| |
 Ashley Isaacs Ganz
The founder of Artisans of Leisure, Ashley is an expert in all of the company’s tour destinations. She is passionately committed to providing authentic travel experiences, sophisticated recommendations, and an extremely high level of luxury and personalized service. Born and raised near Philadelphia, Ashley has also lived in Australia, Japan and England. When she travels, Ashley is particularly interested in culture, cuisine, the traditional and decorative arts, and family travel.
Read more about Ashley in our Company Background.
| Favorite tours: |
Exclusive Italy
Highlights of Morocco & Portugal
Essence of China
Southeast Asia in Style
India in Style
Highlights of Greece & Turkey
A Week in Mexico
Contemporary Art of Japan
Best of New Zealand & Australia
Budapest, Vienna & Prague
London & Paris
Istanbul & Ephesus
|
| Favorite hotels: |
George V, Paris (France)
Park Hyatt Tokyo (Japan)
Villa d'Este (Lake Como, Italy)
Peninsula Hong Kong
Four Seasons Chiang Mai (Thailand)
Four Seasons Florence (Italy)
Four Seasons Budapest (Hungary)
Verdura Resort (Sicily, Italy)
Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park (London)
Gleneagles (Scotland)
|
| Favorite museums: |
Victoria & Albert Museum (London)
Benesse Art Site (Naoshima, Japan)
National Museum of Rome (Italy)
Prasart Museum (Bangkok, Thailand)
Margit Kovacs (Szentendre, Hungary)
Museo Dolores Olmedo Patino (Mexico City)
Sintra Palace, Portugal
The Egyptian Museum (Cairo)
Istanbul Modern
|
| Favorite dining experiences: |
5th floor at Harvey Nichols (London)
Da Delfina (near Florence, Italy)
Shojin ryori (vegetarian Zen cuisine) in Kyoto
Gundel (Budapest, Hungary)
La Cheneviere (Normandy, France)
Eating in Barcelona's markets (Spain)
Barnsley House (Cotswolds, England)
Maroush II, London
El Cardenal (Mexico City)
The Verandah, Hong Kong
Dining on mezzes while overlooking the sea in Tel Aviv (Israel)
Meinl's Restaurant (Vienna)
|
| Favorite excursions: |
Traditional neighborhoods in Kyoto (Japan)
Villandry and gardens in Loire Valley (France)
Tivoli (near Rome, Italy)
Snorkeling the Great Barrier Reef (Australia)
Sintra, Portugal
Eastern Bali villages and festivals (Indonesia)
The pyramids (Egypt)
A private cruise on the Bosphorus (Istanbul)
|
| Best shopping: |
Liberty in London
|
| Favorite cities: |
London, Rome, Istanbul, Kyoto, Paris, Mexico City, Barcelona, Sydney
|
|
 Leah Reilley
Leah joined Artisans of Leisure after years spent traveling the world. A passionate foodie, Leah's travels have ranged from exploring Italy's Slow Food Movement in Piedmont to finding Cambodia's best Khmer cuisine. As well as eating her way across Europe, the Middle East, Asia, South America and Australia, Leah lived in Madrid and Barcelona for four years, experiencing Spain as a local. She has studied art at the Prado museum, cooking, and flamenco dance, and received an MA in Spanish Language and Literature at Middlebury College. She has also lived in Paris, makes frequent trips to Italy, and has traveled extensively through Turkey, Morocco, Israel, India, Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, China and Peru. Some of her favorite travel experiences include attending classical music performances in Salzburg, Vienna and Prague; walking Spain’s Camino de Santiago; bargaining in Marrakesh's souks; snorkeling off the Similan Islands, Thailand; witnessing an aarti ceremony in Udaipur, India; ice-trekking on Perito Moreno glacier, Argentina; and watching dawn break over Machu Picchu. Leah recently returned from fantastic tours of Patagonia, Morocco, Spain, Australia, Indonesia, Nepal, India, Kenya and Tanzania.
