The Ultimate Gift Guide: Exclusive objects, trips and experiences for this holiday season and beyond

jumeirah maldives

To facilitate your Ultimate Gift Guide purchases, please contact us at [email protected]. Robb Report Singapore may receive a portion of the proceeds

A bird’s-eye view of Jumeirah Maldives. Photo by Jumeirah Maldives

1. Private island buyout in the Maldives

The Dubai-based hotel group Jumeirah is synonymous with over-the-top luxury. The soaring Burj Al Arab, which reigned as the tallest hotel in the world for several years after it debuted in 1999, is a Jumeirah project. And while the company has operated hotels in the Maldives before, those past properties have been jettisoned in order to put the focus solely on its sumptuous Jumeirah Maldives Olhahali Island, which opened two years ago.

The resort, which is at the northern end of North Male atoll, is a refreshing change from the thatched-roof vernacular that dominates the design of luxe resorts here. It’s more Miami Beach deco than Maldives foliage, all sleek white walls and minimalist fixtures.

There are private rooftops that are perfect for stargazing and personal pools at every villa, plus an Ayurvedic-focused overwater spa and a beachfront tennis court.

The wide range of villas are located along the shore and above the ocean, but the standout is the three-bedroom Beach Retreat triplex, which has its own gym, private beach and full-sized pool. The hotel offers a complete menu of activities from outdoor movie screenings to classes that help you learn some of the local language, Dhivehi.

For the first time, and only for Robb Report, Jumeirah is offering a full-island buyout, allowing one reader and up to 159 friends to take over the entire 67-villa property and turn it into a private tropical playground for three nights.

This exclusive package includes marine airport on the transfers from Male resort’s speedboat, a private fireworks show and gala dinner, and a sundowner party accompanied by a live band.

US$2.2 million

Jumeirah Maldives

Robb Report’s readers have the chance to buy one of Philip Culazzo’s 20 inaugural barrels. Photo by Pakin Songmor/Getty Images

2. A barrel of the first rum distilled in Monaco

For six years, Philip Culazzo has been quietly producing small-batch spirits from his tiny workshop at La Distillerie de Monaco, the first and only distillery in the principality. The homegrown gins and liqueurs are at the ready for the superyacht set idling in nearby Port Hercules.

In 2024, though, he will expand the portfolio to produce rum for the first time and is offering up to 19 of Robb Report’s readers the exclusive chance to buy one of the 20 inaugural barrels (starting with barrel No. 2; the first is earmarked for his friend and supporter Prince Albert of Monaco).

The product itself is inspired by mesccia, the liquor once synonymous with Monaco, back in the days when its far larger territory included hectares of citrus farms; Culazzo even uses the bitter oranges that grow on local streets as raw materials for his spirits. Mesccia, which is a Monégasque word that means ‘mix’, was a heady, grog- like amalgam of sugars, alcohols and orange blossom. This modern riff is another sailor’s staple, rum. Fitting for Monaco, it’s no bottom-of-the-barrel firewater. “With rum, time is of the essence,” Culazzo explains. “So we take the first pressing of the sugar cane and immediately start fermenting it, rather than doing molasses. It’s distilled once in the Caribbean to settle it; then we bring it here.”

The raw materials come from the best sources but are finessed under Culazzo’s watch in the principality, where they are distilled again before being transferred to casks. He will age the liquid in whatever barrel a buyer prefers—whether bourbon, sherry or something more esoteric­—and it can be separately finished in yet another cask, as requested. Once complete, each unique barrel will provide up to 400 bottles for you to give to friends and family, or you can save some of the country’s first rum as a keepsake. Culazzo will also host each buyer and a guest at an exclusive tasting dinner in the caves of Hôtel de Paris to celebrate the occasion as well as lead a guided tour of the extraordinary wine collection there.

US$96,000 per cask

La Distillerie de Monaco

The Little Car Company’s version of the Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa. Photo by The Little Car Company

3. The little electric Ferrari Testa Rossa J getaway

When it comes to both beauty and racing provenance, few cars equal the Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa, which debuted in 1957. The 300hp model, fit with a 3.0-litre Colombo V12 engine and dressed in coachwork by Carrozzeria Scaglietti, dominated motorsport of the period with wins at Le Mans and the overall World Sportscar Championship—three times for each—from 1958 through 1961, when production ended. Now, this iconic Prancing Horse comes in a pony size, thanks to The Little Car Company’s Ferrari Testa Rossa J.

The UK-based manufacturer specialises in teaming up with storied automakers to meticulously replicate the world’s most revered automobiles, but as smaller, all-electric versions. Made to 75 per cent scale from hand- hammered aluminium, the Testa Rossa J is not just approved by Ferrari but also constructed from the actual blueprints of the original racer.

Robb Report, in collaboration with The Little Car Company and Ferrari, is offering a unique package that includes owning one of only 299 examples planned. The mini-car will be presented in historic Blu Le Mans Fer livery with Bordeaux-red leather and features a Nardi wood-rimmed steering wheel and Borrani wire wheels. Output is provided by a 14kW (almost 19hp) motor that allows for a top speed of more than 80km/h, which is why a vintage-style driving set—racing helmet, goggles and leather-and-string gloves—is included as well. After you and a guest have been flown first-class (round-trip, naturally) to Maranello, Italy, delivery of the vehicle will take place at Ferrari’s headquarters, complemented by a private factory tour and lunch at the famed Cavallino restaurant, founded by Enzo Ferrari in 1950. Next come laps around a test track in Fiorano in your new ride.

Also on the itinerary is a two-night stay in the penthouse suite of Casa Maria Luigia, an elegantly renovated mansion owned by acclaimed chef Massimo Bottura, in the neighbouring Modena countryside. There you’ll experience a nine-course tasting menu for two, curated by Bottura, the man behind the town’s three-Michelin- starred Osteria Francescana.

