“Good morning”, says hologram Lewis Hamilton from the corner of my £20,000 per night London hotel suite as a butler rolls in with Burford Brown eggs on sourdough before a helicopter ride to Silverstone for the British Grand Prix.
No, not really – but this might only be a slight exaggeration for travellers on London’s luxury scene prepared to splash some serious cash.
With everything possible, from the outrageous to the unimaginable, the British capital has no shortage of riches for those looking to splurge.
“The world is your oyster if the price is right,” says Hope Dowlen, co-founder of concierge company 48 London.
An expert in the endless possibilities that come with emptying your purse, Dowlen says that the things that “sound mad” are the things they make happen for high-spend travellers staying in the city.
Be it hosting the influx of Wimbledon-bound tourists during July’s socialite season with Centre Court access and lessons from ex-tennis professionals, or rolling out the Easter bunny for an immersive egg hunt in Hyde Park, concierge services are on hand for the most bespoke of breaks.
Dowlen says that bar transport, accommodation melts the most money of the industry’s affluent clients. Top suites at iconic London hotels – namely first-class favourite Claridge’s, The Dorchester and The Connaught – are often booked out with space to spare for staff.
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Thankfully, if travellers get sick of the hustle and bustle of the Harrods periphery, there’s always a £15,000 helicopter ride to the Cotswolds on hand to mix things up.
Drawn in by the image of British tradition, British history and British architecture, travellers from far and wide will take off for the UK this year with royal agendas in mind.
Anthony Lassman, founder and CEO of Nota Bene Global, manufactures these indulgent itineraries for some of the world’s most affluent travellers.
Although eye-watering to the average tourist, Lassman’s hypothetical but painfully plausible itinerary proves just how easy it is to drop £100,000 over two nights in the capital.
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Friday afternoon
High-spend travellers can start by checking into a suite at Claridge’s for a cool £21,000 a night. A favourite of Lassman’s with “lovely light and views”, newly appointed upper-floor suites are the epitome of elegance, complete with intimate dining spaces, terraces and a personal butler.
It would be understandable to not leave the confines of a Claridge’s hotel room-cum-private palace, but with money to spare it’s the galleries of Mayfair, where a Friday afternoon is best whiled away by the uber-rich. Peruse the walls of creative giants David Zwirner, Thaddeus Ropac, Gagosian, Pace, Almine Rech and Spruth & Magers to secure your next collector's piece.
If that hasn’t burnt an art-shaped hole in your pocket, a pot of tea and auction viewing break at Sotheby’s followed by shopping in the big-hitting storefronts of Bond Street, a visit to the Royal Academy and a stroll down the Burlington Arcade should lighten the load.
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Back in the comfort of Claridge’s, a swim and a £250 massage in the impressive spa should prime travellers for aperitivo at sister hotel The Connaught’s “The Red Room” – Nota Bene’s favourite hotel bar in Mayfair.
It’s then onto “supper”. Make it light at The Connaught’s Jean-Georges for French-meets-British-meets-Asian fare or try traditional Italian Il Gattopardo as a prelude to an evening performance at a symbol of extravagance, The Royal Opera House in Covent Garden.
Saturday
See in Saturday at Hyde Park’s Serpentine Galleries, before a stroll down Portobello Road to embrace the “Notting Hill vibe” with lunch at Wild, a Mediterranean kitchen on Westbourne Grove.
Forgo the Tube for a leisurely drive around the white stuccos of Kensington and Holland Park before another shopping session on Sloane Street and some R&R back in the hotel suite.
Cars, says Dowlen, can slice off a significant chunk of the budget. Have a penchant for Ferraris or a James Bond complex? A vintage Aston Martin could be all yours for the day.
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This evening’s entertainment includes a theatre show at The Old Vic, one of the main theatres around Shaftesbury Avenue.
Post-performance, it’s supper at Mayfair’s Arlington, where a 2013 bottle of Harlan Estate red wine will set you back £2,200.
Sunday morning
Leave Claridge’s leisurely with a morning platter of pastries before boarding a boat at Westminster pier. According to Lassman, an exclusive cruise to see all of London’s highlights, stopping to browse the exhibitions at the Tate Modern with a multi-course lunch, champagne and crew at your service is a first-rate way to spend that final £20,000 weighing you down.
Thus concludes a blow out London weekend for a cost of around £100,000 – a little less than the average first-time buyer deposit for a property in the capital (£108,848) – in just two days.
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