DESTINATIONS OF THE WORLD NEWS
February 2011
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BLACK TOMATO Introducing Tom Marchant
EXPLORE MYANMAR Cruising the Irrawaddy River
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Designer
FEBRUARY 2011
Berlin
Germany’s capital of cool has something for everyone, from über-trendy bars and chic boutiques to stylish hotels and museums
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Contents February 2011
On the cover 42 Designer Berlin The German capital’s reputation as Europe’s number-one designer destination is here to stay, says Alison Baycock
50 Road to Mandalay Nick Walton enjoys the best of both worlds with an Orient-Express cruise down Myanmar’s mighty Irrawaddy River
56 Set sail for Turkey Dorothy Waldman explores the islands of the Turkish coast onboard a traditional gület
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Making a statement Berlin’s independent boutique hotels are at the forefront of the design revolution
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Contents February 2011
78 In the news 18 Retrospective The show must go on in Las Vegas 22 Europe Historic hotels change hands in Paris 24 Middle East & Africa The IMF has high hopes for Qatar 28 Asia & Oceania Luxury developers eye Sri Lanka 32 Americas The last mega-hotel opens on the Strip 36 Trends New travel and transport concepts causing a stir 40 Interview Black Tomato’s Tom Marchant repackages luxury travel
Insider
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64 Diary The best events around the world in February 2011 66 Spend it New itineraries from the world’s top travel firms 70 Debut Keeping tabs on the latest hotel openings 72 Suite dreams Our writers try out the best suites money can buy 78 Connoisseur Mary Gostelow travels to Tokyo to try out some of the hottest hotels the Japanese capital has to offer
80 The Album The Langham Hotels and Resorts vice president of design, Duncan Palmer, shares his favourite holiday destinations
82 Final Word Luigi Cabrini, director of sustainable development, UNWTO - Spain talks about our responsibilities to the environment as tourists
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Letter from the Editor IT’S BEEN A FEW YEARS SINCE I LAST VISITED Berlin, but I remember distinctly that even back in 2006, the city was filled with an almost tangible energy. Long-time visitors say it has been that way since the Berlin Wall came down in 1990. Since then, it seems, the city has been shrouded in a sense of industrious self-assurance; its citizens are hastily getting on with rebuilding its wounded character that was once the talk of Europe. Nowhere is this return to grace more apparent today than in Berlin’s hotels. Classic properties like the Hotel Adlon Kempinski have been joined by a throng of new independent boutique hotels that have captured the imaginations of Berlin’s up and coming talents and international visitors alike. For this month’s cover story, Alison Baycock took a short trip to the German capital to find out what’s new in the city and what she found was a thriving capital that’s still very much on the up - where just about anyone can find their own place in life (page 42). ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE PLANET our man in Asia, Nick Walton, took a cruise down Myanmar’s Irrawaddy River, where he explored the temples of Bagan and the other sights and sounds of the ancient nation from the comfort of the Road to Mandalay, an Orient-Express river cruiser (page 50). During his journey he discovered that while the country is still far from forward-thinking, the seeds of tourism are beginning to germinate. As Nick points out, although Myanmar is far from stable, the nation is taking baby steps in the right direction. The first general election under the military government was held in November 2010, the same month pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi was released from house arrest, but the country remains under the control of the self-appointed military junta. Back at Destinations of the World News HQ in Dubai, we mused over the contradictions of featuring a story about luxury travel in a country whose government’s legitimacy is questioned the world over and which has a habit of making headlines for all the wrong reasons. But after hearing that Orient-Express pumps a substantial amount of its profits back into the country – working closely with local communities and governments – we decided we’d run the story and let the readers decide whether they want to visit.
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We also went backwards and forwards trying to decide whether to refer to the country as Myanmar or Burma. Several countries and high-profile organisations refuse to accept the new name, but in the end we went for Myanmar because that is the position adopted by the United Nations. Our February issue also includes our Texan contributor Dorothy Waldman’s account of sailing around Turkey’s Aegean Sea in a traditional gület. She and a few of her closest friends charted one of these magnificent vessels along with a full crew for a week spent visiting picturesque coves and villages – dropping anchor wherever they pleased (page 56). We also caught up with bespoke travel company Black Tomato’s frontman Tom Marchant just as his company was about to launch two new brands this month (page 40). Our writers have been out experiencing some of the most luxurious hotel suites money can buy over the last month for our new section, Suite Dreams (page 72). In this issue, we feature the Grand Hôtel du Cap-Ferrat on France’s Côte d’Azur, a Swiss ski chalet at Dubai’s Kempinski Hotel Mall of the Emirates, and a long-awaited sneak peak inside the renovated walls of legendary London hotel, The Savoy. Happy travels.
Joe Mortimer Editor
Brandenburg Gate A symbol of Berlin’s rich architectural and designer heritage
Contributors February 2011, Issue 56
Deputy Editor Caitlin Cheadle caitlin@dotwnews.com Assistant Online Editor Nicci Perides nicci@dotwnews.com Senior Sales Manager Thiba Sharaf thiba@dotwnews.com Sales Manager Hadda Mayouf Hadda@dotwnews.com Art Director Fami Bakkar fami@wnnlimited.com Multimedia Director Salimah Hirji salimah@wnnlimited.com Multimedia Executive Vandita Gaurang vandita@wnnlimited.com United Kingdom Sales Representative David Hammond david@dotwnews.com Circulation department circulate@dotwnews.com Cover image Norman Foster’s iconic Reichstag dome DESTINATIONS OF THE WORLD NEWS ESSENTIAL TRAVEL INTELLIGENCE
Nick Walton writes on travel for a number of publications from his base in Hong Kong. He has become a regular contributor to Destinations of the World News since his article on over-water bungalows appeared as the cover story in the October 2010 issue. This month found him cruising the Irrawaddy River in Myanmar on the Road to Mandalay – an Orient-Express cruiser that ploughs the waterways of Myanmar, giving visitors a taste of the hidden kingdom from the comfort of a five-star luxury vessel. Read his story on page 50.
Editor Joe Mortimer joe@dotwnews.com
1/26/09 9:11:31 AM
Nick Walton
Senior Editor Andy Round andy@dotwnews.com
@DOTWNEWS FEB Option 2 l5.indd 1
Alison Baycock
Alison Baycock is a business writer and journalist who loves to discover new places and cultures. She has written for a number of travel magazines, including Holiday Villas & Cottages and Greece. Alison is based in Brighton, on the south coast of England. For this issue, she travels to Europe’s design capital Berlin, where independent hotels and trendy boutiques are drawing style-conscious visitors from all over the world. Read her cover story on page 42.
Publisher Anna Zhukov anna@dotwnews.com
BLACK TOMATO Introducing Tom Marchant
EXPLORE MYANMAR Cruising the Irrawaddy River
SAILING TURKEY
Set sail for the Turkish islands
Mary Gostelow
Mary Gostelow is one of the world’s most prolific travellers and an authority on all things luxury. Mary says she spends at least 300 days a year on the road, but we think it’s probably nearer to 360. She is editor-at-large of WOW.travel, the online magazine of kiwicollection.com, and founder and owner of the Gostelow Report, plus a regular contributor to Destinations of the World News. This month, Mary visits Japan (page 78) and offers a round-up of the latest luxury news from around the world in ‘Mary says’ (page 23).
FEBRUARY 2011
As a native Texan who spent summers fishing and swimming in the Gulf of Mexico, Dorothy Waldman has enjoyed most of the oceans and seas around the world. Minus her Stetson, she now travels and writes about exotic ports of call, architecture, lifestyle and business. Dorothy relocated from Dubai to Istanbul last year and loves her new life on the crossroads of Asia and Europe. One of her favourite destinations is the Turkish Aegean, where she cruises on a private gület every year. Read about her latest adventures on page 56.
WWW.DOTWNEWS.COM
Dorothy Waldman
Designer
Berlin
Germany’s capital of cool has something for everyone, from über-trendy bars and chic boutiques to stylish hotels and museums
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International Commercial Representations Destinations of the World News’ network of international advertising sales and editorial representatives are based in the following countries: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Egypt, France, Germany, Greece, India, Italy, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Malaysia, Pakistan, Russia, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Thailand, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States of America. Destinations of the World News is published monthly by WNN Limited and distributed globally to the world’s premier airport lounges, our subscriber network and a select number of five-star hotels in the UAE. The title Destinations of the World News is a registered trademark and the publisher reserves all rights. All material in Destinations of the World News is compiled from sources believed to be reliable and articles reflect the personal opinion of the author and not necessarily that of the publisher. Destinations of the World News is not responsible for omissions or errors that result from misrepresentation of information to the publisher. Advertisers assume all liability for their advertising content. All rights of the owner and the producer of this conceptual development and artwork design are reserved. Neither this publication nor any part of it may be imitated, reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior permission of WNN Limited. Principal Offices WNN Limited, Reuters Building 1, Office 106, Dubai Media City, PO Box 500661, Dubai, UAE Tel +971 4 3910680 Fax +971 4 3910688 WNN limited, 31 Archbishop Kyprianou Street, 3036, PO Box 51234, zip 3503, Limassol, Cyprus To subscribe to Destinations of the World News at an annual rate of $99 visit the website at www.dotwnews.com and hit SUBSCRIBE. Images used in Destinations of the World News are provided by Gallo Images/Getty Images/Corbis/iStockphoto unless stated otherwise. DOTW News is printed by J G Cassoulides & Sons Ltd, Nicosia, Cyprus and Al Nisr Publishing, Dubai, UAE
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COMMENT title Sectiony Retrospective
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he show must go on at the Bellagio hotel in Las Vegas, where the economic crisis dealt a hammer blow to the tourism industry in 2008, but things seem to be looking up for investors and hoteliers in Sin City. The opening of the Mandarin Oriental Las Vegas and the ARIA Resort & Casino at CityCenter (a mixed-use development owned by MGM Resorts International and Dubai World) in 2009, as well as the M Resort Spa Casino earlier in the year, were sure signs that investors expected the tourist masses to return in the near future. Hoteliers reported a slow increase in business in 2010, with arrivals figures up 2.5 percent on the previous year. The opening in December of the US$3.9 billion Cosmopolitan Hotel and Resort (page 32) adjacent to the Bellagio – owned by German lender Deutsche Bank – was a positive sign for the troubled tourism industry. Other hotels along the Strip made the most of the downturn by taking the opportunity to renovate ageing properties and breathe new life into dated brands. In 2010, Tropicana Las Vegas set out on a property-wide renovation project and Harrah’s Entertainment rebranded itself as Caesars Entertainment. But many believe the city remains vastly over-supplied, with 17 of America’s 20 biggest hotels within the city limits. The Cosmopolitan is expected to be the last mega-resort to open on the Strip in the foreseeable future, as lenders look to more modest investments.
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“Fashion, Lu x u r y, L ifestyle”
02.11 NEWS
Historic Paris hotels on the market FRENCH President Nicolas Sarkozy has come under fire for plans to rent out the historic L’hôtel de la Marine on Paris’ Place de la Concorde to foreign investors. The 18th-Century building overlooks the famous Place de la Concorde, the site of the first riots of the French Revolution, and holds an important place in Paris’ history. But in a bid to reduce spending and preserve the much-loved building, the government has put the property up for long-term lease, making it available to private companies who many believe will turn it into a luxury hotel. Angry Parisians have accused Sarkozy of trying to sell off pieces of France’s heritage, while French daily La Monde published an open letter to the President from a group of influential historians that claimed, “France has not lost its memory, it is selling it!” Elsewhere in the city, Belgian developers are set to turn part of the Palace of Versailles into a luxury hotel. One of the buildings in the palace, the Hotel du Grand Controle (pictured right), which was formerly the office and
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home of the king’s treasurer, will be turned into a 23-room hotel managed by Belgian firm Ivy International, set to open at the end of 2011. Management at the Palais de Versailles say they can’t afford the US$7 million necessary to restore the building. Back on the Place de la Concorde, the Hotel de Crillon (pictured above), once the haunt of literary greats like Ernest Hemingway, has been sold to a member of the Saudi Royal family for a sum of US$328 million. The hotel, which is located on the famous Place de la Concorde in the heart of Paris and is the site of the execution of King Louis XVI in 1793, was formerly a royal palace.
