Daniëlle shares her all-time hotel and restaurant tips

Our sales director Daan is the epitome of taste and style. She knows where the action is and is always at the coolest places. Her husband is also an early adopter, so if you want to know where it’s happening, you need to keep an eye on these two. Their summer is the umpteenth proof.

Spring is starting, summer is being unlocked. Where are you going on vacation this year and why did you choose this place?
This year is going to be a bit bizarre, as in: a lot and far. That’s really exceptional, but it makes it extra fun to tell. I’m starting with a trip to Mauritius, at the invitation of the Mauritius tourism board. A week full of luxury hotels and visiting places on that beautiful island, where I was already once in 2009 for my honeymoon. During the May holiday, I’m going with my family (Joep, Moyá, and Dean) to Japan. My older brother lives there with his family. We first fly to Osaka, then take a short train ride to Kyoto and then to Tokyo. Everything is booked, from Disney in Tokyo, the Shinkansen (bullet train of 300 kilometers per hour from Kyoto to Tokyo) to restaurants and cool things we love. And then… We’ll continue in the summer vacation. This time to Thailand. Again: this year is really exceptional, but I had a goal when I had children, and that was to show them the world as much as possible.

We start in Bangkok; I’m so curious what my children (16 and 13) will think of it. That will be a totally different experience than Japan (Japan is clean, neat, disciplined, and organized). Thailand, on the other hand, is quite dirty, totally unorganized, but buzzes from the first moment you land at Bangkok airport.

We’ll stay a few nights in Bangkok because we’re all four real city people. After a few days, we’ll go to Koh Samui, where we’ve booked a beautiful resort. After a week in Koh Samui, we’ll spend a few days in Koh Phangan, then we’ll be in a basic hut on the beach. Of course, we’ll go back to Bangkok to shop for a few more days. We’ll stay in Bangkok, at the Lebua Hotel, known from The Hangover 2.

Zoom in on that perfect evening. Where are you sitting, what’s on your plate, and who’s at your table?
Then I’m sitting with our friends and kids in our garden. We’re drinking cocktails by Joep and eating fish from the Big Green Egg with the perfect playlist on.

Are you the type that plans-books-and-fixes everything or do you let it come to you a bit? What is already fixed and what is still open?
The important things are already booked. I’ve been doing that for a few years now because the really cool restaurants and hotels need to be reserved well in advance. But certainly not every evening and never lunch, so there’s still plenty left to decide on the spot.

Is there still a bit of movement or is vacation for you really ‘rest in place’?
The only thing moving are my jaws. Is that enough?

Have you thought about your summer wardrobe? What’s going in the suitcase and how do you put your outfits together?
I’ve definitely thought about that, but I’m still not good at packing. How many outfits do you take? I always take too many, but still have nothing to wear.

Is there already a playlist made for summer 2024 and what will definitely be on it?
No, but now that you mention it: I will start on that. Róisín Murphy will definitely be on it.

Is there already a stack of books ready? If so, which books?
Yes! My E-reader. Can that? Or am I revealing my age?

Then a few either-or questions.

Bikini or swimsuit? Swimsuit.
Cocktail or mocktail? Cocktail.
Museum or beach club? Beach club.
Location recidivist (returning to the same place) or adventurer? Adventurer.
Book or E-reader? E-reader.
Making a photo book or saving everything on your iPhone and never doing anything with it? Everything on my iPhone (84,000 photos are currently on it, and there’s still room for more).