THE MIDDLE EAST’S BIGGEST TRAVEL MAGAZINE
ApRIL 2011
The Sound of Silence
peter Hughes heads to mobile phone-free Lord Howe Island
NEW YORK
Why your kids will love a bite of the Big Apple produced in International Media production Zone
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Restaurants with to-die-for views (and food)
on YouR BiKe Going Dutch in Amsterdam
Back to the future
Nigel Richardson seeks out fading traditions in fast-moving China
f ofext
% n 10 your liday ho
A Daimler Brand
A class ahead. The new generation C-Class. www.mb-me.com www.facebook.com/MercedesBenzME
Kanoo World Traveller APRIL 2011
CONTENTS Travel biTes
feaTures
05 AgendA
65 thirty-second concierge
30 lord howe
All the latest need-to-know travel news.
City slickers will love Hong Kong’s Upper House.
Peter Hughes finds the most splendid solitude in Oz.
14 Ask the expert
66 city guide: AmsterdAm
38 sri lAnkA
Where to head with little ones in tow.
Laura Binder pedals her way through the capital.
Island-life never looked better, finds Lyndsey Steven.
16 drive time
68 city guide: vAncouver
42 chinA
Take the most enchanting of trips through Oman.
Sarah Harrington explores Canada’s coastal city.
Grab a glimpse of tradition in the fast-moving country
20 picture this
71 competition
50 mAdeirA
Magical snapshots of the USA and Philippines.
Win a luxury stay at Kempinski Mall of the Emirates.
Sea, tea and tropical gardens in Portugal.
25 essentiAl selection
72 suite dreAms
58 new york
Dine with the world’s most spectacular views...
Close your eyes and sail the Caribbean Sea.
Why a city-stay makes for a film-worthy experience.
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44 On the cover: A rice farmer at work in rural China.
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34
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Managing Director: Victoria Hazell-Thatcher
Features Editor: Laura Binder
Junior designer: Adam Sneade
Publishing Director: John Thatcher
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Production manager: Haneef Abdul
Advertisement Director: Chris Capstick
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Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission from HOT Media Publishing is strictly prohibited. All prices mentioned are correct at time of press but may change. HOT Media Publishing does not accept liability for omissions or errors in Kanoo World Traveller.
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Jan-June 2010 22,620 BPA Consumer Audit Produced by: HOT Media Publishing FZ LLC
April 2011 Kanoo World Traveller 3
At Ibn Battuta Gate Hotel, stay for 4 nights and pay for just 3. This five star hotel is located adjacent to the Ibn Battuta Shopping Mall and Dubai Metro and offers the following free benefits: • Kids under the age of 12 stay and eat for free • Complimentary Kids Club • Access to Diablo Nightclub (door policy applies) Call toll free from: the UAE 800 4934, Bahrain 8000 1991, KSA 800 124 2929, Kuwait 2 225 3228* and Qatar 800 2001 and quote ‘Book Dubai and enjoy free nights’. Terms and conditions apply. Valid until 15th May 2011. Calls from Kuwait charged at local rate*.
Ibn Battuta Gate Hotel Operated by Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts P.O. Box 211508, Dubai, United Arab Emirates Phone +971 4 444 0440
[email protected]
www.moevenpick-hotels.com
Stay 4 nights and pay for 3
AGENDA Be informed, be inspired, be there
london calling
CorinThia hoTel london If you’re yet to book your annual escape to London, you may want to be among the first guests to sample the finery of the city’s newest luxury abode: Corinthia Hotel London. The stunning result of a reconstructed Victorian-era building, it opens this month on Whitehall Place and houses the biggest suite in town – the immaculate Royal Suite. Another unique draw is a Harrods-inspired concept store which you’ll find in the main lobby, so don’t forget to pack your credit card. www.corinthia.com/London
April 2011 Kanoo World Traveller 5
Back to the beach
The sister property of Le Touessrok opens on site where Le Coco Beach once stood. Spanning 59 acres of land in the beautiful Belle Mare Peninsula on the east coast of the island, Long Beach is the latest luxury resort to open in Mauritius. So what makes this one different from the countless others that dot the island? Well, for a start, all of the rooms here boast views over the crystal-clear lagoon and ocean beyond (take a dip in the lagoon and you’ll see rare species of coral teaming with multi-hued fish). But you’ll also find some unique culinary twists within the resort’s seven restaurants. www.sunresortshotel.com
ONE-MINUTE MASTERCLASS: RUSSIAN I’d like a bowl of Borsch, please Подайте мне, пожалуйста, тарелку борща Can I have some more sour cream? Добавьте, пожалуйста, чуть больше сметаны. Which way is the ballet? Как пройти в театр оперы и балета?
Kingdom, come If you’ve ever pondered a visit to the Kingdom of Cambodia, you now have the perfect reason to act: Sofitel Phnom Penh Phokeethra, the capital’s first five-star hotel to open in more than a decade. The $50 million property packs in eight restaurants and over 30 suites, the pick of which is the overtly decadent Opera Suite, from which yoiu have a grand view of the Mekong. 6
Kanoo World Traveller April 2011
Base qatar
Threesy does it Marriott International will simultaneously open three new hotels in Doha over the course of the next three months, offering would-be guests a choice of 500 rooms. They’ll be spread amongst the luxurious stylings of The Renaissance, the business-focused Coutyard by Marriott and, for long-staying guests, The Marriott Executive Apartments Doha City Center. www.marriott.com
agenda | news
slim shadies Designed to pay tribute to world of motor racing, these Persol Roadster Edition glasses are just the ticket if you want to make like a movie star on your travels. www.persol.com
a dine view If you think you’ve done it all dining wise, book a table at The Cube, a small, transparent er, cube, which will pop up (quite literally) atop Brussels’ Parc du Cinquantenaire on April 1. It will remain perched there for three months before moving on to another European landmark. www.electrolux.be/cube
Star gazing If you like to go where the in-crowd go, you’ll soon be making a beeline for New York’s Crosby Street Hotel (above) which has recently hosted more celebrity names than your average gossip column: Jude Law, Carey Mulligan and Meg Ryan to name but three. www.firmdale.com
April 2011 Kanoo World Traveller 7
4 WayS To Sample
1
Moscow
Warm up with a bowl of Borsch. The reddish-purple soup’s main ingredient is beetroot and the cabbage and beef that bobs inside makes for a delicious feed. Not your cup of tea? plump for pelmeni; the national dumpling bulges with all manner of meats and, with temperatures that dip to minus 30 degrees in winter, you’re going to need it. Sup them at a classic café – and don’t forget the sour cream, to be eaten in plentiful dollops.
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Take in a ballet. The graceful dance originated in Russia and The Bolshoi Theatre, which dates back to 1776, is the place to see it. Living up to its name (meaning ‘grand’), it’s among the oldest and greatest companies in the world and the most famous place in Moscow to see the poetic maneuvers.
Notes from a small island
Jumeirah Dhevanafushi opens this month, 10km from the nearest island in the Maldives. It means you’re guaranteed a private slice of paradise, but if you’re still worried about bumping into someone, book the resort’s Island Sanctuary Villa, and hide out on your private stretch of beautiful beach. www.jumeirah.com
Global Gourmet Holidaying in Mauritius this year? Don’t go without making a note of these must-dine spots from The Address Dubai Marina’s sous chef (and proud Mauritian), Vishal S. Maraday. I was born and raised in Central Flacq so I have moved from an island to the desert. When I do go back home I definitely have a few favourite venues in which to dine. My first choice would have to be La Cannelle Rouge, a fantastic French and Mediterranean restaurant that serves authentic cuisine which reminds me of my roots. My second choice, when I feel like moving towards Chinese cuisine, would be Restaurant Chez Manual which serves up some of the best on the island – I heartily recommend you try my favourite dish, the Saffron Octopus. My final pick of places to eat is Restaurant Filaos, a seafood restaurant whose fresh catches allows me to get back in touch with my love of the sea. 8
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Shop til you drop. Moscowvites are big on shopping (and even bigger on designer names), so part with some serious Ruples at a high-end department store. ‘Gum’ corners the Red Square and is the most famous store in town.
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Head for the hills. The city’s as flat as a pancake so, to drink-in its finest panoramas, you’ll have to make for its highest point – the Vorobyovy Gory (Hills). Turn around to snap The University of Moscow – one of the city’s Seven Sisters, built under Stalin – it’s an awesome architectural sight to behold.
agenda | news
the royal wedding
By royal appointment.
Invitation to Prince William and Kate Middleton’s big day lost in the post? Head here on April 29 instead...
What a sight This month’s hot offers from Kanoo Travel and american express Vacations.
ATHENS 4 dAyS/3 NIgHTS $1,094 pER COUpLE Bask in rich greek history (including the famous Cape sounion) on a city tour before relaxing in a five-star hotel. BARCELONA 4 dAyS/3 NIgHTS $1,953 pER COUpLE drink-in all the sights of this colourful city, including an abundance of architecture. KUALA LUMpUR 4 dAyS/3 NIgHTS $674 pER COUpLE experience the many cultural offerings of Malaysia’s charming capital.
10%
New York, USA lowdown Spend the night in a Park View suite (designed by Ivanka trump) and wake up on the big day to a private screening, accompanied by a wedding breakfast fit for a prince at Jean Georges’ three michelin-star restaurant. (think scrambled eggs with caviar, mini French toast and bubbly). the Venue trump International Hotel and tower. Set on the prestigious upper West Side, it doesn’t get much bigger than ‘trump towers’. highlight Besides enjoying awardwinning food, each guest will be given a piece of official royal Wedding china. details trump royal Wedding experience. From $1,075 per couple. www.trumpintl.com
Dubai, UAE lowdown Don your finest for an english-style street party (bunting and all) and right royal feast: traditional roast dinner with all the trimmings, British cheese boards and themed desserts like Wimbledon cake – plus the big day on screen, naturally. the Venue raffles Hotel. Crossroads lounge, azur restaurant and the pyramidshaped hotel’s famous botanical garden will all be transformed for the big event and Dubai’s British expats are sure to be chomping at the bit for a seat. highlight You can’t have a wedding without a cake, which is why the head chef will unveil a five-tier creation on the day. details royal raffles roast. From $81 per person. www.raffles.com
off all hotel and car hire bookings worldwide
Kanoo Travel is offering its customers a fantastic saving should they book a holiday anytime during April. The discount of 10% is applicable to all hotel bookings and car rentals worldwide, giving you a little extra money to spend while on your dream vacation. See page 70 for a full list of Kanoo Travel offices.
April 2011 Kanoo World Traveller 9
agenda | calendar
aprIl
prepare for a spring in your step this month after a heavy helping of revelry and indulgence...
