotland," said Dorothy Welsh, Gleneagles Director of Sales and Marketing. "That's why it has taken awhile for the renovation of Gleneagles to be completed. It has to be done slowly and carefully, more restoration than renovation – restoring a newer life into an already established icon."

As Ms. Welsh infers, The Gleneagles Hotel is already an iconic golf resort hotel. Set on 859 acres of estate land in Perthshire, Scotland, the hotel opened in 1924, and has been one of the great Scottish golfing destinations for over ½ century. "But a major goal," continues Ms. Welch in a recent interview, "was to expand the vision – making it an even better golf destination as well as a significant luxury resort destination for the 21st century."

The costs for the restoration, renovation and basic redevelopment of the hotel lies excess, as of this writing of £70M, which loosely translates into over $100M. Some of the renovations are to the golf courses, The Kings, The Queens and the Jack Nicklaus designed PGA Centenary Course, where the 2014 Ryder Cup Matches will be played. These renovations are mostly invisible to the eye, as they deal with four seasons playability, green and eco-sensitive components.

Tags: Andrew Fairlies, Falconry, Gleneagles Hotel, Golf at Gleneagles, golf travel, Jack Nicklaus Centenary Course, scotland, scotland travel, The Centenary Clurse Gleneagles, The Gundog School, The Kings Course Gleneagles, The Queens Course Gleneagles, The Ryder Cup matches 2014