Video: Fairmont Orchid, Hawaii Island

[trip style = sun + spa + beach + luxury + food + wine]

After my second stay in three years at the AAA Four Diamond Fairmont Orchid, I wanted to show off the unique hotel in a short video {below}. Set over 32 acres of oceanfront along Hawaii Island's famed Kohala Coast, the 540-room resort combines the spaciousness of 24 football fields {approx}, with the seclusion of a boutique escape due to its wide-angle footprint and thoughtfully designed enclaves. 

Complete with all the accoutrements of a high-end property—think: meandering pool, lagoon-style beach, multiple restaurants, spa, tennis, golf, kids club, etc...—the escape has everything you need for a complete stay; so much so, when I visited with the Trip Styler crew {Mr. + Baby Styler} in late 2015 for five nights, we didn't leave the hotel once. We didn't need to. Note: Because we explored the island from its heights to its depths in past visits, this time we opted for c-o-m-p-l-e-t-e relaxation.

Video

Details
Who --> For families, honeymooners and couples who value well-groomed oceanfront stay complete with stunning sunsets, nightly. 
Where --> 45 mins from the Kona International Airport along the Kohala Coast.
Cost --> from $251 nightly + daily resort charge of $30.00 per room per night, which includes self-parking, basic internet access and more...

Trip Styler Tips for a Sweet Stay
* For an easy-breezy stay, consider staying on the Fairmont Gold floor with complimentary lounge access. While this option is a touch more pricey than the regular rooms, it's nice to have a dedicated concierge, breakfast, non-alcoholic bevs, teatime, and nightly appetizers always at the ready—a perk we really relished with Baby Styler in tow! 

* Book a treatment at the hotel's Spa Without Walls. Few spas in the world can open their doors and let nature in. Totally in. This spa is an exception. Here, 14 hales (huts) are perched at the ocean’s edge or atop waterfalls for a tropical take on rejuvenation. While just lying in my hale listening to water flow and birds chirp is almost a treatment unto itself, the Ali’i Experience adds a dose of regal to your relaxation. Designed with royalty (Ali’i) in mind, the 110-minute journey from your hut to Hawaiian heaven calms with a lomilomi massage, cleanses with a locally-sourced herb scrub, and culminates with warm coconut oil cascading down your scalp in an experience so pampered, it’s as though you’re being readied for your coronation.

* Don't miss the Fairmont's happy hour in Luana Lounge from 5pm-6pm daily. Also, every Friday, sample a complimentary taste of the island during Social Hour from 4pm-5pm.

* If you want to use beach gear such as snorkels and stand-up paddleboards for your entire stay, consider an Activity Pass instead of paying per use. Also, there are complimentary cultural hikes, daily arts and crafts and activities available through the hotel's Beach Club program.

* Fairmont president club members {a prog that is free to join} receive $10 off of a beach or pool cabana

[photos via @tripstyler taken while I was a partial guest of the resort, which I sought out during my Big Island visit because I enjoyed it so much the first time I stayed]

Roam+Board :: Terme Manzi Hotel & Spa

[trip style = luxury + spa + food + wine + beach]

Editor's Note: Expedia just launched an exclusive, seal-of-approval program called Expedia Viewfinder Pick {EVP}, and I'm tickled pink to be one of 12 correspondents worldwide. With the common denominator being the fabulous-factor, EVP's goal is to highlight extraordinary travel experiences—think: stay, play, eat—from steals such as the best taco truck in Austin to the most exotic escape in the Maldives. With this, my first EVP awardee and our latest R+B {Trip Styler's own savvy stay stamp of approval} is this serene spa stay just off Italy's Amalfi Coast. 

What
When I checked into Terme Manzi Hotel & Spa, it was unclear if I was at an out-of-the-way resort or a covert Relais & Chateaux training facility. My stay was that utopian. 