7-9 GRAND NATIONAL Liverpool, UK
Head to the UK to experience the spectacle of the world’s greatest steeplechase. The challenging race – as famous for its accidents as for its successes – has millions tuning into thier televisions, only to hold their breath as the horses stampede the tough 30-fence course. To really grasp the action, get amidst the punters at racetrack level, which buzzes with unbridalled glee. www.aintree.co.uk
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baby bofe’ bologna, Italy For little ones with a premature taste for the finer things in life, this mini festival will be like music to their ears, literally. Organised by the Bologna Festival, it’s a charming classical music show for kids aged three to 11. Take them along and prepare to watch magical renditions in equal wonderment. Don’t miss this year’s headlining performance of Alice in Wonderland. www.bolognafestival.it
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gastronomy skI world cup Ischgl, austria Skiing, sipping and, er, eating all top the schedule of this snowfuelled festival where chefs and mixologists head slope side to compete for the best beverage and dish to devour off piste. There’s a giant fancy dress contest too, plus a ski slalom for those who want to burn off those excess calories. www.ski-worldcupgastronomy.com
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berlIn nIght of theatre & operas berlin, germany Culture vultures can swoop into the city for a rare night of entertainment where 60 Berlin venues unveil back-to-back performances, from dramatic theatre and emotive opera to the painfully elegant ballet. Each show is around half-an-hour in length, allowing spectators to float between venues. www.kulturprojekteberlin.de
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whIte house easter egg roll washington dc, usa Step onto the South Lawn this spring and you’ll be part of an age-old Easter tradition, where public and president alike flock to sniff out the tastiest eggshaped treats – and get a glimpse of the obligatory fluffy Easter bunny (aka one of the White House staff, not Obama). This event’s been a custom for the presidential family since 1878. www.whitehouse.gov
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royal weddIng london, uk Like a good wedding? Then you won’t want to miss this royal union between Prince William and Kate Middleton, set to follow in the Queen’s footsteps by stepping down the aisle of Westminster Abbey. Carriages, famous names and a designer gown are all hotly-anticipated so – with a four-day public holiday declared – why not join the throngs set to line the streets and get a glimpse of the bride?
AgendA | In depth
Ivy League From celebrities to the style-conscious diner, London’s The Ivy has long drawn the dining glitterati – and now its sister restaurant is tipped to do the same in Dubai. Laura Binder finds out what’s on the menu… “A table at The Ivy is one of the most sought-after pieces of furniture in London,” says British writer AA Gill, and with the sought-after eatery gearing up for its grand opening in mid-May, there are equal helpings of anticipation in Dubai. After all, when the likes of Kate Moss and Madonna are all-too-often snapped leaving the West End haunt after a slap-up meal, the bar has been set – and we all want a slice of the pie. To get it, you’ll need to head to the city’s slick business district, where it sets up home inside The Boulevard in Jumeirah Emirates Towers. But, besides the obvious superstar clientele, you may be forgiven for asking what it is, exactly, that sends would-be diners across the globe reaching for their phones. The secret, its general director Phil Broad tells us, is in an age-old recipe. ‘It’s been around since 1917 and has consistently delivered great quality food in a delightful environment,’ he says. ‘Plus, the fact that you can rarely get a table certainly adds a level of mystique.’ Doesn’t it just? But will we get a taste of that internationallyacclaimed London style, or will Dubai be a different kettle of fish altogether? ‘When you walk through the door though you’ll definitely
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know you are in The Ivy’ assures Phil. ‘The Dubai restaurant will have a similar look and feel with green leather, stained glass windows and dark wood feature, all typical of the UK. But, we’ll also have a larger lounge area as well as a terrace, which are two brand new elements for the emirate.’ So, that’s the stylish setting covered – but how about the stellar service The Ivy is known for, is there a chance it could fall somewhat short without its original team? ‘Not a chance’, says Phil. In fact, it seems the team is pulling out all the stops to ensure a celebworthy standard. ‘As well as bringing staff from London to support the opening (including the maître d’) we will send our new colleagues back to the capital to train in the kitchen and restaurant so, when we do open, it will be with a knowledgeable team.’ Of course, what we’re all chomping at the bit for is an insight into The Ivy’s menu. British chef Simon Conboy is at its helm, who comes with a long list of esteemed London eateries to his name, including the likes of Home House, the Four Season’s Lane Bar & Restaurant, Scott’s, The Forge and Le Deuxième. So, what can we expect Simon to bring to the hot plate? ‘There’ll be some great new dishes for diners,’ Phil says. ‘If you try one, make it the Thai baked sea bass for main and the Scandinavian iced berries with hot white chocolate sauce for dessert.’ But what of the signature British cuisine The Ivy’s GCCbased former London-diners will know and love? ‘All the classics will be on the menu, too,’ confirms Phil, ‘such as fish and chips, Shepherd’s pie and the signature Ivy burger – there’s a price point for every occasion.’ Now the only decision left is what to wear on opening night – if you can get a table that is… The Ivy is now accepting reservations, call 04 319 8767. www.theivy.ae
Image: The Ivy, Dubai
‘The fact that you can rarely get a table certainly adds a level of mystique.’
AgendA | trAvel q&A
Ask the expert
City or beach when you’re holidaying with the kids? And where to spend that big aniversary ? Our pros share their top picks...
The panel Jessica hudson co-founded The Chic Collection’s travel advisory and is tasked with sampling endless luxury hotels and resorts. Rachel hamilton is a full-time writer and the mother of two young children, Jodie and Dylan, whom she travels frequently with. James montague writes for CNN.com and The Guardian and is the author of ‘When Friday Comes: Football in the War Zone’ (Mainstream).
Q
Q
I’m torn between the city and the beach for our family holiday this summer. If you had to decide for me, which do you think is the most suitable? That depends very much on their interests and their age. If they’re aged below ten, I’d recommend you head to a beach resort with a good kids’ club. That way, if they wish it, your childrens’ daily itinerary is already planned out – from early morning to early evening – and I’ve yet to hear of a child who hasn’t enjoyed the myriad activities and entertainments offered at these clubs – when you see them for lunch and dinner they’re full of stories! Two that I can recommend through experience are Kids’ Club at Atlantis, The Palm in Dubai and KidsOnly at One&Only Le Saint Geran in Mauritius. Both are excellent. If, like me, you also want to do plenty of things together as a family, resorts like these offer ample opportunities for family fun. If your kids are older, however, you can’t beat a city like New York, where they’ll love places like the American Museum of Natural History and Central Park Boating Lake. Rachel Hamilton
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With Musandam’s majestic mountains and Muscat’s bustling corniche, Oman is perfect for a long weekend escape. Book your parents into Six Senses Hideaway, Zighy Bay; set in a secluded cove and flanked by the Indian Ocean and the Hajar mountains, this hideaway is as romantic as it gets – think private villas with plunge-pools, a personal butler and his and hers bicycles. If they’re feeling active, they can even arrive by paraglider, snorkel with turtles or hike to the ancient ruins. Alternatively they can check into the Six Senses spa for a couple’s massage. Or, for local culture, I’d suggest The Chedi in Muscat with the Grand Mosque, Sultan’s Palace and bustling Muttrah souk just a stone’s throw away. The suites are super-spacious with a luxurious finish in an Indonesian-style with rainforest showers. Jessica Hudson
Image: Kids Club at Atlantis, The Palm, Dubai
It’s my parents’ wedding anniversary and I want to send them on a long weekend away. Where would you suggest?
AgendA AgendA | RoAd RoAd tRip tRip
Drive time: MusandaM
TrAvel In Awe As you snAke beTween The soArIng rusT-hued enclAves of oMAn
There’s a remarkable mystery about Musandam; a place where strange yet beautiful contrasts coexist of the deepest peacock-blue sea and dry, earth-coloured terrain. The latter is intermittently brought to life by a sun-lit glimmer of burnt orange or the tentative steps of a mountain goat treading its rocky heights. Take to the roads here and each turn will invite you promisingly to the next; an endless stream of curves. As you do, it’s virtually impossible not to stop and stare at the mighty surrounds that engulf you. It’s one natural landscape that you can admire in relative solitude too, thanks to a constant still that shrouds the area – no traffic or honking horns here. If you do want to step out, though, we say take to the sea for scuba-diving or snorkeling or set up camp on a stretch of deserted beach. There are few better sights to wake up to... Image: Photolibrary
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AgendA | hotel picker
Where to stay
Dublin
there’s much to enjoy in ireland’s capital and some truly unique hotels to stay at too... START
21st Century
OR
Big
11th Century
OR
Boutique
Southside
OR
Central
Clontarf Castle Hotel
The Beacon
www.clontarfcastle.ie Though it stands a mere two miles from the city centre, you’ll feel a world away holed up in this 11th Century castle, where four poster beds and roaring fires are the order of the day. It’s also home to one of the Dublin’s best restaurants.
www.thebeacon.com Not far from the famous Leopardstown racecourse is this super chic hotel where the best room in the house is the splendid Penthouse Suite. In it you’ll find a Philippe Starck-designed bathtub which stands on an elevated level in the bedroom, not bathroom.
Style
OR
Substance
Nice ‘n’ Easy
OR
Rock ‘n’ Roll
The Merrion
The Burlington Hotel
The O’Callaghan
The Clarence
www.merrionhotel.com Amidst the grand interiors of this beautiful Georgian building is a wonderful collection of 19th and 20th Century Irish and European art.
www.burlingtonhotel.ie The biggest hotel in the city packs in over 500 rooms, the pick of which are the spacious suites that boast sweeping views of Dublin.
www.ocallaghanhotels.com This lovingly restored Georgian house stands on the beautiful St. Stephen’s Green – perfect for a stroll in the spring sunshine.
www.theclarence.ie An exclusive, style-laden abode made famous by its owners – Bono and The Edge from U2 – this remains one of Dublin’s coolest hotels.
