FATTravel

Watch your chats/DMs. There are only 2 mods on this board. We do not DM you using alternate handles. It's come to my attention that there are now users pretending to be me and CupResponsible797.

If you're looking for a travel agent:

1. Use my team - shoot me a DM or email to [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected]). I've explained a few times about why I do what I do. We are an agency that prides itself on transparency and no fees. We do hand hold and are full service to the big big spenders but what we love more are just luxury hotels and working with good people. We have an arm of the business that focuses on less nutso travel - with a lower min spend as me - Alex and Abbie are both present here and over at r/chubbytravel. We also built a booking engine to VIP your hotel bookings in case you just want the perks - who doesn't like upgrades? We do have a very important rule for all clients - and that is that we don't work with jerks. If you feel like you can be a certain way because you're spending $, please use someone else.
2. If you'd like to look for someone independent, go to virtuoso.com and find someone you vibe with. Yes, we know they are a huge conglomerate but if you're an agent who has anything to do with luxury travel and you're not on here - that's a big red flag. So at a basic, find someone there and then vet and interview until you find someone you like. You want someone who enjoys the same type of travel you do. Luxury is personal.

If you're a TA, offer your advice in the main chat. If OP likes it, they can reach out. This forum is for everyone to help everyone out... not for you to fish for clients.

If you've gotten unsolicited DM, please feel free to reach out to mods. Rule stands, guaranteed upgrade offer for those who report a DM.

I've never used any meet and greet service before but this will be my first transfer flight and I wanted to make it easier. Will they meet you immediately after you get off the first plane? Also how would I got about requesting a buggy because my wife who will be accompanying me has difficulty walking long distances. I assume I can request this from them when we are met?

My wife and I just spent our honeymoon here. Before booking, I did a looooot of research on which resort to stay at, and decided between these two. Reddit was immensely helpful during that review, so I thought I'd write a review on my experiences to pay back to the next generation of folks.

Intercontinental Thalasso

• What we liked
  • The view of Mt Otemanu is supurb
  • The water is very shallow, between 4-5feet in most places. It is really nice to be able to walk deep into the beach for weak swimmers.
  • Much calmer waters to just float around
  • Access to the barrier reefs right on the other side. Seeing the chaos of the ocean hit against the barrier reefs was actually the most interesting thing of my entire Bora Bora trip IMO.
  • Snorkeling is significantly better. There is an artificial "aquarium" basically and you can snorkel with dozens of different species of fish
  • The price (it was $800 cheaper/night)
• What we disliked
  • No room upgrade despite Diamond Elite status. We originally booked through IHG with the hopes that we can get bumped. The resort was half empty at the time so I'm surprised we didn't get any upgrades
  • Much older crowd. Most people were in their 50s and many brought children their families. Very few honeymooners.

Hilton Conrad

• What we liked
  • We thought the room was better at the Conrad. This is not to say the room at Thalasso was bad in anyway. Everything was well maintained, clean, and orderly. The layout at IC is just geared more towards families than lovers.
  • Younger crowd. We had a lot of great conversations with other people in their 20's and early 30s that just got recently married. I feel like the younger crowd is on social media much more and are more willing to pay extra if it's shilled more on social media.
  • Overall Vibe was better, the resort, bikes, main building were nice to have.
• What we disliked
  • No room upgrade despite booking through Amex Fine Hotel & Resorts collection. We paid a $300 premium/night to book through Amex. It was 100% not worth it. Just book direct and save the money.
  • Deep water and strong currents. You need to be a decent swimmer to go snorkeling here.
  • The snorkeling wasn't as good. I saw maybe like 3 different types of fish vs 12+ at Thalasso. It does feel more "authentic" however because you really have to work and dive deeper in stronger currents to see them.

tl;dr - If you're on the older side, bringing kids, or aren't very good at swimming, then 100% recommend Thalasso, or any other resort on the East side (like 4Seasons). If you're honeymooning, then I think Conrad offer a better experience. After the first day at either resort you kind of run out of things to do, so we just engaged and tried to make friends with others.

