Ciao ragazzi. It’s been a little while since I’ve jumped behind the screen for a life update or a sharing of my favorite travel essentials. But to be quite honest, April and May are always a busy period. For one, finishing my Master’s degree has been a tad time consuming. But in all honesty, these two months are the best time of year to travel, and so I’ve been on the go.

As you would have read by the title, off-season is and always will be the best time of year to travel - especially for destinations as Instagram-famous as the South of France, the Greek islands, or the entirety of Italy. We have all seen (and cringed) at the horrific sights of Positano at a stand-still, or the trains packed full of cargo shorts and pulled up socks piling into Como San Giovanni - even as early as now. I’m fortunate to avoid all of this, not because of where I choose to stay or my modes of travel (train is still the easiest way to Como), but because of when I travel. At least one trip to Lake Como in spring is vital; in the last 4 years I’ve never missed a visit, and the same could be said for September. Never go in summer, as the magic of the place is forgone in exchange for traumatic memories of overcrowded ferries, sweltering heat, and irritated tourists.

The South of France is a little different, for the beach clubs and hotels manage to remain as outposts of calm and refuge, in part due to their (oftentimes unjustifiably) high prices, but retain the summer appeal without the claustrophobic swell of camera-clad tourists (Americans with knee-high socks, sorry but it’s true!). My travel tip for the Côte d'Azur during high season is to spend all day by the beach, and saunter into town for restaurant reservations only in the late evening when not only the temperature has cooled, but the cruise ships of day-only visitors have left Monaco.

I spent this past week in the principality, which was pretty close to a perfect start of the summer season. With Cannes Film Festival in full swing down the coast, the city was a rather empty and wonderfully calm place to be. The streets - despite being set up for the races - were absent of the usual Philipp Plein crowd and wannabe influencers but for once welcomed the locals and many familiar faces. Every restaurant and cafe had space for a cigar and affogato. And The Maybourne Riviera, our choice of refuge during the week was operating at a perfect 70% capacity - plenty for an atmosphere at mealtimes, but not overwhelming poolside. This key percentage, in my opinion, creates a global ideal by which any hotel can be experienced with utmost enjoyment, where staff are attentive but neither over-accomodating or neglecting, and all amenities can be utilized at a moment’s notice.

From the heated pool - truly the warmest you will ever experience - vistas of Monaco, Menton, and the occasional Feadship - this time M/Y Faith - will occupy your field of vision for as long as you decide to swim, whilst there will always be - no more, no less - one table at La Piscine for a late lunch poolside, a gift of off-season hotel capacity.

Every destination has a golden off-season period; a time when the local balance of life is in full swing, every restaurant, hotel and amenity is open, and the weather is in accordance with peak enjoyment of the place. All of this, but for the select few present to enjoy at their own pace and leisure. Spoiler alert; you want to be amongst that select few. Generally, off-season lives at the cusp of the traditional months for which a place is renowned - for example, off-season in Lake Como is April/May and September, and for St. Moritz would be late November to early December, and then again at the beginning of March.

Knowing and exploiting these windows of opportunity can drastically change one’s outlook on a place, and it takes time and familiarity with a destination to truly extract the best from it. My next stop is Poltu Quatu, the “hidden port” town 5 minutes drive from Porto Cervo. This corner of Sardinia is my favorite place of all, and heading there at the break of the summer season allows me to enjoy everything, just without the wave of chic Milanese who seemingly book every restaurant from July to September.

So, let’s see how this goes, and remember, off-season is a gift!

Happy travelling!

Azzam

I recently spent a week with the new Bentley Continental GTC in the hills of Lake Garda, and honestly there’s no need to convince me of the joy and beauty associated with a good old grand tour - or my love of Bentley for that matter. As a man who’s ultimate GT car is the Continental T (if feeling the influence of the South of France, the Azure of the 1990’s), I appreciate the art (it’s something to be perfected) of moving at speed without rushing. More specifically, moving between destinations of refinement and tranquility whilst savoring the period of travel which adjoins the morning cappuccino of one place to the evening negroni of another.

I say it’s an art. And that’s because for the vast majority of people, traveling (and the car) is a laborious task which connects where you’ve been to where you’re heading. But since the dawn of motoring, the “grand tour” was hailed as the ultimate trip, often linking the good folk of rainy London with the sun-soaked shores of Cap-Ferrat. My experience in the 4th generation Continental reminded me of finding beauty in the journey - whether its loading the car with your trusted brand of luggage, or sitting comfortably at 150kph with the roof down.

