Inspirato Winter/Spring 2018

WINTER/SPRING 2018

MAUI Whale watching by sea and air CABO SAN LUCAS Where the ultimate souvenir is your catch of the day PARK CITY Make the most of the country’s largest ski resort SONOMA A Michelinstarred restaurant that is all about community

LUXURIOUS ESCAPE

Leaving home doesn’t mean sacrificing comfort.

Avis and INSPIRATO have joined together to bring INSPIRATO Members exclusive benefits and up to 25% off base rates to help you travel in comfort for less.

RIOUS PE

Leaving hometodoesn’t mean sacrificing As an INSPIRATO Member you’ll receive access Avis President’s Clubcomfort.

- an invitation-only program.

Avis and INSPIRATO have joined together to bring INSPIRATO Members exclusive benefits and up to 25% off base rates to help you travel in comfort for less.

To make a reservation and enroll visit inspirato.com/avis.

As an INSPIRATO Member you’ll receive access to Avis President’s Club - an invitation-only

©2017 Avis Rent A Car System, LLC

program.

To make a reservation and enroll visit inspirato.com/avis.

©2017 Avis Rent A Car System, LLC

WINTER/SPRING 2018

CONTENTS FEATURES

66 THE ASPEN IDEA Beyond the glam, Aspen, Colorado has the vision and aspirations to change the world for the better.

BY RACHEL WALKER

74 COMEBACK OF THE HUMPBACK In Maui, watch this once endangered species alongside scientists, or from the air. BY WILL MCGOUGH

92 UNDER THE SUN Is South Africa the most beautiful—and diverse—country in the world? BY AARON GULLEY

INSPIRATO MAGAZINE | WINTER/SPRING 2018

82

OCEAN TO TABLE

In Cabo San Lucas, hook a fish and local restaurants are happy to cook it.

BY MICHAEL SHAPIRO

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WINTER/SPRING 2018

DEPARTMENTS 10 WELCOME LETTER

Scottsdale has

12 NEWS

more spa resorts

Inspirato Members

than anywhere else

experience a cruise

in the country.

from Rome to Monte

46 FACES

Carlo, a kids’ basketball clinic, the East Coast

(Ad)venture capitalist

Open polo tournament,

and member Sam

and more.

Long applies his pilot’s mentality to

18 INSPIRATO

38

business and life.

INSIDER

48 ADVENTURE

See what Inspirato Members and guests

An insider’s guide to

had to Tweet and

skiing Park City.

Instagram about.

55 INSPIRATO INSIDE

20 CORBETT’S TAKE

A look inside some

Inspirato’s Chief

of Inspirato’s most

Experience Officer on

distinctive homes.

what makes the club

62 MEMBER

so special.

RECOMMENDED Cruising the Danube

INSPIRATION

on a small boat.

22 VAL D’ORCIA

208 THERE I WAS

Tuscany’s rolling

36

30

38 WELLNESS

Hurricane Maria tried

countryside is always

to ruin a family’s

a good idea.

46

vacation in the

24 FOOD & DRINK

Dominican Republic.

California’s newest

PORTFOLIO

Michelin two-star restaurant is all about

101 THE INSPIRATO

the Sonoma community.

COLLECTION

30 CULTURE

Peruse Inspirato’s

Meet the flying

luxurious residences

lemon farmers of

in the world’s most

the Amalfi Coast.

desirable locations, as well as exclusive

36 FACES

must-see events and

Inspirato Member

vacations available

Lucas Glover says

to members in 2018.

his family helps him compete better on the PGA Tour.

ON THE COVER WINTER/SPRING 2018

A captivating mosaic tile walkway in one of Inspirato Members’ favorite destinations: Punta de Mita, Mexico.

MAUI Whale watching by sea and air CABO SAN LUCAS Where the ultimate souvenir is your catch of the day PARK CITY Make the most of the country’s largest ski resort SONOMA A Michelinstarred restaurant that is all about community

24 INSPIRATO.COM

photo by Nathan Hindman

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48 INSPIRATO MAGAZINE | WINTER/SPRING 2018

5921 VALENCIA C I R C L E , R ANC HO S ANTA F E , C A 92067 • 800. 835 . 7 8 4 6 R A N C H O VA L E N C I A . C O M

#1 RESOR T IN THE UNI TE D S TATE S | U. S . NE W S & W O R L D R E PO R T

Voted the best city hotel in the U.S. and New York City Travel + Leisure World’s Best Voted the best hotel in New York City - Condé Nast Traveler Readers’ Choice

Private Roof Garden | Renowned Art Collection | Cornelia Spa Madison Avenue Shopping | Steps from Central Park | Michelin-starred Café Boulud

RESERVE: 888.419.0052

THESURREYHOTEL.COM

#PRIVATELYNEWYORK

Gemütlichkeit.

There is a spirit of warmth and friendliness radiating from the Sonnenalp Hotel.

Here, we call this feeling gemütlichkeit – the warmest European hospitality.

Family-owned and operated for over five generations, guests who love Vail return year after year to the intimacy of the Sonnenalp Hotel. The Sonnenalp epitomizes the mix of alpine adventure and elegance that sets Vail apart. Centrally located in Vail Village overlooking Gore Creek, you’ll enjoy our full service European spa, activity programs for all ages, three on-site restaurants and live music at the King’s Club lounge.

Contact our concierge at 970-479-5429 or concierge@sonnenalp.com to book your stay today. Follow us on Instagram: @genussatthesonnenalp and @sonnenalp.

20 Vail Road • Vail, Colorado 81657 970-476-5656 • sonnenalp.com

WELCOME

TAKE IT EASY The pool at Copa Caneel in St. Croix.

WHY WE CARE MY FAMILY AND I are fortunate to have a few Inspirato vacations planned this year. One reason I enjoy these trips is that I get to watch our local teams taking care of our members and guests—whether creating a custom itinerary, organizing a special celebration, or ensuring that everything in the home is working perfectly.

This notion of care—versus the oft-overused term “service”—is key to everything we do. In the big picture, it means we operate our Inspirato homes similar to the way trusted five-star hospitality companies operate their hotels and resorts, so you know you’ll enjoy consistent excellence no matter where you stay with us.

On any given trip, however, care can mean so many things. A family meal around the dining room table.

Your favorite wine on the counter. A keepsake framed photo at the end of the day. All arranged by our expert staff. That’s because Inspirato homes are never just rented. They’re a carefully crafted experience, a source of inspiration that lasts.

INSPIRATO MAGAZINE | WINTER/SPRING 2018

You’ll find a similar level of care throughout this issue, starting with our new INSPIRATO logo on the cover. The product of countless rounds of thought and discussion— to get it just right—it reflects our obsessive attention to detail, together with the warm approachability exemplified by every member of our team.

It continues with some of the country’s best travel writers sharing their knowledge of their favorite places, from the Amalfi Coast to Cabo San Lucas, Sonoma County, Park City, and Scottsdale.

Wherever your travels take you this year, I hope you’re met with thoughtfulness every step of the way. After all, your vacations are among life’s most precious times— which is precisely why we care so much about them.

Enjoy the journey, BRENT HANDLER FOUNDER & CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER

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Brent Handler FOUNDER & CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER

Brad Handler

Brian Corbett

FOUNDER & CHAIRMAN

FOUNDER & CHIEF EXPERIENCE OFFICER

Jeff Hartman EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Melanie Taylor VICE PRESIDENT, BRAND STRATEGY

PUBLISHERS Chris Johnson, Beau Lane EDITOR Dina Mishev MANAGING EDITOR Grant Davis CREATIVE DIRECTORS Ben Bonnan, Gary Serviss SENIOR EDITOR Rachel Walker

COPY EDITOR Teri Vannoy

PROOFREADER Michael Ziffer

ART DIRECTOR Mark Lesh

PHOTO EDITOR Julia Vandenoever

INSPIRATO STAFF PHOTOGRAPHERS & CONTRIBUTORS Kristen Baker, Jon Busch, Justin Ewing, Nathan Hindman, Jake Jensen, Jorie Larsen, Joe Rahim, Chloe Rekow, Rodolfo Rodriguez, Ashley Roybal

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Aaron Gulley, Alexander Lobrano, Will McGough, Jeremy Pugh, Michael Shapiro

CONTRIBUTING ARTISTS & PHOTOGRAPHERS Timothy Archibald, Emily Chaplin, David Clifford, Jennifer Judge, Eric Schramm, Julia Vandenoever

PRE-PRESS Lauren Pesce

NATIONAL ADVERTISING SALES Kristen Baker kbaker@inspirato.com

1631 Wazee Street • Denver, CO 80202 Inspirato.com • info@inspirato.com • 303.586.7771 INSPIRATO MAGAZINE IS PUBLISHED IN PARTNERSHIP WITH LANETERRALEVER

laneterralever.com • 602.258.5263

Inspirato® is a private travel membership club that requires a non-refundable Initiation Fee and either an Annual Membership Fee or Monthly Membership Fee, as applicable. Membership is subject to acceptance of terms and conditions and other eligibility requirements. Availability, benefits, and nightly rates and taxes may vary by accommodation, date and membership option selected. See website (inspirato.com) for complete details.

Inspirato is owned by Inspirato LLC and operated by its subsidiary Best of 52, LLC, 1637 Wazee Street, Denver, CO 80202, info@inspirato.com, 303-586-7771. Operator is registered as Florida Seller of Travel Registration No. ST38403; Washington Seller of Travel Registration No. UBI 603086598; California Seller of Travel Registration No. CST 2107465. ©2018 Inspirato LLC.

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MEMBER NEWS Club highlights from the past year.

ROME TO MONTE CARLO CRUISE FRENCH RIVIERA JULY

P

INSPIRATO MAGAZINE | WINTER/SPRING 2018

nathan hindman (4)

icking up where our 2016 Venice to Rome cruise ended, this summer Inspirato chartered Silversea’s Silver Spirit. Members and guests enjoyed a custom-curated itinerary—based on member input— with stops along the Italian and French Riviera. Ports included Costa Smeralda, Ajaccio, Portofino, Saint-Tropez, and, finally, Monte Carlo. In addition to exclusive on-shore excursions for Inspirato Members and guests, passengers also enjoyed on-board amenities like butler service, a casino, and a spa.

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nathan hindman (5)

(Clockwise from top left) Silversea The bow of the Silver Spirit.

Center of town Portofino’s harbor.

All the shades of blue Picture-perfect water in Saint-Tropez.

Family time The Norris family enjoys lunch at Tahiti Beach Club in Saint-Tropez.

Under the Italian sun The Bond family on the deck at the Bon Voyage party as the Silver Spirit departs Civitavecchia, Italy.

The gateway Members touring the gardens of Ravello on Italy’s Amalfi Coast.

Private lesson Chef Massimo Bottura talks with members during a meal at his restaurant, Osteria Francescana.

The Eternal City Sunset in Rome.

All smiles Todd and Sarah Davis pose with Trevor and Judy Hill aboard the Silver Spirit.

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MEMBER NEWS

MEMBER SUMMITS & SOCIALS

(Left) A real joule Dallas’ Joule Hotel with Cadillacs, a favorite partner of Inspirato, parked out front.

(Below, clockwise from top left) Catching up John Lee, Marsha and Mark Moon, Erin O’Toole, and Rachel Boheim.

Bursts of color Centerpieces courtesy of member-owned Revel Decor.

Skyline view The scene atop the Joule’s roof deck.

A personal welcome CXO Brian Corbett presenting to attendees.

Pleased to meet you Jeff Nash, Vicki Roberts, and Alisa Koenigsberg.

Sharing memories Vacation photos from around the world.

Date night Clint Patton and his beau Alex Rumsey.

DALLAS, TX AND CHICAGO, IL OCTOBER

W

jamie link (top 5), chloe rekow (bottom 3)

e started hosting Member Summits one year ago. The first of these town-hall-style, stateof-the-club events was in Denver, where we’re based. More than 200 members gathered to meet new friends and learn how to make the most out of the club. The evening was so popular that we’ve gone on to hold them in other cities. The first Dallas Member Summit was October 12 at The Joule Hotel downtown. It started with barbecue-themed appetizers and cocktails on the hotel’s rooftop terrace before moving into its ballroom for a presentation from and Q&A with our Executive Team.

Inspirato Members stayed after the presentation for socializing and music.

The schedule of events at the October 26 Midwest Member Summit was similar to that in Dallas, but in Chicago we had the benefit of Inspirato Member Britt Whitfield, who owns Revel Global Events and helped arrange for a stunning venue, décor, and catering. More than 130 members gathered at Revel Fulton Market where the dinner conversation focused on memories from past Inspirato trips and plans for future ones.

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MEMBER NEWS

HURRICANE RELIEF EFFORTS

(Clockwise from top left) The aftermath Devastation in downtown Christiansted, St. Croix. The U.S. Virgin Islands were hit by both Hurricanes Irma and Maria.

The recovery Power restoration efforts underway on the island of St. Croix.

Knocked down, but not out Damage on the island of Tortola, which was in the direct path of Hurricane Irma’s 185 mph winds.

Inspirato spirit Solomon Mckie, Destination Concierge in Tortola, wearing a shirt donated by Inspirato’s clothing drive at the Denver headquarters.

CARIBBEAN SEPTEMBER – DECEMBER

randy peerson (top left), liz settambrino (top right), kyle richardson (bottom right), willy branlund (bottom left 2)

julie gurski (4)

I

julie gurski (top 4)

mmediately after Hurricane Irma hit the Caribbean, members began reaching out to inquire about the safety and well-being of our staff on the affected islands. They wanted to help; over the course of vacations at these destinations, they had developed friendships with concierges, housekeepers, and other staff. We set up a GoFundMe page.

Inside 24 hours, members and staff raised $30,000. Before the campaign closed, more than $60,000 was raised. Last fall a committee set up within the company distributed this money to local staff—some of whom suffered the destruction of or serious damage to their homes—on Tortola, St. John, St. Croix, Puerto Rico, Turks & Caicos, and St. Martin.

2ND ANNUAL

(Clockwise from top left) Soak up the sun Ted, Susan, and Calvin Peerson pose for a photo in front of iconic Hotel del Coronado.

Oceanfront dining Members savor a festive clambake dinner in the midst of a spectacular Pacific Ocean sunset.

Around the fire Kids (and adults too) made their own s’mores for dessert.

Gourmet feast The main course was a seafood buffet.

SHELLFISH FEAST & CLAMBAKE

SAN DIEGO, CA SEPTEMBER

M

ore than 150 Inspirato Members, their families, and guests gathered at San Diego’s iconic Hotel del Coronado, an Inspirato hotel partner.

Festivities took advantage of the property’s private beachfront; members and guests enjoyed beach time, while food was cooked in an al fresco beach kitchen. Attendees packed their own steam bags, selecting items from a seafood buffet that included clams, lobster, and more. For dessert, members roasted s’mores over fire pits in the sand and enjoyed a showing of the classic 1959 Marilyn Monroe movie Some Like It Hot, parts of which were filmed at the hotel.

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MEMBER NEWS

EAST COAST OPEN

(Clockwise from left)

GREENWICH, CT AUGUST

T

he East Coast Open is one of the most prestigious polo competitions in the U.S., and 50 Inspirato Members and guests dressed in their best “summer picnic chic” gathered at the Greenwich Polo Club for its opening weekend. Exclusively for Inspirato, CR Socials Event Planning staged three field-side cabanas, which were stocked with sandwiches, charcuterie, champagne, cocktails, and fruit tartlets. Before the polo action started—the 20-goal USPA tournament drew some of the country’s top teams and players—attendees enjoyed an extended cocktail hour. At halftime, members got to help stomp the divots, an old polo tradition when spectators come onto the field to stomp and put back into place the small pieces of turf disturbed by the hooves of the horses.

ON THE COURT WITH ANTONIO DAVIS

(Clockwise from top left) All-stars Coaches and participants posed for a photo with Antonio Davis, the tallest guy in the back row.

Eye of the tiger A young basketball player practiced his dribbling in a skills clinic.

Autographs Former NBA player Antonio Davis signed an Inspirato-branded basketball for a young athlete.

Having fun Taking a break to pose with coach.

One-on-one Davis gave tips to the kids at the clinic.

ATLANTA, GA SEPTEMBER

T

his was only three hours, but for the twenty-five 8- to 14-year-old kids who came to our members-only basketball clinic with former NBA player Antonio Davis, the memories were going to last much longer.

Davis, who played for teams that included the Chicago Bulls and New York Knicks before retiring in 2006, worked with kids individually and in groups on everything from footwork to ball-handling. After an hour of skills and drills and then a water break, Davis, an Inspirato Member himself, oversaw competitions ranging from King of the Court to Knockout. The day ended with lunch and Gatorade for everyone, and then Davis signed autographs and posed for photos.

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adina preston (bottom 5), nathan hindman (top 3)

Sport of kings Members enjoyed front row seats for the match.

Bubbles The bar featured Veuve Clicquot and cocktails.

Bluebird day Inspirato’s Andie Chamberlain connected with guests before the match started.

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MEMBER NEWS

SUMMER WINE COUNTRY GETAWAY NAPA VALLEY, CA JUNE

joe rahim (4)

S

ixty local Inspirato Members and their guests—as well as two members from Florida taking a club vacation in Sonoma— visited three of our winery partners for tastings, cuisine, and camaraderie on a beautiful summer day. The day kicked off with brunch—Bellinis and mimosas included, of course—at the Michelinstarred restaurant at Auberge du Soleil, one of Inspirato’s resort partners. After brunch, the group headed out to three wineries for tours, tastings, and snacks. The Spire Collection offered tastings of its international varietals.

At Tamber Bey Vineyards, owned by Inspirato Members Jennifer and Barry Waitte, the tasting was paired with cookies. At Cardinale Winery, a sommelier uncorked several old vintages of its acclaimed cabernet sauvignon.

HÔTEL REGINA LOUVRE

(Clockwise from top left)

Tasting time A selection of wines from the Spire Collection.

Farm to glass Member David Bell and guests Heather Hess, Eanna Murphy, Pete Caputo, and Spencer Myers at the Spire Collection vineyard.

Al fresco Tasting and snacks at Tamber Bey Vineyards.

Endless views The vineyards at the Spire Collection.

2 PLACE DES PYRAMIDES 75001 PARIS

INSPIRATO INSIDER

Wherever you go with Inspirato, we invite you to share highlights with the Inspirato family.

VACATIONS ON THE GO The Inspirato iOS app for iPhone and iPad features user-friendly destination searches and vacation-planning tools. To download the app, visit inspirato.com/mobileapp. For more Inspirato inspiration, head to details.inspirato.com, home to Inspirato Members’ travel highlights and stories.

TWITTER @INSPIRATO

GIVE US A MOMENT The season’s best tweets and Instagrams shared by Inspirato Members from the club’s destinations around the world.

@TheSkillFactory ATLANTA, GEORGIA Excited to host the @inspirato Basketball Camp featuring #AntonioDavis this Saturday!

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@brady_schnell WAILEA, MAUI, HAWAII Couldn’t have asked for better views my first time in Hawaii. @FairmontKeaLani is awesome! Thanks @inspirato!

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@justafastie DENVER, COLORADO Thanks @inspirato for the Suite Seats for tonight’s Denver @Nuggets game! #Holidays #Family

@mcasey_herman FLORENCE, ITALY Thanks @inspirato & @PortraitFirenze for another great visit!

This morning walked thru Giardina Boboli to Forte di Belvedere. #worththewalk!

@raunakshaunak LOS CABOS, MEXICO Clearly someone is having a good time here at Casa Ensueno in Cabo @EsperanzaResort @inspirato!! 3rd trip is a charm.

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INSTAGRAM @INSPIRATO

@ourfortunatelife CACIQUE PENINSULA, COSTA RICA The constant reminder of the most amazing trip to date. Cannot wait to go back one day!

@jglancy66 PUNTA DE MITA, MEXICO Another amazing #puntamita #sunset

@smb0626 ROSEMARY BEACH, FLORIDA Love. #inspirato

@jeanius_o TUSCANY, ITALY Thank you @inspirato for making our #TuscanWedding so special!

SHARE YOUR INSPIRATO

@karalinealexandra CACIQUE PENINSULA, COSTA RICA Landed in paradise And just in time for cocktail hour

EXPERIENCE @michellefayefraser PUNTA CANA, DOMINICAN REPUBLIC Doesn’t get more relaxing than this. Thankful to be here with old friends, making new friends; good food, beautiful weather.

@lisa.a.wheeler ALASKAN EXPEDITION This is Inspirato! The most amazing gifts we come home with are friends, and being members has given us some of our best! #IN #inspirato #inspiratofriends INSPIRATO.COM

@parkplace214 DANUBE RIVER CRUISE @inspirato Members in the Strahov Monastery Library during their private access tour on INSPIRATO’s Experience Prague pre-cruise program.

@iamgrowney PARIS, FRANCE Au revoir, Paris. We ate, drank, and shopped to our hearts content.

Thank you again to our friends at @inspirato and @hotelreginaparis for a great week.

@checobarrera PUNTA DE MITA, MEXICO Missing the sun #tbt #inspirato #sunset

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BY TAGGING @INSPIRATO AND #INSPIRATO.

@inspirato

INSPIRATO MAGAZINE | WINTER/SPRING 2018

CORBETT’S TAKE

Inspirato’s co-founder and Chief Experience Officer Brian Corbett reveals the secrets to the best of the club.

WHEN PEOPLE ASK me what makes Inspirato special, I tell them it’s the brand. By that I mean that an Inspirato vacation, or even an Inspirato residence, automatically puts the whole experience on par with the world’s best five-star-rated hospitality brands. To give you an idea of how our brand translates into a vacation, let’s take a look at our residences and how Inspirato addresses our members’ top five priorities.

1

CLEANLINESS

Yes, cleanliness seems like an incredibly obvious requirement, but we never take it for granted. Go ahead, look under the bed, deep inside a kitchen cabinet—we make sure everything is spotless.

We don’t throw the linens in the home’s washer and dryer.

Instead, we send them out to be professionally laundered and ironed. Housekeeping comes daily to clean the home from top to bottom.

That’s the Inspirato standard.

BEACHFRONT LUXURY Joya del Mar, Inspirato’s newest home in Los Cabos, Mexico.

2

SAFETY

Beyond the physical security of many of our residences around the world, we know and vet everyone who enters the home during a member’s stay. If there’s a pool, we’ll share whether or not it’s suitable and safe for small children. At Inspirato, we’re constantly thinking about your safety all the time, from where to go in an unfamiliar destination to how we’ll get you out of a situation, such as a hurricane. (You can read an example of the lengths we go to on page 208.)

3

SERVICE

We view our homes as platforms for delivering our standard of service, which matches the local standards of luxury. So if the local custom is to have a chef in the house, members get one. And local concierges greet Inspirato Members at our residences and take care of any immediate requests so members can start their vacations immediately.

Without fail, by the end of vacation the concierges and members say good-bye with hugs, not handshakes.

4

RESIDENCES

Our homes feature locations and views that are frequently better than any photos. We make a point to seek out houses with large, comfortable kitchens or entertainment rooms that serve as gathering places—lobbies if you will— for families and guests. And unlike most brokered rental homes, our residences come with access to five-star resorts’ food and beverage service, spas, golfing, and pools. With Inspirato, you’re never going to find yourself on the outside looking in.

5

PARTNERSHIPS

From the Avis President’s Club to Sonos to LG appliances, Inspirato Members get access to the best in products and services. Our partnership with Cadillac allows us to offer members the keys to a new luxury vehicle, parked in the residence’s garage with a full tank of gas, to drive as they wish during their stay. All these partnerships support our luxury lifestyle brand and work together to help us create the ultimate seamless travel experience.

That’s the longer version of my answer to people’s questions about Inspirato. The short version goes like this: You can play vacation roulette and do it yourself, or you could just go with a brand you trust. That’s Inspirato.

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INSPIRATION | VA L D ’ O R C I A , I TA LY

PEDAL THE VAL D’ORCIA

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hen your mind dreams of the Italian countryside—the stuff of Renaissance paintings and Puccini’s operas—the Val d’Orcia is where it’s wandering.

A UNESCO World Heritage Site, Val d’Orcia is the essence of Tuscany. One of the most intimate ways to experience it is from the saddle of a bike, when there’s nothing between you and the region’s sights and smells—or between you and that gorgeous Tuscan sun.

