Wainwright’s Tavern bar, Castiglione Ugolino at Tenuta di Murlo, the view from a Rancho Pacifico Treehouse, Christmas at Salone Eva at the Hassler Roma
NEWS
New Client: Rancho Pacifico + Vista Celestial
We are thrilled to welcome our newest clients, Rancho Pacifico and Vista Celestial - two boutique hideaways perched high above the Pacific in Uvita, Costa Rica’s unspoiled rainforest. Surrounded by a 50-acre nature preserve overlooking the iconic “Whale’s Tail,” both properties are coastal sanctuaries complete with guided wildlife treks and newly expanded wellness programming.
Holiday Happenings
For those who’d rather not turn on the oven on Thanksgiving, Wainwright’s Tavern has a bountiful feast for diners all day. The family-style three-course meal is $120/adult and $60/child with oysters, turkey, ham, stuffing, mashed potatoes, brussels sprouts… finishing off with desserts like pumpkin or pecan pie and apple crisp.
For a Roman Christmas, The Hassler is offering Christmas Eve dinners and Christmas day brunch and lunch at Salone Eva and Michelin-starred Imago. Perhaps more fun is New Year’s Eve with live performances and festivities culminating with a magical midnight toast overlooking the city on the Penthouse terrace of Villa Medici.
Fries with that…drink?
More restaurants are batching french fries with drinks on their menus. It might be catering to a quick drink and a snack crowd, or just adding a touch of fun to the menu, but several spots around New York are offering a package deal of french fries, mostly with either a bottle of champagne or with a martini. Our favorites are:
The "Happy Meal" - martini with fries
Cecchi's has their "New York Happy Meal" with a martini + side of fries for $25
The Dickens offers bottomless fries with any martini order
Paris Bar has a martini + fries on their Golden Hour menu for $21
High + Low - fries with champagne
Wainwright's Tavern has a "Mountain of Fries + bottle of Veuve Cliquot" on its Bar Bites menu for $128
Montague Diner has a "Pile of Fries + bottle of bottle of champagne" for $100
Serendipity3 - for those who want the champagne in their fries, this menu has the "world's most expensive fries" for $200 which are blanched in Dom Perignon
Cyber Monday is on the horizon - here are some of the best travel deals coming up…
Tenuta di Murlo in Umbria is offering 30% off stays from November 2026-March 2027 that are booked from Black Friday (November 27, 2026) through Travel Tuesday (December 1, 2026).
Rancho Pacifico and Vista Celestial in Costa Rica are offering 30% off a stay of 3 nights or longer (at either property) from September 3 - October 15, 2027, the peak of the Antarctic-Pacific humpback whale season.
Ocama in the Dominican Republic is offering 20% off the applicable Best Available Rate on a 4-night minimum stay (for select 2-bedroom and 3-bedroom villas only) along with a complimentary private one-way transfer from SDQ to OCAMA (US$250 value), a complimentary 60-minute couples relaxing massage (US$245 value), and 1% of the discounted accommodation subtotal from each qualifying booking will be donated to a local community initiative in Samaná. (Booking window November 27-30, 2026, travel window January 5-December 18, 2027, excluding February 12-21, March 20-29, and November 21-29.)
SeeItaly is offering a Cyber Monday offer for the first time, offering a $7,500 travel credit voucher for $5,250 (a 30% savings). Booking window: November 23-30, 2026 (while supplies last - a limited number of vouchers available), and travel window: January 10-March 20, 2027 and November 1-December 15, 2027.
JUST BACK FROM: Rancho Pacifico + Vista Celestial
I just spent a dreamy few days at Rancho Pacifico and Vista Celestial in Costa Rica - our newest client. While it was technically the rainy season, after a very rainy first morning, the rest of the trip was bright sun and fiery sunsets. The views are unbelievable - nestled in the forest and looking over Uvita’s famous Whale’s Tail sandbar - and the regenerated forest is full of birds, frogs, anteaters, monkeys, and butterflies. One of the highlights was a boat ride down Rio Sierpe with an excellent guide. We spotted the Jesus Christ Lizard/Basilisk, boa constrictors, an American Crocodile, three types of monkeys (squirrel, capuchin, and howler), scarlet macaws, and many other beautiful birdlife. Some images below!
