The 8 Most Glamorous Experiences From Four Seasons

A stay at Four Seasons can transport you to a luxurious home away from home for a few days—or, if you’re lucky, a few weeks. These hotels and resorts set a glamorous standard, offering extraordinary, over-the-top adventures around the world. Where else can you gain access to exclusive attractions, fly in a customised Boeing 757, sleep in arguably the world’s most comfortable bed and taste culinary excellence, one unforgettable vacation at a time?

Here are the 9 most glamorous experiences one can partake in at Four Seasons hotels and resorts from Florence to Mumbai. Travellers in search of unparalleled luxury and glamorous getaways, take note.

Toast to good taste from a hidden wine cellar in Paris


Four Seasons Paris wine cellar experience

Photography courtesy Lesley Murphy

As a recent guest at Four Seasons Hotel George V, Paris, I was fortunate enough to join the ranks of an exclusive group of oenophiles who have travelled the 14 metres (46 feet) below ground to tour the Hotel’s legendary wine cellar. Over candlelit French canapés and a glass of Burgundy Pinot Noir, I took in the fascinating history of the George V cellar and sampled from a choice selection of the 50,000-bottle collection of rare wines, which includes a bottle of Terrantez from 1795 and a bottle of (drinkable!) port that dates back to 1900. With a set-up this romantic and picture perfect, it’s not surprising that the cellar sees its fair share of marriage proposals. See more from my glamorous stay in the City of Light, including a tour of the Hotel’s legendary penthouse, on The Road Les Traveled.

Get pampered like a celebrity in Beverly Hills


Pretty Woman Spa experience at Spa at Beverly Wilshire, A Four Seasons Hotel

Whether you’re a movie buff or just in need of some me time, look no further than the Spa at Beverly Wilshire, A Four Seasons Hotel. This year marks the 25th anniversary of the crowd-favourite romantic comedy Pretty Woman, which was filmed at the Hotel in 1990, and there’s no time like the present to live out the fairy tale of Julia Roberts’ character. Indulge with a mani, pedi and bubbly while watching the movie in a relaxing setting, or splurge for the Hotel’s red carpet–worthy treatment: a Sculpted Beauty Wrap, Diamond Luxury Lift Facial (using infused diamond-cut quartz), and sparkling Diamond Manicure and Pedicure.

Indulge in a 24-carat gold facial in Mumbai


24-Carat Gold Anti-Aging Facial at Four Seasons Hotel Mumbai

At Four Seasons Hotel Mumbai, all that glitters is gold—notably, the Hotel’s 24-Carat Gold Anti-Aging Facial. Gold has been used in skin care and healing for centuries, and even Cleopatra found it irresistible as she embraced its anti-inflammatory properties. Utilising the ancient Indian healing art of ayurveda, therapists massage the precious metal into the skin, reducing wrinkles and leaving you radiant and ready to take on the day. While the treatment comes at a price, the long-lasting after-effects are priceless.

Arrive to your private snow hotel via helicopter in Whistler


Glamping in ice caves at Four Seasons Resort and Residences Whistler

If camping in the great outdoors armed with nothing but a tent and sleeping bag doesn’t suit your style, glamping just might. Four Seasons Resort and Residences Whistler combines outdoor adventure with luxury amenities during its Glamping experience, which begins when a helicopter takes you to the region’s largest ice field. Explore ice caves via snowmobile before being whisked away to your very own snow hotel full of creature comforts—think pre-warmed duvets, thermal spa experiences and culinary creations from Four Seasons chefs. Wake up rested and ready to ski outside the box thanks to unprecedented access to Whistler Blackcomb’s epic terrain.

Shop exclusive designer collections in New York


Behind the Seams fashion experience at Four Seasons Hotel New York

Photography courtesy Thinkstock

Calling all fashionistas: Get ready to walk the walk and talk the talk of haute couture at Four Seasons Hotel New York. Every week might as well be Fashion Week in New York City, which boasts the greatest concentration of design talent in the world. Here to help guide you through it is Kathleen Beckett, former editor at Vogue and Harper’s Bazaar, with connections at more than 200 designer studios. Venture to pre-selected studios via limousine, get the exclusive behind-the-scenes look into designers’ latest collections, and learn what’s chic on the streets and runway-ready. If you’re lucky, you might even have a design made just for you.

