We would like to invite you to the beta launch of Galavante, the website resource for the Working Jet Set Traveler.
Our weekly Wednesday emails will feature a destination from around the world, with ideas on where to stay, eat, shop and of course galavante to enjoy your business or leisure trip.
At Galavante, we’re smart about our money, and look to maximize every experience. We like to be pampered at high-end hotels, but we also like to take advantage of our air mileage and points. Our recommendations are based on the unbiased and diverse viewpoints of our team of world traveling Contributors, who include the extraordinary Eva Helene Foust Yazhari, Isabel Greiner, Sharmila Murat and Cristina Nascimento Patel.
This week, we galavante to Milano, which is one of my favorite layover cities. I have a personal travel rule to always spend the night before a trip home in the same city as the airport. I stop in Milan frequently to travel to Switzerland, ski in Cortina and decompress at the gorgeous Lake Como. It’s also easy access to the Italian Riviera, where I can picture the infinity pool at Splendido now.
When I first visited Milan as a student, I thought it was just a modern city without a lot to see. What I didn’t know is that Milan is a hidden city, where behind grey stone buildings are gorgeous courtyards, restaurants and beautiful hotels. I got a peak into this world three years ago when my close friend Nina married into the Castelli family, who have been in Milan for generations. Nina’s husband Robin created the risotto recipes in Cooling Your Jets, and his cousin Valeria, the Carrie Bradshaw of Milan, provided us with the inside track on where to eat and shop. Every recommendation I have received from Valeria has been a home run.
What I love about Milan is that I don’t feel the pressure to pack my days with activities. I’m usually in Milan for a night or two layover, and here I eat gorgeous food, hang out all hours of the day and night at the Bulgari hotel and shop the sales. It’s pure mind candy for me to be in Milan. I also love using my points at the Park Hyatt Hotel, right next to the Galleria. It’s quite satisfying to stay in a 700 Euro room for no charge, yet to be warmly welcomed. The rooms are so comfortable there are times I’ve barely left the hotel after a long journey. It just feels like home.
Come Galavante with us here.
Christine Drinan, Founder and Editor-in-Chief
