For over a decade, London-based Ariodante — one of the world’s most exclusive and discreet ultra-luxury experiential travel agencies — has been quietly pushing the limits of what is possible for a handful of centi-millionaires and billionaires. Yet nothing about it resembles a travel agency in the traditional sense. In truth, Ariodante is a master craftsman of unique experiences, creating from scratch what most do not even know is possible. Their work is not about booking luxury hotels, chartering private jets, or sourcing what concierges can already access. It is about shaping one-off experiences and dreams out of what is not on offer, with a level of precision and attention to detail that extends to creating immersive worlds of their own.
Ariodante’s creations do not come out of a catalogue. They are dreams willed into existence over months, sometimes years, of research, negotiation, and invisible work. This can mean an immersive historical exploration of the Tudor Dynasty through Shakespeare’s eyes, a poetic cruise across the Mediterranean to encounter Homer’s mythological creatures and deities, or even a seven-month sabbatical through Latin America in search of Columbus and the Spanish Conquistadors, unearthing the stories of eradicated civilisations to understand how their traditions and magic still prevail. Because each project demands such absolute commitment, the agency undertakes only a very small number of creations each year, working solely for a handful of ultra discerning individuals willing to devote the resources required to fulfil their dreams.
This spring, Ariodante is embarking on something unprecedented. For the first time since its creation, it is opening a doorway to a selected few thrill-seekers ready to step into a high-stakes adventure set to make history, in the literal sense. After more than three years of meticulous preparation and research, dozens of specialists working in total secrecy, and months of delicate negotiations with historical landmarks, cultural institutions and even military authorities, the agency is unveiling The Queen’s Lost Diamonds — the world’s first unscripted, real-time, player-led Anti-Game where fiction and reality merge entirely.
Over three days and two nights, Paris becomes the living playground for the most complex and ambitious immersive one-off game ever attempted, one set to redefine the genre entirely and break many world records. The few selected players are dragged into a real and obscure, centuries-old conspiracy where nothing is what it seems, and where the game itself turns against them. They shape their own story in real time through their choices and actions as they race to solve a non-fictional mystery that scholars and experts have not yet been able to elucidate, all while facing ambiguous opponents they might or might not have already encountered.
This frenetic cat and mouse race involves hundreds of actors and more than 100 structural scenes in which storylines collide. It unfolds across countless venues, including national monuments, cultural institutions and historical locations that are never open to the public and have never before allowed anything like this, with players investigating alongside luminaries in hidden archives, ancient manuscripts, secluded palaces, and other locations where history took place.
By the time the players reach the end of The Queen’s Lost Diamonds, nothing will resemble what they expected, not Paris, not the story and certainly not themselves. Whether they win the game or not, they will have made history by contributing through their investigation and deductions to shed new light on a centuries-old mystery. Ariodante will be donating these findings to a world-renowned Parisian museum.
Tickets are not available for this one-of-a-kind game. Only a handful of players will be chosen by Ariodante’s CEO, Ricardo Araujo, and only they will be invited to purchase entry for themselves and their team. They will receive the scarce practical details only after signing an NDA to protect the absolute secrecy the game requires. The starting price, excluding travel arrangements, is £437,000 for the entire game.
To apply, visit Ariodante’s website: https://www.ariodantetravel.com/queen-lost-diamonds. You can also peek behind the curtain of its making on Instagram and perhaps catch a clue to the mystery: @therealtravelalchemist
Visit their website to learn more: http://www.ariodantetravel.com
