Three weeks ago, we launched our month-long series of grand tour-themed contests in collaboration with our friends at LUXE City Guides. We used the summer (in the northern hemisphere anyway, you lucky things), historically the start of the grand tour season, as an excuse to give away some stunning Grand Tour Boxed Sets of Luxe city guides.
We’re starting the final week of our competition, and so far we’ve given away an Asian Grand Tour Box (winners of that one below!), a European Grand Tour Box, and a Blue Velvet Bespoke Box, along with a bunch of city guides. This week we’ve got the grand daddy of grand tour boxes for you, a World Grand Tour Box with a whopping 12 guides! As usual, runners-up get individual guides of their choice: two city guides for second place winners and one guide for third place. Consider the final contest launched! But before you scroll down to find out how to enter, we have an important announcement to make…
The Luxe judges have made their decisions, and our Week 3 winners are:
1st prize, an Asian Grand Tour Box – Sandra of romebuongiorno.blogspot.com
2nd prize, two Luxe city guides – Tom @waegook_tom of waegook-tom.com
3rd prize, one Luxe city guide – Lila @lila_fox of theconstanttourist.com
Congrats, grand turistas! And a sincere thanks to everyone who entered last week’s competition – you’re all most welcome to enter again. Round 4 is open for entries as of now!
So how do you enter our weekly LUXE-GRANTOURISMO contests?
1. Drop by the LUXE blog LUXETASY to note down the cities covered by LUXE guides – there are 33 destinations in total – and get inspired. (See their posts on the contest here and here.)
2. Create an inspiring grand tour itinerary taking in five (5) Luxe destinations and telling us in up to 100 words what you’d loved to do in each place. For instance: First stop Tokyo to learn the art of tea ceremony, Hanoi to purchase some contemporary art, Luang Prabang to make morning offerings to the monks, Siem Reap to learn Khmer cooking and play at being Lara Croft, and Bangkok to recuperate with a spa break. (Also see the winning entries from week 1, week 2 and week 3 for inspiration.)
3. Leave your Grand Tour itinerary in the Comments below, with your name, and, if you have one, a Twitter handle and/or blog URL.
If you are on Twitter feel free to follow us at @luxeguides and @gran_tourismo and alert us that you’ve submitted your entry using the #LXGTComp, with a glimpse of your grand tour itinerary. As in Hey @luxeguides & @gran_tourismo I want to fine-tune my cocktail-tasting skills in Europe! #LXGTComp. We’ll share your entry with our followers. Throughout the month we’ll also be sharing some inspirational travel tips on Twitter on destinations covered by LUXE City Guides. Have you been to any of the LUXE’s 33 destinations? Then do come and share your tips too!
Each week’s contest, and the previous week’s winners, will be announced with a blog post on Monday (yes, we’re late this week…) and close end of Sunday. This week we’re giving away a World Grand Tour Box of 12 guides plus three individual guides. See the Fine Print for more details.
The Fine Print – Terms and Conditions
1. The LUXE City Guides and Grantourismo competitions are open to anyone aged 18 years or over except anyone professionally associated with this competition or the hosts, i.e. LUXE and Grantourismo.
2. All information detailing how to enter the competitions forms part of these terms and conditions. It is a condition of entry that all rules are accepted as final and that the competitor agrees to abide by these rules. Submission of an entry will be taken to mean acceptance of these terms and conditions.
3. Submissions must be your original idea and should not infringe any copyrights.
4. Winners will be chosen by a judging panel from Luxe and Grantourismo. Judges decisions are final. The criteria used will include creativity, originality and an ability to inspire.
5. LUXE prizes include: one LUXE Blue Velvet Bespoke Box featuring eight guides (winners can choose the titles of their choice), two LUXE European Grand Tour Boxes, one LUXE Asian Grand Tour Box, one World Grand Tour Box, and 12 individual city guides for runners-ups (individual guide titles to be picked by the winners): second place winners will get two guides per week and third place winners will get one guide.
6. The LUXE Grantourismo competition opens on Monday 4 July 2011 and finishes on Sunday 31 July 2011. Round 1 will close Sunday 10 July, with winners announced and Round 2 set to begin on Monday 11 July; round 2 will close Sunday 17 July, with winners announced and Round 3 set to begin on Monday 18 July; round 3 will close Sunday 24 July, with winners announced and Round 4 (the final round) set to begin on Monday 25 July. The final round of winners will be announced Monday 1 August 2011.