US$275,000

The Little Car Company

Portable Audio System
64 Audio’s custom in-ear monitors offer a transformative listening experience. Photo by Kevin Mazur/Getty Images

4. The ultimate portable audio system

Ubiquitously tucked into the ears of the planet’s finest musicians, 64 Audio’s custom in-ear monitors (cIEMs) offer a transformative listening experience; they are to AirPods what a Porsche is to a go-kart. Meanwhile, the world’s best portable DAC/headphone amplifier is widely considered to be the iDSD Diablo 2 from iFi Audio—and Robb Report has paired 64 Audio’s top-of-the-line A18t IEMs with the first 10 units of the Diablo 2 off the production line for a package not available anywhere else, one that arguably represents the world’s finest portable audio solution. To achieve the best possible sound quality, both the monitors and the DAC/amplifier were further tuned and improved by the two companies to work together in perfect harmony.

While AirPods, like most earbuds, use a single driver per side, the A18t IEMs dwarf that with 18 separate drivers per ear, giving music an enveloping clarity and detail. These monitors require silicone impressions of your ear canals, courtesy of a visit to your nearest audiologist (a roughly 10-minute process). Then 64 Audio will craft, in your choice of colour, IEMs that fit your ear canals to the millimetre. For this package, the company has also created a new grey-jacketed 4.4mm tipped premium cable, designed specifically to interface with the Diablo 2.

The new Diablo 2 was already head and shoulders above anything else on the market. But iFi has further improved the model exclusively for Robb Report, augmenting it with new Audio Note Kaise capacitors, a new digital filter (designed especially for the 64 Audio monitors), and eight per cent more power and drive, now at 5,400mW. In other words, the best in their respective fields have been perfected to work flawlessly together— but for only a select few buyers.

US$6,000 per set; silicone impressions not included

64 Audio

Turn a meaningful memory into a bespoke marquetry clutch. Photo by Silvia Furmanovich

5. Turn your favourite memory into a custom clutch

Silvia Furmanovich, a 2022 Robb Report Best of the Best winner, is known for combining unconventional materials and ancient techniques in her fine-jewellery creations. The Brazilian designer was introduced to marquetry in her home country and now often uses its native woods, along with gems and gold, to decorate her vibrant earrings, necklaces, homewares and handbags.

One Robb Report reader will have the opportunity to collaborate exclusively with the designer and New York– and Los Angeles–based boutique Broken English Jewelry on a bespoke marquetry clutch. You’ll be able to commemorate a meaningful memory, favourite landscape or incredible experience with a detailed and highly intricate motif.

The suede-lined bag will be crafted by artisans in the Brazilian state of Acre, which borders Peru and Bolivia. The wood veneers are made by painstakingly piecing together tiny slivers of reclaimed indigenous wood—muirapiranga, tatajuba, louro abacate, roxinho and azul carvalho—in varying shades, shapes and sizes, similar to assembling a jigsaw puzzle. “This one-of-a-kind piece gives the client the ability to tell their own story through us,” says Laura Freedman, the boutique’s founder, who has an ongoing partnership with Furmanovich.

During the process, the two women will be on speed dial as you work together to conceptualise the design. The team will share sketches, notes on inspiration and imagery in order to shape the final creation. Every element of the clutch will be considered, from the colours, patterns and semiprecious stones down to the clasp. “I love collaborating with Silvia Furmanovich because I know that her attention to detail is like no other,” says Freedman. “She puts so much of herself into her art.”

From US$9,600

Silvia Furmanovich

The Lift4. Photo by Rodrigo Donoso/Lift

6. A custom Lift eFoil

Efoils are the hottest segment of the boarding world, mostly because they don’t have to rely on waves to soar above the water. Puerto Rico-based Lift is widely considered to be the category leader and its new Lift4 epitomises the space’s cutting- edge technology. The all-carbon-fibre gizmo includes a battery with a 2.5-hour ride time, a redesigned handheld controller, and new Camber Pro Wings on the foil for an easier ride, while the retooled electric motor cuts noise and vibration levels in half compared to the previous generation. The special edition for Robb Report readers features a custom paint job, with options ranging from a wild two-tone to a unique fade effect.

“Riding an eFoil is not only about surfing but getting into a flow state that puts you at one with nature,” says Nick Leason, who launched the Lift brand in 2010 and oversees its design and manufacturing. Many riders, in fact, use their eFoils as stand-up cruisers to explore protected waters that are off-limits to traditional propulsion. No surprise, then, that eFoils are one of the most popular toys for superyachts.

After deciding on the particular Lift4 model, the rider will be able to customise the combination of boards, wings and mast heights. The 4’2 Pro is the lightest board in the lineup, designed for advanced riders who like carving tight curves in the surf. The 4’9 Sport is an in-between machine, offering stability and performance, while the 5’4 Cruiser is best for those new to watersports and who would rather use the board for sightseeing. The finished product will come with a transport bag and a fast battery charger.

US$17,100

Lift

Hôtel de Paris Monte-Carlo
Hôtel de Paris Monte-Carlo’s private wine cellar. Photo by Hôtel de Paris Monte-Carlo

7. Dinner in a private wine cellar

If a great wine bar means anything to you, maybe a wine cellar is where you would find yourself next. Even better, make that an exclusive dinner in Hôtel de Paris Monte-Carlo’s cellars. A gift from Marie Blanc, the wife of modern Monte-Carlo’s founder, the cellars date back to 1874 and will celebrate their 150th anniversary next year. Enjoy dinner with a loved one, a master sommelier and 350,000 bottles of deliciousness from Champagne, Provence, Bordeaux and the like.

