Contributor Profiles
Melissa Bradley
The daughter of an Australian ballerina who was a soloist with England’s Royal Ballet and an American money manager, Melissa Biggs Bradley believes that travel is in her blood. After all, if her parents hadn’t both been living “abroad” in London, where they met, she wouldn’t have been born. At twelve, she went on a month-long safari in Kenya with an inveterate traveler, her 72-year-old grandmother. She chose to spend her junior year of high school in Rennes, France living with a French family. She attended Yale College, but spent her junior year living and studying in Paris. After beginning her magazine career at European Travel & Life, she joined Town & Country as travel editor in 1994. In 2001, her article, “Far and Away” on a twenty-three day trip around the world by private jet was selected as one of the Notable Travel Writing Selections in the Best American Travel Writing of 2000.
Read more information on Melissa Biggs Bradley.
Destination Reports
Paris
With major European cities looking more and more alike, Paris stands gloriously apart.
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Shanghai
China's embrace of capitalism is transforming this historic city into an urban marvel for this century. Come witness its rise.
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New York
New York is at a new zenith of prosperity and creativity, with exciting new hotels, restaurants, galleries and shops.
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Prague
The only other city in Europe that comes close to being as perfectly beautiful as Prague is Venice. Now, its extraordinary architecture has been restored after decades of neglect and...
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Belize
“A nature lover’s paradise” may be a tired cliché but it actually applies to this small Central American country.
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St. Barth's
St. Barth’s has a rhythm of its own that mixes l’art de vivre with a laid-back tropical ease. What's new; where to stay and shop.
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Deer Valley
No longer a secret among well-heeled families, Deer Valley is now ranked #1 ski resort in the U.S. and a new crop of hotels and amenities is raising the bar...
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Bahia
Discover the best beach hideaways in the area that Brazilians call "the land of happiness."
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Santa Barbara
Sophisticated living combined with a refreshingly laid-back California attitude in a drop-dead gorgeous landscape.
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Articles
Sydney: Where to Eat: Global Cuisine: Sailors Thai
Who serves the best Thai food in Sydney is a matter of heated debate; Longrain and Sailors Thai often wind up in a tie for first place with those who...
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Sydney: Where to Eat: Hot Spots: Est
Est, which is located in the chic Establishment hotel, was named Restaurant of the Year in 2006 by the Sydney Morning Herald’s Good Food Guide, an Australian version of Michelin....
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Sydney: Where to Eat: Alfresco: Aqua Dining
This modern Aussie restaurant boasts one of the most memorable settings in Sydney. Its indoor and outdoor tables hang suspended in a glass cube-like structure over the North Sydney Olympic...
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Napa & Sonoma: Where to Stay: Newcomers: Hotel Healdsburg
The hip fifty-five-room Hotel Healdsburg is proof that the warmth of a country inn can be maintained without the grandmotherly decor of hooked rugs and lace curtains. When you first...
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Napa & Sonoma: Where to Stay: Luxury: Auberge du Soleil
For years I had heard that this was one of the most romantic hotels in the country, and when I finally visited four years ago, I was not disappointed. Set...
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Napa & Sonoma: Where to Stay: Family Friendly: Meadowood
This privately-owned property reminds me of a New England summer enclave. Its white clapboard cottages are sprinkled over a 250-acre private estate with hiking trails winding past tennis courts, croquet...
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New Zealand: Where to Stay: Luxury: Kauri Cliffs
In 1978, on a sabbatical from Wall Street, investor Julian Robertson Jr. chose New Zealand as a place where he could escape and ponder the future. He and his wife,...
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New Zealand: Where to Stay: Luxury: Blanket Bay
A forty-five-minute drive from Queenstown, this lodge sits in a breathtaking spot on the shore of Lake Wakatipu, looking towards the Humboldt Mountains. In the 1970s, when an American couple...
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Family: Pulse: A Kid's Guide to Washington D.C.
You asked: Any advice for traveling with young kids to Washington, D.C.? Last March, when we took our kids to Washington, D.C., we found a book in our suite at...