Final Thoughts - Your hotel status benefits are worthless here. Just book through Costco travel agency to save money instead. I don't think we got a single perk booking direct. Also, Moorea was actually cooler than Bora Bora IMO. We also spent 3 days there and there's more things to do in Moorea

We’re heading to Italy beginning of July and planning very last minute a much needed getaway for my husband and I without our baby

What do you all think about the following:

2 nights in Borgo San Felice ($1500/night) 2 nights in Reschio ($2500/night) 3 nights in Mezzatorre in Ischia ($2000/night)

Prices seem much more inflated than a few years ago, so I can’t tell if these hotels are nice enough for the price - happy to pay for amazing places but I hate feeling screwed so would love your thoughts!

My wife and I will be staying at Le Sirenuse for a few nights towards the end of September.

Besides 5x points Amex offers, are there are notable benefits with booking via Amextravel vs directly with the hotel?

Cost per night seems essentially the same and both offer free breakfast. Amex travel says early check-in & late check-out plus free upgrades, but always includes the when available disclaimer. Even if late check out is guaranteed, it's not a priority as we'll be departing early anyway.

Curious to know if anyone has noteworthy experiences or feedback on the topic. Thanks in advance for your time!

Looking for the above in Mykonos. Me and the girlfriend arrive 11th August and would ideally want a day on a yacht anytime during the week we are there. Happy to share with other like minded people if you’re also looking. Feel free to post recommendations or shoot me a DM

Cost isn’t super important, this trip has already gotten massively out of control haha.

Husband is a huge car nerd and it would be great to get him out on the Nurburgring. Ideally something where he’s both driven and is able to drive himself.

Any recs? BIL and FIL are coming as well and I’m sure they’d be interested in something ridiculous as well.

Hey guys,

I’ve noticed that if you need to crowdsource brainpower, there’s no better place than Reddit so thought I’d give this a shot.

Basically, I’m doing a safari in Tanzania with my partner from the 19th of July to the 26th (one Singita lodge the whole time) and want to ask about logistics of getting there.

I have a strong preference of using Emirates (we’re celebrating and I want us to have a proper F experience), but that unfortunately lands you in Dar Es Salaam, from which the Singita lodges are not directly accessible, it seems! How would you go about setting this up? I’m open to all options but would prefer to avoid spending 20k just on chartering flights domestically.

My latest thinking right now is to, on the way in, either a) spend the night in Dar and try to take an early morning flight to Kilimanjaro, before taking the safari plane to Sasakwa, or b) take a domestic flight immediately after landing in Dar to Kilimanjaro and spending the night there. On the way out, I’d likely have to do the same thing all over again, spending the night either in Kilimanjaro or Dar.

I’d obviously like to minimize non-safari nights as 2 nights in Dar / Kilimanjaro seems like a waste. I’d also obviously like to minimize the number of domestic trips. Open to any solutions (including flying into Nairobi instead on Emirates). Would love to hear your thoughts / advice. Thanks in advance!

We just had a wonderful 23rd anniversary at Etéreo, and I highly recommend it; some highlights:

• Room upgrade courtesy of u/sarahwlee was fantastic. Amazing view, beautiful space, tons of light.
• Flowers in the room
• Best food we've had at a hotel in Mexico; nothing disappointing of any kind
• Pool staff that anticipated our orders and had drinks ready without ever asking (after the first day)
• The place has 75 rooms, total, at half capacity: we basically had the pool to ourselves for most of each day, and the beach was completely empty.
• Generous drinks, and some anniversary comps by the waiters, managers, and others we interacted with.
• The place is just quiet. It's fantastic.
• Service was 100% "yes, we can do that." Not once did we get a "no", or a "not my job," for anything.

Really, really recommend.

First time message in here so any advice is appreciated!! I (34 M) am headed to Maui to visit my brother and family start of next week. My initial intention was to stay for a week and head back home to Florida -fairly standard, straight forward trip. I decided this morning I'm going to take the entire month of June off and pretty much circumnavigate the globe and just keep heading west after Hawaii for a final stop in NYC for a concert on the 20th before heading back to Florida. I'm coming out of a long term relationship and just going to go for it solo....my plan is Tokyo after Hawaii, then most likely Vietnam/Thailand, then Dubai, then Europe. (rough draft). My aim is about 2-3 days stay in each country and continue on to the next. I work in business aviation so can more than likely hop on empty jets in and out of EU so this will help contribute to the randomness. I have a pretty healthy budget, nothing too extreme but it's there. Has anyone done this before, do you have any advice, any countries that are a must visit, any thing I may be overlooking etc?

Hello! My husband and I are planning to do a kids tree trip to Japan this fall. We are late to the game, so options feel a tad limited. We are looking at staying at below hotels, but are a tad worried we will not enjoy the vibe?

