My luxury travel bucket list of places I dream of visiting slowly, beautifully, intentionally

There are trips you dream about for years, maybe without even realizing it. The ones that live in the back of your mind, waiting for the right time. The right season. The right version of you.

This is The List: my ongoing luxury travel bucket list of once-in-a-lifetime experiences I haven’t done yet, but fully plan to. It’s more than a collection of places, it’s a collection of feelings I want to live. Some are grand and cinematic. Others are intimate and still. But all of them are steeped in something I can’t explain, a kind of beauty that’s layered, intentional, and slow.

I grew up moving around the world. And each time we settled into a new country, our home would grow, filled with pieces of the places we’d left behind. Italian fabrics. Hungarian ceramics. Rugs from Persia. Antique tables that lived through the American Revolution. Silver trays from Istanbul. These objects decorate a space, but more than that, they told stories. They carried time and identity. That’s what I’ve always been drawn to: places and experiences that hold weight. That feel like they belong to a larger narrative.

If you crave luxury slow travel and are always searching for unforgettable places to travel beautifully and intentionally, welcome to The List. Here, you’ll find inspiration for your own luxury travel bucket list, not just dream destinations but bucket list travel ideas rooted in design, food, nature, and meaning.

But I’m not giving them all away just yet, I’m sharing them as I go. And as I start crossing them off, I’ll be bringing you with me. So if you’re building your own version of The List, stick around. It’s only just beginning.

1. Gliding through Italy aboard the La Dolce Vita Orient Express

📍 Italy: from the Dolomites to Sicily, depending on the itinerary

There’s something about trains. The rhythm. The windows. The slow unfolding of a country as it passes by your seat, like a film playing just for you. But this one isn’t just any train. It’s a love letter to Italian elegance, to the golden age of travel, to the idea that how you arrive matters just as much as where you’re going.

The La Dolce Vita Orient Express isn’t trying to be modern. It’s trying to be timeless. And that’s exactly why I love it.

Inspired by the design icons of the 1960s like Giò Ponti, Nanda Vigo, Gae Aulenti, its interiors are drenched in jewel tones, brass details, and lacquered wood. There are only 30 cabins in total: 18 suites and 12 deluxe cabins that transform from sitting rooms into bedrooms when the sun sets. It’s giving transformation scene. It’s giving cinematic quiet. You eat, you sip wine, you stare out the window while Italy just happens around you.

There are eight itineraries to choose from, each one gliding through a different region of Italy, from the Tuscan countryside to Sicily’s sun-drenched coasts. Some routes last two days, others stretch to three. All of them are designed to evoke the spirit of la dolce vita, with curated off-train excursions, Heinz Beck-designed menus, and service that doesn’t feel like service, it just feels right.

I imagine boarding in a silk scarf and sunglasses. Sitting down to breakfast as the train slips past the vineyards. Listening to the piano play in the lounge carriage while sipping something gold-toned and sparkling. The train itself becomes the destination. The movement becomes the experience.

And that’s why it’s on The List — because it doesn’t just take you to Italy. It takes you into a feeling. It slows you down and wraps you in it.

What it is: A luxury train experience in Italy by Orient Express
Launch: Inaugurated in spring 2025
Cabins: 18 Suites + 12 Deluxe Cabins
Itineraries: 8 routes across Italy, from Venice to Palermo
Duration: 2 – 3 days
Food: Curated by Heinz Beck (3 Michelin stars)
Style: Inspired by 1960s Italian design — lacquered wood, brass, velvet, terrazzo
Included: Full board (meals and drinks), onboard entertainment, transfers to/from station
Optional: Off-train excursions (e.g. wine tastings, private visits)
Why it’s special: The train is the destination — slow, stylish, and unforgettable

2. Sailing the Nile on a traditional dahabiya

📍Egypt: Set between Luxor and Aswan in southern Egypt

When I was in elementary school in Houston, Texas, during the four years my family lived there, I remember the Ancient Egypt unit in our curriculum being a big deal. We learned about Tutankhamun, Cleopatra, the tombs, the pyramids, the gods, and of course, the Nile. I remember my sister playing Cleopatra in a school recital, we all wore white tunics, painted cartouches, and wrapped ourselves in gold costume jewelry like it was the Met Gala for third graders.

