From Punta Del Este To The Metaverse: It’s A New Chapter On Inspiring Travel

It may be cold and dreary outside right now, but if you are yearning for faraway lands and sun-soaked days, then Assouline’s latest travel books may be just the thing to satisfy your wanderlust (from your armchair).

“Our digital world goes faster than ever and nothing remains of it, but books are the solid part of our past and present,” says the co-founders of Assouline, Prosper & Martine Assouline, when talking about the beauty of books. “For us, books are a matter of intellect and emotion, of heritage and innovation. Because information is not only about today, and the past is a sensational source of inspiration.”

With that in mind, Punte Del Este (text by Bony Bullrich, £85, assouline.com), which is out this month (January 2023), celebrates the famous coastal beach resort found in Uruguay. Part of the jet set’s global playground – Punte del Este in the same league as St Tropez, Monaco and the Hamptons – the charms of this South American beach resort has been put to paper in the new tome.

Written by Bony Bullrich, an Argentinian lawyer and artistic curator, the coffee-table title delves into the history of the country, its landscape and its enduring allure.

“My grandmother told me that in the 1930s, after disembarking from the ship, a luxurious, wood-paneled train was waiting on the dock to take them to Punta del Este, like a scene from Death on the Nile,” Bony writes in Punta Del Este. “They had lunch in the dining car, and when the train reached the station, they were welcomed by people on the platform dressed to the nines, as if it were the most important event of the day. My grandmother’s ‘train story’ was too far away in space and time for me. Jorge Luis Borges, a friend of the family’s, said that my grandmother was ‘invulnerable to reality,’ but out of all that ‘reality’ it was the wood-paneled-train story that we always asked her to tell again and again.”

Within the pages of the book, Punta del Este is celebrated for its unique landscape, combining the best of the city, the countryside, and the beach. The town’s vibrant nightlife keeps guests entertained into the early morning and the daylight hours are filled with horseback riding through the pristine nature, discovering the one-of-a-kind Casapueblo, and experiencing an authentic asado, a uniquely South American social event involving a barbecue.

The book also uncovers the various ‘can’t-miss’ towns dotting throughout the region, each with their own distinct offerings: Las Piedras for the luxurious Fasano Hotel, Manantiales for unmatched surfing, Garzón to experience the otherworldly cuisine of Francis Mallmann, and La Barra for some much-needed beachside relaxation.

The mystique of Punta del Este will never cease to mesmerise, says Bony, who writes in the book: “As Pablo Naruda wrote in the guest book of an old house in Punta del Este, where everyone was welcome: ‘The world needs bridges,’ and Uruguayans are bridges. And if the words of the poet of Casapueblo are true, let me introduce to you Punta del Este: the best place in the world to see the sun when it is saved in the piggy bank of the horizon.”

While Punta Del Este celebrates this unique corner of Latin America, Cartagena Grace (text by Johanna Ortiz and Lauren Santo Domingo, published December 2022, £85, assouline.com) is a paean to Colombia’s port city on the Caribbean coast.

Co-writer Johanna Ortiz is a creative ambassador for Colombia and the creative director at her namesake lifestyle brand. She calls Cartagena her second home and the city aesthetics have played a crucial role in her evolution as a fashion designer.

“Cartagena is not static,” Johanna says in the book. “Every corner is full of life. Next to the most treasured buildings there are notaries, schools, academies, street-food stalls and churches full of hopeful worshippers. There are spontaneous dance battles where you can see the best Mapalé dancers, who will invite you to dance in the street at any moment. Thousands of stories keep developing day after day, ones that continue bringing life to the folklore of this land.”

Co-writer Lauren Santo Domingo, meanwhile, is an entrepreneur, editor, and the co-founder of the Moda Operandi fashion label. Her love of Cartagena began with her first trip in 1998 and is stronger than ever two decades later thanks to her Colombian husband. Now a citizen herself, she shares her passion for the country with her children.

“The walls that kept pirates out for centuries now make tourists want to stay inside of them,” writes Lauren in Cartagena Grace. “The bougainvillea-lined streets, vendors selling a single cup of coffee, tropical trees protruding from cracks in the pavement, the sounds of horses and champeta music passing over the Ciudad Amurallada – it’s the sort of fantastical place that García Márquez wrote about.”

Colonial splendour, Caribbean soul and unfaltering pride – the book details a city which has a spirit wholly of its own. Within its pages it details a catalogue of standout landmarks, including the pastel Teatro Adolfo Mejia, the famous Clock Tower, and the church of San Pedro Claver, originally built by Spanish Jesuits in the 1600s. Dating back to the 16th century, the walled Old Town, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is full of cobblestone alleyways, bougainvillea and orange-yellow facades.

However, the true spirit of the city is found in the quiet daily moments. A city of celebration, Cartagena is often the host of spectacular weddings and unforgettable parties. The city’s vibrant flair and breathtaking architecture are captured in Cartagena Grace, unveiling a rich portrait of this lively destination.

Finally, taking travel to a whole new level is Metaverse Dream (text by Paul Dawalibi and Gregory Landegger, published February 2023, £85, assouline.com) which looks at the possibilities within the virtual Metaverse. Here, travel is no longer restricted to a physical, pre-existing destination, and new worlds are created every day.

The Metaverse – an immersive virtual world that is facilitated by the use of virtual reality and augmented reality headsets – could represent the future of travel. While the medium is expanding and improving, this title offers a unique immersion into this groundbreaking frontier through a curation of visuals related to and inspired by the Metaverse, ranging from fashion to architecture, from hardware to conceptual design. It is a glimpse of what is to come and gives a whole new meaning to armchair travel.