This two-week journey, jointly curated by Elán and Ayres Adventures is limited to twelve travelers. Call 630.420.3538 to secure your place.

Four Seasons has just announced its new 2021 Private Jet itineraries: https://press.fourseasons.com/news-releases/2020/2022-private-jet-itineraries/?fbclid=IwAR2kaarSOiru4teCs4gpERflnPrQES-_GnjTpPs6jA8qy_J_rzV4FGr3Syc

The Private Jet experience is the “Wow!” we’ve come to expect from our colleagues at Four Seasons. The 2021 season is everything you’d expect from the world’s leader in luxury, including a family-friendly exploration of Africa. The itineraries: https://www.fourseasons.com/privatejet/journeys/

As you’d expect, availability is very limited, so please call now to discuss the options. Victoria can be reached at 630.420.3538.

We’ve finalized the details on our February 27, 2021 Galapagos expedition aboard the brand new Silversea Silver Origin, an exclusive 100-passenger ship built to sail the Galápagos Islands exclusively. This carefully curated voyage will include a full complement of experts on the Galapagos ecosystem, accompanying you on a ship that’s exquisitely crafted to provide an exceptional experience while also being among the most eco-friendly ships to sail the oceans. 

Those who book and pay in full by November 30 will receive a considerable discount, as well as a generous on-board credit.

Call Victoria now to secure your place on this voyage: 630.420.3538.

Travel beyond....

We’re going to the Galápagos Islands, aboard a magnificent ship that’s purpose-built for the islands. Join us for a carefully curated voyage. Details to follow....

OUR ITINERARY IS FINALIZED AND READY FOR YOUR REVIEW
October 17-31, 2021

Our collaboration with John Jesson, the President and CEO of Ayres Adventures, is presented below, a two-week adventure aboard BMW motorcycles that begins in Cape Town and makes its way through mountains, oceanside roads, and vineyards, en route to Johannesburg.  This adventure features luxury hotels, and a curated collection of lodges along the way.  We will spend time in Kruger National Park and the Kariega Nature Preserve, where those who are part of this small group will have the opportunity to engage in multiple game drives.

The group will be accompanied by a luxury van/motor coach, permitting those co-riders who wish to take a break from motorcycling to ride in comfort, while still taking part in the full itinerary.

​This adventure is limited to a handful of participants, so we encourage you to act now if you would like to secure your place....

​​The past few weeks have been quite a whirlwind. 

One of the projects we’ve been working on is our October 2021 Motorcycle Tour of South Africa, and we’re just a few days away from announcing the details of this trip. 

While one must always be careful in the use of superlatives, this promises to be one of the greatest motorcycle tours of all time, starting in Cape Town, South Africa on October 17 and ending in Johannesburg on October 31. 

It’s time for the first part of the reveal: We’ve been working with the person we consider the world’s foremost expert in motorcycle touring, John Jesson, the President and CEO of Ayres Adventures. 

Participants in this tour, which will be limited to a total of 12 individuals, will begin and end the tour with the most incredible resort properties in the respective cities. Our itinerary will take us along sinuous oceanside roads, through breathtaking mountain passes, and will wind through vineyards, lush farm lands, and awe-inspiring vistas.

Along the way, we will enjoy great food, unique and luxurious lodges, wine tastings, and...most exciting of all...an extended visit to the world’s most iconic wildlife refuge, Kruger National Park.

All of this will be astride BMW motorcycles, accompanied by an experienced guide. A luxury coach—we’re thinking likely a Mercedes-Benz—will be available for co-riders who may want a break from the riding. These guests will cover the same itinerary and participate in every aspect of the tour. 

We already have quite a bit of interest and some preliminary commitments from individuals and couples who want to join us. If you are interested in being among the first to be offered the opportunity to be part of the truly amazing voyage, please email mike@elantravel.net.

We hope you’ll enjoy this video, highlighting a number of scenes from Ayres Adventures trips through Africa.... 

We’re back! It’s not so clear that we want to be. If you’ve been following our travels (see our previous post), you’ll know that we spent the past week in beautiful Park City, Utah.

First, a recap of the nitty gritty...our flights on Southwest Airlines: The experience in both directions was very straightforward and reassuring. Both flights were on time, arriving early, and the aircraft were immaculate. Southwest is currently leaving middle seats open, and requires facemasks at all times when you’re not eating or drinking. The service is pretty basic—essentially ice water and a snack or two, but that is no longer a differentiating consideration, as compared to many other domestic flights. 

