Ultratravel Summer 2015

The Telegraph

ultratravel YO u R G u I D E t O h E AV E N O N E A R t h - s u M M E R 2 0 1 5

MODEL DRIVES

D AV I D G A N D Y ’ s G R E At E s t R O A D t R I P s

HEAVEN SENT Stanley Stewart gets high on biblical scenes in Ethiopia

THE uLTrAS Our awards for the 100 finest things in travel

BEACH BOLTHOLES The Mediterranean’s most beautiful hideaways

A brigAde of butlers is At your service At bur j Al A rAb j umeirAh , dubAi One of many enriching Jumeirah experiences.

Creating the world’s most luxurious hotel made us think differently.

Find your Jumeirah experience at jumeirah.com/experiences

T he A rrivAl

The Ultimate

Upgrade.

To celebrate our 175th Anniversary, you’ll receive a complimentary upgrade when you book any stateroom. Available on summer Mediterranean Cruises aboard Queen Victoria or Transatlantic Crossings, to or from New York, on Queen Mary 2.

To discover more, call 0843 373 4090, contact your travel agent or visit cunard.co.uk

*

On selected cruises departing July - August 2015, when you select the stateroom category of your choice, you pay the fare of a stateroom at least one category lower. (E.g. book a Balcony and pay the fare of an Inside or Oceanview.) Applicable only to new Cunard Fare bookings, made before 30 June 2015.

Niccolo Chengdu

PER AQUUM Desert Palm

The Leela Goa

Grace Santorini

The Meydan Hotel

Portrait Roma

Discover the Ultratravel Collection Experience the ultimate in luxury travel

Corinthia Hotel St Petersburg

Alila Villas Soori

Sugar Beach, a Viceroy Resort

The Omni Grove Park Inn

Emirates Palace

Hotel CafĂŠ Royal

Ultratravel Collection brings together some of the world’s most luxurious and iconic hotels, with every one being a member of the award winning loyalty programme, DISCOVERY. Discover the collection at ultratravelcollection.com

contents Summer 2015 22

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32 Regulars 12 Editor’s letter 15 The next big thing Hotel super yachts; luxury openings; Antarctic expeditions; in-flight virtual-reality headsets 19 Ultra experts Fashion peasant chic; ocean-inspired jewellery; gadgets for the outdoors; watches for seafarers 21 Upfront John Simpson on why being banned from Zimbabwe is one of his greatest travelling regrets 28 Walden’s World Canine marriages, sheep deliveries and shortbread hunts. It’s all in a day’s work for a top hotel butler 31 Aficionado Actor and director John Malkovich selects his top 10 hotspots, from Croatian coves to a Spanish church 77 Intelligence Exclusive reviews of two suites in London and Paris; bags to benefit Nepal; Moscow’s new Garage museum 82 Travelling life Elizabeth Hurley reveals her favourite Indian

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palaces, Parisian supper-spots and Marrakesh market finds

Features 32 Wheel life Supermodel David Gandy on his all-time favourite road trips. Plus top gear to pack for the journey

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44 Ethiopian odyssey Donkey treks, ancient cave churches, remote tribes, mountain lodges – Stanley Stewart gets to grips with Africa’s most mysterious country 54 Secrets in the sand Our European experts reveal their favourite coastal hideaways, from tiny Greek islands and palazzos with their own bays to hidden beach hotels 64 Land or sea? Lisa Grainger pits the first boutique hotel in the Galápagos against the latest smart catamaran 71 The Ultras The 100 winners and runners-up in our

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annual survey of the best in luxury travel 74 Ultra golf Adam Ruck experiences the watery delights of Quinta do Lago in Portugal’s Algarve

© Telegraph Media Group Limited 2015. Published by TELEGRAPH MEDIA GROUP, 111 Buckingham Palace Road, London SW1W 0DT, and printed by Polestar UK Limited.

Colour reproduction by borngroup.com. Not to be sold separately from The Daily Telegraph. Ultratravel is a registered trademark licensed to The Daily Telegraph by PGP Media Limited

ultratravel 11

MAY 30 2015

JOURNEYS OF DISCOVERY There is something about a road trip that encapsulates all that is great about travel: the freedom of the open road, the sense of adventure, the feeling that you are not just part of the scenery but actually writing your own script. In this summer issue, the model and motoring afcionado David Gandy gets behind the wheel in Scotland, and tells us about his favourite journeys, from Nebraska to Namibia. The theme of discovery continues with Stanley Stewart’s adventure through the ethereal mountains of Ethiopia, our selection of secret seaside boltholes in Europe and an exploration of new creature comforts in the Galápagos.

Editor

Contributors ChARLOTTE SINCLAIR

CoVEr David Gandy, photographed in a Jaguar XK120 in the Highlands by Jonathan Glynn-Smith

FOR THE LATEST IN LUXURY TRAvEL telegraph.co.uk/ luxurytravel

Before venturing to Loch Lomond for Ultratravel, the photographer spent weeks in Kazakhstan. “But Scotland is much closer to my heart.

It’s so romantic and raw.”

The Londoner’s favourite place to spend summer is a river in the Languedoc, where he goes swimming every summer with his children.

When she’s not contributing to Vogue, the writer, who next month publishes histories on Dior and Versace, can be found in such stylish spots as Corsica, about which she writes here. Each summer, she says, her eyes turn to the sky to watch swallows. “Their high call and the pretty calligraphy they make mark the season.”

dEBBIE pAppYN

The Belgian founding partner of the successful Classetouriste blog has traversed the Earth with her photographer husband, from the Arctic to the Pacific islands. Summer, she says, “is when we explore the Med: rural Spain and secret islands in Greece [about which she writes for Ultratravel], taking time to enjoy a slow, good life”.

JONAThAN GLYNN-SMITh

dAVId GANdY STANLEY STEWART

There are few places the award-winning author hasn’t been; in the past year alone he’s explored Burma by balloon, the Ganges by foot, Indonesia by boat – and, for us, Ethiopia by donkey. He relishes spending sunny months in Britain; this year he hopes to stay in a castle with his daughter for a “Famous Five adventure”.

ultratravel

When Britain’s most famous male supermodel isn’t being photographed for fashion campaigns, he’s driving – for us in the Highlands. The motoring fan once worked for Auto Express, delivering Porsches. When not behind the wheel, he enjoys simple things, “like taking the dog for a walk by the Thames at sunset”.

Editor Charles Starmer-Smith Creative director Johnny Morris Deputy editor Lisa Grainger Photography editor Joe plimmer Contributing editor John O’Ceallaigh Sub editors Kate Quill, Steven King, Tim Jepson Executive publisher for Ultratravel Limited Nick perry Publisher Toby Moore Advertising inquiries 07768 106322 (Nick perry) 020 7931 3039 (Chelsea Bradbury) Ultratravel, 111 Buckingham palace Road, London SW1W 0dT Twitter @TeleLuxTravel

12 ultratravel

the next BIG THING

John O’Ceallaigh looks at the latest in luxury travel, from new spas and Antarctic expeditions to a Kenyan safari lodge in the Great Rift Valley

HOTEL SUPER YACHTS

F

or The Wellesley hotel in Knightbridge it is not enough that its guests can enjoy all the many pleasures of London. Earlier this year, the hotel launched MY The Wellesley, a 105ft private yacht with room for 12 guests and a full-time crew of five. Finished in the hotel brand’s signature art deco style, the boat is berthed in the South of France, waiting for any Wellesley guests who wish to combine Bond Street shopping with a private cruise around the Riviera.

While “shop and sail” is unlikely to catch on as a mass-market holiday experience, it seems to have struck a chord with The Wellesley’s high-spending clientele. Demand has been such that in September the hotel will launch a larger vessel in place of the original, a 184ft superyacht that will be capable of crossing the Atlantic. A week’s charter costs £150,000, with packages available that will allow guests to combine time in London and France.

A number of other properties are also providing yachts in locations that lend themselves more obviously to experiences both on land and sea. This year, for example, Turkey’s D-Hotel Maris launched the 53ft Alia Open Sea (complementing its existing charters aboard the Pasa), which will allow visitors to explore the Datça Peninsula’s hidden coves as well as its interior.

In the Maldives, one vessel among many is Cheval Blanc Randheli’s 101-foot Azimut, which offers a Jacuzzi, bar, jet skis and plenty of room for on-board therapists should you require a spa treatment. A day’s charter costs from £9,185.

In Indonesia, Alila Hotels’ 150ft Alila Purnama is based on a traditional phinisi, a two-masted sailing ship. So, too, is Aman Resorts’ Amandira, which will also ply Indonesian waters. Launched this month, the 170ft vessel was hand-crafted by members of the Konjo tribe. Its five-night tours of the Raja Ampat marine area cost from £30,000 for two sharing a cabin.

CABIN FEVER Clockwise from top: the current MY The Wellesley; its successor; Alia Open Sea moored at the D-Hotel Maris; and Alila Purnama

ultratravel 15

the next BIG THING A PLACE IN THE SUN The village of Gordes in Provence, home to a sublime new hotel, La Bastide de Gordes

Trek AND Truck IN ANTArcTIcA Only the most adventurous of travellers need apply for this winter’s Explorations Company expedition to Antarctica. The company has joined forces with Iceland’s Arctic Trucks to launch a number of driving tours to the South Pole. Travelling in a convoy of three polar-prepared Toyotas,

N E W HOT EL OPENING S

a maximum of six clients and three crew will drive from the Amundsen

From July, the Gainsborough Bath Spa

moments from La Scala and will feature

of Kenya’s Great Rift Valley. It opens this

Coast to the Pole, with a reasonable

(thegainsboroughbathspa.co.uk) will offer

one of the city’s best spas.

month and will offer a design studio and

chance of breaking a world record for

access to hot-air balloon flights as well as

this journey in the process. An ascent

numerous top-notch safari experiences.

of Mount Vinson, Antarctica’s highest

the first natural thermal spa in a British

One of the prettiest villages in Provence,

hotel. For the most immersive experience,

Gordes, can now also claim one of the

book one of the hotel’s three Spa

region’s most luxurious hotels. Standing

Opening off the coast of Zanzibar

Bedrooms, where special taps in the baths

on 12th-century ramparts, La Bastide de

in June is Pemba Island’s Aiyana resort

Camp are other planned highlights of

will provide instant access to those

Gordes (bastide-de-gordes.com) contains

(theaiyana.com), which features 30

the £110,000-per-person package.

restorative waters.

39 bedrooms and suites, a Pierre Gagnaire

villas – all with sea views – set amid lush

The first tour departs on November 26.

Those visiting this year’s Expo in Milan

restaurant, a Sisley spa and 4,000 pieces

gardens. It’s followed in July by Chiang

explorationscompany.com

have the option of staying at the city’s new

of locally sourced art. It opens on June 17.

Mai’s 30-suite Akyra Manor (theakyra.

Among a proliferation of new long-haul

com), a boutique five-star hotel which

Mandarin Oriental hotel (mandarinoriental. com), which opens on July 1. It occupies

destinations is Angama Mara (angama.

features a rooftop bar, glass-walled pool

a quartet of 19th-century buildings

com), a safari lodge perched on the edge

and an outdoor hot tub for every room.

point, and snowmobiling at Union

FLIGHTS OF FANTASY the devices can be used simply to watch films). Aficionados of the virtual world, however, will have no way of knowing whether the apparatus will be available on their flight. Qantas will distribute the headsets on random flights during this current trial phase and make sets available for use in their Melbourne and Sydney first-class lounges. Should the service prove popular it may be expanded, and also extended to the airline’s business-class passengers.

wATer musIc Perennially cited by food critics as one of the world’s best restaurants, Copenhagen’s Noma is a leader when

T HE WHEEL DEAL

From the country that gave the world windmills comes a plan for a “Wind Wheel” (dutchwindwheel.com) on a staggering scale.

The iconoclastic Dutch architects Doepel Strijkers have submitted plans to build a 570ft structure in Rotterdam which, it is hoped, will become an iconic part of the skyline and a showcase for Dutch clean technology. The offshore wheel would incorporate apartments, a hotel and a restaurant, and would also harness the wind to create sustainable energy. Its supporters are in talks with city planners about its viability, and claim it could be built by 2020.

16 ultratravel

it comes to setting trends that other restaurants follow. Its latest innovation, then, could have unfathomable ramifications for our future experiences in public lavatories.

The restaurant has commissioned a 67-minute “sound piece” to be played in the restaurant’s bathrooms, a unique Barcroftt Media; illustration roBert sHadBolt

Passengers aboard Qantas A380 flights could find themselves transported to unexpected places. In a world first for the aviation industry, the Australian carrier is currently offering firstclass passengers the opportunity to use Samsung virtual-reality headsets while airborne. The move, says Qantas, “will transport customers to an immersive virtual world at the click of a button”, allowing them to explore several key destinations across its network (more mundanely,

soundtrack crafted by the Danish band Efterklang. It is made up of a layered mix of conventional instruments and hundreds of field recordings made in the restaurant’s kitchen and at a supplier’s chicken farm.

For anyone who is unable or unwilling to sit or stand through the whole piece, an excerpt from Stream of Noma is available at soundcloud.com or efterklang.net.

PHOTOGRAPH BY ADAM PARKER STYLING BY ARABELLA BOYCE MAKE UP BY KrYstlE g Using giorgio ArMAni BEAUtY & sKincArE.

U LT RA FASHI O N White cotton broiderie anglaise dress, £550, Giambattista Valli for 7 For All Mankind (0800 783 1942; 7forallmankind.com).

Multicoloured sunglasses, £229, Fendi (00800 7234 5600; fendi.com). Hand-dyed Nappa bag, £1,780, Marni (020 7245 9520; thecorner.com). Gemstone dome bracelet, £245 (eddieborgo.com).

Calf and denim wedges, £495, Christian Louboutin (0843 227 4322; christianlouboutin.com).

WHITE hot

To keep cool this summer, take inspiration from Mediterranean muses. Slip on a sculptural Italian dress and soft French wedges, accessorised with a bold peasant-style bag, and you’ll always look fresh, whether boating, beaching or browsing boutiques on the Riviera ultratravel 19

- AR5047

John Simpson

Y

ou can’t please everybody, especially if your job is to report on other people’s countries. I’ve been banned from a range of places, from Iran and Uzbekistan to delightful, stable and prosperous Botswana (my offence there was to report on the dreadful plight of the Kalahari Bushmen). Sometimes the government relents, sometimes not. And sometimes it says it’s relented but hasn’t.

The ban I regret the most is the one by the government of Zimbabwe. Most people think Zimbabwe is a country to avoid, but like everyone else who knows it, I find it intensely beautiful, calm and welcoming. Its troubles certainly aren’t over, but it’s going through a period of relative political stability.

Or so I’m told. I haven’t been there for six years, since I slipped across the border illicitly for the third and last time to do some reporting. It felt as though we were from the Special Operations Executive, infiltrating German-occupied Europe during the war. In fact we never had the slightest run-in with the Zimbabwean authorities, even when we broadcast our reports live from Harare itself. The government later claimed they knew where we were the whole time, but I think they just realised it was better to ignore us than to create a fuss.

Being there brought back a rush of memories from the time when I’d covered the country in the 1970s and 80s. It was just as beautiful as I’d remembered and Harare and Bulawayo were as delightful. But best of all were the vast stretches of mountain and valley

and plain, in the morning or afternoon light, stretching to the farthest horizon.

I went back to the Chimanimani mountains, close to the border with Mozambique, which my friend, the writer Peter Godwin, describes in his evocative books about his childhood.

In those days Chimanimani village was called Melsetter, after the birthplace of its original Scottish founder in the 19th century. I based myself at the Chimanimani Arms hotel, the first visitor for six months, and reported on the guerrilla war along the border. The food was excellent, if a little inclined to stress the roast and two veg element, and three magnificent waiters in white uniforms and red fezzes stood politely in the shadows – we only had the light of candles and lamps – and reached forward to offer me anything I might seem to want. I had propped up a book, and one of the magnificent three offered to turn the page, though that seemed to be taking things just a little too far.

One day – this was in 1977 – I took a drive with a white Rhodesian farmer who complained incessantly about the modern British and how wet and liberal and generally useless they were; me too, clearly. As we drove along the dirt road I was certain I saw a landmine in the red earth ahead of us. The farmer was too busy denouncing me to notice. As we got closer I could even see the finger-marks where the earth had been tamped down on it. But I was so scared of being mocked by the farmer if turned out not to be a mine that I kept silent and gritted my teeth as we drove over it. Nothing

UP FRO NT

I miss the mad Nesbitt Castle Hotel, where the mounted heads of wild animals stare reproachfully.

And I miss The Victoria Falls Hotel, where King George V looks down from the walls

happened, so I suppose I was just being a wet and useless Brit after all.

