1. AI for Normal People - I had read about on ’s SS awhile back on how her class fundamentally CHANGED how she ran her business so I made a mental note to look into it.

   Again, don’t you just LOVE when a newsletter goes from read, to mental tab, to ACTIONED IRL! REAL LIFE MARKETING PEOPLE !!

   Anyways I follow her on insta and saw that she was hosting a virtual class and signed up immediately. You know I LOVE A GOOD WORKSHOP. I LOVE TO LEARN. nerd alert, activated.

   I wouldn’t say I was starting from zero (but if you are this is 100% for you!) so I did multi-task during the beginning of it, the set up BUT the real key takeaway here is changing my mindset on how I use Claude vs. Chatty.

   Chatty = you talk TO it. For example: What does being born on an eclipse mean? Does getting your period during a full moon make you a witch? Why does Miami Beach get so much sargassum, and when will it go away?

   CLAUDE on the other hand is a TOOL TO do things for you, basically you shouldn’t even have to go INTO YOUR EMAIL anymore because Claude is there!

   Ok clearly she explains this in a MUCH BETTER FORMAT but the real winner from this workshop was the homework and google doc that you can do on your own. Highly recommend for normal people who want to actually use AI, not just ask it what their dreams mean but to take over google sheets and turn your squiggly designs into beautiful HTML like proposals.

If you love to learn and wanYou can sign up for her future classes here .

Thank you Grace! Keep doing gods work.

2. The end-of-month wobble - It had been a while since I’d driven—I didn’t drive in South Africa because it was on the wrong side of the road and, TBH, Uber Black is so easy that why bother?—so I’d forgotten what it was like to do a long drive.

   On a Sunday, no less, when the Sunday-scary thoughts tend to creep in. Before I knew it, I was in that familiar spiral: questioning what I’m doing, whether any of it is working and why everyone else seems to have figured out exactly where they belong. (Why didn’t I just become an accountant who clocks out at 5pm??)

   Blame the full moon, the eclipse, the end of summer blues, the luteal phase or simply the growing pains of missing your old life while still finding your footing in the in-between.

   Obviously I wrote about it.

3. Cape Town’s first Members Club - And on that note of missing my old life, I’m flying to Cape Town on Sunday~finally!!! ~ and I CANNOT WAIT.

   I know I sound like a broken record, but there’s something so thrilling about watching a project move from renders, through quite a few hands and iterations, to finally opening its doors with actual humans inside it.

   Which is how I feel about Maison Grace, Cape Town’s first members’ club. (We tend to be a little behind on these things, so bear with us!) I’ve been consulting on the project, and it’s soft-launching over the next few weeks. So, if you live in Cape Town (or have a trip planned and are curious to check it out) you know where to find moi.

4. Studio54 Royal Wedding - I’ve also spoken about ad nauseum about not missing friends milestones in life (regardless of how wobbly yours is / or how far away you live) so there was no chance I was going to miss my friends Studio54 themed wedding in Stellenbosch next weekend.

   So what did I do instead of the 29,732 errands I need to run before traveling? I went down a deep ShopMy mood-board rabbit hole. So, if you too have a Studio 54-themed something coming up, YOU’RE WELCOME

   

5. Cities are not trends - This rant? thought? wordvomit? whatever you want to call it has been lingering in my mind this whole week as I had multiple convos about it.

   It makes me cringe inside a little when people declare that a city is “over.” Isn’t Mexico City over now that its post-Covid boom has passed? Bali is so done. Tulum is just soo cheesy.

   Any—or all—of those things might feel true to you. But cities aren’t trends.

   THERE ARE SO MANY PEOPLE IN THIS WORLD.

   While YOU may have visited Mexico City 100 times and think it’s over, it’s still sparkly, new and exciting to someone else.

   When I first started writing city guides, I almost didn’t bother because I genuinely thought, Ugh, who needs ANOTHER Paris guide? Then a friend knocked some sense into me: “Probably no one but I DEFINITELY want yours.”

   It’s a weird push and pull I feel with Instagram, and the internet in general. Things that aren’t actually cheesy or overly touristy can start to feel that way simply because you’ve seen them on your tiny little screen too many times.

   and I’m definitely not on a high horse about this, I’m aware I am part of the problem, I have rolled my eyes one too many times when someone said they were going to Cancun or Aspen (for the record, I love both)

   The point is not every place is going to be for everyone and that’s OK. But somewhere is always going to be for someone. 💫

   Does this make sense? I did warn you it was word vomit.

   Anyways thats all for this week! As usual if you have thoughts, questions, comments or just want to say hi, DO IT!

   I LOVE THAT YOU MADE IT THIS FAR, ANOTHER WEEK! LOS QUIERO MUCHO.

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Someone at dinner last night said to me, Wow, I really can’t put you in a box.

And honestly, it was the best compliment I’ve received in a long time. I know I wrote about this once upon a time way back in the day but it keeps lingering in my brain.

Because lately, I’ve been trying very hard to put myself in one.

Since being back in Miami, I keep getting some version of the same question:

“So, what are you working on now?”

And for some reason, I always feel like I should have a clean answer. I don’t know why saying the truth, that I have so many balls in the air right now across different verticals, markets, projects, and even versions of myself feels so daunting.

And I think part of that discomfort has come from being back in Miami.

There’s a very different rhythm here. So many people have one job, one title, one company. Their Monday through Friday looks a certain way. There’s structure to it. There’s an easy answer to, “What do you do?”

My life has never really looked like that.

Cape Town, and honestly a lot of the life I built outside the U.S., felt much more fluid. People were doing a few things at once. Working on a project, starting something, consulting, traveling, surfing, writing, building a business. Your life didn’t necessarily need to fit neatly into one professional identity.

Mine certainly never has.

Except now, when someone asks what I’m working on, my actual answer sounds more like:

Well, I’m working on a cool project in Punta del Este. I’m talking to a few travel brands entering the Miami market. I’m working with a French athleisure brand and their expansion strategy. There are hotel projects, partnerships, introductions, consulting, writing, travel, this Substack…

And somehow, since being back, I’ve started hearing that list differently.