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Picture this
antelope canyon usa
While it may feel like you’ve shrunk to the size of an ant and are nestling inside a giant, pink macaroon, in reality this snapshot scoops an inside look at the most visited slot canyon in the Southwest. This is Arizona territory (Navajo tribal land, to be precise) and the upper and lower canyons that form the Antelope (dubbed ‘The Crack’ and ‘The Corkscrew’) draw curious travellers from far and wide – and it’s easy to see why. Beautiful spiral impressions whip past one another like candy floss round a bowl yet to the touch it is concrete-hard, impossibleto-budge rock, spawned from the erosion of Navajo Sandstone. Head here and you can tread The Crack with ease at ground level, while The Corkscrew presents a real hike, despite the installation of modern stairways. Long, narrow and uneven, you can only tackle it with a guide but, trust us, it’s well worth it… Image: Photolibrary
Picture this
chocolate hills philippines
The name of this alien ensemble of hills isn’t the only thing to seem like pure fantasy; their geological origins remain something of a mystery, too. Over 1,000 of the gargantuan mole-like hills blob themselves across just 20 square-metres of Bohol, rising up to 50metres. Up close you’ll see the furry mounds are laden in grass but when the dry season surrenders itself to the next, they turn to a Cadbury-brown hue – which explains the name, at least. While geologists’ theories label them the probable product of limestone weathering or an uplifting seafloor, the Philippines prefers the fairytale legend of a giant called Arogo who fell head over hills for a mortal girl and, after her death, his tears turned to hills to mark their lasting love. Whatever tale you prefer to tell, do so from the nearby observation hill – the best spot from which to cast your spellbound eyes over this magical land. Image: Photolibrary
EssEntial sElEction | dining rooms with a viEw
essential selection
Dining Rooms with a view Forget run-of-the-mill restaurants, Laura Binder scours the globe for venues with a difference…
Il San Pietro Di Positano’s cliffside restaurant, Italy If you’re hell-bent on finding the most romantic dinner setting around, this would have to top the list. It’s perched – quite literally – on the beautifully jagged, green-licked cliffs that cast a shadow over the blissfully lapping Amalfi Coast below. White décor and Mediterranean sun combine to paint a painstakingly ‘Italian’ picture and the food is as first-class as its setting – so says its Michelin-star. Best of all, its chef rustles up fresh fare using ingredients plucked from the hotel’s ripe grounds – like the virgin olive oil, made from fruit grown in its private olive groves. Must-try dish: Come summer, head to the terrace that watches over Praiano and prepare to wipe the juices off your chin from the lushest of tomatoes, fattest mozzarella and zestiest homegrown lemons. www.ilsanpietro.it
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Vertigo, Thailand
Eagle’s Eye Restaurant, Canada
Teetering over a city skyline of soaring skyscrapers and relentlesslytwinkling lights; al fresco dining doesn’t get much better than Banyan Tree Bangkok’s lounge-cum-restaurant (pictured). Pull up a pew to a white linen-clad table and you can pause between forkfuls to peer down at the bustling Bangkok streets (61 floors below) whose inhabitants rush by in ant-like form. Coupled with a balmy Thai clime, it makes for one of the hottest spots in the East in which to dine. Night-owls should head to the Moon lounge post-bites to sup an exotic concoction beneath the bright lights. Must-try dish: Its signature dishes make for can’t-fail orders – try the beautifully bite-sized tuna tartar with salmon roe or, if meat’s your weakness, the rosemary-scented roast lamb is impossibly tender. www.banyantree.com/en/bangkok
For those who prefer their surrounds snowy, take a gondola and make for a mountaintop eatery that sits at eye-level with the white-clad peaks of Canada’s British Columbia (don’t stop till you reach a holdyour-breath 7,700 feet). Part of the Kicking Horse Mountain Resort, mealtimes at Eagle’s Eye come with stop-and-stare mountain vistas, offset with emerald-green forests and fairytale-esque wood lodges. Timber and stone décor help set the tone inside but for the best seat, head out to the terrace (wrapped-up in your finest ski-wear) where you can sit in utter contentment for an age. Must-try dish: Eagle’s Eye strives to be at one with nature with a focus on indigenous foods so, for the best bites, stick to its more authentic feeds of wild meats – juicy and plump, they taste just divine. www.kickinghorseresort.com
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EssEntial EssEntialsElEction sElEction||dining dining rooms with a viEw
Giraffe Manor, Nairobi
Solo Per Due, Italy
Mealtimes here bring with them a rather unusual dinner guest; giraffes. The dapple-skinned giants roam the grounds of what looks like a majestic 1930s hunting lodge, standing purposefully in Nairobi’s indigenous forests. If it sounds like a sight to behold; it is – and a setting little ones will be thrilled by, too. Make for the Sun Room for a sun-lit breakfast, where the huge open windows offer an open invitation to the creatures’ tenderly prying heads. But, if you ask us, there’s really only one way to dine here: at your own private table on the lodge’s grounds with only flickering, orange lanterns guiding each bite – and perhaps a certain long-necked guest for company… Must-try dish: Dishes here resonate home-cooked style. Our tip is the flavoursome Mount Kenya smoked trout pate, followed by the watamu red snapper – a house specialty. www.giraffemanor.com
You’re guaranteed the best table in the house here; there’s only one, and it’s set for two. But just because it’s the smallest restaurant on the planet (with a larger price tag of $450 per person), doesn’t mean it scrimps on luxury – to seriously impress your date you can book a personal fireworks display or Ferrari drive for dessert. You’ll find the country villa’s fairytale façade at the end of a candlelit driveway – setting the scene for one very intimate meal. Summer time? Pull up a wicker chair in its vine-shaded gardens. Winter? Make its log fire your dine-by spot. Whenever you go, there’s no fear of staff hovering over you like bees to honey – just ring a silver bell and a waiter will appear. Must-try dish: Ask for the latest special: sheep’s cheese, wild mushrooms and homemade pasta are all past favourites, each spun from nearby Vacone. www.soloperdue.com
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EssEntial sElEction | dining rooms with a viEw
Ali Barbour’s Cave Restaurant, Kenya
At.mosphere, Dubai
Head just south of Mombasa, immerse your bare toes in the oh-sowhite sands of Diani Beach and tread your way to Flamboyant; a luxury beach house that shelters what has to be the area’s best-kept secret: Ali Barbour’s Cave Restaurant (above). Set at the mouth of coral caves, 10metres below ground level, it’s impossible not to feel a surge of delight as you’re shown to your table amid copper-hued walls lit by dancing candlelight. Its ageing aura is palpable – the caves are between 120,000 and 180,000 years-old, after all. But if the word ‘cave’ evokes a tinge of claustrophobia a look upwards will soon solve it – there’s no enclosed roof, just an open expanse of sky… Must-try dish: The fresh seafare is too good to resist – try the Swahili Lobster in tomato, ginger and coriander. www.dianibeachkenya.com
Arriving to claim your reservation inside the tallest building on the planet (aka Dubai’s Burj Khalifa) makes for a very James Bond experience: an endless stream of black-clad security check your booking before waving you on towards an ear-popping lift that whisks you up to the 120th floor to where the world’s highest restaurant resides. Inside, floor-to-ceiling windows serve as a permanent (and welcome) reminder that you’re eating among the clouds. Must-try dish: Meat-lover? Order from the grill – its signature slowcooked BBQ beef short rib just falls off the bone. But, it would be criminal not to save space for a dessert here, like Gianduja – a mousse with bitter chocolate sorbet and caramelized hazelnut – which looks like a piece of culinary art. www.atmosphereburjkhalifa.com
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EssEntial sElEction | dining rooms with a viEw
Sense on the Edge, Oman
Ithaa, Maldives
Take a slow, winding drive up the side of a mountain till you reach the most desolate, tranquil and beautiful of summits: a vast open terrace that appears to have assumed a natural position as part of the mountain range – otherwise known as your dining room for the evening. A seat here (pictured top) commands quiet admiration; dramatic peaks cut a mysterious dash in the night sky while, down below, you can make out the gentle waves of an ever-turquoise sea. Must-try dish: The restaurant serves up playful combinations (chili spiced popcorn with truffle corn soup, anyone?) but its Arabic offerings are the best way to celebrate your newfound surrounds – don’t pass up the 12-hour marinated lamb’s loin in Dibba local orange. www.sixsenses.com
Fancy dining under the sea? That’s exactly what you’ll do after making reservations here, at the Conrad Maldives Rangali Island’s eatery, sixteen feet below sea level (pictured above). Dining inside is a little like sitting in the classiest of fish tanks: wraparound windows pass overhead, leaving luxury island-goers with a prime view of sea-life you don’t get to see on the beach: flurries of tropical fish whoosh past while giant sting rays glide by. But, be warned, to catch a table you’ll need to call up to two weeks in advance. Must-try dish: With a set menu that includes 23 different dishes over four courses, there’s plenty to try here – we’re holding out for the gelee of oyster with bubbly, crayfish condiments and sweetcorn sorbet. www.conradhotels1.hilton.com
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australia | lord howe island
Howe’s THaT Australia’s tiny, far-flung Lord Howe Island has no mobile phones, one policeman, six miles of road and a cap on tourists. Isolation never felt so splendid, discovers Peter Hughes.
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n the oddball gazetteer of the world’s weird places, lord howe island ranks high. there is nowhere else quite like it. But conjure an amalgam of three of the most peculiar island settlements in the atlas and you start to get the picture. administratively it is almost as eccentric as sark, geographically it is nearly as isolated as st helena, and in biodiversity it approaches the Galapagos. sir david attenborough described it as ‘so extraordinary it is almost unbelievable’.
lord howe, population about 360, occupies a tiny plot in the tasman sea off the east coast of australia, roughly two hours by air from either sydney or Brisbane. officially it’s part of new south wales. at 31° 31’ south it’s far enough north never to be cold, but not north enough to be sub-tropical. summer temperatures average 25C; winter is only six degrees cooler. it was among the last islands on earth to be discovered, and then by accident. no one lived there before 1834. so the only real natives it ever had were 13 species of birds found nowhere else on the planet – nine of which are now extinct – and scores of endemic plants. not to mention more than 500 species of fish, countless kinds of beetle and 90 different corals growing on the most southerly reef in the world. the island has its own hybrid constitution which, in essence, puts the interests of wildlife before those of any interloping humans. it is this unaccustomed relegation of the primacy of man that makes lord howe such an oddity. For just as the rights of indigenous people are being recognised and restored in different parts of the world, so on lord howe the rights of indigenous nature come first. Mining, deforestation and unlawful agriculture are all effectively outlawed; cats and non-indigenous plants are banned. the latter put an unexpected stop to ruby thompson serving her popular ice cream with (non-indigenous) guava. and there can’t be many places where two specific types of bird – the flesh-footed shearwater, or muttonbird, and the very rare lord howe rail, or woodhen – have their own road signs. as there are only six miles of road with a blanket speed limit of 15mph, they would have to be very unlucky
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| lord | new australia rail journey howe island zealand
rails and muttonbirds to be run over. lord howe island’s visitors, categorised a little unkindly as ‘the newly wed and nearly dead’, are also affected. there can only be 400 at any time. stephen wills, the island’s Ceo, appointed by the new south wales government, explained, ‘we don’t count everyone in and out. it tends to be self-regulating.’ there are only 400 licensed tourist beds and the airstrip, which runs the 1,000-yard width of the isthmus between Blinky Beach and windy Point, restricts flights to 36-seat aircraft. Could it be that by establishing its visitor capacity and then enforcing it, this tiny curl of volcanic rock sticking out of the south Pacific has set the example which all tourist destinations will surely one day have to follow? it’s easy to construe something utopian about lord howe. Few people bother with locks; everyone knows each other and everything about each other ‘and what they don’t know they make up’. there are honesty boxes – for green fees and club hire at the nine-hole golf course,
and for the wetsuits, surfboards and snorkelling gear kept in the kiosk at ned’s Beach. stephen wills lives in a bungalow with the grandiose address of Government house. the island’s social centre is the Bowls Club, est 1922, where noisy dances are held every Friday (‘they don’t start until 10pm’). there’s a ‘Chicken run’ bowls tournament on thursdays (‘the big prize is a frozen chook and you can wear mufti’). an even bigger event is the arrival of the supply ship every two or three weeks; everything on the island is imported, even milk and vegetables. there are no visible power or phone lines, and lord howe is one of the few places in australia where you can walk without fear of homicidal snakes and insects. i compiled an arbitrary inventory of some of the island’s idiosyncrasies. no one can own land, only lease it from the Crown. and if you relinquish a lease, it must be offered first to an ‘islander’ (that is, someone who has lived continuously on lord howe for 10 years). there are no mobile phones, though there is internet, and no
Opposite page from bottom: Scuba diving; Balls pyramid. This page: View from the top of Mt Gower.
