Bric-a-Brac 65
Just back from Cuba (and how to do it), an Adirondacks legend in winter, creative director Pia Baroncini’s packing hacks, and the fixer-couple with backstage access to the Alps
GUEST BOOK: The Point, Saranac Lake, New York
By Alex Postman
Best for… A house-party weekend for a (very) special occasion
The surroundings…The Point is a traditional Adirondack “great camp” set amidst 70 wooded acres on Upper Saranac Lake, at the very end of a deliberately unmarked road. It’s as remote as it sounds—a 5.5-hour drive from NYC or almost 3 from Albany (or 15 minutes if you’re flying private). This means that cell and wi-fi are unreliable to unavailable…but that’s the point of The Point. Privacy, tranquility, nature immersion, genteel rusticity…all under the most attentive care of a devoted staff that often outnumber guests.
The vibe… Refined yet relaxed. About 40 percent of guests are repeat visitors, and I think that says it all. The ethos here is that this is your home for the weekend, and you are encouraged to (respectfully) own it. There are just 11 guest rooms between the main lodge and three smaller buildings. Everyone can access the great hall, a soaring wood-paneled room overlooking the lake, with a huge fireplace encircled by sofas and taxidermied trophies; the cozy pub; five(!) bars; and even the kitchen, which you can walk into at any hour for a turkey club or anything else you might crave. It’s both a throwback to the European estate tradition and to the Gilded Age, when the moneyed class began traveling to the wilds of the Adirondacks in summer to escape the steamy, crowded cities, without the formality of Newport. (The American word “vacation” supposedly comes from this era when New Yorkers “vacated” their city homes.)
And so, a long weekend here is effectively like a private house party, with group dinners—one of them in full black tie—and shared activities, though you can also opt out of everything and do your own thing. It’s your house! Which means that your experience is to some extent shaped by the strangers you are brought together with. In our case, that was three other groups, who were all great company—including a doctor-couple from Indianapolis who’d visited the previous summer and couldn’t wait to return in winter and a couple from NYC who’d been to The Point so many times they’d lost count (upwards of 20) and had come for a break from their newborn (kids are not allowed, but pets are welcome!). As much as The Point is known as a summer sanctuary, with its boathouse and vintage Hacker Craft and practically every type of waterfront sport on offer, our doctor friends said they liked the resort even more in winter—when it’s quieter, more intimate, and you have the (frozen) lake to yourself.
The Rooms… Nearly all of the buildings are original to the camp, which was built in the early 1930s by William A. Rockefeller (nephew of John D.) and has operated as a hotel under various owners since 1980. It’s one of the last fully intact great camps created in the Adirondack rustic style, using regional materials like pine planks, slate and granite, twig and branch décor, and lake views from everywhere.
We stayed in “Mohawk,” Rockefeller’s original bedroom, one of two attached to the main house. I loved that it was dark and cozy in winter, with wooden walls covered in landscape oil paintings (the hotel’s impressive art collection includes some Hudson River School works) and armchairs by the fireplace. We could call to have a fire made at any time, and it was delicious to sit and read or fall asleep to hissing embers. I asked to see a few other rooms—all very different. Sentinel, over the pub, feels like a fancy treehouse, with a king bed made of birch tree trunks, a wood-lined bathroom and a panorama of the lake. Weatherwatch also overlooks the lake but feels more British cottage, with lots of patterned fabrics. And The Boathouse is an airy, loft-like space right over the lake, with a wide sleeping porch where beds hang in summer.
The wellness… It’s nature-as-gym here—in summer, of course, there’s boating, swimming, and biking. In winter, we still stayed very active. From Camp David (a rustic wooden shack named for a former owner), we hiked a well-marked trail and shot pellet guns. We tried curling on the lake and, when Saturday’s rain froze on Sunday, we were able to skate clear across its marbled surface for hundreds of yards in every direction (there was a roaring fire pit and bar on the ice, of course). You don’t need to bring equipment: just borrow from the warming shack filled with hiking poles and boots, snowshoes, XC skis and skates.
