Bora Bora is a dream destination for many, but getting there is no easy task.
After a 13-hour flight from New York, and an additional hour-long jaunt from Papeete, the capital of French Polynesia, guests are ready for a welcoming arrival.
Those staying at Four Seasons Resort Bora Bora are greeted at the airport and receive a lei before boarding Heinoanoa, a custom (and well-stocked) yacht that ferries visitors to the resort.
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Guests are given a cool mango-juice shooter to enjoy over the strains of traditional music before being shuttled to their overwater bungalow via golf cart.
It is a sublime arrival experience not easily forgotten. And while arrival amenities are nothing new, a select few hotels have gone above and beyond, wowing even the most seasoned travelers. First impressions not only count, they create repeat business, and arrivals have become increasingly representative of a property’s locale, brand and style.
“We have one time and one time only to make a first impression on our guests,” says Rami Sayess, regional vice president at Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts. “If we can give them a little bit extra during the arrival experience, we’ve already begun to make their stay even more special.”
Some places focus on ultra-special indulgences. Leela Palace in Udaipur, India, presents a foot massage and a traditional welcome ceremony, while the Mandarin Oriental Paris can retrieve passengers from the airport by helicopter and glide them to the Issy-les-Moulineaux Heliport, just a short distance from the hotel.
Other experiences are designed for those seeking solitude, like the two-mile journey down a desert mountain road that corkscrews past hidden canyons and stratified plateaus on its way to Amangiri in Canyon Point, Utah. And some hotels, like Park Hyatt Tokyo, keep things simple but no less memorable: The bellmen and staff greet each guest by name upon arrival, even those who have never stayed with them before.
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Amangiri, Canyon Point, Utah
Undetectable from the road, the small sign marking this 600-acre property in Utah’s Grand Staircase is an especially understated welcome.
Guests buzz at the gate for entry, which opens to reveal a dramatic two-mile road that winds past hidden canyons, 5,000-year-old petroglyphs and rust-colored, stratified plateaus through the middle of nowhere toward the magnificent bunker-style resort.
Once there, a series of steps emerge, lit with flickering hurricane lanterns and a single staff member who greets you with sage lemonade and the absence of resort music—replaced instead by the sounds of the surrounding desert. Rooms start at $1,100; 1 Kayenta Rd.; 435-675-3999;amanresorts.com.
andBeyond Xaranna Okavango Delta Camp, Botswana
After a bumpy twin-prop flight over the Kalahari Desert, followed by an amphibious safari mobile trek through the Okavango Delta (home to hippos and black mamba snakes), exhausted guests are welcomed with exceptional soul by Xaranna’s staff members, who sing, drum and dance traditional welcome songs at the front gate.
Cold washcloths and homemade ginger lemonade help refresh visitors before they are escorted to one of nine luxurious tents, complete with plunge pools, at the 61,800-acre wilderness camp. Rooms start at $650; 27-11/809-4300; andbeyondafrica.com.
Beverly Hills Hotel & Bungalows
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