Travel to Antarctica has reached fever pitch. You can go by yacht. You can come and go in a single day. You can even book a fly-around for New Year?s Eve. And now you can stay in a five-star hotel with bespoke furnishings and its own fleet of aircraft.
To be fair, the White Desert camp isn?t exactly new. And it?s no secret spot, either; the guest ledger includes such names as Prince Harry and Bear Grylls. But as a means of celebrating its 10th anniversary, the so-called most remote property in the world has gotten a complete luxury overhaul.
What it now humbly calls ?sleeping pods? are six heated fibreglass domes, with bamboo headboards, Saarinen chairs, fur throws, and en suite bathrooms stocked with sustainable Lost Explorer-brand toiletries, created by a scion of the de Rothschild family. Wooden skis adorn the walls; thick parkas for each guest hang from free-standing coat racks. And each suite stands alone on a rugged strip of land in the interior of Antarctica, midway between a frozen lake and towering walls of ice. Drama is in no short supply. Perhaps the most significant renovations have taken place in the lodge?s library lounge and dining room. Whereas the dining room once consisted of one long wooden table, it?s now a more formal affair, with furs thrown over chairs that wouldn?t feel out of place in a Brooklyn Heights apartment. After hangout sessions with 6,000 emperor penguins, this is where guests share convivial, three-course meals comprising ingredients and ...