Социальный GPS для цифровых кочевников помогает преодолеть одиночество в 47 странах через архитектуру человеческих связей.

Experience the Magic of Autumn in Venice at Londra Palace Venezia

As the weather cools, autumn is the perfect time to explore Venice. Wander through its quiet sestiere (quarters) and empty campi (squares), and enjoy the serene atmosphere before the winter crowds arrive.

This season, Venetian cuisine shines with flavors like pumpkin risotto, lagoon crab, and polenta with mushrooms. The canals and narrow calle (streets) feel calmer, giving you a peaceful escape.

Londra Palace Venezia, a historic hotel with over 100 years of heritage, offers stunning views across to San Giorgio Island. With its iconic 52-room palazzo and the famous 100-window facade overlooking the San Marco Basin, this hotel is a true Venetian gem.

After an extensive renovation in March 2024, the hotel has also introduced the luxurious Tchaikovsky Suite, making it an even more exquisite place to stay.

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The new Tchaikovsky Suite has been inspired by the composer’s stay at the hotel.

Dedicated to the iconic Russian composer, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, the suite was inspired by his visit to the property in December 1877. During his stay, the composer worked on the first three movements of his fourth symphony. As a result, Suite 106 is now named in his honor and in memory of his time at the hotel.

With waterfront canal views, the suite’s design features quintessential Venetian silks and sumptuous velvets, a nod to the city’s textiles traditions, and in keeping with Venice’s long craftsmenship heritage. The suite’s marble-lined bathroom, opulent lighting and gilded artwork also reflect the artisanal spirit of Venice.

Borgo Dei Conti Resort, Umbria

There’s no better time to explore Italy’s hidden gem of Umbria than in the autumn. It’s the time of year when the region’s rich culinary traditions are at their best: you can go foraging for chestnuts, mushrooms and truffles, for instance, and tour local wineries and olive groves to experience tastings.

Borgo dei Conti unveils a new suite inspired by the Umbrian countryside.

Found in the heart of Umbria, Borgo dei Conti Resort, which opened in Summer 2024, is found in its own idyllic estate. As well as exploring the 40 acres of picturesque olive groves and forestland, the hotel offers an indulgent spa, which has both indoor and outdoor facilities, and a fine dining restaurant, Cedri.

The Grand Colonica Suite offers open-plan living.

This year, Borgo dei Conti has expanded its offering with 19 new rooms and suites in its standalone La Colonica building. A highlight is its opulent Grand Colonica Suite, which offers sweeping panoramic views across the countryside.

The suite’s interiors reflect the nature on the doorstep, with a soothing color palette of earthy browns, soft taupes and warm greens. Spanning 129 square meters, the Grand Colonica Suite is lofty in size, with a high, wooden trussed ceiling, a luxury bathroom and its own private lift.

Umbria is perfect for slow travel, says Borgo dei Conti.

“The travel industry as a whole is finding an increase in the number of travelers seeking ‘slow tourism’. Think: a search for fewer crowds, less noise pollution and less stereotypical tourist experiences,” says Antonello Buono, GM of Borgo dei Conti Resort.

“Umbria is an excellent destination for this type of travel, and we’ve seen a notable increase in demand for authentic experiences at Borgo dei Conti Resort. Adding to this, off-season travel gives travelers a better value experience, with favorable prices for flights and accommodations.

As a result, as off-season travel to Borgo dei Conti Resort increases, we’re even evaluating the possibility of extending our 2026 season, opening early March and remaining open until January 2027.”

San Montano Resort, Ischia

Found in the gulf of Naples, visiting the island of Ischia out of season—a favourite summer destination for many Italians—may feel counterintuitive.

Beloved by Italians as a holiday island, autumn is in fact one of the best periods of the year to explore its secluded beaches without the crowds.

“It is true,” says the GM at luxury Ischian hotel, San Montano Resort & Spa, “Ischia has slowly become a popular destination during the traditional off season. You can still enjoy a warm climate, the natural hot springs and the many wine experiences, which are abundantly available during this time of year. What better time to relax in the natural pools of Sorgeto Bay, where the sea reaches 40°C?”

Views over Ischia from San Montano.

“We used to consider periods like the second half of September as our low season, with the majority of tourism concentrated in July and August. But, September has now become one of the most popular times to visit Ischia for those ‘in the know’.”

