🌸 Mother’s Day + 🎓 graduation | HNHO - The Potlatch Club | Highlight - Barro in Avila, Spain

📷 Lotus & Lettuce

WHERE TO NEXT?

Dear Traveler,

If you have kids at home this is a crazy time of year. But even for newly empty nesters like us, it has been overflowing with parties, visiting friends, friends visiting, art galleries and maximizing our time outdoors.

I feel like I’m vacationing in place this week with the wide variety of events and adventures I’ve been on.

Last week a friend invited me to a symposium about an artist with an exhibit at our local art museum, The Hood. I’d previously attended the exhibit’s opening and was in awe of the creativity and beauty of Cara Romero‘s work. The symposium shared even more perspectives about her inspiration and how she created the images.

After its time at Dartmouth College, the exhibit will be traveling around the country. I highly recommend you see it if you can. Check out Cara Romero’s instagram.

I did not bet on the winning horse in last weekend’s Kentucky Derby. But I did enjoy reminiscing about my once in a lifetime trip to the Derby last year. This year’s Derby was so close to May 5 that our friends had a Cinco de Derbyparty. I loved the creative mash up of two unrelated events. Margaritas and Mint Juleps at the same bar (I will always pick the margarita).

I was grateful to find an excuse to wear my daughter’s fancy fascinator (type of hat for the Derby).

We also attended an 80’s themed charitable event for our local science museum. The night ended with dancing in a blue light room to favorite 80’s hits like Walk Like an Egyptian and You Spin Me Round. It was a memorable night for a great cause!

Last night I went to an event near Boston, put on by a friend, extremely talented floral designer and owner of Lotus and Lettuce.

We learned about how to create a beautiful arrangement in a vessel (not a vase because it can be anything). It was so fun and creative!

She grows all of her own flowers (and harvests the seeds for next year’s crop) and asked each of us to forage through our yards for greenery or dried grasses. The combination was so much more unique and creative than you would ever find at a mainstream florist.

Given the timing of the event (just before Mother’s Day), I gave her a suggestion for next year. Invite a group of guys the Thursday before Mother’s Day and have them create their own arrangements to give to their wives. Have you ever done that or received a personally made bouquet from your spouse? I think that would be very well received!

Check out her instagram to see the absolute beauty she creates on a daily basis. Her favorite is when a client brings in a meaningful vessel – an heirloom or item picked up from previous travels. The shape and color inspires her vision for the arrangement.

My creation below. And my talented friend, Susie Margolin.

What will you do for Mother’s Day?

I learned years ago to take Mother’s Day into my own hands.

I plan it.

This year, with two of our kids home, it will include a hike, game of pickleball and dinner out at one of my favorite restaurants (and previous Highlight).

Graduation days are also approaching and whether you have kindergarteners, high schoolers, college kids or kids finishing up graduate school, it is such an important milestone.

Naturally, given what I do, I can find a connection to travel in anything. Graduation is an easy one. For my college graduation my parents agreed to send me on a month long trip to Australia and New Zealand.

For our daughter Allison’s high school graduation I took her on a journey through Peru. For Jessie’s, we sent her on a gap year adventure all over Europe and South America.

Travel is always the best present to celebrate an accomplishment!

The May/June issue of Virtuoso Magazine is out.

The main topic – Adventure Travel. It’s a good one!

If you are not on my mailing list for a physical copy, click the cover below to read the electronic version.

Last week’s most popular article was a tie between Vogue’s The 32 Best Hotel Pools for Scenic Swims and Do You Need Travel Insurance For Your Summer Vacation?

This week I’ve included A LOT of articles! There were so many good ones, so I’m sharing them all. You do you and pick your favorites.

I loved reading the 2025 list of the world’s 50 best beaches. Curious what is the #1 beach in the world? Cala Goloritze in Sardinia, Italy. Sardinia is on my “might visit” list during my European trip this fall and I will check this one out if I go.

The countries with the most beaches on the list this year? Greece and Australia, which had three beaches each.

Surprisingly Hawaii did not have a beach included this year (although we all know they have beautiful beaches too).

This week’s inspirational articles include WSJ insiders sharing tips for getting a great value on a luxury vacation, why September and October are the months to visit Greece (I’ve been in both and agree!), more hot new hotel openings, top cocktail bars around the world and Prince William and Princess Kate’s wedding anniversary trip to Isle of Mull.

The informational articles include one dear to my heart lately – can grief travel help transform an aching heart (it can help), protecting yourself from phone searches at the US border and the Real ID deadline is finally here (make sure you are ready before your next flight!).