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This page from left: Muttonbird; Snorkelling amongst tropical fish. Opposite page: Old settlement beach; Yacht.
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automatic cash machines or public transport; most visitors either walk or cycle. there is one petrol pump, one Give way sign, four hospital beds, six rental cars, fewer than 200 private vehicles (restricted in size), one police cell and one policeman. ‘this is one of the most sought-after positions in the new south wales police,’ confessed senior Constable andrew McKay. tall, fit and 45, he’s more hugh jackman than john rebus. and crime wise it’s hardly Csi:ny. ‘we get a few assaults and domestics, which probably come with such isolation,’ he said. ‘and a few things get sorted in the old-fashioned way without the policeman being involved. But the islanders are pretty respectful,’ he added. just don’t get caught riding a bike without a helmet. Constable McKay works as much as a customs officer, immigration and port official as a cop. he also coordinates any rescues. at sea, that entails commandeering a fishing boat as there is no lifeboat. Probably the policeman’s greatest skill is in exercising discretion. it requires fine judgement: ‘if you cross the line between policeman and friend you’ve lost the community.’ Paradise doesn’t come without its stresses., though. stephen wills acknowledges that the question of the next generation is ‘a major consideration for the future’. Between 2005 and 2025 only 25 new houses are being built and jobs are already limited. everyone has at least two occupations.
when you set down on lord howe you walk across the tarmac to a silvery bungalow whose spreading eaves, shady veranda and trim, white picket fence give it the look of a homestead. trim. that’s the word for lord howe. trim verges, trim houses, trim beaches, even the rocks around the coastline look trim. For a place where some 80 per cent is still native forest, and whose wilderness qualities made it one of only four island groups in the world to earn a unesco world heritage listing, it appears remarkably tame. it looks more like parkland than outback, so neat it seems landscaped. why was i not surprised to hear that one man runs weeding holidays? his clients spend their mornings on transit hill, pulling out the rampaging asparagus fern that stifles native vegetation including an endangered variety of passion fruit. My hotel lent me a golf buggy to go exploring. it didn’t take long. the island is just under seven miles long and a mile and three quarters across at its widest. i trundled past the communal barbecues, the dive shops, kayaks and glass-bottom boats, humpty Mick’s cafe and the island’s thumping generator. i called in at the museum, where there are pictures of the adventurer Francis Chichester’s floatplane, the first aircraft the island had seen, which was damaged in a storm in 1931. it took two months to repair. among palms and huge banyan trees, i walked to the Valley of shadows, warm and sheltered in
australia | lord howe island
‘My hotel lent me a golf buggy to go exploring. it didn’t take long. the island is just under seven miles long and a mile and three quarters across at its widest’ that day’s high winds. the well-marked path ended like most other things on lord howe, with a bench. i met ian hutton, the man behind the weeding holidays, at ned’s Beach where shoals of big kingfish cruised in the shallows waiting to jostle tourists who feed them. hutton, who has written 11 books about the island, took me to see the sooty terns nesting. something flickered through my vision. i looked up and one hovered, nine inches above me, balanced on the wind. ‘it’s quite likely to land on your head,’ hutton said. i passed the public hall, which, before dVds, served as the cinema. Films would stop in the middle for tea, no matter what was happening on screen. then a bell rang for the restart and the projectionist would struggle to find the point where he paused. i moseyed past the Central school, which takes about 40 pupils up to year 6. For secondary school, children can do a four-year correspondence course before ‘emigrating’ to the mainland as boarders for two years at high school. some families lease their homes on the island to avoid being split up. about half the students return; of those who go on to university, few come back. even so, ‘there are some pretty well-educated bedmakers on the island,’ i was told. i perfected the lord howe drivers’ wave, a considered raising of the right hand, three inches from the rim of the steering wheel, index finger crooked, and down again. everyone waves. what happens if you don’t, i asked. ‘they wanna know what’s the matter with yer.’ Man didn’t set foot in the place until 1788. it was spotted by lieut henry lidgbird Ball, commander
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This page: Carrier plane arriving at the island; Taking photographs at Muttonbird Island.
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of hMs supply, one of the escorts of the First Fleet of convict ships to Botany Bay. Ball was on his way to norfolk island to set up a satellite penal colony, so didn’t stop. But on the way back he claimed it for the British Crown, as one did. tactfully he named it after the then First lord of the admiralty, lord howe. his own names he attached to 2,549ft Mt lidgbird and to a dramatic 1,808ft rock spike, 14 miles off the main island, which he called Ball’s Pyramid. there are popular boat trips to circle it. the first settlers were three englishmen from new zealand. their names – ashdown, Bishop and Chapman – have the ring of a firm of family solicitors. in a part of the ocean where islands were in short supply, particularly ones with fresh water and neither unfriendly natives nor meddlesome officials, a, B and C saw an opportunity for victualling whaling ships. they grew vegetables above what is now old settlement Beach, and introduced pigs and goats, whose descendants eventually had to be eradicated to repair the island’s pristine ecosystem. rats, which came ashore from a shipwreck in 1918, were never eliminated. within a decade they had caused the extinction of five bird species. eighty owls were introduced, and islanders were given shotguns and paid
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a bounty of sixpence per rat’s tail. all to no avail. rats are still a menace and the authorities have resorted to poison. nevertheless, with more than 130 permanent and migratory species, lord howe can justifiably claim to be australia’s top spot for birdwatching. with the decline of whaling in the 1870s, lord howe’s growing population needed another money-earner. they turned to the kentia – or thatch – palm, a decorative plant endemic to the island that thrived ‘in captivity’ in the northern hemisphere. it has defined the Palm Court and winter Garden for 140 years and still adds a sprig of exotica to smart foyers the world over. Between two and three million palm seedlings are exported each year. Kentia palms, fishing and tourism are the island’s only industries, the 15,000 tourists a year adding more than $25 million to the island’s coffers. i stayed in the south at Capella lodge, the first in the portfolio of Baillie lodges, one of the hotel groups that are at last providing australia with the kind of chic accommodation in remote places to rival the best in new zealand. Capella, revamped in 2009, is styled on the lines of a contemporary aussie beach house, all sharp angles, pale weatherboard, timber decking and huge windows. it has
Images; Photolibrary; Lord Howe island Tourist Board.
australia | lord howe island
a spa, an excellent restaurant and nine smart-casual suites of differing sizes, each equipped to a high spec. it’s one of the most expensive billets on lord howe and to my mind the best; it certainly commands the best views. Built into the shoulder of a hill, it looks out beyond a stand of norfolk island pines, with their precisely clipped leaves, across groves of shimmering palms and cow pastures to johnsons Beach. it’s an archetypal lord howe scene, here miniaturised by the massive stubs of the island’s two mountains, Mt lidgbird and the 2,871ft Mt Gower. Both are coated in pelts of thick bush. Gower, a great cuboid block of rock, looks like a loaf left out to mould; lidgbird, with 45-degree flanks sloping up to a sheer turret of rock, is built the way that saladin made his castles, impregnable. this is where lord howe becomes truly wild. lidgbird is pretty well unclimbable but Gower is scaled regularly. it’s a day’s strenuous hike to the top, and you have to be accompanied by a licensed guide. the mountain was the last redoubt of the lord howe woodhen, a flightless bird, sparrow-brown and about the size of a pheasant. it came close to extinction but a breeding programme and the extermination of feral cats, pigs and goats assured its survival. now there are about 300.
it could hardly be more appropriate that the island’s most emblematic creature should be a bird that can’t fly. Few of its human counterparts ever seem to leave. jack shick is a fifth-generation islander. he was christened jack but is known as jackson, which must make him the only australian with a nickname longer than his given name. his great-great-grandfather nathan thompson was an american whaler, born in Massachusetts, who settled on the island in 1853 with his Polynesian wife. their original house is still standing. now 49, jackson grew up without telephone, never mind television or computers. ‘My earliest memory?’ he repeated. ‘Freedom. we just spent our days outside until Mum called us to come in.’these days jackson is one of the guides on Mt Gower, which he has climbed more than 1,300 times. two or three times a year he goes off the island. ‘you’ve gotta get off the rock,’ he said. ‘you need to give yourself some head space or you start to get a bit stir crazy. there’s nothing like getting into a car in sydney, getting stuck in a traffic jam, breathe in some pollution, and look for somewhere to park just to see how the other half live.’ jackson, and his fellow islanders, are as rare a species as the woodhen. long may they all be preserved.