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Active/Adventure: People: Ranch for a Reunion
You asked: We are eight adults and ten kids (ages five to twelve). We want to travel during Christmas week to a very upscale ranch where there is a lot...
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Marrakech: Where to Stay: On the Horizon: La Mamounia
The legendary La Mamounia, which has long offered the best of both of Marrakech’s worlds (proximity to the medina and a parklike setting), is undergoing a much-needed renovation and is...
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Marrakech: What to See & Do: Day Trips: Atlas Mountains
We had a driver take us up to the Berber village of Imlil (a little more than an hour’s drive) and then hiked fifteen minutes up to the Kasbah du...
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Marrakech: What to See & Do: Day Trips: Essaouira
A two-hour drive from Marrakech (through not particularly interesting landscape), this seaside town has changed very little in the past decade, except for the addition of a few stylish riad...
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Green/Eco: Places: Lodge at Chaa Creek, Belize
Mick and Lucy Fleming created their model ecoresort almost by accident. The enterprising couple fell in love with this region of west central Belize in the 1970s, while traveling through...
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Napa & Sonoma: Guides & Tour Operators: John Thoreen, the Wine Tutor
When I stayed at the Calistoga Ranch for a girls’ weekend a few years ago, we hired a wonderful wine guide for the afternoon. John Thoreen, a.k.a the Wine Tutor,...
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Editor's Picks: Welcome to Indagare
Dear Members, In the first few weeks of our launch, you can expect new highlights and Destination Reports to be added daily. Every Wednesday, we will update this page with...
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Style: Places: Global Bazaar
One of the downsides of globalization is the uniformity of shopping around the world. With the same luxury labels everywhere from Aspen to Shanghai, it’s getting harder and harder to...
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Style: Places: Global Bazaar: Sydney
If you had only one afternoon to shop in Sydney, I’d tell you to hop a cab to Surry Hills and direct it to the emporium david met nicole. Most...
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Style: Places: Global Bazaar: Marrakech
You can’t visit the city without going to the bazaar, but the most beautiful things made in Morocco will not be found within it. Browse here, but buy at Meryanne...
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Style: Pulse: Global Bazaar: Jaipur
JAIPUR: As if running one world-famous emporium weren’t enough, Munnu Kasliwal (of Jaipur’s Gem Palace) teamed up with French jewelry designer Marie-Hélène de Taillac to open a shop in 2005...
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Style: Places: Global Bazaar: Shanghai
If you like beautiful, authentic crafts, you shouldn’t visit Shanghai without stopping at Suzhou Cobblers. The small boutique, on a road just off the Bund, sells exquisite hand-sewn silk shoes...
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London: Where to Stay: Luxury: The Lanesborough
An American’s vision of grand London, this five-star property was opened by Texan Caroline Hunt as a Rosewood hotel in 1991 and is now a St. Regis hotel. Located in...
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London: Where to Stay: Luxury: The Dorchester
A magnificent hotel with a great location, between Marble Arch and Hyde Park Corner, the Dorchester lays its luxury on thick, which may be one reason it has long been...
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London: Where to Stay: Grand: Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park
This wonderful Knightsbridge institution, with its views of Hyde Park, was taken over by the Mandarin Oriental group in 2000. Mandarin brought its Asian standards to bear on the service,...
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London: Where to Stay: Boutique: The Halkin
Founded by Singaporean hotelier Christina Ong, this boutique hotel, on a quiet street in Belgravia, is a favorite retreat for the fashion crowd. The Ongs, who own Parrot Cay in...
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Editor's Picks: Special Private Jet Invitation for Members
Having been a travel journalist for more than a dozen years, I am often asked about the best trip I’ve ever taken. The answer is easy: it was a TCS...
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Editor's Picks: News & Notes
This weekend marks the 16th annual Napa Valley Wine Auction, which officially kicks off tomorrow with a series of private dinners and lunches. For information on how to get last-minute...
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Family: Pulse: Palm Springs Family Style
You Asked: What is the best resort in Palm Springs for a family vacation with kids aged 4 to 14? Writer Carrie Doyle Karasyov (co-author of The Right Address and...
