New Culinary Travel Experiences for 2019

Looking for a new culinary experience worth traveling for? These latest offerings might just fit the bill.

Luxury cruise line Ponant now offers an 11-night culinary cruise through the Mediterranean. The 2019 itinerary takes place June–July and is christened the Sicilian Food and Wine Experience. An expert in all things Sicilian medieval and culinary history leads you through an itinerary of regional food experiences, combining education with exploration.

Belmond offers several new culinary experiences for luxury travelers. Belmond Reid’s Palace in Madeira gives guests the chance to take a cable car ride to family-managed vineyards for a tour of the organic gardens alongside the owners, as well as a private tasting of the sweet Madeira wine made from Malvasia grapes.

In Cape Town, Belmond Mount Nelson invites guests to “get wasted” with the Wasted! experience at the Chef’s Table. The five-course menu brings to light the 1.3 billion tons of food wasted globally each year, as each menu item is created from otherwise discarded kitchen ingredients. Expect cauliflower and broccoli stalks, carrot tops and fruit rinds to show up on your plate in spectacular fashion.

For a crash course in Asian cuisine, Belmond’s Grand Culinary Tour of Asia whisks guests away on a culinary adventure over 14 days, seven countries, five hotels, a river cruise and a luxury train. The once-in-a-lifetime experience includes unforgettable activities, such as Laotian rice farming and a floating cooking class on the River Kwai.

Lastly, head to Jamaica’s Strawberry Hill to see this country’s amazing bounty laid out for your culinary delight. A four-day itinerary — called Jamaica on a Platter — includes visits to Jamaican coffee plantations, bee colonies and the home of a local cookbook author.