€7,000 (rate excludes the Monaco Grand Prix and Monaco Yacht Show)

Hôtel de Paris Monte-Carlo

Berkeley Rand can create the light show of a lifetime from the flybridge of your yacht or on a deserted beach during a cruise. Photo by Erkele Y Rand

8. Conduct your own mind-controlled drone extravaganza

Directing scores of drones using only feelings and gestures sounds like something out of The Matrix, but a London-based design and engineering firm can create the light show of a lifetime from the flybridge of your yacht or on a deserted beach during a cruise, in any of a dozen global locations, from Costa Rica to Côte d’Azur. The night sky will become an explosion of shapes, colours and movement, according to Andrew Grant Super, managing director of Berkeley Rand, and more dazzling than any fireworks display because the action is continuous.

“Everyone’s getting into immersive experiences, but something on this scale has never been done before,” Super says. “We’ve developed a programme that measures your energy and that data controls the drones’ movement.”

This bleeding-edge biotechnology requires a specially designed suit—imagine something between motorcycle leathers and a streamlined NASA space suit—rigged with haptic sensors to track your gestures and measure your heart rate, breathing and pulse. Without having to push buttons or issue voice commands, proprietary software wirelessly transmits your kinetic energy to the multicoloured drones, which respond by moving in various directions and at different speeds—accelerating as the person’s adrenaline surges, for example, or as gestures become more dramatic. “The drones are programmed to cover large expanses, so they’ll fill up the night sky,” Super says.

Pipe in soaring music such as Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture or more soulful tunes along the lines of Louis Armstrong’s What a Wonderful World and the wearer becomes a conductor, turning the light show into a full-fledged concert. Adding lasers, industrial-scale wind machines and stagecraft will create a true extravaganza.

Each person can take a turn controlling the drones—the batteries last around 45 minutes—but it’s more difficult than it sounds. “It’s intense and physically very taxing,” Super says. “The drones are responding to your gestures or emotions every millisecond.” Hey, no one said mind control was going to be easy.

From US$935,000

Berkeley Rand

Father-son duo, David and Evan Yurman (left). Photo by Erkele Y Rand

9. Exclusive access to David Yurman’s family vault for a bespoke design

Jewellers David and Evan Yurman will open their personal vault, which they’ve been filling with rare finds for more than 20 years, to one Robb Report reader. And these aren’t just any ordinary gems. The father-and-son duo has travelled the world seeking out unusual stones, including a Windex-blue Paraíba tourmaline, a mystical-looking Colombian emerald and a moody, purplish-grey spinel.

“I look for gemstones which exude a captivating colour, an impactful scale and a cut that amplifies the beauty of each one,” says Evan, who serves as president and chief creative officer of David Yurman, the company his parents founded in 1980.

Evan and David will invite you to their Tribeca design studio, where they’ll give you a tour of the workshop and take you out for a festive lunch. Then they’ll guide you through their vault and present you with stone options to help you discover the gem that most speaks to you. Once you’ve made your selection, you’ll collaborate with the Yurmans on a custom design to showcase it.

The unorthodox materials the family has discovered over the years—among them, forged carbon, meteorite and coins from a sunken ship— often make their way into Evan’s sleek men’s jewellery designs, and he has had years to learn how to bring out their best. “I saw how my father used them as an artist would use paint, almost like telling a story,” he says. “Eventually, my passion turned into an obsession for the ultra-rare, unique and most sought-after examples of these natural marvels.”

From US$137,500

David Yurman

For those who love food and travel, Blue Marble Private’s jet tour of Latin America’s finest restaurants will be right up your alley. Photo by Gustavo VIvanco

10. A culinary journey across Latin America by private jet

Blue Marble Private’s jet tour of Latin America’s finest restaurants is a gastronomical odyssey that explores the renaissance of local cuisine across two continents, designed exclusively for a reader and up to three guests. Hosted by the head chefs of each restaurant, the 10-night journey begins at Pujol in Mexico City. Founded by Enrique Olvera in 2000 to showcase Mexico’s broad culinary influences, the menu ranges from the signature Mole Madre to kampachi tacos with seaweed. Taco bars will be part of the cultural experience before you move on to the Polanco neighbourhood’s La Ventana del Ticuchi, known for its Oaxacan corn specialities. The final stop in the capital, Rosetta, inside a leafy mansion, was established by Elena Reygadas, one of Latin America’s top chefs.

Central is a welcome respite after landing in Lima, Peru, offering cuisine categorised by region and, fascinatingly, by altitude—starting with shellfish from the Pacific and climbing to loche squash from the Andes. Lima will be followed by Virgilio Martínez’s Mil, which sits at 3,505m above sea level in the Sacred Valley, close to the Incan ruins of Machu Picchu. Martínez, who spent 10 years building Mil, oversees an extravagant eight-course dining experience. The Andean adventure continues into Chile, first at the retreat of Vik, surrounded by vineyards and with architecture influenced by Frank Gehry and Richard Serra, then at Rodolfo Guzmán’s Boragó in Santiago. Rooted in Mapuche culture, the menu is inspired by the indigenous hunter-gatherers of Chile, though dishes such as pink-tomato mariscal served on a pumpkin are contemporary. The trip’s grand finale will take place on Francis Mallmann’s private island in Patagonia, where the charismatic chef will host guests on a multi-day experience in the wilds to discover the raw beauty and power of open-fire cooking.

In addition to providing accommodation, Blue Marble will work with clients to design cultural side trips and can explore lengthening the journey at your request.