The Val d’Orcia begins south of the provincial capital Siena and continues to the volcanic landmark, Monte Amiata. Its rolling, cyprus-tree-studded hills

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are best suited to touring bikes so you can access the many miles of unpaved backroads and trails. This network triangulates within the villages of Pienza (a 15th-century urban-planning experiment from the mind of Pope Pius II), Radicofani (once the stronghold of the 13th-century gentleman bandit, Ghino di Tacco) and Montalcino (the appellation of the famed Italian varietal, Brunello di Montalcino). Here you may taste Sangiovese and Trebbiano wines, nibble on pecorino cheese, and lose yourself in a land where you can practically hear an angelic soprano singing Puccini with every pedal stroke. —JEREMY PUGH

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nathan hindman

Tuscany is always a good idea.

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INSPIRATION | VA L D ’ O R C I A , I TA LY

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FO O D & D R I N K | S O N O M A C O U N T Y, C A L I F O R N I A

COMMUNITY TIES For the couple behind California’s newest Michelin two-star restaurant, SingleThread, it’s all about relationships.

eric wolfinger

BY MICHAEL SHAPIRO

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FO O D & D R I N K | S O N O M A C O U N T Y, C A L I F O R N I A

roman cho

E

very acclaimed restaurant aspires to achieve a moment that wows diners. At SingleThread, the Sonoma County restaurant that earned two Michelin stars last fall, less than a year after it opened, that moment happens before you take your first bite. On your table when you arrive is an edible work of art, an assemblage of more than a dozen delicacies—in shells, on little wooden planks, and on handmade ceramic plates— garlanded with greens and flowers from SingleThread’s farm, just five miles away. The tablescape is so beautiful that, like a waterfall or Japanese garden, it can take your breath away.

“These are beets, roasted in the hearth with shaved purple cauliflower from our farm,” says our server, explaining that every item is emblematic of the late autumn season (when I ate there).

“This is a salad of lotus root with silken tofu made by one of our sous chefs; he’s been working on the recipe for about a year.”

There are also mustard greens from the SingleThread farm, and Golden-eye snapper wrapped around braised kombu and sea palm. There is sesame-dressed young broccoli from the farm with a broccoli blossom. Moving on to the boards, there is Fort Bragg sea urchin, which was just coming into season in Northern California, served raw with some ahi tuna and a little bit of tamari dressing. And all this was just part of the first course.

Perhaps most remarkable: the tablescape and many of

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the dishes in the 11-course procession of Japan-meetsCalifornia cuisine were custom-made for my wife and me after conversations with chef Kyle Connaughton and his crew. Up to two months ahead of a guest’s arrival at SingleThread, a staff member gets in touch to ask about allergies and preferences, and whether you’re celebrating a special occasion. There’s no menu— until you leave when you receive an elegant paper folder listing each of your courses (mine was different than my wife’s, as I try to avoid milk products) and the wines or non-alcoholic beverages you enjoyed. (There’s a non-alcoholic pairing with creative juice mixes and infusions.)

“We create maximum flexibility for our guests,” Kyle says. “So if someone doesn’t like seafood or shellfish or they’re vegetarian or vegan or they have a nut allergy, we customize and tailor the experience individually.” Almost uniformly, reviewers have praised SingleThread, owned and run by Kyle and his wife Katina Connaughton, for opening with a fully realized vision. “Every aspect of the experience was buttoned down and polished,” wrote San Francisco Chronicle restaurant critic Michael Bauer shortly after the restaurant opened in December 2016. “I’ve never seen that before in a restaurant shooting for the stars. But then I’ve never seen a husband-and-wife team with such a focused and well-formed idea of what they wanted and how to get there.”

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THE THREAD THROUGH IT (Above) Kyle and Katina Connaughton. (Opposite) Sablefish “Fukkura-san” with vegetables from SingleThread’s farm, nettle puree, and Dungeness crab broth.

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Yet SingleThread’s primary goal isn’t recognition or kudos, it’s perfectly executed cuisine and hospitality, with a connection to the people who provide everything from the earthenware pots to the Japanese miso. Kyle says his and Katina’s goal was to “really work everything out so that when we open it’s exactly what we want it to be.” After working in Japan from 2003 to 2006, the Connaughtons moved to England where, from 2006 to 2011, Kyle oversaw the experimental kitchen at The Fat Duck, the Heston Blumenthal restaurant near London. Every year he was there, the restaurant earned three Michelin stars.

Katina went to horticultural school in Sonoma County, at Santa Rosa Junior College, and was the greenhouse manager for Shone Farm in nearby Forestville. While in Japan, she worked on a strawberry farm and learned about the Japanese concept of 72 micro-seasons, known as Shichijuni kō, each five days long. Attunement to these natural rhythms enables her to harvest produce at its peak. Katina starts work most days at dawn, managing SingleThread’s farm near the Russian River and is typically at the restaurant in the evening overseeing floral designs.

She and Kyle have found it seamless to work so closely together, the low-key chef says. “My wife and I have been together since we were 15 years old” when they met at a punk rock concert east of Los Angeles. After his sophomore year, Kyle transferred to Katina’s high school to be with her. When Kyle attended culinary school two decades ago at the California School of Culinary Arts in Pasadena, they had a plan: live and work in other countries, then open a restaurant in Sonoma County.

“We could farm here, and we love the lifestyle,” says Kyle,

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who has close-cropped silver hair and beard, and tattoos on both arms. Both he and Katina appreciate that in Sonoma and neighboring Napa County, there are “so many people here dedicated to food and wine. There are few places like this in the U.S.” The couple located their restaurant in the handsome town of Healdsburg, known for its central plaza, because it has a “sense of place that comes through in the food. It’s a great jumping-off point for people visiting Sonoma County,” Kyle says.

And it’s where he and Katina wanted to live.

The restaurant occupies the site of a post office that burned down in 2009. After the fire, the Seghesio family, Sonoma County winemakers, bought the site and started building a tasting room, but during construction they sold their winery so no longer needed the space. The Connaughtons put together an investment group, acquired the property and halted construction. Then they brought in their own design team, which included San Francisco-based AvroKO, and built the restaurant of their dreams.

The structure is impressive, formidable without being foreboding. In good weather, which is most of the year, guests are invited onto the roof to enjoy a welcome drink and survey the view—if not for a ridgeline they’d be able to see SingleThread’s farm. I ask about the herbs growing in tall wooden planters, and Kyle pinches off a bit of pineapple sage. “Try one of these red flowers,” he says. The scent of pineapple hits my nose before I taste the piquant flower. In other planters are lemon verbena and kaffir lime leaf (often used in Thai cuisine), their citrusy aromas unmistakable. “It’s nice,” Kyle says, “because chefs can just run up and get some herbs.”

clockwise from top left: garrett rowland (2), eric wolfinger (2)

THE MAGIC IN THE DETAILS (Clockwise from top left) SingleThread’s dining room; the SingleThread kitchen; grilling duck hearts; smoked wild salmon with shio koji, myoga, and radish.

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clockwise from bottom right: (garrett rowland, eric wolfinger (3)

FO O D & D R I N K | S O N O M A C O U N T Y, C A L I F O R N I A

Back on the ground floor, the portal into the dining room is a 9-foot wooden door made at Sonoma Millworks in Healdsburg, a mile and a half away. And the interior of the 55-seat dining room is an earth-tone masterpiece of understatement and hidden touches, such as the fabric screens. Each screen’s pattern, a server explained, is based on the DNA sequence of a vegetable at its peak at that time. The November screen, for example, reflects the DNA pattern of kale. But there’s no pretension here: I wouldn’t have known about the screens if I hadn’t read about them and asked a server to reveal their secrets.

All these subtle notes, from the dining room door to sourcing produce from their own farm, are part of the single thread that ties the restaurant to its communities. On the kitchen shelves are donabe, clay cooking pots made in Iga, Japan, by master potters for eight generations, the Nagatani family, to whom the Connaughtons have become close. The Connaughtons buy miso from a family in Kyoto that they know well—their kombu comes from Hokkaido, where the couple once lived. Their vinegar producer is “the only one in Japan who grows its own organic rice. We go to them and they come out here, so there’s that connection,” Kyle says. “It’s personal.”

Yet the overarching principle is the Japanese concept of omotenashi, the spirit of selfless hospitality, anticipating needs without being asked. “We want you to feel that you’re coming into our home,” Kyle says. “It’s really about the hospitality before it’s about the cuisine.” That hospitality is reflected in the dedication of the chefs, the sommelier, and the servers. The Connaughtons and their team use the Japanese term kaizen, which means “good change.” The goal is “constant improvement, always looking

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for ways to refine,” Kyle says. “Just because we’ve been doing something one way doesn’t mean that’s the way it has to be.”

The wide-open kitchen reveals theatrical precision. The cooks move efficiently and quietly to prepare dishes that, in late autumn, included Dungeness crab with heirloom pumpkins and miso, poached foie gras with Tokyo turnips, and Duclair duck with black trumpet mushrooms and pecans with brown-rice vinegar. After the first bite, my wife Jackie said, “I don’t know if that’s a happy duck, but it’s a happy me.” The service exceeded expectations: When I told the sommelier how much I enjoyed the Nigori sake (part of the wine pairing), he slipped away and returned a moment later with a pitcher that looked like a large teapot to refill my cup.

The single thread extends to the next generation: the Connaughtons’ two daughters work for the restaurant. Their 22-year-old helps out on the farm; the 17-year-old assembles the menus, which are placed in a folder and given to guests with a packet of seeds as they leave. “There’s a lot of paper folding that happens here,” says Kyle, near a bare tree in the entry hall hung with little origami cranes. It’s all in the “spirit of making things.”

Ever willing to contribute to the community, the Connaughtons sprung into action last October when fires swept through parts of wine country. The conflagration blanketed Healdsburg with smoke and caused SingleThread to close for five days. Yet Kyle, Katina, and their team didn’t slow down for a moment. The dining room was vacant, but the farm crew accelerated the harvest, and the kitchen staff cranked out meals for hundreds of evacuees daily. The displaced people may not have known it, but the biscuit-and-gravy breakfasts and lasagna

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FOOD IS ART (Clockwise from top) The tablescape that starts every meal; SingleThread occupies the site of a former post office; Aji, also known as Japanese horse mackerel; fresh clams.

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dinners that sustained them were prepared by chefs from Northern California’s most highly praised new restaurant.

Even after the restaurant reopened, the SingleThread team continued to cook for hundreds of people who were living in shelters.

“After the closure, we went into volunteer mode,” Kyle says. “And that’s something we’ve decided will be ongoing. Why not? We have this huge team. We have lots of food, lots of ingredients. We have our own farm and great suppliers who are willing to work with us on stuff.

Let’s just continue to produce a hundred meals today or a couple of hundred every other day, whatever the need is.”

Naturally, SingleThread appreciates the recognition from Michelin, only the fourth time in Michelin’s global history that a restaurant earned two Michelin stars in its first year. But Kyle is more interested in how those Michelin stars might help Sonoma County rebound after the fire. “This has come at a really great time. It helps in the process of welcoming people back to Sonoma [County] because it’s put us on more people’s radar. It’s a win for us, but it’s a win for Sonoma County, too.” He notes that even though the vast majority of wine country escaped the fires, some people think the entire region burned to the ground. “We are trying to use our voice to say: If you want to support wine country through everything we’ve gone through, one of the great ways to do that is just to come here and enjoy our restaurants, our shops, and our wineries.”

In December, a few weeks after the fires, Kyle joined forces with Wine Country superstar chefs Thomas Keller, Chris Kostow, and Stephen Dufree to cater a benefit that raised money for community relief funds.

Kyle says he appreciates being in an area where top

chefs care deeply about the community. That sense of community, combined with the seasonal bounty of Sonoma County, is why he and Katina are so happy to make this place their home. “It’s why we came to Sonoma County,” he says. “We can have everything right here.” 

FROM THE GROUND UP SingleThread grows much of the produce it serves at a farm five miles from the restaurant.

Michael Shapiro’s story for Inspirato about Vancouver chefs won the 2016 Explore Canada Award of Excellence.

INSPIRATO RECOMMENDS

With intimate one-bedroom getaways to sprawling five-bedroom mansions, including Villa della Luna (above) Inspirato Members will find a residence to suit their dream luxury vacation to California wine country.

TO LEARN MORE ABOUT INSPIRATO RESIDENCES IN SONOMA, GO TO INSPIRATO.COM/DESTINATIONS.

INSPIRATO MAGAZINE | WINTER/SPRING 2018

Inspirato On-Site Expert

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which includes its signature pork belly ramen. Since it’s a long wait for a reservation, book early!

California’s wine region is rife with excellent farm-to-table dining. For an intimate, sure thing, I send people to Café La Haye in downtown Sonoma.

Avoid the wine tour and tasting crowds by heading over to the less-traveled Alexander Valley, home to Blue Rock Winery.

Enjoy a relaxed tasting and even a leisurely lunch if scheduled ahead.

For a private winery tour in an unmatched setting, book a visit to Repris, set high in the mountains with one-of-a-kind views and hospitality.

April 28–29, 2018 PASSPORT TO DRY CREEK VALLEY Taste Sonoma County’s best food and wine paired together and found in one place.

May 25–27, 2018 BOTTLEROCK Past headliners of Napa’s giant music fest include Foo Fighters, Macklemore, and Ben Harper.

May–September, 2018 VALLEY OF THE MOON FARMERS MARKET Peruse the bounty of the region every Tuesday in downtown Sonoma.

jason jaacks

Sonoma County

Patricia Smith’s picks

WINING & DINING Yes, the scenery is beautiful and the pace divine, but let’s get real, a trip to Sonoma County is all about food and wine. Here are some of my favorites.

Adventurous diners at chef Dustin Valette’s namesake restaurant in Healdsburg should order the “Trust Me” menu. Trust me, you won’t be disappointed.

The best handmade cocktails made with local ingredients are served at Duke’s Spirited Cocktails—or just Duke’s—in Healdsburg, a hip location for cocktail lovers of all ages.

Down in Sebastopol, you’ll find an ecletic menu at Ramen Gaijin,

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STUNNING BEACHES. INSPIRED CUISINE. UNFORGETTABLE MOMENTS. MEXICO. 1-855-MYNIZUC

NIZUC .COM

shutterstok / leoks

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LEMONY THICKET The “Flying Farmers” of the Amalfi Coast are trying to keep their family businesses alive.

BY ALEXANDER LOBRANO

CLIFF DWELLING There are several towns—and many more beaches—along the rugged 35-mile Amalfi Coast. Each, including the coast’s eponymous town (pictured here), has its own charms.

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LA BELLA VITA (Clockwise from top left) Sunset in Positano; locally made limoncello; the view from a hike on the Path of the Gods trail.

O

ne of the most delicious lessons I’ve ever learned was delivered in a most unforgettable way.

Sudden thrashing sounds of someone— something—approaching had scared us to death.

But happily, it was two Italian farmers that finally appeared, and they grinned at us, because they could see we’d made a mistaken assumption about the thrashing heralding danger. Then, with bashful pride and patience, they taught us why the world’s best lemons come from Italy’s Amalfi Coast.

Let me explain.

A couple of hours earlier, in the dappled shade of lemon trees, we had spread the bed sheet we borrowed from a hotel in Rome.

We then rested quietly for a few minutes. The path between the terraced slopes that brought us here had been steep. In the welcome heat of the day, the plump, dimpled, yellow fruit overhead dangled like lanterns. The warm air was infused with a soft, fruity perfume that would have made us sleepy, were it not for the fact that we were already in a dopey kind of ecstasy induced by the dumb beauty of being in an Italian lemon grove on the Amalfi Coast.

After all, this fragrant clearing with a spectacular view of the

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distant lapis-lazuli-colored Mediterranean Sea was exactly what I’d pictured when I’d read a description of southern Italy by the German writer Goethe: He described it as “the land where lemons grow.” At the time I read it, I was in a stuffy car that smelled of rain-soaked wool on the London Underground, and, reading Goethe’s words, I knew the Amalfi Coast was where I wanted to go for my term break—it would be a respite from the endless rain and pewter skies of autumn in London, where I was spending a year studying abroad.

I dragooned three friends into joining me, and after a few days in Rome we arrived on the Amalfi Coast, where we were instantly spellbound by its beauty, its weather—even in October, it was warm enough to wear nothing but a T-shirt—its stunningly good food, and a shockingly delicious and instantly addictive locally made yellow elixir called limoncello. The latter was made by infusing pure alcohol with the rinds of lemons and then mixing it with sugar syrup. Many restaurants served it after dinner and on the house.

Since we were students traveling by the seat of our pants, we probably would have liked anything served on the house.

But limoncello…it was so delicious that we almost yelped with pleasure when the nice, old woman who owned the Sorrento restaurant where we’d eaten returned with the bottle and poured us a second round. She sweetly reassured us that this round, like the first, was free, “A gift from me!” We followed these two servings with a third limoncello in a café that definitely wasn’t free but was delicious enough we didn’t care.

We met the morning a little fuzzy-headed but still caught a local bus to Amalfi. Here we visited the iconic Amalfi Cathedral, and then, not having enough money to eat in a restaurant again for a few days, we shopped for a picnic of bread, cheese, ham, fruit,

clockwise from top left: getty images / brian eden, shutterstock / yurchenko iryna, shutterstock / josef skacel

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THE HILLS ARE ALIVE Amalfi Coast farmers have been growing and harvesting lemons for centuries; because of the region’s steep hillsides, all of the work is still done by hand.

and a bottle of alarmingly cheap wine. In search of a pretty spot to have our picnic, we trekked up and past the town and into the steep slopes behind it.

“These must be the lemons they use to make limoncello,” my friend Joel said as we set up our feast. We knew he was right from their lovely perfume. Though tempted to taste one of the lemons bobbing overhead, we didn’t; an unspoken sense of propriety reminded us they were private property growing on private property where we likely shouldn’t be. So we satisfied ourselves with our picnic and were happily dozing or reading when the thrashing sounds started. All four of us sat up straight.

Two men, one white-haired, the other much younger, dropped from the terrace above and landed next to us with a thud.

“Tedeschi?” the older one asked us. “No, siamo Americani,” I replied, using the tiny bit of Italian I knew to explain that we were American and not German. “This is our farm,” said the younger one in English. “It’s very beautiful, and your lemons are delicious,” I said. “Oh, did you taste them?!” “No, no, of course not, but we had some lemon pasta last night in a restaurant, and it was delicious.”

He yanked a lemon off a tree, twisted it open, and offered it to me, adding, “Our lemons are so good you can eat them like fruit.

They’re the world’s best lemons!” He introduced his father as Gaetano and himself as Daniele and explained that he’d worked in the merchant marine. He had traveled all over the world and recently come home to take over the family lemon farm because his father wanted a rest. Gaetano, a sturdy, nut-brown man with bright blue eyes and a full head of black hair, spoke no English but smiled and nodded as his son spoke.

“My father’s 90 years old and has been working on the farm since he was 11,” Daniele told us. Gaetano had a good hard laugh when he saw our jaws drop. He looked barely 60. “Hard work is good for INSPIRATO.COM

you,” he said, and his son translated. “Also, eating lots of lemons!” he added, and we all laughed.

Daniele explained that his family had been growing lemons for generations and that the fruit has been cultivated on the Amalfi Coast since Roman times but really developed between the 10th and 12th centuries. Local farmers had created the distinctive local variety known as Sfusato d’Amalfi (fuso means spindle in Italian and is a reference to the elongated shape of the fruit, which also has thick nipples at both ends). They crossed the bitter oranges indigenous to the area with lemons that had come from the Middle East (scientists using genetic testing have discovered lemons originated in China). Originally, the Italian lemons proved useful to navies and business owners who bought them in bulk to stave off scurvy by providing vitamin C on long sea voyages. Eventually the lemons found their way into local cooking in a variety of guises and attracted the attention of the world beyond Italy when the Amalfi Coast first began to emerge as a tourist destination in the 17th and 18th centuries.

Slowly, the Amalfi region turned into a major lemon-producing zone, and the fruit was exported all over Europe and even as far as the U.S. It was prized for its thick, perfumed skin, low acidity, and very low concentration of seeds. The peak year for Amalfi lemon production was 1915. It went downhill after that because the two world wars caused many locals to trade farming for better-paid factory work in the north of Italy or abroad.

As we picnicked on Daniele and Gaetano’s lemon terrace, many of the other farms in the lemon belt—Minori and Maiori, traditionally the largest lemon-producing towns, but also Amalfi, Atrani, Cetara, Conca dei Marini, Furore, Positano, Praiano, Ravello, Scala, Tramonti, and Vietri sul Mare—were falling into disrepair. Because the steep terraces on which the lemon trees

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grow are essential to keeping the landscapes of the Amalfi Coast healthy—the terraces prevent landslides and flooding and their green canopy also keeps the region a little cooler—Daniele worried that no one was replacing his father’s generation of farmers. A loss of lemon farmers didn’t just mean fewer lemons, but increased risk of landslides and warmer temperatures. Many farms were being lucratively sold as building sites. “The problem is that it’s basically impossible to mechanize the production of Amalfi Coast lemons, because the terraces are too small to support heavy machinery of any kind, so everything must be done by hand,” he told us.

Visiting the Amalfi Coast again last fall—some 25 years after Daniele gave me my first lesson in its famous lemons—I was happily reassured about the future of these groves. I walked the magnificent Sentiero dei Limoni (literally “The Footpath of the Lemons”), which runs from Minori to Maiori. Both above and below the hiking path, there were still, as far as the eye could see, lemon orchards under thick netting. I heard the crashing noises of the i contadini volanti, “the flying farmers.” Like a troop of acrobats, they scampered above and under the sturdy trellises of chestnut wood stakes that hold up the lemon trees, pruning, training, and harvesting lemons in an annual cycle that hasn’t changed in centuries.

After the two world wars, Spain’s entry into the European Union in 1986 challenged Italian lemon producers with a flood of cheap citrus. But that same year, the Slow Food movement was founded in the Piedmont town of Bra; it helped Amalfi lemons. With Slow Food came an appreciation for geographically specific, traditionally farmed Italian produce, especially lemons bearing an Amalfi Coast I.G.P. (Indicazione Geografica Protetta), a label that legally attests to their authenticity as having been grown there.

Recognizing that thousands of travelers who visit the Amalfi Coast every year are fascinated by their lemon farms, several locals have set up tours of groves, which include explanations of their history, the growing cycle, and usually a tasting or two. The Amalfi Lemon Experience begins on the steps of the cathedral in Amalfi and includes

visits to the groves and a small-but-fascinating farm museum before a tasting of various products produced with organic lemons.

My favorite way to celebrate the fruit, however, is to head to Ristorante San Pietro, a locals’ favorite in Cetara. I always have the same meal there—spaghetti with butter, Parmesan, and freshly squeezed lemon juice and then a tartare of ricciola (amberjack) with a light sauce of lemon juice and olive oil. (The former is not on the menu—you have to ask for it.) The last time I ordered this meal, it was from a friendly older waitress and the day was drizzly. She nodded approvingly and said, “Even when it rains here, there’s always plenty of sun stored up in our lemons!” 

KEEP IT SIMPLE The classic Amalfi Coast dish of lemon spaghetti with garlic, chili flakes, and parsley.

Alexander Lobrano last wrote about Prague’s Cubist architecture for the magazine.

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Members exploring the dramatic Italian coast can make their home in the village of Positano and the Villa Mare cliffside residence (shown above) with its five bedrooms and four-and-a-half baths.

TO LEARN MORE ABOUT INSPIRATO’S RESIDENCE ON THE AMALFI COAST, GO TO INSPIRATO.COM/ DESTINATIONS.

INSPIRATO MAGAZINE | WINTER/SPRING 2018

Valentina Mazzetti’s picks Inspirato On-Site Expert

ROMAN HISTORY Explore the preserved Roman ruins of nearby Pompeii with a private guide. For a deeper dive into Roman life and artifacts, book a guided visit to the National Archaeological Museum in Naples.

TO THE HILLS! Ravello is a mountain village above the port city of Amalfi that is famous for luscious gardens, its pedestrians-only piazza, and two villas, Villa Cimbrone and Villa Rufolo, which host classical music concerts such as an annual Wagner festival.

STAR-RATED DINING Positano features two restaurants with Michelin stars: La Sponda in the Le Sirenuse hotel features a Mediterranean menu and unique dining room lit by 400 candles; Zass, located in the Il San Pietro hotel, is known for its homegrown ingredients and excellent wine list.

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CASUAL EATS For an informal bite of sushi or a drink on the rocks, literally, grab a seat on the terrace at Rada Restaurant, tucked into the rocks at the end of the main beach in Positano. Or head to Montepertuso above town.

Here, food is sourced from their own gardens, and the pasta and desserts are homemade.