But what stayed with me most wasn’t the costumes or the projects. It was the image of the Nile. A river that gave life. A river that defined an entire world. And this idea that the kings of the past would glide down it slowly, elegantly, almost silently, as if time didn’t apply to them.

That image? It’s never left me. And it’s exactly why this is on The List.

Most people cruise the Nile on massive floating hotels, ticking off temples like a checklist. But I want something slower. Quieter. More cinematic. More Egypt.

That’s what Nour El Nil offers. It’s a dahabiya, a traditional sailing boat with a shallow hull and billowing white sails. Just 12–20 guests onboard. Soft-spoken staff. Local guides. No rush. No PA announcements. No crowds.

You sleep in rooms full of charm and character, not over-the-top opulence, just thoughtful design and a sense of place. You dine on regional cuisine prepared fresh on board, sip hibiscus tea as the breeze drifts through linen curtains, and read a book on the deck as the landscape unfolds in slow motion. The experience isn’t just luxurious, it’s meditative.

Because of the boat’s size, you can dock in places the big ships can’t: small villages, quiet ruins, peaceful corners of the Nile that most people never see. You’re led by private Egyptologists, welcomed by locals, and guided by the river’s rhythm, not a strict timetable.

I can picture it already: a sunset glowing across the water, the sound of of the boat gliding through the water, a glass in hand, nothing to do but feel present. That, to me, is the essence of luxury.

And that’s why this is one of the most important experiences on my luxury travel bucket list. Because it isn’t just about visiting Egypt. It’s about being invited into it — slowly, deeply, beautifully.

What it is: A boutique sailing cruise down the Nile on a traditional dahabiya
Guests: Between 12 and 20 passengers
Experience: Slow travel through lesser-known temples, villages, and landscapes
Rooms: Charming cabins with handcrafted details and traditional design
Food: Regional cuisine freshly prepared onboard
Included: Private Egyptologist guides, local excursions, full board
Style: Minimalist elegance with strong cultural roots
Duration: 5–6 nights depending on itinerary
Why it’s special: Intimate and cinematic, it feels like stepping into a historical reverie

I finally experience the Nile River on a luxury dahabiya — it’s officially checked off The List. You can read my full review here.

3. Waking up in the heart of Langkawi’s rainforest at The Datai

📍 Malaysia: on the northwestern tip of Langkawi Island

This one is special, not just because of the hotel, but because of everything around it.

Over the past few years, I’ve been lucky enough to explore Malaysia deeply. My parents have been living there, which means I’ve seen more than just the postcards: I’ve walked through the tea plantations of the Cameron Highlands, stood in awe beneath the ancient trees of Mulu National Park, snorkeled off the coast of Sabah, and wandered Kuala Lumpur’s streets at sunset. But what always stays with me, what always lingers, is the nature.

Malaysia’s nature is otherworldly. It’s wild and layered and symphonic. The rainforests feel alive, you can hear them breathing, singing, whispering ancient things. And nowhere captures that feeling better than The Datai Langkawi.

Langkawi isn’t known for having the clearest seas in Malaysia, if that’s what you’re looking for, you’d go to the Perhentians or Redang. But Langkawi has something rarer: a mood. A jungle-draped island where sea and forest meet. And in the middle of it all sits The Datai, like a secret you only tell people who get it.

This isn’t a hotel. It’s a whole ecosystem. A luxury resort woven directly into the rainforest, with villas and suites that feel like they grew there. You wake up to the call of hornbills, you fall asleep to the sounds of cicadas and wind in the canopy. And even though it’s luxurious, incredibly so, it never feels out of place. Everything is built with purpose, from the traditional Malaysian architecture to the handcrafted details that line each room.

