Five Frivolities: November 5
A 2-week luxury roadtrip from France to Italy, National Geographic Lodges, hotels on the coast of Turkey, my personal hotel choices for hotspots, and a spotlight on an East African hotel group.
1. A road trip itinerary from France to Italy
We’re going on a European road trip. Italy’s my one true love, France is my forever fling. Both in one trip? City, country, and beach? Yes. Two weeks, starting in Paris, ending in Florence and going a lot of somewhere specials in between. This is the luxury version, the affordable luxury version (hotels under €500/night) will be in Wednesday’s paid edition. On y va, andiamo, let’s go.
You’ll fly into Paris, and stay for 1-2 nights, depending on how you like to travel. For fun, I’d stay somewhere new. There are so many cool new luxury hotels right now. Sometimes it’s fun to indulge in a place “of the moment.” I’d choose between La Fantaisie, Le Grand Mazarin, or the opposite of new but the epitome of a grand entrance - the *Ritz Paris. If you’re more minimally-inclined, *Chateau Voltaire or *Hotel Lutetia.
Then, you’re going to take the train from Paris to Avignon, and rent a car. Provence is the plan for the next 4-5 nights.
First, you’ll stay in the area surrounding Avignon and experience the real version of the mental picture of the Provençal countryside. For three nights, I’d stay at either *La Bastide de Marie, *Airelles La Bastide de Gordes, or *Hotel Crillon le Brave.
Then, you’re going to drive south towards the coast. If you want to experience the Medieval hill towns of the South of France, I’d stay at *Chateau Saint Martin. If you want to be in the glitz and the glamour and towering over the sea (and do the Monaco thing), I’d stay at the *Maybourne Riviera. 1-2 nights, depending how you like to travel. The goal is to get close to the Italian border.
Then, you’re off to Italy. You’ll drive over the border from France and into Italy, entering the Italian Riviera. You’re not going to the masses, you’re going to Northern Liguria (north of Portofino) – *Villa della Pergola in Alassio. For 2-3 nights, that’s your home base. Ideally 3, because you’re going to be leaving the hotel early on your check-out date to drop your rental car in Genoa to take the train to Florence.
Typically, there’s only one direct train route from Genoa to Florence each day, at 7am. You’ll take the high speed Frecciarossa train from Genova Piazza Principe to Firenze Campo Di Marte train station in Florence.
Your final stop is Florence, but in the hills above so you get a mix of relaxation and exploration. 2-3 nights at either *Il Salviatino (if you like the hidden gem type), *Villa Cora (if you like the extravagant type), or *Belmond Villa San Michele (if you like the classic luxury type). Pools are on offer at all three, so you can explore the city during the morning and for a long lunch, before heading back to the hotel for a pisolino (nap) by the pool. Then, you can go back into town (they all have a shuttle) for dinner. My favorite way of doing Florence.
Sadly, this is the end.
You’ll fly out from Florence, most likely with a connecting flight.
*Hotels with an asterisk are preferred partners of my agency, Fora, and properties where I’m able to get clients complimentary VIP amenities.
Happy hoteling, you good people with good taste. See you Wednesday?
2. National Geographic Lodges
National Geographic used to have a curation of "lodges,” or hotels that represented places that harmonize with the land and allow people to and revel in planet Earth. To my knowledge, they’ve discontinued this, in replace of their Expedition program. The list remains, however, and I’ve researched them all. These are my top five favorites:
Three Camel Lodge - The Gobi Desert, Mongolia. The country with the lowest population density, and not a tourism go-to, which leaves the culture utterly unique and in tact. This is a place where you can experience exactly that.
*ol Donyo Lodge - Kenya. A luxury safari experience, while living harmoniously with the land it’s on and people who live there.
Nimmo Bay Wilderness Resort - British Columbia, Canada. The wilderness, in utterly photogenic form. Cozy and adventure come together in a place that’s remote enough to actually allow you to disconnect. All-inclusive, highly expensive, utterly awe-inspiring.
Cuixmala - Jalisco, Mexico. Number two on my hotel bucket list. I talk about it on here a lot, but it’s a one-of-one creation.
*Longitude 131 - Ayers Rock, Australia. A landmark known worldwide, yet not often visited due to its remote location. Here you get to experience it, the otherworldly essence of it, in stylish form.
*Hotels with an asterisk are preferred partners of my agency, Fora, and properties where I’m able to get clients complimentary VIP amenities.
3. A spotlight on the Turkish coast
So, you want to go somewhere luxurious - you love the Amalfi Coast and St Tropez but you want something different. May I present the Turkish coast?
One option is Fetiye, where Yazz Collective is the place to stay.
The other is Bodrum (and nearby), where *Maçakizi or *Amanruya are my picks. I think the latter is one of the most charming and high-value Aman hotels out there.
If you were to do Istanbul on the way in or out, I’d stay at Soho House Istanbul or Georges Hotel Galata.
*Hotels with an asterisk are preferred partners of my agency, Fora, and properties where I’m able to get clients complimentary VIP amenities.
4. Where I’d stay in popular destinations
People often ask where I would stay in (insert very popular vacation location). No list, just the singular answer for where I would stay. But, when you know a lot about hotels, it’s not so easy to choose just one. On this newsletter, I only share hotels that I would stay at myself, but typically I share wider hotel lists to include a variety of aesthetic tastes, prices, and locations. But, I’m going to start a new series where I share two or three hotels per hotspot location, max. If you’d like my comprehensive hotel list for particular places featured in this series, let me know below.
This week, I’m going to get four of the most-asked out of the way, which happen to be four places where I truthfully do not have much interest in visiting. But, I’m never one to yuck anyone’s yum, and these places are popular for a reason. So, Santorini, Mykonos, Tulum, and Dubrovnik - let’s go, here’s where I’d stay:
Santorini: *Perivolas, or 1864 The Sea Captain’s House
Mykonos: *The Wild Hotel by Interni, or *Kalesma Mykonos
Tulum: Realistically, I would stay at *Hotel Esencia, outside Tulum. But if I were to choose within Tulum proper, I’d stay at either *Casa Malca or Azulik.
Dubrovnik: Pucic Palace or Hotel Excelsior Dubrovnik for the pool alone
I’ll continue this on Wednesday, with Bali, the Seychelles, Kyoto, and St. Tropez (places I am quite fond of).
*Hotels with an asterisk are preferred partners of my agency, Fora, and properties where I’m able to get clients complimentary VIP amenities.
5. A spotlight on the Elewana Collection properties
With this newsletter, I hope to introduce you to hotels you may not discover otherwise. Hotel groups are one of the ways I do so. And not just the big guns - the Amans and Belmonds of the world. Smaller groups with soul and intriguing properties that deserve more light. Today, we have the Elewana Collection. Centered in East Africa, they have 16 luxury boutique lodges, camps and hotels across Kenya and Tanzania. It’s all about authenticity paired with fantastic hospitality and personalization. Of the 16, I have nine favorites (with hotels, it’s ok to play favorites). May I introduce you to…
TANZANIA
Tarangire Treetops
Arusha Coffee Lodge
Serengeti Pioneer Camp
KENYA
Tortilis Camp Amboseli
Elsa’s Kopje Meru
Kifaru House
Loisaba Tented Camp
Loisaba Star Beds
Sand River Masai Mara
As always, thank you so much for being here. It’s a true dream to write about travel and hotels and have people trust me. From a young age, this is what I wanted to be when I grew up. And an ice cream flavor engineer, but that ship has sailed.
xx Your Penpal,
Marissa