Walpole: In a world where we’re always available, how do you separate your personal time from your work time?
Jules Maury: It is such fun mapping travels and working on amazing trips, but I have to try and put things down at the end of the day. I struggle to separate personal and work time as looking after Scott Dunn Private members means that their time is my time. When I do switch off (my teams in New York, California and Singapore are brilliant at picking up the baton), I try to give my husband and my many friends the time they deserve. One of my resolutions this year is to work on letting go!
What’s one thing you do after the workday to help you unwind?
Twice a month, my sports physio come to the house – he knows exactly what to do to shut down my 'office brain'. I have a weakness for Rick Stein’s Long Weekend travel series on the BBC and I love experimenting with his cookery tips. Similarly those of Raymond Blanc, owner of Le Manoir Aux Quat'Saisons Oxfordshire – one of my Scott Dunn Private members' favourite places to hide out. I love cooking and I find it a great way to relax. Of course, a glass of white burgundy helps, too.
What activity do you do in your time away from the office that helps you relax and recentre after a stressful week?
For me, Fridays are dedicated to reconnecting with precious people. I always book lunch with one of my lovely friends or god-daughters, so we have time to catch up on life beyond the world of work. We live in the bustle of London and one of the ways I completely relax is to go and stay with friends in the country. We often travel to Sussex on a Friday night. I love nothing more than to go to the local farmers markets (the Cowdray Farm Shop and Nutbourne Vineyard are among my favourites) to buy fresh food and great wine for the week ahead. We catch up with friends with a long walk followed by lunch in a country pub. It is so nice to escape to nodding cows, piles of Sunday papers, home cooking and soothing views across fields, be it summer or winter.
If we are in London for the weekend, my art-obsessed god-daughter and I will go to an exhibition or simply marvel at the jewels on show at the National Gallery while my husband mooches around Borough Market sampling various wares.
What’s something you’ve read, listened to or seen in your spare time that’s helped you at work?
I have no time to read during the week, so the weekends allow me time to catch up with my favourite publications. FT HTSI, Times Luxx, The Sunday Times, The Telegraph, Condé Nast Traveler and The Week are all on my hit list. I watch Amazing Hotels and Life Beyond the Lobby to escape to destinations that are not easily accessible or do not fit with my schedule. I also love any travel programme with Joanna Lumley as well as Stanley Tucci's Searching for Italy.
On the morning walk to work, I listen to the Rich Roll podcasts on how to decompress after a stressful day, what things to take seriously and not take seriously, which goals to make, and how to get through a busy week. I also love Ted Talks that focus on whatever it is that seems to be bothering you in your professional life.
After home and the office, where’s your favourite ‘third space’?
A Friday in Heathrow Terminal 5 with a plane ticket in hand and an adventure ahead! The wonderful thing about my job is that it necessitates travel – I am privileged to see new openings and interesting hotels to ensure that my members always have a new vision on their horizon. I try and plan at least one weekend a month out of the country exploring cities and countries, searching for gems like Borgo Santo Pietro in Tuscany – one of my favourite places in Italy. Anywhere new and undiscovered is catnip to me along with the bars, restaurants and experiences on offer.
On Sunday night, how do you prepare yourself for the week ahead?
To the annoyance of my husband, I am often found secretly looking at emails! I like to get my inbox in order ahead of Monday morning. I also organise my diary for the week ahead, scheduling trips away and dates with friends and family. My husband will inevitably distract me with a travel programme or one of our favourite series like Slow Horses as he knows that will make me switch off.
Best reason you've had to turn your out of office on recently?
We spent Christmas and New Year in our home in Klosters, Switzerland with the snow falling, which was a fantastic reason to turn on my out of office. I enjoyed such dreamless sleep knowing that, having a home in this village for 36 years, we know everyone that we want to know. Magical moments like the beautiful Christmas Carol evening in our local church with the children singing carols and drinks with friends in the local Casa Antica afterwards helped us to forget all the woes of the world. One New Year's Eve, we took the local train to spend the day in St Moritz before celebrating the start of 2024 at our favourite hotel, the Chesa Grischuna. We had some great days at Joe’s Bar up the mountain with lunch at Berghaus Alte Schwendi with the owner, Josefin. Skiing is also such a brilliant therapy for everyone – you cannot help but switch off!
Your go-to out of office outfit: Elegant and tailored. A monochrome Stella McCartney, Chanel or Prada jacket with tailored trousers, my signature white shirt, a great handbag and statement shoes. Linen and white with flashes of colour in the summer. Oh, everyone knows I rarely step out without my huge Hermes or LV scarves and never ever without my pearls – even on safari!
Your happy place anywhere in the world: Facetious answer: any Chanel shop. Thoughtful answer: any sailing yacht on the sea. I recently spent a week in Komodo National Park in Indonesia on the stunning Phinisi ‘Vela’ and I have never felt happier. It brought back memories of the six months I spent sailing across the South Pacific all those years ago and it reminded me of how wonderful it is to wake up to a gentle swell and silence. On a different level I was equally taken by my expedition deep into the Antarctic on Silversea, surrounded by icebergs, falling snow and distant penguins.
Your favourite bar or restaurant: Bemelmans Bar at The Carlyle in New York – their dirty martinis are just that and I love the fact that once you finish yours there is the little ‘half’ still waiting for you! Felix in Hong Kong was always my favourite when I lived there, and the same when I was living in Sydney with Aria – they serve a perfect Côte de Boeuf with shoestring fries and a béarnaise sauce, made even better when paired with a Château Angélus 2000. If I had to name a favourite restaurant that is beyond obscure, it would be the little beach on Palmyra Atoll in the middle of the South Pacific where I had the best grilled fresh fish I have ever had in my life under a full moon and gentle palms.
Something cultural or sporting you booked recently: The Frans Hals exhibition at the Royal Academy, as there were paintings that had never left their private collections before. Backstairs Billy at the Duke of York's Theatre in London's West End for something frivolous – Penelope Wilton is so brilliant as the Queen Mother. Finally, Cheltenham Races - Boodles invited me last autumn and I fell in love with the course and atmosphere. I'm already looking forward to The Gold Cup in March.
Something you've listened to or read recently: Kopi Dulu: Caffeine-Fulled Travels Through Indonesia by Mark Eveleigh; I read it while sailing through Komodo last summer and exploring Indonesia and Sumba. Nathaniel's Nutmeg: How One Man's Courage Changed the Course of History by Giles Milton was equally fascinating; it traces the story of the Spice Islands and the history of the British and Dutch East India.
A hobby you'd like to cultivate: Writing. I would love to do a course in creative writing and to write a book.
A luxury that’s actually a necessity: My Hermès Birkin Bag and my South Sea pearls.
Best luxury under £25: I adore Ortigia Sicilia soaps – there is a scent for everyone!
