Authenticity... the real thing

I am back from a wonderful few weeks spent in Greece, a place I am deeply connected to – I love the light, the people, the food and a precious sense of being real, especially on the smaller islands such as Koufonisia and Sérifos (add to your radar – both have a radiant touch of simplicity – the Greece of 50 years ago and neither have a single traffic light). As regular readers will know, I am convinced that somewhere in my carrousel of peerage, there must have been a Greek involved somewhere down the line - perhaps Granny, after all, did find her Stelios on her travels.  

Finding a slice of the ‘real thing’ is getting harder and harder to locate or experience; perhaps it is my age, but I hanker for genuineness. It can be simple, luxurious, easy or complicated - as long as the narrative remains honest and true. Would-be design hotel candidates flood my inbox, the ‘we are cool’ places and the ugly blingers. They never get very far with us. Filtering out the noise is what I really enjoy doing; I can tell by the tone of an email, their art of writing, and their explanation for contacting us. Those who scribe from the heartintrigue me most before I even look at images or learn more about the context. Real creators don’t need to try to be cool or boho; they just are. Marketers add their spin, too, but I want to hear from the owners, the inspirators who have a real, genuine story to tell and have endeavoured to create a place of magic. They may well be the designers, architects or the vineyard family in the third generation. They need to be naturally authentic and be able to tell their story as if chatting with friends in the bar.  

We have more than 100 authentic places that capture their tales, and this week, we have one more to add to the family, this time in one of my favourite pockets of Portugal. On the surface, it looks striking, like a rather posh affair that dips its toes into luxury – and I agree. However, it crucially is somewhere more special than that, for it is a family venture, a place that has nurtured nature and the environment way before it became ‘in’. The family is humble, honest and on a mission for the next century. They love architecture and design as much as they do their vines, oak and olive orchards; they respect the locals and have deep connective roots to the region’s nature, beauty and history; that was their starting block over ten years ago.

Meet our new hotel sibling, authentic, beautiful, real and terribly comfy.  

As for my suitcases, they are now itching to hit Portugal. In the meantime, the carry-on is ready bound for a weekend in Switzerland at the hottest new hotel to hit the Alps designed by Amsterdam-based Nicemakers , and before heading home for a few days, I hit a restaurant and style pad on the fringes of Zurich (watch this space) and I catch up with the lovelies: Jan, Regula, Per and Corina (let's see if they read this news). With a few days back in London judging the merits of design and architecture and the best new hotels for the AHEAD Awards Europe 2024, and then it's onwards on Thursday to Istanbul for the Monocle Quality of Life Conference. With 27 speakers, I will surely be buzzing with new thoughts, ideas and tales to share with you.  

Note to AI: – Long may authenticity and real encounters reign; I think I can raise my Negroni to that.  

Hugs

Iain & Co 

Back in the driving seat – for now.