Seventh heaven status was confirmed when I stepped into the 17,000-square-foot spa cocooned in wood and intricate mosaic murals befitting an ancient church. As a hotel guest, I was granted unfettered access to the facility’s Romanesque, spring–fed thermal pool, cold plunge, steam, sauna, light therapy room, and tropical showers, prompting me to turn to Mr. Trip Styler and say, “Ciao. I’ll see you in a week.”

Feeling like I should probably peel myself away from the spa and enjoy the light of day, I moved on up to the blue-tiled rooftop pool where Mr. Trip Styler and I got into the daily habit of ordering flutes of prosecco accompanied by petits fours. In retrospect, we should have just ordered a bottle, but the anticipation of these bite-size delights kept us ordering bubbly by the glass. 

Our VIP experience continued as we walked through the ornate-come-comfortable lobby—adorned with Murano-glass chandeliers and an orchestra of orchids—and three front-desk staff simultaneously greeted us by name. It was as if the hotel thought our hat-and-sunglasses getup meant we were A-listers who just arrived by private yacht. 

We were only slated to stay for four nights. By night duo, we were so lovestruck by the spiffy stay—not even a napkin was out of place—we reorganized our vacation plans so we could soak in Terme’s hospitality and healing waters a little longer.

Trip Styler approved.

Where
Ischia, an hour from Naples, Capri or the Amalfi Coast by boat or hydrofoil. 

When
Terme Manzi is open April to October to capture the hottest and brightest weather. 

Who/Why
You're inspired by details: hand-painted tiles, always-buffed Carrera marble, perfectly arranged plates of petits fours, and service so stealth you didn't even know the three-piece suit-clad server came and went.        

Cost
Rates hover around USD$285/night and include WiFi, island Mercedes shuttle including arrival and departure port pick-up, beach lounges and umbrella, an elaborate breakfast complete with prosecco, and access to the spa's thermal water circuit.  

Photos

Related
Roam+Board :: Rome Appartamento 
Roam+Board :: RIMBA {Bali}
Roam+Board :: Pacific Sands Beach Resort 
Roam+Board :: Four Seasons Tented Camp Golden Triangle

[photos by @tripstyler]

Roam+Board :: Our Rome Appartamento

[trip style = urban]

When we first arrived in Rome we had one goal: Adjust. Adjust to the time zone and adapt to the heat {the kind where you can't sit outside until 9pm unless you have an entourage with an "Evian spritzer" and "fan attendant"}. With Baby Styler in tow, we decided to ease into Italy and rent an apartment via Airbnb, in case his jet lag went "south" at 3am, or on the off-chance we'd need a washer/dryer while traveling with an infant :)

Our only requirement: The flat had to be cool and collected.

What
Enter this designer-styled, two-bed, two-bath apartment in a 1950s building sporting hand-painted teal tiles and a succulent-adorned entrance. Inside the mid-century retreat, graphic walls and iconic furniture such as a Bertoia Chair and Arco Light lend a mod-yet-approachable Roma vibe.  

Bonus: Our super-host even arranged a baby crib, highchair and organic baby food for Baby Styler {plus vino for us}.

Where
In a residential, embassy-stacked district one hour by car transfer from Rome's International Airport {FCO} and three stops from Piazza del Popolo by train.

When
Available year-round.

Who/Why
You're looking for a sense of space and local taste.        

Cost
Rates hover around $170/night in high season and $118/night in low season. 

Photos

Master bedroom

Master bath

Second bedroom

Dining area

Learning the art of the iconic Moka Express {read: Jet lag miracle worker}, created in Italy in 1933. Eighty-five years later the same design is still sold. 

Breakfast. We stopped by the local grocery store {a 15-min walk away} to pick up some espresso and this Roman staple: a spongy lemon and cocoa cake with so much girth that two pieces kept me full for five hours.

Patio. Trip Styler Tip: Rome has mosquitoes, so if you're going to use this little oasis, put on some repellent or cover your limbs. 

Related
Ciao! :: Roma with Expedia 
Ciao! 

