Christina Valhouli

Travel and lifestyle journalist.

Branded content creator for Fortune 500 companies, tourism boards, travel agencies and small businesses.

I’m driven by curiosity, a passion for food and travel, and a love of inspiring people to get out and see the world.

  • Christina Valhouli reviews SAINT, a private sauna and cold plunge spa in New York City for Hotels Above Par.

    Hotels Above Par

    Space and privacy are two of the hardest luxuries to come by in New York, and the new SAINT delivers on both. This discreet spa has just four private treatment rooms, each one outfitted with a sauna, rain shower, and ice bath.

  • Christina Valhouli spotlights the JW Marriott Savannah Plant Riverside District, a former power plant turned luxury hotel, in her Travel CV column for ASPIRE Design & Home.

    ASPIRE Design & Home

    The JW Marriott Savannah Plant Riverside District, housed in a former power plant, flips the script on what a Savannah hotel looks like. It served as the city’s main source of power for decades.

  • Christina Valhouli spotlights the Waldorf Astoria New York, the Art Deco icon once called "the greatest hotel in the world" by Conrad Hilton, in her Travel CV column for ASPIRE Design & Home.

    ASPIRE Design & Home

    Hotelier Conrad Hilton once called the Waldorf Astoria New York the “greatest of them all.” This Art Deco icon once defined the luxury hotel experience, and recently reopened after an eight-year renovation.

  • Christina Valhouli features The Pinnacle Kigali, a nine-suite retreat combining private-estate luxury with Bond-villain flair, for the Late Checkout newsletter.

    Late Checkout

    Sitting pretty on Rebero Hill in the capital city of Kigali, The Pinnacle Kigali is a new nine-suite retreat giving “private estate meets Bond villain hideout” in the best way. Think personal butler, a Dolby Atmos cinema and even a four-lane bowling alley.

  • Christina Valhouli highlights the Populus Hotel in Denver, the triangular, lace-like building that instantly became a city landmark, in her Travel CV column for ASPIRE Design & Home.

    ASPIRE Design & Home

    It’s rare for a new hotel to transform a city skyline, but the Populus Hotel in Denver does exactly that. With its triangular shape and white exterior that looks wrapped in lace, the building became an instant landmark when it debuted.

  • Christina Valhouli writes about the family-friendly all-inclusive resort Hyatt Dreams Rose Hall in Jamaica for Business Insider, sharing what made it a hit with both teens and parents.

    Business Insider

    My family recently stayed at our first big, all-inclusive resort in Jamaica. We all loved it, and wished we’d done it sooner. Here’s what made it a hit with teens and parents.

  • Christina Valhouli features ORIGINS Astral, a jungle retreat in Costa Rica with stargazing-inspired villas, for the Late Checkout newsletter.

    Late Checkout

    Heads up, stargazers. Costa Rica’s newest jungle escape is out of this world. ORIGINS Astral, the next chapter from the team behind honeymoon hotspot ORIGINS Floral, brings cosmic luxury to the cloud forest.

  • Christina Valhouli spotlights the Hamilton Princess in Bermuda, the island's grande dame hotel with a James Bond connection and a world-class art collection, in her Travel CV column for ASPIRE Design & Home.

    ASPIRE Design & Home

    The Hamilton Princess is the undisputed grande dame of Bermuda and it has it all, from code-breaking stories and a James Bond link to a world-class art collection.

  • Christina Valhouli writes about planning a family trip to Belize with teenagers for Business Insider, combining sharks, jungle, and beach.

    Business Insider

    I planned an action-packed family vacation to Belize that was so good that it got my teens off their phones. Our trip combined jungle, beach and sharks. We're never going back to basic trips again.

  • Christina Valhouli spotlights Bluefields Bay Villas in Jamaica, a family-owned boutique hotel with just six villas and four suites in her Travel CV column for ASPIRE Design & Home.

    ASPIRE Design & Home

    There aren’t many boutique hotels that keep three full-time carpenters on staff, but Bluefields Bay Villas is anything but typical. This tiny, family-owned Jamaican hotel offers just six villas and four suites.

  • Christina Valhouli writes a guide to the Berkshires for Smart Luxury, covering the region's design-forward hotels, inventive restaurants, and cultural attractions.

    Smart Luxury

    The Berkshires are hardly a secret, but a new wave of design-forward hotels, inventive restaurants, and cultural programming is drawing a younger, hipper crowd while preserving its soulful sense of place.

  • Christina Valhouli spotlights the elegant, family friendly JW Marriott Venice Resort & Spa in her Travel CV column for ASPIRE Design & Home.

    ASPIRE Design & Home

    If you’re planning to visit one of the most popular places on the planet, you need a strategy. When that destination is Venice, an elegant solution is the JW Marriott Venice Resort & Spa.

  • Christina Valhouli writes a guide to Hamburg, Germany, in her Travel CV column for ASPIRE Design & Home, covering where to go, what to do, and where to eat in this historic port city.

    ASPIRE Design & Home

    With a mix of historic charm, forward-thinking architecture and a gritty, maritime edge, the port city of Hamburg quietly ranks among the coolest destinations in Europe.

  • Christina Valhouli spotlights the Six Senses Douro Valley in Portugal, set in one of the world's oldest wine regions along the terraced hillsides of the Douro River, in her Travel CV column for ASPIRE Design & Home.

    ASPIRE Design & Home

    The Douro Valley is one of the oldest wine regions in the world, famed for its terraced vineyards cascading down to the banks of the Douro River and at its heart is the Six Senses Douro Valley.

  • The historic port of Leith, Edinburgh, as featured in my ShermansTravel story spotlighting the city's most underrated neighborhood.

