Up, Up, and Away

If you’ve already paddled, climbed, hiked, and biked and are yearning for new thrills, you may be glad to hear that some luxury hotels and resorts now provide helicopter experiences. 

Guests at Hawaii’s Four Seasons Resort Lanai can enjoy a full day’s helicopter flight over the islands of Molokai, Kahoolawe, Lana’i, Hawaii (aka the Big Island), and Maui. You can soar over remote beaches, coffee estates, active volcanoes, and waterfalls, and include a stop or two for a gourmet picnic lunch, hiking tour, or visit to local attractions.

New Zealand’s Helena Bay Lodge will transport you in its own Agusta Westland 109S Grand to Great Barrier Island to fish for snapper, kahawai, and kingfish. The lodge also offers several other helicopter jaunts, including one that makes stops at the caves at Waitomo, home to thousands of luminescent glow worms; Aranui Cave, to see stalactites and stalagmites; Hobbiton, for lunch and a look at the movie sets of the Lord of the Rings trilogy and The Hobbit; and Waiheke Island, for a wine tasting and dinner.

Related Article

Bill Would Effectively End Most Heli Tourism In U.S.

It would prohibit tour narration by pilots and flights over national parks and wilderness areas.

Back in the States, at the Sagamore Pendry in Baltimore, you can take a guided tour through the award-winning Sagamore Spirit Distillery followed by a helicopter ride over Sagamore Farm and spring house, birthplace of Sagamore whiskey. 

Andronis Concept Wellness Resort, the biggest spa on the Greek island of Santorini, has its own helipad. You can choose a breathtaking chopper trip across the Aegean to Athens or to such renowned islands as Mykonos, Crete, and Rhodes. A car and driver will meet the chopper and escort you on a bespoke tour.

The Boulders Resort and Spa in Scottsdale, Arizona has a helipad, too. You can board a chopper right on the property for an airborne tour of Sedona, one of America’s most beautiful places, where you can land for lunch before returning to the resort.