Splendido, Portofino
Recommendations, travel ideas and special addresses we would pass on without hesitation.
Pure Voyage
A small office in Berlin. A limited number of journeys each year, each with one advisor who sees it through from first call to return.
Hotels
Canal Grande, Venedig
A sixteenth-century palazzo on the Grand Canal, twenty-four rooms behind Tiepolo frescoes.
Paros
White lime, local stone and concrete in a very reduced language — one of few new Cycladic retreats that reads as architecture rather than postcard.
Amalfiküste
A 1960s retreat built into the cliff and retold in handmade Vietri tile. One of few addresses on this coast with its own beach and an unhurried terrace.
Grumeti, Serengeti
An Edwardian manor on a hill above the Grumeti concession, looking across thirty kilometres of plain. The land is private, and the migration passes through between June and July.
Journey types
By rail, on safari, on the water or at your own pace. Some journeys begin long before arrival.
Trains where what passes the window matters more than anything on board.
Venice Simplon-Orient-Express · The Royal Scotsman · The Maharajas' Express
Africa in small camps, with guides we know by name.
Botswana by Air · The Great Migration · Rwanda — Gorillas in the Cloud Forest
Small ships that call at the harbours larger vessels pass by.
Aqua Mekong · Antarctica Expedition · Galápagos by Private Yacht
Self-driven or with a driver — journeys where the drive is the best part.
Tuscany from Place to Place · Andalusia by Road · South Africa Self-Drive
Travel examples
Not packages, but journeys in the form we have already planned them. Prices are a guide per person, including hotels, transfers and support on the ground.
Four nights on the lake in a villa with its own jetty, then five nights on a wine estate south of Siena. A driver between the two, no changes, no rental car.
Five nights on the coast with a private boat for two days, then three nights on Capri once the day visitors have gone.
Paros for the days with wind and tavernas, Folegandros for the stillness afterwards. Private transfers and ferry, timed so no day is lost at a port.
Two nights in Lisbon, three behind the dunes of Comporta, three on an estate in the Alentejo. For travellers who want quiet without giving up dinner.
Wellbeing
Places where architecture, nature, the kitchen and quiet come together — for journeys you return from feeling better. No programme, no diagnostics.
Bayern, Deutschland
Because nobody here is trying to sell you anything. The recommendation at the end is usually shorter than guests expect — which says a great deal about the place.
Alicante, Spanien
Because the breadth is an advantage here: nutrition, sleep, movement and recovery are looked at together rather than sold separately.
Montreux, Schweiz
Because diagnostics and rest are taken equally seriously. You leave with results and still rested.
Destinations
Where we travel regularly — and where we can tell you which region, which retreat, which week.
ItalyThe country most often planned badly — and the most rewarding when it is right.
GreeceIslands that look alike — until you stay three days.
PortugalThe quietest country in western Europe — and the least staged.
SpainA country that is one journey in spring and quite another in August.
MaldivesA decision about reef, transfer and month — not about photographs.
JapanThe country where planning changes more than budget.
South AfricaTwo journeys in one country — and the question of the order.The Founder
Ben TrousilFounder & Luxury Travel Advisor
For over 20 years I have worked with hotels, resorts and journeys across the globe. From European grand hotels to private island resorts in the Indian Ocean and safari lodges in southern Africa — many of these places I know from personal experience, others through long-standing partnerships and a continuous dialogue with hoteliers, travel partners and colleagues worldwide.
Pure Voyage is deliberately selective. Only places that convince through quality, character and hospitality are included. Equally important to me is the honest recommendation when a hotel or destination does not match the expectations or travel wishes of my clients.
My clients travel discerningly and expect personal advice, reliability and a keen sense for the subtle differences between good and remarkable hotels. As an independent luxury travel advisor, I work without commitments to individual hotel groups or tour operators, so I can give recommendations I fully stand behind.
Long-standing relationships within the international luxury hotel industry help craft journeys with particular care. Sometimes it is the small details that make the difference — a particularly beautiful room position, a well-thought-out itinerary or a harmonious overall experience. Not everything can be planned, but much can be meaningfully guided with experience, attention and the right contacts.
Guest Voices
Not stars or ratings — but what you remember afterwards.
We had two retreats in mind and booked a third in the end. The reasoning was so clear that the decision became easy.
The advice on which weeks to avoid changed our journey. We went two weeks later — and had the river to ourselves.
We were not persuaded, we were asked questions. That was the difference to everything we had before.
Published with consent, shortened and anonymised.
An Invitation
One hotel that convinced us. One new opening we are watching. And one travel idea for the right season. Carefully selected and reduced to the essentials.
