18 Feb Jet Set 2013: Meet the Style Junkies
We recently sat down for a chat with Myrthe Strijbos, seasoned jet-setter and co-founder of the Style Junkies website, to discuss the current state of luxury travel and which destinations do it best. Whether you feel most at home in the decadent penthouses of Dubai, the sizzling beaches of Oahu or the wild plains of Tanzania, you’re sure to get some valuable insights from this interview. Enjoy!
1. Who are the Style Junkies, and how did you first get started?
The Style Junkies is a luxury travel website about the most stylish places around the world, such as luxury boutique hotels, five-star resorts, exclusive lodges, hip restaurants, wellness retreats, cool bars and beach clubs. We are totally independent and have visited, reviewed and tested every destination. We are the filter for the luxury traveler.
I have been travelling for so many years and after seeing the most beautiful places on Earth, I wanted to share my unique experiences with other style junkies and global travelers. I was always helping my friends and family with planning their trips. It’s definitely a passion and dream project for me, something I have always wanted to do. The Style Junkies is a visual website full of images from the most amazing places to stay and eat, it’s very easy and, most importantly, very inspiring. Searching for the right holiday online can be an overwhelming and difficult task. If you are spending a lot of money, it better be right! As much as I love travel, I also love helping other travelers and sharing my personal favourites in various destinations.
2. Your website talks a lot about the “WOW” Factor. How would you define that?
For all the stylish and luxurious places we write about, we have actually been there to encounter the ‘WOW’ factor ourselves. The Style Junkies are all about the ‘WOW’ factor. ‘WOW’ can be the most amazing places where you can escape from the ‘real’ world, chill out in luxury, stay in style, enjoy unforgettable moments, sip the best cocktails and eat delicious food. We focus on overall experiences and describe all the details that can make a place so stylish and unique.
3. What were your 3 favourite luxury travel destinations so far?
I love to discover little hidden gems, places that are difficult to find online. I would rather stay in a pure and personal lodge or camp, than a huge hotel from big hotel chains. Furthermore, a dream holiday is about unique and authentic experiences. My favorite luxury travel destinations are Africa, Maldives and Marrakech.
Maldives is the ideal laid-back luxury destination with its azure lagoons, white sandy beaches and swaying palm trees – and Cocoa Island Resort is the most special place I’ve ever stayed at! It’s like paradise on Earth. The combination of a beautiful barefoot idyll, excellent food, stylish but traditional boat houses, and an amazing underwater world is what made Cocoa Island so special to me.
I’m a nature and wildlife lover and without a doubt Africa is the most beautiful continent in the world and a true natural wonder. For example, the exclusive Singita Faru Faru Lodge in Tanzania where I stayed 2 years ago is so unique, personal, very private and its large diversity of wildlife and remote location is fantastic.
Marrakech is my favorite city. It’s so magical, enchanting and inspirational. Marrakech has a dizzying array of accommodations, but Maison MK is the best riad in the Medina. Maison MK is a stylish and romantic boutique hotel with very warm personal service and only six rooms. Their rooftop is so spectacular!
4. What are you working on right now, and what does the future have in
store?
I’m very happy with what I do right now. I have lots of plans, but for now my main goal is to get more visitors and include more destinations on The Style Junkies website. I want to inspire and help travellers, that’s the most important thing for me.
5. Last question, and you can only pick one: Yacht or Charter Plane?
Yacht, because I’ve never been on one!
You can visit Myrthe and the Style Junkies at www.theStyleJunkies.com, follow them on Twitter at @TheStyleJunkies, or like them on Facebook at www.facebook.com/TheStyleJunkies.