Present owner Starwood Capital said Groupe Concorde would continue to manage the hotel for the next six to 12 months, during which time the structure will also undergo a major renovation to its façade. The BBC reported that Kempinski was likely to take over management of the hotel when the handover was complete. The Crillon is the latest Paris hotel to be sold to Middle Eastern investors: the Four Seasons Hotel George V was bought by Saudi prince AlWaleed bin Talal in 1996 for US$171 million and the Ritz Paris is owned by Egyptian business tycoon Mohammed Al-Fayed.
Europe
Weather plunges Europe into chaos HEAVY snowfall across the UK and Europe in December took a major toll on airlines and airport operators, who are still totting up the bill for lost earnings. Aircraft were grounded after snow froze runways at airports in London, Paris and Moscow, where thousands of passengers were stranded during the festive period. British Airports Authority (BAA) reported losses of more than US$38.5 million after its six airports were brought to a near standstill. London’s Heathrow was particularly badly affected, incurring some $30.5 million in lost profits due to cancelled flights. Stansted airport lost an estimated $1.6 million, and $6.4 million was lost at the Spanish-owned company’s four other airports.
But the losses look set to increase even further as several airlines demanded compensation for their own losses and a full inquiry into why the situation was handled so badly by BAA. Virgin Atlantic, Lufthansa and BMI have all demanded BAA take responsibility for the lost earnings incurred because of cancelled flights and compensation pay-outs for passengers who were left stranded in airports. According to the UK’s Daily Telegraph, the cancellations cost Virgin Atlantic $16 million, while the Daily Mirror said British Airways lost $80 million. BAA has launched an investigation into why a fairly minor amount of snowfall caused such havoc, in a bid to avoid a repeat situation.
“We are sorry for the flights that had to be cancelled as a result of the snow. The cost of any disruption to BAA’s airports is significant and a strong financial incentive for us to continue to make Heathrow more resilient,” said Colin Matthews, chief executive of BAA. Meanwhile some 20,000 passengers were affected in Moscow when severe freezing rain fell for several days in December. Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has since ordered prosecutors to review the situation. Similar scenarios were seen earlier in the month in Paris, where weather forced Charles de Gaulle airport to cancel flights and evacuate its main terminal building on Christmas Eve due to a buildup of snow in its roof.
IN FOCUS
News
MARY SAYS...
Insider luxe news for February ENGLAND’S polo season runs May to October, and aficionados should stay at Coworth Park, the Dorchester Collection’s country house hotel that opened at the end of 2010 a few miles from Windsor. The 248-acre estate has its own polo stables and field, plus a 70-room hotel. I love corner suite 31 in the original 18th-Century mansion, and the futuristic spa, with its 75-foot indoor pool – not to mention John Campbell’s molecular Michelin-starred food. The latest joy in India is Flying Fox Asia ziplining, run by Brits Richard McCallum, formerly Cathay’s man in India, and Jono Walter, a long-time Asian military guy. They were introduced to the Maharaja of Jodhpur by Pradip Krishen, author of Trees of Delhi. Now, at Jodhpur’s Mehrangarh Fort, the six high-wire zips include the Rani Sar Rollercoaster, stretching 170 yards over water. On a side note, sadly fewer tourists will be heading for India, as the latest visa regulations require two by two-inch, rather than passport-sized photos – how ridiculous can authorities get? The great wines of the USA aren’t just from the West Coast; Virginia’s best-known vineyards include Jane Kincheloe Wiles’ Paradise Springs Winery, whose 2009 Reserve Chardonnay won the 2010 Governor’s Cup. At Orient-Express’ charming Keswick Hall at Monticello, there are weekly cocktailhour wine tastings, and the cost is taken off the cheque if you stay on for dinner. Keswick Hall also has an 18-hole Arnold Palmer golf course, and fly fishing.
Staff at Virgin Holidays in the UK braved the winter weather to perform the world’s largest burlesque show to launch the company’s January sale. The dancers performed a five-minute routine in front of London’s National Gallery clad in typical burlesque outfits. “What better way to raise a smile on a cold January morning than to see a huge number of beautiful burlesque dancers?” said Andrew Shelton, marketing director at Virgin Holidays. We couldn’t agree more.
A Gary Player-designed golf course will neighbour the beach-set Park Hyatt Abu Dhabi, which opens this July on Saadiyat Island. I had a hard-hat tour of the 306-room beauty, which combines resort with business – it’s just 15 minutes from the city’s Corniche commercial district. by Mary Gostelow
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Middle East & Africa
IN BRIEF
Popular paradise
Despite the downturn, or perhaps because of it, the Seychelles recorded its most successful year in terms of visitor numbers and tourism revenue, with more than 174,000 tourists visiting the Indian Ocean archipelago in 2010.
At home in Kenya
Domestic travel is on the rise in Kenya, where national carrier Kenyan Airways reported a 35 percent increase in national flights in 2010. CEO Bram Steller said the increase was due to popular shuttle flights between large cities, as well as the renewal of flights to the city of Malindi. During December, the airline increased the frequency of its flights from Nairobi to Mombasa from seven to 16 daily to cater to huge demand for the coastal city during the holiday period.
Sudan on the brink
The world is waiting for the outcome of the month-long referendum in Sudan that will determine whether the south of the country becomes an independent nation. If the Sudanese people vote in favour of the motion, South Sudan will become the world’s newest country.
Game for a laugh
A competition poster pinned to the gate of Lochinvar National Park in Zambia offering some unique prizes has raised eyebrows. Among them, visitors noted 28 warthogs, 15 hippos and “land to build a lodge”. The poster was ostensibly issued by ZAWA, the Zamibian Wildlife Authority, but a note on the poster stated, “animals are to be hunted down for the winners”. Visitors are advised to text a number to enter, but no other details are provided. Industry commentators believe it to be a scam concocted by corrupt members of the presently leaderless organisation.
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Growth of a city Yachts jostle for space in a new marina overlooking the towers of The Pearl - Qatar
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IMF raises Qatar forecast THE International Monetary Fund (IMF) has predicted that Qatar’s economy will grow by 20 percent in 2011, paving the way for substantial investment in the 11-year lead up to the 2022 FIFA World Cup. The positive outlook is good news for the travel and tourism sector, which will receive a major cash injection prior to the highly anticipated event. Experts have predicted that Qatar will need to spend US$55-86 billion preparing for the World Cup, with significant investments in transport, hotels and other tourism infrastructure, including a $25 billion railway network linking the stadiums. Qatar will also need to develop a significant number of hotels and serviced apartments to accommodate the thousands of visitors predicted to fly out for the international event, which will be held across Qatar in 12 state-of-the-art stadiums. Hotel companies are already queuing up for a piece of the action, with international brands including Four Seasons, Jumeirah, Mandarin Oriental, InterCon, Starwood, Hil-
ton and Marriott all scheduled to open new properties in the next three years. Other new hotels are planned for The Pearl – Qatar, a reclaimed island development similar to Dubai’s Palm islands, and hotel analyst HVS International says some 3,300 hotel rooms will come on line in Qatar over the next four years.
increasing the emirate’s air capacity to 50 million passengers and two million tonnes of cargo per year, with parking spaces for 100 aircraft. National airline Qatar Airways continues to pursue an aggressive growth strategy, with 80 Airbus A350s, 24 Airbus A320 Family aircraft, 60 Boeing 787s and 32 Boeing 777s on order, as well as five Airbus
“Experts have predicted that Qatar will need to spend US$55-86 billion before the World Cup, with significant investments in transport, hotels and other infrastructure” Although the number of visitors expected to attend the 2022 World Cup has not yet been revealed, industry observers say Qatar’s geographical centrality will make it a more convenient destination to visit than South Africa was during the World Cup 2010, which saw 309,000 visitors who spent $521 million during the month-long event. The New Doha International Airport is set to open in July 2011,
A380s, due for delivery in 2012. The IMF said that the swift growth of Qatar’s economy would be led by the natural gas sector, but the growth of other non-hydrocarbon industries such as travel and tourism would play a major role. “Continuing public investment in infrastructure will keep growth high in the medium term and support non-hydrocarbon growth,” said the IMF in a report.
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AIRLINE TRENDS
Fiery start to 2011 The world’s tallest building, the Burj Khalifa, celebrated the New Year with a stunning fireworks display courtesy of Pierre Marcout, the man behind luxe production company Prisme, which staged the original fireworks and laser display at the opening of the Burj Khalifa in January 2010. Fireworks and laser beams danced and exploded above, around and from the gigantic building in Dubai’s biggest fireworks show to date.
IN FOCUS
Going nutty
Air Canada has set up an inflight buffer zone for passengers who suffer from nut allergies. The zone will include a row of seats for allergy sufferers and a peanut-free row behind and in front. Within this zone, all passengers will be told to avoid eating any nut products they have brought with them and will not be offered those enticing little bags that come along with the drinks and swizzle sticks. In first class, individual lie-flat suites will be designated nutfree. Interestingly though, Air Canada has said it cannot guarantee that the foods it serves inflight are not free of peanuts or by-products.
Loads of help
Website of the month award goes to luggagelimits.com, which compares the baggage fees of 175 airlines across the world. Started by frequent flier Luke Dudley, the site analyses costs and policies in connection with checked-in bags and carry-ons and also cross-references airline reward schemes. It’s great news for travellers who tend to get caught out on excess baggage fees and end up wearing five sets of clothes through security.
Jet set cards
Private aircraft company Air Partner has launched a card which can be loaded with cash and used at any airport to charter a plane. The Jet Card is being marketed as the ultimate way to “remove the delays, queues and headaches… at any airport to almost anywhere in the world”. The cost of the cards starts from US$142,000 for a ‘Very Light Jet Card’ which can accommodate four to five passengers for 25 hours of on-board experience. A ‘Super Midsize Jet Card’ covers up to nine people and is just US$307,000, while the topend version is $508,000 and is available for 30 passengers.
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Emirates and Montblanc write history EMIRATES Airline has partnered with Montblanc luxury house to offer its passengers the chance to win an exclusive Montblanc Skeleton A380 Limited Edition fountain pen worth US$19,650. The exclusive pen was inspired by the modern design of the Airbus A380 – the world’s largest passenger aircraft – of which Emirates is the world’s largest customer, with just under 40 percent of the world’s A380 orders. The pen boasts an 18-carat white gold barrel and 18-carat gold nib with platinum plating, and features dual-levelled windows and dark blue precious resin, adorned with 28 flawless diamonds, while the end features the Montblanc emblem.
Emirates customers who purchase a Montblanc StarWalker A380 fineliner from Emirates Duty Free can register for a raffle draw to win a luxury trip for two to Hamburg, where they will receive the Montblanc Skeleton A380 Limited Edition pen.
The winner will receive a pair of First Class tickets to Hamburg to visit Artisan Atelier, birthplace of Montblanc’s Limited Edition writing instruments, as well as the opportunity to visit Emirates’ A380 aircraft at Airbus’ assembly line in Hamburg.
News
Asia & Oceania
VERBATIM
‘‘My friend’s shop at Chatuchak is now selling 60 rabbits a week compared to 30 last year” Thai-based rabbit breeder Nattawut Trachoo comments on the so-called ‘bunny boom’ occurring in Thailand and other parts of Asia in the run-up to the Year of the Rabbit.
“It’s high time we brought sustainable development underwater” Filipino businessman Paul Moñozca explains the motive behind his US$150 million underwater resort hotel development in Palawan, Phillipines, dubbed the Coral World Park, scheduled for completion in 2013.
“From January to February, 80 percent of our hotels are close to fully-booked and other hotels show similar trends. As long as the situation is favourable, this year can be as good as last year, even better” “ Ida Bagus Gede Sidharta Putra, chairman of the Denpasar branch of the Indonesian Hotel and Restaurant Association (PHRI), is optimistic about Bali’s tourism industry in 2011.
