How and where do billionaires, such as Jeff Bezos, typically choose to spend their holiday breaks?
As the holiday season unfolds, the wealthiest individuals around the globe are mapping out varied paths for their festive getaways, turning the most exclusive destinations into exclusive playgrounds.
From luxurious ski retreats in Aspen to opulent beachfront escapes in St Barts, billionaires are carefully crafting distinct experiences for their holiday breaks.
Nicole Pollard Bayme, the founder of the luxury styling firm LaLaLuxe, observes that many affluent individuals choose to celebrate Christmas at their secondary residences, whether it’s a vast ranch in Wyoming or an extravagant beach mansion in Martha’s Vineyard.
These expansive spaces serve as central gathering points for families, adorned with lavish gifts flown in and meticulously arranged beneath towering Christmas trees.
If you’re enchanted by winter wonderlands, Aspen is the go-to destination, drawing in billionaires such as Jeff Bezos and Michael Dell. Winston Chesterfield, the founder of the luxury-focused consulting firm Barton, points out other winter hotspots like Lake Tahoe and Vail in the US. In Europe, premier ski destinations like Gstaad, Verbier, Kitzbühel, and Courchevel 1850 stand out.
Courchevel 1850, in particular, has hosted A-list VIPs like David and Victoria Beckham, Elton John, and members of the British royal family.
Chesterfield explains that these ultra-wealthy individuals seek destinations with established towns offering high-end experiences, such as Kitzbühel’s Zuma restaurant or Courchevel’s Cheval Blanc hotel.
For those yearning for sun-kissed shores, the Caribbean is calling. St Barts, a hotspot for New Year’s Eve, has welcomed luminaries like Jeff Bezos and his fiancée Lauren Sánchez, along with yachts owned by David Geffen, Sergey Brin, Bernard Arnault, and Barry Diller with Diane Von Furstenberg.
Some billionaires opt for the serene atmosphere of specific resorts, such as Jumby Bay in Antigua or Aman in the Dominican Republic, where luxurious rooms come with prices ranging from $2,700 to $13,300 per night.
Heading to the warmth of Africa, private villas in conservancies like Ol Jogi in Kenya or Saanane Island National Park in Tanzania become retreats for affluent vacationers, with nightly costs reaching up to $40,000.
For those in search of the ultimate celestial escape, Nicole Pollard Bayme suggests that venturing into orbit represents “the ultimate flex for the billionaire class,” completing a range of holiday choices tailored to the most discerning tastes of the world’s billionaires.
