Cold plunge
The Sailing Collective, Montreal for $3MM, Hotel El Roblar, Indarra, Babbo, Wolfsbane, Osteria Angelina, Gingie, MORE
GETAWAYS • Greece
Come sail away
Our catamaran shoved off from the island of Kos and headed northwest en route to Kalymnos, about 20 nautical miles away. We’d embarked on a weeklong sailing trip across Greece’s Dodecanese, a slightly off-the-beaten-path archipelago scattered in the southeastern Aegean near mainland Turkey. Aboard our 46-foot Lagoon catamaran, my best friend and I were joined by two couples from Indiana, a solo traveler from San Francisco, and our captain and chef.
It was my third charter in about seven years with Sailing Collective, a company headquartered in New York City that organizes group and private sailing voyages around the globe. My first trip was their Sardinia & Corsica itinerary with founder Dayyan Armstrong at the helm. He runs his company with an ethos of bringing people to as many places around the world by water as possible for real cultural engagement. Summer is for the Mediterranean, winter for the Caribbean, with destinations spanning the globe from Nantucket to French Polynesia, Madagascar, and Thailand. No sailing experience is necessary, and you can choose to be as active or passive as you like (unless you’re on one of the designated sailing school trips).
My friend and I keep returning because, first and foremost, we’re both water babies whose idea of heaven is spending a week at sea, sailing, witnessing wild new landscapes, swimming in different exotic coves every day. We’re loyal to Sailing Collective because they run a tight ship, employing top-tier chefs and capable captains with deep knowledge of the sailing grounds. Chefs provision locally, creating meals that reflect the region’s culinary traditions, often surpassing anything we eat on land at the excellent local restaurants that they also scout out for us. (The chef on my first voyage has gone on to work as a development chef in Yotam Ottolenghi’s test kitchen in London, for example.)
A day aboard a Sailing Collective voyage typically begins at the dining table on the back deck over a delicious breakfast that might look something like zucchini blossom frittatas, a bitter green salad, grilled bread with mascarpone butter, nectarines, and green grapes. Soon, everyone finds places to sprawl out — the forward deck near the netting, the top deck beneath the boom, in the shade at the helm with the captain — and take in the scenery under sail. Eventually, we anchor in a picturesque cove or dock at a local marina, and set out exploring.
A few things to keep in mind when considering a Sailing Collective vacation:
It’s more salt life than lux life. These are big sailboats, but quarters are still tight, and marine heads are far from glamorous.
A Sailing Collective trip is best in destinations you’ve already explored by land. If it’s your first time in France, you might not want to start with the rock in the Mediterranean where Napoleon was born.
Same goes for group travel. Are you sure you can get along with people you’ve never met before in a confined setting?
Part of the beauty of a Sailing Collective trip is the idea of the collective. There’s a spirit of community in this ragtag group of mariners, swapping stories of other voyages and friends you’ve met along the way, especially if you become a repeat guest. On this last trip in Greece, it turned out that the captain of the other boat in our flotilla had lived and worked on the water in Key West during the same time period I had and we had a ton of mutual friends. To put that together on our last night at a taverna on a remote island in Greece 6,000 miles from home made this big world feel small in the most beautiful way. –Shayne Benowitz
→ Sailing Collective • Double cabins from ~$3,900 per person for weeklong voyage.
Photo: Ashley Camper
REAL ESTATE • First Mover
Three for-sale properties in Montreal that came to market in the last 15 days.
→ 680 Av Victoria (Westmount, above) • 3BR/2.1BA, 3032 SF house • Ask: $3.25M • former historic fire station with spiral staircase to rooftop terrace • Days on market: 2 • Municipality tax: $18,803 • Agent: Jeremy Benaroch, Groupe Immobilier Londono.
→ 8 Av Courcelette (Outremont) • 5BR/3.1BA, 4934 SF house • Ask: $3.395M • brick and stone with fully remodeled interior, heated floors • Days on market: 13 • Municipality tax: $18,495 • Agent: Cynthia Nadif, RE/MAX du Cartier.
