Italy
Milan, Florence & Venice
Design, the Last Supper and La Scala in Milan; Renaissance Florence; Venice by water taxi.
City & Culture · Fora-affiliated
City breaks in London, Lisbon, Paris, Rome and Buenos Aires, which I know in detail, with access to hotels in cities worldwide. I match the hotel to the neighbourhood you want to wake up in, and arrange the guides, tables and tickets around it.
Specialist cities
Neighbourhoods profiled
City hotel access
(A) — What I arrange
I'm an independent advisor, affiliated with Fora. I book city hotels directly and work with local guides and DMCs in each city, so a short trip is spent on the city, not on queues.
01 · Hotels
02 · Access
03 · Logistics
(B) — My specialist cities
The neighbourhood decides how a city trip feels. Each city below is split into the areas I book most, with a few of the hotels in each.
LHR · LGW · LCY · St Pancras
Mayfair
Bond Street, Green Park
W1
Postcode
Claridge's, The Connaught
Where to stay
Galleries, tailors and Bond Street, a short walk from the Royal Academy and Green Park.
Covent Garden & Holborn
The Strand, the West End
WC2
Postcode
The Savoy, Rosewood London
Where to stay
Walking distance to West End theatres and the Royal Opera House, and across the river to the South Bank.
Knightsbridge
Hyde Park, South Kensington
SW1
Postcode
Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park, The Lanesborough
Where to stay
On the edge of Hyde Park, close to the V&A and the Natural History Museum.
Marylebone
Marylebone High Street
W1
Postcode
The Marylebone
Where to stay
Village streets with independent shops, near Regent's Park and the Wallace Collection.
LIS
Chiado & Bairro Alto
Praça Luís de Camões
Centre
Area
Bairro Alto Hotel
Where to stay
Theatres, cafés and bookshops between the Baixa and the viewpoints of the Bairro Alto.
Príncipe Real
Above the Avenida
Centre
Area
Memmo Príncipe Real
Where to stay
A garden square, concept stores and the São Pedro de Alcântara viewpoint. Quieter at night than the Bairro Alto next door.
Avenida da Liberdade
To Marquês de Pombal
Centre
Area
Four Seasons Hotel Ritz Lisbon, Valverde
Where to stay
The city's tree-lined main boulevard, with the flagship shops and easy taxi access to everywhere else.
Belém
On the river, west of the centre
West
Area
Palácio do Governador
Where to stay
The Jerónimos Monastery and Belém Tower, both UNESCO World Heritage sites, on the Tagus waterfront.
CDG · ORY · Gare du Nord
Tuileries & Place Vendôme
The 1st arrondissement
1er
Arr.
Ritz Paris, Le Meurice, Cheval Blanc Paris
Where to stay
Walking distance to the Louvre, the Tuileries and the Seine.
Saint-Germain-des-Prés
The Left Bank
6e
Arr.
Hôtel Lutetia
Where to stay
Galleries, cafés and bookshops, near the Jardin du Luxembourg and the Musée d'Orsay.
The Golden Triangle
Avenue Montaigne, George V
8e
Arr.
Le Bristol, Four Seasons George V, Plaza Athénée
Where to stay
Couture houses on Avenue Montaigne and Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré, a few minutes from the Champs-Élysées.
Le Marais
Place des Vosges
3e–4e
Arr.
Le Pavillon de la Reine
Where to stay
17th-century mansions, the Picasso Museum and small galleries. Open on Sundays when much of Paris isn't.
FCO · Roma Termini
The Tridente
Spanish Steps, Piazza del Popolo
Centro
Area
Hotel de Russie, Hotel Hassler, Bulgari Hotel Roma
Where to stay
Via Condotti's shops between the Spanish Steps and Piazza del Popolo, with the Borghese gardens above.
Centro Storico
Pantheon, Piazza Navona, Trevi
Centro
Area
Six Senses Rome
Where to stay
The Pantheon, Trevi Fountain and Piazza Navona all on foot.
Via Veneto & Villa Borghese
Ludovisi
Centro
Area
Hotel Eden
Where to stay
Quieter streets beside the Villa Borghese park and the Borghese Gallery.
Trastevere
Across the Tiber
South
Area
Boutique hotels
Where to stay
Cobbled lanes and trattorias. Best for travellers who want evenings out on foot.
