New York City’s Buckingham Hotel has come up with a Christmas Key to the City package that is so exclusive, expensive and over the top that it will be available to just one family. And, at $150,000, it likely won’t be yours and definitely won’t be mine.

The two-night “deal” starts with transportation to the Big Apple on Amtrak in a private train car decked out in wreaths and pine cones and stocked with red cashmere slippers from Restoration Hardware and green iPods loaded with carols and classics to enjoy en route. The family will also receive an engraved, diamond-encrusted golden Christmas key.

At Penn Station, a winter white vintage Rolls-Royce will be waiting to chauffeur them to Times Square where a giant personalized Christmas card will flash on the Panasonic mega-screen. Then, it’s off to the Buckingham and the duplex penthouse suite, decorated with floor-to-ceiling Christmas decorations, including a miniature replica of the Rockefeller Center tree, topped with a Swarovski crystal star to take home.

The two-bedroom, two-bathroom penthouse, with its 360-degree views of the Manhattan skyline, is called the Martinelli after early 20th-century tenor Giovanni Martinelli, who lived at the Buckingham during his Metropolitan Opera Company seasons.

Other musical legends, including soprano Renata Tebaldi, baritone Giuseppe De Luca and composer Jan Paderewski, have resided at the 78-year-old hotel, which is across the street from Carnegie Hall on West 57th.

The master bedroom is on the upper floor of the two-storey penthouse; downstairs there is an eight-seat dining room, a kitchen outfitted with state-of-the-art appliances, a large living room with 42-inch plasma television and fireplace, and a 1,400-square-foot outdoor terrace.

Once they’ve checked in and checked out their accommodation, the pampered guests will be whisked away in their Rollsy to the Rock Center Café for a six-course feast that includes seared duck confit, cumin- and coriander-crusted loin of lamb, and caramelized apple tart with bourbon caramel sauce.

During dinner, they’ll be able to watch the skaters at the Rockefeller Centre ice rink and get themselves psyched up for a private post-prandial lesson with former North American champion and Olympian figure skater, Jo Jo Starbuck. Back at the penthouse, they’ll all slip into cashmere pyjamas and listen to a private Christmas carol concert before turning in for the evening.

And, as if that weren’t enough for one Christmas, there’s always the next day, when the family heads to FAO Schwarz, the famous Fifth Avenue toy store, for a $50,000 shopping spree with their own personal shopper. A “toy soldier” will escort the group on a tour of the 50,000-square-foot store. 

After brunch and dessert-tasting at the FAO Schwarz café, the family (and the toys) will be taken by limo to the Buckingham to change for a carriage ride through Central Park, a candlelit dinner at the Bryant Park Grill, and orchestra seats at the New York State Theatre for a performance of George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker.

Among the souvenirs they’ll take home, in addition to the Swarovski star, are a Christmas in New York snow globe, an album of photos from the toy store spree and the $50,000 in Schwarz swag.

The hotel has offered extravagant packages in the past, such as the $25,000 Valentine’s Day special and last year’s $75,000 Christmas packages, which included a dish of white truffles to nosh on a three-hour helicopter tour. But this is the most over the top yet.

“It’s very extreme in every way,” admits spokesperson Stephanie Lund. “It’s experiencing New York with the best of the best.” As of Wednesday, no one had signed up for the Key to the City, so there’s still a chance for you. Call 212-246-1500 or visit buckinghamhotel.com.

Posh spots

Two more Canadian properties have made it into the prestigious Relais & Châteaux association of the world’s finest hotels and restaurants.

The inclusion of Le Manoir Hovey in North Hatley, Que., the Wedgewood Hotel & Spa in Vancouver, B.C, and 32 other inns and eateries was announced at the association’s recent international congress in Washington, D.C.

That brings the number of Canadian entries to 16.

Ontario is represented on the list by Langdon Hall in Cambridge and the Inn at Manitou in McKellar. Worldwide, there are 470 members in 55 countries.

