Christmas Travel Deals, Ideas and Best Luxurious Christmas Packages Around the World

posted by @TheKatieLara | December 5, 2015 | In Features, Holiday, Travel Tips | 1 Comment

Hi my darlings! The Christmas season is upon us so I gathered up some of the best and brightest Christmas offerings from the best luxury hotels around the world. And if you haven’t already read them, check out my posts about my guide to spending Christmas in New York City and the best things to do in New York City for Christmas.

New York

I wrote a lovely article for Forbes about the best things to do in New York City this holiday and Christmas season. I cover everything from Christmas staples in New York to the best packages this holiday season!

I give the skinny on where you can grab drinks after you ice skate in Central Park, where to warm up with hot cocoa after seeing the Rock Center Christmas tree, where sip festive cocktails before you take in a performance of the New York Rockettes, and where to enjoy sparkly decorations around the city. Just click the link above to find out more. It’s quite an extensive article.

Image Courtesy of Four Seasons

Chicago

Hit up the Hotel Palomar in Chicago and enjoy a very spectacular holiday elevator. Hotel Palomar is surprising and delighting guests this season with a special holiday elevator for guests to ride! Once weekly during the month of December, one of the hotel’s elevator cars will be decked out in holiday garb and filled with music for one hour. Not only that, but Santa will be on-board greeting guests with holiday cookies as he personally escorts them to their floor. This is the hotel’s fun take on the city’s CTA holiday cars found here.

The Chicago Hotel Palomar will also be hosting a gift-wrapping station armed with assorted wrapping paper, ribbons, bows, scissors and tape for all hotel guests to use to wrap any last minute gift items. The station will be open Christmas Eve (December 24^th) from 7PM – Midnight.

There will also be holiday movies in the lobby Every Friday night at 7PM. Enjoy a holiday classic in the lobby with popcorn and hot chocolate.

Guests can also take advantage of the Santa Package. Traveling over the holidays doesn’t mean your little ones have to miss Santa this year. Hotel Palomar is providing one for you! Book our Santa Pacakge and receive:

Overnight accommodations
Cookies and milk bedtime amenity
Wrapping service for up to 5 gifts by our elf staff
Santa Delivery* of your gifts to your family between 9AM and 3PM
Available December 24, 25 and 26

Trump Chicago is going to Celebrate Thanksgiving Dinner Over the Bounty of the Seasonal Harvest. Its restaurant, Sixteen will be open for dinner beginning at 6:00 p.m., offering an inviting setting for those looking to enjoy a celebratory evening meal. The two-Michelin starred restaurant will offer the Chef’s tasting menu with special Thanksgiving holiday additions. A multi-course tasting menu for $190 and a pre-fixe menu for $130 will be offered.

Take a break from the holidays with the “Om Away From Home” room package. The path to relaxation begins with an overnight stay for two in a Spa Guestroom that includes The Spa at Trump signature bath amenities, yoga mat, strap and block, Technogym® hand weights and a heated cabinet with herbal scented eye and neck pillow. The journey continues with a US $100 spa credit towards any 90-minute treatment. Guests will also receive daily continental breakfast for two, up to two (2) exercise and fitness classes at The Spa at Trump and valet parking. Rates starting at $451 plus tax. Available for stays November 13, 2015 through January 4, 2016.

Or check out the Home for the Holidays package. This holiday season, travel to Chicago without missing a day of the yuletide spirit. Upon arrival, your room will decorated with a Christmas tree and have personalized stockings hung up by the fireplace, holiday DVDs at hand with milk & cookies waiting for you at turndown. Choose between decorating the tree with loved ones or have the tree dressed upon your arrival. Rates starting at $776 plus tax. Available for stays December 11 through December 25, 2015.

Dubai

The Four Seasons Dubai is offering a Christmas Day brunch buffet EXTRAVAGANZA featuring live music and kids’ activities. Feast on an extensive selection of imported cheeses inclusive of truffle savarin, shucked oysters, salmon terrine, sushi, carved turkey and its fixings and juicy lamb roast. Kids 0-5 eat free.

