Sanctuary Retreats

Annie Scott's Incredible Journeys in 2010

This year, I am thankful and fortunate to have traveled to 16 countries for my work with Luxist, AOL Travel and Gadling, including Austria, Belgium, Dominican Republic, Barbados, England, Scotland, Switzerland, France, Aruba, Curacao, Spain, Zambia, Mexico, Italy, South Africa and within the United States. Some trips were press trips, and others were my own adventures, like my honeymoon in Florence. Each trip had its own merits, but, as this is Luxist, a year-end roundup of the most luxurious places I was lucky enough to visit is called for.

Here are the top five most lavish and thrilling experiences I had in 2010, where I stayed, and a little more information about each of the trips. Perhaps you'll be inspired to take one of these journeys yourself in 2011!

Tags: Abercrombie Kent, Annie Scott, cannes, Lausanne, luxury travel, Montreux, Montreux Jazz Festival, Oscar de la Renta, Punta Cana, Sanctuary Retreats, Swiss Riviera, Vienna, Zambia

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Abercrombie & Kent Tour of Zambia Review

by Annie Scott (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels

Abercrombie & Kent Tour of Zambia Review

I recently embarked on my second safari tour in Africa with Abercrombie & Kent, a Luxist Awards' nominee for Best Family Winter Vacation as well as Best Adventure Getaway. The safari took me through three of the Sanctuary Retreats camps in Zambia, as well as a night at the Saxon Hotel in Johannesburg. My tour was custom-made, so you won't find the exact same one online for booking, but you can arrange a trip just like mine or with additional features if you'd like to. This article will take you through where we (myself, another journalist and a PR representative) went and what we did, what to expect and what to bring on a trip through Mr. Kent himself's favorite destination: Zambia.

Our tour began with a series of flights. Surprisingly, we were scheduled on an indirect route, flying from New York to Heathrow, then down to Johannesburg, then to Lusaka and then, finally, to our final destination in Zambia. It was a 41-hour ordeal. When you book through Abercrombie & Kent, you will have the option of finding flights and airfare yourself. Many choose to do this so they can control the airline and use their miles for upgrades, etc., but I would add that you'll also have complete control over your route and how long your journey will take. A representative of A&K told me that the usual flight route to Zambia is straight to Lusaka via Heathrow. If you arrange the flights yourself, you could try another option, like New York to Johannesburg on South African Airways.

Regardless, as a fellow journalist once told me as we waited to board a delayed flight to Barbados for the third time, "once you get there, it doesn't matter how you got there."

The same was true of Zambia. We arrived at South Luangwa National Park at sunset and excitedly photographed our first game: a sole, poorly lit giraffe. We couldn't have been more captivated by his beauty and sense of calm. The drivers were patient with us as we snapped away, taking tens of entirely unusable pictures. Then, we drove through a river to reach Sanctuary Retreats Puku Ridge.

Tags: abercrombie and ken, abercrombie kent, africa, africa travel, awards-main, luxist-awards, safari, sanctuary retreats, saxon hotel, zambia

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Luxury in the Bush - 10 Ways to Safari in Style

by Annie Scott (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels

These days, when you hear the phrase "I'm going on an African safari," roughing it doesn't necessarily come to mind. Those with the wherewithal to get themselves to Africa usually also have the means to make their trip a pretty comfortable one, even in the bush.

If you're like me, you find that almost disappointing. It doesn't seem fair to impose a luxury hotel on the wilderness of Africa, and it definitely doesn't seem right to destroy natural resources just to make the bush more amenable to wealthy guests. But, consider that some of the money from those guests goes to support the national parks and the local communities, as well as protect the natural resources. Consider that they bring not only money, and lots of it, but that they are there to experience, not destroy, the wildlife.

I still had my apprehensions about this balance when I embarked on my recent trip to Zambia, where I visited four Sanctuary Retreats camps on a tour with Abercrombie & Kent, a Luxist Awards' Nominee in the Best Adventure Getaway Category. To my surprise and delight, I found the most exceptional juxtaposition of immersion in the wild and modern convenience and comfort I have ever seen. I had heard that the Sanctuary Retreats camps were designed to be eco-friendly, but I couldn't have imagined just how seamlessly they fit into the landscape, and how natural and harmless their remarkable luxuries felt.

Here are ten ways A&K and Sanctuary Retreats make the bush luxurious -- and how they protect the environment and local communities while doing so.

1. Location, location, location.

With the exception of Sanctuary Baines' and Stanley's Camp, all Sanctuary Retreats properties are located within national parks. This make for impossibly pristine surroundings -- and allows the camp managers to be stewards of those surroundings. In most camps, the wildlife is so present that you can hear various animals wandering around your tent or room at night. They definitely don't seem to mind the guests being there.

2. Hot water.

Hot water is definitely a luxury when you're in the bush -- and Sanctuary Zambezi Kulefu Camp (above) keeps it eco-friendly by using solar power to heat the water.

Gallery: Luxury in the Zambian Bush

3. Size matters.

Each camp obeys strict regulations as to how many people and guestrooms it can have. As a result, you are always in an intimate group of travelers (the maximum number of guestrooms I experienced was 14 at Sussi & Chuma). This not only keeps the camps' footprints small, but ensures that the staff can keep an eye on all the guests. This both protects the safety of the guests and the safety of the surrounding wildlife -- and gives the experience a highly elite feel.

Tags: abercrombie and kent, adventure travel, african travel, awards-main, luxist-awards, main-pedia, safari, sanctuary retreats, summer-travel-pedia, winter-travel-pedia, zambia