The unexpected benefits of enjoying boutique hotels
Flowers, gardens, a chance encounter plus a good resource on visiting the Parthenon in Athens #86
I don't get many benefits from running From the Poolside.
I am often asked if I receive invitations to hotels and in nearly 11 years of operating From the Poolside, I have only been invited once. If you curious, this was the place.
To be invited, you need to have a much bigger audience than mine. You also need to be available for a stay mid-week, usually in February/March or October-November when hotels don’t have that many guests. All of this combined means that even if I was lucky enough to be invited, I would probably not being able to accept unless I took a day off from work. Note to hotel managers though: I am really happy to consider offers anyway ;-)
I do pay for all my hotel stays. Why then, do I often suggest a paid subscription or link to booking.com to get affiliate commissions ? It’s to cover the costs of running the blog, app and newsletter.
If you're interested, I'll do a newsletter one day on the whole process of gathering all the hotels, writing, editing photos and sending you this newsletter. It's a lot of work, so it's really out of passion that I do it and not out of financial interest.
But that said, from time to time there are benefits.
One of the advantages which is not linked at all to the blog, but simply because I use a great travel agent called Mr Tripper twas to get hospitality tickets to the Chelsea Flower Show, courtesy of our favourite UK country hotel, the Newt. More on this below.
And the other advantage of From the Poolside is that from time to time, I meet people who follow me, who found me on the Internet, on Instagram, etc. and come to say thanks to me for my work. It happened to me once at the Wolseley and it happened to me on Saturday at the Newt lounge! I had lost my voice so Mr Big did most of the talking but it was really lovely to meet another hotel lover.
So if you ever see me somewhere, come and say Hi. I will love it!
Poolside companion: travel and hotel lovers to follow
In a previous newsletter, I said that I would share with you other travel writers, hotel lovers or content creators that can be trusted for good travel or hotel recommendation.
Today I’d like to share this specific post from Yolo Intel.
YOLO Intel is actually the number 1 travel newsletter on Substack. Yolanda is a former Condé Nast Traveler editor so obviously has a lot of connections. Her newsletter has tons of information, often behind a paywall but sometimes, the free version has great resources. This week, there was a nice post on Greece. They highlight our dear Eros Keros in Koufonisia (which we are returning to this summer), which is bittersweet as on one hand, I’d like to keep it to myself but on the other hand, I’m glad my friend Anita got that recognition.
There’s also great intel on the best times to visit the Acropolis in Athens and how to move between the islands with ferries.
Chelsea Flower Show - another Newt experience
The Royal Chelsea Flower Show is an annual garden exhibition held on the grounds of the Royal Chelsea Hospital, home to former veterans, and it truly embodies the essence of England.
The English are excellent at creating beautiful gardens, and you can see a collection of gardens designed by landscape architects with extraordinary creativity, featuring stunning combinations of plants, colors, and playful uses of height, proportions, and volumes. There is a significant trend towards a wilder, more natural look in the gardens, yet always maintaining a sense of calm and serenity. Additionally, there is a large hall filled with horticulturists showcasing a variety of plants and flowers, particularly an array of different roses, dahlias, and even some flowers you might not recognize, which is quite fascinating. The commercial section offers stands where you can purchase gardening tools, seeds, garden furniture, and clothing.
One of the charming aspects is the predominantly older crowd, often dressed in floral dresses or striped shirts and hats, which makes me feel young when I visit. The quintessentially English atmosphere is delightful, although it can be quite crowded. Therefore, being invited by a brand or sponsor, as we were, is advantageous because they have separate lounges where you can rest and refresh.
As I said, we were invited by the Newt, our favorite countryside hotel in England. Their hospitality place has all the codes of the hotel with lots of green, nice seating and a luxury and chic vibe. You can enjoy products from their farm for refreshments, including unlimited champagne and wines from their South African vineyard. Often, there is also live music; on this occasion, it was a jazz band with a young woman who sang beautifully. It's truly a wonderful way to enjoy the Chelsea Flower Show.
If you are going to London in May, make sure to get tickets to the event, you have to book them a few months in advance.
5 Extra finds
Lilou Hôtel, Hyères
From 180 Euros - Check latest prices and availability
After a first hotel in Hyères, named La Reine Jane, entrepreneur David Pirone launched the Lilou hotel in place of the former Hôtel du Parc. A beautiful city center house with a garden, a pool, a restaurant and beautiful design. Spread over four floors, the rooms are served by large corridors covered with checkerboard carpet, and decorated in cream, vanilla and off-white tones. The hotel has a library with a large table d'hôtes and a private tasting room designed for 12 guests, The pergola and terrace border a white zellige swimming lane, overlooked by three beautiful painted frescoes.
Anthology Farm, Cheltenham
From £7,550 a week - Check latest prices and availability
This is quite a house for a special event given the price ! Near Cheltenham two 18th-century barns have been beautifully renovated and can now be rented for a minimum of 3 nights off season and 4 in high season. The decor by a design studio is stunning with a mix of off-white pampas grass, brickwork and black highlights to create a fresh but cozy look. The house sleeps 18 who can be kept entertained thanks to the heated indoor swimming pool, cinema room and tennis court.
L'Oliveraie, Tinos, Greece
From 1800 Euros a week - Check latest prices and availability
The Oliveraie is a charming house on the island of Tinos. Surrounded by old olive trees in the small settlement of Lichnaftia, it is off the beaten path, but only a three-minute walk from the sea. Breathtaking views of the Aegean and the island of Mykonos. On the clearest days you can see as far as Turkey. Equipped to host up to 4 guests (+2 children), with full A/C, a complete kitchen, fireplace, projector for movie nights and ample space in- and outdoors. There is no pool.
Small flat in Saintes, France
From 80 Euros - Check latest prices and availability
Audrey is an Instagram lady who has exquisite taste (I bought a few of her clothing collection) which she applied to restore a flat in the heart of Saintes, ideal for discovering the rich heritage of the city. The apartment is in an old 18th century building and she carefully picked vintage furniture. It's small but so charming with a bright living room, a lounge area with TV, dining area for 4 people. 4 people can sleep here: 2 in the separate bedroom upstairs and 2 on the sofabed. There is no pool.
Alero, Skyros, Greece
From 170 Euros - Check latest prices and availability
Alero is a stylish boutique hotel by the beach in Skyros, one of the Sporades islands, to the east of Greece. Aleró was designed around a Mediterranean garden, with all suites looking toward the garden, as well as having sea views. There have four types of suites that are ideal for solo travellers, couples, families and friends. They range in size from 33 square metres for our Deluxe Suite up to 55 square metres for the Friends & Family Suite. Each suite has a plunge pool more for a dip than laps but you have the Vina beach just steps away.