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Meet Unwaxed Lemons – our sun-baked, soul-rich edit that captures the full cultural spectrum of the Mediterranean. From the salty breeze of the Cyclades to the ochre hills of inland Tuscany, this is a curated world of design hotels, rural prose, boutique hideaways and little boltholes of soul – places that echo the pace, texture, and quiet drama of Mediterranean life.
This Edit moves to its own rhythm – a visual and sensory moodboard of natural materials, heritage textures, and unapologetically local character. Here you’ll find guesthouses on olive estates, designer conversions in sun-dappled villages, and clifftop pads with a wink of hedonism. It’s a celebration of place – whether you’re tucked away in the citrus groves of Sicily, the vineyards of Empordà, or by the sea on a lesser-known Greek island.
Unwaxed Lemons is more than a clever edit of just where to stay – it’s how to feel. Woven through each location is a cultural thread: stories of Mediterranean makers, studios, ateliers, and craftspeople keeping tradition alive. Ceramics thrown by hand, oils pressed with pride, linen dyed in small batches, and wine aged with purpose – these are the quiet heroes of the Med’s design legacy.
Each place, each person, is chosen for their authenticity, their aesthetic, and their deep sense of connection. This is travel that leans into locality, speaks with style, and leaves a trace.
Unwaxed Lemons is a travel edit for those who crave the good life in its raw, crafted, and culture-soaked form. Come for the design hotels – stay for the soul.
Known for his ecological, Mediterranean-rooted landscapes, Álvaro Sampedro brings a sensitive design approach to the preservation of rare forests, native planting and site-specific horticulture.
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Carved from stillness and clarity, Agape designs are sculptural gestures in stone and form; poetic presences that transform intimate hotel spaces into quiet, architectural rituals of retreat.
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This secret emporium is the place to come to discover Mallorca, bottled. An experience in itself, it’s here that you can find the best kind of memento – one that takes you right back to the island.
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Greece and herbary go way back in time to antiquity. Throughout its history, the aromatic and medicinal herbs described by Hippocrates, Theophrastus, Dioscorides and Galen have long been a part of their rich holistic culture.
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This spring, Barcelona hosts the Obertura at three iconic venues: Liceu Opera Barcelona, the Palau de la Música Catalana and L'Auditori.
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The crown jewel of the Catalonia region, Barcelona is the rare city able to walk that thin tightrope between historic, old-world charm and a young, ever-evolving sensibility.
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Spain's 150km Camí de Ronda is a historic walking trail that passes through the rugged beauty of Costa Brava’s Catalan coastal routes from Blane, Begur to Calella de Palafrugell and La Fosca.
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Ava Gardner came here to film Pandora and the Flying Dutchman in Tossa de Mar and was soon followed by Truman Capote, Josep Pla, Picasso, Miro and Duchamp, who, like Dalí loved to capture the refraction of light on water.
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Gorgeously flamboyant, Casa Vicens is a riot of colour and fantastical architectural detailing - bearing the hallmarks of Barcelona hero, Antoni Gaudi.
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CITRUS is the flavourful rebellion from Chios – a slow-made symphony of mandarin, mastic and culture that jars Greek tradition with bold design and boutique ethics.
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Made in their Athens atelier, Callista's bags are iconic, timeless, and one of a kind, each skilfully handmade using age-old crafts and techniques to incorporate Greek heritage
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Maverick Creative Director Simone Giottoli was the genius behind the idea to reinvigorate the market for handmade Etruscan tiles. Over twenty years ago, Giottoli began extensive research in ancient kilns, centuries-old productions and the restoration of an old stone kiln, which would be the starting point for the authentic recreation of tile-making.
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"My mystical paradise starts on the plains of the Empordà” were the words of Dalí describing his homelands blacked by the Pyrenees mountains inland and edged by the Costa Brava Mediterranean coastline.
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Spain's coastal city Empúries was founded in 575 BC by the Greeks sits on Catalan's Costa Brava - archeological sites, treasures and temples frame the Mediterranean.
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Günlüklü Bay is Türkiye’s hidden cove of cinematic waters and scented forests — a secluded stretch of soft sand where nature, not crowds, sets the rhythm.
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Göcek is the Riviera’s soft-spoken star: a calm bay town of yachts, pine forests and elemental luxury where sailing, history and nature blend into quiet, impeccable harmony.
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From the cliff-carved tombs of Tlos to the ghost village of Kayaköy, trace the soul of ancient Lycia along the Turkish Riviera’s sunlit coastline and mountain-framed archaeological wonders.
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Madrid is built on routine, conversation and urban life, shaped by historic quarters, modern ambition, design culture and food, revealing itself through daily use to artists, architects and curious minds.
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Madrid’s food scene is defined by Michelin stars, chef-led neighbourhood kitchens and daily dining culture, from Dabiz Muñoz to a new generation cooking with depth, continuity and social intelligence today.
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Madrid’s architecture reflects governance, density and adaptation, from modernist icons and Brutalist infrastructure to contemporary reuse, favouring endurance, urban life and continuity, rewarding close reading and repeat visits.
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Madrid’s design culture is shaped by a new generation working close to materials and making, spanning furniture, fashion, sustainability-led studios and major annual design events in a production-led contemporary city.
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Madrid’s culture and art scene is shaped by galleries, artist-led spaces and institutions, from Lavapiés and Matadero to the Prado and Reina Sofía, unfolding through conversation, continuity and everyday use.
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A 300-acre Tuscan wilderness of herbs, fauna and thermal soil. A woman who believed nature, properly understood, could outperform anything a laboratory could invent alone. This is Seed to Skin.
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Türkiye’s Riviera is a hypnotic clash of wild nature and ancient empires, where geology, myth and salt air create a soulful, untamed coastline unlike anywhere else in the Mediterranean.
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Bijou refuges crafted deep in the countryside or clinging to the wild coastline, these hideaways bring style to their natural location.
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Pitstop here for a bucket-list dispatch which jumps off the treadmill of busy on a journey through the moi realms of wellness, escapism and curation.
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Beyond plastic bans and token gestures, we celebrate eco hotels, regenerative projects, design pioneers and organic makers shaping thoughtful travel, green hospitality and a more conscious way of living with the planet.
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The Restoration Hotels are those aged modernists that marry twisted beams of centuries old with the design of Corbusier and we love this style combo of sheer architectural inspiration.
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Get the insider news and lowdown on what we've been up to, where we've been, and who we've met along the way. Be the first to discover new places and get the scoop on our favourites.