The food… Meals are taken family style (unless you don’t want to), with a fixed menu (unless you want something else). In other words, you have options. We came on a Friday afternoon and had a delicious charcuterie plate waiting in our room, before cocktails in the pub (with a pool table, darts, puzzles, etc.) and dinner in the great hall. The food was truly outstanding. Chef Loic Leperlier and his sous, D’Anthony Foster, have worked together for years and the dishes on Friday—miso black cod with savoy cabbage, duck with freekeh—were wintry but light. Pastry chef Charlotte Scosz made an insanely good Basque-style cheesecake, slightly burned on the outside and creamy on the inside. Afterwards, we all decided to take our animated conversation to a fire pit by the lake, in a ring of Adirondack chairs surrounding a fire and a woodsy bar with a huge whiskey selection and truffle popcorn.
Both mornings, we had coffee and freshly-baked fruit muffins in bed before a huge breakfast in the great hall—pancakes with the chef’s own maple syrup, an outstanding truffle-baked egg. Saturday lunch was a barbecue that was planned for outside at the fire pit, but rain moved us inside—an epic spread of brisket, ribs, turkey, grilled shrimp, venison and buffalo sausage, also colorful roast and chopped vegetable salads. (In season, the kitchen uses foraged ingredients from the property, including wild mustard, sorel, ramps and mushrooms.)
The big event is Saturday’s black-tie dinner, which they do take seriously (all men were in tuxes, women in, well, black), but also with a wink—they hand-deliver an invitation to your room for cocktails announcing, “Guests in Residence.” It’s always hosted by a staff member (who helps to politely steer conversation from politics—you never know these days!); that evening Matt, an administrator and magician, blew us away with his card and mentalist tricks. The six courses, announced each time by a sweetly modest D’Anthony, included an insanely good king crab “girella” pasta, Hudson Valley morels and ramps over foie gras, and the tenderest venison over farro, each with a wine pairing. Afterwards, we had the run of the pub, with guests behind the bar mixing cocktails, playing music and pool, and ordering the most delicious grilled cheeses from the kitchen. When there’s enough snow, sometimes guests go tubing in their tuxes from the hill outside the lodge right onto the frozen lake.
Extra tip goes to… Assistant GM Kyle Mayette, who taps the maples on his property and schooled us on exactly how it’s made (40 gallons of sap = 1 gallon of syrup!), and gave us a bottle of his delicious syrup aged in bourbon barrels. And Jack Karmen, who at twentysomething is sort of the camp counselor—loading our pellet guns, sweeping the ice in curling, prepping our skates. As we were leaving on Sunday, he was busy constructing clues for a scavenger hunt for guests who’d requested one, with a different drink at each spot.
Parting words… As a place that on some level gambles on the chemistry of strangers, The Point feels like an antidote to our isolated, socially distant age. There’s no getting around that it’s expensive—very. Rooms start at $2,600 a night. But the entire staff and even the guests surprised me by being entirely down to earth. The doctors told us about a couple they met during their previous stay who save up all year to splurge on a stay each summer, then make the most of it: all the activities are included, the meals, the open bars. Gratuities, which can run into the hundreds at places like this, are also baked into the fee. And when you leave, they surprise you by filling up your tank and cleaning your car inside and out. I don’t know if that’s just what family does (mine doesn’t!), but it’s a classy and memorable move.
Date of stay… February 9-11, 2024
Alex Postman is Yolo Journal’s deputy editor.
HOW I PACK
What’s your go-to luggage and why?
I always use a rolling suitcase. My husband Davide gets really mad when there are “loose pieces,” especially since we are usually driving around and switching locations. So I try to keep it to one suitcase and one carry-on, but if our daughter Carmela is with us I'll add a rolling carry-on and fill it with her stuff!
How do you approach the basics?
I wish I was better about this and honestly at this point I should be! I pack whatever new LPA I have and some Ghiaia Cashmere, and then I just kind of fill in with super fun stuff I’d really only wear on vacay and very chill everyday clothing. I love to put together “a look,” but sometimes it's easy to forget you just need comfortable lounge clothes for everything in between the "moments." I have hyper-fixation pieces every season (my current is the Ghiaia Cashmere cable knit polo), so I always bring those so I feel safe.
Are you a roller or a folder?
Roller into a packing cube!
Any other packing tricks or hacks?
Button downs, gym clothes that double as chic outfits/laying pieces. I love a nightgown that doubles as a dress. Don't be afraid to wear what seems like a nighttime dress with sandals during the day, or a casual daytime dress with heels and earrings at night!
What’s your shoe strategy?