| Favorite tours: |
Culinary & Art Tour of Spain
Best of Egypt & Jordan
Flavors of Southeast Asia
Journey Through China
Best of Morocco
Jerusalem in Depth
London & Paris
Gourmet Northern Italy
Cultural Highlights of Argentina
|
| Favorite hotels: |
Amanbagh, India
La Residencia, Mallorca
Hotel Astoria, St. Petersburg
Mandarin Oriental, Bangkok
Explora Lodge, Patagonia
The Peninsula, Hong Kong
Banyan Tree Lijiang, China
Amanjena, Marrakesh
|
| Favorite dining experiences: |
Breakfast at Boqueria Market, Barcelona
Fresh sfogliatelle in Naples, Italy
Borscht at Cafe Pushkin, Moscow
Lunch at La Terrazza di Lucullo, Capri
Egg coffee at Cafe Giang in Hanoi, Vietnam
Dinner at Sin Huat, Singapore
River shrimp at Yuqilin, Hangzhou, China
Pintxos tour in San Sebastian, Spain
Anything in Goa, India
|
| Favorite sites: |
Angkor Wat, Cambodia
The Alhambra, Spain
Kata Tjuta National Park, Australia
10,000 Buddhas, Hong Kong
Ajanta and Ellora Caves, India
The temples of Abu Simbel, Egypt
Petra, Jordan
Torres del Paine National Park, Chile
Sergiev Posad, Russia
Songzanlin Monastery, Yunnan, China
Machu Picchu, Peru
|
| Best shopping: |
Sculptures and artifacts in Ubud, Bali
Winter sales in Paris
Gourmet foods in Barcelona
Textiles, ceramics, jewelry in Jaipur
Shoes, leather, antiques in Buenos Aires
Rellik in London for vintage designer goods
Antiques along Dong Tai Lu, Shanghai
Art galleries in Neve Tzedek, Tel Aviv
|
| Favorite cities: |
Madrid, Barcelona, Rome, London, Moscow, Buenos Aires, Hong Kong, Bangkok, Jerusalem , Mumbai, Udaipur
|
|
|
 Elizabeth Mandel
A native New Yorker, Elizabeth loves the excitement of modern cities from Paris to Bangkok; treasures the remnants of ancient civilizations such as the Parthenon and Angkor Wat; and savors the solitude and majesty of the mountains of Nepal and the glaciers of Patagonia. Elizabeth has an abiding interest in the performing arts, in particular Japanese Noh, Butoh and Bunraku, as well as classical and modern dance and the theater. She has lived in Israel, Japan, India and Cambodia, and holds a Master's Degree in International Affairs with a focus on Women's Economic and Political Development from Columbia University. Prior to joining Artisans of Leisure, she was a documentary filmmaker, and her films explore cultures from the Canadian Arctic to the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Elizabeth's favorite travel experiences include watching the sun rise over the plains of Burma, exploring the jungle-covered temples of Angkor Wat, watching puppet theater in Bali, studying Butoh in Tokyo, shopping for fresh produce in Spain's food markets and for textiles in Phnom Pehn's Russian Market, trekking in Torres del Paine and the Himalayas, exploring the architecture of Barcelona and Vienna, shopping for crafts in Oaxaca, sleeping under the stars in the Thar Desert outside of Jaisalmer, eating in and exploring Marrakesh's Djemaa el Fna, people watching in the world's great and small squares, and diving from Latin America to Asia.