Instead of hearing range, I hear lack of focus.

Instead of hearing curiosity, I hear inconsistency.

Instead of thinking, “I have a lot going on,” I find myself wanting to condense it all into one clean sentence so it sounds more legitimate.

Which is strange, because this is not a new version of me.

I have always worked this way. My career has never been linear, and neither has my life.

And yet, put me back in Miami and suddenly I shrink into this weird little imposter-syndrome version of myself, convinced I need to make it all sound neater, more focused, more legitimate.

Maybe Miami didn’t create that insecurity. Maybe it just made me more hyper aware of it. (Again, I don’t like the version of me that the America makes me but a conversation for another day…)

Like surely this would all sound more legitimate if it fit neatly underneath one title.

PR girl.

Consultant.

Writer.

Brand strategist.

Hospitality person.

Pick one!!!!

But none of them are quite right on their own.

And that’s because I’ve never really lived that way either.

I’m the PR girl who surfs. I’m semi-outdoorsy but not like that, very committed to a great hotel. I can spend an embarrassing amount of time reading about dictators, loves a WWII novel, and obscure historical events, and then immediately become equally invested in a new biohacking blood work stack, a beauty founder, or why one hotel lobby feels better than another.

I love cities. I love being off grid, in the middle of nowhere (with 1000 thread count relaxx)

I like luxury, but I also like getting on a questionable boat to somewhere with no phone signal.

I work across hospitality, brands, culture, partnerships, media, travel and whatever interesting thing happens to land in front of me next.

For years, I think I interpreted that as a branding problem.

Maybe if I were smarter, more focused, more serious, I would have chosen a lane by now.

But when someone said, “I really can’t put you in a box,” my immediate reaction wasn’t embarrassment.

It was relief.

Because he was right.

I do a lot of things.

And, actually, I do a lot of things well.

Maybe being multidimensional isn’t the thing I need to explain away.

Maybe the through line isn’t a job title at all.

It’s curiosity.

It’s knowing how to walk into different worlds, understand what makes them interesting, connect dots between people who should know each other, and get very excited about an idea before anyone else quite sees it yet.

That has shown up as PR. As consulting. As hospitality. As partnerships. As writing. As travel.

But the skill underneath it has always been the same.

And I think there’s something particularly uncomfortable about admitting that when the world really likes a clean bio.

People want the one-line answer.

LinkedIn definitely wants the one-line answer.

I want the one-line answer sometimes.

But maybe some lives are just paragraphs.

So the next time somebody asks what I’m working on, maybe I’ll stop trying to make it sound tidy. or lie and say accounting.

I’m working on a lot of things.

They’re interesting.

They make sense to me.

And apparently, you can’t really put me in a box.

I think I’m (finally) okay with that.

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Tennis dating hack - Inspired by the queen of dating experiments herself, I’ve decided to launch one of my own while simultaneously bettering my tennis game.

I’ve been wanting to play more, so when I re-downloaded Raya and Hinge, I decided that basically anyone with tennis on their profile gets a swipe. Maybe I’ll like you, maybe I won’t—but you’re for sure a better player than me, we both get a good workout, and I get a new tennis partner out of it.

Win-win

3. Crown Affair dry shampoo + a customer service lovestory- I’ve followed Crown Affair founder forever and genuinely love her Substack and podcast, so I was already very much primed to be a fan.

   But WOW talk about incredible customer service. I was OBSESSED with the dry shampoo which simply just did not travel well and I basically cried everytime it exploded in my toiletry bag.

   I posted about it on insta and they SENT ME THEIR NEW TRAVEL SIZE FORMAT! Of a product I already love! I love when teams communicate, 10 points for product team and 10 points for social. It’s the little things, people.

   Anyways I’ll stfu about it now, its this one.

   

4. SHOPMY faves - Sorry, this is a very girly week but I’m back in Miami and the consumer in me has been fully reactivated.

A few girls whose ShopMy pages I’m currently loving and have inspired me to use mine more:

• [Sofi Mendoza]

• [WhattoWearWhere]

• [Gigi, De La Heart ]

• [Valeria Lipovetsky ]

• [Yhasmina]

5. FAMESICK - You know I love a memoir, and Lena Dunham’s Famesick is dark, raw, messy, and incredibly well written. I flew through it, but parts of it were genuinely heartbreaking especially everything surrounding her health.

   My heart goes out to every one of my friends who lives with endometriosis. It is brutal, and women deserve so much better when it comes to being heard, diagnosed, and properly cared for.

   Anyways, you can always see my updated books I’m reading if you need inspo here.

Last but certainly not least, my Puerto Escondido guide is up and running if you missed it, everywhere I ate (A LOT OF TACOS) surfed and slept.

Thanks for tuning in as per usuz love you mean it!

August 2026. GASP, I know Mexico in the summer, can you EVEN?? Before you come at me, it was a mix between a work trip slash impulsive play trip (a reoccurring theme in my life) and honestly as a born and bred Miami girl that is used to 100% humidity it was bad, but it wasn’t unbearable. like, we have A/C? I went with one of my besties, the mayor of Paris who I will probably bring into the office now that I think about it.

OK WAIT logistics + important bits

I feel we need a lay of the land (your welcome) before we get into any of this. I flew from Miami which does not have direct flights, but has kind of easy early AM flights (I did MIA-IAH-PXM) so you are in Puerto by noon which is pretty solid.

Alternatively you can fly into Oaxaca and do a couple days there (last time I went was actually 10 years ago so you should probably turn to ’s Oaxaca guide as its defs more up to date)

OR via CDMX, a few days there and then do the 1hr flight.

You don’t NEED a car if you are staying in town (see below), planning on surfing La Punta everyday and are there for 2 days-ish.

IF you are planing on exploring or staying longer you def do need one because everything is kinda far. I have friends there so I didn’t really deal with this admin, but taxis are pretty cheap and accesible you just need CASH MONIES.

SO GET CASH!!

I feel like a broken record but I feel like its an important disclaimer. One of the joys of Puerto Escondido is it IS rough around the edges, its not manicured like Riviera Maya or overrun by tacky fake shamans like Tulum, it is very much a small Mexican beach town so a lot of the streets look like this and you know what, its FINE.