July–August 2018 RAVELLO FESTIVAL High above the Amalfi Coast, Villa Rufolo has incredible gardens and hosts concerts, dance recitals, plays, and more every week.

stockfood / laurie proffitt

Amalfi Coast

COAST AND LI GALLI ISLAND Hire a private boat for a tour of the coast including the Islands of the Mermaids for snorkeling, fishing in Conca dei Marini bay, and stops at the remote villages of Atrani, Maiori, and Minori, plus the waterfall at Grotta Pandora.

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FA C E S | J U P I T E R , F L O R I D A

THE PRO

LUCAS GLOVER For 15 years, Inspirato Member Lucas Glover has been a regular on the PGA Tour, and as he heads into the heart of 2018’s tournament season, the former U.S. Open champion is out to improve on last season’s progress. And this year he has his eyes set on the U.S. Open at Shinnecock on Long Island, New York, his favorite course in the world. “It’s a difficult course for the variety of holes on the course,” he says. “And to have an opportunity to play it for the U.S. Open is a dream come true.”

FAMILY SUPPORT Member and PGA pro Lucas Glover finds traveling with his family helps his golf game.

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But when asked to name his favorite PGA Tour/ family vacation, he cites last year’s Phoenix Open.

“We stayed in an Inspirato home within the Four Seasons Resort in Scottsdale, which was spectacular with a great kitchen and family area. While I didn’t do as well as I would’ve liked in the tournament, it was wonderful to come back to the home and be surrounded by my family—and my caddy. We all settled in to watch the Super Bowl that night, and it was like being home. It was perfect.”

Glover tries to replicate that experience on the Tour at least once a year, using Inspirato to make a tournament stop feel special for him and his family.

He and his wife also use the club to book family vacations. So far they’ve visited Palmetto Bluff and Bermuda, using the club to book multiple homes for extended get-togethers with family and friends. Next up is a trip to France this spring.

“The thing that’s great about Inspirato is the quality.

In my experience, hotels and resorts are never as good as they look online, but with Inspirato everything is as advertised or better,” he says. —THE EDITORS

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LUCAS ON TRAVEL With 15 years of relentless touring under his belt, Inspirato Member Lucas Glover has picked up a few key tips to staying on top of his game.

• Skip the beer and alcohol on flights. Pound bottled water instead, drinking more than you think you need. You’ll sleep better when you arrive.

• On international flights, try compression socks (I wear compression boots) to keep blood from pooling in your legs. My legs feel fresh as soon as I hit the ground.

• When traveling with kids, go ahead and buy them their own seats on the airplane, even if they’re young enough not to need one. Even though it’s expensive, you’ll be glad you paid for that seat soon after take-off.

getty images / matt roberts

To get there, Glover is banking on his long career to see him through. “In 15 years, I’ve learned that the game will always catch up to you at some time. I’ve had some lean years and struggled, but I also had those good years to know I can play well. The thing about golf is that if you work at it, you’ll get better.”

But Glover admits there’s another reason he thinks his game is on an upswing—his young family. As the father of a 4-year-old girl and a 2-year-old boy, Glover is learning the benefits of putting down his clubs for a couple of days and focusing on his kids. “It took me a while to understand that being ‘dad’ for a day or two is a good mental break,” he says. “For so long, when things weren’t going well, I’d want to get right out there and try to play my way through it.”

Now his family joins him once a month on the Tour as it travels around the country. Their favorite stop is the annual John Deere Classic held each July outside Moline, Illinois, home to the iconic farm implement manufacturer. Glover’s kids love it because the company offers tractor rides at the factory and in some cases lets them drive the mammoth machines.

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courtesy of boulders resort & spa

WELLNESS | SCOT TSDALE, ARIZONA

SLOWING DOWN One of the many amenities at the Boulders Spa is a meditation labyrinth.

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WELLNESS | SCOT TSDALE, ARIZONA

SPA-ING AROUND

Scottsdale has the country’s highest concentration of resort spas. Don’t limit yourself to enjoying just one.

M

y four-day Scottsdale spa vacation had a serious itinerary.

Trying something I’d never done before—not committing to a single spa but visiting a different one every day, or even two different spas in the same day—it would be the busiest spa vacation of the dozen or so I’d been on. But I was up for the challenge, especially since snow was starting to fall in Jackson, Wyoming, where I live, and the Scottsdale weather forecast called for five months of low humidity and high temperatures in the 80s and 90s. (Yes, winter and spring in Scottsdale are that predictable and that perfect.)

Scottsdale and neighboring Paradise Valley are home to dozens of spa resorts that together include more than 1 million square feet of treatment rooms, saunas, steam rooms, and pools. And then there are the area’s day spas, which are so numerous not even the city’s ultra-organized tourism bureau, Experience Scottsdale, can keep count. They’re as ubiquitous as saguaros. Scottsdale has the

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BY DINA MISHEV

highest density of spa resorts of anywhere in the country, and the greatest number of spas per capita. And I couldn’t pick just one.

Multiple spas had treatments that interested me. Also, each spa had its own personality. Well & Being Spa at the Fairmont Princess is massive, 44,000 square feet, and encourages wandering from treatment to pool (including a rooftop adults-only pool) to sauna to hot tub to waterfall pool to exercise class to patio café. Beyoncé and Jay-Z enjoyed the Asian vibe of Sanctuary Spa when they honeymooned at the attached resort more than a decade ago. More recently, the girlfriend who usually accompanies me on spa vacations raved about an hour-long foot treatment (the Sabai Foot Ritual) at Sanctuary and mentioned that the spa’s redesign was almost complete, and that it was very well done. (Since I thought the “old” Sanctuary Spa was pretty perfect, hearing that it was being updated had made me nervous.) “It’s still the most serene spa I’ve ever been to,” my friend reported.

INSPIRATO MAGAZINE | WINTER/SPRING 2018

WELLNESS | SCOT TSDALE, ARIZONA

THE BOULDERS FOUR SEASONS RESORT SCOTTSDALE

PINNACLE PEAK FAIRMONT SCOTTSDALE PRINCESS

JOYA

P A R A D I S E SPA VA L L EY

CAMELBACK MOUNTAIN

SPA AVANIA AT HYATT REGENCY SANCTUARY ON CAMELBACK MOUNTAIN ANDAZ

SCO TTSDA L E P HO E N IX

A TRUE SANCTUARY (Above left) The Moroccan-themed Joya at Omni Resort.

(Above right) Stones, lotions, and creams used in some of Joya’s signature treatments.

At Four Seasons, the spa is intimate and results-driven and situated at the base of Pinnacle Peak, which I wanted to hike one morning. North of Scottsdale proper, up in Carefree, 12-million-year-old boulders dramatically dot the landscape around Boulders Spa, and its café serves entrees made with produce grown in the organic garden behind it. Boulders offers rock climbing classes and rappelling adventures on-site. Spa Avania at Hyatt Regency at Gainey Ranch has a Himalayan salt room. Royal Palms’ Alvadora Spa has a citrus grove facial that sounded like exactly what my dull skin needed. Just reading about the juniper cleanse massage at Palo Verde Spa & Apothecary at the new and hip Andaz Scottsdale relaxed my muscles.

Picking just one of these resorts wouldn’t have been Sophie’s Choice, but it certainly wouldn’t have been easy. So I didn’t, and the idea of spa speed dating was born.

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I planned an itinerary of body treatments, facials, and massages at eight different spas over four days. Friends accused me of going overboard. I said I was optimizing my opportunities for wellness. Because I am not a golfer—there are more than 30 courses in the Scottsdale area and most of the spas I booked treatments at are part of resorts that also have golf courses—I instead planned time for a hike every morning. There are easily more than a hundred miles of trails of varying difficulty that start right in Scottsdale.

THE NIGHT OF MY ARRIVAL, it dawned on me that, as much as I had planned, I had not planned meals. Thankfully Bourbon Steak at Fairmont Scottsdale Princess had a table available. I spent the time I wasn’t eating a nine-ounce prime skirt steak topped with creamy blue cheese—so tender no knife was needed to cut it—studying the restaurant menus

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DESTRESSING The Himalayan salt room at Spa Avania at Hyatt at Gainey Ranch.

of the other resorts I’d be visiting. The brunch menu at Proof at Four Seasons included lemon ricotta masa cakes and a sandwich with five-hour slow cooked pork, blue cheese coleslaw, and house-made pickles. Elements at Sanctuary at Camelback Mountain had a lobster carbonara dinner entrée with an Asian twist, udon noodles instead of spaghetti.

With the addition of meals—at the Boulders’ spa café it was an omelet with vegetables grown in the spa’s organic garden; at Proof I went for duck pastrami salad—the first two days went better than planned. (Full disclosure: I slept in the first morning rather than go for a hike.) Day one—a Desert Radiance body treatment at the Boulders and a facial at Fairmont’s Well & Being Spa—left me relaxed and my skin more hydrated then it’d been since a trip to the Amazon four years ago. As good as day one was, day two might go down in history as one of the greatest ever days of spa-ing.

That morning, I did get up at sunrise to hike six miles on Pinnacle Peak, the mountain just behind the Four Seasons with a well-maintained trail of middling difficulty that winds through the area’s full catalog of cacti. Brunch was on Proof’s deck followed by 80 minutes of full-body exfoliation and massage using various products made with cocoa. It was the most scent-ual spa treatment I’d ever gotten. But, because I spent an hour post-cocoa walking the Four Seasons’ grounds

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and admiring the blooming cacti, which was not part of my itinerary, I did arrive at Hyatt’s Spa Avania for 30 minutes of halotherapy and a 60-minute facial a few minutes late and not quite as relaxed as someone on a spa vacation should be.

But one of the purported benefits of halotherapy—in which you inhale pure, dry, micronized salt particles—is a reduction in stress (another is an improved immune system). In a private, dedicated room with walls made of thick salt tiles, I reclined on a chaise lounge and, within five minutes, fell into a deep sleep that ended only when an esthetician gently woke me up. The final activity for the day was lobster carbonara with Jay-Z and Beyoncé, or at least at the restaurant attached to the resort where they honeymooned (Sanctuary).

The following day, I popped the bubble of wellness and relaxation the prior days of spa-ing had gifted me by shattering my wrist. While hiking down Camelback Mountain shortly after sunrise and a couple of hours before my Sabai Foot Ritual, I slipped. The day’s spa treatments were replaced by a visit to the emergency room at Scottsdale’s Osborn Hospital.

That evening, with no spas to immediately comfort me, I fed my sorrows and distress with a return visit to Elements for dinner (a bacon-wrapped filet) and practiced gratitude that it was a spa vacation on which I had hurt myself.

courtesy of avania spa

WELLNESS | SCOT TSDALE, ARIZONA

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THE CAPE CABO SAN LUCAS

THOMPSON CHICAGO

RISE TO THE OCCASION.

THOMPSON NASHVILLE

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WELLNESS | SCOT TSDALE, ARIZONA

Day four dawned with my arm throbbing. I briefly wanted the sunrise to acknowledge this unplanned and painful change in my situation and be muted and moody, but, like Scottsdale’s weather all winter and spring, it was reliably, spectacularly perfect. Thankfully, the surrounding mountains were still glowing pink when, instead of seeing this gorgeous sunrise as traitorous, I transitioned: It was proof that life goes on, and also that my life at the moment, despite a clublike cast on one arm, was still pretty amazing. I had broken my arm in between spa treatments, and it would heal, and, in the meantime, Sanctuary had been able to rebook me for its Sabai Foot Treatment without encroaching on my alreadyscheduled afternoon facial at Joya Spa. As the pink light turned to orange, I vowed to never again suffer an illness or injury at any time other than when on a spa vacation. I also vowed to return to Scottsdale sooner than later for the treatments and relaxation I missed the day prior at Royal Palms’ Alvadora Spa and Andaz’s Palo Verde Spa & Apothecary.

Sanctuary’s Sabai Foot Ritual lived up to my friend’s review and to its name, which, in Thai, means to relax and be comfortable. As a therapist massaged my feet, shins, and calves with a heated poultice filled with fresh herbs, I both relaxed and got more comfortable. Of course I wasn’t as relaxed and comfortable as I would have been without a freshly broken wrist, but I was much more relaxed and comfortable than I would have been anywhere else, even in my own home. I was also sold on the ideas of 1) Future spa vacations would involve multiple resorts, TERRACE TIME Fairmont Scottsdale and 2) Every future vacation would Princess is one of include at least one element of self-care Scottsdale’s most or wellness, just in case I did something family-friendly stupid again.  Dina Mishev is Inspirato’s Editor.

resorts, but this rooftop pool is adults-only.

INSPIRATO RECOMMENDS

Members can choose between threeand four-bedroom homes like Sonora (pictured above), located in The Rocks Club, a secluded luxury residence club situated overlooking the city.

TO LEARN MORE ABOUT INSPIRATO RESIDENCES IN SCOTTSDALE, PLEASE GO TO INSPIRATO.COM/ DESTINATIONS.

INSPIRATO MAGAZINE | WINTER/SPRING 2018

Laura Wallace’s picks Inspirato On-Site Expert

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ARTWALK Historic and pedestrian-friendly Old Town Scottsdale hosts ArtWalk every Thursday evening and organized in conjunction with special “Gold Palette” events throughout the year such as A Taste of Scottsdale food and wine festival held in April.

RED ROCKS Two hours away by car lie the otherworldly red rocks, mesas, and buttes of Sedona. Go for a hike or rent a bike and hit the trails. Afterward, explore the upscale shops and restaurants of Tlaquepaque.

February 23–March 27, 2018 SPRING TRAINING Fifteen Major League Baseball teams from the Chicago Cubs to the Los Angeles Dodgers start prepping for the 2018 season with preseason games almost every day.

April 14–15, 2018 SCOTTSDALE CULINARY FESTIVAL Chefs and cooks from the area’s premier restaurants come together on 25 acres of parkland to create an all-you-can-eat, gastronomic heaven.

courtesy of fairmont scottsdale princess

Scottsdale

LOCAL FARE From the 15th-floor dining room of the Orange Sky Restaurant at the Talking Stick Resort & Casino, diners enjoy sweeping views of Arizona’s gorgeous sunsets.

The historic El Chorro in Paradise Valley keeps diners warm with a blazing fire on the patio and its famous sticky buns served before dinner.

Pull on your cowboy boots for dinner at the Buffalo Chip Saloon & Steakhouse. Opened in 1951 as a food and bait shop, this western icon now hosts bull riding lessons on Wednesdays and Fridays and live music Wednesday through Sunday.

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The unforgettable Italian touch.

ITALY | UK | FRANCE | MALDIVES Baglioni Hotels is a proud member of

FA C E S | H E A L D S B U R G , C A L I F O R N I A

THE AVIATOR

SAM LONG After graduating high school, Inspirato Member Sam Long immediately launched into an education of a very different kind: “I had to know everything about airplanes and how to fly them,” he says. “I was obsessed.” By the time he started college that fall, he had his pilot’s license.

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SAM ON TRAVEL An international traveler since childhood, and a pilot for more than 35 years, Inspirato Member Sam Long has the art of travel perfected, even when he’s not in the cockpit.

• I’m a big user and lover of technology. The Tripcase app is a central repository for all the details of your trips and a great way to share your itinerary with family and friends.

• Start your kids traveling early. To my parents’ credit, they had us traveling at a young age.

We got desensitized to that movement and to the complexities of it.

• When traveling with a group, put one person in charge and make them the hub of communication and the heavy-lifter in terms of planning and decision-making.

timothy archbald

While Long was briefly a professional pilot and instructor—between undergrad and getting his MBA from Case Western Reserve University’s Weatherhead School of Management—today he is what he calls an “adventure capitalist.” Still, he says, “Aviation is deeply rooted in everything I do. My entire business career is based on aviation: I do meetings as if they were flights. I do risk analysis as if it were a flight. I’m a meticulous planner and always planning for contingencies.”

ABOVE IT ALL Adventure capitalism and aviation are Member Sam Long began flying shortly not mutually exclusive. Long continues after graduating from high school. to fly at least once a week, and he’s flown himself and his wife to several Inspirato interest and involvement. “I could never be successful properties including Cabo San Lucas, Seattle, Las with a company I wasn’t excited about,” he says.

Vegas, and New York City. He’s also training to get his “And I could never just invest money. I get involved, helicopter license. becoming part of the board and the team.” Allrecipes “Everybody who flies, or does anything happened because Long loves cooking. He went passionately, they’re constantly training and looking for a distillery to invest in because, in the late improving skills, because that is what passion is 1800s and early 1900s, Long’s great-great grandfather really about—pursuing excellence,” he says. Also, “the owned the largest distillery in the world. “My family experience of, as they say, ‘escaping the surly bonds connection to the industry and my connection to of Earth’ is magical. I used to live in Seattle and easily Sonoma County made Sonoma County Distillery the most beautiful flying I’ve done in my life is around appealing,” Long says. the state of Washington because of the incredible As much as Long, who along with his wife Jessica is topographical diversity of it—you’ve got 14,000-foot expecting their first child this spring, plans for work volcanoes, Puget Sound, and rainforest.” When Long and life, he does like to take a break from it. Enter is himself a passenger rather than pilot, “I’m still a Inspirato. “If I’ve got a team of really smart people window-seat guy.” with a good eye curating locations on my behalf—I Currently Long is directing his meticulousness love that,” he says. toward Sonoma Distilling Company, a craft distillery “Traveling with Inspirato, anytime I load up, whether north of San Francisco that makes “grain-to-glass it’s my entire family or just my wife and myself, I don’t whiskeys” using local ingredients including spring have to wonder. You’re not rolling the dice with the water from the Sierras. Previously, Long invested in accommodations or the location. You know it’s going to companies including Allrecipes.com, a website that be fully outfitted and the best location on the block or shares crowd-sourced recipes. coast or neighborhood.” —THE EDITORS Common among his investments is personal

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A S O P H I ST I C AT E D S A N F R A N C I S C O R E T R E AT

The Hotel Drisco offers a welcoming atmosphere with well-connected hosts.

Located in San Francisco’s iconic Pacific Heights, our elegant 1903 Edwardian-style hotel is known for pampering with all-inclusive luxury and complimentary extras.

FIND US HERE 2901 Pacific Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94115 reservations@hoteldrisco.com (800) 634-7277 www.hoteldrisco.com

ADVENTURE | PA RK C I T Y

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ADVENTURE | PA RK C I T Y

THE INSIDER’S GUIDE TO PARK CITY With more than 7,000 acres of skiable terrain, Park City Mountain is the largest ski resort in the United States.

BY JEREMY PUGH PHOTOGRAPHY BY ERIC SCHRAMM

S

kis are on the roof. Johnny Cash is walking the line on the radio. There’s hot coffee in the console. The drive to Park City’s first entrance is 25 minutes from my garage door in Salt Lake City and today I’m counting every second.

Last night, a monster winter storm passed through and left a 12-inch carpet of fluffy, dry Utah powder: the “Greatest Snow on Earth” as proclaimed by my license plates. And, like so many Wasatch storms, it quickly cleared out, polite as a preacher on Sunday. I’m racing to a perfect powder day under a bluebird sky.

I crank up the Cash, step on the gas, and Jennifer, my partner, and I start plotting our day like NYSE commodities traders before opening bell. It’s essential to have a plan on a powder day at Park City, or any day really. It is, after all, the largest resort in the United States of America. With 7,300 acres of skiable terrain, its only rival on the continent is its Canadian cousin (by Vail Corporation marriage) Whistler-Blackcomb, which is 700 acres bigger. Park City has four base areas, one high-speed gondola connecting its two halves, and 41 lifts accessing more than 300 trails (and that’s just counting the trails they label on the trail map).

“Town Lift,” Jennifer says. “Today is made for Town Lift.”

This is why I love this woman. Jennifer, a transplanted New Yorker, still thinks like she’s moving upstream in midtown Manhattan at 4 p.m. on a Friday. Town Lift is a back-pocket trick we deploy sometimes, but it is a gamble. It’s farther up the road—it’s the last of four base areas as you travel to Park City Mountain from Interstate 80—and requires we ski a throwaway run to get to the good stuff, and it’s a slow lift. Today, however, all these drawbacks mean nobody will think of it. It’s like taking the G into Brooklyn while all the hipsters are packed onto the L train.

We blow past the hundreds of people lining up at the main base areas, Park City and Canyons Villages (holdover names from when the resort was two separate entities) and pull into a parking garage on Park City’s Main Street that I’m not going to tell you about.

(Sorry, a local must keep some secrets.) From here we walk onto the Town Lift right as it’s opening. To reiterate: we don’t walk to stand in a line (like the masses of skiers at the lower base areas), but onto the lift. And that pretty much sets the tone for the rest of the day.

THE GREATEST SNOW ON EARTH (This page) Laying tracks down one of Park City’s signature groomed runs.

(Opposite page) Jupiter Peak, McConkey’s Lift, and Pioneer Lift.

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ADVENTURE | PA RK C I T Y

MOUNTAIN IDYLL (This page) Park City’s Town Lift and Main Street. (Opposite page) A local enjoying Utah’s dry powder on Jupiter Peak.

SILVER TO SLOPES TOUR Scratching your head over the trail map? Twice daily (10 a.m. and 1 p.m., both starting at the base area of Park City Mountain Village), guests can take the “Silver to Slopes Historic Mine Tour,” a free two-hour guided ski tour for intermediate-advanced skiers and snowboarders.

It hits different areas around the resort, and guides generally throw in some of the area’s mining history. The best guides will share their favorite runs on the mountain.

Of course, not every day in Utah is a powder day.

Amazingly, it’s when there isn’t a foot of fresh, dry snow that Park City really shines. The Greatest Snow on Earth falls at all 14 of Utah’s ski resorts, but it’s only Park City that has this much lift-served terrain, this much choice of terrain, and a historic mining town at its base. Other ski resorts have ski-in, ski-out access to homes and hotels. Park City’s downtown is ski-in, ski-out. Park City Mountain is the kind of sprawl—across four 9,000-plus-foot peaks—you want: the quantity and quality of the terrain means there’s always good snow somewhere. And if you get a little lost along the way?

High West Distillery, which claims to be the world’s only ski-in, ski-out distillery and whose much-loved Rendezvous Rye and innovative bourbon-rye blends have won almost as many awards as Park City Mountain has runs, is 25 steps from the base of the Town Lift. (If you’d rather a glass of pinot, Old Town Cellars, a local blender, beckons from across the street, as does the whole of Park City’s central strolling, eating, and drinking district.)

Sadly, Park City’s awesomeness long ago ceased being a secret. Last season, the resort accounted for more than one-third of the lift tickets bought at all of Utah’s ski resorts combined. Just 35 minutes from Salt Lake International Airport, the town of Park City is a famed destination in

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and of itself, having been part of the 2002 Olympic Games and also thanks to the annual star-studded Sundance Film Festival in February. Also, visitors love that Park City is an actual place where actual people live. Venturing beyond the resort confines and out of the well-trodden Main Street area will easily lead you to friendly pockets of mountain-town life. Stop into White Pine Touring and get some gear and advice to access Park City’s extensive Nordic skiing trail system. Meet the local ski moms (and dads) and drop into a class at Park City Yoga. Take the kids bowling at swanky Jupiter Bowl at Kimball Junction and finish with a slice of New York-style pizza at Maxwell’s.

“I moved here because it’s a real town and a ski area grew up around it,” says 60-something Dottie Beck, a 28-year veteran ski instructor at Park City resort who skis yearround thanks to a “summer” job as an instructor in New Zealand. “Even in a lean year, you can find good snow. I grew up in Colorado but this is where I wanted to live.”

As an instructor, Beck likes that her students benefit from a diverse portfolio of terrain. At many resorts, learners are limited to one or two areas, but not at Park City. “I’ve got lots of options for every level and we’re not confined to one ittybitty area, we can go all over,” she says, “That makes my job easier; it’s a great teaching mountain.”

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THE BIG BAG OF TRICKS The Secret Lifts—The two main base villages at Park City— Canyons Village and Park City Village—are the dual centers of access, but locals know that there are other less-traveled ways to get onto the mountain: The Town and Silver Star Lifts. Parking at Silver Star is limited. Use Uber or the free Park City Town bus system.

The Motherlode—Motherlode Lift’s earlier incarnation as a slow lift makes the now-high-speed quad an excellent alternative to some of the more congested lifts in the Miner’s Camp Day Lodge Area.

The Epic Mix Hack—The Epic Mix smart phone app includes a function called “Epic Mix Time,” which allows you to see wait times at lifts around the resort. At Park City, it’s a game changer. You can use your phone to see, in real time, lift-line bottlenecks and head the opposite direction.

But still, as many of Park City Mountain’s terrain I-80 secrets you unlock, you want at least one of your days here to be a powder day. After our throwaway run—Treasure Hollow—from the top of the Town Lift, Jennifer is still in a New York state of mind: chomping UTAH OLYMPIC HWY to get up to the top of the resort, the big daddy peaks PARK 189 Jupiter Peak (9,998') and Ninety-Nine 90 (9,990').

