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A New Twist In Private Flying I know in many private companies, the owner uses his or her charge cards to pay for company purchases, including travel, goods and services. If you accumulate millions of miles or points through American Express Membership Miles, Starwood Preferred Guest or Delta SkyMiles, you can now redeem SkyMiles for jets cards through Delta Private Jets. The rate is 2.5 million SkyMiles convert to a $25,000 jet card. Read more in our first item. Light jets go for about $5,500 per hour, so you get just under five hours of travel.
In this issue, we also look at some VIP ways to do Disney World at Four Seasons Orlando, ice driving with McLaren in Finland, and we match the best suites to the Caribbean’s five best beaches.
PS — We keep all past issues on an easy to access website DG Amazing Experiences where you can find both newsletters and special reports.
Thanks for reading. I hope all your trips are amazing experiences!
All the best,
Founder/Editor-in-Chief DG Amazing Experiences Please Note - DG Amazing Experiences is not commercially affiliated with any of the resorts we profile or travel advisors we reference
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In This Issue:
1. Redeem Miles For Private Jet Cards
2. How To Do Disney For The Holidays
3. Ice Driving In Finland
4. Best Suites On The Caribbean’s 5 Best Beaches
Our Security Reports (Links Below):
Should you drive a car in Cuba?
How to survive a terrorism attack
7 easy ways your flight crew can improve security
Recommended Reading (Links Below):
When It Comes To Writing About Private Jets, Ignorance Is Bliss
1. Redeem Miles For Private Jet Cards
If you pile up millions and millions of American Express Membership Rewards points, Starwood points or Delta SkyMiles, you can now redeem them for private jet cards with Delta Private Jets.
You can exchange 2.5 million SkyMiles for a $25,000 jet card with DPJ. Both Starwood and Amex allow you to transfer from their program to SkyMiles.
Delta’s pricing for reward seats is dynamic, but roundtrip DeltaOne (Business Class) tickets from the US to Europe or Asia are typically from 250,000 to 600,000 miles each. This means your 2.5 million miles are probably worth 4-10 DeltaOne tickets (Atlanta to London, Los Angeles to Sydney as examples). Purchase price for these tickets is generally between $5,000 and $10,000, so the value would be somewhere between $20,000-$100,000 in DeltaOne tickets, meaning using SkyMiles for private jet cards may not be the best value. However, if you are sitting on millions of miles, and don’t know what to do with them…
2. How To Do Disney World For The Holidays
Luxury travel advisor Michael Holtz, CEO of SmartFlyer calls the Four Seasons
Resort Orlando at Walt Disney World, “Disney done right.” He specifically
recommends the Royal Suite (up to 9 bedrooms) for its views of the nightly
fireworks, and it seems the holidays are a good time to visit the epic theme
park, combining all things Disney with holiday cheer. You can also buy out the entire floor (see floor plan below), which provides 21 rooms for up to 53 guests and is $66,000 per night.
I visited when the resort opened a couple years back, and I
liked it for five reasons: There’s the Four Seasons level of service. The hotel
is a respite from the mayhem of staying in directly in the park, but is minutes away. It has a separate adult
pool, but also an extensive water park that even adults will enjoy, and it has
some terrific suites that can be combined for large families and extended
groups. As a last point, there is Disney activation on site, so you don’t have to wait for the park to get your Disney on.
Highlights for the holiday include “a decadent gingerbread display in the lobby,” poolside
family movies, a 12-foot-tall Christmas tree, wreaths and columns wrapped with
garland, holiday-inspired floral arrangements, and more. The holiday décor
will be in place from December 1, 2016 through January 3, 2017.
The specific programs include
Kids For All Seasons, a complimentary kids camp, open daily for ages
4-12 from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm, with activities from candy cane scavenger hunts
to animal visits, make-your-own reindeer food, design-your-own sleigh, timed
races in the Lazy River (water park), snowman sack races, face painting, etc.
Classes such as pizza making and cookie decorating are also available.
