Did the newly released, South-of-France chic, Bonjour Tristesse get you in the summer mood? Same.
That feeling of watching a great film or series – that gives us a new zest for life and leaves us wanting to explore the world – really is unmatched. Including new releases (Bonjour Tristesse, I’m Still Here, and Just Like That) as well as movies that have just about reached cult-classic status, join us in watching (and re-watching) these films and shows, that will have us craving travel all summer long.
If you loved the new Bonjour Tristesse go to the South of France
You’ve most likely stumbled across the elegant French coming of age novel, Bonjour Tristesse by Françoise Sagan at some point in your life, whether via the novel itself or the 1958 American technicolour film. We are treated to a brand new reimagining of the book, with Durga Chew-Bose’s new film starring Chloë Sevigny and Lily McInerny, with all the beautiful South of France cinematography to get you in the summer mood. The film was almost entirely filmed in the jubilant Mediterranean port of Cassis on the French Riviera, where rows of colourful-shuttered houses and restaurants line the waterfront, and Aleppo pine trees spill over azure shores.
Live as lavishly as 18 year old Cécile (played by Lily McInerny) does in the coming of age film at Villa Cassis in the heart of the Cote d’Azur; able to accommodate up to 24 people complete with private terraces, two living rooms, and a cinema room.
If you loved I’m Still Here go to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Based on the memoir Ainda Estou Aqui by Marcelo Rubens Paiva, I’m Still Here paints a poignant, vivid, and raw picture of a family’s life, living under Brazil’s strict dictatorship in the 1970s. The film received the Best International Film award at this year’s Oscars, and is deserving of many, many more. Despite the challenging themes I’m Still Here is as poetic as it is poignant – through the script as well as the visuals via clever cinematography and costume design. 1970s Rio de Janeiro was lively and colourful, a place where vibrant parasols lined the white shoreline of Copacabana beach, and creative thinkers found lots to draw upon.
Indulge in this spirit at Vila Santa Teresa, a private estate built in the 1970s with the modernist large glass windows, open spaces, and wood furnishings characteristic of the time. The sweeping vistas of the Sugarloaf Mountain from almost every window are a bonus too.
If you loved Lost In Translation go to Tokyo, Japan
Admittedly, we doubt that Sofia Coppola’s Lost in Translation being on this list will surprise you. When it was released in 2003, the film garnered an overwhelming response, in part due to the very familiar portrayal of the loneliness of travelling, yet also the beauty of being somewhere completely different to what you are used to nonetheless. Set in Tokyo, Scarlett Johansson’s character, Charlotte, meets lonely movie star Bob Harris (played by Bill Murray) at a luxury, high-rise hotel bar.
For a similar meet-cute, head to Janu Tokyo, which newly opening in spring last year boasts four restaurants – sleek hotel bar included – and a private dining space, and is already becoming a sociable hotspot in Tokyo’s buzzy Azabaduai Hills district.
If you loved The Talented Mr Ripley (or the series Ripley) take a tour of Italy
Matt Damon, Jude Law, and Gwyneth Paltrow are an unforgettable trio in the 1999 film The Talented Mr Ripley, based on the 1955 book of the same name by Patricia Highsmith. Lounging under the southern Italian sun in all their nepotistic languidness, flitting between the quaint town beach and a villa straight from an oil painting in their sophisticated linen ensembles, it feels that life could never get better (even though we all know how the psychological thriller turns out). The new (2024) eight-episode limited series, Ripley, starring Andrew Scott as the titular role and Dakota Fanning as Marge is just as memorable, and has us feeling the familiar longing for an Italian trip.
That’s where the Orient Express comes in: journey from Venice to Tuscany to Portofino with La Dolce Vita Orient Express (stopping by the brand’s new hotel, La Minerva, in Rome) with all the 1960s grandeur (live bands, Champagne, sophisticated dining coach) to accompany the vistas.
If you loved The White Lotus go to Thailand
Were you a fan of season three, or not so much? The jury is very much out across the CF team and, well, everyone in general. Either way (and even though we have seen enough The White Lotus content across our socials and screens to last a lifetime) the show did tease us with the beauty of Thailand which had us dreaming of one thing only: a wellness-focussed retreat in South East Asia.
Where better to go than the actual hotel where the series was filmed, Four Seasons Koh Samui. While you’re there, indulge in the spa’s signature Detox Ritual (Din Earth), lounge by the pool, and partake in boat excursions to Angthong National Park – no White Lotus craziness accompanied, we promise.
If you loved And Just Like That (Sex in the City) go to New York
Elizabeth Lippman
No matter how many times you watch Sex and the City, it brings back those same feelings of hilarity, and the notion that – while living in a city as a woman may be incredibly chaotic, challenging, and frustrating at times, especially the whole dating part – it is made ten times more fun with a great gaggle of girlfriends in tow. The sequel series, And Just Like That, feels the same, and has been renewed for its third season, set to launch 29 May 2025. For the Upper East Side glamour that each of the girls – especially Charlotte – embody, head straight to the local’s favourite, The Lowell. You’ll be welcomed by white-shirted butlers, will indulge in a Dior afternoon tea on the hotel’s internal garden terrace, and sleep in rooms that are each individually furnished for that added charm. And – just like that – it’s everything a very glamorous New Yorker could wish for. Don’t forget to pack your Manolos.
If you loved The Leopard go to Palermo, Sicily
The 1963 Sicily-set historical drama has been reimagined by Netflix for their newly released (March 2025) series drama. Both based on the novel of the same name by Italian writer Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa, its 1860s Italy and a Sicilian prince is battling with the uprooting of social (and political) style of living. Via romance tribulations and incredible shots, The Leopard draws us away to the Baroque squares and lavish palazzos of 19th century Sicily.
Villa Igiea is just that: layered with Sicilian glamour in its Belle Époque style, there’s no doubt why this villa is popular among A-list guests.
Lead image credit: Villa Cassis
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