Also important to note: I wore absolutely NOTHING I packed except a bikini and a pareo; yes, even to dinner.

You barely even need shoes.

Pack accordingly.

Okay, now for the really important stuff: where to caffeinate, where to find the best tacos of your life and what to do between meals. The full Puerto hit list continues below for paid subscribers because a girl cannot give away all her best Google Maps pins for free. xoxo you know you love me

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I saw something recently (Instagram? Substack? Who knows at this point) that said:

People don’t travel to discover anymore. They travel to collect proof they’ve been to the “right” places.

And...it made me cringe how much it resonated.

Before I get on my high horse, let me be very clear:

I have Google Maps pins for cities I’ve never even been to.

I had a JAPLAN Google Sheet before Japan was remotely on the calendar.

I have an ENTIRE STANS itinerary ready for “when I go.”

I am, unfortunately, part of the problem.

Remember do as I say not as I do .

Every summer I try to give myself one place that’s completely new.

Not because it’s trending, just because I want that feeling again.

This year it was Marseille.

It started with a heatwave in Paris and an overwhelming need to be near water immediately. I'd seen the photos, read the articles, bookmarked a few places, we all know that's how Hyères ended up on my radar.

But beyond that, I deliberately left room to discover it for myself.

I wasn’t expecting the almost Mars-like landscape at Les Goudes or the jagged coastline around Tuba. For some reason I’d imagined something much flatter, much softer. I had done enough research to know where to start but not so much that I couldn’t still be surprised.

And that’s exactly what happened.

The impromptu road trip from Marseille to Saint-Tropez ended up being one of the highlights of my entire summer.

The serendipity that friends happened to be driving through Cassis the exact same day we were.

The fact that I’d never been to Cassis before, despite the only reference point in my life being that my mom’s favorite cocktail is a Kir Royale.

Stopping at a tiny cove for a swim and immediately realizing I’d forgotten my jellies. (For the record, absolutely nobody looks graceful trying to climb out of a pebble beach.)

Pulling over at a boulangerie for the ultimate French road trip snack, saucisson ! !

Eavesdropping on a French couple having what can only be described as a spectacular argument. She stormed off. He ordered his third glass of wine. It was both predictable and inevitable that he’d eventually start chatting to me.

Guys really are so predictable.

We ended up hearing his side of the story, encouraging him to call her, maybe admit he’d been too harsh.

As we drove away, we spotted her sitting alone near the driveway.

God, I do not miss being in that kind of toxic relationship, I remember thinking.

None of those moments were on my itinerary.

And that’s the thing about travel.

I don’t remember every reservation.

I remember how places made me feel.

The surprise of a new landscape.

A conversation you never expected to have.

A flavour you’ve never tasted before.

That feeling of curiosity is what I wish I could bottle.

To me, that’s the ultimate luxury.

Which is also why I think great hospitality isn’t necessarily about luxury.

No matter how beautiful the hotel is, it should make you more curious about where you’ve landed.

Amista wasn’t the fanciest hotel I stayed in this summer.

But it made me want to know more.

About the brand.

About the people behind it.

About the other towns they’d chosen.

Within an hour I’d mentally moved Biarritz to the top of my list simply because they had another hotel there.

They didn’t just sell me a room.

They sold me curiosity.

That, to me, is worth everything.

Because travel, like almost everything else these days, has become incredibly optimized.

Reservations booked months in advance.

Google Maps saves.

TikTok itineraries.

AI tools that aggregate all of the above.

Everything is efficient.

Nothing is accidental.

No room for error.

And to be honest, accidental is where travel lives.

Japan booked with a day’s notice.

A detour through Sweden.

A random cove outside Cassis.

A hotel I’d never heard of.

None of them were the “right” choice according to the algorithm.

They’re simply the ones I still think about.

Maybe that’s what I think great hospitality does.

It doesn’t try to be everything for everyone.

It simply attracts the people who are curious enough to keep exploring.

If this resonated, join the party. Every week I write about hospitality, travel, and the places that make us curious enough to not sit still.

*PART II . If you haven’t read Part I, my unofficial PR campaign for why Marseille is low-key my new favorite South of France jaunt, you can read it here.

July 2026- An impromptu little road trip from:

Marseille → Cassis → Hyères/Giens → St. Tropez

After Ryan decided to revert his trip back from CANADIA via Marseille, and I convinced him to join me and drive me to St. Tropeezy. Because that’s what friends are for and BECAUSE SUMMER.

WHERE DID YOU STAY?

Also VERY important this whooole little chiste was a direct result of ‘s dreamy love letter to Le Porquerolles that inspired this.

Obvi, from one day to the next, there was zero chance—and far too little time to actually make it there. But it was down that rabbit hole, combined with this Prior article that Hyères found its way into the back of my mind.

Don’t you LOVE when substack makes it out of the mental saved folders!!!

So there's this place...

My love letter to Porquerolles

“Monica, don’t look now,” my friend Sam said, barely containing a smile, “but there’s a pirate behind you…

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3 months ago · 54 likes · Monica Mendal

ANYWAYS after wrapping up a glorious week in Marseilles and little stay at Hotel Amista we headed to Hyeres again with Hotel Lillou as our end destino which was SO CUTE ! ! !

The hotel was designed by Haddou Dufourcq studio and their style is CHEFS KISS. I instantly need these chairs in my apartment and this bar. honestly every detail was thought thru.

I truly think travel is THE (my) ultimate form of inspiration.

Also can we please talk about how the ultimate luxury in a hotel is COUNTER SPACE IN THE BATHROOM!!!! I have been in five star hotels that I literally have to put my toiletries on the floor??

This hotel was the perfect stay over if you are venturing through the South.

You know I love a little room tour

Next: where we dipped, what we ate, the €80 lunch that was 1000000% worth it, and the extremely random Hyères nail-salon recommendation you didn’t know you needed.

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The other side of Mallorca - Coming off a very buzzy, jam-packed Saint-Tropez trip, it has been so nice to come home to Mallorca. My cousins live in a quiet, secluded little town with a very farm-life feel—so, needless to say, it’s a very different Mallorca from that of my girl Dua Lipa.