I don’t think I have ever seen such magnificent scenery: not in Scotland, not in the Pamirs, not in the Rockies.

Chimanimani’s grandeur has great gentleness, and the scarlets and golds and violets of dawn and evening are unforgettable. If ever I’m allowed back, I shall spend as much time there as possible. The locals are invariably pleasant, polite and remarkably welleducated, and being white, I’ve found, never causes the slightest problem – except occasionally with the government.

I miss it all a great deal. I miss Meikles Hotel in Harare, and the mad Nesbitt Castle Hotel in Bulawayo, which is indeed a castle and where the mounted heads of wild animals stare reproachfully from every wall. And I especially miss The Victoria Falls Hotel, from which you can see the Second Gorge of the Falls.

You are treated as though you are a passenger on the Cape to Cairo railway, for which the hotel was built, or on an Imperial Airways flying boat. Here it’s King George V who looks down at you from the walls. In 2009 we thought it was too risky to stay there, but had an unforgettable breakfast and I signed the visitors’ book with a flourish.

Many bad things have happened in Rhodesia/Zimbabwe over the years, and it’s not over yet. But if you go, you will be treated with friendship and politeness and perhaps a slight surprise: Western visitors are still pretty unusual. You will come away loving it, I promise. I just wish I could go with you. ultratravel 21

illustration romy BlumEl; photo By hEnry iddon

Our globetrotter has been barred from entering many countries. But there is one ban that hurts more than any other . . .

TIFFANY ART OF THE SEA NECKLACE A swirl of turquoise, aquamarines and diamonds in a variety of cuts inform this one-of-a-kind water-inspired necklace by new design director Francesca Amfitheatrof (worn

by Cate Blanchett, below). Necklace in platinum set with aquamarines, turquoise and diamonds, POA (0800 160 1837; tiffany.co.uk)

Making Waves

T

he sea has long been integral to the jeweller’s art, not only as a source of pearls but also as an aesthetic spur. The power of the ocean to sculpt, and its luminous, ever-changing plays of light and sparkling kaleidoscope of blues, provide an obvious inspiration to those working with the cut and colour of precious stones. This year several jewellery houses have made the sea the focus of their high jewellery collections, both as a muse and as a counterpart to their work to protect coral and other marine ecosytems via charitable foundations. Caragh McKay

VAN CLEEF & ARpELS MER dE VENT CLIp Sea Wind is an exquisite one-off clip from Van Cleef & Arpels’ 2015 Seven Seas high jewellery collection, the icy blues of the Caspian Sea the inspiration for a spray of sapphires and diamonds and a playful foam of cultured pearls.

Clip in white gold, diamonds, sapphires and pearls, POA (020 7493 0400; vancleefarpels.com)

22 ultratravel

CHAuMET LuMIERES d’EAu RINg A cache of necklaces, bracelets and rings are reimagined as ocean treasures in Chaumet’s high jewellery Lumières d’Eau collection. Here, Mediterranean blues are captured by cabochon-cut Paraïba tourmalines trickling around a 16.41-carat Mozambique tourmaline. Ring in white gold, tourmalines and diamonds, POA (020 7495 6303; chaumet.com)

MIKIMOTO KESHI pEARL EARRINgS Japan’s mild sea temperatures and gentle waves are ideal for the cultivation of the tiny, high-lustre keshi (“poppy seed”) pearls in these white gold and drop-cut diamond earrings.

Earrings in white gold, with Akoya Keshi pearls and diamonds, £50,000 (020 7399 9860; mikimoto.com)

Moment The Team Members of LUX* help people to celebrate life with the most simple, fresh and sensory hospitality in the world.

M AU R I T I U S R E U N I O N M A L D I V E S C H I N A U . A . E ( 2 0 1 6 ) | L U X R E S O R T S . C O M

Amazing isn’t one size fits all.

That’s why we take the time to get to know you and help shape your perfect holiday.

No two holidays should be the same, so come in and let us find your amazing.

Store locations at kuoni.co.uk

0132

U LT RA T ech

CoCoon tree tent This spherical tent can be suspended from trees or pitched on the ground using its adaptable feet. At nearly 10ft wide, it comfortably fits two adults, and comes with a high-quality mattress and custom-made duvet. The aluminium frame and waterproof tarpaulin protect it from the elements, while mosquito screens help to keep insects at bay (from $5,000/£3,255; cocoontree.com).

leICa Camera Digital rangefinder cameras are small, light and fast, making them ideal for travel. This limitededition Leica MP Safari has a large, full-frame sensor that can take 24MP still photos or HD video.

Its tough enamel finish and a cowhide case help to keep it reasonably scratch-free (£7,850; 020 7629 1351; uk.leica-camera.com).

troBla amplIfIer The perfect music source for long camping trips, this mini wooden amplifier fits most recent smartphones and has no electronic components. A special chamber helps to boost low sound frequencies, while the cone keeps higher tones sharp. Made from Slovenian wood, it weighs only 300g and is recyclable ($65/£42; 00386 40 841891; trobla.com).

the light stuff

mark Wilson selects the latest featherweight gadgets to make life in the great outdoors more pleasurable Coney Island CampIng knIfe Handmade in a Brooklyn workshop that makes high-quality tools and bicycles, this versatile camping knife has a high-carbon steel blade and wooden handle decorated with maple inlays. The handle uses wood reclaimed from the Coney Island Boardwalk in the wake of Hurricane Sandy ($195/£127, plus $45 for a leather sheath; horsebrand.co).

la lampe petIte solar lamp This 33cm tall, solar-powered LED lamp can bathe outdoor areas in warm light for up to nine hours after charging for just a few hours in the sun.

Built-in light sensors mean it automatically switches on and off to conserve energy, while its shade comes in 12 colours, making it useful for indoor use, too (£172; 020 7692 4001; madeindesign.co.uk).

lenser headlamp Built for extreme camping, this 2000-lumen LED Lenser XEO 19R headlamp has a beam that can illuminate objects up to 950ft away.

Its detachable lamp can be used as a handheld torch, and its rechargeable battery used to charge devices such as smartphones and cameras (£229; 0844 5678 365; ledlenser-store.co.uk).

ultratravel 25

ULT RA WATCH E S

2 Push-pieces often compromise water resistance and are not normally used on maritime watches. But the RM60-01 has a patented system that locks the push-pieces (red indicates locked status) to prevent their accidental use in wet conditions.

1 To accommodate the multi-function movement and to optimise legibility, the case of the RM60-01 Regatta is 50mm in diameter and 16mm thick. Yet it remains exceptionally light, with case and movement made from a salt- and scratch-resistant titanium alloy.

ALL AT SEA Horologists have a relationship with the oceans that dates back centuries, but most notably to the 1700s, when John Harrison created the marine chronometers that helped solve the problem of calculating longitude at sea. Today, although GPS and electronic depth gauges can prevent even the most incompetent sailor from going astray, that hasn’t stopped luxury watch brands targeting the lucrative boating market with dedicated watches. One such is Richard Mille, which has a million-dollar grand-prix racing yacht, Sorcha (above), and sponsors the annual Les Voiles de St Barth Caribbean regatta in April. In bonour of the latter it has introduced a version of its RM60-01 sailing watch in a limited edition of 30 (right) that doesn’t just tell the time but, on its compass bezel, the direction of travel.

Simon de Burton

3 The chronograph mechanism is of the “fly-back” type, meaning that the second hand can be stopped, reset and re-started using the button at four o’clock. It can also be used with the 60-minute timer, two counterrotating discs, one to count minutes going up, the other to count them going down, a function used pre-start during the regatta.

4 The orange UTC (Universal Time Co-ordinated) hand can indicate a second time-zone and allows location to be calculated. If the bezel is turned so that the UTC hand is aligned with the actual local time engraved on the bezel, then the hand can be used with the compass points to determine direction.

Richard Mille RM 60-01 Les Voiles de St Barth ($160,000/£100,000; richardmille.com).

three more SeA-WorthY timepieceS IWC Portugieser Yacht Club Worldtimer Back in the 1960s and 70s, one of IWC’s top-selling watches was the time-only Portuguese Yacht Club – designed primarily for nautical playboys of the Bardot era. The new Portugieser line – unveiled in Geneva during this January’s SIHH trade fair – sees the Yacht Club name revived in a limited-edition run of watches in stainless steel and red gold. The watches can now display the hour in each of the dial’s 12 marked global cities. The version illustrated, in red gold (limited to 100), costs £18,750 (iwc.com).

26 ultratravel

Rolex Oyster Perpetual Yacht-Master Everose The Yacht-Master first appeared in 1992 as a sort of seafarer’s alternative to Rolex’s celebrated Submariner dive watch. Originally made in yellow gold, it was later released in a “bi-metal” gold and steel version and then as a “Rolesium” model with a steel case, and platinum bezel and dial.

The latter is regarded by many as the classic Yacht-Master, but this year the watch is available for the first time in Everose non-fade gold on a rubber Oysterflex bracelet. The 40mm version shown costs £16,650 (rolex.com).

Corum Admiral’s Cup AC-One 45 Chronograph The original Admiral’s Cup of 1960 was a simple square-cased watch with a rear-face engraving of a sailing boat. More recently, the range has evolved into a series of imposing sports watches with 12-sided cases and a distinctive nautical pennant design around the dials. The latest Admiral’s Cup variation takes the marine theme further by incorporating the type of teak planking usually seen on boat decks. The watch, in plain steel, is water resistant to 900ft and costs £5,850 (corum.ch).

Walden’s World

illustration Jason Ford

Shoe repair, set design, animal husbandry, mind-reading, the administering of medicine – all in a day’s work for a top hotel butler

I

n a rooftop garden above High Holborn I am affecting a series of poses for a handsome young Milanese gentleman in a tweed waistcoat. “What does this one mean?” I ask Vittorio, assuming a distracted air and gazing at the distant turrets of Lincoln’s Inn. “You have everything you need – and you now want to be left alone,” he replies.

It’s part of Vittorio Dincao’s job as the Senior Butler at Rosewood London to read body language. Since I took up residence at the hotel’s Garden House suite four hours ago (at 1,216sq ft, it’s more a house than a suite), he has correctly guessed every one of my needs and emotions. He knew without me having to tell him that my dress would need pressing for dinner, that pistachio macaroons were my favourite teatime treat and that I would be expecting a chilled flute of Perrier-Jouët after my sundown yoga session (the mat was ready and waiting upon arrival). He seems to know more about me than my own husband. The only thing he’s mistaken about is thinking that, now I’ve found him, I’d ever want to be left alone again.

Butlering is a dying art – one Rosewood was shrewd enough to resuscitate when it took over the flamboyant Edwardian building and remodelled it into a hotel, featuring the instantly popular Holborn Dining Room and Scarfes Bar. Not that I am here to sample the vibrant nightlife in what was formerly a no-man’s-land between Bloomsbury and Farringdon, largely populated by clueless out-of-towners.

I’m here to put one of London’s best butlering establishments to the test.

28 ultratravel

ce l i a wal d e n

When staying at Le Meurice Salvador Dalí asked for a herd of sheep to be brought to his room, whereupon he took out a pistol and started shooting at them

“Anticipation and consistency”, explains the British Butler Institute’s Gary Williams, “are the two key factors in the butlering profession. In order to do those things well, modern butlers also need a whole range of skills, so that no matter what the guest throws at them, they are able to deliver that experience.”

“Short of the illegal,” Vittorio assures me, “I can make pretty much any of your wishes come true.” Does that rule out finding a couple of loincloth-clad Adonises to make like human statues on my 645sq ft roof-terrace? “I might be able to rustle up a couple of guys from housekeeping,” he says uncertainly. “Anything else?”

Being demanding, it turns out, is demanding. I ask for an abundance of whiter, fluffier towels (delivered in minutes), a shoulder, neck and head massage (effected by an on-site masseuse), a monogrammed pillowcase (there by nightfall) – oh, and I’d like the suede Rupert Sanderson pump I skinned on the cobblestones on the way in to be mended (26 minutes later the shoe is returned to me in perfect condition). Now at a loss and unable to prise my best friend away from the state-of-the-art lavatories, which are equipped with buttons marked “rear”, “soft rear”, “oscillating”, “power deodoriser” and “massage”, I ring for a copy of Ring for Jeeves by PG Wodehouse, to plunder for high-maintenance requests.

Even Bertie Wooster would blanch at some of the demands made of hotel butlers. When staying at Le Meurice Salvador Dalí asked for a herd of sheep to be brought to his room, whereupon he took out a pistol and started shooting at them. Staff at The Beverly Hills Hotel arranged a wedding for a guest’s two

collies (the bride wore white and a minister and caterers were in attendance) that cost a total of $15,000.

The Lanesborough’s Daniel Jordaan created a “winter wonderland” for a family visiting London for the first time – complete with Santa, elves, reindeer and fake snow. “Also, we once had a guest who checked her cat into the hotel for two months when she went on a world cruise.

The cat was served a different meal daily, given ‘downtime’, and we even provided butlers on rotation to spend an hour at a time with the animal so that she had human company. The more outrageous the request, the more excited I get by the idea of being able to complete the task.”

The Mandarin Oriental’s legendary ambassador, Michael Bentley, has seen it all. “I was about to leave Shelley Winters’ suite one night when she said: ‘Darling Mr Bentley, just one more thing. Would you be very kind and put a suppository up my bottom?’ She must have seen the horror on my face because she went on: ‘It’s perfectly simple: I bend over, pull my knickers down and you just put it in there.’

To which my response was: ‘I’m afraid my responsibilities don’t extend that far.’”

All of which makes me wonder if my friend and I haven’t been too soft on dear old Vittorio. “On a scale of one to 10, how have we fared in terms of highmaintenance behaviour?” I ask as he returns from Fortnum & Mason with the lemon-curd shortbreads I’d asked for.

“I’d say two,” he replies, once he’s got his breath back. At that moment my best friend calls out from the bathroom: “I still can’t get the ‘massage’ option to work.

Can you send Vittorio in?” And just like that, we’re up there with the big hitters.

CAYMAN BRAC LITTLE CAYMAN GRAND CAYMAN

3 of life’s little luxuries

ca ymanislands.co.uk

A picnic on your own private island?

Just one of our exclusive dining spots.

the AFICIONADO

Actor and director John Malkovich finds sublimity and inspiration in wild African skies, Viennese museums and a single Spanish church

A

Line of Fire and, of course,

5

Being John Malkovich – not

Watch. Then I can leave. It’s so

n Oscar-nominated actor best known for his roles in Dangerous Liaisons, In the

I just go to the Rijksmuseum (rijksmuseum.nl) in Amsterdam

and look at Rembrandt’s The Night

to mention a theatre career that includes

incredible, there’s nothing else to look

opera-singing in The Infernal Comedy and

at after that. You look at it and think,

The Giacomo Variations – John Malkovich

“Come on… and other people had to

is also a director, producer and menswear

keep painting after that?” Even if they

designer. He lives in southern France and

did spectacular things – I went to the

Cambridge, Massachusetts, with his long-

Lucian Freud at the Tate; that’s serious

term partner Nicoletta Peyran and their

stuff – but for me The Night Watch

two children Amandine and Loewy.

represents the pinnacle of painting.

He also has a home in Lisbon, where he is

Architecture is one of my passions.

6

Lisbon, Istanbul and Chicago all

producing partners, who work like lunatics

have great buildings, but my

and never take holidays, and their families.

part-owner of the waterfront restaurant Bica do Sapato and the Lux nightclub.

1

My grandfather came from Croatia. The last time I went there I chartered a boat, a big old refitted

Communist cruiser, with my family and my

favourite city for architecture is Porto.

We cruised down the Dalmatian coast.

It’s very decadent-looking, because it

It was fantastic.

was once super-wealthy. I always find it

couldn’t be more different. They’re like

7

dark and light. Porto is not a happy-go-

so grand or so rococo. My understanding

lucky, easy-going town, but it’s a great

was that it was meant to be about

city nonetheless.

something else. The only church I’ve ever

2

loved is the Church of the Sacred Heart

interesting to visit places that had an empire but lost it. There’s a certain humility about them. Porto and Lisbon

Religious art is not my thing.

I must have visited a thousand chapels from Oberammergau

to Barcelona… ça suffit. Usually they’re

South Africa is a fantastically

in Vistabella by Josep Maria Jujol, who

beautiful country. Everything is on

was a protégé of Gaudí. It was the first

a much grander scale. I remember

time I ever walked into a church and

driving through the Karoo on the way to

thought, “Oh, now I get it.”

Johannesburg and seeing what looked like

8

nuclear flashes up ahead, they were so bright and immense. I nudged the guy I was travelling with and said, “Peter, wake up. What’s going on? Is it Armageddon?”

