THE JEWEL THAT IS THE USA NEW MEXICO - ARIZONA NEVADA - CALIFORNIA MARCH 27 TH TO APRIL 10 TH 2014 MARCH 27 ARRIVAL IN SANTA FE (FOUR SEASONS) MARCH 28 SANTA FE GRAND TOUR (FOUR SEASONS) MARCH 29 SANTA FE // ALBUQUERQUE // WINSLOW (LA POSADA) MARCH 30 WINSLOW // LAS VEGAS (WYNN TOWER SUITES) MARCH 31 LAS VEGAS & GRAND CANYON (WYNN TOWER SUITES) APRIL 01 LAS VEGAS // SANTA MONICA (SHUTTERS ON THE BEACH) APRIL 02 SANTA MONICA & LOS ANGELES (SHUTTERS ON THE BEACH) APRIL 03 SANTA MONICA // SANTA BARBARA (FOUR SEASONS) APRIL 04 SANTA BARBARA // CARMEL (L AUBERGE CARMEL) APRIL 05 CARMEL & PEBBLE BEACH (L AUBERGE CARMEL) APRIL 06 CARMEL // SAN FRANCISCO (FOUR SEASONS) APRIL 07 SAN FRANCISCO (FOUR SEASONS) APRIL 08 SAN FRANCISCO // NAPA VALLEY (BARDESSONO) APRIL 09 NAPA VALLEY (BARDESSONO) APRIL 10 NAPA VALLEY // HALF MOON BAY (RITZ-CARLTON) APRIL 11 DEPARTURE
THURSDAY 27 TH MARCH SANTA FE CHECK IN AT THE FOUR SEASONS RANCHO ENCANTADO. VOTED AS ONE OF TRAVEL & LEISURE S TOP 50 U.S. DESTINATION RESORTS. PERFECTLY POSITIONED AMID THE BREATHTAKING AND PRISTINE BEAUTY OF SANTA FE, FOUR SEASONS RESORT RANCHO ENCANTADO OVERLOOKS THE RIO GRANDE RIVER VALLEY, THE PEAKS OF THE JEMEZ MOUNTAINS AND THE WILDS OF NEW MEXICO IN ALL DIRECTIONS. YOUR CARS WILL AWAIT YOUR ARRIVAL.
FRIDAY 28 TH MARCH SANTA FE TODAY WE WILL EXPLORE THIS MAGIC HISTORIC CITY AND THE SURROUNDING AREA. FROM A MORNING DRIVE TO THE TOWN OF MADRID, TO A UNIQUE AND UNFORGETABLE LUNCH EXPERIENCE OF THE WILD WEST, DODGE TOWN. IN SANTA FE YOU WILL SEE ITS HISTORIC ADOBE ARCHITECTURE THAT GIVES SANTA FE ITS LEGENDARY SOUTHWESTERN CHARM. SANTA FE IS ALSO INTERNATIONALLY RECOGNIZED AS ONE OF THE WORLD'S TOP THREE ART MARKETS. IT HOUSES ONE OF THE LARGEST CONCENTRATIONS OF ARTISTS, GALLERIES AND MUSEUMS IN ITS MODEST 37.4 SQUARE MILES.
SATURDAY 29 TH MARCH SANTA FE / ALBUQUERQUE / WINSLOW WE DEPART NEW MEXICO AND HEAD INTO ARIZONA. LUNCH WILL BE LOCATED AT THE FAMOUS AND HISTORIC RANCHO INN AT THE TOWN OF GALLUP. JUST BEFORE REACHING OUR HOTEL, WE WILL VISIT THE PETRIFIED FOREST NATIONAL PARK. OVERNIGHT WILL BE AT LA POSADA IN WINSLOW, THE LAST GREAT RAILROAD HOTEL BUILT IN 1929 BY THE SANTA FE RAILWAY FOR THE FRED HARVEY COMPANY. IT IS RUMOURED TO HAVE COST OVER $2MILLION THEN (1929). LA POSADA WAS RECENTLY RATED AS ONE OF THE WORLD'S BEST PLACES TO STAY BY CONDE NASTE TRAVELLER.
SUNDAY 30 TH MARCH WINSLOW / LAS VEGAS AFTER A VISIT TO THE METEOR CRATER, OUR AWAITED DRIVE ON THE HISTORIC ROUTE 66, AND THE MOST STUNNING DRIVE YET, FROM ARIZONA TO NEVADA INTO THE SIN CITY, LAS VEGAS.
MONDAY 31 ST MARCH LAS VEGAS / GRAND CANYON HELICOPTER TOUR OF THE GRAND CANYON DEPARTING RIGHT OFF THE LAS VEGAS STRIP INCLUDING INCREDIBLE VIEWS OF THE HOOVER DAM, THE COLORADO RIVER AND LAS VEGAS AND MUCH MORE BEFORE DESCENDING 3,200 FEET AND LANDING INSIDE THE GRAND CANYON FOR A JEWEL EVENTS CHAMPAGNE BREAKFAST. IN THE EVENING AN EARLY SHOW LE REVE FOLLOWED BY DINNER AT THE FAMOUS SINATRA RESTAURANT.
TUESDAY 1 ST APRIL LAS VEGAS / SANTA MONICA (DEATH VALLEY) POSSIBLY ONE OF THE MOST EXCITING DRIVES, CROSSING DEATH VALLEY, LOWEST AND DRIEST AREA IN NORTH AMERICA. DEATH VALLEY HOLDS THE RECORD FOR THE HIGHEST RECORDED AIR TEMPERATURE ON EARTH IN MID TO LATE SUMMER.