It’s been all about slowing down, catching up and spending time with family. One of my favorite beaches here is Cala Romántica, which ALSO has a pretty intense hike, a swim and a cave situation—the perfect little Mallorca adventure. unforch I went with my cousins so I don’t even know how to link this or how you would go about doing it so just dm me and I’ll figure it out for you if you are really keen. ITS VERY COOL.

k thats all for this week! see you next week au revoir! !

July 2026. I was going to go solo because Paris was melting, but I serendipitously ran into a girlfriend, at La Samaritaine who was supposed to leave that week. She too wanted to go to Marseille and just like that she jumped on board for the first few days and Ryan joined for the latter road trip.

WHERE DID YOU STAY?

The hero (and honestly, the reason this trip started in the first place) was Hôtel Amista. I wanted to check it out because it’s part of Ginto, a new-to-me French hotel group with very cute, design-forward properties around France. They operate in the affordable three- and four-star space, but are clearly targeting millennials who care about design—and MAN, was I impressed.

Amista itself is a three-star hotel near the Vieux-Port, which definitely has its pros and cons, but the service was impeccable: warm, thoughtful and genuinely helpful throughout our stay. I loved that they lend you beach towels and a beach bag, too.

I can be kind of a nightmare to travel with because I know too much about hotels, which means I’m always hypercritical—and dare I say, I had no notes?

The details were a 10/10. Trust me, I know what the cost per key must have been here, and they were so smart about where they spent. I especially loved the ceramic details, from the towel holders to the sconces, all locally made.

Truly, not one detail was overlooked and SO WELL PRICED (€200-€300 / night?!)

BUT for my next time I’d probably stay by the sea to be within WALKING distance of a dip.

Staying near the Vieux-Port was convenient, especially during the World Cup as we could walk to Cours Julien (more on this below) and meant we could walk almost everywhere, but the sea wins for me every time.

Honorable mentions: if you do have a bigger budget and actually plan with time (never quite my forte…)

• TUBA

• Les Bords de Mer

OK BUT logistics + important bits

A car is ideal if you want to explore beyond Marseille (WHICH YOU WILL SO RENT ONE) but I would avoid driving in the city because parking is a NIGHTMARE.

Uber/ bolt also work although cars can’t always pick you up or drop you off exactly where you want because of the pedestrianized streets.

We also took the bus one day because ~metropolitan, which was surprisingly easy and basically free.

Didn’t even touch the metro because it was toooo hot and no thanks.

PSA: Whoever has been doing Marseille’s PR needs to be fired. Jacquemus has honestly done a better job because all anyone told me was, “Be careful, it’s shady, it’s dangerous,” blah blah blah.

Yes, Marseille is a little gritty and ghetto but so are Berlin, Barcelona and Osaka, and I’d put it in that same category: creative, chaotic and full of character. Like in any major city, be hyper-aware of your surroundings, keep an eye on your things and just don’t be a loser?

CUTE COFFES IN THE HOOD

I think everyone in Marseille must have gone to graphic design school because ALL of the branding is ON POINT.

• Boujou Coffee — The cutest little coffee stop on the Corniche, with sea views and ideal pre- or post-dip energy. (this whole street IS A VIBE ! !)

• Pompe — A modern neighborhood bakery where you go for coffee but absolutely must also get the namesake pompe à l’huile.

• Rosso — A cool, ’90s-inspired all-day coffee shop serving specialty coffee, pastries, sandos (like japanese kind) and wine.

• Road Social Club — Coffee shop meets chic fitness and wellness concept store, very millennial Marseille.

• Pétrin Couchette — Specialty coffee, incredible sourdough and pastries on a sunny terrace; essentially my ideal bakery-coffee-shop hybrid. Across from Amista

  WHERE DID YOU EAT

  WE DID NOT HAVE A SINGLE BAD MEAL the entire trip. Like, the food alone is reason enough to visit Marseille. Everything was fresh, unfussy and genuinely delicious; Marseille might be one of the most underrated food cities in Europe.

  🔒 Keep reading for everywhere we ate, drank, shopped and swam

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40s are the new weddings - As someone who lives very far away, I’ve always made it a point not to miss the milestones in my friends’ lives (I’ve talked about it before here ) And honestly, I could not be more excited for this round of 40th birthdays—which are basically the new weddings.

It’s also crazy to think that some of us have now been friends for 20 years. How special is that? There’s something about spraying champagne and dancing like we’re 20 again in the South of France that makes it all feel wonderfully full circle.

And a little PSA: when you receive a 40th birthday invitation from one of your single friends, remember that they showed up for all your weddings, bridal showers, baptisms and every other celebration along the way. Show up for theirs, too.

The Strawberry Banana theory - One of my girlfriends—who serendipitously joined me in Marseille (HI !!) wrote a piece about “killing your heroes,” but in the form of your dream life.

She introduced me to the strawberry-banana theory: how can you manifest or even visualize something you’ve never touched, tasted or experienced?

I agree completely. But what happens when you have experienced it?

I’ve lived certain moments where I’ve looked around and thought, This is exactly what I want my life to look like. And this week, somewhere between old friends, long lunches, the sea and dancing until far too late, I had that feeling again—but even more clearly: This is exactly what I want my life to feel like.

Maybe that’s the point. Once you’ve tasted the strawberry and the banana, the work is no longer imagining the flavor—it’s learning how to recognize it, recreate it and build a life where you get to taste it more often.

Smilly

killing your heroes

It is any aesthetic girly’s dream to live in Paris. So, I decided I would stay for a month this summer…

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a month ago · 7 likes · 3 comments · Smilly

Saint-Tropez is magical, chaotic and cheesy all at once - I’d been to Saint-Tropez before so I knew what to expect, ( as that trip was also a blur of a very good effing time) but it really is magical, chaotic and delightfully cheesy all at once.

In most party destinations, you accept that you’re paying for the vibes and the food will be…fine. In Saint-Tropez, yes, everything is wildly expensive but it’s also SO delicious. Also can we talk about how rosé just doesn’t count here? its endless and you still wake up fresh and ready for a new day. Anyways including some of my faves until proper guide is out.

