Review of 2024: Our Good Travel Favorite Places
In December, many of us look back and remember the best moments of the year. We would also like to share our favorite places and experiences of the (travel) year with you. Do you have special memories or tips? Feel free to share them with us in the comments!
We wish you a happy new year and many new adventures and favorite places in 2025!
Cécile, Clara, Franziska, Geraldine, Ina, Judith, Julius, Nadine and Penelope ❤️
Cécile: Masa Vins in Barcelona
This year I visited the cosmopolitan capital of the Spanish region of Catalonia twice. In addition to lots of art, culture and Gaudí's masterpieces, I naturally enjoyed lots of tapas. I enjoyed it best in Masa Vins in the trendy Poblenou district (Carrer de Pallars 154).
The restaurant, which has been open since 2023, describes itself on Instagram as "your living room, but with a fridge full of natural wines." The space is relatively small, with wine bottles from all over the world all over the walls and the interior design is rather simple, with white tiles on the wall, chrome tables and matching tableware.
The tapas are a sophisticated combination of the familiar and the new, with an international twist. Labneh, sea bass ceviche and fermented vegetables such as kimchi and carrots are used. For dessert there was ice cream with olive oil - top notch!
The small dishes for sharing are accompanied by a varied selection of wines. The evening felt really special, as if you were sitting at the table with friends.
What made the evening particularly special for me was that I was able to see a friend again who I met the year before at a summer school in Finland. What a delicious reunion!
Geraldine: Finnish Film Fun
In addition to many wonderful encounters on my travels this year, I was particularly impressed by the film festival at the Finnish Arctic Circle.
I travelled to Finland for the first time in mid-June and, in addition to the enchanting capital Helsinki and the Christmas capital Rovaniemi, I also travelled a bit through Lapland. There, in the small town of Sodankylä, the 39th Midnight Sun Film Festival Initiated by the directing brothers Aki and Mika Kaurismäki, whose award-winning films (Leningrad Cowboys, Falling Leaves, A Night in Helsinki) are also shown at festivals worldwide.
Film fans make a pilgrimage to Lapland every year to watch the latest arthouse movies in pretty circus tents. The karaoke screenings, where people dance and sing along to the film music, are particularly popular with the audience. Since it never gets dark in the Arctic Circle in June, you can sit outside all night and talk about the number of films you've seen or the number of mosquito bites you've counted.
Maybe I'll go there again next year for the anniversary to soak up some good cheer and sunshine again.
Penelope: At Home on the Beach (Sardinia)
My visit to Gaetano and Christina in their house by the sea in the Gulf of Orosei was simply wonderful. I Liberotti, typically Sardinian built of stone, immediately catches the eye with its turquoise blue shutters.
We stayed in a ground floor apartment with a view of the garden and the sea. Simply idyllic. The room was comfortable and had everything we needed, including a small kitchenette. The garden with pine trees and oleander bushes offered plenty of space to relax, and the direct access to the beach was a real highlight.
The colors of the bay are constantly changing, sometimes turquoise, sometimes deep blue. Sustainability is a top priority: a solar boiler provides warm water, the garden is watered using water treatment, garbage is separated, and food scraps go into the compost. Instead of sealed surfaces, there are native plants. A vegetable stand stops right in front of the house a few days a week. We bought fresh regional fruit and vegetables there. In the evenings, we ate right by the sea.
With the view of the bay and the sound of the waves in the background, the food tastes even better. What a special place.
Clara's culinary collection
Another year is coming to an end and while I am balancing buying Christmas presents, planning New Year's Eve, working and writing my master's thesis, I look back on a year full of great experiences and, above all, food experiences.
One of my highlights was definitely the pop-up dinner that I attended in November at Gasthaus Canow Not only did it exceed all my expectations in terms of taste, I also discovered a new love for fresh kale. The inspiring story of the host couple reminded me once again of what special accommodations there are that are included in the Good Travel collection.
Another highlight was the food at our summer party, where we ate in the restaurant Lavanderia Vecchia in Berlin Neukölln. Not only the dishes, but also the flair and the interior transport you to the streets of Italy. A clear recommendation for all Berliners and visitors to Berlin. I'm already looking forward to my culinary discoveries next year!
Ina: Happy Hamlet in France
During my road trip from Lagos (Portugal) to Germany this summer, I made a stop halfway through Stopover at Happy Hamlet in southwest France. Suska and Nico have breathed new life into a handful of old buildings in need of renovation and created a small paradise for special community experiences.
