Authentic luxury - Julia Kostina - Luxury Travel Advisor

Taormina, Sicily

Authentic Luxury, Italy, Luxury Hotels, Luxury Travel, SicilyApril 28, 202477Views 0Likes 0Comments

I know that some would say Taormina is not exactly Sicily, overestimated, expensive, touristy... But if you have a look at my pictures of Taormina, you may (or may not) trust my vision of Taormina. First time I came to Taormina (and Sicily) quite many years back. I guess it was 2010, and I was…

Speaking Puglia… Monopoli.

Authentic Luxury, Italy, Luxury Hotels, Luxury Travel, Mindset, PugliaApril 26, 202484Views 0Likes 0Comments

One of my most personal encounters with Puglia was Monopoli, charming little sea side town with baroque architecture and so much character where I spent remarkable month 10 years back renting basement apartment from local lady called Cosima. It was not my first time in Puglia, but somehow it was one of very few…

Sicilia. Noto and around.

Authentic Luxury, Italy, Luxury Hotels, Luxury Travel, SicilyApril 12, 202494Views 0Likes 0Comments

I was looking ahead to see Noto, and I was not disappointed. Small town indeed, but so picturesque that you can't stop taking one picture after another, and each angle is an authentic baroque beauty soaked in Southern sun to the honey-golden quality. And those balconies! With my obsession to architectural details, I was like…

Sicilia. Ragusa.

Authentic Luxury, Italy, Luxury Travel, SicilyApril 11, 202497Views 0Likes 0Comments

Don't take me wrong, I love Taormina with its luxury hotels, tremendous scenery, picturesque landscape, narrow streets dotted with boutique shops and characteristic restaurants. But lets speak about Sicily. The one where legendary "Inspector Montalbano" serial was filmed, where price for dinner is still human, and the streets are still populated with characters from 70th…

Speaking Puglia… Masseria de Carrube

Authentic Luxury, Gourmet dining, Italy, Luxury Hotels, Luxury Travel, PugliaApril 8, 202456Views 0Likes 0Comments

Sister (well, little sister) property of famous Borgo Egnazia - hotel which put Puglia on the map and radar of luxury travel. I have complicated relations with Borgo Egnazia (don't take me wrong, it is fabulous for certain and many clients), but Masseria de Carrube was a love from first glance: unpretentious, simple, and simply…

Brunello Cucinelli. Sometimes you meet your hero.

Authentic Luxury, Italy, Luxury Travel, Umbria, Unique experienceApril 1, 202438Views 0Likes 0Comments

Sometimes I think (and I guess I'm about right) that there is no other profession in the world which would offer as many possibilities to meet extraordinary people as travel related profession. When I say "extraordinary", I don't exactly mean famous or noble people even I was lucky to encounter few. I mean... simply amazing…

Rome, the city of many layers

Italy, Luxury Travel, Unique experienceMarch 29, 202495Views 0Likes 0Comments

I never could embrace this eternal city tight enough to say "it is mine! I learned it!". But somehow I'm part of it so easily. From my landing to Fiumicino and so on. From passing via Condotti and being called by very familiar voice: Juuuuuliaaa!!! Just to see Anna Maria Coli and Lina Bartelli running…

Different Morocco – Taghazout Bay.

Authentic Luxury, Luxury Hotels, Luxury Travel, Mindset, Morocco, Unique experienceFebruary 28, 2024172Views 0Likes 0Comments

I've been to Morocco quite few times, always discovering something new and exceptionally amazing for myself and my clients. Discovery of Taghazout Bay was totally unexpected: I came for travel conference in Marrakech, and I was about to stay in Marrakech and around, but brutal earthquake leaded to conference cancellation, flights to get off the…

Speaking Puglia – Naturalis Bio Resort

Authentic Luxury, Italy, Luxury Hotels, Puglia, Unique experienceFebruary 18, 2024248Views 0Likes 0Comments

I met Domenico Scordari and his wife Marinella, the owners of Naturalis, long before I finally made my way to Salento and experienced the resort myself. From the first conversation I knew I want to come and see: been in luxury travel business for a while, I learned that every unique hotel has a passionate…

Speaking Puglia – Masseria Palombara

Authentic Luxury, Gourmet dining, Italy, Luxury Travel, Puglia, Unique experienceFebruary 15, 2024142Views 0Likes 0Comments

Puglia swiftly becomes popular and gets to luxury travel map. Which is good and bad. Good that infrastructure of this picturesque land develops for the taste of luxury traveller and adopts to refine taste of jet setters promptly (well, prices included). Bad that authenticity not always preserved - so easy to slip off to be…

Speaking Puglia… so much to say!

Authentic Luxury, Italy, Luxury Hotels, Luxury Travel, PugliaFebruary 13, 2024173Views 0Likes 0Comments

Puglia, Apulia, heel of the boot, relatively new destination for luxury travellers which is already developed enough for being considered luxury, yet untouched enough to be still authentic. Right time to go and explore. Honestly, I don't even know where to start. So lets start from the most well known North and slowly move to…