Top Destinations for Adventurous Travelers – Follow Us!

Where have they Been and Where Are They Going? Intrepid east Coast clients who never flinch at long flights with multiple airport changes, I so admire this adorable couple!  She sends snapshots, amusing photos from the Cat Café in Seoul!

Our go to favorite hotels: Seoul: Four Seasons and Bali: Amankila – where the suites are set atop stilts amid the treetops, the free-standing Suites have been fashioned as Balinese beach houses with private outdoor terraces…

Amankila, Bali

Several multi-generation families are plotting 2026 Edinburgh Fringe Festival the ONLY place to stay is our favorite Balmoral, a Rocco Forte Property. With the Finale at Fife Arms – one of my favorite hotels in the world.

Again & Still: Mexico City – when your 93 your old mother travels with her kids and grandkids, all I can say is Brava – and Feliz Navidad  Christmas in Mexico City at our favorite Casa Polanco – we deserve a small plaque for all of our bookings this year! When the gracious GM sends us gifts, you know they appreciate our clients.

Santiago – Skip the snow and follow the sun to Latin America -Still one of my favorite properties is Vina Vik- trading cold for sunshine is always appealing to me. The road less traveled, and well worth the two-hour drive south of the capital city of Santiago; the road delivers one to the rambling mountainous Millahue Valley. Once you turn off the highway to the single lane dirt road, the scenery and traffic change – cars and old ranch trucks are interspersed with huaso’s on horseback herding cows down the dusty road. VIK Chile, the most luxurious hotel in Chile, will inspire you to switch off and unwind. Located at the top of a hill in the middle of the valley, very close to the Andes Mountain Range, Vik Chile boasts 360º panoramic views of the vineyards, the striking VIK Winery, is a unique destination in Chile. The luxurious, original rooms invite you to rest and indulge all your senses in a one-of-a kind experience.

An easy flight from Santiago to Mexico, trek onward to one of our personal favorite hotels, Four Seasons Tamarindo – cliffside suites with infinity pools dangling over the sea! Cooking classes, golf if you must…Tamarindo is a showcase of five of the most well-respected architecture and design firms in Mexico, who came together to create a resort that blends seamlessly with the peninsula’s topography, supports re-wilding and blurs boundaries between indoors and out. Their commitment to authentically Mexican architecture results in a mosaic of pre-Hispanic culture, colonial heritage, and contemporary architecture.

Four Seasons Resort Tamarindo

More Morocco! My second home, darling couple returned from celebrating a Birthday and a 50th Wedding Anniversary – 2 weeks of the grand tour from Marrakech to the Sahara, including Dar Ahlam, Kasbah Tamadot, and a finale at La Mamounia! Reporting: Everything Perfect, thank you, Gwen

November, we again shared More Morocco – an Arts discovery tour departing from Marrakech – combined with saffron gardens and many cooking experiences offered by private chefs! Olinto in the Atlas Mountains has become a client favorite!

Olinto, Morocco
Mamounia, Marrakech, Morocco

Japan– with our most exclusive team – they continue to amuse and delight and discover the cocktail bars on everyone’s list, the secret artist studio’s ..the long list continues to evolve!

“Travelling – it leaves you speechless, then turns you into a storyteller.” – Ibn Battuta. 

Inspiring Travel Stories: Meet Lorelle Pacello

What an unattractive tussle or brawl for an End of Year Prize; craved yet not deserved Prize for Peace. Individuals eligible for prestigious awards are generally nominated by an esteemed committee, and genuine efforts must be exhibited to win. 

My recent arduous ship Journey in Papua New Guinea, introduced me to a woman who should receive the Prize for Travel Stamina and Fitness. I am not a cruise person, however, one of the best methods of seeing the intriguing Tribes of New Guinea is by ship.

Lorelle Pacello

My first afternoon aboard the Ponant, le Jacques Cartier, all passengers participated in the Muster Drill… a mandatory emergency safety exercise. I spotted an exuberant fast-moving cane toting petite woman, lining up in her assigned group. Pert and at attention, in her bulky bright orange life jacket.

PNG is tropical, below the equator, translating to consistent hot and humid weather with sporadic downpours, many utterly drenching. This area is no walk in the park! Plus, the transport to little islands or atolls requires getting in and out of small Zodiacs to a wet landing on a beach or a dry landing onto a pier. Using a sailor’s grip, keep your weight low in a rocking boat, and move deliberately, critical for stability in a calm sea. Even more so when boarding after an expedition, bouncy waves cause the Zodiac to smash the pier, precise timing and balance are essential to step aboard the ship. Not for the timid or frail!

On our daily expeditions, I continued to spot this tiny force of nature scurry across a wide expanse of uneven ground, camera out, cane dangling from her wrist, backpack slung over her shoulder. Barely 5 feet tall, I was intrigued and enthralled by this adorable whippersnapper traveling alone exploring the atolls and their native tribes. End of day, we gathered for a summary and a presentation of tomorrow’s tribes and villages. There she was, notebook in hand, phone ready. Finally, I approached, marveled at her tenaciousness and enthusiasm, with I must know you! My inspiration! 

Lorelle Pacello, the diminutive traveler, is Australian and has traveled alone for years. In her professional life, she was a Chemistry teacher, her comprehensive knowledge of music, birds, cultures is extraordinarily impressive. Lorelle, in her 83rd year loves traveling by herself, following her passions. Her grown kids struggle to keep track of her Journeys! Her iPhone calendar was bursting with activities and trips for next year. Cruises, city visits, lectures.

A little interview: What words of advice would you give to a senior traveler? I try to research the places I intend to visit on a tour so know what to look for and be prepared.

Think back to when you were younger, is there one piece of advice or word of wisdom you would give your younger self?  I travelled a little when I was younger. Perhaps it would have been nice to have been able to do more then.

Do you travel with friends your age? No. I have my interests and am quite happy to travel by myself.

You shared that you learned how to download your phone photos to your laptop. In regard to technology, how has travel changed over your lifetime? Enormously. It is easy to obtain information via the internet, and now my photographs are taken on my phone rather than carrying a camera with interchange lens.

From an 83-year-old! I have friends who didn’t know Siri talks and takes instructions! Lorelle, of course, taught herself to download her photos to her tablet.

Lorelle Pacello, exploring the world!

Do you have a favorite gadget or essential item you always pack for a trip?  No. I try to pack lightly so I carry essentials.  I have a general packing list on my computer which I print and then use this and tick off as I pack.

This is a lesson to me, who always overpacks – for ‘just in case’ or I want options!

Never a complaint from her; many times, I heard her exclaim:  Why, wasn’t that interesting?

We had hours of swimming and snorkeling, which she declined saying she wasn’t as strong a swimmer as she once was. Know your strengths, is a good life lesson!

A typical landing on the banks of Lake Sentani in the Village of Pulau Ase

The first few days, I was stealthily taking snapshots of her and texting to friends: look at this amazing woman, we need to hold her as our example for aging well and enjoying life to the ultimate! I often felt like I was stalking her just to ask more questions or hear her observations. I was never disappointed when we bumped into each other after an outing or enjoyed lunch together. She, of course attended the stretching classes, lectures and napped every afternoon; she avoided evening karaoke!

My Prize for Travel Resilience and Unmatched Exuberance for Life is presented to Mrs. Lorelle Pacello!

My Papua New Guinea Journey was greatly enhanced by meeting Lorelle.

Remain Curious!

“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one’s lifetime.”
―― Mark Twain, The Innocents Abroad / Roughing I