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Sri Lanka back on the map SINCE the end of a three-decades-long bloody civil war in May 2009, Sri Lanka has made its way into the pages of glossy travel magazines and subsequently the business development plans of several major hotel investors, who believe the Indian Ocean island could be the next big thing in luxury travel. Since then Sri Lanka has quickly shot to the top of must-see destination lists the world over; it was even voted number one on the New York Times ‘31 Places to See in 2010’ list. Conditions in the country have no doubt improved markedly over the past year and with the country’s economy gaining strength at rapid speed – capital city Colombo’s stock market was the world’s second-best performer in 2010 – the tourism floodgates have opened. Visits from foreigners rose 40 percent to reach around 600,000 in 2010, and the government is hoping to raise that number to 2.5 million by 2016. Sri Lanka is currently brimming with charming privately-owned boutique hotels and holiday villas, but there’s still plenty of room for the big names to move in. Colombo-based Aitken Spence Hotel Holdings Plc has partnered with Bangkok-based Six Senses Resorts & Spas to build a US$40 million resort on the south coast of the country, the Six Senses Ahungalla, expected to open in 2012. The development will comprise a Six Senses resort and spa as well as a beachfront residential villa on a 10.5-acre plot of land, and will be connected to the adjoining Heritance Ahungalla on a 27-acre plot. Hong Kong-based Shangri-La Asia Ltd recently announced the purchase of six acres
of government land near Colombo, on which it is planning to build a multi-use complex with high-end retail facilities, deluxe apartments and a 500-room hotel, set to open in 2014. ShangriLa also plans to build a 300-room city resort on 100 acres of land on the southern coast of Sri Lanka in Hambantota, set to open in 2013.
“Sri Lanka is brimming with charming privatelyowned boutique hotels and holiday villas, but there’s still plenty of room for the big names to move in” Big money is being spent on the refurbishment of older properties, too. John Keells Hotels Plc recently invested $40.5 million to renovate the 81-room Chaaya Blu hotel in Trincomalee on Sri Lanka’s eastern coast, which was originally built in the 1970s, and the company will spend a further $20 million to build a 200room resort in Beruwala, south of Colombo. However it’s not all plain sailing; Berlinbased watchdog Transparency International recently ranked Sri Lanka number 91 out of 178 countries in terms of corruption, one spot behind India. Add to that the recent floods that have rocked the country and depleted its resources, and it becomes evident that the government may be forced to funnel money into more pressing issues than hotel development and tourism.
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AIRLINE UPDATE
IN FOCUS
Etihad adjusts 2011 flight schedule
Etihad will increase flights to the European cities of Paris (from ten flights per week to twice-daily), Geneva (from five flights per week to daily), Milan (from five flights per week to daily), Brussels (from six to eight flights per week) and Manchester, England (from daily to ten flights per week). In addition Etihad will introduce daily flights to Beijing and increase flights to Bangalore in India to daily as of summer 2011.
Gulf Air flies direct to Geneva and Milan
Gulf Air has announced flights to two key European economic and tourist hubs, the cities of Milan and Geneva, commencing in March 2011. Flights to Milan will begin on March 27, with four flights operating per week, while four flights per week to Geneva will be in effect as of March 29.
Qatar Airways ups European flights
Along with the recent launches of flights to European capital cities Bucharest, Budapest and Brussels, Qatar Airways has announced an increase in capacity on its Doha/Copenhagen and Doha/Barcelona routes. Commencing March 27, service for the non-stop Doha/Copenhagen flights will increase from six times per week to daily, and the introduction of A330 aircraft on both flight routes will more than double seat capacity.
Singapore Airways to fly to Sao Paulo
Singapore Airlines will launch flight services to the Brazilian financial hub of Sao Paulo on March 28, with flights operating three times per week on a Singapore/Barcelona/Sao Paulo route, codeshared by Spanish airline Spanair.
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Rabbiting on A couple embraces for a kiss beside a giant Chinese New Year decoration at a Beijing mall. All over Asia people are preparing to ring in the Year of the Rabbit on February 2, New Year’s Eve according to the Chinese lunar calendar.
Beijing set to build Burj Khalifa rival STATE-RUN newspaper The Beijing Morning Post confirmed that plans to build a “seven-star hotel” modelled after Dubai’s Burj Khalifa, which is currently the word’s tallest building at 828 metres (2,717-feet) in height, will go ahead. The US$1.3 billion hotel, a joint project with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (which is reportedly footing the entire bill), will be erected in western Beijing’s Mentougou district, approximately 30 kilometres outside the Chinese capital’s centre. According to the report, the building’s design will be modelled after the Burj Khalifa’s unmistakable slender, stacked silhouette.
A district official who refused to be named confirmed the project and its estimated cost, but withheld the planned height of the structure. He also refused to elaborate on why it would be built in an undeveloped area outside of the city of Beijing.
The announcement of the project comes swiftly after China’s recent claims that it would be curtailing highend residential development projects in favour of more affordable housing, due to public outcry over skyrocketing housing prices.
News
Americas
The Cosmopolitan opens with a bang THE latest mega-hotel to grace the Las Vegas Strip will most likely be the last to open for at least a decade, thanks to Nevada’s serious debt and recession-starved tourism industry. Boasting a staggering 2,995 rooms, most with private terraces, plus a 100,000 square foot casino with floor-to-ceiling windows looking out over the Strip, nine retail boutiques, the Sahra Spa Hammam and eight culinary outlets ranging from NY-based Blue Ribbon sushi to new gourmet burger concept Holstein’s, The Cosmopolitan is already creating quite a buzz. Especially popular is Marquee Nightclub and Dayclub, a 60,000 sq ft venue encompassing seven bars spread over three rooms, each hosting different styles of music. The Dayclub portion, set to open this spring, will feature eight cabanas with private infinity pools, and ten three-storey bungalow-style lofts, each with its own private party deck. “The Cosmopolitan is about creating a resort experience set apart from anything that exists right now in Las Vegas,” said CEO John Unwin. “When you combine spacious suites,
“We know guests will enjoy an experience that harkens back to an era when [they] felt connected, inspired and engaged by their resort” high-end design from talent like David Rockwell, a carefully curated award-winning dining collection, unparalleled service and gaming, we know guests will enjoy an experience that harkens back to an era when [they] felt connected, inspired and engaged by their resort.” The Cosmo’s original developers defaulted on loans and many suspected it would never be built, however creditors Deutsche Bank took possession and it opened in December with a series of blowout parties that included performances by The Killers’ frontman Brandon Flowers and Coldplay’s Chris Martin, which were streamed live on the hotel’s 65-foot-tall LED display screen on the Strip.
Star studded Coldplay frontman Chris Martin was among the stars to perform at The Cosmopolitan hotel in Las Vegas in its opening weeks
THE MONTH IN NUMBERS
US$9.1
Amount in billions of Dollars international visitors spent on travel and tourism-related goods and services in October 2010, an increase of 13 percent compared to the same period last year.
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US$1.98
Amount in billions of Dollars of net profit reported by Carnival Corporation cruise lines in the year ending November 2010, making it the most profitable leisure tourism company the world.
2,216,109
Number of visitors to Glacier National Park in Montana, US in the first 11 months of 2010, breaking the previous annual record of 2,203,847 in the whole of 1983.
News
Americas
IN BRIEF
IN FOCUS
Fear in Acapulco
Mexico’s drug-related violence continues to take its toll on tourism. Last month 27 people were killed in one 24-hour period in the resort city of Acapulco. Despite the wave of violence, in which 14 decapitated bodies (all thought to be gang members) were discovered outside a shopping centre and several more in other locations around the city, tourism business owners are reassuring customers that the city remains a safe place to visit.
US politicians: buy Boeing
US diplomats and politicians have been accused of using their political power to influence foreign governments to purchase aircraft from American firm Boeing over rival Airbus. Information published on controversial website Wikileaks showed high-ranking politicians including former president George W. Bush courted foreign monarchs to sway their opinion. Leaked cables showed that George W. Bush urged King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia to buy up to 46 Boeing aircraft for the Saudi Arabian Airlines fleet. Shortly after, he placed an order for 12 new 777-300ER aircraft.
Chile and Russia abolish visas
Tourism between Chile and Russia is expected to peak this year, following the mutual abolition of visas for nationals visiting either country. Both Chilean and Russian passport holders will be permitted to visit and stay for up to 90 days in each respective destination. “I hope that this important step will have a favourable effect on tourism development and the two countries’ bilateral relations,” said Chile’s ambassador in Moscow, Juan Eduardo. The Chilean Embassy in Moscow issued more than 2,426 single, multiple-entry and special visas to Russian citizens in 2010.
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Disney Cruise Line’s newest ship, the Disney Dream, arrives in her new home, Port Canaveral, Florida, on January 4 after a 6,500-mile journey across the Atlantic from Bremerhaven in Germany. The 4,000-capacity vessel embarked on her first cruise on January 26 and will offer three-, four- and five-night cruises to the Bahamas and Disney’s private island Castaway Cay. On board, the ship features the world’s first cruise ship water coaster, AquaDuck, as well as magical portholes inside staterooms and Disney-themed restaurants.
Canadian visitors feel the pinch in UAE THE UAE government has imposed a hefty fee on visit visas for Canadian nationals travelling to the region, in what appears to be the latest reprisal in an ongoing dispute stemming from landing rights. Relations between the UAE and Canada soured when the Canadian government refused to allocate additional landing slots and open up new cities to Emirates Airline and Etihad Airways, which both fly from the UAE to Canada three times weekly. Canadian authorities defended the decision, claiming that increasing the UAE carriers’ landing slots would give them an unfair advan-
tage over Canadian national carrier Air Canada. “The landing rights provided under the current Canada-UAE air transport agreements meet the market demand of travellers whose origin or final destination is either Canada or the UAE,” wrote Lawrence Cannon, Canadian Foreign Minister, in a letter to UAE newspaper Gulf News. “Canada looks forward to continued cooperation with states in the Gulf region to ensure that Canadians have the best options for travel.” The UAE government has since terminated a lease for a Canadian air base in Dubai – Canada’s forward
operating base for its dealings in Afghanistan – a move that was said to cost the Canadian government some US$300 million. Canada was previously among the 33 countries whose citizens received a free visit visa on arrival in the UAE, but since January 2, Canadian citizens have had to apply for a visa at least 15 days ahead of their travel date and pay a fee of US$250 for a 30-day visa. However, Canadian passengers flying with Emirates or Etihad receive substantial discounts, paying as little as $74.50 when flying with Emirates and $84 with Etihad.
This five-star luxury hotel is ideal for visiting both Dubai and Abu Dhabi. Centrally located between both international airports, Ibn Battuta Gate Hotel offers the best of both worlds. The hotel has 396 rooms and suites, some of which are 3-way interconnecting and ideal for families. With a choice of 8 restaurants and bars and a full selection of facilities at your disposal, you have all you need for an enjoyable stay. Shopping is available at the adjacent Ibn Battuta Mall and the beaches of the Palm Jumeirah are just minutes away. To find out more or to make a reservation, please contact the hotel directly on: +971 4 444 00 00, hotel.dubai.ibnbattuta@moevenpick.com or contact your travel agent. Call toll free from: the UAE 800 4934, Bahrain 8000 1991, KSA 800 124 2929 and Qatar 800 2001.
Ibn Battuta Gate Hotel Operated by Mรถvenpick Hotels & Resorts
www.moevenpick-hotels.com
A world of wonder and luxury.
Trends
DESTINATIONS: GO GLOBAL I TA LY
UK
Restaurants’ net gains
Rock around Britain
In Italy there are hundreds of guidebooks and millions of online consumergenerated reviews. Now, an innovative publisher is bringing the two together. SpagoGuide 2011, US$21.20, offers expert insight into Italy’s restaurant scene, covering more than 1,000 outlets. But what makes the concept interesting is the use of a QR code next to each entry, which can be scanned by a smartphone and instantly links to user-generated content online at 2spaghi.it, offering the latest opinions from the consumer community. Adding extra value is the fact that there are more than 50,000 restaurants listed on the website, expanding the printed format endlessly. Currently it’s only available in Italian, but we can’t wait for an English edition.
