Years of travelling for business brings with it wisdom — a realisation that experiences do in fact make you richer. Those of us who are fortunate enough to find time for leisure escapes with the family, understand that true luxury will always be about privacy. In this world that’s bustling round the clock, the price of lack of interruption and decadence is high. And the number of travellers willing to spend their hard-earned moolah on lavish jaunts is on the rise. Disposable income is being spent on exclusive experiences rather than material goods, claims a report by Amadeus, a leading provider of advanced technology solutions for the global travel industry.
The report offers an interesting perspective. “Luxury means different things to different people and this is especially true today. As emergent middle classes seek the material aspect of luxury travel, more mature markets are craving a new, evolved kind of luxury. This is why offering luxury customers a relevant personal and exclusive experience will become even more crucial than it is today — it will be a differentiating factor between old and new luxury,” says Rob Sinclair-Barnes, strategic marketing director at Amadeus IT Group.
The report further says that “between 2011 and 2015, luxury travel, in terms of outbound flights on business or first class, saw a 4.5 per cent compound annual growth rate, versus 4.2 per cent for overall travel.” It is forecasted that this trend will continue to accelerate in the next ten years, with luxury travel trips projected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 6.2 per cent.
Indian luxe travellers are no different. It is safe to say that the country’s luxury travel industry is evolving. Discerning experiences are becoming more about privacy and quality rather than over-the-top garishness.
The same reflects in numbers too. Interestingly, India’s luxury market with a compound annual growth rate of 13 per cent is higher than any of the other BRIC nations. Travel entities are focussing on executing refined travel sojourns that befit the transforming choices of the Indian luxury traveller. One doesn’t have to cross the borders to delve into experiences that blend grandeur with home-grown culture of warm hospitality anymore.
Here is a hand-picked list of such experiences, selected for those who wish to indulge or the aspirational kind working out a bucket-list.
LUXE IN THE AIR
Taj Air
Tata Group owned Taj Hotels Resorts and Palaces promises to make its guests feel like royalty in the sky with Taj Air. Whether you want to fly to Udaipur for an anniversary dinner with your partner or send your favourite clients to Bilbao as a gesture of goodwill, the hospitality private jet service is a genie in the bottle for all your aviation dreams. Within India, Taj Air can fly with as little as four hours of notice; this includes 130 destinations (commercial airlines cover only 71). Worldwide, the service has already flown to nearly 150 airports across 56 countries. Expect the legendary Taj hospitality onboard of course, the staff will remember your favourite cuisine and ensure complete privacy. Taj has its dedicated maintenance facility in Mumbai and has distinguished itself as the only Indian Charter Operator to be continuously certified by International Aviation Agencies since 2008. Taj Air’s fleet includes the FALCON 2000 jet and FALCON 2000LX jet with a passenger capacity of eight and nine respectively. Taj Air not only offers fixed itineraries but also creates trips according to your schedule and requirements.
Cost: A same day return trip, between Mumbai and Agra on the FALCON 2000 jet costs around ₹12,50,000; tajaironline.com
Remote Lands
Remote Lands, US-based bespoke tour operator, offers travel services for highly discerning travellers that are interested in ultra luxurious experiences. It organises curated sojourns in India that entail exotic destinations including Varanasi, Jaipur, Ranthambore and Goa. What makes some of its trips extremely exclusive is the private jet transfers that take guests from one city to another. Remote Lands picks only the most opulent hotels for your stays in India; some of its choices include Taj Falaknuma Palace (Hyderabad), The Imperial (New Delhi), The Oberoi Amarvillas (Agra) and Taj Rambagh Palace (Jaipur). From a safari in search of the Royal Bengal Tiger in India’s rich national parks, to exploring the spectacular mountainous regions of the Himalayas, Remote Lands creates personalised itineraries to suit varying interests of travellers. It also creates menus to match your dietary preferences, helps you maintain exercise regimens, and arranges for private security. Travelling in your personal aircraft is the highlight. Expect a highly curated, bespoke travel experience.
Cost: Exclusive North India: Mumbai to Varanasi by a private Jet in October started from₹1,51,661 per person, per day; remotelands.com
IMPERIAL LIVING
Sher Bagh
One of the first Indian members of the luxury hotels group, Relais and Chateâux, Sher Bagh is a part of SUJÁN Luxury Camps and Palaces that owns four other luxe boutique hotels in the country.
