Remote Lands
Luxury Bespoke Travel to Asia & Private Jet Journeys.
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News Highlights
December 2009 - Catherine Heald travelled to India for the umpteenth time since her first trip in 1989, visiting Cochin, Kumarakom, Bombay, Hampi and Bangalore. She and her husband Donald travelled with their close friends from Calcutta and Darjeeling, Pushie and Danny Mahtab (the Maharajkumar of Burdwan). They loved staying at the Kumarakom Lake Resort, the Taj West End in Bangalore and the Taj Palace in Bombay. The highlight of the trip was their traditional Kerala wedding vow renewal in the Vishnupuram Sree Sathyanarayana Moorthi Temple in Neendoor, a very remote village in Kottayam. This was the first time ever that this Hindu temple allowed a wedding of foreigners - and indeed the event made the local papers! The other highlights were the private houseboat on the gorgeous Kerala backwaters and a New Years Eve party at the stunning Taj Palace in Bombay.
November 2009 - For the second year in a row, Catherine attended the prestigious International Luxury Travel Market (ILTM) conference in Cannes, France. ILTM is the leading annual business-to-business event for the global luxury travel community, a showcase for the world's most sought-after destinations, ultra-luxurious accommodation, elite transportation and unique travel experiences. Remote Lands was invited as a VIP buyer for one-on-one meetings with each of the top hotels in Asia. The highlight of the week was the small dinner party thrown by Amanresorts at Le Mesclun, with all the Aman executives and about 15-20 of the top travel agents and tour operators from around the world.
November 2009 - After 17 years since his previous visit - and six months after the end of the country's 26-year civil war - Jay decided it was time to go back to the island paradise of Sri Lanka, high on Remote Lands' list of the world's perfect travel destinations. Over five days traversing the land and talking with those in the know, Jay returned with new insight into this gem of an island that was too long consumed by internal conflict. Among the recommendations to look for in Remote Lands' newest bespoke Sri Lanka journeys: a private tour of the pioneering architecture of Geoffrey Bawa; an untouched rainforest abounding in flora and fauna; and the northeastern town of Trincomalee, whose beaches, snorkeling, hot springs, and historic temple now beckon after being off-limits for decades.
November 2009 - Bruce attended the PURE Life Experiences conference in Marrakech, Morocco from November 16-19, an invitation-only gathering of private travel designers and the world's best suppliers. PURE is dedicated to experiential travel, journeys that "will enrich a person's life and improve the way they connect with both loved ones and with the world," making Remote Lands and its highly personalized, bespoke travel designing an ideal fit for this exclusive club. PURE was very well organized and paced, allowing Bruce to connect with a good number of peers in the Asia luxury travel sector.
October 2009 - Remote Lands co-hosted an Asian-themed cocktail party at Nobu in Los Angeles with Como Hotels and Resorts on October 13th. The guest list included the two companies' top Southern California clients and elite travel agents such as Protravel's Mickey Weill and Litwin Travel's Sandee Litwin. Hollywood celebrity David Conrad, co-star of Ghost Whisperers along with Jennifer Love Hewitt, was amongst the many who braved the torrential rain which normally keeps Angelenos at home. Many Remote Lands clients stay at Como's properties which include the sumptuous Cocoa Island in the Maldives, Como Shambhala in Bali and Uma Paro in Bhutan, amongst the world's finest hotels.
October 2009 - Audrey traveled to South Korea as a guest of the Seoul Tourism Organization. For five days, she explored Seoul and Gwangju, absorbing the amazing cultural history of the country, still divided but thriving on the strength of its amazing tenacity. She made delicious kimchi, hiked through verdant tea plantations, enjoyed traditional Korean dance and drum performances and ate far too much, but it was worth every last morsel!
October 2009 - Jay flew to Singapore to represent Remote Lands at the second annual ITB show where he met with a number of vendors from all over the continent. Remote Lands is continuously expanding its network to better serve its discerning clients; Jay stayed at the historic Raffles hotel and had the pleasure of two luxurious airport transfers, one in a Bentley and the second in a BMW L7, of which there are only 300 in the world.