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Spa/Wellness: Pulse: Mii Amo
Update: I just returned from my second trip to Mii Amo, and I loved it even more as a return guest. I never thought that I would be an annual...
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Escape: People: Honeymoon Hotels in Paris and Rome
You asked: We are going to go to Rome and Paris for our honeymoon in October. Any suggestions for romantic hotels? —S.G., Los Angeles, CA For the most romantic options...
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Active/Adventure: Pulse: Brazil and Argentina Experts
You asked: My husband and I want to plan a trip to Brazil and Argentina. Who would you recommend who could help us with guides and drivers in the cities...
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Escape: People: Parrot Cay Versus Harbour Island
You asked: Is Parrot Cay the best place to go for a three-night stint getaway? Better than Harbour Island (Pink Sands or Coral Sands)? Is Parrot Cay flashy or can...
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Active/Adventure: People: Surfing and Pampering
You asked: My exhausted investment banker husband and I are looking for a beautiful resort, not too far from New York, that offers surfing instruction. What would you recommend? L.C.,...
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Commentary: In Praise of Travel Agents
People ask me all the time why they should bother with a travel agent when they can book their own flights and hotel rooms online. The first argument for travel...
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Ibiza: Boating: Coral Yachting
With an office in the Ibiza marina, Coral Yachting arranges for boat charters of various sizes, including speedboats, yachts and sailboats, which are perfect for day trips to Formentera. Our...
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Riviera Maya: Where to Stay: Family Friendly: Fairmont Mayakoba
Part of the Maya Riviera’s Mayakoba resort community, the Fairmont Mayakoba has 401 guest rooms located in casitas of various sizes scattered around the forty-five-acre property. Most rooms have views...
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Bahamas: Where to Stay: Family Friendly: The Cove Atlantis
My nine-year-old daughter summed up the main problem with the Cove Atlantis, the newest addition to the Atlantis resort. “The supposedly magnificent rides and service is not so magnificent after...
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Bahamas: Where to Stay: Luxury: One & Only Ocean Club
This storied property was once the home of grocery-store heir Huntington Hartford II. More recently, it appeared in the 2006 James Bond remake of Casino Royale, and just like the...
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Commentary: Buyer Beware: A Cautionary Tale of Shopping Abroad
Shopping in a foreign country can carry risks—and rewards—that you may not be aware of. In yesterday’s New York Times, I read a story about a St. Louis resident who...
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Family: Places: You asked: Christmas Ski Vacation with Kids
From the Ask Advice board: “In addition to the information provided in the Deer Valley post, can you recommend other places to travel out West over a Christmas holiday with...
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Editor's Picks: The Holiday Rush and a New Compromise
Summer is not yet officially over, but it’s already time to start figuring out winter holiday plans. For the past two months, we’ve been fielding questions from members who were...
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Editor's Picks: What's Your Travel IQ?
Dear Members, I’ve learned a lot in my travels but our new Indagare Quotient Intelligence Quiz, or IQ², reminds me of how much more I have to learn and how...
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Spa/Wellness: Places: Airport Nail Salons & Spas
It’s hard to find something positive to report about flying commercial in the U.S. these days, with a record number of canceled and delayed flights and unavoidable security hassles. But...
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Hong Kong: Where to Shop: Jewelry: Tayma Fine Jewellery
When I first discovered this shop in the late ‘90s, Tamya was operating out of a small studio in a non-descript office building in Hong Kong. An English friend had...
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Editor's Picks: Global Holiday Shopping
It’s that time of year when hopefully you have squared away your travel plans. (If you haven’t, members will receive another blast next week with still-available-for-the-holiday options.) And now we...
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Style: Pulse: Global Bazaar: Online
When I travel I often find unusual products that seem just right for friends and family. One year I bought almost all of my Christmas presents in Shanghai. I piled...
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Food/Wine: Pulse: New York Newcomer: Grayz
I have been a fan of Gray Kunz since he was at Lespinasse in the St. Regis. The way he fuses his old world Swiss culinary background with a touch...
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Mustique: Introduction: Why Go Now
There’s a natural chic here that exists in certain Mediterranean places and nowhere else. Other islands in the Caribbean are terribly pretty: St. John, Jamaica, Turks and Caicos. Other islands...