And he said, “No, it’s just lightning.”

3

When it comes to wilderness, the American West is hard to beat.

My father worked in conservation,

so a love of the great outdoors was ingrained in me from a young age.

After high school I spent a summer working as a park ranger in Montana.

4

There are so many great restaurants: Cibrèo in Florence (cibreo.com), the San Angel Inn in

Mexico City (sanangelinn.com), Moro in London (moro.co.uk). I’m a minor partner

FAVOURITE THInGS Clockwise, from above: The “decadent-looking” Porto; architectural fashion from Sybilla; dishes from Moro; Viennese decoration; the Croatian coast; and The Night Watch

in a Lisbon restaurant called Bica do Sapato (bicadosapato.com), which I also like. But my favourite restaurant in the world is the owners’ [Fernando Fernandes and José Miranda] other Lisbon restaurant, Pap’Açorda (00351 21 346 4811).

9 10

I don’t go shopping enough these

That was an incredible experience.

days. But one of my favourite shops is Sybilla (sybilla.es) in

I find the Museum of Applied Arts (mak.at) in Vienna very inspiring.

They had an exhibition there

recently that I thought was fantastic, showing how architecture, design and the DISNEy/PHOTOSHOT; ALAMy; AP; RIJKSMuSEuM

If I want to see great painting,

decorative arts had changed over the decades. I’ve always been interested in fashion and the applied arts, and in a sense I think of Vienna as the birthplace of the modern. Wittgenstein was there, Freud was there, Schiele, Koloman Moser, Klimt, the Wiener Werkstätte. As a cradle of culture, Vienna doesn’t really get the attention it deserves.

I always find it interesting to visit places that had an empire but lost it. There’s a certain humility about them

Madrid. I always visit when I’m there.

My short film for St Regis, A Postcard from Istanbul, is based on a concept I came up

with during a trip to the city, which I love.

Part of the fascination is the mix, or even clash, of cultures. But it’s also astonishing to look at. I love a city that has a variety of architectural styles. And then there’s this incredible body of water cutting through the middle; it’s an amazing sight. At night, it’s like a dream.

Interview by Damon Syson

ultratravel 31

DRIVING TOPLESS David Gandy, in a Jaguar XK120, at the Rest and Be Thankful stopoff, on the A83, overlooking Glen Croe PhOTOGRaPhy JONaThaN GLyNN-SMITh

32 ultratravel

ULTRA DR I V E

highland fling

ultratravel 33

DaviD GanDy moDels a putty sueDe jacket by ermeneGilDo ZeGna, £2,890 (HarroDs.com); wHite t sHirt by james perse, £50 (mrporter.com); sunGlasses by taylor morris, £170 (taylormorriseyewear.com). stylinG by Grace GilFeatHer; GroominG by larry kinG

David Gandy’s greatest passion is driving – whether it’s in the mountains of Scotland or the plains of Africa. Here, the supermodel explains his love for the open road, and selects some of the most glorious motoring adventures on earth

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I

n spite of the fact that I work in fashion, and have done so for years, driving is still my greatest love.

No matter what I’m doing, I always try to ensure that there is some driving involved in my daily routine.

It’s something I’ve loved since I was a boy. I was brought up doing family road trips and so was desperate to pass my test. When I did, at the age of 17, it was an incredible feeling. I can still remember my first drive alone – I knew I’d discovered something I wanted to do for the rest of my life. To me, driving is about complete escapism. It’s just you and the car against the elements.

Living in London, it’s easy to forget how many amazing drives we have in Britain. What’s wonderful is that there are different parts of countryside to suit all sorts of cars.

Wales, for example, has wide, flat roads that lead right into wild, open countryside, so is ideal territory in which to test a sports car. To take classic cars for a spin, you can’t beat the English countryside, such as Wiltshire, West Sussex and Suffolk; the road towards Sudbury is particularly enjoyable.

But for proper long journeys, Scotland is the place to go.

Every time I visit, I’m amazed by the splendour of the Highlands, especially around Loch Lomond, which I know well, Loch Ness, around Fort William and Inverness, and along the North Coast 500 (see box, below right). When it comes to scenery, the Highlands rival the best in the world – although the area northwest of Aberdeen also has some lovely roads. You can’t go wrong in Scotland. I know the weather can be tricky, but there’s a saying that goes: “If you don’t like the weather in Scotland, wait 10 minutes”.

It is constantly changing – rain and snow one minute, sunshine the next – but it all adds to the spectacle.

Driving with the roof down under sunny skies is also fun, though, and some of my best drives have been in Africa.

I did one, for instance, in South Africa, starting in the winelands and then cruising up through the Garden Route to the Kruger National Park, where you can see the Big Five.

To me, driving is about complete escapism. It’s just you and the car against the elements On other trips I drove up through Namibia to see desert elephants, and in Uganda went from Kampala into the Bwindi Impenetrable National Park to see gorillas. All of those journeys were incredible.

Trying to pick one single drive that I love is difficult as so many of them cut through spectacular parts of the world.

The Amalfi coast in Italy, from Ravello to Positano, is one of the most beautiful driving routes in the world; even the most well-travelled people I’ve seen it with have been stunned to silence by its beauty. For scenery, the Pacific Coast Highway in America, from Los Angeles to San Francisco, is stunning, particularly the Big Sur stretch; and the city of Carmel is a lovely place to stop. But there are glorious routes elsewhere in the US – many of them little known – such as the journey from Litchfield, Connecticut, on the east coast, to Lincoln, Nebraska (best done on an early morning in autumn), and the route through the Rocky Mountains from Telluride to Dunton Hot Springs, taking Route 145 and Route 38.

But perhaps one of the most breathtaking landscapes I’ve driven through was one I’d known the least about. I’d gone to Iceland for a fashion shoot in an ice cave and the drive from Reykjavik, along coastal roads through countryside and over the glaciers, was through terrain that was different from anything I’ve ever seen. It was something I’ll never forget.

But then, I often say that whenever I’m back from a drive...

In Scotland David Gandy stayed at Cameron House on Loch Lomond (01389 755565; cameronhouse.co.uk). The David Gandy for Autograph Swimwear Collection launches at selected Marks & Spencer stores in June. The model spoke to Soo Kim.

Scotland

North Coast 500

high roads and Low roads The Bealach Na Ba pass, on the Applecross Peninsula

Where Scotland’s new North

lochs, heather-covered moors

Coast 500 route, or NC500 –

and craggy coasts its highlights

so-called because it is just over

include the peaks of Suilven and

500 miles long – runs from

Ben Hope, the ruins of Ardvreck,

Inverness along the A835

the castles of Dunrobin and the

towards the west coast, before

beaches of Achmelvich and

snaking through the heart of the

Dornoch. There’s wildlife, too:

Highlands towards John O’Groats

you might see deer, dolphins,

and the farthest-flung corner of

seals and minke whales.

mainland Britain. It then

Where to stay The five-room,

shadows the east coast before

200-year-old Albannach

looping inland to return

(thealbannach.co.uk), which

to Inverness.

sits in a remote corner of the

Why Hundreds of miles of

Highlands and boasts Britain’s

Scotland’s most scenic stretches

most northerly Michelin-starred

of road have been linked to

restaurant.

create what may be the most

The vehicles The rugged new

beautiful driving route in Britain.

Land Rover Discovery Sport or –

But the NC500 is not just aimed

for motorcyclists – an agile,

at diehard motorists or

lightweight adventure-tourer

landscape enthusiasts, for the

such as Honda’s recent

drive also showcases the region’s

VFR800X Crossrunner.

food, culture, heritage and

More information

accommodation. As well as

northhighlandinitiative.co.uk

ultratravel 35

T U S CA N Y

Pisa to Florence Where A twisting 80-mile route from Florence to Pisa, via the ancient towns of Prato, Pistoia and Pisa. Leave Florence heading west on the A11/E76, taking the exit to Prato after 35 minutes. From Prato (avoiding motorways), join the Viale Leonardo da Vinci and Via Toscana, driving west towards Pistoia and Lucca (about an hour along the SS435).

From Lucca take the SS12 or a choice of hilly backroads to Pisa.

Why It’s not just the contours of the roads that make this a great drive but also the medley of classic Tuscan attractions: heady views, pastoral landscapes, sublime architecture, superb food and historic hill-top towns and villages. Many of the drive’s highlights can be see from your car, but you’ll want to explore on foot, too, especially in Florence. Unmissable sights along the way include Prato’s Castello dell’Imperatore (for great views over the city) and the green-striped Romanesque cathedral in Pistoia. After enjoying the drive to Lucca, explore the many sights of this sleepy town, notably the cathedral, the medieval walls and the church of San Michele. Pisa means the Leaning Tower, of course, but don’t miss the cathedral and Baptistry.

Where to stay The Four Seasons Hotel Firenze (fourseasons.com) – Renaissance interiors, glorious gardens and an exceptional restaurant.

The vehicles A red Ferrari California, roof down, or a Fiat 500.

More information turismo.intoscana.it

36 ultratravel

. y r a u t c n a s A private . t r a e h e h t r o f e m o Ah Carefree days of fun and laughter. Sunlit paths to beautiful horizons. Cocooned in paradise; delight awaits around every corner.

Retreat to a place made just for you; where every little detail is taken care of. Moments Enriched at The Residence.

tunis | mauritius | zanzibar | maldives

cenizaro.com

ULTRA DR I V E

NAmib iA

The Skeleton Coast Where From Windhoek to Swakopmund by way of Purros, the Skeleton Coast and Cape Cross.

Why Namibia is ideal for an African road trip: the sealed roads are excellent, traffic is light and the only serious hazards are wandering warthog and kudu (it’s best not to drive at night). The journey takes in the country’s leafy capital, Windhoek, and lots of exceptional scenery – Etosha, Namibia’s finest national park, the Marienfluss Valley, framed by the Otjihipa and Hartmann mountains, and rugged Damaraland and the Skeleton Coast. You can also tackle some exhilarating off-road driving.

Where to stay In Windhoek, The Olive Exclusive (bigsky-namibia.com/the-olive-exclusive) is a perfect place to pause after landing and before hitting the road. Then use the Onguma Tented Camp (onguma. com) on the eastern side of Etosha and Okahirongo Elephant Lodge (okahirongolodge.com) near Purros, which offers sightings of desert elephant, giraffe, kudu and ostrich. Farther north, the Okahirongo River Camp (okahirongolodge.com) has fishing, birding and visits to local Himba villages. Grootberg Lodge (grootberg.com) has some spectacular views, while Mowani Mountain Camp (mowani.com) is the most comfortable base in south Damaraland. Finish your trip at the Swakopmund Guesthouse (swakopmund guesthouse.com), in a fine position close to the ocean.

The vehicle A Jeep Wrangler, with two spare tyres, extra fuel and plenty of water.

More information travelnamibia.co.uk

CAlifO RN i A

Pacific Coast Highway Where From Los Angeles to

Where to stay In Santa Monica,

(rosewoodhotels.com) in

Vancouver via San Francisco.

Casa del Mar (hotelcasadelmar.

Vancouver has excellent rooms

Where Most people, when they

com) has the best views in town,

and an outdoor restaurant in

picture the Pacific Coast Highway,

overlooking the beach and Santa

summer, but the fine staff are the

imagine the stretch from Los

Monica pier; it also has an excellent

most compelling reason to stay.

Angeles to San Francisco via

restaurant and spa. The Fairmont

The vehicles Drivers should visit

Big Sur, Hearst Castle, Carmel-by-

Heritage Place (fairmont.com)

blacktopcandys.com for a fabulous

the-Sea and Santa Barbara’s wine

is the first choice in San Francisco,

fleet of restored classic American

country. But the road beyond San

while in Oregon the Tu Tu’ Tun

vehicles for rent. For bikers,

Francisco takes you through the

Lodge (tututun.com) is a riverside

eaglerider.com can rent a self-ride

great sequoia forests of northern

property with all the requirements

Harley or Indian, or organise

California, with onward options

for a comfortable rural stay: open

a bespoke tour on all or part of

along the wild coasts of Oregon

fires, hot tubs on balconies, pretty

the highway.

and Washington State towards

river views and gourmet cooking.

More information Visit pacific-

Seattle and Vancouver.

The Rosewood Hotel Georgia

coast-highway-travel.com.

NORWAY

The Atlantic Road Where Norway’s Atlantic Road zig-zags across seven low bridges that link a series of beautiful rocky islands between Molde and Kristiansund in the western fjords. The route starts 19 miles southwest of Kristiansund and ends around 30 miles north of Molde.

Why What the Atlantic Road lacks in length (it’s just five miles long) it more than makes up for in scenic grandeur. It also crosses the Hustadvika, a stretch of sea notorious for its storms. But pick a calm day and as well as far-reaching views you may be rewarded with sightings of seals and whales. The striking bridges are attractions in themselves, especially the steeply arched Storseisundet Bridge, a magnet for photographers.

Where to stay Set in six acres of secluded grounds and amid thousands of acres of protected forest, the timber-built and grassroofed Storfjord Hotel (storfjordhotel.com) offers a cosy base, with fine views over the adjacent fjord.

The vehicle On clear days, an open-top classic such as a Morgan Plus 8; otherwise a rugged Volvo XC90.

More information visitnorway.com

38 ultratravel

Hop from a car-free paradise to a bustling harbour town. Step from a gourmet restaurant onto a sweeping sandy beach. Whether you want to do everything or do nothing, the Bailiwick of Guernsey offers the perfect getaway.

Just be sure to visit the neighbours.

Plan your short break at visitguernsey.com @VISITGUERNSEY

FACEBOOK.COM/VISITGUERNSEY

Shell Beach, Herm

With a choice of four stunning islands, which one will you treasure the most?

FLOR IDA K EYS

Miami to Key West Where From Miami, Florida, to Key West, a 150-mile route along US Route 1, borne aloft by numerous low-rise bridges that link countless small but breathtaking coral islands.

Why It’s a classic American road trip, offering an irresistible combination of perfect climate, smooth roads and sparkling ocean views. You can get there and back in a day (allow eight hours), but it’s much better to take it easy and spend a night in Key West. Start your journey amid Miami’s glittering skyscrapers and get ready for your first decent ocean view as you leave Dixie Highway and join Overseas Highway. The speed limit is 55mph, so there’s plenty of time to admire the region’s colonialstyle homes and the homely fishing and boat stores en route.

Spare a thought for Lauren Bacall and Humphrey Bogart after you pass Lake Surprise and reach built-up Key Largo. Then drive past Treasure Harbor and Curry Hammock State Park before soaring over New Seven Mile Bridge, which offers some of the drive’s best views. Key West shimmers into sight shortly after the Great White Heron National Wildlife Refuge.

Where to stay Sunset Key Cottage (sunsetkeycottages.com) sits on an “island off an island” near Key West; the 27-acre resort offers private villas and cottages for rent by the day.

The vehicle A Ford Mustang Convertible or a Harley-Davidson Street Glide.

More information Visit fla-keys.co.uk and westernoriental.com

40 ultratravel

Arge n t in A

Round trip from Salta Where The Calchaquí Valleys, in northwest Argentina, from Salta to Cachi, Colomé, Cafayate

top GEAR

What to pack for a spin in the countryside? Pretty, practical items go a long way, says Laura Lovett

and back to Salta.

Why This area of Argentina lies in the foothills of the Andes, with snowy peaks, cruising condors and a strong indigenous culture. Salta is a colonial city, with cobbled lanes, a candy-pink cathedral and high-walled convents. From here, the journey takes in the red-rock desert landscapes of Los Cardones National Park, the sleepy town of Cachi and the Bodega y Estancia Colomé wine estate. Continue on the Ruta del Vino loop to Cafayate (stop at the Domingo Hermanos winery) and Finca Las Nubes, the

1

“Farm in the Clouds”. The return route to Salta includes the dramatic Quebrada de Las Conchas, or “Ravine of the Shells”.

Where to stay In Salta, opt for Legado Mitico

2

(legadomitico.com), a boutique property, and in Cachi for La Merced del Alto (lamerceddelalto. com). The best choice in the Calchaquí Valleys is Patios de Cafayate (patiosdecafayate.com).

Conclude with a night or more at Salta’s House of Jasmines (houseofjasmines.com).

The vehicle A VW Beetle.

More information argentina.travel

3

AustrAliA

4

Perth to Albany Where A 625-mile trip in southwest Australia via Bunbury, Margaret River and Augusta.