→ 2000 Rue Drummond #2302 (Golden Square Mile) • 3BR/3BA, 2827 SF apartment • Ask: $4.895M • 24th-fl penthouse with 1600 SF terrace • Days on market: 10 • Municipality tax: $19,588 • Agent: Joseph Montanaro, RE/MAX Action.
Interested in getting your brand in front our very influential audience (yes, you) of 100K subscribers, drop us a line at sales@itsfound.com.
HOTELS • Ojai, CA
Hip check
A legendary spot in the center of Ojai, Hotel El Roblar was in need of a serious refresh. Now, with a splashy rebrand and a whole new look, expect to see everyone from Hollywood TV writers taking meetings on the patio to older folks on a getaway, to groups of Gen Z’ers grabbing drinks at the newly glammed-up bar.
Among the 50 rooms (11 of which are secluded bungalows), we stayed in a charming king with a terrace, which got used every morning for work and coffee. The patio is decked with a stylish red-and-white striped awning, and rooms are bathed in terracotta and ochre hues, alluding to the town’s Spanish heritage. On-site restaurant Condor Bar serves farm-to-table Cali-cuisine with Mexican accents. The property’s spa and gym are still a work in progress, but when it’s all finished, the newly hip El Roblar should rightfully cement its place as a buzzy place to hang in a beloved, sleepy town. –Zoe Schaeffer
HOTELS • Basque Country
Art of balance
In the green folds of the Basque countryside, a stone’s throw from the surf and sunsets of Guéthary and Biarritz, Indarra stands like a vast, serene holiday home. Here, the art of presence is both a design language and a way of life.
The house feels lived in and loved. Communal rooms hum softly with the sound of quiet work or shared laughter. In the living room, a homemade cake waits for the afternoon goûter. Art books are stacked high, board games ready for long evenings by the fire. Every surface speaks of calm: beige linens, pale woods, touches of coco-fiber that are soft on the eyes, soft on the skin.
Step outside and the landscape unfolds in all directions: the ocean to the west, the Pyrenean foothills to the east, La Rhune watching from above. You’re 10 minutes from the airport and barely 15 from anywhere worth being: Biarritz, Bidart, Guéthary. Indarra isn’t about excess or spectacle. It’s about intention, in design, in rhythm, in the way it invites you to simply be. A place suspended between land and sea, work and rest, community and solitude — the Basque art of balance, lived beautifully, and in the present moment. –Candice Chemel
AROUND FOUND • Other Notable Intel & Recs
→ NEW YORK: In Greenwich Village, Italian restaurant Babbo has reopened under new ownership and with chef Mark Ladner at the helm. While much of the menu is new, still on the menu are dishes that put Babbo (and disgraced chef Mario Batali) on the map: beef cheek ravioli, mint “love letters,” spicy “lifeguard style” calamari, et al. It’s more than a little weird, a little more than stuck in the past, whether you have the context for it or not. One of these dishes would be weird. Several of them feels Lynchian.
→ SAN FRANCISCO: Chefs Rupert and Carrie Blease (of the late great Lord Stanley) teamed up with their old catering buddy Tommy Halvorson (of Serpentine and Fire Society) to finally open their follow-up restaurant, Wolfsbane. They’re serving a rustic-leaning tasting menu for $248 (and up) that bears watching.
→ LONDON: The casual outpost of Dalston’s beloved restaurant Angelina, Osteria Angelina (above) opened in May between Spitalfields and Shoreditch, with unusual combinations of Italian and Japanese influences in the same spirit as the original. Service is attentive and snappy – this isn’t the place for a leisurely meal.
ROUTINES • Restaurants
Select answers to the FOUND ROUTINE query, Any restaurant plans today, tonight, this weekend?
→ LUCIA PENROD, co-founder & CEO, Nikki Beach Hospitality Group (Miami): I like trying new spots in Miami to see what’s happening. Amazónico just opened in Brickell. We’re always curious about how new restaurants are shaping the scene. Still, my all-time favorite is Joe’s Stone Crab. It’s a Miami classic. After more than a century, the food and service are still just as good as they’ve ever been.