You get access to Datai Bay, one of Langkawi’s most pristine beaches, backed by jungle, facing the Andaman Sea. But what I love most is the way The Datai invites you to experience the land. There are guided nature walks with resident naturalists, visits to a nearby permaculture garden, ocean experiences, and even sustainability initiatives like wildlife monitoring and reef conservation. It’s not luxury for luxury’s sake, it’s a celebration of place.

To me, this is the perfect List experience. A place that blends nature, design, and culture. That makes you feel small in the best way — like an explorer, walking through a world that existed long before you, and will exist long after.

What it is: A luxury resort hidden in Langkawi’s ancient rainforest
Location: Northwest Langkawi, overlooking Datai Bay
Rooms: Rainforest and beach villas, seamlessly integrated into nature
Beach: Private access to Datai Bay, one of Langkawi’s finest
Experiences: Nature walks, permaculture garden, wildlife monitoring, reef conservation
Design: Traditional Malaysian with eco-conscious luxury
Food: Multiple restaurants, including Malaysian, Thai, and fine dining
Why it’s special: It connects you deeply with the land, offering high-end immersion in nature

I finally stayed at The Datai this year — it’s officially checked off The List. You can read my full Datai Langkawi review here.

4. Explore the Scottish Highlands while staying in two historic castles

📍Scotland: spanning two distinct regions in the Scottish Highlands: the west near Fort William and the east in Speyside, whisky country.

I don’t understand people who say they don’t like autumn. If you’ve ever experienced the right place in the right season, you know how everything changes. Context is everything. And for me, autumn in the Scottish Highlands is pure magic.

The sky shifts color. The air gets a little mistier. The light softens. It’s the season of fire crackles and wool coats, of sipping whiskey as the wind howls outside your window. And in Scotland, where the landscapes are as raw as they are poetic, autumn feels like it was made to be lived slowly.

It’s not just the Highlands themselves that call to me, though. It’s how I imagine experiencing them.

Castles, for one. There’s something deeply romantic about sleeping in a historic estate, the kind of place that still holds onto its past. Where you can run your fingers across stone walls and sit beneath chandeliers that have lit countless stories before yours. Add in fine dining that blends Scottish tradition with impeccable presentation, and I’m sold.

I dream of first staying a few days in the Western Highlands, in Fort William, sleeping at Inverlochy Castle, nestled among lochs and mountains. The vibe is cinematic but grounding: think nature walks, horseback rides, loch-side picnics, maybe a rowboat drifting through the mist. Then I’d take a scenic drive east to Speyside, where I’d check into The Rothes Glen, a private castle estate with only eight suites. Heritage, privacy, immersion.

Here, I’d explore legendary whisky distilleries like The Macallan (yes, the one Charles Widmore drinks in Lost), tour historic castles, and just… slow down. Maybe read by the fire. Maybe do absolutely nothing at all. The kind of nothing that feels like everything.

This is the kind of bucket list moment that isn’t about ticking things off. It’s about living a feeling. And Scotland — mysterious, moody, and full of heart, has all the right ingredients.

What it is: A dual castle experience across the Western and Eastern Highlands
Stays: Inverlochy Castle (Fort William) & Rothes Glen (Speyside)
Style: Grand heritage estates with fine dining and luxurious suites
Activities: Nature walks, rowing, wild picnics, distillery visits, castle tours
Best time to go: Early autumn for misty landscapes, cozy fires, and whisky season
Cuisine: Elevated Scottish fare with seasonal ingredients
Why it’s special: A cinematic immersion into Scotland’s moodiest, most magical corners

5. Ski mornings and spa afternoons at Hotel Tyrol in the Dolomites

📍 Italy: Selva di Val Gardena in the Dolomites

I still remember it like a movie scene, lying in bed as a kid, staring up at the skylight, waiting to see if snowflakes would start falling. When they did, the whole mountain outside would slowly vanish into white. It was magical. We were in Corvara, spending our Settimana Bianca, Italy’s sacred ski week, and I’d wake up early just to rush down to breakfast, cured meats, Alpine cheeses, the warm scent of bread pulling you in from the cold.

