How to Enjoy an Adventure: Living In the Lap of Luxury

When you ask someone what they’d like to do if money was no object, one of the most popular answers is inevitably to travel. There’s wanderlust in almost every one of us. Something about the prospect of going somewhere —preferably somewhere exotic— makes us feel alive, vibrant, and even adventurous. There’s almost nothing that beats that feeling of anticipation once you’ve booked an incredible trip, with luxurious accommodations and the countdown to departure begins. Clothes, books, gadgets and everything needed to make the most of a trip are carefully selected, the perfect luggage is picked and then it’s a matter of killing the hours until it’s time to leave the working world behind. Snow, smog, traffic, meetings, crowds, subways —whatever it is that grates your nerves is soon going to be history. You’re off somewhere better: Greece, France, St. Barth, Mustique, St. Martin, Turks Cacos, Antigua, Casa De Campo, Jamaica or maybe Anguilla. You put up with the taxi to the airport, wondering how they can get away with calling this vehicle a “limo.” You endure the endless lineups, delays and jostling for position, the bad coffee in the airport lounge and then finally settle in to your seat in first class. Glass of champagne in one hand, a good book on your iPad in the other, things are looking up. A few hours later, you go through it all again, but you don’t mind so much this time. You’re there! You can smell the ocean. Once more, you find yourself in a taxi, but when this one drops you off outside the “luxury villa” you rented, you immediately sense something is wrong. A quick conversation with the driver confirms you have the right address. There’s nothing for it, but to lug your bags inside and make some calls. What’s wrong? First of all, the luxury villa is not on the beach as suggested in the advertisement. A carefully planned camera angle used in the promotional shots eliminated the busy four lane road that separates the complex from the beach. A public beach at that, not the private beach you’d expected. A glimpse out the bedroom window (it didn’t look so small in the photos) reveals the pool is packed with what appear to be students. You can hear them screaming from your villa. The bathroom lacks the whirlpool tub that featured in the brochures; the TV is a tiny and ancient CRT that isn’t hooked up to cable and lacks an HDMI port so you can’t even plug your iPad in. You find the telephone, fish out the business card from the agent who rented you this place and call. You want an immediate upgrade to a more suitable property and the refund of the reservation fee you paid to hold this place. You get voicemail. Don’t let this happen to you. When you get the travel bug and it’s time to go somewhere exotic, historic or just plain interesting, and you demand world class accommodations as part of that experience, booking yourself through a discount site or dealing with a regular travel agent won’t cut it. If you want a cheap flight, hotel and passes to Disney world, that’s the route to go. For a vacation property so fantastic that it becomes the focal point of your trip, deal with a specialist. Here are a few pointers you should take into account when choosing a vacation rental specialist: * For maximum privacy and luxury, look to villas rather than a hotel. * The best companies offer the services of a personal executive travel assistant —someone who is experienced, knows what’s available and can personally help you make the best choices. * Don’t pay reservation fees. * Choose a company that hand picks their rental properties and verifies they live up to expectations. * You don’t have to find an office. There are online luxury rental services that offer all of the above, along with the best rates, social media feeds and blogs where you can read about some of the most exclusive and captivating destinations in the world. When you work with a leader in luxury vacation rentals, you can count on your trip being the experience of a lifetime, every time. The special touches like indoor and outdoor dining areas, private balconies or patios overlooking the ocean, flatscreen TVs with satellite hookups, twice daily housecleaning services, VIP airport transfers and even the option of a private butler let you soak in everything your destination has to offer, while living in the lap of luxury.