Dear Gourmet Traveller readers,
Scent has a peculiar power over memory, one breath, and you’re somewhere else entirely. Whenever I catch the soft, creamy fragrance of frangipani, for example, I’m instantly back on balmy school holiday nights in suburban Sydney, swimming in the ocean as the sun slips below the horizon.
I had the same sensation reading Alexandra Carlton’s Jaipur story in April’s Gourmet Traveller. Her description of the Indian city is truly transportive. “The minute you step out of the airport, the air in Jaipur seems to smell like paan [a beloved Indian snack]. Its scent is one of sweetness, earthiness, menthol and mustiness.” For me, that flash of reminiscence triggered by smell is one of travel’s most powerful souvenirs.
In this newsletter, we follow that spirit of escape: from the best resorts in Fiji to add to your wish list, to where to stay in the Blue Mountains for a weekend getaway and a curated guide to Rome’s finest hotels.