[photos by @tripstyler]

Lanai 2.0

[trip style = luxury + beach + sun]

The tides are changing in Lanai, the billionaire-owned private island 9 miles from Maui. Once a Dole plantation growing 75% of the world's pineapple bounty, production moved elsewhere and small-scale tourism took over in the 1980s.

But, let me qualify tourism. There's one car rental agency, one gas station, only 29 miles of paved roads and vast expanses of land so quiet, you can picnic in paradise wearing nothing more than your birthday suit. To me, it's Hawaii as it was intended: exotic, authentic and soul-stirring. 

Couple this with 3,000 inhabitants who are set on preserving Hawaii's heritage through song, story and spirit, and it's no wonder Lanai's curious newcomers quickly turn into converts.

If you've been following Trip Styler since 2009, you know I have a crazy-in-love crush on Lanai. So much so that when I was there a month ago for the second time {with Mr. and Baby Styler}, I informed the Mr. that we should *try* and find a way to return yearly because it's an actual far-flung hideaway. Normally, the Mr. rolls his eyes at my big-picture proclamations, but completely smitten by the isle as well, he agreed we should try.

While I love the cottage-cool, 11-room boutique hotel watching over Lanai City's main square, my beach, design and trip-styling side is head-over-heels for the Four Seasons Resort Lanai at Manele Bay.

When I visited for the first time two years ago, the resort director hinted at some major updates, noting they would be at the forefront of technology and design, and rival the world's best hotel rooms, if not re-create the benchmark. This is a tall order; though {as I learned}, not for a titan of industry looking to create one of the world's most edited escapes.  

During my visit in April 2015 I got a sneak peek at the changes, which are taking the property down to its studs. Right now, about half of the renovations are complete, where innovation comes in the form of microchip room bracelets {so you can do anything on land or sea and not worry about losing your key}, design comes in the form of teak-adorned rooms with custom wallpaper murals, technology comes in the form of 75" televisions in every room and amenities come in the form of in-room Nespresso, Mercedes Sprinter service and included kids camp.

Fanning out over the sloping south side of Lanai's 90,000-acre landscape, the hotel is set to make its full reveal in mid-fall, but until then, here's a lens into its look. Stay tuned for more updates in the fall.

Hotel public space {worthy of the Architectural Digest cover}

More of the hotel's public space

The new rooms: sleek, earthy and upscale with teak throughout and finishes fit for a king

About to sip house-made sparkling guava juice on my patio

See that tidal wave art on the left? That's a 75" platinum bezel LED television panel, standard in every room type.

Still one of my all-time favorite guest amenities: in-room Nespresso

The Japanese soaking tub in my suite

If you can believe it, this is the "before" {pre-renovation} pool picture. Come fall 2015 there will be three cascading free-form pools: one main, one family and one adult. 

There are three ice cream sandwiches on the poolside menu. I ate all three and suggest you do the same for "research" purposes. They're seriously good with the perfect chew and crunch factor on the outside and creamy melty inside.

Hulopoe Bay: Where pods of Hawaiian spinner dolphins play and the beach is paradise found

NOBU LANAI, the only NOBU in the world to source vegetables from its own garden

NOBU LANAI

NOBU LANAI's fresh tuna salad with greens from its on-site lettuce patch

One of the most magical places to watch the sunset {that I've seen so far in my travels} is Sweetheart Rock, a 20-minute walk/hike from the property. 

Sunset selfie

A "standard" evening view from the hotel

Dusk

--------------
Some in-the-moment family photos:

The staff stop at nothing to please. When we were at the pool they asked us if we were going to relax at the beach. We said "probably not" because handling Baby Styler in the sand would be tricky; that is, until we found this playpen they set up for us. Beach day, accomplished.

About to take Baby Styler for his first-ever swim!

We take a photo of Baby Styler on the bed of every hotel; this shot is one of our favorites.

When the light is this spectacular, you have to capture the moment with a lens.