Every town in the UK, from London to Liverpool (pictured below left), has a rich rock’n’roll history, from The Stones to The Beatles and The Smiths. But where do you start if you want to organise your own best of British musical odyssey? Well, we’d recommend Never Mind The Bollards, a new book by Time magazine’s Max Wooldridge, which markets itself as the ultimate guide to the country’s rock-music landmarks. There is a lot of obvious stuff, from the Abbey Road crossing immortalised by The Beatles to Cotchford Farm, where The Stones’ Brian Jones drowned, but there are also some less likely locations, like the train station at Widnes where a stranded Paul Simon wrote Homeward Bound and the Lincolnshire town where songwriter Rod Temperton was born.
SWITZERLAND
Bodyguard on ice
Photo: James Bedding
There are a lot of things required of a ski instructor, but being a highly trained bodyguard is not usually one of them. The Swiss Ski School of Verbier, however, is ahead of the curve, stating that although many wealthy families have bodyguards, not all security staff can ski. So what exactly does a ski instructor bodyguard do? Apparently, it’s all about planning and being prepared. “Close protection is about seeing trouble before it happens,” says the school, which employed bodyguard Michael Mason (below) from the UK. He is fully trained in the art of aikido and every year he travels to Japan for a month to train with a master of Ninjustu. That’s right; Mason is a skiing ninja.
Ice cold Michael Mason will watch your back on the slopes and off
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INDIA
Holidays in a box
Under the brand of Kuoni Travel Group, SOTC Box Holidays in Mumbai does what it says on the box. OK, it’s clever marketing. Basically you buy a box holiday destination (say Bangkok) and a very attractive package arrives in the post filled with all the things you need: price, validity, transfers, pictures of the hotel and so on. The box buyers then simply call to schedule the dates they would like to redeem their package. Prices start at US$155 for a two-night escape within India. There are other benefits to the box, too. Local offers, discount vouchers or guides can be packed up inside. For would-be holidaymakers who may be nervous about organising their own travels, the box is a tangible representation of an experience.
Trends
HOT Meet on the train The European high-speed train service Thalys, which connects Paris, Brussels, Amsterdam and Cologne, is offering meeting rooms for executives on the go.
Sock it to them Explore alternative London with guides who know the streets better than anyone…the homeless AS a tourist in London, you’re spoiled for choice when it comes to exploring the city. There’s the Underground, tourist buses, countless guides, hundreds of maps and dozens of limo services. But the next time you’re in the capital, we’d like to suggest an alternative to the ordinary: hire a homeless person to show you around. A new scheme has been launched with the aim of giving the homeless meaningful employment as tour guides as well as offering a unique perspective to London’s streets. The tour guide project Unseen Tours is the brainchild of a volunteer network known as the Sock Mob, which works with the homeless at a grassroots level to provide food and clothes to them. “The aim is to provide a historical as well as an unexplored view of the city through the perspective of homelessness,” says Lidija Mavra, spokeswoman for the Sock Mob. “The stories told by the guides offer a new social consciousness into commercial walking tours and challenge the stereotypes associated with the homeless.” The idea came from a support project Mavra had set up with friends. They would send out emails and invite one another to go out on the streets to support the homeless. “These people are cold and lonely and often just want someone to listen to them. We used to take socks with us because it was a way to break the ice.” The Sock Mob says it refuses to be pessimistic about the plight of the homeless and is determined to harness the “positivity” of people, while in the process offer something that is of “worth and excitement to every Londoner and visitor alike who wants to connect with people from different walks of life”. So who exactly are these guides? Well, people like Hazel, who has been homeless for years and describes living on the streets as a woman to be “very stressful indeed”. Hazel believes that the project has played a key role in boosting her confidence, “having met a load of great people and even being interviewed on the radio”. Then there is Henri, who found himself on the streets after his marriage 38
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broke down. “I used to beg in the evenings, so I am hoping that doing these tours will be a way to stop. I’m earning money every day at certain times so it will change my life completely… in a good way.” The insight that people like Henri and Hazel can bring to the tours is chilling. For example, homeless people are extremely vulnerable to casual violence. Whenever Hazel chooses a place to sleep, she says she always makes sure that it is well covered by CCTV cameras. One night two of her homeless friends were set on fire while sleeping rough. Although the gang was chased away, one of the victims was so badly burned he had to spend three months in hospital.
“The aim is to provide a historical as well as an unexplored view of the city through the perspective of homelessness” At present there are four London programmes: tours of Brick Lane (the art district and Spitalfields Market); Old Street in the East End; London Bridge (with Thames highlights); and Temple (a district long associated with the homeless). The tours start from just US$8, but effectively prices are what you feel you can pay. Each tour ends up in the warming comfort of a nearby pub. The lion’s share of the profits are given to the guides, and the remainder is channelled back into Sock Mob for the training of new guides and the marketing of the tours. The training is a significant part of Sock Mob’s social agenda; three months are earmarked for the organisation of tours and it’s a process that goes beyond honing a guide script. Plans are underway to create a model that can be replicated by homeless people in other cities around the world. “Anyone can become homeless,” says Hazel. “You would be surprised at the type of people you find on the streets. Businessmen, headteachers, lawyers. There are a lot of vulnerable people out there.”
Blue for you Fancy a fun night out in Paris without knowing where you’re going? Les Terrasses Bleues takes place on the 16th of every month. Sign up to the group’s website and the first to respond to a text invite will be given the details of a secret drinks venue. It’s free, but participants must wear blue. Sparkling idea The public water company of Paris has launched a new fountain that dispenses sparkling drinking water in the park of Jardin de Reuilly. “Our aim is to boost the image of the city’s tap water,” said the company. Body of evidence Need to know which airports have those security machines that scan your entire body? Of course you do. The Transport Security Administration in the US has a list of every airport and every machine. As they say, transparency is everything.
NOT
Ouch! A 68-year-old man has been charged with battery after punching a 15-yearold boy on a plane who would not turn off his iPhone when attendants asked. Delayed business A business class passenger on Air New Zealand was forced to clamber over seats to get to the toilet after she was told she could not wake a fellow passenger whose reclined seat blocked her exit. Inflight ‘terrierism’ A passenger and an attendant were bitten by a dog after its owner refused instructions to close the canine’s cage, forcing their flight to make an emergency landing in Pittsburgh. Security threat America’s Transportation Security Administration has been accused of only detecting 30 percent of knives and guns sneaked through security. TSA claims the figures are from 2006, but we’re still waiting for official figures for 2010.
INTERVIEW TOM MARCHANT
Tales of the Black Tomato Five years ago Black Tomato was little more than an rare Russian fruit. Today, the UK-based company has elbowed its way to the forefront of the online travel scene. Joe Mortimer spoke to co-founder Tom Marchant to find out how
I
n the autumn of 2005, three young British entrepreneurs launched a bespoke travel website that set out to reinvent the way luxury travel was packaged and sold. Founding director Tom Marchant and friends James Merrett and Matt Smith launched Black Tomato – an edgy designdriven, web-based travel company that sells travel ‘experiences’ rather than just resorts and destinations. Five years later, flush with the success of yet another profitable year, Black Tomato is poised to launch two new brands and is expecting to announce 2010 turnover figures in excess of US$16 million.
When did you catch the travel bug? It was planted from an early age. My mother is from Finland – she met my father in the UK and he travelled a lot with work. I was lucky enough to see a lot of places with my family, be it Europe or other parts of the world. I remember always being so excited about travelling, whether it was a cross-Channel ferry or getting on a plane to see other places. From as young as I can remember, I have always had this fascination with other countries and cultures. I was lucky enough to grow up in an environment that allowed that fascination to be indulged and develop.
What was the first great travel experience of your life? My first great travel experience was when I was 19. Me and one of my university friends, James Merrett, who is now also my business partner, spent five weeks travelling around the Philippines. We knew a lot of people who had taken gap years in Thailand and that sort of thing, but we decided that we wanted to go to the Philippines. It sounded intriguing; less people had been there and it was mysterious and exciting. We spent four weeks hitching rides on fishing boats around the South China Sea, working on the fishing boats and visiting all sorts of interesting, brilliant places. I was lucky enough to travel with my family before that but I think that was probably the first great travel experience that made me realise there was this whole world of interesting and inspirational experiences out there.
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Young talent Tom Marchant and friends launched online travel agency Black Tomato in 2005
How did Black Tomato come about? The idea for the company came about when James and I were at uni. We both loved travelling and both came from entrepreneurial families. Both of our fathers had started their own businesses and we always wanted to do something for ourselves. After uni I worked in Moscow for a year. I was at that job to earn a bit of cash to go travelling, but I extended
it because I was enjoying Moscow and the adventure that came with it so much. I was then working in Johannesburg to help set up a small office for the company I was working at. After I left Jo’burg I went travelling with James and met Matt Smith, the third founder, in Australia. Matt was a kindred spirit who wanted to work for himself and was passionate about travel. It was then that the idea started to grow.
And the rest was history?
What’s new for 2011?
We were very aware that at that stage we were all 21 or 22 years old and we needed to get a bit of experience before we could start our own business. I went and worked as a management consultant for Ernst & Young. My area was in marketing and business strategy for a number of companies. James worked for Deloitte in the financial services area and Matt was working at 3M. All the time we were doing that we were writing the business plan for Black Tomato.
We are launching two new brands for the company in the next month, which I am really excited about. The first one is called Epic Tomato, which is a series of extremely highend adventure trips to the ends of the earth, led by experts and expedition guides. It’s really getting people to beat their own path; they can only be done with full expedition support and they involve spending time with tribes or getting people into extreme environments and having once-in-a-lifetime experiences. It’s basically a super-charged, high-end epic adventure.
How did that experience help? A lot of the people we were working with and for were our target audience for Black Tomato; people who were well-travelled and quite discerning in their lifestyle choices that fell into that space of being relatively cash-rich but time-poor. They didn’t know of a company who they felt they had any empathy with, who really understood not only the difficulty of their work/life balance, but also how they wanted to travel and get under the skin of a destination. Those years in the corporate world reaffirmed our belief in Black Tomato.
What were the key moments in the early days of Black Tomato? Very early on I met a lady called Sophie Campbell from Conde Nast Traveller UK via an e-mail introduction. We meet for a coffee and the upshot was that she decided to feature us in Traveller as ‘ones to watch’. That had a huge impact. To be in a travel bible like that and marked down as ones to watch not only put us on the radar of a number of people who were our target audience, but also built our credibility, which is so key in the luxury space. We look back and think about those events that were really influential moments. That was undoubtedly one of them.
Are people spending on luxury travel as much as they used to? We have seen quite major growth in 2010. Our financial year hasn’t closed so I can’t reveal an exact figure, but certainly we have moved the turnover into double figures. It has been a very interesting two years, from the collapse in 2008, then planning a budget and strategy for how we were gong to work through a recession. It was the first time the three of us had ever worked, let alone owned a business, during a recession, which made it very interesting. We were named in the Sunday Times ‘Fast Track 100 2010’ list of the fastest-growing businesses in the UK. We came out as the 47th fastest. I think for 2009 we did a GBP6.8 million (US$10.7 million) turnover. We launched in autumn in 2005, so we have just turned five years old. The team now is just under 40 people, and we are growing.
Are we seeing a move from online back to retail sales and can you envisage having Black Tomato stores around the world? Our place in Shoreditch in London has an element of being a store; the front has a bar and sofas in it and customers come in to talk about travel and meet with consultants. I do see this continuation, or rise of focus on one-to-one interactions being a key part of the luxury space. I don’t think it’s a backlash against online purchasing but there has been a strong reinforcement of some of the core values of what makes bespoke and high-end luxury. Often a degree of that is about interaction.
And what about the other brand?
Where will you be travelling this year?
The other one is called Beach Tomato. It’s basically an online editorial site about the best of beach culture and style. The idea came from a holiday I had about 18 months ago in Bahia in North Brazil. I was having a great time but I found it ironic that the only reason I knew about that beach was because of the hotel I was staying at. The hotel wasn’t very good, but I would go back to that beach every day. It made me think that there wasn’t a brand that owned the beach space, as in a brand that can claim to be the authority on where to go for your beach holiday, or other information like up-and-coming beaches, or where has the beast beach-bar scene or which beaches to avoid and so on.