Why Highlights include the Bunbury Dolphin Discovery Centre in Koombana Bay; the coast around Meelup Beach and Bunker Bay; the Margaret River wine region; surf spots such as Surfers Point and Cape Leeuwin Lighthouse; off-road cycling on the Munda Biddi Trail; hiking on the Bibbulmun Track; and the historic port of Albany. Also outstanding are Torndirrup National Park, known for its whale-watching (also see the rock formations known as The Gap, The Natural Bridge and The Blowhole), and the Skyhook Helicopter tours over Breaksea Island.

Where to stay Overnight in Perth at the Terrace Hotel Perth (terracehotelperth.com). Just

5

outside Dunsborough is the beachfront Pullman Bunker Bay Resort (pullmanbunkerbayresort. co.au), while Cape Lodge (capelodge.com.au),

6

with its own vineyard, is first choice in the Margaret River. Near Pemberton, Foragers (foragers.com.au) is a farm with eco-chalets.

Cape Howe Cottage overlooks the West Cape Howe National Park and in Albany, the Beach House at Bayside(thebeachhouseatbayside.com. mark bramley; alamy; getty

au) makes an excellent seaside base at the end.

The vehicle A Holden VF Commodore Ute, a contemporary take on an Australian classic.

More information westernaustralia.com Contributors: Geoff Hill, Michelle Jana Chan and David Williams

7

U LTRA TR E ATS

1 Oliver GOldsmith sunGlasses everyone from grace kelly and audrey Hepburn to michael Caine has worn Oliver goldsmith sunglasses. the 1968 moosh style is both elegant and large enough to protect eyes (020 7460 0844; olivergoldsmith.com; £265).

2 marlbOrOuGh WOrld flask Handmade in leather workshops in Walsall, this 8oz stainless steel flask includes four cups for refreshments during pit stops (020 7734 8040; fortnumandmason.com; £75).

3 beGG scarf based in ayr, begg has been manufacturing the finest cashmere since 1866. Its Staffa murano scarf is light but warm: ideal for cruising in a convertible (beggandcompany.com; £185).

4 asprey hOldall this ostrich leather Postbag holdall is flexible enough to fit into the boot of any sports car, and has a sterling silver luggage tag (020 7493 6767; asprey.com; £14,000).

5 rOlex Watch this iconic Daytona model, created in 1963 and named after the Florida race, has become highly coveted by driving connoisseurs (020 7292 0345; rolex.com; £50,100).

6 alfred dunhill GlOves made in england, these mustard-yellow driving gloves are made from nappa lamb’s leather, prized for its softness and flexibility (020 7853 4440; dunhill.com; £250).

7 tOd’s drivinG shOes It takes more than 100 steps to handcraft the iconic gommino loafer. atop its signature studded rubber sole is a punched leather top which helps to keep feet cool and comfortable (020 7493 2237; tods.com; £290).

ultratravel 41

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ETHIOPIA Its landscapes are biblical and its rituals haven’t changed for centuries. But amid the cave words STANLEY STEwArT 44 ultratravel

biblical scenes A sweeping view of the Tigray Region in northern Ethiopia (below) and a Hamer woman from the Omo Valley in the south of the country Portrait PhiliP lee harvey

churches and primitive tribes aare new lodges – and helicopters (or donkeys) to reach them ultratravel 45

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ULTRA ADVENTU R E

rock of ages Left: a priest at the entrance to the cliff-top church of Abuna Yemata Guh. Below: the sunken stone church of St George, Lalibela

Sunday service

in the church of Abuna Yemata Guh requires nerves of steel.

Yet they assured me the congregations were good. “Don’t worry,” the priest fussed. “Pregnant women are attending, old people are attending, tiny children are attending.”

I wasn’t sure I would be attending. I was standing on a narrow ledge. Below me was a 1,000ft drop to the valley floor. Somewhere above me, beyond a sheer polished cliff, was the church. My legs felt like water. I was sweating in places I had never sweated before. At that moment, the eye of a needle seemed easier to negotiate.

“You must try,” the priest whispered. “God is watching.”

There are moments when Ethiopia seems to belong to an atlas of the imagination – part legend, part fairy-tale, part Old Testament book, part pulling your leg. In this land of wonders there are medieval castles of a black Camelot, monasteries among Middle Earth peaks accessible only by rope and chains, the ruined palace of the Queen of Sheba and the original Ten Commandments in a sealed box guarded by mute monks with killer instincts.

In the northern highlands priests with white robes and shepherds’ crooks appear to have stepped out of a Biblical painting. In the southern river valleys bare-breasted tribeswomen, who scar their torsos for erotic effect and insert plates the size of table mats in their lower lips, seemed to have emerged from a National Geographic magazine circa 1930. Ethiopia “resembles no other country in Africa”, wrote the great explorer Wilfred Thesiger, “or anywhere else.”

Its isolation is legendary. Not only was Ethiopia never colonised, but it also inflicted the greatest defeat on a European army in the history of the continent – at the Battle of Adwa in 1896. It was only the Italians, of course, but it still counts. Ethiopians were “forgetful of the world”, Edward Gibbon wrote, “by whom they were forgotten”.

For long medieval centuries Europeans believed that Ethiopia was home to Prester John, legendary Christian ruler, descendant of one of the three Magi, keeper of the Fountain of Youth, protector of the Holy Grail, and all-round good guy who would one day rescue the Holy Land from the Muslims.

Crossing the threshold of the church of Medhane Alem in Lalibela, I seemed to step back a thousand years. Cut by shafts of dusty light from high windows, the interior gloom was scented with frankincense. I came round a pillar to find a dozen priests leaning on their croziers, chanting in Ge’ez, a language no one has spoken since the Middle Ages. The sound was a curious cross between Gregorian plainsong and a nasal Arabic call to prayer.

These were among the earliest Christian rites, unchanged for well over 1,500 years. Worshippers sat on the ground against the bare stone walls, wearing clothes that wouldn’t have been out of place in the Book of Genesis. They gazed mournfully at a pair of threadbare theatrical curtains.

Beyond the curtains lay the inner sanctum, the Holy of Holies, which held the Ark of the Covenant.

For a country with so much to offer, it is surprising to find tourism in Ethiopia still in its infancy. The war and

Ethiopia appears to belong to an atlas of the imagination, part legend, part fairy-tale, part Old Testament book

ultratravel 47

BY THE BOOK From top: an illuminated manuscript at Abba Pentalewon monastery, near Aksum; camels bearing salt; Ethiopian Orthodox Christians celebrate Christmas at Lalibela; a worshipper at the entrance to the church of Medhane Alem, the largest of the stone churches of Lalibela

famine of the 1970s and 80s, though now almost ancient history, may be partly responsible. But a deeper issue may be a feature of the national character – a lack of entrepreneurial urgency. Ethiopia may not be big on stylish boutiques hotels, littered with objets d’art and architectural magazines, but it is a delightfully oldfashioned place, with ravishing landscapes, sleepy villages and friendly, unhurried people.

I

t is difficult to pick a single destination from Ethiopia’s treasure chest, but first-time visitors shouldn’t miss Lalibela and its remarkable churches, all below ground level, and all carved from the rock as entire buildings with surrounding courtyards, exterior walls and roofs. Historians are uncertain about much of their history but Ethiopians have a handle on it. A celestial team of angels came in at night to help out after the terrestrial workforce had clocked off.

There are always two histories in Ethiopia: the history of historians, sometimes a trifle vague, often tentative; and the history of Ethiopians, a people’s history, confident, detailed, splendid, often fantastical. The two rarely coincide. Historians are still wringing their hands about the mysteries of Aksum in Tigray in the north, with its colossal stelae, its underground tombs, its ruined palaces and its possible connections to the Queen of Sheba. For a thousand years, until about AD 700, it was a dominant power in the region, “the last of the great civilisations of antiquity”, according to Neville Chittick, the archaeologist, “to be revealed to modern knowledge”.

Fortunately, the Ethiopians are on hand to fill in most of the historical blanks. The city was founded, they say, by the great-grandson of Noah. For 400 years it was ruled by a serpent who enjoyed a diet of milk and virgins.

Historians may be divided about the Queen of Sheba but Ethiopians know she set off from here to Jerusalem with 797 camels and lot of rather racy lingerie to seduce King Solomon. Historians carelessly lost track of the Ten Commandments not long after Moses came down from Mount Sinai. Ethiopians have the originals under lock and key in a chapel in Aksum, guarded by those mute monks, assigned to kill all intruders.

The landscapes of Tigray are appropriately Biblical.

It is a world where everything comes and goes by foot or hoof, a world of timeless villages perched beneath vast mesas and plunging ravines, a world where it is possible to imagine startling young men turning water into wine.

With my bag loaded onto a Palm Sunday donkey, I set off on a three-day walk down the Erar Valley. I strolled through the latticed shade of eucalyptus trees, past scented banks of sage and mint, past stands of prickly pear and neatly ploughed fields framed by irrigation channels. I rested under the shade of vast fig trees beneath colonies of hornbills, bee-eaters and firefinches.

A man in a white robe was winnowing wheat, tossing yellow forkfuls into the air, allowing the wind to take the chaff. Children ghosted out of orchards with home-made toys: a ball of goatskin and twine, a doll of twigs and wool.

In the late morning I passed people coming back from the weekly market, two hours’ walk away. They were carrying some of life’s essentials: bags of rice, new sickles, bolts of bright cloth, blocks of salt that had come up from the

Danakil Desert by camel caravan. Everyone stopped to greet me with handshakes and smiles.

The trek was part of a new community project. The guides and the transport – my faithful donkey – were provided by local villagers who, with the help of NGOs, have also built hedamos, or guesthouses. There is something special about these Tigrayan guesthouses – their location. Tigray is a mountainous region, characterised by ambas: dramatic, sheer-sided, flattopped mountains. Most of the treks are easygoing, following the valley floors through pastoral landscapes.

But towards the end of each day I started to climb with the guide, following steep paths along narrow rising ledges, to the summits of these anvil-headed ambas.

On the top, we emerged into a whole new world of luminous light and distant views. Here we found our home for the night, the community hedamo, perched in splendid isolation on the lip of a colossal escarpment, perhaps 3,000ft above the landscapes below. The views were breathtaking. We looked straight down, past circling eagles, to the world we had just left – ploughed fields, stone tukuls, eddying sheep, tiny white-robed figures trailing along dust lanes. Farther away, rivers carved swathes of ancient earth, canyons yawned open and valleys tumbled into one another. Farther still, mountains

There was no electricity, just lanterns and candles.

Yet these felt like the most luxurious places I have ever stayed

48 ultratravel

patrolled the horizons. With a slight turn of the head, I took in hundreds of miles.

At Erar and Shimbrety, the stone-built guesthouses, with their little courtyards and roof terraces, were comfortable but basic. Village women prepared delicious Ethiopian dinners that made little concession to Western tastes. The loos, Western-style, were in spartan huts.

Washing facilities were wooden buckets of warm water.

There was no electricity, just lanterns and candles. Yet these felt like the most luxurious places I had ever stayed.

It was the luxury of unique experience, of meeting local villagers on their own ground, of engaging with an ancient way of life, of being far from tourism’s well-trodden trails.

And it was the luxury of spectacular location. I have never been anywhere with more stunning views.

At Erar, night came with equatorial suddenness.

A troop of gelada baboons, 30 or so strong, made their way home across the summit of the amba after a day’s feeding. They climbed down over the edge of the escarpment to precipitous ledges where they would be safe from leopards. The sun set over distant, mythicallooking mountains. When I turned round, a fat full moon was rising directly behind me. The world seemed to be in perfect balance.

Tigray, too, has its remarkable buildings. Scattered across these mountains are more than 120 ancient churches, most excavated in remote rock-faces like caves.

Until the 1960s they were virtually unknown to the outside world. Older than the churches at Lalibela, they are little understood by historians. Which means we are left with the fabulous oral history of the Ethiopians.

Abuna Yemata Guh is one of the more challenging

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heaven’s above A priest looks out from the entrance to the cliff-face church of Abuna Yemata Guh

The priest, a humble villager, referred to the apostles as if they were old friends.

He talked of the saints as if they were men who had known his grandparents

Tigray Region Shimbrety Aksum Abuna Yemata Guh Gondar Lalibela Lake Simien Mountains Tana National Park

ETHIOPIA 100 miles

Va

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y

Addis Ababa

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Journeys by Design (01273 623790; journeysbydesign.com) can organise a two-week private journey to Ethiopia, including Lalibela, a three-night trek through northern Tigray staying in Gheralta Lodge, and three nights at Bale Mountain Lodge, from £6,200 per person, excluding international flights. A seven-night helicopter safari to include all of the above, plus a flight to 300ft below sea level in the Danakil Depression, costs from £19,810 per person, based on four sharing a Eurocopter B4.

ERITREA

Om

Levant, who had brought Christianity to Ethiopia in the fifth century, were here, as was Saint Yared, who wrote so many of the early Ethiopian chants. The builder of this cliff church was here, Abu Yemata, mounted on a horse and accompanied by his nephew Benjamin, who had painted the murals.

The priest, a humble villager, told me the stories that swarmed across these walls. He told the stories as they had been told to him, as they had been handed down from one priest to the next from the earliest days of the Christian era. He referred to the apostles as if they were old friends. He talked of the saints as if they were men who had known his grandparents. He told me about the groom who had neglected Yemata’s horse. Yemata had turned him into a weasel. There, he said, bringing his torch near to the wall, illuminating a small weasel-headed man beneath the horse.

I asked why the church was here, so difficult to access, so high in these cliffs. The priest said it was for reasons of safety – it may well have been built when Christianity was still vulnerable. Then he added: “We are closer to God here, away from our world, and closer to His.” He lifted an ancient text enclosed in an ox-hide satchel from a nail on the wall. He asked if he should say prayers. I said I thought a few words might be a good idea. After all, I still had to get down that cliff-face.

SUDAN

churches to reach. A rock butte soared above us; I was getting a crick in my neck and a serious case of vertigo just looking at it. I imagined, as with the sheer-sided ambas, that there would be some circuitous path, some scrambling route to the top. It was only when we had trekked up from the valley floor and gained the narrow ledge that I began to realise I was going to have to climb a cliff-face, in fact several cliff-faces, to get to church.

A priest was waiting on the ledge, with the kind of morbid face usually reserved for the last rites. He advised me to remove my shoes and socks; bare feet would give me a better grip. It turned out that two men, who I had assumed to be casual passers-by, were in fact there to try to prevent me from plummeting to my death.

We started to climb. My two assistants, one above and one below, guided me to precarious foot- and hand-holds.

This was rock climbing without the ropes, the safety harness or the Chris Bonington confidence. Spreadeagled on the cliff-face, clinging to the minor indentations that passed for handholds, I felt a trifle out of my comfort zone. Had I know what was in for, I would probably not have chosen Abuna Yemata Guh for a casual visit.

But once I reached it, I was thrilled I had. The climb might be hair-raising but the church is unmissable.

At the top of the cliff, not daring to look down, I gazed ahead, just in time to see a side-chamber full of bones – the priest insisted they were deceased clerics, not fallen visitors. Then I shuffled along a narrow ledge and came to a cave-like opening. The priest wrestled with a key the size of a cricket bat. A door opened and I stepped into the gloom of the tiny church, hardly larger than a modest drawing room. As my eyes adjusted, I became aware of faces round the walls. Then the priest lit a torch and held it aloft. Suddenly the dark walls were alive with figures: apostles and saints, prophets and the archangels, Mary and the infant Christ. The famous Nine Saints from the

Bale Mountains National Park ultratravel 51

TWO STARS AT GLENEAGLES Whether it’s enjoying dinner by Andrew Fairlie, the only chef in Scotland to hold two Michelin stars, or getting to know Nigel, our resident Golden Eagle, a trip to Gleneagles is always a memorable experience.

We do advise advance booking. Nigel is very popular.

To plan your visit please call 0800 169 2984 and quote “Ultratravel”.

The Gleneagles Hotel See: www.gleneagles.com Email: resort.sales@gleneagles.com The GLENEAGLES words and the EAGLE device are trademarks.

the ultra guide to ethiopia gourd counTry Clockwise, from left: a Mursi woman from the Omo Valley carrying water; view from Bale Mountain Lodge; helicopters in the Highlands; Christian women in Lalibela; Ethiopian wolves

High-end luxury has yet to make a significant impact in Ethiopia. Don’t let this put you off. This is the most fascinating country in Africa. And you needn’t go without Wi-Fi, room service or a skinny latte. Here are some of the best new options in Africa’s most intriguing destination. Get a tour operator to join up the dots.

Addis AbAbA The sheraton Addis Ethiopia’s only five-star luxury hotel.

This would be an impressive hotel in Paris, let alone in Africa, and is a spoiling retreat after a few days upcountry. The spa will sort out sore muscles, and the French and Indian restaurants make a change if you want a break from Ethiopian fare (00251 11 517 1717; sheratonaddis. com; doubles from £210, b&b).

