Few travel experiences are as liberating as the road trip; days spent cruising the open road with the wind in your hair and a loved one in the seat next to you, stopping wherever you please. As more and more of us opt to hit the highway this year, a handful of luxury hotel companies have seized the opportunity to team up with leading travel brands and create once-in-a-lifetime experiences based around iconic drives.
Auberge Resorts Collection has partnered with travel firm Black Tomato to create four tailor-made road trips based around stays at the company’s gorgeous hotels and resorts in California, New England, Colorado and Utah. The five- to seven-night journeys include unique experiences along the way: meeting local experts and creators, scenic helicopter flights, one-of-a-kind private dining experiences and outdoor adventures. Thanks to a partnership with Mercedes-Benz USA, guests can travel between experiences in one of the marque’s top models, including the über-luxury Maybach S 560, the high-performance AMG S 63 Coupe or a G550 SUV, among others, complete with a picnic basket full of road snacks.
The seven-night ‘Journey Through the Mountains’ takes travellers through the spectacular scenery of Colorado and Utah, starting at Hotel Jerome in Aspen, where guests will bike the Rio Grande, hike in the mountains, explore the city with the owner of a famous local boutique and take a scenic flight over Aspen. From there, road trippers can either travel to Madeline Hotel & Residences in Telluride or drive through Arches National Park and stay in Blink Camp, Black Tomato’s pop-up village where bespoke outdoor experiences are tailored to each guest. Finish the journey at The Lodge at Blue Sky, a wellness and adventure-focused retreat on 3,500 acres of private land, where fly fishing excursions, heli-skiing and horseback rides will allow travellers to explore this dramatic landscape. From $6,250 per person.
Meanwhile Marriott International has teamed up with luxury travel and concierge company Quintessentially to offer its own collection of experience-packed road trips in the US and Europe. Highlights include mountain biking with a local pro in Santa Barbara or a Champagne seaplane flight over San Francisco, and guests can choose from a collection of vintage cars including the iconic 1960s Mustang Convertible.
‘The Best of the Sunshine State’ trip includes two-night stays at The Miami Beach EDITION, The Ritz-Carlton, Naples, and The Ritz-Carlton, Sarasota, and includes some breathtaking experiences. Road trippers will take an airboat ride through the Everglades and a private seaplane flight from Miami to Key West, before driving to Naples where they will explore three art galleries with a local painter. They’ll see the town from a different perspective with a sunset sail, before heading to Sarasota for a coastal cruise in a luxury yacht and a sunset electric bike tour of downtown. From US $23,510 for two people; available until the end of October.
