Talk, Tips and Tidbits of a Traveler.
Director of Social Media #Kors Worldwide. Adventure Capitalist. Photo Journalist. On-Air Host. Monkey Connoisseur. Adrenaline Junkie. Asian Food Expert. Lover of 14-hour plane rides.
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10
Jan
Travel Tuesday: Los Angeles Villa
You may not be a real-life star, but while you’re staying at L.A. Villa, you’ll definitely feel like an A-lister. It’s not uncommon to get stuck behind a “Star Tours” van as you wind your way up to this 4,000-square-foot manse in the heart of Beverly Hills; after all, this is prime celebrity real estate (Sylvester Stallone and David and Victoria Beckham live nearby). Pimp out on Jetsetter.com
01
Nov
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This boutique hotel in Maipu, about 20 minutes from Mendoza City in Argentina’s marquee wine-producing region, has an ultramodern sensibility and a laid-back attitude. Intimate and exclusive, the eight rooms on this five-acre property are the love child of two architects, who built the small cottages to blend in seamlessly with Mendoza’s natural splendor. And you don’t even have to leave to taste the bounty: The hotel has its very own vineyard. Check in and sip your way out to the Hotel El Aguamiel…
25
Oct
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In need of an adventure? This week we’re featuring a six-night trip through some of New Zealand’s most appealing regions: the South Island’s adrenaline capital, Queenstown, famous Milford Sound and the coastal wine and food hub, Marlborough Sounds. Seasonz Travel will take you from the mountains to the sea in style, with top-notch guides and accommodations, including stays in Queenstown’s newest luxury boutique hotel and in a five-star resort secluded deep in pristine Marlborough.
The itinerary mixes adventure with wine appreciation — things New Zealand arguably does better than anyplace else on the planet. You’ll start with a personalized excursion through the burgeoning Otago Valley wine region outside Queenstown, including winery-hopping with Duncan Forsyth of Mount Edward Winery, one of the region’s first vintners and most colorful characters. Then the adventure kicks in, with a helicopter expedition over Milford Sound and a glacier landing in the Southern Alps, followed by optional outdoor activities ranging from birdwatching to Lord of the Rings driving safaris.
From there you fly to Marlborough Sounds to enjoy a tasting at Cloudy Bay, the winery that put Marlborough Sauvignon Blancs on the map. By the time you return home, you’ll be a newly minted wine connoisseur — and an experienced adventurer. Oh, and did I mention, we’re giving away this trip for two. There, I said it.
18
Oct
Travel Tuesday: Conti di San Bonifacio
In the rolling fields of Tuscany’s Maremma region, this rustic farmhouse sits neatly on its own poggio (hill) with panoramic countryside views. An antidote to the bustling atmosphere of nearby Siena and Florence, Conti di San Bonifacio is the ultimate relaxation point from which to admire the Tuscan countryside and enjoy a glass of the estate’s own red wine. So you can have your Under The Tuscan Sun moment…not that I have EVER watched that movie, no, me, never.
11
Oct
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Every so often a hotel comes around that makes me reevaluate my idea of a perfect pad. And thanks to the Haylofts, I am now craving a collection of 17th-century farm buildings. On the steep slopes of the Italian Alps, near the village of Chiavenna, is a small hamlet of 300-year-old haylofts, today converted into luxury cottages. Despite its seclusion, Zurich and Milan are just two hours away by car, and Lake Como and St. Moritz are less than an hour away. The Mini Cooper-sized cabins aren’t lacking in cool. Expect a bohemian feel, with hand-painted walls, SMEG appliances and custom cabinetry. Bring it.
27
Sep
Travel Tuesday: India
In things you don’t already know, I’ve been dreaming of India a lot lately. Wild Frontiers (and their on-the-ground, English-speaking guides) will take you through the classics: Delhi, Agra, Rajasthan, Jaipur and the Taj Mahal. Although packed with enough authentic experiences to fill a bookshelf full of photo albums, the trip also leaves time for simply taking it all in. Or taking it all home, which ever you prefer.
06
Sep
Travel Tuesday: Finch Hattons, Africa.
I’ve had the zoo on my mind a lot lately… Karen Blixen’s beloved Kenya is alive and kicking at Finch Hattons, a classic colonial tented camp deep in the heart of the African bush that is as sexy as it is timeless. In Tsavo, Kenya’s largest and least crowded national park, where volcanic rock and thorn trees meet sun-bleached grasslands, this rustic savannah-chic hideaway offers a once-in-a-lifetime safari experience, reminiscent of a bygone era. Read the full review….
16
Aug
Santorini has its share of super-romantic hotels, classic inns and cozy hideaways, but travelers with more modernist leanings have been short on choices. In the quiet village of Pyrgos, Voreina Gallery Suites is changing all that. A nine-suite property just 10 minutes from Thira, Santorini’s main town, it has spacious guestrooms, a clean, minimal style and a rotating collection of art from young artists. With its classic Santorini backdrop, this petite hotel can feel like one big art installation. Here’s my plan of action….