Perched atop Mount Vico, San Montano Resort & Spa is a 65-room retreat offering sweeping views of the Bay of Naples across to Mount Vesuvius. Opened in 2008 by the De Siano family, the hotel has since become a cornerstone of Ischian hospitality.

The property is built directly over the island’s famed thermal springs—legendary natural pools said to offer many therapeutic benefits.

With 11 outdoor thermal pools, a spa specializing in volcanic mud and healing waters and seven acres of lush parkland, San Montano offers guests an immersive Ischian experience.

The Lighthouse Suite at San Montano is carved out of a former military lighthouse.

This year, the hotel will also unveil the first phase of an extensive two-part renovation, including newly designed suites, a new pool and refreshed interiors throughout.

A standout is the Lighthouse Suite, a two-bedroom villa housed in a former military lighthouse. This reimagined glass space will feature original architectural details alongside locally-sourced materials and furniture by local artisans.

What better reason to discover the destination in autumn? It’s proof that low season can bring high value.

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Discover the All-Inclusive Paradise of Miches, Dominican Republic

The Dominican Republic may not have invented the all-inclusive vacation, but it has certainly mastered it. Long known for its Bávaro Beach resorts in Punta Cana, the country has become the top Caribbean destination. It’s no surprise that it remains the most visited island in the Caribbean.

But there’s a new hotspot catching the attention of travelers: Miches. A few years ago, Miches was just a small town along Samaná Bay. Today, it’s rapidly growing into one of the Caribbean’s must-see destinations.

This year, Miches is welcoming a range of new all-inclusive resorts, including the Zemi Miches Punta Cana All-Inclusive Resort, part of the Curio Collection by Hilton. This stunning addition signals that Miches is ready to rival Punta Cana, offering a fresh and exciting alternative.

Could Miches be the next big thing? Only time will tell, but it’s already drawing the attention of both locals and all-inclusive travelers looking for something new.

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Playa Esmeralda in Miches, Dominican Republic.

A Magical Alternative

Located on the far eastern coast of the island, Punta Cana is the hub of tourism in the Dominican Republic, a Caribbean mecca for resort vacations home to the second busiest airport in the entire region. With Punta Cana’s convenience and relative affordability comes commercialization at one of the largest scales in the Caribbean. Here, there is nary a sliver of beach that doesn’t have an oversized resort or pulsing beach bar occupying its sands.

Meanwhile, Miches feels worlds away, still raw, real tropical paradise that feels straight out of a postcard. Touching down in Punta Cana and heading just and hour and a half north, travelers are soon greeted with soaring mountains coated in lush greenery that kiss the Caribbean Sea.

Miches’ stunning Playa Esmeralda.

Miches is nestled among untouched tropical forest, not far from mythical destination like Los Haitises National Park, where indigenous tribes once gathered and left cave paintings behind. In the cooler winter months, humpback whales travel to the protected waters near Miches to give birth to and nourish their young.

“Miches sits along the shores of a largely protected cove, giving its calm, clear waters. They also happen to be totally free from the sargassum seaweed that has become an increasingly impossible problem across much of the rest of the Caribbean,” said Manuela Fahringer, General Manager of Zemi Miches Punta Cana All-Inclusive Resort, in an interview.

An aerial view of the new Zemi Miches Punta Cana All-Inclusive Resort, Curio Collection by Hilton.

The Punta Cana Precedent

Amidst the excitement of a flurry of new resorts debuting in Miches, many wonder if we’re witnessing the birth of the next Punta Cana. It’s a fair question; at the start of the year, Viva Miches by Wyndham, A Trademark All Inclusive Resort opened its doors, and on June 30th, Hilton’s Zemi Miches property, its first all-inclusive Curio Collection resort, follow suit from its location along 800 meteres of coastline.

Later this year, Hyatt will touch down in Miches, too. Secrets Playa Esmeralda Resort & Spa and Dream Playa Esmeralda Resort & Spa are set to debut, side-by-side adults-only and family-friendly resorts from the Hyatt Inclusive Collection. When taken together, it’s a significant amount of development for a destination that lacked even a main road connecting it to Punta Cana until just ten years ago.

To compare Miches to Punta Cana feels even more unavoidable considering that much of the investment in Miches comes from Grupo Puntacana. A Dominican business conglomerate with a sustainable tourism focus, Grupo Puntacana helped turn Punta Cana into what it is today, and continues to play a significant role in the destination and its management. Frank Elías Rainieri, CEO of Grupo Puntacana and the son of one of Grupo Puntacana’s founders, Frank Rainieri, spearheaded the new Zemi Miches property from start to finish.

