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Erica Gragg - Escape Artist

@ericagragg

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Where to go, what to skip & what to wear there.
100 countries in • Condé Nast Top Travel Specialist.
↓ Plan a trip ~ or stay for the opinions.

POSTS STORIES REELS TAGGED

Some hotels are iconic. Very few actually surpass their own legend.

Belmond Hotel Splendido in Portofino is one of them.

Yes, the views are extraordinary. That terrace alone is enough to make you never want to leave.

But what stayed with me was everything beyond the view.

The hand-painted details, exquisite custom textiles, china created exclusively for the hotel, charming seahorse mosaics, and even little boxes of Leone candies made especially for Splendido.

And then there are the people. The kind of genuine warmth and effortless hospitality that can’t be manufactured, no matter how beautiful the setting.

It’s a rare thing when a hotel with this much history and reputation still manages to exceed expectations.

Splendido doesn’t simply live up to its legend. It surpasses it.

— Erica, Founder, Escape Artists Travel

#BelmondSplendido #Portofino #ItalianRiviera #LuxuryTravel #EscapeArtistsTravel

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Sleep at the Estancia first. Then the beach.

Two sides of Uruguay, and how I’d experience them in seven nights. That’s my minimum. José Ignacio takes some effort to reach, and once you’re there, you’ll wish you had longer.

NIGHTS 1–3 · ESTANCIA VIK
The perfect place to drop in: quiet, elegant, horse riding and even swimming with the horses, delicious wines, fabulous food, afternoons by the pool. Go here first, straight off the flight. One lunch out: Mostrador at Bodega Oceánica.

NIGHTS 4–7 · JOSÉ IGNACIO
Playa Vik for bold architecture and contemporary art, right on the point. Bahía Vik for something softer, with lawns running to the beach. First afternoon at the pool, dinner al fresco by the sea. The next day, walk out your door to the shops that line the charming square and beyond, lunch at El Chiringo, dinner at La Huella.

TWO DAYS OUT
Garzón: wander and photograph a town captured in time, then a gastronomic lunch at Bodega Garzón that is not to be missed. MACA, the Atchugarry museum and sculpture park, on the way back.
La Susana: a day at the beach club, with a long seaside lunch that carries you to sunset.

ALSO NOT TO MISS
Juana. Olada. Tato Pescador.

THE TIP
Countryside first is my way. You arrive at the coast already slowed down, and the estancia becomes the beginning of the trip rather than a detour from the beach. Plenty of people do it the other way round and love it.

WHEN TO GO
José Ignacio is decidedly seasonal. December through February is when the village comes alive, with January at its busiest. End of February/early March is my personal sweet spot, when the energy is still there but the crowds have eased. Mid March can be lovely and quieter, although some restaurants and beach clubs begin winding down. Plan early: the best rooms and tables book up months ahead.

Save this for Uruguay. The full Escape Edit — where to stay, eat, shop and what to do — is pinned on our grid.

Advisor in the Field · Erica Gragg

#Uruguay #JoseIgnacio #EstanciaVik #PlayaVik #LuxuryTravel

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For years, wellness travel was packaged as something you did alone. The mat. The juice. The silence.

We believed it, too — that’s the photo we always took.

Then we spent nearly twenty years watching strangers meet on day one and leave as friends.

We watched dinners run long, people laugh until they cried, try things they never imagined they would, and share places and experiences that somehow changed them.

The belly-dancing class in Marrakech where there were no spectators. The friendships that started on a boat in Uruguay. The power shopping that made us late to lunch. The people who met on one Escape to Shape trip and are still traveling together years later.

Somewhere along the way, we understood:
That’s not what happens around the wellness.
That is the wellness.

To everyone in these photos — from Búzios to Namibia and so many places in between — you know who you are. ♥️

Tag the person you shared the table with. We have a feeling they’re still in your life.