LouLou’s - Shocking to absolutely no one, another Paris Society fave (and on everyone else’s instagrams too). The setting is impossibly chic, the food is genuinely delicious, and then champagne and flags and it is a FIETA.

La Guérite - Technically not in Saint-Tropez, but rent a boat and make a day of it. Order the lobster pasta of your dreams and, surprise, it’s also a party. The best part? Since you arrived by boat, the party doesn’t have to stop when lunch does. Yay!

k thats all for this week au revoir qtz ! !

Has America optimized the joy out of us? - I took a Pilates class in Marseille this week and caught myself mentally critiquing everything; the music, the lighting, the instructor, the mats. It made me wonder whether living in the US has quietly rewired my expectations. America does so many things incredibly well. The gyms are state-of-the-art, the coffee is dialed in, the customer experience is seamless, and we’re taught to expect the best every time. But at the same time it makes you so much less tolerant of imperfection to the point that you don’t enjoy things when they are done differently and I don’t like that. I don't like the version of myself America brings out sometimes.

French pharmacy wins AGAIN- I ran out of my Omega-3s this week so naturally I popped into a pharmacy (I mean I go once a day lets be real I can not help myself with the ravey green cross) AND discovered tremendo hack with omega-3s.

This time I discovered a new hack: if you're looking for 1,000 mg Omega-3s, ask the pharmacist rather than browsing the shelves. In France, higher-dose omega-3 products are often kept behind the counter and sold through pharmacies, which means they're subject to stricter pharmaceutical standards and regulated pricing.

The best part? I paid €14 for a month’s supply. The Momentous Omega-3s I usually buy in the US cost me $40+.

French pharmacies remain undefeated.

Not all that glitters is gold- My notes app is filled with all kinds of quotes, reminders, excerpts from articles and books and one I keep coming back to is

Not everything is as good or as bad as it seems.

Euro summer or well, life looks very glamorous from the outside. Boutique hotels, long lunches, swimming in the Mediterranean, hopping between Paris, South of France, Mallorca. And I know how lucky I am. But what doesn't make it onto Instagram is taking client calls from train stations, rewriting proposals at midnight, wondering which of the six contracts you've sent will actually turn into work, and trying to enjoy a beautiful place while your brain is doing cash-flow math. I'm not complaining; I chose this life and I genuinely love it. I think it's important to remember that two things can be true at once: life can look beautiful and still feel uncertain behind the scenes. A good reminder that everyone’s carrying something you can’t see. The highlight reel is real but so is the hustle behind it.

k thats all for this week au revoir qtz

And if French pharmacy hauls are not your thing but you are still in a French mood, this week’s essay is my annual Paris morning existential spiral; because this is what happens when you walk without headphones and just thoughts. Read it here

1. La Roche-Posay Anthelios UVAir SPF 50+ - European sunscreens are actually formulated differently because Europe approves newer UV filters than the U.S. does, which is why people (myself included) stock up every time they're here. This year I'm trying the new Anthelios UVAir Serum SPF 50+—it's ridiculously lightweight, feels more like skincare than sunscreen, and gives just enough tint to even everything out without feeling like makeup.

2. Phyto Plage Protective Sun Water - I fing HATE when my hair starts to get that weird orange / brassy color when you are in the sun for too long. This doesn't magically prevent it, but it definitely helps. I spray it on before heading to the beach, and it protects against UV rays, salt, and chlorine without making my hair look greasy. like sunscreen for your hair!

3. Uriage Sun water - I bought this for the second year in a row because I genuinely cannot explain it. It's not oily, it's not watery… it's just magic??

4. Biafine - Technically it's for burns, but I treat it as my French pharmacy cure-all. Sunburn, irritated skin, over-exfoliation it works for everything.

5. Caudalie Shower Gel - Every trip to France, I throw at least five (okay, usually ten) into my basket. They're around €5–6, smell like a boutique hotel, don't strip your skin, and make the easiest hostess gift. It's one of those little luxuries that feels far more expensive than it is. The mint green and dark purple bottles are my favorites.

   

What not to buy 🙃
The Christophe Robin Ash Brown Mask. I wanted it to neutralize warmth, but I swear it made my hair even redder. Maybe I left it on for too long no se? As my mom would say: ¿Pa' qué inventas????

PSA: This isn't Sephora. French pharmacies generally don't let you return or exchange opened beauty products, so choose wisely. Merde.

thats all for now, till next week!

xx

Every time I’m in Paris I have the same first morning. I throw on whatever’s closest to the bed, and walk from wherever I’m staying in Saint-Germain to Café Kitsuné, the Tuileries one.

It’s about thirty minutes. Long enough for the city to slowly wake up with you.

I try to leave my phone in my pocket for most of it. I read somewhere that letting your mind wander is good for your brain. It might be. It's also apparently very good at sending me down existential rabbit holes.

I know exactly which streets I'll take. I know where I'll cross the Seine (usually Pont des Arts). I know the moment I'll walk through the Cour Carrée at the Louvre. And despite knowing it's coming every single time, it still catches me off guard.

Some places never lose their ability to humble you.

Maybe it’s a creature-of-habit thing, or maybe it’s my nervous system searching for something familiar. I’ve realised I only have these rituals in the cities that have slowly become another version of home. Paris. London. Madrid. Places I’ve returned to enough times that they no longer feel like destinations—they feel like neighbourhoods I happen to visit less often than I’d like.

Somewhere between crossing the Seine and ordering my café américain avec cannelle, I found myself wondering whether it's true what they say: the more of the world you've seen, the harder you are to date.

Not because you become impossible to impress (I mean... not no).

But because you’ve experienced so much of the world that it’s easy to forget not everyone has.

I caught myself thinking, How has someone never been to Paris?

And then almost immediately, How????

I hated that my brain even went there.

Not because I need someone who’s been everywhere. I don’t.