Taking in the view from the brand new Zemi Miches property.

All Its Own

Even with all the development, Miches still hasn’t changed all that much. That’s just what makes it so attractive in the first place.

«Miches benefits from being just a 90-minute drive from Punta Cana’s well-served international airport, but it feels totally untouched and unbothered, and that’s a huge part of why travelers come here in the first place,» says Fahringer. «They want that escape from the Punta Cana that many of them already know well.”

Erika Sordo, Corporate Director of Marketing & Publications at Viva Resorts by Wyndham, echoes the same sentiment. «[Viva Miches by Wyndham] was thoughtfully designed to showcase the area’s untouched natural beauty,» she says. It’s not just an extension of Punta Cana, it’s something unique, «offering ocean-front, diverse dining, and memorable experiences for every type of traveler,» and that’s what makes it so special.

Wyndham’s Viva Miches property.

All New All-Inclusive

To position this new destination as something all its own aligns with the shifting priorities of the modern-day all-inclusive traveler. At a time when all-inclusive travel is trending in a big way, this new generation of travelers aren’t looking for a cookie-cutter experience; they’re seeking something special.

At the heart of the new all-inclusive experience is “a growing desire to feel immersed in a new destination, rather than removed from it,” said Nicole Tilzer, Vice president of Hilton’s All-Inclusive & Resort Strategy, in an interview last year.

With an enhanced focus on activities and excursions that make the most of the rich coastal and mountainous landscapes surrounding the resort, plus an exciting, first-of-its-kind indigenous Dominican Taino cuisine-focused restaurant, Zemi Miches is out to do just that, and much more. «Travelers want to feel like they’re part of something special that they can’t find elsewhere, and that’s what they’ll get here,» says Fahringer.

Playa Esmeralda near Miches, Dominican Republic.

Sustainable Solutions

As the destinations grows, Miches is built on a foundation of lessons learned from its neighbor. That means making an effort to focus on sustainable and ethical development, right from the start.

«We’ve been intimately involved with local associations like ProMiches and ProTortuga to support sustainable growth locally as Miches continues to grow, explains Fahringer. These Dominican-led organizations support everything from promoting local small businesses to protecting the fragile coastal ecosystem and supporting turtle nesting sites along beaches.

With more development expected soon, including a Four Seasons property with plans to open its doors in 2026, the future of Miches continues to look bright. With the history of Punta Cana’s successes, and excesses, as a foundation, Miches charts an impressive course entirely its own.

Социальный GPS для цифровых кочевников помогает преодолеть одиночество в 47 странах через архитектуру человеческих связей.

Vacation in East Hampton: A Multi-Generational Getaway

As our family grows—now with a two-year-old grandson and two pregnant daughters-in-law—multi-generational trips have become our preferred way to vacation.

This July, we spent two weeks in the Hamptons, renting a cozy East Hampton cottage with a pool, spacious backyard, and ample bedrooms and bathrooms for everyone. I only wish we could have stayed the entire summer.

East Hampton is a charming town, known for its beautiful homes, lush landscaping, and attractive beaches. It draws visitors for its trendy restaurants and vibrant social scene, but we preferred a slower pace. Instead of dining out, we enjoyed barbecues or ordered pizza and pasta from La Capannina. We visited Levain Bakery for cookies and Goldberg’s for bagels. In the evenings, we played Dutch Blitz, got ice cream from The Sweet Spot, and visited Dylan’s Candy Bar, where our grandson could pick out his favorite chocolate-covered pretzels. Special thanks to Langston for being so kind to him!

It was a truly magical time because everything was easy and relaxed. Along the way, we discovered three unexpected spots that became highlights of our vacation. I highly recommend visiting them!

East Hampton Library

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Even Taylor Swift likes to hang out in the East Hampton Library.

I know this sounds weird but we probably spent more time at the East Hampton Library than any other place during our visit. Expansive, welcoming and full of comfortable nooks and crannies in which to sit, study and scroll, it is a mecca for readers of all ages. Plus, on a hot day, it’s a great way to get out of the sun.