It literally changes every week as I keep hearing about new things. For business I am going to be in New York a lot and in LA a bit more this year. We are looking at a few business opportunities in other territories so we are looking at Kazakhstan and considering a few ideas over there. It is a beautiful country so we’re looking to see what we can do over there. I think I’ll also be looking to get down to South America to see a couple of places I haven’t been to yet, like Colombia and maybe Uruguay. That’s for work but I’m sure it will be a pleasure too. For total pleasure I’m hoping to do a road trip through Central America – I want to drive the Pan American highway all the way down.
“The [Ethiopian] government has woken up to the fact that tourism can be a key contributor to their economy, and is embracing it, but from a very sensitive position” Sounds good so far…
What is your top destination for 2011?
There are huge brands like Net-a-Porter and ASOS that have travel sections on their websites, but there isn’t a website that curates beachwear and beach beauty products and so on. So we came up with Beach Tomato. We have amazing contributors from the world of fashion and travel working on it: everything from tips on what to do and where to go; interviews with interesting and influential people; advice on where to be at what time of year; and our favourite finds. Then you have lots of content about the new designers emerging and where to find their stuff. We’ll also have the option to “take me there”. Readers can fill out a pop-up form that will go to one of the Black Tomato consultants who will put together a great trip for them. So it’s an online magazine but with the ability to deliver on the travel side. It’s an opinion-led, insightful and inspirational voice and at the same time, there will be an e-commerce platform on it in June. We’re very excited about that and hopefully it’s an excuse to go and see some very nice places.
Ethiopia is a mind-blowing place. I was lucky enough to spend just over three weeks there in October. It is somewhere I had long been fascinated with for many reasons, from the way in which people see Ethiopia now, which is often dominated by images of the famine of the 80s, to the history of Abyssinia and it being the cradle of civilisation. I had probably the best three weeks of travel experiences I have ever had. The government has woken up to the fact that tourism can be a key contributor to their economy, and is embracing it, but from a very sensitive position, recognising that it’s the natural assets and culture that make it special. They are looking to develop tourism in a very unique way. I haven’t been to a country where you can combine so many key aspects of a trip, from stunning landscapes to hugely overwhelming cultures to wildlife and the people. It was just brilliant. To read the full interview with Tom Marchant, log on to DOTWNEWS.COM and click on the ‘Opinion’ page
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Photo: Alex Qureitem
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Out of the ordinary Berlin is a hotbed for quirky and cool design like the eclectic Luxe 11 hotel (pictured left and above)
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erlin is said to be the only city in Europe with more museums than rainy days. It is also home to around 6,700 design companies, some of the coolest and most diverse nightspots in the world and no less than three UNESCO World Heritage sites, so it’s not surprising that the German capital’s own tourist organisation recommends that you catch up on your sleep before visiting. Whatever you do in Berlin, though, you can be certain you’ll do it in style. Take the Badeschiff bathing ship, for example; this floating swimming pool, bar and wellness complex on the River Spree is the epitome of Berlin cultural élan – quirky, clever, practical, modern and effortlessly hip. Created from a metal cargo container, its hammock-strewn wooden sun decks offer an intoxicating combination of DJs, cocktails and fresh air in summer. In the colder months, with the help of state-of-the-art covers, it transforms into a fully-fledged spa, complete with lounge and cooling platform. It’s hard to imagine a lifestyle accessory that merges inventiveness and function to such pleasing effect in another city – which is one of the reasons that Berlin was named UNESCO City of Design in 2006. A magnet to the creative, an estimated 11,700 Berliners work in fashion, product and furniture design, architecture, photography and the visual arts. The city’s design companies generate annual sales of around US$1.9 billion and there are some 1,500 cultural events every day, so it is perhaps not surprising that it is such a vibrant place. “Recent years have witnessed the evolution of a truly fascinating creative scene, distinguished by its versatility, unconventionality and quality,” says senator and mayor Harald Wolf. Tourism organisation Visit Berlin explains that creative types from all over the world are drawn to the city’s “artistic freedom, extraordinary exhibition spaces, affordability, and a design-interested public open to new ideas”. In short, creativity is part of the zeitgeist in Berlin.
TRULY INSPIRING BE PART OF THE WORLD’S MOST FASCINATING INDUSTRY 9–13 March 2011, www.itb-berlin.com
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City
Berlin Photo: Alex Qureitem
Brandenburg Gate Berlin has always celebrated its architectural achievements
SLEEPING IN STYLE Nowhere is the city’s aptitude for cutting-edge design more evident than in its boutique hotels. The newly-opened Soho House Berlin is a case in point, seductively blending old and new to create a 21st-Century urban retreat. This private members-only club and 40-bed hotel occupies a listed former department store and communist-era archive in Berlin’s fashionable Mitte district, the 1928 Haus der Einheit, or House of Unity. A first of its kind in Germany, it targets figures from the media, fashion and art worlds with its range of meticulously planned and executed apartments, member and conference areas and a Cowshed spa. The largest rooms come in at 118 square metres and feature free-standing baths, dining areas and seating. As a finishing touch, most rooms have a vintage record player complete with a selection of vinyl LPs. Also worth noting is The Weinmeister, an achingly hip four-star member of the exclusive Design Hotel collection (www.designhotels. com). Located near the Hackescher Markt in Mitte – a hotspot for trendy types thanks to its idyllic art, shopping, fashion and clubbing
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scenes – it boasts oversized beds, Apple iMacs instead of TVs and a 24-hour mindset. Owners Tom Tänzer and Elmo Hagendorf, the entrepreneurs behind Luxe 11 – another Berlin concept property – say The Weinmeister channels a “luxury punk” aesthetic. “The Weinmeister mirrors the excitement of Berlin street life, from the 24-hour clubs to the large gallery spaces,” says Tänzer. “We wanted to capture the essence of modern cool and what it means to enjoy the good life – the hotel exudes style and elegance but with restraint.” If you prefer accommodation with more old-school glamour, there are plenty of options from the established big players. But you may also want to check out Spanish hotel group Whim’s new five-star property, due to open in the Tiergarten in 2011. Called Das Stue, Danish for “living room”, the hotel will have 82 rooms and suites, a luxury spa and a high-tech wallpaper-like finish over the entire rear façade. It will also feature a destination restaurant, managed by Francisco Perez of the Michelin-starred Miramar on Spain’s Costa Brava.
Soho House Berlin One of the city’s trendy new hotels
One Event, Unlimited Destinations Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre
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The Leading Travel Exhibition for the Middle East Region Register now for the opportunity to meet over 2,000 exhibitors from more than 60 destinations. Establish new business prospects, meet key contacts and discover developments that are driving the travel industry today.
Features include: n Educational Seminar Programme n Industry Debates n Social Events n Careers Day – Thursday 5th May n Travel Agents Day – Thursday 5th May n Consumer Day – Thursday 5th May
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City
Berlin
EAT, DANCE, LIVE As you would expect, Berlin has no shortage of interesting places to eat – at last count, the city boasted 14 Michelin-star restaurants including FishchersFritz, the only two-star in the city. But what is the point of visiting one of the world’s most exciting cities without trying something a little out of the ordinary? For the truly adventurous, there is Nocti Vagus, where guests eat in total darkness and are served by specially trained blind waiters. Those who prefer to see and be seen, however, will probably feel more at home at Spindler and Klatt, a riverside restaurant in arty Kreuzberg where guests dine while reclining on oversized Asian beds. Like many Berlin hotspots, Spindler and Klatt is a club-restaurant, so you can take a turn on the dance floor after your meal. If your tastes are a little more refined, you might want to try the Felix club-restaurant, at the Hotel Adlon Kempinski next to the famous Brandenburg Gate, or Berlin’s other World’s Finest Clubs member, Adagio. Candle-lit throughout and decorated in extravagant style, Adagio is the place to spot celebrities, with the likes of Will Smith, Sean Connery and Heidi Klum all gracing its VIP area. For more hardcore party people, there is the home of techno, Tresor, and the renowned Berghain, both of which are housed in old power stations. Or, for true libertines, there is the famous fetish event known as the KitKatClub – a little more tame than it used to be but still not for the faint of heart.
THE SPIRIT OF THE AGE Despite having been the capital of the Kingdom of Prussia and the German Empire, Berlin’s cultural landscape is dominated by the events of the 20th century. During the liberal Weimar Republic after World War I, the city became synonymous with high living – as depicted in the novels of Christopher Isherwood and the movie Cabaret – a mood that has enjoyed a revival in recent years. The rise of Hitler in 1933 cast a shadow that the city has still not entirely thrown off. But even that catastrophe does not seem to have played as great a part in moulding modern Berlin as the post-World War II partitioning of the city and, in 1961, the construction of the Berlin Wall. It was people power as much as politics that brought about the fall of this physical barrier between East and West in 1989 – and Berliners are still rejoicing in the opportunities brought by reunification.
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The Reichstag Norman Foster’s glass dome is a tribute to Berlin’s penchant for cutting-edge design
“To experience real Berlin style you need to get off the beaten track” Berlin’s trendiest hotels offer tailor-made tours of the city, usually focusing on art or fashion and with expert guides, but it’s just as cool to hire a bicycle and do it yourself. Top of your to-do list must be the Reichstag parliament building; its Norman Foster-designed glass dome is a wonder of the modern world, and the Museum Island, where you will find the exquisite, 3,300-year-old bust of Egyptian queen Nefertiti. Other must-sees include the historic Brandenburg Gate, the Bauhaus Archive and, of course, the remains of the Berlin Wall – some of which now forms an open-air gallery. Then there are the shops. Berlin is home to Europe’s largest department store – Kaufhaus
des Westens, or KaDeWe for short. Spread over eight floors, the delicatessen section alone covers 7,000 square metres and offers 34,000 products. Label-hunters will also enjoy a stroll along the Kurfürstendamm, Berlin’s main designer shopping boulevard. But to experience real Berlin style you need to get off the beaten track. Andreas Murkudis, on Münzstrasse, is a one-stop shop for clothing and homeware from avant-garde designers, while The Corner, on Französische Strasse, channels a more high-fashion aesthetic. For luxe arts and crafts, try 2KPM on Wegely Strasse. Alternatively, just wander around the street markets and boutiques and see what gems you stumble upon.
Explore
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Myanmar
February 2011 dotwnews.com
Road to
Mandalay Nick Walton sets sail on Orient-Express’ Road to Mandalay cruiser for the journey of a lifetime up Myanmar’s mighty Irrawaddy River, where he discovers that you can explore uncharted lands in true style and comfort
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I
t’s midday and on the banks of the mighty Irrawaddy River, women and children from the nearby village of Taung Be wash clothes and bathe in the river’s swirling waters. They wave and smile as we approach, and clamber aboard a rickety longboat, its paint faded from countless tropical summers, for the quick passage from the shore out to the ship. The Road to Mandalay, Orient-Express’ unique river journey through Myanmar (formerly Burma), is by far the best way to explore this once closed and still rather backward country. From the temples of Bagan to the monasteries and markets of Mandalay, passengers are exposed to a stunning cross-section of Myanmar’s past and present, while contributing to its future. Myanmar is a truly unique destination; it’s yet to welcome mass tourism and seems, in many ways, blessedly trapped in the past. But with the recent release from house arrest of Aung San Suu Kyi, the country’s best-known political figure, and the first elections in two decades (as fraudulent as they may be), Myanmar is taking tentative steps towards modernity. We flew to Bagan from the capital Yangon after a night at Orient-Express’ Governor’s Residence, a charming colonial-style boutique hotel nestled in the heart of the city’s leafy embassy district. After landing, we made our way by bus to the riverside to meet the ship. Orient-Express’ team looks after everything, from getting through Myanmar’s rather bureaucratic immigration process to money changing (once the bane of every Myanmar-bound traveller) and paying the countless little fees at every stop along the route. They have a long relationship with the country and its people, and it is paying dividends. The river’s silty yellow waters swirl around the ship; in low season the current is a steady three knots, which gives the impression the Road to Mandalay is sailing at full pelt upstream. The captain later tells me that at the height of the rainy season, that current can increase to a torrential six knots.
