The Savvy Travel Planner

09/04/2026

My most-requested new property this year isn't in Europe or the Maldives. It's on a clifftop in Costa Rica.

Nekajui opened last year on a clifftop in Peninsula Papagayo, and it already holds two Michelin Keys. Some villas are reached by a wooden suspension bridge across a ravine. A funicular glides down through the trees to the beach club. The spa alone covers 27,000 square feet in the canopy, and dinner at Puna, from Peruvian chef Diego Muñoz, is reason enough to visit.

My favorite part: every stay comes with a personal host who handles everything over a simple text. Sunset table, surf lesson, a monkey sighting you want repeated tomorrow, one message.

Liberia's airport is about 40 minutes away, with nonstops from many U.S. cities, which makes this one of the easiest world-class resorts to reach from anywhere.

The newest member of one of travel's most exclusive clubs. Reach out to learn more!

09/03/2026

What happens when you cross a classic safari with the Australian Outback?

You get Bamurru Plains, a ten-bungalow camp on a private station in Australia's Top End. The early wake-ups and the sundowners made the trip from Africa. Everything else is pure Australia.

Game drives by airboat, flying over floodplains at speed with your guide spotting wildlife the whole way. Wild buffalo on the banks and saltwater crocs in the shallows, sometimes close enough to count their teeth. And serious birdlife, over 230 species on this one station, including sunrise takeoffs of magpie geese by the thousands.

Back at camp, the bungalows are raised above the wetlands with mesh walls in place of glass, so you fall asleep to the sounds of the floodplain and wake up to wallabies grazing below your deck.

The season runs roughly May through October, and I like to pair it with Kakadu's ancient rock art and a night or two in Darwin. Message me to start planning.

09/01/2026

The number one resort in Southeast Asia, according to Travel + Leisure, is ten villas on a Philippine surf island most travelers can't find on a map. Allow me to introduce you.

Nay Palad Hideaway is all-inclusive in a way that makes other all-inclusives look like they're holding back. Condé Nast Traveler just added it to its Gold List, and Michelin gave it a Key. Every massage on the spa menu, every island-hopping boat, every surf lesson near the famous Cloud 9 break is included before you even think to ask.

The setting matches the service. Ten villas between an ancient mangrove forest and a private white-sand bay, wrapped in sculptural woven architecture, with hanging nest pods in the palms and an infinity pool facing the Pacific.

Ten villas, one island. Reach out, and I'll get you one of them.

09/01/2026

"Which Greek island should I pick?" is my favorite trick question. There are over 200 inhabited islands, and the right one depends entirely on who's asking. (And no, the answer isn't automatically Santorini or Mykonos.) Four I keep matching clients with:

Paros: for the traveler who wants the classic Cyclades, but livable. Whitewashed villages and great beaches, plus real ferry connections, a walkable main town, and prices that haven't gone Santorini yet.

Milos: for the geology nerd who doesn't know it yet. The island is volcanic, so its 70-plus beaches come in white moonscape rock, gold sand, and silver cliffs, many reachable only by boat.

Crete: for the traveler who gets bored on beach trips. Minoan palaces, mountain villages, a food culture Greeks themselves rave about, and resorts big enough to swallow a full week.

Corfu: for the one who wants Greece to look different. This is the green island, Venetian architecture instead of white cubes, cypress hillsides, and a run of new five-star openings.

Island-hopping between them is where trips get complicated: ferries, flight connections, and hotels that sell out by spring. Tell me which island sounds like you, and I'll start planning.

08/30/2026

Ask me where to stay in Napa, and I won’t even pause. Neither will most sommeliers and chefs, by the way. The answer is the same.

Auberge du Soleil began as a restaurant in 1981, on a Rutherford hillside covered in olive trees, and the rooms came later. The Michelin-starred restaurant remains the heart of the property, and the terrace looks straight down the valley over some of the most famous vineyards in America.

A few reasons clients return: the adults-focused calm, the hillside spa, and a location that puts you 10 minutes from more legendary tasting rooms than you could cover in a week.

Napa deserves a proper stay. Get in touch and let’s start planning!

08/28/2026

Flown recently? Then you’ve felt it. Record passenger volumes, tighter ID requirements, and construction at major hubs have changed the math on getting to your gate. Here’s how I protect my clients from all of it:

I build realistic buffers. Tight connections that worked five years ago don’t work now, especially through the busiest international hubs.

I arrange fast-track and VIP services. Many airports offer expedited security, private escorts, and lounge access that most travelers never hear about. I book them routinely.

I watch your flights. Delays and cancellations get handled while you’re still in the air, not after you’ve landed and joined a rebooking line of 200 people.

And a reminder for U.S. travelers: REAL ID is now required for domestic flights, so check that license before your next trip.

The airport is part of the trip. I plan it like one.

08/27/2026

“Is a Nile cruise actually worth it?” I get this question constantly. My answer: on the right boat, it might be the best hotel in Egypt. And it moves.

Historia Boutique Nile River Cruise sails between Luxor and Aswan, designed around the glamour of 1920s river travel with a fully contemporary interior. Around 40 cabins, floor-to-ceiling windows facing the water, a rooftop pool deck, and a spa on board.

The real luxury is the format. You unpack once, and the temples come to you. Karnak and the Valley of the Kings, then Edfu, Kom Ombo, and Philae, each visited with expert Egyptologist guides while the boat handles every mile in between.

Advisor tip: itineraries run three, four, or seven nights, and the direction you sail changes the pacing. I’ll help you pick the right one. Let’s start planning.

08/25/2026

“Wait, hotels have Michelin ratings now?” I’ve been asked some version of this a dozen times this year, so let’s decode it.

Michelin Keys: launched in 2024, awarded to hotels rather than restaurants. One Key means a special stay, two means exceptional, and three places a hotel among the world’s very best.

Forbes Travel Guide Stars: the long-standing gold standard for service. Inspectors visit anonymously and grade hundreds of touchpoints. Five Stars is the top honor and genuinely hard to earn.

Here’s my take as an advisor: awards are a useful signal, not the whole answer. Plenty of Three Key hotels would be wrong for your specific trip, and some of my favorite properties fly below the award radar entirely.

The ratings tell you a hotel is excellent. I tell you if it’s excellent for you. That’s the difference. Reach out anytime to learn more!

08/23/2026

Here’s a piece of hotel trivia I love sharing with clients: Ritz-Carlton has around 100 hotels worldwide. Fewer than ten carry the word Reserve. Zadún is one of them.

The Reserve designation is the brand’s most exclusive tier, and it changes the experience completely. At Zadún, in San José del Cabo, that means villa-style rooms built into the desert dunes above the Sea of Cortez, a personal host assigned to your stay, and a pace that feels nothing like a big resort.

The spa, Alkemia, is a destination on its own, and dinner at Humo, the wood-fire restaurant, is one of the best meals in Los Cabos.

Advisor tip: winter brings whales right offshore, and this stretch of coast near Puerto Los Cabos is calmer than the Cabo San Lucas end. Reach out to learn more.

08/23/2026