Welcome to the Kingdom of Smiles—though yours might be more of a smirk after your first chilled lemongrass towel and welcome drink. Touch down and transfer to your stay of choice: Rosewood Phuket, nestled along the emerald Andaman coastline, or the serene Anantara Mai Khao Phuket, home to one of the island’s longest and most private stretches of beach. 

Travel is about more than just seeing a place—it’s about understanding its subtext, the layers beneath the surface that give it depth. I’m Gloria Elwood, a travel advisor drawn to destinations that reveal both their raw, unfiltered edges and their carefully composed aesthetics. The kind of places Anthony Bourdain sought out, where authenticity and energy come first—but that still hold an undeniable sense of visual rhythm. Seoul is one of those places, a city that balances grit with refinement, history with reinvention, and it was this duality that made it the perfect subject for this guide.