Bettina Hahn Luxury Travel

Matera is one of the most memorable places that I have traveled to in Italy, especially when you stay somewhere like this.

Vetera Matera is set directly inside the Sassi, a UNESCO World Heritage site and one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. Some of the caves you’re sleeping in were carved thousands of years ago. This isn’t a hotel near the history, it is the history.

One of my favorite experiences: early mornings in the Sassi before day visitors arrive, when the streets are at their quietest. That’s when I recommend heading out with a private guide who can bring real context to what you’re seeing.

Evenings can include dinner reservations in cave restaurants like Regiacorte or Vitantonio Lombardo, local Aglianico in your glass, and views across the ravine toward the illuminated cave dwellings of the Sassi Barisano.

Curious about Matera? Get in touch to learn more!

Every room. Every suite. Every view faces the Taj Mahal.

Oberoi Amarvilas, less than half a mile from the East Gate, consistently ranks among the top hotels in Asia and is one of the first properties I mention when a client says India is on their list.

India trips are also some of the most talked-about trips my clients ever take. Not just during the trip, for years after. The country rewards great planning more than almost anywhere else I send people, and this is one of the properties I build that planning around.

I'd love to help design the right journey. Get in touch to start planning!

Bodrum has seen a surge in new hotels over the last decade. Macakizi has been there since 1977, and it just gave the food world a reason to pay attention.

It earned one of Bodrum's first Michelin stars, and the food program here goes well beyond that. The chef dives for the catch every morning. The new restaurant, Ayla, serves a three-act dinner over two and a half hours, featuring olive oil from Memecik village, honey from Comlekci, and blue crab from Datca. Breakfast is unapologetically Turkish: simit, local cheeses, and tomatoes the size of small melons. No sad buffet eggs in sight.

This is the property I recommend when clients want the Bodrum Peninsula done properly. Get in touch to learn more!

The Chobe River basin has one of the highest concentrations of elephants on Earth. Watching that from the water is an experience of its own.

The Zambezi Queen is a luxury houseboat that cruises the Chobe River on the border of Botswana and Zimbabwe. Fourteen suites, a small group, and days built around the river.

Elephants crossing right in front of the boat is a regular occurrence. So are hippos, crocs, and some of the best birding on the continent. Game drives go alongside the river experience, so guests cover both water and land during the journey.

Advisor insight: This experience pairs naturally with a private game reserve stay in Botswana or Zimbabwe to complete an itinerary that covers the full range of a Southern Africa trip.

If Africa is on your list, this is one of the most unique ways to experience it.

Can I talk about Amsterdam for a second? Because it doesn't get nearly enough credit.

Thirteen UNESCO-listed canals, two of the world's greatest museums, a neighborhood in the Jordaan that rivals anything in Paris for atmosphere, and a food scene that nobody talks about nearly enough. It's all there.

Here's the insider tip I give almost every client heading to Amsterdam: add a few days in Bruges or Ghent. Both are under three hours by train, and the contrast in atmosphere makes both destinations feel richer. Medieval architecture, incredible chocolate and beer culture, and a pace that is completely different from Amsterdam. Most people come back wishing they had built in more time.

Northern Europe is one of the most rewarding regions I recommend right now. Get in touch if it's on your list.

There's a version of the Caribbean that doesn't involve a packed resort corridor, a beach chair you had to claim by 7am, or a cocktail that's more umbrella than drink.

COMO Parrot Cay is that version. A private island in the Turks and Caicos with no day visitors, a beach that comes up in client conversations for years after the trip, and a COMO Shambhala spa program that runs on longer protocols than most Caribbean spas offer.

The privacy here is real in a way that's increasingly rare in this part of the world. The combination of natural setting and COMO's approach to wellness and hospitality has made this one of the most consistent recommendations I make anywhere in the Caribbean.

Ready for Turks and Caicos? Let's start planning.

Wondering where you can spend two weeks in Italy and never once feel like you're sharing it with everyone else? (Hint: You just have to go south.)

Vista Ostuni is a masseria property in the Valle d'Itria, perfectly positioned to experience everything Puglia has to offer. Ostuni's whitewashed hilltop streets are minutes away, the trulli of Alberobello are within easy reach, the sea caves at Polignano a Mare are worth the drive, and the coastline here is some of the most beautiful in Italy.

The property also delivers on what Puglia does best: local produce and some of the finest olive oil in Italy. And somehow, despite the growing word of mouth, it hasn't tipped into the kind of overtourism that has changed the experience elsewhere in Italy.

Ready to explore southern Italy? Message me to start planning.

The pyramids of Giza are visible from the pool. Let that sink in for a second.

Built as a hunting lodge in 1869, Marriott Mena House has expanded and transformed over the following decades, and is now one of the most historically rich hotel experiences in the world. Winston Churchill, Agatha Christie, and heads of state have all been guests.

The position at the foot of the Giza Plateau means early morning access to the site before the crowds arrive. A private sunrise at the Great Pyramid is one of the more reliable ways to shift how someone thinks about travel entirely.

Get in touch to learn more!