My Hermès sandals I've had for years that I wear even in the water (yes in the water!), one other flat I can wear with dresses, a kitten heel, and either a ballet flat or a sneaker, depending on the trip.
How do you think about accessories?
I usually bring a couple of hero jewelry pieces, a hat or two, and in my LL Bean Boat & Tote carry on I bring a nighttime bag that holds my wallet and passport—that way I'm not digging around and I save space on a lil bag.
Do you have a great travel hat?
The Teagan bucket hat from Janessa Leone!!
What’s always in your Dopp kit/toiletry bag?
An unhealthy amount of products—but I really use them all. I'm low maintenance in terms of getting ready—I don't require much time—but I keep up my skin and vitamin routine. I don't ever travel without SPF from Vacation Oil or Dune sunscreen. I always make sure I bring the not-fun stuff, like lotion for my heels, tweezers and cuticle cutters!
On a plane, what essentials does your carry-on bag always contain?
EO Lavender Wipes, Caudalie Face Mist, something to clean my face like Burts Bees Wipes. I love to bring a Goop glycolic acid wipe, which I top with Summer Fridays Jet Lag Mask. I land GLOWING. Plus hand cream from Goop or Dior, my supplements and a hair brush!
What’s in your pharmacy kit?
My kit has all my supplements (it's a lot), which include magnesium, chia seeds and de-bloat pills from Juna. I don't go a day without Fatty15 and my Perrelel PCOS formula and daily vitamins.
Any wisdom on traveling with electronics?
I love my old-school wire headphones and I use hair ties to secure my laptop charger!
What’s your strategy when you’re on the road for long periods of time?
I always feel like I have too much and not enough. I bring a big-ass suitcase knowing it's likely I'll need to buy a duffle bag for extra stuff on the way back!
Our friend Pia Baroncini wears many hats and always seems to be on the road, as the founder and creative director of LPA, CMO of Ghiaia Cashmere, co-founder of Baroncini Import & Co, and host of the always entertaining Everything is The Best podcast on Dear Media.
JUST BACK FROM…Cuba
By Carly Shea
When Tegan and Tyler Maxey told me they were starting a travel agency and running trips to Cuba, I was instantly intrigued. They are two of the most interesting people I know: the sisters grew up in The Bahamas, and after graduation Tegan worked as a deckhand on yachts and traveled the world, while Ty headed to Argentina for university. Tegan went on to co-found The Canvas, a sustainable retail platform, before selling her half of the company in 2021. Tyler moved back to Eleuthera to run visitor programs at the Island School, an environmental non-profit their parents founded, which is where we became friends. I quickly realized they are the kind of people who push you to be a more curious, compassionate version of yourself, and who could pull some strings to get you out of any mess you find yourself in. All that to say, they are exactly the people I wanted to travel to Cuba with for my first trip.
We arrived in Havana late at night and Gaby, the co-founder of their company, Wanderers Club, met us at the airport. Gaby’s family left Cuba during the revolution and she grew up in the US, but decided to return to Havana a few years ago. She is their boots-on-the-ground contact there, always meeting people and keeping a pulse on what's happening in the city and beyond. Gaby brought us pizza and beers, got us settled into the house and said she’d be back in the morning to exchange cash for us and walk us to our lunch reservation.
Our base for the week was a three-story home in Old Havana, the historic heart of the city that looks like the Havana you’ve probably seen in pictures—spacious sun-drenched plazas, tree-lined promenades, and old-school cars parked in front of beautifully crumbling, pastel facades. Even though it was a densely populated area, it felt like a small town—kids played kickball in the street, people left their front doors wide open, and old men dragged chairs onto the sidewalk to play dominoes at all hours. The house we rented was one of those quirky Airbnbs that has far too many chairs and hits somewhere between modern and dated (my bedroom decor was a mini fridge and the wooden base of an inoperable Singer sewing machine), but it was very clean, comfortable and convenient. The people who ran the Airbnb were lovely and I would definitely stay here again if I was traveling with a group.
