Luxury holiday in a flying hotel
Thinking of booking your next family holiday, well then what would be your perfect luxury getaway? Sipping cocktails on the deck of a round the world cruise liner? Or are you resort travelers who prefer to just gaze out to the ocean whilst laying on the beach? Maybe your dream holiday is being waited on hand and foot in a one of the deluxe suites of Abu Dhabi, like your favourite girls from Sex and the City.
One design company is hoping to revolutionise our modern concept of luxury travel. Instead of rushing your travel, imagine floating over some of the most unique destinations in the world and getting a new perspective – gaze down at Niagara Falls, the pyramids of Egypt, even Ayers Rock. This gives a whole new meaning to concept of cruising through life.
Introducing the AirCruise – a new concept in luxury travel
Forget staying in Whitsundays hotels, even a 5 star resort couldn’t measure up to the prestige and pampering of this vision. The conceptual AirCruise, designed by Seymourpowell, is a giant, vertical airship powered by natural energy and designed to carry travellers in style and luxury. “The AirCruise concept questions whether the future of luxury travel should be based around space-constrained, resource hungry, and all too often stressful airline travel,” says Nick Talbot, design director at Seymourpowell.
The AirCruise design is for a hotel in the sky, with low passenger numbers and huge internal spaces offering room for living, dining and relaxing, as well as scope for dramatic and inspirational public spaces. The initial design proposes a bar/lounge zone, four duplex apartments, a penthouse and five smaller apartments.
If realised, the AirCruise would offer its passengers a brand new view of some of their favourite destinations.
See Australia from above
Seymourpowell has more thoroughly flushed out the scope of its design thanks to interested investors from South Korea. However, despite the appeal, the actual realisation of a flying cruise is probably still quite a long way off. In the meantime, you can see some of your favourite Aussie icons from above with helicopter or hot air balloon tours – get a new perspective of these great attractions:
Uluru
When viewed from above, Australia’s class outback icon is something unique to marvel at. The full scope and size of this sandstone formation is much better appreciated from the air. The rock itself has an expansive 9.4 km circumference and measures about 5 km in length.
In the absence of the AirCruise, visitors to the rock can check into nearby Uluru hotels and charter a scenic helicopter flight from $125 for a 15 minute tour.
Great Barrier Reef
With over 2900 individual reefs extending 2600 kilometres, the Great Barrier Reef is the world’s longest and most diverse reef system. From above, the reefs are a sight to marvel at, with beautiful hues of greens and whites speckling the deep blue seas. The reefs feature plenty of spectacular aquatic life and offer some of the most breathtaking diving experiences in the world.
Once you’ve seen them from below, get a view of the Great Barrier Reef from above. You can book a helicopter tour or, if you’re feeling particularly daring, take the plunge and go skydiving! Your journey starts with checking into Cairns hotels and booking your flight over the reef.
The Twelve Apostles
Carved out of the Southern Ocean, the 12 Apostles have long been a spectacle along the Great Ocean Road. Centuries of erosion have created a labyrinth of caves, arches and towering rock stacks rising up from the waves. You can take in some great views from specially built viewing platforms along the coast, but for a real treat – you can book a helicopter flight and soar over the Apostles, gazing down at their serene and picturesque beauty.
Where would you fly over?