In Search of Mr. Darcy
$0.00
per item
Highlights:
This suggested program is for women only. More than that, it is limited to a maximum of six friends or family members to allow for highly personalized service and small capacity hotels, but large enough to share the adventure with others.
You will travel with your own driver/guide from the boutique shops of London to the rose-colored tranquility of the Cotswolds with a stop in Jane Austen’s city of Bath. It is in essence a mélange of Pride and Prejudice and Brigitte Jones’ Diary with the odd Michelin meal thrown in and topped off by a bartender reputed to make the best Martini in London. Fire up the Facebook and pick your traveling companions but leave the guys at home.
This suggested program is for women only. More than that, it is limited to a maximum of six friends or family members to allow for highly personalized service and small capacity hotels, but large enough to share the adventure with others.
You will travel with your own driver/guide from the boutique shops of London to the rose-colored tranquility of the Cotswolds with a stop in Jane Austen’s city of Bath. It is in essence a mélange of Pride and Prejudice and Brigitte Jones’ Diary with the odd Michelin meal thrown in and topped off by a bartender reputed to make the best Martini in London. Fire up the Facebook and pick your traveling companions but leave the guys at home.
SKU:
Explore: Personalized England
Customizable Itinerary - 10 Days (from $7,634 per person)
Day 1: Depart USA
Start the getaway early as you board your aircraft for the overnight flight to London and your intimate women’s only trip.
Day 2: Arrival in London
Upon arrival in London you will be met by one of our drivers who will take you on an orientation drive through Windsor following the route taken by Prince Andrew and Meagan Markle after the ceremony. You will then be taken to the banks of the Thames where a private gondola will be reserved on the London Eye. Enjoy a bottle of champagne as you get a bird’s eye view of all the London sights before being delivered to your hotel in Kensington. You have the rest of the day to relax and unwind. Rather than an early dinner you may want to try the hotel’s renowned afternoon tea as your main meal of the day.
Day 3: Hugh Grant, Dinner at the Savoy and a Night at the Theatre
After a good night’s rest and a hearty English breakfast you will be ready to meet your guide who will be taking you on a tour of various London locations involved in Hugh Grant films including ‘”Four Weddings and a Funeral”, “Notting Hill” , “Brigitte Jones Diary” and “Love, Actually”. The afternoon is left open but in the early evening you will be transferred to The Strand where a pre-theater dinner has been booked at Gordon Ramsey’s Savoy Grill. This will be followed by premium tickets to a west end show previously selected by you.
Breakfast and Dinner
Day 4: Kensington Palace, the V & A and Shopping at Harrods
Meet your guide and make your way to Kensington Gardens. Start with a walk through Kensington Palace Gardens whose embassies and private mansions are the most expensive in London. Enter Kensington Palace which is the London address of Prince William and Kate and, previously, Prince Harry and Meaghan. Enjoy the exhibit which is currently focused on the fashion of Princess Diana who also resided at Kensington Palace. After your tour you take a walk through the gardens before having lunch at The Pavilion which is filling in while the Orangery undergoes refurbishment. After lunch you will visit the Victoria & Albert Museum which is focused on design through the ages and then be taken to Knightsbridge to get an introductory tour of Harrods before having some free time to shop. In the evening we will have restaurant recommendations.
Breakfast
Day 5: Stonehenge and the Home of Dr. Doolittle
After breakfast you bid farewell to your London hideaway and head off into the countryside. Your first stop will be the monolithic structure of Stonehenge built in distant times on Salisbury Plain and thought to be connected to tracking of the sun. You then continue to the charming town of Salisbury with its inspiring cathedral spire. You have the chance to walk around and have lunch before heading to your next destination. Castle Combe is picture perfect and it has, in fact, been named “The prettiest village in England”. If it seems familiar it was the location for the original “Dr. Doolittle” movie with Rex Harrison and more recently had a starring role in Steven Spielberg’s “War Horse”. Continue to the Cotswolds Village of Buckland where dinner awaits at the Manor House.
Breakfast and Dinner
Day 6: Cotswold Villages and an afternoon at the Spa
Your morning will be spent touring some of the quaint villages that are dotted throughout the Cotswolds. You can stop to walk some of the main streets including boutiques and antique shops and stop for a light lunch at a tea room or friendly pub. In the early afternoon you arrive at your hotel in Bath where the afternoon is set aside for the spa, the only Spa operated by L’Occitane in Britain. Complete the day with dinner at The Restaurant.
