01
Curation is a responsability
A recommendation has value only when it is earned. Every addition to Notes should improve the collection as a whole.
Notes Editions
About
Notes.
What Notes is
Notes is a collection of destination guides built gradually, one place at a time.
Each guide is shaped through research, observation and repeated visits. Some places are centuries old. Others are contemporary expressions of culture, craftsmanship and creativity. What unites them is not age, popularity or prestige, but their contribution to the identity of a destination.
Today, Notes publishes two editorial formats.
The first is a growing collection of destination guides dedicated to regions of exceptional character. Each guide brings together carefully selected places to stay, eat, visit, experience and explore.
The second is Notes On — an annual series of city guides published in digital format. Released each December for the year ahead, each edition presents a curated selection of the hotels, restaurants, cultural institutions, shops and experiences that define a city at that particular moment.
Together, they form a long-term editorial archive of places that matter.
How we choose
We visit. We eat, stay, walk around, ask questions and form a view. We are not influenced by who contacts us, who invites us or who advertises. A place earns its place in the guide because it is good — and it keeps its place only as long as it stays good.
The selection criteria are simple: quality, character and honesty. Quality means the thing it does, it does with genuine care. Character means it belongs to the place it is in — it could not exist anywhere else. Honesty means it does not pretend to be something it is not. These are harder standards to meet than they sound.
The Journal
The Journal expands on the destinations we cover through stories, interviews and essays.
Alongside practical guidance, it explores the people, traditions, landscapes and ideas that shape a sense of place. Many of the most memorable destinations are best understood through the individuals who preserve, reinterpret or quietly carry their culture forward.
We publish selectively and with intention, prioritising depth over frequency.
What we believe
What we believe
02
Independence matters
Editorial decisions are made solely in the interest of the reader. Trust is built slowly and protected carefully.
03
Depth matters more than scale
We prefer a small number of destinations explored thoroughly to a large number covered superficially.
04
Beauty deserves attention
Beauty enriches experience, shapes memory and often reveals something meaningful about a place and its culture.
05
Culture is both inherited and created
Some places preserve centuries of history. Others contribute new ideas, new interpretations and new forms of craftsmanship. Both belong in the story of a destination.
06.
A strong sense of place is irreplaceable
The most memorable destinations are inseparable from their landscape, traditions, people and way of life.
Frequently asked questions
Notes is a curated guide to exceptional places — hotels, restaurants, cafés, boutiques, galleries and experiences — selected by people who have visited them. We publish permanent destination guides and annual PDF city guides.
No. We do not take commission on reservations and we have no financial interest in where you book. We link directly to places so you can contact them yourself.
We visit every place before listing it. We eat there, stay there, walk around and form an honest view. The criteria are simple: quality, character and honesty. A place earns its listing by being genuinely good — not by being famous, recently opened or recommended by someone who hasn't been.
Yes. We do not list places we have not visited ourselves. We do not compile recommendations from other sources or accept suggestions without visiting first.
We update the guides when things change — when a restaurant closes, a hotel changes ownership, or a new place earns its place. The Notes On city guides are updated annually every December.
Yes. Send suggestions to places@noteseditions.com. We read every message. We cannot promise to visit every suggestion, but we do take them seriously — particularly for destinations we are actively building.
No. We do not accept payment for inclusion, advertising in exchange for coverage, or any arrangement that could influence what we recommend. Independence is the foundation of the guide.
Notes On are annual PDF city guides, available to purchase for $35 each. They cover hotels, restaurants, bars, shops, galleries and experiences in the world's most compelling cities. The first three — New York, Paris and Milan — publish December 2026. New cities are added each year.
We use a combination of our own photography and images provided by the places themselves. All photographs are credited. We do not use stock photography to represent places we cover.
Provence is our first published destination guide. Tuscany and California are currently being built and will launch in 2026. We add new destinations slowly and deliberately — quality over quantity.