Epicurean Road Trips | Culinary journeys around Europe
When you go on an Epicurean Road Trip, you’ll come across several forks in the road…
… as well as knives, spoons, crockery, tables, chairs, and all the usual trappings of a decent dining experience.
It’s a new experience from the people at The Luxury Collection Hotels & Resorts, and the idea is simple: after deciding which of the many countries they have in their portfolio you’d like to explore, they’ll work with you to create a bespoke tour of the local cuisine, while travelling between The Luxury Collection Hotels.
In order to make sure you’re getting the more well-rounded experience of the indigenous culture, those dining experiences will run the full gamut from the high-end to the rustic, and from intimate private tastings to drinks at bustling cocktail bars.
The company are (currently) offering the Road Trips in half a dozen countries, including Austria, Greece, Italy, Spain, Turkey, and the UK. There are suggested itineraries you can spring for, which take in the full spectrum of foodie culture, or you can opt to tailor your trip to your favourite destinations.
THE HOTELS & RESORTS
The Luxury Collection Hotels & Resorts come to us from the people at Marriott, and the name basically explains it all quite succinctly – they’re a collection of luxury hotels & resorts. There are over 100 of them across the world, and each has its own individual character, with the only thing associating them with each other being the high level of service & comfort they’re boasting. The Wellesely hotel in London, for instance, began life as a tube station at Hyde Park Corner, and the building still uses the station’s Art Deco facade in its design. It’s completely unique – but as with all the other The Luxury Collection Hotels, you’ll find opulent rooms, lavish amenities, gorgeous views, and exquisite dining.
THE DESTINATIONS
As we mentioned, you can take an Epicurean Road Trip in countries from Spain to Turkey, with highlights that you could add to your personally tailored itinerary including:
- A trip to Salzburg, where you can take a boat ride with local fishermen and learn how to smoke the fish they catch (then, naturally, eat them).
- Have a candlelit dinner on the rooftop restaurant at the Hotel Danielli overlooking the canals in Venice.
- Take a cookery class at Mimo San Sebastian deep in the Spanish Basque Country, while staying at the stunning
Hotel Maria Cristina. - Take a sunset boat ride from Bodrum in Turkey to a secluded vineyard for a private wine & olive oil tasting.
- Get driven by a private chauffeur to the Wellesley in London for a signature cigar and cognac tasting.
And if you want to get a deeper sense of what it’s like to go on one of these journeys in a single country, take Greece: your voyage might start at the Santa Maria in Mykonos. From there, you’ll be put on a private boat, and whisked away to an uninhabited island. Well, it’s not entirely uninhabited – there’s a chef there, who’s spent the morning collecting vegetables from his own garden, then fishing in the waters around the island itself.
There’s no table, and no chairs. All the food is laid out on a small wooden jetty, and you’ll have roll up your trouser legs and wade in if you want to eat. And you shall, because using a simple wood-burning stove, the chef will lay out fresh sea urchins; seabass carpaccio dressed with lemon, olive oil, and pink peppercorns; grilled prawns; meaty red snapper, juicy clams, fragrant mussels, and a lot more.
After a couple of nights, you’ll then make your way to Santorini to stay at the hotel Vedema and indulge in a private dinner catered by a private chef, and served by a private butler at the stunning Nafsika Estate (so long as it’s not being used by NBA stars) overlooking the sea.
Finally, you can then move onto the other side of the island, and visit Mystique – a truly unique hotel built into the side of the cliff-face, with rooms carved out of the rock itself. There you can have dinner in their extraordinary Charisma restaurant as you watch the sun go down.
And if you fancy simply staying in one place? You can always have a simple Epicurean Moment, and take in any one of the experiences we’ve mentioned on its own without going anywhere.
It saves you even more of the legwork.
NOTE: The Epicurean Road Trips are available now. You can find out more, and tailor your own by visiting the website right HERE.
Like foodie trips? Perhaps Bologna should be on your radar…