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Reading Time: 5 minutes In this post we share photos from Park Hyatt Kyoto, Kyoto, Japan.

This Tony Chi interior designed hotel is remarkable for its location, design, and overall feel; we could swoon over it all day. Park Hyatt Kyoto is a luxury hillside guesthouse located in the Higashiyama Hills (historic Kyoto). Guests have views of the Yasaka Pagoda and are just steps from Kiyomizu-dera Temple, a UNESCO World Heritage site and place of reverence and spectacular photos.

With only 70 rooms, the sloped tamo wood ceilings and floor-to-ceiling windows embody East-meets-West design, where artisanal craftsmanship using local materials accompany contemporary lines.

The Park Hyatt Kyoto is a nod to Kyoto’s artistic and cultural traditions, and a vision for hospitality and design.

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Reading Time: 4 minutes In this post we share photos from Shinjuku Gyoen National Park Tokyo, Japan.

Developed in the Edo Period (1603-1868) as a feudal lord’s Tokyo residence, it was transformed into a botanical garden, then a public space used by the Imperial Family (Japan-guide.com, 2023). World War II brought near total devastation to the area, and after extensive repairs, the park opened to the public in 1949.

Shinjuku Gyoen National Park offers three different gardens within a single 144-acre park, including a Japanese landscape garden, English Garden and formal French garden.

This park is particularly beautiful during hanami as 1,000+ somei yoshino trees blossom and create a moment-in-time gloriously beautiful atmosphere.

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Reading Time: 2 minutes In this post we share photos from Shinjuku’s Chuo Park, Tokyo, Japan.

If you need a break from shopping in Shinjuku, or have just feasted at the Park Hyatt’s New York Grill and need a walk, stop through Chuo Park. This lovely space offers two children’s play areas, wild flowers, open concrete expanses for gathering and green space for sport.

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Reading Time: 4 minutes In this post we share photos from Yanaka, Tokyo, Japan.

Within walking distance to Ueno Park, the shitamachi flair brings visitors to a Tokyo from a previous time. The narrow alleys, traditional wooden houses, atmospheric coffee shops and izakaya pubs make for a a wonderful glimpse into a different side of Tokyo.

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Reading Time: 3 minutes In this post we share photos from Filoli Historic House & Gardens, Woodside, California, USA.

Filoli Historic House & Gardens was built in 1917 as a private residence and was later turned over to National Trust for Historic Preservation in 1975 for the public to enjoy.

This stunning country estate sits on 654 acres in California’s northern coastal range. Visitors can spend an afternoon meandering through a 54,000 square foot Georgian revival-style mansion, 16 acres of exquisite English Renaissance gardens, a 6.8-acre Gentleman’s Orchard, and hundreds of acres of Natural Lands with 5 distinct ecosystems and a 1-mile Estate Trail (Filoli, 2023).

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Reading Time: 5 minutes In this post we share photos from Rayavadee Resort, Krabi, Thailand.

Set on the Andaman Sea between Railay and Phranang Beaches, the Rayavadee Resort is the premier hotel in the area. With the three white-sand beaches, cinematic limestone cliff-sides and glistening azure waters, this idyllic place in the world has you wishing time would stand still.

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Reading Time: 4 minutes In this post we share photos from Xochimilco, Mexico City’s famous canal system that dates to Mesoamerica’s PostClassic period (A.D. 950-1521). This area is significant for its ingenuity in agriculture that enabled pre-Hispanic people, and later the Aztecs, to create a food surplus.

In present day Xochimilco continues to be used as a source of food and vegetation, with visitors enjoying rides on the flower-garlanded boats through the canals.

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Reading Time: 3 minutes In this post we outline how to spend three, four, or five days in Mexico City, Mexico.

Mexico City is the sixth-largest metropolitan area in the world and its 16 alcaldías (boroughs, officially designated as demarcaciones territoriales) are home to nearly 2,000 colonias (neighborhoods) each with their own history, culture and flair. For this reason, we consider three to five days in Mexico City as the briefest of introductions to this city.

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Reading Time: 5 minutes In this post we share our time at Tree Chocolate, a family owned and operated chocolate farm in Upala, Alajuela Provence, Costa Rica, which is located near the slopes of the Tenorio Volcano and within driving distance from Liberia and the Papagayo Peninsula.

During their time on the farm, visitors learn about each step of the chocolate-making process from planting to the final Chocolate Tsuru or Yok, a 100% handmade chocolate.