Welcome to Beyond Ordinary Guides, where we curate gorgeous imagery, locally cherished spots, and accessible stories. We hope you enjoy!
All in Europe
Tucked along a narrow street in easy walking distance to a number of yummy restaurants and picturesque vistas, The Lisboans is the ultimate self-catering apartment. Each room is decorated in warm modern design and features a small kitchen, living room, and separate bed and bath. We loved peeking out our little balcony onto the quiet street below.
A photo journal from Copenhagen and beyond - a sun soaked, Scandinavian summer.
A photo journal of our visit to the charming hilltop town of Monsaraz in the Alentejo region of Portugal.
A fresh design haven located within the ancient city walls of Lagos, Portugal, Casa Mãe is the ultimate boutique hotel. Earthy, bright, well appointed rooms; an organic sourced restaurant; and a curated gift shop full of chic Portuguese goods all make Casa Mãe a worthy place to rest your head.
This forested thirty seven square mile island northwest of Dubrovnik is home to two salted lakes, one of which charmingly contains a 12th century Benedictine Monastery. Easily accessed by a two hour ferry from Dubrovnik, the larger island, which is home to Mljet National Park, makes for a beautiful day trip or as a stop along an Adriatic sailing adventure.
Tucked in the countryside between Lisbon and the Algarve, Herdade da Matinha is a 20 room oasis of calm, bringing simplicity back to the forefront of experience. Perfect for hikers or book lovers, Herdade da Matinha is located amongst miles of hiking trails and will entertain the most avid of trekkers, while their numerous communal living rooms and reading nooks (all with beautiful views) will have you curling up with a good book and truly unwinding on vacation.
A quick 30 minute drive from Lisbon, and yet completely removed from the hustle and bustle of the city, the coastal town of Sintra offers a refreshing and popular half or full day trip destination from Portugal’s capital.
Understated elegance on a 200 year old Alentejo estate, we give São Lourenço do Barrocal 5/5 stars on all fronts. This is a place where design, landscape, hospitality, and sunshine come together to create a blissful vacation haven. A pleasing experience in every way, a stay at São Lourenço do Barrocal will spoil all your future hotel stays and have you debating if you ever need to return to the life you took a vacation from.
Portugal’s capital city of Lisbon is having a moment, so you’re likely already inspired to visit this tile covered town, but we hope these photos give you the extra push to go from inspired to purchasing a plane ticket.
Justine Grajski takes us on a photographic journey through the Roman, impressionist, white horse harboring town of Arles in the south of France. Markets ripe with summer fruits, vines loaded with green grapes, and streets humming with that laid back warmth that only French summers can conjure, we invite you along on a beautiful visual wandering of the charming town of Arles.
Just off shore from Split, Paklinski Otoci is part of a chain of islands that is popular with the boating community. With only a small market and a handful of high end restaurants, it’s an ideal stop for sea farers looking for a quiet place to moor, or spend an afternoon getting drinks on the beach. Once our sailboat was docked, we set off on foot to find a private cove to ourselves to enjoy the golden hour.
A medieval island surrounded by turquoise waters and the birthplace of one of the most famous explorers in world history, the island of Korčula (pronounced core-chula) makes for a relaxed, yet fulfilling day in the Adriatic. With no real “sights” to see, a day in Korčula is best spent exploring the bougainvillea covered narrow cobblestone streets of old town, stopping into the occasional shop, enjoying a leisurely lunch seaside, and then sunbathing on the rocks below. A visit to the Marco Polo house provides a nice lookout tower to view the town from above, and just enough history about this 13th century explorer. The pace here fit our vacation vibe perfectly.
