Destination guides
Where to stay, how to get there, and what each place is wrong for. All from tours and stays, kept current as I travel.
Fourteen islands placed honestly on two axes, plus the 21 hotels I’d actually book, and who each island is for.
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Which islands belong on the same trip: five combinations built around the ferries and flights that actually exist.
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Five islands, fourteen nights, zero ferries. The exact itinerary I’d book for myself, with real costs.
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One Greece trip from first email to finished itinerary, and what actually lands in your inbox.
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The island that introduced the world to Cycladic luxury.
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Six hotels from October 2026 stays and tours, and how to arrive by boat.
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Where to base yourself, five hotels from October 2026 stays and tours, and how to get there.
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Three borghi and three castles and estates, matched to the traveler.
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Luxury meets its playful side.
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The island everyone quietly falls in love with.
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The island where Greece slows down.
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Nature’s masterpiece in the Cyclades.
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Dramatic cliffs, unhurried luxury.
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Much more than a gateway to the islands.
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Nine hotels, ranked from personal stays.
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Four hotels, in the city or the hills above it.
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Nine hotels from October 2026 stays and visits, and where to start La Dolce Vita.
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Four palaces toured in October 2026, and the gateway to the Dolomites.
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Stayed at Le Sirenuse and toured Il San Pietro and Villa Treville in October 2026: where to stay in Positano.
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Toured in October 2026: the lounge, the cabins, and every journey and fare.
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La Minerva, La Dolce Vita and Orient Express Venice in one trip.
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The Grand Canal, then the Dolomites, in one trip.
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Hotel-by-hotel reviews, updated as I visit.
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Provence’s private island, ready to book.
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Italy, Paris, Greece, Japan, Africa & Mexico, and the hotels I’d send my own family to.
Read the guide →The either⁄or questions I’m asked most, settled honestly, with the hotel decisions nested inside each.
The caldera, or the island with another side.
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Same good looks, better food, a third of the attitude. Or the scene.
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The eating island or the swimming island.
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Where I spend my own time: the water or the table.
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My ranking says one valley; my calendar says the other.
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Choose your Riviera flag (the peninsula or the beach scene).
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Privacy and the sunset just outside town, or the scene in the middle of it.
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My two favorites in Positano: the classic, or the eclectic private estate.
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Five Greek ferry rules to know before booking anything.
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Three mistakes couples make between the Greek islands.
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The cheat sheet for getting there, and getting around.
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Island to island on your own schedule, from €1,000 per boat.
Read →Skip the reading if you’d rather. Tell me the trip and I’ll bring the guide to you.