The
Resort offers a Good Morning Breakfast with
Goofy and His Pals every Thursday and Saturday morning at
its restaurant, Ravello, and select Tuesdays during the festive season:
December 20 and 27, 2016 and January 3, 2017.
In addition to the character breakfast, you have the option of hosting a private event at the hotel, in one of the event spaces, and character visits can be arranged for
entertainment. According to the hotel, “Four Seasons Resort Orlando has a
special relationship with the creative teams at Disney to offer incredible
on-property events with added Disney touches.”
Specifically on suites, Holtz’s favorite, the Royal
Suite is 3,300 sq. ft. (above), including a vaulted great
room, a master bedroom, a media room, a private office and a pantry kitchen.
Connecting up to as many as nine bedrooms, it has a wrap-around terrace
featuring views of the nightly Magic Kingdom Park fireworks. The Presidential
Suite replicates a Mediterranean villa at 2,750 sq.
ft. and includes a great room, master bedroom, master bathroom, private office
and pantry kitchen. Two additional bedroom units and one guest room suite
enable the Presidential Suite (below) to expand to a four bedroom residence.
Guests in Royal and Presidential Suites get eight
hours of butler service per day. Additional hours, including round-the-clock
service, are available for an added fee. Guests can use the butler's assistance
to gift wrap presents, decorate the suite, create a memorable in-suite holiday dinner
party, arrange for a holiday movie with cookies and cocoa, etc.
For more information about taking over the entire top floor, contact Kevin Stracke, reservations manager at +1.407.313.6918.
3. McLaren Launches
Ice Driving Experience
From January 15 to
February 3, 2017, McLaren is launching its first ice driving experience, offering
groups of up to 14 guests a three-night stay with lots of action.
The event is open
for drivers and non-drivers, McLaren owners and non-owners. Set 200 miles into
the Finland’s Arctic Circle in one of the most expansive winter testing
facilities in the world, it is the only winter driving experience to feature
the McLaren Sports Series
The program is
designed to give guests experience on snow-covered roads and
ice track. Like all Pure McLaren events, the agenda is tailored to your needs to help you achieve your goals. Working with winter testing facility
Test World, a leading proving ground based in Ivalo, Finland, the experience
provides a variety of ice driving scenarios available.
Guests will
experience the multi-award winning McLaren 570S Coupé, tackling a variety of
track configurations, encompassing both ice and snow surfaces. The exhilaration
continues away from the track with Pure McLaren teaming up with local travel
provider Luxury Action to offer an exciting program of winter activities,
including a husky safari and snowmobile expedition.
Accommodations will
be provided in Jávri Lodge (below), the former home of the President of Finland. Built by Urho Kekkonen, the longest serving President of Finland, it is set amid
vast lakes and forests and is in an ideal position for viewing the Northern
Lights.
The Pure McLaren
Arctic Experience will take place from January 15 to February 3, 2017, and takes
groups of up to 14 guests. Prices start from GBP 12,500. Contact: www.cars.mclaren.com/experiences.
4. The Caribbean’s Best Beaches Matched To Best Hotel Suites
Recently
Caribbean Journal put together its list of the top 50 beaches in the Caribbean.
But what good is a list of great beaches without information on where to stay? And wouldn’t it be more useful if you knew the best suites at those resorts? Below we added places to
stay and some recommendations for best rooms in the house for the five best beaches. More best suites on best beaches in future issues.
RENDEZVOUS BAY, ANGUILLA
Caribbean Journal writes,
“Our number one beach in the Caribbean is the perfect Caribbean beach: It’s a
wide stretch of soft, sugar-white sand with relaxing turquoise waves, one of
the region’s best beach bars (Garvey’s SunShine Shack), all the privacy you
need and spectacular views of neighboring St Martin. That’s what makes
Rendezvous the best beach in the Caribbean – and it’s fitting, as Anguilla is
the region’s beach capital.”
Cuisinart offers a 5-star way to
experience the best beach with its three Beachfront Three Bedroom Villas. The “beach houses” feature a large living room/dining area
opening directly onto a private pool area and the beach beyond, with an
expansive Master Suite with sea and pool views, plus a private solarium. There
is also a full kitchen with private access, interior and exterior powder rooms
and two additional bedroom suites with courtyard entries.
