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Stephanie Rafanelli 🇬🇧🇮🇹🇺🇸

@stephrafanelli

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Writer ✍️ Contributing editor @condenasttraveller @thetimes nominee @pressawardsuk former @harpersbazaar @bbc @guardian @telegraph agent @robertcaskie

POSTS STORIES REELS TAGGED

Views // @rayapanarea

#Panarea for @condenasttraveller

#isoleeolie

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I’m especially happy that this story on #Paraty found its way onto the cover of Condé Nast Traveler.

This assignment was as beautiful as it was challenging. The weather refused to cooperate, plans changed constantly, and for the first few days, I found myself trying to persuade it to become the Paraty I had come looking for.

I had been here before, after all. I arrived with memories, expectations, images already forming in my mind. Perhaps that is one of the quiet difficulties of returning somewhere: we are never quite arriving for the first time.

But sometimes, a challenging situation is exactly what you need to understand that the only thing travel really asks of us is to surrender.

Two days in, I stopped fighting.

I stopped looking for the light I had imagined, the stories I thought I should chase, the version of Paraty I remembered.

And in that small act of surrender, everything shifted.

Every place has its seductions. Paraty certainly does. Beyond the charming cobbled streets of the colonial town and the glistening emerald fjords lies a much more significant story—one shaped by the heavily underrepresented Guaraní, Caiçara and Quilombola communities, the guardians of this unique ecosystem known as the Mata Atlântica.

When we stop asking a place to be what we imagined, we may finally begin to see what it actually is. This, in the end, felt like the most profound and honest version of Paraty—and I’m very grateful we found it.

Thank you @plansouthamerica for putting this trip together so thoughtfully. @mattbuckphoto for your trust and guidance. @stephrafanelli 💛 for being the best partner in crime—both in the field and on the page.

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We’ve been busy so you can catch a break! Joshua Muyiwa (@silverbangled) went across Bengaluru in search of the most exciting meals in town. Horatio Claire went on a quest of mermaids in Syracuse. Stephanie Rafanelli (@stephrafanelli) went diving for mantas and sharks in Seychelles. We sent our writers far and wide in search of the best new wildlife openings. To try new wellness retreats. On the K-trail in Seoul and to report from the best new hotels from Mumbai to Madikeri to Frankfurt. All this so you can get out and get well and make the most of the year.✨

Plus: An all-new Destination Wedding Guide with a focus on Indian craft and heritage, complimentary with our August-September-October issue—on stands now! 🗞️

Credits:
Issue cover
Photographer: Jack Johns (@jackjohns) 📍Ognina beach, Syracuse, Italy

Slides 2 & 3: Lauryn Ishak (@laurynishak)
Slides 4 & 5: Andrew Urwin (@aturwin)
Slide 9: Rahul Kizhakke Veettil (@darkknitestudios)

Destination Wedding Guide cover
Bride: Sharon D’Souza (@sharondsouza)
Photography & Videography: Gautam Khullar Photography (@gautamkhullarphotography)

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Alphonse Island in the Outer Seychelles is the perfect place to escape.

Shot on assignment for @condenasttraveller
Thanks @bluesafari_seychelles @stephrafanelli

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Paraty has long drawn travellers for its pretty UNESCO-listed streets, cachaça distilleries, turquoise waters and Brazil’s biggest literary festival. Now, a new generation of artists, chefs, designers and activists is tapping into its pre-colonial roots. We sent Stephanie Rafanelli and Marta Tucci to explore for @cntraveler - now on the US cover.

Read the full story at the link in bio.

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#Paraty #Brazil

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The kind of week that quietly rearranges your life…

Five days of movement, mindset and medicine under a spring Balearic sky

This isn’t a holiday

It’s a recalibration.

Two rooms left for May - save this if your nervous system needs it.

#wellnessretreat #ibizaretreat #mindbodyreset #soundhealing #icebath

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✨ Beyond honoured to share that I’ve been featured in The Times (UK) as part of the Elevate Ibiza retreat experience — in their luxury section no less ✨

This retreat — envisioned and created by the endlessly inspiring Natalie Connor @how.we.elevate — holds such a special place in my heart. Being invited to join as a guest facilitator and stand alongside her and so many gifted practitioners was a true joy and privilege.

A heartfelt thank you to @stephrafanelli for immersing yourself so fully in the experience and articulating its depth with such thoughtfulness.

It’s powerful to see this work reach a wider audience and open the conversation around what true inner elevation can look like.

And the deepest gratitude to @ntlcnnr — your vision, heart, and leadership continue to raise the bar on what meaningful, soulful experiences can be.

To all the beautiful women who came with open hearts, thank you for the magic, the connection, and the transformation shared. Here’s to more spaces that honour our growth, our potential, and our embodied strength 🙏🏻

🔗 Link in bio to read the full feature and check out @how.we.elevate to book one of the remaining spaces available for 2026.

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Such an incredible milestone to be featured in @thetimes courtesy of the absolutely incomparable @stephrafanelli

Beautiful words which captured the essence of what our retreats are all about perfectly 🙏

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I’m not crying you’re crying 🥹 #departureday #friendsforlife #ibizaretreat #elevate #wellbeing #wellnessexperience #balaerics #indiansummer☀️ #selfdevelopmentjourney

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Retreat day 4… 🫠 #relayrace #yoga #cacaoceremony #heartopener #sushifordays #makefoodart #privatechef #friendsforlife #retreating #ibiza

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Ibiza retreat day 3 🌅 #runclub #runningdrills #teamwork #fitness #yoga #ibizasecrets #clifftopyoga #sunsetyoga #beachday #nutrition #functionalmedicinecoach #workshops #privatechef #pokebowls #protein

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