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A great place to start is with the music, for this sets the mood and tone for the drive. Take the time to curate a playlist before setting off, with a mix of fast, upbeat tracks for sunny stretches of the motorway, and slower, more mellow ballads for overcast skies or slower parts of the journey. And then come the initial stops for food or coffee. When in Milan, I never head onto the road without a mandatory breakfast at COVA on Via Montenapoleone - it’s just my ritual, and you can choose yours.

The point of the grand tour is not to reach your destination with haste, but to savor the joy of transit. So, music is one small layer to reaching peak euphoria, another (rather obvious) consideration is the company. But what makes the grand tour worth leaving the house for is most importantly the destination. The more years I spend on this fine home of ours, the more I realize the beauty and charm of the Alps, particularly in winter - the grand hotels, the skiing, the layering of suedes and cashmeres.

But nothing professes a grand tour quite like the summer months. For me, long days are only a blessing when sat on a terrace or somewhere in the countryside in a linen shirt or light knit. As the sky turns that lilac/orange, and the last of the sun’s rays disappear over the horizon - a cigar in hand, slow music in the background, and the soft murmur of conversations across the restaurant terrace or around the dinner table. A destination promising these simple pleasures makes a grand tour truly special in my eyes. And when your time in this locale comes to its end, you load the car, and head to the next destination, where the concierge are ready to greet you once more.

I always associate the grand tour with images of warmer pastures such as the rolling hills of Spain, the long promenades lining the French Riviera, or the tree-lined gravel roads of Tuscany. But it isn’t limited to just one place, nor is it tied to a particular type of car. Sure, the sun helps, and driving a 600bhp cruiser with all of the luxuries you’d require for lengthy periods of driving can help, but ultimately, good company, good music, and a great destination transform any trip into a grand tour - it just makes the grand a little grander when the destination is Hotel Splendido!

Happy Saturday!

Azzam

You can find some of my travel essentials here: FPM Bank Spinner 68 , Acqua di Parma Due Pezzi, A Collected Man Watch Roll, Elie Bleu Cigar Case

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I get asked this question a lot. And to be quite frank, I’m not a huge routine guy - I don’t need the familiarity of a daily or even weekly routine to keep my sanity. In the same way I, in no capacity whatsoever, need a morning coffee to function as a self-respecting sliver of a human 5 minutes after rolling out of bed. I drink coffee for the taste, for the excuse to visit a good coffee shop and enjoy the vibes, and on occasion to pair with my cigars - but my love for coffee is entirely tangential to the point of this article.

The one routine I've found myself thoroughly enjoying as of late is the infamous morning routine, yes that one plastered all over the TikTok pages of every “influencer” attempting to land the free cleanser from Clarins and the PR package from Rhode. And in no way am I throwing proverbial shade - we all start somewhere! But there is a correct way to do the morning routine, and it’s got nothing to do with a ring-light, sticky phone case, or a matcha (absolutely not). Let me tell you how it’s done.

The first thing I do every morning is open the curtains (following the eyes of course). Especially on a bright sunny morning, my apartment gets completely drenched in gold, always a great feeling before my second step; turning on my speaker. I appreciate a quiet start to the day sure, but to be completely honest, nothing gets me in a better mood than some golden classics. But this is strictly limited to a few artists. Usually its Julio Iglesias, Andrea Bocelli, or Mario Biondi. On occasion Matt Monro, Andy Williams, or Marvin Gaye creep into the mix, but my morning playlist consists of a very small selection of crooners.

Then it’s teeth - I use a SURI for those of you wanting the details - which happens to be a very aesthetically pleasing product for anyone posting bathroom pictures… I do not. Shower comes next, every morning without fail; I bounce around with products, although at the moment its Acqua di Parma (which might actually be from a recent hotel visit!). I stand firmly in the hot shower club, although on very hot summer mornings or following a workout this is flexible, and quite often I’ll turn the temperature right down to near freezing for the last 10 seconds for a real wakeup shock. A good 4.5 minutes does me well - I like to enjoy my mornings, but I also have things to do. Do I time myself? No. Did I previously use a smart shower which recorded my average shower times? Yes. I’m not Patrick Bateman people…

Curly hair isn’t the easiest to maintain, hence the compulsory morning shower to get myself looking presentable. On the off-days following a shampoo ritual, I always use Aesop violet-leaf hair balm when the hair is wet, leaving this in for a few days at a time - works a treat. Then comes the skincare, probably the most important part of the bathroom routine. One of the perks of working with exclusive brands is you meet a lot of interesting people and professionals of their respective fields. The biggest piece of skincare advice I can impart is, consistency. Doing the ritual in the morning and evening compounds over time. Prevention over cure right?