The bALe mounTAins In a gorgeous region of forest and rolling uplands, of alpine lakes and fortress-like escarpments, Bale Mountains National Park is teeming with rare wildlife, including the endemic Ethiopian wolf.

Opened in 2014, Bale Mountain Lodge – a beautiful high-spec creation in thatch, wood and stone – is the only lodge inside the park.

There are wood-burning stoves in the rooms, and wall-to-wall windows allow game viewing over breakfast. Guided walks, game drives, fly fishing, bird watching, horse riding and cultural excursions will keep you busy (00251 912 790802; balemountainlodge.com; £150 per person per night, full board, with one daily activity).

PHILIP LEE HARVEy; 4CORNERS; AP’; CAMERA PRESS/LAIF; ALAMy; ANDREW EASTERBROOK

LALibeLA Full of chanting priests and ancient churches carved out of the rock, Lalibela oozes atmosphere. The best of its hotels is the Maribela, modest but charming. Rooms are comfortable, the staff helpful, and the restaurant is excellent – be sure to ask for the local honey at breakfast. But the great draw is the view. The hotel is on an escarpment and every room comes with a balcony overlooking a vast swath of Biblical landscape (00251 33 336 0345; hotelmaribela.com; doubles from £46, b&b).

TigrAy region Tigray is walking territory and the spectacular locations of the Tesfa Tours community lodges can be a highlight of an Ethiopian odyssey.

While clean and comfortable, these guesthouses are pretty basic; you may want to bookend a Tigray trek with two excellent lodges in the area – Gheralta and Agoro.

Both are stylish stone properties with rooms in individual circular tukuls. Owned and run by an Italian, Gheralta has some of the best food in Ethiopia. The Agoro is a social enterprise which invests in the local community.

If trekking is not your thing, either lodge could act as a base for visits to the cliff churches, or to the ruins of Aksum. Tesfa Tigray treks cost £48 a day, including food, guides, pack donkey and accommodation (00251 11 124 5178; tesfatours.com).

At Gheralta Lodge, doubles with breakfast cost from about £38 (00251 11 663 2893; gheralta lodgetigrai.com). At Agoro Lodge, doubles cost from £36, b&b (00251 34 845 0202; agorolodge.com).

The omo VALLey Home to some of the continent’s most traditional tribes, the Omo Valley is colourful “primitive” Africa, a place still wonderfully unaffected by the modern world. Have cameras at the ready for the Karo people, with their spectacular body painting, the Hamar, with their bull-jumping ceremonies, and the Mursi, with their astonishing lip plates.

LAke TAnA And gondAr As the source of the Blue Nile, Lake Tana has always had a mythical aura, so it is unsurprising to find it ringed by monasteries and castles.

And Gondar, a former capital full of old palaces, is just up the road.

But at Kuriftu Resort and Spa it could be time to forget about the sightseeing – four-poster beds, sun decks, a swimming pool, lake views and a first-rate spa encourage you to ditch the hiking boots and slip on the flipflops (00251 11 662 3605; kurifturesortspa.com; doubles from £210, half board).

Also brace yourself for a good deal of nudity. The accommodation of choice here is Lumale Camp, where eight comfortable tents on the riverbank act as the base for fascinating excursions to the tribal villages (00251 11 895 1390; lumaletoursandcamp.com; doubles from £945 per night, full board, with excursions).

simien mounTAins With the most dramatic landscapes in Ethiopia, the Simien Mountains National Park – a World Heritage Site – is like a landscape from The Lord of the Rings, riven with astonishing canyons and dominated by many extraordinary peaks and ridges.

The trekking here is rather more challenging than in Tigray and the

altitude can make it all a bit breathless. At Simien Lodge – at 9,840ft, the highest lodge in Africa – the rooms are functional rather than stylish, but log fires in the bar channel the right mountain vibe.

Go for the standard rather than the VIP rooms – cosier, with better views (00251 11 552 4758; simiens.com; doubles from £68, b&b).

The souThwesT The south and west of Ethiopia have some of the least-explored terrain and most spectacular national parks in Africa. Much of the region offers a unique opportunity for the kind of safaris that visitors enjoyed before the age of mass tourism. There are healthy populations of lion, leopard, elephant, giraffe, buffalo, hippo, as well as a host of remarkable birds.

Ethiopia is also top of the naturalist’s list for endemic species, with many animals and birds you will see nowhere else in Africa.

Journeys by Design (01273 623 790; journeysbydesign.com) can arrange safaris with a private mobile tented camp with all facilities. The tented safaris cost from £300 per person per day, including full-board accommodation, a private guide, game drives and activities.

ultratravel 53

La Co(o)rniche PYLA-LA-MER, France The Arcachon region near Bordeaux has forever felt like an outpost of France rather than France itself.

There’s a sense-smacking hugeness to the elements – sea, sky, vast sandy flatness – so that even Europe’s biggest dune, the Pyla, doesn’t seem excessive.

The Arcachon basin has been celebrated since the mid-19th century, when the beau monde from Paris and beyond discovered its charms. Fancy villas slotted into the pines around Arcachon town. So, too, did hotels, among them the Corniche, a gathering place after 1930 for the rich and frisky.

These days, the frisky and famous are once again present, though you’d never know. Here, there is always infinitely more space and stretches of sand than there are people to covet them. Marion Cotillard, Audrey Tatou and Philippe Starck are enthusiasts, the last of whom has given the old Corniche hotel a 21st-century makeover.

The location remains grandiose. Although the hotel is right by the Pyla dune, there is nothing but immensity before it. On to the neo-Basque original building, Starck has grafted cabin rooms that recall the basin’s oyster shacks, though shacks never had this kind of sober-white sumptuousness, fragmented mirrors on the ceiling or terraces with views to infinity.

Public areas are barefoot-beach luxury, the restaurant isn’t overpriced and we can perhaps forgive Starck the silly new name.

Outside the hotel, very little is new; life goes on as it has for decades. On the ramshackle terrace of Chez Cayouckette, in the quaint basin-side village of Gujan-Mestras, locals sit idly, as their parents did before them, enjoying oysters, brown bread with salted butter, and Entre-Deux-Mers wine, safe in the knowledge that everything is well with the world (lacoorniche-pyla.com; doubles from €380/£282, b&b).

54 ultratravel

Secret SeaSide Beyond the cacophony of packed beaches and teeming resorts, there are still hidden spots along Europe’s coastline known only to a select few. Here our beach spies share their favourite boltholes far from the madding crowds

THE BIG BLUE The swimming pool at La Co(o)rniche, an historic hotel near Bordeaux that has recently been given a makeover – and a new name – by Philippe Starck

ultratravel 55

Masseria Potenti SALENTO PENINSULA, Italy It’s the eye for detail in the tasteful peasant-chic design that really impresses at Masseria Potenti, a new Puglian retreat and wine estate on the Salento peninsula a mile or so back from some of loveliest sandy beaches on the Italian mainland. You know there must have been arguments with the builders, and you know that, every time, the resort’s charismatic owner, Maria Grazia Tommasino (pictured above), would have won hands down.

With just 18 cool, stylish suites scattered around the property, this feels like a true, lived-in Puglian masseria, or fortified farm. And although it is frequented by a mix of Milanese fashion types and hippy-chic international travellers, it is not in the slightest bit pretentious, thanks largely to the service provided by a team of friendly, sometimes endearingly shy locals.

The food follows the same authentic, unfussy route: from the homemade fig jam at the wedding feast of a breakfast to the succession of antipasti at dinner (mintspiked aubergine balls, baby spinach tossed in olive oil), it’s all simple, fresh and tasty.

The archaic landscape of drystone walls, wild fennel and prickly pears lends itself to long seaward walks towards dunes bristling with cistus and myrtle. Yoga lessons, cooking classes or wild-plant foraging expeditions can all be arranged. But the default activity at Potenti involves less effort: a glass of the estate’s excellent Bianco Potenti white wine, by the vast pool, as whitewashed walls flare gold in the sunset (masseriapotenti.it; doubles from €180/£134).

La Plage Casadelmar BENEDETTU PENINSULA, Corsica Corsica’s secluded Benedettu peninsula

tangerine or muted sea blues provide

is a world away from the yachts and

splashes of colour. While sleekly

designer boutiques of nearby Porto

modern, the hotel remains in tune with

Vecchio. Threaded with green

its natural surroundings, its stone, glass,

waterways and sandy paths, this pine-

resin and oak echoing the colours and

fringed finger of land is one of the

forms of the landscape.

quietest corners in the Mediterranean:

56 ultratravel

At lunch, guests gather in a restaurant

a sickle of golden sand on the southern

of grey banquettes and copper pendant

tip of this chic island outpost. Tucked

lights, or at a wooden beach grill under

between the trees is La Plage

sail-cloth shades, to nibble on tuna

Casadelmar, a low-slung, low-fi, high-

niçoise. After a siesta it’s time to swim

style property, with 15 pretty bedrooms

in the bay, a sheet of water studded

housed in small stone villas with

with red boulders that is as miraculously

terracotta-tiled roofs and sunny terraces

clear as the Indian Ocean. Benedettu

trimmed with lavender and rosemary.

translates in the local dialect as “blessed

Inside, a modish minimalism prevails,

by the gods”, a judgment with which it’s

with white walls, bedding and poured

hard to disagree (laplagecasadelmar.fr;

concrete floors. Bathrooms in bright

doubles from €500/£372).

The Hôtel & Spa des Pêcheurs CAVALLO, France Of all strange things about Cavallo, the strangest is that hardly anyone has heard of this sumptuous little holiday island in the heart of the Mediterranean: it is so discreet it makes Mustique seem as demure as Majorca. Scalloped with beaches and just over a mile long, it’s a private island that lies in the waters of the Strait of Bonifacio between Corsica and Sardinia. It amounts to little more than sand, maquis and tan and grey granite. It belongs to France but is owned mostly by Italians.

In the 1970s it was a celebrity haunt. Then there was a disco. Today, apart from the single hotel, there is really only sun, sand, watersports and pizza. Inland, the scented scrub is latticed with footpaths and tracks plied by golf buggies. Cars are banned.

The Hôtel & Spa des Pêcheurs is the island’s only vaguely formal retreat. The 50 rooms, all air-conditioned and refreshingly simple, occupy a medley of granite buildings at the water’s edge. On one side are the yacht marina and The Port, the latter basically the pier where bright outlook The Masseria Potenti combines contemporary flourishes and rustic traditional architecture

the ferries dock, a shop, apartments and a pizzeria. On the other is the Shore Club, the hotel’s smart snack bar, which fronts a pretty little bay enclosed by rocks and fringed by a white-sand beach. You could be in the Virgin Islands. The beau monde may have moved on. Their chic remains (hoteldespecheurs.com; doubles from €332/£247, half board).

The archaic landscape of drystone walls, wild fennel and prickly pears lends itself to long, sunny seaward walks

ultratravel 57

San Fruttuoso LIGURIA, Italy It’s no secret these days, the Ligurian littoral: the arc of coast from Genoa to the Tuscan border. Once, yes: in the days of Shelley and Bryon, who fled here from the wintry north to live among its lemon groves and vinecovered hills. Now, in Portofino, the region’s most exclusive resort, the lure of the little-known has long been sacrificed to the needs of the super-rich.

But wait. Look harder, for even on this busiest of coasts is a fragment of a more peaceful past, a tiny cove that can be reached only by boat or on foot by way of glorious cliff-edge trails and thyme-scented headlands.

San Fruttuoso takes its name from the abbey that still stands on its pebbly shore, a beautiful tenth-century building framed by limpid seas and forest-covered slopes. A waterfall tumbles through the trees, two tiny restaurants sell the freshest fish, and even at summer’s height the bay remains a little-visited haven. At the end of the day, a few lucky souls can get a boat home to La Cervara (pictured), a former Benedictine monastery now transformed into one of the most magnificent exclusiveuse villas in Europe, never mind Italy. Retreat to one of the nine suites, sip negronis in the formal gardens, listen to the organist in the private abbey or soak in the views over water, forests and little bays. Then lie back and revel in the fact that there is no one else here but you (cervara.it; from €6,000/£4,460 a night, b&b, sleeping 12).

ultratravel 59

Can Simoneta MALLORCA, Spain The long, straight drive flanked by olive trees that leads to Can Simoneta has a transformative effect on even the most burned-out traveller. Stepping out of the car, visitors enter a soothing world of white slouchy sofas and natural linens, and then a wide lawn that leads to a cliff-edge view of the Mediterranean. It’s all so relaxed, so rich with the scent of pine and salt, that it’s almost soporific. Not that you’d know which of the hotel’s pretty rooms to choose for a nap: one in the main house, in the clifflodging across the gardens or in the private and halfhidden Neptune suite. Some rooms have pitched, beamed ceilings, others have four-poster beds.

Perhaps the best is the nine-room beach house (ideal

Areias do Seixo

to take with friends), a short stroll down the hill.

Those with more energy might take a walk down

LiSBON COASt, Portugal

the stone steps from the cliff for a picnic by the sea.

Others might hike to nearby Canyamel beach or drive

An easy 30 minutes’ drive north of Lisbon,

14 bedrooms are snug sanctuaries of mirrors,

brewed infusions, while the organic

or sail to quiet coves along the coast: Cala Rotja, Cala

but far from the city’s bustle, is Areias do

patchwork quilts and wood-burning stoves,

vegetable patch produces salad leaves,

Agulla or the idyllic Cala Torta, the last sheltered by

Seixo, a hidden haven of a hotel that looks

with fragments of poetry hand chalked on

tender baby courgettes, tasty tomatoes

dunes and pines.

over broad dunes to the brisk, white-capped

the walls. The bathrooms have chairs woven

and fruits of all shapes and sizes.

There’s plenty to do inland, too, from exploring the

Atlantic beyond. Invigorating breezes blow

from driftwood and walls of sea-smoothed

tiny hilltop village of Capdepera, with its 14th-century

in from the ocean and vivid, wild flowers of

pebbles (the seixo of the name). Floors and

pool, and beyond it a campfire, where in the

crenellated castle, and nearby Artà, a pretty town

brilliant red and yellow add splashes of

baths – many of which are Jacuzzis – are

evening musicians sing and play the guitar

with characterful cafés and artisan shops, to riding a

colour to the deserted beach.

fashioned from polished cement. Individual

for new guests. There is also an ayurvedic

private terraces offer sweeping ocean views.

spa and a bar – try the delicious local Quinta

In the garden the evidence of the local

de Sant’Ana Riesling – and a restaurant that

bike along the old railway line from Artà to Manacor.

Guests might collect shells, beachcomb

The hotel deck contains a swimming

Although even the best of intentions are liable to go

or walk off anxieties before turning their

astray at Can Simoneta. It’s hard to do very much

attention to the hotel, whose interiors feel

owners’ belief in sustainability is ever-

makes wonderful use of the bounty of the

after a chilled glass of Tinto de Verano in the garden

dreamy and ethereal, a mix of driftwood and

present. A greenhouse nurtures mint and

garden and the sea beyond (areiasdoseixo.

(cansimoneta.com; doubles from €245/£182, b&b).

pebbles, candles and flickering fires. The

other herbs, many of them used for home-

com;doubles from €265/£197, b&b).

Greek Island Retreat PEtALiOi ARCHiPELAGO, Greece This Greek island is so secret we can’t name the owner: a prominent aristocrat, whose villa is a peaceful haven for private summer holidays. The island – part of the Petalioi archipelago – is a handy 45-minute speedboat ride from Athens and a stone’s throw from the port of Marmari, and is covered with olive trees and wild thyme and edged with small, tranquil beaches. Other than the villa, there are no buildings on the lush green landscape, bar a few old houses and a chapel near the jetty.

The villa itself is more than a century old: a family home that has been passed through three generations. Built in a neoclassical style, it has high ceilings, large windows overlooking gardens or the sea, and six bedrooms simply adorned with antique tiled floors and fireplaces. Its appeal, says its owner, is “its distance from the traditional jet-set holiday madness of some Greek islands, its privacy and its historical setting”.

HOME GROWN Lunches at the Greek Island Retreat (left) can be made using produce from the owner’s organic vegetable garden

Nearby is a calm bay, perfect for swimming and long pied dans l’eau lunches made with produce from the organic garden (welcomebeyond.com/property; from €9,500/£7,064, villa only).