30 comments
1 ping
Amber DeGrace says:
July 26, 2011 at 10:45 pm (UTC 10 )
I would visit the catacombs of Paris, enjoy finely crafted beer in New York City, watch the sun set over Sydney harbor, purchase some unique gifts for my kids in a Shanghai street market, and end with unusual sushi in Tokyo.
Amber DeGrace, @amberdegrace
Lara Dunston says:
July 26, 2011 at 11:58 pm (UTC 10 )
Cerveza, sushi and sunsets sound good to me! Good luck, Amber! Nice to see you here!
Daniel C. says:
July 26, 2011 at 10:50 pm (UTC 10 )
As a foodie, I’d start off the tour in my home city Hong Kong, where I’d enjoy a DaiPaiDong meal followed by unparalleled views of the skyline at Sevva bar in Central. Singapore is next, where No Signboard Seafood Restaurant serves up yummy white peppered crabs. Maxwell Food centre in Chinatown has yummy street food, including Hainan chicken rice. I’d go for a little punt at the Marina Bay Sands casino, too. Chiang Mai is next, where northern Thai cuisine is Kong. I’d savour some dishes at the Mandarin oriental restaurant Fujian, too. Next, jet to Dubai and wander around the famed spice and gold souk. I’d also visit the hyped XVA Gallery. Last but not least, Tokyo is where I’d head straight to Tsukiji fish market, the largest of its kind in the world. Then to Michelin-starred Birdland, a yakitori restaurant for grilled-meat comfort!
Lara Dunston says:
July 27, 2011 at 12:00 am (UTC 10 )
No food in Dubai, Daniel? I guess you needed a break in there somewhere.
Love it! You’ve made me hungry! Thanks for your entry and best of luck!
DisarmDoors says:
July 26, 2011 at 11:09 pm (UTC 10 )
OK Gorgeous, here’s my Week 4 submission to your fab contest.
You can take it 2 ways.
One: Simply read the words below.
Two: Fool around with the following link if you prefer your Grand Tour inspiration a little more interactive: http://bit.ly/p8h8hQ
Enjoy…
Join Melbourne’s coffeescenti at Dead Man Espresso, before retiring to The Olsen’s effortlessly chic digs.
It’s coffee for coffee’s sake amongst the cobbled lanes of magical Luang Prabang. Give in to the siren-call of Kiridara’s poolside deck for sundowners.
It’s all artisanal threads and spectacles at Hong Kong’s The Armoury. Then, feeling quite the beau, mingle with local lovelies at Aqua Spirit.
Enter Berlin’s Dandy of the Grotesque and feel the ache of kühl. Then Nola’s for fondue. Lecker!
Finish with a quick visit to Kate Somerville to have this Grand-Tour-ravaged visage ready for its LA close-up. Luxe, indeed.
Lara Dunston says:
July 27, 2011 at 12:01 am (UTC 10 )
Wow – love the interactive element! I know where to come when I want an itinerary done. Thanks, Ben! And congrats on being the first to enter this week. Best of luck!
Natalie T. says:
July 27, 2011 at 3:14 pm (UTC 10 )
This is my first Grantourismo contest. My entry is on my blog: http://nearafar.wordpress.com/2011/07/26/dear-luxe-city-guides/
Fingers crossed!
Lara Dunston says:
July 28, 2011 at 12:00 pm (UTC 10 )
Thanks, Natalie! We’d wanted the entry as a Comment to make judging easy for our Luxe Guide judges, but no worries. I’ve already taken a look, and love it. Thanks for entering! Good luck!
Natalie T. says:
July 29, 2011 at 11:33 am (UTC 10 )
Okay. I can always adjust if need be! Was just trying to make it look pretty on the blog.
Brei says:
July 28, 2011 at 3:12 am (UTC 10 )
Chicago for starters: Stay at the lovely Peninsula Hotel, catch a Cubbies game at Wrigley in the afternoon, and an amazing comedy act at Second City for the evening.
Paris: Drop off my bags at the Hidden Hotel, Catch an amazing dinner at the Hidden Kitchen (Totally make new friends!), and have a night cap at my favorite bar in the world, Bar Hemingway in the Ritz. Can’t resist the Serendipity or the atmosphere.
Barcelona:Stay at the Hotel Arts for the amazing view and relaxation, take a cooking class with Cook & Taste, visit the Musea Picasso.