GRACE BAY, PROVIDENCIALES, TURKS AND CAICOS
Caribbean Journal says, “Providenciales’
claim to fame is this 12-mile-long north-coast beach and once you sink your
toes into its sugar-fine white sands and swim in the bathtub-warm waters,
you’ll understand why.”
Tiffany Dowd, a travel blogger and advisor, who operates
a website LuxeTiffany, likes the 3-bedroom Penthouse at The Palms (formerly The
Regent), which she says has stunning views of Grace Bay Beach. There are one, two and three-bedroom configurations, ranging
in size from 3,422 to 3,791 sq. ft. Master bedrooms feature a king-sized bed,
private outdoor Sun Suite with a spa tub and outdoor shower. Second and third
bedrooms come with a king-size bed and full-size sleeper sofa, and the gourmet
kitchen has a range of professional modern appliances.
At Grace Bay Club she points to The Estate and its 6,898 sq.
ft. Penthouse, (floor plan above) which she describes “as the most exclusive part of the resort.”
Gansevoort, Dowd says, “is the most contemporary of the
three hotels.” It has four 3-bedroom, 3.5-bath Penthouses (floor plan above), each with 2,647 sq. ft. of
interior space and 1,055 sq. ft. of terrace area.
MAHO BAY, ST. JOHN, US VIRGIN ISLANDS
“White sand; coconut
palms calm waters and voluptuous green hills. No wonder this beach is a St John
favorite,” reports Caribbean Journal. There are campsites nearby, but Caneel
Bay is the nearest hotel about four miles away.
SEVEN MILE BEACH, GRAND CAYMAN
Caribbean Journal writes,
“This sugary strand on the west coast of Grand Cayman is a must for beach
lovers. Because here, it’s all about some of the most incredible clearest water
(and warmest sand) anywhere around.”
The 3-bedroom Ritz-Carlton Grand Cayman Penthouse (above) pairs Seven Mile Beach with the largest suite in the Caribbean at 8,000 sq. ft.
of indoor/outdoor living space. On the resort’s top floor, you can expand it
with adjoining rooms into a 20,000 sq. ft. compound. There is an expansive
wraparound terrace with dining table, lounge, fire pit and private outdoor
shower.
EAGLE BEACH, ARUBA
“There’s white sand, and
there’s the sand here. And its low-scale development makes this a wide,
magnificent beach,” writes Caribbean Journal about Eable Beach in Aruba.
Bucuti
& Tara Beach Resort is ranked #1 of 24 hotels in the area by Trip Advisor
and was the review site’s #1 hotel in the world for romance. It also beat out
Ritz-Carlton and Hyatt to win US News & World Report’s pick as the island’s
best hotel last year, and in 2013 was ranked in Conde Nast Traveler’s 25 best
hotels in the Caribbean.
The 850-sq. ft. Tara Penthouse Suites on
the top floor of the same named wing offer panoramic views of Eagle Beach
and the ocean. A large, private terrace features a daybed and lounge
furnishings. The great room features a full living area with a large flat-panel
TV and dining room, next to the full-size and fully equipped kitchen with
stainless-steel appliances and dining table. Adjacent is a bedroom with
a king-sized four-poster bed. The bathroom features double sinks, granite
counters, a modern claw foot style tub and a separate shower. The
Penthouse gets you a reserved cabana on the beach.
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DG Amazing Experiences
is by luxury expert Doug Gollan
My name is Doug Gollan. I am a strong advocate of the private aviation industry. You can read my frequent coverage of private jets and luxury travel at Forbes.com.
I've chosen you to receive DG Amazing Experiences because I believe you share my passion for both business aviation and the best travel and luxury experiences in the world.
DG Amazing Experiences is your e-newsletter guide to the best places and experiences for private jet travelers like yourself. Each recommendation is personally selected by me with the help of some of the smartest and best travel advisors in the world.
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