TRAVEL GETS LIT
Esquire US|April - May 2024
Book butlers! Curated libraries! Custom cruises! Literary-themed vacations are the hot new trend in tourism.
ADRIENNE WESTENFELD
TRAVEL GETS LIT

IN JANUARY, WHEN PACKING MY BAGS FOR A "READING RETREAT” IN the Dominican Republic, I agonized about which books to bring. A few days later, bellied up to the beachside bar at the all-inclusive Dreams Macao Beach Punta Cana resort (where, in place of barstools, swings are suspended from the thatched ceiling), I sipped a mojito, cracked open James Salter's Light Years, a novel I reread annually, and knew that I'd chosen well.

But if I'd had any regrets, summoning a new paperback would've been as easy as ringing for a book butler. I was down in the DR to experience Pages in Paradise, a collaboration between the publisher Penguin Random House, Belletrist Book Club (the brainchild of actress Emma Roberts), and Apple Vacations (no relation to the iPhone maker). For readers who like to beach, the retreat left no page unturned.

The programming kicked off even before check-in: Ahead of arrival, guests could log in to the resort's app to reserve beach reads from an on-site library curated by Belletrist. Housed in the airy hotel lobby, the collection included buzzy contemporary fiction by the likes of Zadie Smith and Curtis Sittenfeld. Guests could also order books via room service (or personal butler) anytime or select one from the chic library carts located at the adults-only pool. The property's various bars featured the "Pages Pour," a specialty cocktail themed to the program's inaugural book-of-the-month selection, Jenny Xie's debut novel, Holding Pattern. They called the drink a gin-fashioned-a fruit-forward riff on the old-fashioned, zippy with pineapple-cinnamon syrup.

This story is from the April - May 2024 edition of Esquire US.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

This story is from the April - May 2024 edition of Esquire US.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

MORE STORIES FROM ESQUIRE USView All
hasan minhaj had a very strange year
Esquire US

hasan minhaj had a very strange year

The comedian felt the wrath of the Internet AND lost a career-defining job opportunity. NOW he's back with an interview series, A NEW NETFLIX SPECIAL, and a fresh perspective on his COMEDY.

time-read
4 mins  |
October/November 2024
the perfect girl friend
Esquire US

the perfect girl friend

Flirty, sexy, seductive, supportive. Your AI companion can be whatever you want her to be. And now a growing number of men are turning to bots to ease their loneliness or satisfy their kinks. The choices are endless. The emotions are real.

time-read
10+ mins  |
October/November 2024
thinker
Esquire US

thinker

Andrew Garfield has big ideas about life and death-even a theory about the nature of time. Over an afternoon at one of his favorite New York City haunts, the actor let us into his world.

time-read
10+ mins  |
October/November 2024
priceless
Esquire US

priceless

At Hermès, Axel de Beaufort will make whatever you imagine. Its value can be measured not in dollars but in the hours spent crafting it and the beauty it adds to the world.

time-read
9 mins  |
October/November 2024
shoes with staying power
Esquire US

shoes with staying power

The Shannon lace-up from Church's is a study in enduring style

time-read
1 min  |
October/November 2024
THE MIDLIFE CRISIS? TRY THE THREEQUARTER-LIFE QUANDARY.
Esquire US

THE MIDLIFE CRISIS? TRY THE THREEQUARTER-LIFE QUANDARY.

Black men's life expectancy is short, thanks to history. At 49, am I on the downslope?

time-read
6 mins  |
October/November 2024
HOW THE DEMOCRATS GOT THEIR GROOVE BACK
Esquire US

HOW THE DEMOCRATS GOT THEIR GROOVE BACK

They've been flinching ever since Reagan, but the party has finally figured out who they are.

time-read
5 mins  |
October/November 2024
WRITTEN ON THE BODY
Esquire US

WRITTEN ON THE BODY

As we age, we're fighting a losing battle against memory. Maybe that's why, in my 40s, I've tattooed myself with everything I can't bear to forget.

time-read
5 mins  |
October/November 2024
I Wore This Jacket to Death. Now It's Even Better.
Esquire US

I Wore This Jacket to Death. Now It's Even Better.

Menswear designer Aaron Levine, who helped revitalize brands like Abercrombie & Fitch and Club Monaco, explains why he reaches for his Carhartt again and again and again

time-read
1 min  |
October/November 2024
Check Yourself
Esquire US

Check Yourself

Todd Snyder and Woolrich have teamed up to create a new breed of wearable luxury fashion. The iconic buffalo plaid remains a staple.

time-read
2 mins  |
October/November 2024