For years in this issue, we’ve steadfastly covered the hottest new gift items to place under trees and near menorahs. But perhaps, by focusing on physical objects, we at Boca magazine have been missing the bigger picture: Increasingly, Americans prefer experiences to products. According to a much-cited third-party research study from 2018, almost three quarters of those surveyed would rather be gifted an experience than a thing. This is especially true of millennials, nearly 80 percent of whom desire experiences over products, per a 2023 survey by Eventbrite.
Experts believe these gaps will continue to widen, whether from a general trend toward downsizing or from years of pandemic-induced isolation. Whatever the reason, it seems we would rather go places and do things than add the latest tech gadget or hobo bag or grilling implement to our repertoires.
With this in mind, we scanned the horizons of Florida and beyond for the best holiday gifts that will make memories, not more clutter.
Keys to the Kingdom
According to the Walt Disney World number crunchers, the average wait time for one of the park’s attractions is 36 minutes, and for the hottest rides, expect an even longer slog: As of June 2023, the wait time for “Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance” was 127 minutes—an excruciating queue even the Force cannot quell. Visitors with typical park admission can expect to spend 82 percent of their time in line. So consider gifting that special someone with a Disney World VIP Tour, which offers front-of-the-line access, insights from a tour guide, and transportation in a private, air-conditioned SUV. It’ll run each guest a minimum of $3,000 on top of the theme park ticket, but isn’t true magic priceless?
The Whole Nine
This year’s NFL season may be winding down by the end of this issue, but there’s no better time than now to gift the Dolphins fans in your life with seats at Hard Rock Stadium’s most exclusive table next season. The Nine, billed as “an experience unlike any other in live entertainment,” includes an open-air suite for 20, optimally situated between the 30-yard lines. Guests will be deposited to and from the venue in black cars, and the premium game-day experience includes complimentary food and all beverages, including the good stuff, plus an in-suite concierge to handle all your requests during the game. Even if the Fins are getting creamed, your guests will be having the time of their lives.
Cabin Fever
Especially after the go-go pace of the holidays, we all need to unwind. And there may be no better place to unplug from the matrix than a tiny cabin in the woods. A gifted room at any of the more than 25 options from the website Getaway can provide your special someone with a welcome return to nature. Partnering with cabins that have “everything you need and nothing you don’t,” Getaway’s accommodations include queen beds, a kitchen, restrooms with showers, and a fire pit and grill, but no TV or electronics—they even contain a “cellphone lockbox” if you’re brave enough to put away your handheld addiction for the weekend. Getaway cabins span from the Boston area to remote Washington State; the closest Florida location is in glorious Gilchrest Blue Springs State Park outside of Orlando.
A Certain GLOW
With the moonlight glinting off the placid waters of Florida’s Treasure Coast, a nighttime GLOW Clear Kayak Tour may be the perfect excursion for the aquatic enthusiast on your list. The two- to two-and-a-half-hour trips, starting at $65 per adult, leave from Fort Pierce, where a guide from Get Up and Go Kayaking will lead participants through mangrove tunnels, sharing facts about the area and pointing out marine life along the way. And with clear kayaks illuminated by LED lights in hues of purple and blue and red, the fishes and turtles—and maybe even a manatee or a dolphin—will shine under the crystal waters.
Up in the Air
Most of us, unless we’re training to be pilots or reporting for the local news or starring in an action movie or joining nefarious deep-state conspiracies, seldom have any reason to board a private helicopter. But you and your guest can live the high life—for an hour anyway—courtesy of I95 Exotic Rentals. For $499 per person, the company’s Private Helicopter Tours leave from a hangar at Embassair in Opa-Locka, and they showcase the Magic City as you’ve never seen it before, with breathtaking views of Vizcaya Museum and Gardens, Miami Seaquarium, Key Biscayne, Miami Beach and downtown Miami from the vantage of a yellow Robinson R44 copter.
It’s All Downhill From Here
South Florida has scores of active ski clubs—in fact, it’s a passion for us snow-deprived souls. If you have one of these intrepid downhill racers in your circle, consider giving them an IKON pass—the king of ski passes. It opens up more than 50 resorts, including international destinations in Europe (Chamonix!), South America, Australia and New Zealand. Closer to home, it includes some of the most iconic resorts in the Rocky Mountains, like Vail, Deer Valley, Alta, Snowbird, Sun Valley and… the list, well, it’s just too long to list. Prices range from total access at $1,259 to more à la carte plans at $469; browse the options at ikonpass.com.
Ultimate Buzz
From “magical slippers” and “wishing wells” to dubbing its own attendants as “fairies,” Eau Spa borrows from the language of fantasy fiction to describe the offerings in its 42,000-square-foot adult playground, one of only 49 Forbes Five-Star spas in the country. A luxury treatment at the lauded spa, part of Eau Palm Beach in Manalapan, is a surefire favorite for the beloved women on your list, with prices from $195 all the way up to the $825 per-person L’Elixir Des Glaciers Majestic Treatment. This top-of-the-line brand, from its anti-aging Essence of Bees collection, is infused with materials harnessed from the hive, including honey, propolis and royal jelly, combined with a “bespoke” (of course) massage technique on the recipient’s neck, hands and chest.
Luxe Miami 101
For the foodie on your list, how about a reservation at the only Michelin two-star restaurant in South Florida? L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon, in Miami’s Design District, serves up artistically plated French fare in a four-course, prix fixe tasting menu or a la carte from a selection of creative tapas and entrees. Make it a crazy rich weekend with a stay at the Villa Casa Casuarina, the deliriously over-the-top former home of Gianni Versace, with rooms from $793 and up, and complete with hand-painted murals, handmade furnishings, stained-glass windows, and the most extraordinary ceilings this side of the Sistine Chapel. You can Brightline there, but if you’ve just won the Powerball, book a Lincoln Stretch Limousine from LX Limo, and cruise around like, well, Versace himself, complete with bar, TV, DVD player, sound system and privacy divider.
Put It In Park
In one of his celebrated documentaries, Ken Burns called our National Park System “America’s best idea.” Thirteen years later, Barack Obama seconded that idea in an equally lauded Netflix series. But it’s one thing to experience our national parks on the small screen, and quite another to take in the grandeur of Yosemite, Acadia or Joshua Tree in the flesh. For the traveler, hiker or sightseer on your list, $80 gets them an America the Beautiful National Park Pass, valid at any of the 63 sites from the Everglades to Glacier Bay.
A Raft of Options
Speaking of our national parks, a rafting trip down Grand Canyon is truly one of the world’s greatest outdoor adventures. People wait for years to get a permit, and only a few guide companies are sanctioned to run the river. One of the oldest and best outfits, Colorado River & Trail Expeditions (CRATE), offers eight- and 11-day trips (motorized and non-motorized) down the 300-mile Colorado River through one of the wonders of the natural world, with meals, beverages and camping equipment included in the price ($3,925-$4,620). CRATE offers customized gift certificates. If your loved one likes whitewater thrills, the ideal time to embark is May through June. You’ll want to put this in a big box.
This article is from the November/December issue of Boca magazine. For more like this, click here to subscribe to the magazine.
