The Common Pursuit

Alternative accommodations for the discerning traveler

Created by London-based graphic designer Hannah Woodcock, The Common Pursuit is a new travel site designed to inspire your next holiday. The simple format currently features 72 accommodations varying in location and style, but all are centered around the comfortable aesthetics of “understated or alternative luxury,” says Woodcock. The Common Pursuit is the upshot of Woodcock’s obsession with finding the perfect hideaway that “has a …

Word of Mouth: Amsterdam

Local design blog editor Cassandra Pizzey shares five must-see places

After a five-year stint studying in the picturesque Holland town of Leiden, Cassandra Pizzey moved to Amsterdam, where she interned and was subsequently hired on as an editor for Design.nl. Working as a freelancer has allowed her to explore by bike during her more than two years in the bustling hub of culture and design. “If you can look through the mass of tourists and …

The Royal Mansour

Beauty and decadent service at Marrakech’s palatial property

Anyone who books a luxury hotel surely wants the service to adhere to the old adage about being treated like a king, but Marrakech’s decadent Royal Mansour palace—originally intended to serve actual nobility—truly delivers such an experience. Overlooking the historic medina, Marrakech’s chaotic main marketplace, the hotel was personally commissioned by King Mohamed VI of Morocco to allow state guests. Completed in 2010, the perfect …