The May edit
An affordable family-run matcha farm stay outside of Kyoto, the charming Hudson hotel with a secret dance club I'm eyeing, and where I'm sending clients for Euro summer
Welcome back to the monthly Mindholiday edit, the corner of the internet where I share my newest finds, current favorites, places I’m dying to visit, travel stories, and local adventures. This newsletter is free for all subscribers, so feel free to share it!
Hi readers,
I’m writing yet another monthly edit from 37,000 feet. To me, the best writer’s desk is an exit row tray table—it’s where I do my clearest thinking. I think I owe it to the white noise from the engines, drowning out all of the unnecessary noise in my rather noisy and congested head, a head that operates more like a high stress air traffic control tower rather than the beautifully choreographed New York City Ballet.
This time, I’m headed back to Mexico City to close on our house (!) but much more importantly, to celebrate the love of my friends Daniel and Carlos, who will be married by the time you read this. I am a sucker for weddings in general, but especially destination weddings, and I have so many thoughts on how to execute them properly, how to select a location, and why they’re worth the extra work for both the guests and the hosts. I’m working on a destination wedding edit, which will be live in the next week or so, and I am very excited to share.
But for now, here’s the May edit—everything I’m loving this month and everything that occupied my brain space last month.
xx,
Bella
Note: This month’s edit is a long post and might get cut off in your email, so head here to read it in its entirety.
A curated list of the things I loved last month, from thrifted finds to travel discoveries that made my life better and brighter.
The iPhone feature that helps eliminate motion sickness from staring at your screen while in a moving vehicle. I just discovered this, and as a person prone to motion sickness in taxis and Ubers, I can confirm it works! The science behind it is kind of crazy: the feature adds small animated dots to the edges of your screen that mirror the car’s real-time movement, giving your visual system something to agree with your vestibular system about. It essentially tricks your brain into thinking you’re looking out the window. Genius!
If you use Libby to rent library books on your Kindle or iPad, you should know that you can rent and read magazines too. Waverly Middleton taught me this during our recent dinner, and I know it’s going to save me so much money (although I’ll keep buying physical magazines for collaging). And the best part is, unlike checking out eBooks or audiobooks, there's no wait!
Jeans, a button down, and ballet heels. This has become my go-to spring outfit because it’s unfussy and comfortable, while still feeling polished. Chava makes the best button downs, hands down. They’re expensive, but every piece is hand-made and you can really tell the difference! After searching for months, I finally finally found ballet heels that fit me from Massimo Dutti. Another Massimo win were these tassel loafers, which fit like a glove and are so well made.
My current self tanning lineup! I’m currently sickly pale due to a hard NYC winter and my sun sensitivity, and I’m also historically bad at applying self tanner without looking like a caricature of a botched Chester Cheetah. I was sent the Soft Services “VACATION” buffing bar, and was pleased to find that it’s the absolute best way to exfoliate before applying self tanner. I’ve never felt smoother in my entire life, and Vacation’s signature beachy scent is obviously fantastic. I use the Isle of Paradise tanning drops for my face, but the best body stuff is Jergen’s Natural Glow, because it’s so easy to apply, and you don’t need a mitt. At $10, it’s a steal.
The travel white noise machine that saved my sanity in April. I brought this to a loud 15-person bachelor party weekend and a family trip to Disney—two situations where good sleep felt essentially unobtainable, yet it delivered wholeheartedly both times. At $32, it’s the best investment you could make for your travel sleep. Yogasleep was kind enough to extend a discount to Mindholiday readers: use BELLA15 for 15% off, and thank me later!!
Under-the-radar, considered stays that go beyond the hotel: the boutique bed and breakfasts, family-run farms, and hidden hideaways worth traveling off of the beaten path for.
Tea Moon Bed & Breakfast, Kyoto, Japan
Wazuka is a small town in Kyoto prefecture that takes tea seriously, boasting over 300 plantations, 800 years of production history, and a nickname (”teatopia”) that tells you absolutely everything you need to know. If you’re matcha-obsessed, curious about where your morning ritual actually comes from, and the kind of traveler who prefers a rural homestay to another generic hotel lobby, this is your place.
Tea Moon is one of the coziest bed and breakfasts in the area. It’s owned by D:Matcha, a small family-run tea farm tucked into the mountains, just an hour outside Kyoto’s city center. It sits beside a 1,000-year-old shrine. The whole place is, quite literally, steeped in tea and in history.
Every stay includes breakfast and dinner, plus a complimentary farm tour: walking the fields, visiting the in-house factory, picking tea leaves with your own hands. After you’ve tried your luck at farming, a guided matcha and sencha tasting awaits, followed by a farm-to-table lunch of tempura or curry, made from what the land offers (and from what you forage). It’s the perfect place to escape the city for a weekend and to reconnect with nature.
