safari

Giraffe Manor in Kenya: Where Guests Live Among World's Tallest Creatures (with video)

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels, Video

Giraffe Manor in Nairobi Kenya

For those seeking a truly exotic, once-in-a-lifetime Out of Africa-type experience, Giraffe Manor may be just the place. Here, guests enjoy the unique chance to interact with its resident herd of Rothschild Giraffe, a rare breed which is among the world's tallest creatures. Guests have the unparalleled experience of the giraffes, with the animals vying for guests' attention at the breakfast table, the front door and even at the bedroom window. Giraffe Manor is located in 12 acres of private land only 20 kilometers from Nairobi, the capital city of Kenya. It is set within 140 acres of indigenous forest.

Guests interact with the giraffes throughout the day. Breakfast is served in the sun room, with its enormous windows flung open to welcome the giraffe that come and join you. Dinner is a cosy affair as the drawing room fire is lit and guests and managers gather for evening drinks. You can either chose to have a candlelit hosted meal in the dramatic wood paneled dining room or at your own table under the stars surrounded by the glow created by lanterns and candles on the terrace.

Gallery: Giraffe Manor in Nairobi, Kenya

Tags: Africa, awards-main, giraffe, Giraffe Manor, giraffe+manor+in+kenya, giraffemanorinkenya, giraffes, Kenya, luxist-awards, luxury travel, Nairobi, Rothschild Giraffe, Rothschild Giraffes, safari, video, www.luxist.com/2011/03/09/giraffe-manor-in

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Flexjet Partners with Abercrombie & Kent

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels, Wings

Flexjet Partners With Abercrombie & Kent

Luxury travel enthusiasts will be pleased to hear about a new partnership between adventure travel company Abercrombie & Kent and jet share leader Flexjet. Flexjet customers will now have complimentary access to Abercrombie & Kent's travel experts to plan dream vacations, and Abercrombie & Kent's travelers will receive generous benefits when purchasing Flexjet options. Marco Polo Club members, Abercrombie & Kent's most frequent travelers, will receive benefits on Flexjet fractional purchases or jet cards, while Flexjet fractional customers will be treated to a three-year Marco Polo Club membership and customized itineraries to coincide with the use of their private jet.

"We continue to seek and pioneer new ways of exploring the globe and admire this same ambition in Flexjet," said Geoffrey Kent, Founder and Executive Chairman, Abercrombie & Kent. "We're pleased to be forging this relationship with a top aviation solutions provider that is also known for setting industry standards and look forward to introducing its customers to some of our favorite hidden corners of the world." Born as a safari outfitter in 1962, Abercrombie & Kent's unparalleled travel services now extend around the globe to more than 100 countries on all seven continents, bringing unexpected comforts and amenities to remote destinations.

Gallery: Flexjet x Abercrombie & Kent

Tags: Abercrombie Kent, Abercrombie and Kent, aviation, luxury travel, private jet, private plane, safari

Ernest Hemingway's African Safari Rifle Up for Auction

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Auctions, Sports, Men's Style, The Classicist

Ernest Hemingway's African Safari Rifle Up for Auction

A remarkable double-barreled elephant gun made by London's Westley Richards in 1913 that belonged to Ernest Hemingway and was used by the famed author on safari in Africa is being offered for auction on March 14. The impressive .577-caliber Nitro Express, the starring lot at James D. Julia Auctioneers' Important Firearms sale in Fairfield, Maine, comes with the original case and accessories and is expected to fetch between $150,000 – $200,000. The 16-pound rifle, engraved with rhinos and tigers and designed to bag the biggest game, has its own chapter in the new book Hemingway's Guns: The Sporting Arms of Ernest Hemingway.

Gallery: Ernest Hemingway's Safari Gun

Tags: Africa, auction, author, celebrity, celebrity auction, celebrity guns, Ernest Hemingway, Ernest Hemingway Africa, Ernest Hemingway guns, Ernest Hemingway safari, ernest+hemingway+guns, ernest+hemingway+on+safari, ernesthemingwayguns, ernesthemingwayonsafari, firearms, gun, gunsmith, Hemingway, Hemingway gun, Hemingway safari, Hemingway shotgun, hemingway+rifle, hemingwayrifle, hunting, Key West, Maine, rifle, Royal Warrant, safari, shooting, shotgun, sporting, sporting style, UK, Westley Richards, writer

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Lupita Island in Tanzania Offering Green Rates this Spring

by Carrie Coolidge (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels

Lupita Island in Tanzania is offering green rates this spring.

Lupita Island, the extraordinary private sanctuary in the Rukwa region of western Tanzania, may be worth a visit this spring. From March 1 through May 31, Lupita is offering "green" rates that are one-third less than its rates during the high season.