After skiing all day, my brothers and I had a ritual: cappuccino and toast at the hotel bar. It wasn’t very Italian of us, but we were living abroad. It was comfort. It was ours. I can still picture us, red-cheeked, exhausted, happy.

I wouldn’t go back to that same hotel. That stays in my childhood memories. But now, I find myself craving that feeling again — in a different way. A version of winter that’s a little more grown-up, but still full of warmth. And Hotel Tyrol in Selva di Val Gardena feels like the perfect place to find it.

The Dolomites are something else. Raw, majestic, and soft all at once. They’re a whole atmosphere, jagged peaks, pine forests, and snow-dusted valleys that feel like something from a fairy tale. But what makes this region even more special is how deeply it understands hospitality. The woodwork. The food. The way you’re welcomed in.

Hotel Tyrol is family-run, and the family actually lives there, which changes everything. It’s not some polished resort detached from the landscape. It’s a place that breathes it. The design is timeless: light woods, soft textures, big windows that let you soak in the peaks. They have a proper spa. Two restaurants, one of which with a Michelin star. And a kind of atmosphere that makes you want to stay in, get cozyand cancel every other plan.

I’m dreaming of returning to the Dolomites now as an adult, skiing during the day, coming back to a plate of canederli, unwinding in the spa, and later curling up with a drink in hand. No longer a kid with toast and cappuccino, but still after the same feeling: warmth, wonder, and a front-row seat to something spectacular.

That’s why this is on The List.

What it is: A family-run luxury alpine retreat in the Dolomites
Location: Selva di Val Gardena
Style: Alpine elegance with light wood, cozy textures, and tradition
Spa: Full wellness center with indoor pool and panoramic views
Dining: Two restaurants — one with a Michelin star, both deeply rooted in local cuisine
Winter activities: World-class skiing, snowshoeing, après-ski rituals
Best time to go: Winter for snow magic or summer for hikes and alpine lakes
Why it’s special: It feels personal, nostalgic, and indulgent in all the right ways

6. Slipping into a waking dream at Dar Ahlam in the Moroccan desert

📍 Morocco: in the palm-grove oasis of Skoura, on the edge of the Sahara

There’s a version of luxury that isn’t about opulence or grandeur, but about feeling completely held, mentally, emotionally, sensorially. The kind of place where you don’t have to make a single decision. Where time loosens its grip, and days unfold with quiet precision, as if someone has already scripted your perfect sequence of moments without needing to be asked.

That’s what Dar Ahlam represents to me.

Located in the oasis of Skoura, inside a restored 19th-century kasbah built from earth and history, this isn’t just a stay, it’s a surrender. Thick adobe walls hold the coolness of morning air. Palm trees sway in the distance. The Atlas Mountains watch silently from afar. Everything feels grounded, ancient, intentional.

What draws me in most is the idea that there are no menus, no printed schedules, no decisions waiting to be made. You don’t choose where you’ll eat, you simply discover it. One morning, breakfast appears beneath olive trees in a hidden courtyard. Another day, lunch is laid out in a rose field, the air sweet with petals drifting in the wind. Dinner might arrive in a canyon under a sky full of stars, the path lit by lanterns like a quiet procession.

You don’t organize. You don’t ask. Things just happen, beautifully, thoughtfully, without effort.

There are only 14 suites, each with its own spirit, fireplaces flickering in the evenings, handcrafted fabrics draped over armchairs, soft light catching textured walls. Everything feels rooted in place, in culture, in the earth itself.

Days at Dar Ahlam seem to move at the rhythm of the land. You might wander through the Valley of the Roses, the scent clinging to your clothes long after. You might ride a camel at sunset, watching the desert turn from gold to amber to dusk. Or you might journey into the Sahara for an overnight stay at their private camp, where silence feels like a luxury of its own.

