14 Ways To Celebrate A Landmark Birthday
LUXE FOR LESS
Visit Nyetimber’s Vineyard In Sussex
Book an open day ticket and spend an afternoon at Nyetimber’s beautiful estate in West Sussex. Recognised for its award-winning English sparkling wines, the vineyard has a selection of whites and rosés to sample. The visit begins with a tour of the estate and vineyards, before a tasting at its 15th-century medieval barn where you’ll try the gold-medal winning Classic Cuvée Multi-Vintage, Blanc de Blanc 2014 and Cuvée Chérie Multi-Vintage. The team can also recommend local pubs and restaurants if you want to make a day of it in the Sussex countryside.
Nyetimber Vineyard, Gay Street, West Chiltington, Sussex, RH20 2HH; from £35pp.
Visit Nyetimber.com
Dine On Regent’s Canal
London Shell Co serves British seafood year-round aboard its lovely canal boat, The Prince Regent, which cruises along Regent’s Canal. You can book tables for up to eight diners or hire the entire boat for private parties and events to enjoy food cooked by restaurant duo Harry and Leah Lobek. Available for lunch and dinner, the menu changes daily to showcase seasonal produce with six-course tasting menus comprised of dishes like seabass with fresh peas and egg yolk, spider crab and Jersey Royals, Cornish cod with pickled mushrooms and white chocolate delice.
The Prince Regent, Sheldon Square, Paddington, W2 6PY; £65pp (plus an extra £65 for wine pairings).
Visit LondonShellCo.com
Ride In A Hot Air Balloon
After an adventure? Book a hot air balloon ride to see panoramic views of some of our most scenic spots. Balloon Rides Over Britain has over 50 locations across the UK where you can take to the skies on a sunrise or sunset ride between March and October. The experience takes three to four hours (depending on the wind) followed by a champagne reception on landing. We like the sound of the tour departing from York Racecourse where you can see views of the scenic Yorkshire Dales and beyond.
Various sites; from £129 per ride.
LUXE
Enjoy Private Dining At Daphne’s
The elegant Daphne’s Conservatory in Chelsea can accommodate up to 40 guests for a private birthday or dinner. If a drinks and canapés celebration is more your style, the space can hold up to 50 guests. In the summer, the bright conservatory creates an al fresco feel, while in winter, a blazing fire in the open range turns it into an intimate retreat. Head chef Michael Brown will create a seasonal menu for private events in the conservatory, highlighting the best of each season’s produce, too – plus, the room comes with candles and place cards already set up.
112 Draycott Avenue, Chelsea, SW3 3AE; from £140pp.
Visit Daphnes-Restaurant.co.uk
Turn Your Garden Into An Outdoor Cinema
For a memorable summer soirée, turn your garden into an outdoor cinema to watch one of your favourite films on a big screen. The Canvas Co is a reputable company which sets up outdoor screens in your home alongside bell tents, marquees and Chesterfield sofas. You can request extra seating and tables, and add on accessories like lanterns and fire pits. Your film of choice will be shown via an HD projector and high-tech sound system.
Price available on request.
Visit TheCanvasCo.co.uk
Book Claridge’s Chef’s Table
Last year, Claridge’s opened a new dining room where guests can enjoy private dinners, interactive feasts and special masterclasses. At L’Epicerie, dinner is cooked in front of you around the ‘chef’s table’ (which seats up to 14). You can enjoy everything from breakfast and lunch to intimate suppers; or choose from one of the masterclasses to learn how to make afternoon tea, discover the secret ingredient in its famous lobster wellington, and recreate its signature cocktails and canapés.
Brook Street, Mayfair, W1K 4HR; from £150pp.
Visit Claridges.co.uk
UBER LUXE
Have Lunch On The Orient Express
Step back in time and travel on a Belmond British Pullman train to take in the scenic British countryside. Departing from Victoria Station, journeys take place aboard a vintage train inspired by the golden age of travel – think woven brass luggage racks, silk lampshades and velvet seating. Choose from brunch, lunch, afternoon tea or dinner to escape to Brighton, Oxfordshire or the Weald of Kent. You can also travel to some of the historic homes across the UK, like Blenheim Palace, Arundel Castle, Chatsworth House and Highclere Castle.
Various sites; from £340pp.
Visit Luxury-Trains.co.uk
Book A Private Screening At The Cinema
Hire Olympic Studios in Barnes to fill a 17-seat cinema with family and friends. Available on select days and times throughout the week (including Friday and Saturday afternoons), you can watch new releases or select a film from the cinema’s extensive archive catalogue. Guests will be given water and popcorn before the screening and you can pre-book other cinema snacks, drinks and cocktails. Groups of up to 20 can also hire the Café & Dining Room for private birthday parties to enjoy lunch or dinner.