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indian ocean | sri lanka
it’s not every day that you meet a well-known crime novelist who promises to base one of the characters in his new book on you. But in inspiring sri lanka, everything is possible. a socially congenial and astoundingly beautiful country located in the clement waters of the indian ocean, sri lanka used to be rife with political turbulence. But in May 2009, the ongoing on-off civil war was finally quelled, sparking a surge in tourism (January alone saw a 46% rise). With its diverse landscapes of breezy mountains, fecund plantations, arresting world heritage sights and some of the most immaculate beaches you’ll ever step foot on, sri lanka’s a perfectly idyllic setting for a stressed out novelist whose latest work has just been put to bed. But he’s already drawing inspiration for a future project from this fascinating environment with its extraordinary complex society and visitors from all corners of the globe. like me, he’s never without a notepad and paper, determined to preserve this transcendent experience forever. ‘This is great,’ he says, slowly appraising me to discern my merits upon hearing that i reside in the Uae. ‘one of my main female characters is actually a journalist in dubai working on a glossy lifestyle magazine.’ i smile awkwardly while artlessly offering to send him a
photograph of myself, as my gushing husband spells out my name for him. cringe. We’re in the lounge area of amanwella in Tangalle in southern sri lanka. With the resort paying homage to sri lanka’s most celebrated architect, Geoffrey Bawa, with the use of local stone, timber and terrazzo, the room, with its huge windows, treats you to a pool and beach view so spectacular it leaves you gasping. Plump sofa seats hug the walls of the airy space, which cleverly allows for intimate areas as well as affording an openness that makes conversation with fellow guests accessible. The look is one that is as slick and modern as the latest James Bond gadget, but it never gets in the way of its surroundings. surroundings so beautiful they have served to inspire many an author in the past, including writer and diarist leonard Woolf who said a century ago about Tangalle: ‘The evening air is warm and gentle. an enormous sky meets an enormous sea. The stars blaze in the sky and blaze in the sea…’ i just pray that Mr Mystery author leaves out the details of how this
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journalist, so well versed in the art of travel, almost managed to miss her flight home. We fell so head over heels in love with Tangalle that we somehow convinced ourselves that we still had another night there and it was with heavy hearts that we had to face up to the reality of our five-hour drive to the airport. You can hardly blame us – what’s not to love? it would be a cliché to claim that amanwella’s crescentshaped private beach with its titanium yellow sands fringed by a gently swaying coconut grove belongs on a movie set, but it is surprising that oscar-winning director and environmentalist, James cameron, has yet to discover this pristine piece of paradise. it was only when confronted by lethal looking sea urchins while snorkelling – their barbed spikes threatening to commit chinese torture on our sunburnt skins – that we were forced to admit that our surroundings were, in fact, real. But a cold lemon scented towel and a soupçon of refreshing sorbet courtesy of the smiling lifeguard quickly swept us back to a parallel universe. When we were able to stir ourselves out of our reverie and off of our sun loungers, we shuffled to the dappled Beach club to tuck into lip-smackingly fresh prawns, calamari and seer fish grilled over a coconut charcoal barbeque, accompanied by zesty salads and tangy sauces. With amawella situated in the heart of Wella Wathuara village, there are plenty of opportunities to explore, with a stroll along the paths winding through the jungle offering a fantastic insight into daily village life as well as the chance to spy monkeys, birds, mouse deer, hares and mongooses. if it’s bigger animals you’re after, sri lanka accounts for seven per cent of the world’s elephant population and at the UdaWalawe national Park, two hours north-east of Tangalle, you can marvel at 400 of these massive pachyderms with
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Images; Amangalla Hotel; Amanwella Hotel; Shutterstock, Photolibrary. Words: Lyndsey Steven
indian ocean | sri lanka
their flapping ears and small amber eyes. But you’ll want to allow plenty of time for relaxing both on the beach and at your villa’s private plunge pool, as well as for making the most of your magnetic villa itself - its floor-to-ceiling glass doors and latticed panels throwing open panoptic ocean views. Views that work their way into the ‘not to be deleted’ section of your memory bank forever. The sheer size of the island makes it impossible to take in everything on just one visit, which is why we’d turned to amanresorts to offer a broad taste. We’d started at amangalla in the port town of Galle, approximately three-hours drive from colombo airport, because it forms the perfect headquarters from which to explore the city and has excellent shopping and sightseeing on hand. With the hotel situated within a 17th-century dutch fort, now a Unesco World Heritage sight, exploring your surrounds on foot is a must. Heading towards the ocean, you’ll come across Galle lighthouse, sri lanka’s oldest light station. Further afield in Yatagala stands a 2,000 year-old building that’s accessible via 200 steps. surrounded by old Bo trees and caves, it’s an incredibly peaceful spot. For shopping within the fort complex, stop in at shoba, a fair trade woman’s co-operative on Pedlar street where beautiful clothes and lace are handmade on site and workshops are offered. The collection on church street is also great for souvenirs and gifts such as handcrafted soaps, cushion covers and carved wooden ornaments. cool off with a swim at amangalla where the pool, surrounded by shaded pavilions and mellow trees, is protected by original fort walls. Walls that are so sturdy that it’s thanks to them that amangalle was one of the few places to survive the crushing force of the tsunami
‘This is an island that will serve to uplift and arouse the generations of our future’ waves that came crashing through Galle in that fateful december of 2004. Then again, there are no hotels as resilient as amangalle. The oldest recorded and continually running hotel, amangalla opened in 1863 as the new oriental Hotel. With realms of polished wood, grand high ceilings and loft-style apartments offering imposing four-poster beds and stooped planters chairs, the hotel is a handsome nod to bygone days. requesting a room on the top floor is worth the heart palpitation-inducing staircase. Here you’ll be rewarded with an extra section outside your front door with your own private outlook to the world. it’s the perfect place for a cup of tea as you watch the sun slide down over the picturesque rooftops and then slip away into the sea. it’s a spot you could happily spend hours in, wolfing down the pure unadulterated splendour of your surroundings and using it to draw inspiration for your next novel, perhaps. after all, sri lanka is an almost magical island that will always arouse the generations of our future.
Clockwise from top left: Monkey perched in village; Sea view from Amanwella pool; Exterior of Amangalla; Elephants at UdaWalawe National Park; Local picking tea.
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fast forward | china
Fast Forward China is racing toward the future, almost desperate to shed its past. So be quick if you want to witness the country’s unique traditions, says Nigel Richardson, because they’re being bulldozed as hastily as old buildings.
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here were signs up – pictograms of a camera with a red cross through it. no photographs. But the use of eyes was permitted. from a distance, and provided we didn’t record it digitally, we were being allowed to witness the future. ‘ahhh!’ said the small group of people around me. we blinked and craned our necks, scarcely believing what we were seeing. ‘waaa!’ humans were flying. one hundred yards away across a parade ground of red earth, they were plunging and swooping from the top of a scaffolding wall the height of a 20-storey building. controlled from the ground by steel cables attached to the middle of their backs, they performed breathtaking aerial routines. the incredible flying men, who also performed at the Beijing olympics, were all students of martial arts at the place where kung fu originated, shaolin temple in
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the heart of china. My partner and i were 10 days into a month-long trip around china, and for the umpteenth time i had been reduced to involuntary vocalising by something unexpected and astonishing. for china is flying too – in bullet trains, through futuristic airport terminals, on expressways that punch their way nonchalantly through entire mountain ranges – and there seems nowhere progress cannot reach. Most people are familiar with the neon overdose that is shanghai, whether they have been there or merely seen the pictures of nanjing road and the Pudong skyline. now the scale and speed of that development is being duplicated across the country. in the centre of every city, old buildings are being bulldozed to make way for new, and on the outskirts, entire neighbourhoods are sprouting where less than a decade ago peasants worked the fields by hand. Black limousines with
Previous page from left to right: Local farmer with camera phone; Old and new Beijing cut a contrast. This page, clockwise from top left: Pudong skyline; Shanghai bridge; Shanghai’s rushhour traffic; A brightly-lit street; Bullet train.
fast forward | china
darkened windows – once the favoured runabouts of Party cadres, now more likely to belong to nouveau riche entrepreneurs – cruise immaculately landscaped boulevards. in small towns you may, as we did, come across brassy new hotels with monumental marble atriums, indoor fountains and plasma television screens in the lavatories. it’s exhilarating and strange to witness – and frightening too, for who knows what babies are being thrown out with all this bathwater? ‘now is the best time in china,’ said a friendly chap with good English who came up to us as we walked along the top of the city walls in Xian, an ancient imperial capital and ‘home of the terracotta warriors’. the man, let’s call him Mr Li, seemed anxious to talk. ‘first we had old china,’ he said, meaning the 4,000 or so years of dynastic rule that preceded communism.
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‘the farmers who work this thin soil by hand are not just close to the earth, they are in it – for many live in caves and underground houses cut from the loess’ ‘then new china.’ he meant Maoism, which he likened to north Korea under Kim Jong-il. ‘and now we have Modern china.’ as tourists bicycled past us, smiling and waving, Mr Li pointed beyond the red lanterns hung along the perimeter of the wall to the smoggy skyline – ranks of new apartment blocks and the concrete carcases of those still under construction. Modern china – ‘capitalism with chinese characteristics’ is how the Party likes to describe it – is responsible for all this hyperactivity, and Mr Li welcomes it. But all the concrete and glass in the world could not blot out his memories. for soon Mr Li was talking about the cultural revolution of the sixties and seventies in which, at the behest of Mao tse-tung, the people and fabric of china were brutally knocked about. the tension between old and new is palpable – a case in point being our onward journey from Xian. we had been booked on the 08:30 train to Luoyang, another of china’s ancient capitals, which lies 200 miles to the east in henan Province. according to the Lonely Planet guidebook, the train journey between the two cities takes about six hours, and we had stocked up accordingly. But having survived the bunfight to get aboard, we found ourselves in a carriage as roomy and plush as a business-class cabin on an international airline. the guidebook was already out of date, though published just 12 months earlier: we were on a new bullet train service, which runs on an entirely new track, serviced by new stations, and speeds from Xian to Luoyang in one hour and 50minutes. En route, the elevated trackway zipped above fields where poor farmers, waist-high in wheat, removed their conical straw hats and gazed at us in awe from the prison of the past. four days later we dropped in – literally – on some of these peasant farmers, who have been excluded from the party that is modern china. By this stage we had reached shanxi Province, which embodies a uniquely chinese
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fast forward | china
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Previous page: Farmer with son setting off to work on the loess. This page, clockwise from top left: Rural peasant village; Terracotta Warriors in Xi’an; Women work with wheat; Changing cityscape in Xi’an.
paradox. It is simultaneously industrial – coal mines, cement works, power stations – and profoundly rural. The landscape is defined by friable yellow earth called loess that is sliced into terraces, making the gentle hills look as if they have been tipped from jelly moulds, and planted with wheat and fruit trees. The farmers who work this thin soil by hand are not just close to the earth, they are in it – for many live in caves and underground houses cut from the loess. With our guide, Luo Xiao Shan, who uses the name Peter Luo with foreign clients, we drove out from the modern city of Yuncheng on a toll expressway, and into a backwater of narrow lanes lined with wild hollyhocks. Chinese pheasants flitted through apricot orchards, a pig slept in dappled shade, a toothless crone smiled happily over a fence. Peter asked the driver to stop and led us up a small hill with a flat top of bare earth. In the middle of the hill a sheer-sided hole dropped 30 feet to a sunken courtyard, as if someone had spooned out a square from a dish of lasagne. This was the underground home of the local vet, 62-year-old Wang Shou Xian, and his wife. Mr Wang beckoned us back down the hill to the entrance and put the kettle on for tea in one of the several rooms off the courtyard. Onion and coriander seeds were drying on the courtyard cobbles, and some herbal medicinal concoction was bubbling on a stove in one corner. Mr Wang reckoned his family had lived here for more than 10 generations (each generation, Peter explained, being about 60 years). ‘The clay in the walls is like the flesh,’ said Mr Wang. ‘The stones are like the bones.’ It seemed a delightful set-up. The rooms were spotless and cucumber-cool in the humid heat, and the Wangs have television, internet and piped water. But appearances can be deceptive, for the surrounding village is moribund, with more and more young men moving to the city in pursuit of the grail of modernity. Peter said this way of life was dying out, and he did not regret it. He was ashamed of the rural poverty we saw, describing Shanxi Province ruefully as ‘backwarddeveloped’. On the other hand, the pace of change was bewildering to him. ‘I grew up in the Sixties and we used coupons,’ he said. ‘It was hard even to buy bean curd. China is changing so fast, so fast, and it is hard to follow the steps of it.’ One striking difference from the time of my last visit, 12 years ago, is the development of domestic tourism. In 1998 the world-class Shanghai Museum was studiously
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Images: Photolibrary; Shutterstock.
faST fOrWard | CHIna
quiet and virtually empty of people. now it reverberates with noise, laughter and the lizard clicks of a thousand digital cameras. In the past decade the populace has gained both the free leisure time and the money with which to travel, and on any given day millions are on the move, apparently not too fussy about where they go or what they see, so long as they are together and mobile. They travel by coach in large, irrepressibly noisy groups from one site to the next – 1,500-year-old statues as vast and dramatic as abu Simbel and quaint museums – each group led by a guide who yields a megaphone and flag. In the Qiao family Courtyard near Pingyao, in Shanxi Province, a sprawling Qing dynasty complex, four groups were crammed into one small room, each with its own guide trying to outdo the others by screeching into his megaphone. The heat and noise were extraordinary, but it was a strangely uplifting experience – hilarious and touching, as if those gathered were still learning how to be tourists and weren’t quite sure how it was done. Off the beaten track as we were for most of the time, we were often objects of curiosity to these bustling hordes, but people were unfailingly polite and kind. Perched among the Song Shan mountain range, Shaolin was one of the few places where we were able to see blue sky for any length of time. The inescapable truth is that much of China is miserably and
shockingly polluted. Emissions from coal-fired power stations, coke plants, domestic stoves and exhaust pipes have reduced the sun to a tarnished coin in the sky. In Beijing, they somehow pulled off the trick of removing the worst of the pollution from the city itself in time for the 2008 Olympics, but it remains as a kind of cordon around the perimeter. In the north of the city there is a bridge called Silver Ingot Bridge where in the Ming dynasty it was fashionable to stand and appreciate the view of the hills that rise some 15 miles west of the city. The hills have not been seen for some time from Silver Ingot Bridge. But the crowds of young people, both locals and tourists, who throng this trendy neighbourhood are focused on other things. at the end of the street we waited for a taxi in the shade of a tree and watched a group of old guys playing snatches of Chinese opera on traditional flute and erhu, a two-stringed instrument that looks like part of a car engine. In front of this ensemble an elderly man in shorts, ankle socks and slipper-like shoes was practising his calligraphy. He did so with a calligraphy brush the size of a broom and he wrote not in ink but in water, dipping the brush in a bucket and sweeping it across the hot paving stones. The letters he formed faded as fast as he wrote, and I suddenly felt relieved that we had come to China when we did, before much of what is memorable and unique fades too in the heat and rush of progress.
