2020 is officially the Summer of Staycations, with the holiday-starved prescribing themselves fresh country air, honey-hued village jaunts or the myriad delights of a city hotel staycation instead of jetting somewhere farther-flung. Why head out of town when you can have an enjoyable vacation by staying close to home?
Here, we share top tips on how to have the ideal staycation:
Get inspiration from this simple yet decadent Italian table set in Li Galli, via @onlyclassy
BOOK A LUXURY HOTEL
You’re not far from home, but the point of a staycation is to feel as if you got away, and staying at a high-end hotel is a good way to do that. The property you book should make you feel pampered with its luxe surroundings and doting service. Many upscale hotels, especially in your local city, even offer appealing staycation packages with breakfast, late checkout, in-room movies and discounted spa treatments. Read more about our stay here, ‘Make The Most Of A Staycation With The Best Hotel Deal In Town.’
We recently enjoyed a great staycation at Intercontinental Double Bay – a five star hotel that ticks all the boxes.
Sweeping harbour views, spacious designer rooms, excellent location, gin bar, fabulous food, are just some of the things you can look forward to. Guaranteeing the highest of standards, it’s a calming and contemporary haven, that’s renowned as one of the best hotels in Sydney. Whether you’re booking in for a special occasion or just need a break from the daily grind, a staycation like this is always a good idea. In Hong Kong we’re spoiled for choice with everything from boutique hotels to chic Airbnb properties to choose from, but if you’re looking for a truly luxurious stay to unwind, the city’s five-star hotels tick all the boxes.
Intercontinental Double Bay
RELY ON THE TOURIST OFFICE
When looking for ideas on how to spend your minibreak, your area’s tourist bureau is a gold mine for suggestions. The bureau will have information on the latest happenings and will also know about free events and tours. Our favourite staycation activities include checking out bookstores to meet authors for signings, visiting wine stores for free tastings, seeing museums, garden tours, and doing history tours around your own city.
CONSIDER A SPLURGE
Since you’re not paying for airfare or spending a large amount of money on fuel, a staycation at home is a good excuse to spring for an indulgent experience that otherwise is too expensive. You can take a helicopter ride or hot air balloon tour, to see where you live from a different perspective.
Other possibilities include a massage or a facial at a beautiful spa, or a private cooking class, now that you’re spending more time cooking at home.
DON’T OVERSCHEDULE
While you should have some semblance of an itinerary, as with any vacation, don’t plan too much for your staycation: Leave room for spontaneous discoveries. Select an area of town that’s unfamiliar to you, and walk the streets or skip making dinner reservations one evening, and enjoy small bites at the bar at several different restaurants. Better yet, sleep in and have breakfast in bed or hang out in your pajamas one night while you watch a movie or savour a rich dessert.
The Parlour Room ‘Self’ at Clovelly, Sydney’s hottest new spa offering a wide range of facials, infrared saunas and other cult beauty treatements, theparlourroom.com/self
THE HOME SWAP
However, not to be thwarted at the first hurdle, some of the country’s elite have turned to a form of holiday that means they needn’t compromise on luxury, privacy or environment: the home swap.
Home-swapping is the new solution to booked-up hotels.
We hear Britain’s platform, Third Home, has seen an uptick in enquiries for membership, “in particular for its most exclusive platform, Reserve,’ Giles Adam, the European President of Third Home – the world’s most luxurious home swapping website – tells Tatler this month. ‘We have had lots more enquiries in the past few months than we did prior to March, and many members are now referring friends with great second homes who would benefit from home swapping.’
To join Third Home’s Exchange platform, you need a personal invite and a luxury second (or third) home worth over £500,000. Though for the Reserve tier, your holiday home needs an average value of £5 million, and must boast exclusive bells and whistles like staff and unique design elements.
A glorious home with it’s very own golf course available for ‘home swapping’ via ThirdHome.com
AS well as offering an opulent lifestyle synonymous with their own, and the opportunity to explore properties often out of bounds, this type of holiday offers members the luxury of time. They are exempt from the The Great (Staycation) Race, as the pool of people travelling to the same destination at any one time is smaller, and homeowners tend to be more flexible with timings.
‘There is no fuss to change dates if needs be,’ Reserve member and home swap convert, Lizie Gower – who no longer rents her chalet in Meribel in favour of swapping – explains. ‘It’s all very friendly and flexible, and with no worry about money changing hands, it’s all so easy and stress-free. Plus, going into hotels where they have stringent COVID-19 rules means that it’s much easier to be in a house.’ With a platform like Third Home, their accommodation cost is low, making it a natural fit in this new climate.’
