Chloë Sevigny. Bianca Jagger. Josephine Baker. Alexa Chung. It girls are inexplicably attractive in an atypical way—looks, style, personality, and the friend group to go with. They are magnets. “When you think of those types of girls, they are very much in tune with who they are as a person,” says Sandrine Charles, owner and CEO of Sandrine Charles Consulting. “They’re also real tastemakers—not like the title of influencer today. They were really influencing without the reach and creating an environment that became really fun, exciting, and hot at the moment.”
Effortlessly, wherever the It girl frequents subsequently embodies a certain level of allure. Today, places try to replicate that cool factor with references from social media algorithms and by handpicking certain content creators in an attempt to manufacture that attraction It girls and their haunts create.
“Perhaps they are drawn to something that’s a little more low-key and a bit of a hidden gem but still gives a high/low mix of luxury and understated glam factor while feeling warm in genuine hospitality and local offerings,” explains Gia Kuan, the public relations powerhouse behind Gia Kuan Consulting. “There’s something special about these places that goes beyond the place [itself]. The people and the community around them bring people together.”
As you’re considering your own escapes abroad for the year ahead, consider these three locations that seemingly attract the most magnetic travelers on their own accord.
Mexico City
Mexico City is the home to one of the newest SoHo Houses and the hospitality group’s only Latin American location. But beyond SoHo House following where their members are frequenting, there are plenty of things to do and see, as it’s been a destination for New York’s creative community to escape cold northeastern winters the last couple years.
Gia recommends the La Valise, an eight-suite hotel in Polanco that blends into the other colonial townhouses in the neighborhood. Each suite has individual standout features, from La Luna’s rotating moon wall divider to Polaris’s king-size bed that can roll out onto a private terrace under the stars. Mélanie Masarin, founder and CEO of Ghia, recommends Ignacia Guesthouse, a vibrant refurbished 1913 mansion turned bread-and-breakfast in Colonia Roma, and Octavia Casa, a minimal respite in the Condesa neighborhood where Mexico City’s Art Deco movement emerged in the 1920s and 1930s. Despite stark differences in their interiors, she says that “both offer the right mix of design, intimacy, location, and service.” The holy grail of It girl–approved destinations.
Mélanie picks Salón Rosetta, located above the restaurant Rosetta (which does the room service for La Valise), as a great place to start an evening. “It’s private and the cocktails are exquisite,” she notes. Ranked as one of the top 50 restaurants in the world, Pujol is a must-have while in town according to Sandrine, although it’s notoriously impossible to get a table there. “When you book your trip, you should book your table at Pujol,” she says. For those that aren’t planning that far ahead and are on the search for authenticity, Mélanie also offers Expendio de Maíz. What appears like a casual taqueria is an homage to one of the most traditional methods of tortilla making. Contramar is also a good spot for dinner, but Sandrine likes it for an outdoors lunch, particularly for the people watching. “The vibe is always calm and luxurious.”
“I don’t necessarily party when I go to Mexico City, but it’s a really good cultural experience that I think more people should get into,” Sandrine says. “Not everything has to be crazy.” Mélanie says that the Museo Nacional de Antropología is “simply so unique and impressive,” and although you may recognize the pink walls from countless fashion shoots, seeing the Cuadra San Cristóbal and its Luis Barragan–built horse stables is a must. “Nothing beats seeing the colors of this place in real life,” she adds. Lastly, FABRICA is a multifunctional creative space owned and operated by photographer Darryl Richardson. If you want to dial into the local art scene, this hub has events like a weekly film series, art exhibitions, curated dinners, and the occasional party.
Italy
Without a doubt, summer 2023 belonged to Italy. (Have you already forgotten about tomato girl summer?) Lake Como views and candy-striped umbrellas along Mediterranean beaches seemed to stay steadily present up and down our Instagram feeds. As aesthetics become increasingly more important to travelers, record-breaking numbers headed to the birthplace of pizza and had everyone ready to live out their wildest White Lotus dreams.
As there wasn’t one particular standout city or region, the girls had a variety of thoughts. Mélanie, who recently relocated to Paris, offers the Four Seasons Milano as well as a smaller, all-suite boutique hotel, Magna Pars, l’ Hotel à Parfum. It’s a former perfume factory on a quieter street in the fashion district. Scent is at the center of the stay with a garden full of roses, azaleas, and magnolias. And should you take the opportunity to create your own signature scent at LabSolue, the in-house perfume lab is a nod to the building’s origins as a fragrance factory.
Gia, on the other hand, opts for an Airbnb while lounging on the beaches across the island of Sicily. Having taken the time to explore, she “would have loved to book Casa Lawa, which is a super-small B&B that’s located on a hill near Mount Etna, between Taormina and Catania.” The bread-and-breakfast is known for its residences and workshops for everything from bread baking and waterfront yoga to foraging and kombucha fermentation.