CANYONS VILLAGE Both of these summits reward hiking from their access AT PARK CITY lifts (McConkeys and the eponymous Ninety-Nine 90) with fresh lines in high alpine bowls. I talk her down though, and instead we opt to hang back and work the Crescent Lift, a high-speed four-pack that, on powder PARK CITY VILLAGE days, is almost as overlooked as the Town Lift. I learned TOWN LIFT this Crescent trick from Bagel Boy or, as some call him, PARK Adam Fehr. Fehr is the 35-year-old proprietor of Park CITY MAIN City Bread & Bagel (hence the nickname) whose townie STREET NINETY-NINE status as the king of carbs allows him to average 100-plus 90 PEAK PARK CITY days every season.

MOUNTAIN “On a powder day, it’s important to have patience,” Fehr once imparted to me. “Everybody is racing to get to DEER Pioneer and McConkeys [the lifts that service the Jupiter VALLEY Peak area]. But they’ll just have to wait for those chairs to open while ski patrol clears things out. Meanwhile you JUPITER can sneak in a few laps on Ski Team Ridge.”

The Instagram Boost—Vail photographers hang around hot spots on the mountain and the photos they take are piped into the Epic Mix app. They’re free to look at but you’ll have to pay for downloads to post to your Insta feed. Each day the photographers have a secret theme like “angry faces” or “air guitar.” Be sure to ask.

The Doughnut Detour—Cloud Dine is a popular on-mountain restaurant at the top of Dream Peak, where the Dreamscape and Dreamcatcher lifts both disgorge their passengers. Every morning, the kitchen crew here makes up a select few batches of fresh doughnuts for those in the know.

They’re usually gone before 11 a.m. but the chef sometimes holds a few back for the lunch rush, so be sure to ask.

The Day Break Dead-end— Looking at the trail map you might ignore the Day Break Lift. It seems like a short lift that dead-ends into a bunch of blue runs. It gets overlooked, and you’ll find stashes of northwest-facing powder here, even days after a storm.

PEAK

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ADVENTURE | PA RK C I T Y

VIVE LA DEER VALLEY DIFFERENCE Upon arrival at Deer Valley you’ll be swarmed, whisked wherever you need, and without a doubt made comfortable by the thousand-strong army of staffers wearing the resort’s signature forestgreen livery. This service is the bedrock of a ski experience that has been named the best in North America a record eight times in SKI magazine’s annual (and venerable) reader survey. Where neighboring Park City Resort is more of a y’all-come-on-over affair, Deer Valley is more, shall we say, choosey.

For example, snowboarders are not on the list. DV is one of two holdout skier-only resorts in the U.S. and its devotees see no reason to change the rule. Snowboards, for their near universal acceptance, carve up the beautiful corduroy that Deer Valley is known for in an un-beautiful way. After the snowboarders are culled, DV caps its daily skier count at 7,500, which ensures plenty of elbow room. (DV has 2,025 acres of terrain.) With stellar service, skiers only, and grooming you can set your watch by, DV will be a singular ski day and also a fabulous day of dining. Food at Deer Valley is miles away from typical resort fare. When you break at Silver Lake Lodge, you’ll find steaming bowls of pho. For dinner, sizzling haunches of lamb roast over a roaring fire and melting bobsled tracks of raclette flow at Empire Lodge.

Thanks, Bagel Boy. Crescent doesn’t disappoint.

While the sound of avalanche guns echo from higher up, we take laps on Silver King, Willy’s Run, and Erika’s Gold, steep black-diamond runs that we’d skip on a groomer day but are forgiving in the deep Utah powder. At the bottom of each lap, we practically ski right back onto Crescent. Maybe later we’ll join the lines of skiers and boarders crawling around Jupiter and Ninety-Nine 90 peaks. Or not. Park City’s immensity makes it easy to get pleasantly sidetracked and it’s one of those blue-sky days where our bestlaid plans dissipate like the smoky powder under our skis. Following Bagel Boy and Beck’s best advice, our ramblings take us from boundary to boundary.

ENDLESS SKIING View of The Canyons side of Park City Mountain from the Super Condor Express.

As we crest the run literally called Quit ‘N Time, one of Beck’s favorite underskied paths back into town, Jennifer asks, “Last run?” I remember one more fine bit of advice from Bagel Boy: Never call it the last run.

It’s a jinx. “Second-to-last run,” I wink.

Jeremy Pugh’s writing also appears in SKI, Sunset, and Salt Lake magazines.

INSPIRATO RECOMMENDS

Park City Inspirato Members vacationing in Park City will find a variety of accommodations to choose from in and around Deer Valley. Residences range from the two-bedroom Stargazer condo to Summit on Main

INSPIRATO MAGAZINE | WINTER/SPRING 2018

(pictured left) and the sprawling 4,700-square-foot Royal Lookout residence with four bedrooms and occupancy for 12. All Inspirato residences feature ski-in, ski-out access to Deer Valley’s famous groomed slopes (sorry boarders, Deer Valley doesn’t allow snowboarding).

Inspirato partner Ski Butlers will fit your family with rental skis and boots in the residence. Overnight waxing and tunes are included as well.

Mara Lund’s picks

Inspirato On-Site Expert

TO LEARN MORE ABOUT INSPIRATO RESIDENCES IN PARK CITY, GO TO INSPIRATO.COM/DESTINATIONS.

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MAIN STREET EATS It’s hard to go wrong dining on Park City’s Main Street.

The ski-in High West Distillery & Saloon crafts award-winning whiskeys and has been a favorite of locals and repeat visitors since it opened.

Reserve a table at Riverhorse. Its contemporary American cuisine has earned it four Mobil Travel stars since it opened in 1997.

The signature margaritas and barbecue spareribs on

Chimayo’s southwestern menu keep drawing crowds.

For Italian fare, head to Grappa. Be sure to try their signature grappa as well.

YURT SO GOOD For a dinner to remember, book a seat for The Viking Yurt. A Snowcat-pulled sleigh takes diners up Park City Mountain to a yurt where a six-course meal comes with spectacular views of the mountains and valley.

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DI ST I N CT I VE AND T I M E L E SS Waldorf Astoria Park City is passionately committed to the comfort of each and every guest. A dedicated gondola, just steps from the hotel’s front doors, waits to take you to Canyons Village, the base of Park City Resort. There, you’ll have access to over 7,300 acres of terrain, more than 300 trails, a 22-foot half-pipe, and 16 on-mountain dining options.

As a skier or snowboarder, you’ll find your alpine paradise.

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THE H E IGH T OF LU X UR Y

4 5 5 M A D I S O N AV E N U E A T 5 0 T H S T R E E T 1.800.804.7035 W W W. L O T T E N Y PA C E . C O M

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INSPIRATO INSIDE

A SENSE OF PLACE Homes so special you won’t want to leave.

BY THE EDITORS

W

of excellence and style. “Members always know they’re going to walk into a beautiful space that is comfortable and usable,” Johns says. The design team spends eight-to-ten weeks selecting and installing furnishings, decor, and art that, while similar in quality across the Inspirato portfolio, stay true to the local culture and landscape. As the six very different residences featured here attest, the result is a breathtaking space that feels familiar to both members and to the location. Whether because of their architecture, décor, or history these residences are sure to be star of any vacation, one where you feel at home.

ithin Inspirato’s portfolio of residences around the world are homes that are more than gorgeous places to stay. These homes are inspired by—and a part of—the landscapes surrounding them. So much so that they evoke a sense of place and belonging that alone are worth a trip. Erin Johns, Inspirato’s interior design expert, makes sure of this, while also ensuring that the experience of staying in each home is all Inspirato.

Every residence gets a makeover by her team to bring it up to the club’s level

michael hefferon, nathan hindman, joe rahim

To see more incredible Inspirato homes, turn to our portfolio section on page 101.

SONOMA COUNTY

COSTA RICA

COLORADO

TUSCANY

FLORIDA

HAWAII

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WINNER’S CIRCLE SONOMA COUNTY

nathan hindman

Carefully situated on 60 hilltop acres, the mid-century modern Winner’s Circle residence maximizes the views of the surrounding wine country landscape, from chardonnay vineyards in the foreground to the Mayacamas Mountains in the distance. (The vineyards aren’t just for show; Sonoma-Cutrer Winery uses the grapes in its wines.)

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INSPIRATO INSIDE | I TA LY

IL CAMPANILE TUSCANY

michael hefferon

Driving down the long gravel path to Il Campanile is a trip back in time, and so is the estate itself. Originally built by members of the Longobard nobility between the 11th and 14th centuries, the property today contains three restored residences, La Villetta, Villa Bellezza, and Villa Collina, each with brick, stucco, medieval woodwork, soaring ceilings, pizza ovens, and 3-footthick walls.

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SERENA CACIQUE PENINSULA, COSTA RICA

joe rahim

Inspirato’s original home in this area, Serena, is perched on a cliff in a lush jungle and overlooks the Pacific Ocean—classic Costa Rica. Don’t be surprised if you hear monkeys or see an anteater.

Its infinity pool might have the best views of any residence in Inspirato’s portfolio.

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INSPIRATO INSIDE | F LORIDA

RAIN LILY WATERCOLOR, FLORIDA

nathan hindman

Florida Highway 30A between Panama City and Grayton Beach in the Florida Panhandle used to be a little-known, wild stretch of landscape where pine forest met sand dunes. It’s still wild, but gracious homes like Rain Lily now allow guests to enjoy the area in luxury. Bike to a beach of sugary sand or to a town square full of one-off boutiques.

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PIONEER BRECKENRIDGE, COLORADO

joe rahim

Pioneer is the ultimate mountain ski retreat, from its timber-andstone exterior to an outdoor hot tub overlooking the valley and numerous windows that frame views of nearby peaks. An open, combined kitchen, dining, and living area means the area’s best après-ski scene could be right here.

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INSPIRATO INSIDE | HAWAII

HALE ELIMA KOHALA COAST, HAWAII Built in a horseshoe shape around a long pool and hot tub, Hale Elima has as much outdoor living space as indoor. Its three main indoor spaces don’t connect unless you go outside. This home brings guests— very literally—into the dramatic landscape of Hawaii’s Big Island 

nathan hindman

To see more incredible Inspirato homes, turn to our portfolio section on page 101.

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MEMBER RECOMMENDED

OLD & NEW

A couple makes new friends on a river cruise through the heart of old Europe.

AS TOLD BY CARLA GOODYEAR PHOTOGRAPHY BY NATHAN HINDMAN

PEARL OF THE DANUBE The Danube bisects Budapest, Hungary’s capital. Its 19th-century Chain Bridge connects the hilly Buda district with flat Pest.

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y husband Doug and I had done Inspirato cruises, as well as cruises on our own, before but we’d never done a river cruise. We were always on a big Seabourn or Crystal boat. Those ships are amazing and have several hundred other people aboard; we enjoyed them, but on our most recent one we actually had problems meeting people. That really made us curious about how different a small cruise might be. We thought a smaller boat would be a great way to meet other members with whom we had things in common. As soon as we saw the itinerary for Inspirato’s Danube cruise from Prague to Vienna on the AmaCerto, we signed up. It was the perfect-size boat, about 160 staterooms, with an itinerary of cities we had never been to but were interested in.

From the first time the group met up in Prague, we knew our hunch was right. The group was so small! We boarded buses— only needing several instead of several dozen—to get from Prague to Vilshofen, where the boat waited for us. We started meeting people right away. By the time we stopped for a short

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tour and lunch at the medieval city of Regensburg, a beautifully preserved UNESCO World Heritage Site about halfway between Prague and the AmaCerto, we were already friendly with other couples. That evening in Vilshofen, a Bavarian town that is at least 1,200 years old, a private Oktoberfest celebration for Inspirato Members and guests really kicked things off. Also, Bavaria is the birthplace of Oktoberfest, and the event really felt like a local celebration. We got to try so many different beers and there was traditional Bavarian folk music and dancing. People we met this first day are among those we’ve stayed in touch with.

We didn’t really have expectations for this trip since everything about it was new to us—the small boat, the stops—but, if we had, they would have been exceeded. I’m still surprised at how much I enjoyed things that hadn’t ever crossed my mind: On larger ships, you travel at night, but on the AmaCerto, we traveled a lot during the day. It was novel to sit out on the deck and watch the locals fishing, walking their dogs, or taking a run. It made us feel even more a part of the local

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culture and reinforced the more ON THE RIVER (Clockwise from above left) intimate vibe of a smaller boat.

A vintage Praha boat at the This was the first cruise I’ve done Charles Bridge, Prague; where I felt like we actually learned the Hungarian Parliament about the lives of the people in the Building; Inspirato cities we visited. It was so easy to Members high above the walk into each town, or borrow one Danube on Fisherman’s of the AmaCerto’s complimentary Bastion in Budapest. bikes and ride into town whenever we wanted. (Of course there were multiple daily activities and tours to choose from, too.) One of the big topics of conversation at a couple of our dinners with new friends was how much the locals had gone through under Communism and its aftermath. We had all learned about Communism in school, but a history class doesn’t teach you as much as talking to people who lived through it. Learning about the experiences of others added real depth to this trip.

But, of course, everything wasn’t serious. I, with several new girlfriends, went shopping in Vienna. In the smaller towns and cities earlier in the itinerary—Linz, Melk, Krems—we had been shopping in many cute local boutiques on hidden cobblestone streets where we got unique gifts for friends and family, but it was nice in Vienna to be around stores and brands we were familiar with. All of us found something in Hermes or Gucci that wasn’t available at their U.S. boutiques. The husbands weren’t happy about our shopping, but, since I’ve been home, when I’ve worn the belt buckle I bought in Vienna, it conjures happy memories of a great trip.

The shopping was not the highlight of Vienna though. I would not have considered myself a fan of Strauss or Mozart (Doug was), and, before this trip, I didn’t listen to classical music at home. But Vienna is considered the “Music Capital of the World” and Inspirato arranged for seats in the front section of the Kursalon Lanner Hall for an evening concert by the Salonorchester Alt Wien. It was magical, and eye-opening. It spurred us to listen to that music more; now I love listening to it in the house.

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PRAGUE

POL A ND CZ E CH IA

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KREMS

VILSHOFEN LINZ

BRATISLAVA MELK

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40 miles

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Back home, we’ve also introduced friends to some of the foods we encountered on the cruise. We gifted all sorts of Hungarian spices—real Hungarian paprika is so much better than any paprika I’ve found here— to friends at home, and we’re planning on having a dinner party that features Hungarian and German food like sausages, Wiener schnitzel, and cheese soup. In Budapest, we took a cooking class where we made goulash (with plenty of paprika), a classic Hungarian dish. The first weekend we were home together, I made it for Doug.

Even onboard the AmaCerto, or I should say, especially onboard, the food was amazing, and the dining scene was exactly what we had hoped for. There were multiple seating times and open seating. If we wanted to have an intimate dinner with the two of us, we could without having to make a reservation in advance. Or we could decide we wanted to sit with new friends. And the flavors of each meal were different.

Sometimes on bigger ships, we had a lot of the same thing every day.

That wasn’t the case on the AmaCerto. Every day was a different flavor of ice cream and the entrée options were really switched up every night.

One night we had a special meal out on the deck with truly fabulous wines and locally inspired food. I had thought all the hiking and bike riding we did over the week—every stop had hiking to historic sites and we rode bikes to vineyards once—would counteract all the food we ate, but that didn’t quite happen. It was worth it though, both for the cuisine and the new friends we shared it with. Over one meal, several couples talked about planning a future Inspirato trip together. We haven’t started planning yet, but I don’t doubt it will happen.  INSPIRATO MAGAZINE | WINTER/SPRING 2018

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BEHIND THE SCENES (Above) A private visit to the Estates Theatre in Prague.

Opened in 1783, it was the site of the world premiere of Mozart’s “Don Giovanni” in 1787.

(Left) The picturesque town of Český Krumlov in the Czech Republic.

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The only all-pool villa resort in the RivieraMaya, a breathtaking getaway for relaxation, rejuvenation, romance and world-class dining.

It is a place where ancient civilizations embrace each other and where the passionate nature of Mexico is soothed by the gentle touch of the Far East.

Sanctuary For The Senses banyantree.com

THE ASPEN

IDEA

Go beyond the glam, and Aspen, Colorado harbors the vision to change the world for the better.

aspen chamber resort association

BY RACHEL WALKER

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MOUNTAINS OF CULTURE Aspen Mountain rises above downtown Aspen, where the culture is as extreme as the scenery.

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Add in the immense wealth, a culture of philanthropy, and a progressive community—Aspen was the first mountain community to actively develop an affordable housing program for the town’s low-income residents, and both the town and the Aspen Ski Company are leaders in environmental initiatives that drastically reduce greenhouse gas emissions—and you have a recipe for continuing the Paepcke legacy in perpetuity.

“There are a lot of extremes in Aspen, and much of that is geared toward extreme athleticism,” says Heidi Zuckerman, CEO and chief curator of the Aspen Art Museum. “But there’s also extreme curiosity and intellectualism and culture. If you’re not pushing yourself, you don’t feel alive. And in Aspen there’s a prevailing aspiration to being exceptional and living an extraordinary life.”

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spen might have evolved into a glitzy ski town minus the culture and intellectualism had it not been for Walter and Elizabeth Paepcke, Chicago industrialists who made a fortune in Walter’s family’s business, the Container Corporation of America. In the late 1930s, Elizabeth took houseguests for a ski weekend to Aspen and returned to Chicago charmed by the boarded-up Victorian town’s potential.

About six years later she returned with Walter, who saw INSPIRATO.COM

c2photography

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e all know about Aspen, Colorado: The town is wealthy and elite and exists in a shimmering bubble of its own making. While true, these descriptions fall far short of telling the Aspen story in its entirety.

In the six decades before it was a glamorous ski destination, it was a quiet mining community in the secluded Elk Mountains. After enormous booms, gold and silver busts bankrupted the town and sent it into near obscurity. But then outsiders, like the Chicago philanthropists Elizabeth and Walter Paepcke, came in and ignited and inspired a reinvention of Renaissance proportions.

Today, the town—and the entire Roaring Fork Valley in which it sits—has a status of supreme cultural relevance, on par even with some of the world’s most cosmopolitan destinations. This humanistic evolution coincided with the development of worldclass outdoor recreation and is the reason why Aspen is now unlike any other mountain destination in the world.

“The Paepckes built this incredible foundation, so that when the ski bum era came in the early 1970s, people were drawn to Aspen not only to drop out of society and ski but for the cultural life,” says Andrew Travers, arts editor at the Aspen Times. “Generation by generation, the intellectual life of the town has grown and strengthened, and it enriches everyone who lives here.”

THE ASPEN

clockwise from bottom left: ferenc berko(2), aspen chamber resort association, dan bayer

IDEA

a business opportunity. Soon they had bought prime Aspen properties and secured long-term leases on the Jerome Hotel and the Wheeler Opera House. Proud intellectuals, the Paepckes’ vision was to develop Aspen for their wealthy peers, but Walter then became enamored with what he dubbed “the Aspen Idea.”

The town would be the “Salzburg of the Rockies,” where art and ideas would hold equal court with science and philosophy, architecture, music, and more, says Cristal Logan, Vice President, Aspen, and Director, Aspen Community Programs, of the Aspen Institute. The institute is another Paepcke legacy, which Walter established after organizing the 1949 Goethe Bicentennial Convocation. Among the honored guests at the convocation was the French-German theologian Albert Schweitzer (this was the only time Schweitzer ever visited the United States).

Today’s Aspen Institute grew from the Aspen Institute of Humanistic Studies (founded in 1950), the International Design Conference of Aspen (IDCA, founded in 1954), and the Aspen Music Festival and School (founded 1951). They organized their vision around the “Aspen Idea,” where a complete life would revolve around one’s ability to “earn a living, profit by healthy physical recreation, [and have] facilities at hand for his enjoyment of art, music, and education.” To that end, the INSPIRATO.COM

Paepckes also founded the Aspen Ski Company with several other partners in 1946, determined to fashion a European-style ski resort in the mountains surrounding the town. Ultimately, the Paepckes strived to ensure that Aspen would always be a place where mind, body, and spirit could thrive.

“If you want a great place to ski, there are other places you can go,” says the Times’ Travers. “If you want natural beauty, there are other places. But if you want those things and this rich cultural life, I don’t know if there’s anywhere like Aspen.”

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here’s an old saw in Aspen: that woman pouring your $90 bottle of wine at Fig? She’s probably got a Ph.D. and can hold her own in a discussion on Proust. Put simply, smart people come to Aspen, including Barack Obama, Tom Price, David Brooks, Charles Sykes, and Ruth Bader Ginsberg, among many others. Many come to take part in the Aspen Ideas Festival, an annual summer event organized by the Aspen Institute that’s a who’s who of the world’s powerful and influential. “Our mission is to be a place where leaders can come to solve problems and find common ground in this place that’s not only gorgeous but also substantive,” says Logan of the Aspen Institute.

Today the institute continues to foster and provide a nonpartisan space where ideas can be exchanged. Home to

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A VISION REALIZED (Clockwise from left) The Aspen Institute campus in the 1950s; “The Marble Gardens” by artist Herbert Bayer, on the institute’s campus; Anderson Park; Walter Paepcke breaking ground on the Aspen Institute campus. (Opposite page) The Aspen Institute campus during the annual Aspen Ideas Festival.

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dozens of programs with foci that range from policy, leadership, strategy, and youth to the arts and more, the institute also hosts the annual summer Ideas Festival. Attendees pay $3,600 for a three-and-a-half-day pass. Logan says the institute also delivers abundant low-cost public talks and roundtables to ensure the exchange of ideas isn’t relegated only to wealthy participants.

The institute also fosters international partnerships and launches new programs every year; in 2017 this included The Bridge, a program on race, cultural identity, and inclusion, and the Future of Artificial Intelligence, a roundtable series.

“Our world needs places of stubborn civility, where leaders are compelled to have difficult conversations with people they don’t agree with,” says Logan. Encouraging dialogue is a common theme up and down the entire Roaring Fork Valley, even at for-profit businesses, like Backbone Media, a public relations company in Carbondale, about 20 miles north of Aspen. Backbone, often named a “Best Place to Work” by popular magazines, is also something of an unofficial diplomat on matters of environmental protection including climate change and public lands conservation. Backbone managing partner Nate Simmons

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has been working behind the scenes to help forge alliances between outdoor gear companies, perceived to be traditional “tree-hugger” types, and hunting groups to better advocate for public lands protection. Most recently, he mediated a meeting between a hunting advocacy group and the environmental team of a powerful outdoor apparel company to brainstorm how they could join forces to lobby politicians and create an influential voter base in favor of public lands protection.

“Right now conservative politicians cater to the ‘hook and bullet’ group, and ignore the environmentalists,” says Simmons.

“To many politicians, environmentalists and sportsmen are divided constituents. So, if we can get left- and right-leaning voters to prioritize that conservation vote, then suddenly we become a very powerful voice. We see tremendous political power in bridging that gap.” Simmons says the Aspen Institute model of engagement and mutual respect drives the approach.

And though there are no specific legislative victories (yet), he is heartened by the openness and commitment of all involved to use their joint economic and political power to advocate for the environment.

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emily chaplin

ADVENTURE TOWN The mountains surrounding Aspen countain some of the country’s best hikes.

THE ASPEN

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here’s always been plenty to do in Aspen for the body, another element of the Aspen Idea triumvirate. In 1950, Aspen hosted the FIS Alpine World Ski Championships; it was the first American destination to wrest the revered races from European slopes. That “put Aspen on the map and established our legacy in ski racing and as a top ski resort in the world,” says Mike Kaplan, President and CEO of Aspen Ski Company. Today there’s a lot more than ski racing in the winter.

Skiers and snowboarders flock to all of Ski Co’s four ski resorts (Ajax, Buttermilk, Aspen Highlands, and Snowmass), and backcountry skiers and snowshoers explore the surrounding wilderness on snow from November through late May. Some travel to the state’s storied 10th Mountain Division huts, remote backcountry lodges accessible by human power; others climb one of the area’s myriad “14ers,” mountains with elevations at or above 14,000 feet; or cross-country ski. When the snow melts, wildflowers explode, providing a colorful and fragrant background for the trail runners, mountain bikers, hikers, birders, and hunters. Aspen and the surrounding environs also draw mountaineers and rock climbers, kayakers, and stand-up paddleboarders. Fly-fishing here is worldclass, and even just taking a walk on the trails around town constitutes immersion in one of the world’s most beautiful places.

