YOUR IMPRESSIONS THAT WILL BECOME LEGENDS

There are no boundaries between earth and sky, between past and present. The landscape is constantly changing – the fire of volcanoes, the cold of glaciers, rivers that cut through rocks like blades. This is a place where nature still speaks louder than people. I came here not just to look at its grandeur. I wanted to hear the stories of those who live among this wild beauty – stories that are lost in the roar of the winds and the noise of waterfalls. But even here, at the edge of the world, there is luxury – not flashy, not showy, but one that harmoniously fits into the environment, giving comfort to those who are ready to discover the real Patagonia. This journey is not only mine. It is the story of Esteban, Sofia and Raúl. And also the story of incredible places where you can hide from civilization without giving up the highest level of service. CHILE: THE GLACIER THAT REMEMBERS THE WORLD BEFORE US Esteban is a glaciologist who works near the Gray Glacier in Torres del Paine National Park. “People think glaciers are just ice. But they are alive. They breathe, they move, they tell stories.” We walk along a narrow path between rocks. The wind blows in my face, and I see it – a blue wall rising above the lake, like a fragment of another world. “This ice is thousands of years old. It has seen a world we no longer remember.” Esteban breaks off a small piece of ice, puts it in my hand. “This is rain that fell here before the first cities appeared.” I taste it. It is cold, like history itself. WHERE TO STAY: • Explora Patagonia Lodge – the only hotel located right in the heart of Torres del Paine Park, with panoramic windows overlooking glaciers, lakes and mountains. • Awasi Patagonia – private villas with personal guides for those who want to explore nature at their own pace. UNIQUE EXPERIENCES: • Private helicopter flight over the Grey and Balmaceda glaciers – an opportunity to see one of the most mysterious places in Chile from a bird's eye view. • Exclusive kayaking among the icebergs of Lake Grey – a route available only to guests of some luxury hotels.

Everything here, from wild beaches to snow-capped peaks, looks as if it came straight from the pages of ancient myths. Majestic lakes that mirror the sky. Mountains that dive into the clouds. Forests that hide the secrets of past eras. But this land is not just about nature. It is a place where you can live outside the ordinary, where exclusivity is not just a luxury, but a way to experience the world on a completely different level. I didn’t come here for the classic routes. I was looking for places that remain closed to most, and experiences that exceed all expectations. This journey is for people who know that true luxury here is not in marble and gilded chandeliers, but in accessing the inaccessible. SOUTH ISLAND: WHERE SEA MEETS SKY Lucas, a helicopter pilot, knows the South Island better than anyone. — Every tourist sees only 10% of New Zealand. The remaining 90% are places that can only be reached by air. He starts the engine and we rise into the sky above Lake Wanaka. Ahead is the Franz Josef Glacier, glowing blue among the mountains. We fly further - over fjords that cut into the land, over waterfalls that fall directly into the sea. — And now - something special. Lucas directs the helicopter to the top of the mountain, where there is no one but us. We sit down. In front of me is a luxurious lunch with Moët & Chandon champagne at an altitude of 2500 meters above sea level. — This is true luxury - the feeling that the whole world belongs to you. WHERE TO STAY: • Minaret Station Alpine Lodge - the only luxury hotel in the world located in the highlands, accessible only by helicopter. • Eichardt’s Private Hotel is a legendary hotel in Queenstown with private penthouses overlooking Lake Wakatipu. UNIQUE EXPERIENCES: • Private helicopter tour landing on a secret peak in the Southern Alps. • Al fresco dining in a remote part of Fiordland National Park.

Time doesn’t matter here. Days pass by with the rustling of palm trees, and nights are bathed in the glow of bioluminescent plankton that glow in the dark. The sky is so clear you can see the Milky Way, and the water is so clear it feels like a boat is floating in midair. The Maldives is more than just beaches and luxury. It’s a place where luxury means no frills, but instead, complete immersion in peace, quiet, and nature. I was looking for more than just comfort here—a place where you can forget about the world and have an experience that will stay in your memory forever. Overwater villas that aren’t on any map A seaplane picks me up at dawn. We soar over the atolls—endless blue lagoons, islands barely visible from the water, sandbars that disappear with the tide. PILOT SMILES: — We’re flying where tourists don’t go. In 40 minutes, I step onto a wooden bridge that leads to a private residence on an island that doesn’t appear on public maps. This isn’t just a hotel. It’s one of the most expensive private villas in the world, available for rent only by special invitation. There are no neighbors. No tourists. Just turquoise water, white sand, and silence that has its own sound. WHERE TO STAY • The Nautilus Maldives is a private island with villas, each with a personal butler. No clocks, no schedules—just complete freedom. • Cheval Blanc Randheli Private Island is a favorite hotel for those accustomed to absolute exclusivity. It’s chosen by world kings, billionaires, and celebrities. • Soneva Fushi Private Reserve – the largest water villa in the world, with its own observatory, open-air cinema and wine cellar on a private reef. UNIQUE EXPERIENCES • Exclusive dinner on a deserted sand island that disappears underwater at high tide. Everything is just for you: the stars, the ocean and the feeling that the world no longer exists. • Private dive to a 17th century shipwreck – an experience available only to a few.