Florence: To experience art and watch the colors paint the sky from my view atop Piazzale Michelangelo at sunset. Have a wine tasting with the Florence Wine Academy.
Sydney: Last but not least. Stay at the Blue Hotel. Visit Bondi Beach, take surf and paddle board lessons. Relax on my own private yacht tour of the Harbour sipping champagne.
Lara Dunston says:
July 28, 2011 at 11:28 am (UTC 10 )
Hey, did you drink a Serendipity at The Ritz, did you? Did you see our post where Colin Field gives us a personal lesson in making one? The Blue Hotel is also a favourite of ours – stayed there when it opened, before it was the Blue and it was the W. Wonderful itinerary! Thanks! Good luck!
Brei says:
July 28, 2011 at 11:37 pm (UTC 10 )
I did drink Serendipty at Bar Hemingway. Made some good friends while sitting at that bar alone in Paris soaking up the atmosphere! Loved it!
Lucille says:
July 28, 2011 at 4:53 am (UTC 10 )
London – Begin at The Wolsley for an authentic Afternoon Tea. Visit Fortnum & Masons to browse the assortment of delicacies. Finish off at Hatchards for a book signing.
Rome – Take in the history by walking along Palatine Hill. Enjoy Italian pizza at restaurant facing Coliseum. Head to Campo Marzio to buy a leather journal.
Amsterdam – Walk through eccentric Red Light District while devouring a chocolate belgium waffle. Attend playerless piano concert at Pianola Museum. Retreat to hotel to read Diary of Anne Frank.
Paris – Go to Laduree to buy Louboutin themed macaroons to take home. Have dinner along Champs Elysees. Attend an opening show at the Paris Opera House.
Milan – See the Last Supper by Leonardo Davinci. Spend the day walking around Duomo spending ALL leftover money on the latest fashions.
Lara Dunston says:
July 28, 2011 at 11:26 am (UTC 10 )
Food, art, history, and more! What fun! Thanks for your entry & best of luck, Lucille!
Deidre says:
July 30, 2011 at 1:37 am (UTC 10 )
How’s this for a Luxe Europtrip?! =)
We’re starting in Milan with the national pastime: (window) shopping along Via Spiga! But don’t worry, we’ll save dinero in Barcelona by going to the Mediterranean beaches and getting cultured at Parc Guell. Speaking of culture, next is the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam. Then we hop on our bikes to board a canal cruise. Want more cruising? How about dinner and dancing along the Seine in Paris? As you float pass Notre Dame, get prayed up because next is Rome to visit the Pope. But we really came to toss a coin in the Trevi – guaranteed to come back!
Lara Dunston says:
July 31, 2011 at 11:32 am (UTC 10 )
Oh nice, that’s a lovely cruisey, quintessentially summery trip. Good luck!
Mark Mayo says:
July 31, 2011 at 4:21 am (UTC 10 )
Starting in Thailand we’ll check out Chiang Mai for treks, elephant rides and temples.
Flying east, we’ll stop in at Bali for some beach glory, clubbing and spectacular sunsets.
Having never been to New York, we can stop in night or day to the sleepless city, get that perfect photo on the Empire State Building and take a chopper ride across the bay and around Lady Liberty.
Across the Atlantic to Paris for glorious French cheese, wine and dessert, and then hit the brakes and relax on a gondola in Venice, drinking fine wine and sleeping in
Lara Dunston says:
July 31, 2011 at 11:33 am (UTC 10 )
From elephant riding to the Empire State – some nice classic experiences there! Best of luck, Mark!
ella says:
July 31, 2011 at 4:14 pm (UTC 10 )
Our nose-to-tail-eating trail spring-boards from Bondi to Coogee for some Sydney sun and surf, Dank Street Depot slow braised beef cheeks for fuel as we fly 4-clicks north-west for crunchy Thai pig ear salad 45Bht + fresh young coconut 4Bht, floating markets, gilt, gold and Wat galore in pulse-pounding Bangkok. Delving deep into the ‘belly’ of the tour, feast on melt-in-your-mouth toro, izakaya’s, neon & Ginza in Tokyo. The 2nd last ‘leg’ is all about marinated gelatinous trotters, peking duck, bicycle frenzy and the Forbidden City in Beijing before wrapping up in super cool London for a bit of Tate Modern, Camden Gardens and ox-tail stew at St JOHN Bar & Restaurant!
