All Rockstars

Ilana Valo

TWIL Travel
Toronto, ON, Canada

Ilana is the founder and CEO of TWIL Travel, a boutique luxury travel consultancy based in Toronto. When she’s not working with her team to craft personalized and enriching travel experiences for TWIL’s clients, she’s off exploring new destinations with her family in tow. She has two 8-year old twins who like her, have curious minds and adventurous souls and are always ready to hop on a plane to start the next chapter of their travel story.

So hard to choose just one Querido property to visit! I would say SHA. It’s been on my radar since 2009 and I’m absolutely fascinated by all of their incredible programs and the way they are able seamlessly integrate a holistic, natural approach to wellness with science and medicine.

Favorite Memory

My husband and I borrowing cruiser bikes from Borgo Egnazia and riding them to the beach club, where we spent a wonderful, lazy afternoon going between our loungers and the sea, indulging in a delicious al fresco lunch and striking up interesting conversations with other guests- I remember being so incredibly relaxed and just happy to just be enjoying our beautiful surroundings and each other – it was an absolutely lovely day.

Insider Tip

Try not to over program yourself! Take some time to enjoy your surroundings. Each property within the collection is so beautiful and unique within itself and most of them offer great programming for their guests – whether it’s a cooking class on property, local wine tasting, or opportunity to meet with a local artisan, make sure to take advantage of some of these opportunities that will help you gain a better appreciation for the local people, culture and specialties.

Next Dream Trip?

So hard to choose just one! I would say SHA. It’s been on my radar since 2009 and I’m absolutely fascinated by all of their incredible programs and the way they are able seamlessly integrate a holistic, natural approach to wellness with science and medicine. I also can’t wait to get Borgo Santo Pietro – it looks so incredibly stunning and romantic and all of our clients come home absolutely raving about it – I want to finally see it for myself!

Cannot travel without...

This is going to sound lame, but the truth is, I can make do with very little, but I always need My iphone – I use it to stay connected with family and the office, to navigate new destinations (googlemaps), to keep all my travel notes and for the endless number of photos I inevitably take when I travel. Aside from that, I always travel with a few portable power banks.