Jul 26

2012

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On the Road: Spain, part 3

When we decided to go to Spain, the first thing I did was call my friend (who happens to be my husband’s first wife) to find out where we should take our horse-fanatic daughter riding in the countryside. The first Mrs Brooks is a fan and connoisseur of all things riding and all things Spanish and she has great taste, so I knew she was just the person to ask. She thought Trasierra would be prefect for us, as its causal enough for kids but chic-enough to make adults happy, and there is great riding nearby...

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Jul 23

2012

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On the Road: Spain, part 2

Trasierra may be the most inherently stylish place I have ever visited. A former private house lovingly rebuilt, restored and redecorated by English ex-pat Charlotte Scott, it sits on a 450 acre site just 30 miles north of Seville. The house has everything you need – chic, cozy rooms done up in a mixture of English chintz, Spanish pottery and classic antiques; fantastic home cooked food using fresh fruit and vegetables from their massive kitchen garden; and most importantly, a laid back and personal vibe that has you feeling you’re staying in someone’s home, rather than in a hotel...

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Jun 06

2012

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On the Road: Heading for Spain

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I can’t tell you how excited I am to go to Spain this summer. I’ve never been. We’re going to fly to Malaga  and drive around Andalusia for the first three days, just finding a place to stay as we go. My husband and I have always done this, and we love it – we find that over-planning for trips just leads to disappointment when you realize that you can’t fit everything in. So at least for part of our holiday, we like to feel young and free by following our instincts and seeing where the day takes us. After roughing it a bit, we’ll reward ourselves with 4 days/nights at Trasierra, a charming twenty-room home/hotel run by English beauty Charlotte Scott. This place is so up my alley. It’s exceedingly stylish, but in the most laid back way. I am not a fancy hotel kind girl – I could care less if I have a flat screen TV (or any TV for that matter) in my room or if the bathroom appliances are state-of-the-art. But I do like style, and this place has it in spades. Equally inspiring have been my daydreams about what I am going to wear in Spain, and I have been planning for months. First I flipped through Caroline Milbank’s “Resort Fashion” for inspiration – she has an amazing eye. And in the last few weeks I’ve started to lay out relevant things on the bench in my closet – two Isabel Marant peasant dresses, Castañer for JCrew espadrilles, a vintage YSL ruffled peasant blouse, and my mini-collection of minimalist Eres one pieces, all in black. Now I just need the abs for all the crop tops I’m into, and I’ll be ready to go!

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