Sun Valley

Nestled in the foothills of Idaho’s Bald Mountain, the ski town of Sun Valley attracts creative thinkers and adventure seekers.

Sun Valley - Places | Exceptional ALIEN

Ami Vitale

‘In the winter, we would definitely go skiing at Mount Baldy. We would go to the Roundhouse, which is one of the mid-mountain lodges. It’s very old-fashioned and built a long time ago. We’d go for fondue because it’s got great fondue, and great views of the valley.’

Food & Drink

Roundhouse

‘There’s a bar here called Apple’s that all the locals go to, for après-ski.’

Apple’s Bar & Grill

‘Galena Lodge has great trails — for Nordic skiing in the winter, and mountain biking in the summer. The trails go for hundreds of miles and you hang out at the lodge and eat great food. That’s a must-do because it’s absolutely stunning.’

Nature

Galena Lodge

‘Stanley is in the heart of the Sawtooth Mountains. It’s got breathtaking views. It’s a very small town, and has an incredible local bakery that’s only open in the summertime. They have the best food and some incredible hot springs on the rivers.’

Neighborhoods

Stanley

‘There’s great food in Sun Valley. Rickshaw or Enoteca are two of my favorite restaurants in town.’

Rickshaw

Enoteca

‘There are a lot of natural hot springs around here, so we would definitely go to the hot springs, then jump in the river. My favorite is one that we call the Hot Tub — the Boat Box is the technical name — that’s just basically this cool little tub that sits next to the river.’

Boat Box

‘There’s a really great consignment store in Ketchum called The Gold Mine. There’s a lot of really wealthy people here, so it’s literally like a gold mine because of all the stuff that people drop off. It’s really great for getting all kinds of outdoor gear or clothing.’

Retail

The Gold Mine

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Jody MacDonald shares her travel gems on where to visit when in Sun Valley.

Jody MacDonald - Travel Playbooks | Exceptional ALIEN

Sun Valley with Jody MacDonald

‘After I recover from jet lag, I immediately go to a massage place called Jari Menari, which means ‘dancing fingers’. It literally is the best massage place I've ever been to in the world. It's like 90 minutes for $30. It'll change your life. It's so good.’

Wellness

Jari Menari

‘I usually go to Canggu because I have some friends who live there. I like the surf scene and there’s a ton of creativity. And you can still get really great places there that are really cheap, and eat great food.’

Canggu

‘I always like going to Deus Ex Machina. They have wonderful photos — surf, motorcycle, culture, lifestyle photos. It's very touristy, but it's still fun to go to because there's a lot of creativity and visual inspiration there, which is really great.’

Deus Cafe Canggu

‘One of my favorite coffee places is Revolver in Seminyak.’

Revolver Espresso

‘I have a really good friend who owns a hotel called Bambu Indah, which is just magical. All the buildings are these wonderful bamboo structures. It's just such an incredible place. I would definitely recommend staying there.’

Accommodation

Bambu Indah

‘You can go to the top of Batur, and mountain bike down the volcano. It’s a really fun, adventurous thing to do. It takes a whole day, but it's a great thing that not a lot of tourists do. Any time you can get off the beaten track, you get to see glimpses of what Bali used to be and how magical the island really is.’

Mount Batur

Bali

The sustainable entrepreneurial hub of Bali is a powerful source of creative inspiration that is fuelling traditional artisans and rising creatives.

Bali - Places | Exceptional ALIEN

Jody MacDonald shares her travel gems on where to visit when in Bali.

Bali with Jody MacDonald

Canadian–born photographer Jody MacDonald has chased her passion for adventure and creative storytelling to over 100 countries.

Jody MacDonald - People | Exceptional ALIEN

We chat with award-winning photographer Jody MacDonald about her epic global adventures and her Sun Valley Travel Playbook.

People

Jody MACDONALD

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About Jody MACDONALD

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