For those of you wanting a breakdown it goes like this, with the products I use: cleanser, toner, eyebalm, optional face oil, moisturiser. Twice a week I’ll also use an exfoliator and an anti-age cream for men. Over time you’ll find what works for you in terms of products, brands, and layering. I’m grateful to have a wonderful relationship with both Seed to Skin and La Mer, which have become the sole brands I use on a daily basis. However I’ve also loved using The Ordinary in the past, perhaps the the best entry-level skincare with everything you would need. That’s pretty much it. No need to go overboard and spend the entire morning in the bathroom. Get it done, and then put the espresso machine on.

Bathroom ritual over and it’s time for a coffee, not for the caffeine (I’m completely immune to its effects) but for the flavour and the process. I tend to by a small bag of beans at any one time, to give me the freedom of switching it up every few weeks from my local collection of favourite roasters. Lately it’s been the South American beans giving me my morning pleasure, although you could probably switch them for a batch grown across the nearest border and I’d be none the wiser.

Nevertheless the espresso is drunk without fail in the same place of my apartment - next to the coffee machine facing the sun-filled window, with Julio singing Mal Acostumbrado.

Then it’s time to choose the watch of the day, a whole other topic…

Happy weekend!

Azzam

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I’ve been a privileged guest of several Four Seasons (FS) properties over the years, from the woody alpine resort of Mègeve to the heat-soaked climate of Dubai. The familiarity and reliability of every FS property shines through the world over: the service, dining quality, and attention to detail reminding you of that there are still small glimmers of humanity in an otherwise hectic and conflicted world. I’m usually one to favor the old-world grandeur and hospitality which oozes from the family run grand hotels that stand as steadfast reminders of a glamorous age - albeit it amongst an evermore standardized monopoly of corporate leviathans. However, one property as of late which illustrates that global brands can indeed retain unique and geospecific personalities is the Four Seasons Mallorca at Formentor.

Founded in 1929 by the Argentinean art enthusiast Adan Diehl, and only accessible by boat in its formative years, the property became the go-to retreat for the poets, novelists and actors of the golden age of the arts. Notable figures from Gary Cooper and John Wayne to Claudia Cardinale and Jane Birkin were regulars at the hotel, bestowing upon the property an aura and mystique on par with other familiar establishments across Europe and the Mediterranean. Over years of ownership changes, what is now the Four Seasons is a true cultural marvel of the modern world, in my eyes at least.

Situated in Formentor on the northern corner of the island, and accessible by a single absolutely stunning mountain pass (all too popular with cyclists clad in lycra), the hotel sits a gleaming white beacon of civility amongst a dense backdrop of forest. In all honesty the biggest surprise of Mallorca is the quality of the roads, both in build and driving fun. In a 992 Turbo, you can imagine a time was certainly had. The recipe is quite simple: roof down, Julio Iglesias on a loop, and an open shirt spritzed with the latest summer scent of Acqua Di Parma.

Pair that with a dinner featuring local blue lobster and 1kg cut of steak - cooked medium-rare of course - and you have yourself the making of a perfect day. From 10pm, the roads around Formentor are completely empty, including the 10km stretch up to the lighthouse, perched over the edge of the Mediterranean. This makes for the perfect after-dinner drive; roof down, Julio on, and sport mode activated, with not a single other car (or person) around the entire drive.

If you have a car of any kind, I strongly advise a drive up to the lighthouse in the early hours of the morning to catch the sunrise, or late at night - pre 10am or post 10pm once the road is open to the public. I also advise taking good company. As the enthusiasts will agree, the best drives are either alone, or with the right passenger (just one) - who can talk for a 3 hour cruise, or sit in silence the entire way, but when it’s right, you just know. And to truly experience Mallorca, take the hotel’s private boat (powered by Brabus) out around the coves for a swim in what could be the warmest seawater I’ve experienced around the Mediterranean. Follow this up with lunch at the hotel’s resident beach club Llum I Sal - order the scallops and tuna to start and thank me later.

I could wax lyrical about FS Mallorca for a long time. I really could. But spare me the (digital) ink and visit for yourself, and again, thank me later!

Happy traveling!

Azzam

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I wanted to create a space to ramble about all the little insignificant luxuries I love and seem to spend far too much time around. From grand hotels and vintage watches, to the more far-fetched realm of yachts and vintage cars, this new edit - “The Bon Vivant’s Choice” - will be the place to do so. Expect short reads, nothing diving too deep, but rather an introduction to my latest obsessions, tips, and guidance!