What stays with me, even before I’ve gone, is the idea of being in a place where you’re allowed to forget what day it is, because nothing requires your planning or attention. The world keeps moving, but you’re suspended in a sequence of moments curated with care.

That’s why Dar Ahlam is on The List — because it embodies a kind of luxury that feels deeper than comfort. It’s the luxury of not having to think, of living entirely in the present, in a place shaped by heritage, guided by nature, and delivered with invisible generosity.

What it is: A slow-luxury stay inside a restored 19th-century kasbah
Location: Skoura Oasis, southern Morocco, near the Sahara Desert and the Atlas Mountains
Suites: 14 individual suites with traditional Moroccan design
Experiences: Hidden dining locations, rose valley walks, camel rides at sunset, private Sahara desert camp stays, Atlas Mountain excursions
Style: Grounded Moroccan elegance — earthy, intentional, rooted in heritage and silence
Why it’s special: You surrender the need to plan, and the day gently assembles itself around you — effortless, atmospheric, unforgettable

7. Drifting through the Amazon like a quiet observer with Delfin Amazon Cruises

📍 Peru: Deep within the Pacaya Samiria National Reserve

When I was a kid, I used to watch nature documentaries and wonder what it would feel like to step through the screen, to be inside those moments instead of just witnessing them from the outside. The Amazon always felt like another universe entirely. Not just a forest, but a living, breathing world with its own rules, rhythms, and secrets.

A place where life is constant but quiet. Wild, but intentional. Mysterious, but deeply alive.

That’s exactly whatDelfin Amazon Cruises feels like, the grown-up version of that childhood wonder. Only this time, you’re not just watching it. You’re in it.

Their boats — Delfin I, II, and III — are small and intimate, carrying just 4, 14, or 22 suites depending on the vessel. Enough to feel cared for, but few enough to still feel like a secret. They take you deep into Peru’s Pacaya Samiria National Reserve, known as the “Jungle of Mirrors,” where the water reflects the sky so perfectly that it feels like you’re floating between two worlds.

Days start early here, softly, quietly, before the jungle fully wakes. You might be gliding past treetops, searching for sloths curled into branches, or spotting rare pink river dolphins breaking the water’s surface beside you. You move carefully, deliberately, not to be loud or seen, but to witness.

The Amazon shifts constantly depending on the season. In high-water months, forests flood and you kayak through submerged ecosystems where monkeys swing through branches just above eye level. In lower-water seasons, sandbanks appear and you might try your hand at piranha fishing or explore riverbanks now alive with nesting birds.

Some afternoons are spent meeting river communities who live entirely in rhythm with the river’s pulse. Some nights, you head out on dark water under starlight, guided by flashlight beams scanning for caimans and nocturnal creatures you’d never notice by day.

And even when you return to the boat, the jungle doesn’t leave you. Floor-to-ceiling windows keep it close. Open decks let you breathe with it. Meals are built around Amazonian ingredients, river fish, regional fruits, local herbs, so even dining feels like part of the landscape.

There’s a moment every evening when the sun sinks behind the treeline and the sound of the forest rises, a layered chorus of calls you can’t quite define. You sit on the top deck, drink in hand, and realize you’re inside something you once only watched.

That’s why this is on The List — because it captures that rare feeling of wonder we had as children, but gives it back to us in a form we can actually live. It’s about becoming the quiet guest of a world bigger, older, and more alive than we are, just drifting through it, eyes open, fully present.

What it is: A luxury river cruise experience through one of the Amazon’s most biodiverse protected reserves
Location: Pacaya Samiria National Reserve, northeastern Peru
Duration: Typically 3, 4, or 7 nights depending on the itinerary
Suites: Delfin I (4 oversized suites), Delfin II (14 suites), Delfin III (22 suites) — all with panoramic views and refined design
Experiences: Wildlife spotting, pink river dolphins, kayaking in flooded forests, piranha fishing, night safaris, meeting river communities, canopy walks (on select itineraries)
Design & style: Natural wood, floor-to-ceiling windows, boutique comfort inspired by the river and rainforest
Why it’s special: It feels like stepping into the documentaries you grew up watching

8. Stepping into Champagne’s quiet heritage at Domaine Les Crayères

📍 France: Reims, in the heart of the Champagne region

There’s a small region in France that the whole world knows by name, not because of geography, but because of what it created. More thank a drink, Champagne feels like legacy in a glass. A craft passed down, not simply produced. A region so specific, so fiercely protected, so anchored in history that its name became a global symbol of celebration, precision, and pride.