Breakfast and Dinner
Day 7: Roman and Regency Bath
Your elegant hotel is within walking distance of Bath so today you will have a local guide who will give you a complete overview of the city starting with the hot springs that made the Roman Baths which, in turn made the town a center of Roman life. Amazingly the baths still function today but have a rival in the Thermae Bath spa which uses the same source but 21st Century spa techniques. Most of the day, however, will be following in the footsteps of Jane Austen who made Bath her home for many years. She also used it as the location for several of her novels including ‘Persuasion” and “Northanger Abbey”. You will walk the Royal Crescent an arc of 30 Regency Town Houses that was the focal point for Bath in the Regency Period. Another institution is the Pump Room which was originally built to allow guests to “take the waters” from the spring for their supposed curative powers. Overtime it evolved into a fashionable place to have afternoon tea. That tradition remains along with the string quartet. Your guide will drop you off at the Pump Room to enjoy a Champagne Afternoon Tea before walking back to the Priory. We will provide a list of recommended restaurants for dinner.
Breakfast
Day 8: Broughton Castle and Whatley Manor
You leave your hotel near bath and travel through other parts of the Cotswolds stopping at Malmesbury Abbey Gardens said to be the most beautiful in England. After a stop for lunch at a charming pub you will visit Broughton Castle an Elizabethan gem owned for many generations by the Lords of Saye and Sele. It is considered as one of the most beautiful castles in England and was featured in “the Madness of King George” and “Shakespeare in Love” where Joseph Fiennes’ character pursues Gwyneth Paltrow. In a case of life imitating art, Joseph and his brother Ralph are related to the current Lord and Lady Saye and Sele. You arrive at your new hotel in the heart of “horse country” with the Beaufort Polo Club nearby. Have a casual dinner this evening in the Brasserie.
Breakfast and Dinner
Day 9: Bikes, gardens and “anything with Colin Firth”
We encourage you to spend time on an extensive walk through the 26 ‘rooms” that make up the gardens of the estate. Another option is to rent bikes and tour some of the back roads and riding trails of the Cotswolds accessible all around your hotel. As an unusual option, the hotel has a 40 seat movie theatre with red leather seats that you can hire exclusively for your group with fresh popcorn thrown in. How ironic to pick Brigitte Jones’ Diary, Pride and Prejudice or Shakespeare in love from the hotel’s collection to bring back memories of your trip. In the evening enjoy dinner in “The Dining Room” with two Michelin stars and considered as one of England’s ten best.
Breakfast and Dinner
Day 10: Return to Reality and the USA
Your driver will be waiting to take you to Heathrow for the return trip to the USA.
Breakfast
Start the getaway early as you board your aircraft for the overnight flight to London and your intimate women’s only trip.
Day 2: Arrival in London
Upon arrival in London you will be met by one of our drivers who will take you on an orientation drive through Windsor following the route taken by Prince Andrew and Meagan Markle after the ceremony. You will then be taken to the banks of the Thames where a private gondola will be reserved on the London Eye. Enjoy a bottle of champagne as you get a bird’s eye view of all the London sights before being delivered to your hotel in Kensington. You have the rest of the day to relax and unwind. Rather than an early dinner you may want to try the hotel’s renowned afternoon tea as your main meal of the day.
Day 3: Hugh Grant, Dinner at the Savoy and a Night at the Theatre
After a good night’s rest and a hearty English breakfast you will be ready to meet your guide who will be taking you on a tour of various London locations involved in Hugh Grant films including ‘”Four Weddings and a Funeral”, “Notting Hill” , “Brigitte Jones Diary” and “Love, Actually”. The afternoon is left open but in the early evening you will be transferred to The Strand where a pre-theater dinner has been booked at Gordon Ramsey’s Savoy Grill. This will be followed by premium tickets to a west end show previously selected by you.
