Quintessential English Tour of Indulgence: London, Bath, Canterbury

There's arriving in England, and then there's arriving in England. You're greeted at the airport and whisked outside to a waiting limousine for the journey into the city. Famous city sights roam past the window as you travel along the River Thames to your luxury hotel. Encased in an ornate Victorian building, this five-star property is amongst London's finest, reveling in its heritage yet always providing contemporary luxury. Wander through the glass-domed lobby, admire the vast expanses of marble, and check in to a penthouse with 24-hour butler service and a private terrace. From here, you can take in many of the nearby London sentinels, like the dome of Westminster Abbey, the twirls of the London Eye, and the turrets of Westminster. Of course, you're staying at a central location. You're less than a five-minute walk to Big Ben, Downing Street and Covent Garden.

Now time to relax and reenergize. Enjoy a two-hour treatment at the hotel's iconic spa, choosing from an extensive menu of options that help soothe any travel aches. The bustle of London continues outside, but inside the spa, there's nothing but fragrant scents and the serenity provided by luxury. Completing the introduction to iconic England is a journey through its tastes. Rustic smells waft from the kitchen of a Michelin-starred restaurant, stewed rabbit and smoked broccoli tempting from afar. This kitchen at Claridge's hotel was where Gordon Ramsey made his name. Double Michelin-starred Simon Rogan has taken on the baton, providing an atmospheric tasting journey through all things British.

London doesn't have the fame of nearby Paris or Amsterdam as an artists' hub. And nor should it. This isn't a city with a long roll-call of famous artists. However, it's a city filled with private international art collections. While they might have been painted around the world, the masterpieces often end up hung in elaborate townhouse corridors and royal palace rooms across London. Today's tailored art tour is customized to your tastes, with the concept centered around providing closed-door access to some of London's finest private art collections. It's complemented by visits to small galleries that paint a narrative of the city's obsession with hoarding the world's finest art.

Bone china and silver platters provide the visual stimulus through the afternoon. Sit down to an indulgent high tea experience at the historic Brown's hotel, served in the elegance of a tea room that once welcomed Queen Victoria. Yes, the great English monarch spent decades sipping her tea at Brown's, from the timeless English breakfast flavors of India to the fruity subtlety of silver needle white tea. Like many stops on this tour, you're immersed in the excess of a distant era while dining on contemporary designs. As always, luxury transfers are included throughout the day.

A thousand people could gaze up at Big Ben and all have the same view. But a thousand people couldn't squash around the Crown Jewels and expect uninterrupted vistas of the shining rubies. Amble through the Tower of London and stand with anticipation as the Jewel House Warden opens up. Some 10,000 jewels shine with promise, the light flickering off diamonds, sapphires, emeralds and more. It's hard to know where to start when you have private access. Perhaps the 530.2 carats of Cullinan 1, the world's largest cut diamond. Maybe the Imperial Crown of India with its translucent glistening and dazzling 6,000 diamonds. Or maybe it's Queen Elizabeth's headpiece that draws your attention, the world-famous jewel-encrusted crown that's worn on official occasions. If visiting a jewelers has your eyes lighting up, private access to the Crown Jewels takes indulgence to a new level.

Following the early-morning opening, you're guided through the rest of the Tower of London, taking in the iconic sights from Her Majesty's castle. The rest of the morning and afternoon is free, enabling you to explore different sides of London. This could be an ideal time for a shopping spree through Oxford Street, or another few hours of tranquility at the hotel's spa. A chauffeured vehicle is at your disposal. In the early evening, you enjoy another private tour of England's regal history. Explore the state rooms of Windsor Castle, home of the monarchy and filled with an excessive collection of world-famous art works. Corridors are lined with Michelangelos while velvety reception rooms reveal the welcome that visiting heads of state receive. A glass of champagne tops off the indulgence.