Tokyo - Aman, Kyoto - Four Seasons, Amanemu, Tokyo - Four Seasons Otemachi

For example, we stayed at a FS in London that felt very business focused, which we disliked.

And when we stayed at the FS George V, we didn’t appreciate the dress to the nines culture. Maybe it’s because we were there during fashion week? But I felt like since we weren’t dripping in labels, we didn’t get as attentive of service…. Or maybe thats just France? But we were NOT George V people.

So thoughts on the above? We are early 40’s. Like quiet luxury. Art, food, music & design focused.

Is anyone still looking for festive? Will be cxl’ing in case anyone is still looking. Ideally for a family with larger kids as the two units are more standalone. Master in one and then a living room with two beds in another.

$5535/night. All the usual suspects are already sold out in the Arsenal area.

Hey,

We have our jet, we have our villa, we have a concierge, and most of our dinner/club reservations. I have a few questions:

• Does anyone have a rec for a driver? We need someone available 24/7, preferably not with an '06 Viano
• Were considering getting a nurse (maybe stay in or on demand) with liquid IVs, anyone have any recommendations there?
• Is a day boat trip worth it, and if yes, does anyone have a recommendation for a yacht day charter that ideally is flexible (something 100ft+)?
• Is there a restaurant similar to Lio that’s not Lio (we already have a reservation there)?
• Is Nammos the best beach club? Would you recommend clubs other than Moni?
• Overall, do you have any recommendations for things to do during the day? Rest of the group are Mykonos veterans so probably not sightseeing

Sorry, absolute Mykonos beginner here

We accidentally double booked our dinner plans!

Will be in Rome for a wedding in a few weeks so wife and I decided to do our honeymoon right after (we couldnt do it last year when we got married).

I’ve been to Italy many times, I have lots of friends in Rome, been to Naples, Capri, Sardegna several times so I’m an expert on those places.

For our honeymoon though, I figured we’d try something new. Money isnt a huge issue — we’re well off so dont have to travel on a budget.

We have 2 weeks. We are thinking 3/4 days rustic Tuscany, and then a week in Porto Ercoli, and then finish it up with 2/3 days back in Rome before we fly home.

Questions: 1. Where should we go for the rustic tuscany part? We want to eat well, drink wine, and rent a car and go exploring.

1. Where should we stay in Porto Ercoli? We want to be in luxury, do nothing, sit by the sea, eat well, be pampered etc.

2. Any other places you’d recommend? We don’t want to do anything touristy. Needs to be fun, unique, and relaxing.

Appreciate the tips and input.

Hello! I have a lot of work travel to London and Luxembourg coming up and am looking for some new ideas for long weekends at luxury boutique hotels.

Looking for destinations within a 3-4 hour flight of London (or Luxembourg), with a short drive to destination (1 hour- ish).

I love a modern boutique hotel with good food on property, pool and/or outdoor space and spa. I love feeling like I’m at a rich person’s home for the weekend, not at a big hotel, but still with good service.

Have loved Hotel Esencia, Kasbah Tamadot, Son Bunyola and Can Ferrerreta.

Other hotels I’ve loved aesthetically are Casa San Agustin, Rosewood Vienna, Rosewood Madrid but would like a pool or outdoor space.

Ideally spending max 1-2k a night.

Thanks in advance!

Hey all, my wife and I are expecting our 2nd in January and we're looking for a place to go in August-September time frame for a few days. We just came from Japan and loved everything about it, including the food. We stayed at Aman Tokyo and a couple of ryokans in some more remote places.

Looking for a hotel/resort experience from $500-2k a night with amazing food.

We went to Blackberry Farm last year and absolutely loved everything about it, especially the views, weather, and food. We'd love to do BB Mountain sometime but at that part of the pregnancy I doubt she'd be as active as she wanted, so we'll do that another time.

Another place we loved was Turks and Caicos in January a few years ago - we stayed at Parrot Cay and the food and vibe were both great.

We love vegetables and farm-to-table in general, but open to ideas!

Hello! At the very beginning stages of planning a Japan getaway for next year. This has been a dream trip and we are finally going to follow through with it! We are looking to be there for ~2 weeks. Just my spouse and I, no kids, and we are in our 30's. We have traveled quite a bit but never in Asia. Some recent hilights: Monaco Grand Prix, relaxing off-the-beaten-path Lake Como resort, Chilean skiing wine-tasting and hiking + exploring Santiago, Costa Rica hiking and beach.

