Five Frivolities: December 23
In conversation with Brittany Allyn, Greek island hotel selects, hotels with Hästens beds, 2024 hotel openings, and my favorite hotels I've shared this year on TikTok
In Residence with Brittany Allyn
This week, the incredibly stylish and insightful @thirtywaves has checked in to Happy Hoteling. A Pacific Northwest native, current New Yorker, Brittany has perfected the art of curation. Clothes, beauty, experiences and – travel. She has an uncanny ability to make you forever feel like she’s just intoduced you a hidden gem, while seamlessly riding the balance of both aspirational and relatable. Naturally, I highly recommend following her on both TikTok and Instagram.
She’s also coined the genius term #memoon, which is a solo honeymoon. More on that below, but I love both the idea and the practice. Wherever she is in the world, I can always spot a logo and know that we are most definitely kindred spirits in our taste for travel. She was kind enough to chat with me about hotels, wandering the world, and of course, the #memoon.
Let’s begin? It’s a good one.
I must know, what are the hotels on your bucket list? Your dream stays, if Monopoly Money were in play.
This list could go off this page, so I’ll break it down by a few locations:
Italy: Il Pellicano, Borgo Egnazia in Puglia, a cave hotel in Matera, or any 5-star in Lake Como (like the new Passalacqua)
US: Amangiri or Post Ranch Inn
France: obviously the Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc or the Ritz Paris
Id’ also love to do a castle in Scotland, a hut over the water in the Maldives, a bougie 5-star African Safari, and an igloo hotel in the Laplands
AMEN to all of that! We’ll get working on the Monopoly Money, but in the meantime, regardless of price, luxe or quaint, what is your favorite hotel you've ever stayed at?
Technically, it wasn't a hotel but a chartered boat! I took a luxury cruise on the Nour el Nil (a traditional dahabiya holding only 20 or so passengers) down the Nile River, a la Agatha Christie. Every part of the experience was curated and thoughtful, mixed with lovely surprises every few hours! From freshly squeezed exotic fruit juice served in the afternoon to live music and dancing. The interiors were a blend of luxury reminiscent of the Titanic in the 1920s, with pops of art. We enjoyed sit-down meals three times a day featuring the freshest and organic ingredients. Lazy hammocks, Nile sunsets, and archaeological visits to the world's oldest temples were part of our daily itineraries! It was truly a once in a lifetime experience and my top destination so far!
I’m so envious and happy for you! That’s one of my bucket list experiences, and I loved living vicariously through your content. Speaking of, when you came up with the brilliant concept of the #memoon, were there certain hotels that in your mind had become "honeymoon hotels?"
I'd say it started with honeymoon destinations vs. hotels specifically! I was living in London for the summer and began planning fun weekend getaways. I never get tired of Italy and stumbled upon a gorgeous hotel in Venice (called Il Palazzo Experimental) and thought to myself, "Oh, that's just a romantic destination I have to wait for a partner to go with." Then I thought, wait a second... I've already waited 36 long years to check it off my bucket list, why am I telling myself this outdated script? It could be another 36 before I get to go, if I don’t go now! So, I booked a trip to Venice for the weekend. I dressed up in a beautiful baby blue silk gown, channeling Grace Kelly, and took a private gondola ride listening to music. I treated myself to the most magical Italian experiences, like sipping Aperol Spritzes at the Belmond, ordering extra truffles on my pasta at George Clooney's favorite Da Ivo, and enjoying tea at the Aman ballroom.
Since then, I’ve been on other memoons including the South of France, Iceland, and my first ever solo beach vacation to a small island in the Caribbean called Nevis where I stayed in a renovated sugar mill called the Golden Rock Inn that’s been overtaken by private gardens with plants flown in from around the world you’ve never seen before and modern art!
I love this idea and this way of living life. Screw the outdated script! Incidentally, I’ve also stayed at Il Palazzo Experimental solo - I love it there.
Do you have any #memoons in the works for 2024?
Japan has always been at the top of my list, so I'm thinking about visiting in the spring. I'd also love to explore more #memoons in the US, such as Charleston, New Mexico, etc.
Additionally, I'd love to plan a group #wemoon (friends memoon) to South Africa for a safari. It's something I've always dreamed of for my true honeymoon, and I think it would be a blast to go with 10 or so badass women!
I also love staying at really special boutique hotels that have the design and thoughtful details down to an art, which is precisely why you're my favorite travel influencer! I am open to suggestions from my community or you for where I should explore and review next!
I’m so honored that you said that, thank you. A few quick hotel suggestions: the Wentworth Mansion in Charleston, Ojo Caliente and Inn of the Five Graces in New Mexico, and &Beyond has a large roster of very cool South African safari experiences at a range of prices. I want to go on the wemoon!
Living in New York, great hotels are endless. What would be your top splurge choice for a staycation #memoon?
For a major splurge, it would have to be the Carlyle, known as the "White House of New York." It's iconic in every way, from monogrammed bed sheets to hosting hotel guests like Princess Diana and JFK. It also boasts the most "New York" type hotel bar, complete with the perfect nut assortments, dimmly lit old-school vibes, and a tuxedo-clad world-class musician playing a grand baby piano.