→ MEGAN GRAHAM, founder & CEO, RIES (NY): This week, I had my first restaurant outing with my new baby at Cafe Spaghetti in Carroll Gardens in Brooklyn. Highly recommend a weekday lunch in their big backyard. When the time comes, I’m excited to get back to indoor adult dining. A martini and endless seafood from Smithereens in the East Village is on the top of the list. Chef Nick is a friend and a culinary fave.
→ PIERRE-NICOLAS HURSTEL, co-founder & CEO, Arianee (Paris): When it comes to eating out in Paris, my loyalties are very clear! My favorite spots for lunch are:
Passerini: Giovanni Passerini’s flagship, where his team (Justine, his wife, Clément, and others) deliver deeply satisfying, sharply executed Italian cuisine.
The Butcher of Paris: More casual, more raw. You stand at the counter, sharing stools with chefs, winemakers, and serious carnivores. They specialize in natural wines (a heavy Jura influence) and perfectly aged meats.
Amarante: A secret for locals. Christophe Philippe cooks alone, serving rustic French dishes like veal brains, guinea fowl, and hand-cut panisses. Sylvain ensures the atmosphere is warm, slow, and authentic — the sort of meal that makes you fall back in love with real Paris bistronomy.
GETAWAYS LINKS: The plane that will fly Quantas’ 20-hour ‘Project Sunrise’ flights • PIT’s new, gleaming terminal opens Tuesday • 1 Hotels relaunches loyalty program • Goodnight, Sonder • Slalom chic: Nieseko’s ski lodges swerve between styles • Things I like in a hotel.
WEEKEND ROUTINE • Chicago
Joy get loud
KEVIN BOEHM • author, CEO, co-founder • Boka Restaurant Group (Boka, Girl & the Goat, Laser Wolf et al.)
City you live and work in: Chicago, IL
It’s Friday morning. How are you rolling into the weekend?
My girlfriend and I usually wake up to music and laughter, taking turns as DJs while we get ready for the day. I make a shake with Bryan Johnson’s Longevity Mix and grab some motivation at Ground Up Coffee in the form of a green tea before heading to Bian, the private wellness club where I’ll hit a strength or yoga class.
A cold plunge shakes off whatever cobwebs remain before I dive into the day, eight to 10 meetings scattered across the city. Right now, I’m finalizing the book tour for my memoir The Bottomless Cup (release date 11/4 -ed.), and sitting in design meetings for our newest restaurant, Gingie, an American contemporary spot opening soon in Chicago.
Where are you drinking or dining this weekend?
We’re hoping to score a morning seat at Kasama for their legendary Filipino breakfast sandwich, and trying our best to resist Genie Kwon’s pastries (though resistance is mostly symbolic). Saturday night, we have two seats at Smyth, John and Karen Shields’ stunning three-Michelin-star restaurant. No one takes more daring creative swings than these chefs.
How about a little leisure or culture?
We’ll be at The Salt Shed watching The Lone Bellow sing their hearts out, and at Soldier Field cheering on The Bears at embarrassing decibels. Chicago weekends are made for music, football, and letting joy get loud.
Any weekend getaways?
About 75 minutes from Chicago, two Michigan townships: Three Oaks and Sawyer, feel like modern Mayberrys. Grab a perfect New York-style pie at Patellie’s Pizza, stop by Froelich’s Kitchen & Pantry for elevated diner classics served with small-town warmth, and catch a film at the century-old Vickers Theatre, a soulful art-house cinema that’s been rolling since 1907.
What was your last great vacation?
I spent a week in Tuscany, splitting time between Viareggio and Forte dei Marmi. We stayed at the seaside gem Grand Hotel Principe di Piemonte, home to what may be the most extravagant breakfast in the world. Dinner at its esteemed restaurant, Piccolo Principe, was over-the-top, traditional Tuscan ingredients elevated through progressive technique. Between the shopping, the scenery, and the legendary beach clubs, the whole week was pure Italian poetry.
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