Our days were packed with activities, but when our schedule allowed, we had leisurely breakfasts in the dining room and sipped coffee on the large balcony. On our first day we oriented ourselves with a walking tour of the Old City and a sunset tour in candy-colored convertibles from the ‘60s, which is when we met one of our guides for the week, Amalia. She had grown up a few hours outside of Havana, and to hear both the historical context for what we were seeing/eating/doing and her lived experience made it all the more impactful. She was born during the “special period”—an extended economic crisis with widespread food insecurity that lasted for about a decade in the ‘90s after the Soviet Union collapsed. People we met talked about this period openly and often—it would come up when we asked a question like, “How long does it take to commute into the city?” and an answer would be given in two parts: how it is now, and how it was then. Even though it ended a quarter-century ago, it still feels very fresh in the collective memory.
Cuba’s agricultural sector expanded a lot after the special period, as the country had to rely more on what they could grow when imports from the Soviet Union stopped. Most of the food is organic and very local by necessity (pesticides and chemicals are expensive and hard to come by), and there is an emerging food scene that was truly one of the highlights of our experience. On our first day we had lunch at El Café, a bright space with tall ceilings and a rare (for Cuba) vegan-friendly menu that could hold a candle to the trendiest spots in Los Angeles. From there we wandered into Clandestina down the street, which is proudly Cuba’s first independent fashion brand. The owner, Idania, something of a local celebrity, popped out and greeted Tegan like an old friend. We saw Idania a few more times throughout the trip, at a party in a warehouse with a New-Orleans style brass band, and a rooftop dinner on our last night. It's clear that her brand is in with Havana’s cool crowd, and every room she entered was enlivened by her presence. If you visit, you have to go to the Clandestina storefront in Old Havana to get one of the maps of their favorite addresses in the city, which will have the most up-to-date intel on where you should eat (El del Frente and Antojos), drink (El Dandy and Melodrama), and dance (Fábrica).
On another day, we woke up early to head west to the Viñales Valley. After a three-hour drive, we mounted horses and trotted down a short trail to a farm where a handsome Cuban named Carlos, who revealed the most blindingly white teeth between puffs of a cigar, shared that his family had been growing tobacco here for years. However, since the government takes such a high percentage of the crop, they also grow corn, coffee and vegetables, raise animals, keep bees and make a special type of rum from the Guayabita del Piñar fruit. Though it was barely 11 am we had to sample some, and it was truly the best rum I’ve ever had. Carlos rolled a few cigars and artfully wrapped them in a dried leaf for us to take home. Then it was back in the saddle (with a bit more liquid confidence this time) to head to lunch.
One of the most cinematic scenes from the trip was emerging from a wonderfully overgrown horse path to a clearing where a small restaurant sat as if it were waiting there just for us. It was framed so perfectly by the mountain behind it that it looked like a still from a Pixar movie. We plopped down at a long table out front and ordered one of everything on the menu from Berta, the elegant owner of the farm-to-table restaurant El Cuajani. As she passed plates of fish croquettes or delightfully simple green salads around the table, she would chime in on our conversation with an anecdote about her time living in France, or studying Chinese in university. By dessert, we needed to know more about her compelling background and how she started this fairytale-like outpost in the mountains of Cuba. She explained that she and her husband both left Cuba decades ago, but decided to come back years later for a more pastoral life and the chance to build something in their home country. Throughout the conversation, she casually mentioned that her friend José (by which she meant the chef José Andrés), who she’d worked with while she supported World Central Kitchen during Covid, had stopped by the other day. And when she heard that my friends lived in The Bahamas, she recalled that her daughter was friends with Lenny’s (yes, Lenny Kravitz), and had spent time on an island called Eleuthera. Small world. We ended the meal with hugs and rich cups of home-grown coffee before driving back to the city. Still full from lunch, we headed to Bar Melodrama that evening for some lighter fare (get the empanadas!) and mojitos to end a great day.
We spent the next few days in the city doing everything from a rumba dance lesson to a block-printing workshop, visiting another farm, touring markets and taking walks along the Malecón, a long esplanade/sea wall nicknamed the “sofa of Havana” for its hang-out crowds. Our last day was spent at Santa María del Mar, a long stretch of beach just 20 minutes east of Havana. On a stroll down the shoreline we came across a humble beach cafe, where we sat at one of five white plastic tables shaded by palm fronds and listened to a live band play covers of Buena Vista Social Club. They served no water—unless you wanted to drink it straight from a coconut—only piña coladas and simple dishes of grilled fish or chicken. I didn’t see a sign and don’t think it had a name, but if you wander long enough you’ll know when you find it.