Family-owned SUJÁN has an interesting history that prides itself on the lineage of Sardar Bahadur Sujan Singh of Hadali, whose ancestors served in the Sikh army of the 18th century. Each hotel exudes an old-world charm that brings to life the colonial era of Indian history.
Sher Bagh, located in Sherpur in Sawai Madhopur (Rajasthan) takes inspiration from hunting camps of the state that were once popular among the princely houses. Not conventional luxury, the camp provides ultimate privacy in the middle of a wilderness that cuts you off from the commercial world. An umbrella of primeval trees envelops the accommodation — luxury tents are fabricated from white cotton and furnished in original teak and rosewood. Bespoke Halcyon Days accessories embellish the space around. For added indulgence, pick between Burra Sahib suite that comes with its heated private swimming pool and an unashamed view of the grasslands, or Pukka Sahib suite that has its own walled-in garden, spa bath and a netted verandah that overlooks the birdlife around. Sher Bagh also offers a range of experiences that enlist cooking in the jungle, photography safaris, wilderness walks and its SUJÁN Spa that, as expected, is set in the wild.
Cost: A stay at Burra Sahib suite in October started from ₹89,500 per day; sujanluxury.com
Taj Falaknuma Palace
Taj Hotels Resorts and Palaces has made a habit of setting high standards in Indian hospitality. Taj Falaknuma Palace is no exception; it is, in fact, one of its best examples. The Palace is set 2,000 feet above Hyderabad, overlooking its splendour. Once the imperial guest residence of the Mehboob Ali Pasha Nizam VI of Hyderabad, Taj completed its restoration in 2010 after acquiring it in 2000. The grand castle boasts of French tapestries, Venetian chandeliers, rare manuscripts, artefacts and a carved walnut roof that’s a replica of the one at Windsor Castle.
Spread across lush 32 acres, Taj Falaknuma Palace houses 60 rooms and suites, which were refurbished by Her Highness Princess Esra, the Nizam’s Turkish wife. Those interested in history will enjoy the Palace’s heritage walk; stroll through the magnificent property and delve into the tales of the Nizams.
A stay at Taj Falaknuma Palace begins with a royal welcome with jasmine flowers as you ride into the property on a horse-carriage. A meal at Adaa to savour culinary delights inspired from the time of the Nizams is recommended to indulge yourself like the kings. And if you still don’t feel like royalty, a stay in its Nizam suite will do the trick. Once the bedroom of the Nizam, this duplex suite has its own private swimming pool and is famed for being the largest presidential suite in the country at 180 sqm. Its posturepedic mattresses created with Egyptian cotton will ensure a good night’s sleep once you tire of admiring the panoramic city views from your window or wish to take a break from soaking yourself in the spa bath of your bathroom that’s built with marble from Carrara in Italy.
Cost: A stay at the Nizam suite in October started from ₹7,00,000 (plus taxes) per day; tajhotels.com
ROYAL WHEELS
Maharaja Express
India and its railways will always have a special connect. The British era saw trade burgeon with the advent of railway transport that catalysed commerce and travel. Even today, railways are the most common medium of transport for middle- class and upper-middle-class India. In 2010, government-owned Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) introduced Maharajas’ Express, which added a luxury dimension to train travel in the country. With five curated journeys that offer explorations of the length and breadth of India, a sojourn on the Maharaja Express is a kingly experience. Nights are spent onboard this train’s luxury accommodation options that include the Presidential Suite Car with two bedrooms, two baths and luxe amenities.
Once you disembark at a port, apart from visiting heritage sites, Maharaja Express plans retreats that spell indulgence. Fancy an elephant polo match at the City Palace or a game of golf at the Rambagh Golf Club in Jaipur, champagne breakfast at Taj Khema overlooking the Taj Mahal in Agra, or a spa treatment at The Grand Lalit in Khajuraho. An exotic tryst with antiquated India awaits you onboard this luxury rail car.
Cost: The 7 nights/8 days Indian Panorama journey is priced at ₹15,94,428 per person in a Presidential Suite Car; maharaja-express-india.com