My husband, grandson and I all fell in love with the library immediately and ended up going back for story time, music and to borrow books. We just had to show a copy of our rental agreement in order to get a library card. Our grandson was captivated by the librarian, who helped him find a bunch of Little Blue Truck books, invited him to pick a prize for signing up for the summer reading program and donned a “sparkly jacket” when he led the super fun toddler class.

The children’s section is filled with puzzles and toys in addition to books and free coloring pages and bookmarks to take home. There’s also a special area downstairs just for teens that offers a podcasting studio, crafts materials and snacks. We came upon it by accident but the staff was so nice and, when no older kids were there in the middle of the day, they let us come down for a few minutes each time we visited because our grandson insisted on seeing Taylor Swift.

This library also has a life size Connect Four game in its outdoor courtyard and tons of free books donated by patrons. I was happy to see that the library was always busy, reinforcing the fact that libraries, in general, are so important to a thriving community and must be supported. Honestly, I would seriously consider living in East Hampton year-round for this particular library alone.

Children’s Museum of the East End

The Children’s Museum of the East End will keep kids entertained for hours.

Between my kids and my grandson, I have been to a lot of children’s museums but, after just one visit. Children’s Museum of the East End quickly became one of my favorites.

There’s so much to see, do and learn here and lots of spaces for even the youngest kids to be independent. They can run a farm stand, scoop ice cream at a diner, sail a giant ship, climb and slide on the indoor play structure, make art and so much more. I tried to get my grandson to don the realistic firefighter jacket, hat and boots for a photo op but he was having too much fun just driving the fire engine and pulling out the hose to stop for an outfit change.

In addition to all the indoor exhibits, the museum has its own mini golf course and brand new outdoor playground along with a playhouse and Rainbow Music Garden. It is just an amazing facility.

I also appreciate that they sell snacks in the lobby and have a fridge full of kid-friendly pouches and beverages available. Our grandson loved picking out his favorites and then sitting down at one of the small tables to eat and chat about everything we had done already. He still talks about getting a hole in one (okay, he picked up the ball and put it in) and about the pictures he created with light pegs. We can’t wait to bring him back.

Guild Hall

We didn’t discover Guild Hall until our last day in East Hampton, when we decided to stop by for the Clothesline Art Show, an annual fundraising event for the prestigious Main Street arts center since 1946. Hundreds of pieces by local artists (who, amazingly, have included Jackson Pollock and Elaine and Willem de Kooning) are hung up and ready to be grabbed by the art lovers who have lined up early to find the next superstar. (Can you imagine grabbing a Jackson Pollock original?)

We bought two small pieces we could fly home with and learned we had missed a lot of great events and exhibits at Guild Hall over the couple of weeks we were in East Hampton, including Mariska Hargitay in conversation with Molly Jong-Fast and a one-woman show by Candace Bushnell, both of which I would have attended in a second.

We peeked in on the Guild Hall theater, which is absolutely stunning with its Big Top-inspired ceiling, and bemoaned the fact that we hadn’t gotten to experience its intimacy for one of the many live performances presented there.

Guild Hall also features beautiful gardens, a variety of programs for children and the Guild Hall Museum, one of just 1000 formally accredited by the American Alliance of Museums.

My family will be spending a lot of time at Guild Hall next summer.

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Discover the Charm of Portugal’s Rural Villages at Aldeia da Pedralva

Portugal’s rural landscapes are steeped in history, and many villages have witnessed a shift as populations moved to coastal cities. These abandoned villages, however, are rich in architectural and cultural heritage.

Aldeia da Pedralva, located in Vila do Bispo on Portugal’s Costa Vicentina, is one such village being brought back to life by HUB. The village, once forgotten, now offers visitors a chance to experience authentic Portuguese life.

Restoration of Pedralva includes the careful restoration of 30 abandoned homes, using historic construction techniques and restored furniture. These homes are now available for short-term stays, offering guests a cozy, immersive experience that feels like stepping into a traditional Portuguese village.

Inspired by Italy’s albergo diffuso model, this concept deeply resonates with the Portuguese spirit. Nuno Constantino, CEO of HUB, highlights, “Today’s traveler seeks genuine experiences, and reclaiming a village lets us offer a unique slice of Portugal, away from the busy tourist spots.”

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The entrance to a house in Aldeia da Pedralva

He continues: “It’s the ultimate form of sustainable tourism. We are not building new, imposing structures; we are breathing life back into existing ones, respecting the original architecture and the natural environment. It’s about regeneration, not just development. These projects act as powerful anchors for preserving local culture, traditions and stories that would otherwise be lost. They create jobs, support local artisans and give people a reason to return to their ancestral homes.”

