The Savvy Travel Planner

The Savvy Travel Planner I am a luxury travel advisor/planner who ignites a passion for travel and creates itineraries focuse

Truffle hunting with trained dogs in the morning. Twenty-seven holes through Tuscan vineyards in the afternoon. Tablesid...
05/28/2026

Truffle hunting with trained dogs in the morning. Twenty-seven holes through Tuscan vineyards in the afternoon. Tableside tiramisù at dinner inside a medieval castle. That's a Tuesday at Castelfalfi.

It covers everything Tuscany does well in one place. Five restaurants, including La Rocca inside the original castle. A RAKxa spa with both indoor and outdoor pools. Falconry experiences, a cooking class with the executive chef, and a beekeeping session with the resident beekeeper that ends with a honey tasting.

The estate produces its own wine, olive oil, and wildflower honey, all available to taste and take home. San Gimignano is 30 minutes away, and Volterra is 35, so it works well as a base for the wider region too.

If Italy has been on your travel wish list, this is one of the most interesting places to build the trip around. Get in touch to learn more.

DIY travel planning looks free. It rarely is.Researching hotels, reading through reviews, comparing itineraries, and fig...
05/27/2026

DIY travel planning looks free. It rarely is.

Researching hotels, reading through reviews, comparing itineraries, and figuring out which experiences are actually worth booking rather than just well-marketed. A two-week trip often represents 20 to 30 hours of work before anything is confirmed. For most people, that time has a real cost.

Then there's the invisible cost: what you don't know you're missing. The hotel that looks strong online but has a known service issue. The guide who changes how a destination feels entirely. The upgrade that was available and simply never offered. The reservation that could have been made three months out and wasn't.

And the small mistakes that add up. A transfer that doesn't account for timing. A sequence of stops that requires unnecessary backtracking. A decision made without context that costs more to fix than it would have cost to get right from the beginning.

Working with a travel advisor doesn't just save time. It changes the quality of the trip, and often the cost of it.

If you're planning something and want it done correctly, that's exactly what I'm here for.

It keeps showing up at the top of Caribbean rankings. Most people have never heard of it.Hermitage Bay has landed on the...
05/26/2026

It keeps showing up at the top of Caribbean rankings. Most people have never heard of it.

Hermitage Bay has landed on the Condé Nast Traveler Gold List and Travel + Leisure's World's Best Hotels list more than once, and it's not hard to understand why. Thirty suites maximum, adults only (16+), and every single one faces the ocean.

Private plunge pools, daily changing menus built around produce from the resort's own garden, a Tree Bar literally constructed around the trunk of a tree, and a clear-bottomed kayak you can take out any time are included in the rate.

The day trip to Barbuda for lunch at Nobu on Princess Diana Beach is one of the best advisor recommendations I make anywhere in the Caribbean.

Antigua also delivers well beyond the resort. English Harbor, 365 beaches, and some of the best sailing culture in the Eastern Caribbean are all worth building time around.

If the Caribbean is on your list this year, message me to start planning!

Some travelers are planning with a different set of priorities right now. Destinations that feel stable, well-organized,...
05/24/2026

Some travelers are planning with a different set of priorities right now. Destinations that feel stable, well-organized, and deliver an excellent experience without uncertainty. A few I keep recommending:

Switzerland, for alpine adventures that are hard to match anywhere. In summer, gondola rides into the Alps, mountain coasters, and for the chocolate lovers, Geneva has an unlimited chocolate pass honored at the city's best artisanal chocolatiers.

Ireland and Scotland, for long summer days, the Wild Atlantic Way, and a hospitality culture that consistently surprises first-time visitors in the best way.

Japan, for cherry blossom season, world-class powder skiing, small-ship cruising along its coastline, and a level of cultural depth that clients say changed how they think about travel entirely.

Australia and New Zealand, for stunning natural landscapes, serious food culture, and a well-run English-speaking environment that works particularly well for first-time long-haul travelers. Book New Zealand now before its first Michelin Guide puts the best tables out of reach.

If this is the kind of trip you're planning, I'll help you find the right destination and design it properly.

There are two versions of Phuket. The one most people book, and the one I actually recommend.Anantara Mai Khao is on Phu...
05/22/2026

There are two versions of Phuket. The one most people book, and the one I actually recommend.