Contributors: Anthony Peregrine, Tim Jepson, Lisa Grainger, Debbie Pappyn, Mary Lussiana, Charlotte Sinclair, Peter Hughes and Annie Bennett

ultratravel 61

SEYCHELLES INDIAN OCEAN

the call of

africa

and beyond

TANZANIA Chisimba Falls

Zanzibar

Aride & Curieuse

Desroches Alphonse

Praslin & La Digue Mahe

Aldabra Dar es Cosmoledo Salaam Makambako Assumption Island Farquhar

Selous Reserve

Kasama

ZAMBIA Livingstone

Victoria Falls

MADAGASCAR

ZIMBABWE BOTSWANA Zeerust

Madikwe Reserve Pretoria

Kimberley

SOUTH AFRICA Cape Town

Pride of Africa MS Island Sky

An epic journey from Cape Town to the Seychelles aboard the luxurious Pride of Africa and the all-suite MS Island Sky 9th January to 9th February 2017

I

f you enjoy travelling on trains and small ships and have a hankering to explore Africa in some depth, then this may be the ideal trip for you.

In spite of all its regional diffculties, Africa still captures the imagination like no other continent. Its varied cultures and people, its extraordinary wildlife and perhaps most of all, the majesty of its landscapes cast a lifelong spell on all who visit. Our unique journey unites the most luxurious of trains, the Pride of Africa with the all-suite MS Island Sky, a perfect marriage for genuine travellers.

We explore Africa by train from Cape Town to Dar es Salaam before embarking the MS Island Sky for the second leg of our journey as we island hop through the pristine islands of the Seychelles, the highlight of which for many will be our time spent on Aldabra. Our small ship allows us access to wonderful places denied to larger ships and with our onboard experts you can learn about and enjoy encounters with fabulous endemic wildlife in this immensely rich and timeless corner of the Indian Ocean. With our purpose built Zodiacs we will land on otherwise inaccessible beaches, explore vast lagoons and coral reefs and encounter some of the most extraordinarily beautiful tropical scenery to be found anywhere in the world.

MS Island Sky

The Pride of Africa

The MS Island Sky is one of the fnest small ships in the world. With a maximum passenger capacity of only 114, the all-suite vessel has the beneft of unusually large accommodation, public areas and spacious outside decks. All suites feature a sitting room area and some have a private balcony.

The spacious and fnely decorated public rooms include a lounge, elegant bar, library and a single seating dining room. Outside there is a rear sun deck where meals are served in warm weather under shade, a bar and comfortable deck furniture. On the top deck there is a further observation and sun deck. The atmosphere onboard is akin to a private yacht or country hotel. A little music in the lounge or bar after dinner, talks from the onboard speakers and informative port briefngs from our Cruise Director.

Since its establishment in 1989, Rovos Rail has earned an international reputation for its truly world class travel experiences. Step aboard the wood panelled coaches and enjoy fne cuisine in fve-star luxury as some of the most varied scenery imaginable unfolds beyond the windows. The train carries a maximum of 72 passengers in 36 superbly appointed suites. The sleeper coaches contain the most spacious train suites in the world, offering every modern convenience and comfort.

The epitome of luxury, the air-conditioned suites accommodate two people offering the option of twin or spacious double beds. There is also a bar fridge flled with beverages and room service is available 24 hours a day. In the en-suite bathrooms original fttings are combined with the modern technology of hot showers.

For full details on this holiday call us today on 020 7752 0000 for your copy of our brochure.

SMALL SHIPS – BIG EXPERIENCES WITH NOBLE CALEDONIA

dawn and dusk safaris and during the day relax amongst the lodge’s excellent facilities.

our private train and enjoy a city tour and lunch before embarking the MS Island Sky.

Day 11 Gaborone. After an early morning game drive we will depart Madikwe for Gaborone where we re-join the train for a mid-day departure. We continue to Plumtree for border formalities with Zimbabwe where we will spend the night.

Day 21 Zanzibar, Tanzania. Here the colourful harbour will be crowded with dhows, very much setting the scene for our visit to the Arab style city with its long narrow streets, bazaars, houses with overhanging balconies and intricately carved doorways. On a morning tour, soak up the timeless atmosphere of Stone Town.

The afternoon is free to relax and explore independently or join a tour to a spice farm.

Day 12 En-route. Spend the day travelling through Zimbabwe. In the early evening we will pass Gwaai and Dete along one of the world’s longest stretches of straight railway line – 114 kilometres.

The Itinerary in brief Day 1 London to Cape Town, South Africa.

Fly by scheduled fight.

Day 2 Cape Town. Arrive this morning and transfer to the Cape Grace Hotel for a four night stay.

Days 3 to 5 Cape Town. We have three days to explore wonderful Cape Town. During our time here we will arrange a full day excursion to the famous Cape Winelands of Franschhoek, Paarl and Stellenbosch including wine tastings and a lunch at one of the estates. Also enjoy a full day tour to the beautiful Cape Peninsula.

Day 6 Embark the Pride of Africa. After breakfast in the hotel we transfer to Cape Town station and board our private train. Lunch will be served as the train travels towards Worcester in the Hex River Valley. We continue to Matjiesfontein for an opportunity to stroll through this historic village and enjoy dinner as we travel through the Karoo via De Aar towards Kimberley.

Day 7 Kimberley. This morning we continue our journey arriving in Kimberley in the early afternoon. Visit the ‘Big Hole’ and Diamond Museum with an historic tram ride.

Day 8 Pretoria. This morning we journey past the goldfelds before arriving into Pretoria, one of the most picturesque South African cities.

After lunch a guided tour will include the famous Voortrekker Monument.

Days 9 & 10 Madikwe Game Reserve. Arrive at Zeerust and transfer to the Madikwe Game Reserve for a two night stay at Tau Game Lodge. Madikwe is the fourth largest game reserve in South Africa offering great game viewing opportunities. Enjoy

Day 13 Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe. Arrive at Victoria Falls this morning. Walk from the train to the “Grand Lady” Victoria Falls Hotel, a short way down the path, for an overnight stay. The Falls straddle the border between Zimbabwe and Zambia, and both countries share its World Heritage Site status. This evening we take a sunset cruise on the Zambezi River, a magical experience.

Dinner will be taken at the hotel at the ‘Jungle Junction Restaurant’ named after an early train station there, but now is a lovely open-air dining area serving delicious, fresh food.

Day 14 Victoria Falls & Livingstone, Zambia.

Enjoy a day at leisure at Victoria Falls. In the late afternoon re-board the train for the short journey to Livingstone across the bridge border in Zambia.

Days 15 & 16 Zambia. We have two days onboard as we journey through Zambia with plenty of time to relax, admire the passing scenery and join one of the lectures in the lounge car.

Day 17 Chisimba Falls. After breakfast we disembark for a morning excursion to Chisimba Falls, a combination of three successive falls in the Northern Province of Zambia. We re-board the train at lunchtime and continue to the Tanzanian border and the town of Makambako.

Day 18 Makambako, Tanzania. After breakfast we will arrive in Makambako and commence our descent through the spectacular pass towards Kisaki in the Selous Game Reserve. At 55,000 square kilometres, Selous is four times larger than the famous Serengeti in the north. Our lecture programme continues or simply sit back and enjoy the scenery.

Day 19 Selous Game Reserve. This morning, if time permits we will disembark for a game drive at Selous before we descend into the valley through the Udzungwa Mountains and negotiate the tunnels, switchbacks and viaducts of the escarpment.

Day 20 Dar es Salaam/Embark MS Island Sky. After the peace of the African bush, Dar es Salaam with its bustling streets will be a complete contrast. Here we say goodbye to

discovered by Vasco de Gama in 1501 and are considered to be some of the most pristine and untouched islands in the world. We will enjoy nature walks with our onboard naturalists and the island’s conservation team observing the fora and fauna and in particular the giant tortoises.

Day 30 Aride & Curieuse. Arrive this morning at the islands to the north of Mahe. Our frst call will be at Aride, one of the fnest and most important seabird islands in the Indian Ocean.

We will enjoy a walk on the island amongst the native woodland. Sail over lunch to Curieuse a rugged island which was once home to a leper colony and now houses an eco-museum and visitors centre. The island is an important nesting site for Hawksbill turtles and boasts endemic vine and mangroves which we explore on an island walk.

Day 22 At sea. Enjoy a relaxing day at sea.

Maybe join one of the lectures or spend time on deck as we cruise to the Seychelles.

Days 23 to 25 Aldabra & Assumption Island, Seychelles. We have two and a half days to enjoy the Aldabra group of islands. Aldabra is unique and every time we call at what is believed to be the world’s largest atoll we fnd something new of interest. Sightings have been made of the extremely rare White throated rail, we fnd the world’s second largest colony of frigate birds whilst it is also home to the largest crab, the coconut crab. While exploring by Zodiac it is diffcult to know in which direction to look. The clear blue seas abound with colourful life, the skies are alive with varied birdlife and ashore giant land tortoises forage as they have done for millions of years. Our programme ashore will be fexible and in the hands of our expedition leader based on sea and weather conditions. One thing is for sure, you will not be disappointed by these extraordinary islands and atolls.

Day 31 Praslin & La Digue. In the morning explore Praslin’s ‘Vallee de Mai’, the last remnant of the original high-canopied Seychelles palm forest and home to the coco de mer. We will walk its paths looking out for the rare black parrot and enjoying its natural beauty. Sail during lunch to nearby La Digue and tour the forested nature reserve and the L’Union Estate.

Day 32 Mahe to London. Disembark after breakfast and transfer to the airport for our scheduled indirect fight to London.

Prices & Inclusions

Day 26 Cosmoledo. Spend the day on Cosmoledo where a huge ring of twelve islands circle a lagoon. Many of the atolls are still to be surveyed and we shall explore some of them by Zodiac. This is an important bird area with all three species of booby found in the Seychelles including the last breeding site for Brown Booby.

Also spot sooty tern and great frigate birds.

Day 27 Farquhar. After a morning at sea we will anchor off Farquhar where we will use our Zodiacs to explore the sparkling lagoon off this remote atoll ringed island of coconut and casuarina trees. The island is a haven for many species of migratory birds providing us with a delightful afternoon of bird watching or snorkelling.

Day 28 Alphonse Islands. As we approach the Alphonse Islands over lunch you will understand why they are regarded by many to be the most beautiful of the 115 islands in the Seychelles archipelago. On the main island the circular lagoon offers good snorkelling and there are a number of tracks across the island to enjoy island walks.

Day 29 Desroches, Amirante Islands. The 28 islands in the Amirante Group of islands were

Alternatively view or request online at www.noble-caledonia.co.uk

Prices per person based on double occupancy start from £15495.

What’s Included: • Economy class scheduled air travel • Four nights at the Cape Grace Hotel (or similar) on a bed and breakfast basis • 11 nights aboard the Pride of Africa on a full board basis • Two nights at Madikwe Game Reserve on a full board basis • Overnight accommodation at Victoria Falls Hotel on a full board basis • All drinks aboard the Pride of Africa (excluding certain premium label spirits, wine and champagne) • 12 nights aboard the MS Island Sky on a full board basis including drinks with lunch and dinner onboard • Shore excursions • Noble Caledonia onboard team • Transfers • Gratuities whilst onboard MS Island Sky NB. Travel Insurance, visas and gratuities whilst onboard the Pride of Africa are not included in the price. Itinerary is subject to change and local conditions. Our current booking conditions apply to all reservations.

SMALL SHIPS - BIG EXPERIENCES

the evolution of creature comforts

64 ultratravel

One of the strangest places on Earth – with smoking volcanoes and blue-footed birds – has just become even more wonderful thanks to the launch of a hip eco-hotel and a smart catamaran.

Lisa Grainger experiences a new kind of animal magic in the Galápagos Islands Santiago Island

Daphne Major Santa Cruz Island Pikaia Lodge

Isabela Island

Puerto Ayora

San Cristóbal Island

40 miles

South America

Galápagos Islands

A

prehistory lesson Above: Ocean Spray, the new four-deck catamaran, at anchor near Kicker Rock.

From left to right: a seaadapted iguana; a bluefooted booby with her eggs; an erupting volcano; an inquisitive sea lion comes to inspect a snorkeller; and a guide in the forested interior

s if on cue, the marine iguana lifted its stumpy nose from its black-scaled body and sneezed, sending a shower of droplets onto the feet of our guide, Morris Garcia. “As I was saying,” he grimaced, wiping his ankle, “these are the only iguanas in the world that have learnt to survive at sea by adapting themselves over millions of years. Unlike their green, land-based cousins, their scales have become black to help them absorb heat. Their tails have become more oar-shaped to aid their swimming. Their noses have become rounded to graze on algae underwater. And just below their eyes they have developed a gland, from which, as you have just seen, they sneeze salt – in a slightly unpleasant way.”

“Unpleasant” is a word that many earlier travellers might have considered too mild to describe the Galápagos.

The first recorded visitors to these weird yet wonderful volcanic Ecuadorian islands – Peruvian clergymen whose boats were swept 600 miles off-course from the South American mainland – were so disenchanted by the place they didn’t even leave a cross behind. Herman Melville, the author of Moby Dick, called them islands that “man and wolf alike disown”, where “the chief sound of life is a hiss”. Cut-throat buccaneers named them the Enchanted Isles because of their ability to vanish in mists and spit fire from their peaks. Even Charles Darwin, the islands’ most celebrated visitor, whose five weeks here in 1835 contributed to his theory of evolution, grumbled about them and described a “Cyclopean scene” that resembled “parts of the infernal regions”.

Looking from my balcony after my first night aboard the 16-bed Ocean Spray catamaran – the newest luxury boat to cruise the archipelago – I could see why less wellequipped visitors might have been disinclined to stay.

We were moored off San Cristóbal Island, and in the dawn light its cliffs loomed dry and orange over a deserted creamy beach. Birds whirled in the grey cloudy skies, emitting strange whistles. From the black emptiness of caves, barking sounds reverberated. Equatorial fantasy island this was not.

But as the sun came out and we motored on two Ribs towards land, the dark, hard silhouettes started to soften in the sunlight and Nature began her powerful seduction.

On the beach, sea lions warmed their golden fur in the early-morning light, one lying and scratching its back, as a dog might on a doormat, its flippers clapping above its chest. A pair of lava lizards bobbed their heads in unison from a rock against which their mottled scales blended ultratravel 65

ACCESS ALL AREAS For more information or to book, please call Silversea on 0844 251 0841, visit silversea.com or contact your travel agent.

While creatures in colourful costumes were the stars of the greatest natural show on Earth, the island backdrops were equally mesmerising perfectly. As we hiked up Pitt Point, a steep, red-soiled promontory, a squawk alerted us to the presence of a redfooted booby atop a nest in a ghostly Scalesia tree.

Minutes later two blue-footed boobies popped their heads up from a rocky ledge that dripped white excrement.

What makes these creatures extraordinary is not only that they are endemic to this group of islands but also that they are as unafraid of humans today as they were in 1535, when the first visitor, Bishop Tomás de Berlanga, described them to King Charles V of Spain as “so silly that they didn’t know how to flee and many were caught by hand”.

In a week here – three nights on the new Ocean Spray and four at the new Pikaia Lodge on Santa Cruz Island – one of the greatest delights was being able to watch creatures without them fleeing. On two occasions while I was out snorkelling, sea lions swam up to me, their whiskered faces almost touching my mask, before circling and somersaulting, as if inviting me to play. On a beach, a few yards from a noisily suckling sea-lion pup, a blue-footed booby waddled up and stared quizzically as if to say: “Have we been introduced?” Swimming in a deep crevice between two cliffs, shoals of enormous hammerhead and Galápagos sharks glided below, seemingly oblivious to the pounding of my heart. Even lying flat in grass near a giant tortoise failed to raise a wrinkly eyebrow; it just stopped, inspected me disdainfully (as well it might) and plodded on.

While exotic creatures in their wild costumes – with blue feet, pink scales, giant carapaces – were clearly the stars of this extravaganza of biodiversity, the islands that provided the backdrop to The Greatest Natural Show on Earth were equally fascinating. Particularly when you have a passionate guide, which on Ocean Spray we did.

Morris Garcia may be just 33 but there is very little he can’t tell you about the Galápagos. Showing no sign of the boredom so often displayed by guides whose job entails repetition of the most basic facts to uneducated tourists, he brought to life the mammoth journey on which the Galápagos Islands are still embarked: moving half an inch

a year towards the mainland on a great tectonic plate, some sinking, and others growing as the great boiling volcanic hotspot to which they are umbilically connected explodes and subsides.

Whether it was at daily briefings in the boat’s comfortable living room or during excursions, we were entertained and educated. One night the topic was why this island group is so different from any other (it sits, Garcia explained, on volcanic land on the equator, at the juncture of three currents, and the point at which winds from the north and south blow). Another night he would tell us why Sally Lightfoot crabs hang around lizards (to eat algae off their skin) and why frigate birds can’t go in the sea (without oil glands to waterproof their feathers, they sink).