| Favorite tours: |
Gardens and Crafts of Japan
Luxuries of Burma
Introduction to Tibet
Essence of Vietnam
Highlights of Cambodia
Highlights of Laos
Palaces of Rajasthan
Romantic Indonesia
Italy for Art Lovers
Highlights of Spain
Garden Tour of France
London in Depth
Highlights of Turkey
Highlights of Austria
Prague in Depth
Essence of Morocco
Egypt in a Week
Journey Through Israel
Best of Jordan
Patagonia Adventure
Journey Through Mexico
|
| Favorite places: |
London,
Paris,
Venice,
Barcelona,
Greece,
Jerusalem,
Fez,
Marrakesh,
Xian,
Chengdu,
Lhasa,
Bangkok,
Bali,
Jaisalmer,
Inle Lake,
Bagan,
Kyoto,
Bizen,
Takayama,
Patagonia,
Riviera Maya,
Oaxaca
|
| Favorite sites: |
Parthenon, Athens
Park Guell, Barcelona
Cathedral-Mosque of Cordoba
Alhambra, Granada
Old City of Jerusalem
Petra, Jordan
Pyramids of Giza, Egypt
Nanzen-ji, Kyoto
Saihoji, Kyoto
Kiyomizudera, Kyoto
Itsukushima Shrine, Miyajima
Angkor Wat, Cambodia
Borobdur, Indonesia
Himalayas, Nepal and Tibet
Thar Desert, India
Torres del Paine, Chile
Perito Moreno Glacier, Argentina
Tulum, Riviera Maya
Diving in Central America, Thailand and Bali
|
| Favorite museums: |
British Museum, London
Tate Modern, London
l'Orangerie, Paris
Musee d'Orsay, Paris
Peggy Guggenheim Museum, Venice
National Museum of Cambodia
National Museum of Anthropology, Mexico City
|
| Best shopping: |
Mercat de la Boqueria, Barcelona
Djemaa el Fna, Marrakesh
Barkhor Market, Lhasa
Russian Market, Phnom Penh
Balinese artisans, Indonesia
Bizen potters, Japan
Calligraphy Street, Xi'An
Mercado de Artesanias, Oaxaca
|
|
 Diana Dove
Diana grew up in Stamford, Connecticut, and she has been traveling internationally for most of her life. She made trips to Europe and Asia before attending Boston College, but developed her sense of adventure and passion for travel during her semester studying Spanish art, literature and culture at Madrid's Universidad Complutense. She soon embarked on a round-the-world odyssey that took her through the greatest cities in Europe, into the mountains of New Zealand, to the hill tribe villages of Thailand and to the islands of Indonesia.
After earning her B.A. in Sociology and Hispanic Studies, Diana taught English in the remote Chinese province of Inner Mongolia, and in Tokyo, Japan. During this time, she explored China and Tokyo in depth, and traveled throughout even more of Southeast Asia. She found the temples of Angkor particularly memorable, and she loved the cuisine of northern China. In the past few years, Diana has traveled to India, Turkey, Laos, Germany, Egypt and Jordan. She returns to Japan regularly and is just back from an extensive tour of Myanmar (Burma).
| Favorite tours: |
Highlights of Spain
Essence of the South Island (NZ)
Exclusive India
Essence of Turkey
Treasures of Yunnan
Essence of Japan
Highlights of Laos
|
| Favorite hotels: |
Amanbagh, India
Four Seasons Istanbul
The Peninsula, Beijing
Anantara Resort, Golden Triangle
Mandarin Oriental Bangkok
|
| Favorite sites: |
Huashan (Mt. Hua, from Xi'an)
Sagrada Familia Cathedral, Barcelona
Ephesus, Turkey
Bhangarh, India
Temples of Angkor
|
| Favorite restaurants: |
Lumiere, Hong Kong
Roy's, Tokyo
Il Mulino, Tokyo
360 Istanbul
Home cooking of Madrid
|
| Best shopping: |
Roppongi Hills, Tokyo
Callao/Plaza del Sol, Madrid
Shaping Market, Dali
|
| Favorite cities: |
Tokyo,
Barcelona,
Singapore,
Istanbul, Madrid,
Shanghai
|
|
 David Carson
David has a passion for food and exploring cultures different from his own. He is also an avid photographer and loves capturing scenes of dailylife, architecture, and local flora and fauna. He has a graduate degree in theater and is a founding member of the Metropolitan Playhouse in New York City. David has traveled widely, from France to Lithuania to South Africa.