From US$172,500 per person, based on four guests on a midsized aircraft, such as a Citation X

Blue Marble Private

A scene from Avatar. Photo by Dylan Cole

11. A one-of-a-kind painting from a Hollywood artist behind Avatar and Maleficent

Think your child or other loved one might fancy a unique mural from one of Hollywood’s most talented draughtsmen? Dylan Cole, a production designer for Avatar: The Way of Water and Maleficent—as well as a conceptual artist for a dozen other films, including Alice in Wonderland—has agreed to create original imagery for one reader similar to his beautiful, haunting mural for the interior of superyacht Galaxy, which was designed by London-based Njord by Bergman Design. That rainforest scene on multiple walls of the main salon, with a miniscule ET on a bike hidden in the canopy, glows thanks to a bioluminescent effect. Cole will collaborate with the buyer on the general concept and mood of the painting— “A lot of people may not want a darker scene like that,” he says—and can even add small likenesses of family members or others.

But like the Galaxy artwork, expect nature to dominate. “I am very much influenced by Hudson River School painters like Albert Bierstadt and Frederic Church for their epic scales, dramatic use of light and stylised realism,” says Cole, whose sweeping landscapes are fantastical but rooted in reality. “A floating mountain, for instance, needs real rock textures and bushes to make it recognisable.”

As with any good piece of art—commissioned works included—creativity must take precedence. On Galaxy, for instance, Cole was afraid the clients’ request for an appearance by ET might make the rainforest kitschy, but he was able to hide the creature in the canopy, which the owners ended up loving because guests must search for it.

The artist will deliver the painting digitally, so buyers have the option to recreate it in multiple formats, from a framed print to a wall-sized mural.

US$55,000

Dylan Cole Studio

Silverado Vineyards’ Solo Cabernet Sauvignon. Photo by Foley Family Wines

12. Magnificent Napa magnums

Savour the past and the present of two of Napa Valley’s most stunning estate cabernet sauvignons: Solo and Merus. Two Robb Report readers have the chance to acquire 10 magnums of wine—five vintages from each vineyard—plus the opportunity to experience the latest releases with the winemakers. The tasting will be paired with a wine-country menu for you and up to seven guests. Silverado Solo is a single-vineyard cabernet from the Stags Leap District. This extraordinary wine is crafted from the Disney-Silverado clone, one of three cabernet sauvignons to attain Heritage status from UC Davis. Named in tribute to its unaccompanied performance, Solo was created by Silverado Vineyards founder and Walt Disney’s daughter, the late Diane Disney Miller, and is now overseen by winemaker Alison Crary Rodriguez. The vertical release consists of Solo magnums from 2013 to 2017. Merus is the quintessential ‘garage wine’, which is lingo for a label with minuscule production. The Merus property is located on a historic ranch tuc ed into a Napa Valley canyon. This dramatic cabernet is crafted by winemaker Michael Beaulac and tasted by invitation only in the estate’s caves. The Merus magnum library includes bottles from the 2013 to 2016 and 2018 vintages.

US$12,500

Silverado Vineyards

Explore Greenland’s sprawling snowscape with polar-driving specialists, filmmakers and photographers. Photo by Nomadic Road

13. Set an overlanding world record with Nomadic Road

This incredible opportunity comes with the promise of stamping your name in the history books. Nomadic Road, a luxury overlanding expert, is preparing an expedition to the northernmost point of land on Earth and is inviting a Robb Report reader to join this potential world-first.

The logistics of a four-wheeled journey beyond even Coffee Club Island, the current undisputed northernmost landmass at 83°39’45”N 30°36’50”W, are staggering. Reaching some of the last unexplored parts of the globe, recently revealed by shifting pack ice, requires years of investment and planning—collecting satellite imagery and data, flying in infrastructure on a C-130 Hercules, building base camps, laying fuel relays along the route—and that’s all before the crew is flown into Greenland’s sprawling snowscape. Along with an expedition leader, a polar-driving specialist, a doctor, filmmakers and photographers, mechanics and hospitality staff, the crew will include scientists looking to access these untraversed regions. To navigate the harsh driving conditions, from glacier ice flow to hidden crevasses, excursion members will undergo pre-mission programmes in polar-expedition survival and polar-driver training to familiarise themselves with the terrain and aspects of the vehicles that have been specially prepared by Emil Grimsson, founder of Arctic Trucks International.

But don’t assume that it will all be white-knuckle ice driving. Nomadic Road was conceived to deliver comfortable, sometimes even pampering experiences during extended journeys through the remotest territories. And since its Farthest North expedition isn’t slated until 2025, you’ll have time to factor in personalised requests, such as flying in your own wine and Michelin-starred chef.

From US$5.25 million

Nomadic Road

Enjoy a six-course meal by Heinz Beck and Marco Reitano. Photo by Rome Cavalieri

14. A meal (and more) from chef Heinz Beck and sommelier Marco Reitano at Rome Cavalieri

It’s not uncommon for diners at chef Heinz Beck’s restaurant, La Pergola, located just outside Rome, to pause and swoon—and not only over the food. Since 2005, it has been the first and only restaurant in the area to earn three Michelin stars, but its vaunted position isn’t just metaphorical; La Pergola sits high above the Eternal City, offering unmatched panoramic views. But few can experience the restaurant as one Robb Report reader and their guest will, thanks to a unique offer from the hotel in which it sits, the Waldorf Astoriarun Rome Cavalieri.

Beck will prepare a six-course meal on the restaurant’s private terrace for you, while sommelier Marco Reitano, one of Italy’s foremost wine experts, will offer guidance for pairings with each dish. After dinner, Reitano will take you on a private tour of La Pergola’s 73,000-bottle-strong cellar, during which you’ll sample three rare Borgogno Barolo Riserva wines from 1961, 1978 and 1982—a vertical tasting that has never been offered here before.

