Dancing With The Dead
The dead danced in my dreams. Not in a scary, wake up in a cold sweat kind of way, but rather à la Tim Burton: dark yet intriguing. Mis sueños, filled with sugar skulls, candlelight, Catrinas, fire, feathers, and Mesoamerican symbolism, served as a souvenir after engrossing myself in the all-encompassing celebration of Día de Muertos at the Fairmont Mayakoba in the Yucatán Peninsula.
Written by Bridget Cottrell
The Bead Brigade
How to do a Krewe for Mardi Gras
Written by Bridget Cottrell
The Sweet Spot
Love hits differently later in life. Passion, though still palpable, is filtered through the earned wisdom of age. This lends a reassuring steadiness, which often takes young love’s roiling boil down to a gentle simmer. I was bitten by the love bug twice in my 50s. With apologies to my husband, about whom I could wax poetic for pages, this story is about the second nip—an amplification of amorousness brought about by discovering a latent love of surfing.
Desiring to scratch an itch I picked up in Hawaii a little over a year ago, I was keen on finding a place where I could get expert coaching while also enjoying a well-rounded trip with my husband outside of time spent in the water. Many places I looked into were too focused on surfing (my aspirations are fairly modest), or too rustic (there’s certain creature comforts I want at my age), so when I came across Lamangata, situated near Dominical in the Puntarenas Province of Costa Rica, I knew I’d found the sweet spot and a kindred spirit in owner Debbie Toll Gruelle.
Written by Bridget Cottrell
The Best Little Hotel in Texas
Rough, refined, and the anchor of one of San Antonio’s most dynamic cultural districts, Hotel Emma pays homage to a visionary woman.
Written by Bridget Cottrell
Rooted.
Sandals Dunn’s River builds on a legacy of hospitality in Jamaica
❋ Hotel Yellowstone
Aces in the Hole: Powder and Pampering in the Tetons
The Golden Age
of Wellness
Atlantis, The Palm and Atlantis The Royal are leading the evolution of holistic travel in Dubai.
Text: Macey Phillips
Photos courtesy of Atlantis, The Palm, and Atlantis The Royal
Aurora Anguilla Resort and Golf Club
The word “Caribbean” is rife with vibrant tropical colors and textures, evoking balmy breezes, soft white beaches, temperate waters, and exotic fruit beverages to savor. The island of Anguilla embodies the Caribbean at its finest. Guests of the Aurora Anguilla Resort & Golf Club, located on Anguilla, are brought to the island by speed boat, adding a touch of adventure to an abundance of glorious views of surrounding islands, villages, and ports along the way. Upon arrival, it is a quick ride from port to the Aurora Anguilla, where a welcoming corps of hospitality connoisseurs waits to greet guests. The abundance of amenities, services, activities, and entertainment at this luxury resort is broad, deep, and solely focused on enhancing guests’ every experience.
Text: Tracy Cottrell
Happy In Healdsburg
Come for the wine, keep coming back for so much more.
Text: Bridget Cottrell
Images courtesy of 27 North and Farmhnouse Inn
Greener Pastures
Ireland is a different kind of green. Even Johnny Cash, famously dubbed "The Man in Black," pined for the moorlands and the midlands in his gravelly bass-baritone for the song "Forty Shades of Green." I like to think that the verdancy of the Emerald Isle is Mother Nature's consolation prize for frequent rain and cloud cover, creating a beguiling beauty of a landscape renowned for scores of scenic walking and hiking routes and a passionate golf culture dating back to the mid-19th century
The latter will put Ireland at the epicenter of the world golf stage when the 2027 Ryder Cup comes to Adare Manor in County Limerick from September 13-19, marking only the second time the prestigious event has been held in the country. While the lead-up no doubt will be enough to prompt golfers of all abilities to add the storied property to their travel bucket list, one would be remiss in thinking that the Adare Manor's manicured greens are the sole attraction.
Text: Bridget Cottrell
Sax in the City
With the opening of its first Parisian hotel, SAX Paris presents LXR's vision of art de vivre.
Text: Bridget Cottrell
A Natural Selection
Even if you've never seen a whale in person, you undoubtedly know what it sounds like. The instant I heard the "pfft" of its powerful exhalation, I sprang to my feet, making it to the balcony of my cabin aboard the National Geographic Gemini—one of the two newest members of the National Geographic-Lindblad Expeditions' fleet in the Galápagos Islands— just in time to take in the sight of a massive blue whale surfacing several times before descending back into the depths and taking with it any lingering doubts I had that the Galápagos Islands are a sight to behold.