| Favorite tours: |
Normandy & Paris
London in Depth
Romantic Italy
Essence of Japan
Best of Angkor & Thailand
Highlights of Australia & New Zealand
|
| Favorite hotels: |
Chateau la Cheneviere, Normandy
The Sukhothai, Bangkok
Cape Grace Hotel, Cape Town
|
| Favorite restaurants: |
La Petite Ferme, Franschhoek (South Africa)
Agnes Sorel, Loire Valley (France)
|
| Favorite museums: |
Musee d’Orsay, Paris
Victoria & Albert, London
Gold of Africa Museum, Cape Town
|
| Favorite experiences: |
Walking on the city walls in Lucca (Italy)
Strolling the waterfront of Honfleur (France)
Visiting the American Cemetery in Normandy
A three-day photo safari in South Africa
|
| Favorite shopping: |
Wine in the Loire Valley and Tuscany
Paintings or prints of local scenes
Local crafts markets in every destination
Woolens in Ireland
|
|
|
|
John McGee
John loves experiencing local cultures. Wherever he travels, he seeks out traditional and contemporary art and architecture, visits museums, wanders city streets, hikes, meets local people, turns an ear to local music, scours markets for what’s typical to locals but unusual to visitors, forages for local food and drink, and buys lots of books. Originally from California, John has also lived in Copenhagen, Edinburgh and Tokyo. He has traveled extensively and intensively throughout most of Asia, Europe and New Zealand, large parts of North America, and a bit of Africa. Recently, John has spent considerable time in New Zealand, Poland, Spain, Italy, Argentina, Ecuador & Galapagos, Switzerland, South Korea, and Peru.
John has a BA in studio art from Occidental College and an MFA from Art Center College of Design. While living in Tokyo for six years, John wrote a weekly art column for Japan’s leading English-language magazine. He has also contributed articles on art, cuisine, shopping and travel to “Time Out” guidebooks, Art in America, Art+Auction, Four Seasons and many other publications.
| Favorite tours: |
Gardens of Italy
Contemporary Art of Japan
Contemporary Art of China
Culinary & Art Tour of Spain
Highlights of Poland
Highlights of New Zealand
Journey through Argentina
Introduction to Ecuador
|
| Favorite hotels: |
Llao Llao Hotel & Resort (Argentina)
Blanket Bay (New Zealand)
Hacienda Zuleta (Ecuador)
Benesse House (Japan)
Bauer Il Palazzo (Italy)
Amanjiwo (Indonesia)
|
| Favorite dining experiences: |
Al fresco lunch at a winery (New Zealand)
Private dinner at a Palladian villa (Italy)
Fresh soba, tofu and sake (Japan)
Fresh mushroom dishes (China, Poland)
Fresh oysters, venison and lamb (New Zealand)
Grilled steak at an estancia (Argentina)
Lunch at a historic hacienda (Ecuador)
Cheese tasting in northern Spain
|
| Favorite Artisans of Leisure experiences: |
Private wine tasting in Mendoza (Argentina) and Hawke’s Bay (New Zealand)
Flying over the Southern Alps and Milford Sound (New Zealand)
Horseback riding in the Andean highlands (Ecuador)
Touring less-visited temples at Angkor (Cambodia)
Seeing inside historic wooden churches in Poland
Experiencing the cultural history of Toledo (Spain)
Hiking with a private guide in Patagonia
Touring contemporary architecture in Tokyo
|
| Favorite places: |
Japan, Spain, Italy, New Zealand, the Galapagos Islands, Patagonia, Taiwan, Bangkok, Hong Kong, Beijing, Yunnan (China), Potsdam (Germany), northwest Argentina, and the Ecuadorian Andes
|
|
 Sonja Stoerr
Sonja grew up living overseas in Thailand, New Zealand, Dominican Republic and Kenya. She has traveled extensively to over 50 countries throughout Asia, Europe, Africa, South America, the Middle East, and the South Pacific. She earned a BA in Cultural Anthropology from Skidmore College and also studied in Kenya and Tanzania. Some of her most memorable travel experiences include flying over New Zealand's Franz Josef Glacier, learning to cook okonomiyaki in Japan, exploring ancient temples in Cambodia and Burma, witnessing morning prayers on the Ganges River in India, visiting a Mayan family's home in Mexico, slurping on xiao long bao (soup dumplings) in Shanghai, a sunrise walk around Australia's Ayers Rock, a tapas tasting in Barcelona, hiking along Incan paths in Peru, exploring family heritage in Germany, getting blessed by a monk in Bhutan, meeting a pride of lions on a walking safari in South Africa, making friends with meerkats in Botswana, spending a night in a Bedouin tent in the Sahara Desert, and riding longtail boats on the klongs of Thailand. Sonja travels regularly to Artisans of Leisure destinations around the world. Recent trips include South Africa, Mexico, Australia, China, Israel, Morocco, Dubai, Oman, Botswana, Germany, Prague and Austria.
