What she’s looking for in a vacation:
It’s always relaxation. For me, relaxation comes from checking every item on my list. Now that I’m a family person and a mom, I usually travel with a lot of relatives of different ages, ranging from eight to 75. I just want to make sure that everybody is taken care of and have all their needs met. I find great comfort in that. For many, many years, that meant putting my self-care last. Now it’s definitely about a good book—but not just traveling with the book, actually reading at least half of it.
The place she could go to a million times and never tire of it:
Paris. I could travel there at least once a month, and I would be a happy person. Ever since I was in my late teens, I have just loved Paris.
The style of trip she’s longing for now:
I think the next step for me is a girls trip. For over ten years, I haven’t really gone away with just my girlfriends, or my sisters, or other moms. Even if it’s just an overnight trip or a weekend where we get to reconnect and it’s not just about eating and drinking. It’s about all the other stuff, the checking in: How are you? What if we go on a hike? What if we do a class together while we’re away? I’m so ready for that.
The places she recommends in the Dominican Republic:
My husband and I have this thing of going to “new places, old locations.” Going to classical [sites]means you can learn a lot from the culture and the people. So in the Dominican Republic, when I’m not visiting family, I go to [the resort] Casa de Campo. There’s so much history there. The preservation is uncanny, and within the region there are beautiful restaurants. As a child, I used to go to Altos de Chavon [the 16th-century replica Mediterranean village] within Casa de Campo. I lived in the Dominican Republic as a teenager, and many of my friends there are now entrepreneurs and business people and in politics, so they keep me in the know. I’m aware that Punta Cana is an amazing location for Dominican locals—that’s where they have their weekend homes. My family goes there a lot. European friends love going to Samaná, because there’s a desire to go to places that still feel kind of untouched. It’s been 10 years since I was in Samaná, so I’m due for a visit.
A destination she loves returning to:
I’ve been going to the Cayman Islands since I was very young. My closest friends are from there. I never get bored of visiting other islands in the Caribbean, because I get to feel like I’m at home but I also get to know so much about my neighbors. In Grand Cayman specifically, the Palm Heights is a great hotel, even though we’ve never stayed. We always dine there for lunch and dinner. We love it.
