The faint but distinct scent of burning wood always seems to linger around most ski resort towns, evoking that wrapped-up-in-a-wool-blanket-by-the-fireplace kind of feeling. In Queenstown—my first of many stops in New Zealand—I found myself captivated by remarkable snowcapped mountains, stunning landscapes, and a sense of adventure that many visitors find contagious.
Read MoreSpring is sprung, we've got super blooms coming right at us, and sometimes the coolest way to experience the glories and bounties of California is to get outta town. This time we're thinking a drive up the Central Coast to Morro Bay.
Read MoreI was told once that Chef Enrique Olvera’s cooking is all about time, and I remember thinking—time? How can a dish be all about time? In Mexico City, you can see a white piano, dangling in midair above an ancient body shop; you can squint up at skyscrapers that cantilever at impossible angles over street vendors. Modernity in CDMX constantly pushes up against the past.
Read MoreI’m always looking for Los Angeles abroad, so it was interesting—I want to say amazing—to be invited to the Saint James Hotel and find California in this unusual and very specifically Parisian place.
Read MoreThe remote islands of Fiji are on the frontlines of climate change in a way that us Angelenos can only imagine. In a city like LA, the days are getting hotter, the fires more primal, but the ocean is not in danger—yet—of washing us away. Not so in Fiji. The whole country is fragile and beautiful, so beautiful that, spend any time there at all, and you become hyper clear about just how much we have to lose.
Read MoreIt’s not always easy to manage a big faraway vacation—we all need some closer-to-home getaways that still feel like we’re actually getting away. On a good day, you’ll drive south to Laguna Beach in less than two hours and find yourself surrounded by a cute, quirky little beach town—sort of like how Malibu used to feel—filled with local boutiques, art galleries, great restaurants, surf shops, clean beaches, beautiful hikes, and a handful of stunning resorts.
The Montage Laguna Beach is perched on a clifftop overlooking the ocean and they’ve done a remarkable job making the property a one-stop paradise—you don’t really feel the need to leave. It’s easy to fill a weekend with luxurious spa treatments (take advantage of the spa’s quiet, adults-only pool, which arguably has the best view on the property), beach walks, pool lounging, and trying everything on offer at their three restaurants.
Read MoreUpstate New York has always served as a refuge for city dwellers, offering wide swaths of open pasture only a few hours train from the bustling heat of city centers. Every time I visited the Hudson Valley during my five years in New York, I jumped at the opportunity to witness seasons in full swing.
Read MoreA road trip from L.A. heads straight for the quiet spaces of the stunning southwest.A summer road trip, to me anyway, signals back to a time of absolute freedom—no worries, no time restrictions, no responsibilities—just exploration, of the mind, body, and spirit. Driving through storied places like Sedona and the Grand Canyon are enriching in a way no museum can be and offer nothing but space and time to just be. My destination, Bishop’s Lodge in Santa Fe (https://aubergeresorts.com/bishopslodge/), ended up being a true escape and a unique, hands-on way to experience the Land of Enchantment.
Read MoreThe Inn at Mattei’s Tavern in Los Olivos, now part of the luxurious Auberge Resorts collection of properties, reopened in February to debut modern guest rooms and an elevated, off-the-beaten-path experience not far from the L.A. bustle.
Read MoreMany of us Angelenos have been to Hawaii, and many of us also have that place. The Mauna Lani, Auberge Resorts Collection, is mine. It charms. It seduces. It gets under your skin.
It begins with the place. The hotel is situated on the Kohala Coast in Kalahuipua’a, a historic park. You can walk the sacred trail of the King Kamehameha as it threads its way through the ancient fishponds. A green sea turtle nursery teems with rescued turtles. In the gorgeous bay, humpback whales return year after year. Danny Akaka, a treasured cultural ambassador, has his own Talk Story corner in the soaring plant-filled lobby. Many of the staff have been there decades, considering themselves stewards of the property, and you can tell.
Read MoreI visited Stanly Ranch, an Auberge Resorts Collection property in South Napa Valley, as one of our recent atmospheric rivers dumped a bucket of water on our heads. Everything was misty, the fields, the birds (and worms!) visibly reveling in the rain. I’m here to tell you that, even soaked, Stanly Ranch is a gorgeous and revelatory property that is not just a beautiful hotel, but a working ranch as well.