| Favorite tours: |
Best of Angkor & Thailand
Exclusive India
Traditions of Japan
Exclusive Australia
Highlights of Burma
Essence of Peru
A Week in Bhutan
Journey Through Mexico
Essence of Israel
Journey Through Morocco
Classic South Africa & Botswana
|
| Favorite hotels: |
Southern Ocean Lodge (Australia)
Amansara (Cambodia)
Udaivilas (India)
Uma Paro (Bhutan)
Four Seasons Tented Camp (Thailand)
Hacienda Xcanatun (Mexico)
Amanbagh ( India)
Governor's Residence (Burma)
Monasterio (Peru)
Peninsula Shanghai (China)
Jack's Camp (Botswana)
La Residence (South Africa)
Park Hyatt Sydney (Australia)
Singita Boulders (South Africa)
|
| Favorite dining experiences: |
The Tasting Room (South Africa)
Spicy chilies and cheese (Bhutan)
Jules Vernes on the Eiffel Tower (Paris)
Japanese tea ceremony cuisine (Kyoto)
Seafood paella (Mallorca)
Any flavor of gelato (Italy)
Cheese and wine tasting in the Barossa Valley (Australia)
Spice Route (New Delhi)
Hangzhou cuisine at Amanfayun (China)
Astrid & Gaston (Lima)
Casa Oaxaca (Oaxaca)
Soam (Mumbai)
|
| Favorite Artisans of Leisure experiences: |
Visiting private temples in Bagan (Burma)
Landing on glaciers (New Zealand)
Private tea ceremony (China)
Meeting an orchid expert (Burma)
Visiting a township (South Africa)
Relaxing poolside at cocktail hour (Majorca)
Exploring food and flower markets (Bangkok)
Hearing Aboriginal stories in the Outback (Australia)
Shopping at antique and textile markets
Visiting primary schools (Asia)
Helicopter and scuba touring in the Great Barrier Reef (Australia)
Learning to cook curry in Kerala (India)
Visiting the home of a renowned folk art collector (Lima, Peru)
Soaking in a traditional hot stone bath (Bhutan)
Flying over the Okavango Delta (Botswana)
|
| Favorite places: |
Bangkok, Cape Town, Udaipur, Angkor, Kangaroo Island, Varanasi, Punakha, Oaxaca, Paris, Barcelona, Shanghai, Sacred Valley, Inle Lake, Fez
|
|
 Stephanie Dosch
Originally from Seattle, Stephanie lived in Madrid, Spain for six years before moving to New York. Stephanie first went to Madrid to earn her master’s degree in Spanish from Middlebury College, but she became enamored of the city and stayed, working as a tour guide and a travel blogger and writer. Living in Spain allowed Stephanie to travel extensively in Europe, both as a guide and on her own. Memorable experiences include hiking in the Swiss Alps; biking through Amsterdam; eating her way though the Basque Country; riding a hot-air balloon in Cappadocia, Turkey; boating through Sicily’s Aeolian Islands; sampling port wine in Portugal’s Douro Valley; and soaking up the sun on Menorca’s wild and secluded beaches.