Olympic Studios, Church Road, Barnes, SW13 9HL; £350 for members and £450 for non-members, plus £25 per guest.
Visit OlympicCinema.co.uk
SIMON UPTON
Hire A Spanish Hacienda
Hotel Caserío Aldeallana is a beautiful hacienda near Segovia, an hour north of Madrid. Owned by a former Spanish Vogue editor, the property is surrounded by 740 acres of land with a courtyard and a chapel. Available for exclusive hire, the house itself has five double ensuite bedrooms, a bar stocked with ice, wine and beer, and an outdoor pool with a separate pool house for al fresco siestas. With plenty of space for entertaining, groups can enjoy long dinners and paella parties at the hotel’s restaurant headed up the owner’s daughter Lucia. Meals are made from seasonal ingredients and organic produce from the garden, like gazpacho and salads with carafes of biodynamic wines. The owners can also help you arrange picnics on the estate, sunset drives and tours of the local museums and gothic cathedral.
From £1,025 per night.
Visit MrAndMsSmith.com
Watch A Show & Stay In A Luxury London Hotel
NoMad London hotel has partnered with its neighbour The Royal Opera House to create a new exclusive backstage and overnight experience for guests this summer. You can stay in the hotel’s Royal Opera Suite with its spacious living area and ensuite bathroom, then have a private back-of-house tour of the Opera House before watching your performance of choice from the Royal Box (which seats up to ten guests). You’ll be treated to a privately catered set menu served between intervals at the neighbouring Royal Retiring Room, plus cocktails in The Library before or after the show. The package also includes a bottle of champagne at the hotel and a Royal Opera House picture book.
28 Bow Street, Covent Garden, WC2E 7AW; from £535 per night.
Visit TheNoMadHotel.com
Head On A Murder Mystery Weekend In Devon
For a fun weekend away, book a 1940s-style murder mystery at Burgh Island hotel in Bigbury-On-Sea, Devon, where Agatha Christie stayed to write one of her most famous works, And Then There Were None. Widely regarded as one of Europe’s top art deco properties, the hotel is located on a secluded tidal island, surrounded by golden beaches; you’ll find 20s-inspired interiors with stylish art deco features throughout. During the murder mystery experience, guests will be assigned characters and will have to work out who killed the victim in question. Expect champagne, sit-down meals and immersive entertainment.
Bigbury-on-Sea, Kingsbridge, Devon, TQ7 4BG; from £1,110 per night, based on two guests sharing a double room.
Visit BurghIsland.com
BLOW-THE-BUDGET
Book A Private Resort
If you want to go all out for an exclusive holiday, Àni Resorts is the name to know. The brand relaunched this month with four new locations in some of the world’s most sough-after and far-flung destinations, like Koh Yao Noi Island in Thailand, a private peninsula on Dominican Republic’s north coast and Little Bay on Anguilla’s northern shoreline. Resorts are all-inclusive of meals, spa treatments and excursions (like cooking classes, sunset boat trips and local guided tours), and can accommodate up to 30 guests. Not sure where to start? Àni Sri Lanka is set on the beach on the island’s south coast with panoramic views of the Indian Ocean. Guests can stay in modern beachfront suites and take part in everything from sunset yoga classes to private surfing lessons and safari trips to Udawalawe National Park.
Various sites; from £10,666 per night for six all-inclusive suites.
Visit AniPrivateResorts.com
Hire A Villa In Lake Como
Airbnb Luxe features some of the world’s most exclusive and impressive holiday homes, including this special eight-bedroom villa in Lake Como. Sitting in the middle of Bellagio, Menaggio and Varenna, it underwent a three-year renovation a few years ago, adding modern features to the 1920s property. Guests can relax in the heated outdoor pool overlooking the lake, sunbathe on the deck, have long family meals around the dining table, watch movies in the cinema room, and enjoy drinks at the bar. There’s also a fire pit for al fresco evenings and a private dock for mooring boats and yachts.
From £4,999 per night.
Visit Airbnb.co.uk
Sail On A Yacht In Indonesia
Vela is a new private-charter yacht which sleeps 12 explorers across six cabins and a discrete 18-person crew. This summer, it will sail some of the most remote corners of the Indonesian archipelago, such as Komodo National Park Raja Ampat and the Nusa Tenggara region. Inside, guests can expect bright and light interiors with orange and turquoise accents to reflect the boat’s tropical surroundings, local furniture from Ubud and mid-20th-century artwork.
From £12,000 per night on a full-board basis including all meals, non-alcoholic beverages, spa treatments and activities.
Visit Vela.Kesato.io
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