Travel Diary June 2021

June 3, Provence, France

INTERIOR: A PROVENCAL MANSION. DAY. We open on a room with a small table. A window is open, revealing the French countryside in all its splendor. We see the silhouette of you, glancing over the top of your computer, view drifting into your own private garden filled with olive trees, lavender and pines. A breeze flutters the curtain, the scent of lavender fills the room. You set down your glasses and your novel, close your laptop, and walk out onto the stone terrace. Your head tilts up to the sun, and you look around. To the left, your friends are engaged in a game of pétanque. To your right, a loved one swings in a hammock under the trees. The sun glimmers on the metallic boule that rolls to your feet. Ball’s in your court, what will your day be like?

June 11, Cyclades, Greece

Newly liberated en masse, this summer is shaping into one of the most notable travel comebacks of our lifetimes. Though with its triumphant return, there will be crowds. We say: embrace the challenge on your own private Mediterranean island, at Greek Island Retreat. Here on 900 acres of pristine nature sanctuary, you’ll be sheltered in a 1920s Neo-classical villa, skirted by gardens and steps from the water’s edge. Certainly, it's a wise place to sip Ouzo on the terrace, share meals with your loved ones, and design your own comeback in the olive groves. And if you’re feeling social, wave to your neighbors (on the next island over).

*Don’t miss the last-minute availability for summer, link in bio.

June 14, Sardinia Island, Italy

Being in the vacation business, beds are our bread and butter and napping is part of our constitution. But the humble hammock – a universal symbol for relaxation – merits its own ode every once in a while. Here to sling you into a day-sleeping dreamscape is Borgo Lianti, set within four hectares of land with wild olive trees and granite rocks, where sheltered corners – many of them perfect for stealing winks or swaying in the breeze – are met with sea salt air and views of the Archipelago della Maddelena. In other words, the waking hours around here are no less than transcendent too.

June 18, Noto, Sicily

“To sit in the shade on a fine day, and look upon verdure, is the most perfect refreshment,” Jane Austen once said. We too could swap a glass of iced tea for the cool rustling leaves that surround Villa Vogue, a hilltop aerie in the UNESCO World Heritage-recognized Noto. Or, skip a trip to the wine store and instead imbibe the crisp, complex notes of the countryside that roll out to the Mediterranean. The way it lifts your cares and goes down with effervescence, greenery in immensity invites you to kick back, lounge and take in its five-sense-hitting cocktail. (That said, we also endorse you fetching a glass of your favorite libation to go with it.) Cheers!

June 21, Sayulita, Nayarit, Mexico

It is said that the first 20 minutes of your day has a major impact on how you'll experience the rest of it. Hence, waking up to a morning at Palapa Beach House, a bright and breezy property on the Mexican Riviera, ought to garner some beneficial results. Open your eyes and ears to the gentle lapping and lavish views of the ocean, while perhaps sitting quietly or reading a few pages of poetry. Take a glass of water, stretch your legs on the patio and let the salt air refresh your lungs. With the pueblo mágico of Sayulita at your feet and some of the best surfing and marlin tacos in the world, there are so many adventures to be had in those 1420 minutes that remain - good thing you started off right.

June 25, Puglia, Italy

“Vision is the art of seeing what is invisible to others,” observed the author Jonathan Swift. Today we applaud the vision of French couple Danielle and Jean-Louis, who came upon an ancient Puglian oil mill and saw a chance to sculpt it into a nonpareil vacation home. Cloaked in star-bright limed walls and showcasing its heritage and character inside and out, this masseria rolls out imaginative touches at every turn. While the presses have stopped, you can stay connected to its past by wandering the 400 olive trees that surround the property. Will anything become visible to you that others might not see?

Property: Masseria Dagilupi

June 28, Mallorca, Spain

In a land of citrus plantations and almond tree orchards, it's no wonder that on Sundays, Mallorcan families head to the countryside for midday meals that linger into the afternoons. Transport yourself into the lifestyle at Perfect Finca, located in the UNESCO World Heritage region of the northern Tramuntana Mountains, and aptly named for its flawlessness. Once settled in, pluck a few sprigs of rosemary and thyme from the garden, create a feast of vegetables and potatoes, and save room for a "Tarta de Santiago", an orange-infused Galician almond cake. Like stamps on a passport, the flavors here will forever be imprinted on your palate.