Logistics
Visas - Travel restrictions for Americans have changed many times over the last few years. Obama famously “thawed” restrictions, which Trump promptly refroze. Currently there are 12 categories of travel that allow Americans to visit Cuba, the “Support for the Cuban people” being the only type of visa that average travelers qualify for. Other categories are reserved for visiting family, religious travel, journalism, etc. Wanderers Club took care of everything in this regard. I sent them my passport information and two weeks later, my visa arrived through the mail. Then 48 hours before I took off, they emailed me the forms I needed to show at the airport. Seamless! You can still plan your trip without an agency by purchasing a visa online through Cuban Visa Services, or through the airline you are traveling on. And while non-stop flights from larger hubs like NYC haven’t resumed, there are daily flights from Miami to various parts of Cuba on most major US carriers.
Cash - Your credit/debit cards will not work in Cuba, so you need to bring cash to exchange. Bring more cash than you think you will need, because there is no way to get more if you have an emergency, or want to bring home some rum, coffee and cigars—which you will! Wanderers Club advised us to bring $500 USD each for the week, I think I ended up only spending $200 (though all of our transportation, tours, and most of our meals were included in the cost of our trip—prices start around $4,000 for a week, including flights). I found that more places were willing to accept USD or euros than I was expecting, but the norm is definitely to pay in CUP (Cuban Pesos). The exchange rate is constantly changing—it fluctuated from 240 to 265/dollar in the course of the week we were visiting. Luckily, Gaby took care of exchanging cash for us so we didn’t have to stress about any of that.
Internet - One of the best parts of this trip was being able to unplug for a few days. That said, if you do need to be online it is possible to stay connected. Most hotels and some rentals have wi-fi, though it's not particularly reliable. Also many websites and even Spotify are blocked, so it would be helpful to download a VPN in advance. As for cell service, don’t bother using an international data plan on your phone—the coverage and fees will be terrible. If you need data on your phone, you can purchase a Cuban SIM card once you arrive, unless you have a newer iPhone that uses an eSIM, in which case you should just set an OOO and enjoy being offline.
Carly Shea is Yolo Journal’s editorial assistant and social media manager.
PHARMACY FIND
If you or any friends have a trip to France on the books, definitely pick up Endomune. In the fall I was at a pharmacy in Bordeaux, as Matt was feeling a little under the weather. The pharmacist recommended this supplement, which naturally stimulates the immune system with ingredients like L-Glutamine, CoQ10, and resveratrol. She said I should just take one daily during the cold season and if I started to feel like I was coming down with something, to double up. Over the fall and the holiday I used it so much—in situations where I could feel I was going to get full-on sick, and I didn’t. Now I don’t travel anywhere without it! —Y.E.
THE NAVIGATOR
Jack Shaw & Susanna Magruder, co-founders, Epic Europe
Tell us about you and your company.
Epic Europe is a bespoke luxury adventure travel company, based in Switzerland and the Alps of France Italy, and Austria. We offer custom, private trips year-round, tailored to clients’ specific needs and desires—no group or package tours. Specializing in active adventure—skiing, cycling, hiking; but also combining culture, gastronomy, and authentic local experiences for individuals, family, multi-generational, private groups.
Jack: I was a journalist and freelance producer in the outdoor and travel markets, and Susanna was a professional skier, which allowed us to travel the world while creating content for major print and visual media outlets. As the opportunities for freelance work like that began to dry up and travel trends shifted to more experiential, we realized that we had built a huge network of partners over the years—from local guides to hoteliers, restaurateurs, producers of wines, cheeses and other artisanal products—and we could offer unique trips tying in all of these experiences to a select and discerning clientele. We moved to Europe full-time in 2008 and founded Epic Europe shortly thereafter.
What’s the entry level to talk to you?
We are open to all enquiries, and through a quick back and forth via email or phone call, we can determine if Epic Europe is a good fit for the client’s needs and budget. We offer fully-custom trips with 4-5 accommodations, private guided experiences and bespoke trip design, and are therefore priced accordingly. We don’t price-match or bid on comparable trips, so this becomes apparent quite quickly through this early discovery process. Our trips typically run from CHF 750/person/day (or $850).
What is the sweet spot of your expertise?
