Julian kicks off The Summer Holiday Season

The first quarter of 2018 has been pretty tough - for politics, fashion, economy and somehow of course for me. In the past 4 months i had just one, a very single one day off work, off business travels, off meetings and this is frankly not enough.

Knowing that wheels keep on turning with or without me being rested and fashion week season approaching with infernal speed, i decided to take a short break before work-life hits back on me heavily and there you go - my search for a perfect short-holiday spot had started. It had to be not too far away, not too hot at this time of the year and some place i hadn't been to yet – taking the last parameter into my search made the whole task pretty hard.

After moving to Germany, usually Ibiza and Mallorca are my quick-escape-spots, but as i will be going there pretty much 5-6 times this summer for weddings, birthday parties and family gatherings, i decided to quit on them and go for a chance. 

The ideal place had to be quiet, modern, beautifully designed, well-serviced and super easy going (i am not very much into those posh places, where they give you a dress-code for the restaurant and that kind of stuff; when i am on holiday, my dressing room is on holiday too).

Carefully did i browse through various hotels and private villas - either were they not my style, crazy expensive or i would have to take care of buying food & cooking by myself: so no! I never, simply NEVER check out the usual tourist platforms, when it comes to planning a holiday-escape, but this time i ended up clicking round the website of exactly such a player: Thomas Cook. 

Right before closing the website, i caught myself literally judging "a book by its cover" and decided to give it a chance. I played a bit with the search-filters and Bam - there is was! All easy, all chick, all beautiful, not too far away and on top: an adult-only venue. I had my jackpot without even playing the lottery. 

The place I found (or rather the uber-smart website of Thomas Cookspilled out for me) was a hidden spot of paradise on the island of Rhodes, called Casa Cook - a resort designed by a bureau of well-known interior designers and fully aligning with what i needed: a short escape into a beautiful and warm place in a close-by part of the world with only nature and sun around.

Three clicks later, i had booked myself into heaven and started the countdown of exactly 10 days to my trip. 

I arrived in Rhodes May 30th on a flight i had booked through my air miles (budget-holiday, you know), coming back into Europe from LA. 

30 hours of hell were behind me and never had i been looking more forward to a time-off. Sharp 30 minutes and 30 miles after leaving the airport, i reached Nirvana - Casa Cook - a boutique resort of small private houses, each with a cute little veranda and very own access to the pool. Hidden in the hills, but still having access to a beautiful beach just 3 minutes of walking, this place was exactly what my mind, body and soul have been craving for - perfectly designed spaces, sleek and essential, held in soft colors and earthy tones giving a rest to sour eyes. 

One can choose to either spend the day at the master-pool with a cocktail or smoothie under soft DJ tunes, stay at the own pool-terrace, go out for a hike or join one of the daily yoga-sessions. In my case, the commutes were limited between my suite, the yoga hall and the restaurant, but this felt exactly right. I am usually the type of holiday-person, who loves exploring the area, the cities in the neighborhood and the island, but this time i barely left the Casa Cook bubble i moved to.

The resort had opened doors only couple of years ago, after being fully rearranged and refurbished by super talented design studio Lambs & Lions and is now part of three houses developed for the Casa Cook brand. So far, there is a sister-house on Kos (which i will definitely visit soon!) and one opening on Krete this August. 

What is pretty unique in here, is the extraordinary good play of design, architecture, effortless chick and beauty, all rounded up with local fresh food and a divine hospitality experience - the guys working here, who immediately know you by name, dedicate their shifts to your well-being, comfort and relaxation. 

I was lucky to stay in the "Split Level Suite" but had a look through every single type of rooms the property here on Rhodes offers - honestly, any of the spaces would have been just beautiful enough and welcoming and would have still made my stay incredible.

The island of Rhodes itself is nice and wildly green on its own way - the climate here is rather dry and hot, but to me the savanna-like landscape with huge cacti, olive trees or aloe-vera-bushes are very attractive too. The next town of Lindos is only 20 km away and best to reach by bus or motor bike you can rent at the hotel. The city of Rhodes is a 30 min bus ride from Casa Cook and offers stunning views over the harbor and the usual bunch of touristy things to shop and do but honestly, i did not really feel any urge to leave the resort for the whole week - it was exactly what i needed to recharge my batteries and clear my head: first lazy days of summer spent in an incredible surrounding. 

 

If you are up to do more though, there are local guides who can show you every part of the island and are happy to dive with you into the more authentic Rhodes-experience. 

After a week here, I feel all charged-up and full of fresh energy to hit back to work. 

Another sure thing is that I am definitely coming back to the Casa Cook here on Rhodes for another short escape, perhaps in September or October, but first i will check out the house on Kos. 

Stay tuned for my cravings and reports from there. 

Über den Autor:

Julian Daynov ist ein wahres Fashion Victim, ein Serien-Netzwerker, eine ganze Welt für sich. 

Er arbeitet als Trend Scout, Einkaufs-Consultant und Kommunikations-stratege für Marken aus den Bereichen Fashion, Art und Lifestyle und reist ununterbrochen um die Welt auf der Suche nach spannenden neuen Brands für die Sortimente seiner Retail-Kunden.

Als guter Freund und treuer Fan von So-Sue schreibt er hin und wieder als Gast-Autor für uns und kommentiert alles rund um die coolen Dinge des Lebens.