Two institutions seem to define the flamboyance and excess of the capital's style. Harrods is often beyond comprehension, with seven floors of exquisite collections that take you from designer handbags to vast spaces of customized confectionary. Astonished and intrigued, you could easily lose a whole day getting lost here. A personal shopping assistant guides you through it all, tailoring the route to ensure you're not overwhelmed by the scale. Equally iconic is the West End, a street of playhouses and production spaces lauded by tourists. Rather than go big and bright, you enjoy an evening performance at an understated yet distinctive piece of the city's theatrical past. Delighting in its four centuries of history, the atmospheric Theatre Royal offers a quintessential musical in a setting of old-world charm. Expect VIP tickets and the velvety luxury that the West End is famous for.

Travel out to Bath, where the eras collide amidst an atmosphere of grandeur. The remnants of original Roman baths have been carefully restored, allowing you to bathe in the same spring water as the emperors of centuries past. Other spas are enclosed within sublime Georgian architecture, an indication of the city's heyday during the 18th century. Arriving from London, you check in to the elegant Lucknam Park, an escapist rural retreat tucked down a quiet country lane. Carrying its 300-year history in style, the hotel is surrounded by 500 acres of parkland and a mile-long double tree-lined drive. This is Bath, so settle into a fantastic spa with thermal cabins, a range of pools, and a pamperer's dream supply of treatments. The on-site Michelin-starred restaurant provides an indulgent lunch, and the afternoon is free to explore the Georgian charms of Bath.

There's a redolent sense of history as you bathe in the waters of Bath's spas. While the experience doesn't have the privacy of the Luchnam Park pools, it's an integral introduction to the history of this World Heritage city. A morning tour then reveals the subtle intricacies of design; townhouse rooms decked in golden leaf, exquisite oil paintings hanging in boutique ballrooms, four-poster beds alongside log fires, and manicured lawns that leave eternal impressions of green. With history out of the way, the afternoon offers the opportunity to discover the boutique lanes that wind through the city. Charming shopfronts unveil rare antiques, designer ice cream is tucked away down quiet lanes, and there's always a new angle of Georgian splendor. Return to Lucknam Park and the spa provides a charming way to let the day spill into the evening. Dinner at Lucknam Park's Michelin-starred restaurant is included.

Gaze out at the New Forest portrait. Autumnal swirls of color blur alongside babbling rivers; wild ponies canter across a green-stained canvas; javelins of light dance through a canopy of oaks. The New Forest National Park is one of Europe's final havens of nature, with an uninterrupted country aesthetic and the sublime scent of serenity. For these two, days you're free to explore at leisure, with hundreds of miles of walking trails extending out from your verandah. Delightfully converted, Lime Wood provides the boutique accommodation; think open fires, stand-alone bath tubs, an extensive spa with views and some serious fine dining. For more adventure, head out on a shooting excursion, ride horses through the forest, or sail away on a nearby lake. It's England at its most tranquil, an artisanal landscape decked out in manor house luxury.

Now Canterbury, the quaint medieval town that still rolls to the rhythm of chiming bells. The cathedral spires rises with the pride of a 1400-year history, dominating the old city with an air of distinctive grandeur. Head inside and the names of kings and queens fill the floors; this has been the burial place for many monarchs. Canterbury is easily explored on foot, and little seems to have ever changed; choir song rings out from the cathedral, lanterns line the alleys, and the faded stone has an incredible air of invincibility. Chilston Park and Eastwell Manor is the second reason to spend an extra day in the southeast of England. You're welcomed into Eastwell Manor's millennia of history, into a neo-Elizabethan country home draped in lush ivy green. Chic yet sympathetic to its history, this exclusive hotel provides the iconic last night on an itinerary of sublime accommodation. Dress up for dinner in the formal restaurant before retiring to your four-poster bed.

Quintessential England roams past the window as you're transferred from southeast England to the capital. London Gatwick Airport is ideally situated from Canterbury and the luxury airport transfer only takes an hour.