EZE · AEP
Recoleta
Avenida Alvear
North
Area
Alvear Palace, Palacio Duhau – Park Hyatt, Four Seasons
Where to stay
Belle Époque mansions, Recoleta Cemetery and the Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes.
Palermo
Palermo Soho, Palermo Chico
North
Area
Boutique hotels
Where to stay
The city's restaurant and bar district, with parks and MALBA, the Latin American art museum.
Puerto Madero
The old docks
East
Area
Faena Hotel
Where to stay
Converted warehouses and riverside walks, next to the Costanera Sur nature reserve.
San Telmo
Calle Defensa
South
Area
Boutique hotels
Where to stay
The oldest barrio, with tango halls and the Sunday antiques fair on Calle Defensa.
(C) — Beyond my five cities
Through Fora, I can book hotels, guides and experiences in most cities. These are the most requested.
Italy
Design, the Last Supper and La Scala in Milan; Renaissance Florence; Venice by water taxi.
Spain
Gaudí and the Gothic Quarter; the Prado, Thyssen and Reina Sofía within one walk.
USA
Hotels from the Upper East Side to Tribeca, with Broadway and the Met around them.
Japan
Two cities 2 hours 15 minutes apart by shinkansen, with private guides in both.
Mexico
Roma and Condesa, the National Museum of Anthropology, and one of the world's great food scenes.
Türkiye
Hagia Sophia and the Grand Bazaar, and the Bosphorus by private boat.
(D) — Before you book
City hotels vary most in the things a booking site won't show. I check these before a hotel goes on your shortlist.
What's in walking distance, how late it stays lively, and how it feels on a Sunday.
City rooms vary widely within one hotel. I book by category, with street or courtyard side confirmed.
The Louvre, the Vatican Museums and the Borghese Gallery need booking ahead. I build the days around the slots.
Museums that close on Mondays or Tuesdays, and restaurants that close in August in Paris and Rome.
Fashion weeks, trade fairs and major events that fill hotels and raise rates.
When the restaurants and shows you want release their bookings, and who books them.
(E) — When to go
All five cities are good in spring and autumn. Buenos Aires runs on southern-hemisphere seasons, so its spring is September to November and its hottest months are January and February.
| City | J | F | M | A | M | J | J | A | S | O | N | D |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| London | London, January: Good | London, February: Good | London, March: Good | London, April: Good | London, May: Best months | London, June: Best months | London, July: Best months | London, August: Good | London, September: Best months | London, October: Good | London, November: Good | London, December: Good |
| Lisbon | Lisbon, January: Good | Lisbon, February: Good | Lisbon, March: Best months | Lisbon, April: Best months | Lisbon, May: Best months | Lisbon, June: Best months | Lisbon, July: Good | Lisbon, August: Good | Lisbon, September: Best months | Lisbon, October: Best months | Lisbon, November: Good | Lisbon, December: Good |
| Paris | Paris, January: Good | Paris, February: Good | Paris, March: Good | Paris, April: Best months | Paris, May: Best months | Paris, June: Best months | Paris, July: Good | Paris, August: Good | Paris, September: Best months | Paris, October: Best months | Paris, November: Good | Paris, December: Good |
| Rome | Rome, January: Good | Rome, February: Good | Rome, March: Best months | Rome, April: Best months | Rome, May: Best months | Rome, June: Good | Rome, July: Good | Rome, August: Good | Rome, September: Best months | Rome, October: Best months | Rome, November: Good | Rome, December: Good |
| Buenos Aires | Buenos Aires, January: Good | Buenos Aires, February: Good | Buenos Aires, March: Best months | Buenos Aires, April: Best months | Buenos Aires, May: Best months | Buenos Aires, June: Good | Buenos Aires, July: Good | Buenos Aires, August: Good | Buenos Aires, September: Best months | Buenos Aires, October: Best months | Buenos Aires, November: Best months | Buenos Aires, December: Good |
(F) — How a city trip comes together
1
Who's travelling, dates, and what the trip is for: museums, food, shopping, a show or all of them.
2
A neighbourhood, two or three hotels in it, and a day-by-day outline built around booked slots.
3
Hotel, guides, tickets, tables and transfers confirmed, with one itinerary covering all of it.
4
Guides and drivers meet you as planned. I stay your contact if plans change.
Begin the conversation
I'll come back with a neighbourhood, hotels and a plan that fit.