Unlike many other boats, which offer one big activity daily, Ocean Spray has at least two. Each day, with just eight passengers on each Rib, Garcia would take us out on nature walks and snorkelling trips or hikes along fine white beaches. In three days I saw so many odd beasts and hiked up landscapes so raw, so primeval, so utterly other, that by the end I felt that I not only understood the evolutionary process of our planet better but had also seen with my own eyes the effects that tiny changes in climate – whether a cooler current, a drier wind or a higher altitude – has on the land and its inhabitants.

A

fter four days exploring the watery world of these islands, stepping into the lobby of Pikaia Lodge, in the highlands of Santa Cruz, was like landing on another planet. The 14-room hotel, which opened in October, is the brainchild of a SwissEcuadorian businessman, Herbert Frei, who spent five years getting the (extensive) permits to convert a cattle farm into a luxury island oasis.

Built on the edge of an ancient volcanic crater, Pikaia’s architecture is in stark contrast to the soft green natural contours around it: ultra-modern, cantilevered from the caldera’s edge on dark steel pillars and constructed from glass and black volcanic rock. Although Frei has taken

SKY HIGHS Pikaia Lodge (top), built on an extinct volcano in the highlands; a frigate bird in vivid mating plumage (centre); and views from Pikaia’s pool over Scalesia forests to the sea

ultratravel 67

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considerable pains to ensure that the project is reasonably sustainable (with solar panels, a wind turbine, rainwater tanks and large mesh-covered doors to cool rooms), the hotel couldn’t have felt more comfortable or cutting-edge.

Its spaces were adorned with artworks illustrating evolution, from a DNA double-helix sculpture to metal cut-outs of Neanderthal man. A glass-walled, marblefloored spa offered views over the Pacific and miles of Scalesia forest pitted with volcanic craters. Slick brushed stainless-steel loungers were meticulously lined up around an infinity pool with far-reaching views. And for those who had had their fill of the outdoors, the spacious lobby opened out into a bar, a sleek living area and a film room where, at night, guests in 3D glasses sat mesmerised by David Attenborough’s Galápagos series.

Unlike Ocean Spray, the hotel doesn’t have its own guide, or transport (vehicle numbers on the island are, rightly, limited). So each day, the hotel arranged excursions with trusted guides and minivan drivers. One day, with 10 other hotel guests, our guide Tommy Acosta Coral took us on a land excursion to visit a giant-tortoise sanctuary, followed by lava tunnels deep in the earth, then the town of Puerto Ayora, where rare tortoises are bred at the Charles Darwin Foundation. The next day, he took us on to the hotel’s large motor-cruiser to explore islands.

From the top deck the scenery was similar to that which Charles Darwin would have looked upon almost two centuries ago from HMS Beagle. In the distance, the four craters of the still-active Isabela Island volcanoes disappeared into thick grey clouds. Nearby, the pinnacles of the ancient sunken volcanoes of Daphne Major and Minor poked through the waves. And after two hours we sailed into Santiago Island, an otherworldly landscape of rust-coloured hillocks and miles of black basalt, twisted into ropes, sheets, pools and waves of earth. The last eruption, Tommy told us, occurred in 2009. “Not long after, some of my friends came to look and got their shoes burnt because the earth was still so hot,” he said.

lodge or catamaran Which is best?

On closer examination, though, it soon became clear that even in this desolate black wilderness there was life.

In the distance, a patch of yellow was revealed to be a single lava cactus, bristling with golden spikes. In a crack, a long fine strip of gold showed itself to be the stem of a plant that sheds most of its extremities in the dry season to survive, then erupts into a mass of green when it rains.

Looking out from this black desert, we were, Tommy reminded us, “seeing the Earth as it was in the beginning, when it was formed. Tonight, on Santa Cruz, you will be in forests that are one or two million years old, where soil has formed. In a few days, on the Ecuadorian mainland, you will be in landscapes created 4,300 million years ago, and which are now thick with forest.”

And that, I reminded myself in the Pikaia spa that night, fresh passion-fruit juice in hand and bubbles warming my bones as I looked out over the grassy extinct caldera below, is what makes the Galápagos so extraordinary. It’s a place where you can not just witness the evolution of our planet from moltern red infant to forested adult but also get a feeling for what life was like before humans came along. On our crowded planet, that is a privilege indeed.

The Ultimate Travel Company (020 3051 8098; theultimate travelcompany.co.uk) offers a 12-day Galápagos trip from £8,877 per person, including a night in Quito’s Casa Gangotena, four nights at Pikaia Lodge, six days on the Ocean Spray and a final night at Casa Gangotena, with flights, transfers, activities, non-alcoholic drinks and food.

Jon Whittle; 4corners; AlAmy; cAmerApress/lAif

In this black desert, our guide reminded us, we were seeing Earth as it was in the beginning

PIKAIA LODGE

OCEAN SPRAY

The accommodation 9/10

The accommodation 7/10

Spectacularly situated on the crater of an

A wide, spacious 113ft catamaran with four

extinct volcano, overlooking lush forests.

decks, including a sun deck with Jacuzzi and an

Luxurious rooms with big marble-clad

outdoor deck with bar, and a communal living

bathrooms and sleek furnishings, as well as a

area and dining area. The eight simple but

spa, infinity pool and jogging and cycling tracks.

comfortable cabins have private balconies.

The food 9/10

The food 7/10

As good as that in any five-star city hotel.

Delicious home-style food, with buffet and eggs

Breakfasts consisted of a buffet as well as eggs

to order for breakfast; fish, chicken, salads,

to order. The à la carte menu included delicious

cheese and fruit for lunch; and a starter (such as

fresh dishes from gazpacho and causa (spicy

pumpkin soup), a choice of two mains (filet

mashed potato topped with crabmeat and

mignon or grilled prawns) and dessert at night.

avocado) to coconut-topped tuna with plantain

The expeditions 9/10

fries and fresh fish with vodka mustard and dill.

A highlight of the trip, and organised on two

The expeditions 5/10

comfortable Ribs. Routes are set by the

Not as slick as those on Ocean Spray. The hotel

national park to ensure that the 85 vessels with

relies on local guides and most attractions are

permits to sail in these waters don’t end up at

at least a 40-minute drive away by tour bus, so

the same place at the same time, and

don’t feel bespoke or luxurious. The Pikaia yacht

expeditions vary depending on route. On a

is spacious, with en-suite cabins for guests’ use

three-night cruise, I sailed around San

during the day trip, but the food was rustic.

Cristóbal, Santa Cruz and Floreana, and

The scenery 7/10

snorkelled several times: at Lobos Island with

The hotel offers spectacular views. However,

sea lions; Cerro Brujo, alongside diving boobies;

because it is located in the hills, surrounded by

Devil’s Crown off Floreana; and Kicker Rock,

rainforest, it was often swathed in mist.

with hammerhead sharks. We hiked every day:

The staff 7/10

up Pitt Point; past turtle nests at Cormorant

Staff at the hotel could not have been more

Point; and to the “post office” at Floreana.

friendly, efficient or helpful. However, the

The scenery 9/10

freelance guides were not as enthusiastic or

Varied and spectacular. The ship sailed mostly

knowledgeable as those on Ocean Spray.

at night, so we awoke daily to new islands.

The cost $7,560 (£5,068) per person for three

The staff 9/10

nights (minimum stay), all-inclusive, excluding

Excellent. The guide Morris Garcia was the star,

alcohol, laundry, spa and room service.

and the cruise staff friendly and professional.

The verdict 7/10

The cost $2,940 (£1,960) for four days,

Ideal for landlubbers who like their comforts,

all-inclusive, excluding laundry, alcohol and tips.

from space to fine food, and who like to spend

The verdict 8/10

time exploring on land, as well as by boat.

An intimate, educational and comfortable way

A great place to relax at the start or end of

to explore the islands, with great guides and

a trip (pikaialodgegalapagos.com).

varied scenery (haugancruises.com).

creature comforts Evolutionary art (top left) and barman Teo Castillo (left) at Pikaia; a deck on Ocean Spray (top right)

ultratravel 69

thank you for your trust Voted the Best Hotel in the World by Ultratravel readers.

For inquiries and reservations please contact: Tel: +971 4 301 7400 Email: BAAreservations@jumeirah.com

20 winners plus 80 runners-up equals

the ULTRAS

Each year, we invite our readers to nominate their favourites in the world of luxury travel, from the airports, airlines and tour operators that have most impressed them to the hotels, cruise lines, ski resorts and destinations that provided exceptional experiences. Our 2015 winners are‌

ultratravel 71

THE ULTRA WINNERS 2015 Best Long -Hau L Bu sin e ss CLass

Emirates Runners-up

British Airways Singapore Airlines Qatar Airways Virgin Atlantic Best First CLass

British Airways Runners-up

Emirates Etihad Airways Qatar Airways Singapore Airlines Best airp ort in t He Wor Ld

Changi, Singapore Runners-up

Dubai International Heathrow, Terminal 5 Chek Lap Kok, Hong Kong Schiphol, Amsterdam Best a ir Lin e Lou n g e

Virgin Atlantic Heathrow Clubhouse Runners-up

British Airways, Terminal 5, Heathrow Cathay Pacific at Chek Lap Kok Emirates at Dubai International Singapore Airlines at Changi

WINNING COMBINATION Above: the Maldives, one of Kuoni’s long-haul destinations; below left, Claridge’s; below, a bellboy at The Peninsula Hong Kong

Best Hot e L in t He Wor Ld

Burj Al Arab, Dubai Runners-up

Claridge’s, London Four Seasons Hotel George V, Paris Mandarin Oriental, Bangkok The Peninsula Hong Kong Best Hot e L in t He u K

Claridge’s Runners-up

Corinthia Hotel London The Dorchester The Ritz London The Savoy Best Hot e L in e u rop e

Best HoteL in aFriCa /indian oCean

Four Seasons Hotel George V, Paris

Le Touessrok, Mauritius

Runners-up

Runners-up

Hotel Arts Barcelona Le Bristol, Paris Belmond Hotel Cipriani, Venice Four Seasons Hotel Gresham Palace Budapest

Banyan Tree Seychelles Belmond Mount Nelson Hotel, Cape Town Cape Grace, Cape Town The Oberoi, Mauritius

Best Hot eL in t He MiddLe e ast

Burj Al Arab, Dubai

72 ultratravel

In association with

Best HoteL in tHe aMeriCas

Four Seasons Hotel New York

Runners-up

Runners-up

Al Bustan Palace, Oman Al Maha Resort, Dubai The Chedi Muscat, Oman Emirates Palace, Abu Dhabi

Bellagio, Las Vegas The Beverly Hills Hotel, Los Angeles The Langham Chicago Waldorf Astoria New York

Best Hot e l in AsiA /Au st rAliA

Best riv er Cruise l ine

The Peninsula Hong Kong

Viking River Cruises

Runners-up

Runners-up

Mandarin Oriental, Bangkok Mandarin Oriental, Hong Kong Raffles Singapore Upper House, Hong Kong

AmaWaterways Avalon Waterways Scenic Tours Uniworld

Best luxu ry Hot e l CHAin

Best spA

Four Seasons

Champneys Tring

Runners-up

Runners-up

Mandarin Oriental One&Only Ritz-Carlton Shangri-La

Banyan Tree Phuket Rancho La Puerta, California The Royal Crescent Hotel, Bath Thermae Bath Spa, Bath

Best lArg e luxu ry tou r op e rAtor

Kuoni

Runners-up

Abercrombie & Kent Cox & Kings Hayes & Jarvis Virgin Holidays Best smAl l luxu ry tou r op e rAtor

Audley Travel

TOP SPOTS Above: the Burj Al Arab, Dubai.

Left: Cunard’s awardwinning service.

Below: Four Seasons’ new private jet.

Bottom: Whistler Blackcomb ski resort

Best g ol f resort

The Gleneagles Hotel, Scotland Runners-up

La Manga Club, Spain Pebble Beach Resorts, United States Pinehurst Resort, United States Fairmont St Andrews, Scotland Best sk i resort

Whistler Blackcomb, Canada

Runners-up

Runners-up

Elegant Resorts Nomadic Thoughts Scott Dunn Wendy Wu Tours

Aspen Snowmass, United States Méribel, France Val d’Isère, France Verbier, Switzerland

Best luxu ry Cr u ise lin e

Best Country

United States

Runners-up

Runners-up

P&O Cruises Regent Seven Seas Cruises Royal Caribbean International Silversea

Australia France Italy Thailand

nakhimov.com; Banyan Tree vaBBinfaru

Cunard

ultratravel 73

U LT RA G O L F

FAIRWAY to HEAVEN uinta do Lago is more than a luxurious residential community and sports resort for aspirers and achievers, handily placed 15 minutes from Faro airport. It is also a place of great natural beauty and to remind myself of this fact I start the day early, with a barefoot stroll to the beach, via the wooden footbridge which spans the Rio Formosa’s enormous tidal lagoon. A few joggers and dog-walkers are out and about but it is too early to worry about mishit golf balls, as I watch the aquatic birds building their nests in the water hazard.

The lagoon itself is a tumult of waders at low tide, but the beach is empty, the sand still cool between my toes, and the waves wonderfully refreshing.

After breakfast on the terrace the family goes its separate ways – to the tennis centre or a day of watersports on the lake – and it’s time to think golf. First stop, the practice ground at the top of the hill, where Koko Lane restaurant is the community’s social hub.

Late breakfast and coffee morning gossip segue into lunch. A fresh Greek salad perhaps … or more substantial fuel for the afternoon game.

The great thing about Quinta’s three courses is how different they are. Quinta Do Lago South was an instant success when it opened and four decades later remains as popular as ever with its inviting vistas and breezy lake holes. The North course was completely rebuilt last year and is already winning awards. The layout is more playable from tee to green now, but with extra tee positions bringing new angles into play, and a more complex landscape at the business end of every hole.

The greens come in all shapes and sizes, with fewer bunkers and more contours. Instead of the standard issue sandpit, close-cut grassy humps and hollows await, to challenge our creative skills and expose any weakness in the short game. Set apart from the Quinta do Lago estate among delightful orange groves, Laranjal is a great addition to the local golf scene: an outstanding course and a sociable club with a busy calendar of competitions.

Visitors are always welcome.

74 ultratravel

THE MASTERCLASS After the game, there is always room for improvement. Book a lesson at Paul McGinley’s Academy or, for a complete overhaul, a session at the TaylorMade custom fitting centre. This is more laboratory than shop, with every conceivable technological aid to deconstruct the swing and calibrate the precision tools required for the job. Any investment in new weapons calls for a celebration dinner down by the water at Casa do Lago, Quinta do Lago’s best fish restaurant (right).

GETTY

Q

Words ADAM RUCK

FOre! SHOre Quinta do Lago ‘s 16th hole on the South course leading to the lagoon and the sea

The lagoon iTself is a TumulT of waders aT low Tide, buT The beach is empTy

WHERE TO STAY

READER OFFER

Of the local hotels, the original Quinta do Lago wins my vote, for its unbeatable location and old fashioned comfort and service. A rented apartment, town house or luxurious private villa with pool (right) may be a more relaxing option, with a new concierge service and temporary club membership for a sense of belonging. The rentals team can arrange everything from tee times and tennis lessons to your own private chef. And if you feel like putting down roots for future family holidays, new fairway villa plots are up for grabs in the zone known as San Lorenzo North.

Stay three nights at Quinta do Lago in September from ÂŁ699 per person. This offer includes halfboard accommodation at the five-star Conrad Algarve and two rounds of golf - one at each of the spectacular North and South courses. telegraph.co.uk/golftours.

For more information on Quinta do Lago, see quintadolago.com

ultratravel 75

© 2015 TUMI, INC.

NICO ROSBERG · GLOBAL CITIZEN M E R C E D E S A M G P E T R O N A S F o r m u l a O n e T M Te a m D r i v e r

D E S I G N E D I N A M E R I C A F O R G LO B A L C I T I Z E N S

211 Regent Street, L ondon • 170 Piccadilly, Mayfair, L ondon • Westfield Shepherds Bush, L ondon Also available at Harrods and Selfridges

intelligence

bORN gROUP

practically perfect Clockwise, from top, Express No 2 weekender in khaki twill, £1,395; Explorer No 239 backpack in vintage chestnut leather, £1,060; Stash No 67 duffel in tan leather, £1,150

cases for a cause

As well as being beautiful to look at, a new luggage collection benefits the people after whom it’s named: the Gurkhas

T

he great jeweller Viren Bhagat refers to the barely visible flaws in

sherpa and Nepal-related”. A big part of the bags’ appeal, he says,

handmade objects – the little things that remind us that they are

is aesthetic; but practicality is the clincher. “Ghurka recalls the

the work of human beings – as “loose threads in the tapestry”. When

luggage of the early Everest expeditions of the 1920s – hard-

it comes to these beautiful bags, there is just one loose thread:

wearing, beautifully made, superbly functional. I can pack a Ghurka

the misspelling of the word ‘Gurkha’ by Ghurka. Which is baffling,

bag with climbing gear for the mountain or with clean shirts for

because in other respects Ghurka bags are so meticulously crafted.

a conference. The openings are wide, the compartments accessible,

The brand was founded by an Anglophile New Yorker, Marley Hodgson, who on a visit to England in the 1970s spotted some old leather-bound luggage of military bearing at an estate sale.

edited by Lisa GrainGer

and the bag is always just the right size. It doesn’t seem right to call a Ghurka bag ‘equipment’ – it’s a work of art.”

