May 2012
6 posts
10 tags
Honor & Folly B&B: Detroit, Michigan
Honor & Folly B&B.
I’ve been a fan of the Designtripper blog for a long time, and I was so excited when I came across Meghan McEwen’s B&B that she started in Detroit: Honor & Folly.
The first thing that stands out to me about this place is just how comfortable it feels. It’s absolutely somewhere I could see myself living, and definitely somewhere I’d...
8 tags
Let's Paint the Town Blue! Júzcar, Spain
The Smurfs took over this little town of Júzcar (population: 220-ish) in Spain in 2011.
The couple hundred residents voted and agreed to let Sony paint the entire town blue. No, really. Imagine the sudden flow of tourists! It’s not hard to understand why they decided to keep it after the movie was done filming.
I think the blue is actually beautiful. It brightens up the whole town and...
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Buenos Aires, Argentina: Legado Mitico Hotel
Legado Mitico Hotel.
If you haven’t noticed already, I have a thing for libraries with leather couches.
I’m just in love with the color scheme here: the dark browns, the deep reds, and the neutral cream colors.
Each of the rooms of this hotel are actually themed after a historical character, for example: Eva Peron or Che Guevara. You’ll find customized elements in your...
9 tags
Lamu, Kenya: Lamu Beach House
Lamu Beach House.
Expansive space, white walls and simple wood furnishings.
This beach house is definitely the right way to escape from all your worries. With an unspoilt panoramic view right on the water, you can take in everything from your backyard.
Things I love: Dark wood ceiling beams. Huge archways on the back patio. Authentic Swahili craftsmanship all around the house. 4 staff...
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Adventurers Who Travel Different: Roadmonkey,...
Roadmonkey: Adventure Philanthropy.
I’m really loving all the “adventure travel with purpose” opportunities that I’ve been coming across lately. You get to see the world from a more unique point of view, and make someone else’s life a little bit better at the same time.
Roadmonkey provides adventure philanthropy tours to exotic corners of the world.
Build a...
April 2012
4 posts
9 tags
Italian Fix: "Fall in Love," Le Cinque Terre Tour
(via ItalianFix.com)
Fall in love with the Cinque Terre.
I’ve already made it pretty clear that this is my favorite place on earth. I’ve spent days just wandering the narrow walkways of each of the five towns of the Cinque Terre and it just feels like home.
What I love about this tour is how intimate it is. The group is limited to 10 people, and the activities really give...
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Hokkaido, Japan: Kimamaya Boutique Hotel
Fancy finding a modern Swiss chalet in the middle of Japan.
Kimamaya Boutique Hotel is a Design Hotel, located by Niseko, one of Japan’s fantastic ski resorts. The petite 9-room hotel combines a little bit of authentic Hokkaido farm architecture with a little bit of sleek Scandinavian style.
Get Zen.
I would just love to come home from a long day on the slopes and step into the...
4 tags
March 2012
7 posts
6 tags
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The Cube Pavilion, by Park Associati
How would you like to have dinner atop a major landmark or historical monument?
The Cube Pavilion, designed by the architects of Park Associati, and commissioned by Electrolux, allows you to do just that.
This pop-up restaurant was launched last April in Brussels, on top of the Parc du Cinquentenaire, and is traveling across Europe to sit temporarily on top of major sites to provide guests...
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Holi, The Festival of Colors
Happy Holi!
This beautiful festival of spring is being celebrated today across many parts of the world.
Primarily a Hindu ritual, the day is marked by a fantastic rainbow of colorful scented powders that revelers throw at each other. At night, bonfires are lit, and the festivities continue in order to welcome the beginning of the season.
One of the great things I’ve read about this...
London, England: Palmer's Lodge Swiss Cottage...
In London and on a budget? Take a look at the Swiss Cottage Boutique Hostel, a Palmer’s Lodge property.
Actually, even if you’re not on a budget, check it out. I stayed there way back in 2008 when I was backpacking through Europe, and it’s still one of my favorite hostels in Europe.
The building just has so much character, and it fits right into London’s historical...
