Off-Season - Always the Best Season
And here's why...
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