October 2009 - Jay jaunted northward to the "lips and teeth" of the Asian Communist bloc, so-called because that's how close they once were - China and North Korea. In Beijing, he dined in the fabulous Aman Summer Palace, stayed at the Opposite House and Raffles, and visited the 798 art district, a major highlight. Then it was off to Pyongyang, an unexpectedly beautiful and orderly city. He also ventured to the DMZ where he chatted in English with a KPA First Lieutenant about politics, tourism and daily life. Back in Pyongyang, he also visited the School Children's Palace where young virtuosos playing whole host of instruments blew him away.
September 2009 - The Bangkok office took to the skies on a sunny afternoon in Chonburi, an hour's drive from Bangkok. They were there to test out the new Flight of the Gibbon, an adrenaline-pumping experience that allows participants to glimpse Chompoo Wildlife Sanctuary in a low-impact manner via a series of 24 ziplines that minimally affect the natural environment. The originally flight is in Chiang Mai, where the experience also includes hiking to a local village and waterfall.
September 2009 - Catherine Heald just returned from a reconnaissance to North Korea that she describes as mind-blowing. She found it quite different from what she expected - much more beautiful and many of the people were very warm and friendly (although others were clearly just baffled that a blond American woman was there in their midst, for example going for a morning run with them along the lovely riverside in Pyongyang). She drove all around the country and saw villages, farms, schools, hospitals and even an orphanage. She saw the Mass Games, a dance/gymnastics extravaganza, which was a truly dazzling performance. She visited the DMZ border with South Korea, the War Museum and the USS Pueblo ship and learned a lot about the Korean War. The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) is the ultimate remote land, and Catherine found it to be one of the most fascinating places she has ever been.
August 2009 - Catherine Heald and Bruce Lazarus attended Virtuoso's Travel Mart at the Bellagio Hotel in Las Vegas on August 16-21, 2009. The invitation-only event for Virtuoso Members and Suppliers was a 5-day whirlwind of over 400 meetings as well special dinners and presentations. Catherine and Bruce met with the most elite travel agents from North and South America, Australia and New Zealand, and forged many new relationships with agencies to whom Remote Lands will provide its Asia tour operator services. Travel Mart was a grand success overall.
August 2009 - We are delighted that we have just joined the prominent Virtuoso travel network. As a Preferred Supplier, we will be offering our white-glove services to Virtuoso's distinguished travel advisors and their high net worth clients. In joining the network, Remote Lands' bespoke holidays in Asia will now be available to 300 preeminent travel agencies and their clients across 22 countries. Virtuoso is the industry's leading luxury travel network. This by-invitation-only organization comprises over 300 agencies with more than 6,000 elite travel specialists in 22 countries in North and South America, the Caribbean, Australia and New Zealand, as well as over 1,000 of the world's best travel providers and premier destinations. The network's member agencies generate over $5.1 billion annually in travel sales, making the group the most powerful in the luxury travel segment.
July 2009 - Piyamat took one for the team and went to Bali for a week, staying at Amanusa, Amandari and Amankila. All are on different parts of the sun-soaked island and have their charms, but she loved Ubud the most, citing a Balinese dance performance for a special full moon event as the highlight of her time there. Amankila, a 1.5-hour drive from Amandari, had the best beach; here she cruised to the "Blue Lagoon" and saw many beautiful fish and coral on a snorkeling excursion.
July 2009 - Lek recently returned from a trip to Java where she visited Mount Bromo and Borobudur. Despite having to get up at 3:30am to witness it, sunrise over Mount Bromo was the absolute highlight of her trip, matched only by the atmospheric hike along the edge of the volcano afterwards. In addition to these experiences, Lek also enjoyed Ayam Goreng, a fried chicken specialty of this particular part of Indonesia.