Best Christmas Packages Around the World

Photo Courtesy of Four Seasons

California

The Buchanan

Get Fashionable on Fillmore at The Buchanan in San Francisco, CA. This holiday season, the newest Kimpton hotel to hit the San Francisco scene, The Buchanan, offers an all-in-one opportunity for stylish locals and travelers to get their glam and gifting on! During a One-Night Stay at the new Pacific Heights pied-a-terre, guests will be gifted ample opportunity to explore various pampering pursuits on nearby Fillmore Street. For exclusive shopping perks, The Buchanan has partnered with famed local favorites — Elizabeth Charles, home to all manner of exclusive, indie and high-fashion designers ($50 Gift Card) and SF’s most esteemed shoe mavens at Freda Salvador (15% off all purchases). With a newly refreshed wardrobe, and a few gifts stashed away for only the luckiest of girlfriends, ladies can move-on to their makeover. Whether in preparation for a holiday party, a New Year’s Eve shindig, a hot date, a night on the town, or simply as a pampering treat during a stressful season, next up on the agenda is a Blow Out at DryBar and a Make-Up Application with product purchase (Gift Card provided) at Benefit Cosmetics. Finally, holiday cupcakes from Sift Dessert Bar will be ready and waiting in-room, to end the fashionable day on a sweet note.

“Fashionable on Fillmore” is available from November 1, 2015 through January 31, 2016 with at least 4 days’ advance notice. Rates start at $330; Rate Code PFOF. Guests will be provided with the necessary information to book appointments included in the package in advance of their visit. For more information, or to book, please go to www.thebuchananhotel.com or call 855.454.4644.

The Epiphany

A seasonal take on a most-popular amenity, at The Epiphany in Palo Alto, CA, Chef Patrick Kelly of Lure + Till has re-interpreted the famed Fresh Fridge with holiday flavors. As The Epiphany’s Fresh Fridge has been recognized with a SHAPE Healthy Travel Award 2015 and featured in such publications as Conde Nast Traveler, Bon Appetite and more – we are giving it a bit of a makeover exclusively for the holiday season! In addition to fresh, seasonal foods, both healthy and indulgent, Kelly has also included some inventive options to give as Holiday or Hostess gifts during holiday travel! Some examples of the perfect items for gifting include: Panetone with Cranberry Curd, Individually Wrapped Torrone, Porcini Risotto Kit Jarred with Recipe and Instructions, Christmas Macarons, and a Sampling of Bonbons – Cranberry, Salted Sweet Potato and Cassis. For guests to enjoy during their stay, they may find Pecan and Date Tassies, Pecan Pie Bites, Gingerbread and Amaretti Baskets, Roasted Sweet Potato Hummus with Housemade Pita Chips, Kir Royale Kits, Holiday Trailmix, and a Gourmet Thanksgiving/Christmas Leftover Box.

Housed in a colorful, midcentury-modern SMEG mini-fridge, this playful option won’t compromise the guest room experience at the design-savvy hotel, only a year old. For the all-inclusive flat fee of $95, guests can opt to purchase a Fresh Fridge during the reservation process at least five days in advance of their arrival date. Provided in-room upon arrival fully stocked (and for use during the remainder of the guest’s stay) checking-in to a hotel to find assorted fresh and healthy fare will be a welcomed retreat from the stale mini-bar items of yesteryear (though The Epiphany will still offer their upscale, thoughtful mini-bar items as an additional option). The holiday version will be exclusively available November 1, 2015 to January 15, 2016.

The Landsby

This 41-room boutique inn nestled in the heart of the Danish Village of Solvang – which TIME magazine named one of the most “Christmassy Towns in America” is often referred to as the Danish capital of America. Solvang in December is actually quite the holiday experience. The town comes together—visitors included—to observe the long-awaited Julefest, kicking off December 1 and running through January 8.

After the village’s half-timbered houses & large windmills are decorated with bright lights, the festivities get under way with a Christmas parade, tree lighting ceremony with live entertainment, holiday wine walk (2-day wine & beer tasting passport to 13+ tasting rooms), Christmas tree burn and more.

The Landsby is offering a package for those who want to relax in a sophisticated wine country setting, without missing out on holiday fun. For the month of December, the Holidays in Solvang package offers:

Two night stay (weekdays starting at $309; weekends $599 – rates include both nights)
20% off dining at Mad & Vin, the hotel’s signature restaurant
Thermos for two filled with hot chocolate to take out around town and experience the various events
Concierge will also provide a schedule & map for all guests

London

The Marylebone has partnered with Selfridges to offer its guests the opportunity to make Christmas shopping a more pleasurable experience and combine it with a stay in London’s most glamourous village over the festive season. When booking the ’Selfridges Christmas Shopping Experience – A Slice of the City’ guests will receive a £50 Selfridges gift card, complimentary gift wrap and delivery of purchases to their hotel room at The Marylebone (minimum spend £300) and Harrow and Green personalised Santa sacks. Breakfast at the hotel’s 108 Pantry is also included, to ensure they are well–fuelled before embarking on shopping for beautiful gifts and viewing the Christmas window displays at London’s favourite department store, just a 5 minute walk away.