April 2011 Kanoo World Traveller 49
A Slice of
Madeira * DevAstAteD by A storm A yeAr Ago, the tiny islAnD is As beAutiful now As it ever wAs, sAys roDney bolt.
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european vacation | madeira
April 2011 Kanoo World Traveller 51
M This page: Mountain scenery; View from restaurant at Reid’s Hotel. Opposite page, clockwise from top left: Fishing trip; View over Funchal; Rocky coastline; Terrace at Reid’s Hotel.
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y love affair with madeira began nearly two decades ago. i was bowled over by the way in which this tiny island, just 15 miles across at its widest and rising to more than 6,000ft in the middle, seems to cram in landscapes from all over the globe. A wild, rocky coastline; a patch of pretty forested hills; dense ancient laurel forests; steep-sided valleys that disappear into steamy haze, reminiscent of old Chinese prints; barren, windswept mountain tops, way above the tree line, where, after travelling through mists you emerge into sunlight, looking down on the clouds as if you were in an aeroplane – and all these vignettes just a few minutes’ drive from each other. if you wear stout boots and pack a picnic in a backpack, you can walk between them. Along the way comes an astonishing array of plants and flowers – orchids and bananas on the coast; camellia trees nearly three storeys high; gardens aflame with bird of paradise blooms and protea (notoriously difficult to grow outside southern
Africa); mauve agapanthus growing wild along the roadside; arum lilies so abundant they are harvested as bedding for cattle. so varied are the microclimates on this steep little island, rising abruptly out of the Atlantic, that in places you can grow avocados at one end of your garden and chestnuts at the other. unfortunately, madeira’s position also means that it can get caught in big Atlantic storms. nevertheless, deluges like the one of last february, which brought boulders crashing down the mountainsides to the coast, are rare – the last comparable one being the storm of 1803, during which the home of an english family called tatlock (who were having a dinner party at the time) was washed out to sea in its entirety, where, every window ablaze with light, it went down like a large ocean liner. ‘luckily the 2010 storm happened on a saturday,’ says roberto silva, who lives in funchal. ‘schools were empty, people were at home rather than at work. it was all over in a few hours. And we
european vacation | madeira
madeirans are hard workers. everyone mucked in to help.’ that steep terrain breeds tough folk. within a few weeks, most of the damage had been repaired and life was back to normal. ‘the problem with the international media coverage was that it focused on the bullet wounds,’ says a local internet entrepreneur, mike heavey. ‘really, it was only the area around the three storm-drain rivers in funchal and a couple of other spots along the coast near the city that were affected. the rest of the island was untouched.’ walking along the funchal promenade near the old town, at the mouth of one of those wall-lined rivers, it seems hard to believe there has been a flood at all. the farmer’s market is piled with fruit and veg, edged by buckets of flowers. gentle madeiran sun picks out the cream plaster and reddish stone of the seafront buildings. African flame trees live up to their name in style, bursting with bright orange flowers. Cable cars swing silently overhead to the suburb of
April 2011 Kanoo World Traveller 53
This page, clockwise from top left: Seating area near Encumeade; Local market; Traditional cottage in old town. Opposite page top: Cable car viewed from street of Funchal; Local housing and gardens.
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monte – 2,000ft above sea level, but barely halfway up the side of the funchal basin. the only clear evidence of the havoc is that what was once a nondescript rocky city beach is now a large flat terrace – the rubble that came washing down the rivers has been compacted and levelled to form an extension to the promenade, or perhaps a garden (official decisions have not yet been made). in the old town, where some of the cottages date back to the first settlement in the 15th century, cobbler José de sousa still sits in his tiny shop, making strong boots and sheepskin slippers. At the o Jango restaurant, owner-chef firmino santos tells me he escaped lightly, with just a few inches of water covering part of the floor. he was open again within days. As we talk, two fishermen come in with that morning’s catch, for firmino to choose his fish of the day. old madeira appears to have survived intact. i can’t resist indulging in one great island institution, afternoon tea on the veranda at reid’s – cakes, sandwiches and fresh scones
on a tiered plate, a pot of fine tea, and a view over a tropical garden and out to sea. reid’s, which celebrates its 120th anniversary this year, was long a favourite among british visitors (sir winston Churchill among them) – a section of the dining room was, until not too long ago, reserved by an unspoken rule for peers of the realm. but there is plenty new happening, too. Paragliding and windsurfing are both taking off. And not only can you go whale and dolphin watching, but you can swim with the latter. for me, the island’s greatest attractions have always been outside funchal. on a grey day, i go chasing the sun with norberto fernandes, a walking guide. madeira’s many microclimates mean that within a few miles, the weather can change completely. ‘the clouds are coming from the south-west,’ norberto says, ‘so it will probably be sunny across the mountains in the north-east.’ And so it proves – we spend the day on a classic madeira walk, along a levada (narrow, walled waterway) that takes us deep into a
european vacation | madeira
‘Here we sit, on a cliff-top balcony as waves crash beneath us, as mists drift in from the sea and back again’ mountainous valley, winding between steep, farmed terraces, some barely the size of a double bed, past soft banks of ferns and mosses, and on to a magnificent waterfall. madeira’s natural abundance lies behind another new trend on the island. At a time when people are increasingly aware of the environmental downside of transporting fresh foodstuffs across the world to put unseasonal produce on diners’ plates, a spot where you can grow almost anything is coming into its own. At breakfast one morning at reid’s, i raise an eyebrow at the appearance of green asparagus on the menu – in January. it turns out to have been grown in the hotel’s own garden and harvested that morning. the labour involved in farming those tiny madeiran terraces paradoxically makes much local produce more expensive than imported fare, but restaurateurs are becoming aware that it tastes better than food that has spent weeks in container ships or cold stores. At a sunday market in the village of santo da serra, on a plateau north-east of funchal, you can buy not only farm produce, but homemade cakes, sweets and traditional ponche it has become an island hot spot. even spas are offering treatments based on islandgrown aloes and grapes. Andrew Zino, the scion of an old madeiran family, is at the forefront of a movement not only to raise awareness of the benefits of using local produce, but of farming organically. At the family farm in santo da serra he produces organic carrots, lettuce, strawberries, potatoes – even kiwi fruit, as well as lamb, poultry, honey and more. much of it goes to supply his father’s restaurant at Quinta do furão, on the northern coast. here we sit, in shirt-sleeves in late winter, on a clifftop balcony as waves crash beneath us, as mists drift in from the sea and back again, and the sky goes through 20 different hues in the course of a lunch, and tuck in to fresh limpets, organic duck and salad, rounded off by ice cream flavoured with bolo de mel, a spicy molasses cake. And i reflect that the comment of one 19thcentury traveller to the island still holds true. ‘madeira,’ he wrote, ‘ensures almost every european comfort with every tropical luxury.’
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THE BEST HOTELS Vitorina’s Guesthouse vitorina’s guesthouse brings a breath of old madeira, with traditional wooden furniture and her brother’s wine estufa next door. the tower room, with windows on four sides, must enjoy the best view in town (rua da santa maria 279; doubles from $56). Quinta das Vistas modern hotel commanding magnificent views over funchal and the sea (Caminho de santo António 52; www. quintadasvistasmadeira.com; doubles from $184). Porto Santa Maria in a prime position in the old town, beside 56
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the são tiago fort, and designed to resemble a period building. book a room with a sea view (Avenida do mar 50; www. portobay.com; doubles from $238). Reid’s Palace reid’s is, effortlessly, the quintessence of discreet luxury, gentility and charm. yet it makes a quiet nod to the present with state-of-the-art games facilities for children and teenagers, and has an excellent spa (estrada monumental 139; www.reidspalace. com; doubles from $308).
THE BEST RESTAURANTS O Jango A favourite for traditional madeiran cuisine,
such as the evil-looking espada (scabbard fish) served with sweet local bananas, and sumptuous seafood cataplanas (the Portuguese version of a tagine). once a tiny old town restaurant for those in the know, it has now expanded into the building next door and is buzzingly busy but still just as cosy and just as good (rua de santa maria 166; 00291 221280). Chega de Saudade first-floor restaurant clearly decorated by someone with a passion for classic designer chairs, with something of the air of a lowkey london or new york hip hideout. try the alheira, a game-sausage croquette (rua dos Aranhas 20; 00291 242289). Riso rice-related dishes from all over the world, from crab risotto to portobello timbale with puffed rice, in a restaurant with a magnificent cliff-top balcony in the old town. great for lunch (rua de santa maria 274; 00291 280360). Armazém Do Sal excellent seafood and meat dishes, with inventive extra touches (such as apple and celery ravioli), served under the heavy beams of a 400-year-old salt warehouse. (rua da Alfândega 135; 00291 241 285) Uva three michelin-starred chef Antoine westermann advises a kitchen that produces a heady fusion of madeiran and french cuisines, coming up with such wonders as roast parrot fish with glazed onions and citrus marmalade. Chic rooftop setting (the vine hotel, rua dos Aranhas 27; 00291 009000). Quinta do Furão Cliff-top restaurant where chef yves gautier aims to use largely local and organic produce. he is famed on the island for his beef Caldeirão verde, a sort of beef wellington with roquefort - it’s simply delicious (Achada do gramacho, santana; 00291 570 100).
Images: Photolibrary; Shutterstock; Reid’s Hotel. Text: Rodney Bolt / The Sunday Telegraph / The Interview People.
Clockwise from top left: Suite at Reid’s Hotel; Local fare at Riso; Afternoon Tea at Reid’s Hotel; Parrot fish at Uva.
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new york | usa
Made in Manhattan Jessamy Calkin makes her kids’ dreams come true with a trip to The Big Apple.