Fly around the world by private jet


Unforgettable vacations on the Four Seasons Private Jet

Four Seasons has found a way to elevate luxury travel to extraordinary new heights with the Four Seasons Jet and a variety of international itineraries, which take travellers to the globe’s most exotic destinations. Reserve one of the 52 seats available on a Four Seasons Private Jet Experience and you’ll enjoy the journey at 30,000 feet just as much as the destination, thanks to the Jet’s luxurious accommodations (think lie-flat beds and international inflight Wi-Fi) and personalised service from the on-board Concierge and Four Seasons chef. Get inspired to take your own around-the-world expedition by following the Jet’s next 24-day tour to nine destinations, including Bora Bora and Istanbul.

Spend a lavish week at sea in the Maldives


Diving with sharks and manta rays on Four Seasons Explorer

Stretch your sea legs aboard the Four Seasons Explorer, the destination’s most luxurious live-aboard catamaran. If you’re in the mood for adventure, embark on a seven-night group research odyssey to observe the Maldives’ most exciting residents—manta rays and whale sharks—in action. Looking for a more private escape? Charter the Explorer so that you and your nearest and dearest can spread out among its well-appointed rooms, dining room, two bars, lounge, library and sun decks, and enjoy personalised itineraries.

Experience your dream vacation in the Seychelles


Four Seasons Seychelles four-bedroom residence villa

Whether you’re looking for adventure, privacy, tranquillity or a party, you can have it all at Four Seasons Resort Seychelles. Available with your three-, four-, or five-bedroom villa, the “Residen-chelles” menu consists of four tailor-made escapes with family and friends in mind. Book the Dream Escape and learn how to surf in the private 88-foot (27-metre) pool, or opt for the Serenity Escape featuring personalised spa treatments and yoga activities. A Family Escape with the entire crew offers private BBQs, arts and crafts, salsa classes, or movie nights under the stars, while the Final Escape caters to group celebrations with spa parties, cooking classes and water volleyball. The best part: All packages are completely customisable to fully satisfy your vacation desires.

 

Winter Vacation Ideas: Go With the Snow

Wintry weather hits the reset button for nature and for us. The sight of snow blanketing the landscape wipes our mental slate clean and inspires feelings of peace and stillness. That’s what makes snow-covered places special. Visiting wintry destinations – especially during festive season, when everything sparkles just a bit brighter and time spent with friends and loved ones feels just a bit more momentous – we can marvel at nature’s beauty while bonding with family and challenging ourselves with new adventures. No matter what season it is back home, Four Seasons can help you experience the full glory of winter.

Birds sit in the water of Lake Geneva with view of French Alps in the background

Natural splendour

It’s soothing to watch snowflakes through the windowpane, but winter reserves its true majesty for those willing to venture out into it. Join Four Seasons Hotel des Bergues Geneva on a private helicopter tour around snow-blanketed Mont Blanc, the Alps’ crowning peak at 4,810 metres (15,781 feet). “You’ll feel tiny,” promises Assistant Chef Concierge Benjamin Gartner. “And you’ll see a great overview of the Alps, a huge chain of white mountains that seems to go on forever.” Guests sometimes land on the peak’s shoulder, where a winter wonderland—from the Alps to Lake Geneva—unfolds at their feet.

Geneva’s lake is indeed a beauty in winter. When la bise noire blows, residents turn up their collars and marvel at the ice sculptures created by this humid wind. On calm days, anglers like to try their hand at fishing on the lake. In winter, with one-tenth of the usual boat traffic, fish stay closer to the surface. That means it’s the ideal time to catch perch and other prizes, which Four Seasons chefs can clean and transform into delectable dishes.