“Aspen is small enough that you see people doing great things and get inspired to push yourself,” says Christy Mahon, the first woman to ski all 54 of Colorado’s 14ers.

Mahon is also the Development Director at the Aspen Center for Environmental Science (ACES), another legacy institution created by the Paepckes. “And there’s a big emphasis on mentorship and inclusion. We cheer each other on in Aspen.”

Part of that enthusiasm manifests every spring after the ski resorts close and the 5Point Adventure Film Festival starts. Now in its 11th year, 5Point curates long and short adventure films and has become one of the most popular cultural events of the spring.

Tickets sell out in days, and filmmakers from around the world vie for slots on the big screen, says executive director Meaghan Lynch. In many ways, the festival represents what Aspen is to so many visitors and residents, she says. “Aspen has the heart of a city and the soul of a ski town. You have the cosmopolitan with the grit, everything from duct tape to diamonds.”

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spen’s music, arts, and literature offerings are among the best in the world, and yet another enduring aspect of the Paepcke legacy, with a modern twist. Many of the valley’s full- and part-time residents support the non-profit organizations running the Aspen Music Festival and School, Aspen Art Museum, and Aspen Words, a year-round literary organization that runs a prestigious writers’ conference in the summer and hosts

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authors and readings year-round.

With 630 students from 40 different countries, the Aspen Music Festival and School is the largest classical teaching festival in the world, according to festival president and CEO Alan Fletcher.

Renowned faculty members return annually, and when a teaching position opens, rather than advertise the position, the board determines who the greatest musician in that particular field is (who isn’t yet teaching at Aspen) and approaches them with an opportunity. “Every single time, we get our first choice,” says Fletcher.

Here promising high school musicians meet professors from universities they’re considering, graduate students do the same, and young professionals can make a name for themselves and launch prolific careers as classical musicians. The audience is sophisticated and the programming multi-faceted. With five orchestras running and playing every day of the festival, “we put on as many shows in eight weeks as the New York Philharmonic does in a year,” says Fletcher.

The visual arts also thrive in Aspen, as the Aspen Art Museum, a non-collecting contemporary art institution (it presents art on loan from other institutions or private collectors) demonstrates.

The museum’s annual fundraiser, ArtCrush, routinely raises millions of dollars for the museum, which is housed in a $45 million, 17,000-square-foot building designed by Pritzker Prize-winning

IDEA

There are a lot of extremes in Aspen, and much of that is geared toward extreme athleticism. But there’s also extreme curiosity and intellectualism and culture. In Aspen there is a prevailing aspiration to being exceptional and living an extraordinary life.

Japanese architect Shigeru Ban. Fundraising for the museum and its construction was controversial, with some residents decrying the influx of exorbitant galas as elitist and anti-community and others welcoming an institution they said elevated Aspen’s art scene and would draw international modern art connoisseurs.

“The new building changed the face of Aspen,” says Heidi Zuckerman, the art museum’s CEO. “And it’s changed a generation of Aspenites. High school kids come and hang out in the museum because it’s part of the fabric of the community.” The impact of this casual immersion exposes residents and visitors to “things that might be confusing or uncomfortable, where they can encounter polarizing stuff,” says Zuckerman. And that, she says, is a major reason why cultures need art.

“To have a community center where people can interact with people they’re different from in a place that has no judgment whatsoever—we don’t care about your socioeconomic status or your politics; just come with an open mind—is essential to a cultured society,” Zuckerman says.

Encouraging open minds and dialogue is a primary objective of Aspen Words, and Adrienne Brodeur, executive director, has elevated the institution to national prominence since taking over in 2013.

A former acquisitions editor at a New York publishing house and a published author, Brodeur envisioned an Aspen literary festival on par with the best juried writers conferences in the world, with workshops and lectures taught by preeminent contemporary writers.

Under Brodeur’s leadership, Aspen Words established 10 Emerging Writing Fellowships (full tuition and expenses to attend the writing conference), and residencies for published authors. The organization

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THE ASPEN

IDEA

VIBRANT ARTS The Benedict Music Tent, which seats more than 2,000 people, at the Aspen Music Festival.

recently launched the Aspen Words Literary Prize, an annual award of $35,000 that celebrates a work of fiction which shines a spotlight on a social issue.

Attracting literary luminaries in the publishing world has been easy, says Brodeur. “The town has a powerful draw and can make the rest of the world slip away,” she says.

But Aspen won’t rest on its laurels. “We never want to fall into the trap of just being a place to escape and play,” Kaplan says. Aspen Ski Company has taken meaningful efforts to reduce carbon emissions and slow global warming, including capturing leaking coal methane from a retired coal-fired powerplant. In addition to reducing the company’s overall emissions, Aspen Ski Company also lobbies politicians to heed the advice of climate scientists, and more. By sharing their initiatives, the company is likely to reach CEOs of

other large companies on vacation in Aspen who could well be inspired to coopt those initiatives and improve their businesses’ environmental footprint.

And it’s not just Ski Co, Kaplan is quick to point out. The environmental, humanist ethos thrives across industries and populations in Aspen, he says.

“We see ourselves as stewards of Paepcke’s legacy,” Kaplan says. “We— Aspen—must be a place where people can come to discuss the most important and challenging issues of our time.”

And, if all goes well, help solve them.

Rachel Walker is Inspirato’s Senior Editor. Her work also appears in The Washington Post.

INSPIRATO RECOMMENDS

Members staying in Aspen can choose from nine opulent residences including Firelight (shown above) that feature four or five bedrooms and have walking access to ski lifts and the central dining and shopping districts in Aspen, Aspen Highlands, or Snowmass.

TO LEARN MORE ABOUT INSPIRATO RESIDENCES IN ASPEN, PLEASE GO TO INSPIRATO.COM/DESTINATIONS.

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Claire Eads’ picks

Inspirato On-Site Expert

HAIL THE ULTIMATE TAXI Since 1984, a 45-minute trip in The Ultimate Taxi has been the ultimate way to tour Aspen.

Driver Jon Barnes has outfitted his Checker cab with a 3D laser show, dry ice, mirror ball, keyboard, hundreds of lights, and a booming sound system.

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WATERING HOLES Go classic at the J Bar in The Hotel Jerome, which has served libations since the town’s mining heyday. Limelight Hotel is the goto après-ski spot with live music and a lively crowd. Locals out late head to Hootch, a craft cocktail lounge that bills itself as “Like your living room, only more fun!”

LOCAL EATS Hit Spring Café for a delicious breakfast or lunch. Try their avocado smoothie. At the White House Tavern, order the chicken kale salad for a casual lunch or dinner. And the handmade pasta at L’Hostaria is worth a visit.

June 15–17, 2018 FOOD & WINE CLASSIC Aspen’s biggest weekend of the year draws the nation’s top chefs and wine makers and thousands of foodies who love them.

July 4, 2018 4TH OF JULY Kick off the day with an oldfashioned parade. Fireworks follow in the evening with live music in the streets.

August 31–September 2, 2018 JAZZ ASPEN SNOWMASS MUSIC FESTIVAL Past headliners include Maroon 5, Keith Urban, and The Roots, all playing under the stars.

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alex irvin

Aspen

ROLL WITH IT The most famous scene in Colorado is of the Maroon Bells.

Bike the closed road 11 miles uphill to the trailhead, then coast back down. For something mellow, take the bike path 8 miles down valley to Woody Creek Tavern for a famous margarita.

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Do you own a beautiful vacation home?

With Inspirato, you can gain a return on your investment without any hassles or worries. As part of the Inspirato Collection, your home will be managed, staffed, and meticulously maintained by an established luxury hospitality company. We’ll handle the marketing, booking, customer service, housekeeping, and maintenance.

In short, we’ll take care of your home like it was our own, so you can have the peace of mind that only a trusted partner can provide.

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I N S P I R AT O . C O M / H O M E O W N E R S

or call 1.888.625.7525

getty images / m swiet productions

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CLOSE ENCOUNTERS Every winter, humpback whales migrate 2,500 miles from British Columbia and Alaska to Maui.

the comeback of the humpback IN MAUI, WATCH THIS ONCE ENDANGERED SPECIES ALONGSIDE SCIENTISTS, OR FROM THE AIR.

BY WILL MCGOUGH

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the comeback of the humpback HONOLULU

HAWA I I

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LAHAINA

A U ’A

WEST MAUI MOUNTAINS

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100 miles

K A H O O L AW E

he early morning conditions on Au’au Channel are ideal— calm winds and glassy water. Puffy clouds suspended overhead glow with shades of purple and pink, which the smooth water reflects as crisply as would a freshly Windexed mirror. Between these colors, I sit comfortably on the side of an inflated pontoon, part of a grey Zodiac—something needs to be monochrome—with 15 other people. Our small craft left Lahaina, on Maui’s west coast, just minutes earlier. Looking back toward land, the light of the rising sun explodes from behind the West Maui Mountains.

A mile or two offshore, with Lahaina still in sight, the captain cuts the engine, and the only sound is water lapping at the sides of the boat.

We drift in silence, our eyes fixed on the water’s surface, hunting for any sign of something below.

Even a small riffle can signal a humpback whale, which, although the sunrise as seen from the ocean is gorgeous, is what we’re really out here to see. For five minutes, all 16 of us on the Zodiac swivel our necks and bodies to take in as much of the 360 degrees of ocean around us. We never see a small riffle. When a humpback—“koholā” in native Hawaiian—comes, it’s a crack of thunder.

One hundred yards from the boat, a blowhole (or blowholes, humpbacks have two) breaks the water’s surface. Its release of air is like a reverse geyser. Despite the distance, I feel the blast of air; it’s like when you’re standing on a busy sidewalk and a city bus roars past. All of us in the boat sway. And the experience isn’t over.

Next the whale’s small dorsal fin arches out of

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the water and its tail emerges as it dives back down beneath the surface. This humpback is easily twice the size of our boat, which is not unusual for the species—adults can grow to about 50 feet in length.

I don’t know if I’m more afraid or humbled. There’s no way being so close to such a gigantic beast won’t trigger thoughts about your place in this world.

Beside it, another, smaller whale—only by comparison; it’s still about 20 feet from tip to tail—surfaces.

Our captain, who partners with a local research organization called Whale Trust, tells us this pair is a mother and calf. (When born, baby humpbacks are 10 to 16 feet long, so this one is likely several months old.) I get the captain’s attention to ask a question, but am interrupted.

A few hundred yards beyond the mom and kid, a third whale treats us to a full breach—it launches itself completely out of the water and slams back down with a splash “large” doesn’t begin to do justice. Mother Nature’s grandest cannonball? I’ve seen boats leave smaller wakes than the waves that expand outward in a perfect circle from this whale’s crash site. The captain gives me a wink and asks if I mind holding my question. He switches on the engine, pushes the throttle forward, and we speed toward where the breaching whale has already disappeared beneath the water.

Seeing a humpback whale here in Maui is extra special for me, because it’s potentially— albeit not likely—the same one I saw just a few months ago up north. On a bright blue August day, in the middle of the Alaskan wilderness, I

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stood by the stern of a fishing boat. Humpbacks breached everywhere. Most of the whales in the Hawaiian Islands come from either Alaska or British Columbia. After the roughly 2,500mile swim, they typically arrive in October and can stay through May (peak migration is mid-January to mid-March). Humpbacks have an instinct for navigation that humans are still trying to understand. That they make this migration year after year, without external help, fascinates researchers. Though whales can be seen from any of the major Hawaiian Islands, Maui reports the most sightings each year, the 45-ton mammals preferring to raise their calves in the shallow, protected waters off the island’s west coast.

There’s no shortage of evidence for Maui’s popularity among whales as we motor farther out into the channel. It seems like every five minutes a whale breaches, or some part of a whale arcs out of the water. Sometimes this is way off in the distance; other times it’s close enough for us to hear the splash when it crashes back into the water (federal law prohibits getting closer than 100 yards). A few times I try to snap a photo, but INSPIRATO.COM

shutterstock / by marcelo sanchez

the spontaneous nature of breaching means each time I fail. It doesn’t take many missed photos for me to get the hint: put the camera away and be in the present.

Doing this is more interesting than any photo I could have taken. I begin to notice details, like how the humpbacks allow their tails to linger above the surface of the water, as if they’re airing it out. Or waving. The rest of their school-bus-sized body is hidden, but there’s a tail, itself no small feature—an adult humpback’s is about 15 feet wide—above the water. I think of these tails—if you want to sound science-y, call them a “fluke”—merely as a gorgeous detail to be soaked in, especially when backdropped against the green-faced West Maui Mountains. But the captain, who does work with whale researchers from around the world after all, tells us exposing their fluke like this has a purpose, even if researchers are still debating the specifics of it. Some say it’s a form of thermoregulation. The captain continues: even though the point of fluking remains up for debate, everyone is in agreement that it is an unusual behavior to see here.

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WHILE MINE IS A GROUP OF TOURISTS, during much of the humpback season, small boats like our Zodiac instead shuttle researchers here to study whale behavior. I and my fellow passengers “watch,” but these scientists “watch over.” Maui has several permanent foundations conducting research on humpback whales. They include the Pacific Whale Foundation (PWF), Whale Trust, Keiki Kohola, Oceanwide Science Institute, and the Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary (NMS).

While there are overlaps, each organization has its own research focus: The PWF looks into issues of boat-whale collisions and marine debris; Whale Trust studies whale songs and mating behaviors; and NMS tracks rates of disentanglement.

Considering that Lahaina was the center of Hawaii’s commercial whaling industry for much of the 19th century—an industry that’s almost entirely responsible for the near extinction of humpback whales—it makes moral sense that such research takes place here. Recent research (from here and elsewhere) reveals good news about the species: Last year, for the first time

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THE BREACH Whales are thought to breach to breathe in air that is not close to the surface and full of spray, or to communicate when the noise of the ocean would mask acoustic signals.

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the comeback of the humpback

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THE MATERNAL BOND Thousands of humpback whales and their calves can be seen off the coast of Maui every winter.

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the comeback of the humpback

since 1970, the Hawaiian population of humpback whales was removed from the list of endangered species by the ADULT HUMPBACKS AVERAGE 43-52 FEET IN LENGTH National Marine Fisheries Service. The credit for this monumental achievement SUMMER FEEDING GROUNDS goes to local organizations as well as to organizations around the world who have worked hard to beat back threats against these whales such as the commercial HUMPBACK MIGRATION whaling industry, entanglement, and ROUTES boat collisions. Credit also needs to go FEMALE HUMPBACKS ARE OFTEN SLIGHTLY LARGER THAN MALES. ADULT to projects that have put whales into the HUMPBACKS USUALLY WEIGH ONE TON PER FOOT, AND LOSE UP TO 1/3 OF THEIR BODY WEIGHT WHILE IN MAUI. MAUI’S WATERS ARE TOO WARM FOR THE WHALES’ general public’s imagination.

PRIMARY FOOD SOURCES—PLANKTON, KRILL, AND SMALL FISH—TO LIVE. (IN ALASKA AND B.C., THESE WHALES WILL EAT UP TO 1.5 TONS OF FOOD A DAY.) Modern(ish) movies like Free Willy (1993) and Blackfish (2013) raised awareness of whale-related issues.

Going further back—to the 1970s, shortly after humpbacks were first listed as WINTER BREEDING AREAS PLANKTON KRILL SMALL FISH endangered—National Geographic inserted a vinyl record of whale songs into one of its issues. Millions of homes worldwide listened to the sounds of whales for the first time and were enthralled. the pop of a firecracker, except not. The sound lowers the bulb into the water, plugs the other In the early 1980s, according to Whale Trust has a density and power I’m at a loss to draw any end into a speaker that looks like a guitar amp, there were between 1,000 and 2,000 humpbacks kind of comparison to. Each whap is deadened and clicks on the volume knob. A chorus of sound living seasonally throughout Hawaii. The latest as quickly as it’s made. The captain tells us this pours from the speaker, a deep-lunged, basspopulation estimate—which is a decade old is one of the ways whales “talk.” This form of driven burp that soon becomes a high-pitched, and estimated to now be higher—is that around communication can be heard for miles. ear-piercing whine.

20,000 humpbacks live in the North Pacific; As exciting as the whapping is, whale Before long, we hear calls across a range of about half of these migrate to/through Hawaii. “singing” is more so. Having missed the National tones—bass, alto, even soprano. But without the Geographic vinyl by several decades, I ask our hydrophone we’d hear little. If the captain were BACK IN THE ZODIAC, the show continues. captain what a whale song sounds like. He’s to turn the speaker off, it’d be as quiet as can be in It gets better than fluking. Several hundred feet ready for this query, and pulls out a long, coiled our boat floating on top of the water. Whale song from our boat, a whale slaps its tail several times cord with a small bulb at the end: an underwater travels through water but not air. against the water: whap, whap, whap. It’s like microphone (“hydrophone” to researchers). He Whale Trust Co-Founder Meagan Jones,

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Maui Members can choose from residences in the lush Kapalua section of Maui or the drier Wailea area with its famed beaches.

Makana (shown above) is in the latter.

TO LEARN MORE ABOUT INSPIRATO RESIDENCES IN MAUI, GO TO INSPIRATO.COM/DESTINATIONS.

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Shaunte Liulama’s picks Inspirato On-Site Expert

DINING Here’s what to order at Humuhumunukunukuapua’a: Hamachi carpaccio, whole roasted fish, and the ulu risotto. Located in the Grand Wailea.

For a casual meal, head to the Humble Market Kitchin, brainchild of local chef Roy Yamaguchi, for its open-air ambiance and Asian-influenced menu. Tip: Order the chocolate soufflé for dessert.

For something completely different, book a morning on the Satisfaction, a 58-foot yacht. Spend the morning on the

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ocean snorkeling, swimming, or sunbathing, while the crew prepares a delicious brunch.

CULTURAL AFFAIRS For an immersive Polynesian adventure, there’s nothing like a traditional Hawaiian outrigger canoe tour. Grab a paddle and jump into an outrigger canoe for a beautiful paddle and Polynesian history lesson along the southern coast of the island.

Or, visit the small island of Lanai by catamaran to experience its quaint town and a dose of relatively undeveloped Hawaii.

May 19, 2018 MAUI BREWERS FESTIVAL Enjoy beer tastings from local and national brewers, live music, and tasty food from local restaurants.

May 20–26, 2018 RESTAURANT WEEK WAILEA A highlight of the spring, the top restaurants in Wailea offer threecourse, pre-fixe menus.

June 13–17, 2018 MAUI FILM FESTIVAL Check out dozens of fascinating screenings from the U.S. and around the world.

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SEEN FROM THE SKY Athough up to 50 feet long, humpback whales are often spotted more easily from the air than from the water.

shutterstock / kelly headrick

who researches how whales use these songs to communicate, says the singing seems to peak at winter breeding grounds. Like much having to do with whales though, it remains an openended question. Song isn’t even the biggest of unanswered whale questions. A bigger one?

While it is widely presumed that humpbacks come to Maui to give birth, Jones says this hasn’t been confirmed, scientifically: No one has ever documented a whale giving birth or mating here in Hawaii. I find this as awesome as the showboating the whales do on the surface—fluking, breaching, whapping. For all their perceived flamboyance, their secrets remain submerged.

The sun fully risen—its full orb hangs over the mountains—we begin to make our way back to the marina at Lahaina. My session at sea is complete, but it’s left me with more questions than it answered. I want to learn more. And if this further education comes with a helicopter ride, well, I’ll make that sacrifice.

WHALE WATCHING FROM A HELICOPTER is something typically reserved for researchers.

Scientists take to the sky to best estimate the difference in the size of humpbacks; this is easier to do from the air than at whale level. The captain told me he’s known of non-academic whale watchers really keen on the animals chartering a chopper for the experience and unique perspective. How many species of animals are big enough that a helicopter actually

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improves the view of the individual?

As the blades begin their warm-up, I pull on my seatbelt, and check it several times. No matter how I sit or position myself, the result is the same: The line between being inside and outside this helicopter is blurred. This is likely because its doors have been removed. The edge of my seat is literally the edge of the helicopter. My toes rest where metal meets air. When we bank and turn right—the side I’m sitting on—I’m suspended and feel completely vulnerable. Am I about to spill out and plunge overboard? The seatbelts around my waist and shoulders hold the full measure of my body weight. I look down not at the floor, but at the bright, aqua-blue of the Au’au Channel several hundred feet below. I’d scream if I wasn’t holding my breath and my stomach wasn’t twisted around my diaphragm.

And then, a pod of whales. As we hover at 1,000 feet—the distance required by law—a pod swims together across the channel. Without getting too philosophical, it’s poetry in motion, each whale in rhythm with the others; one surfaces slightly to breathe before arching back beneath the surface.

And then another rises for its fresh air. Though I can’t feel their power as I did in the Zodiac, this bird’s-eye view reveals a secret: While you might see only one whale at the surface, often many of them travel together. And although they are just 10 or 20 feet below the surface, underwater whales are virtually invisible from sea level. I wonder how many I missed from the boat. I also wonder how

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something so large can hide so easily. (If you don’t yet have a sense of this species’ enormity, another fact: The heart of an average adult humpback weighs more than 400 pounds.)

MY THIRD (AND FINAL) WHALE perspective comes on a quiet, west-facing beach near Kīhei.

I’ve been adjacent to whales and I’ve been above them, now it’s time to be in the water with them.

Almost. With my toes in the sand, I first look out and see the whales spouting off shore in the channel. The white spray from their blowholes makes it look like the ocean is full of fountains.

I grab my goggles, dive into the surf, and swim out 30 seconds beyond the shore break. Treading water, I search for the tell-tale fountains. They’re at least one mile away, but just as easy to see from here as from the shore. Taking a deep breath, I slip below the surface, turning my palms upward, pushing the water up to propel my body down.

And then I keep still. As easy as the spouting is to see, their singing is easier to hear. Howls, moans, and grunts surround me. I wonder if it’s my imagination that I can feel the sound waves.

I’ll have to go back and ask the captain. Or maybe I’ll just run with my imagination. After all, there’s still so much mystery surrounding whale behavior, who’s to say they aren’t talking to me?

Oahu-based Will McGough is the publisher and editor of Wake and Wander Hawaii.

INSPIRATO MAGAZINE INSPIRATO MAGAZINE | WINTER/SPRING | SPRING 2018 2017

OUT TO SEA Some of the world’s best sportfishing is just off the coast of Cabo San Lucas. Dozens of area charter companies take out novice and experienced anglers.

In this photo, Pisces Sportfishing’s boat Valerie heads out to sea for the day.

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ocean to IN CABO SAN LUCAS, HOOK A FISH, AND LOCAL RESTAURANTS ARE HAPPY TO COOK IT.

table

BY MICHAEL SHAPIRO PHOTOGRAPHY BY JULIA VANDENOEVER

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“w ocean to table

e got one!” shouts first mate Salvador Flores. “Grab it!” He puts the fishing rod in my hand and I sit in the sternfacing captain’s chair. “Now pull back,” he says.

I lean back against the force of the fish tugging at the end of the line. Then, “Lean forward.

Adelante! Reel, reel, reeeel!”

After a few minutes of pulling back and reeling in, I see the slender 45-inch-long (we measured it later) yellow-green fish with blue markings that Mexicans call dorado, the Spanish word for golden. We don’t have it quite yet though. With a last, desperate lunge, the singular-looking creature—in addition to its vivid colors, its head has a blunted shape like it swam, hard, into a wall—tries to toss the hook. Salvador’s ready though. He grabs the line and pierces the fish with the gaffe, landing it on the back deck of our fishing boat.

Catching that feisty dorado, also known as mahi-mahi, was just one highlight of a perfect weekend in Cabo San Lucas, at the southern tip of Mexico’s Baja peninsula, where a friend and I spent mornings fishing, afternoons feasting on our catch, and sunsets sipping cocktails overlooking miles of coastline. Cabo is a place where you can pack so much into a short stay, and for many American visitors it’s a nonstop flight from home.

We’d booked our fishing excursion in advance with Pisces Sportfishing, one of Cabo’s most established outfitters, operating since 1980. Just after sunrise, we start our day with mochas at The Cabo Coffee Co., then walk down to Cabo’s horseshoe-shaped marina. Pisces Dockmaster Eduardo Vasquez welcomes us and introduces us to Captain Roberto Sandez and first mate Salvador Flores.

I ask about the gleaming white boat, Valerie, and Eduardo says it’s a 35-foot-long Bertram with twin Cummins engines. Captain Roberto, a grizzled and affable 55-year-old mariner who’s been working at sea for 40 years, asks us if we’d like to chase marlin, which can weigh 100 pounds or more.