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Late summer has been pure joy, contentment and gratitude ☀️
A new couch, my magical upstate summer retreat with those I love, pool time, a puppy learning to be good, time to write, yoga and Pilates, skateboarding on the boardwalk, fashion dates with friends, family dinners on the patio, new studios I teach at, candle making, wish making with friends and trying not to burn my house down, and spontaneously running into a marching band. The sun shines on

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VETTED: Palace Merano, South Tyrol.

I went in curious. I left feeling great — but I’m not going to pretend it was effortless.

WHERE: Merano, about an hour from Bolzano — a beautiful Alpine town of gardens and walking paths, with mountains on every side and this grand, old-world hotel right in the middle of it.

COST: Budget roughly €6,500–€9,000+ for the week, depending on room and program. I hesitate to talk nightly rates because you’re not really paying for a hotel stay. You’re paying for a highly customized wellness program — accommodation, meals, medical consultations, diagnostics, treatments, fitness and classes, all in one.

WHO IT’S FOR: Someone genuinely curious about their health and willing to commit.

What surprised me most was how individualized it is. I ended up on a combination of programs, with my meals, treatments and classes built around what I needed.

I met with physicians who were refreshingly — and sometimes brutally — honest. An Olympic gold medalist assessed my fitness and built an exercise program I can actually do at home. This is for someone who doesn’t just want to be pampered, but wants to learn something and leave with tools.

WHO IT’S NOT FOR: Anyone looking for a traditional Italian vacation with a little wellness on top.

It’s an alcohol-free and caffeine free resort. This is not the place for an Aperol Spritz by the pool — and that’s very much the point.

And it’s not about instant gratification. The first few days were downright tough. I was tired, lethargic and tempted to curl up in my room. Then day three arrived, something shifted, and I was all in.

WHAT THE BROCHURE WON’T TELL YOU: Don’t let the old-school exterior fool you. Behind those doors: state-of-the-art diagnostics, Western medicine + Traditional Chinese Medicine, all highly personalized. The program evolves around you as the week goes on — not the other way around.

VERDICT: You don’t come here for the usual Italian indulgences. You’re here for you.

Vetted by Escape to Shape.
Book it through @escapeartiststravel — DM “VETTED” or use the link in bio.

#Vettedtravel #WellnessTravel #palacemerano #southtyrol #luxurytraveladvisor

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Filed under: things the brochure never mentions.

The welcome committee at @theretreatcostarica takes the job very seriously — full regalia, no appointment necessary. Just one more reason we left better than we arrived.

Tag the person you’d bring. 🌿

Vetted by Escape to Shape. Book it through @escapeartiststravel

#EscapeToShape #WomenWhoTravel #WellnessRetreat #VisitCostaRica #SlowTravel

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Checking In: The Pinnacle Kigali.
Nine rooms, a champagne wall, padel courts, a private cinema — perched high enough above Kigali that you understand immediately why they call Rwanda the Land of a Thousand Hills. It opened in January. Most of the world hasn’t noticed yet.

Who it’s for: the traveler who wants a true sense of place without sacrificing serious luxury. It feels less like a hotel than an extraordinary private home you’ve been invited into — and the art collection gives it a personality that’s distinctly African, never generically “luxury.” Choose it if you’re curious about Kigali itself, not just passing through on the way to the gorillas.

What the brochure won’t tell you: the members’ club changes everything. Instead of a luxury bubble filled only with other international travelers, you’re crossing paths with people who actually live and work in Kigali. It gives the hotel a social pulse we didn’t expect — you may leave feeling more connected to this city than you would at a more “central” address.

One honest caveat: the hilltop setting means you won’t walk out the door into the middle of town. That remove is part of the magic — but know it going in.

Verdict: come for the views. Stay for the window into a more interesting, connected Kigali.

The best trips don’t happen by accident. They’re designed. ⬇️

#EscapeArtistsTravel #LuxuryTravelAdvisor #beautifulhotels #visitrwanda #QuietLuxury

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The question I get most: “Wait — this is your job?”

