My husband and I kicked off the getaway season with a (return) trip to , where we were hosted by great friends and joined by a handful of others, including my NYC-based pal Stephanie Johnson*, pictured with me, above. Our brief 36 hours there were filled mostly with eating, drinking, eating, drinking and eating and drinking! We did manage though to squeeze in some tennis, yoga, biking, and riding in the back of the vintage pick-up. It all went off without a hitch, except that Stephanie and I arrived with the same hostess gift: a backgammon set. Thankfully, they were different; Mine was this travel-friendly gorgeous leather , Stephanie sourced her equally striking one from . This coincidence prompted me to hunt down other cool and original hostess gifts, in prep for upcoming trips! Plus, I thought it might be helpful to you, too. My favorite finds thus far include this super soft pom pom-trimmed that can double as a beach blanket, these monogrammed linen stitch , this sleek (dinner table-suitable) ice cream , and this chic leather for keys or jewelry (I like it monogrammed).

Check out my trip's highlights in the snaps below. Next time I go away I will try to take more pics, so I can share more (This time I guess I was just too busy having fun)!

*My friend Stephanie, as you may recall, designs super stylish, travel-friendly that also make for great hostess gifts! She even has a cute little named after me.

The table setting for an al fresco dinner.

Lunch is served (Euro style at 3PM!).

Here's the view from my bike! Beyond beautiful (even at 102 degrees)!