It’s the end of a decade, the end of an era. As 2019 comes to a close and we prepare to welcome 2020 with hopeful hearts, it only makes sense to send off the last year – and last 10 years – in style
A simple soiree won’t do this time around. Instead, think bigger: We’re talking two celebrations in two time zones via private jet, an epic house party at one of London’s most stylish hotels, and a private party in Dubai for you and 49 of your closest friends. Here are 11 New Year’s Eve celebrations at luxury hotels worth splurging on. After all, how many times do you get to don your finest duds, pop the bubbly, and send off a decade?
Fly from beach to beach with PrivateFly
Where: From Sydney, Australia to Honolulu, Hawaii
Price: US$275,000 (S$373,989) for eight passengers
What about: Since a decade New Year’s only comes along once every 10 years, we may as well celebrate twice, right? PrivateFly’s New Year’s Eve Twice Package will fly up to eight people from Sydney, Australia to Honolulu, Hawaii on a Gulfstream G650ER, the world’s fastest flying private charter jet. Start off in Sydney, where you can catch the fireworks bursting over the famous Sydney Harbour Bridge at midnight. Then depart Sydney at 2am on the jet – it will be stocked with whatever food and drinks you request – and arrive in Honolulu at 8:30pm, ready to party all over again.
Party at one of London’s swankiest hotels, The Lanesborough
Where: London
Price: From £275 (S$492.27) per person, which includes a mini bottle of Moët & Chandon and canapes; or £1,500 (S$2,685) a table
What about: House parties are so 2010… or are they? Not when one of London’s swankiest hotels, The Lanesborough, teams up with Moët & Chandon to close its doors and turn each public room and restaurant into a different-themed celebration destination. For the second year, the party will take over the entire ground and lower ground floors of the hotel, where guests can expect a night of live music, DJs, dining, dancing and decadence. Michelin-starred restaurant Céleste will be transformed into an exclusive nightclub (limited large tables on the club balcony are available, with full bar and bottle service); the Belgravia Ballroom will be serving a selection of speed rails, rum, and Champagne-based cocktails set to Reggaeton rhythms; and the Garden Room cigar lounge will have the hotel’s cigar sommeliers on hand along with Cuban and Latin music and canapes.
Once guests have worked up an appetite, they can retreat to The Great Hall, which will be converted into an extensive seafood and Champagne bar. The opulent St. Georges’ Room, meanwhile, will be transformed into a Lebanese lounge, with Eastern-accented cocktails, comfy sofas and Arabic vibes, while the classic Library & Withdrawing Room will be playing house music and mixing cocktails with spirits from the hotel’s extensive collection. Finish the night at the Westminster, which will become a modern-day speakeasy with live music and cocktails inspired by the ’20s.
Rent a space at the Burj Al Arab Jumeriah, the world’s “most luxurious hotel”
Price: From US$81,000 (S$144,995)
Spend the last of 2019 beside the Great Barrier Reef
Where: Whitsunday Islands
Price: US$1,350 (S$1,836) per person. Only four packages for two people each are available
What about: Ring in 2020 alongside Australia’s Great Barrier Reef on the beautiful Whitsunday Islands, home to some of the whitest sand in the world. The InterContinental Hayman Island Resort’s New Year’s Eve experience for two begins with a sunset helicopter trip to picture-perfect Whitehaven Beach where a bottle of Champagne awaits. Chopper back to the resort and settle into one of four private cabanas for live entertainment, indulgent seafood, loads more drinks, and front-row seats to stunning fireworks lighting up the star-filled dark sky.
InterContinental Hayman Island Resort
The Little Nell will be going all way out for 2020 and their 30th anniversary
Where: Aspen
Price: US$650 (S$884) per person – includes bottomless Dom Pérignon, access to top-shelf liquor, canapés, oysters, and a cheese bar; US$12,000 (S$16,320) for the VIP Cliquot Cats experience – seats 12 and includes food and drink
What about: A legendary luxury hotel in snowy Aspen, The Little Nell is known for its epic New Year’s parties, and this year they’ll be going all out for their 30th anniversary. For those who want to be surrounded by other party-goers, the Dom Pérignon Party will transform the hotel into a chic circus with musical acts, dancers, and acrobats. Mingle in the Hennessy Lounge to the tunes of the All That Jazz Sextet and dance to DJ Cyn in the Belvedere Lounge. The Dom Pérignon Lounge will host duelling DJs Niiko and Swae, while an Ice Bar will serve shots of Hennessy Cognac paired with freshly made donuts. Count down to midnight with a fire show leading up to sparkling fireworks over Aspen Mountain.
For a more private affair, book the VIP Cliquot Cats experience, either for the 8pm or midnight fireworks show. Arrive to a private Veuve Clicquot lounge in the Silver Queen Gondola Building with a DJ and drinks. Next, board your private snowcat (one of three available) to be driven to an exclusive seating area overlooking Aspen, complete with chairs, plush blankets, and a glowing fire pit. Here, you’ll be greeted by your dedicated host, who will serve Champagne, caviar, and blinis while you enjoy your front row seats to the fireworks show over Aspen Mountain.