The air ports (MDW and SLC) were fairly unoccupied, so transiting through security and the terminals were quick and easy.  

Arriving at Salt Lake City International Airport, we retrieved our rental car from Avis (unnecessarily painful, given the fact that we had previously provided all of our information during the online rental process) and were soon on our way to the Lodge at Blue Sky. We’ve described our stay there, but suffice it to say that it was extraordinary.

Blue Sky is a place of exceptional spirituality. It was considered sacred by the Ute Indian Tribe, and before the Lodge was built the plans were blessed by tribal elders. You can’t help but stand in awe of the beauty of the place.  It’s far from the crowd, majestic and serene. This place is unmistakably spiritual, and this seems to imbue those who work and visit here with a bit different vibe...they are tuned in to the surroundings, and it’s reflected in a sense of quietude that seems to sweep over all who are there.

It was with more than a bit of reluctance that we drove away from the Lodge after our four-night stay, but we knew an equally fantastic destination was ahead, the Waldorf Astoria Park City. It’s about a 20-25 minute drive from the Lodge at Blue Sky, and it was the point at which we said a temporary farewell to our son Alex and our daughter-in-law Aly, who were headed to Zion National Park for a different kind of adventure.

The Waldorf is beautiful, a combination of New York swank and ski lodge comfy. The ancient Italian fireplace in the main lobby lies in the background of an immense chandelier, and is flanked by centuries-old wooden carvings of two deer, also from Italy.  Our suite was a two-bedroom, two-story accommodation, with a high-end kitchen, four fireplaces, and three full bathrooms. Nice. In fact, so nice that our well-traveled son proclaimed it the “nicest hotel (he’d) ever been in.”

One of the unique benefits of being in the travel business is making friends throughout the world, and indeed we soon met up with a long-time acquaintance, and her family.  Later in our trip we also had dinner with our dear friends, John and Erynn Montgomery. John and Erynn own Landed (https://landedtravel.com/), and we often work with them to craft itineraries for clients traveling to South America, Central America, and Antarctica. In fact, we have such high regard for their expertise and high standards that we turned to John and Erynn to help plan Alex and Aly’s honeymoon in Costa Rica. It’s through relationships like these that we are able to offer our clients the ultimate experiences, regardless of the destination.  

Park City itself is fun. The commercial and residential districts are threaded throughout ski runs and hiking trails. During our time there, we packed in a fair amount of shopping, gallery visits, and hikes. And, we found the downtown location of High West Whiskey . . . again, mixing spirits with spirituality.

While in the area, we also visited Montage Deer Valley, a luxury resort situated high in the mountains. It was a “Wow!” We’ll detail a bit about Montage in a future post.

As we mentioned above, our son Alex and his wife Aly headed off to Zion National Park, where they stayed two nights and hiked The Narrows and Angels’ Landing, under the guidance of an experienced mountain guide. It was an extraordinary day, in which they covered nearly 16 miles of challenging terrain. The photos, some of which are below, tell the story.

Finishing up at the Utah Olympic Park, two of us (guess who) rode the Olympic bobsled run, and we all took in a pretty phenomenal show highlighting present and future Olympians training for their acrobatic ski routines.

Really, we were a bit reluctant when the time came to head back to SLC and, ultimately, what serves as reality.

This was (part of) the time we were supposed to be vacationing with family an friends in Tuscany. That’s been rescheduled to next year, but a tear or two was shed as the flight reminders popped up on our calendars. Our Utah adventure was a partial substitute, reflecting the current challenges in traveling to Italy. But, it was by no means a step down...constantly surrounded by an inspiring landscape, our visit to incredible properties (the Lodge at Blue Sky, the Waldorf Astoria Park City, and Montage Deer Valley) was peppered with wilderness hikes, tremendous food, luxurious accommodations, and an ample supply of spirits and spirituality.

This was, for us, a Proof of Concept...we were supposed to be in Italy at this time, and current conditions dictated that was a no-go. But, apart from the limited number of overseas destinations we could have visited, we knew that there were amazing places to visit within the United States. We may have substituted whiskey for Barolo, but the experience was nothing less than magical--some of the most beautiful places you could imagine, combined with great food, interesting shopping, and an opportunity to connect with our surroundings on a spiritual level. Best of all, it was time spent with family and dear friends. It could not have been better.