Text & Photo: Bridget Cottrell
Regal Repose
If walls could talk, Bensberg Castle, a palace built in the early 1700s atop a knoll where its central axis is perfectly aligned with the spot where foggy outlines of Cologne Cathedral's Gothic twin spires pierce the sky nearly ten miles away, would spin quite a yarn that encompasses the highs and lows of humanity. Acquired by Althoff Hotels in 2020, today Grandhotel Schloss Bensberg is regarded as one of the most prestigious hotels in Germany.
An Indulgent Odyssey
In Homer's The Odyssey, Odysseus' arduous journey spans a decade. Fortunately, for contemporary adventurers, an extensive ferry network makes traversing the Greek islands a far easier and enjoyable proposition. Starting in Athens, contributing editor Claire Williams spent nine days visiting Mykonos, Paros, and Santorini, where luxury hotels add to the intrigue of the diverse and dramatic landscapes, ranging from rugged mountains and volcanic terrain to fertile plains and stunning coastlines.
Text: Claire Williams
Image: The Temple of Poseidon sits across the water from Cape Sounio, the iconic Athens Riviera resort
Ya mon.
Trying it all at Jamaica's Tryall Club
Text: Bridget Cottrell
Image: Sunset view from the Following Seas Villa
Avant-garde improvements at Hotel De L'Europe reinforce the inextricable link between the spirit of a Heineken heir and the iconic Amsterdam landmark.
Text: Claire Williams / Photos by James Stokes, courtesy of Hotel De L'Europe
The First Ahhh!
May the Fjord Be With You
The force is strong with Havila Voyages, where the environment and sustainability top the agenda when delivering luxurious and eco-friendly voyages along the Norwegian coast.
Text: Bridget Cottrell
Image courtesy of Havila Voyages
Hitting the Mark
In big cities like New York, elevator chit-chat isn't the norm. So, as I stared ahead at my reflection in the mirrored jewel-box-like space, I was taken aback when my temporary companion stabbed at the silence by asking, "Isn't this place just the best?" My enthusiastic agreement, as outsized as her statement bag, elicited more effusiveness and another question: "Have you seen the 'Le Shop' booklet in the rooms? I am obsessed." And with that, she was gone, even though the sweet scent of her Bond No. 9 New York parfum lingered as I continued the ascent to my room.
Marvel-inspiring moments are de rigueur at NYC's The Mark Hotel (themarkhotel.com), where even the smallest detail is treated as a brand-boosting opportunity. Part of an Upper East Side luxury hotel golden triangle with The Carlyle and The Surrey, The Mark differentiates itself from its peers with a unique blend of historic charm, impeccable service and exclusive experiences, modern amenities, and the largest hotel penthouse suite in the United States.
Text: Bridget Cottrell
Right: The Mark Penthouse includes a private 2,500 square-foot rooftop terrace overlooking Central Park.
Beachy Keen
A new era of luxury awaits at The Palms Turks and Caicos following an $18m renovation.
Text: Bridget Cottrell
Bush Babied
A pioneer in tented safari camps, conservation-minded and amenity-rich Finch Hattons Luxury Camp in Kenya's Tsavo National Park continues to raise the bar.
Text: Bridget Cottrell
Rome Around the World
Under most circumstances, a bespoke tour that leads a group up a long flight of stairs, down a graffiti-lined alleyway, and to a windowless wooden door next to a loading dock in a non-descript manufacturing building would be head-scratching, but not in Rome. Noting our puzzled looks, Marilena Barberi, co-founder of Italy with Class (italywithclass.com) and Walks Inside Rome (walksinsiderome.com), promised us that a surprise awaited. "Rome is like lasagna," she said as we descended several flights of stairs that emptied us into the 1st century CE and the ruins of a Mithraic temple. "You can't really know Rome without going underground," remarked Barberi.
For millennia, Roman buildings destroyed by war, natural disasters, a desire to repurpose raw materials, or the whims of the powers that be have been blanketed by dirt, debris, and, eventually, new construction. A pair of recently opened hotels—ROMEO Roma and Casa Monti—have added another layer of deliciousness to the Eternal City's architectural casserole.
Text: Bridget Cottrell & Claire Williams
Below: ROMEO Roma
Georgia (Wine) On My Mind
Château Elan Winery and Resort, in the rolling foothills of North Georgia, is a driveable destination with an "across the pond" ambiance.
Text: Tracy Cottrell
Always En Vogue
For over a century, Hôtel Plaza Athénée has remained at the pinnacle of luxury hotels in Paris.