I can’t imagine keeping such a large fish and he says that if we catch one, we can release it. But I have visions of enjoying my catch dockside so I ask what else we might find. Well maybe tuna, he says, definitely dorado. “Then let’s go get some

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HOMECOMING Valerie arriving back to Cabo San Lucas after a successful day in which its passengers caught dorado and skipjack.

dorado,” I say as he kicks the engine into gear.

We motor up the west coast of Baja at 18 knots, passing mile after mile of deserted beaches in front of hills pocked with pines and cacti.

Salvador extends the tangones, the arms that put the fishing lines out to the sides of the boats, baits the hooks with small mackerel, and tosses them into the ocean.

For a while we don’t get a bite. I go up to the bridge and chat with el capitan, asking what he likes best about his job. “Pescar,” (fishing), he says enthusiastically. “Pescar, pescar, pescar, pescar!” Suddenly there’s a tug on one of the lines. Then it starts flying out.

Salvador grabs the rod from its holder and hands it to me. I pull back and reel and soon see a flash of gold in the water. I keep pulling and the fish keeps fighting as the base of the rod digs into my lower abdomen just above my waist.

When the dorado is just a few feet away, Salvador takes the line and gently pulls the hook off the

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shimmering fish as he cradles it in his arms.

“Not so big,” he says, holding it out to me. It looks pretty big to me, at least 18 inches long.

“I think we could put this one back, but it’s up to you.” I hesitate for a moment, thinking: This is our first catch of the day; what if we don’t get another? Salvador seems to read my mind: “There are more fish out there, hay mas!”

Let her go then, I say with a nod and as soon as Salvador holds the young fish over the water it bolts away, splashing back into the sea and living to see another day. I go back up to talk with the captain and ask how much has changed during the four decades he’s been working Cabo’s seas.

“Oh, mucho,” he says. “Even 10 or 20 years ago there were many more fish—dorados grandes!

But now they’re harder to find.”

Another line starts flying out and Salvador shouts at me to grab that pole. I get in the captain’s chair and put my feet on the foot bench for added leverage. This one is stronger: I fight it INSPIRATO.COM

ALL IN A DAY’S WORK (Above) Sea lions sunning themselves on rocks near Cabo San Lucas; (Left) Valerie captain, Roberto Sandez.

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ocean to table

OCEAN’S BOUNTY Cast a line into the waters of Cabo San Lucas and your catch might be anything from a 10-pound tuna to a massive blue marlin.

We keep the smallest dorado we caught that day, have it sliced by the boat’s crew, and carry the fillets in a plastic bag with ice to Daikoku, a highly recommended Japanese restaurant a few blocks from the marina. for a couple of minutes—then the line goes slack.

“Salvador, I think I lost it.”

“No, no,” he says, “Keep reeling!” I pull in the slack then feel a powerful tug, the fish trying to get away, and see an amber flash about 50 feet behind the stern. A couple more sets of pulls and reels and he’s in—a gorgeous golden fish more than 3 feet long. “We’ll keep this one,” Salvador says as he grabs it with the gaffe and tosses it into a tank. Then he hoses down the deck until the blood is washed away.

Inhaling the fresh salt scent of the Pacific, we keep motoring north until we can see the pueblo of Pescadero near Todos Santos, almost 30 miles north from where we began the day. The crew has our lunches stashed in the cooler: chicken burritos and yellow cans of Pacifico beer, yet I’m not eager to eat on the rolling sea.

A pod of dolphins gracefully arcs over the water, a manta ray floats by, and then a sea turtle swims slowly, as if she has all the time in the world. Later there’s a big splash beyond the bow. Captain Roberto shouts: “Marlin! A big one, maybe 5 feet long and 100 pounds.” But I’m content to watch it swim away.

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eight hours of fishing, we’ve caught eight large dorados—five that we’ve kept and three tossed back—and one skipjack: in total, they equal about 15 pounds of meat. Salvador has hung flags across the boat’s starboard side showing what we’ve kept: five golden dorado banderas and one white skipjack banner. On the port side are three more dorado banners, each paired with a flag with a T on it: The T is for “Thrown back.”

Since there’s no way my friend and I will be able to eat even a fraction of our catch over this weekend, I ask if we can take some home. “Will the fish get through customs?” I ask Captain Roberto. “Si, no problemo,” he says. Pisces will cut and freeze the fish—all we have to do is buy a cooler and pick it up at their marina office on the morning of our departure.

But we don’t send all the fish home—we keep the smallest dorado, have it sliced by the Pisces crew, and carry the fillets in a plastic bag with ice to a highly recommended Japanese restaurant just a few blocks from the marina.

Daikoku has an outdoor seating area beside a manmade waterfall that feels like a Japanese garden. The restaurant is accustomed to people bringing in their catch, and the chef says he’ll be

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happy to prepare a meal from it for us. We entrust our well-fought-for cargo to him, take a couple of hours to get cleaned up and reflect on the day, then return to the restaurant after sunset.

The chef’s advice is to start with sashimi to get the purest taste of the fish. Daikoku has a light touch, thin-slicing the sashimi and topping it with rice vinegar, layu (a type of chili oil), and dashes of sake, soy sauce, and orange juice. It’s heavenly and so fresh. The added flavors are subtle, enhancing the taste of the fish rather than overwhelming it.

We pair our sashimi with the house margarita, made with pure agave tequila and not too much sweetener. Next, we enjoy some nigiri sushi (slices of fish atop rice) and then a seaweed roll with our dorado, some avocado, and rice inside.

Both are perfect. Over dinner we decide to change our plans for the next day: originally the idea was to lounge on the beach, but we’d both had such a good time fishing that we decide to go out again.

We haven’t reserved ahead for the second day so we get up at dawn and head back to the marina where we strike up a conversation with Captain Josue “Arturo” Moreno. He says he’ll INSPIRATO.COM

CATCH OF THE DAY (Clockwise from below) Dorado sashimi at Captain Tony’s; a dorado sushi roll; one of the five dorado the author caught in one day of fishing; tuna sashimi at Daikoku, a Japanese restaurant near Cabo’s marina.

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take us out for a half day for $200, cheaper than Pisces but with fewer amenities. We’re on our own for lunch and water, and we need to get our own fishing licenses. (Pisces gets licenses for its guests.) By mid-morning we’re back on the water as frigatebirds with forked tails soar overhead, and rays of sunlight sparkle like diamonds on the rolling waves.

Just 15 minutes from the dock the ocean erupts in thrashing splashes and silver flashes.

“Hay atun!” Captain Arturo says. “There’s tuna!”

Swarms of sardines are in the area, luring the tuna into a feeding frenzy. The first mate, Plutarcho, prepares the lines and just a couple of minutes later we get a bite. He puts the rod in my hands and I’m stunned by the tuna’s strength: I’m in for a fight.

Plutarcho reiterates the lesson I’d learned the day before: Pull back then lean forward and reel in. Compared to the long, lean dorado, tuna are shorter and stouter, true powerhouses, especially

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this one. The fight lasts about 10 minutes; finally, the tuna is close enough to pull into the boat with a gaffe. It battles ferociously even after thudding against the deck of the boat. Soon we’ll catch another tuna; then Plutarcho reels in two more, one for himself and one for Captain Arturo.

“This was the best possible day,” the captain says. We had “buena suerte—good luck—100 percent.” Motoring back to the marina, Plutarcho cleans our fish and cuts it into fillets. We disembark and head straight to Captain Tony’s, a restaurant with a sign outside reading, “YOU HOOK IT WE COOK IT.” We did our part, now we’re ready for Captain Tony to do his.

The restaurant’s host that day, Pablo, warmly welcomes us and offers us a waterside table. He takes the fish to the kitchen, then asks how we’d like it. We start with sashimi, then have three different preparations: tuna with garlic, with a cilantro cream sauce, and, finally, lightly battered with salt and pepper. All are fantastic and the

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fish couldn’t have been fresher. I had a twinge of guilt when I’d pulled the tuna out of the water—it was so majestic and had such a ferocious will to live, but feasting on our own catch proves to be immensely satisfying.

Later that afternoon we hire a taxi to go to Sunset Monalisa, a bar and restaurant about 5 miles east of Cabo San Lucas. Its deck offers a sweeping view of Cabo’s beaches and postcardworthy arch over the sea. The main attraction at this bar/restaurant is watching the sun slip into the sea. Sunset that night is at 5:39 p.m., so we arrive around 5. I sip a raspberry mojito as surfers below catch the last waves of the day.

The setting sun turns the hills golden as a behemoth cruise ship sounds its horn and chugs out to sea. At sunset, a restaurant staffer blows into a conch shell four times, turning each time to honor the four directions, paying tribute to the day as it ebbs away.

On the taxi ride back to Cabo we ask our

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YOU HOOK, THEY COOK. (Clockwise from opposite page) Fried tuna and garlic-topped tuna at Fisherman’s Landing; Fisherman’s Landing’s deck; the entrance to Captain Tony’s; the author reeling in a catch.

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I had a twinge of guilt when I’d pulled the tuna out of the water—it was so majestic and had such a ferocious will to live—but feasting on our own catch is immensely satisfying.

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driver to recommend an authentic local restaurant with handmade tortillas. Walking into Maria Corona, we feel like we’re being welcomed into someone’s home. We choose outdoor seating, an area festively decorated with colorful banners and illuminated with hanging lanterns and gas torches. A trio of middle-aged men wearing matching outfits— two acoustic guitarists and a standup bassist— play traditional Mexican songs on the spacious restaurant’s stage. When they take a break, two women in frilly white dresses perform a butterfly dance, before two men with tapdancing boots join them. The diners are a mix of locals and visitors—Maria Corona is perfect for travelers but not touristy.

We start with guacamole—local avocados, garlic, serrano peppers, and cilantro—made tableside in a molcajete, the traditional Mexican mortar and pestle hewn from volcanic rock, typically basalt. The server grinds the chilis in the three-legged bowl then mashes in the avocados. Of course, there are margaritas, too.

My friend wants to watch the cooks make tortillas and is invited into the kitchen. She asks the young chef, Emma Bonilla, what her favorite dish is and Bonilla recommends the pork Chamorro, a Yucatanean specialty. It’s made with six different chilis including ancho, pasilla, and guajillo; and spices including cinnamon, clove, and allspice. We take Bonilla’s advice— she recently worked in the Yucatan for two

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years—and order it. The pork is succulent and flavorful, the portion beyond generous. To top off the night we watch as our server deftly makes Mexican coffee, a potent, and potently theatrical, concoction. It’s made tableside with coffee, tequila, and Kahlua, and poured into a bluerimmed glass in a flaming cascade.

Later, at Pancho’s Tequila Bar, over a glass of Los Abuelos añejo, I recall that just a few hours ago I’d been fighting tuna, and in a few hours I’d

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be on the plane home. Yet for the moment I’m still in paradise, savoring the flavors of Mexico, and there’s nowhere else I’d rather be.

Michael Shapiro has caught king salmon in Alaska and has written for National Geographic Traveler. He’s the author of A Sense of Place: Great Travel Writers Talk About Their Craft, Lives, and Inspiration.

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LOCAL LIFE (Opposite page) Pelicans in the bay on the way to Lover’s Beach; dorado sashimi at Maria Corona. (This page) A waiter at Maria Corona makes Mexican coffee; flags in the main square of Cabo.

INSPIRATO RECOMMENDS

Los Cabos With 19 luxury residences available, including Costero (pictured above), Los Cabos is a member favorite.

TO LEARN MORE ABOUT INSPIRATO’S RESIDENCES IN LOS CABOS, PLEASE GO TO INSPIRATO.COM/DESTINATIONS.

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Pamela Noriega’s picks Inspirato On-Site Expert

SEA FUN Fishing may be the big catch, but the warm waters off Los Cabos are teeming with other water adventures.

Try snorkeling east of central Cabo San Lucas at the quieter Chileno Bay or Santa Maria Bay, both secluded spots bursting with sea life.

The magnificent arch at El Arco at the end of Baja is also a prime spot to try stand-up paddleboarding or kayaking around the rocks.

Take surf lessons at the beach in San José del Cabo or up the

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coast at the popular surfing break in Todos Santos.

SHOPPING The Puerto Paraíso Mall features local business, wellknown international brands, and souvenir shops.

As the name implies, Luxury Avenue is Baja’s premier, highend shopping destination.

My favorite boutique for designs and items from Mexican artisans is Eclectic Array, a block from the marina in Cabo San Lucas.

Through June 2018 SAN JOSÉ DEL CABO ART WALK Thursday evenings, the charming art galleries of San José del Cabo open their doors to car-free streets that draw a bustling crowd to sip wine and enjoy art.

October 18–27, 2018 BISBEE’S BLACK & BLUE FISHING TOURNAMENT One of the world’s richest fishing contests draws anglers and multimillion-dollar sport fishing boats from around the world in search of blue- or blackfin tuna.

INSPIRATO MAGAZINE INSPIRATO MAGAZINE | WINTER/SPRING | SPRING 2018 2017

Under the Sun IS SOUTH AFRICA THE MOST BEAUTIFUL—AND DIVERSE—COUNTRY IN THE WORLD?

getty images / afonso salcedo

BY AARON GULLEY

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POPULATION EXPLOSION A few places on the continent have game as profuse as South Africa, but almost none has been as successful at preserving wildlife. Thanks to laws that make it legal to own big game and the growth of the big game ranching industry, the population of large mammals here has increased from an estimated 575,000 in the 1960s to somewhere between 6 and 22 million today, a quarter of which live on public lands. That means Kruger, South Africa’s largest National Park, and Sabi Sabi Sands, its most exclusive, are some of the world’s top open spaces for spotting the Big Five, including these African elephants.

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under the sun

T

The first time my wife and I went on safari together, we wrangled over our itinerary for almost a year. Having grown up in Africa, I’d already seen the legendary herds of Kenya and Tanzania, taken self-drive tours of parks in Zambia and Zimbabwe, and tracked elephants, gorillas, and predatory cats across West Africa. My wife’s only experience with big game, on the other hand, was limited to circuses and zoos. We needed something iconic for her but still distinctive enough to pique my interest.

In the end, we flew to South Africa, a place that, based on my first visit, I must imagine rarely disappoints. The New York Yankees of the safari world, South Africa is gleaming, well-funded, and always a safe bet. The country has built its reputation on high-end

we continued to Cape Town. This is God’s city; the finest bits of San Francisco, Santa Cruz, Calif., Rio de Janeiro, and Dakar are all brought together here. I remember as a high schooler in Nigeria following Nelson Mandela’s protests against South Africa’s political system, and, following the changes he inspired, coming here felt like following that patriarch to the Promised Land. There are lively clubs where you can see African all-star musicians performing nightly, and hip cafés with ostrich-egg omelets to bring you around from the previous night’s damage. We climbed Table Mountain for a view down over the pastel-splashed downtown and sprawl of shanties, tried surfing on the frigid west coast, tasted chardonnays and pinots in the rolling hills of the winelands

Cape Town is God’s city; the finest bits of San Francisco, Santa Cruz, Calif., Rio de Janeiro, and Dakar all brought together, and with Antarctic birds, and wines to rival Napa.

INSPIRATO MAGAZINE | WINTER/SPRING 2018

just an hour outside of the city, and scuttled amongst penguins on Boulders Beach. I mean, seriously, what other city in the world can claim Antarctic birds as well as wines to rival Napa?

You can even swim with great white sharks at the confluence of the Atlantic and Indian Oceans (you’re in a cage), though my wife was having none of it.

If there was one disappointment on that first visit, it was that, of the Big Five, we never glimpsed a rhino or Cape buffalo. So we returned home with our list incomplete. I suppose that, as with all great places, it’s good to have an excuse to return. Since then, we’ve gone back to South Africa several times and seen plenty of both, but I’ve yet to talk my wife into a swim with the great whites. getty images / westend61

lodges and international-standard food and wine, not to mention some of the most profuse game on the continent.

On night one at our safari camp, we experienced it all. In a single game drive, we happened on three of the Big Five: two leopards in an acacia tree, a herd of elephants that encircled us like a New York subway crowd, and a small pride of lions feasting on a giraffe they’d razed. In camp, a guide with a rifle slung from his shoulder led us from tent to dining by gas lantern—the previous night, a pair of lions prowling the property delayed dinner by an hour as clients were forced to sit tight in their rooms. That would have been fine by us, as the hardwood antique furniture, cool linens, and in-room, selfserve, Sapphire-and-tonic bar made for ample sundowner diversion. Even with several decades of safaris under my belt, I couldn’t help but feel as glamorous and staged as a Hemingway character.

Despite how good it was, the safari wasn’t even the highlight of the trip once

Born and raised in Nigeria, Aaron Gulley is a Santa Fe, New Mexico–based travel journalist and avid outdoorsman who has visited over 100 countries.

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GREAT GREENSPACE Cape Town is a fetching and easy-tonavigate little city (at least downtown) with whitewash colonial façades next to hipster bars and a melting pot of races and cultures as great as anywhere. But what really sets the city apart is its mind-boggling geography.

The flat top of Table Mountain dwarves the urban area and, counting the parks that roll from the peak’s crest southward to the confluence of the Indian and Atlantic oceans, there’s far more greenspace than urban sprawl.

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under the sun

courtesy of phinda mountain lodge(2)

CAMP STYLE South Africa’s safari reserves are some of the most sought after in Africa for their mix of large stocks of wildlife, exclusivity in the form of small groups and limits on the number vehicles, and high-end lodges and amenities. First you stalk the watering holes in search of lions and other apex predators, then you stalk some peace and quiet at your own private watering hole—infinity style if you’re lucky—back at camp.

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from top: getty images / michael cook / altai world photography, getty images / david roth / eyeem

SEA LIFE Fishermen still head out after tuna and yellowtail each morning from the village of Hout Bay, near the westernmost promontory of the peninsula from Cape Town. Though the sleepy enclave has in recent years gained some acclaim for its exclusive seaside resorts, the town’s longest-running residents are the colony of sea lions, which use the sandy cove to shelter from the harsh edge of the Atlantic.

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WORTHY WINES It might sound like sacrilege, but South Africa’s wines are so sumptuous and deserving that it’s worth carving off a day or two of safari to visit wine country. Stretching to the northeast from South Africa’s second city, the Cape Winelands produce velvety pinotage on the cooler, northern side of the mountains and rich cabernets to the south, around Stellenbosch Mountain and Franschhoek, the verdant valley pictured here.

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Enjoy eight days of luxurious adventure.

TO LEARN MORE ABOUT INSPIRATO’S EXPERIENCE IN SOUTH AFRICA, GO TO INSPIRATO.COM/TRAVEL/EXPERIENCES.

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Margaret Platt’s picks Manager, Experiential Travel

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Wolfgat is seafood-centric and known for its tasting menu, dining room set in a cave, and its four-month wait for a table.

Young chef Ashley Heeger has shaken up Cape Town’s high-end dining scene by using charcoal to cook her versions of local and fresh ingredients at her place, the Ash Restaurant.

ROAD TRIP Between the adventure of a wildlife safari and the energy of Cape Town, it’s easy to overlook the beauty of the country. Don’t.

Take the time to hire a car and

drive the nearly 200-mile-long Garden Route from Mossel Bay on the Western Cape to the Storms River on the Eastern Cape. You’ll travel through beautiful scenery, sample some of South Africa’s best wines, and have the opportunity to see more than 300 species of birds.

FOR THE BIRDS Boulders Beach hosts a community of visitors from the Antarctic, a colony of penguins.

jen judge

South Africa Experience 2018

FINE DINING La Colombe on the Silvermist wine estate tops the list as one of the country’s best restaurants.

Chef Scot Kirtin’s menu blends his European training with local flavor (Kirtin learned from London food king Gordon Ramsey). The result has become a bucket-list meal for foodies across the globe.

The Test Kitchen uses an open-kitchen format where patrons can watch chefs try out new dishes and then judge the results for themselves.

Limited to 20 guests per night,

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Amanyara

Amangani

Amangiri

Amanera

Amanyara (peaceful place) is located on the coast of Northwest Point on the island of Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands.

Amangani (peaceful home) clings to the crest of East Gros Ventre Butte, Jackson Hole, Wyoming.

Amangiri (peaceful mountain) is located on 600 acres in Canyon Point, Southern Utah.

Reservations Tel: USA +1 754 216 7830 Email: reservations@aman.com

aman.com 31 Destinations. 20 Countries.

Amanera (peaceful water) overlooks Playa Grande beach, on the Dominican Republic’s Atlantic Ocean coastline.

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Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands

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Scottsdale, Arizona

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Hilton Head, South Carolina

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Northstar, Lake Tahoe, California

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Sea Island, Georgia

173

Austin, Texas

106

Isle of Palms, South Carolina

130

Ojai Valley, California

152

Snowmass, Colorado

174

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Jackson Hole, Wyoming

131

Orlando, Florida

153

Sonoma, California

175

Beaver Creek, Colorado

109

Jupiter, Florida

132

Palm Springs, California

154

St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands

178

Big Sky, Montana

110

Kapalua, Maui, Hawaii

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Bordeaux, France

111

Kiawah Island, South Carolina

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Paris, France

157

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Breckenridge, Colorado

112

Kohala Coast, Big Island, Hawaii

136

Peninsula Papagayo, Costa Rica

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Stowe, Vermont

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La Paz, Mexico

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Positano, Italy

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Telluride, Colorado

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Lake Como, Italy

139

Provence, France

160

Turks & Caicos, British West Indies 187

Lake Michigan, Michigan

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Tuscany, Italy

189

Casa de Campo, Dominican Republic 117 Chicago, Illinois

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141

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164

Vail, Colorado

192

Dalmatian Coast, Croatia

119

London, England

142

Rancho Palos Verdes, California

165

Valle de Bravo, Mexico

195

Deer Valley, Utah

120

Los Cabos, Mexico

143

Real del Mar, Mexico

166

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196

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121

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146

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168

Whistler, British Columbia, Canada 198

Florence, Italy

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147

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170

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124

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148

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Abaco

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BAHAMAS

Serenity 2,729 sq. ft.

4 bedrooms

4.5 baths

M

ove on island time at this luxury villa within Abaco

Club that sits just steps from the beach. A massive covered patio boasts unobstructed ocean views and encourages family gatherings.

Be sure to set your alarm clocks early and catch a spectacular sunrise over the Atlantic Ocean.

View all of our accommodations in Abaco at inspirato.com/abaco

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Aspen

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BUTTERMILK SKI AREA

A S P E N DOWNTOWN ASPEN

Retreat on Ute 4,103 sq. ft.

ASPEN HIGHLANDS SKI RESORT

ASPEN MOUNTAIN SKI RESORT

R

4 bedrooms

4.5 baths

etreat on Ute gives you the best of both worlds—the roomy fourbedroom home feels like a secluded mountain oasis, yet it’s just blocks

from downtown Aspen. Take in forested mountain views from the floorto-ceiling windows in the airy living room. Better yet, breathe in the fresh mountain air in the private backyard, anchored by a large pond, hot tub, and

ASPEN LOCATIONS

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Aspen

Firelight 5,560 sq. ft.

5 bedrooms

5.5 baths

T

he snow-capped summit of Pyramid Peak is on display through nearly

every window at this posh, five-bedroom Aspen residence. Overlooking an 18-hole championship golf course, the home features a wine room, gourmet kitchen, and an artfully designed living room crowned by dramatic vaulted ceilings.

Warm up by huddling around the fireplace on the outdoor porch.

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Aspen

Encore 3,800 sq. ft.

F

4 bedrooms

4.5 baths

or those who love the shopping and eating just as much as the world-famous skiing, this duplex offers plush

accommodations in posh environs. Enjoy serene mountain views from your fourth-floor balcony with everything Aspen has to offer just steps below.

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Austin

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TEXAS

Cliff Point Estate 18,955 sq. ft.

7 bedrooms

11.5 baths

E

xplore this sprawling European-inspired estate set on a 3.5-acre private peninsula.

Take a moment to gaze from the third-floor terrace and absorb the views of Lake Travis and the Colorado River winding into the distance. Choose a book from the two-story library, and read it beside your choice of three infinity pools. Or set off from your private dock for a day on the water.

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Austin

Waterstone 4,800 sq. ft.

G

5 bedrooms

4.5 baths

row closer to the ones you care about in a home built for bringing people together. Share meals around communal tables in

spacious indoor and outdoor dining areas. Relax late into the evening sipping drinks around the fire pit. Spend hours splashing in the pool or simply enjoy a quiet conversation while waiting for your bobbers to disappear beneath the water off your private dock.

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Bahia Beach

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PUERTO RICO

Aleli 4,223 sq. ft.

3 bedrooms

E

4 baths

njoy this open, airy oceanfront home with sweeping views of the Atlantic

and a private plunge pool perfect for cooling off or letting little ones play. Take an easy stroll to a pristine, white-sand beach, or explore miles of nearby nature trails. Hop in your six-person golf cart and explore all the amenities of the nearby Bahia Beach Resort, included with your stay.

