WHERE TO NEXT?

Dear Traveler,


From the Bahamas to Buenos Aires...


After a quick 48 hour turnaround at home, I left for an overnight flight to Buenos Aires yesterday and landed this morning. I'll be here for almost two weeks, scouting out places and experiences in Buenos Aires and Bariloche, followed by the boutique, luxury travel conference Emotions BA. If you have any specific questions on travel to Peru, Patagonia, Argentina, Uruguay, Ecuador, Costa Rica, Panama, Mexico, Brazil etc. feel free to reply and I'll get you insights from my favorite in-the-know people.


We ate at a lot of delicious restaurants in the Bahamas! The photo above is from one of our favorites. I loved it so much I chose it as this week's Highlight. Read more below.


Although I'm excited to be in South America, I'm a bit sad too. I'm missing my son's acapella concert and Allison's return from Aspen. On top of that I'm so close to Jessie, but still a world apart. She's now having new adventures in Colombia - from dancing salsa to lounging in hip cafes to soaring through the sky paragliding - she is loving the country as much as I do.


This Saturday the next edition of Where to Next - Safari edition will come out. One of the most often asked questions I hear from travelers is "How do I decide where we should go on safari?" So I created a fun quiz to help you figure it out.


In keeping with my usual MO, there is a lot of great information and inspiration included in the answers. If you provide your email you'll get a few follow up emails with even more insights.


Where do you want to go on safari?


Take the quiz below to find out!

The INSPO + INFO articles below include lots of travel inspiration including tips from National Geographic to help you succeed as a travel photographer, why you should choose the Alps for your next summer adventure, Europe's best gourmet getaways, details on Picasso’s Málaga from The NY Times and must-visit Costa Rican parks from AFAR. 


Also information including why flights are so expensive right now, JetBlue's new flights to Europe, which airlines have couches in coach class cabins, visa backlogs and how to deal with strikes in Europe.


Happy spring!

Warmly,

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Below:

  • This week's highlight - Dune Beach Bar
  • Hot New Hotel Opening - Six Senses Crans-Montana
  • Where in the World is Jessie? Medellín, Colombia
  • Inspiration + Information

DUNE

Above is the view from the window inside the Dune bar at the Ocean Club, a Four Seasons resort on Paradise Island, where James Bond's Casino Royale was filmed.


Dune is a Caribbean-inspired restaurant by Jean-Georges Vongerichten. It is considered "unquestionably the chicest dining spot on Paradise Island." There is a "formal" dining room, but our preference was the more laid back setting on the deck outside the bar. Choose your favorite for a setting - it's the same menu in both places.


My suggestion is to either stay at the Ocean Club and have a daily cocktail at the Dune bar or if you are staying elsewhere, arrive a little before your reservation to enjoy cocktails in the bar before having dinner.


We were wowed by the lobster pizza and lobster with bok choy (that tasted like it was simmered in butter for hours). My poor photos in the shadow below don't do it justice. The view was lovely, the temperature was perfect and the sunset setting was a magical way to end the day.


The Ocean Club has a variety of room types and my favorites are those on the first floor where you simply walk outside onto your patio and straight to the pool or beach.


The Ocean Club has an infinity pool, family pool, clay tennis courts, Versailles-like gardens, bicycles, a luxurious spa and a long beach for leisurely sunset walks and energizing morning runs. They also have transfers to the nearby Atlantis and dining privileges at the Atlantis restaurants. Some might consider it the best of both - go to the crazy chaos when you want and then return to your relaxing respite when you are ready.


Four Seasons is currently offering a preferred partner promotion with the fourth night free through the beginning of December.

Check out the Truvay Travel perks at the Ocean Club

lobster

lobster pizza

📷 Four Seasons Ocean Club

🌟In February 2023, Six Senses Crans-Montana opened in the heart of the Swiss Alps


Why visit Six Senses Crans-Montana?