Breakfast and Dinner
Day 4: Kensington Palace, the V & A and Shopping at Harrods
Meet your guide and make your way to Kensington Gardens. Start with a walk through Kensington Palace Gardens whose embassies and private mansions are the most expensive in London. Enter Kensington Palace which is the London address of Prince William and Kate and, previously, Prince Harry and Meaghan. Enjoy the exhibit which is currently focused on the fashion of Princess Diana who also resided at Kensington Palace. After your tour you take a walk through the gardens before having lunch at The Pavilion which is filling in while the Orangery undergoes refurbishment. After lunch you will visit the Victoria & Albert Museum which is focused on design through the ages and then be taken to Knightsbridge to get an introductory tour of Harrods before having some free time to shop. In the evening we will have restaurant recommendations.
Breakfast
Day 5: Stonehenge and the Home of Dr. Doolittle
After breakfast you bid farewell to your London hideaway and head off into the countryside. Your first stop will be the monolithic structure of Stonehenge built in distant times on Salisbury Plain and thought to be connected to tracking of the sun. You then continue to the charming town of Salisbury with its inspiring cathedral spire. You have the chance to walk around and have lunch before heading to your next destination. Castle Combe is picture perfect and it has, in fact, been named “The prettiest village in England”. If it seems familiar it was the location for the original “Dr. Doolittle” movie with Rex Harrison and more recently had a starring role in Steven Spielberg’s “War Horse”. Continue to the Cotswolds Village of Buckland where dinner awaits at the Manor House.
Breakfast and Dinner
Day 6: Cotswold Villages and an afternoon at the Spa
Your morning will be spent touring some of the quaint villages that are dotted throughout the Cotswolds. You can stop to walk some of the main streets including boutiques and antique shops and stop for a light lunch at a tea room or friendly pub. In the early afternoon you arrive at your hotel in Bath where the afternoon is set aside for the spa, the only Spa operated by L’Occitane in Britain. Complete the day with dinner at The Restaurant.
Breakfast and Dinner
Day 7: Roman and Regency Bath
Your elegant hotel is within walking distance of Bath so today you will have a local guide who will give you a complete overview of the city starting with the hot springs that made the Roman Baths which, in turn made the town a center of Roman life. Amazingly the baths still function today but have a rival in the Thermae Bath spa which uses the same source but 21st Century spa techniques. Most of the day, however, will be following in the footsteps of Jane Austen who made Bath her home for many years. She also used it as the location for several of her novels including ‘Persuasion” and “Northanger Abbey”. You will walk the Royal Crescent an arc of 30 Regency Town Houses that was the focal point for Bath in the Regency Period. Another institution is the Pump Room which was originally built to allow guests to “take the waters” from the spring for their supposed curative powers. Overtime it evolved into a fashionable place to have afternoon tea. That tradition remains along with the string quartet. Your guide will drop you off at the Pump Room to enjoy a Champagne Afternoon Tea before walking back to the Priory. We will provide a list of recommended restaurants for dinner.
Breakfast
Day 8: Broughton Castle and Whatley Manor
You leave your hotel near bath and travel through other parts of the Cotswolds stopping at Malmesbury Abbey Gardens said to be the most beautiful in England. After a stop for lunch at a charming pub you will visit Broughton Castle an Elizabethan gem owned for many generations by the Lords of Saye and Sele. It is considered as one of the most beautiful castles in England and was featured in “the Madness of King George” and “Shakespeare in Love” where Joseph Fiennes’ character pursues Gwyneth Paltrow. In a case of life imitating art, Joseph and his brother Ralph are related to the current Lord and Lady Saye and Sele. You arrive at your new hotel in the heart of “horse country” with the Beaufort Polo Club nearby. Have a casual dinner this evening in the Brasserie.
Breakfast and Dinner
Day 9: Bikes, gardens and “anything with Colin Firth”
We encourage you to spend time on an extensive walk through the 26 ‘rooms” that make up the gardens of the estate. Another option is to rent bikes and tour some of the back roads and riding trails of the Cotswolds accessible all around your hotel. As an unusual option, the hotel has a 40 seat movie theatre with red leather seats that you can hire exclusively for your group with fresh popcorn thrown in. How ironic to pick Brigitte Jones’ Diary, Pride and Prejudice or Shakespeare in love from the hotel’s collection to bring back memories of your trip. In the evening enjoy dinner in “The Dining Room” with two Michelin stars and considered as one of England’s ten best.
Breakfast and Dinner
Day 10: Return to Reality and the USA
Your driver will be waiting to take you to Heathrow for the return trip to the USA.
Breakfast