February 2012
5 posts
4 tags
Adventures in Philly
I was not expecting this, but I totally loved Philly. Loved it.
I was there for just a few days last week and took advantage of the time to explore as much of the city as I could. Luckily, I had the perfect tour guide in the form of my boyfriend who is originally from Philly, and was more than happy to show me around his hometown.
I love that it’s such a walking city, and that...
6 tags
Relief Riders International
Relief Riders International.
Adventure with a purpose. So amazing!
For those of you who want to do more than just adventure travel, Relief Riders International is a great way to have a grand adventure and do something good at the same time. The program takes you by horseback to remote villages to provide everything from medical care to education to food aid.
Relief Riders International has a...
4 tags
Civita di Bagnoregio, Italy
YOU GUYS. This place exists.
We have to go immediately.
Due to erosion and landslides, the only thing keeping this town connected to the rest of the world is a pedestrian footbridge.
The town was built by ancient Etruscans about 60 miles north of Rome, with carved rock archways, narrow footpaths and multitudes of wine cellars. Just reading about this town makes me hungry. Ancient olive...
6 tags
An Italian Christmas Story, by Brittany Carson
My awesome friend Brittany Carson spent two weeks in Italy (Yep, I’m green with jealousy). As soon as she showed me a few of her beautiful photos of my favorite place on earth, I knew I had to have her tell you all a little about her trip! Enjoy!
—
Buon Giorno Readers!
A month ago, I went on a two week Christmas family vacation to Florence, Italy. Right now you’re probably...
4 tags
January 2012
14 posts
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Unstitched: How I Travel
Lillian from Unstitched, a really fun design blog with lots of travel sprinkled in, asked me to do a blog feature called “How I Travel.”
Want to see how I pack + travel? Check it out!
3 tags
@TripIt Visualization: My Last 2 Years in Travel
This little project by @gem_ray is kind of fantastic.
It pulled in my TripIt stats from the last 2 years(-ish) and created some cool visualizations, including:
Which trips I fly the most (LAX - PVG. Seriously racking up the miles there.)
How long I’ve spent on those flights (3+ days spent just flying back and forth from LAX to Shanghai?! Ouch.)
My fave airports (LAX)
Which airline I...
5 tags
Grand Opening: Palihotel Melrose
Palihotel Melrose. Los Angeles, CA.
Eek! I kind of don’t want to share this deal because I don’t want it to sell out before I can convince myself to buy it.
UrbanDaddy Perks is having a deal to get all of this for $400:
2 nights at Palihotel Melrose in a Queen room with a terrace
A “Raid the Minibar” bundle - which I assume means you get to.. raid the minibar for...
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Weekend Adventures, Pt. 3: Huangshan Villages
Yup, there’s a Part 3.
I spent my last day in Huangshan visiting a few of the other villages and sites around the area.
I also stopped at the Mukang Bamboo Forest, where scenes of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon were filmed. It’s spectacular. Not a single sound but bamboo rustling in the wind. I climbed about 1,000 steps to the top, with a beautiful view of the tiny little town of...
Anonymous asked: HELLO! I have been an avid follower of you blog for a long time now and find your information/photos absolutely indispensible!!! I am about to go to Marrakech on the 29th of January until the 3rd of February. We wanted to go to Essouria as well. Do you have any advice/places to go/things to do etc! Thank you so much. Jemima
8 tags
Tanzania, Africa: Chole Mjini Treehouse Lodge
Chole Mjini Treehouse Lodge.
I love this eco-lodge hideaway in Tanzania.
Built on Chole Island, this lodge stays true to its environmental ideology while maintaining its own individual character and design.
Chole Mjini focuses on being green, and on contributing heavily to the local community.
The Chole Mjini Conservation & Development Company has actually built a primary school and an...
6 tags
Södermalm, Sweden: Home to the Girl with the...
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.
Did you watch it yet?! You should. And then you should go visit this gorgeous, gorgeous little town.
There’s definitely nothing that stokes my wanderlust more than watching a movie set in a beautiful, not-yet-explored (by me) place.
