Stockholm, A Total Love Story

Admittedly, upon meeting the city of my dreams, we were entirely on cloud 9 + enveloped in the love of us. However, I am entirely certain it wasn’t purely due to my just-married beaming heart that I fell absolutely head over heels in love with Stockholm. It was just 72 hours after we said “I do”, that my husband (I really love saying that) + I landed in Sweden for some time to ourselves following our wedding celebrations + magical time spent with loved ones, for what was a first time for both of us in this most stunning city.

As an aesthete + lover of beauty in all capacities, this city had always been high on my list of places I knew I would connect with on a very deep level. Beautiful, sleek + entirely a vibe, Stockholm exceeded all our expectations + currently sits as somewhere we loved so much that we’re considering an extended period of time there in the very near future. It’s chic.. like chic with a major capital C.

To be honest, as it was just following our wedding, all we really wanted of the time away was to be with each other + to step into a very chilled out vibe; the need to explore as I normally would a new + previously undiscovered city, simply wasn’t as burning as would be my standard plan of total immersion. This lack of urgency in our examinations of journeying through the city actually gave us another perspective of being in the moment, a total time for relaxation, something that can be quite difficult when taking in so much newness in new-to-you parts of the world yet we found Stockholm to be perfect for this type of aimless wandering while perfectly punctuated by beautiful landmarks, galleries + museums, stunning stores, boutiques + cafés worth popping into for yet another hot chocolate or coffee.

It was November + we were blessed to witness the first snowfall of the season which, in our romantic bubble, was so special to wake up to on our first morning along with the most breathtaking sunrise over Stockholm Harbor, witnessing it from our balcony at Hotel Diplomat where we based ourselves for the week. From Hotel Diplomat we ventured out to absorb, at our ease. From lunches + dinners in a variety of picks from some amazing recommendations + strolling the beautiful stores - some beautiful local finds + other well-known brands of Swedish heritage - to taking in the exquisite architecture + design that meets you around every corner, all amid the clear blue skies, crisp cold air + the dream of an evening back at Hotel Diplomat’s hammam + sauna. Each day a dreamy dip into the world of all that Stockholm has to offer.

Wrapping up to take in this sophisticated city is a must in November, it’s freezing but - of course - everyone makes it incredibly stylish. As someone who loves style, it’s truly hypnotic. People watching is breathtaking + there is an endless abundance of shopping - perhaps the best I’ve ever under taken - from (my all-time favourite) Totême (shout out to Elin, the HQ’s incredible manager + personal shopper who helped me further deepen my love of everything Totême creates) + of course, Acne to some of the chicest beauty brands like Mantle + Verso + the exquisite leather goods brand Palmgrens, not forgetting jewellery brand Ennui Atelier; quite frankly the elegant, cool, sleek vibe of Swedish brands is inexhaustible. Pack light as the temptations are all too tempting, trust me. All of these are linked below for your reference.

In terms of my daily movement practice, I found myself returning to Remedy each day which, by + of itself could make me move to Stockholm just to be able to soak up the positive energy of this incredible studio. Founded by Carita Lesche + Amelie Parchami of Stockholm Pilates Centre (the sister studio which is also incredible so try that too), Remedy is a self-care package for your mind, body + soul. It was here that my love of teacher Camilla Ahlqvist (of The Practice) was born along with the sound bath practices of Miriam Morgenstern + garuda classes by founder Amelie. A genuine sanctuary. Continuing my love of movement, classes at STHLM Barre are a must, I’m a huge pilates fan in general + the classes here are so fire! The barre burn is so real. IYKY.

And to top of the appreciation of some time spent delving into the realm of self-care, while my husband did his thing, I spent time treating myself to a treatment (or three) with the incredible Mia Hjalmarsson, owner of Mia Hjalmarsson Skincare, Beauty + Holistic Wellness which has treatment rooms in Hotel Diplomat, where we stayed. I also ventured to her other location at Villa Dagmar (sister hotel to Hotel Diplomat) to try a holistic energy + lymphatic massage with Linda who is also incredible.

So while I can safely say that yes we were on cloud nine on this post wedding trip together, I know that this city, beyond it’s meaning to us at that special time in our lives, is somewhere we’ll love again + again.

