Les Gets

January 15, 2018

Every winter I try to discover another mountain destination where I can breathe in fresh alpine air, dine on savory meals (including lots of cheese) and practice skiing. While last year found me in Courchevel, this year I became completely charmed by Les Gets, a Savoyard village in the Rhône-Alpes region of southeastern France. What makes this village between Lake Geneva and Mont Blanc so special is the intimacy you feel upon arrival. Les Gets is not merely an artificial ski station but a mountain destination filled with soul, all year round.

I immediately felt at home at the charming four-star hotel La Marmotte. Family run since 1947, the hotel is situated at the foot of the slopes and has in recent years expanded to include 63 rooms, four restaurants (including one in the mountains) and the luxurious Séréni-Cimes Spa. La Tapiaz hotel was added in 2011 offering an additional eight chalet-style rooms. I was impressed with the design and comfort of each of the unique rooms, ideal for a romantic getaway with plenty of suite options for families. And the restaurants… Aside from trekking up to the mountains for purposes of sport, no need to leave the hotel. Not to mention the spa where I could easily spend every evening between the hammam and jacuzzi. Heaven!

From La Marmotte I headed up for a tour of the landscape, this time via racket walk. Harder than it sounds!

With plenty of snowfall, the views were breathtaking! I could imagine the stunning scenes come springtime.

Appearing like an oasis was La Marmotte’s restaurant La Paika, high up on the slopes and well worth the climb to feast on traditional dishes and fish grilled on their wood-fire barbecue.

I forced myself to leave the hotel to explore the village, and stopped to buy a few local Haute-Savoie specialties, including cheese. Apparently my fondue feast at restaurant La Pivotte only whet my appetite.

What this gem of a village also has to offer is the impressive Mechanical Music Museum. Opened in 1988, this museum houses over 550 musical instruments from around the world, including chimes, street organs and mechanical pianos. Prepare to be both amazed and entertained! Yet another reason to plan a trip to the mountain haven of Les Gets.

Château Hopping into 2018

December 31, 2017

This past year has been an adventurous one and I feel overwhelming gratitude. Beginning with a new year in Sicily, my Italian and I have explored Miami’s Faena District, discovered Lisbon and Sintra in Portugal, encountered Valencia, Spain, and spent memorable birthday celebrations in Sardinia, Italy, in addition to visits home to the Hamptons and Cinque Terre. For blogging and writing projects I skied in breathtaking Courchevel, explored Lombardia, Italy, and visited Mont-Saint Michel by night, among other trips. And let’s not forget beautiful Budapest! One last trip before a family Christmas beneath the Florida sun was to a château in Brittany. All the while Kasia Dietz handbags journey with me as the brand continues to grow.

A four hour drive from Paris, or much faster via train, we arrived to the city of Rennes. From here we discovered remote and romantic Château du Bois Glaume. This family-run castle was the perfect weekend escape.

Our regal room overlooked the chapel of this charming castle. Immediately we felt at home, and like royalty.

While my Italian went for a run in the late fall foliage, I explored the grounds, camera in hand. That night, dinner for two was served in the elegant dining room, accompanied only by the castle’s cat.

During our stay we learned the history of this château, and how it’s part of a collection of family-run French castles converted into bed-and-breakfasts, each offering no more than five rooms. I immediately became fascinated with Bienvenue au Château and couldn’t wait to discover others. Perhaps château hopping will become a theme for the new year?

Our last visit after stopping for crêpes in the picturesque village of Rochefort-en-Terre, was to Josselin with its stunning medieval castle set upon the river. The perfect last stop before returning to Paris.

As I count my blessings for the year that has passed and prepare to fill 2018 with beautiful memories, may you live your own fairy tale, château optional. Wishing you a happy, healthy and adventure filled new year!

Paris of the East

December 17, 2017

Hungary’s capital city Budapest is often called the Paris of the East. Eager to discover it for myself, I booked a ticket and got ready to explore this beautiful city so rich in history and culture. My travel savvy step-sister joined for the adventure and we planned our short visit strategically. After a festive evening of Christmas markets and mulled wine, our morning was spent crossing from Pest to Buda. The Széchenyi Chain Bridge is the first permanent bridge to connect both sides of the city via the Danube river.

From the end of Chain Bridge we rode the Buda Hill Funicular, in service since 1870 and now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. All the way up to Buda Castle Hill we enjoyed stunning views of the city, with plenty of photo ops.

Views of Budapest are even better seen from 100 year old Fishermen’s Bastion. With a fish market nearby, this bastion was built to commemorate the fishermen who protected this part of the city. Each of the seven tent-like turrets symbolizes one of the seven Hungarian tribes that arrived to the Carpathian Basin in 896.

Nearby Neo-Gothic Matthias Church is considered one of the most beautiful churches in Budapest, as well as the most unique in Europe. Built in 1015 and inspired by orientalism, it’s colorful interior is breathtaking!

Back on the Pest side of the city, we stopped by the memorial ‘Shoes on the Danube River’ to pay our respects to the 3,500 people, 800 of them Jews who were killed by fascist Arrow Cross militiamen during World War II.