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This page: Aerial view of New York City.
n a recent article I’d read about children’s holidays, several kids aged five to 14 said the place they most wanted to go to was New York. How do they all know about it? Films, of course, and television. And New York is never disappointing. It is true to the idea of itself; its very essence goes a long way. My children had never been to New York; they were ridiculously excited before we left – just the idea of going there might have been enough – and full of sheer glee from the minute we arrived. Our cab driver (Vinny, Italian) pointed out various landmarks from the freeway: the metal globe that featured in Iron Man 2; the tower that Spider-Man climbed up. When we arrived in Manhattan, 10-year-old Jonah raised his eyebrows at drug store and smirked at ‘don’t honk – penalty $350’, while his sister, Alabama, rushed around the deli photographing all the cereal. The Crosby Street Hotel, opened last year, is wedged into SoHo, built on an old car-park. Part of the Firmdale group, it is thoughtfully located: American Apparel just up the road for Alabama, and for Jonah an astounding shop called Evolution, which has killer bees in tiny glass vials, edible bugs and rats’ skulls. Round the corner in Spring Street is Ben’s Pizza (Men in Black II). The hotel decor is eclectic, colourfully gothic and contemporary. There is a cinema in the basement with 100 orange leather seats, and on the roof is a Tudor-style hen house and a little allotment with tomatoes, rhubarb and herbs. There is a dog theme, including a papier-mâché one in the lobby made out of old Beanos. The Meadow Suite literally has a meadow instead of a terrace outside the window. What Jonah was most impressed by was not the flatscreen television above the bath, but the fact that the remote control was waterproof.
April 2011 Kanoo World Traveller 59
Clockwise from top left to right: FAO Schwarz; Lobby at the Crosby Hotel; Corner View room at The Standard Hotel; A racoon at the Central Park Zoo. Opposite page: Times Square.
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The beauty of New York is that you don’t have to do anything elaborate or expensive to entertain children. Spend your money on the hotel instead. We had three days there and drew up a punishing and iconic schedule, working out our routes with the help of the concierge. Early the first morning, buzzing from jet lag only partly offset by an indecently large breakfast, we hopped on to the Staten Island Ferry, which is free, fun and educational: on the 30-minute trip outwards you get a tip-top view of the Statue of Liberty. Staten Island used to have the largest landfill in the world, Fresh Kills Landfill, which opened in 1947 and closed in 2001; it reopened briefly to accommodate the debris from 9/11, then closed for good. (There are plans to turn it into a park.) It is probably advisable to stay on the ferry and come straight
new york | usa
back again except for one thing: a restaurant called Enoteca Maria, which Vinny told us about, run entirely by grandmothers who come and cook on shift duty. Every day a different grandma from a line-up of 10 ties on her apron and takes home-cooking to new levels, cash only, no set menu. Back in Manhattan, everyone had told us about the High Line, a long, skinny park built on a former elevated railway line stretching like an unruly green ribbon above the Meatpacking District and West Chelsea. The last time a train used the High Line was in 1980, and the site was condemned to be pulled down by Mayor Giuliani until two local residents started an initiative to save it. A competition was held (ideas ranged from a rollercoaster to a 22-block elevated swimming-pool). In 2004 $50
‘I’d forgotten the loveliness of the park, with its hills and boulders and little bridges, and the zoo, which was virtually empty of people and quite enchanting’
April 2011 Kanoo World Traveller 61
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new york | usa
‘The beauty of New York is that you don’t have to do anything elaborate or expensive to entertain children. Spend your money on the hotel instead’
Opposite page, clockwise from top: Le Bain at Standard Hotel; Crosby Street Hotel suite; Snow Leopard at Central Park Zoo. This page: Globe at Columbus Circle .
million was given by the New York government to establish the park. The result is low key and enchanting: the artful combination of nature and design maintains the impression of an abandoned railway line, sections of the original track poking through meadow plants and grasses. It initiated a renaissance of the area, and looming over it, straddling it, is the Standard Hotel. When the hotel opened in January last year, it became briefly infamous for exhibitionists posing in the windows, showing themselves to people in the park below. (Everything in New York becomes an art project). We looked hard but we couldn’t see anything out of the ordinary so we settled for the more orthodox but unexpected views afforded by the High Line, then descended the metal stairs, and walked around the Meatpacking District (I Am Legend), now transformed from the lumpen warehouses on view when I last came here 10 years ago. We watched fashion shoots, ate pizza and shopped for Halloween masks in Ricky’s Costume Superstore. Next day, sunshine and Times Square (Letters to Juliet). This was a real hit – the children couldn’t get over the New York-ness of it. Then a swift walk down 5th Avenue (The Devil Wears Prada) to Central Park to visit the zoo (countless classic films but I’m ashamed to say that Gossip Girl was the reference mentioned here). I’d forgotten the loveliness of the park, with its hills and boulders and little bridges, and the zoo, which was virtually empty of people and quite enchanting. There are even snow leopards (they breed them in the Bronx zoo, weirdly), a treat for my wildlife-loving daughter who had always wanted to see one, as well as red pandas, grubby-looking polar bears, and tentacled snakes and giant blue lizards in the reptile house. A sharp hike across the park took us to the Natural History Museum (Night at the Museum), cavernous and impressive with a fabulous planetarium and space centre and massive blue whale. Starving after all this, we returned to the hotel and walked a few yards to Balthazar in Spring Street, Keith McNally’s French bistro with its superb seafood bar: very lively and chatty. On the whole my children were thrilled with New York and we were sad to leave the Crosby Street Hotel. It was very relaxed there, and very cool. The children loved the full-length windows and the rooftop chicken coop and seeing Danny Boyle (Slumdog Millionaire) in the lift. What does chic mean, Mummy?’ asked Jonah, as we crossed the lobby. Sort of elegant. Why? ‘The manager said the hens were chic.’ And they were, as hens go.
April 2011 Kanoo World Traveller 63
Discover Greece A magical country of tiny islands and vast peninsulas, steeped in myth, legend and romance, Greece offers the perfect holiday destination for lovers of history, art and antiquity. Marvel at the Parthenon in Athens or the remains of the great cities of Corinth and Delphi. Take a relaxing cruise in the Eastern Mediterranean and explore the scenic islands. Name of The hoTel
SaR
BhD
aeD
QaR
omR
ThREE STAR hoTElS
1184
121
1150
1150
121
FouR STAR hoTElS
1366
139
1326
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139
FivE STAR hoTEl
1749
178
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1698
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Cost includes: Three nights’ accommodation with breakfast based on standard room. Return airport/hotel/airport transfers by private air-conditioned modern taxi. Athens sightseeing by regular organised seat-in-coach tours with English speaking guide and entrance fees. Name of The hoTel
SaR
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393
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FouR STAR hoTElS
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412
3922
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FivE STAR hoTEl
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451
4294
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SAR=Saudi Riyal; BHD=Bahraini Dinar; AED=UAE Dirham; QAR=Qatari Riyal; OMR=Omani Riyal.
Cost includes: Three nights hotel accommodation with breakfast. Five days Aegean Sea Cruise (Monday to Friday) in standard outside cabin with meals which include breakfast, lunch and dinner as well as midnight snacks. Arrival and departure airport/ port transfers by private vehicle. Athens sightseeing based on seat-in-coach with English speaking guide and entrance fees.
• • • • •
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Validity 31 October, 2011 All prices are per person on twin sharing basis subject to change without prior notice. The rate at the time of reservation and confirmation will prevail. Single, child and extra night rates are on request and will be available as required. Kanoo Holidays terms and conditions apply to all bookings.
Kanoo World Traveller September 2010
020GR0311SA For more information call or contact any Kanoo Travel or Kanoo Holidays office.
concierge
hong Kong | Amsterdam | Vancouver | caribbean
The 30-second concierge
Marcel ThoMa, The Upper hoUse How would you describe the hotel and its location? The Upper House is an individual, intimate luxury hotel designed by Hong Kong architect Andre Fu that sits above Pacific Place in the city’s business district (placing you just 40minutes from the airport). You’ll find 117 rooms inside (including 21 suites and two penthouses) some of which are the largest in the city and all of which convey a calm, contemporary feel.
Which city sights are not-to-be-missed? Hollywood Road and Upper Lascar Row (aka ‘Cat Street’) are a must for shoppers; they’re crammed with antique shops and an open-air curio market, ideal for picking up eclectic gifts. Night owls, meanwhile, should go to Lan Kwai Fong, an L-shaped, cobbled lane surrounded by skyscrapers – it’s the trendiest night spot in town.
Which is your most stunning suite? The Upper Suite. Its design is clean and uncluttered with an understated luxury – and a sprawling view of the spectacular Victoria Harbour. At 1,230 square feet it’s one of city’s largest suites and inside you’ll find beautiful pieces of art – look out for Cocoon by Taiwan’s Marvin Minto Fang.
It’s dinner time; where should I book a table? At the hotel, Café Gray Deluxe – a Michelin-starred, grand café on the 49th floor – but if you want to go out, Yung Kee is famous for its gourmet roast goose, while the Dim Sum at Luk Yu Tea House (whose decor has barely changed since its opening in 1933) is just excellent. www.upperhouse.com
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HOLLAND
Visit AmsTerdAm
Laura Binder steps out in the city to find tulips in spring bloom, canal-cafés in full flow and 600,000 bicycles in motion (well, there about…) AMSTERDAM MuST-DoS Don’t leave without seeing the Museum Quarter – a visit to at least one of Amsterdam’s ‘big three’ is a must. Anne Frank House (1) chronicles the emotive experiences of the girl who hid from Nazi persecution; the Van Gogh Museum (2) displays the largest collection of post-impressionist paintings by the colourful artist; while Rijksmuseum (3) (the country’s biggest national museum) shows Dutch art in the wing of a gorgeous Neo-Gothic building – worth a photo in itself.
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iberal, quirky, creative and doll-house pretty; Amsterdam is one colourful character. See for yourself as you take to her cobbled streets, which, if you want to make like a local, you’ll do atop a bike: there are 750,000 residents in Amsterdam and some 600,000 bicycles. Hire one and follow the leisurely flow of the three canals that criss cross its quaint cityscape; coo at the 17th-century merchants’ villas which flank its banks; and pause to ponder life on a bobbing barge. While her sweet side is charmingly obvious, so too is her rebellious streak – the nightlife here is legendary. Our advice? Head there in her most delightful month (May) and spend your days as the Dutch do; relaxing in the spring sun. Just don’t forget where you parked your bike...
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For a quirkier peek at the city’s art head to Electric Lady Land (4) – the world’s first fluorescent museum – and prepare to feel somewhat spaced-out at the sight of glow-in-the-dark objects, psychedelic sculptures and luminescent rocks. On sunny days head to a pretty park and recline with a picnic. Vondelpark (5) is likened to New York’s Central Park for its hive of activity, where everyone from relaxed readers to chattering groups of friends congregate. But, if you have kids in tow, Amstelpark (6) is paradise with its petting zoo, pony rides and playgrounds (plus rose gardens and art exhibits for you). Ever wondered what it’s like to live on one of those super-cute canal boats? Step aboard the Houseboat Museum (7) for an inside look at a sailing barge and see just how cosy life can be…
cONcierge | AMSterDAM Opposite page clockwise from bottom left: Pretty canal; Bustling nightlife; Fresh tulips at Albert Cuyp; Colourful Bicycles. This pages clockwise from top left: Room at Hotel De l’Europe; Queen’s day celebrations; Sofitel Amsterdam.
