Looking for a last minute Christmas gift to share with someone special? How about a $400,000 trip to India!
Luxury retailer Neiman Marcus’ Christmas Book is one of the most famous, luxe gift catalogs in the world. The most talked about section of the catalog contains what are called the ‘Fantasy Gifts’ which are exactly that: unique, one of a kind items and experiences that are literally, out of this world (yes, you can purchase a trip to outer space!).
For the 2015 Fantasy Gifts, the Dallas-based department store received 250 submissions out of which 11 were chosen. What is the crown jewel of this year’s book? Officially christened ‘Dream Trip to India’ the luxury vacation in the land of maharajas and matinee idols is arguably the grandest and easily the priciest gift in the holiday shopping guide.
Spanning 12 days in five cities, the dream trip is the brainchild of Patrick O’Hara and Jitin Hingorani who together created O’Harani Luxe Experiences, an agency dedicated to designing bespoke experiences for the luxury traveler. Pictures from the duo’s recent trip to India were posted on social media and caught the eye of folks at Neiman Marcus who suggested O’Harani submit a proposal for the Christmas Book. O’Harani co-founder Hingorani says he and O’Hara were were given carte blanche but instructed to “Think big and over the top!” O’Harani did just that and their submission secured a spot in the coveted catalog.
So what does an almost half a million dollars holiday in India look like? The itinerary includes a personal concierge, private jets, ayurvedic spa sessions, an elephant safari, cricket lessons, starring in your own music video (with background dancers!) and a private dinner with a Bollywood film star.
When asked what is the profile of the couple who would purchase the Indian vacation, Hingorani describes them as “world travelers who are fascinated with India, are adventurous, want to be immersed in culture and be pampered.” And who is the cinema star the couple would have dinner with? Depending on the schedules of the travelers and film actors, it will be an industry A-lister “along the lines of Jacqueline Fernandez or Sonam Kapoor.”
The buyer of the extravagant getaway can splurge guilt-free knowing that with the purchase of the Indian dream trip Neimans will donate $15,000 to The Heart of Neiman Marcus Foundation (which focuses on youth art education), and create travel memories that are sure to be nothing less than priceless.