Main questions we have (though we probably don't know what we don't know):

Time of year - We are open between mid-may through early august. Seems like earlier is better than later?

What parts of the country did you visit and what was your favorite?

Did you stay anywhere amazing?

What activities and sightseeing are overrated vs worth doing? Some examples we may be interested in: going to a baseball or volleyball game, Ghibli park, visiting shrines and temples, Mt Fuji, visiting some onsens, etc

Any restaurants or bars that you loved?

Do you have a travel agent you love who helped you plan your trip?

Thanks for reading and I look forward to hearing about your travels!

TL;DR  One of the best trips and properties I have ever experienced on every level.  There is often mention on here of resorts or properties that are worth a trip unto themselves.  Tswalu is one of those magical places.  It takes a lot to impress me—just trust me and go.  Currently there is a ‘book 6 nights pay 5’ promo that includes flights.  

***Edited to add link to room video at the end of the post as well as highlight reels for more footage.

A little about me:   I am a TA on u/sarahwlee’s team.   I am Africa obsessed and go at least once a year.  Having just returned from a three week trip in South Africa and Mozambique with my incredible executive assistant (who is born and bred in Durban SA)  I thought I would drop some trip reviews over the next weeks as there are always a lot of Africa questions on here.  

Location

Nestled in the southern most edge of the Kalahari Desert in the Northern Cape of South Africa and a short semi private hour and half flight from Johannesburg —lies Tswalu.

This reserve is 282,00 acres— making it South Africas largest privately owned game reserve.

There are three camps in Tswalu- Loapi Tented Camp, The Motse Camp and Tarkuni Homestead. 

For this particular trip we decided on The Motse.

Motse has 9 suites and accommodates 18 guests- 6 of the suites are for two guests and then there are three suites which accommodate families of 4. So two bedrooms linked by a living room.

The lodge is absolutely stunning, a perfect retreat for those seeking solace in nature without compromising on comfort. 

There is a watering hole situated in-front of the main guest area which being in the desert attracts a lot of wildlife. From antelope to birds to wild dogs, on our very first morning there was a flurry of activity at the watering hole as the wild dogs decided to pay us a visit and hung around for a good few hours. 

Tswalu is home to many animals including 4 of the big 5 (or 6 of the big 7). Only missing Elephants. Do not ONLY come here if you want to check off the big 5. That being said-- it is not to be missed and you will see SO much more.

Suites

The suites are luxurious and natural. The organic materials and nature-inspired tones complement and provide sanctuary from the rugged beauty of the desert. The rooms are spacious and elegantly appointed- each suite has ensuite bathrooms with indoor and outdoor showers and freestanding bathtubs. There is a sitting area with a fire place (bush TV!), a study and a private veranda with a large day bed allowing you to be immersed in the sights and sounds of the African bush from the comfort of your private haven. 

Most days we ate lunch on our veranda with our favorite bottle of South African Sauvignon Blanc (Iona) which they had well stocked for us ahead of time. The suite is also equipped with a stunning cupboard which opens up into the minibar which is fully stocked with all of your favorite things. The attention to detail in our room was truly exceptional- there was a map of Tswalu on the roof of our canopy bed.. I mean!!!!!! It is the perfect blend of luxury and authenticity.

Amenities + Entertainment

The camp’s communal area has a generous amount of space for relaxing and perusing:  swimming in one of the two pools, a fire pit, a library, a wine cellar, the boma , a shop, a photography workshop and a spa and gym. But of course our adventures extended far beyond the confines of the lodge. The highlight of the trip was undoubtedly our encounter with a pack of 15 wild dogs whilst on the hunt. At Tswalu you can tailor make your day because you are guaranteed your own vehicle with your own  tracker and guide. 

Unlike other reserves there are no other camps or safari vehicles here therefore you have unlimited time at sightings and don’t have to share with anyone else.  This also means you can go out into the bush at any time of the day or you can spend the entire day out if thats what you'd prefer.

One unique activity to Tswalu is the horseback riding experience. For adventure enthusiasts like us, the opportunity to explore the Kalahari on horseback was a dream come true. We combined this experience with the Malori- which is a luxury tented sleep out in the bush. We had a private chef and were served dinner under a star studded-sky. This entire experience was honestly the epitome of magic.   We woke up the next day to an incredible breakfast and then began our walk with the meerkats…. it doesn’t get better than this. 