We operate throughout all of Switzerland, and the surrounding Alps of Italy, France and Austria. Originally, we created the business to offer high-end ski trips, featuring everything that sets skiing in the Alps apart from anywhere else in the world—the culture, traditions, historic hospitality, and sheer vastness of the Alps themselves and the unparalleled access we have to them. We saw so many Americans, even expert skiers, that would come back from a trip to the Alps without “getting it”—they didn’t hire local guides, they couldn’t decipher complex conditions and weather challenges, and went to the wrong resort for what they were looking for. We saw this as an opportunity to give clients a backstage pass to what real skiing and life in the Alps is like.
Of course, once summer comes around, the opportunities for authentic experiences are just as—if not more—vast, and we have loved bringing our winter clients back for multi-destination trips in the summer. The opportunity to combine cities, lakes, and mountains—even 2 or 3 countries—in a single trip is an inimitable experience for spring, summer or fall in the Alps and surrounding regions. Now our summer business exceeds the winter.
We are also in a unique position as Americans based on the ground in Switzerland year-round, for the better part of the last 25 years, we understand American clients, their needs and expectations, and are able to explain the experiences in the Alps using an American frame of reference—skiing, resorts, even specific runs as a comparison.
A favorite experience/trip/itinerary you’ve planned that best represents your philosophy…
For our more adventurous and flexible expert skiers, we have run heli-ski safaris that take advantage of the best snow and conditions, but clients need to be flexible. Sometimes even traveling with a change of clothes for dinner and a toothbrush in their ski pack, but more often we will be able to shuttle luggage to the next destination. But the excitement of these trips is often letting go and trusting the guides to make the best call where to go and what to do on the fly—using helicopters, ski lifts, taxis and ski-touring to get to the next valley, the next ski run, the next restaurant or hotel. While it’s not for everyone (more geared towards expert skiers), it is a totally unique experience to the Alps.
A recent trip: We planned an Italian heli-ski safari, but by the end of the week we had skied in 3 different countries (Italy, France, Switzerland), and our guests who own homes in Jackson Hole, and ski every year at Mica Heli in BC, claimed it was their favorite ski trip ever. Everyday, they were blown away by the variety and vastness of the terrain, culture and experience, regardless of the snow—which varied from excellent powder to dust-on-crust.
Exploring remote villages, dining in “slow food” restaurants, and skiing with a third-generation Italian mountain guide are all part of what makes this the ultimate Italian backcountry ski experience. Our hosts and guides are extremely passionate about the traditions and culture of the Alps and have cultivated the relationships to provide one-of-a-kind experiences—you will have a virtual backstage pass that will take you deep into the local lifestyle, from life-changing ski descents to the best on-mountain restaurants, and hidden secrets along the way.
At the foot of the 4,600m Monte Rosa, Italy and Switzerland’s highest peak, the Italian resorts of Champoluc, Gressoney, and Alagna comprise the Monterosa ski area, one of the Alps’ finest off-piste freeride zones. La Thuile, the lesser-known resort near Courmayeur, is the doorway to the private Valgrisenche heliski valley, with 5 separate drops/day. Finish off the week on the south side of the Matterhorn in Cervinia, skiing into secret valleys or crossing the border to Switzerland and home again for an unparalleled Italian dinner at les Neiges d’Antan.
Heli-skiing in the Alps can be quite a different experience than what guests might be used to in North America or elsewhere. Our team of IFMGA/UIAGM mountain guides are excellent at reading the situation, calling in the helicopter, and delivering the best day of riding you’ve ever had.
Hotellerie de Mascognaz
A couple favorite hotels/lodges/houses/chalets you love and go back to on repeat…
Les Neiges d'Antan in Cervinia, Italy
Hotellerie de Mascognaz in Champoluc, Italy
Hotel in Lain, in Engadin, Switzerland
Hotel Rote Wand, in Zug, Austria
The most memorable meal you’ve had while traveling…
Susanna: My first time skiing in Zermatt, we were skiing with old family friends who have skied there for 4 generations, all with the same family of guides—to say that they know how to do it right in Zermatt is a gross understatement! After getting dropped by helicopter on Monte Rosa, Switzerland’s highest peak, and an incredible 3+ hour guided off-piste powder descent, we skied right into the most incredible hamlet of 17th-century farmhouses and barns, called Zum See. Sitting outside in the March sunshine, beneath the Matterhorn, we were served the most amazing, simple yet flawless meals, washed down with crisp Swiss white wine, and it changed my life.
