Select destinations
Select Destinations
Places we know personally.Places we return to often.
Beyond Japan and France, there are places we return to for their landscapes, cultures, food, wine and the people who give them character. These destinations are chosen with intention, shaped by years lived in a country, personal experience and an appreciation for what makes each place distinct.
From the vineyards of California to the quiet beauty of rural Portugal, the wine villages of Italy, the cultural richness of the UK and the wine regions and coastline of Australia, we create journeys that go beyond the expected. The aim is not to cover the world (but we can if you need us to!), but to know certain places well enough to help you experience them with greater depth spoken from first hand experience.
Italy
Piedmont and Tuscany
Italy is close to Tracey’s heart through her family’s Italian lineage, and its regional diversity is part of what makes it so compelling. Rather than treating Italy as a single destination, we focus on places where landscape, food, wine and local traditions are inseparable.
In Piedmont, the rolling hills of the Langhe and Roero are defined by vineyards, historic villages and a deep-rooted food culture. Barolo and Barbaresco are central to the region’s wine identity, while seasonal ingredients, hazelnuts, truffles and local cheeses offer their own reasons to linger. The pleasure lies in taking time: visiting producers, exploring small towns and letting the landscape set the pace.
Tuscany offers a different kind of beauty. From the vineyards of Chianti and Montalcino to the open countryside of the Val d’Orcia, its cypress-lined roads, olive groves and hilltop villages invite a slower journey. Wine and food remain central, but so do architecture, art, rural traditions and the simple pleasure of spending time in a place that rewards attention.
Whether in Piedmont or Tuscany, a well-crafted journey makes room for the people behind the region’s character: winemakers, cooks, artisans and hosts whose knowledge brings a place into focus. These are the encounters that can transform a beautiful trip into a more personal understanding of Italy.
Portugal
From the landscapes of Alentejo to the Atlantic edge of Sagres
Portugal is a place we return to time and time again with stints of life lived on its land. It's a country that enchants those looking beyond its best-known cities and beaches. In our beloved Alentejo, wide horizons, cork oak forests, olive groves, vineyards and whitewashed towns create a slower, more spacious sense of place. Design-led hotels, thoughtful architecture and a strong connection to local produce make the region particularly appealing to travellers seeking understated comfort and authentic experiences.
Here, days might unfold around regional wines, olive oil, seasonal cooking and the distinctive character of the landscape. A visit can be as much about the rhythm of a place as its individual highlights: a market in the morning, a long lunch, a quiet drive through the countryside or an evening in a beautiful rural retreat.
Further southwest, the sublime Sagres offers a strikingly different expression of Portugal. Dramatic cliffs meet the Atlantic, with expansive skies, rugged headlands and wide beaches shaped by wind and waves. The atmosphere is relaxed and outdoors-oriented, with a surf culture that influences the pace of life. Days can be spent in the water, walking the cliffs, discovering quieter stretches of coast or settling into a seafood lunch after a morning on the beach.
Northwest of Lisbon, the coast tells another story again. Cascais combines the charm of an old fishing town with a marina, small beaches, coastal walks and an easy elegance that makes it as good for a few unhurried days as for a longer stay. Further up the Atlantic coast, the towns keep that same beauty in a quieter key: whitewashed lanes, surf beaches, seafood restaurants and wide ocean light. It is a stretch of Portugal that rewards slowing down, staying by the sea and letting the days be shaped by the tides, the markets and long lunches.
We have individually returned to Portugal for more than a decade, drawn by its variety, warmth and enduring sense of discovery. The contrast between the inland landscapes of Alentejo and the open Atlantic coast around Sagres makes Portugal particularly rewarding to explore slowly, allowing time for both its quieter corners and its more elemental coastal life.
Experiences might include meeting local wine producers, discovering regional cooking, tasting olive oils at their source or enjoying seafood shaped by the Atlantic. Where the setting and local relationships allow, these encounters can become a natural expression of a Maison V Provenance Session.
United States
Napa Valley and California’s wine coast
Lachlin spent several years living in the United States and travelled extensively through Napa Valley and California’s wine regions. That first-hand experience informs an appreciation for the state’s remarkable range, from celebrated estates and destination restaurants to cooler coastal vineyards and places where the landscape remains the defining feature.
Napa Valley is known for its wine, hospitality and ambitious food culture, but the wider experience extends beyond the tasting room. Architecture, gardens, local producers and the relationship between vineyard and table all contribute to the region’s character.
Beyond Napa, Sonoma and California’s cooler-climate coastal wine regions offer a different perspective, shaped by Pacific influence, varied terrain and a more expansive sense of place. A journey might combine time among the vineyards with coastal drives, thoughtful dining and stays that reflect the character of their surroundings.
For wine lovers, California offers opportunities to explore familiar names while discovering producers and places that may be less widely known. The most rewarding itineraries balance celebrated experiences with the freedom to follow personal interests, whether those centre on wine, food, design or the landscape itself.
While wine is a passion area, we also cover New York, San Francisco, Las Vegas, Mammoth Mountain, ski resorts and destinations where our own personal stories have been written countless times over.
United Kingdom
London, Sussex and the English wine regions
Tracey lived in London for over 15+ years and knows first hand all London offers in its ever-evolving mix of architecture, art, design, restaurants and cultural life. It is a city best explored with room for discovery, whether through its established institutions, independent neighbourhoods or the people shaping its creative scene.
Beyond the capital, Sussex offers a different rhythm: country lanes, historic villages, gardens, generous landscapes and a quieter side of English life. The surrounding countryside is also part of England’s increasingly compelling wine story. In the south, cool-climate conditions and chalk-rich soils have helped establish a distinctive English wine culture, particularly in sparkling wine.
A journey might combine several days in London with time in Sussex, including a vineyard visit, a country-house stay or a long lunch shaped by the season. The contrast between city and countryside makes the experience feel both varied and connected. And, at the end, you are only a short train ride away from Paris, one of our favourite cities.
Australia
Sydney, the wine regions and the coast
Australia is Lachlin’s home ground. A native Sydneysider and WSET Level 3 with deep connections in the Australian wine world, he is an avid surfer, skier and explorer, and knows the country from the wine regions to the slopes and the beaches.
A journey might start in Sydney and up the coast at Palm Beach, with harbour days, surf beaches and long lunches, then turn inland to the wine regions for cellar doors and the producers behind them. In winter the same country offers the ski fields of the Australian Alps, a season Lachlin knows from the other side of the world as well.
It is a vast country, and that is the point: we focus on the places Lachlin knows first hand, and build the journey around wine, coast and landscape in the proportions that suit you.
The destinations we choose to work with reflect personal connections, first-hand experience and a belief that the best journeys are built around what matters to you. We bring together the right places, stays and experiences to create travel that feels individual and connected to the character of each destination.
Explore what is possible.
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