These are just some of our experiences at Tswalu —but they truly do offer so much more.  You can hang out with the researchers to see the pangolins or get involved with some of their conservation projects.  The options are endless.  Tswalu is one of the best places to see the ‘elusive five'- Brown hyena, aardvark aardwolf, bat-eared fox and ground pangolin. What can't you do at Tswalu? You quite simply are just going to have to go to find out!

Tswalu is extremely child friendly with no age requirements (as in you can even put in a carseat on the game drive vehicle) .  Malaria is not present making it a perfect spot for the whole family.   Children 12 and under are free.

Dining

The food at the lodge was fresh and nothing short of outstanding, the menu changed for lunch and dinner everyday.  I was relieved they didn’t change the breakfast menu as I have found my new favorite breakfast- poached egg with spinach, friend chickpeas and chickpea falafel! YUM- it’s a must! 

Every meal is an absolute treat and not at all too much, the perfect portions and there are options for you to splurge or be as healthy as you like!

Speaking of dining, no words can do justice to the culinary marvels crafted at the restaurant Klein Jan. With the chef’s Michelin-starred pedigree, every meal was a gastronomic journey; a symphony of flavors that danced on our palates. Each dish was a masterpiece, lovingly prepared using the freshest ingredients sourced from Tswalu's own organic gardens.

The restaurant itself— is as they say— a culinary safari.  It’s interactive as you move, quite literally from one part of the restaurant to another as you move from course to course. Starting in a farmhouse built in 1918 to ending your safari at the bottom of a converted water silo there are surprises course after course!

Service

Amidst these adventures, the impeccable service at Tswalu never faltered. The staff anticipated our every need with warmth and professionalism, ensuring that our stay was as seamless as it was luxurious.

Our guide and tracker were some of my favorite people I’ve ever had the pleasure of meeting, they knew what all our favorite drinks and snacks were, knew all the activities that we wanted to do during our stay and had come up with an itinerary so that we could fit everything in. They were honestly unbelievable and having been on safari quite a lot I can say, I’ve never had a tracker and guide take such precious care of the memories we wanted to make or really take the time to devise a way we could make the absolute most out of our stay.   When booking with us I will make sure you get the same guide and tracker we had — they are simply the best.

Inclusions/Exclusions

Rates include:

• • Private game viewing vehicle with a dedicated guide and tracker per booking
• • Night drives
• • Nature walks, including traditional plant use interpretation
• • Meerkats experience
• • Horse riding
• • Bird watching
• • Some of the oldest bushman rock engravings in Africa
• • A visit to our community clinic and pre-school
• • A visit and/or introduction to The Tswalu Foundation research projects
• • Involvement in wildlife project work on property, when available
• • Luxury full board accommodation
• • All meals including a variety of dining experiences from boma dinners to bush picnics
• • Dinner at Klein JAN restaurant based on a minimum of a 2-night stay (children over 12 years welcome / child minding arranged for younger children)
• • All beverages and full selection from our award-winning wine-list
• • In-suite tea and coffee making facilities
• • In-suite private bar and gourmet pantry
• • Laundry and valet services
• • Wireless internet access and national telephone calls
• • Child minding services

Rates exclude:

• • Travel to and from Tswalu
• • Gift shop purchases
• • Malori star bed experience
• • Spa treatments
• • Tswalu Foundation donations

All in all Tswalu was one of my favorite stays anywhere on the planet that I have ever had.  

They have several deals going right now (stay 4 pay 3, stay 5 pay 4, stay 7 pay 5, and also a stay 6 pay 5 (this one includes flights and you split your time between 3 nights at Motse and 3 nights Loapi)  

Let me know if you have any questions! 

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https://www.instagram.com/p/C7UmNapPsZM/

https://www.instagram.com/stories/highlights/17882114564999924/

Sharing my thoughts from a trip earlier in the year.

Silky Oaks, Daintree

• The resort is on verdant and extensive grounds with lovely private trails to explore. It’s far enough from Cairns to feel secluded yet well connected to everything we wanted to see in the Daintree region.

• We stayed in a Treehouse that nailed the luxury jungle retreat vibe. The highlight was the romantic deck with a large outdoor stone bathtub. Top notch service overall.

