The most exclusive members-only clubs around the world, from San Vicente Bungalows to The Hurlingham
There’s something about an exclusive club which fascinates people, whether you’re a kid in a treehouse with your best mates or luxuriating by a Soho House pool surrounded by film stars in baseball caps. New Apple TV+ series Palm Royale does nothing if not highlight the lengths some would go to to gain access to a high-end members club.
The luxury world is full of them, and then there’s a whole other tier of hyper elite clubs which count CEOs, Oscar-winning actors and legendary musicians among their ranks.
To get into one of these elite establishments, more often than not you’ll have to undergo a rigorous application process, secure nominations from existing members and wait a year or ten to be bumped off the waiting list.
We spoke with Oli Coles, the founder of digital reciprocal club platform OtherClub, who explained why people are willing to go to great lengths to be part of the gang. “Each club offers different benefits and as such there are different reasons that people choose to join a private members’ club. Some universal benefits include exclusivity to a particular profession or pastime which in turn can provide great networking or social opportunities,” he says.
Or, as media attorney Craig Emanuel put it to The Hollywood Reporter, “If I want to say hello to Kevin Huvane dining with Nicole Kidman, it doesn’t feel as invasive as walking over to them in a restaurant.”
Major deals have taken place behind the walls of members-only clubs. San Vicente Bungalows played host to a detente between Netflix and Hollywood, when Chief Content Officer Ted Sarandos. On the other end of the spectrum, Bradley Cooper, his ex Irina Shayk and Lady Gaga performed an from A Star is Born for select guests at the same spot.