Stephanie’s lifelong birding hobby has also taken her around the world, from the llanos of Venezuela and Mayan ruins of Belize to the Ghanaian bush and Tanzania’s Ngorongoro Crater. She even dragged her Spanish husband on birding outings during their honeymoon in Southeast Asia. When traveling, Stephanie loves trying local dishes; hunting for treasures in markets; wandering through interesting neighborhoods; and visiting museums and art galleries. Her most recent trips have included Dublin, Basque Country, Sicily, Amsterdam, Innsbruck, San Sebastian, Bangkok and Cambodia.
| Favorite tours: |
Culinary & Art Tour of Spain
Highlights of Cambodia
Food & Wine of Portugal
Historic Turkey
A Week in South Africa
|
| Favorite places: |
Istanbul
Sicily
Cambodia
Lisbon
Menorca
Bayonne, France
Nicoya peninsula, Costa Rica
Ngorongoro Crater and Serengeti, Tanzania
|
| Favorite neighborhoods: |
Kadikoy, Istanbul
Belleville and Canal St. Martin, Paris
Malasaña, Madrid
San Temo, Buenos Aires
Trastevere, Rome
Prenzlauer Berg, Berlin
|
| Favorite sites: |
Great mosque, Cordoba, Spain
Basilica cistern, Istanbul
Arc de Triomphe, Paris
Angkor temples, Cambodia
Chester Beatty Library, Dublin
|
| Favorite museums: |
National Gallery, London
Pergamon Museum, Berlin
Guggenheim Bilbao
Bargello, Florence
Museo Cerralbo, Madrid
MNAC, Barcelona
|
| Favorite Dining Experiences: |
Pintxos in San Sebastián and Logroño, Spain
Risotto at Antico Arco, Rome
Le Quartier Francais, Franschhoek, South Africa
Vegetable garden cooking at Treintaitres, Tudela, Navarre, Spain
Cannoli in Sicily
Suckling pig, Segovia, Spain
Chez Sophea, Angkor, Cambodia
|
| Favorite Shopping: |
Boquería Market, Barcelona
Marché aux puces, Paris
Grand bazaar, Istanbul
El Rastro, Madrid
The Kasbah, Tangier
Via del Governo Vecchio, Rome
|
|
 Jane Newton
One of Jane’s favorite pastimes is browsing food markets in search of authentic local cuisine. Luckily she has family throughout Europe, meaning she can indulge her culinary curiosity on regular visits to Greece, England, Italy and southern France. A Choate and Vassar alum, Jane has also studied French history and film at the Sorbonne in Paris. Her wide range of work experience includes editing a contemporary arts journal as well as a series of travel guidebooks. Jane and her husband and two daughters split their time between Manhattan and East Hampton.
| Favorite tours: |
Journey Through Morocco
Highlights of Puglia
Vietnam & Cambodia In Depth
Best of Andalusia
England for Families
|
| Favorite hotels: |
Hotel Splendido & Splendido Mare, Portofino
Hacienda Benazuza, Seville
Hotel Tresanton, Cornwall
Hotel Hassler, Rome
|
| Favorite museums: |
Gipsoteca di Canova (near Treviso), Italy
Musee Marmottan, Paris
Bauhaus Site, Dessau
Sir John Soane's Museum (London)
|
| Favorite site: |
The Alhambra, Granada (Spain)
|
| Favorite restaurants: |
Cantinetta Antinori, Florence
Piazetta Cathedrale, Ostuni, Puglia
Amorino in Paris for Gelato!
|
|
 Matthew Fries
A renowned jazz pianist, Matthew developed his passion for travel, food and culture on his frequent trips abroad as a musician. Matthew most enjoys visiting out-of-the-way places in Europe, focusing on their regional cuisines and cultures.
| Favorite tours: |
London & Paris
France in Style
Food & Wine of Austria
China: Past & Present
|
| Favorite experiences: |
Hiking in the Alps (Switzerland and Italy)
Touring the wine regions of Alsace, France and southwestern Germany
Traditional music sessions near Galway, (Ireland)
Browsing the Christmas Market in Berlin (Germany)
|
| Favorite cities: |
London, Copenhagen, Paris, Dublin, Cologne
|
| Favorite museums: |
Musee d’Orsay, Paris
|
| Favorite jazz clubs: |
JazzHouse, Copenhagen (Denmark)
Unterfahrt, Munich (Germany)
Ronnie Scotts, London (England)
Bimhuis, Amsterdam (Netherlands)
Bird's Eye, Basel (Switzerland)
|
|
|
