The Curation: Volume 30

An insider's and locals' guide to Capri, two raving Italian hotel reviews, a guide to Santa Margherita Ligure, how I packed for 3 weeks in a carry-on, and opening up about why I came home early

My longest Substack yet. Also, the one where I share the most insider knowledge about Capri. From my own trip and perspective (the answers to all your questions), and also two local guides to the islands, one from the owners of hotel La Minerva, the other from a local legend DJ. All the Capri everything is here. But also, a review for an iconic luxury hotel on the Portofino Coast, as well as a guide to the Ligurian town of Santa Margherita Ligure. But before we hit the paywall, I’m being honest about why I came home five days early, and felt the absolute necessity to share the MVPs (most valuable products) of my highly successful 3 weeks in a carry-on.

Next week, a whole lot of additions to the Italy and Paris hotel lists, a guide to the Aeolian Islands of Salina and Panarea, and to the Cilento Coast. Plus more, that I haven’t written yet.

THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE, you Good Person with Good Taste! It’s all because of you, and for you. Grazie di cuore.

(Note: because it’s so long, it likely won’t display in its entirety on email. Click to view the whole thing on web or on the Substack app at the top of the email.)

The Trials and Tribulations of Summer Travel

If you saw my Instagram story that I was delayed on the tarmac, and were confused as to why I was already heading home, your confusion is legitimate. I came home 5 days early.

I’m going to peel back the curtain a little, and I’m nervous to do so but also I’m sick of travel content creation being all aspiration without reality. I think you’re here for more than perfection. I hope, at least.

I was supposed to take my annual trip to Italy in May, as you know. Life happened, and I had to reschedule for July. In my gut, I knew I would struggle with the heat. I go in June, typically, because it’s tolerable. I enjoy wearing a light sweater at night, just like that one contestant in Miss Congeniality. But, I’ve had a really hard year, on the personal front. I needed a break, and Italy will always be my choice. I also knew that I needed to experience so you can experience, vicariously. New ones, and the 2024 edition of old favorites. Plus, Teatro del Silenzio only happens once a year, in July, and Andrea Bocelli’s 30th anniversary was only this year. So, I went to Italy in July.

I most definitely don’t regret it, but it was also highly challenging at times.

When I lived in New York, I lived in the air conditioning. I can’t hang in the heat. 365 days of the year, I choose cold rather than hot. Beverages, body temperature, and even if we take the dual definitions – I go for cool over trendy.

Although I don’t absolutely love San Francisco, the climate is highly suited to me. My body doesn’t regulate temperature all that well, it never has. I remember when I was eight or nine, in Capri with my dad, out at the old Guarracino taverna. We had been on a gozzo boat all day, and it was very hot. There was no AC in the taverna, that I can recall. I didn’t faint but I almost fainted, and that feeling has become all too familiar whenever I’m in warmer climes. I’ve gotten heat stroke with one boyfriend in Miami, and in Austin with another. I know better, to put it bluntly.

But also, for the sake of full transparency, heat was only part of the equation.

The reality is I really couldn’t afford to take this trip this year. It’s pricey to travel solo, especially when hotels are your job. Even more so in peak season. To every person who purchased a guide from happyhoteling.com or upgraded to paid on here in the last 3 weeks, I cannot thank you enough. You paid for my meals.

Financially, I would have been totally fine without f-ing Mt. Etna derailing my trip. I had pre-paid for my hotels on the Aeolian Islands, which I did not get refunds for. As you can imagine, when you need to book five nights of hotels at the very last minute, late-July, rates are insanely high. But, I had no choice. With this as my job, I don’t really have the luxury of staying at somewhere low on the Marriott foodchain, nor would I want to. Nightly rates were nearly double that for days at least two weeks out, and this ate into my budget very quickly. Sure, I could have stayed for the 5 nights in Cilento I had planned (and was so excited about), but then I would be returning home in a bad financial place. I didn’t want to be there.

Lastly, my dad, who lives in assisted living, can only be reached by phone through the nurse’s station, and with the time difference, it was nearly impossible to speak with him. He’s about to be 88, just had COVID, and it was making me sweat, figuratively.

I hope by being transparent, you can know the all-too-frequent reality of travel journalists – it’s not a particularly high-paying job. Did I get an offer for a Big Name Global Campaign while I was gone? Yes. But, I do not think of myself as an influencer, and I do not sell my global rights for a low-ball number.

Italian Summer 2024: The MVPs (Most Valuable Products)

I spent 19 days abroad, with a carry-on and a small $9 Amazon duffle, and it was a whopping success. As you know, I’m a more is more type of girl, but I knew for this trip it needed to be quite the opposite. Especially as I was supposed to be in Italy for 5 more days, which I still would have had at least two new outfits for. I am no scientist, but I do think I mastered the Italian Summer equation.

I should quantify that “io sono piccola” - I’m a small human. It was also hotter than Paris Hilton in 2001, so my clothes, which are always small, were extra small. I should also quantify that I don’t and have never believed in the need to buy a new vacation wardrobe every summer. I think this is key, at least one of them.