HOW: Until 25th December 2015, you can book ‘Selfridges Christmas Shopping Experience – A Slice of the City’ online from £300 and receive £20 restaurant and bar credit to use during the stay, or call +44 20 7486 6600. 48 hours notice is required for personalization of Santa sacks.

Nevis

Paradise Beach Resort in Nevis, just opened in June, and its beach bar that will be offering some exciting winter parties. Paradise Beach Resort’s Beach Bar may be made of 2,000 recycled Heineken bottles, but this 7 villa resort is the height of exclusivity. The bar is accessed by a little leafy boardwalk leading to the beach, overgrown with 50 varieties of ripe mangos and playful vervet monkeys. A haven for celebrity castaways, this is the bar to go to where you want to avoid everyone, because everyone actually knows your name. Celebrity castaways to Nevis range from Oprah to Michael Douglas to Beyonce to Princess Diana, and all manner of well-known Robinson Crusoes’ in between. With room for 8 people at the actual bar and lush volcanic views of potentially-active Mount Nevis, revelers can relax at Nevis’ most exclusive new resort.

And for those seeking to ring 2016 in with the utmost style and privacy may host a private NYE party with family and friends in their massive 4-bedroom villa at Paradise Beach Nevis. A personal butler and personal chef in your full kitchened-villa will ensure the fridge is stocked on arrival with anything you want. The private pools at each villa guarantee the very chicest of pool parties. Parlay your champagne hangover into New Year’s Day indulgence at Sunshine’s Nevis, one of the Caribbean’s most famous beach bars, that offers a special day party. Meet Sunshine himself, a legend in his own right.

Arizona

The Four Seasons Scottsdale will be offering the Festive Family Weekend. This Festive season, stage a getaway to Four Seasons Resort Scottsdale and experience a winter wonderland in the Southwest. Book the Experience More package to enjoy a $100 credit with every two paid consecutive nights. Festive happenings will include “Cookies with Claus” on select Saturdays in December, as well as Festive Family Game Night every Friday night on Fountain Terrace. Parents can enjoy cocktails and light bites at Onyx Bar & Lounge while their children take part in organized games on the lawn. Sprinkled through the evening, a snow flurry will highlight the holiday spirit. Children also will delight in the seasonal Sundaes on Sunday at Proof, an American canteen. Festive flavors and specialty mix ins make this a ice cream social not to be missed. Talavera will highlight seasonal flavors, and the December Monthly Mashup will holiday flavors and the decadent taste of truffles.

Or enjoy Cookies with Claus! This December, create a new holiday tradition and enjoy a morning of festive fun as a family during Cookies with Claus at Four Seasons Resort Scottsdale at Troon North. Offered on three consecutive Saturdays during December – December 5, 12 and 19 – children will have the chance to roll up their sleeves to create their own custom cookie creation, while listening to holiday storytelling, writing letters to Santa and mingling with Mrs. Claus. Cookies with Claus will kick off with children making custom Mason jar cookies, adding in delectable mix ins such as candy canes, chocolate, candies and more. Their cookies will then be whisked away to be baked, while the children enjoy a hot chocolate bar with all the toppings, storytelling with Mrs. Claus and writing letters to Santa. While the children enjoy festive activities, adults can indulge in a gourmet coffee bar with seasonal flavors and complimentary snacks. Each child will receive their completed cookie creations, as well as a takeaway cookie mix upon departure to bake later for Santa and his elves to enjoy on Christmas Eve. Cookies with Claus will run from10 a.m. to 12 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 5, 12 and 19. The cost is $35 per child; children must be accompanied by an adult, and reservations are required at least 24 hours in advance.