A not-to-be-missed favorite experience in your region…
Susanna: Dinner in a mountain restaurant—arriving on skis, by foot, or even snow-cat or snowmobile, the cozy feeling that hits you when you come through the door, and then sledding or hiking down after dinner is a quintessential experience of winter in the Alps.
Jack: Stumbling upon one of the unique local festivals that occur throughout the Alps. Whether the Carnevale celebrations like the Tschäggättä in Lötschental, the cow fights or désalpe parades of the Valais, or even Swiss National day celebrations on August 1, you join in with the locals and feel the true spirit that defines these isolated valleys and villages.
Underrated, overrated?
Underrated: Valle d’Aosta, Italy. The NW region of Italy is home to secret valleys with 4000m peaks, glaciers, small family run luxury hotels, unique cuisine and local wine, and really wonderful people/hosts/guides.
Overrated: Interlaken. The Jungfrau Region has been seriously hammered with over-tourism. In the winter, it is somewhat better if you stay in Mürren or Wengen, both car-free towns. But the whole area suffers in the summer. Not the experience it was 20 years ago. And “bucket list” hikes/skitours like Tour du Mont Blanc, Haute Route. Let us come up with alternative, off-the-beaten-path routes, and avoid the crowds.
What is something you wished we all knew or were better at as travelers?
Susanna: Americans almost always request ski-in/out accommodations. Ski resorts in the US were all purpose-built, and therefore can offer those types of amenities; but in the Alps, these villages were built long before the thought of building ski runs or lifts came to be. Therefore, there’s very little ski-in/out here, unless you go to some of the more purpose-built resorts (Les Trois Vallées in France, for example), which often lack the authentic identity that make skiing in Europe so unique. In the Alps, it is all about the journey—riding in a tiny electro taxi in Zermatt to a 110 year old cog-railway train to access the slopes, or boarding multiple cable cars to reach the Swiss-Italian border and skiing down to Italy for lunch. You have to understand that there are some logistics involved, but it will be unlike anything you have ever experienced or skied in the USA.
Jack: So many Americans come to the Alps and assume that they can figure out the skiing on their own, without hiring guides or ski instructors. And they often come home disappointed—with the skiing, the restaurants, the conditions, etc. When the resort is 20-30X the size of the resorts you are used to skiing, there are a myriad of factors that come into play: massive elevation change, exposure, snow conditions, weather, and geographic challenges (even crossing international borders!). A guide will be able to bring you to the best possible snow conditions and runs, know all the restaurant options, and help you safely navigate the resort, whether on- or off-piste. This is the most quintessential factor of our trips, to use the incredible guides that we have personally vetted for the past 25 years.
MOODBOARD
After a four-year hiatus, Belmond’s Eastern & Oriental Express train returns to the rails this month with new itineraries departing from Singapore to Malaysia, and off-the rails excursions like jungle foraging and tiger conservation in the Taman Negara National Park.
Are these intentionally dented suitcases the pre-ripped jeans of luggage?
The thing that may finally get us on a long-haul flight to the Maldives: Soneva launched Soneva Soul, a super high-tech integrative health program at their three island properties, ministered by a team of medical, Ayurvedic, eastern and naturopathic physicians.
If you’ve ever dreamed of a life as an organic tea farmer in the mountains of Japan’s Shizuoka prefecture, this Tea Internship was made for you.
This fishing, hiking, and foraging packed 4-night getaway to Holmen’s Kitchen on the Edge of the World is surely the best way to spend a long weekend in the Lofoten islands, above the Arctic Circle.
On April 8th, a total solar eclipse will make its way across the continental US. For New Yorkers looking to make a long weekend out of it, the recently opened Bluebird Lake Placid is right in the path of totality and looks incredibly charming.
Our friend Andrea Gentl, a brilliant food and travel photographer, just joined Substack and we loved her first post about “traveling through toast.”
Woah! This post had me elated that you had been to The Point (on my list for my 50th), and then shopping Pia’s links to make sure my Dopp kit and travel accouterment were up-to-the-task. I am going to have to return to read about…Cuba, whee I haven’t visited since 2013!
You pack so much wanderlust into your posts!! Each destination sounds better than the last. I had guided experiences in the French / Italian alps, based in Chamonix with a group of 14. It was life changing for all the ways you captured. I’d love to travel to Cuba someday, though hopefully with my young kids as being that disconnected could be an issue ;)