July 2009 - Jay went to Southern Laos and found water, water everywhere! This area is known as 4,000 Islands as the Mekong is very wide here and there are hundreds of tiny islets and amazing waterfalls that offer wonderful opportunities for exploration and discovery. With the opening of new hotels such as Inthira in Champasak, the 4-star Arawan Riverside Hotel in Pakse, and Sala Phae, a boutique, floating hotel on the Mekong, this part of the country is now perfectly doable and comfortable for Remote Lands clients. Highlights were numerous and include seeing Khone Phapheng falls, the largest in Asia by volume; seeing Wat Phou, a 5th century Khmer temple that includes the ruins of two temples, one built by men and one by women in a race to complete - the women won; and meeting hill tribe people in the Bolavan Plateau (including the Laven, Taoy, and Aluk).
June 2009 - Jay attended the Asia Luxury Travel Market in Shanghai, an invitation-only event that brings together the leading luxury travel suppliers and VIP travel buyers (including Remote Lands), who were fully hosted to attend the show. He met with the top luxury hotels in the region, including Taj, Oberoi, Mandarin Oriental, Como, and many others.
May 2009 - Audrey returned from a 10-day trip to Japan where she went to Okinawa, Yokohama, Kyoto and Tokyo. She was invited by the Japan National Tourism Organization to participate in their annual TravelMart in Yokohama. She met with a wide variety of vendors, including a ninja who popped out of nowhere to offer her a brochure. She feasted on the best kaiseki cuisine, went diving on Okinawa, a little-known gem with diverse marine life and clear water, stayed in a beautifully renovated machiya, formerly owned and occupied by a geisha, and met lovely people, from centurions to chefs.
May 2009 - On May 12, Catherine and Donald Heald hosted a small dinner party at their home in New York in honor of Bhutan's new Ambassador, Mr Lhatu Wangchuk, and his wife. Mr. Wangchuk is widely travelled and was previously the Minister of Tourism in Thimpu. He now wears three important hats: Ambassador to the United States, Ambassador to Canada, and Ambassador to the United Nations. His offices are in the Bhutan Mission in midtown Manhattan across from the United Nations complex of buildings. He and his wife live in Westchester County.
May 2009 - Jay explored Chiang Mai's wild side and went to Tiger Kingdom to pet baby tigers, Flight of the Gibbon where he ziplined through the forest canopy, Maesa Elephant camp where he received advanced mahout training, having received his provisionary license to drive an elephant last year in Chiang Rai, and stayed at the Lanna Hill House, an exclusive private teak home.
April 2009 - Jay, Piyamat and Lek went to Kanchanaburi, home to the Bridge on the River Kwai, Mon villages and swaths of unspoiled jungle. Jay became close with a resident tiger at the "tiger temple", which now functions much more as a tiger reserve than as a Buddhist temple. They all enjoyed visiting a small school in a Mon village, which exists outside the Thai school system and is open year-round and learning more about Kanchanaburi's place in World War II history as one of the stops on the railway between Bangkok and Rangoon, built by POW's to support Japan's forces in the Burma campaign. They stayed at the Jungle Rafts Hotel, a cozy "floatel" where travelers can relax and watch the world peacefully go by from private decks on the River Kwai.
March 2009 - Jay, Piyamat, Yam, Lek and Aee took a field trip from Bangkok to explore Thailand's wild side in Khao Yai National Park. On the way, they visited Ayutthaya in the early morning when the temples were virtually deserted, and also stopped by Lopburi, home to a Khmer-style temple and hundreds of monkeys. As luck would have it, a monk ordination was scheduled for the morning that Remote Lands' Bangkok staff visited. Far from the somber affair that it would seem to be, it was complete mayhem with loud live music and people dancing around and guzzling whiskey - at 11am! Braving the inebriated revelers and cheeky simians, Team Bangkok soldiered on to Khao Yai, smiling through hours spent waiting in the rain to see wild elephants, crocodiles, black bear, deer, bats and over 1000 different species of birds. They stayed at the beautiful Kirimaya Resort, a luxury tented camp set in a lush location a few miles from Khao Yai's entrance with spacious, freestanding accommodations.