The rest of the experience is equally rarefied. It includes a two-night stay in the hotel’s penthouse suite (whose 2,300-sq-ft private rooftop has similarly memorable views and a jacuzzi overlooking St Peter’s Basilica), plus a treatment of your choice at its spa. No visit to Rome is complete without a trip to the Vatican, and this package includes the opportunity to enter its museums for a private viewing of Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel at dawn. The tour will be guided by the claviger, or keyholder, who has custody of the palace’s nearly 2,800 keys.

US$42,000

La Pergola

Equestrian specialist Ride Egypt’s itinerary for Robb Report will start in Cairon, where guests will be matched with Arabian horses that best suit them. Photo by Christiane Slawik/Ride Egypt

15. An Egyptian adventure on horseback

Galloping across the Sahara on Arabian stallions, riding through Egyptian tombs, glamping under the stars—for horse lovers, this exclusive tour offers an exhilarating canter into the heart of Egypt’s rich history and culture.

Equestrian specialist Ride Egypt has curated a unique eight-day, seven-night itinerary for Robb Report, offering a group of up to eight travellers privileged access to local celebrations and archaeological sites off the beaten track.

The journey starts in Cairo, where you and your guests will be matched with Arabian horses to suit each of your individual riding styles before a horseback visit to the Great Pyramid of Giza. That evening, you’ll stay at Cairo’s five-star Mena House, which has a close-up view of the pyramids. (The trip is designed for strong intermediate riders at a minimum but can be adjusted if the whole group is at a lower level; each rider’s weight is capped at 100kg.)

The tour then moves on to the tranquil desert oasis of El Fayoum and the colourful, boutique Lazib Inn Resort & Spa. Here you’ll explore the local greenery and gallop across the open landscape to view ancient rock formations and whale fossils at Wadi El Hitan, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The itinerary also includes a private tour of an archaic necropolis that opens only for private tours.

On the third day, you’ll get to see Egypt’s largest waterfalls in Wadi El Rayan before transferring to Luxor on a short business-class flight. During a three-night stay at the grand Hotel Al Moudira, your party will experience the famed Valley of the Kings (both on horseback and from a hot-air balloon at dawn) and take private tours of the temples of Habu and Hatshepsut. Finally, Ride Egypt’s founder, Emma Jane Levin, will accompany you to an invite-only celebration where local riders dance with their horses—a traditional performance that’s off limits to regular tourists.

From US$18,750 per person

Ride Egypt

A vintage cocktail set by Alfred Dunhill, offered by vintage dealer Alan Bedwell. Photo by Janelle Jones

16. An extremely rare cocktail set serving British design history

In 1907, when Alfred Dunhill started offering custom blends of tobacco for London’s most discerning gentlemen, few could have predicted that his company would one day sell everything from briefcases to bespoke suits around the globe. But in short order, his operation became something of an early-20th-century English answer to Hermès, creating quotidian luxuries produced by the best of Britain’s craftsmen. Whether essential tools for the motorist or elegant accessories for the man at leisure, Dunhill had British high society covered.

What is presented here epitomises this esteemed position: a possibly unique cocktail shaker with corresponding cups and an exceptionally rare table lighter, offered by New York-based vintage dealer Alan Bedwell.

Like all the pieces in the group, the silver-plated shaker—which has a vibrant red-lacquer finish and depicts a hummingbird in flight, hand-painted in gold—was made by a firm called Carlton Ware, located about 260km northwest of London in Stoke-on-Trent. The company was a frequent partner in Dunhill’s efforts, and though the shaker itself is not signed by the tobacconist, the other items in this grouping bear its trademark. (Bedwell, whose business, Foundwell, specialises in vintage barware, says the items were made in the 1930s, at the height of art deco mania.) The lift-arm lighter, crafted from brass and plated with gold, is based on a design introduced in 1928. With its similar burgundy finish and hand-painted pagoda, it serves as an ideal companion to the shaker, and its solid construction underscores the company’s position as a preeminent maker of these elegant artefacts. Despite nearing its centenary, it works perfectly with modern lighter fluid. The ceramic cups feature an emerald finish and their interiors have been washed with gold.

“[Dunhill] became famous for making exquisite pieces such as these to furnish the urbane gentleman’s lifestyle,” says Bedwell. “I have similar items in my personal collection because they’re just as appropriate—I’d say essential—now as they were then.”

US$5,800

Foundwell

Château l’Hospitalet. Photo by Soufiane Zaidi/Chateau L’Hospitalet

17. An oenophile’s dream Languedoc escape

Château l’Hospitalet is situated in the South of France’s Languedoc wine region—one of the last untouched corners of the Mediterranean coast—and is owned by Gérard Bertrand, who is renowned for his organic and biodynamic winemaking. This five-star resort and its nearby sister wineries provide the ideal setting for a unique itinerary crafted for a group of Robb Report readers. What begins as an intimate 48-hour adventure for two expands into a three-day celebration for a group of 12.

You and another guest will start your journey with a visit to the private and secluded Clos d’Ora, Bertrand’s distinguished red-wine estate, staying overnight in its beautifully restored house. Here, you’ll have an up-close view of the indoor-outdoor cellar— constructed, according to biodynamic principles, so that the wines can interact with the heavens. The next day continues at Clos du Temple, considered the birthplace of rose, with an introduction to biodynamic viticulture, including a tasting of multiple vintages, straight-from-the-tank wine sampling and a tour of the grounds with the vineyard’s mule, Banzaï. (A human handler will supervise the ploughing, but you can take the reins if you wish.) After stargazing with a local astronomer, you’ll end the evening with a private tasting menu prepared by a Michelin-starred chef, accompanied by live piano music, before spending a night in the estate’s only suite, whose floor-to-ceiling windows give you a view of the cosmos.

