1. Tartan Butler
Want to know more about your Scottish ancestry? Andy Fraser, the official Tartan Butler at The Balmoral in Edinburgh, is here to help. Before arrival, tell Fraser the names of your Scottish ancestors, and he’ll tracks down your family tartan, a plaid pattern associated with a specific Scottish clan. The Tartan Butler can also arrange a visit to a kilt shop for a fitting so guests return home with a meaningful souvenir.
2. Resident Astronomer
With vast open spaces, no light pollution, and uninhabited sand dunes for miles, the Namib Desert is perfect for stargazing. Every night, Resident Astronomers at &Beyond Sossusvlei Desert Lodge in Namibia accompany guests to the resort’s state-of-the-art observatory, where they help spot constellations, the Milky Way, and distant planets.
3. Master Sabreur
Sabrage – the art of opening a bottle of Champagne with a saber – became popular during the Napoleonic era in the early 1800s, when his army would use sabers to open bottles during victory parties. Today, sabrage is still an honored tradition at The Milestone Hotel in London and house Master Sabreur Fabrizio Russo offers private lessons to guests. After a demonstration, guests are encouraged to give it a shot, receiving a certificate after and a three-course meal to accompany the newly opened Champagne bottle.
4. Coconut Guru
If you’re lounging at the pool at the Anantara Peace Haven Tangalle Resort in Sri Lanka, chances are you will meet the Coconut Guru. Dressed in traditional costume and sporting a long beard, he harvests king coconuts from the resort’s 21 acres, and educates guests on health benefits and where they come from. The guru climbs a palm tree, picks a ripe coconut, opens it with his machete, and delivers the hydrating drink to guests – a tree-to-hand experience that takes less than two minutes.
5. Water Sommelier
At the Grand Resort Bad Ragaz in Switzerland, water sommelier Irina Taculina explains the profiles of the more than 30 (!) different types of bottled water available on-site. She earned a degree from Munich’s Doemens Savour Academy – the only recognized water sommelier program in the world – and is one of two water sommeliers in Switzerland. Guests who sample water with Irina learn to recognize sweet, bitter, salty, or sour flavors, as well as which varieties are best suited to specific situations, such as after a long flight, for athletic workouts, with a big meal, or before bedtime.