Originally I only wanted to stay overnight, but as is often the case with our Good Travel hosts, I extended my stay generously. I moved into one of the guest rooms, spent many creative hours writing, reading and taking photographs in the magical corners of the Hamlet and roamed through the surrounding nature with Suska and Nico's dogs. I especially enjoyed the communal meals lovingly prepared by Suska, which were occasionally attended by neighbours, friends and family members.
After a short time, I felt at home here, helped with the preparations for the next summer guests and was also able to thank them for their wonderful hospitality in a musical way.
Franziska: La Cambuse du Saunier near Narbonne (France)
We spent the summer in France, as we often do. And since we always try to discover new places there, this year we went to Narbonne, a region where 80% of the tourists come from France. Perfect for enjoying the French savoir-vivre to the full.
A particularly nice place for this is the restaurant Saunier's storeroom in Gruissan. Gruissan is one of the most beautiful villages in France and is known for its saltworks and the salt production that takes place there. French families sit at large wooden tables and enjoy typical French specialties: from mussels to chèvre chaud to crème brulée. And of course a glass of rosé is a must. It tasted fantastic and the view of the pink lagoon of Gruissan is breathtaking. We will definitely come back!
Judith: High up on the mountain near Johanna (South Tyrol, Italy)
Even the journey there was a small adventure. We drove up the steep, never-ending forest path until we suddenly couldn't go any further. From here we had to walk with our luggage. High above Dreikirchen in the Eisack Valley, nestled in lush meadows and surrounded by pristine forests, the Briol suddenly appears. Johanna gave us a very warm welcome with a homemade schnapps and, just like in a picture book, there was an alpenglow that evening.
The Briol mountain hotel has a charm all of its own. It consists of several buildings that were lovingly built by the Settari family over decades. I was particularly impressed by the main building, which was built in 1928 in the Bauhaus style. It exudes a simple elegance that is both warm and inviting.
We stayed in a room with whitewashed walls and a great view of the mountains. The wood and the original furniture transported me straight to another time. Everyone who wanted one got a hot water bottle for the night. It was as if time had stood still here - but in the best sense of the word. We hiked, went to the sauna, jumped into the natural pool and had an excellent meal.
I was also able to see how they got their new pigs. Johanna said they were the best organic waste you could imagine. I especially enjoyed the fresh mountain air and the wide sky, which gives you a feeling of freedom. It was almost surreal how quiet it was up here - no car noise, no hustle and bustle, just the chirping of birds and the rustling of the wind in the trees.
Nadine: Surf Retreat in the Portuguese Alentejo
This year was a year of new travel destinations for me. As a repeat offender who likes to go to the same places again and again, it was quite an adventure. I was able to see two new countries in 2024 - both were beautiful in their own way.
But not a year goes by for me without a trip to my beloved Portugal (keyword: repeat offender). The trip I took there in April was sent to me by the universe, so to speak. Well, actually it was the Insta algorithm, but that doesn't sound like fate.
Immediately after returning from my winter workation in Central America, I googled longboard surf retreats in April in the Alentejo region and found nothing – no wonder, my requirements were quite specific. But then, a week later, I received a surprise advertisement to a retreat that exactly matched my key data (sort of fate, right?).
Almost two months later, I took the bus south from Lisbon to the beautiful little town of Porto Covo. I have already seen a lot of Portugal, but I had never been to the Alentejo before this trip. And I was not disappointed. The region immediately won me over with its quiet and still rather untouristy atmosphere and the green landscape lined with cork trees.
I spent a week here with five other women and the team from Rising Sea Soul spent time surfing small, fine waves, regaining my self-confidence in the water, eating delicious food, admiring the sunsets behind the rolling hills every day and having really good conversations.
My love for this country, which has already taken my breath away every time I've been there for the past six years, has only grown. Portugal, we'll see you again next year.
Julius: Cheese from Fromagerie Abraham Kef (Amsterdam)
This summer I had the pleasure of spending a few relaxing days in Amsterdam. After a delicious breakfast in my favorite café Kessens, a visit to the bookstore Athenaeum and a walk along the canals, I discovered the Fromagerie Abraham Kef.
There is an impressive selection of Dutch cheeses as well as international specialties, all selected with great care. In the unpretentious shop you can choose cheese and wine and take them home in simple but very attractive packaging.
They also serve sandwiches – and at fair prices. It is precisely these little moments and discoveries that make Amsterdam special for me and draw me back to the city again and again.
Photos: Carsten Hermann-Hehl, Cécile, Clara, Franziska, Geraldine, Ina, Judith, Julius, Isabelle Eijkelkamp, Penelope
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