December 2008 - Catherine Heald has just returned from a trip through Rajasthan, one of the most stunning states in India. Her fascinating journey took her through Delhi, Agra, Jaipur and Alwar, where she stayed in some of the finest hotels in the world including Amanbagh, Taj Rambagh Palace, The Imperial and The Oberoi Amarvilas. In Jaipur, she spent time with scion Munnu Kasliwal, whose family opened the Gem Palace, one of the world's finest jewelers and certainly India's most famous. Providing an insider's perspective, Munnu hosted multiple private dinners for Catherine and her husband at The Polo Club and other locations, and showed them the inner workings of his family's incredible jewelry empire. Although seeing the elite side of India was definitely on the agenda, given that Rajasthan is home to many of the country's best-preserved fort palaces and opulent monuments, the real highlight for Catherine was seeing "the real India". Catherine and her husband opted to drive the entire trip rather than fly, so they spent a lot of time in rural villages where life goes on as it has for hundreds of years. She met so many kind locals and was even invited to a wedding by total strangers who then became her friends, and the trip confirmed her love for India and its warm and welcoming people.
October 2008 - Jay Tindall has just returned from a very productive reconnaissance trip to Laos, making his travel base in Luang Prabang where many of Remote Lands' clients have traveled to in the past year on their journeys through Indochina. In addition to the must-do activities in this UNESCO World Heritage Center, such as giving alms to monks in the morning and climbing Wat Phousi, Jay researched trips to more unexplored parts of the country including an astounding area with caves from the Vietnam War. These "secret caves" are much larger and more extensive than the ones found in the Cu Chi Tunnels in Vietnam, and one particularly cavernous one was a hospital with 120 beds that one of Remote Lands' close Laotian friends was born in! Jay loves discovering new unexplored places like this, and looks forward to introducing Remote Lands clients to the caves as well as other far-flung places in Laos.
September 2008 – Audrey Luk, one of Remote Land's team of travel writers, has just come back from a journey through southern India. She spent two weeks exploring the best of what the states of Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Karnataka have to offer, from beaches and hotels to palaces and temples. Starting in the regional hub of Chennai, she visited the former French outpost of Pondicherry, which has wonderful colonial architecture; the unspoiled beaches of north Kerala; Nagarhole National Wildlife Park — home to elephants and tigers; the hill station of Coorg — "the Scotland of India" — a temperate, colonial-era retreat that's renowned for its tea and coffee plantations; Mysore's magnificent palace and Meenakshi Sundareswarar Temple, a beautiful living temple dedicated to Shiva in Madurai; and the backwaters of Cochin, which she explored by houseboat.
September 2008 – Jay Tindall has just returned from a reconnaissance to northern Vietnam. From Hanoi, Jay took the overnight train to the charming mountain town of Sapa, in a region that's home to many of Vietnam's hill tribes, including the Red Dao, Black Yao, Black Hmong and Flower Hmong. Sapa is near to both the Chinese and Laotian borders, and is an access point for trips to Dien Bien Phu, a former stop on trading routes between Myanmar (Burma) and China, and the site of a decisive battle in Vietnam's fight for independence from France. From Dien Bien Phu, it is possible to return to Hanoi by air, soaring over some of Vietnam's most dramatic scenery.
August 2008 – Remote Lands' Director of Marketing and resident art expert, Bruce Lazarus, spent the month of August traveling in China and attending the historic Summer Olympics. In Beijing, Bruce met and make connections with a number of prominent members of the city's vibrant art community, including Baron Guy Ullens, founder of the Ullens Center for Contemporary Art; Fan Di-an, director of the National Art Museum of China; and famous artists such as Ai Wei-wei, who developed the "bird's nest" concept of the Olympic stadium. In addition, Bruce toured a number of exciting architectural developments such as the new CCTV building by Rem Koolhas, which will not open until 2009, and the futuristic National Center for the Performing Arts by Paul Andreu.