MYANMAR OR BURMA? Former British colony Burma was granted independence in 1948, after which decades of violent civil unrest ensued before an election was held in 1990. When the National League for Democracy (NLD) won 60 percent of the vote, the ruling military junta SLORC declared the election invalid and seized power, re-naming the country Myanmar. Though the UN has officially adopted the name, uncertainty remains over whether it is politically correct. Currently the governments of the US, Canada, the UK and Australia still refer to the country as Burma.
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Holy land More than 2,500 temples dot the landscapes of Bagan
Our stateroom, one of the ship’s new-look Governor’s Suites, is spacious and bathed in sunlight from two double-height windows. The Road to Mandalay was substantially damaged in a hurricane in late 2008, and after a year in the dry dock, has emerged better than ever, with roomy cabins and lounges, a formal dining room and a sun-drenched pool deck. Bagan is an ancient capital situated on the dry central plains of Myanmar, some 90km north of Mandalay, and is best known for its fields of temples – more than 2,500 of them. Flying into Bagan, the flashes of gold give the impression of a sea of temples, but it’s not until you’re on the ground, driving down dirt tracks and past lines of saffron-robed monks holding black lacquer alms bowls that you realise just how many shrines there really are. The horizon is dotted with gold-leaf and rust-hued temple tips fashioned from local clay bricks and glazed by countless summers under the hot sun. Road to Mandalay keeps its tour groups small and intimate, and our posse of four consists only of myself, my partner Maggie, a Spanish couple and our knowledgeable young guide, Kit.
On the afternoon of our arrival at the ship, we visit the acclaimed Ananda Temple, a Buddhist sanctuary built in 1105AD. One of four remaining ancient temples (we quickly learn the subtle differences between stupa, pagoda and temple) in Bagan, it’s laid out in the form of a cruciform, with a small, circular pagoda on top, covered in an umbrella-like ‘hti’. The four towering gold Buddha statues within are astounding; two are original and two are recreations after the originals were stolen. Each beaming, smiling statue was crafted from a single piece of teak and is a staggering nine metres tall. The statues seem to glow, their golden exteriors reflecting the little light that seeps into the interior of the temple. Children play hide and seek in the shrine’s nooks and crannies, their giggles cascading off ancient whitewashed walls studded with smaller, more modest shrines. Down dirt paths and through tiny villages where children play in the long grass and men lead carts pulled by white bullocks, we come to an emerald green field of maize and temple tops. Following a well-worn footpath that winds through the shade of sun-bleached trees, we
Myanmar
Explore
“For as far as the eye can see, there are the spires of temples, pagodas and stupas, some standing proud, others slowly being reclaimed by the earth”
Road to Mandalay Orient-Express’ luxury river cruiser transports guests along Myanmar’s Irrawaddy River
arrive at the base of a crumbling, box-shaped monastery, dating from the 12th century. It’s easy to see the poverty that monks endured for their faith; tiny stone rooms branch off a main hallway with such a low ceiling that it’s impossible to stand up straight. Following Kit’s flashlight beam, we clamber up through incredibly narrow staircases to the rooftop, to witness the true majesty of Bagan.
performances and even fireworks. We walk through the village, snacking on ceremonial cookies made from caramelised brown sugar and rice, and watch young novice monks scurry behind trucks carrying performers to the stage. In front of the temple, hundreds of wooden beds are laid out – this is an all-night affair and the party is only just getting started as day turns to night.
“Explore temples all day, like a regular Indiana Jones, then dine like you’re in one of the best restaurants in any city, complete with extensive wine list and cigars, under a canopy of stars” For as far as the eye can see, there are the spires of temples, pagodas and stupas, some standing proud, others slowly being reclaimed by the earth. After watching the sunset from nearby Shwesandaw Paya, also known as the Sunset Pagoda, we encounter a village celebrating its temple day; an annual festival that includes efforts to clean and mend the local pagodas, as well as plenty of loud music,
Back on the ship, it’s time for cold towels and cocktails on the pool deck before a quick change and dinner in the main dining room. It’s this contrast that makes the Road to Mandalay such a popular option; you can explore temples all day, like a regular Indiana Jones, then dine like you’re in one of the best restaurants in any city, complete with extensive wine list and cigars, under a canopy of stars.
The next morning, after a leisurely breakfast, Kit leads us to the Shwedagon Pagoda, certainly one of Bagan’s most spectacular. Aglow in the early morning light, its 98-metre golden stupa is stunningly beautiful, and the scene is set with the chants of young monks learning Buddha’s scripture by heart. In the shade of the temple’s buildings, old women chuff away on massive cigar-like homemade cigarettes, while others chew betel nut and laugh with ghoulish red smiles. In the local markets of Nyaung-Oo, women sit on sack cloths and sell freshly-picked vegetables. There are exotic fruits and strange roots, handmade puppets, and hand-crafted sarongs. An old man shades himself under a tree and plays a saung, an ancient harp-like instrument, its delicate notes drifting over the bustle of commerce below. We’re sailing north towards Mandalay by noon. Guests migrate to the sunny pool deck for alfresco lunches, cooking demonstrations and dips in the deep swimming pool. Beyond, river life slips by; fishermen look up from their nets and wave as the ship passes, and on the dusty river banks, lines of monks and village women,
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All that glitters The golden spires of thousands of temples can be seen sparkling in the sunshine when you fly over Myanmar
fresh produce balanced on their heads, can be seen walking to the market. The glowing tips of temples are spotted many kilometres before we pass them. We spend the next day sailing, watching bridges and highways grow on both sides of the river, arriving just outside Mandalay at the Road to Mandalay’s home port of Shwe Kyet Yet in the afternoon. The ship passes under two towering bridges, from which children wave, and then docks under a hilltop encrusted with pagodas dressed in ivory and gold. In Amarapura, another of Myanmar’s former royal capitals located just outside Mandalay city, we watch women, their faces coated in thanaka, a yellowish paste made from the bark of the ‘thee thee’ or wood apple tree, produce brightly
sides with a page of text from the Tripitaka, a Buddhist scripture. Elderly monks ignore the crowds coming to see some of Myanmar’s most famous stars. Instead they focus on their prayers as the sun grows heavy in the sky. We finish the day with sunset at U Pein, a mile-long teak bridge that’s popular with both tourists and villagers walking across Lake Taungthaman. As the sun finally settles into the water everything goes still and there is a hush across the landscape; the boatmen’s yells subside, children are soothed to sleep by their mothers and silence blankets the lake. It’s a truly magical experience. Early the next morning we make our way to the village of Shwe Kyet Yet to offer alms to the monks of the local temple. Road to Mandalay
“Guests migrate to the sunny pool deck for alfresco lunches, cooking demonstrations and dips in the deep swimming pool. Beyond, river life slips by” coloured fabric on ancient timber looms, and then walk through the marble carving area, where spotless white Buddha statues are carefully chiselled by the men, then delicately bathed by the women. We watch shirtless teenage boys use coconut shells in tubs of water to time themselves as they beat gold nuggets into leaf with hammers and durable bamboo paper, while women sit in a cool room beyond and nimbly portion out the wafer-thin pieces of gold for purchase by Buddhist pilgrims. At the Kuthodaw Pagoda a local television company is filming a romance story among the temple’s 792 kyauksa gu, little white shrines, each housing a marble slab inscribed on both
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has a long history in the village and finances one of the local nursery schools. As day breaks over the village, roadside cafés bustle with men drinking strong coffee with condensed milk and watching football, while in the markets, stallholders prepare for another day’s trading. The devout file in order of importance, and the line of crimson-robed monks soon snakes down the dirt road towards the river. Tiny, inquisitive faces peer at us from the end of the line; the youngest of the monks must come last, but there is plenty to eat and they leave with their black alms bowls filled with more than enough rice. Anything the monks can’t eat will be passed on to the believers who call the temple home; nothing is wasted.
We spend the afternoon in the enchanting hills of Sagaing, a holy mountaintop across the river from the ship’s berth. The peak is covered with more than 600 temples and monasteries and no private homes are allowed. After crawling to the highest point to visit the Soon U Ponya Shin Pagoda and to revel in the spectacular views down to the Inwa Bridge and the Irrawaddy River, we visit the Zeyar Theingi Nunnery, another beneficiary of the Road to Mandalay’s charitable works. Here young nuns in delicate pink robes chant scripture by heart in preparation for a test. Strangers are still rare and groups of girls leave their studies to watch us shyly from the upper windows. Evening falls and guests on the ship make the most of their last night aboard with farewell drinks and dinner as the sun sets behind the twin bridges. In the waters below, fishermen cast their nets wide by hand. Myanmar is on the cusp of a new chapter in its history, and with any hope, tourists and sustainable tourism operators won’t be a novelty for too much longer.
TRAVEL PLANNER Take Thai Airways (www.thaiair.com) to Bangkok and connect with Air Asia for the one-hour flight to Yangon, Myanmar. Orient-Express organises domestic flights, all fees and documentation while you’re travelling in Myanmar, making the process much easier. A night in the Governor’s Residence is recommended to break up your trip pre- or post-cruise. Rooms at the Governor’s Residence start from US$238.50 per night, including daily buffet breakfast, one dinner per stay for two and round-trip airport transfers including VIP arrival and airport handling. www.orient-express.com
Experience
Turkish coast
Sailing Turkey From isolated idyllic coves to trendy tourist spots, cruising the Aegean Sea on a traditional Turkish g端let is not to be missed, says Dorothy Waldman
title
Sectiony
Blue lagoon Picturesque ﾃ僕ﾃｼdeniz is a photogenic paradise found where the Aegean Sea meets the Mediterranean
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Turkish coast
“Along the horizon, shimmers of yellow and purple slowly appeared as the sun began its ascent, heralding morning on the Aegean Sea”
T
he goal was to have a perfectly relaxing vacation where the only decisions to be made were on the order of whether to go swimming or take a nap before breakfast. We wanted the serenity of being on the water with the flexibility to do exactly what we pleased, when we pleased, as well as lots of opportunities for physical activity. When we realised that a typical dilemma each day was deciding whether to gently glide into the transparent Aegean Sea or jump in with a torrential splash from the Ocean – a traditional wooden Turkish gület four of us chartered for a week of leisurely meandering along the Lycian coast of Turkey – we knew we had made the right choice. There are numerous companies that offer gület cruises from various locations along the Turkish coast which follow a set itinerary. Typical accommodations are small, rustic cabins
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with private baths, but since most of the time is spent outside, enjoying life on deck or exploring the shore when we wanted to stop, they are completely adequate. We opted for a private cruise with just our small group, departing from the city of Fethiye on the Aegean Coast, which was built on the ruins of the ancient city of Telmessos (400 BC). Renamed in honour of a local hero, Fethi Bey, one of the first pilots in the Ottoman Air Force, the town is littered with ancient remains, partly the result of a massive earthquake in 1958 that destroyed much of it. However, a fifth-Century theatre surrounded by contemporary life still has much of its marble seating intact. From here, we had a perfect view of the Lycian sarcophagus in the surrounding hills overlooking the natural harbour and quaint coastal town. Zafer, our captain, stood at the helm of the Ocean as the crew, with practiced synchronisa-
tion, took us out of the harbour and on to the first of many idyllic spots, the postcard beautiful Yassicalar Island, one of the Olive Tree Islands. As the name suggests, these rugged islands that rise almost vertically from the sea are covered with olive trees. I stared, mesmerised at the beautiful serenity as our chef, Suleyman, served us afternoon tea with a selection of Turkish treats including traditional olive oil cookies. In the mornings, we awoke to the gentle sounds of water lapping against the hull. After a traditional Turkish breakfast of cheese, eggs, tomatoes, fruit, fresh bread, honey and assorted spreads, an invigorating morning swim and the mandatory nap, we left for another destination. Although gülets are sailing ships, we elected to motor, rather than sail, to different locations each day to make the most of our time; some quiet and isolated and others filled with people and activity, and each offering a different, yet fascinating, aspect of the area.