Read MoreUs Angelenos have a handful of go-to weekend getaway destinations: Santa Barbara, San Francisco, Ojai… usually North and coastal. Bonus points if you make it to a vineyard. South Texas doesn’t immediately come to mind. After my 2-night stay at Hotel Emma at Pearl, however, I’m already scheming another visit to San Antonio.
Read MoreSurrounded by swooping palms and slow burning copal in the Yucatan Jungle, I felt instantly embraced by Habitas Bacalar.
Before I was led to my room, I was welcomed into a copal ceremony. While the tree resin burned, Habitas staff told stories of copal being used for thousands of years to clear land and spirit of negative energy.
From the shamanic breath work to the use of tamarind from the ancient trees that first lined the property when they began its construction, every choice is deeply intentional. The hotel honors tradition and weaves ancient practices into every guest activity from the moment I arrived.
Read MoreThere’s the Los Angeleno and the New Yorker, be it Brooklyn or Manhattan or Silverlake or Malibu. And there’s the people who belong a little bit to both places too, like me, born in New York, yet living in Los Angeles so long that I full-on call it home. And yet, every time I go to New York, something inside me still says: my town.
Last month I got to experience New York as a tourist at Williamsburg’s The William Vale Hotel. It’s an impressive building, especially as so much of the real estate in Brooklyn is relatively low. White stone and rising up on a base that almost looks laced, it’s hip and bustling, and all about the view.
Read MoreNot long after asking how I was managing the freeways and the traffic, locals kept telling me “you have to go to Ojai.” As a new LA resident, plenty of other beautiful desert, mountain and beach locales beckoned. But six months in, I finally heeded the advice. Driving up mid-week in January, I had twenty four hours to explore the famously unassuming, artsy town. Top of my agenda: Checking out two standouts in Ojai’s dining scene, which has seen an influx of new eateries and fresh culinary talent in the last couple of years.
Read MoreFor as long as I can remember, I’ve loved a good sunrise. It’s that feeling of waking up when the world is still calm and quiet—getting to experience the slow whirr of cars making their way to work, to school, everyone starting a new day with endless possibilities on the horizon. In the Maldives, sunrise hits a little bit differently. No news, no cars, no noise—maybe just a boat whizzing by in the distance. This is exactly what I traveled so far to find: peace and quiet.
Read MoreGoing on safari is one of those luxurious adventures that lands on most every traveler’s bucket list but can seem so distant and removed from our lives in the L.A. grind. After spending some time in South Africa’s Greater Kruger National Park, I can say this is exactly the trip I needed in order to really get away, unwind, refocus, and come back to my day-to-day life with a greater sense of purpose and conviction. I ate spectacularly—sometimes with a view of giraffes and elephants drinking from the waterhole—unclenched my shoulders in the spa, awoke to the sounds of baboons, explored the African bush searching for the Big Five, and made great new friends each evening back at the lodge.
Read MoreHere’s what we like about the Como Metropolitan London in Mayfair: it’s not only luxurious but minimalist—the main feature in its large rooms are the huge windows with an astounding view of Hyde Park. It has all the elegance and touches the Como Hotel Group is known for, like its Shambhala cuisine—we love how you can order just about anything and it will star fruits and vegetables—as well as a stellar spa. Nobu is right downstairs, should you need a taste of LA, and they make bento picnic boxes if you’re drawn to the gorgeous green of the park.
Read MoreI’ve long been intrigued by the volcanic wines of Santorini. Take a tour of the wine blogs, and you’ll hear about their complexity, with tastes of citrus, flint-stone, jasmine, honey and toast. You’ve also heard, most likely, that that Santorini is a place of two things: the young, carousing in the hip bars in Oia and Fira, and the old, day-trippers who flood the streets, buying trinkets and never straying too far from the shuttle back to their cruise ship. Last month, I decided to find out myself and lucked into Grace Hotel.
Read MoreA summer road trip to The Lodge at Blue Sky, Auberge Resorts Collection, opened up a world of outdoor activities that immersed our whole family in the stunning surrounding nature—and offered a much-needed unplugging from LA life.
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