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Beaver Creek

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COLORADO

Sawbuck 7,476 sq. ft.

5 bedrooms

5.5 baths

C

ruise along the Bedstraw ski-way into your own

private ski lodge in this rustic-chic mountainside retreat. Warm up after a day on the slopes in the outdoor hot tub surrounded by inviting aspen trees, or relax by the fireplace with a glass of wine from the wine cellar.

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Big Sky

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Morningstar 2,800 sq. ft.

3 bedrooms

3.5 baths

W

ake up to views of towering snowcapped mountains and ski out to

one of the country’s best family ski resorts.

Dual bunk beds in the third bedroom make great accommodations for kids and friends.

Enjoy some downtime on your private terrace with a grill, fireplace, and hot tub, as well as full access to the pool, fitness club, and tavern at the nearby Moonlight Club.

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Bordeaux

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FRANCE

Maison de L’amiral 4,400 sq. ft.

4 bedrooms

4.5 baths

G

et a taste of history without sacrificing luxury amenities

in this 18th-century home in the historic town of Castillon-laBataille. Tour the award-winning wineries and tasting rooms nearby, then retire to your private terrace overlooking the Dordogne River and surrounding town.

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Breckenridge

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COLORADO

Pioneer 4,049 sq. ft.

5 bedrooms

5 baths

R

ight in the heart of the famed Breckenridge Resort, this

home is literally steps from the BreckConnect gondola. Sit back and enjoy pristine, state-of-the-art amenities and open-concept living in this newly built mountain home.

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Cacique Peninsula

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COSTA RICA

G U L F O F PAPAG AYO

ISLAS PELONAS

Villa Vientos

PLAYA HERMOSA

CACIQUE PENINSULA

4,000 sq. ft.

A

PLAYA DEL COCO

4 bedrooms

4 baths

s the sun goes down, stroll out onto the third-floor observatory of this unique home perched high above the Pacific Ocean. Soaring

cathedral ceilings and wraparound windows let sunshine pour into the open living area where your group can rest between excursions to the beach, snorkeling, sailing, or exploring the Palo Verde National Park.

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C ac i q u e P e n i n s u l a

Serena 4,600 sq. ft.

3 bedrooms

3.5 baths

W

ith a unique architectural design,

this home offers panoramic views of both the Pacific Ocean and the Cacique Peninsula. Grill and dine together on the shaded terrace.

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C ac i q u e P e n i n s u l a

Villa Altamira 4,000 sq. ft.

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4 bedrooms

4 baths

ip a beverage in the bar area of your private terrace, perched on a bluff overlooking Playas del Coco. Wade in the infinity

pool amongst the trees that stretch up from the forest floor below.

Or take a soothing soak in the master bathroom’s whirlpool tub.

View all of our accommodations in Cacique Peninsula at inspirato.com/caciquepeninsula

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Cape Cod

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MASSACHUSETTS

Eastham Place 7,000 sq. ft.

8 bedrooms

B

5.5 baths

ring extended families or groups of friends together in this expansive

two-residence estate set on 2.3 acres of one of America’s original vacation destinations. This is quintessential Cape Cod at its finest with perfectly groomed lawns for playing with the kids, a sandbottom swimming pond, and the historic town of Eastham just a short drive away.

View all of our accommodations in Cape Cod at inspirato.com/capecod

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Casa de Campo

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DOMINICAN REPUBLIC

Villa Pasarela 10,232 sq. ft.

6 bedrooms

6.5 baths

T

he Balinese-inspired, indoor/ outdoor design allows this newly

constructed villa to spill seamlessly out into its pristine surroundings. Use the included golf carts to zip over to the three championship courses, luxury spa, equestrian center, and kids’ activities of the Casa de Campo Resort and Villas.

Upon your return, savor a meal prepared by your private chef.

View all of our accommodations in Casa de Campo at inspirato.com/casadecampo

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Chicago

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ILLINOIS

Lakeview 2,245 sq. ft.

2 bedrooms

3 baths

V

isit the heart of Chicago in unparalleled style as you

reside high above the city’s famed Magnificent Mile. Floor-to-ceiling windows offer views of the Chicago River, Lake Michigan, and the iconic city skyline. The luxury spa, health club, and heated indoor pool will keep you feeling fit and refreshed throughout your stay.

View all of our accommodations in Chicago at inspirato.com/chicago

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Dalmatian Coast

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CROATIA

Vedrina 3,605 sq. ft.

4 bedrooms

E

4.5 baths

merge from the cool waters of the Adriatic Sea and climb the ladder

leading directly onto the deck of this waterfront villa. Relax on the spacious terrace looking out over the water. Take a boat ride to the many unique islands that line the region’s coast, or venture out to explore the ancient churches and promenades in the medieval town of Primosten.

View all of our accommodations in Dalmatian Coast at inspirato.com/dalmatiancoast

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Deer Valley

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UTAH

Olympic 4,425 sq. ft.

5 bedrooms

L

5.5 baths

ooking for a modern ski home? Try this two-story condo in the heart of Deer

Valley, which offers ski-in, ski-out access to Silver Dollar Trail. Soothe sore muscles in the private outdoor hot tub. As part of the Stein Eriksen Residences, this home grants guests access to exclusive amenities including an indoor/outdoor infinity-edge pool, private restaurant, and spa.

View all of our accommodations in Deer Valley at inspirato.com/deervalley

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Dorado Beach

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PUERTO RICO

Villa del Rocio 5,500 sq. ft.

4 bedrooms

4.5 baths

E

njoy your own slice of Puerto Rican paradise in this single-

family estate, tucked away in an exclusive, gated community. With a private swimming pool and sweeping views of the golf course and nearby mountains, you may never want to leave. If you do, you’re just a short golf cart ride away from the beach and the resort’s myriad amenities.

View all of our accommodations in Dorado Beach at inspirato.com/doradobeach

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Florence

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I TA LY

Foresteria Florentine 3,000 sq. ft.

F

3 bedrooms

3 baths

lorence’s lively Santo Spirito neighborhood bustles just outside the entrance to this private third-floor apartment.

Revel in the apartment’s ample Old World charm: floor-toceiling bookcases, Persian rugs, and oil paintings. Look out to the Arno River and Florence’s famed Duomo through the apartment’s antique windows.

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Florence

La Limonaia 3,229 sq. ft.

T

4 bedrooms

6.5 baths

his one-of-a-kind modern residence sits in the heart of Florence, just steps from acclaimed restaurants and the

masterpieces inside Accademia. Fan out amid the multiple living areas, some of which open up to a landscaped terrace, outdoor dining area, and private pool.

View all of our accommodations in Florence at inspirato.com/florence

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Fort Lauderdale

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FLORIDA

Grand Harbour 2,335 sq. ft.

3 bedrooms

3 baths

E

njoy views of the Atlantic from the partial wraparound balcony

outside this elegant 16th-floor residence at The Ritz-Carlton, Fort Lauderdale. The hotel’s tropical pool deck, spa, and fitness center are at your disposal throughout your stay.

Just across the street are miles and miles of pristine shoreline.

View all of our accommodations in Fort Lauderdale at inspirato.com/fortlauderdale

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Grand Cayman

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CAYMAN ISLANDS

WEST BAY

SEVEN MILE BEACH

C A R I BBEA N S E A

4

2 NORTH SOUND

CAMANA BAY

3

GCM AIRPORT

GEORGE TOWN

Costeau 3,890 sq. ft.

E

4 bedrooms

4.5 baths

xperience beachfront living at this oceanfront penthouse residence overlooking Seven Mile Beach at Cemetery Reef—renowned for

its snorkeling. The private terrace offers plenty of room for lounging and dining. Cook up a Caribbean meal in the large gourmet kitchen.

GRAND CAYMAN LOCATIONS

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INSPIRATO HOMES

G r a n d C ay m a n

Coral 3,700 sq. ft.

4 bedrooms

4.5 baths

S

pread out within this spacious, custom-built

villa located in a private, gated community. Take a dip in the private plunge pool or relax on the outdoor patio, featuring views of the surrounding lagoon.

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G r a n d C ay m a n

Villa Cielo 4,023 sq. ft.

T

4 bedrooms

5 baths

ucked away inside the exclusive community of Casa Luna, this four-bedroom luxury villa offers indoor-outdoor living

space and partial Caribbean views. Swim in the private cove or community infinity-edge pool.

View all of our accommodations in Grand Cayman at inspirato.com/grandcayman

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Hilton Head

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SOUTH CAROLINA

Switchgrass 4,907 sq. ft.

6 bedrooms

6.5 baths

A

wash in elegant coastal decor, this thirdrow home within the Palmetto Dunes

Oceanfront Resort puts you just a five-minute walk from the beach. Go for a dip in the private, heated pool or relax in the covered outdoor living area, complete with outdoor fireplace.

Enjoy full access to Palmetto Dunes beach, golf, tennis, and dining.

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H i lt o n H e a d

Golfshore 5,027 sq. ft.

T

7 bedrooms

6.5 baths

his fourth-row home within the Palmetto Dunes Oceanfront Resort overlooks the golf course’s signature hole. You may want

to spend all your time in the inviting backyard, peppered with tropical trees and featuring a patio, private heated pool, and hot tub.

View all of our accommodations in Hilton Head at inspirato.com/hiltonhead

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Isle of Palms

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SOUTH CAROLINA

Waterway 3,480 sq. ft.

5 bedrooms

5.5 baths

S

ip sweet tea and bask in marina views from the screened-in

porch of this gorgeous Lowcountry residence. Located within Wild Dunes Resort, the house boasts a private swimming pool and elegant decor. A five-minute drive is all that separates you and the beach, as well as worldclass golf and tennis facilities.

View all of our accommodations in Isle of Palms at inspirato.com/isleofpalms

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Jackson Hole

INSPIRATO HOMES

WYOMING

Bison Ridge 4,000 sq. ft.

5 bedrooms

5.5 baths

E

njoy mountain views from this two-story residence, which

features cozy alpine touches including multiple fireplaces and tasteful log cabin decor. Relax in the sauna and private outdoor hot tub, or walk one block to the shuttle stop and catch the bus to charming Teton Village.

View all of our accommodations in Jackson Hole at inspirato.com/jacksonhole

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Jupiter

INSPIRATO HOMES

FLORIDA

Eagle 1,950 sq. ft.

2 bedrooms

2.5 baths

A

golfer’s paradise, this standalone residence is just steps from the

Clubhouse at Timbers Jupiter. Tee off on Trump National and Timber Jupiter’s multiple golf courses nearby. A private plunge pool provides a respite at the end of a day on the links. The luxuriously appointed home features a screened-in patio and gourmet kitchen as well.

View all of our accommodations in Jupiter at inspirato.com/jupiter

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Kapalua

INSPIRATO HOMES

MAUI, HAWAII

Kahili 3,137 sq. ft.

3 bedrooms

3.5 baths

L

ocated only a two-minute walk from Kapalua Bay Beach, this

ground-floor residence gives you plenty of outdoor living space to spread out, thanks to a covered lanai, summer kitchen, and lush lawn where the kids can romp. Enjoy full access to Montage Kapalua Bay’s pool, golf course, spa, fitness center, and more.

View all of our accommodations in Kapalua at inspirato.com/kapalua

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Kiawah Island

INSPIRATO HOMES

SOUTH CAROLINA

Monarch 6,200 sq. ft.

T

6 bedrooms

5.5 baths

his spacious home will keep the whole family entertained.

Take a dip in the private, screened-in plunge pool. Play a

game of ping-pong, billiards, or cards in the game room. Watch the kids play around the lagoon while you sip drinks or make dinner in the fully equipped outdoor kitchen surrounding an inviting stone fireplace.

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K i awah I s l a n d

Azalea 5,095 sq. ft.

P

6 bedrooms

6.5 baths

erfect for an active family. Take a short bike ride to the beach, or take advantage of the many available resort activities such

as golf, tennis, kayaking, fishing, or a spa treatment. Cap off the day with a dip in the infinity-edge pool overlooking the Pintail Pond and the fairway of Osprey Point.

View all of our accommodations in Kiawah Island at inspirato.com/kiawahisland

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Kohala Coast

INSPIRATO HOMES

BIG ISLAND, HAWAII

Hale Elua 2,651 sq. ft.

3 bedrooms

3.5 baths

E

xperience “al fresco living” at its finest in this uniquely designed home featuring

a horseshoe layout centered around a private heated pool and hot tub. Let the Hawaiian breeze wash over you with sliding pocket doors in each bedroom and outdoor rock-wall showers. Enjoy full access to the kids’ pool, fitness center, and massage pavilions of the exclusive Pauoa Beach Club.

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K o ha l a C o a s t

Hale Malia 4,330 sq. ft.

P

4 bedrooms

4.5 baths

lay a few rounds in a golfer’s paradise and come home to this standalone villa overlooking the fifth hole of the renowned

Keolu Golf Course. Take a refreshing dip in the private pool or relax tired muscles in the hot tub. Wall-length sliding doors, an expansive lanai, and outdoor showers let you enjoy indoor/outdoor living throughout your stay.

View all of our accommodations in Kohala Coast at inspirato.com/kohalacoast

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La Paz

INSPIRATO HOMES

MEXICO

Villa del Sur 3,823 sq. ft.

3 bedrooms

G

3.5 baths

et some much needed rest and relaxation in this peaceful villa

located within the gated Playa de La Paz community. Set apart from the usual throng of tourists, the home’s elegant design includes spa-inspired marble bathrooms and a spacious patio perfect for lounging. You’ll also have full access to the development’s private beach, outdoor pool, and fitness center.

View all of our accommodations in La Paz at inspirato.com/lapaz

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Lake Como

INSPIRATO HOMES

I TA LY

Villa Pliniana 15,000 sq. ft.

10 bedrooms

J

9 baths

oin the ranks of former guests, Percy Shelley and Napoleon

Bonaparte, who’ve lodged at this 16thcentury palazzo featuring two large ballrooms, an inner courtyard, private on-site spa and sauna, and dedicated butler service. Stroll through private gardens on 18 waterfront acres along the lake’s shore, or set out from the dock on your custom-made Riva boat.

View all of our accommodations in Lake Como at inspirato.com/lakecomo

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Lake Michigan

INSPIRATO HOMES

MICHIGAN

Grand Beach Estate 9,000 sq. ft.

7 bedrooms

S

5.5 baths

pend a laidback summer vacation in this spacious, New England-style

estate set on the forested shores of Lake Michigan. The kids can play on the large lawn, splash in the heated pool, or take a short stroll down to the sandy beach nearby.

With multiple indoor and outdoor lounging areas, this home is a great place to gather with the people special to you.

View all of our accommodations in Lake Michigan at inspirato.com/lakemichigan

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Las Vegas

INSPIRATO HOMES

NEVADA

High Stakes 1,896 sq. ft.

2 bedrooms

2.5 baths

A

fter you’ve hit the Strip, come home to this elegant, spacious

corner suite at the Vdara. This quiet retreat in a rare, non-casino property offers sweeping views of the city and the mountains beyond. Full access to the Vdara’s pool, spa, lounge, fitness center, and restaurants makes this the perfect place to recharge in between all the action of your Vegas vacation.

View all of our accommodations in Las Vegas at inspirato.com/lasvegas

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London

INSPIRATO HOMES

ENGLAND

Mayfair 1,200 sq. ft.

2 bedrooms

M

2.5 baths

ake these two upper-level flats your home base as you tour this historic

city. Contemporary design gives each space a bright, airy feel—a perfect refuge from the busy streets below. Walk to many of the city’s famous sites. And enjoy full access to the facilities of the Metropolitan by COMO, including priority booking at the Michelin-starred restaurant and frequent celebrity haunt, Nobu.

View all of our accommodations in London at inspirato.com/london

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Los Cabos

INSPIRATO HOMES

MEXICO

SJD AIRPORT

B AJA CALIFORNIA SUR

SAN JOSE DEL CABO

4

CABO SAN LUCAS

Joya del Mar 6,716 sq. ft.

17

GULF OF CALIFORNIA

LAND’S END

T

5 bedrooms

5.5 baths

ake in the soothing sound of the Pacific waves breaking against the rocky shores of this modern, oceanfront villa. Hang out with your

whole crew in the expansive indoor and outdoor living areas. Prepare meals in the sleek, gourmet kitchen, and enjoy them together in the outdoor dining palapa with a glass floor perched above the beach.

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Los Cabos

Casa Gardenias 3,300 sq. ft.

4 bedrooms

4.5 baths

I

mmerse yourself in the casual elegance of the Baja region. This

penthouse home includes access to amenities from three neighboring resorts. The open layout and vaulted ceilings make it ideal for group gatherings.

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Los Cabos

Casa Piscina 3,120 sq. ft.

T

4 bedrooms

4.5 baths

ake in the refreshing Baja breeze in this third-row villa with an expansive private terrace. Between the heated pool, hot

tub, outdoor dining area, and fire pit, your group can enjoy the outdoors well into the evening.

View all of our accommodations in Los Cabos at inspirato.com/loscabos

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Mallorca

INSPIRATO HOMES

SPAIN

Villa Ladera 7,760 sq. ft.

4 bedrooms

P

3 baths

erched on a hilltop overlooking the charming town of Pollença, this

whitewashed four-bedroom residence looks every inch the part of a Spanish retreat, with terracotta-hued tiles, exposed beams, and Mediterranean fireplaces.

Slip away to the private pool and outdoor dining terrace, or stroll five minutes into Pollença for restaurants and nightlife.

View all of our accommodations in Mallorca at inspirato.com/mallorca

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Montego Bay

INSPIRATO HOMES

JAMAICA

Pinnacle Villa 3,642 sq. ft.

3 bedrooms

3 baths

T

he Caribbean Sea and the resort golf course unfurl in the distance from

this colonial-inspired villa, tucked within the private Tryall Club community. Enjoy multiple patios and outdoor lounge areas, as well as a private heated pool. You’re just a short walk or golf cart ride away from the resort’s restaurant, private beach, and tennis courts.

View all of our accommodations in Montego Bay at inspirato.com/montegobay

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Nantucket

INSPIRATO HOMES

MASSACHUSETTS

Harbor Haven 10,000 sq. ft.

B

6 bedrooms

6.5 baths

rimming with New England coastal decor, this sprawling, cottage-style home offers a perfect Nantucket escape amid

100 acres of pristine conservation land. The kids can retreat to the lower-level entertainment and game room, while adults can make use of the dry sauna and wet bar. An outdoor pool brings everyone together. Â

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N a n t u ck e t

Whitesail 2,448 sq. ft.

J

5 bedrooms

5.5 baths

ust two blocks from the town center as well as the harbor, this recently remodeled cottage offers abundant New England

charm with classic wood shingles, coastal decor, and a bright red front door. Enjoy a meal on the stone patio, situated next to a pond fed by a cascading waterfall.

View all of our accommodations in Nantucket at inspirato.com/nantucket

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Newport Coast

INSPIRATO HOMES

CALIFORNIA

Vista Balboa 2,193 sq. ft.

2 bedrooms

2.5 baths

W

ith a calming color palette, overstuffed couches, and

sweeping views of the Pacific Ocean, Vista Balboa is designed to soothe.

Cook in the gourmet kitchen, cuddle up in front of the fireplace in the great room, or enjoy salty ocean air from the private outdoor terrace.

View all of our accommodations in Newport Coast at inspirato.com/newportcoast

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Northstar

INSPIRATO HOMES

LAKE TAHOE, CALIFORNIA

Sierra 1,925 sq. ft.

3 bedrooms

3.5 baths

S

tay close to the slopes at this fifthfloor mountain condo, elegantly

designed with a fieldstone-and-marble fireplace, granite countertops, and vaulted ceilings. Located within One Village Place, the condo offers direct access to the Big Springs Express Gondola as well as the community pool, fire pit, ski storage, and fitness center. Â

View all of our accommodations in Northstar at inspirato.com/northstar

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Ojai Valley

INSPIRATO HOMES

CALIFORNIA

Casa Elar 10,407 sq. ft.

5 bedrooms

F

5.5 baths

eel as if you’ve stepped into a Southern European palace only

two hours from Los Angeles. Enjoy the seclusion of this sprawling 10,000-squarefoot home located on a gated property with expansive mountain and valley views.

Stroll the finely manicured grounds lined with fruit trees and herbs, or relax in the private, heated pool or hot tub.

View all of our accommodations in Ojai Valley at inspirato.com/ojaivalley

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Orlando

INSPIRATO HOMES

FLORIDA

Villas of Grand Cypress 2,800 sq. ft.

4 bedrooms

4 baths

S

oak in all the fun Orlando has to offer in this private villa set

on the grounds of the Grand Cypress resort, awarded Forbes Four Stars the past three years running. Step up to the challenge of the resort’s 45 holes of Jack Nicklaus Signaturedesigned golf, or hone your skills at the Academy of Golf.

View all of our accommodations in Orlando at inspirato.com/orlando

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Palm Springs

INSPIRATO HOMES

CALIFORNIA

Vista San Jacinto 4,558 sq. ft.

E

4 bedrooms

4.5 baths

njoy mid-century modern living at this sprawling ranch within the Andreas Hills neighborhood, just minutes from

Indian Canyons Resort. Make a splash in your private pool and hot tub, or strike up a friendly tennis or basketball tournament on the residence’s private courts.

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Palm Springs

Ocotillo 3,365 sq. ft.

T

3 bedrooms

3.5 baths

ucked away in the stylish PGA West golf enclave, this Spanish-style desert villa sits a short drive from Palm Desert

and 30 minutes from downtown Palm Springs. Admire views of the surrounding Santa Rosa Mountains while you cool off in the plunge pool or lounge in the roomy outdoor living area.

View all of our accommodations in Palm Springs at inspirato.com/palmsprings

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Palmetto Bluff

INSPIRATO HOMES

SOUTH CAROLINA

Antebellum 2,800 sq. ft.

4 bedrooms

4.5 baths

A

Lowcountry escape, this four-bedroom residence offers

abundant Southern charm. Kick back in a rocking chair on the screened-in porch, or make dinner for your crew in the gourmet kitchen (with its own wine fridge). Antsy to explore further afield? Enjoy complimentary canoe, kayak, and fishing gear rentals.

View all of our accommodations in Palmetto Bluff at inspirato.com/palmettobluff

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Paris

INSPIRATO HOMES

FRANCE

Maison Madeline 1,720 sq. ft.

2 bedrooms

2 baths

Y

ou’ll feel right at home in chic Paris within the confines of

this luxury apartment, decorated by renowned French interior designer, Rémi Teissier. Supremely located in the Place du Trocadero amid the 16th arrondissement, the apartment looks out to tranquil garden views.

View all of our accommodations in Paris at inspirato.com/paris

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INSPIRATO HOMES

Peninsula Papagayo

Venado Diez 3,765 sq. ft.

4 bedrooms

COSTA RICA

4.5 baths

E

njoy ocean views around every turn inside this rustic Peninsula

Papagayo retreat, perched high on a cliff in a thicket of lush foliage. Though the residence has its own private infinityedge pool and hot tub, you and your family can enjoy full access to Poro Poro’s beach, infinity pool, hot tubs, fitness center, and restaurants.

View all of our accommodations in Peninsula Papagayo at inspirato.com/peninsulapapagayo

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Positano

INSPIRATO HOMES

I TA LY

Villa Mare 2,900 sq. ft.

5 bedrooms

4.5 baths

L

ike the town of Positano itself, this luxury five-bedroom villa

appears to cling to the stunning seaside cliffs above the Mediterranean.

Soak up panoramic views from your massive outdoor patio, furnished with a dining set and sofas for lounging. The restaurants, shops, and nightlife of Positano are just a short walk away.

View all of our accommodations in Positano at inspirato.com/positano

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Provence

INSPIRATO HOMES

FRANCE

Chateau Lavande 3,700 sq. ft.

I

4 bedrooms

4.5 baths

mmerse yourself in the art, history, and timeless charm of southern France at this stunning estate, brimming with antiques,

centuries-old busts, and original oil paintings. Admire views of the rolling hills of the Luberon Valley while you lounge on the patio or beside the outdoor pool.

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Provence

View all of our accommodations in Provence at inspirato.com/provence

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Punta Cana

INSPIRATO HOMES

DOMINICAN REPUBLIC

Casa Cana 8,550 sq. ft.

F

5 bedrooms

5.5 baths

eel like you’ve been transported back in time by the classic island architecture of this elegant two-level home. Tucked

away amidst tall palm trees, the home offers a secluded feeling as you swim in your large private pool or stroll to the private white sand beach. The staff, including a chef and full-time butler, will make sure your stay is exquisite in every way.