Please enjoy a few of our photos....

We are currently in the midst of an escape to a wondrous place, the Lodge at Blue Sky, an Auberge property that is just a few miles from Park City, Utah. 

We flew here from Chicago’s Midway Airport on Sunday. As with our recent flights to California, the flight itself on Southwest Airlines was uneventful. This low-cost airline has long been a favorite, with an emphasis on friendly, personalized service that belies its price point. As with our United aircraft, the 737 was spotless . . . absolutely spotless. The airports themselves were not terribly crowded, and navigating within was quick and effortless. We were less than wowed by the service at the Avis rental counter, but, after the more or less expected delay, we were on our way.

Once you exit I-80, the drive to the Lodge is only a couple of miles away, mostly on a winding private road that winds through Blue Sky Ranch. A short distance from the Lodge, you pass High West Distillery, which has an excellent restaurant and offers tastings of their unique bourbons, ryes, and blends.

The Lodge and its setting are breathtaking. There is, seriously, nothing else within sight, except the towering mountains that surround the Lodge and vistas that stretch forever. We’ve been taking it all in—hiking, yoga, bourbon tasting, excellent food, spa treatments, and, yesterday, a stroll through downtown Park City.

This is truly a place to unwind and reset. For now, they’re limiting the experience and operating at 60% of capacity. Rather than trying to capture it all in words, we’ll share a few photos that we hope will capture some of the spirit of this magical place, one that defines the American spirit.

As I promised yesterday, today's post is a report on my visit to two of Southern California's most famed resorts, the Hotel del Coronado and the Fairmont Grand Del Mar.

As I noted yesterday, our flights via United Airlines from Chicago O'Hare IAP to San Diego IAP were comfortable, clean, and efficient (www.elantravel.net/blog/california-or-bust). In the aftermath of all the concern about COVID, and the resultant lockdowns, nothing about that experience was anything less than completely reassuring.

I met up with my long-time friend, Wendy Burk, the CEO of Cadence Travel, to explore how well our travel partners in the hotel/business were doing. It's been a tough road for many, and the impact of prolonged closures and restrictions has been considerable. Our visit suggests that things are returning to normal.

First, as you'd expect, there are still impacts on what's visible to a visitor: facemasks are routine (and expected in public places) and in dining venues tables are more distanced from one another than they were a few months ago. But, the experience is--for those who want it--very much what it always has been: comfortable surroundings, great dining, and outstanding service.

We understand that some of our clients very much want to escape from the restrictions they've experienced over the past few months, but also are presently placing a high premium on privacy once they arrive at a location. To explore this, Wendy and I made our reservation in the del Coronado's Beach Village, which offers one to three-bedroom villas that each feature private entrances, gourmet kitchens, gated access, and exclusive dining and pool venues.  All set on a glorious beach. The del Coronado is the iconic SoCal beach resort, dating from 1888, and now thoroughly updated, with some accommodations, like Beach Village, having opened only a couple of years ago. 

From the del Coronado, we ventured to the Fairmont Grand del Mar. This beautiful resort, which presents itself as a grand Italian Villa, offers the ultimate in luxury and, should you desire, privacy. The public spaces are beautiful, and accommodations range from luxurious rooms to sumptuous villas that offer three master bedrooms and four and a half baths. The largest of the villas is 4,900 square feet, and includes a gourmet kitchen, fireplace, private elevator, an exercise room, and a media room.

What follows is a sampling of photos from my time with Wendy at these two beautiful properties. What I hope you'll take away from this is that fantastic options abound within our borders. Traveling to destinations such as these is once again possible, and the experience is one of normalcy, facemasks notwithstanding. Comfortable, clean and safe accommodations abound; excellent dining experiences are fully available; and the hospitality industry is eager to greet you.

For those who may still prefer a bit of privacy, that's also well within grasp. Villas range from the fun and airy experience of the del Coronado's Beach Village to the sumptuous luxury of the del Mar's large, luxuriously appointed villas.

Accommodations of this caliber are awaiting, from Maine to California, and everywhere in between.

Follow us here and on social media for our next Elán adventure, which will take us to one of the more exquisite areas of our land, Park City, Utah, where we will be experiencing and sharing some incredible experiences. That part of the story starts this coming Saturday, September 6.