  • The hotel sits above the main gondola in Crans and offers ski in and out facilities. 
  • The 78 terrace rooms and suites have a Swiss chalet feel, with huge bay windows and private terraces facing the forest. 
  • A year-round resort, you can ski and snowshoe in the winter and hike, e-bike or paraglide in the summer. There is also rock climbing and a via ferrata nearby.
  • Wellness is front and center with a large spa that includes a wet room with sauna, steam rooms, a cold plunge pool and a sensory treatment room with floating pod.
  • It has an alchemy bar, a place to discover exotic potions of herbs, salts, fruits and essential oils that you can blend to make aromatic scrubs and masks. 
  • Spend time in the gym or at the two heated swimming pools - inside or outside on the roof.
  • Do your daily practice in the yoga room or schedule a biohacking consult. Hacks include compression therapy, pain relief, instant tension release and more.
  • Two restaurants within the hotel include Wild Cabin, the all-day brasserie specializing in locally sourced produce with a seasonal menu and Byakko, the resort’s signature restaurant that offers Japanese influenced specialties.


Use your credit from booking with Truvay Travel for a Takayama style ramen and sake cocktail at Byakko.

📷 Six Senses Crans-Montana

Reach out to plan your trip to Switzerland

(For those new to the newsletter, Jessie is our 19 year old daughter on a gap year. She spent the fall exploring Europe and is now adventuring around South America)


How do you follow an epic stay at the SkyLodge and hike up Machu Picchu? With a trip to Colombia to go paragliding outside of Medellín.


Jessie and Siska had a looooong trip to Colombia. Given their budget sensitivities and last minute planning, the flights proved to be pricey, so they took a combination of four flights (!!) through Ecuador to get there. 24 hours later just before midnight they landed.


Lucky for them the parents of one of Jessie's dear friends she met in Europe last fall, happen to own apartments in Medellín and her friend happened to be there. She sent the family's driver to pick up Jessie and Siska and bring them to one of their apartments. Jessie was so happy to have such a warm welcome and even more excited that she and Siska each had their own rooms for the first time on this trip.


Jessie's report on Medellín so far... "The restaurants and cafes here are insane. They’re everywhere and all so aesthetic and so good it’s crazy. We are at the Pergamino Cafe right now which is a famous coffee place and it's delicious. We also had the best Mexican food at Los Socios." You can see videos of her paragliding below. For those of you who have kids, you know seeing smiles like this on your kids' faces makes your heart happy!


After Medellín they headed to Cali, "the salsa capital of the world" and from there they'll be hiking through coffee plantations, exploring Cartagena and beaching it in Santa Marta. Finally after that I get to reunite with her in Mexico. I can't wait!

Jessie's take off

Jessie flying through the air

INSPIRATION


12 Eco-Friendly Luxury Hotels, Forbes


The best family holidays in Europe to take in 2023, Condé Nast


This thrilling Chilean trek is the world’s southernmost hike,

National Geographic


The Best Hollywood-Loved Places to Stay in The Maldives, Hollywood Reporter


Whale watching is booming. Here’s how to do it responsibly.,

National Geographic


The Masterclasses 2023: 10 practical tips to help you succeed as a travel photographer, National Geographic


Why choose the Alps for your next summer adventure, National Geographic


Europe's best gourmet getaways, National Geographic


Exploring Picasso’s Málaga, NYT


New Bargain Lodges Offer Rustic Comfort in the Heart of Nature, NYT


Whales, Sea Turtles, and Active Volcanoes—Here Are 9 Must-Visit Costa Rican Parks, AFAR


The 100 Best Restaurants in NYC 2023, NYT



INFORMATION


This Is Why Your Flights Are So Expensive Right Now, AFAR


JetBlue Adds New Flights to Europe—Just in Time for Summer, AFAR


For Your Next Long Flight, Book a Couch in Coach, NYT


A Visa Backlog Abroad Is Taking a Toll Inside the U.S., Too, NYT


As waves of strikes impact European airports, here's what you need to know before traveling, Lonely Planet


Google Maps is making it easier to explore national parks, Lonely Planet


(If you aren't able to access an NYT, WSJ or Washington Post article, send me a note and I'll send it to you in a PDF.)

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