Elite Traveler November-December 2018

129 elite traveler NOV/DEC 2018

DAY 3 Return to the skies and head further afield by helicopter on a journey to a remote, and secret, hot spring. Keep an eye out for caribou, bear and moose (bring your camera and you’ll be rewarded with beautiful photos). At the hot spring, enjoy a delicious picnic while your guide tells you about the region’s history and culture. You’ll have plenty of time to soak in the restorative waters as well. At night, venture out onto the glacier for a moonlight trek — the stars and moon are so brilliant that you won’t need a headlamp. DAY 4 On your last day, pick between relaxation and adventure. Aviation and mountaineering enthusiasts will want to head to Don Sheldon Mountain House, built in the 1960s by the famous aviator, where you can learn about Sheldon’s flying adventures and what it takes to summit Denali. The house is placed on an outcrop at 5,800 ft, so the views of Don Sheldon Amphitheater are sublime. Or stay closer to home and revisit the nunatak , relax in the sauna and practice your photography, capturing the incredible vistas from the Chalet. The chef will prepare a feast for your farewell dinner and, with luck, the aurora will put on a final light show for you. DAY 5 Wake up early and watch the sun rise over Denali’s summit from the warmth of your bed before returning to Anchorage by helicopter, this time flying through Devil’s Canyon of the Susitna River. Cherish your final views of the US’s last frontier and the majesty of its raw, natural beauty before heading home, forever changed. From $144,000 for 10 people, all inclusive for five nights with exclusive use of Sheldon Chalet and Sheldon Mountain Lodge; from $59,000 for four people without exclusive use. Contact Marne Sheldon, owner, visit@sheldonchalet.com, +1 907 854 7007, sheldonchalet.com

The wandering hotel

You’ve stayed in every penthouse, villa and suite in the world’s most incredible destinations and visited remote lands. What’s left, you wonder? The first hotel on earth with no permanent address that moves location every six months should do the trick. by Samantha Coles The luxury travel market is changing. No longer are the well-traveled content with staying in the top suite of the best hotel. There has to be an experience, an adventure, something truly unique on offer, while still maintaining the same level of luxury that those hotels provide. In response to this, Thierry Teyssier has founded a whimsical concept: the world’s first traveling hotel. Entitled 700,000 Heures, the name refers to the average amount of time humans spend on earth. Morbid as that may seem, it highlights how precious our time really is. Every six months, Teyssier and his team of experts create a new journey in a new destination, selecting incredible accommodations and designing tailor-made itineraries. Having just finished a six-month stint in Salento, Italy, the current destination is Angkor, Cambodia, which will end on April 20, 2019. The seven-day (or 3,696-hour) itinerary immerses you in the culture of the ancient city and includes a temple tour, an off-limits archaeological dig at dawn, a visit to a floating village and a sail through Prek Toal nature reserve among the rare and exotic wildlife. You’ll spend two nights at Hanchey House, a traditional Khmer wooden house in the heart of Siem Reap, one night on Tonle Sap Lake in a floating house, two nights in Battambang and one special night near a hidden temple. To accompany your journey, 700,000 Heures sends stylish, classic leather trunks that create magical mise-en-scènes, from a pop-up picnic to a bed to sleep under the stars. The next destination is yet to be announced, but by joining 700,000 Heures’s members club, called Le Cercle des Amazirs, you’ll be the first to know about the wandering hotel’s next temporary home. From $1,855 per night for two people. Contact Peggy Bouvattier, contact@700000heures.com, +33 663 222 484, 700000heures.com

Above: Soak up the views with a chilled glass of rosé and your timeless leather trunks

Photos Chris Burkard, Khanh Renaud