Recapping 2024
Bookmark these favorite eats, sips, and stays of the year.
Well, it’s that time again, friends — a very Happy New Year to you all!
While January 8th feels a bit late for these wishes, I’ve had a slow start to 2025 so to me, it still feels relevant. In fact, yesterday was the first time I left my house in… consecutive days. Let’s just leave it at that.
This slow period has allowed me ample time to reflect on my 2024 experiences so I can give you a proper “wrapped” like I did last year. It’s not always easy to narrow this list down, but I appreciate the challenge as there’s no question I receive more than “what’s your favorite…?”
While I have my all time highlights, I’ve realized that it’s also important to categorize favorites by year so that it doesn’t all blur together in the end.
Without further ado, here are some of my favorite eats, sips, and stays of the year. I hope it inspires your 2025 travels and beyond ♡
Destination of the year: Greece
This was a really tough one to land on but ultimately, Santorini (and Greece in general) was a first time destination that lived up to the hype I’ve witnessed for years across all aspects from natural beauty to its natural energy. The conviviality and shared love of life, the sunsets, the deep cobalt oceans, the white-roofed panoramas, the wine (more specifically, my fave: Assyrtiko), octopus, mezze, beaches and bougainvillea. What's not to love?
Runner up: Cartagena & Glencoe
I know I’m supposed to be challenging myself but I simply couldn’t choose one over the other when it came between the electric atmosphere of Cartagena and the serene, endless landscapes of Scotland, especially Glencoe. The destinations are complete opposites: Aside from the obvious oceanfront city versus mountainous highlands, Cartagena’s aura was special with a palpable rhythm from the plazas to the beachside palapas. Scotland was more buttoned up, but there was a certain warmth from the locals who are pioneering their hospitality scene. Both impressed with their epicurean scene—fresh juices in the former elevated classic cocktails and I fell in love with arroz con coco while in Scotland, coastal creations were unexpectedly prolific, with regional lobster, mussels and oysters as a welcomed surprise.
Hotel of the year: Rosewood Little Dix Bay, BVI
My first trip of 2024 set the accommodation bar high. Not to mention, having been raised on an island, I’m partial to the tropical landscape. Rosewood Little Dix Bay provides an island retreat wrapped in the laps of luxury with its beachfront villas and suites that are lavish but not over-the-top (I could come in sandy but not worry about dirtying the room thanks to the contemporary tile flooring). They truly understand what a HNWI seeks in an island getaway — indulgence balanced by familiarity so that you never feel out of place. More highlights: outdoor showers, a cliff-top infinity pool, and gourmet dining concepts built around the ocean’s bounty, and chaise lounge-side cut coconuts spiked with local rum.
Contenders: Ceylon Tea Trails in Sri Lanka & Rusacks St. Andrews in Scotland
Experience of the year: float plane over the tea trails in Sri Lanka
Despite my aversion of small aircrafts, the experience of gracefully landing on a reservoir in the middle of Sri Lanka’s tea country couldn’t be beat.
Contenders:
Soaking in the Saturnia thermal springs on a brisk October morning with my family. Pro tip: arrive early. We did shortly after sunrise and were the only ones there.
Cycling through the vineyards of Alto Adige with stops at wineries along the way.
Meal of the year:
A three hour leisurely lunch at Petit Lutetia in Paris for the most classically French bistro meal: steak frites, steak tartare, bone marrow, escargot and of course salted butter on baguette, all washed down with a bottle (maybe two!) of white Burgundy.
Contenders:
Nightshade Noodle Bar (Lynn, Mass.) Blind Tasting Menu that started with caviar service, indulgently followed by chilled Portuguese percebes, grilled coconut sticky rice pops, fermented rice cakes with squash and crispy duck tongue, uni brulee, claypot caramel foie gras, crispy black cod, homemade egg noodles, and finally salted chocolate mousse.
Country lunch at Rizes Folklore Farmstead in Mykonos: Greek salad prepared with cucumbers and tomatoes from the surrounding gardens; tenderized pork from its hours in an underground earth oven; plus freshly baked bread, spicy olive oil, and lukewarm rosé as the ice bucket couldn’t keep up with the summer sunshine made for a match made in heaven.
Violetto at Alila Napa Valley where Chef Thomas Lents’ delighted with an artichoke Burgundy truffle soup and spiced hamachi collar. The menu changes regularly based on seasonal availability so I can’t promise these items will be on offer, but I’ve no doubt they’ll be something else spectacular waiting.
