May Moodboard

New discoveries, old favorites, and everything getting us in a summer state of mind

This year marks big anniversaries for three beloved hotels: Il Pellicano celebrates 60 years since the original owners fell in love with this slice of the Tuscan Coast and laid the groundwork for this iconic hotel. Parisian institution Le Bristol turns 100, as does the Hotel Locarno, our favorite time capsule in Rome. In the what’s new camp: The Shelborne in Miami Beach, an Art Deco icon on Collins Ave, has been reimagined by Proper Hotels with a tropical modernist design—we’re so glad they kept its classic 1950s diving platform. Charleston has a new hotel opening this month–The Nickel Hotel, on a cool stretch of Charleston’s Upper King Street. Lore Group just opened Hotel Park Ave in NYC in the former Mondrian space, which looks as elegant and quietly colorful as their other hotels, Pulitzer Amsterdam and Riggs DC. And we’re keeping an eye on the opening of The Lake Estate on Winnisquam, which is selling us on central New Hampshire, of all places.

Speaking of New England, the Lost Kitchen’s mailbox is open for summer 2025 dinner reservations. For the uninitiated, this tiny restaurant in Maine only accepts their highly coveted dinner reservations by postcard! But if you’re heading to Maine, you can still pop into their mill and farmers market in Freedom.

After creating our recent South of France Hotels List, we’re particularly excited about the new Frecciarossa high speed route from Paris to Marseille launching mid-June (especially when tickets start at €27!).

We love Anya Hindmarch’s playful vintage inspired-travel accessories—the Coppertone sunscreen pouch is so fun for summer—but we hope they restock these PanAm and Concorde luggage tags soon.

New York City is already awash with member clubs—see recent openings like Chez Margaux, The Twenty Two, San Vicente Bungalows, and Maxim’s—but we’re intrigued by Le Chéile, a new social club geared towards travel enthusiasts that launched last week with a splashy party at the TWA Hotel.

ICYMI: Starting next week (May 7th), you’ll need a Real ID or passport to fly domestically in the United States. And don't forget, if you’re flying through the UK, you may need an Electronic Travel Authorisation. And now is also the moment to enroll in Global Entry or download the Mobile Passport App, as significant delays are expected at the US border this summer because of anticipated staffing shortages and increased border scrutiny.

How good are these vintage-inspired Rimowa ads?

After a five-year, $220 million renovation, the Frick collection reopened last week with a new floor of galleries open to the public for the first time, a freshly minted auditorium and restored gardens.

As fans of Beck Jewels, we’re excited about their residency at Trove in the West Village, a rare chance to try on their pieces since they don’t have a permanent store. Founder Rebecca Zeijdel-Paz’s Caribbean roots are evident in her ocean-inspired pieces—she even collected some of the stones for her necklaces on a trip to Il Pellicano! It would only be right to take one of them on a homecoming trip if you’re headed to Porto Ercole this season.

In airline news… Bookings have been down for spring (maybe you’ll finally get the row to yourself) because of economic uncertainty, and as a result, several US-Canada routes have been cancelled and most major US airlines have announced reduced flight schedules. But on the flip side, the US DOT gave United the green light for new US to Asia routes, and there are plenty of other new routes launching, just in time for summer: JFK to Catania on Delta; BOS to Milan, also on Delta; Bilbao, Madeira, and Faro from EWR on United; Lisbon from LAX on TAP Air Portugal; and Napa to Burbank on JSX (so a weekend trip to Napa is easier than ever).

This new map shows what pubs in London are getting sun exposure at any time of day, so you can plan for a pint in the sunshine.

Ponant announced that their luxury icebreaker ship, Le Commandant Charcot, will be the first cruise ship to circumnavigate Antarctica, setting sail in January 2028. The whole journey is expected to last about 70 days, with a two-day stopover in Tasmania in the middle. If you’re an Arctic enthusiast with plenty of time off and Zofran at your disposal, bookings open this December.

Travel hack: we just realized you can do currency conversions on the iOS 18 calculator—just click the calculator icon in the bottom left corner, toggle on “convert,” select the currencies you want to use in the dropdown menu, and make easy conversions on the go (even without wifi!).

Some very transporting summer books: Places We Swim California, a guide to the state’s best rivers, lakes, waterfalls and hot springs, and our friend Emma O’Kelly’s Wild Sauna—she tried out over 100+ outdoor saunas and cold dips across the UK. Light, Sand and Sea: Hamptons Artists and Their Studios looks at the artists shaping the East End of Long Island’s creative scene and their transporting workspaces. And a few cookbooks: The Martha’s Vineyard Cookbook, with recipes from the island’s restaurants and farmers; Coastal, Scott Clark’s ode to seasonal, unfussy Californian fare; and our dear friend Lucinda Scala Quinn’s Mother Sauce, a soulful collection of Italian-American nonnas’ cooking inspired by her foremothers—especially her great-grandmother Aquilina, who set sail for America from the Bay of Naples over a century ago.