Explore the beauty of Geneva

Collage of snowy mountain peaks (left) and wildlife (right) in Jackson Hole

At Four Seasons Resort and Residences Jackson Hole, guests watch wildlife with cameras in hand. Led by Jason Williams and his team of guides with Jackson Hole Wildlife Safaris, you can spot elk, wolves, bighorn sheep and moose. At the National Elk Refuge, the winter home of 11,000 elk, visitors in horse-drawn sleighs glide within 6 metres (20 feet) of the herds. After a day with wildlife, follow Resort Astronomer Ryan Hennessy back outside to stargaze. His telescope offers an awe-inspiring perspective on winter’s silent nights.

Go wild in Jackson Hole

Dog sledding in Vali

Childlike delight

Every child loves to hide out in a “fort.” Four Seasons Resort and Residences Jackson Hole caters to kids’ cocooning instincts with a full-size igloo built just for them. Children can’t resist burrowing inside to hang out on chairs made of snow. When it’s time for a snack, kids (and adults) are invited to an outdoor firepit, perfect for roasting marshmallows and stacking up s’mores.   

Find fun for all ages in Vail

Kids of all ages enjoy strapping on snowshoes and striding into the mountain wilderness around Four Seasons Resort and Residences Vail or Four Seasons Resort and Residences Whistler. A snowshoe adventure keeps everyone active and encourages up-close exploration. Another unforgettable way to get outside and play? Both resorts take families on dogsledding tours. Courtesy of an energetic team of well-cared-for huskies, you’ll be lulled by the sled’s gentle rocking while you soak in the surrounding silence. Whistler tours explore the pristine Soo Valley, and Vail excursions follow private trails through aspen and pine trees. The dogs find their bliss, too: Going for a daily run is exactly what these athletic pups crave.

Plan your adventure in Whistler

Collage of a man skiing down a slope (left) and a ski lift holding passangers (right)

Winter’s thrills

Traditional winter sports reign at Four Seasons in Vail, Whistler, Jackson Hole and Geneva, all located at or near major ski resorts. And each destination is continually working to add more memorable ways to savour the slopes in Four Seasons style.

At Four Seasons Resort and Residences Whistler, skiers and boarders refuel with slopeside gourmet meals, delivered to any on-mountain location they choose. Four Seasons Resort and Residences Vail lures adventurers with back-country skiing and snowboarding at Vail Pass: Hike to open bowls, low-angle glades and steeps that receive 400 inches of snowfall annually. Four Seasons Resort and Residences Whistler eases the commute with helicopter rides to a back-country base camp equipped with snowmobiles, snowbikes, skis and snowboards.

Don’t forget that prime ski opportunities exist beyond the best-known resort areas; Four Seasons Resort Marrakech can arrange a day at the ski resort of Oukeïmeden, elevation 2,650 metres (8,694 feet), just an hour away.

Seek out new slopes in Marrakech

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Four Seasons Hotel Bergues Geneva, Switzerland

On and Off the Slopes at Four Seasons Resorts

A great ski trip is all about choosing the right mountain, and fortunately Four Seasons options include three of the best ski destinations in North America: Jackson Hole, Vail and Whistler.

All showcase world-class skiing, but they’re also tops for off-slope activities and remain popular come summertime when the snow melts and other adventures take centre stage.

Jackson Hole, Wyoming

Bison at Jackson Hole

Aside from premier skiing, Jackson Hole also has amazing wildlife to explore. Take a wildlife tour to see some of the region’s most impressive animals, including bison, moose, eagles, elk and more.

Jackson Hole Mountain Resort, a resort with 116 named trails, is reaching its 50th birthday in the 2015-16 season. To celebrate, the mountain is making a multitude of improvements with the additions of new chair lifts and trails. Despite being known for its extreme terrain, Jackson Hole is expanding its beginner and intermediate offerings so that there’s something for all ski levels to try.

The new Teton Lift, a high-speed quad chair, serves three brand new blue trails that are perfect for less aggressive skiers, and opens up to stunning views of Grand Teton National Park. Expert skiers will welcome the addition of the new lift for another reason: It serves the Crags, an extreme area previously accessible only on foot.

Jackson is the gateway to both Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks. In the winter, explore these on “snowcoaches” (winterized buses), by snowmobile, or on guided cross-country ski excursions. The hotel’s Base Camp concierge also offers unique naturalist-led experiences including wildlife safaris in the National Parks and helicopter flightseeing trips.