Ah! I love how you describe things. The Carlyle was where I spent my last night in NYC before moving back to CA. Guests get a reserved table at Bemelman’s, which was epic.
Ok, now hopping across the pond - I loved watching your experience of living in London. Was there one hotel that was a favorite for grabbing a cocktail on a night out?
Hands down, would have to be the Connaught, the Red Room is so vibey. Honestly, any hotel bar in London is cool AF.
What a cool experience to live in London for a summer. And to think that’s what sparked the #memoon. Lastly, any words of wisdom to share? I love the way you convey advice.
I'd love to say that solo travel can be somewhat daunting but SO rewarding! It may sound silly, but it is such an empowering feeling to just put down your OWN credit card and book your own hotel room. It's like the little girl in you realizes she grew up just how you always hoped for. It's also the one type of travel where you can be entirely selfish with every single detail in your day, from waking up whenever you want, to unlimited shopping and photo-taking, to indulging in leisurely meals and wandering. Ultimately, it's a significant time to reflect and find time to focus on some self-love that you may have lost or want more of. It's like going to the gym; you'll never regret it once you're done, and it makes for amazing stories to tell one day!
So well said. I agree, wholeheartedly. Thank you to infinity and beyond for your time and insight, Brittany!
A sampling of Greek hidden gem hotels
On Wednesday, I released my years-in-the-making highly curated yet highly robust Greece Hotel List. While I can’t give everything away for free, I’d love to share a few of my favorites. They’re not super luxury hotels, they’re super special hotels. And, naturally, all on islands.
Melenos Art Boutique Hotel, Rhodes
Archontiko Angelou, Leros
Mediterraneo Kastelorizo, Kastellorizo
Aristide Hotel, Syros
Hotels with Hästens beds
When I first started as an intern at Nasty Gal in 2012, I remember chatting with founder Sophia Amoruso about when she felt she “made it.” It wasn’t a car or a trip or a house - it was a mattress purchase. A Hästens matress, widely considered the best in the world. While I lived around the corner from their Soho store for 4 years, I never mustered up the courage to ask to “test” one, and here I am nearly 12 years post Hästens introduction and I’ve yet to experience it. Mark my word, in the year of 2024, I will sleep on a Hästens mattress at a hotel. Naturally, as with any other minor obsession, I’ve done research on what properties might offer this opportunity:
The Hästens Sleep Spa Hotel in Coimbra, Portugal - This is a hotel quite literally dedicated to sleeping in their beds.
Villa La Madonna in Piemonte, Italy which is where I’m pretty positive I’ll choose get the Swedish bed treatment
33 Main in Lenox, Massachusetts
Icon Hotel in Prague, Czechia
The Villa at The Estate Yountville in Napa Valley, California
The Infinity Suite at The Langham, London
Muirenhof in Austria just over the Italian border in the family suites, and the Sattelkopf and Panorama rooms
Lotte New York Palace in the Hästens Ultimate Sleep Suite
And of course, if I find more, you’ll be the first to know.
2024 Hotel Openings
This was a very good year for hotel openings. But, next year is posed to rival it. Let me introduce you to a few that I have high hopes for.
Pensione America is set to open in a historic building in Forte dei Marmi this summer. While I don’t love Forte, many do. I’m intrigued, that’s for sure. If the hotel is good enough, I’ll give the Tuscan seaside enclave a second chance.
The Bardo is set to open in Savannah, Georgia in February. I’ve been waiting for this for a year! The renderings have rendered me pleasntly surprised. A bit of Slim Aarons energy within a historic building in the heart of a cool Southern city? Yes!
Originally set to open this year, Edinburgh, Scotland is getting a seemingly very cool new (old) hotel in the Spring - 100 Princes Street. It directly faces Edinburgh Castle, and it has been delayed so much that…it has to be great, right? I’m an optimist.
To stay up to date on new hotels, make sure you receive the weekly paid edition, where I regularly share intriguing properties on the opening pipeline.
My personal favorite hotels I’ve shared on TikTok this year
The majority of you come here from TikTok, yet we know the algorithm is finnicky and follow doesn’t necessarily equate to seeing content. So, as we head into the last week of the year, I thought I’d round up some of my favorite hotels I shared on the clock app this year. Not including hotels I stayed at, nor the ones that went viral. These are properties I genuinely feel are gems and I want them to get more love.
Adrere Amellal on the Siwa Oasis, Egypt
Corte delle Maesta in Tuscia, Italy
La Mirande in Avignon, in Provence, France
Samode Haveli in Jaipur, India
Alcuzcuz in Andalucia, Spain
Cotton House in Mustique
Castello di Potentino in Tuscany (The Happy Hoteling guide to hotels in Tuscany here)
Huka Lodge in New Zealand
Inns of Aurora on the Finger Lakes of upstate New York
Faustino Gran on the island of Menorca, Spain (full Baleric Island hotel list here)
Villa Cipriani in Asolo, Italy
Zoa Hotel on the coast of Oaxaca in Mexico (full Mexico hotel list here)
Ok you wonderful humans, I’d love to hear what you’d like to see more of in 2024. Sound off below!
Happy everything. I’m so grateful for you.
xx Your Penpal,
Marissa
Hi, what would be your recommendations for hotels in Shanghai? Then for Hangzhou and Huangshan if you know any?