Also articles on safaris, Oahu, Ljubljana, Ireland, Paris, Washington DC, Copenhagen, Egypt and Australia.

Wishing you or your loved one a wonderful Mother’s Day! And since I know my mom reads my newsletter, a very happy Mother’s Day to you too! See you next week!

Where to next for you?

Warmly,

Below:

Client feedback – Rome + Pompeii
This week’s highlight – Barro
Hot New Hotel Opening – The Potlatch Club
Inspiration + Information

Our client, a dad, wanted to take his three teenagers to Rome and Pompeii for spring break.

Arrival day is always an important moment for every trip as it sets the tone for the whole vacation. Ensuring a smooth arrival process is #1 (a VIP meet and greet after an international flight into FCO is a must!).

Next is understanding if the family wants to power through and be active or relax and rest (or both). For this family, I knew a fun, adventurous way to see the city was the right call. I’m so glad we planned it this way as it was one of the highlights of the trip for them!

An important consideration for Rome this year is that 2025 is the Jubilee year. I was conscious from the beginning about keeping them away from the crowded areas as much as possible.

I couldn’t be happier about how much they loved their trip!

What were you seeking help with in planning this trip?
A memorable no worries trip which marked my kids’ first foray into Europe.

The GOOD. What went well? What were your favorite and most memorable experiences? Any particular WOW moment or experience?
Everything! The tour guides were amazing, our drivers were always on time, accommodating and safe, the accommodations were wonderful and the “add ons” (cooking class, shopping trip and Vespa Tour) were next level enjoyable.

Was there a person or people that you met along the way that you’d like to recognize for being especially helpful?
Everyone! Alessandra (guide in Rome) and her husband Daniel (our driver) were just amazing. Our Vespa tour guide Giovanni was also wonderful and got our trip started off on a great foot.

What is your favorite memory of the trip?
Vespa tour and cooking class.

If you have suggestions for how we might be able to make your experience working with us even better next time, please share.
Starting the trip with the Vespa tour was perfect. We got to see so much of Rome and neighborhoods we would have never explored if we hadn’t visited them right of the bat.

BARRO

Carlos Casillas is the youngest chef to achieve a Michelin star in Spain. His restaurant, Barro, is in a refurbished 200-year-old warehouse previously used to store flour (I can’t resist a repurposed building). Sitting in his minimalistically designed dining room, you can look into the open kitchen or out at the city’s walls.

The food

Carlos said “We work with 60 local producers we know personally, we make our own wine from vines dating back to 1907.”

I know from personal experience that the produce and local meats and seafood in Spain are delicious. With Carlos’ hyper local focus, the quality and care of the products going into your dishes is personal.

The tasting menu is 15 dishes and has included suckling pig, 150-day-aged rib eye and a rabbit lasagna.

Barro well deserved their place on the Condé Nast Travel 2024 Hot List. Avila is just 90 minutes from Madrid. Make a reservation on your next visit to Spain.

Nearby
Walk the Medieval City Walls: Enjoy panoramic views of the town and countryside while walking along a large portion of Ávila’s remarkably preserved 11th-century walls (Muralla de Ávila), which stretch for ~1.5 miles.

Hike the Sierra de Gredos Foothills: Just outside Ávila, there are well-marked trails in the foothills of the Sierra de Gredos. Half-day or full-day hikes are an option. Enjoy nature, spot wildlife and take in beautiful views of the Castilian plateau. A via ferrata is close by too.

Instagram

📷 Barro

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Spain

🌟 The Potlatch Club recently reopened in Eleuthera, Bahamas. The resort was famous in the 60’s and 70’s (it is said that Paul McCartney wrote “She Came in Through the Bathroom Window” while here on his honeymoon) and then fell into disrepair and closed in the 80’s. An 8+ year renovation brought the property back to life.

Why visit The Potlatch Club?

Situated on a seven-mile stretch of pink sand beach, the resort offers privacy and tranquility, making it an ideal destination for those seeking a peaceful retreat.
The resort features just 11 suites, cottages, and villas, scattered on 12 acres, including the romantic Pink Sands House and the expansive four-bedroom Pineapple House. A perfect set up for multiple couples who want to spend quality time together.
The Fig Tree restaurant serves Asian-fusion cuisine with a focus on fresh, local ingredients, while the Sand Bar offers a laid-back atmosphere for cocktails and light bites with ocean views.
Guests can indulge in treatments at the Acqua Spa, with beachside massages. Or participate in activities like kayaking, paddleboarding, and swimming with turtles and stingrays.

Of course it comes with the usual perks and VIP treatment when booking your stay through Truvay Travel.