I’ve always been drawn to places where heritage still breathes, where centuries of excellence aren’t displayed, but quietly lived through craft, ritual, and restraint. Champagne is one of those places. It’s not just about what fills the glass, but about the culture, the patience, and the identity behind it.

And if you ask me, there’s only one kind of setting that can truly match that kind of legacy. Not a sleek modern hotel that could exist anywhere in the world, but a place that carries history in its bones. A château. A home built in an era that believed beauty was a standard, not a spectacle.

That’s why Domaine Les Crayères feels like the perfect entry point into Champagne’s soul.

Set within a seven-hectare park in Reims, this Belle Époque château carries itself with quiet assurance. Its gardens are symmetrical and still, the façade poised rather than grandstanding. It doesn’t try to transport you somewhere else, it reminds you of where you are: at the intersection of tradition and refinement.

Inside, there are just 20 rooms, each one steeped in classical French design: upholstered walls, antique furnishings, silk drapes, tall windows overlooking impeccably manicured lawns. It feels curated rather than restored, preserved rather than reinvented.

What makes this location even more powerful is what lies just beyond the gates: some of Champagne’s most legendary maisons, Veuve Clicquot, Pommery, Ruinart. These aren’t just famous names; they are houses that have shaped how the world celebrates.

Days here are shaped by discovery without rush. Visiting chalk cellars where bottles age in silence. Listening to winemakers explain how terroir is as much about patience as it is about soil. Visiting historic family-run producers with generations written into each cuvée. Stopping at Reims Cathedral, where kings were once crowned beneath stained glass, adding another layer of legacy to the experience.

Then there’s the dining, because in France, you taste culture as much as you witness it. Domaine Les Crayères houses two restaurants: a relaxed brasserie with seasonal regional dishes and a two-Michelin-starred culinary experience led by Chef Christophe Moret. His cuisine is precise yet soulful, like Champagne itself, grounded in tradition but refined with intention. The Champagne list reads long, but in the hands of the sommelier, it becomes storytelling rather than selection.

What I love most is that nothing about this place feels performative. It’s elegant without effort, historic without being frozen in time. It slows you down without making you feel still, it lets you move through history with ease, like a guest invited to witness rather than analyze.

That’s why Domaine Les Crayères is on The List — because it lets you step into Champagne not just as a traveler, but as someone temporarily folded into its heritage.

What it is: A Belle Époque château offering an immersive stay woven into Champagne’s heritage
Location: Reims, Champagne region, northeastern France
Rooms: 20 classically designed suites overlooking historic gardens
Dining: A seasonal brasserie and a two-Michelin-starred restaurant by Chef Christophe Moret
Champagne access: Walking distance to maisons like Veuve Clicquot, Pommery, and Ruinart, with curated access to both renowned houses and intimate family domains
Experiences: Historic cellar tours, vineyard immersion, terroir-focused tastings, Reims Cathedral visits
Why it’s special: It allows you to experience Champagne within a setting that matches its legacy

9. Drifting through the British countryside on the Britannic Explorer by Belmond

📍 United Kingdom: Across the Lake District, Wales, and Cornwall

There aren’t many journeys left in the world that feel unhurried by default, where movement isn’t just a way of getting somewhere, but the very essence of the experience. The Britannic Explorer by Belmond feels like one of those rare exceptions.