On day three, Château l’Hospitalet invites 10 more friends to join in, transforming your tete-a-tete into a party complete with sunrise yoga, astrology readings, spa treatments, hot-air balloon rides and dancing under the stars. The highlight: an exclusive blending session with Bertrand, which will produce a dozen bottles of your own biodynamic wine—a souvenir everyone in the group can savour.

From US$316,800

Château l’Hospitalet

A unique three-piece desk set, reserved for one Robb Report reader. Photo by Seaman Schlepps

18. A one-of-a-kind Seaman Schepps desk set and a private tour of the archives

Seaman Schepps has been turning out collectible gems since its first storefront opened in Los Angeles in 1904. The iconic American jeweller rose to fame in the 1940s and 1950s, when clients including Coco Chanel, Audrey Hepburn and the Duchess of Windsor began sporting the company’s trendsetting pieces. Beloved for its use of rare and exotic materials, the brand has also tapped into the housewares market, producing everything from table clocks to small quartz flowerpots and other objets.

The company has reserved a unique three-piece desk set for one Robb Report reader. It’s hand-carved from black obsidian, the inky volcanic-glass stone, with each item embellished with precious jade and 18k gold and signed by Seaman Schepps. The set is composed of a vide poche with jade handles, a box featuring a lid decorated with an open-worked jade eternity carving, and a bowl with carved longevity beads.

This gift also includes a private tour of the Seaman Schepps Madison Avenue boutique led by company president Anthony Hopenhajm. You and up to four guests will take the spiral staircase down to the vault, where you’ll be introduced to the renderings and ephemera archives for over 6,000 pieces of one-of-a-kind jewellery. The tour will also showcase historic period and vintage baubles from the brand’s private collection on display in the main showroom.

US$37,500

Seaman Schepps

Flowers is offering a three-day, two-night journey begins with helicopter transport from San Francisco to the vineyards. Photo by Flowers Vineyard

19. An immersive visit to one of Napa’s leading wineries

In the late 1980s, California’s western Sonoma Coast was largely desolate. But Walt and Joan Flowers, a pair of horticultural-nursery owners from Pennsylvania, saw an ad for 130 hectares of undeveloped land in the region and decided to purchase them. They’d been travelling to the West Coast for years to buy plants (and sample wine), and they saw potential in the parcel’s topography and maritime climate. The chardonnay and pinot noir vines they planted on 12 of those hectares are producing fresh and vibrant wines to this day.

Now, Flowers Vineyards & Winery is offering one Robb Report reader and a guest an exclusive immersion into its gorgeous terrain—along with plenty of the exceptional wine that it creates.The three-day, two-night journey begins with helicopter transport from San Francisco to the vineyards. There, winemaker Chantal Forthun will guide you through the estate. You’ll tap into the natural surroundings with an outdoor meditation before a private tasting with Forthun. Lunch will be prepared by acclaimed chef Matthew Kammerer of San Francisco’s two-Michelin-starred Harbor House Inn—paired, naturally, with Flowers wines. Afterward, a vintage convertible will whisk you up the coast to Sea Ranch Lodge, where you’ll stay in one of the property’s exclusive rental homes. The first evening concludes with a barbecue and stargazing on the lodge’s ocean deck.

The next day will focus on pampering at The Sea Ranch Spa, which includes 90 minutes of craniosacral massage therapy. After a mixology class, dinner will be accompanied by complementary Flowers wines. The trip concludes the following day with a helicopter ride back to San Francisco and a signed magnum of Flowers chardonnay or pinot noir. There may not be a better way to immerse your mind, body and palate in one of California’s most breathtaking wine countries.

US$87,500

Flowers

Chef Eric Ripert. Photo by Tanya Blum/Eric Ripert

20. A week in Grand Cayman with chef Eric Ripert

Fancy spending a week in the Caribbean with chef Eric Ripert, the mastermind behind Le Bernardin who has been shaping American fine dining for three decades? This seven-night package will whisk you and up to five guests to one of his favourite spots, Grand Cayman.

Designed exclusively for Robb Report, the package begins aboard the private jet you’ll take with him en route to the island (in-flight catering will of course come with Ripert’s imprimatur).

Once there, the chef will take you foraging around the landscape before the whole group embarks on a luxury yacht for a private fishing expedition, where newbies can learn the basics and seasoned anglers can hone their skills—and whatever you gather and catch becomes dinner that evening with Ripert in your private accommodation.

The hosting resort is The Ritz-Carlton, Grand Cayman and your suite is Seven South, the largest of its kind in the Caribbean. Overlooking Seven Mile Beach and offering unparalleled panoramas of the Caribbean Sea, it has nine bedrooms and almost 20,000 sq ft of indoor and outdoor living space, occupying an entire floor of the hotel’s Ocean Tower.

The experience continues with a private wine tasting, with each bottle handpicked from Ripert’s personal collection. Keepsakes include a signed copy of the chef’s latest book, and a photographer will document your stay with a private beach photo shoot.

US$750,000, including food and beverage at the hotel

Commission a fragrance from Krigler’s fifth-generation leader and perfumer, Ben Krigler. Photo by Krigler

21. A bespoke fragrance and a Viennese waltz all your own

Though it’s known as a French company, Krigler also has deep roots in Vienna. And that’s exactly where this exclusive package will take a Robb Report reader and their guest, who will have the opportunity to commission a fragrance from the house’s fifth-generation leader and perfumer, Ben Krigler. The first concept meeting will take place in the presidential suite of the Palais Hansen hotel. Krigler will consider your favourite memories, foods and other elements to inform the notes of your scent, which can take up to a year to create. When you get the finished product, you’ll receive a leather carrying case that can be customised according to your travel needs. For easier daily use, you can also choose from a variety of bottles by Lalique, Baccarat and other makers to house smaller portions.

