Luxury Driving Vacations
5-star, all-inclusive

Day 5 of the Fast Lane Travel French Kiss Porsche Fest

And yet, another beautiful day as we depart Monaco for our drive to famous Saint-Tropez. Our Porsches had been washed and the sunshine of the French Riviera was reflecting on our Porsches.

Arriving in Saint-Tropez, lunch was served on the rooftop of our 5 star hotel with the Mediterranean Sea in the background. The sun was shining, the yachts were sparkling, the port was buzzing, and the ambiance of this small fishing village dating back to the 13th century welcoming.

Time to relax before a typical Provence Pastis aperitif and Rosé wine served while playing a game of Pétanque.on the famous Place des Lyces.
Everyone had a ton of fun and received prizes.

It was then time to head for the port for a delicious dinner by the seaside.

Tomorrow will be a day to relax, enjoy the spa at our hotel, shop the numerous boutiques, take a drive in the backcountry or soak up the sun at the beach. ...

Day 4 of the Fast Lane Travel French Kiss Porsche Fest

As the cars were parked in full display in front of the Casino of Monte-Carlo (a very coveted spot), the participants were treated to breakfast with an incredible view of the Mediterranean Sea from the top floor of the Hotel de Paris as the sun was rising.

All were excited to drive up to the challenging Col de Turini at over 5,000 feet and experience what drivers of the Rally of Monte-Carlo feel during the legendary rally.
Our 2021 Porsche 911s performed flawlessly during the climb as lunch was waiting for us at the top of the mountain.

Once we made our way back to Monaco, we took a private guided tour of the Principality and of the cathedral where Grace Kelly became a Princess when she married SAS Rainier Grimaldi.
We then proceeded to the top floor of our hotel (Hotel de Paris) to dine at the Michelin star restaurant Le Grill; a perfect ending to a perfect day.

Tomorrow we are departing Monaco and heading to the famous town of Saint-Tropez. Maybe we will get to meet Brigitte Bardot … ...

Day 2 of the Fast Lane Travel French Kiss Porsche Fest

What a perfect day for driving on the no-speed-limit autobahn this morning; Sunny, 65 degrees and moderate traffic on our way south via the A81. Everyone is now an official member of our 150 MPH club (and above at 165 MPH). Congratulations !

A wonderful lunch was served on Lake Konstanz, then, an unexpected detour took us to the heart of Switzerland with incredible scenic roads via the second longest tunnel in the world (over 10 miles long).
Fortunately, our 5 star hotel was expecting us and our Porsches.
We ended our first driving day with a cocktail on the hotel’s garden terrace overlooking Lake Lugano, followed by a sumptuous dinner served with delicious regional wines. What a day… ...

And here we go … The 2021 Fast Lane Travel French Kiss Porsche Tour has started with the early arrival group in Stuttgart. Early evening cocktails & dinner were enjoyed by all. This is a time to meet your group mates, get to know each other and talk about the fantastic journey ahead.
In the mean time and to be on the safe side in order to enter 4 countries in the coming week, everyone took a Covid test to show at the border in addition to our CDC vaccination cards.
Excitement is building up, our Porsches are being delivered and we can’t wait to get on the autobahn. All the participants are looking forward to receiving their 150MPH credentials !!!!! ...

Day 12 Leipzig - Thursday, September 16, 2021 - Today was our last driving day and we turned the cars back over to AVIS after we went on our last day-trip to the German Prison Camp, Castle Colditz. We had a guided tour of this amazing facility that was the inspiration for the TV show Hogan's Heroes. The Escape Museum was amazing, seeing how and what the prisoners used to attempt their escapes. Even having fake prisoners marching with them so that the guards would not realize someone was missing. One of the boldest ideas to be worked on was an escape by glider to freedom. Most of the prisoners housed there were pilots. After the tour we took a leisurely lunch at Water Castle Podelwitz before heading back to Leipzig. As with any rental cars we had to bring them back full of gas which is about $7.50 a gallon in Europe. Our Farewell Dinner was in the hotel restaurant and we had final toasts with Grappa. We were all happy that our PCR Covid tests came back Negative and we could fly home to the USA. ...

Day 11 Gaussig to Leipzig - Wednesday, September 15, 2021 - Today we said goodbye to the Countess and Castle Gaussig and drove back to Leipzig to our destination, the Steigenberger Grand Hotel Handelshof. Enroute we stopped at the Water Castle Klaffenback for lunch. We rushed lunch a bit as we had an appointment for our PCR Covid tests later in the afternoon that we could not miss. We made it in time and all got tested. We would know the results within 24 hours. Cocktails and dinner were at the amazing and historic Auerbachs Keller a short walk from our hotel. Auerbachs Keller is the most famous and the second oldest restaurant in Leipzig. It was one of the best spots for wine in the 16th century. ...

