“People don’t take trips…trips take them,” John Steinbeck famously wrote in Travels With Charley: In Search of America. And nowhere is this more evident than in Artful Living’s winter travel issue. Featuring a dreamy curation of life-changing journeys, bucket list adventures and fantasy destinations, this issue invites you to immerse yourself in the transformative magic of travel.
In “The Suite Life,” Allison Duncan discovers how the world’s top luxury hotels are courting today’s most discerning travelers. From 24-hour butler service to private wine sommeliers and 10-person cinema rooms, these hotels don’t just offer jaw-dropping accommodations; they provide immersive, once-in-a-lifetime experiences and state-of-the-art amenities that would make Eloise’s head spin. “Luxury can be defined in myriad ways,” says Duncan. For some, it might mean an exclusive encounter on the annual wildebeest migration route in the Serengeti (Singita’s Milele Villa). For others, it’s enjoying your own private 1,000-square-foot garden in the heart of Paris courtesy of the Saint James Paris Longchamp Suite (I stayed at this hotel during a recent mother-daughter trip and can attest it is one of the most beautiful places I have ever been).
Elsewhere in the issue, Bonnie Pop explores a rustic approach to luxury travel in “Fantasy Farmstays.” Unlike traditional agritourism, which tends to serve up the idyllic farm experience with a side of manual labor, these bucolic retreats couple the charm and romance of farm life — eating hyperlocal produce, riding horses at sunset, meandering through fragrant gardens — with gourmet cuisine, holistic spa treatments and gorgeous accommodations. For nature-minded wellness enthusiasts, the appeal runs deep. Living on a farm provides a “deeper connection to nature, which has been proven to increase the production of serotonin, decrease levels of the stress hormone cortisol and positively impact the autonomic nervous system,” says Duncan.
For those looking for a more rugged adventure, Alexandra Owens treks the Inca Trail with local women challenging Peru’s macho culture (“Reaching New Heights”). Until recently, only men were hired to serve as guides. “Women traditionally weren’t considered fit enough for such brawny, masculine work in Peru’s patriarchal society.” But that’s gradually changing thanks to initiatives like Abercrombie & Kent’s Inca Trail Women’s Project, which provides professional training and jobs to Quechua women who typically face limited economic opportunities in these remote Andean villages. Travel along with Owens as she passes ancient ruins and stunning terraced hills with these inspiring female guides and a cast of local musicians who serenade them as they hike the vertiginous seven-mile trail to the top of Machu Picchu.
After the busy holiday season, January is the perfect time to reset and recalibrate. And for this issue, Gisela Williams does just that at the world-renowned medispa, Palazzo Fiuggi (“A Royal Cure”). Located just over an hour south of Rome, this stunning century-old palace — which Oprah called the best wellness retreat of her life — has been transformed into a high-tech but ultra-luxurious spa. Once the glamorous playground of European high society, Palazzo Fiuggi now offers the same sumptuous surroundings alongside medically-based longevity and detox programs that are anything but grueling. Undertaking the four-day detox, Williams spent her days cycling through a series of pampering treatments and nibbling on perfectly portioned three-Michelin-star cuisine packed with vital micronutrients (and almost no unhealthy fats). “By the time my retreat was over,” Williams writes, “I felt physically and mentally lighter. I was ready — indeed inspired — to return to everyday life.”
Enjoy the issue!
Amy Synnott, Editor-in-Chief
@amysynnott
