As someone who reviews hotels for a living, it’s a bit embarrassing to admit that some of my favorite trips have had nothing to do with hotels at all. Sailing amid Indonesian archipelagoes aboard the charter-only Celestia ranks high on my all-time best list, as does my lazy, glamorous week with friends at a villa in St. Barths. Having a space that’s entirely your own — a villa, a boat, or why not, a whole island — feels like luxury indeed.

Our advisors in the Travel Office have helped members organize villas, yachts and private jets for many years. To make browsing them easier, we’ve now put them together in one place on our website: a portal called Exclusive Experiences. Creating it was a true labor of love, and it inspired no small amount of wanderlust on our part! Here is a sampling of what you can find.

Villas

Booking your own private base of operations has many advantages, especially for families and groups of friends traveling together. What I particularly appreciate about staying in a villa is having my own gathering spaces, which take on added importance when traveling with children. They’re free to make as much noise as they please in the lounge or at the pool, because they won’t disturb other guests.