But I do find myself wanting someone who understands why a city can feel like home without ever having lived there in the traditional sense. Someone who doesn't think it's strange that I have a coffee order in Paris, a pilates studio in London, a favourite ramen bar in Tokyo, or a grocery store in Cape Town. Because eventually you stop visiting a place and start living in it, even if it's only for a few weeks every year.

And then I remember my first trip to Tokyo.

I went with ~a boy~ who’d already been several times. As we wandered around the city, he kept saying, almost to himself,

“I forget what it’s like to see this for the first time.”

At the time, I thought he was talking about Tokyo.

Looking back, I think he was reminding himself what it felt like to be me.

Which is funny, because if I’m honest, I completely contradict myself.

The minute someone's answer to "Where do you live?" starts sounding anything like mine, something in me switches off. I instantly get the ick.

Which is also ironic, because if you asked me the same question, my answer wouldn't exactly fit into one sentence either.

Maybe because I already have enough complexity for the both of us.

What I actually crave is someone who is curious enough to understand why Paris feels like home to me, but grounded enough that home still means something.

Maybe that’s the balance. To never lose that sense of wonder; even when you’ve been lucky enough to see so much of the world. Because if someone hasn’t walked through the Louvre at sunrise or wandered Tokyo’s backstreets, maybe that isn’t something to judge.

Maybe it's an invitation to fall in love with those places all over again, through someone else's eyes.

Come for the travel recommendations. Stay for the emotional spirals. Subscribe for more.

With my birthday around the corner, I thought it was the perfect excuse to share the things I genuinely love giving (and receiving). As much as I appreciate a beautiful physical gift—and trust me, I'm not that evolved yet, (I LOVE RECEIVING PHYSICAL GIFTS TOO) I’ve realized that most of my friends, colleagues, clients already have everything they could ever want.

So over the years, I've become a big believer in gifting experiences instead. A facial. A class pack. Tickets to a concert or sporting event. Anything that gets someone off their phone, out of the house, and making a memory instead of finding another place to store more stuff.

They're the kinds of gifts that not only make people feel good AND look good but are thoughtful.

1. Concert / Live event - If you’ve been here for a while, you know I’m a sucker for live experiences. Seeing Oasis last year with some of my best friends is one of those core memory moments I’ll be talking about forever. I love a concert, I love a sporting event (yes, she’s even a cricket fan now), honestly anything that gets people together in real life.

   

This year, my birthday gift to myself is seeing Benito in Paris with some of my besties ( which you know already! Kiki, Jenny P and Ryan) and I genuinely cannot wait.

The best part is you can book tickets WAY in advance, which means the gift lasts far longer than the day itself. There's something so fun about having an experience on the calendar that you're all counting down to together.

2. Membership / class pack - Whether it's KARVE, Barry's, reformer Pilates, yoga, or even a few padel sessions (I don't actually play padel, so don't quote me on how that works), gifting someone classes at their favorite studio is always a win. It's thoughtful because it shows you know what they're into, and practical because they'll actually use it. They get hotter and you look thoughtful. Win-win.

3. A surprise ___ at dinner - Since I'm usually galavanting around for my birthday, I rarely get to celebrate with my friends back home. (Yes, I know I have a lot of "homes," which only makes coordinating birthdays harder.)

   If I know a friend has a birthday dinner or is going out that weekend, I’ll call the restaurant ahead of time and send over a bottle of wine, bubbles, or, depending on the friend... a round of shots. My friends have done this for me over the years, and I’ve happily stolen the idea.

   There’s something so fun about the element of surprise. It says, I may not be there, but I’m celebrating with you anyway.

4. Tasting menu / Omakase - Selfishly, this is also a brilliant gift because it gives you the perfect excuse to insert yourself into the plans. I do this all the time in South Africa because our food and wine scene is genuinely world-class. Instead of buying another “thing,” I’ll book a tasting menu, an omakase, or a wine-paired lunch and make an evening of it.

   Yes, it’s a birthday gift... but it’s also quality time (with meee!)

5. A mystery calendar invite - We all know (one) of my ultimate love languages is a calendar invite. and my dream gift? Don't ask me where I want to go. Just send me a calendar invite that says "be ready at 11." I love being surprised, I love calendar invites, win win win.

Anyways if you have a birthday coming up (or you're shopping for someone who can buy themselves anything), I hope this gives you a few ideas.

Currently spiraling about: Whether seeing more of the world changes the way we love. More on Sunday.

P.S. If this is your first time here, hi! 👋🏼 love you already !!!

Most weeks you'll find me sharing the places I'm eating, staying, and obsessing over, and interviewing cool people doing cool things (aka my friends!) and occasional overshare from whatever corner of the world I happen to be in.

If that sounds like your kind of internet, I'd love to have you around.

In our 20s, my best friend and I had a system: book 47F aisle and window, manifest that no one took the middle, and voilà — economy turned into our personal first-class pod. We’d gab non-stop until the dinner trays came clattering down, drink too much red wine, pop a Zanzi, and wake up in Paris like nothing happened. We called it office hours — our favorite time to catch up, spill, scheme, and dream, midair.

So, in the spirit of those airborne therapy sessions, I’m kicking off this new series: a space to sit down with people I admire, people I love, and people I’m just wildly curious about. Same energy — more space and better wine.

In today’s edition of Cool friends doing COOL things -

For those that dont’ like to read, no judgement you can listen here:

If you’ve read one of my very first Office Hours with Kiki, then you already know I’ve been lucky enough to count not one, but two sisters among my oldest and best friends.

Jenny P is Kiki’s sister, and somehow—one of life’s greatest gifts—I ended up best friends with both of them. While Kiki and I spent much of our twenties living in different cities (and often different countries), Jenny and I spent most of ours side by side.

And like many of the women I admire most, her life has been anything but linear.

Fresh off her MBA, she shocked just about everyone by applying to Emirates to become a flight attendant; a career pivot I may or may not have aggressively encouraged (and yes, this was excellent news for me considering I flew for F-R-E-E during this era).

What followed was our own slightly chaotic version of Eat Pray Love: traveling the world together, a formative Bali sabbatical that changed both of us, and eventually a return to Miami where she ran her own boutique consulting firm in the political and lobbying space before transitioning into corporate consultant Jenny at Deloitte a chapter that, like many recovering consultants will tell you, looked far shinier on paper than it felt in reality.