The Away Bigger Carry-On Flex is the MVP of MVPs. It’s not chic, it doesn’t excite me, but it most definitely serves me. I, quite literally, did an audit of every single carry-on on the market looking for the largest capacity and lowest weight, and it turns out the suitcase I already had was the winner, by far. No, it doesn’t make the Ryanair cut, but it made it for both of my international flights. I’ve never lifted an arm weight over 2 lbs, so I can’t put it in the overhead bin by myself, but I could easily get it on and off the countless trains and ferries I went on. I have it in Navy, which I find to be the least-offensive color, although the blanding of Away really leaves a lot to be desired. That’s not the point. If you’ve been on this eternal quest with me, you’ve made it to your final destination.

For the duffel, I wanted something that was light as a feather and that I wouldn’t care less about if it disintegrated. This did the damn job. Because I was moving around so much, I would pack the clothes I would likely want to wear for the next hotel stop in the duffel. Along with my laptop, insulated case for my Xolair medication, and toiletries.

Also, the lay-flat method wins for the suitcase, the roll method for the duffel. A mighty duo. F the packing cubes, too much zipper action for me.

As much as I’m over it, my Dragon Diffusion bag (once it becomes a trend, I’m usually out) that I got at the Matches store in London last year fits far more than any other handbag. Enough for my five EpiPens, Leica camera, four pouches filled with anything you could ever need or want, a travel charger, a travel fan, a bottle of sunscreen, a bottle of water, a short hardcover novel, and the other obvious things. I brought two other much cuter and more exciting bags on the trip, but never made the swap, even once.

I wore three pairs of shoes the entire time. But one during the day, every day. My tried and true Melissa jellies, in the highly neutral (in my wardrobe, at least) kelly green. They have all the sole traction you need for cobblestones. They are breathable, key for July. They give your feet a hard shell for the inevitable time where you or someone else rolls a suitcase over your toes. They are waterproof, obviously, and an Italian rocky beach’s best friend. Also, I’ve always found them to be cute and even somewhat chic, and they’re not going out of style like The Row jellies of the moment (plus, they don’t break).

Now, let’s talk face. I’ve never been one for a full beat, and truly don’t understand its place on a summer vacation. Let the tan talk and keep it simple. This is coming from a very newly reformed Packer of Every Product. In the past, I’ve used the pricey moisturizers, Augstinus Bader, La Mer, Furtuna, Tatcha, One Skin…you name it. I always come back to my Holy Grail, the La Roche-Posay Toleriane Dermallergo Ultra Soothing Repair Face Moisturizer, found at pharmacies in the US and Europe alike. It’s perfect. And plays very well with minimal makeup and post-sun. For face sunscreen, I wore the Innbeauty Mineral Sun Glow every day. I never got even the slightest burn, and I was in the sun a whole lot. As for makeup, I only used two products the entire trip: my holy grail, Merit’s The Minimalist Stick, and to even out my skin tone and enhance the tan, the Makeup by Mario SoftSculpt Transforming Skin Enhancer, applied with my one and only brush I love, Saie’s The Big Brush. I brought mascara and blush and one eyeshadow, and never used them.

For hair, I’m an air dry always girl, and Davine’s VOLU Shampoo is the only product I brought. I’m fine with the hotel conditioner. I think I may have been blessed in the hair department to make up for my deficiencies in the allergy department.

If you have a man to set me up with, you can tell them in complete honesty it takes me two minutes to get ready.

As for the clothing MVPs, the cotton Pucci pareo (option 1, 2, 3) never stops giving. It can obviously be worn in a million ways, but also works as the perfect little pillow for your lettino (sunbed) at a beach club. The same goes for the Solid & Striped Oxford Tunic, which sadly this year only came in the eyelet version (which I wore 50% of the time), but my favorite is this striped version that I can only find on this random website. The key is cotton, long enough to be a coverup, but chic enough to tie up to wear over a dress for a Train Day (I find that if I’m going to get sunburned anywhere, it will be on my arms, waiting for some sort of transportation). Lastly, Reformation makes a great cotton summer dress. I think a long, lightweight silhouette is the solution for short-haul flights and trains, as I for one do not like raw-dogging my legs on public transportation. My go-to this year was from last season and no longer available, but this, this, this, and this are all great options that serve the same purpose. Also, humidity is nature’s steamer, and life is too short to worry about wrinkles (of all the sorts, if I’m being really honest).

As for jewelry, At Present necklaces for the win. They gifted me this perfect pop of color coin necklace, which I haven’t taken off once. And I continued to wear my favorite food (olives) around my neck, alternating between this version and a pearl version which is no longer available.

In no news to you, the last MVP(s) were the two down toddler pillows I live and dream by. A must for any fellow Bed Snob.

In case you were wondering, if I weren’t on a budget this year, my Pucci Piece of the Summer would have been either this perfect pencil skirt, this chic oversized dress, or one of these two pairs of timeless and perennially cool pants. My Sunglasses of the Summer would have been these.

The Capri Curation, Summer 2024

I’m writing this from my last day in my favorite place on Earth. I can’t tell you how special this island is to me. But, I would be remiss not to mention that I do, in fact, get special treatment. That doesn’t negate the incredible specialness of the island for everyone, but it does make it a less expensive destination for me. Still, far less expensive than The Amalfi Coast, for anyone.

This is my first time ever being on-island late-July, and man, it’s hot. Too hot. June is my month, and will be forever going forward. September is also lovely. But, hot or not, the beauty of the island is so indescribable, the energy so palpable, the sea so swimmable – Capri has been the highlight of this trip and every trip. Truly, I can’t imagine any Italian summer itinerary where it wouldn’t be.

Here’s the island latest, from the ground. Everything I did this year, and the answers to all the questions you’ve been asking.