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P u n ta C a n a

Villa Bagua 5,000 sq. ft.

L

4 bedrooms

4.5 baths

isten to the soothing sound of waves breaking just outside the windows of this seafront home. One of several villas

designed and built exclusively for Inspirato travelers, this recently constructed home features colonial-style design and custom, handmade furniture and finishes. Multiple villas can be rented together to accommodate large family gatherings and celebrations. Â

View all of our accommodations in Punta Cana at inspirato.com/puntacana

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Punta de Mita

INSPIRATO HOMES

MEXICO

Punta Vista 3,500 sq. ft.

4 bedrooms

4.5 baths

D

on’t forget to bring your beach reading to this two-level,

oceanfront penthouse, just a short walk from the peaceful, sandy Playa Destiladeras. Cook meals in the fully equipped, professional-grade kitchen, or have the in-home cook prepare them for you.

View all of our accommodations in Punta de Mita at inspirato.com/puntademita

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Rancho Palos Verdes

INSPIRATO HOMES

CALIFORNIA

Catalina 2,800 sq. ft.

4 bedrooms

4 baths

H

ere you can get away from it all while keeping “it all” very close

by. Just 30 miles from downtown Los Angeles, you can indulge in golf, spa treatments, fine dining, and watersports at the oceanfront Terranea Resort. With five Inspirato homes at the resort, you can vacation with other families while still having your own space.

View all of our accommodations in Rancho Palos Verdes at inspirato.com/ranchopalosverdes

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Real del Mar

INSPIRATO HOMES

MEXICO

Casa de las Hamacas 5,600 sq. ft.

W

4 bedrooms

6.5 baths

atch the sun set over the Pacific from this spacious home featuring an additional 4,000 square feet of

outdoor living space. Lounge around the pool. Take a snooze in the hammock. Set out to Real del Mar’s beach club, tennis courts, spa, and fitness center. Or borrow a boogie board, kayak, or paddleboard and hit the waves.

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Real

del

Mar

Casa Manzanilla 4,850 sq. ft.

T

4 bedrooms

4.5 baths

ake in sweeping views of Banderas Bay in this luxury villa’s wide open, two-story living and dining area. Relish some

quiet time on the private balconies located off of each spacious bedroom. Then set off with your group for exceptional fishing, whale-watching, or dolphin adventures nearby.

View all of our accommodations in Real del Mar at inspirato.com/realdelmar

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Rosemary Beach FLORIDA

Rain Lily 5,067 sq. ft.

B

7 bedrooms

7.5 baths

ring the whole gang to this spacious home with an open floor plan and natural light pouring in from floor-to-ceiling windows.

Active families will find easy access to community running and biking trails. The detached carriage house provides a great place for those who like to stay up late playing cards, or hit the hay extra early to prepare for that 6 a.m. fishing trip.

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R o s e m a r y B e ach

View all of our accommodations in Rosemary Beach at inspirato.com/rosemarybeach

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San Diego

INSPIRATO HOMES

CALIFORNIA

Shorebreak 4,027 sq. ft.

5 bedrooms

I

4.5 baths

mmerse yourself in a quintessential San Diego experience at this classic La Jolla

beach house. Oversized windows wrapping around the gourmet kitchen space let you cook and dine amid sweeping views of the Pacific. The short walk to La Jolla Shores Beach and Park is perfect for your active little ones. And the quaint downtown offers great shopping and unique restaurants.

View all of our accommodations in San Diego at inspirato.com/sandiego

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San Francisco

INSPIRATO HOMES

CALIFORNIA

Cocoa 1,331 sq. ft.

2 bedrooms

2 baths

G

et the authentic San Francisco experience in this stylish, urban

apartment with brick interiors, marble bathrooms, and a fully equipped kitchen.

This relaxed home near Fisherman’s Wharf offers a quiet refuge from the busy city with a fireplace and soundproof windows. Venture out to explore the area’s excellent dining and shopping.

View all of our accommodations in San Francisco at inspirato.com/sanfrancisco

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Scottsdale

INSPIRATO HOMES

ARIZONA

Sonora 3,304 sq. ft.

S

4 bedrooms

4 baths

et your sights on the ultimate golfer’s getaway at this luxurious desert hideaway located within The Rocks Club. Each day, take

your pick of nine championship golf courses. After your round, relax in the Rocks Club private clubhouse. In the evening, grill steaks on the covered patio, or relax in the hot tub. One of four Inspirato homes within The Rocks Club, this is a great location for large groups who want to stay close to one another.

View all of our accommodations in Scottsdale at inspirato.com/scottsdale

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Sea Island

INSPIRATO HOMES

GEORGIA

Breakers 3,700 sq. ft.

4 bedrooms

4.5 baths

A

charming and traditional Lowcountry estate, Breakers

offers accommodations for large groups and big families. Relax together in the two-story great room, furnished with a gas fireplace, or retreat to the landscaped outdoor patio to gather around the heated private pool.

View all of our accommodations in Sea Island at inspirato.com/seaisland

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Snowmass

INSPIRATO HOMES

COLORADO

Base Camp 3,839 sq. ft.

5 bedrooms

6 baths

S

trap on your skis and explore Snowmass’ epic runs (you can

ski out to Fanny Hill via Guggenheim Trail) directly outside the door of this modern mountain condo.

Swap stories about your trials and triumphs while snacking in the gourmet kitchen or soaking in the private hot tub.

View all of our accommodations in Snowmass at inspirato.com/snowmass

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Sonoma

INSPIRATO HOMES

CALIFORNIA

5 HEALDSBURG

CALISTOGA

2

Winner’s Circle

SANTA ROSA

C AL I FO RN I A

8,270 sq. ft.

2

5 bedrooms

6 baths

2 HWY 101

SONOMA HWY 1

T

ake your breakfast while taking in stunning views of the rolling vineyards of Sonoma County—this sprawling residence’s breakfast

nook juts out from the house surrounded by floor-to-ceiling windows. Set on 60 acres, the mid-century home offers multiple patios (one with an outdoor fireplace), a gourmet kitchen, and a heated lap pool.

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Sonoma

Villa Della Luna 4,295 sq. ft.

4 bedrooms

3.5 baths

R

elax in peaceful seclusion on this gated 5-acre estate

perched high on a Sonoma hillside. Feel far away from it all even as you look out over the Bay Area below and relax on the spacious patio or float in the heated pool. Multiple fireplaces keep this home feeling cozy all year round.

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Sonoma

Villa Vigneto 3,236 sq. ft.

T

4 bedrooms

3.5 baths

his modern California villa takes outdoor living to another level, with a roomy front porch, backyard deck, outdoor dining area,

and fire pit, not to mention private, heated pool and hot tub designed for relaxing under the stars. When you do head indoors, multiple living areas and a large kitchen give you plenty of places to relax.

View all of our accommodations in Sonoma at inspirato.com/sonoma

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St. Croix

INSPIRATO HOMES

U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS

Copa Caneel 5,200 sq. ft.

T

5 bedrooms

5.5 baths

he most stunning feature of this modern beach villa directly overlooking Shoys Beach? The large infinity-edge pool and

sprawling deck just steps from the Caribbean Sea. Inside, enjoy modern furnishings and artwork throughout.

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St. Croix

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St. Croix

Villa Poinciana 6,000 sq. ft.

5 bedrooms

4.5 baths

C

aribbean views abound in this modern beachfront villa,

situated within the gated Estate Shoys community. Walk down to Shoys Beach—just a few steps away—or choose to while away the afternoon around your private pool and patio.

The outdoor kitchen encourages al fresco dining.

View all of our accommodations in St. Croix at inspirato.com/stcroix

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St. Michaels

INSPIRATO HOMES

MARYLAND

Chesapeake Estate 4,559 sq. ft.

4 bedrooms

5.5 baths

P

residing over three acres of waterfront along Chesapeake

Bay, this incredible estate is the definition of coastal living. Gather your loved ones in the screened-in porch or massive living room, or head to the outdoor patio to swim in the pool. The well-manicured backyard is ideal for lawn games.

View all of our accommodations in St. Michaels at inspirato.com/stmichaels

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Steamboat Springs COLORADO

Stagecoach 5,019 sq. ft.

5 bedrooms

5.5 baths

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raving upscale mountain accommodations near some of

Colorado’s best skiing? Stay in this duplex-style residence with your entire family. Your kids will love this home, with its bunk beds, arcade games, shuffleboard, and full media center.

Adults will love the airy, open floor plan and gourmet kitchen.

View all of our accommodations in Steamboat Springs at inspirato.com/steamboatsprings

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Stowe

INSPIRATO HOMES

VERMONT

Sterling 3,000 sq. ft.

4 bedrooms

4.5 baths

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dmire views of Mt. Mansfield from your private balcony inside

this upscale, traditionally decorated top-floor residence. Located in the Front Four Residences at Stowe Mountain Lodge, the two-story home grants guests access to 39 miles of ski trails, as well as the resort’s spa, heated pool, golf course, and more.

View all of our accommodations in Stowe at inspirato.com/stowe

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Telluride

INSPIRATO HOMES

COLORADO

HWY 145

TE L L UR I DE

Gold Hill 7,440 sq. ft.

5 bedrooms

6

5 baths MOUNTAIN VILLAGE

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magine huddling around the crackling, two-story fireplace inside this rustic-chic standalone mountain home in Telluride’s Mountain

Village after a day on the slopes. The residence is just a short walk to Galloping Goose ski trail and features ample views of the third green of the village golf course.

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Telluride

Meadowlark 7,262 sq. ft.

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5 bedrooms

4.5 baths

ruise down the Galloping Goose trail and ski right into this spacious mountain home with stone exterior and an open

multi-level floor plan inside. Gaze out at the San Juan Mountains from the private outdoor hot tub, or relax tired muscles in the indoor dry sauna.

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Telluride

Revelation 3,718 sq. ft.

5 bedrooms

5.5 baths

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his five-bedroom penthouse on the Lumière property

gives you ski-in, ski-out access to Telluride’s iconic runs. Enjoy mountain views from multiple private decks, as well as a private rooftop hot tub ideal for an aprésski soak.

View all of our accommodations in Telluride at inspirato.com/telluride

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Turks & Caicos

INSPIRATO HOMES

BRITISH WEST INDIES

Caya Hico 2,246 sq. ft.

4 bedrooms

4.5 baths

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atch a gorgeous sunrise over the Caribbean from your private

beach home, just steps from the secluded Babalua Beach. Cool off in your private plunge pool, soak up the sunshine on your sprawling deck, or chat with loved ones within the bright and airy kitchen and living spaces.

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INSPIRATO HOMES

Turks & Caicos

Windward 2,600 sq. ft.

3 bedrooms

3.5 baths

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aunter out to the beach, just 300 feet away, while staying at this

boutique residence. Unwind in the luxurious master suite or slip out to the wraparound balcony to breathe in the salty ocean air while enjoying a meal beneath the stars.

View all of our accommodations in Turks & Caicos at inspirato.com/turksandcaicos

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Tuscany

INSPIRATO HOMES

I TA LY

FLORENCE

I TA LY

3 CHIANTI REGION

Villa San Bartolomeo

SAN GIMIGNANO

4

SIENA

5,920 sq. ft.

MONTEPULCIANO MONTALCINO

2

6 bedrooms

6.5 baths

LAGO TRASIMENO

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his Tuscan countryside estate is a perfect mix of contemporary and historic. You’ll find original accents throughout the home as well as the

owner’s modern art collection. Enjoy pastoral views of the surrounding hills from the private pool. The town of Sarteano is just a 10-minute drive away.

TUSCANY LOCATIONS

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T u s ca n y

Il Bronzino 6,000 sq. ft.

9 bedrooms

7.5 baths

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meticulously restored stone farmhouse and villa set amid

the olive groves and vineyards of Tuscany, this property encourages indoor-outdoor living. Have a meal on the patio, go for a swim in the outdoor pool, or simply stroll the scenic grounds.

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T u s ca n y

Il Campinale 12,700 sq. ft.

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9 bedrooms

9.5 baths

ather your loved ones for an unforgettable vacation at an 11th-century Tuscan estate, spread out across three villas.

Each boasts its own modern kitchen and living room with stone fireplace; shared amenities include a private pool, tennis court, fitness room, and an outdoor brick pizza oven.

View all of our accommodations in Tuscany at inspirato.com/tuscany

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Vail

INSPIRATO HOMES

COLORADO

4

I-70

LIONSHEAD VILLAGE

Grand View 5,505 sq. ft.

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4 bedrooms

27 SOLARIS PLAZA VAIL VILLAGE

4.5 baths

oast to a great vacation on the balcony of this modern duplex-style residence, perched atop a ridge and boasting views of Vail Village and

VAI L MOUNTAI N

the surrounding valley. A short drive takes you to Vail’s ski lifts and two complimentary parking spots at Solaris. Back at home, soak in the private hot tub after a day on the slopes.

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Vail

Central Peak 6,500 sq. ft.

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6 bedrooms

6.5 baths

tay in style at this two-floor penthouse residence within Vail’s exclusive Solaris Resort. Step out onto the top-floor balcony

to take in views of Vail Village and the mountains beyond. It’s an easy walk (via heated walkway) to the ski lift. Warm up in the airy living room, featuring vaulted ceilings and a gas fireplace.

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Vail

Beaver Dam 3,864 sq. ft.

4 bedrooms

5 baths

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his contemporary A-frame mountain home was built to

bring friends and family together. Dine, relax, and socialize in the light-filled great room with soaring exposed beam ceilings and an open concept that connects directly to the fully equipped, modern kitchen. Or unwind on the deck overlooking the serene backyard pond.

View all of our accommodations in Vail at inspirato.com/vail

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Valle de Bravo

INSPIRATO HOMES

MEXICO

Casa Bravo 5,800 sq. ft.

6 bedrooms

9 baths

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ocated on the shores of Lago Avándaro—just a 15-minute drive

from the charming colonial town of Valle de Bravo—this traditional Mexican hacienda is ideal for larger groups and families. Take the party outside to the outdoor entertaining area, replete with a bar, fireplace, pizza oven, and pool. The private dock juts into the lake, perfect for kayaking or sailing.

View all of our accommodations in Valle de Bravo at inspirato.com/valledebravo

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Wailea

INSPIRATO HOMES

MAUI, HAWAII

Nalu 4,160 sq. ft.

4 bedrooms

5 baths

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ake up to the ocean in this condostyle home—the master bedroom

suite, as well as the living area, directly face Mokapu Beach. Relax on the private lanai, outfitted with a hot tub and outdoor kitchen, or take advantage of Andaz Maui at Wailea Resort amenities, including four outdoor infinity pools, dining, and a spa.

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Wailea

View all of our accommodations in Wailea at inspirato.com/wailea

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Whistler

INSPIRATO HOMES

BRITISH COLUMBIA, CANADA

Chateau Mondeau 5,000 sq. ft.

5 bedrooms

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6 baths

tep into this regal mountain chalet centered around a bright, open living

area with soaring 30-foot ceilings and floorto-ceiling stone fireplace. After an active day of skiing, snowshoeing, hiking, or mountain biking, you can relax in the private hot tub, steam room, or sauna. Play a game in the billiard room, or simply take in the fresh mountain air on the wraparound patio.

View all of our accommodations in Whistler at inspirato.com/whistler

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Inspirato Member Benefits

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the full Inspirato Collection, as well as exclusive members-only pricing, and a host of additional perks and benefits outlined in the following pages.

nce you’ve taken a vacation with Inspirato, it may be hard to imagine traveling any other way.

Joining the club gives you access to

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Inspirato Experiences

Arctic Expedition Cruise Through the Polar Bear Capital of the World

June 7–15, 2018

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ee polar bears and other Arctic wildlife up close in their natural habitats on an Arctic

cruise aboard Lindblad Expeditions’ National Geographic Explorer. Immerse yourself in the wilderness on daily Zodiac cruises, kayak expeditions, and shore excursions. Your trip

S H I P S P E C I F I C AT I O N S

aboard the 367-foot vessel includes all meals and beverages, as well as access to the ship’s fitness center, spa, and bistro bar.

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86 crew

200

•

81 staterooms

•

148 guests

•

6 passenger decks

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INSPIRATO MEMBER BENEFITS

Inspirato Experiences

Douro River Valley Cruise One of Europe’s Best-Kept Secrets

October 13–21, 2018

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ll aboard the river vessel Queen Isabel to cruise down the Douro River through quaint waterfront villages in Spain and Portugal.

You’ll start in Lisbon before wine-tasting your way through the quintas or vineyards outside of Porto. Other stops include Salamanca and Guimarães—the first capital of Portugal.

Greek Islands Experience the Allure of Greece

June 22—29, 2019

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ake an historic journey to the exquisite islands of the Mediterranean Sea. You’ll depart from Athens

on the SeaDream II for an incredibly varied island itinerary. Visit the art galleries of Hydra, the worldfamous beaches of Naxos, the medieval monastery of St. John’s on Patmos, and more with this one-of-a-kind blend of dining, culture, adventure and relaxation.

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Inspirato Experiences

NCAA Final Four The Big Dance Heads to San Antonio

March 30–April 3, 2018

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atch March Madness play out in Alamodome Stadium with lower level

center court tickets, open bar, and premium food.

Enjoy VIP hospitality and behind-the-scenes access to the NCAA Legends Green Room with private bar, hors d’oeuvres, and meet-and-greets with basketball elite. Call it a night in boutique accommodations at the Hotel Valencia Riverwalk San Antonio.

Wimbledon The Most Anticipated Tournament in Tennis

July 13–16, 2018

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ake part in a 140-year-old tradition while sitting in exclusive Centre Court seating at

Wimbledon, the only Grand Slam played on the sport’s original surface: grass. Another trip highlight?

A private Inspirato dinner at Michelin-starred Alain Ducasse. Rest your head in luxury accommodations at the Metropolitan by COMO, London.

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INSPIRATO MEMBER BENEFITS

Inspirato Experiences

U.S. Open Golf An American Tradition

June 12–18, 2018

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his summer, enjoy a weekend of golf at the 2018 U.S. Open® at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club in the Hamptons. Inspirato

Members will have all-day access to the Champions Pavilion Hospitality, adjacent to the first hole, offering hors d’oeuvres,

US Open Tennis

refreshing libations, and unbeatable views of the golfers. Stay in luxury accommodations at the White Fences Inn in Southampton.

Experience the Fourth Major Grand Slam

September 7–10, 2018

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xclusive courtside seating gets you and your friends close to the action during America’s most exciting tennis tournament.

This VIP package to the US Open includes lush accommodations at the Lotte New York Palace, a welcome cocktail reception, and

Masters Tournament

complimentary transportation to and from the matches at Billie Jean King National Tennis Center.

America’s Most Prized Golf Tournament

April 2–9, 2018

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on your badge and watch the country’s best golfers duke it out for the green jacket at the Masters Tournament. Enjoy all-

inclusive hospitality down the road from the course at Club Magnolia.

On-demand Cadillac transportation whisks you to and from Augusta National, Club Magnolia, and any dinner reservations. Stay in swanky digs at Inspirato’s two pop-up hotels, situated at historic inns.

Learn more at inspirato.com/experiences

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Bespoke Custom Travel

INSPIRATO MEMBER BENEFITS

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ne of Inspirato’s newest offerings, Bespoke empowers you to experience

five-star service anywhere you choose through our custom vacation services, tailor-made for you. Our travel designers can bring to life any adventure you can dream up. Below are just three Bespoke trips we’ve recently planned for members.

An Inspirato Member and her three friends headed

Featured trip

south to Colombia for the ultimate ladies’ getaway.

Colombia Girls’ Trip

The group stayed in Cartagena’s charming old town, shopped at artisan boutiques, and enjoyed a oneon-one coffee-tasting session with a local barista.

Then, they spent a day island-hopping in a private speedboat and snorkeling amid coral reefs.

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INSPIRATO MEMBER BENEFITS

B e s p o k e C u s t o m T r av e l

Featured trip

Historic Tour of Israel Two Inspirato Members jetted off to Israel to explore the historic Middle Eastern country on a two-week, custom-planned vacation. Their trip began in the old port city of Jaffa and the neighboring metropolis of Tel Aviv. The travelers also journeyed out to ancient cities such as Caesarea—dotted with Roman ruins— and hiked amid the desert mountains in the Golan Heights. They explored the Jordan Valley, stargazed in the desert, soaked in the Dead Sea, and enjoyed a private tour of Jerusalem.

Featured trip

Adventurous Journey through New Zealand One couple set off on an epic two-month sojourn through New Zealand, following a custom itinerary crafted by Inspirato. The duo started in Auckland before heading to the South Island, where they hiked to Franz Josef Glacier, cruised Milford Sound, explored Abel Tasman National Park, and embarked on multi-day hiking treks. On the North Island, they golfed, wine-tasted, hiked through rainforests, and soaked in natural hot springs near Rotorua. All the while, they stayed in a variety of elegant, eco-friendly lodges.

Learn more at inspirato.com/bespoke

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Inspirato Travel Services

INSPIRATO MEMBER BENEFITS

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raveling with the club makes every journey smoother. Inspirato Members enjoy service and support that extends well beyond

our collection of homes. As a complimentary benefit of membership, our dedicated Travel Desk is available to help you book air travel, rent a vehicle, or even find accommodations outside of the Inspirato Collection.

Flights Let us book your preferred flight times, seats, and cabin, all at the best available price. We will even apply your frequent flier miles and other travel membership perks, with upgrades and amenities available exclusively to Inspirato Members.

Hotels Members can book premium rooms and suites at top luxury hotels and resorts, often at exclusive rates and with special perks and privileges.

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INSPIRATO MEMBER BENEFITS

I n s p i r a t o T r av e l S e r v i c e s

Car Rentals Inspirato Members receive status in the invitationonly Avis President’s Club. Exclusive benefits include 25% off base rates, double car class upgrade whenever available, and the ability to skip the line and go directly to your vehicle.

Cruises Club members can browse and book thousands of non-Inspirato cruises through our online portal.

Members receive exclusive rates from our selection of world-class partners offering luxury cruises in popular ports of call around the world.

Learn more at inspirato.com/travelservices

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THERE I WAS

EYE OF THE STORM On vacation in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, Inspirato Members Shawn and Joelle Hodges experienced Cat-5 Hurricane Maria and the best of Inspirato.

THE 10 OF US WERE PACKED and ready to go to Punta Cana for a six-night vacation last September when Inspirato contacted us about the impending storm. At that time, Hurricane Maria was in its early stages and its path and power were unknown. Inspirato did a great job of risk analysis and telling us what our options were: We could cancel and reschedule for another time, or go ahead and move forward. Based on what we knew, we went ahead.

We arrived as planned on a Friday and enjoyed a weekend of activities and relaxation. Meanwhile, the tropical storm was turning into a Cat-5 hurricane and heading towards the Dominican Republic. This is where Inspirato really did an awesome job. The local team went to the grocery store and got us extra food and candles, with the assumption that we soon wouldn’t have power. Our chef prepared extra meals, thinking we might be out of food for two or three days. And they picked up additional libations to help calm our nerves.

Everything was going just unbelievably well, and then on Monday, we got a text from our Member Care team advising about the storm. It had gotten much stronger, and we needed to start seriously considering our options. By Tuesday, we were getting hourly updates on Maria from Inspirato, and they began searching for flights off the island. They even booked us on one, but it was canceled by the airline at the last minute.

Inspirato was ready to hire a shuttle service to take us to another part of the

INSPIRATO MAGAZINE | WINTER/SPRING 2018

A VACATION TO REMEMBER Inspirato Members Joelle and Shawn Hodges stand by a tree knocked over by the Cat-5 Hurricane Maria.

island that wasn’t directly in the storm’s path, where there was another airport.

They even looked for a private charter flight that could come down to pick us up. The fact that they were giving us real-time updates on everything really put our minds at ease.

But now, with no way to get off the island, our on-site concierge Lourdes and her team started rescheduling our activities and reservations, in case we were going to be in Punta Cana for an extended period of time. On top of everything they were doing, they wanted to be sure we were still having a good time. It was all seamless.

When the hurricane hit us, the housekeeping service was there at three in the morning squeegeeing the water out of the courtyard so it didn’t get in the house. They were still checking in on us and doing turndown service while all of our windows were boarded up.

We had to stay an extra day before Inspirato could get us off the island, but the whole experience was one experience we’ll never forget. The night of the hurricane, our residence briefly lost power, but rather than a headache, that night became one of our favorite memories. The 10 of us were sitting around the kitchen without power playing board games by candlelight, making the best of it. For me personally, it turned into the best part of the trip.

—AS TOLD TO JAKE JENSEN

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