The Relais & Châteaux designation is only bestowed on hotels and restaurants that can prove their exclusive nature and adherence to ideals set by the association — “sense of place, harmony, being, personal generosity and fellowship.”

Applicants are visited anonymously by an inspector from an independent evaluation company who reviews hundreds of criteria and reports to the board of directors, which goes over each one with a fine-toothed comb before making its decision. The process can take up to several years.

For information or reservations, call 1-800-735-2478 or visit www.relaischateaux.com.

Designer travel

Canadian fashion legend Marilyn Brooks and husband Kennedy Coles are planning their 13th annual spring travel adventure.

This time, the tour will be to Croatia and Slovenia, Europe’s “new Riviera,” starting in Dubrovnik and ending in Ljubljana, from April 3 to 14. Highlights of the itinerary include a walking tour of Old Dubrovnik, a day trip to see the Lipizzaner horses in Lipica, a visit to the Split with its Roman, Gothic and Renaissance history, an excursion to the island of Hvar, a tour of Zagreb and the caves of Postojna.

The fare of $4,250 per person double includes round-trip Lufthansa airfare, 10 nights’ accommodation in first-class hotels, daily breakfast, two luncheons, five dinners, museum admissions, guided tours, coach transportation and an original Marilyn Brooks watercolour.

Space must be reserved by Jan. 30 through Ontario Sarracini Travel at 1-800-465-3026. Information is available from Brooks and Coles at 1-705-732-1381 or by e-mail at marilyn@marilynbrooks.com.

Camilla’s champers

It’s official.

The bottle of bubbly that will be broken over Queen Victoria’s bow in Southampton on Tuesday will be Veuve Clicquot. Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Cornwall, a.k.a. Camilla, will demolish a magnum of the premium brand’s Yellow Label to christen Cunard Line’s latest queen.

Like her predecessor, Queen Elizabeth 2, Queen Victoria will feature an intimate Veuve Clicquot champagne bar in a 1920s Art Deco-style design. The champagnes served there will be paired with fresh delicacies during pre- and post-dinner hours. For more information about Cunard Line and Queen Victoria, contact a travel agent, visit cunard.com or call 1-800-7-CUNARD .

Attention, foodies

Chefs, cookbook authors and rising culinary stars will be at Boston’s Fairmont Copley Plaza hotel for the 13th annual Celebrity Chefs festival.

The two-hour classes will be held every Saturday for six weeks, from Jan. 12 to Feb. 16, with a different chef each week. Guest chefs include Hiroko Shimbo, author of The Sushi Experience; Chris Douglass, executive chef at Boston’s Icarus restaurant, which features a lending library; Laurent Poulain, executive chef at the Copley Plaza; Arwi Odense of the hotel’s Oak Room restaurant; Thomas Frost and Christopher Chafe, executive chefs with Fairmont’s Southampton and Hamilton Princess hotels in Bermuda; and Mary Ann Esposito, host of Ciao Italia! and author of Ciao Italia Slow and Easy.

Rates for the culinary program weekends start at $299, which includes two tickets to the cooking class, overnight accommodations and a bound copy of all the recipes from the entire course. Classes are only $60 a person.

For reservations or information, call 1-800-441-1414 or visit fairmont.com/copleyplaza.

Happy Valentin’s day

Mexico’s Riviera Maya welcomes a new all-inclusive next month.

The Valentin Imperial Maya Resort, set on two kilometres of white sand beach, is an all-suites, adults-only property that Sunwing Vacations accords a gold rating.

All accommodation is in oversized junior suites with hand-painted furniture, free wireless connection, iPod docking stations and whirlpool baths. There are nine restaurants, including the Lobster House and a French restaurant, eight snack bars, piano bar, swim-up pool bar, and room service at breakfast, lunch and dinner at no extra charge.

The Valentin will also have a waterfront spa with eight treatment rooms and an outdoor treatment area for couples; a fitness centre, hydrotherapy room and yoga area; three pools and a “social Jacuzzi” with room for 40. Now that’s a party.

Get the details through a travel agent or through sunwing.ca.

mnolan@thespec.com 905-526-4689