It is. I’ve spent years tasting, walking, riding, and occasionally being interrogated by pelicans across 98 countries — collecting the details you can’t Google: which room, which guide, which table, which season. Then I design trips around all of it, so the only thing you have to plan is what goes in the suitcase.

If you’ve been dreaming about somewhere, or a feeling you are chasing, tell me where. That’s how every great trip I’ve ever designed has started.

Plan your escape — link in bio ✨

#WonderNeverGoesOutOfStyle #LuxuryTravelAdvisor #Womenwhotravel #TravelDesigner #quietluxury

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There’s a wellness resort in Costa Rica sitting on a crystal mountain above the clouds — and I’ve slept there, so you don’t have to wonder.

Vetted: The Retreat, Costa Rica.
Thirty rooms in the Central Valley hills near Atenas, about 40 minutes from the airport — no puddle-jumper, no four-hour transfer, which matters more than people admit. Pacific views, three restaurants, and the Vida Mía spa, where longevity therapies meet Ayurveda and crystal treatments.

Who it’s for: solo travelers — women and men — anyone craving an authentic Ayurvedic experience without flying to Kerala, and anyone whose only real goal is to come home in a better state than they left.

Who it’s not for: beach seekers and partiers. It’s in the hills, and it’s blissfully quiet. That’s the point.

What the brochure won’t tell you: the deepest luxury here isn’t the spa — it’s that you stop thinking about food entirely. Every meal is customized to your dosha and/or your reasons for coming, so you never once wonder “is this okay for me?” Food as medicine, yes — but I’m still thinking about the vegan nachos. Also filed under pleasant surprises: resident peacocks strolling the grounds, and a pool with a swing.

Verdict: if Kerala is the pilgrimage, this is the practice — real Ayurveda, four hours from Miami, and I left better than I arrived.

Vetted by Escape to Shape. Book it through @escapeartiststravel 🌿

#WomenWhoTravel #WellnessTravel #CostaRica #EscapeToShape #WellnessRetreat

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Wonder never goes out of style. And neither does a good entrance.
I’ve been collecting doors for years — gilded ones in Jaipur, sun-faded yellow ones in Jodhpur, and a very firmly cerrado one in Uruguay (moments before heartbreak).
The best trips are really just a series of good entrances. Someone has to know which doors are worth knocking on — and when they’re open.
That’s the part I do.
Which door would you walk through first? ✨

#WonderNeverGoesOutOfStyle #LuxuryTravelAdvisor #womenwhotravel #doorsofinstagram #quietluxury

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Save this before your next safari. 🦁

Nobody tells you safari has an unspoken dress code — and no, it’s not all khaki. After years in the bush and countless safaris, here’s how I actually pack to look chic and handle the conditions:

🌿 Earth tones — they photograph like a dream
🧥 Layers — freezing at dawn, hot by noon
👒 A great hat does half the work
🥾 Boots over sandals, always
✨ One showstopper for sundowners… or two 😉

Follow along for travel + style from 98 countries — because wonder never goes out of style. xoxo

Which look is your favorite — the leopard sundowner or the linen? 👇

#SafariStyle #WhatToWearOnSafari #TravelStyle #SafariFashion #LuxuryTravelAdvisor

Boots 📷 by @lexinegincreative

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Everyone thinks Rwanda is just the gorillas. And yes — standing feet from a silverback is a moment you never forget. But here’s everything else no one tells you not to miss: the children who sing you down a village path, trekking the land of a thousand hills, markets bursting with color, and a safari that steals your heart. Rwanda doesn’t just show you something. It rearranges you. Wonder never goes out of style. 🦍🐘🇷🇼 xoxo

#Rwanda #GorillaTrekking #WonderNeverGoesOutOfStyle #LuxuryTravelAdvisor #EscapeArtistsTravel

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