July 2008 – Catherine Heald recently took a reconnaissance trip to the remote regions of Cambodia. She traveled well off the path beaten between Siem Reap and Phnom Penh and drove all over the country, stopping at the beach resort of Sihanoukville, where a hotel boom is building, and the as-yet-undeveloped coast towns of Kep and Kampot. These destinations will not be off the radar for long so the best time to visit them is now. Her favorite stop on the route was Battambang, a small, tranquil city that's a perfect place to experience the idyllic pace of daily Cambodian life, both in town and in the surrounding countryside.
30 June 2008 – Jay Tindall and Bruce Lazarus attended the prestigious Asia Luxury Travel Market (ALTM), the region's premier event exclusively for the luxury travel industry. The invitation-only event brought together the leading luxury travel suppliers and VIP travel buyers (including Remote Lands), who were fully hosted to attend the show. ALTM was inaugurated as the sister event to the highly acclaimed International Luxury Travel Market (ILTM) staged every December in Cannes on the French Riviera
1 May 2008 – Remote Lands' great friend and advisor Simon Winchester has just had a new book published by Harper Collins, another fascinating historical account in the vein of The Professor and the Madman and Krakatoa, this time focused on the extraordinary story of Joseph Needham, a brilliant Cambridge scientist who dedicated his life to unlocking the secrets of Chinese history. The Man Who Loved China recounts Needham's life from his early years at Cambridge, where he fell in love with a visiting Chinese student and embarked on a series of expeditions through China. He searched everywhere for evidence to bolster his conviction that the Chinese were responsible for hundreds of mankind's most familiar innovations — including printing, the compass, explosives, suspension bridges, even toilet paper — often centuries before the rest of the world. His thrilling and dangerous journeys took him across war-torn China and into the remotest regions of the empire. Find out more about Simon's newest work at www.simonwinchester.com.
8 April 2008 – Jay Tindall was recently in Singapore checking out the F1 Grand Prix racecourse for the big event coming up September 26-28, the world's first ever nighttime Formula One race, and Asia's first where the event takes place in the streets. The fabulous Fullerton Hotel is operations central, and many Remote Lands clients will be staying in this gorgeous hotel which was formerly the central Post Office. They will also be dining at Singapore's plethora of fine restaurants, attending exclusive private parties and enjoying special access to the racing pits to see the cars and drivers up-close and personal.
30 March 2008 – Catherine Heald has recently returned from an exciting trip to Indonesia with visits to the paradise of Bali and tiny Komodo Island, which is located over 300 miles east of Bali in the center of the country. Although Bali is fairly well trodden, with the right connections the lesser-known aspects of this island come to life. Dining with the Balinese royal family in their stunning 17th-century palace, hiking through the rice terraces around Ubud, horseback riding on the beach, wreck diving, and meeting people from all walks of life, from Hindu priests to fledging dancers, are just some of the possibilities that Bali offers.
A 1.5-hour plane ride from Bali is Komodo Island, accessible by boat from nearby Flores. This is the eponymous home of the rare and prehistoric Komodo Dragons, which are found in nowhere in wild except for three islands in this archipelago. The dragons, despite their fearsome name and large stature, are fairly tame — but make sure your guide is with you at all time because the reptiles are not afraid of people and are ubiquitous on the islands. Their home is incredibly beautiful, affording ample trekking opportunities as well as some of the world's best snorkeling and diving in spectacular coral reefs with colorful tropical fish.
28 February 2008 – In Remote Lands' continuing effort to offer clients unparalleled, personalized service, COO and co-founder Jay Tindall has moved to Bangkok to manage the office there, which is the company's logistics center. Should a need or want arise, clients are welcome to contact the Bangkok office during office hours on +66.2260.7584 or the New York office after hours on +1 646 415 0892.
January 2008 – Happy New Year from all of us at Remote Lands! 2008 has gotten off to a busy start with clients continuing their holiday travels into January, and a spate of press featuring Remote Lands from the Financial Times, Travel + Leisure, Robb Report, Town & Country, Ottawa Citizen and Hong Kong Tatler (and other Asian Tatlers).