And through every version of herself, Jenny has remained one thing above all else: the most hopeful romantic I know.

In less than a year, life moved fast. She found love at 40, got engaged, planned not one but two weddings, and is now overseeing a full renovation of their family home with zero construction background.

We spoke about nonlinear careers, taking risks when everyone thinks you’re crazy and finding love later than expected.

Welcome to the office JennAY!

Ok I also feel like we need to include a visual from our original in-flight Office Hours:

✷ THE INTERVIEW ✷

Let’s start simple — what did you have for breakfast this morning? BE SPECIFIC

Fancy scrambled eggs that were whisked to perfection sprinkled with everything but the bagel seasoning and cooked in a savage amount of butter

Iced latte with unsweetened almond milk and a dash of vanilla extract and cinnamon

And where are you answering these from? Paint us a picture. Travel day? Coffee in bed?

Home in Miami sitting on my balcony overlooking Biscayne Bay typing away on my phone

How do you explain what you do to a 10-year-old?

I design rooms for my house that’s under construction (I am the designer for our family home construction project)

What’s something you’ve unlearned in your creative or professional life or realized was a farce?

Corporate consulting !

What’s something you bought in the last year under $100usd that has changed your life for the better?

I recently bought a 40oz Stanley in black glitter and let me tell you, I have never drank so much water! Not even during Dubai summers.

We run on nostalgia here. What’s a song that instantly transports you? (BE SPECIFIC)

El Rey live by Luis Miguel hands down! I am instantly back in my family kitchen at our former home on Hardee :) Talk about epic times <3

What’s a place that feels like home — even when you’re not at home? Could be a city, a café, a beach, a random hotel lobby that just hits. What’s that place for you?

Both are in France so I figured two would be allowed :)

• Bar Hemingway at the Ritz Hotel in Paris: my husband and I have martinis here every time we are in Paris. They feature an ice cube made with olive juice so that as it melts your martini becomes dirtier! Absolute brilliance! This has become a staple when I host :)

  

  

• Le Petit Chateau in Dangu, France : Spending time at my sister Kiki’s house with her family is one of my favorite things to do in life. Whether it’s having my makeup done by my five year old niece or watching my hubby and brother in law make a traditional Cuban lechon (whole pork) in a Caja China, it’s never long enough!

  

  

  

Favorite hotel of all time?

Mandarin Oriental Lake Como: it is the most dreamy hotel I have visited to date! We celebrated our honeymoon here and never left the hotel!

What’s one region, city, or culture you’re dying to dive into more deeply — professionally or just as a curious human?

South Korea and all the beauty treatments they have to offer! SoKo glam is real and I love all the innovative products and treatments.

Any upcoming trips you’re really looking forward to ?

I leave to France next week to have, you guessed it, martinis at Bar Hemingway and spend a few weeks with my family in Dangu :)

✷ LET’S TALK DAILY LIFE ✷

Lets be real nobody here cares about consulting and just wants to hear about your flight attendant days (lol) so here we go!

Your decision to join Emirates fresh off an MBA shocked a lot of people at the time. Why did you do it for starters? and what did that chapter teach you that a more traditional path never could?

I was literally faced with a fork in the road and decided to uproot my life and exchange comfort for the unknown. Best decision ever! Born and happily raised in Miami and being as it was my first time living on my own in another country, I learned a lot about myself and how the other side of the world lives. It opened my mind, heart, and soul in ways I will forever be grateful for. I knew it was a career risk but I am lucky to have had the support of my family and friends who always had my back. I mean, what would you tell your daughter if she told you she was quitting her director level job to become a stewardess right after completing her MBA?! (Serg and Marty (parents) are the best!)

As a flight attendant for Emirates, you were constantly in transit and living a life most people romanticize. What did that job actually look like behind the scenes and what surprised you most about it?

It really did feel like stepping onto a stage. From the second you arrived at work, you were “on.” Before every flight we’d report almost two hours early, and every detail of our appearance was inspected—our uniforms had to be immaculate, shoes perfectly polished, scarves perfectly tied with no makeup marks, not even a speck of lint was acceptable. It wasn’t about being overly strict; it was about representing the brand and respecting the level of service Emirates was known for.

Even something as simple as taking off your hat wasn’t casual. You only removed it once the aircraft doors were closed, and that little moment almost felt ceremonial because you knew guests were watching you the entire time. Every movement was intentional.

What fascinated me most was the obsession with excellence. I became completely captivated by service; watching how effortlessly everyone delivered this incredibly high standard and how quickly those expectations became your own. You genuinely wanted to live up to them because you felt like you were part of something bigger than yourself.

There were definitely moments where I felt like I was playing a character doing the safety demonstration, serving in the cabin it almost felt theatrical. And if I’m being honest... I loved it. I loved performing, I loved making people feel looked after, and I loved the discipline behind it.

But what made it even more special were the people. Emirates had a way of hiring people who were incredibly like-minded—curious, adventurous, and open to the world. Because of that, friendships formed almost instantly. You’d land somewhere like Venice and suddenly you’d be making plans with the colleague working the bar or the crew member who happened to be sitting next to you on the bus. You’d have 24 hours together, wandering the city, finding little cafés, talking about life, and somehow by the end of the layover you felt like you’d known each other forever. There was this unspoken understanding that you were all experiencing something extraordinary together.

You learned about people’s cultures, families, ambitions, and dreams, all while seeing the world side by side. Those friendships were intense in the best way—24-hour best friends who, years later, often become lifelong friends. That’s something I’ll always be grateful for.

The trade-off, of course, is that it’s incredibly demanding. You’re constantly crossing time zones, your body clock completely disappears, and physically it’s exhausting. But looking back, that attention to detail, discipline, and understanding of world-class hospitality shaped the way I think about service to this day.

The rest is for paid subscribers.

We discuss:

— Why she left corporate to start her own business.
— The Bali chapter that changed everything.
— Why Deloitte wasn't her dream after all.
— Finding love at 40 (with someone she'd known for years).
— Her advice for anyone who feels "behind" in life.

