Why I Choose Every Place to Stay Like a Love Letter.
..... that's why I handpick them like I would a gift for someone I adore.
We remember the scent of a place long after we forget its name. The way a morning breeze rolls through wooden shutters. How a breakfast table hums with the warmth of family-run hospitality. That one perfect spot on the terrace where you drank a glass of wine and swore, you’d never leave.
This is what I look for when choosing where you’ll lay your head. It’s not just about thread count (though that matters). It’s about how a place feels.
Having spent more than 20 years in and around the world of luxury hotels, villas and boutique stays. I've picked up a few things — like how to read beyond the glossy photos and charming write-ups. How to sense when a place has been lovingly run for decades by owners that genuinely care… or just cleverly branded last year.
So yes, I scroll — the curated feeds, the ‘top 10’ lists, the shiny new openings — but then I dig deeper. And whenever I can, I go. I stay. I listen. I watch. I feel.
When getting there myself isn’t possible, I lean on a process that’s become second nature. I've been known to ask for full image sets of every room in a property — bathrooms, balconies, wellness. I speak to the team, who are they, where are they from. I want to know who the people are that are going to make your stay exquisite.
I visit. I return. I am fastidious at keeping a list of the best rooms (for mountain views, sounds of the sea, sun rise from bed or rainwater shower instead of a bath), the best villas, the unique boutique stays. I make a list of favourites the way some people keep birthday wish lists or wine labels.
My criteria?
Is it loved? Not just cleaned and operated. But loved.
Does it have soul, not just style?
Would I send my best friend here? My most discerning client?
Would I happily spend five nights in this bed, in this village, with this view?
Sometimes it’s a boutique hotel run by three generations who remember every guest by name. Sometimes it’s a secluded stone villa hidden behind olive groves, where everything is handmade — including the jam at breakfast. And sometimes it’s a little seaside guesthouse with nothing more than a hammock and the sound of cicadas, where you have time, space and true connection with the locals to just.... be.
I know how overwhelming it can be to choose a stay when everything looks beautiful online. But I also know that the right stay changes everything. It’s not just where you sleep. It’s where memories are made - the things you talk about for years after you come home.
So, when you travel with me, I treat your accommodation like a gift — wrapped in quiet luxury and chosen with care.
Let’s plan something. Tess x