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Images: Shutterstock, Photolibrary, IHG, Sofitel Hotels; Hotel De I’Europe
ALL ABOARD! grab a hop-on, hop-off canal Bus Day Pass and you can cruise the city’s three key routes, passing all the major attractions. DAM IT: the name ‘Amsterdam’ derives from the river Amstel and the dam built upon it to create more land for buildings. If you’re in town on April 30 you best have your dancing shoes on; it’s Queen’s Day. Celebrations ensue to mark the day Queen Beatrix became Queen of the Netherlands, with the entire city surrendering itself to the occasion clad head-to-toe in orange (a nod to her lineage, which traces back to William of Orange). Prepare to party like an Amsterdammer at the many markets and street parties. While away an entire day at Bloemenmarkt (8), a delightful floating flower market on the Singel canal that’s perfect for green-fingered folk, or try Albert Cuyp (9) which sells a mixed bag of goods as the largest street market in town.
whERE To STAy Sofitel Amsterdam (10) Oudezijds Voorburgwal 197, 1012 ex Amsterdam www.sofitel.com It’s impossible to feel anything less than regal on arrival here; it set the scene for Queen Beatrix’s civil wedding in 1966, after all. Today its interior has had something of a revamp; we say book a suite and take a post-sightseeing soak in an art deco-style bathroom before heading to one of its über-cool lounges. From $551. Hotel De l’Europe (11) Nieuwe Doelenstraat 2-14, 1012 CP Amsterdam www.leurope.nl
Sat on the banks of the River Amstel (it has one of the prettiest terrace cafés in the city) this 1899 hotel still evokes a feel of the era through its glam chandeliers and Dutch art. Nowadays, its new features (cigar lounge, plunge pool and cool signature suites) make it a great pick for city slickers and we love the Provocateur suite for its huge circular bed. From $589.
whERE To EAT Restaurant Christophe (12) Leliegracht 46, 1015 DH www.restaurantchristophe.nl Make reservations at JeanChristophe Royer’s Michelinstarred restaurant and you’ll see why it has diners chomping
at the bit nightly. Inside it’s all super-chic dark tones and black chandeliers, while its menu is just as indulgent: dishes offer up combinations like lobster and cocoa beans or oyster with avocado and truffle. From $29. Café Restaurant Amsterdam (13) Watertorenplein 6, Outer Districts. www.cradam.nl If you like your venues painfully hip, look no further. This one takes up residence in a former water-processing plant (cue cool, warehouse-style details) while the menu is chockful of French classics. Seafood-lovers are sure to fall for its juicy platters of Norway lobster, crab claws and more. From $13.
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Canada
Visit VancouVer
Skyscrapers and mountains form the most breathtaking (and somewhat bizarre) cityscape in Canada’s young metropolis. Sarah Harrington takes a snapshot of the city… This page clockwise from left: Downtown Vancouver; Capilano Suspension Bridge; Razor Clam Ceviche, Bluewater Café. Opposite page, top left to right: BC Place Stadium; Shangri-La Hotel suite; Volleyball at Kitsilano Beach.
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t’s little wonder that Vancouver repeatedly tops the world’s best cities in which to live polls– just take a look around: Pacific Ocean flanks three sides creating city-hugging beaches, while jagged mountain ranges pierce the sky – so you can ski and swim at the same time of year. needless to say, Vancouverites are big on this great outdoors (it has some 200 parks) and a stroll or cycle through one of its most famous sites, Stanley Park, is the best way to suck it up like a laid-back local. But there’s plenty to warm your cockles inside, too: this young slip of a city (less than 150 years-old) is bursting with cosy coffee houses, hip hangouts and fantastic restaurants. But if you only do one thing while here, get a shot of that famous skyline where snowcapped peaks peer over modern towers with mythical presence. This is what makes Vancouver.
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MUST-DOS Got a head for heights? Capilano Suspension Bridge (1) is the world’s longest (140metres) and highest (70metres) and sways lightly above the Capilano Canyon – a snap-worthy sight of cascading clear waters flanked by pictureperfect forests. If your tummy’s grumbling Granville Island Public Market (2) can cease the murmurs; it’s teaming with gourmet fish, cheese, pastries and all-things deli. Take a hamper, pack it to the brim and make for nearby Vanier Park, passing animated buskers as you do.
Spend an hour or so strolling down the Seawall Promenade (3) by Stanley Park’s shoreline. Just watch out for the local cyclists and skaters who whizz by at a frightening pace. On a rainy day seek shelter in the Bloedel Floral Conservatory (4). The glass construction is home to exotic plants, koi carp and free-flying tropical birds – keep an eye out for the rather friendly Charlie the Cockatiel… Sports fans should make their way to BC Place Stadium (5) which is home to the BC Lions Canadian Football team (a major sport here) and served as a 2010 Olympic Winter Games
COnCIerge | VanCOUVer
CAPTAIN FANTASTIC The city was named after British naval captain george Vancouver who first explored and mapped the area in the 1790s. COME RAIN OR COME SHINE Vancouver’s weather is notoriously unpredictable – it can rain in one area as the sun shines simultaneously in another – so be prepared. venue. Today it hosts all manner of events, plus a Sports Hall of Fame & Museum dedicated to decades of BC athletes. There’s no shortage of batheworthy beaches in this city but Kitsilano Beach (6) is the most popular hangout come summertime, when volleyball players and hardcore sunworshippers flock to its sands. Take more than a dip in its heated Kitsilano Pool – one of the largest outdoor saltwater pools on the planet. The hustle and bustle of Chinatown (7) is well worth a
Images: Shutterstock, Istock Photo, Blue Water Café, BC Place Stadium, Shangri-La Hotel.
visit for Far Eastern cuisine but Dr Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden & Park (8) is the place for a little time out. Inside you’ll tread winding pathways, passing ancient limestone formations and, best of all, turtles bobbing on its green-tinged water. Find a local operator (they’re plentiful) and go whale watching on the West Coast. Most give a 90% chance of spotting the awesome mammals and the scenery is just spectacular.
WHERE TO EAT
the far-reaching Raw Bar. Mains from $28.50. Kirin (10) 1172 Alberni Street, BC www.kirinrestaurants.com To sample the best of Vancouver’s Dim Sum, head to Kirin’s Downtown or West restaurants and squeeze the plumpest of parcels between your chop sticks. The restaurant’s revered for its use of local ingredients which makes for super-tasty bites – try its colourful steamed prawn and spinach dumplings topped with fish roe. Mains from $13.
WHERE TO STAY Shangri-La Hotel Vancouver (11) 1128 West Georgia Street, BC www.shangri-la.com This swish downtown retreat stakes its claim on the first 15 floors of the city’s tallest building – which means you’re in for some spectacular cityscapes. Its décor encapsulates modern Asian-style and though its spa is great its restaurant, Market by Jean Georges, takes the biscuit. Rooms from $230.
Blue Water Café & Raw Bar (9) 1095 Hamilton St, BC www.bluewatercafe.net Surely the hippest seafood joint in town, this award-winning eatery sets up home in a converted warehouse, where exposed bricks and beams form an ultra-cool setting. And the food’s even better: tuck into your chosen catch (including live crustaceans like Alaskan king crab) or sup fresh oysters at
CAnADA
1 Capilano Suspension Bridge (3.8km)
uSA
3 BuRRARD InLET
12 10 EnGLISH BAY
KITSILAnO
VAnCOuVER HARBOuR
11
DAVIE VILLAGE
6
MEXICO
8
9
5
7 DOWnTOWn EASTSIDE
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Loden Hotel (12) 1177 Melville Street, BC www.theloden.com You can’t fail to spot this boutique bolthole in Vancouver’s coolest community, Coal Harbour. A floor-to-ceiling glass façade gives way to funky décor and each room has high-end gadgets – ideal when you’re all worn out from a day’s outdoor pursuits. Rooms from $305.
vancouver Queen Elizabeth Park
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concierge | book your trip
win A two-night stAy At kempinski hotel mAll of the emirAtes There’s excitement in the air at the mighty Mall of the Emirates in Dubai this month as its jewel, Kempinski Hotel, celebrates its fifth anniversary. Make the most of the occasion with a stay that’s sure to be laden with honorary birthday treats. Set on Sheikh Zayed Road, the deluxe hotel plays host to 393 rooms and suites – but its Ski Chalets are really not-to-be-missed, with their stylish, cosy finishes and hard-to-believe views of snow-strewn slopes (aka Ski Dubai, the world’s largest indoor ski slope). Ski Dubai presents you with one spot to spend your free time, and then there is the hotel’s three restaurants (K Grill is a carnivore’s dream), trio of lounges (Mosaic Chill is the coolest of poolside spots), a quite brilliant infinity pool, and of course the shopping – you’re just footsteps away from some serious retail therapy. It’s as if all our birthdays have come at once... ThE PrizE We’re giving away a two-night stay for two in a grand deluxe room, plus breakfast. To be in with a chance of winning, email your answer to this question to
[email protected] before April 30, 2011.
Q. How many restaurants can be found inside the hotel? a) Thirty b) Thirteen c) Three TERMS AND CONDITIONS: All dates are subject to availibility. Prize must be claimed within six months.
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March 2011 Kanoo World Traveller 71
concierge | caribbean
Suite dreamS
Look twice and you’ll realise that the expanse of powder-blue soaring past your window isn’t just an expanse of sky but an infinite stretch of rolling ocean – you are all at sea, after all. Not that you’d know it aboard the mammoth Oasis of the Sea which masters each wave with swanlike grace, leaving you to head to a blissful bed while cruising the Caribbean. But of course when you’re staying in the ship’s largest Royal Loft Suite there’s plenty to do at every hour. We’re picturing private outside dining by starlight (don your finest summer threads and invite up to seven guests) or soaking up a different treat, like a sip at its private wet lounge or a dip in its balcony-based Jacuzzi. And for those determined to stay dry, there’s always reclining with a read from the suite’s library, or casting your fingers over the dainty ivories of its Baby Grand. Leave the door ajar as you do and let the sea breeze rush over you... www.royalcaribbean-arabia.com
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Image: Royal Caribbean International.
Oasis Of the seas® - ROyal CaRibbean inteRnatiOnal®
HONG KONG
Hong Kong is Asia’s leading tourist destination that never fails to amaze you. Discover the many delights it has to offer from the breathtaking skyline view from The Peak, the delicious fresh cuisine, the abundance of shopping malls and markets and, of course, the luscious green countryside and beaches. Hong Kong is great for everyone from families to friends, to couples – there is something to suit all. Immerse yourself in the shopping experience and you’ll find everything from the latest designer fashions to electronic gadgets. Explore the memorable attractions around you and be amazed by the diversity of this exciting destination. Hong Kong’s vibrant atmosphere and blend of cultures will dazzle you and leave you wanting more. For further information about Hong Kong, visit DiscoverHongKong.com