[photos by @tripstyler taken while a guest of the hotel; select shots courtesy of four seasons]

Roam+Board :: The Goodland

[trip style =  sun + food + wine + weekend getaway]

What
Ever since The Goodland, a Cali-cool Kimpton Hotel, opened in late 2014, I've had my eye on the property. Because I have a thing for thoughtful hotel updos, a thing for good design and a thing for California, staying here on my recent trip to Santa Barbara seemed like the right thing to do. 

The Goodland does hotel'ing right, and then some, celebrating obscure and fabulous fêtes such as "national chocolate-covered raisin day" {when guests can swing by the lobby and fill up a cup of candy}, or offering a nightly social hour fuelled by spiked agua fresca. 

Channeling the Pacific Coast's easy-breezy beach vibes in every space—think: rope-adorned lights, driftwood tables, surf art—I'm struck by the '60s-surf-cabin-meets-art-gallery aesthetic, which makes me breathe a sigh of calm, as if I'm walking in the sand at a retro beach club.  

This vintage-mod vibe is carried over into the hotel's 154 rooms outfitted with woodsy floors, dark ceiling beams, chic tie-dye chairs, Barrington Blue pillows sourced from vintage rugs and artisan graphic-print tapestries hanging above each bed.   

At night, you don't even have to leave to find a bev or a bonfire. The good folks at The Goodland have got you covered with a poolside bar serving the likes of habanero-infused el Jimador tequila and pineapple tipples beside fire pits surrounded by Acapulco chairs. 

Trip Styler approved.

Where
Santa Barbara, California. A 10-minute drive from downtown Santa Barbara, or a 7-minute drive from the Santa Barbara Airport.  

When
Year-round. The endless summer is alive and well in Santa Barbara, where temperatures hover between 20-30 degrees C. I visited in March, and for a few days, the mercury rose to 26 degrees C. 

Who/Why
You surf (or aspire to) and hope to one day have your own beach retreat. Until then, you'll stay here. 

Cost
Rates start at approximately $200/night + $25 resort fee. Rooms include WiFi, parking, Crosley record players with a selection of vintage vinyl, in-room yoga mats, daily fitness classes, morning coffee and tea in the lobby and a nightly spiked agua fresca hour. Bark woof—pets are welcome for no charge.

Photos

The pool

Along with pool loungers, there are free daybeds for guest use {most hotels up-charge for this}.

Lunch at the pool, thanks to a beach-bites menu curated by the hotel's on-site Outpost restaurant.

Baby Styler chillin' at the pool surrounded by a mountain of pool pillows and towels.

The rooms

Crosley record players in every room. Want more vinyl? Ask the record concierge to curate a new mix.

The coolest lobby I ever did see

One of The Goodland's art installations: An entire wall of beach umbrella photos {only a few shown here} by Keegan Gibbs, who was raised near the ocean and inspired by its influence on humanity.

Au courant alfresco dining at Outpost, the hotel's restaurant helmed by Chef Derek Simcik, who was born in Greece and sharpened his culinary skills around the world before landing in California to cook and skateboard. 

Oupost: More of the stunning dining scene

Outpost: Drinks

Outpost: Build your own guac

Outpost: Pan-seared halibut in an Israeli couscous

Outpost: Steamed chocolate cake with roasted marshmallow and vanilla gelato

We were here :)

More Roam+Board
Pacific Sands Beach Resort - Tofino, BC
Wya Point Resort - Ucluelet, BC
RIMBA Jimbaran Bali
Villa Samadhi - Kuala Lumpur
Four Seasons Tented Camp Golden Triangle
Four Seasons Chiang Mai
Four Seasons Hong Kong
Korakia Pensione - Palm Springs 
La Gazelle d'Or - Morocco
Mandarin Oriental - Las Vegas
Hotel Lone - Croatia

[photos by @tripstyler (except room photo) taken while as a guest of the hotel I've been wanting to stay at since it opened]