Enjoy an over-the-top celebration at Faena and stuff your face with caviar
Where: Miami Beach
Price: From US$250 (S$340) per person; from US$500 (S$680) per table
What about: Miami is never a bad choice for a party, and the over-the-top Faena Hotel doesn’t skimp on celebrations. This year’s New Year’s Eve party theme is Tropical Baroque, combining the drama and glamour of Europe’s Baroque period with South American romance. The festivities begin at the hotel’s gilded Cathedral, where guests are greeted with Champagne and cocktails along with live performances.
A decadent multi-course feast awaits at your choice of restaurants; choose Francis Mallmann’s Los Fuegos and indulge in Black Truffle and Artichoke Carpaccio, Osetra Caviar and Hanging A5 Wagyu Tenderloin, or dine at Pao on the ocean view terrace to savour dishes like Alaskan King Crab with trout roe and white truffle and Smoked Kama Congee.
After dinner, head to the Living Room or Tree of Life and dance the night away. As the clock counts down to midnight, meet at Damien Hirst’s Golden Mammoth sculpture on the beach for exciting live musical performances (from Keba and the Usual Suspects, Jahzel Dotell, and Cimafunk), a dazzling fireworks display, and a few surprises along the way.
Party like royalty at Palais Coburg
Where: Vienna
Price: From US$325 (S$442)
What about: Ring in the new year like the royalty you are at this palace hotel in Old World Vienna. Palais Coburg will adopt a Golden Twenties theme for the 2020 party, beginning with a gala dinner at either Clementine im Glashaus (US$325 / S$442 for a seven-course meal with wine, a Champagne toast at midnight, and party admission) or in the Staterooms with star chef Silvio Nickel, who will share his best creations from 2019 (US$875 / S$1,190 for nine courses with Champagne toast and party admission; additional US$770 / S$1,047 for rare wine pairing).
At midnight, head to the Grand Portico Terrace for Champagne and fireworks to the sounds of the Blue Danube Waltz and the bells of St. Stephen’s Cathedral. Afterward, the party continues in the lobby with a specially choreographed performance by members of the Vienna State Opera Ballet. Keep celebrating into the early hours at the Golden Twenties main party, featuring two bars, visual effects, and a DJ. Starting to flag? Not to worry. The hotel keeps with Austrian tradition, offering sausages and goulash in the wee hours to boost energy levels.
Ring in the new year right below the Times Square Ball
Where: New York City
Price: US$150,000 (S$204,000)
What about: The Knickerbocker is renowned for its epic New Year’s Eve party, which always offers the best and closest (just 46m away) view of the Ball Drop in Times Square, but is still pleasantly away from the fray. In addition to the party on its St. Cloud rooftop, the hotel offers a US$150,000 (S$204,000) New Year’s Eve Experience that gets you more than bragging rights.
The VIP experience includes luxury accommodations in one of the hotel’s four Tribute Suites, dinner at Charlie Palmer, VIP access to the New Year’s Eve party atop Times Square on the St. Cloud rooftop (with reserved seating in a private, illuminated Sky Pod), a dedicated butler for any food and beverage service, premium bottle service and top-shelf libations, personal luxury velour throws and hand warmers to keep you warm, a Champagne toast at midnight, and live entertainment all night long.
Anantara Kihavah Maldives Villas, Maldives
Where: Maldives
Price: US$850 (S$1,156) per adult; US$425 (S$578) per child
What about: If you want to get away from it all but still party until the fish come home, book a stay at one of the Over Water Pool Villas at Anantara Kihavah Maldives Villas. To mark the occasion, a Moulin Rouge-themed party will bring cabaret performances, live music, and fireworks to the idyllic island. Start the night with craft cocktails and a gala dinner in the company of stilt walkers, contortionists, fire shows and aerial acrobatics. After dinner, head to the party at SKY and do the countdown under the millions of stars as fireworks light up the sky.
Anantara Kihavah Maldives Villas
Hula your way into the next decade with the Four Seasons
Where: Hawaii
Price: From US$395 (S$537)
What about: Get ready to hula your way into the next decade at Four Seasons Resort Hualalai. The hotel is hosting a Havana Nights New Year’s Eve Gala, complete with a rum bar, vintage cars for Cuban street vibes, and a cigar roller. Tasty Cuban bites include Tamales, Yuca Frita, Lomo Saltado and Paella de Langosta. The party, which is held at the grand entrance of the resort overlooking the signature pool and the ocean, will also feature live music by the band Impulse and a poet who will customise poems on the spot using a vintage typewriter. But most important of all, stick around for the private fireworks show at midnight.
Feast on the best Enrique Olvera will have to offer and enjoy a poolside BBQ the morning after
Where: Cabo San Lucas
Price: US$225 (S$306) per person to enter; US$450 (S$612) per person for a private cabana
What about: The New Year’s Eve party at The Cape is ideal for foodies and music lovers who also appreciate epic ocean views. The evening starts with a lavish dinner (US$268 / S$364 per person) prepared by multi-award-winning Chef Enrique Olvera at his restaurant on property, Manta. This year, he’s bringing the spirit of his famous restaurant Pujol for a one-night-only mash-up menu of both dining hotspots. After dinner, head to the rooftop party for musical performances by Breakbot & Irfane, Yuksek, and Aeroplane, while El Arco loom in the background. The morning after, The Cape is hosting The Cure Day, a poolside barbecue.