This brand-new luxury sleeper train is designed for slow travel through some of the most cinematic corners of the British countryside. Places where mornings are wrapped in mist, fields are dotted with sheep like brushstrokes, and the landscape shifts in quiet poetry just beyond your window. It’s the kind of journey that makes you forget your phone exists,not because you’re trying to disconnect, but because you’re already absorbed in something softer, slower, and deeply nostalgic.

Routes range from three to six nights, crossing destinations like the Lake District, Wales, and Cornwall, regions defined by rolling hills, rugged coastlines, remote villages, and the kind of hush that feels almost sacred. Being on board feels like entering a different rhythm of time, closer to the golden age of rail travel, when elegance wasn’t rushed and every mile held meaning.

There are just 18 cabins: 15 elegant suites with double or twin beds, and 3 Grand Suites for those who want butler service and private in-cabin dining. The interiors feel more like a boutique hotel than a train, polished wood, tailored upholstery, and warm lighting that makes the space feel intimate and cocooned.

Between cabins and observation lounges, there’s something completely unexpected: a spa carriage. Treatments are crafted using British-grown botanicals, the kind of scents that feel drawn from the very countryside you’re passing through. There’s something almost poetic about receiving a massage while the hills slide past your window, as though the landscape itself is part of the therapy.

Dining is its own chapter of the journey. Dinner takes place in one of two restaurant cars, Malva and Samphire — with menus designed by Simon Rogan, a Michelin-starred chef whose restaurants hold ten stars between them. The dishes are inspired by the very regions the train travels through: Cornish crab, Welsh lamb, Lakeland herbs. It’s not just fine dining, it’s storytelling through taste.

Evenings settle into the bar car, where Victorian apothecary-style interiors, botanical cocktails, and soft jazz set the tone. Outside, the countryside moves like a dream, dark silhouettes, passing lights, distant horizons. Inside, everything feels warm, timeless, almost cinematic.

Days unfold with afternoon tea, silver trays, warm scones, finger sandwiches, all served as the countryside rolls gently by. Off-train excursions are curated for each route, led by expert guides with exclusive access to locations that feel grounded in place rather than curated for tourism.

What I love most is that this kind of journey isn’t about arrival. It’s about presence, the rare kind that only happens when time slows down and beauty comes to you window by window.

That’s why the Britannic Explorer is on The List — because it brings back a kind of travel that feels like an experience in motion, wrapped in quiet luxury, rooted in landscape, and carried forward by charm rather than speed.

What it is: A new luxury sleeper train by Belmond offering slow, immersive journeys through rural Britain
Routes: 3- to 6-night itineraries through the Lake District, Wales, and Cornwall
Cabins: 18 in total — 15 suites and 3 Grand Suites with butler service and private dining
Wellness: A dedicated spa carriage using British-grown botanicals
Dining: Two restaurant cars (Malva and Samphire) with menus by Michelin-starred chef Simon Rogan
Bar car: Victorian apothecary-inspired cocktail lounge with jazz and countryside views
Experiences: Afternoon tea, off-train excursions with expert guides and exclusive access, regional culinary storytelling
Why it’s special: It revives the golden age of slow travel, where the journey becomes the destination

Inspiration: If you’re in love with train travel, check out my post on the best luxury train trips to book this year.

10. Living by candlelight at Adrère Amellal in Siwa Oasis

📍 Egypt: Siwa Oasis, deep in the Western Desert, near the Libyan border

There are places that feel luxurious because of what they give you and others that feel luxurious because of what they take away.

Adrère Amellal belongs entirely to the second kind.

Hidden deep in Egypt’s Western Desert, in the remote Siwa Oasis, this extraordinary ecolodge exists almost outside of time. No electricity. No Wi-Fi. No screens. When the sun sets, the entire property is illuminated by hundreds of candles, flickering softly along stone pathways, inside cave-like rooms, and across open-air dining tables under the stars.

It feels like stepping into another century.

Siwa itself has always been a place of mystery. This is the same oasis where Alexander the Great once journeyed to consult the Oracle of Amun, seeking confirmation of his divine destiny. Even today, the air here feels charged — quiet, sacred, and utterly removed from the modern world.

