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Hello all—

It feels like I just got home but I’m already packing my bags for my next journey. This time I’m heading to Rome, Nice, and Paris. It will be my first time back in Nice in more than a decade, and I’m excited to see what’s changed—in particular, Anantara has a new hotel I will be checking out.

One place that has undoubtedly changed since I last went more than a decade ago is Tulum. Once a symbol of one’s chic in-the-know-ness, disdain is now the de rigueur virtue signal. And yet, countless thousands still flood there to live and play, so we had contributor Winston Ross go down and see if it’s really all that bad. The piece is incredibly colorful (one person refers to it as “a mental hospital with a view of the sea”) and one of my favorites we’ve run so far this year!

A couple of weeks ago I was in New York City staying at the famed New York Palace Hotel (now a Lotte property) because they’re offering free tours of their Gilded Age mansion–one of the few places in New York allowing you inside a preserved residence from that era.

Rounding out this week’s newsletter is our latest feature for It’s Still a Big World. My colleague Andrew Kirell is a full on Japanophile and his mission on a recent trip was to give travelers looking to break out of the typical Tokyo-Kyoto-Osaka-Hiroshima circuit an alternative. In writing about the island Shikoku, a place with incredible food and spectacular nature, he’s certainly convinced me to go the next time I’m there. Enjoy!

Enjoy!

— William O’Connor, Travel Editor

Tulum Is a ‘Mental Hospital With a View of the Sea’—But Is It Really as Bad as People Say?

Some of its residents are ashamed to tell people where they live. Others lament the literal poop in the water. And yet, so many people are still in love with Tulum.

Inside the NYC Mansion of Doomed Railroad Tycoon You Can Now Tour

It was a mansion that papers claimed outshone that of the Vanderbilts, but its owner faced ruin before it was even finished.

This Is Japan’s Secret Food and Adventure Paradise

A world-class art island, a gorgeous river valley retreat, and the best chicken we’ve ever had—here’s why this lesser-known region of Japan deserves your attention.

Billionaires’ Hotel Plan Sparks Another War in Palm Beach

“It’s another billionaire taking over our town and depriving the residents of peace and quiet,” one local says.

“Leonardo da Vinci’s mother was stolen from present-day Russia and enslaved, according to new research that will upend Italy’s understanding of its most famous artist. In another extraordinary twist, Italian historian Carlo Vecce has claimed that she was freed from slavery by da Vinci’s father, who was himself a well-known trader of enslaved people.”

– Tom Sykes reports on the latest developments in the long fight over the origins of Leonardo da Vinci.

Chic Béis Travel Bags Look Great, and Won’t Break the Bank

Béis’s Weekender Water Repellent Tote Bag is the ultimate carry-on for two- to three-day getaways.

The tote bag has a structured silhouette with a flat base and protective metal feet, and a couple of exterior pockets (one that you can even unzip to slide onto your luggage). The bottom of the Weekender bag unzips to store your dirty shoes or anything else you may want separate from your clothes and other valuables, which is truly an ingenious feature. ThE strap is nicely padded, because comfort matters.

— Scouted by Kelsey Fredricks

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Travel to Europe’s Most Eclectic Rooms

We’ve featured a number of tomes here at Just Booked (our series on gorgeous travel-related coffee table books) that took us inside fabulous rooms. But we're not sure any of them ever took us in rooms as awe-inspiring and eclectic as those you’ll find in Massimo Listri's Cabinet of Curiosities, published by Taschen.

The book is filled with the famed photographer’s detailed and engrossing photographs of some of Europe’s most exciting cabinets of curiosity—rooms where the most acquisitive individuals accumulated and displayed a variety of objects. They can be filled with art, decorative objects, items from nature (you will see a lot of coral), inventions, and just downright strange things.

Don’t miss our other selections for our series on gorgeous travel-related coffee table books, Just Booked.

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