Luxury Travel Insider

Joining us today is Liz Biden, Owner of The Royal Portfolio in South Africa which includes some of the top properties in all of Africa - like The Silo in Cape Town and Royal Malewane in Sabi Sands. Though renowned for the GORGEOUS interiors and world class guides, Liz's hotels are really a family affair. Her husband, Phil and her son Matthew help to run the hotels - but what you may not know is th...

Our guest is Rocco Bova, the General Manager of Chable Yucatan - a revived hacienda in the heart of the Yucatan jungle.  Each casita and villa is nestled into the Mayan jungle, and built in contemporary design using rich local woods and stone. Relax in your private plunge pool, indulge in your outdoor shower, or experience a revival at one of the best spas in Mexico.  When you're fully immersed in...

Today's guest is Karen Emanuel, owner of Jicaro Lodge in Nicaragua. Jicaro is a stunning collection of 9 villas set on a tiny island in the middle of Lake Nicaragua near Granada. To get to the island you've got to take a speedboat and until you're right at the threshold, you can't even tell it's inhabited. When you step onto this isle of tranquility you'll see the pool set amongst boulders shining...

Today we're chatting about one of my favorite countries for active travelers, Iceland! While luxury in other countries may mean five star hotels and spas, true luxury in this corner of the world looks more like private guides inviting you into their homes, having parts of the other-worldly landscape all to yourself, horseback riding to a private picnic near a waterfall, or helicoptering up to hike...

Today we're speaking with Arnaud Zannier, Owner of Zannier Hotels - a collection of 6 properties from the intimate Le Chalet in France, to the famed Phum Baitang in Cambodia Zannier is the epitome of luxury for the traveler who wants to feel immersed in a culture. While other luxury hotels may box out the local culture to create a sense of home within their walls - Zannier turns that on it's head...

Today's guest is Stefano Barbini, owner of San Lorenzo lodges in Italy - White Deer in the Dolomites, Holy Deer in Rome, and Blue Deer which is actually a custom built, luxury catamaran that Stefano likes to call his "sea lodge." If you like authentic travel, San Lorenzo lodges are the stuff of your dreams. White Deer is a 16th century hunting lodge, previously owned by a Bishop, that the Barbini...

Our guest today is Calvin Cottar, the owner and director of Cottars 1920s Camp. The Cottar family is iconic in the world of safari, as they were one of the first families to pioneer the safari experience we all now enjoy. Cottar's Camp itself sits on the edge of the Maasai Mara in Kenya and conserves over 7,600 acres of land. While the camp is gorgeous, full of modern luxuries, and amazing service...

Our guest on this episode is Markos Chaidemenos, co-owner and Managing Director of Canaves Oia luxury properties in Santorini, Greece. Canaves is a collection of 6 of the top luxury properties in Santorini, all set in the whitewashed town of Oia, overlooking the sapphire Aegean Sea. After a day of wine tasting, bike riding around the island, or visiting centuries old ruins you can relax in your pr...

Today we're welcoming Serge Ditesheim, the General Manager of the new One & Only Mandarina in Nayarit, Mexico. The One & Only Mandarina is one of the most talked about openings in all of luxury travel, set to open in two weeks on November 1st. The property will be a collection of stylish treehouses and clifftop villas nestled into the rainforest and overlooking the Pacific ocean. You'll be able to...

If you love luxury with a heart, Sol y Luna is the spot for you. The hotel is a gorgeous set of little villas, decorated in rich colors and artwork, and cooks up some of the best food you'll find in the Sacred Valley. Petit wasn't always in the travel world - she had a corporate career first, which brought her to Peru. It was then that she and Franz realized something different was calling them -...

Jade McBride is the Managing Director of Ted Turner Reserves and GM of Vermejo Park Ranch. Vermejo is set on 550,000 acres in Northern New Mexico on a spectacularly beautiful and diverse reserve. Here you can head out on adventures around property to go hiking, fly fishing, or see wildlife like bison, elk, and black bears. Then after it all, you can come back to the lodge, enjoy a world class dinn...

Julien Surget is the General Manager of the famed Amangiri hotel in Southern Utah. Amangiri is a modern sanctuary situated among 600 acres of wilderness and isolation in the desert. Every detail of the hotel was thought through in order to honor the surroundings - from building the pool around a massive boulder, to using the desert light to play off the structures, to the 25,000 square foot spa th...

Andrea Bonilla and Hans Fister are the co-owners of Cayuga Collection in Central America. Cayuga is a collection of 7 independently owned luxury boutiques in Costa Rica, Nicaragua, and Panama. The company employs over 450 local staff and protects 1,500 acres of rainforest. Though each property has its own unique soul - what ties them all together is Hans and Andrea's commitment to people, service,...

Introducing Luxury Travel Insider, hosted by Sarah Groen. Each week we'll chat with Icons in luxury travel to bring you insider details on some of the best hotels in the world, most interesting destinations, and top tour guides/conservationists. Our goal is to inspire you to experience the world and understand, at a deeper level, the heart and soul that goes into creating bespoke travel experience...