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Admiral Travel
888.722.3401 Inquire
SarasotaVirtuoso Membersince 1997

Admiral Travel

International

An admiral travel experience is a story that will live on forever.

Begin a Journey
Discover
The Agency

A boutique luxury practice, on Palm Avenue.

Founded by Malaka Hilton in 1997. A Virtuoso Member agency since 1999, profiled by Condé Nast Traveler and Travel + Leisure for almost three decades. Headquartered on North Palm Avenue in downtown Sarasota, with travel designers who specialize by region rather than by transaction.

We plan epic experiences in the world's most exceptional destinations.

The signatures were set early: escorted group departures to Egypt, where Malaka has returned almost one hundred times and is named annually to Travel + Leisure's A-List for the country; safari design across Southern Africa, where the firm has operated since the founder's 1997 visit to Londolozi in the Sabi Sands. Around them, a full practice — Mediterranean voyages, polar expeditions, private-jet world tours, the Monaco Grand Prix from a yacht — built across nearly three decades.

See Journeys Meet the Advisors
Founder's SpecialtyEgypt
Since Londolozi, 1997Southern Africa
Yachts · Voyages · VillasMediterranean
Sabi Sands · golden hour · the original safari relationship
Signature Journeys · 2026

Two seats at our most personal tables this year.

A handful of escorted journeys each season carry the firm's own travel designers as hosts — the private allocations, the table at the chef's pass, the room with the view, the guide whose number is in our phone. Two of this year's are below; the full collection runs through 2028.

Monaco · May 2026 · Explora Yacht

Monaco Grand Prix

A yacht-berthed week on the harbour for one of the most theatrical races on the calendar, aboard the Explora Journeys fleet. Curated end-to-end by Admiral Travel.

Request the dossier →
Sabi Sands · July 2026 · Londolozi Centennial

Londolozi July Safari

The relationship that started the firm in 1997. Centennial-year departures at the Sabi Sands lodge our founder first visited, hosted by Admiral Travel.

Request the dossier →
Across 2026 · 2027 · 2028 Botswana · Namibia · Antarctica · Vietnam · Raja Ampat · Patagonia · Sri Lanka · Wimbledon · World Tour by Private Jet · Aman at Sea · Silver Dawn World Cruise & thirty more. Full Collection →
The AT Insider Experience

The room is upgraded before you arrive.

A Virtuoso Member agency since 1999 with Four Seasons Preferred Partner status, twenty-eight years of senior-level hotel relationships, and recognition from Travel + Leisure, Condé Nast Traveler, and National Geographic Traveler. AT Insider is the access layer Admiral Travel applies to every itinerary.

Our itineraries include exclusive upgrades and insider access unavailable to the public.

Complimentary amenities and property credits at most Virtuoso hotels. Best-available-rate guarantees. Charter aviation when a connection cannot be flown commercially — including the Boeing 777-200LR Crystal Skye private-jet charters Malaka has organized for journeys such as the 2019 Singita safari and the 2021 Morocco departure.

Inquire about AT Insider → How we work →
Antarctic Peninsula · 2027 expedition · Silversea & Seabourn
The Process

We only book full packages, from start to finish.

A custom journey at Admiral Travel begins with a Design & Curation Retainer of $2,500 — applied entirely toward your final booking. Ten hours of advisor work is included; additional design billed at $250 an hour. Booking opens once the itinerary is approved.

Step 01 · Discovery

The conversation.

An unhurried call with one of our advisors. Where you've been, what was good, what we should not repeat. What this trip needs to be.

Step 02 · Design

The itinerary.

Your advisor designs the complete package — routing, accommodations, ground arrangements, and the small details that take time to source.

Step 03 · Refinement

Your edits.

We share the draft. You change what doesn't fit. We rework until the journey reads like something you would have written.

Step 04 · Departure

The journey.

Booked end-to-end on your behalf. Documents prepared. Your advisor reachable throughout the trip. The same relationship for the next one.

Begin a Design Conversation $2,500 DCR · credited to booking · 10 hours included
Crystal Skye · Boeing 777-200LR · private-jet charter
Recognition

Twenty-eight years. One hundred trips to Egypt.

A selection of the distinctions held by the agency and its founder. Each is invited or independently audited; none is paid placement.

Since 1999

Virtuoso Member Agency

One of approximately 200 U.S. agencies admitted to the Virtuoso network. Member since 1999, two years after founding.

Source · Virtuoso
Annually since 2003

Travel + Leisure A-List · Egypt

Malaka Hilton named Travel + Leisure's top travel consultant for Egypt annually since 2003 — the longest unbroken run in the country category.