Luxist's Ann Brenoff's piece on Lupita this past summer described Lupita as "a real life fantasy island." Indeed, the luxury resort is a fantasy island of sorts, as it is situated on Lake Tanganyika, the longest and second deepest lake in the world. Lupita Island sits amid 130 acres of unspoiled forest and grassland overlooking the myriad of islands and the clear blue waters of the lake.

Lupita offers luxurious accommodations set amidst a pristine natural habitat in Tanzania. Guests stay in eleven lavishly decorated, thatched-roof open-air living spaces (double occupancy) and two family cottages each offering breathtaking, uninterrupted views of the lake. Rooms are spacious and exquisitely appointed. The smallest rooms are 1,800 square feet and the two-bedroom, two-bath suites are 2,400 square feet. As guests relax powerful waterfall showers, bathroom walls open to nature and life's stresses simply melt away. Each room also includes bathtubs or plunge pools on either the deck or terrace, a large lounge with a bar and beautiful views of the surrounding lake and neighboring islands.

Gallery: Lupita Island in Tanzania

Tags: Africa, Firelight Expeditions, Lupita, Lupita Island, luxury travel, safari, Tanzania

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Antique English Picnic & Games Chest for $34,500

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Decor

A stunning expanding English mahogany picnic chest and games table is being offered for sale by M.S. Rau Antiques of New Orleans for $34,500. The exquisite piece, made circa 1920, resembles a simple wooden trunk at first glance; with its four legs unfolded however, the top and sides open out to reveal a complete luncheon service for eight, including Sheffield silverplate utensils, bone-handled cutlery, plates and saucers, cups and glasses, kettles and burners for hot water and soup, single and stacked enamel containers, wicker-wrapped glass bottles, ceramic butter pots, silver plated tins, a corkscrew and matchbox.

When the meal is over, the table folds and unfolds again, transforming into a felt-topped card table, perfect for a game with the deck of playing cards which are also included in the fitted compartments. No doubt designed for a wealthy British army officer or aristocrat on safari who wished to sacrifice none of the comforts of home, the impressive example of British Colonial campaign furniture would have been custom crafted to the owner's specifications and transported about by a retinue of servants – the brass fittings highly polished, of course.

Tags: 1920s, antiques, aristocrat, decor, England, furniture, games, luggage, M.S. Rau Antiques, mahogany, New Orleans, picnic, safari, silver, trunk

$44 Million Yacht Tops Robb Report's 'Ultimate Gifts'

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Jewelry, Yachts & Sailing, Luxury Cars & Autos, Wings, Holiday Guides, Wealth

It seems that Robb Report, the glossy chronicle of the filthy rich, has come back down to Earth a bit after last year's offering of the world's most expensive Christmas present, a matching custom private jet and megayacht set costing $500 million. Each year the profligate publication features an Ultimate Gift Guide, a seasonal offering of over-the-top exclusives. This year's sybaritic selections top out at a measly $44 million, which gets the recipient Aquos Yachts' 164-ft. expedition superyacht Star Fish to be delivered in 2012 and a luxurious three-week, 10-person charter trip aboard her sister ship, the 148-ft. Big Fish, while you're waiting. Among the other big ticket items for the price-is-no-object set:

Tags: Bahamas, Bugatti, Bugatti Veyron, diamonds, fighter jet, gifts, Holiday 2010, magazines, Parmigiani, private jet, Robb Report, safari, submersible, supercar, superyacht, theme park, wealth, yacht

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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

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Hemingway's Great-Granddaughter Stars in Louis Vuitton Safari Campaign

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Apparel, Handbags, Luxury Travel & Hotels

Earlier this year we told you about model Dree Hemingway, 22, daughter of Mariel Hemingway and great-granddaughter of famous author Ernest Hemingway, who's making a name for herself among the fashion crowd. Now the willowy blonde is starring in a luxe new safari-themed ad campaign for Louis Vuitton (above). Reminiscent of Hemingway's African tales such as The Snows of Kilimanjaro, the casting choice is a fitting one as the author is often credited with introducing the Swahili word "safari" into common parlance.

The new Vuitton campaign, highlighting the famed French luxury goods house's handmade travel items, was shot on location in Africa. Photographed by Carter Smith, the ads feature Dree and a handsome young fellow enjoying the dramatic scenery of the African veldt. Items on display include bags, trunks, journals, watches, blankets, sunglasses, jewelry, clothing and even a few items of vintage Vuitton luggage. The campaign comes on the heels of Dree's selection as the face of Italian fashion house Gianfranco Ferré earlier this year, following appearances for Abercrombie & Fitch and DKNY.