You and your guest will also enjoy a three-day stay at the Hansen, with a car and driver to escort you to the city’s many attractions. And because no visit here is complete without at least one dance, local cellist Tristan Schulze will offer his own composition: a waltz created exclusively for your enjoyment. Schulze will conduct the song’s world premiere in the suite with a group of musicians. The performance will be captured on video for a one-of-a-kind souvenir. Care to waltz as the music plays? The suite measures over 316 square metres, so there’s plenty of room.

From US$138,750

Krigler

Muzo is offering one Robb Report reader the opportunity to discover the rarity and beauty of its emeralds with a trained gemologist, followed by a multi-course tasting menu. Photo by Muzo

22. A custom design for your personally selected Muzo Emerald

Deep within the rugged terrain of the Andes, about 97km northwest of Bogotá in Boyacá, Colombia, sits one of the oldest and most prized emerald mines on Earth: Muzo Emerald Colombia. The country is responsible for 90 per cent of the world’s most sought-after emeralds, and this particular operation dates as far back as 400BC. Muzo Companies acquired the mine in 2009 and has since made a name for itself not only for its spectacular gems but also for its commitment to sustainability, transparency and traceability.

Muzo is offering one Robb Report reader the opportunity to discover the rarity and beauty of its emeralds with a trained gemologist, followed by a multi-course tasting menu curated by a team of Michelin-starred chefs at the French fine-dining hot spot Le Jardinier, in Manhattan. Indulge in a dinner for two from the seasonal menu, along with a chef-curated wine pairing and custom patisserie, amid the restaurant’s stunning mid-century modern decor and lush greenery.

The next day you’ll visit Muzo’s New York office at Rockefeller Plaza to select an emerald. Lunch will be served, along with a meet-and-greet with a company design partner of the client’s choosing—from a roster that includes industry stars Silvia Furmanovich, Harwell Godfrey and Loren Nicole—who will then design a one-of-a-kind piece using the selected stone. This whirlwind jewellery getaway offers firstclass airfare and two nights in a five-star hotel suite.

From US$31,250 for two guests, excluding the emerald and finished jewellery piece

Muzo

Whitcomb & Shaftesbury is offering one reader the chance to help design their own overcoat with a secret element that makes it truly one-of-a-kind. Photo by Whitcomb & Shaftesbury

23. A unique overcoat with your own special contribution

For this holiday season, Whitcomb & Shaftesbury (W&S)—a Robb Report Best of the Best-winning bespoke tailor based on Savile Row in London—is offering one reader the chance to help design their own overcoat with a secret element that makes it truly one-of-a-kind. The W&S house style is based on a late-1940s travel coat, a classic that will serve you well for decades and can be handed down to the next generation. Proposed in vicuna—soft and exceptionally warm, the fabric is one of the rarest and most luxurious on Earth—the overcoat has an elegance that creates a true collector’s piece. And with its strong collar, sweeping lapels and rakish length, it’s the sort of subtle but imposing garment that elevates the wearer without being an overt ‘look at me’ statement.

Considered touches lift it further. Crocodile leather strengthens the edges of the top inside pocket designed for easy access to your mobile phone, while outsized interior pockets swallow up your scarf and gloves. A unique detail: an ingenious device that allows the coat to be secured without the double-breasted fastenings being closed, meaning the garment doesn’t flap about if left unbuttoned.

But what makes it truly special is what else is on the inside—no, not just you, but a bespoke lining in pure silk, printed with an image of your choice. It could be anything: the constellations you saw on your wedding day, a favourite photograph or a design of your own creation. All can be transcribed onto exceptionally fine silk at a small atelier in Italy, ready to be handsewn onto your personal, wearable canvas.

W&S has never offered such linings publicly before, having previously created only a couple of examples for friends. One, for instance, was an elite sportsman who had just broken a record; as a surprise at the behest of the athlete’s family, the official document certifying his achievement was reproduced onto his coat’s lining.

Whitcomb & Shaftesbury visits the US six times a year, in locations including New York and Boston. From US$41,800 for vicuna; other fabrics also available

Whitcomb & Shaftesbury

The Fife Arms hotel in Braemar, Scotland. Photo by Sim Photography/Fife Arms

24. A buyout of a regal Scottish retreat

The Fife Arms hotel in Braemar, Scotland—located a 15-minute drive from Balmoral Castle, the summer residence of the British royal family— offers the full Highlands hunting, shooting and fishing experience, with an artful twist. The Victorian lodge’s neo-Gothic interior, which was renovated in 2019, bristles with exceptional artworks and antiques installed by the owners—Iwan and Manuela Wirth of Hauser & Wirth— whose galleries represent major contemporary artists everywhere from Los Angeles and New York City to London and Zurich.

Robb Report readers are being offered the chance to take over the entire 46-bedroom hotel, which sleeps 95 guests, for an itinerary of unique events created for the Ultimate Gift Guide. Top of the list is heli-fishing, for which a fleet of choppers will transport your party to an otherwise inaccessible mountain loch for fishing,  wild swimming and a wilderness lunch. That night, the hotel’s head chef, Adam Maddock, and his team will prepare your catch of the day for dinner, before a celebratory ceilidh—a traditional Scottish evening of lively folk dancing. (Kilts are optional but encouraged.)

Other activities will include creating your own tartan with Araminta Campbell, a leading Scottish textile designer, who will introduce the fabric’s rich history and consult with you on a design that best represents your group, following up with video conferences in the months after your stay to finalise patterns and colours.