WEDNESDAY 2 ND APRIL SANTA MONICA & LOS ANGELES FOLLOWING A WONDERFUL NIGHT AT THE LUXURIOUS AND BEAUTIFUL HOTEL SHUTTERS ON THE BEACH IN SANTA MONICA, A WELL DESERVED REST DAY TO EXPLORE THE CITY OF ANGELS. A VERY SPECIAL PRIVATE EVENING IS PLANNED FOR TONIGHT.
THURSDAY 3 RD APRIL SANTA MONICA // SANTA BARBARA AFTER A RELAXED MORNING TO RECOVER OUR ENERGY FROM LAST NIGHT, WE WILL START OUR DRIVE ON ONE OF THE MOST STUNNING HIGHWAYS IN THE WORLD, THE PACIFIC HIGHWAY 1. FOLLOWING A STUNNING DRIVE WE WILL CHECK IN AT THE FABULOUS FOUR SEASONS THE BILTIMORE IN SANTA BARBARA. NESTLED ON THE CALIFORNIA COAST BETWEEN THE PACIFIC OCEAN AND THE SANTA YNEZ MOUNTAINS, SANTA BARBARA IS GRACED BY SUNNY SKIES AND A MILD YEAR-ROUND CLIMATE EARNING ITS REPUTATION AS THE AMERICAN RIVIERA.
FRIDAY 4 TH APRIL SANTA BARBARA // HEARST CASTLE // BIG SUR // CARMEL MISS PATRICIA HEARST THE GRANDDAUGHTER OF WILLIAM RANDOLPH HEARST AND A GREAT PERSONAL FRIEND OF THE CHAIRMAN HAS BEEN KIND ENOUGH TO ENDEAVOUR TO ORGANISE WITH THE STATE PARK AUTHORITIES A PRIVATE TOUR OF HEARST CASTLE AS WELL AS ALLOWING US TO DRIVE OUR SPECIAL CARS TO THE CASTLE ITSELF. FOLLOWING THIS UNIQUE ESPERIENCE, WE WILL BEGIN TO DRIVE ON WHAT IS CONSIDERED THE JEWEL OF THE PACIFIC HIGHWAY 1, SIMPLY THE MOST BREATHTAKING DRIVE, PASSING BIG SUR UNTIL ARRIVING IN CHARMING CARMEL.
SATURDAY 5 TH APRIL CARMEL VALLEY & PEBBLE BEACH A MORNING S LEISURE DRIVE AROUND CARMEL, PEBBLE BEACH, MONTEREY AND INTO THE WINE AREA OF THE CARMEL VALLEY. AN EARLISH LUNCH WILL BE ON THE LEGENDARY SHORES OF PEBBLE BEACH. IN THE AFTERNOON, FREE TIME TO EXPLORE THIS CHARMING SMALL TOWN AND ITS MANY SHOPS. AND FOR THE GOLF AFICIONADOS, TIME TO PLAY.
SUNDAY 6 TH APRIL CARMEL // SAN FRANCISCO WE DEPART CARMEL AND DRIVE ON WHAT WILL BE OUR FINAL STRETCH OF THE PACIFIC HIGHWAY 1 ON OUR WAY TO SAN FRANCISCO. MUCH FLATTER BUT EQUALY BREATHTAKING, THE ROUTE WILL TAKE US TO A UNIQUE LUNCH EXPERIENCE AT DUARTE S TAVERN, AN INSTITUTION FOUNDED IN 1894 AT THE TOWN OF PESCADERO.
MONDAY 7 TH APRIL SAN FRANCISCO AFTER AN EASY MORNING IN SAN FRANCISCO AT OUR HOTEL, THE FOUR SEASONS, YOU WILL HAVE TIME TO EXPLORE THE CITY AND IT S MANY ATRACTIONS.
TUESDAY 8 TH APRIL SAN FRANCISCO // NAPA VALLEY TODAY WE WILL DRIVE TO THE MUCH AWAITED NAPA VALLEY VIA THE GOLDEN GATE BRIDGE. OUR HOTEL FOR THE NEXT TWO NIGHTS WILL BE IN YOUNTVILLE. THE TOWN OF YOUNTVILLE, RENOWNED FOR ITS WORLD-CLASS RESTAURANTS AND AWARD WINNING CHEFS, HAS EARNED THE UNOFFICIAL TITLE OF "CULINARY CAPITAL OF THE NAPA VALLEY."
WEDNESDAY 9 TH APRIL NAPA VALLEY FULL DAY OF TASTING SOME OF THE FINEST WINES IN NAPA VALLEY FOLLOWED BY A SPETACULAR PRIVATE LUNCH AT FAR NIENTE AND A VISIT TO THEIR PRIVATE CAR MUSEUM.
THURSDAY 10 TH APRIL NAPA VALLEY // HALF MOON BAY WE LEAVE NAPA VALLEY BEHIND AND MAKE OUR WAY TO THE WONDERFUL AND UNIQUE RITZ-CARLTON IN HALF MOON BAY FOR OUR VERY SPECIAL, YET LAID BACK, CALIFORNIAN STYLE FAREWELL BRUNCH. WE HAVE CHOSEN THIS LOCATION FOR OUR LAST NIGHT BECAUSE OF ITS PROXIMITY TO SFO INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT AS WELL AS FOR THE LOGISTICS OF GETTING THE CARS LOADED ONTO CARS EUROPE TRUCKS. FRIDAY 11 TH APRIL DEPARTURE