Stay Local. Thira and Oia may be the island’s most famous towns, but the village of Pyrgos is still worth a visit to see the stunning medieval architecture, including 10th-century churches and fortress ruins.
Drink Greek. Voreina is ideally situated to visit some of Santorini’s best wineries. Take a tour of the different grape growing operations, and sample some of the local products.
Healing Waters. Just because the hotel doesn’t have a spa doesn’t mean you can’t sample Greece’s own unique brand of wellness. Hop on a ferry to the nearby volcanic island of Nea Kameni, where you can bathe in hot sulfur springs.
Lounge Around. Perivolos Beach may not have the white sand (Santorini’s beaches are black, brown and red), but it more than makes up for it with sweeping Aegean views.
09
Aug
Travel Tuesday: Skydive Mt. Everest.
“At nearly 30,000 feet, I moved to the door, and a mix of emotions flooded through my mind as I remembered the hurdles and hoops through which I had jumped in order to get to this historic moment in my life, a moment that will never fade from memory…”
So reads Roger Hoe’s trip journal from October 2010, when he was about to leap out of a Pilatus Porter plane and into the thin air — with Mount Everest as his backdrop. Daunting? Yes. Crazy? Maybe. Life-changing? Absolutely. Read On….
26
Jul
Travel Tuesday: Dream South Beach
This South Beach newcomer lives up to the hype. Set in two landmark Art Deco buildings on Collins Avenue, near the former Versace Mansion, the boutique hotel has 108 sleek guestrooms washed in blue and white, and access to soft, sandy beaches, a restaurant helmed by chef Geoffrey Zakarian (of Food Network fame) and High Bar, a see-and-be-seen rooftop pool and bar area decked out in white and gold….
For more on Miami, check in at the Dream and check out our guide to the beach….
19
Jul
Travel Tuesday: Insolito Boutique Hotel & Spa
East of Rio de Janeiro, the sleepy fishing village of Armacao de Buzios — aka Buzios — first awoke in 1964, when a bikini-clad Brigitte Bardot set foot onshore. Now this hip resort area is often called the St.-Tropez of Brazil, and the stylish Insolito Boutique Hotel fits right in. Spilling down a rocky hillside to beautiful Ferradura Beach, this intimate 20-room getaway, once a private villa, has been transformed by a French-born owner and features lush tropical gardens, three pools, a wellness center and sweeping vistas of a beach-studded peninsula and emerald sea.
05
Jul
Travel Tuesday: Borneo Orangutan Tour
I’m having a rough day, so it seemed only appropriate to share my number one, dream adventure as a personal pick-me-up. Searching for swinging orangutans, discovering remnants of the British colonial past and exploring a bat cave — this 10-day orangutan tour in Borneo reads like an Indiana Jones adventure. But with the experts at Baobab Expeditions leading the way, you’ll get to see it all thoroughly and safely. The biggest danger you face is probably forgetting to slap on insect repellent.
The excitement of spotting an orangutan, proboscis monkey or Borneo pygmy elephant in the wild… sign. me. up.
14
Jun
Travel Tuesday: Mansion Sophia
It takes a lot for me to give up modern architecture and techy-tools…. but tucked away among whitewashed pedestrian lanes in one of Santorini’s prettiest villages, Mansion Sophia offers a stylish escape from the island’s crowds. It may not have those famous caldera views, but this lovingly refurbished home offers a blissfully quiet pebbled courtyard with a plunge pool and daybeds, vaulted interiors, monastic-chic bedrooms and a kitchenette and dining terrace. It feels like a privileged escape, and after days spent with the island crowds, you’ll look forward to nightly retreats here.
31
May
Travel Tuesday: Iceland Adventure
You’ve heard the hype, and we’re happy to report that it’s all true — Iceland is anything but a land of ice. Floating between Europe and North America, and steeped in ancient Viking lore, this enigmatic island boasts an idyllic tapestry of natural anomalies and ethereal scenery. Go beyond Björk, currency crashes and plane-cancelling volcanoes to uncover what truly makes Iceland memorable, on this five-day adventure that kicks off with a whale-watching excursion on which you’ll spot Minke whales and, if you’re lucky, humpbacks and dolphins, too.
Break me off a piece of that… Iceland, not the ice, on Jetsetter!
17
May
Travel Tuesday: Faena Hotel & Universe
Built into El Porteno, an old grain silo on the fashionable Puerto Madero Este waterfront, the Faena Hotel is where the Red Queen would live circa 2010 (not surprising since with hotelier @PhilippeStarck and Argentinean designer Alan Faena at the helm). There’s a unique Edwardian-meets-Colonial Mexico style with red velvet couches and black marble throughout the ‘universe’. And quite a universe it is: the hotel has two restaurants, a spa and a popular swimming pool and bar. With so many on-site places to explore (hence the “+ Universe” in this hotel’s official name), the hardest thing might just be finding the urge to leave the property’s red-brick walls.
Check in to one of the sexiest hotels on earth, and check out my Top 5 Buenos Aires….