Oregon

Hotel Monaco in Portland is decking the halls and putting a local twist on the holiday season with its “Keep Christmas Weird” package (a riff on the city’s unofficial slogan). Instead of a stocking, you’ll get a pair of PDX carpet socks; in place of coal (for the naughty), there’s charcoal soap from a local apothecary; paying homage to the Made in Oregon sign, a stuffed stag graces the bed. Plus, in true PDX fashion, a bottled craft cocktail with a flask will keep warm while you cruise Peacock Lane. Perhaps the best part though? The downtown location with tax free shopping for the taking. Welcome to Portland!

RiverPlace’s Bedtime Butler is the latest turndown program – a unique ‘surprise and delight’ turndown service for guests and for the holiday season includes for adults: boozy nightcaps (hot cocoa w/peppermint schnapps), tea, fresh towels, slippers, calming spray/oils, sleep masks and more. For the kiddos: holiday reading books (like ‘Santa’s Coming to Portland’ and ‘Polar Express’), hot chocolate, cookies, stuffed animals, mini robes (photo here – so cute!!), bubble bath, holiday DVDs, rubber ducky’s and more

The catch is – you can’t request or ‘order’ the Bedtime Butler. One will never know if/when the Bedtime Butler will pay them a visit – it’s a mystery! He/she will visit on random days with their cart of goodies for guests to choose from. Bedtime Butler runs 4-5 nights a week from approximately 6-9 p.m

Pennysylvania

Colder days are ahead but that doesn’t mean you can’t heat things up with a little ‘Flix And Chill at the Hotel Monaco in Philadelphia (one of my fave hotels) Plug in, get your stream on and relax for a night of unabashed entertainment.

Roku Streaming Stick, hooked up for your arrival and on loan for your stay, to connect to your ‘Flix account for no-judgment binge watching sessions of your favorite show (free Wifi!)
Popcorn and six pack of “chilled” local brews to satisfy your oral fixations
2 p.m. late check-out
Rate code: FLIX; to book click here
For dates of stay now through Mar. 31

Star Wars fans can take advantage of the “May The Fours Be With You” package. Leading up to the much anticipated release of the newest Star Wars flick, Kimpton Hotels in Pennsylvania – Monaco Pittsburgh, Monaco Philadelphia and Palomar Philadelphia – want the fours to be with you. No, that’s not a typo, these three boutique hotels are offering a special sale – 44% off its best available rates for a limited number of rooms – the week prior to the premiere.

Kimpton Karma Rewards Members exclusive 48-hour pre-sale starts on Dec. 14
Public sale starts Dec. 16 and closes on Dec. 20
Once the sale is live, book through the hotel’s booking engine on its homepage using rate cod: JEDI
For dates of stay Dec. 16 through Mar. 31

Massachusetts

Get that festive feeling this holiday season. Join Kimpton Hotels in Massachusetts – Hotel Marlowe in Cambridge and Nine Zero Hotel and Onyx Hotel in Downtown Boston – from mid-November through January and we’ll treat you like family (the fun ones that give you treats and don’t force you to make the bed). Snuggle up with a movie and relax. Leave the rest to them.

Feeling the spirit of giving? Bring in one toy* to be donated to Toys for Tots for the 2015 and 2016 Holiday seasons, and they’ll give you an extra treat (more than a hard candy, we promise). Choose your gift of 50% off parking, credit to our hotel’s restaurant, or live the dream and make the most of that mini bar key.

Hotel stay
Holiday sweet treat
Wintery beverage
One in-room movie credit and popcorn
50% off Parking, $20 in restaurant credit, or $20 in credit to the mini bar – our way of thanking you for helping those less fortunate during the holiday season.

*Toys must be donated in their original, unopened packaging to be distributed by Toys For Tots.

Upgrade your room with a decor package and they’ll spread the season’s joy to your hotel room. You name the holiday, colors, or theme you’d like to see, and they’ll execute. Don’t celebrate a traditional holiday this time of year? No problem. They’ll fill your room with colorful streamers and balloons if that’s what you want to see.

Have any other ideas? Let me know in the comments!

About The Author

Katie

Katie is a luxury lifestyle expert. She runs luxury lifestyle sites, KatieLara.com and Smartypanties.com. But she's not only a luxury lifestyle blogger, she's also a freelance writer for The Huffington Post, Fodor's, Forbes, Pursuitist, Just Luxe and She Knows. She's also a professional photographer and her photos often appear alongside her writing.

One Response

Gen

Love the unique ideas! Thanks!
Reply - December 6, 2015