Rooms start at $493/night.
GET IN THE MOOD
Pocketbook, Hudson, NY
Hudson finally has another chic downtown hotel worth knowing about (and this one won’t drain your checking account or require booking six months out, ahem, The Maker Hotel). Pocketbook takes its name from its past life as a pocketbook factory, painstakingly restored into something genuinely special and sprawling, yet simultaneously intimate feeling, as it can only house 100 guests.
It’s made up of 46 guest rooms, an excellent cafe, Ambos restaurant, a grab-and-go market, a 6,000 square foot art showroom, a subterranean nightclub with a dance floor and state of the art sound system (!), several boutiques, and a massive adjacent building that has soaking baths where you can relax and deeply zone out after a day of hiking and antiquing (this is the best antiques warehouse to visit in my humble opinion).
Rooms start at $300/night.
GET IN THE MOOD
A monthly roundup of what I’ve been reading, watching, and listening to—the books, shows, podcasts, albums, and essays worth downloading to binge before your next flight.
Reading
Snow Flower and the Secret Fan: There's nothing I love more than historical fiction that transports me to a different time and place, and this book did exactly that—it pulled me fully and deeply into 19th century China. What stayed with me most was how tenderly the book portrays female friendship and girlhood in a world where women held such an undesirable and low position in society. True friendships can transcend hardship, distance, time, and culture!
Watching
Trust Me: The False Prophet, a gripping docuseries filmed by a cult expert and her videographer husband uncovering the dark secrets of the FLDS community. Watching the expert and her husband methodically and slowly earn the trust of people conditioned to completely distrust outsiders is simultaneously captivating and deeply human. It's less of a crime doc and more a testament to how empathy can help set people free, and how incredibly fucked up the US justice system is.
SCAD fashion students never ever disappoint, and Mollie Porch’s gorgeous senior collection is all the proof you need. The hand smocked sleeves! The coat made of upholstery fabric! I want one of everything she made.
Listening
Dialectic: Nicholas Thompson, a podcast interview with the CEO of The Atlantic that my friend Abena Anim-Somuah sent me. Thompson's definition of a journalist (if your primary commitment is to your audience, you are one; if it's to guests, advertisers, or affiliate links you haven’t researched, you're not) put into words something I'd been feeling but couldn't articulate… so much of what gets called journalism these days is just AI content and recommendations repackaged as something prettier. I want to be a journalist!
A monthly sneak peek at where I’ve booked clients and where I’m traveling myself—the destinations, hotels, and curated experiences that are on my radar right now.
Akelarre, San Sebastian: A hotel for true foodies—the on-site restaurant is the famed three-Michelin starred eponymous restaurant. All of the rooms are massive, starting at 50 square meters, and all boast serene sweeping sea views.
Petunia, Ibiza: A special property that faces the iconic Es Vedrà island with chic whitewashed 70s inspired rooms, lush on-site gardens, and its own lavender field. The perfect off-the-beaten-path respite on an island known for partying and nightlife!
Torel Palace, Lisbon: A hotel with the best views in all of Lisbon, perched on one of the city’s famed seven hills. It feels more like a private home than a hotel, with only 28 guest rooms, many boasting chandeliers and balconies that serve as personal miradouros.
Hôtel du Palais, Biarritz: Perched right on the rugged water’s edge in Biarritz and a total grand dame property—it was the summer residence of Napoleon and Eugenie, after all! From the outdoor pool you can watch some of the best surfing in the world, all from your private beach cabana.
Every month, I donate 20% of my Substack subscription revenue to an organization that I care about, or that Mindholiday readers have recommended I donate to.
This month, I’ll be donating to City Harvest in NYC, at the request of several Mindholiday readers. City Harvest collects surplus food that would otherwise be discarded and distributes it at no cost to New Yorkers facing food insecurity.
Thanks so much for reading and sharing Mindholiday—it means the entire world to me. And a small reminder: even while I’m stepping back from full trip design, I’m still offering complimentary hotel bookings with VIP perks through Mindholiday’s Fora/Virtuoso affiliation. It costs you nothing, and you get more—upgrades, early check-in, late check-out, and property credits that you wouldn’t get booking on your own. If you have a trip coming up and know where you want to stay, drop me a line at bella@mind.holiday. 💛🌀🫧
*This post contains affiliate links, which means I may earn a commission if you make a purchase (at no cost to you). I only recommend products I’ve tried and loved myself, or products from brands I genuinely believe in!
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All things Nikki chasin 🤍 I dream about her cardigans
Bella! I'm honored!! Thank you so much!! Sewing, knitting, and smocking as fast as possible to get something in your hands!