Day 10 Gaussig to Dresden - Tuesday, September 14, 2021 - This day we gave the Porsches a rest and boarded a bus to Dresden for a day sightseeing trip and lunch. After the tour our guide dropped us off at our lunch stop. The food was delicious and like most of Germany, the portions were huge. The goulash was exceptionally tasty. Bob and Linda were full just from looking at their meals, but Don says there is always room for dessert. After lunch we were on our own to explore, take pictures or just sit at a sidewalk café and people watch until the bus came to take us back to Castle Gaussig. What a wonderful day... Dresden is beautiful. ...

Day 9 Fleesensee to Gaussig - Monday, September 13, 2021 - Departing Fleesensee, the Romantic Hotel Castle Gaussig was our next destination for 2 nights. When we arrived we were received by Marlies Countess von Brühl-Pohl. She was so gracious inviting us into her 'weekend' home for our 2-night stay. After freshening up, the countess took us on a tour of the castle which is complete with its own Chapel. Cocktail hour gave us a chance to better know the Countess and her chef prepared the most exquisite meal for dinner. We all slept soundly in our elegant rooms. ...

Day 8 Fleesensee - Sunday, September 12, 2021 - Free Day at Castle Fleesensee or Schlosshotel Fleesensee - Schloss Fleesensee is a grand castle hotel set in the natural surroundings of Lake Plateau in Mecklenburg. As before on our free day everyone was free to do their own thing. Spa treatments, massages, strolling though the local village and shops and even driving their Porsches sightseeing. We all met for cocktails and like most dinners that evening the Sommelier paired amazing local German wines with our meal. Since most of us ordered the filet mignon with French fries, the chef elevated them with truffle oil and parmesan cheese. Delicious! An after dinner stroll though the gardens revealed these enchanting illuminated benches. ...

Day 7 Heiligendamm to Peenemünde to Fleesensee - Saturday, September 11, 2021 - The 20th anniversary of 911 was on our minds as we departed the Grand Hotel Heiligendamm and drove to the Historical Technical Museum in Peenemünde. The site known for the Peenemünde Army Research Center, where the world's first functional large-scale liquid-propellant rocket, the V-2, was developed. Our retired NASA Rocket Scientist Frank was was in his element. Frank and his son Keith stayed behind to spend the afternoon touring the facility and its exhibits in detail as the rest of the group went to lunch and onto Castle Fleesensee. Frank and Keith met us for cocktails and dinner. ...

Day 6 Heiligendamm - Friday, September 10, 2021 - Free Day in Heiligendamm to do whatever we wanted, WooHoo! Some guests took their Porsches out alone to see the lovely town of Rostock. Others just slept in and spent a leisurely day at the Spa and Wellness centers. Joyce said she is absolutely spoiled now as Europe takes Spas to a whole other level. That afternoon we sipped cocktails, then dined and talked about the day's adventures to the soothing sounds of 'live' grand piano music. ...

Day 5 Hamburg to Lubeck to Heiligendamm - Thursday, September 9, 2021 - It's time to take possession of our Porsches and start driving! We head to the city of Lübeck for a walking tour and lunch with our guide Christine. Lunch was wonderful and we also passed around the traditional sailor's dish Labskaus to taste it, each taking a portion. After lunch the A20 no-speed limit Autobahn allowed us to initiate the newbies into the 150 mph club and allowed our veterans to experience that incredible rush and renew their memberships. Afterwards we drove to our first Castle Hotel... the Grand Hotel Heiligendamm on the Baltic Sea. What a magnificent resort. Cocktails on the terrace let us enjoy the gorgeous views... dinner was fabulous. ...

Day 4 Hamburg - Wednesday, September 8, 2021 - Waking up refreshed, and ready to go on our City tour of Hamburg with our wonderful guide Juta. We first boarded a bus and drove around the beautiful city of Hamburg. We stopped and got off the bus to see the sites and take pictures. We found out all about the Waterfront District and why still to this day, it is only office spaces and people are not allowed to live there. We saw 'old' Hamburg and streets that date back 400 years. The Beatles became much more well known and some say famous after they lived and played in the 'Red Light' district of Hamburg. We saw where they performed and even passed by the barber shop where they got their famous haircuts. After a wonderful lunch overlooking the waterways we boarded a boat for a leisurely cruise of the harbor. Like most of Germany, the contrast between old and new is striking. We spent another night at the Park Hyatt Hamburg. ...

Day 3 Leipzig to Hamburg - Tuesday, September 7, 2021 - It's all about Porsche today. After breakfast we checked out of the Kempinski Bristol Hotel and boarded the ICE Train for a long day traveling south to Leipzig and then on to Hamburg after a stop at the Porsche factory for an exclusive guided tour. After the incredible factory tour (no photos allowed) we all took turns riding with our professional Porsche driver as he scorched his way around the Leipzig test track for Hot Laps. I think we were 'drifting' most of the time. After our tummies settled down it was time for a delicious lunch in the restaurant overlooking the track. There was time to browse the offerings in the Porsche Design shop before we were picked up and transported to the Leipzig train station for another high-speed train ride to Hamburg for our 2-night stay at the Park Hyatt Hotel. In case you were wondering... 248km/h equals 154 miles per hour. ...