Off the slopes, both experts and novices will love The Handle Bar at Four Seasons Resort and Residences Jackson Hole, Wyoming’s only Forbes Five-Star resort. The indoor/outdoor slope-side gastropub by celebrity chef Michael Mina features creative burgers, sausages and appetisers. Here, draught beer served in cowboy boot glasses and all-day Happy Hour specials make for a lively après-ski scene, and on weekends, the outside area has live music.

Vail, Colorado

Skiing at Vail

With bowls, bumps, steeps, groomers and glades, nearly 200 trails and more than 30 lifts, Vail’s diverse and expansive terrain is unequalled.

Vail is the largest single-mountain resort in Colorado, with 5,289 skiable acres (2,140 hectares). The signature Back Bowls, seven powder-filled and mostly above treeline bowls, some so large they could swallow other ski areas whole, are arguably the most impressive feature of Vail.

To make navigating this giant easy, Four Seasons Resort and Residences Vail has a Ski Concierge facility next to the state-of-the-art Gondola One, the world’s fastest 10-passenger gondola, which also boasts heated seats and Wi-Fi. Gearing up is a snap, with spacious private lockers and heated boot and glove dryers. There’s also a full-service rental shop.

The Avanti Express, an older quad and mid-mountain lift, has been replaced for this upcoming season, one of four new lifts added in the past three seasons (the first of which was Gondola One). The replacement is a high-speed 6-passenger chair that connects Vail Village and the Lionhead base areas, as well as serves the upper part of the front side of the mountain, where there are primarily blue and black trails. This also takes skiers to Waffle Way, Vail’s newest on-mountain eatery, and the first ski-in/ski-out restaurant anywhere.

After a few hours on the slopes, walk the short distance to the shops, bars and restaurants in the heart of Vail Village. Last winter Vail got its first craft distillery, 10th Mountain Whiskey & Spirit Company, where travellers can enjoy its tasting room and a gift shop near the Four Seasons Ski Concierge.

For dinner, venture back to the Hotel to have a hearty meal at Flame. This steakhouse dry-ages its beef in-house and makes its own charcuterie. To further the “from scratch” philosophy, the restaurant has both herb and mushroom gardens that supply the kitchen.

Whistler, British Columbia

Four Seasons Resort and Residences Whistler

The European-influenced Four Seasons Resort and Residences Whistler is a warm and cozy retreat in wintery Whistler. Choose from 273 luxury lodge guest rooms, hotel suites and townhouses to find the best accommodation for your trip.

Host of the 2010 Winter Olympic Games, the interconnected massive twin mountains of Whistler and Blackcomb offer the largest ski resort experience in North America. Perennially ranked number one by Ski Magazine, the mountains’ vast skiable terrain is staggering, with every type of slope and something suited to all abilities.

Whistler is one of the few resorts that also offer on-site heli-skiing, sno-cat skiing and guided backcountry touring. Skiers who want to ski the slopes early in the morning should consider Fresh Tracks, a special lift ticket that allows access to the Whistler Village Gondola an hour before normal operating hours. The purchase of the ticket also includes a mountaintop breakfast at the Roundhouse Lodge. Also worth checking out are the Nordic ski and sliding centres built for Olympic competition, with public bobsled rides, cross country trails – and one of the only places on earth to try biathlon or skeleton.

To make packing easier, the Ski Concierge at Four Seasons Resort and Residences Whistler offers the Ski Lite programme, providing everything from rental boots and skis to clothing by Prada and Spyder. The Concierge can also arrange activities including backcountry skiing, guided dogsledding and ice climbing.

As incredible as the skiing is, what really sets Whistler apart is its pedestrian village, skiing’s best – a self-contained, easily navigated and blissfully car-free town with the finest array of dining and nightlife of any mountain resort. With three golf courses by Jack Nicklaus, Robert Trent Jones Jr. and Arnold Palmer (and a fourth by Robert Cupp nearby), the village is equally compelling in warm weather, and has a year-round glacier offering rare summer skiing.

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Jackson Hole