Source · Travel + Leisure
Multi-year

Condé Nast Traveler Top Travel Specialist

Recognized by Condé Nast Traveler as a top specialist for Egypt and Africa. Ryan Hilton named a top specialist by Condé Nast in 2019 for Africa.

Source · Condé Nast Traveler
Preferred Partner

Four Seasons Preferred Partner

Highest tier of the Four Seasons advisor program — preferred-rate guarantees, complimentary breakfast, and a property credit at every participating property.

Source · Four Seasons
Recognition

National Geographic Traveler

Profiled by National Geographic Traveler for the firm's expedition-style design across Southern Africa, Antarctica, and the polar regions.

Source · National Geographic Traveler
95% Client Retention

The Return Rate

Over 95% of Admiral Travel clients return year after year — the firm's own published measure of the work, and the one it puts above everything else.

Source · Admiral Travel
"Wild. Imaginative. Immersive."
"Epic. Monumental. Iconic."
"Exceptional. Magical. Unique." Admiral Travel · Published Voice
"We plan epic experiences in the world's most exceptional destinations." Admiral Travel · Practice Statement
Marrakech medina · Glamping Through Morocco · 2026 escorted
The Advisors

Region specialists, by name.

The firm is built around advisors who specialize one region at a time. The names below are the people you will reach when you call. No call centers; no junior handlers behind a senior signature.

Founder & CEO

Malaka Hilton

Founded the firm in 1997. Travel + Leisure A-List for Egypt every year since 2003. Approximately 100 trips to the country to date. FSU Dedman College of Hospitality.

Director · Private Client Group

Michelle Andersen

Leads the firm's private-client practice — the long-running, multi-itinerary advisor relationships that anchor Admiral Travel's repeat-booking work.

Director · Escorted Experiences

Jolene DiRocco

Designs and hosts the AT Adventures group departures — described by the firm as off-peak, off-the-beaten-path itineraries for like-minded travelers.

Wildlife & Safari Specialist

Nick Kleer

The firm's wildlife and safari specialist. The advisor on itineraries that turn on the animal, the camp, and the guide.

Travel Designers

The Design Team

Taryn Griffin · Isabelle Rowland · Alexis Leeming · Katie Jordan · Molly Biter. Region rotation by client, with the senior directors above.

Travel Consultant

Margery Leedy

Senior consultant on the firm's roster. Long tenure with Admiral Travel and its returning-client work.

Adventure Travel Advisor

Carter Hilton

The firm's adventure-travel advisor. Studying hospitality at Florida State, like his mother before him; the next generation of the practice.

Contributor · Africa Consultant

Ryan Hilton

Co-founder. Met Malaka at Londolozi in 1997 while guiding there. Now resident in Africa; remains available for specialized safari consultations through the firm.

Begin a Journey

Three ways to start.

A short call, a written inquiry, or — for clients already inside the firm — a direct line to your advisor. We respond inside one business day. The Design & Curation Retainer is the only commitment at the outset; everything before it is conversation.

The Office

Visit Palm Avenue

Address
1284 N. Palm Avenue
Sarasota, FL 34236
Phone
888.722.3401
Fax
941.951.6226
Hours
Mon–Fri · 9 am to 5 pm
Weekend & evening by appointment
Visits
By appointment for design conversations
Get directions
Written Inquiry

Send a Note

Email
[email protected]
Reply
Within one business day
Helpful
Destination(s), rough dates, party size, prior trips you loved
Discovery
Call scheduled within the week
Retainer
Requested after the discovery call, before design begins
Write to the firm
Returning Client

Reach Your Advisor

Direct
The number on your most-recent itinerary
Or
The main line will route to your advisor's desk
Travelling
Concierge line on your trip documents, 24/7
Loyalty
95% of clients return year after year
The Next Trip
Most often designed before the current one ends
Call · 888.722.3401
Discover

Further from the firm.

The Archive · Field Journal

The advisors, writing.

Field notes from our designers, by era — a new camp in Botswana, a yacht the team has just sailed, a chef worth flying for.

Read the archive →
The Galleries · Field Photography

From the road, in pictures.

Photo galleries from the firm's journeys, organized by trip. A top selection from each, with the full set a click in.

Browse the galleries →
AT Adventures

Travel as a small group.

Off-peak, off-the-beaten-path departures hosted by Admiral Travel for clients who prefer to travel with a curated group of peers.

See departures →
The Good Travel Initiative

Travel that gives back.

Mindful itineraries with conservation-led partners — including the Ele-Collection in Victoria Falls and a curated list of camps committed to the places they operate in.

Explore the initiative →