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One of my favorite things about a city trip is staying at a beautiful boutique hotel. A place where great attention has been paid to the (design) interior, the service is top-notch, and you're spoiled with a delicious breakfast in the morning. For the past few years,...
One of my favorite things about a city trip is staying at a beautiful boutique hotel. A place where great attention has been paid to the (design) interior, the service is top-notch, and you're spoiled with a delicious breakfast in the morning. For the past few years, I've been going on more weekend getaways in my home country the Netherlands. And since I love boutique hotels, I usually let the destination be determined by the hotel I want to stay at. As a result, I now have a growing list of the best boutique hotels in the Netherlands. Perfect inspiration for a city trip or weekend getaway. Of course, there are many more hotels where you can have a great stay....
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As much as I love city trips, sometimes all I want is to spend some time in nature. Enjoying the fresh air and some peace and quiet. Ideally, with a bit of luxury, of course. And I can now tell you from personal experience that when it comes to luxury hotels...
For a weekend getaway in the Netherlands, Maastricht is one of my favorite destinations. Nowhere else in the Netherlands do I feel so much like I’m on vacation, and I want to spontaneously start speaking to people in another language. I'm also a big fan of beautiful...
It’s been 30 minutes since we left our car and anything that reminds us of our hectic city life behind. Carrying a backpack that hasn’t been used in years. And pulling a folding wagon filled with food and drinks for the coming days. Any doubts about whether it’s still...
The first time I visited Hotel des Indes was to celebrate my grandmother's 90th birthday. Despite having lived in The Hague her entire life, it also happened to be her first time to see the hotel from the inside. Hotel des Indes is a landmark in The Hague. Everyone...
I don't particularly like celebrating my own birthday. But I do love celebrating other people's birthdays! Unfortunately, many of my friends go through the same phase of not wanting to be reminded that they're getting older and prefer not to make a big deal out of it....
As I cross the street from Oslo's Central Station I’m looking up to this impressive building that’s been here for a hundred years. This was once the headquarters of the Norwegian America Line ('Amerikalinjen'), a cruise ship company taking passengers to the United...
I have booked my flight. The next question is: where to stay in Chicago? As much as I like hotels, I always find this extra difficult when I visit a city for the first time. After all, you don't want to end up in a bad neighborhood, or be too far away from all the...
Tourists and digital nomads have clearly discovered Chiang Mai, Thailand’s second city. Mostly known for the over 300 Buddhist temples, these days you’ll be just as impressed by the number of hotels, restaurants and trendy coffee shops. They’re everywhere. Finding a...
Whether you're visiting Thailand to lie on a tropical beach or explore the hipster coffee scene in Chiang Mai, your first stop is probably going to be Bangkok. I'm not using Bangkok simply as a jump-off point to visit the rest of the country. It's my first time in...
Maastricht is the most southern city in the Netherlands. So southern that it actually takes me longer to get here than Antwerp or Brussels in Belgium. But I love visiting Maastricht. It's a beautiful, historic city and so different from other Dutch cities that it...
Klaserie Sands River Camp is the perfect place to stay if you want to have the ultimate luxury safari experience in South Africa. From the moment we arrive and they ask for our car keys to put our luggage in our room, to the warm farewell by the team when we sadly...
This is a story about how my family and I visited Ghent in Belgium and couldn't get ourselves to leave the hotel. If you've been reading this blog for a while you know that 1) I have a thing for beautiful boutique hotels and 2) I usually have a long list of all the...
The timing is perfect. While everybody around me is turning up the heating in their house, storing their summer clothes to replace them with warm, comfy winter clothes, I am getting reading for a bit of extra sunshine. As much as I like autumn, when you're being...
The Warehouse Hotel in Singapore may look brand new, but there's a lot of history here. Yes, the hotel opened its doors earlier this year, but the heritage building - built in 1895 - has had several other purposes before it was turned into the modern design hotel it...
I'm seeing snow on the side of the road. And I'm cold. So incredibly cold. We just arrived in Koyasan (Mount Koya) after a long journey from Osaka to stay at a Buddhist temple. It took a metro, three trains, one steep cable car and a bus to get here and to...
There are normally three reasons why I would like and recommend a hotel. One, the interior design looks modern and beautiful. Two, the hotel is super luxurious and has thought of the little details to make my stay very comfortable. Or three, the staff is so nice and...
"And this is Charlie Chaplin and his wife, having a tea ceremony with my aunt in this room." I'm looking at the black & white picture and love that even though she has probably showed this to many of her guests over the years, you can tell that she also...
I think it’s safe to say that about 99% of what I know about Australian food (or maybe even Australia in general) comes from watching MasterChef Australia religiously for several years. You’d almost forget that those chefs you see on television are also cooking...
That's the problem with making travel plans too long in advance. Things change. But then how could I have known that three weeks after I booked my return ticket London - Japan, I would come up with the brilliant idea to turn 2 weeks Japan into a three month trip?...
I'm a big fan of Artist Residence. Their London hotel in Pimlico is one of the nicest hotels I've ever stayed in. So when Jess, Jo and I got invited to stay at their Cornwall hotel, the only question we had was: When? For those of you who don't know Cornwall. It's on...
It's not every day that I sleep in a hotel where celebrities like Lenny Kravitz and famous fashion bloggers were staying that same week. And where people like Leonardo DiCaprio and Alexa Chung attended the launch party a year ago. It may sound a bit intimidating, but...
Every time I visit New York I’m shocked to see how expensive hotels are. Like most people, I’d rather spend my money on something else than a bed and shower. But at the same time, I really (really) enjoy staying at modern boutique hotels. So for my last visit I...
A monastery and a luxury hotel doesn't sound like an obvious combination, but it turns out to be a match made in heaven Prague. With secret passageways, beautiful courtyards, an astronomy tower with 360º views, friendly monks and an old library, I wouldn't...
In a city as obsessed with fashion and beauty as Paris, the importance of a good beauty sleep should not be underestimated. So where do stay when you're visiting the city for the weekend? For my recent trip I was looking for a modern, luxurious hotel in an...
When was the last time a hotel elevator ride made you laugh? At Story Hotel in Stockholm they've thought about all the little details, including how to tell on which floor you are. Second floor: 'My name is Luka, I live on the second floor' (remember this song)....
We arrive in Saint Martial Entraygues in the afternoon and I'm instantly smitten. I'll be sleeping here? In my own tree house?! Not just any tree house, but one in the middle of a forest with an incredible view over the Dordogne river. And with a comfortable...
Since we were already spending enough money in Iceland, we decided that we would splurge on one night at a luxury hotel. And I knew exactly which one: the ION Hotel. With its interesting, modern architecture in the middle of Iceland's typical moon-like landscape, it...
With all the traveling I've been doing lately, you'd think I want to sleep in my own bed when I'm in London. True...But then, I don't get breakfast in bed when I'm at home. And even though I've been living in this apartment for over a year, my bedroom just doesn't...
I'm not gonna lie. When I travel I appreciate a bit of luxury. Well, let me rephrase that, I like to travel in style. I love design boutique hotels and they often come with a certain price tag. But at the same time I don't want to spend my entire travel budget on a...
Ever since I started sharing my travels on this blog, I've become more selective about the places I want to stay at. If the hotel doesn't inspire me to take nice photos, then I'd rather spend my money on something else. By now I kind of know where to find...