The brand’s first dedicated space in the UK, a retro-colonial-

He tracked down the manufacturers and employed them to make a

regimental affair in Fortnum & Mason, has just opened, stocking

bag to his own design. This he named Ghurka No 1. It was never put

a new limited-edition collection, G200, whose sales will help

into production, but with Ghurka No 2, an elegant weekender, a cult

support the Gurhka Welfare Trust and those affected by the recent

was born. These days there are hundreds of Ghurka models, most of

Nepal earthquake, among whom were several of Cool’s friends.

them produced in Connecticut, typically in a fetching combination

“Nepal is a desperately poor country, with beautiful, warm-hearted

of neutral-toned twill and mellow leather handles, straps and piping.

individuals and what’s happened is heart-rending,” he says. “I’d urge

They’re light and soft, but famously durable. Mountaineer and

everyone to give whatever financial support they can, by donating,

luggage fetishist Kenton Cool – who has climbed Everest 11 times

or buying a bag. The Gurkha Welfare Trust (gwt.org.uk) has always

and guided Sir Ranulph Fiennes up the north face of the Eiger –

offered support to sherpas, many of whom live in remote villages.

admits to an ongoing “love affair with all things Ghurka, Gurkha,

Now, more than ever before, they will need it.” ghurka.com

ultratravel 77

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intelligence

SoUVENiR SEARcH

TRAV E L bY N UM b E RS

21

Never have fishermen’s pants, pareo skirts and kaftans looked so glamorous. The new Ddoo Collective has cleverly recreated classic clothing styles from around the world, turning them into well-crafted silk pieces that can be rolled or folded into a Furoshiki bag (below) for travelling. Each item in the small collection comes in rich colours and pretty prints inspired by Indian and Japanese art, and several are reversible, making them useful for day and evening. From £165; ddoo-collective.com

Years since Don Ku was granted the patent for the wheeled suitcase with a collapsible handle

1851

Date of the first ice-cream stall in London, outside Charing Cross station.

Scoops cost a penny and were served in a shell

10 million

Estimated species that are still unclassified – five times the number of those that have been classified

6,100

Streets in Paris, lined with 9,884 benches

THE TRAV E L A pp

NOKIA HERE

DiREcToR ’S cUT

Currently the best offline map app for

The inside track on the world’s galleries and museums gARAgE musEum Of cONtEmpORARy ARt, mOscOW

a polycarbonate wall 6ft from the ground

of the 1970s and 80s. Another will include

that will visually connect visitors to the park.

artifacts from the archive of the famous

What should visitors ensure they see?

Russian collector Leonid Talochkin.

Firstly, the mosaic in the entrance hall,

If you had an hour, what would you see?

one of four created for the opening of the

After the inaugural Garage Atrium

When was the Garage founded?

Vremena Goda restaurant in 1968, now

Commission by Erik Bulatov, I’d visit the two

In 2008 by Dasha Zhukova, as the first

restored. Second, a piece by artist Taryn

interactive exhibitions by Yayoi Kusama and

philanthropic institution in Russia to focus

Simon, which is the first work of art made

Rirkrit Tiravanija with Július Koller, then

on contemporary art. It was first based in

from nuclear material – it will take 800-

George Kiesewalter’s archive of photographs

the Bakhmetevsky Bus Garage in Moscow,

1,000 years to “complete”, and involves

and The Family Tree of Russian Art.

designed by the Constructivist architect

turning recycled liquid radioactive waste into

What should we should try in your café?

Konstantin Melnikov, hence its name.

a crystallised black glass mass. We also have

Our head chef Denis Kalmis creates a new

You’re about to move to a new building...

a café, a bookshop and a library with more

menu every season but we will always have

Yes, in a couple of weeks, to a structure

than 15,000 items, the largest collection of

borsch, ptichye moloko (or bird’s milk cake)

designed by Rem Koolhaas, who has

writing on contemporary art in Russia.

and a dessert called the Denis.

transformed the famous 1968 Vremena

Any shows we should look out for?

Where else do you recommend to visitors?

Goda (Seasons of the Year) Soviet Modernist

One of our first will be of photographs

The Tretyakov Gallery on Krymsky Val

restaurant in Gorky Park into a new

by George Kiesewalter, who was a key

(tretyakovgallery.ru), which is a repository

museum (below). The façade is incredible:

contributor to the underground art scene

of great Russian art.

lara Prendergast talks to director Anton Belov (welcome@garageccc.com)

travellers. Although the knowledge and street view on Google Maps is better, Here lets you download entire continents to your smartphone, and use them without data connection or Wi-Fi. Files are large (Europe uses 9.3GB of storage), but they have good directions and points of interest. A hundred countries are currently mapped.

THE bo o k Certified indigenous This new travellers’ bible collates insiders’ tips from more than 90 concierges who know not only their territory but how to access authentic local experiences. The book’s author, Holly Stiel, was the first female concierge in America and delights in the details entrusted to her, from both Keepers of the Keys and such insiders as designer Pierre-Yves Rochon and vintner Olivier Krug (Assouline; £30).

ultratravel 79

LUXURY All the latest news, reviews, features and inspiring galleries from the Telegraph’s luxury travel website.

Telegraph.co.uk/luxurytravel

The Telegraph

SUI TE DR EA M S

Ultratravel is the first to stay in the most sumptuous new suites in London and Paris

intelligence

GRAND PALAIS SUITE, LA RESERVE 2 Avenue Gabriel, Paris (0033 1 5836 6060; lareserve-paris.com) From €8,100/£5,800 a night, b&b, sleeping four USPs Its views and its situation. La Réserve’s palatial, two-bedroomed 2,400sq ft suite is on the third floor of a Haussman-era villa, a block from the Elysée Palace. The suite is flooded with light, thanks to nine floor-to-ceiling French doors, with views to the Eiffel Tower.

The style The house was built for Napoleon III’s half-brother, so feels more like the bourgeois home of a Parisian millionaire (such as its last owner, Pierre Cardin) than a hotel. Designer Jacques Garcia combines pale silk-lined walls with antiques and rich contemporary pieces, creating interiors that are soothing but sumptuous. The softly lit bathrooms are lined in grey Cararra marble.

The details The quality of finish sets this suite apart. For example, the thick, soundproofed walls and double-glazed windows. The heavy oak wardrobes and hangers, and the safe large enough for electronics.

The bedside master switch. The capacious marble Roselli rainshowers LIGHT FANTASTIqUe A living room in La Réserve’s Presidential Suite (above), with elegant interiors by Jacques Garcia; the hotel entrance (left) and the view from the suite’s balcony

and silver-sided bathtubs stocked with fragrant La Réserve toiletries.

And the beds – made up with feather toppings, plump goose-down pillows and soft white Quagliotti linen. The large mirrored bar area is fitted with a fridge stocked with the owner’s fine Reynier wines and exotic juices, jars of old-fashioned sweets, and glass shelves lined with Riedel glasses and cocktail equipment. The room’s technology is high-tech but easy-to-operate, from Bluetooth speakers and a Nespresso machine to a tablet packed with useful local information.

Little extras As well as elegant living rooms downstairs, there’s a residents’-only library, a pretty gilt-and-floral salon in which elegant Parisians gossip over silver platters of cake; and a wood-panelled, dimly-lit restaurant in which lawyers and politicians sip champagne and dine on gourmet French food by chef Jérôme Banctel. The dishes range from milk-fed lamb and light pepper-filled ravioli to pretty-as-a-picture wild-strawberry tiramisu.

Highlights Young, attractive, smily French staff for whom nothing was too much trouble, and grand interiors that were both warm and light.

Low point There wasn’t one.

SHANGRI-LA SUITE, THE SHARD

The details There isn’t a design detail that hasn’t

31 St Thomas Street, London

been considered, from brass-inlaid tables and an

(020 7234 8000; shangri-la.com)

extensive collection of coffee-table books to

From £10,000 a night, b&b, sleeping two

sheets (super-soft Chinese-made cotton), goose-down pillows and thick mattress-toppers,

USPs This is the only riverside suite in London

marble (green, brown and black, from all over the

with views of buildings both to the east and

world), flowers (huge bowls of white orchids) and

west of the city – and they are breathtaking.

treats (jars of macaroons and a chocolate model

Look down from the living room and dining room

of The Shard). The large bathroom has a huge

of your 39th-floor, 2,024sq ft eyrie, and there’s

Jacuzzi bath and steam shower, Aqua di Parma

Canary Wharf in the distance, the Tower of

amenities, and an adjoining walk-in wardrobe

London and Tower Bridge just below, and the

(with heavy hangers and elegant finishing but

City just over the river. Roll out of bed and you

a rather modest safe). The office has a tablet and

can spot St Paul’s, Buckingham Palace and the

free Wi-Fi, and adjoining the dining room is a

London Eye. The views are better from here than

kitchen, with a Nespresso machine, empty wine

from the 52nd-floor bar, largely because in the

fridge and a rather mean mini-bar (small spirits,

suite you’re just above buildings, rather than

everyday mixers and standard Shangri-La crisps,

soaring in the clouds.

nuts and jellybeans). But then, with a 24-hour

The style The interiors are by Francesca Muzio

butler on hand, perhaps in-room drinks and

and Maria Silvia Orlandini of FM-Architettura

snacks aren’t considered necessary…

d’Interni Studio, an Italian company best known

Little extras Four floors down is Ting,

for designing the interiors of mega-yachts,

Shangri-La’s fine-dining restaurant, which

Moscow and Bahrain penthouses and Shangri-La

specialises in pretty food (dollops of exotic

hotels in China. The slick, clean-lined décor feels

ingredients, such as foie-gras terrine with edible

part-Italian, part-Oriental, mixing Armani lamps,

pansies). Thirteen floors up is Gong (a bar with

cream quilted sofas and Rubelli Venezia silk

priority booking for residents) and a small pool

cushions with chinoiserie, Eastern artworks

from which to watch seagulls soar as you swim.

and palm-leaf patterned carpets. It is calm,

Highlights The staff: a perfect mix of efficient

restrained and soothing so as not to distract

and friendly. And did I mention the views?

from the main attraction: the glorious views,

Low points Hearing guests walking about on the

which can be admired from long creamy sofas,

floor above; a tricky plug; and technology that

velvet and leather chaise longues, two desks

needed a manual to operate (40 light switches is

or a dining table that could easily seat a

39 too many at bedtime). I longed for a master-

dozen guests.

switch, reading light and Roberts radio.

THe HIGH LIFe The living room in the Shangri-La Suite, with 180-degree views over the City.

The style combines touches from the East and Italy: Armani meets chinoiserie

ultratravel 81

T

he 50-year-old actress, who plays Queen Helena in the TV series The Royals, has also worked as an Estée Lauder model for 21 years. She says the inspiration for her beachwear

line (elizabethhurley.com) was a result of “growing up in England, where I was brought up never to leave the house without a cardigan and umbrella.

I used to dream of glamorous, sunny places like St Tropez and St Barths.” She lives in Herefordshire, where she keeps chickens, piglets and alpacas.

How many holidays do you take a year?

Fewer and fewer; last summer I was flming The Royals in London from June to September, so didn’t go anywhere, but I’d been skiing in St Moritz for New Year and grabbed a week in the Maldives at Easter, so didn’t feel too hard done by. I’m lucky to have friends with homes for a very private getaway.

Is there one place you’d love to go back to?

It’s hard to beat the South of France: the climate, the views and the food are all magical. Club 55 (club55.fr) in St Tropez is my favourite for glamorous lunches and La Petite Maison (lapetitemaison-nice.com) in Nice is unbeatable for delicious dinners. I have stayed at the Hôtel

IndIa InspIres me. I love the colours and embroIdery

Jaipur Kaftan, £185, elizabethhurley.com

in gorgeous places and I love staying with them

du Cap-Eden-Roc (hotel-du-cap-eden-roc.com)

Travelling life Elizabeth Hurley

The actress on sipping cocktails in the legendary Hôtel du Cap, feasting in Paris and buying rose oils in the souks of Marrakesh many times; the service is impeccable and the

city in the world, and full of poignant memories.

very decadent and luxurious. I’ve only stayed

backpacked when I was young, as all I wanted to

cocktails in the bar are second to none. I also love

I prefer to stay in The Ritz (hurry up and reopen,

there alone when shooting and haven’t had a

do was work, but I’d encourage my son to do so.

browsing the little boutiques in Juan-les-Pins.

please) and I feel whisked into a world of bliss

romantic time there, but maybe one day…

The most remote place you have visited?

Where next?

the minute I step in there. I always eat huge

Luxurious things you love?

While not remote, flming in Grozny, Chechnya,

India, to source for my 2016 beachwear

amounts of food in Paris; my favourite

I loathe showers so I really appreciate a glorious

with Gérard Depardieu a few years ago was

collection; it’s a country that can really fre the

restaurant is L’Ami Louis (00331 4887 7748).

bathtub. And good lighting in bathrooms; it’s

challenging. The locals were kind but it seemed

imagination as they use colour and embroidery

I always eat at least once per trip at Brasserie

amazing how often hotels have atrocious

as if everyone was armed and I felt nervous.

so beautifully. I’d like to return to Fregate Island

Lipp (0033 1 4548 5391), as I had my last dinner

bathroom light – obviously designed by men

Ever camped?

(fregate.com) in the Seychelles one day too;

with my father there, the night before he died.

who don’t apply make-up.

Never; it sounds monstrous.

it’s like paradise.

If you could have supper anywhere in the

Simple things you love when travelling?

Favourite things you have bought abroad?

Do you travel light?

world, where would it be?

Buying local things: honey and lavender in

Half the contents of my house came from my

I travel so often that I have packing down to a

Defnitely Ballymaloe (ballymaloe.ie) in Cork,

Provence; tunics in India; silver and kilims in

travels. Favourite shops include, in Mumbai,

fne art. I never put anything into my suitcase if it

Ireland: a gorgeous Georgian manor house

Marrakesh, as well as waters and oils made from

Lucknow Chikan (lucknowarts.com), The Oak

doesn’t go with something else. I lay outfts on

that serves divine home-cooked food.

Atlas roses, and nuts from the market.

Tree (0091 22 2281 9031) and Good Earth

my bed and ruthlessly remove the gorgeous but

The breakfast includes home-made soda

The most glamorous room you have ever

(goodearth.in); in the US, Saks Fifth Avenue

isolated top that would need its own skirt, bag

bread and jams, the teas have cakes like my

stayed in?

(saksffthavenue.com) and Intermix (intermixon

and shoes. I take a hand steamer, as I don’t pack

grandmother used to make and the dinners are

Without doubt the Maharani Suite in the Umaid

line.com); and in France, a street of antique

very neatly and everything’s always creased.

equal to those in the best Parisian restaurants.

Bhawan Palace (tajhotels.com) in Jodhpur, India.

shops in Nice.

Any specifc make of luggage?

What’s your idea of a perfect day on holiday?

The palace is home to the Maharajah of Jodhpur

Tips for packing for a summer holiday?

I have some mouth-wateringly glamorous Louis

Lying in the shade on a sun lounger reading

and is exquisite in every way.

For beachwear, accentuate the positive. The

Vuitton suitcases, but I only use them if I travel

a book and cuddling my son.

Do you like adventure holidays?

colour has to suit you; pink, aqua and white look

by car or on a non-commercial fight, otherwise

The most romantic hotel you’ve ever been?

Every flming location is an adventure of sorts, as

beautiful under the sun, but too much black can

they get bashed up.

Le Palais Rhoul (palais-rhoul.com), a converted

you set up a mini-home wherever you are,

look hot and uncomfortable. I like light fabrics

Your favourite city for a weekend away?

palace just outside Marrakesh. It’s very private

whether that’s a hotel or a rental house. I’ve

and a sarong or kaftan to cover up.

J’adore Paris, the most romantic and beautiful

and the rooms are sexy. They’re all diferent:

done it all over the world and love it. I never

Interview by Lisa Grainger

82 ultratravel

www.chanel.com