Lara Dunston says:
July 31, 2011 at 4:56 pm (UTC 10 )
Hi Ella – wow, that’s our kind of grand tour – what a mouthwatering one! Thanks for your entry! Good luck!
Jonna says:
July 31, 2011 at 9:54 pm (UTC 10 )
I’m going chic-packing! Setting off in PARIS to marvel at its beautiful art and architecture, stopping by VENICE to fall in love, heading to cosmopolitan NEW YORK to party Sex-and-the-City style, flying to TOKYO to dance amid cherry blossoms in bloom, and finally settling in SYDNEY for a few days to enjoy the sun, sand and sea!
Jonna says:
July 31, 2011 at 10:00 pm (UTC 10 )
(resending, because my previous comment didn’t appear)
I’m going chic-packing! Setting off in PARIS to marvel at its beautiful art and architecture, stopping by VENICE to fall in love, heading to cosmopolitan NEW YORK to party Sex-and-the-City style, flying to TOKYO to dance amid cherry blossoms in bloom, and finally settling in SYDNEY for a few days to enjoy the sun, sand and sea!
Lara Dunston says:
August 1, 2011 at 2:52 pm (UTC 10 )
Got it, Jonna – got both, so will delete one – we moderate our comments to keep the spam out, so they take a bit to go up.
What a poetic little itinerary that one is! Love it! Good luck!
Ernest White II says:
August 1, 2011 at 8:40 am (UTC 10 )
Start just before midnight in Paris with Romeo and Juliet, en français, at the Odéon Theatre, after a glass of Burgundy at the Café de l’Odéon. Chunnel it up to London for a little electro-soul at East Village in Shoreditch. Let your inner flâneur roam for inspiration among the bustling streets of Istanbul’s Sultanahmet district, absorbing the calming drone of the Muslim call to prayer. Step out of a summer shower and onto a vintage Hong Kong tram in Wan Chai just for kicks before diving into the artfully sleek environs of the Tenface Bangkok Hotel.
Twitter @FlyBrother
Lara Dunston says:
August 1, 2011 at 12:41 pm (UTC 10 )
What a fun trip that one is – I’m there! Thanks FlyBrother! Good luck!
Christel says:
August 1, 2011 at 8:56 am (UTC 10 )
For many, sports define and even enhance life. Let’s visit a few places that have hosted the grand daddy of sports: the Olympics!
Football makes the world go ’round. Gotta’ catch a FC BARCELONA showdown with Real Madrid.
Incredible, but is it as intense as an Aussie Rules football game in SYDNEY?
It’s time to see something extreme AND novel. Sepak Tekraw is on the agenda in BEIJING.
Smell that? The passion of tennis is on the lush lawns of Wimbledon. After all that jazz, it’s time for the big fun at LONDON 2012 Games. How pumped are we now to cheer on the athletes?!
-@raisethatglass on Twitter
Lara Dunston says:
August 1, 2011 at 12:40 pm (UTC 10 )
Sport! That’s a refreshing change! Thanks for your entry, Christel! Best of luck!
Marcy Gordon says:
August 1, 2011 at 9:22 am (UTC 10 )
Well here is my last entry..What’s that saying…the fourth time is the charm? Although technically this is my third entry in the fourth contest…so whatver.
First Rome for a private audience with the Pope to get absolved of my sins and pick up fashion tips on where to buy red Prada slip-ons. Then to Florence to shop for leather goods. Next Milan for fabulous cashmere at the Brunello Cucinelli boutique on Via della Spiga. On to Venice where I’d check into the Hotel Cipriani on Giudecca island and hang out in bed for a few days away from the bustle of the main island. Finally to Paris where I’d order a custom made Louis Vuitton steamer trunk to haul all my fashion loot home.
Lara Dunston says:
August 1, 2011 at 12:39 pm (UTC 10 )
Thanks, Marcy! Love your quirky luxe itinerary! Best of luck!
Lara Dunston says:
August 1, 2011 at 7:19 pm (UTC 10 )
This contest is now closed and judging is currently underway. Thanks all for your entries!
LUXEtasy » LUXE and Grantourismo Grand Tour Competition – Final Week! says:
July 25, 2011 at 8:46 pm (UTC 10 )
[...] good things come to and end, and alas, so must our month-long Grand Tour Competition with Grantourismo as we enter our fourth and final week. We loved the foodcentric entries this week, and after much [...]