Table of Contents
Imagine if money was completely out of the question when planning your next vacation. If only, instead of worrying about Ryanair baggage fees, you channeled your energy into the haute couture you’ll wear to Cannes. Or the supercar you could drive in Switzerland.
For a fraction of the population, such decadent whims are a reality, so welcome to the jet-setting world of super-rich travel.
Based in London and Scotland, Hannah Westaway has more knowledge of this rarefied sphere of opulence than most. As CEO of the exclusive Knightsbridge Circle concierge club, she helps Hollywood celebrities, crypto entrepreneurs, and wealthy old aristocrats, among others.
According to Forbes, the number of billionaires around the world is increasing (there were 2,781 of them in 2024), so how wealthy could an average Knightsbridge Circle customer be?
“The majority of our members have a net worth of £100m or more,” Westaway coldly surmises. ‘We recently organized a private concert with Andrea Bocelli for a client and 15 family members in Tuscany. They then drove classic Italian cars to Rome and had a private visit at the Vatican Apostolic Palace with Pope Francis.’
So what’s at the top of your 2025 travel wish list? “It’s all about Japan, both for skiing and vacationing in general,” says Westaway.
Joali five-star resort in the Maldives

An ocean view room on Sir Richard Branson’s Necker Island

Gstaad Palace
‘It is a destination that leaves people speechless. When they visit us once, customers always want to come back and experience it in more depth.’
Here, the concierge opens her little black book on the restaurants, hotels and experiences the world’s most discerning travelers love…
chasing the sun
Privacy and heritage are potent bedfellows, and if a resort can outperform them on both, they’ll earn lucrative loyalty, says our expert.
The plan? The Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc, in sensual Antibes on the Côte d’Azur, is a perennial success.
“Members settle there for the excellent service and then have lunch at Club 55 in St Tropez or La Guerite in Cannes.”
The remote location of the Maldives also facilitates discretion.
The five-star Joali resort, which has a vast art collection, has become the choice for those seeking paradise with a cultural touch.
Thailand also tends to be more popular than the Caribbean “because it is less populated.” Westaway adds: “We send clients to Kamalaya on Koh Samui or any of the Four Seasons hotels.”
Book like a billionaire: Double room at the Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc from £928 (oetkercollection.com).
Private islands
A way to guarantee you won’t mix with the masses on your 10th holiday of the year? Leave them on dry land.
“Private island stays have always been popular with our members, but recently we’ve seen a huge increase in demand,” says our guru. “It’s really about privacy.”
At the top of the list is the most famous private rental island on the planet: Sir Richard Branson’s 74-acre Necker in the British Virgin Islands.
And hot on his heels is Tagomago. Just off the east coast of Ibiza, this 148-acre enclave of exclusivity features a five-bedroom villa, its own yacht and a full catering team.
Another hit is the gem of Thanda Island, in turquoise waters off the coast of Tanzania, where guests can relax in a five-suite beachside villa.
Book like a billionaire: A night’s rental on Necker Island costs around £130,000 (virginlimitededition.com).
millionaire mountains
Traditionally, Knightsbridge Circle members hit the slopes at classic European resorts such as Verbier, St Moritz or Gstaad, staying in the spacious penthouse suite of the fairytale Gstaad Palace at the latter. Across the Atlantic, Montana resorts with private clubs are highly sought after, but Aspen, in Colorado’s lofty Elk Mountains, remains the most captivating winter destination, packed with upscale residences and restaurants.
Luxury Retreat The Little Nell is the place to (get someone else) to park your skis. Japanese chalet resorts like Niseko also attract big spenders.
Book like a billionaire: double rooms at Gstaad Palace from £1,300 (palace.ch).
good sport
Many tycoons plan their global adventures not around business but around their sporting passions. If given half the chance, who wouldn’t go between the Australian Open in Melbourne, the Champions League final (this year in Munich) and the Masters in Georgia?
Boys’ weekends with outings at Gleneagles in Scotland or the Old Course Hotel – or Finca Cortesin on the Costa del Sol – are very popular, says Westaway, but there is one date that always takes pole position: the Grand Monaco Prize.
F1’s crown jewel, thanks to its hairpin circuit and glamorous backdrop, will always be on the plan at the end of May, says our concierge.
“Members travel to many events, but Monaco is a must-see.” Where do they eat in the dazzling principality? ‘We booked tables at Gaia, MayaBay and Le Louis XV – Alain Ducasse’s restaurant at l’Hotel de Paris.’
Book like a billionaire: Gleneagles Double B&B From £495 (Gleneagles.com).
Breaking the city (the bank)
‘London, New York, Rome, Paris… always Paris! “The classics essentially,” is how Westaway sums up the cities loved by those with money to spend.
Athens is also popular, he adds, because the rich are hungry for knowledge (and a decent souvlaki, one assumes). ‘Curiosity is one of the main veins that runs through our members.’
New hotels also excite high rollers, but one of the team members always goes first to make sure they aren’t disappointed.
“Now everyone is excited about the opening of Corinthia with chef Carlo Cracco,” he says, referring to Rome’s latest five-star restaurant, located in the former headquarters of the Bank of Italy.
In our own capital? The fab five reign supreme: Claridge’s, The Connaught, Raffles at The OWO, The Berkeley and Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park.
Book like a billionaire: Doubles at Claridges from £744 (claridges.co.uk).