    ShermansTravel

    Most visitors to Edinburgh spend their time crisscrossing Old Town and New Town, but consider the under-the-radar port of Leith which is filled with Michelin-starred restaurants and a new distillery.

  • Christina Valhouli writes a design-focused guide to Bath, England, in her Travel CV column for ASPIRE Design & Home, timed to the landmark year for Jane Austen fans and admirers of Mr. Darcy.

    ASPIRE Design & Home

    Whether you‘re devoted fan of Jane Austen’s novels or simply have a soft spot for Mr. Darcy in Pride & Prejudice, 2025 is a landmark year for Austen lovers and Bath.

  • Hotel Manapany in St. Barts-- one of my favorite finds from my Smart Luxury guide to the island and highlight in my Travel CV column in ASPIRE Design & Home.

    Smart Luxury

    The French-Caribbean island of Saint Barthélemy is unlike any other in the Caribbean. At just nine square miles, St. Barts feels like a French village transplanted to the West Indies.

  • Christina Valhouli spotlights Villa Ardore in Tuscany, Italy, a standout among the region's villa accommodations, in her Travel CV column for ASPIRE Design & Home.

    ASPIRE Design & Home

    Tuscany is always a good idea, with its iconic patchwork quilt landscape, but if you’re trying to narrow down your accommodation options, consider Villa Ardore. 

  • Drowned Lands Brewery in the Lower Hudson Valley, New York, featured in Christina Valhouli's Smart Luxury guide to the region's hotels and restaurants.

    Smart Luxury

    The Lower Hudson Valley offers all the sweeping vistas and farms you’d expect further north in the Catskills and Upper Hudson Valley but is less crowded and closer to New York City.

  • Christina Valhouli highlights Porto, Portugal, in her design-focused Travel CV guide for ASPIRE Design & Home, exploring the city’s hotels, restaurants, and museums.

    ASPIRE Design & Home

    Porto is famed for its namesake drink but there’s much more to this city than dessert wine. Think of Porto as the smaller, cooler cousin of Lisbon.

  • Christina Valhouli highlights the Watergate Hotel in Washington, D.C., where design and history collide with the building's infamous scandal, in her design-focused Travel CV guide for ASPIRE Design & Home.

    ASPIRE Design & Home

    This November, all eyes are on D.C. as Americans head to the polls and in a city that’s no stranger to drama, there’s one building that stands out for being synonymous with scandal: The Watergate.

  • The spa at Nemacolin resort in the Laurel Highlands, Pennsylvania, covered in Christina Valhouli's feature for OrganicSpa.com.

    OrganicSpa.com

    Beyond the whimsical design, the resort stands out for its mind-boggling variety of daily activities offered, from golf and clay-pigeon shooting to cooking classes and off-roading Jeep tours – and we needed activities.

  • Christina Valhouli highlights Aldourie Castle in Scotland, the only inhabited castle on the shores of Loch Ness known for its classic Scottish Baronial design, for Design NYC, a trade publication.

    Design NYC

    The 17th-century Aldourie Castle is the only inhabited castle on the shores of Loch Ness and showcases classic Scottish Baronial design.

  • Laurel Highlands, PA — where Frank Lloyd Wright's Fallingwater meets FLW-inspired design at Nemacolin, featured in Christina Valhouli's Travel CV column in ASPIRE Design & Home.

    ASPIRE Design & Home

    Pennsylvania’s Laurel Highlands mean different things to different people. For some, the area is synonymous with outdoor pursuits. This area is also a design mecca, thanks to Frank Lloyd Wright, as well as the FLW-inspired Nemacolin hotel.

  • The Adriatic coastline of Abruzzo, Italy, an underrated gem in Italy, featured in Christina Valhouli's ShermansTravel guide to the region's mountains, beaches, and national parks.

    ShermansTravel

    If overtourism has you rethinking a trip to Italy, think again. Abruzzo is an under-the-radar Italian gem located about two hours east of Rome along the Adriatic, with mountains, beaches, and national parks.

  • Christina Valhouli highlights design-forward Alpine ski retreats curated by The Aficionados, including the Petits Fours de Blanc collection in Switzerland, in her Travel CV column for ASPIRE Design & Home

    ASPIRE Design & Home

    Whether you are a skier, snowboarder, or just prefer to curl up by the fireplace, why not brave the cold in stunning Alpine style, with these curated picks from The Aficionados.

  • Christina Valhouli writes a design-focused guide to Barcelona, Spain, in her Travel CV column for ASPIRE Design & Home, exploring the city's museums, restaurants, and unique architecture.

    ASPIRE Design & Home

    Tucked between the mountains and the sea, Barcelona is synonymous with art and style, which is evident in its museums, restaurants, and unique architecture.

  • Christina Valhouli highlights Palazzo Ricci in Abruzzo, Italy, an underrated gem, in her design-focused Travel CV guide for ASPIRE Design & Home.

    ASPIRE Design & Home

    The story of Palazzo Ricci, a fractional ownership club in Casoli, Italy, begins like most love stories, with a gut feeling and just the right balance of madness and fierce determination.

  • Christina Valhouli profiles Amsterdam from a wellness and design perspective for Bobbi Brown's website Jones Road Beauty.

    Jones Road Beauty

    Many cities are defined by their architecture and that’s no exception for Amsterdam. The city was designed with a network of semi-circular canals and today it’s impossible to imagine the city without its waterways.

  • Christina Valhouli profiles Troutbeck, a luxury lodge in the Hudson Valley, designed by Champalimaud Design.

    Jones Road Beauty

    Some of the best hotels in the world are the ones that feel more like a private home, with personal touches such as piles of well-thumbed books, and a furniture that feels a little worn in. In other words, a place with soul.