There is a certain kind of holiday that is really a rest from the holiday. The big family weeks — the in-laws, the extended table, the careful choreography of the gift exchange — have their own dignity. But a certain number of our clients come to us, in November each year, with a private idea: they would like a week away, after the holiday, that is simply theirs.
These year-end escapes are among the most carefully designed journeys we arrange. They are short — often five to seven days — and their mood is reparative rather than celebratory. The traveller arrives tired. The journey is built to return them to themselves in time for the new year.
What works for this week is something uncomplicated. A small private island in the Seychelles, a single villa, a chef for the week. A private lodge in the Swiss or Austrian Alps, closed to any other guests. A quiet stay in Kyoto, in a ryokan with a private onsen and no other party on the floor. A house on an off-season stretch of the Amalfi Coast, with the fires lit and the sea empty.
The common thread, across all of these, is privacy and quiet. We design against any sense of obligation. There is no big itinerary, no scheduled excursion. There is a cook if you wish a meal, and a car if you wish a drive, and otherwise — the room, the view, the terrace, the bath, the book you brought, and the week you had not thought you would be able to take.
A year-end away from the year-end is not an escape from family. It is, in most cases, how a family keeps its sense of proportion. We recommend it gently — particularly to clients who have been holding a great deal together for others.
