The Taj Mahal was built as a love letter. Commissioned by the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan in 1631 to honor his teenage bride, who had died in childbirth, its construction involved the work of 22,000 laborers and a thousand elephants. The Indian monument still stands as perhaps the world’s greatest display of affection.
To which we say, game on.
While today’s ultra-wealthy may not be commissioning timeless monuments to show how much they love their spouses, they are producing extravagant epics in the form of over-the-top, hyper-personalized vacations. In conversations with a half-dozen travel agents and celebrity-event producers who specialize in destination weddings, honeymoons, and celebration trips, one thing became clear: You can create a private, romantic experience for your loved one anywhere under the sun—even in the Pope’s private garden—if you’re willing to pay for it.
“When you look at some of the great stuff being done in our industry, it’s all about privatizing something,” says Harlan deBell, who runs the award-winning, honeymoon-focused agency the Travel Siblings with his sister Kara Bebell. (Their tagline: “luxury travel for the fabulous.”) “Any museum or any store—it could be Louis Vuitton or Baccarat or the Musée d’Orsay, you name it—can be turned into a setting for a private dinner,” he explains. “Literally anything is possible with money.”
These types of experiences represent a nascent but fast-growing fraction of their business. “Two years ago, I did two events like this,” says Michelle Rago, founder of Michelle Rago Destinations, who has coordinated celebrations for Matt Damon and Jamie Foxx, among others. “Last year, I did three. Now I’m working towards building a bigger presence in this arena.” She adds that it’s a good way to build customer loyalty, too.
Jack Ezon of Ovation Vacations has been in this field for years. His team even includes a “romance concierge” that brainstorms ultra-luxe, ultra-sweet surprises, full-time. “It’s almost always men planning for women,” he says with a chuckle. “We’re always groveling for forgiveness.”
Following below are six boundary-pushing testaments to love, each tied to a special destination and occasion, showing that, in travel, the only limits to romance are your wallet and your imagination.
An Anniversary in the Sistine Chapel
The serenity of Michaelangelo’s Sistine Chapel is usually sullied by throngs of people elbowing you as you move through the tiny space. By the time you get through the gilded gates, you probably won’t have even noticed the stunning, geometrically-tiled floor, which warrants nearly as much praise as the frescoed ceiling. For a couple on the eve of their 40th wedding anniversary, Rago obtained a private viewing.
“Faith is what binds them,” Rago says of her clients, one of whom is a high-profile serial entrepreneur. (Their identities are protected by a non-disclosure agreement, a common feature in deals with A-list celebrities and C-suite executives.)
It costs roughly 25,000 euros ($30,800) to book the Sistine Chapel for a private, 30-minute visit. The privilege includes a solo, guided tour of the Treasure Room (filled with papal outfits and jewelry) and the Room of Tears, where every new pope prays in the emotionally charged aftermath of a papal inauguration.