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Mustique: Strategies: Getting There
It is possible to take a ferry from St. Vincent but flights are the preferred mode of arrival. You fly either to Barbados or Grenada and then take a six-seater...
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Mustique: Introduction: Overview
Paradise. You do know it when you see it. My first glimpse of Mustique was of massive houses perched on jungle green hillsides from a tiny six-seater plane as we...
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Mustique: Where to Shop: Fashion & Accessories: Pink House
New this season in the pink gingerbread-style Treasure Houses (next to the Purple House) is one co-owned by the island’s iconic designer Lotty Bunbury. An English woman who moved to...
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Commentary: To Ship or To Check Bags: One Flier's Opinion
A month ago, I checked a bag for the first time in three years because I was combining city and country stays in Denmark, and I couldn’t fit boots, sweaters...
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Harbour Island: Introduction: Why Go Now
Harbour Island is one of those places people either love or simply don’t get. For the many glamorous folk who want to drop out, the island’s small-townpace is the perfect...
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Editor's Picks: December 18, 2007
Need to Know: Shipping Luggage I am getting ready for skiing and sunning after Christmas and my secret helper is FedEx. A week or so ago, the Wall Street Journal...
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Editor's Picks: Good Intentions
This year, I decided to give myself some extra help in keeping my new year’s resolution by reserving a few days at one of my favorite spas, Mii Amo. I...
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British Virgin Islands: Where to Stay: On the Water: Bitter End Yacht Club
This beachfront resort is great for families. Known for its excellent sailing, it’s a water sports mecca where guests can learn to sail at Bitter End’s U.S. Sailing-accredited Sailing and...
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Commentary: A New Breed of Flier
Last week I realized that a new breed of flier has emerged in America’s airports and reluctantly, I have joined its ranks. Call us defensive fliers or strategic schedulers. In...
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Editor's Picks: On My Mind: Making Connections
In September one of our members posted on our Discussion Boards a tentative trip itinerary with the following comment: “I am trying to plan a nine-day trip to Morocco in...
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Escape: Places: Brazilian Beach Retreats
To read about the best beach hideaways in the area that Brazilians call “the land of happiness,” see our new report on Bahia.
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Cuixmala: Introduction: Why Go Now
A recent visitor compared arriving at the private landing strip at Cuixmala, the former estate of the late British billionaire, Sir James Goldsmith, as akin to landing on Fantasy Island....
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Cuixmala: Where to Stay: Most Indulgent: La Loma
The jewel of the property, La Loma, looms like a Moorish castle (complete with a tiled dome) a few hundred feet above the gorgeous sweep of two-mile-long private beach. The...
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Cuixmala: Where to Stay: Luxury: Casa Alborada
This three-bedroom Moorish-meets-hacienda style house on the Cuixmala property overlooks the ranch’s coconut plantation as it rolls down toward the private beach. Decorated by Alix Marcaccini, one of Goldsmith’s daughters,...
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Escape: Places: Fantasy Escape: Cuixmala
Many of the most beautiful unspoiled places have been preserved by individuals with vision. Laurance Rockefeller bought up swaths of Maine, Wyoming and the Virgin Islands, which remain protected from...
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Active/Adventure: Pulse: My Spring Skiing Favorites
Disclaimers first: 1) I haven’t skied everywhere. Whistler and Gstaad could be favorites. Haven’t tried them yet. 2) I don’t believe in lists and rankings, only in personal preferences, because...
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Escape: Pulse: Making a Last-Minute Plan
This year, I didn’t plan my family’s spring break early but settled on places where I knew I could get flights and rooms. The first week, I am taking my...
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Editor's Picks: Top Spring Break Choices
This Month’s Strategy: There’s only a bit more than a month left to escape your winter routines with a getaway. I’ve found that the best spring trips come in two...
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Family: Places: Family Skiing Lech, Austria
You asked: I am skiing with my family in Lech, Austria for the first time. Any advice? General Tips: You should definitely reserve a ski guide from one of the...
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Editor's Picks: March Travel News
In the Know: Paris Rentals The savvy way to stay in Paris these days is not in a hotel but in an apartment. One reason is a crop of stunning...
