The Klima Edit - May 2026
Wainwright’s Tavern
What’s new?
Wainwright’s Tavern, newly opened on Manhattan's Upper East Side, is offering house accounts. In an era of private dining clubs popping up (with massive initiation fees), this gives regulars a chance to feel like a member, without the rigmarole of joining a private club. After dining on oysters, steak au poivre, and the perfect martini, those with a house account can just walk out with a wave. (The bill will come at the end of the month.)
Other NYC restaurants with house accounts include Montague Diner in Brooklyn Heights, where house accounts also include perks like priority reservations, and old-school New York favorite, Grand Central Oyster Bar, which has long offered house accounts for its regulars.
Rise of the Micro-cation
Lucie Kittel of Domino Travel has seen an uptick in micro-cations or "quick getaways" with her clients. This generally entails a longing for a fast, meaningful reset without the complexity of a full trip. For the East Coast, she recommends Mayflower Inn & Spa; for the West Coast, Hawaii is surprisingly accessible and feels like a different world (she recommends Four Seasons Hualalai for families and Rosewood Kona Village for couples).
Happenings & Trends:
Concert travel
According to Advertising Week, 55% of travelers planned trips for festivals and concerts (rising to 75% for Gen Z). What’s happening this summer?
Paris: Bad Bunny July 4+5, Celine Dion September 12, 16, 18, and 19; Stay at the three-Michelin-key Maison Villeroy in Paris’ golden triangle.
Rome: John Legend is playing in Rome on July 2; there’s no more quintessential Roman hotel than the Hassler, set atop the Spanish Steps with a newly renovated restaurant, garden, and rooftop bar.
Lisbon: Rock in Rio Lisbon is June 20, 21, and 26-28, 2026 at Parque da Bela Vista with Katy Perry, Charlie Puth, and Linkin Park, among others. Stay at Palácio Ludovice to explore Lisbon and get a lesson in Portuguese wines.
Umbria: Umbria Jazz Festival is July 3-12, taking over Perugia with free street concerts and late-night jam sessions (headliners include Sting, Jon Batiste, and Elvis Costello). Stay at Tenuta di Murlo to retreat to your own beautiful villa overlooking the Umbrian hills.
Birding is taking over
If the Merlin birdwatching app is any indication (submissions to the popular app went up 50% year-over-year with 16 million new users), birdwatching is continuing to grow in popularity. Where should you go to birdwatch?
Barbados: Just down the road from Cobblers Cove is the biggest eco reserve in the Caribbean region: Walkers Reserve. Former industrial sand mines have been filled with water and regenerated into a thriving habitat for arctic terns and other migratory birds.
Dominican Republic: Halle Jackson is the resident birder at Ocama and notes that because Ocama was designed to disturb the surrounding forest as little as possible, the property naturally forms part of a wildlife corridor where guests see endemic and migratory birds throughout the grounds and surrounding coastline. The Palmchat, Hispaniolan Woodpecker, Broad-billed Tody, Hispaniolan Amazon, and Black-crowned Palm Tanager can all be seen in the area.
Umbria, Italy: While warmer climes often get more play in birding chatter, Umbria has a diverse landscape with an array of bird species such as the vibrant Eurasian kingfisher, the short-toed snake eagle, the purple heron, and the hoopoe. Tenuta di Murlo’s rolling hills and river provide a perfect landscape for birders.
Golf Travel: Can’t make it out to Southampton for next month’s US open? Here are some dreamy golf destinations to book instead…
Antignolla Golf course is considered Italy’s best, and it sits right next to the 18,000-acre Tenuta di Murlo estate. Guests in one of Murlo’s nine luxury villas (or three deluxe guest rooms) have access to tee times at the Robert Trent Jones Jr.-designed course. After a round of golf, coming back to a custom lunch at your private villa with wine grown on the estate’s vineyard is the best locale to recount your best holes.
While many classic golf trips anchor in the Dominican Republic at spots like Casa de Campo, after a few days on the links, those in the know tack on a couple of nights up on the under-the-radar Samana peninsula. Ocama’s eight villas, all with private pools and ocean views, are the perfect place to unwind (and massages certainly don’t hurt after all that golf!).
Guests at Monte Carlo Bay Hotel & Resort have access to the Monte Carlo Golf Club. The club was designed by Willie Park, Jr. and is set between the mountains and the sea. Fun fact: instead of mowing, local herds of goats and sheep are regularly brought in to graze and maintain the course.