[via JustLuxe]

Gallery: Dree Hemingway for Louis Vuitton

Tags: advertising, advertising campaign, Africa, celebrity, celebrity offspring, Dree Hemingway, Ernest Hemingway, French fashion, Gianfranco Ferré, Louis Vuitton, luggage, Mariel Hemingway, models, safari, sunglasses, travel, trunk

The $35,000 Zebra Safari Chair from Fine English Company

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Decor, Architecture & Design

The Fine English Company, dedicated to the best in bespoke British luxury, has unveiled the newest addition to its collection of luxe furniture, luggage and lifestyle accessories reminiscent of Britain's colonial past with a contemporary flair. The company's new $35,000 zebra safari chair (above) took two years to complete and was a personal mission of the firm's founder, former financial consultant Benedict Wormald. It will be produced in a limited edition of only 10 pieces which are bound to appreciate in value; two of them have already been spoken for. The chair is called the "Percival" after the great British hunter and safari leader Philip Hope Percival, whose famous clients included Baron Rothschild, the Duke and Duchess of Connaught, Ernest Hemingway and Gary Cooper.

Wormald and his team spent several months sourcing materials and locating and commissioning the finest artisans in the world to see the project to fruition. The completely handmade, hand-stitched chair is finished in full aniline brown distressed leather from Scotland and trophy grade Burchell's zebra skin. It features unrivaled, exquisitely hand-carved black walnut ball and claw feet, a beechwood frame, horsehair stuffing and a canvas interlining. Wormald calls it "the absolute pinnacle of English Handmade furniture," noting, "there is absolutely nothing to touch this product."

[via JustLuxe]

Gallery: Fine English Co. Zebra Safari Chair

Tags: Benedict Wormald, bespoke, British style, Ernest Hemingway, exotic animals, Fine English Company, furniture, handmade, luggage, safari, Scotland, UK, zebra

Ebony Lodge at the Singita Game Reserve: The Armchair Safari

by Carrie Coolidge (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels

Notching up virtually every hotel and travel award since its inception in the mid-1990's, the Ebony Lodge at Singita Game Reserve at Sabi Sand, South Africa, has been nominated for a Luxist Awards' Readers' Choice Award for Best Luxury Summer Family Vacation.

Singita Game Reserves masterfully balances hospitality, conservation and community, setting it apart from other safari experiences. Singita believes in "fewer beds in larger areas", the idea that a minimal amount of guests would have little impact on the land, and its fauna and flora. This benefits the environment, but also provides up-close, intimate experiences for the guest, with numerous opportunities where they can interact with the surroundings and learn more about conservation principles.

Singita's heritage can be traced back to 1925 when James Fawcett Bailes first purchased a pristine tract of land in the present-day Sabi Sand Reserve. It remained in the family. In the early 1990's, Fawcett's grandson, the current owner of Singita, undertook to focus on preserving his grandfather's legacy. Using 1930's aerial photographs, he undertook to maintain and restore the land to its original condition. An exclusive game lodge was built, offering unsurpassed luxury and wildlife experiences. In 1993, Ebony, the first Singita lodge, opened its doors. Following its success, Singita created additional game lodges in South Africa,Tanzania, and Zimbabwe.

Gallery: Singita Game Reserves, Ebony Lodge, South Africa

Singita Ebony Lodge offers twelve suites located in charming, elegant and secluded thatched cottages. Each suite is equipped with its own en-suite bathroom and shower, outdoor shower, heated private swimming pool, double-sided fireplace, air-conditioning, private lounge, direct-dial telephones, internet access, and game-viewing deck. Rooms are decorated in Colonial-style with a mix of antiques and modern luxuries, providing a homey, lived-in feel. While relaxing or sipping a cocktail on the private deck, it's not uncommon to see elephant, buffalo and antelope grazing only meters away at any time of day.

Singita welcomes families and offers a reduced rate for children. Kids over the age of 10, sharing with two full-paying adults in a family suite, are accommodated at 50% of the daily rate. Children under the age of 10 can be accomodated if the two family suites or the lodge are booked on an exclusive use basis.

The daily rate is approximately $1,500 per person, based on a double occupancy. The rate includes twice-daily open Range Rover game drives with with professional guides and trackers, as well as all meals and all beverages, including spirits, liquers and premium wines (excluding champagne). Laundry and valet service is also included.

For rate information, visit the Singita website or email Singita at: reservations@singita.com.

Vote for the Luxury Family Summer Vacation destination that you think is the best of breed. The winner will be announced on September 1st.