• The food was incredible. I’m a picky vegetarian so I don’t have high hopes for resorts that offer inclusive set menus. But the food here was flavourful, gourmet and inventive. Cocktails were impeccable too.

• The Daintree landscape is stunning: rainforests on the fringes of pristine white sand beaches.

• The resort offers some unique private excursions. We took a solar-powered boat tour and sighted saltwater crocs with an impassioned guide. And we visited an acclaimed Aboriginal artist’s gorgeous gallery for a painting lesson in the indigenous art style.

• Even in autumn, it was very humid. The scenic waterholes we jumped into during our trail walks were a refreshing antidote to the heat though!

• I couldn’t get a resort spa appointment as it was full. So book ahead if you want one.

Lizard Island, Great Barrier Reef

• The private terminal and sea plane transfer were flawless + it was a very scenic flight

• The resort is on a private island in the middle of Great Barrier Reef. We were far from the crowds and had exclusive access to incredible scuba and snorkel sites.

• We did an all day private boat tour that took us to diving sites in the outer reef. And we snorkelled with turtles and giant clams in the resort’s house reefs.

• The island is huge and diverse. In 2 hours, we walked from picture perfect beaches where we sighted reef sharks to a cliff where we witnessed a painterly sunset to a sweet water swamp swarming with bats!

• The dining here is inclusive set menus similar to Silky Oaks. Great food and decent drinks, but a notch below Silky IMO.

• The rooms are large, comfortable and well appointed but honestly a bit spartan and simple, especially the bathrooms. Casual/ minimal chic, I suppose. 🤷🏽‍♀️

• There is a fun bar that is open to visiting yachts and it had a more vibrantly sociable, almost dive-y atmosphere.

• All in all it was 100% worth it for the incredible landscape and the feeling of paradiscal seclusion!

• The spa was small but I enjoyed my massage.

• One of the unique features of the island is the research station owned by the Australian Museum - so fascinating and they offer a great tour led by scientists.

• It was perfectly suited for 4 days of leisurely independent exploring (kakaying, hiking, snorkelling) combined with guided dive tours. We don’t fish but it’s supposed to be fab for this too.

Capella, Sydney

• Good rooms, spa and decor but very middling food offerings (from my plant-based perspective)

• In Sydney, the veggie tasting menus at Quay and Yellow were both delish though

My first visit to Aus and I can’t wait to be back! I would love to know your favs in the country.

I have my eye on these in particular and would appreciate any feedback: • Saffire and Pumphouse Point in Tasmania • Southern Ocean Lodge • El Questro Homestead or Bullo River Station or Bamurru Plains in the North • A Kimberely cruise

I’m struggling to decide spending 1 week in Corsica or Montenegro for one week this August.

List of reasons why I can’t decide:

1.I’ve been to Sicily and Sardinia (Costa Smeralda and Maddalena archipelago). 2. Went to Seychelles last year (seen ppl compare Corsica beaches to Seychelles). 3. Going Ascona and Lugano in June/July. 4. Live in Switzerland, so whilst I love mountains and hiking it wouldn’t be my top priority for this holiday. 5. Never been to Balkans before. 6. Prefer not to drive/ drive as little as possible.

For Montenegro I’m deciding between One&Only and/or The Chedi. For Corsica I haven’t looked much at hotels yet as I’m confused which area to even stay in, but maybe Porto Vecchio?

Not really interested in SOF as we done that before. But open for other recommendations in Europe, just prefer somewhere that isn’t crowded and has warm sea temperatures.

I know a lot of you guys have been waiting for this one.
This is the announcement received from FS:

**

A brand first, Preferred Partner agencies will receive exclusive first access to book our new Four Seasons Resort Mallorca at Formentor.

Advance reservations access for Preferred Partners will be available for a limited time from Tuesday, May 28 to Thursday, May 30 through the Preferred Partner website, GDS and Worldwide Reservations for stays from late August onwards.

On the soulful Spanish island of Mallorca, invite your guests to be among the first to experience our new Mediterranean escape, set in a vast private playground with enchanting sea views. Opened in 1929, this inspiring retreat has now been reborn with glamorous chic. Discover spacious guest rooms and suites with floor-to-ceiling window walls, along with four restaurants and bars, pools and recreation. Unwind on the golden beach and connect to nature with hiking, biking and boating.

We anticipate that signature and specialty suites for the inaugural summer period will sell out quickly and want to ensure priority access for your guests.

