Wheels Up: The Winter Travel Edit
Destination: Chic. Your ultimate travel guide for all of your winter getaways, from the most delicious meals and coziest hotels to the chicest looks and where to show them off.
Whether you’re headed to La Jolla to soak in the sun or hitting après in Aspen —the ultimate guide on where to eat, where to stay, what to play, and what to pack for your upcoming getaway, below.
It’s giving… heiress. In (faux) fur head-to-toe and all things gilded glimmer–like Scully & Scully’s Baccarat Zenith Charleston Chandelier–you’ll look like you own the mansion.
Where To Eat:
Giusto. Italian for “just right,” Chef Kevin O’Donnell blends traditional Italian recipes with ingredients from Rhode Island’s farms and fisheries to create a menu of “Freestyle Italian,” that pays homage to his home state and ancestral Italy. You can taste the soul and culture of both in his nuanced interpretations of Italian cuisine. We recommend the Bucatini, made with locally sourced clams for a classic Rhode Island dish turned up a notch.
Where To Stay:
Castle Hill Inn. Grace Kelly’s beloved hotel during the summer of 1956 while she filmed High Society, Castle Hill Inn is Newport’s most storied destination. A Victorian mansion that entered the Relais & Chateaux family of boutique hotels in 2008, Castle Hill Inn is set on 40 acres of pristine beach and cove and evokes the grandness of a bygone era, while offering guests world-class service. While you can’t go wrong staying in any of their cottages on the beach, on the hill, or by the bay, we recommend Grace Kelly’s favored spot, Harbor House overlooking Narragansett Bay.
What To Play:
Cliff Walk. Home to the most iconic New England mansions, Newport’s Cliff Walk is the epitome of nostalgic chic. During the Gilded Age, America’s wealthiest families made Newport their summertime home, taking note from the grand palaces of Versailles and the Italian Renaissance, the heirs and heiresses of these Newport homes spared no details, designing “summer cottages” that are complete with gold plated furniture, crystal chandeliers, and sweeping grounds. The perfect spot for a winter stroll, we recommend wrapping up in your (faux) fur and visiting The Breakers first.
What To Pack:
What’s better than channeling your inner snowbunny in looks that are equal parts alpine and chic. Spray CREED’s Silver Mountain Water fragrance to really channel the mountain air.
Where To Après:
Cloud Nine Alpine Bistro. Located at the top of the Aspen Highlands off the Cloud Nine Line, this iconic ski-in ski-out restaurant has Alps-inspired cuisine. Get your Instagram Stories ready—this European-style cabin has an iconic backdrop of the Maroon Bells, peaks towing 14,000 feet about the Maroon Creek Valley.
Where To Stay:
Hotel Jerome, an Aspen landmark since 1889. The only Aspen hotel to survive the silver crash, Hotel Jerome has been the social hub of Aspen through pre-ski resort winters and The Great Depression, housing everyone from cowboys to the Tenth Mountain Division, an army division created during World War II of mountaineering “Ski Troopers”. We recommend staying in the Presidential Suite, which has the best view of Aspen Mountain without having to go on the mountain itself.
Where To Play:
Skiing and snowboarding are our preferred activities when visiting Aspen in the winter months, as well as visiting Explore Booksellers, a bookstore and gathering place that has been in the community for nearly 50 years. When we aren’t exhausted from BlueBird days on the mountain and afternoons wandering around town, we love to spend the evening at Belly Up Aspen, a small but renowned live music venue that has hosted musicians like Jimmy Buffett and Twiddle.
What To Pack:
We’re all for some R & R and what better way to hibernate that with a staycation at your favorite villa–your place.
Where To Eat:
While some at J.McLaughlin HQ love to try making a new recipe over the weekend, the rest of us prefer to try a new delivery service. Every now and then, however, we give in and go for the easiest thing we can make: soup. Although we’re more often in the heat-it-up-on-the-stove mood, Ina Garten’s recipes are something that even the least culinary talented of us can try. This time of the year, we’re craving her Creamy Tomato Bisque, complete with sauteed onions, red pepper flakes, and of course a hint of cream. If you want to dive all-in on comfort food, we recommend dipping a grilled cheese into this steaming bowl of tomato-y deliciousness–our favorite comes on sourdough with about a pound of your cheese of choice.
Where To Stay:
There truly is no place more comfortable than your own bed. Perfectly broken in with the exact ratio of squishy to firm, your own bed is like your own personal cloud, and who wouldn’t want to sleep on a cloud. If you really want to treat yourself this staycation, we recommend buying a crisp set of new sheets, preferably Matouk and preferably with an indigo floral pattern, like the Alexandra set. Monogram your pillow cases for extra self-love.
What To Play:
If you haven’t binged White Lotus, stop reading this immediately and turn the TV on. Staycations are the perfect excuse to sit on the couch for hours in a multi hour long fugue state watching shows that will improve your mind–from Only Murders In The Building to Lindsay Lohan’s new holiday movie or The Crown, you recommend it, we watch it. If you want something to do while you watch or if you need a TV cleanse–we don’t understand why but support you nonetheless–, we are currently loving Gin Rummy. We recommend playing with a set of Aerin Enzo Crocodile-Embossed Leather Travel Card Set.
What To Pack:
We’re dreaming of a Southern California getaway where every outfit requires wicker.
Where To Eat:
HIimitsu, the intimate 9-person bar and 20-person outdoor patio located in a discreet corner of La Jolla where Chef Mitsu Aihara combines traditional sushi and nigiri with Japanese style tapas. We recommend the tostadas, Shigoku oysters, and seebi.
Where To Stay:
The historic La Valencia Hotel, which first opened its doors in 1926. Affectionately referred to as La Jolla’s Pink Lady, La Valencia Hotel is a member of Historic Hotels of America due to its long history including remaining open during The Great Depression and becoming the temporary home to hundreds of officers during World War II. It is still considered an undiscovered “jewel” by people who seek a hideout from the pressures of Hollywood. It’s said to have been a favorite of Ginger Rogers, where she would attend glamorous parties with Lorne Green, Gregory Peck, and Jennifer Jones. We recommend a stay in one of La Valencia’s villas, preferably with an ocean view for a relaxing getaway.
Where To Play:
La Jolla Shore Beach. Enjoy a day at the beach with a juicy read like Taylor Jenkins Reid’s Daisy Jones & The Six, whose setting is a short flight away on Los Angeles’ Sunset Strip. Walk down the Scripps Pier, which is accessible from the beach and one of the world’s largest working piers, scientists come here to monitor changes in the Pacific Ocean and study marine life. For your own under the sea moment, visit La Jolla Underwater Park, a protected ocean area full of marine life, including California’s state fish, the orange garibaldi, leopard sharks, and stingrays.