Read more

BUT if you ARE, welcome ! 100% inspired by my girl JennyMollen to document all my beauty / skincare adventures so here we are, this time MIAMIIII editon.

As you know, I've been spending a lot more time here lately, which means I've reopened my OG little black book of beauty spots while discovering an entirely new generation of skincare studios. Safe to say... my list is dangerously long.

ANOTHER DISCLAIMER- I have ridiculously reactive skin. My hormonal jawline acne is always ready to make an appearance, and between Miami's heat, humidity, sweat, and sunscreen, summer can be... challenging. So I’m incredibly cautious about trying new treatments. If something breaks me out, I’ll know almost immediately.

So if you too are part of this party, KEEP READING, I GOT YOU.

Which is exactly why I was so excited (and admittedly a little nervous) to finally try SANA, a clean skincare studio that’s been recommended by pretty much everyone I trust.

I finally got around to checking it out last week and MY GOD I UNDERSTAND THE MF HYPE.

The Space

They have a few locations now all around Miami; Coconut Grove, Wynwood and most recently Aventura. The space itself is so calming and zen, neutrals for the win.

What really stood out, though, was their product selection. Everything they stock is clean, thoughtfully curated, and full of brands I genuinely love.

They stock some of my faves which you would normally only find online like Agent Natur , The Skinny Confidential and some other newbies I discoverd like Lesse, Naturepathica and IV.

The Super Glow

I went in for one of their signature facials, the 80 minute (YES YOU READ CORRECTLY, 80 MINUTES OF PURE BLISSSSSS) Super Glow.

My skin guru Olga examined my skin and tweaked it specific to me which included acne prone / sensitive products.

Did I understand the hype? Absolutely. But there were also two things I wasn't expecting, the products I immediately bought, what I'd recommend if you're acne-prone, and whether I'd spend my own money on it again... all below.

Read more

So, in the spirit of those airborne therapy sessions, I’m kicking off this new series: a space to sit down with people I admire, people I love, and people I’m just wildly curious about. Same energy — more space and better wine.

In today’s edition of Cool friends doing COOL things -

You know that saying, right place, right time? That’s kind of how I feel about my life in Cape Town. For some reason, my stars aligned in a way that was just meant to be; and one of the biggest reasons for that alignment is Kara.

We met when she was heading up Gorgeous George, the first Design Hotel in Cape Town. The hotel was six months from launch with no real marketing strategy in place, and (in true princess fashion) I told them exactly what they needed to do. Before I’d even left the building, Kara turned to her team and said, “Hire her. We need her.” And that was that.

Fast forward six years, a pandemic, a few too many sleepless nights, and a whole lot of fun later we co-founded Happy Go Lucky, our creative studio-slash-problem-solving-machine. From Morocco to Namibia, Zimbabwe to Saudi, Uruguay, Argentina , we’ve had our hands (and hearts) in building some truly special hotels. We’ve learned the hard way what burnout feels like, how to set boundaries, and what it really means to create with integrity; all while somehow having a really damn good time doing it.

Originally from Pretoria and raised in Cape Town, Kara is the definition of South African; all heart, hospitality, and that effortless warmth that makes you feel instantly at home. If you’ve ever been lucky enough to be invited to one of her “casual” dinner parties, you’ll know she can style a table in her sleep; perfectly selected linens, candles set at just the right height, music just so; all while making it look (and feel) completely effortless.

Whether she’s in the bush, behind a design board or in her favorite (my nightmare…), a construction site- she brings the same soulful eye for detail to everything she touches.

Her true gift? The way she layers spaces and moments with warmth, texture, and story. It’s what makes every room she creates feel lived in, loved, and somehow already familiar.

This week on Office Hours, Kara and I talk about working together, doing the impossible and having fun while doing it.

From opening hotels in Saudi Arabia during Covid to why beige needs to die, Kara and I cover creativity, burnout, design, entrepreneurship, and the projects that shaped us.

Read more

Here are the five places currently occupying far too much space in my brain.

1. Zannier ile de Bendor , France

   
   The hotel currently flooding my saved folder. A private island off the coast of the South of France that Zannier is transforming into a hotel with 3 different kinds of rooms each with a different vibe. OUI MERCI

   

   

2. Green Coast Hotel - MGallery Collection Albania

   I know raved about Albania last year and I feel like it continues to rise as this summer’s destination du jour. Considering I barely knew where Albania was on a map (sorryimnotsorry). Friends recommended this hotel in Tirana and I’m going to do a bit of research and see if I check it out this summer.

   

   

3. Porquerolles , France - Because put it on my radar with her love letter and now I THINK I NEED TO GO. How cute does it look!?

   So there's this place...

   My love letter to Porquerolles

   “Monica, don’t look now,” my friend Sam said, barely containing a smile, “but there’s a pirate behind you…

   Read more

   3 months ago · 42 likes · Monica Mendal

4. Orient Express La Minerva - Rome, Italy

   The first Orient Express hotel just opened in Rome and the design is INSANE. I popped in there quick when I was in Rome last year and it was one of those hotels that felt layered to perfection. IYKYK

   

5. 1 Place Vendôme Paris, France

   As you know I go to Paris a lot and this year I’m going to see Benito for my birthday, SWOOOOON . Anyways this hotel is owned by the Chopard family and I wouldn’t say its a hidden gem because I fing hate that term but I do think its still somewhat under the radar AND CHIC AF.

   

On that note, if you want an actual apartment in Paris but with hotel / concierge vibes, my friend Jamie [read his full office hours here] from The Luxury Travel Book is my go to.

TBH I usually do an apartment when I’m in Paris since I go for a longer period of time and I’m not Paris Hilton.

For complimentary hotel bookings on any of your trips, feel free to reach out to my travel team for added perks and priority status through my relationships: Travel@crhcollective.com

While we're on the topic of irresponsible summer planning, if you're heading to Greece this year, I spent a few days island hopping through Sifnos and Antiparos last summer and put together a guide with where to stay, eat, swim, and shop.

IT WAS SUPER CUTE.

Till next week! xx