One can imagine the spirits of past Paris' haute couturiers as gossamer threads, gently tugging at the hearts and pocketbooks of contemporary fashionistas, drawing them en masse to the storied hôtel particuliers lining Avenue Montaigne in the 8th arrondissement. From the balcony of my Prestige Suite in the Hôtel Plaza Athénée, I sipped a latte from a delicate bespoke Jaune de Chrome porcelain teacup while my eyes slowly surveyed the scene like an iPhone camera’s Pano mode.
Text: Bridget Cottrell
Image: Haute Couture Suite. Photo by Mark Read
Storming the Castles
An alternative to day-tripping, AMERON Neuschwanstein Alpsee Resort & Spa offers a more leisurely and luxurious way to experience a storybook Bavarian village with two castles.
Text: Bridget Cottrell
Image: The 4-star AMERON Neuschwanstein Alpsee Resort & Spa Situated sits beneath Hohenschwangau Castle on the banks of Lake Alpsee in Bavaria’s Allgäu Alps. Photo by Jannis Hagels
Going for the Gold
I am a tour newbie.
Once decades ago, while living outside Glasgow, I schlepped to Paris with a slew of Scottish schoolteachers. They brought their own tea and marmalade. They got cranky. Frequently. The hotel was old — and cold. It was one of those okay-but-not-so-great experiences. Except for a spectacular safari in Kenya, I've sidestepped group outings ever since.
Little did I know what an incredible difference tapping a company like Luxury Gold makes.
The trip, titled "Spain and Portugal Travel in Style," involved visiting nine cities in two countries over 13 days.
It's not for the faint of heart.
Text: Christy Marshall
Image: Constructed on a plateau that overlooks the city of Granada, Spain, the Alhambra palace and fortress was built largely between 1238 and 1358. Photo by Will Selarep
Wonderment in the Wilderness
Hotel Rangá is an ideal base for exploring the marvels within Iceland’s famed Golden Circle
Written by Claire Williams
Photography courtesy of Hotel Rangá
A Shore Thing
Third-generation hotelier Valentina De Santis is not in the business of making her guests cry. Still, it occasionally happens, recalls Gregory Bradelle, Hotel Manager of Passalacqua, the crown jewel of the De Santis' family holdings on Lake Como. During a recent visit, he recounted that several guests, upon the stunning setting of the Bellini suite (the largest on the lake at 2,600 square feet), have been brought to tears by its grandeur. In response, Valentina, whose sunny disposition elicits the sun's gravitational pull, making you want to remain in her orbit to bask in her innate gioia di vivere as long as possible, threw her head back in laughter.
Lake Como is a dreamy destination on its own, and embellishing the fantasy is all in a day's work for a woman who fondly remembers childhood summers spent as a real-life Eloise in the Grand Hotel Tremezzo, the first hotel on Lake Como and one of its most legendary. As an only child, Valentina says she regarded the hotel as her personal castle, with her reigning (and running the halls) as its princess. This past spring, the princess of pop, Taylor Swift, made another of the DeSantis' properties —Villa Sola Cabiati—"Insta famous" when she and Travis Kelce stayed at the exquisitely restored 12-bedroom, 16th-century lakefront villa, which typically rents for $21,000 /night.
Le Royal Treatment
"These days, you eat with your phone first," said pastry chef and entrepreneur Yazid Ichemrahen during a tasting of his sweetest hits at Le Royal Monceau - Raffles Paris, where he was recently tapped to lead the pastry and dessert program. With 1.6 million Instagram followers, the thirty-something, who, at the tender age of 22, became the youngest chef to be named a World Pastry Champion, knows a thing or two about appealing visuals, backed up by a unique approach that's lighter on sugar and heavy on raw ingredients. "By adhering to a single rule – no more than three ingredients and three textures in any single dessert – a recipe for happiness emerges," said Ichemrahen.
Under Ichemrahen's direction, the dessert course at each of Le Royal Monceau's dining outposts becomes an event, with a member of the pastry team finishing off creations tableside. This elevation brings the last course up to par with first impressions upon entering the whimsical and wonderful Palace Hotel, located in Paris' 8th arrondissement. While just a stone's throw from the Arc de Triomphe, the hotel feels worlds away within a chic residential area notable for the charming Parc Monceau (established three years before the signing of the Declaration of Independence).
Text: Bridget Cottrell
Photos courtesy of Le Royal Monceau - Raffles Paris
Such Great Heights
Situated at the gateway to the Bavarian Alps, Althoff Seehotel Überfahrt is a luxurious home for visitors to the "Hamptons of Germany."
Text: Bridget Cottrell
Photos courtesy Althoff Hotels
Perched high above Oregon’s Willamette Valley, Grange Estate is the famed wine region’s newest luxury lodging option.
On Cloud Wine
