Critics Choice Vacations

10/16/2026

The biggest shift in how our clients book right now: the why comes before the where.

Purpose-first travel, some are calling them whycations, starts with the reason instead of the destination. Celebrating a milestone. Learning something real, like cooking in Oaxaca or sailing in Croatia. Getting three generations around one table. Marking a recovery, a retirement, a new chapter. The place gets chosen because it serves the purpose, not the other way around.

Honestly, these are our favorite requests. Tell us the why, and we'll handle everything after it.

10/16/2026

This month, we’re exploring the flavors and traditions of Puglia, discovering a classic beachfront stay in Santa Monica and looking ahead to adventures in Africa and around Lake Constance in Germany. Plus, find helpful tips on Europe’s new Entry/Exit System as you plan your next journey. - https://mailchi.mp/criticschoicevacations/augusttravelinspo-17615279

Be sure to click the link for the full story.

10/15/2026

Agave for days, Baja-inspired wellness, and service with a sixth sense are just a few reasons to stay at Las Ventanas al Paraíso, a Rosewood Resort. From the first margarita to the smallest thoughtful touch, here are five reasons this San José del Cabo oasis is worth a visit. 🌵✨

Read more, then connect today to make your travel plans a reality ⬇️

In San José del Cabo, Mexico, thoughtful service, standout dining, and Baja-rooted spa rituals set this resort apart.

10/15/2026

Yes, we know you're asking AI about your next trip. Honestly? Keep doing it.

AI is useful early on: gathering ideas, comparing regions, figuring out what kind of trip you're actually in the mood for, drafting the packing list. Bring us all of it. A client who arrives with a screenshot of ideas gives us a head start we love.

Here's where the handoff happens: AI hasn't slept in the rooms. It doesn't know the hotel changed hands last year, which room category is worth the jump, or that the famous restaurant is coasting. It can't see live availability, add upgrades and credits through our partnerships, or answer the phone when your connection cancels at midnight.

Dream with AI. Book with a human. Send us what you've got and we'll take it the rest of the way.

10/14/2026

Here's a fun seasonal flip. While we rake leaves, New Zealand is heading into spring, and its lodge season is just beginning.

Blanket Bay tops our list every time. The lodge looks across Lake Wakatipu to the Humboldt Mountains, scenery so cinematic the valleys nearby stood in for Middle-earth on screen, and Queenstown's restaurants and w**eries are only 45 minutes away.

The itinerary here runs on helicopters and rivers. Heli-fishing on water no road reaches, flyovers of Milford Sound, w**e tasting in Central Otago, or nothing at all in the great stone-and-timber lodge room with a fire going.

New Zealand takes long lead times, and planning now means the trip of a lifetime next year. Reach out!

10/13/2026

Stay inside history in Cappadocia, where cave hotels have transformed ancient dwellings into some of the world’s most distinctive accommodations. Some date back thousands of years, offering a remarkable connection to the region’s underground heritage. 🏔️✨

Read more, then reach out to plan your stay ⬇️

At Argos in Cappadocia, Museum Hotel, and Tafoni Houses Cave Hotel, ancient dwellings have been elevated by UNESCO World Heritage as well as preservationist hoteliers.

10/13/2026

Trend alert. Glowcations are one of the most requested trips of the year, and the requests keep coming for 2027.

So what is one? A glowcation is a trip built around skin, rest, and wellness rituals, with the goal of coming home visibly better than when you left. Less sightseeing marathon, more treatments, thermal waters, deep sleep, and good food doing their quiet work.

The destinations doing it best right now include South Korea, for K-beauty facials and bathhouse culture. Thailand, for herbal therapies and some of the finest massage traditions anywhere. And Europe, from Swiss longevity clinics to Italian thermal springs and Greek island wellness retreats.

Advisor note: The top practitioners and signature treatments book out weeks or months ahead, so we secure them before you land. Ready to glow? Message us.

10/12/2026

Want a noticeably better trip? Tell your advisor these five things up front.

Your pace: packed days or slow starts. There's no wrong answer, but there's definitely a wrong itinerary for each.

How much food matters: is dinner the main event of the day or just fuel between sights?

What went wrong on a past trip. This one is gold. One story about a hotel that missed tells us more than any wish list.

Your room priorities: the view, the bathtub, the quiet, the space. Ranked honestly.

And the one moment you're hoping for. A sunrise, a table, a reunion, a first. We build backward from that.

Honest answers in, better trip out. It really is that direct. Save this for your next planning call with us.

10/11/2026

Part of our job is tracking every big hotel opening in Europe. Here's one worth bookmarking for your next Mallorca trip.

Mandarin Oriental Punta Negra, the brand's Mallorca debut, opened in June on its own pine-covered peninsula along the Costa d'en Blanes, and the dining alone would justify the trip. Nobu Matsuhisa and Dani García each opened a restaurant here, one serving Nikkei-style plates against the sea views, the other built around fire, smoke, and local tradition.

Away from the table, it gets even better. A spa with nine treatment cabins pairing Mallorcan traditions with the brand's famous Oriental wellness philosophy, interiors by Laura Gonzalez, one of the most sought-after designers working today, and two private coves for a swim steps from your room. Puerto Portals and Palma are both minutes away.

Mallorca in shoulder season is Europe at its easiest. Message us to start planning!

10/10/2026

A client recently asked us what it would take to rent out an entire resort. In Anguilla, less than you'd guess.

ANI Anguilla hosts one group at a time. Two villas on the cliffs above Little Bay, up to 20 guests, and a staff ratio of one to one. Your own chef, daily spa treatments, a sunset cruise, watersports, and kids activities are all built into the rate, so nobody is signing checks all week.

Our favorite moment here: waking up, walking down to the water, and starting the day swimming with the sea turtles that live in Little Bay.

Milestone birthdays, reunions, families who have outgrown hotel life. This is where we send them all. Reach out to learn more.