In terms of the country’s capital, Chrissy Rutherford, the fashion media vet turned talented multi-hyphenate and cofounder of anti-racist comms strategy agency 2BG Consulting, says the Palazzo Dama Hotel is her favorite place to stay in Rome. “It’s a chic boutique hotel nestled in a quiet spot near the River Tiber, but it’s still an easy walk to all the action,” she explains. “The staff is so welcoming; the decor is glamorous and sensuous yet still relaxing. They also have a pool, which is essential if you’re in Rome when it’s hot.”
In Milan, Mélanie points to La Latteria di San Marco, an eight-table establishment owned by a husband-and-wife duo since 1965, and Bar Basso, the birthplace of the Negroni Sbagliato, as her favorites. Whereas in Rome, Chrissy notes that traveling into the city will ward the most authentic food. “Trecca is a bit of a trek but absolutely worth it for their pachero alla norma.” And for after dinner, she points to Club Derriere, a “dark, sexy cocktail bar hidden in the back of a restaurant” that also doubles as “a great date spot.”
What’s the best way to view Italy? “You can’t go wrong being on a boat anywhere in Sicily, but my suggestion would be Puglia because there are so many different parts to explore and I think the best way to do it is by boat,” Chrissy insists.
“It’s hard to pick one, but I really loved my boat trip to the Aeolian islands,” Mélanie says. “Being able to pull up so close to Stromboli at night and see it erupt was truly spectacular, and Salinas—my favorite of the Aeolians—still has a very local feel.” Gia heard that “Sardinia and the little island of Favignana have stunning waters, and I’d love to do a boat trip there next year.”
Grand Cayman Island
Between Hailey Bieber’s GQ cover shot in every corner of Palm Heights Grand Cayman and It girls Paloma Elsesser and Emily Ratajkowski visiting, Grand Cayman has a chokehold on the high-taste crowd. Palm Heights’ uniforms were even made in collaboration with 2019 CFDA winner Emily Bode and became so popular with clientele that the hotel (and Emily’s brand, Bode) released a small capsule collection.
Sandrine, Gia, and Mélanie universally say Palm Heights Grand Cayman is that girl right now—it’s the ultimate place to visit and stay in Cayman. “Being a Caribbean American going back to the Caribbean, my thing is never to be a big-box hotel dwelling visitor,” Sandrine adds.
Palm Heights is the only all-suite boutique hotel on the tiny island, and it’s set on the famous Seven Mile Beach. “If you’re lucky enough to have visited, you’ll remember fondly the attention to detail throughout the hotel,” Mélanie explains. “Everywhere you look is beautiful and thoughtful, from the curated pile of books that wait for you in your bedroom when you arrive to the homemade treats that are brought over at turndown service.” The turmeric white chocolate cookies are a property staple.
The hotel’s wellness facilities and offerings are also unmatched. From athletes as accomplished as 2016 Olympic gymnast Ellie Downie in residence teaching their fitness classes and the on-property spa to The Garden Club’s traditional Hammams and their cold-plunge pools, it’s easy to spend your entire stay at the hotel.
When we think of beachfront food, it’s never really acclaimed for its culinary genius. Yet at Palm Heights Tillie’s, the Coconut Club, and the seaside treats like chilled watermelon slices, pressed juice and ginger shots, and Tajin-spiced pineapple bites will make you realize a lot of other places could afford to do better.
“The food is great, the people are tanned and beautiful. Everyone knows your name,” Mélanie says. Whether it’s a selection of their three ceviches during dinner service at Tillie’s or the fish sandwich during a break from the sand at Coconut Club, simplicity, quality, and an excellent playlist make it easy to disconnect and chill.
However, should you step foot off the property, Sandrine loves to go to the lakeside spot Ristorante Pappagallo (“It’s great for breakfast, reading a book, and exploring.”) and the Mexican restaurant and Tequila bar Casa 43, where it feels like everybody knows the owners Lloyd and Max.
Essentially anywhere that Bambi Grimotes, Palm Heights’ mood director, tells you to be is exactly where you should be. The cultural programming is a draw in itself, whether that’s karaoke Friday’s or Bambi’s Saturday Mambo Italiano party at the property’s pizza spot Paradise Pizza, trivia night, a Coconut Club comedy show, rooftop film night, or a little beachfront DJ set, you and whoever you’re with has options.
Being so close to the small airport and with flights typically pretty early, Sandrine said, “When you arrive, the girls are there relaxing,” with an emphasis on relaxing. She said she always packs her bathing suit on her to slip into it as soon as she arrives. Throughout her stay, she starts mornings with a workout at the Garden Club and loves that there’s always fun options but opts to just stay at the beach until the sun sets. Take in some spa time or even relax in the room, it never feels like you’re missing out. “Palm Heights is my idea of paradise,” Mélanie adds. Essentially, it’s at the pinnacle of talent and taste right now, all of the girls said so!