I look at the transparent walls, and around me is the boundless ocean. The water rocks the room, and it seems that you are no longer on land, but have become a part of this world. When you fall asleep here, you understand - the ocean is not silent. It always speaks. It's just that not everyone can hear it. WHERE TO STAY • The Muraka at Conrad Maldives - the world's first underwater villa, where you can live underwater, watching coral reefs right from your bed. • Velaa Private Island - one of the most expensive island hotels, with underwater restaurants and a wine cellar in a cave with rare wines from the world. UNIQUE EXPERIENCES • Private dive into the world of luminous corals - a place where ordinary divers are not taken, where corals glow green and blue underwater. • Underwater violin concert - a special acoustic technology that allows you to hear music right underwater during a dive.

A land that remembers the footsteps of the first travelers, that has seen empires disappear and myths be born. Where royal palaces are hidden behind jungle walls and monks know secrets that are not recorded in any book. Asia is a balance between absolute simplicity and incomprehensible luxury. I didn’t come here for familiar landscapes. I was looking for places that don’t appear in guidebooks and experiences that cannot be repeated. JAPAN: A SILENCE THAT SAYS MORE THAN WORDS Japan is a country where you can hear the whisper of stones underfoot, the rustle of the wind in the trees and the sound of a tea leaf being dropped into hot water. I meet Rinji, a monk from Koyasan Temple, where generations of his family have lived for hundreds of years. “Do you want to understand silence? Then you will have to experience it.” We pass through the gate, beyond which another world begins - an ancient monastery, where there are no clocks, no telephones, not even words. I spend the night here, in a room with tatami and rice screens. At dawn we descend to the ancient Okunoin cemetery. Rinji stops by a stone covered in moss. "This stone has stood here for over 700 years. It remembers more than all the books you've read." And I suddenly understand that true luxury is the feeling of eternity that you can touch with your hand. WHERE TO STAY • Aman Tokyo - one of the most expensive hotels in Japan, where luxury is combined with absolute minimalism. • Hoshinoya Kyoto - a boutique hotel in an ancient samurai estate, surrounded by maple forests. UNIQUE EXPERIENCES • A secret tea ceremony at Koyasan Monastery, available by invitation only. • A private visit to a closed temple in Nikko, where ordinary tourists are not allowed.

My guide is Sen, an archaeologist who explores hidden parts of the temple that are off-limits to ordinary travelers. — Most people only see the facade. But the real Cambodia is where they don’t look. We enter a small passage between walls covered in carved faces of gods. — This corridor is known only to monks. It leads to a place where the greatest secrets of emperors were once hidden. I feel the stones under my hands still warm from history. WHERE TO STAY • Shinta Mani Wild — an ultra-luxurious eco-resort in the heart of the jungle, accessible only by zipline. • Amansara, Siem Reap — the former residence of the king of Cambodia, transformed into the country’s most exclusive boutique hotel. UNIQUE EXPERIENCES • Private sunrise over Angkor Wat with access to the closed parts of the temple. • Visit the hidden temples of Beng Mealea, lost in the trees, where the Lara Croft movies were filmed. WHAT LEAVES AFTER THE TRAVEL? Asia is not just a destination. It is the sound of a gong echoing in the evening air. It is a hand touching the wall of a thousand-year-old temple. It is the smell of incense, spices and sea breezes mingling in the air. True luxury here is not just about the best hotels in the world. It is about being where others don’t go. Seeing the world as only the chosen ones see it.

