The year has folded over into autumn, which is the season we like best for writing to you, because it is the only point in the calendar where you can see the whole year at once: the part that has happened, and the part still to come.

Since we last wrote, the year has moved quickly. In August, Skift named Satopia one of eight Trailblazer finalists in global travel, and Satopia Travel was shortlisted for the Future Icons Awards. In September we published the Privé 100, in partnership with Elite Traveler, who featured the list. It brings together 100 of the world’s most private places: many we have been booking as tailormade private experiences for you over the past ten years, and some exciting new properties alongside them. We joined The World’s 50 Best Hotels for its annual evening in Paris, and behind the scenes we have rebuilt how we work, so an answer now comes back to you in minutes rather than days.

Next year begins in Marrakech and the High Atlas in March, then Patagonia with Francis in April. In June we gather in Provence for Elkemist, and in July we head back into the Andes with Francis for winter, fire and snow. In September we take a small group to Bhutan and Nepal with Aman, and in October, finally, we sail the Nile, for those of you who have been asking for years. We close the year in Kenya, at Sirai House, in December.

Wherever the end of this year takes you, we hope it involves a long table, a late evening, and the people worth staying up for. We look forward to welcoming you on a Satopia Hosted Experience™ soon.

With love,

In August, Satopia co-founder Emma Ponsonby was named one of eight finalists in the 2026 Skift IDEA Awards, in the Trailblazer Award: Women Shaping the Future of Travel category, chosen from a record 492 entries submitted worldwide for the eighth year of the awards. The award itself went to Heidi Clarke of the Sandals Foundation, announced on 26 August, and it went to a good home.

We are telling you because of what the entry was actually about, which was not a company and not a founder. It was Elkemist, the Impact Fund, and the argument that a travel business can be built to move money and attention toward people who need both. That case was made with your names on it. Every gathering and every pledge came from this community, which means the nomination belongs here rather than on a shelf in Paris.

Emma founded Satopia with Ahmed ten years ago, with a deliberate view of who we wanted as guests and partners, and an equally deliberate view of what the company was for. The recognition is a pleasant confirmation that the second part was the right bet.

If your plan for winter sun involves an island, start with the Privé 100. Ten of its places sit across the Indian Ocean and Africa, from Fregate Island in the Seychelles to Miavana on Madagascar’s Nosy Ankao and Cheval Blanc Randheli in the Maldives. Ten more are spread across the rest of the world, from The Brando on Tetiaroa to Islas Secas off the Pacific coast of Panama. Tell us the dates and who is coming, and we will match the island to the trip.

We’ve been really busy planning your 2027 private experiences, from birthday celebrations and family sabbaticals to private islands from the Privé 100. If you’re still planning your 2027 travel and would like some inspiration, you can schedule a call with Emma and Ahmed here.