There are two things he loves doing most: traveling and being pampered. Ivo knows better than anyone where to book a room or suite. From a private island surrounded by turtles to remote Vipp guesthouses: these are places where luxury hides itself ever more subtly.
PIKETTY
Haven't heard from it in a long time, but it was Thomas Piketty who became famous for writing about how scandalously rich a handful of people are. Not much has changed since then; the rich only got richer, so naturally more places for them to relax appeared. Here are a few new outliers: Fregate Island in the Seychelles was never an Ibis, but when it reopens in October after four years of renovations, it will likely be the hotel with the highest entry price, namely €11.500. Surrounded by some 3.500 Aldabra tortoises, the hotel and accompanying villas and estates (their term) will soon be able to accommodate 70 guests, waited on hand and foot by more than three times as much staff. Fortunately, that starting price does include full board, though without wine, and that could add up nicely, as the hotel will soon have the largest and most exclusive wine cellar in the area. Things are going well on the turbulent waves as well. You already have the pricey Ritz Carlton and the Aman cruises, but even better (read: more expensive) is the new Orient Express Sailing Yacht, a super exclusive sailboat with a hypermodern interior that is more reminiscent of a New York penthouse than a barge. It is all too beautiful and chic and luxurious (thanks to three-star chef Yannick Alléno) and yes, expensive. A week (!) of cruising starts at €45.000, up to €125.000 for a mid-range suite, and goes up to just under two hundred thousand for the Agatha Christie or Zephyr Suite. Then I think to myself: for about two hundred thousand a week, you could also rent a magnificent private yacht including crew, so well, a difficult choice.
Fregate.com | Sailing-Yachts.Orient-Express.com
TRASH CAN
You have fashion and shoe designers starting hotels (Louboutin, Camper, Armani, Versace, Louis Vuitton), as well as jewelers (Chopard, Graff), and film stars (Robert de Niro, Francis Coppola). Now, a trash can and wastebasket brand is joining the ranks. Admittedly, chic waste bins, because the Vipp models are so beautiful that you wouldn't actually dare throw anything in them. Vipp, founded in 1939, is a Danish family business (they now achieve a daily turnover that took the founder a year) that specializes in such beautiful items that they are a status symbol, a jewel in every home, signed with the logo as if it were a Chanel or Dior bag. Anyone visiting their site will find all kinds of trap bins and other household products in the shop, but recently, guesthouses as well. For Vipp knows what rich people want: the current trend is moving away from luxury for luxury's sake, and toward calm luxury, far removed from it all, where you can be rich without standing out. No more opulent Ritz or Mandarin Oriental, but a more or less anonymous cabin in an anonymous location. Enter the remote cabins of Vipp (the name says it all, Vipp for VIPs); the first opened its doors in 2014, and now there are thirteen and counting, from a rustic Austrian village to deep in Mexico, Tasmania, Hawaii, the Pyrenees, Brescia, or right in the middle of Copenhagen. What they have in common are simple, chic interiors, equipped with every luxury and, yes, matching trash cans. And, if desired, staff. Find your way there using coordinates, as some have no official address. That is called secret luxury; no more bragging to friends, but mysteriously keeping everything a secret.
Vipp.com
NEW FAMILY HOTELS IN 2026
The Oetker family made their fortune through self-raising flour. Now they are also involved in travel, with a selection of the finest hotels worldwide (including the illustrious Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc in Antibes, Le Bristol in Paris, and the Brenners Park Hotel in Baden-Baden). This year, the Vineta was added in Palm Beach, their first location in the US—a small, exclusive, anything but flashy establishment, barely recognizable as a hotel, as the current quiet luxury trend dictates. The snow-white corner building in typical Palm Beach style, topped with a widow's walk turret, dates back to 1929 when it was already the best hotel in the area as Lido-Venice. It has been under renovation for over four years (the opening was originally planned for 2023), and the result is predominantly light blue. Light blue walls, ceilings, cushions, carpets, and chairs, perfectly matching the ever-light-blue sky there. Also long awaited (five years overdue) is the Zannier Île de Bendor, both a hotel and a private island, located about three hundred meters from the French coast near Bandol (between Marseille and Toulon). Paul Ricard (of the eponymous pastis) bought the island in 1950 when only two sheep lived there, and turned it into a luxurious establishment where Josephine Baker, Gilbert Bécaud, and Salvador Dalí were regular guests. His great-grandson now manages it, and the new main hotel with 90 rooms will soon open. Alongside the seven-hectare island, there will be a Ricard museum, three restaurants, swimming pools and tennis courts, an art gallery, various bars and shops, and some small villas with secluded suites for even more privacy. The island is only accessible by private ferry; day-trippers are not welcome. Prices will be reasonable: starting from €700.
Oetkercollection.com | Zannierhotels.com
