PLANE

First class takes second place after a flight in a private Singapore Airlines Suite. Recline your leather seat or, better yet, stretch out on the bed and admire the hallmarks of five-star luxury (pyjamas by Givenchy, toiletries by Ferragamo, champagne by Dom Pérignon) that really elevate the experience.

The bottom line $8,940 for a round trip from
London
to Singapore for travel in April (singaporeair.com).

TRAIN

Dressing for dinner gets a little extra frisson on the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express: The four-course meal is served in the
circa 1929 Côte d’Azur dining car, decorated by René Lalique. Linger over dessert—cocoa wafers layered with white-chocolate custard—then take your digestif in the Bar Car, which belies its frank name with luxe art-nouveau touches, including a baby grand piano.

The bottom line $2,680 for one night from Venice to
Paris (orient-express.com).

HELICOPTER 

A 15-minute ride in L’Hélicoptère par Hermès is enough to make you feel like you’re flying inside one of the French fashion house’s famed handbags. Swooping down from the sky, it looks like a regular helicopter until you notice the swirl of orange running from tail to tip. With the propeller rotating just above my head, I climb inside the $10-million flying machine and sink into the calfleather seats for the fastest (and most fabulous) connection between central Tokyo and Narita International Airport. The cabin, which is big enough for four, is covered in Toile H, one of the brand’s signature canvases for travel goods. The safety instructions are stylish too, printed on customized jacquard. For looks, small zippered pockets have been placed just beneath the tinted windows (more fashion than function) and there’s an “H” punched out of small holes in the plastic that separates the pilot from the passengers. But while the bespoke beauty of the interior is impressive (and quiet—no hair-messing helicopter headphones required here), the sight of Tokyo’s measureless metropolis is equally stunning.

The bottom line $538 one way, $896 round trip (mcas.co.jp)


Text: C. JAMES DALE (Helicopter)