Members of the Remote Lands team have been hard at work and play, scouting out new and exciting places for our clients. Catherine has just returned from Java and Borneo, where she and her husband renewed their wedding vows in a traditional Iban tribal ceremony at a village in the rainforest. The guestlist included the 180 residents of the tribe's communal longhouse.
13 December 2007 – Remote Lands has been fortunate enough to have been the focus of quite a bit of media attention. In the last year, we have been featured in Town & Country, Departures, Condé Nast Traveller, Forbes, LA Times, BusinessWeek, Chicago Tribune, Details, Luxury Travel Advisor and many more elite business and travel publications.
Most recently, we are delighted to tell you that Robb Report has come out with its annual collection of exclusive holiday gifts, entitled "21 Ultimate Gifts", an extremely prestigious list of the world's most astonishing objects and experiences. We are thrilled that Remote Lands was chosen from a field of over 1,000 companies — we are in good company with a $90,000 dinner at Daniel, a $1.5 million necklace and a $250 million yacht! Also, Town & Country wrote about us again, this time including Remote Lands in their January issue's most-wanted list of fabulous treats and treasures for 2008.
27 October 2007 – Remote Lands has completed a two-week-long private jet journey on a Bombardier Challenger 601. Created for eight clients, including best-selling British author Simon Winchester, the trip focused on cuisine and culture in Cambodia, Thailand, China and Bhutan. The most memorable of the trip's numerous highlights include a private audience with HM The Queen of Bhutan, an intimate, private dinner party given by noted artist Prince Jakkai Siributr, and an incredible drive through the mountains and picnic lunch at the Yi people village followed by a hike through the lush, scenic Wenhai Valley.
1 October 2007 – The Bangkok office of Remote Lands opened today and serves as a logistical nexus in the largest hub city for the company's itineraries. With the added convenience of support personnel in the same time zone working on every detail from reservations to ticketing and client care, the Remote Lands experience will continue to be one of absolute luxury and comfort.
15 July 2007 – Remote Lands Advisory Board Member, the best-selling British author Simon Winchester, has lead story in the New York Times Travel Section about Wulingyuan in Central China. Simon is currently writing a book about the China scholar Joseph Needham to be published by Harper Collins in April 2008.
11 July 2007 – We love hearing from our clients about their experiences travelling with us. Here is a recent account from a couple who honeymooned in Papua New Guinea. For a complete description of their amazing journey in PNG, please click here.
9 June 2007 – Remote Lands is a sponsor for Private Air magazine's exclusive Jet Rater event at Westchester County Airport. Other sponsors include jet manufacturers Gulfstream, Embraer and Citation, all of whom provide aircraft for participants to test out on 30-60 minute joy rides over New York and Connecticut.
April 2007 – L.A. Times article about Remote Lands by Beverly Beyer is syndicated all over North America and picked up by the Philadelphia Enquirer, Chicago Tribune, Baltimore Sun, Columbus Dispatch, Hartford Courant, Orlando Sentinel, Oregon Register-Guard, and other fine local newspapers.
April-June 2007 – Many favorable articles appear about Remote Lands in a wide variety of well-respected newspapers, publications and blogs including The Palm Beach Post (article by the world-renowned travel writer Arthur Frommer), Toronto's Globe and Mail, Bhutan Daily News, Hong Kong Media News, Luxist, Travel Snob, Vagablond, Travel for Small Biz and many others.
10 March 2007 – Sotheby's and Remote Lands throw a cocktail party for the distinguished auction house's Preferred Clients at Co-Founder Catherine Heald's house on Manhattan's Upper East Side to introduce them to Remote Lands' Asian Private Jet Journey with celebrity authors Simon Winchester and Gael Greene
March 2007 – Remote Lands advertising campaign kicks off with two-page full color ads in the prestigious luxury lifestyle publications Art & Auction, Culture & Travel, Museums, Private Air and Bel Air, the eponymous hotel's magazine for its past and present guests and Beverly Hills residents.