The Hungarian Parliament Building is without a doubt one of the most regal buildings in Budapest, also the third largest Parliament building in the world. We took a tour of the interior as well, worth the visit.

That night we booked a tour of Budapest by night and enjoyed a history lesson as the city lit up before our eyes.

Day two was dedicated to bath houses and spas, beginning with Budapest’s most famous Széchenyi thermal bath. The largest medicinal bath in Europe, its water is supplied by two thermal springs, with temperatures of 74 °C and 77 °C. What an experience, bathing with tourists and locals alike.

Our next stop was to Gellért, an art noveau thermal bath opened in 1918. Another must do in “the city of spas”. Here we soaked in indoor hot springs and I braved a few dips in the cold pool and indulged in the steam room.

Our last visit was to the Harmony Spa at Aria Hotel located in the city center. Where music is the theme throughout the hotel, we relaxed at the hands of skilled masseuses, the perfect ending to a day of wellness.

I couldn’t very well leave Budapest without a visit to the elegant New York Café. Often considered the “most beautiful coffee house in the world”, this is where writers and editors would meet to drink and dine. In 2006 it was restored to its original splendor, offering some of Budapest’s best cakes. Another top address for homemade cakes and chocolate is Gerbeaud, opened in 1858. The perfect spot to pick up a few sweet souvenirs. As for dining, our favorite gourmet restaurant was 10 year old family run Mák Bistro. Michelin star level!

Thank you Budapest, for the many memories of this Paris of the East! Aside from some of the taxi drivers who try to take you for a ride (not just in the literal sense), best to order a taxi online, it was a trip to remember!

Perfume Inspired by Travel

October 1, 2017

I possess a strong sense of smell and simply adore perfume, but only very select scents. For the last few years I’ve been wearing Coco Mademoiselle by Chanel. I wasn’t planning on changing my fragrance until a trip to Courchevel last March. Testing a few samples of a perfume I hadn’t heard of or smelt before, I became completely smitten with the notes of a particular scent, which rarely happens. This is how I discovered Memo.

Little did I know, it was the perfect setting in which to become acquainted with a perfume company started by a couple that met on a ski lift. Clara and John Molloy are both avid travelers, he from Ireland and she from Andalucia, Spain. Together they set off on a journey to create Memo, a collection of scents inspired by their adventures around the world.

Why perfume? Fragrance has the same rite-of-passage dimension as travel, serving as a threshold between the known and the unknown. Smelling, breathing in a scent, is accepting to leave a safety zone in search of new sensations, and tying them to one’s personal experience. Fragrance kindles an excitement similar to that of a journey, a departure. It is about openness and abandonment. As a fellow traveler, I couldn’t agree more.

After writing a book on “noses” in 2006, Clara embarked on a voyage through the olfactory senses and Memo was born in 2007. For the last decade, Memo’s Les Echappées collection has been inspired by journeys from Asia to Africa including Manoa, Hawaii, Marfa, Texas and Granada, Spain. The scent that won me over was Lalibela, inspired by the mystical land of Ethiopia. This unique fragrance, with key notes of rose, patchouli and frankincence now joins me in Paris, Monterosso, The Hamptons, or wherever my adventures take me.

Visiting their flagship store off of rue Saint-Honoré in Paris, I discovered all eighteen luxurious scents, the most recent being Eau de Memo, a commemorative fragrance celebrating the 10th anniversary of Memo Paris. Just as their perfumes are inspired by travel, so too do they travel, now being available all over the world.

The expression that best captures the spirit of Memo is “The journey is the destination”. A perfume after my own heart.

Sardinia Part Three : Bosa

September 12, 2017

Our last stop on this whirlwind week exploring Sardinia was the medieval town of Bosa, set on the Temo river. Little did I know that we saved the most picturesque for last. The palette of colors stretching before us was reminiscent of a Paul Klee painting, incidentally one of my favorite artists. With this kaleidoscopic view from our hotel room terrace, I was already smitten before even setting foot in the old town.

Mornings and late afternoons were spent lost amidst the maze of colorful streets, each building laden with its own wall of flowers. Streets were lined with recycled tomato cans converted into hand-painted flower pots. The entire town blossomed beneath the mid-summer sun.

I became completely smitten with the attention to color and detail in this vibrant town. Truly a living painting!

Our last morning we walked up to the castle in the heat, seeking shade while admiring the views from above.

My favorite architecture in Bosa was this strip of pastel colored houses lining the river, once tanneries dating back to the 19th century. Now it seems, perfect for loftlike residences.

The colors of Bosa and the feeling of Sardinia would stay with me for a long time. At least until the next visit.

Sardinia Part Two : The Dunes

September 4, 2017

Our next destination was Sardinia’s west coast, called Costa Verde for its lush greenery. After making a few stops to explore the mainland and take several dips in the sea during what was in effect a heatwave, we arrived to our home in the dunes.

Sometimes life is most beautiful at its simplest. While I do love five-star luxury, this was a different type of star setting. We slept in what resembled a cabin with a view of the sea, dining on local cheese, bread and wine beneath a sky filled with stars. And if you looked closely enough you may just find one falling. We did.