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STOCKHOLM, THE HSF EDIT

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H O T E L S // Hotel Diplomat // Villa Dagmar // Miss Clara // Ett Hem // Nobis Hotel // Berns

A R T // Fotografiska // Moderna Museet // Galleri Magnus Karlsson // Fargfabriken // Acne Archive

D I N E // The Restaurant at Villa Dagmar // AG // Café Nizza // Nosh + Chow // Nour // Ichi // Fotografiska // ChiÔi // FRÄMMAT // Naboterrassen //

C O F F E E S T O P S // Butiken Diplomat // Café Pascal // Vete-Katten // Sempre Espresso Bar // Schmaltz //

S H O P S // Toteme Flagship // Palmgrens // Grandpa Store // APLACE // COW Parfymeri // NK Stockholm // Acne Flagship // Svenskt Tenn

M O V E M E N T + W E L L N E S S // Remedy // Stockholm Pilates Centre // The Practice // Beaty treatments at Mia Hjalmarsson // STHLM Barre // HEAT by Sophia Lie //

B R A N D S // Mantle // Toteme // All Blues // Ennui Atelier // Acne // House of Dagmar // Byredo // Sachajuan // Palmgrens // Lisa Yang

W I N E // Cave Nizza (Drop in only) // Blanche + Hierta // Balzac

Dervla Louli Musgrave's Hong Kong Hotlist

Based in Hong Kong, founder + Editor-in-Chief of CompareRetreats.com, a luxury well-being retreat discovery platform for the world’s leading wellness destinations, Dervla Louli Musgrave has an impeccable personal style + unique flair when it comes to what should be on your hot list when planning your next trip. Here she shares her favourites for city she, her husband + new baby boy call home..

Best cocktail spot? // Please Don’t Tell

Breakfast? // Bakehouse

Brunch? // Duddells

Dinner? // Yardbird

Date night spot? // Zuma

Girls night out? // Soho House

Museum? // HK Museum of History

Gallery? // Not a gallery but Soho House is full of local art that I love

Artist? // Wilson Shieh

Exercise class? // Family Forme by Lindsay Jang

Yoga studio? // PURE

Hotel? // The Upper House Suites, Four Seasons for the pool, St. Regis for restaurants, Mandarin Oriental for ambiance + Peninsula Heritage for the experiences.

Hidden gem? // Yuet Tung China Works

Weekend escape? // Tai Tam and a chilled boat day

Postcards from Venice

Recently, en route home from some time in Italy we decided to take advantage of the fact that, for the first time in 100 years, dolphins had been seen in Venice. With the pandemic having had an obvious effect on life as we once knew it, one of the positives is that the planet has had a second to breathe; albeit seemingly a little too late. With the decline in tourists visiting the city over the course of the past 18 months, the canals of Venice are playing host to types of wildlife that haven’t dared come near the polluted waters in over a century.

Having never been to Venice myself I was excited to experience it for the first time. So, of course, first things first, I booked a date night at Harry’s Bar. Home to the Bellini (my go-to cocktail of choice.. well that or a French ‘75) not to mention a whole series of historical + fabulous moments, glamorous visitors + seductive secrets, Harry’s Bar is a not-so-secret must when visiting this distinctively remarkable city.

Thankfully my younger self no longer plays a part in how we now travel. The perfectionistic part of me used to think it was imperative to see + experience absolutely everything possible no matter how short our stay somewhere. Now, without that pressure to do it all, travel is a treat to be slowly enjoyed at a much deeper level. The rich culture + historic nature of Venice is overwhelmingly intriguing + somewhere that requires little but a desire to stroll with ease + soak it all up. Beyond it’s beauty, Venice is undoubtedly awe inspiring. One must stop to take it in; the extraordinary way in which the city was first imagined + then brought to life is as though to be immersed, almost 1500 years after it’s birth, in beauty that not only envelopes your soul but transports to you an entirely other world long before this digital, fast-paced life we live in. For this one we put our phones away (ok when I say phones I mean, more honestly, just Google Maps) + got entirely lost each day, strolling through the pretty streets + taking a water taxi to another part of the city; all for the simple pleasure of exploring. Unlike most who visit Venice, we didn’t take a Gondola ride through the canals - perhaps an obvious mistake on our part but it felt extremely touristy + as a walker, we were content to stay on foot.

Experiences I loved were, of course, the Prada Foundation, our sweet date night at Harry’s Bar, the glamour of the Aman, sailing past ‘Building Bridges’ by Lorenzo Quinn by night + visiting the Peggy Guggenheim collection. On the contemporary side of things, I was so thrilled to water taxi over to the island of Certosa to see the Doug Aitken kaleidoscopic catwalk which was commissioned specifically by Saint Laurent’s creative director Anthony Vaccarello for the fashion houses menswear spring summer 2021 fashion show which took place just before we arrived. The installation was out-of-this-world incredible. Breathtaking. Unfortunately only there for a short two week stint but Doug Aitken’s mirrored house in the Swiss Alps is one of his more permanent structures to check out.