Anantara Mai Khao is on Phuket's longest beach, 15 minutes from the airport, bordered by a national park, and a completely different experience from what most people associate with the island.

And if it looks familiar, that's because White Lotus Season 3 was filmed here. The 92 pool villas are set around lotus-filled lagoons in a traditional Thai-village style. The Spice Spoons cooking class is one of my favorite things to recommend: it starts with a market visit before moving into a traditional Thai kitchen, which is exactly the kind of thing that makes a trip feel different from just a beach vacation.

Ready for a Thailand getaway? Let’s start planning!

The pools here are heated by an active volcano. That detail never gets old.Tabacon Thermal Resort & Spa is one of my fav...
05/20/2026

The pools here are heated by an active volcano. That detail never gets old.

Tabacon Thermal Resort & Spa is one of my favorite properties in Costa Rica, and the hot springs are only part of the reason.

A few things I always point clients toward while they're here: the hanging bridges walk through the Arenal cloud forest, white-water rafting on the Balsa River, kayaking on Lake Arenal, and an evening back at the thermal pools with a drink in hand. Not a bad few days.

Reach out if you'd like help putting the itinerary together.

The Chobe River basin has one of the highest concentrations of elephants on Earth. Watching that from the water is an ex...
05/19/2026

The Chobe River basin has one of the highest concentrations of elephants on Earth. Watching that from the water is an experience of its own.

The Zambezi Queen is a luxury houseboat that cruises the Chobe River on the border of Botswana and Zimbabwe. Fourteen suites, a small group, and days built around the river.

Elephants crossing right in front of the boat is a regular occurrence. So are hippos, crocs, and some of the best birding on the continent. Game drives go alongside the river experience, so guests cover both water and land during the journey.

Advisor insight: This experience pairs naturally with a private game reserve stay in Botswana or Zimbabwe to complete an itinerary that covers the full range of a Southern Africa trip.

If Africa is on your list, this is one of the most unique ways to experience it.

Every room. Every suite. Every view faces the Taj Mahal.Oberoi Amarvilas, less than half a mile from the East Gate, cons...
05/17/2026

Every room. Every suite. Every view faces the Taj Mahal.

Oberoi Amarvilas, less than half a mile from the East Gate, consistently ranks among the top hotels in Asia, and is one of the first properties I mention when a client says India is on their list.

India trips are also some of the most talked-about trips my clients ever take. Not just during the trip, for years after. The country rewards great planning more than almost anywhere else I send people, and this is one of the properties I build that planning around.

I'd love to help design the right journey. Get in touch to start planning!

Horses on a Mykonos hillside, a cave pool, and views across the Aegean. Not exactly what comes to mind when someone says...
05/15/2026

Horses on a Mykonos hillside, a cave pool, and views across the Aegean. Not exactly what comes to mind when someone says Mykonos.

Kalesma is 22 suites above Mykonos Town, most with private pools. You're close enough to walk into everything the island offers, but nothing about this property feels like the Mykonos most people picture.

The cave pool and golden hour views are the two things clients mention most. I'd add the horses, but those tend to speak for themselves.

Advisor Tip: I also love pairing Mykonos with Paros or Folegandros for a Greek island trip with real variety.

Ready for Greece? Let's start planning.

Raise your hand if you're overdue for a real break. If so, there's a Forbes Five-Star resort in Southern California with...
05/15/2026

Raise your hand if you're overdue for a real break. If so, there's a Forbes Five-Star resort in Southern California with your name on it.

Rancho Valencia Resort & Spa is 45 acres of citrus groves and Mediterranean architecture just north of San Diego, and it has collected some of the most serious recognition in domestic travel. Forbes Five Star. AAA Five Diamond. Ranked the number one resort in California by U.S. News & World Report. The spa alone is worth the trip.

What makes it stand out: it has the intimacy of a boutique hotel with the amenities of a much larger resort. Fresh-squeezed orange juice delivered to your casita every morning. A Bentley fleet available to borrow. World-class tennis across 20 courts, including red clay. The Pony Room restaurant, serving coastal ranch cuisine that is significantly better than resort dining has any right to be.

If you’re looking for a California trip that doesn't involve LAX or the usual resort experience, this is the one I come back to.

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