The Fife Arms will also provide individualised whisky recommendations to help each guest navigate the hotel’s collection of over 400 single malts, as well as a tour of the art collection, which includes works by Picasso, Lucian Freud and Louise Bourgeois, set against a backdrop of traditional tartan and taxidermy. As befits the profusion of antlers on the walls—and the property’s proximity to royalty—the collection also features a sketch of a stag made by another former VIP guest: Queen Victoria.

From US$187,500 for one night, with additional nights starting from US$70,000.

The Fife Arms

Daisy Tempest, one of the world’s prominent luthiers. Photo by Daisy Tempest

25. A one-of-a-kind tempest guitar

Daisy Tempest is among the world’s foremost luthiers. Her handmade guitars take 300 to 400 hours to produce and her order book is currently closed—she has commissions through 2029. She has, however, held back one build slot for Robb Report, presenting a chance to skip the line. And she has something very special up her sleeve, too.

The sides and back of the instrument will be fashioned from a neolithic fossilised oak tree that sank around 5,000 years ago into an English peat field, where it sat until being discovered by farmers earlier in the century. Thanks to a slow fossilisation process that darkened the wood’s tannins and crystallised its resins, the Fenland oak is jet-black. The top of the guitar will be crafted from Swiss ‘moon’ spruce, a rare wood harvested just once a year, when the moon is at its fullest and the sap level of the tree, correspondingly, at its lowest. The resulting dryness yields wood that is both stiffer and lighter, creating superior structure and resonance.

This heirloom-quality guitar will be numbered one of one and ready for delivery in early 2024.

From US$36,400

Tempest Guitars

Robb Report and Radford Motors present a track day that includes the commission of a tailor-made Radford Type 62-2 Track Edition supercar. Photo by Radford Motors

26. The ultimate British track experience, courtesy of Radford

For the gearhead who wants to take their race experience to the next level, Robb Report and Radford Motors present a track day for the ages. Obviously, it all starts with the proper wheels, which the boutique automaker has more than covered. This exclusive offer includes the commission of a tailor-made Radford Type 62-2 Track Edition supercar, similar to the example that garnered both a class win and record at the 2023 Pikes Peak International Hill Climb. A homage to the Lotus Type 62, which was campaigned from 1969 through 1974, this modern interpretation will be one of only 62 built and features a 3.5-litre V6 engine inside a carbon monocoque. Weighing just 980kg, the 600hp track specialist can sprint from zero to 97km/h in 2.9 seconds before cresting at 291km/hr.

Next, the new owner will receive one-on-one performance driving instruction from England’s (and Radford’s) Jenson Button, the 2009 Formula 1 Drivers’ Champion and cofounder of the newly resurrected coachbuilder. The tutorial, held at The Thermal Club’s private track near Palm Springs, California, will be followed by a six-day VIP experience centring on the 2024 edition of the UK’s revered Goodwood Festival of Speed, established in 1993 by Charles Gordon-Lennox, the 11th Duke of Richmond, and held on his sprawling Goodwood Estate. You’ll drive the new Radford in Goodwood’s two-day Hyperdrive Tour (debuting this year) and then ride in the passenger seat as Button tests the new build’s mettle during the festival’s 1.87km-long Hillclimb competition, a world-renowned litmus test for automotive performance. Equally memorable, if quite a bit more relaxed, will be an evening spent at the Goodwood Festival of Speed Ball, attended by the duke himself. Also part of the deal are a Festival of Speed VIP pass for a guest, first-class roundtrip airfare for two, accommodation at Goodwood Estate’s hotel, and transport of the Type 62-2 to the owner’s home. A portion of the proceeds will benefit Two Wheels for Life, a charity that funds the transportation of medical supplies to remote populations in Africa.

US$2.5 million

Radford Motors

Go on a three-week journey with EYOS Expeditions, and journey across a part of Antarctica that only a privileged few have explored. Photo by EYOS Expeditions

27. An expedition across uncharted Antarctica

EYOS Expeditions wants to bring a small group of Robb Report adventurers to a part of Antarctica that only a privileged few have explored. The three-week journey across the continent’s frozen interior retraces some of the routes taken by the first polar explorers—but this exclusive odyssey also traverses regions where no human has ever set foot.

The group (three guides, up to six guests) will travel 4,667km off-road in four-wheel drives designed for the unforgiving landscape. “Our rides look like urban-assault vehicles but are modified with special tyres”, among other things, says EYOS founder Rob McCallum, who will lead the trip.

Even for extreme off-roading, the itinerary is ambitious. The jet from Punta Arenas, Chile, lands at Union Glacier’s blue-ice runway on the interior and is followed by two five-hour flights in specially designed ski-equipped aircraft before you transfer to the vehicles and embark on a multi-day crossing into the heart of the 2,865m-high polar plateau toward the Pole of Inaccessibility—so named because, as the farthest inland position from the Southern Ocean, it’s considered the world’s remotest point. Then it’s three more days to the geographic South Pole, where the team will enjoy champagne and selfies under the mirrored ball atop the ceremonial South Pole.

As on any expedition, the group makes camp each night, cooks meals and moves on the next day. But the unforgettable scenery and 24 hours a day of soft, photo-perfect light more than make up for the lack of amenities. Guests can ski ahead of the convoy or snowshoe onto ledges overlooking snowy valleys that extend for kilometres. The second half of the trip includes a journey across Leverett Glacier to the Ross Ice Shelf on the Ross Sea, before returning to the South Pole. The last jaunt is over the Ellsworth Mountains to Union Glacier for the flight back to Chile.

US$3 million

This story first appeared in the December 2023 issue. Purchase it as a print or digital copy, or consider subscribing to us here