Tags: awards-main, Ebony Lodge, luxist-awards, Sabi Sand Reserve, Safari, Singita, Singita Game Reserve, South Africa

East African Safari with Abercrombie & Kent

by Carrie Coolidge (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels

The African bush is full of beauty and danger---best to leave excursion planning to an experienced professional. There are none better than Abercrombie & Kent, a luxury travel company that's been at it for half a century, now nominated for a Luxist Award in the Best Adventure Getaway category.

Established in 1962 by a British family living in East Africa, Abercrombie & Kent offers an unparalleled safari in Kenya and Tanzania. The two-week East Africa in Style itinerary starts with a flight to Nairobi, the capital of Kenya and socioeconomic hub of East Africa. After two nights there, you'll fly to Lake Manyara, where towering trees loom in front of a 2,000-foot escarpment. For the next two days, you'll see wildlife including monitor lizards, vervet monkeys, African spoonbills and pelicans.

Gallery: East African Safari with Abercrombie & Kent

Your next stop will be the Ngorongoro crater, a caldera nearly half a mile deep, formed from the core of a collapsed volcano; its prairie boast lions, elephants, hyenas and gazelles. Continue on to the Samburu and Masai Mara game reserves, where you'll meet with members of nomadic tribes and learn about their cattle-herding lifestyle. On your last day, you'll stop at the Kent family home for a final lunch before heading back to Nairobi. All the while, you'll be waited on by a personal tent butler; groups are limited to 12 people in total.

Abercrombie & Kent's East Africa in Style getaway is a spectacular opportunity, but these memories won't come cheaply. The cost, based on double occupancy, starts at $16,000 per person plus airfare. Once there, the experience is priceless.

Vote for the Adventure Getaway that you think is the best of breed. The winner will be announced on September 1st.

Tags: abercrombie and kent, AbercrombieAndKent, awards-main, best safari, East Africa, Kenya, Luxist-awards, safari, Tanzania, tanzanian-safari

Luxury Safari Lodge Opening In Kenya

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels

The Safari Collection of lodges and camps has announced that its latest property will be open for guests as of August 1. Solio Lodge is located on the Solio Game Reserve between Mount Kenya and the Aberdare Mountains in Kenya. The new property has been built by Tanya and Mikey Carr-Hartley, the owners and operators of the three Tamimi properties, Giraffe Manor, Sasaab and Sala's Camp. Solio Lodge has just six rooms. The design incorporates both modern and traditional elements with both thatch roofs and plate glass windows. Each room has a large sitting area with an open fire. The Solio Reserve is the most successful private rhinoceros breeding reserve in all of Kenya, and home to over 74 Black Rhinos and 155 White Rhinos. Other wildlife and birdlife are also in residence and the Solio Lodge offers horseback riding, trout fishing, and helicopter flights. Rates start at $570 per person, per night.

Tags: african safari, african travel, kenya, safari, solio game reserve

A Black Rhino Airlift from South Africa to East Africa

by Alison Wellner (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels, Charity, Green

Even the most jaded traveler is thrilled by the view out the window while landing in Serengeti National Park in Tanzania, but one has to imagine that five particular passengers who were indeed on a trip of a lifetime last week were somewhat less than delighted -- not that they had much of a view.

Five endangered black rhinoceros were transported by air from South Africa's Addo Reserve to the Serengeti Park yesterday -- funded in part by Singita Grumeti Reserves, the Tanzania arm of Singita, which runs a group of ultra-luxury African safari lodges. (Other benefactors:The US Fish and Wildlife Foundation and the Nduna Foundation.)The rhino relocation was part of a species preservation project over forty years in the making.

Gallery: Black Rhino Transport to East Africa

Tags: africa, conservation, preservation, rhino, Rhinoceros, safari, SouthAfrica, Tanzania

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Extraordinary Journeys Offers Luxury African Safaris

by Jonathon Ramsey (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels

If it doesn't involve J. Peterman or a Hemingway novel, "safari" is probably not a word you're all that interested in hearing about. Mother-daughter team – and pilots – Marcia and Elizabeth Gordon of Extraordinary Journeys would like to have a few words with you before you banish that term for good. Working in Botswana, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia, Extraordinary Journeys doesn't sell you a trip, it plans a safari specifically for you.

They have organized more than 300 African excursions for weddings, honeymoons, getaways and just-becauses, and like the proverbial snowflakes none of them have been the same. Because the excursions aren't fixed, the Gordons can combine camps, lodges, villas, private planes, 4x4s, tribal visits, elephants, horses and specific game sightseeing tours in any way you wish. They even arrange personal shoppers when you're navigating the wilds of Cape Town, you know, so you won't get stuck in line at the register behind all those penguins – they take forever at checkout...

Source

Tags: africa, african safari, african travel, botswana, extraordinary journeys, kenya, namibia, safari

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