Back to Venice, the endless jaw-dropping architecture + the sheer way in which it was constructed has to cement it’s place as the coolest, most dramatically interesting city in Europe. Three nights though, I will admit, is perhaps just one too long. Were we to revisit, it would be for just two + with a specific reason to be there; say the Biennale or one day perhaps, a visit to the Opera or something fabulous like that. And without a doubt, any future visits will be out of season. It’s a place with a sense that, unless you could magically remove all the tourists (+ we were blessed to be there without that many in July this year as Europe scrambles to recover from the pandemic) needs to be experienced intimately. Venice, were it a verb, is a moment in life to immerse yourself in the depth of it’s charm, a moment to savour as privately as possible.

The HAUTE so FABULOUS Venice List

HOTELS // AMAN // Hotel Danieli // Hotel Londra Palace // San Marco Suite 755 // Belmond Hotel Cipriani // San Clemente Palace Kempinski Venice // Cima Rosa

ART // The Peggy Guggenheim Collection // Fondazione Prada // Palazzo Grassi // Pinault Collection: Punta Della Dogana // Victoria Miro // Ca’ Pesaro // Grassi Palace // Scuola Grande di San Rocco // Building Bridges by Lorenzo Quinn //

THINGS TO SEE + EXPERIENCE // Wander Saint Marco Square // Visit Doge’s Palace // Enter Saint Mark’s Basilica // Take a trip to the Murano Glass Factory // Look up the history of Bridge of Sighs (people love Rialto Bridge but I much much preferred this tiny bridge + it’s history) // Take a water taxi to San Giorgio Maggiore // Climb the Campanile di San Marco //

WINE + DINE // Date night at Harry’s Bar // Dine in old-fashioned Venetian mode at Locanda Cipriani // Treat yourself to a fancy lunch at Osteria Boccardoro // Chic Cocktails at the AMAN //

Sarah Hoover's NYC Hotlist

As if we needed more reason to spend time in NYC but hey, here’s the city’s coolest lady’s hotlist of the city’s best places for just about every situation. Welcome to Sarah Hoover’s New York City favourites:

Way to spend a day alone? // Barrys Bootcamp, pedicure, museum wandering!

Best cocktail spot? // The Crosby Hotel Bar

Breakfast? // Balthazar

Brunch? // American Bar

Dinner? // Milos

Cocktail? // Vodka martini up with extra olives on the side

Date night spot? // Jua 

Girls night on the town? // Indochine forever

Museum? // The Met, Centre Pompidou, the Prado

Gallery? // Gagosian! But so many others, too. Ropac, Paula Cooper, Salon94, Spruth Magers

Artist? // Cecily Brown

Exercise class? // The Limit Fit, Barrys Bootcamp

Local fashion designer? // Markarian

Hotel? // The Carlyle

Hidden gem? // My amazing neighborhood pizza spot, Emporio

Weekend escape? // Parrot Cay

To find out more about Sarah, read the HSF x Sarah Hoover Interview here

Stay At Soho House Amsterdam

Superbly located amid the Dutch-gable-house-style lined canals in the heart of Amsterdam's city centre, Soho House's latest edition is officially open for business on Spuistraat and is undoubtedly another architecturally successful venture for the members club brand which prides itself on an impressive portfolio of houses around the world. Housed in a six-storey, 'monumental' (listed) 1930's Bungehuis that is as strikingly sturdy as it is imposingly powerful, the house features 79 hotel rooms, the brand's infamous screening rooms, a gym, HIIT and yoga studios, a Cecconi's restaurant and a Cowshed Spa (both of which will open this coming September).

Design director, Linda Boronkay, keeps the tradition of the group's distinctly characteristic interiors well and finely intact with prompts from local landmarks and the building itself. Incorporating new touches such as the wall-lighting, produced by local designers, and contemporary signage which compliments the 1920's tiled floors around the building. Guestrooms possess an art deco feel with an innate sense of the luxuriousness of any of the group's 21 locations. Crowned by the wraparound rooftop which boasts a graceful lap-pool where guests can enjoy days spent on parasol-covered sun loungers bar all which can be enjoyed with panoramic views of the city, Soho House, Amsterdam is perhaps one of this stylish city's best new hotspots.

Soho House is accepting applications for new members now.

www.sohohouseamsterdam.com

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Images from Soho House Amsterdam