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Hello all—

I hope you had a lovely spring weekend wherever you are. I’ve been sailing around the Sea of Cortes, and let’s just say, I’ve been blown away. A friend who is a frequent visitor, summed it up best–it’s the closest place to paradise on Earth.

We lead things off with our series It’s Still a Big World in which Cassandra Brooklym is taking readers around the tiny Central American nation of Honduras. It has everything an adventure and nature traveler could want, she writes, and has none of the crowds (or sticker shock) that some of its more popular neighbors have.

We’re also diving into two destinations working to shed their troubled past. In the case of Natchez, Mississippi–one of the more beautiful cities in the U.S.–it means confronting its sins, writes Janna Zinzi. Across the globe in the stunning Pankisi Valley in Georgia, reports Jamie Fullerton, it means confronting the stigma left over from terrorism a decade ago.

Enjoy!

— William O’Connor, Travel Editor

This Tiny Country Is a Less Crowded, Less Expensive Costa Rica

Sorry, Costa Rica, but Honduras is the next Central American hotspot for adventurous travelers who want to skip the crowds and save a buck.

One of America’s Beautiful Cities Leans Into Its Dark Past

This river city is now reckoning with its unique and dramatic history of excessive wealth, unyielding cruelty, and transformative resistance.

How This Gorgeous Georgian Valley Rehabbed From Terror to Tourism

Pankisi Valley is one of the more beautiful spots in Georgia, but for a long time the stigma of terrorism meant few tourists ventured there.

One of Rome's Most Iconic Hotels Just Got a Refresh

The curved travertine palazzo lining the Piazza della Repubblica is Rome's grand entrance, and the hotel inside its halls just got an update.

“Calling Olana a Hudson River mansion is like calling Notre Dame a church. It just does not get the job done … I have taken my share of house-and-grounds tours, and never, not once, have I come away saying what I said when I left Olana: I’d live there in a heartbeat.”

–Malcolm Jones extolls the wonders of what might be the most beautiful home in the U.S., Olana.

Maintain Your Sanity While Traveling With This Suitcase

There’s a time and a place to travel light, and there’s a time and a place to pack everything everyone in the family could ever want. If your travels align with the second scenario—say, weeks to be spent luxuriating at a resort—the Checked Plus suitcase from July is the perfect piece of luggage. This suitcase has a 110-liter storage capacity divided into two spacious compartments. It has a laundry bag, a secure but TSA-compliant lock, and a durable German-made polycarbonate shell. If you’re packing for the whole family, the Checked Plus is ready to roll.

—Scouted by Mia Maguire

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Travel Inside the World’s Best Contemporary Houses

We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again–we love house porn here at Beast Travel. That’s why our latest selection for Just Booked–Homes for Our Time: Contemporary Houses around the World. Vol. 2–takes you inside some of the greatest houses built in recent years.

Published by Taschen and put together by the busiest man in the world of coffee table books, Philip Jodidio, the book is a follow up on a previous survey we also featured. This volume places a special emphasis on houses that cleverly adapt or reuse existing structures and materials, like Eduardo Cadaval’s theater in Barcelona, Guillermo Acuna’s playful shingle-style seaside cottage in Chile, and the eco-forward Loom House in Washington.

There are, of course, the showstoppers. One can’t help but gawk at the futuristic hobbit hillside home designed by Mino Caggiula in Switzerland or the villain’s lair that is Casa S in Punta Pite in Chile. Plus, there are the envy-inducing views at a beach house in Tofino and on Serfio in Greece. Best of all, in ranging from the modest to the extravagant, this book shows the essential truth of contemporary architecture–it’s more personal than it’s ever been.

Don’t miss our other selections for our series on gorgeous travel-related coffee table books, Just Booked.

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