China is not just a country. It is a civilization that existed long before Europe realized itself. Here, the stones of the Great Wall remember thousands of years, the voices of emperors still echo in closed palaces, and the tea ceremony is not just a drink, but a dialogue with time. Most people see only the facade - the skyscrapers of Shanghai, the crowded markets of Beijing, the neon streets of Hong Kong. But the real China is hidden deeper. It is revealed only to those who are willing to look behind the curtain. This journey is a luxury that is not conspicuous, but woven into the very fabric of history. THE FORBIDDEN CITY: WHERE NO TOURIST’S FOOT HAS SET I stand before the majestic gates of the Forbidden City in Beijing, when it is still dark. My guide, Wei Lian, works as a historian at the Imperial Palace Museum and has access to places that are never open to the general public. — You will see things that only a few know. We pass by the central courtyard, where thousands of tourists usually gather, and turn aside - to the palaces that once belonged to the emperor's concubines. Wei opens the heavy wooden doors - and before me opens a room in which time has frozen several centuries ago: exquisite screens, ancient jade dishes, mahogany furniture covered with dust that is already hundreds of years old. — Women lived here who are no longer remembered. But their stories still breathe in this air. WHERE TO STAY • Aman Summer Palace, Beijing - a hotel located directly in the garden of the Summer Palace. Once only the emperor’s inner circle stayed here, today it is open to guests, who have access to a secret passage to the historic halls. • The Peninsula Beijing – a hotel offering exclusive access to the Forbidden City, with a personal historian guide. UNIQUE EXPERIENCES • Private tour of the secret halls of the Forbidden City, available only to closed groups. • Night tea ceremony at the Temple of Heaven, held for you on the terrace where emperors once meditated.

It is believed that these landscapes inspired hundreds of Chinese artists and poets to create immortal works of art. The guide, Mao Lin, leads me along a narrow path between the mountains. — Legends say that immortals lived here. And when you see it with your own eyes, you begin to believe it. Underneath your feet are stone stairs carved directly into the rocks. In the distance, a small monastery is hidden, which can only be reached on foot. It is home to only three monks who spend their lives here in meditation. They invite me inside - to a Zen ritual of silence, which lasts exactly as long as the incense burns. At that moment, I understand: true luxury is not about things, but about silence in which you can hear yourself. WHERE TO STAY • Banyan Tree Huangshan is the only luxury hotel in the region where every room has a fantastic view. • COMO Shambhala Estate, Chengdu is a traditional Chinese-style resort offering retreats with Tai Chi masters and Taoist monks. UNIQUE EXPERIENCES • Private tea ceremony with the abbot of the monastery where the last Taoists live. • Helicopter flight over the Huangshan Mountains, landing on a secret plateau closed to tourists.

I’m taking a private tour with Xiao Feng, a man who specializes in the hidden corners of old Shanghai. We walk past the bright lights of the Bund, but we turn into the old quarter. Xiao Feng opens the door to a house that once belonged to a British spy. “This is where deals were made that changed history. Only no one knows about it.” He lifts a painting, and behind it opens a secret passage to an old casino. “Shanghai has two faces. And only those who know where to look can see the real one. WHERE TO STAY • Amanyangyun, Shanghai – a luxury resort designed in the style of an ancient Chinese village, where old houses from different regions have been transported. • The Puli Hotel and Spa – a private hotel in the heart of the city, with its own garden of silence. UNIQUE EXPERIENCES • An exclusive tour of the closed quarter of Old Shanghai, where the secret halls of opium clubs have been preserved. • A cocktail party on the roof of a private penthouse with the best views of the city. WHAT LEAVES AFTER THE TRIP? China is not just temples, skyscrapers and tea ceremonies. It is a gate that opens only to those who know what to look for. It is a thousand-year-old staircase leading to a monastery where old knowledge is still remembered. This is a city that has many secrets, but tells them only to the chosen ones. True luxury is not just comfort. It is an opportunity to see China that no one else sees.

Here, among the orange groves and hills that stretch to the Mediterranean Sea, you can still hear the echoes of Moorish emperors, Castilian kings and travelers looking for more than just beauty. Andalusia is a land of light and shadow, of bright colors and peaceful patios, of silken arches and ancient mosques turned cathedrals. This trip is not just about memories. It is about seeing places that remain closed to most. Granada: The Alhambra that hides more than meets the eye I stand before the entrance to the Alhambra at dawn. This palace is not just a building. It is the last bastion of the Moors in Spain, a place where Islamic sophistication and European grandeur have come together. My guide, Raúl, opens a small wooden door that is not found on regular tours. “We are going where tourists are not taken.” I walk down a narrow corridor and a small courtyard hidden between the palace walls opens up before me. — This was the sultan’s private garden. Here he would greet the dawn alone. The air is filled with the scent of jasmine. The water in the fountain flows just as it did 800 years ago. I touch a carved column – it still retains the warmth of the sun that shone here for centuries. WHERE TO STAY • Parador de Granada – the only hotel located directly within the Alhambra, where you can fall asleep to the sound of the water in the Generalife gardens. • Hospes Palacio de los Patos – a luxury hotel in a former 19th-century Andalusian palace, where history is combined with modern comfort. UNIQUE EXPERIENCES • A closed night tour of the Alhambra, available only to small groups, when the palace is lit only by the moon. • Private dinner on the patio of an old Moorish mansion, closed to tourists.