Experience
Turkish coast
“In the absence of the ground light we were so accustomed to in the city, we saw stars and constellations that have intrigued astronomers and sailors from the earliest of times”
Crystal clear The Aegean Sea beckons during sun-drenched afternoons
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We spent one afternoon at Horsetail Bay, where a rugged hill rose sharply from a small rocky beach, presenting us with the ultimate hiking challenge. Mustafa, the ship’s hand, whisked us to the shore in the dinghy, gunning the engine to perform aquatic wheelies in tight circles, yet he somehow managed to keep us relatively dry. Once ashore, we trail-blazed our own path up the rocks, around prickly bushes and thorny trees until we reached the summit. The view over the sparkling Aegean Sea from the top made the torturous journey worth every scrape and scratch. That night, like most nights, we dined alfresco. The evening air in early October, the end of the season for gület charters, was just beginning to get a bit of a chill. After dinner we usually adjourned to the bow, where we would lay on the mats with the last of the wine from dinner or a glass of Turkish cay (strong black tea) and gaze at the heavens above. In the absence of the ground light we were so accustomed to in the city, we saw stars and constellations that have intrigued astronomers and sailors from the earliest of times. If navigation had been left to our knowledge of the skies, the ship would have been lost at sea, at least until one friend switched on her iPad astronomy app that immediately identified all the twinkling lights above us. One morning, I awoke early and took a blanket to the foredeck, where I watched the shoreline slip away in the pre-dawn darkness. Within minutes of the crew gunning the engine, we were outside the protective waters of the cove and felt the wind and, along with it, the salty ocean spray on our faces. We were on our way to Greece, an excursion beyond the normal range of most gület cruises, but one that we had requested in advance. Along the horizon, shimmers of yellow and purple slowly appeared as the sun began its ascent, heralding morning on the Aegean Sea. As the vibrant colours intensified, we passed rugged shores and spied the summits of distant islands. We imagined ourselves as ancient mariners, braving the elements to reach the shore. I tried desperately to soak in the incredible beauty and to permanently imprint it
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Just coasting Turkey’s Lycian coast offers countless opportunities to stop and explore
“For almost five hours we bounced, riding the ocean swells with the bravado of a Texas cowboy on a wild bucking bull” Spectacular sunset After-dinner entertainment came courtesy of skies alight in brilliant shades of pink and orange
on my brain. Knowing this would be impossible, I took copious photographs in a feeble attempt to capture the essence of the first morning light; something few travellers would have the chance to see. For almost five hours we bounced, riding the ocean swells with the bravado of a Texas cowboy on a wild bucking bull, increasing our respect for those who made this voyage millenniums ago under sail and without the advantages of diesel power, radio and a compass, as well as a propane stove upon which our dedicated chef prepared hot coffee and his normal breakfast feast. Finally, the round outline of Fort Saint Michael rose from the horizon, marking the entrance to Rhodes Harbour, the cradle of Greek civilisation. We zipped around the queue of cruise ships waiting to enter the port and pulled into a berth reserved for us. Our captain collected our passports and took care of the immigration formalities so we were soon on our way. We spent the day as tourists, visiting the historical sites in the medieval Old Town that has been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. We also found a peaceful, shady courtyard restaurant with 21st-Century amenities, where we lingered over cappuccinos and fed our internet habit. Because the weather report predicted even more wind for the return voyage (which is not unusual for the time of the year), the captain decided we should leave even earlier the next morning, when the sea was at its calmest.
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On our approach back to Turkey, the captain steered us to a small, protected bay surrounded by mountains, where a gravel road curved through the trees to the water’s edge. Like a scene from a movie, the captain made his way to shore and into a waiting car, which whisked him to Fethiye for the immigration formalities. Meanwhile, we jumped off the boat and played in the water until the road, zig-zagging up the hill, became too intriguing for us to ignore and we began another hike so we could once again view the gület and the rest of the world from above. The next day, we marvelled at the brilliant turquoise and aquamarine lagoon at the resort town of Ölüdeniz. The name means Dead Sea because the waters are so calm. The view looked familiar, perhaps because this is one of the most photographed beaches in the Mediterranean, and is featured on many travel posters. We ignored the kiosks offering boat trips to scenic islands, paragliding adventures and excursions to Butterfly Valley, but those staying in local hotels patiently queued to experience it all. On another day, we visited Göcek, which just 20 years ago was a sleepy fishing village. Popularised by Prince Charles and former Turkish president Turgut Özal, it is now a chic, world-famous yachting destination that exudes a delightful charm with upscale marinas and quaint shops and restaurants. One of my favourite stops was Saint Nicholas Island, named for the fourth century Bishop of Myra whose generosity inspired our
HIRING A GÜLET Charter Turkey (www.charterturkey.net) and Boating Turkey (www.boatingturkey.net) offer weekly gület charters. Price: from EUR 3,150 (US$4,300) to EUR 35,000 ($47,600) per week depending on size of boat and quality. modern-day Santa Claus. We walked through the ancient arches of the corridor connecting the top of the island to the lower levels, stood beneath towering domes and felt etchings of fish and geometric shapes on the stone walls, while marvelling at the inspiring views of the sea. We could feel autumn creeping in towards the end of the cruise. The evenings were getting cooler and the water temperatures were dropping so that only one hearty member of our group was brave enough to swing from the ropes at Tarzan Bay, dropping into the choppy sea as the rest of us watched from the cockpit, snuggled in warm, soft blankets. For our last night, we opted to anchor in the calm of Fethiye Bay so we could make an early flight the next day. From here we could see the panoramic view of the city lights while enjoying the gentle rocking of the boat. Suleyman prepared a superb last dinner for us, which we once again devoured outside on the deck. Afterwards, a cake complete with candles magically appeared to celebrate an upcoming birthday – a perfect ending to a perfectly relaxing week.
Events Calendar
2011
Industry Leading Events In Growing Travel & Tourism Markets. Brought to You by ITE Travel Exhibitions
EMITT 10–13 February 2011 Istanbul, Turkey
44,800 m² space 3,000 exhibitors 42,500 trade visitors
MITT 16–19 March 2011 Moscow, Russia
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10,490 m² space 648 exhibitors 17,318 trade visitors
TourSib 14–16 April 2011 Novosibirsk, Russia
4,950 m² space 240 exhibitors 3,700 trade visitors
KITF 20–22 April 2011 Almaty, Kazakhstan
8,000 m² space 500 exhibitors 6,500 trade visitors
AITF 28–30 April 2011 Baku, Azerbaijan
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Astana Leisure 1,150 m² space 27–29 September 2011 60 exhibitors Astana, Kazakhstan 3,700 trade visitors
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DIARY 02.11
01
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Chinese New Year
China and beyond, Feb 2
Everyone loves a reason to celebrate, and Chinese New Year is no exception. In China on Feb 2 (New Year’s Eve according to the Chinese lunar calendar), families and friends will gather for a reunion dinner, known as Chu Xi, and a fireworks show will end the night. The next morning gifts and money wrapped in red ‘Lai-See’ packets are given to youngsters by their elders. This is also a time when families clean their houses to remove ill will and make room for prosperity in the new year. Festivities to ring in the Year of the Rabbit will take place for the next two weeks, culminating in the Lantern Festival. Countries in close proximity will celebrate in a similar fashion, and in western places with a significant Chinatown district like San Francisco, adaptations in the form of parades, fireworks shows and the traditional packet-giving are common. 64
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London Fashion Week London, Feb 18 -22
If LFW A/W11 means absolutely nothing to you, it’s safe to assume fashion isn’t a hobby of yours. But for all you fashion aficionados, it’s London Fashion Week Autumn/Winter 2011, one of the most highly anticipated events of the season. Fashion editors, bloggers, celebrities and models will descend upon the city for one week of high-profile catwalk shows, to get a preview of the latest and greatest for the Autumn/Winter 2011 season from British designers and labels like Vivienne Westwood, Matthew Williamson and Burberry. If you don’t care for fashion (or you’re more interested in watching the models) it’s still a great time to visit London, as the streets will be alive and brimming with LFW events and aftershow parties. Tickets aren’t always easy to come by, but you’re sure to feel the extra buzz that takes hold of the city.
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Valentine’s Day Worldwide, Feb 14
Some may call it a Hallmark Holiday, but if you’re just not that into Valentine’s Day, you’re out of luck – it’s caught on all over the world. While in the west it’s customary to buy cards, flowers and chocolates for those you love on February 14, in Japan women buy tokens of appreciation for men, usually in the form of chocolate (store-bought ‘giri-choco’ for platonic male friends, colleagues and relatives and homemade ‘honmei-choco’ for intimate partners). On March 14, or White Day, Japanese men return the gesture with sweets and gifts for their special lady. In Denmark, men write romantic notes or funny poems called ‘gaekkebrev’ and give them to the object of their affection anonymously. The receiver must then guess who her admirer is, and is rewarded with a gift at Easter if she does so correctly. However you celebrate it, happy V-Day!
February
What’s on
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Super Bowl XLV
Arlington, Texas, Feb 6
The most highly anticipated sporting event of the year in North America, the Super Bowl sees the top two contenders in America’s NFL (National Football League) battle it out for the Vince Lombardi Trophy and the title of Super Bowl Champion. The Super Bowl XLV will be held at the Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas (the home stadium of the Dallas Cowboys, just outside the city of Dallas), but there will be Super Bowl parties and events taking place in every US state. If you’re lucky enough to hold a Super Bowl ticket, you’ll be treated to a weekend of pre-game parties, concerts and celebrity events in the run-up to the big day, plus what fans claim to be the best football you’ll ever experience, a star-studded half-time show which will include a performance by the Black Eyed Peas, and plenty of celebratory events after the game.
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Groundhog Day
North America, Feb 2
Celebrated across the US and Canada, this rather bizarre holiday began in 1886, when Pennsylvania’s earliest settlers adapted the legend of Candlemas Day – which states, “For as the sun shines on Candlemas Day, so far will the snow swirl in May,” – into the Groundhog Day we know today. On February 2, Punxsutawney Phil, the weather-forecasting groundhog, will emerge from his burrow at the top of Gobbler’s Knob in the town of Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, US. If he sees his shadow, he foretells six more weeks of winter weather and retreats back to his hole. If he sees no shadow, an early spring season shall arrive and he emerges from hibernation. Today in Punxsutawney people gather in the morning to witness the forecast, celebrating with ‘fersommling’ (social gatherings involving food and speeches), and ‘g’spiel’ (plays or skits).
