Destination guides

Written from inside the rooms

Where to stay, how to get there, and what each place is wrong for. All from tours and stays, kept current as I travel.

Start here

Choosing the trip

The guides

Place by place

The Cyclades

Santorini

The island that introduced the world to Cycladic luxury.

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Italy

Lake Como

Six hotels from October 2026 stays and tours, and how to arrive by boat.

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Italy

The Dolomites

Where to base yourself, five hotels from October 2026 stays and tours, and how to get there.

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Italy

Tuscany

Three borghi and three castles and estates, matched to the traveler.

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The Cyclades

Mykonos

Luxury meets its playful side.

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The Cyclades

Paros

The island everyone quietly falls in love with.

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The Cyclades

Sifnos

The island where Greece slows down.

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The Cyclades

Milos

Nature’s masterpiece in the Cyclades.

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The Cyclades

Folegandros

Dramatic cliffs, unhurried luxury.

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Greece

Athens

Much more than a gateway to the islands.

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Wine country

Napa & Sonoma

Nine hotels, ranked from personal stays.

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Italy

Florence

Four hotels, in the city or the hills above it.

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Italy

Rome

Nine hotels from October 2026 stays and visits, and where to start La Dolce Vita.

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Italy

Venice

Four palaces toured in October 2026, and the gateway to the Dolomites.

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Italy

The Amalfi Coast

Stayed at Le Sirenuse and toured Il San Pietro and Villa Treville in October 2026: where to stay in Positano.

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Italy · The train

La Dolce Vita Orient Express

Toured in October 2026: the lounge, the cabins, and every journey and fare.

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Italy · The journey

Rome, the train and Venice

La Minerva, La Dolce Vita and Orient Express Venice in one trip.

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Italy · The journey

Aman Venice + Aman Rosa Alpina

The Grand Canal, then the Dolomites, in one trip.

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The Adriatic

Montenegro

Hotel-by-hotel reviews, updated as I visit.

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France

Zannier Île de Bendor

Provence’s private island, ready to book.

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The map

Featured Destinations

Italy, Paris, Greece, Japan, Africa & Mexico, and the hotels I’d send my own family to.

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Torn between two?

The destination head-to-heads

The either⁄or questions I’m asked most, settled honestly, with the hotel decisions nested inside each.

The fine print

The logistics

One question

Where and when?

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