Viceroy Bali
Photo Courtesy of Viceroy Bali
It’s a bird, it’s a plane — it’s a helicopter dropping you right down at your luxury resort. Sure, you can fly private, but that might still put you a few minutes away from your final destination by car. Why not instead take the chopper directly to your front door?
These five luxury hotels have on-site helipads and extravagant amenities to match for luxury travelers.
Viceroy Bali
Perched high above Bali’s Valley of the Kings, where water temples and shrines date back to the 8th century, the 25-suite Viceroy Bali is a spiritual and mythical place to visit. But it’s even more jaw dropping when you arrive by helicopter. You’ll follow the Petanu River Gorge along to the hotel’s private helipad. Tip: ask to add in a tour of the Kintamani Volcano or Bedugul Lakes during the 12-minute ride from the airport. Once you’ve arrived, the bucket list activities — think elephant safaris, swimming in private infinity-edge pools and sunrise volcano treks — don’t stop.
Primland From Another Perspective, Photo Courtesy of Primland
The Lodge and Cottages at Primland
Located along the scenic Blue Ridge Parkway, the Four-Star Primland resort is renowned both for its sprawling grounds — 12,000 acres in total — as well as its fantastic array of outdoor activities that range from golf and shooting to geocaching. But getting to the property, which is located two and a half hours from Charlotte and 90 minutes from Greensboro, isn’t a challenge if you use a little imagination. Hop on a four- or six-seat Bell Ranger or Jet Ranger helicopter, available directly via a special resort partnership, and land at the property.
The Inn at Dos Brisas
Just over an hour from Houston sits a Forbes Travel Guide Four-Star escape worthy of even the most jaded of cowboys. Each of the 10 casitas is decked out to make you feel as if you’re on your own private ranch, and amenities like a Five-Star restaurant, onsite horseback riding, skeet shooting, yoga and cooking classes make you feel like you’re at a very upscale summer camp. And, of course, if you want to hop back to the city in style, take off and land right there on the resort’s own helipad.
The Peninsula Shanghai, Photo Courtesy of The Peninsula Hotels
The Peninsula Shanghai
One of the city’s most historic hotels, this Five-Star escape features a glamorous Art Deco lobby, the city’s only Five-Star spa, and generously sized hotel rooms with techy-friendly amenities. Still, you can probably guess the property’s most dramatic feature — an in-house helipad. A rarity in a tightly regulated city like Shanghai, the platform is fully equipped with night landing capabilities — all the better to take a special sightseeing tour and see areas like The Bund, the Huangpu River and the Pudong skyline.
Barnsley Resort
Set on 3,300 acres in the remote foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, Forbes Travel Guide Recommended Barnsley is a pristine escape in the unique historic setting of civil war ruins. Step up your guy’s getaway (the hotel boasts a Jim Fazio-designed 18-hole course, riding stables, fly fishing and hunting preserve) and arrive in style to the hotel’s private helipad (Atlanta sits roughly 70 miles away) or even via private aircraft — the landing strip can accommodate as many as four jets at a time.