Adrère Amellal is built entirely from local materials: salt rock, clay, palm wood, stone. Each of the roughly 40 rooms is completely unique, nothing mass-produced, nothing repeated. Furniture is hand-carved, textiles are woven, walls are textured and imperfect in the most beautiful way. It’s simple, but deeply intentional. The kind of simplicity that makes you pause and think: I’ve never stayed anywhere like this.

At night, the lack of electricity transforms everything. Candlelight softens the edges of the world. Dinner becomes slower. Conversations linger. Silence feels companionable rather than empty. Luxury here isn’t about excess, it’s about atmosphere, presence, and restraint.

Meals are an experience of their own. Much of the food is grown onsite, prepared using traditional methods, and served somewhere different every time. One evening you might dine beneath palm trees beside a natural spring. Another night, inside a tiny clay courtyard. Another, in a cave-like room carved directly from the earth. The dishes are rooted in local Egyptian cuisine, fresh herbs, dates, grains, hibiscus-infused flavors, nourishing in a way that feels both ancient and thoughtful.

Days unfold gently, but with intention. Desert safaris across endless dunes. Floating effortlessly in Siwa’s salt lakes. Visiting the ancient Oracle Temple. Everything is curated for you, not rushed, not overplanned, just quietly guided.

It’s not easy to reach. Siwa is an eight-hour drive from Cairo. But that remoteness is exactly why it feels untouched. You don’t stumble upon Adrère Amellal by accident, you choose it. And once you arrive, the outside world fades fast.

What I love most is how understated it all is. No spectacle. No flash. No performance of luxury. And yet somehow, it feels more indulgent than many five-star hotels ever could.

This is the kind of place that reminds you why slow travel matters. Why silence can feel rich. Why simplicity, when done with care, becomes extraordinary.

That’s why Adrère Amellal is staying firmly on The List — until the day I finally make it there and let candlelight replace everything else.

What it is: A candlelit ecolodge built entirely without electricity
Location: Siwa Oasis, Egypt’s Western Desert
Rooms: Around 40 individually designed rooms made from salt rock, clay, and palm wood
Lighting: 100% candlelit after sunset
Dining: Farm-to-table Egyptian cuisine served in ever-changing, atmospheric locations
Experiences: Desert safaris, salt lakes, oracle temple visits, guided cultural immersion
Style: Radical simplicity, ancient atmosphere, intentional design
Why it’s special: It strips travel back to its essence and somehow feels richer because of it

I stayed at Adrére Amellal during our honeymoon — it’s officially checked off The List. You can read my full Adrére Amellal review here.

FAQ:

What is luxury slow travel?

Luxury slow travel is about experiencing a destination intentionally and meaningfully. Instead of rushing from one sight to the next, it focuses on depth, quality, and immersion — from staying in heritage hotels and boutique resorts to savoring local cuisine and connecting with culture, nature, and design.

What are examples of once-in-a-lifetime luxury trips?

Once-in-a-lifetime trips might include gliding through Italy on the La Dolce Vita Orient Express, sailing the Nile on a traditional dahabiya, staying in rainforest resorts like The Datai in Malaysia, or sleeping in castles in the Scottish Highlands. It’s about rare, emotionally rich experiences that stay with you.

How do I plan a luxury bucket list trip?

Start by choosing destinations that move you emotionally — not just trend-based ones. Think about the season, the setting, and the way you want to feel. From there, look for hotels, trains, or boats that reflect that mood. Prioritize quality over quantity. Book early and don’t overpack your itinerary — leave room to be surprised.

What are the best countries for luxury slow travel?

Italy, Japan, Egypt, Scotland, and Malaysia are just a few countries known for slow, immersive travel experiences that combine heritage, nature, and design. But it’s less about the country and more about how you choose to experience it.

Why do people choose slow travel over traditional travel?

People are increasingly seeking connection over consumption. Slow travel lets you go deeper, feel more, and return home changed — not just rested. For many, that’s the true definition of luxury.