Standalone dishes:
Conch chowder prepared by Chef Andy Gaskin at Rosewood Little Dix Bay; a drool-worthy play on clam chowder with a combination of conch and sweet corn foam as fluffy as as a cappuccino.
Spiced curry conch fritter patty served with habanero hot sauce at Copal Tree Lodge in Belize.
Knödel — Italian Canederli, or essentially a doughy whey cheese ball perfectly paired with a local, crisp Sauvignon Blanc — at Gasthof Kohlern in Alto Adige
Oceanside steamers soaked in tons of butter at Sesuit Harbor Cafe in Dennis, Cape Cod.
Sri Lankan sambal — I loved this condiment, a combination of chilis, onion and lime, so much that it became a running joke during my week in Sri Lanka that I was the sambal queen. Servers brought over portions of it to me at every meal, even at dessert (and while I tried it on ice cream the first time they brought it over to humor them, I stuck to using it for savory meals).
Cocktail of the year:
Coconut cream negroni at Paper Tiger in Portland, Maine. Putting my faith in the bartender’s weekly cocktail selection, I was blown away by this tropical take on a negroni. Coconut cream, plus midori, sounded so wrong that I just had to try it; and I’m glad I did. Poured over crushed ice and topped with a tiki umbrella, I believe this sweet-tart-velvety creation deserves an evergreen home on their menu.
Contenders:
Coconut Daiquiri at Panda & Sons in Edinburgh, Scotland.
Sesame-washed martini topped with caviar-stuffed olives at Lucky Cheetah in Portland, Maine.
Cotton Candy Negroni at Tiger Bar in Nashville (yes, it was topped with actual cotton candy).
Noteworthy discoveries:
Through all the outstanding and memorable experiences, here are 12 random odds and ends that I uncovered during my travels:
Reading more heightened my travels in ways I didn’t know were possible.
Made from scotch bonnet peppers, Matouk’s Calypso Hot Sauce satiates my deranged spice tolerance.
A peacock’s mating dance is spellbinding; while the female may appear uninterested at first, she does it with fair reason — a test of the male’s stamina as to how long he can display his feathers before she pays attention to him.
Gardening is so simultaneously satisfying and meditative. I grew chilis (for spicy margs and guacamole of course), basil, parsley and tomatoes on my patio this summer. The tomatoes didn’t do so well but that didn’t deter me: getting outside every morning to water them and spending time on the weekends tending to them literally provided a breath of fresh air to my routine.
I need to drink more tea. Sri Lanka revived my taste for tea. Not to mention: did you know tea’s healthful benefits include positive effects on brain function, digestive track, reducing inflammation, as well as even greater benefits associated with preventing cancer and heart disease?
On the topic of tea, there’s no tea varietals like there are in wine; different types of tea come from a singular plant, Camellia sinensis.
After six tiny propeller plane flights, I still don’t like small planes but meditating helps.
I prefer Piedmont’s style of wines — Barolo, Barbera, Dolcetto — over Super Tuscans and Brunello.
I do not like Chicago-style deep dish pizza (sorry, Chicago).
Blind tastings should be a family affair; after Kentucky Derby, July 4th, Thanksgiving and Christmas tastings, I realized it’s more than a way to pass the time, it’s a chance to learn about my loved ones’ different preferences as well as tasting notes from an audience I don’t usually sample with.
There’s no word in the Greek language for “privacy,” which explains why Greeks are always seeking “parea,” or company, from a beach day to dining out.
After reading Unreasonable Hospitality, I was inspired by Guidara’s motto to open the good wine on a bad day. Further, drink Champagne whenever the hell you want.
Favorite articles:
Travel:
At These Retreats, Wellness Is No Longer Just for Grown-Ups
As Golf Tourism Grows, Unexpected Regions Are Teeing Off for Tourists
Cartagena Is the Up-and-Coming Wellness Destination to Know
Welcome Drinks Are Our Favorite New Hotel Trend
Food & Beverage
A Renewed Interest in Herbal Liqueurs Is Driving Attention to Native Ingredients
There’s Never Been a Better Time to Drink at Museums
Herring, Cleaning + Cold Plunging: Chef Emma Bengtsson On What Wellness Means to Her
Has Foraging Come Full Circle?
Napa's Incredible Art of Wine Blending
The Most Expensive Libations on Yachts and Cruises
How to Craft An Enticing Culinary Cocktail
XO