The movie was filmed in Stockholm, Sweden, mostly set in a province called Södermalm, which covers an island...
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Opening: The Ace Hotel in Los Angeles
The Ace Hotel is coming to LA!
If you haven’t heard yet, they’re planning to take over the old United Artists Theatre on Broadway. What’s more, rumor is that they’ll be keeping and renovating the theatre itself.
The United Artists Theatre was opened in 1927 as the flagship house for the studio, and it was the city’s tallest privately owned structure until 1956....
7 tags
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December 2011
6 posts
8 tags
7 tags
Adventures in Xidi, Pt. 2: Pig's Heaven Inn
Pig’s Heaven Inn is a hidden haven in the midst of a beautiful ancient village called Xidi, just outside Huangshan (the Yellow Mountain).
After finding myself at just another oak doorway in a narrow alley, I was surprised to find such an warm escape waiting inside. Sunlight streams in through the skywell into the patio. Brightly colored lanterns line the sitting area in the bottom...
7 tags
Adventures in Xidi, Pt. 1
I check out of the Kerry Hotel in Shanghai at 5AM, when it’s still dark outside. Jump in a cab and ask him to take me to the bus station. Weird look. “Really? You want to take a long-distance bus…?” “Yes sir, the bus station, please.”
Apparently girls don’t travel alone by bus too often in Shanghai.
We speed past the city, bridges, skyscrapers just...
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“If you’re twenty-two, physically fit, hungry to learn and be better, I urge you...”
– Anthony Bourdain.
Medium Raw: A Bloody Valentine to the World of Food and the People Who Cook.
November 2011
9 posts
6 tags
Wasserauen, Switzerland: Äscher Cliff Restaurant
Yep, I would definitely be willing to hike 3 hours to eat at the Äscher Cliff Restaurant in Switzerland.
You have to climb about 770m in altitude from Wasserauen Station, a relatively challenging uphill hike. But the perks? You get this view… and Swiss rösti.
(Photo from My Switzerland)
10 tags
Home for the Holidays: Santa Rosa, CA
Santa Rosa.
Wine country. Rolling hills and grapevines. Warm fall colors everywhere and the perfect amount of chill in the air.
Gotta love going home for the holidays. I always make sure to visit a couple of my favorite places in Santa Rosa, no matter how short the trip.
Aroma Roasters.
Located in Railroad Square, Aromas is a colorful cafe + ice cream shop with lots of character. Good...
1 tag
Happy 100 (Posts)!
Just realized this is my 100th post!
I just want to take a second to thank you all so much for reading my blog, and I hope you’ve enjoyed reading some of these posts as much as I’ve had researching and writing them. Plus, I hope it’s inspired at least one of you out there to go somewhere unexpected and awesome.
So, I thought I’d get a little personal for this post and...
7 tags
Pang Mapha, Thailand: Cave Lodge
Cave Lodge.
A mountain lodge located just next to Tham Lod, a famous cave, this lodge offers tours all over the area: kayaking, cave exploring, trekking, and meeting the friendly hill tribe villages nearby.
The bungalows were designed based on traditional hillside villages, and have an open, welcoming feel with lots of natural materials. Hammocks, swings, and lots of wildlife to see!
See more...
12 tags
Mr. and Mrs. Smith Hotels Roundup
Mr. and Mrs. Smith Hotels carefully curates top boutique hotels from around the world with anonymous reviews, and they do a great job of showing lots of photos, reviews, and first-person commentary.
I was stoked to see that Hipmunk has added Mr. and Mrs. Smith Hotels to their hotel lineup.
So in honor of that, I decided to gather up a few of the many gorgeous boutique hotels available on...
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Bali, Indonesia: Desa Seni
Desa Seni Village Resort.
I love that this resort feels a little bit more real than the standard over-the-top luxury resorts you might expect from a place like Bali (not that I’d complain about a chance to stay in any one of those resorts..).
Built in refurbished antique wooden Balinese huts, the guesthouses of Desa Seni feel a lot more organic. It’s located just a short walk...