Introduce clients to this dream Mediterranean escape before anyone else.

Reservations open for Preferred Partners on Tuesday, May 28.

**

They will go live on our booking engine the same as when they open it for preferred partner bookings. I know this is high on everyone's anticipation list.

Also, side bar - 2nd set of FS yacht itineraries are coming out later today too.

Curious if anyone defaults to a certain hotel brand (FS, RW, MO, O&O, etc) when looking for resort options. Do you tend to book sight unseen with your preferred brand because you know you're getting a certain level of luxury or do you shop around?

If you are particularly loyal to one brand or another, what about that chain makes you loyal and choosing it all over the world?

Personally, I've been defaulting to Rosewoods lately as the resorts tend to be more updated (from photos) and hip, as well as boasting some more personal touches (I don't always see those, though).

I love sharing things. This is I guess how I ended up here :)

In the middle of my spin class at Four Seasons Westlake, I decided I wanted to bring you guys all back to share the retreat with me but in two ways. 1) I had a lot of fun meeting everyone at the Naviva get together so would love any iteration of that but also 2) I've been getting a lot of questions from either lurkers or clients in how do I (or my +1) get into the travel industry?

So let's do either or both at Four Seasons Westlake - sprinkled in with some health and wellness stuff (any maybe some burgers and cheese balls).

This is what I envision. A fun get together of r/fattravel. Everyone gets to pick their sessions. If you want nothing to do with how to get into travel, you can just pick the other more normal retreat sessions offered.

If you do, you'll get to have me give you a window into how the travel industry works. I'll give you guys space to be able to ask me anything about the industry. I can also spend 1-1 time with you to help you come to a conclusion about how serious you want to be, where you should start, who you should start with and to give you the introductions and the contacts for who you might need to know or talk further with.

And then we will just spend a fun weekend chatting health and wellness, fun travels, and meet more fellow fattravelers. The dates are July 18 - 21. I have the whole retreat blocked out for us. Rates start $3900 single occupancy or $6945 double occupancy - upgrades expected ;)

Also - no need to dox yourself here. Feel free to ask questions below but to secure a spot, just email us directly with interest and I'll connect you with the FS team to finalize. Looking forward to meeting you guys! Currently trying to see if they can just make it a code for us too.

Just spent the last weekend at the Four Seasons in Westlake (California) in a psuedo Center for Health & Wellbeing retreat. I say psuedo since they changed some items vs a normal set retreat, such as a normal retreat hiking twice while we did it once... but for the most part, it was pretty similar. I also jam packed my itinerary which you can also do - but extra items do come at an extra cost.

I came to this property a few years ago. It was "fine" - really popular during the pandemic. I only went to see a doc nearby but wouldn't go across the country for it. Felt it was a good weekend getaway for those in CA. It priced well since it was Malibu but inland. The spa has always been known as the largest Four Seasons Spa at 40,000 sq ft. The therapists were all excellent since most have been there since opening. Food was surprisingly good for being suburban. I knew it had a wellness retreat but it was priced around 10K for a long weekend. It seemed intriguing since I knew people who went from being very round to having a 6 pack after it... but it wasn't 10K intriguing enough for me so it stayed on my list of something maybe to do when I was bored.

Fast forward a few years and their old doc retired (in very good health - fitting since he ran their longevity clinic) and they are now partnered with CURE out of Malibu. They spent 20mm on an outdoor pool area. They also lowered their retreat cost to $3900. This includes overnight accommodations, all meals and snacks and non-alcoholic beverages, one 60 min spa treatment, one body composition analyis, daily group workshops and workouts, guided hikes (where they even clean your shoes at the end), wellness kitchen cooking class and cookbook, and more one on one private consults / services depending on which focus you want to do.

To put it into perspective, a retreat date for July 18 - 21 2024 at $3900. Three nights in a room is $783 x 3 = $2349. So you add in all your F&B and activities... it really is a pretty good value proposition. Why is it priced that way? They realized the old pricing was pretty unaccessible and they'd rather people come over and over to it.

I'll give my usual snippet thoughts below, but please feel free to ask any questions. And as usual, what's in it for you guys for being part of r/fattravel? The tip that the 7th floor has extra high ceilings. And my clients will always be first on the list to get placed there. I'll have chef Jesus Medina send you a plate of my favorite bread as well, their pan de bono.