I’ve been pretty busy this winter, not that I’m complaining. And when you spend time in and around the alpine towns of Gstaad, St. Moritz and other high altitude hideaways of the local jet-set, certain things become very apparent; every year I’m somewhat horrified at how much beef tartare is consumed in a given week… just by myself; and the second, is just how incredibly chic Piaggio’s P-180 really is.

Now I won’t bore with technical details, because frankly they don’t interest me either. But I’m always quite surprised at how this aircraft continues to make its rounds on social media every few months, despite having been flying since the 1990s. The P-180 turns heads each winter, which is somewhat unsurprising - if you’re fortunate enough to visit the Alps throughout the year, you’ll know just how accessible the high altitude airstrips are for plane spotting and onlookers. Not to mention, people apparently have far more to do during the summer than stand by alpine airstrips to watch Vistajet’s latest acquisition drop Milanese high-society in Samedan just in time for aperitivo hour.

Despite its near 30-year lifespan, the aircraft is still rather uncommon with fewer than 300 examples built to-date, but given its three-surface configuration, it’s highly efficient, reaches a ceiling of 41,000ft, and has a maximum speed of 740kph. This makes it one of the fastest turboprops in the world, whilst its iconic rear-facing propellers make it one of the quietest. With a capacity of up to 9 passengers, it can handle everyone you’d want to take up for a trip to the Alps.

Those who know me understand my affinity for lesser-known destinations and brands, and my strong affection for independent names, encompassing few and far between my choice of hotel to my trust in a cigar lighter. So the Piaggio P-180 would probably be my choice of aircraft, and considering how often I frequent the Alps both for work and pleasure, I’d say its a pretty good contender - one I’ve spent far too much time lusting over… even if I’ve heard it comes with the classic Italian teething issues. But hey! I wouldn’t be the one dealing with the technical troubles now would I!?

Happy weekend all!

Azzam

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Now, it’s been a little while since managing online magazines and sharing my views from topics as far reaching as art, historic motorsports, horology and menswear.

And to continue with the transparency, I have no formal qualifications in any of those disciplines, except as a self-proclaimed enthusiast, modest collector, and petrolhead. I wouldn’t go as far as calling myself a hedonist, but my love and appreciation for life’s finer things certainly doesn’t go unnoticed… or so I’ve been told.

As I say to those dearest to me, the small details of our day are what makes life so worth living. Just think about it; the morning coffee ritual on a SLAYER Espresso machine, the early visit to a local bakery following the morning run, discovering a new Julio song from the mid ‘70s, or a weekend drive heading nowhere. In the never-ending pursuit of happiness which forever seems on the horizon, we often lose sight of the smallest moments - the moments which are in fact, the essence of a happy and enjoyable life itself.

I guess this explains my appreciation of a good coffee, a well-brewed tea with company, or a cigar in a hotel lobby or sun-soaked terrace. I try to collect core memories with the people I hold closest, in the locations I love, whilst appreciating the history, story or human input into a finely curated object.

Sometimes - although not always - these factors align perfectly, and when they do, well, that is when I like to say, “I’m in my element”. But I’m thankful these moments are not everyday, for then the purity and bliss of the perfect combination wouldn’t feel so special after all. No, I prefer allowing this alignment to fall into place naturally, and on the odd occasion.

I imagine some of my personality shines through on Instagram - no doubt where most of you will know me from. But in truth, content-creators, influencers or whichever other term we are grouped into, are far more in control of what we share about ourselves and our privacy than is often perceived from external viewpoints. Through short-form content via Instagram and other platforms, it’s usually difficult to share or converse on topics which speak to us as individuals with glaring interests. Some of the ways we do so - you may have noticed - are through the music attached to posts or even via Q&A sessions and direct messages. But honestly, there are few places which allow for full self-expression quite like editorial outlets, or at least the sharing of thoughts with wider communities. And I would presume that’s one of the driving factors of why I’m here!

My love for all things classic encompasses everything from music (Elvis Presley, Julio Iglesias, Bing Crosby etc.) and film (the golden age of 1940-60 is my favorite era), to cars (starting with pre-war Bentleys, Alfa Romeos and Duesenbergs right through to the mid-1950s and ‘60s dominated by Ferrari and Porsche) and of course menswear.

Through this new outlet I hope to share a few thoughts and express topics which I and no doubt many of you reading will resonate with. A thread which removes you from your day for a mere 5 minutes or less, whilst discovering, learning, or just indulging in something you enjoy alongside myself.

And from one bon vivant to another, to that I say cheers, and happy reading!

Azzam.

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