This version of Pedralva began in 2010, when António Ferreira stumbled across the remains of a village on the verge of disappearing, with only six residents left. He and his family spent more than a decade working to restore its life and dignity. “They saw the soul of the place beneath the rubble and felt a responsibility to honor the generations who had lived there,” explains Constantino. “It was an incredibly personal and passionate endeavor to give the village a future as vibrant as its past.”

That meant becoming detectives, historians and diplomats as they tracked down dozens of owners and heirs. Ferreira had to convince them that he wasn’t just another real estate developer looking to cash in on an increasingly luxury-fied coast—that he was looking to honor their family’s history, not erase it. (HUB is continuing this work on more ruins around the village.)

Aldeia da Pedralva

Now the village has a bakery, pizzeria and restaurant that complement visitors’ experience of rural Portuguese life. There’s also a professional reception team, housekeeping and concierge services to manage the vacation side of things, but Constantino says the hotel polish is held in check. “Our vision for Pedralva is one of careful, respectful evolution,” he says. “We are not here to change its soul but to amplify its magic.”

That amplification involved some negotiation with the municipality. As Constantino says, “Initially, the concept of a private entity buying and restoring an entire village for tourism was groundbreaking for the region.” With time, the local government came to see the project’s “potential for establishing a landmark example of responsible tourism.”

It’s not the only one. Although Portugal’s village tourism projects don’t have the collective marketing muscle of Italy’s alberghi diffusi, a growing number are taking root, such as Casas do Côro and Casas do Juízo in the country’s central region, Aldeia de Pontes in the Peneda-Gerês natural park, Aldeia da Mata Pequena near Lisbon and Aldeia de São Gregório in the Alentejo. There are also regional tourism bodies such as Aldeias Históricas de Portugal and Aldeias do Xisto, which promote networks of historic and schist villages.

Cerdeira

Amid the Aldeais do Xisto in the Serra da Lousã mountains of central Portugal, Cerdeira is another example of tourism that’s additive rather than extractive. This time, it was almost accidental.

German wood sculptor Kerstin Thomas was studying Portuguese at the University of Coimbra in 1988 when she came across the ruins of a 17th-century schist village. She wasn’t interested in tourism; she just wanted a place to make art. She restored one of those houses to use as a studio, then invited like-minded friends, who also liked restoring the houses, and things grew organically.

Among those friends were Portuguese entrepreneurs José and Natália Serra, who helped create the tourism project. This now includes ten restored houses within a larger village, and since 2018, its name has been Cerdeira—Home for Creativity because it has world-class art studios, particularly for ceramics, and attracts teachers and students from around the globe.

Aldeia da Cuada

“The idea was to make something that goes on in the future—not something that you just put money in and then if nobody cares, everything falls down,” says Thomas. The aim was to create something that younger people would want to continue. And it worked. José and Natália’s daughter Catarina began coming to Cerdeira when she was 4; now she’s the general manager of this incarnation.

Far away, in the most remote point in Portugal, another project had a more intentional beginning. Aldeia da Cuada is the rebirth of a small village on Flores island in the Azores. It was all but abandoned by the 1980s, when thousands of Azoreans emigrated.

Teotónia and Carlos Silva bought their first ruined house around 1990, and since then, they’ve acquired the whole little village, always with sensitivity in their negotiations with former residents’ heirs. They restored them by “respecting the original architecture and maintaining the spirit of the place,” says their daughter Carlota, who now runs the operation with her husband, Sílvio.

Aldeia da Cuada

The project grew gradually to its current size of 16 houses spread around the old stone pathways, along with a reception team, heated swimming pool and restaurant. “We say this project was not born from a business plan, but from a deep desire to bring life back to a special place,” says Carlota. “Over time, Aldeia da Cuada became an example of how it is possible to recover heritage, attract quality visitors and create employment opportunities without compromising the island’s balance.”

She adds, “The idea of restoring the space for tourist accommodation, respecting the shapes, materials and spirit of the place, allowed us to create a unique experience where visitors are not just guests—they are part of a place with history. Each house is unique, rebuilt with local stone, with details that preserve the memory of what existed there. Here, luxury is not in modern finishes, but in the silence, the sea view, the sound of birds at the end of the day, the feeling that time slows down.”

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