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Escape: Places: Malibu Beach Inn
For west coasters there’s no better beach to walk your dog on in summer than Carbon Beach in Malibu (a.k.a. Billionaire’s Beach). Last week, when I was in L.A., the...
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Editor's Picks: Spring 2008 Update
This Week’s Strategy: Finding Great Summer Rooms With A View For west coasters there’s no better beach to walk your dog on in summer than Carbon Beach in Malibu (a.k.a....
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Giving Back: Pulse: Zimbabwe Crisis
The crisis in Zimbabwe is worsening by the day. I participated in a summit in New York today on Responsible Luxury Travel where Steve Fitzgerald, CEO of CCAfrica, recalled recently...
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Green/Eco: People: Nature Conservancy Trips of a Lifetime
M.A. Sanjayan, one of the Nature Conservancy’s three lead scientists, spends his year leading donor trips and scientific expeditions to many of the world’s last great places. He just finished...
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Commentary: Crisis in Burma
Last week our news blast included a member’s rave about a special riverboat in Myanmar, the country which has just been devastated by Cyclone Nargis. Tens of thousands of people...
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Commentary: Reading on the Road
Years ago, at my grandmother’s suggestion, I began a travel tradition that I have just begun instilling in my own kids. Before I went to Greece and Turkey for the...
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Venice: Where to Shop: Fashion & Accessories: Cristina Linassi
This gorgeous lingerie shop between Campo Santo Stefano and Campo San Angelo sells exquisite nightgowns and housewares, all of which is made in Venice by true artisans. There are camisoles...
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Hamptons: Where to Eat: Hot Spots: Nello
This seasonal branch of the Madison Avenue trattoria has people talking and not about the food. The prices have gotten so out of line with those charged at restaurants around...
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Hamptons: Where to Eat: Family Friendly: Sip n’ Soda
This old-fashioned diner just celebrated its 50th anniversary by turning back the dial on the prices on the menu for a day and charging the 1958 menu prices. There are...
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Hamptons: Where to Shop: Fashion & Accessories: Altona
For years, this space on Job’s Lane was occupied by Nancy & Co. But this year, Altona moved in and is now the go-to place for great jeans (Dead Sexy),...
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Hamptons: Where to Shop: Books & Paper: Canio’s Books
This famous used book store in Sag Harbor still hosts local author readings, and some are big, literary names since the area has been home to masters like Peter Matthiessen...
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Hamptons: Where to Shop: For Children: Marie-Chantal
Princess Marie-Chantal of Greece (one of the Miller sisters) opened this outpost to sell her gorgeous baby and children’s clothing last year. For those little ones who must only be...
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Indagare News Flash
- News: Indagare named Best Travel Website by Vanity Fair. Read an interview with our founder on Vivre.
- Editor’s Picks: An insider’s tour of the Lubéron, a review of the Joule a new design hotel in downtown Dallas, and of Washington D.C.’s remarkable Newseum, a special, week-long itinerary in Colombia and a designer’s tips on what to see and do in Cartagena, behind-the-scenes culture trips to Eastern Europe and a reading and film list of the Hamptons. Plus, introducing our special Indagare Family Trips and an update on what’s new in Marrakech.
- Member Advice: Total immersion to learn Spanish: where in South/Central America would you go for a month? Share ideas. Better for kids Phuket or Koh Samui? Join the discussion.
- Coming soon: Insider reports on Botswana, the Cotswolds, the Turks & Caicos, Anguilla and Mumbai.
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- Postcards: Family trip to Guatemala and Belize and a native’s tips for visiting Cartagena. Submit a postcard.
- Indagare Insiders: Top picks in Delhi from Fiona Caulfield; Colin Cowie’s tips on packing, flying and tipping; the design duo behind Kirna Zabete on shopping the world. Club 55’s Patrice de Colmont on St. Tropez, Eva Lorenzotti on Cairo and Loulou de la Falaise on Paris.
- Reviews: In-depth guides to Buenos Aires, Nantucket and St. Tropez and special spa adventures, including wellness weeks at villas in Europe.
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