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Gourmet Abu Dhabi Abu Dhabi, Feb 12 -17
The event promises to bring some palate-pleasing excitement into the region as 13 internationally acclaimed chefs with 22 Michelin stars and three Chef Hats between them will entertain ticketholders with a variety of masterclasses, gala dinners and wine pairing sessions. James Martin, the acclaimed TV chef who got his start working alongside Antony Worrall Thompson and has become renowned for his modern take on British cuisine, will be hosting a dinner at the Crowne Plaza Abu Dhabi Yas Island, where he will prepare his specialty fare for up to 250 guests. He’ll also be conducting a free masterclass in which he’ll demonstrate meals that guests can recreate at home. Additional headlining events like an Emirati Royal Dinner, Gourmet Golf Experience and a Feast of Middle Eastern Cuisine are sure to attract foodies from all over the Gulf and beyond. dotwnews.com
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Spend it
Once-in-a-lifetime experiences including dining with grizzly bears and taking a river cruise to explore Russia’s rich history
Grizzly bear encounter
Heart of the Maya
If you like your holidays on the wild side, it doesn’t get much better than watching onetonne grizzly bears fishing for salmon in British Columbia. Courtesy of Abercrombie&Kent’s Extreme Adventures series, the ‘Canadian Grizzly Bear Encounter’, is not for those who would rather spend their holidays sat by the pool with a cosmo. Accompanied by (armed) professional guide Phil Timpany, who the company reassuringly refers to as “part bear whisperer, part bear psychologist and renowned bear expert”, spend five days exploring a four-million-acre wilderness from a bear’s point of view. Just getting there is an adventure; after your arrival in Whitehorse, the capital of the Yukon Territory, you’ll board a charter flight to Atlin in British Columbia. Hop aboard a helicopter to the expedition camp on the Nakina River and observe the bears in their natural habitat, hunting salmon and wrestling on the riverbank. When it’s your time to feed, enjoy lunch from the observation deck while bears potter around below. From: July 2011. Price: from US$13,070. www.akextremeadventures.com
The lesser-known Mayan ruins in Honduras and Guatemala have long been inaccessible to all but those who don’t mind long, uncomfortable treks into the jungle. Fortunately cazenove+loyd has introduced a 12-night itinerary that will take you from Southeast Guatemala into Honduras to explore some of the world’s most breathtaking Mayan ruins, while staying in the region’s top haciendas. After a day exploring the former capital of Guatemala, Antigua, set off in a 4x4 over the border to Copan in Honduras, one of the best preserved Mayan ruins in Central America. Explore the ruins with resident archaeologist Dr. David Sedat, then check in at the 100-yearold Hacienda San Lucas for dinner with a local ornithologist to the backdrop of views of Copan. Spend the next week exploring the Yaxha and Tikal National Parks in Guatemala, then cross into southern Mexico for a boat trip down the Usumacinta River to the archaeological sites of Yaxchilan, Bonampak and Palenque. From: tailor-made. Price: from US$10,840 per person including business class flights with Iberia. www.cazloyd.com
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Itinerary
Spend it
The golfers’ express Rovos Rail’s Golf Safari package is a nine-day tour through some of South Africa’s most stunning landscape, stopping off at the country’s most celebrated golf courses along the way. Non-golfers need not despair, the route was originally intended as a tourist circuit until the company realised its huge potential to capture the attention of enthusiastic golfers with time (and cash) to spare. While the golfers are out searching for lost balls, non-golfers can look out for the Big Five on a game drive in Kruger National Park; watch craftsmen create their wares at the Ngwenya Glass Factory in Swaziland; and learn about the region’s bloody past on a private guided tour of Swaziland’s battlefields. The journey starts in Pretoria and travels east towards the dramatic Drakensberg escarpment en route to Malelane, Swaziland, Hluhluwe, Durban, Ladysmith and Sun City resort in Pilanesberg National Park. The train itself is a work of art, with carefully created cabins that echo the glamour of travel in the 1920s, and gourmet cuisine to ensure you’ll be hungry for your next Rovos adventure. From: departures in April, October and December. Price: from US$5,475 per person (sharing) for a Pullman Suite to $10,650 for the Royal Suite. www.rovos.com
Russian river odyssey Join National Geographic Adventures for a 16-day cruise along the Volga River to explore some of the cities that have shaped Russia’s history, from the comfort of the luxurious MS Volga Dream, which will cruise north from the Volga River Delta on the Caspian Sea to Moscow, passing towns including Volgograd (formerly Stalingrad), Saratov (home of Russia’s first cosmonaut, Yuri Gagarin), Samara, Kazan and medieval Nizhniy Novgorod. The trip starts with four days at the Ritz-Carlton Moscow (right), where passengers will get an exclusive preopening tour of the State Armoury, home to legendary stones from the State Diamond Fund, followed by a tour of the Grand Kremlin Palace. Fly to Astrakhan on day five and board the MS Volga before setting off down the river. Spend a day at the site of the World War II Battle of Stalingrad and meet with a veteran – one of the millions of Russians who fought off the German army to win the war on the Eastern Front. The next seven days are spent exploring the historic towns on the itinerary before returning to Moscow via the scenic Moscow-Volga Canal. From: October 1-16, 2011 Price: from US$6,995-$14,995 per person. www.nationalgeographicexpeditions.com
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Itinerary
Retreat for the senses Tucked away in China’s mountainous Lijiang region, set in the majestic backdrop of the snow-capped peaks of Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, Banyan Tree Lijiang is a hideaway for those who really want to get away from it all. To add to the sense of ethereal wellbeing, the hotel has launched a new package that it says will help guests rediscover themselves, restore the body, rest the mind and kick-start a healthy lifestyle. How can you say no to that? The package includes three nights in a Deluxe Suite, eight complimentary healthy meals including one in-suite dining experience, daily 90-minute spa session (a 60-minute massage plus a 30-minute calm-time session), daily yoga or Tai-chi, a tour of the ancient towns surrounding Lijiang, one “Night of Bliss” special turndown, return transfers and one Banyan Tree Gallery gift per day. From: available until March 2011. Price: from US$1,500 per person. www.banyantree.com
Houseboating in California
The Upper House
If you like to explore the world at a relaxed pace and preferably with a glass of something golden, grape-flavoured and delicious in hand, the travel experts at Black Tomato have just the thing. Set off from San Francisco and drive north through the wine country along the Mendocino coast (top right), where small family-run wineries dot the lush green landscape and the Pacific Ocean trails past the window. Spend a couple of nights in Mendocino and explore the wine country by bike, stopping here and there to sample some of the local produce. When you reach the stunning lakes of the Shasta Cascade, surrounded by 365 miles of unspoiled coastline peppered with hidden coves and inlets, you’ll board a luxurious houseboat and set sail for four nights on the lake. Enjoy the scenery from the top deck, where you’ll find a barbecue, hot tub, fishing equipment, wakeboard and a waterslide. When the shadows grow long, find your own secluded cove to drop anchor and enjoy a night under the starry sky. From: May until September 2011. Price: from US$3,775 per person. www.blacktomato.com
Nestled above one of Hong Kong’s hottest lifestyle and entertainment venues, Pacific Place, sits a hotel that has taken a new approach to urban living. The Upper House (below right) opened in 2009 and is Swire Hotels’ second venture, after the success of the company’s debut property, The Opposite House, which redefined the boutique hotel concept in Beijing when it opened in 2008. The Upper House has been dazzling guests with its chic interiors, which sport stunning views of Hong Kong’s skyline and Victoria Harbour below. Check into one of the hotel’s 1,230 square foot Harbour View Upper Suites for three nights this year and get the fourth night for free, as well as a host of treats including breakfast at Café Gray Deluxe, complimentary gym access, free WiFi, free local calls and unlimited helpings from the maxi-bar (except wine products). Upper Suites feature a 400 sq ft spa-inspired bathroom, walk-in rain shower, limestone-clad bath and a free-standing bathtub overlooking the skyline. From: until December 2011. Price: from US$953 per night. www.upperhouse.com
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DEBUT
Palacial Ottoman style on The Palm
Jumeirah Zabeel Saray The Palm, Dubai, UAE
Following the Atlantis Hotel in 2008 and the One & Only The Palm in late 2010, the Jumeirah Zabeel Saray is the latest hotel on Dubai’s The Palm development to open its doors. The five-star property emulates the opulence of the Ottoman Empire with hand-painted frescoes, Turkish artworks and lavish murals, interweaving Arab themes throughout. If, like us here at DOTW News, you’re somewhat of a Hammam addict, the Talise Ottoman Spa, with its three authentic Turkish Hammams and 42 individual spa rooms and suites will no doubt impress you. Accommodation comes in the form of 38 villas situated on the beach or around a lagoon, and ten restaurants, a nightclub, tennis court, boutiques, and the Mehteran Theatre and Events Centre will occupy your time away from the sunloungers. Hideaway Jumeirah Dhevanafushi’s villas ensure maximum privacy
Paradise Hidden in the greenery of Praslin Island
Raffles Praslin Praslin Island, Seychelles
This 30-hectare resort’s trump card has to be its setting. Nestled among the lush greenery and natural granite formations of Praslin Island, the Raffles Praslin Seychelles has direct access to Anse Takamaka, a 500-metre long stretch of pristine white sandy beach leading to the crystal clear waters of the Curieuse National Marine Park. With 86 villas, a Raffles Spa, several restaurants as well as nearby attractions like Curieuse Island, where you’ll find hiking trails winding through natural mangrove swamps and a large population of giant tortoises; the vanilla and cinnamon plantations of La Digue Island; and the UNESCO World Heritage Site Vallee de Mai, with its thick forests of coco de mer palms, this is a place to bask in the beauty of your natural surroundings. 70
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Jumeirah Dhevanafushi Gaafu Alifu Atoll, Maldives
Jumeirah Hotels is set to open its longawaited Maldives property, the Jumeirah Dhevanafushi – an intimate all-suite resort that comprises 22 private island villas in Gaafu Alifu Atoll – in the first quarter of 2011. The resort will also feature an exclusive ‘water village’ with 16 ocean villas separated from the main island. Each villa
offers sea views, direct access to the beach and 24-hour butler service. Three restaurants and a bar, as well as a Talise spa with overwater treatment rooms and sports and leisure facilities, will ensure guests’ wellbeing. A second Maldives property, Jumeirah Vitavelli, a five-star deluxe family resort in South Male Atoll, is scheduled to open in March 2011.
We keep you abreast of all the latest hotel openings
Ritz-Carlton DIFC Dubai, UAE
Inside the limestone façade of the new RitzCarlton DIFC, located in the heart of the city’s bustling financial district, eight water fixtures wind their way throughout the airy Asian and Art Deco-inspired interior, which incorporates elements of Feng Shui into open spaces filled with natural light and walnut panelling. The most impressive fixture has to be the ten-storey waterfall cascading down the side of the central courtyard, creating an intimate, rainy-day feeling inside Blue Rain, the fine-dining Thai restaurant encased behind glass walls on the opposite side of the stream. The 14-storey, 341-room hotel is set to be a popular destination for both business travellers and the throngs of executives living and working in the Dubai International Financial Centre, who are sure to make good use of the hotel’s F&B amenities, including the modern upscale steakhouse, Center Cut, the all-day dining French Brasserie CanCan and the Art Deco-style No 5 cigar bar and lounge. Location The Ritz-Carlton DIFC is situated in the heart of Dubai’s financial district
Sofitel So Mauritius Mauritius
French luxury hotel chain Sofitel continues its re-branding mission with the launch of the first property in its Sofitel So portfolio, a collection of luxury boutique hotels set within stunning natural landscapes. Sofitel So Mauritius is situated on a 34-acre former sugar cane plantation bordered by a generous white sandy beach and lush tropical gardens, and its 84 suites, six beach villas and two 200-square metre Beaulieu villas each feature gardens, outdoor plunge pools (with private swimming pools for the vil-
las), patios with open showers and personal butler service. Two restaurants, La Plage (run by Michelin-star French chef Frederic Anton) and Le Flamboyant, surrounded by water and overlooking the pool and lagoon, plus a bar, a Kid’s Club, yoga and spa centre, fitness centre and state-of-the-art So SPA will round out the property. The next Sofitel So locations to open will be the Sofitel So Bangkok (fall 2011) and the Sofitel So Mumbai (spring 2011).
Sleek Sofitel So Mauritius is the brand’s first venture into the boutique market
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title
SUITE DREAMS
Private Côte d’Azur Anna Zhukov falls in love with the Grand Hôtel du Cap-Ferrat, where royalty and celebrities escape to indulge in privacy
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hen your vintage Rolls-Royce arrives at the Grand Hôtel du Cap-Ferrat, the most celebrated hotel address in the French Riviera and the most exquisite summer retreat in Europe, the first thing you’ll need to do is phone your friends and family to tell them about it. “Hello, it’s me, and I’m calling you from heaven,” you’re likely to say. Opening up onto the magnificent sea views of Villefranche and Beaulieu-sur-Mer, Grand Hôtel du Cap-Ferrat is at the furthermost tip of the peninsula of Saint Jean Cap Ferrat. The white palace, with its splendid rotunda façade, is graced with Greek glory, Roman grandeur and the majestic nature of the Mediterranean coast. Sunk under the lush groves of centuries-old pines and olive trees, this hidden piece of French terrain was discovered by the King of Belgium Leopold II, when he decided to acquire acres of land neighbouring the principality of Monaco at the end of the 19th century.
At the dawn of the 20th century, King Leopold was determined to build a grand white palace designed by the legendary Gustave Eiffel. One century later, Russian tycoon Leo Blavatnik bought the property along with another piece of French history, Hôtel de Vendôme in central Paris, for an estimated €215 million (US$288 million). Following the latest acquisition, Grand Hôtel du Cap-Ferrat closed its doors for a multi-million Euro makeover by internationally acclaimed designers PierreYves Rochon and Albert Pinto. The stunning main palace was complemented by the state-of-the-art contemporary structures of The Spa and The Residencies; an architectural tribute to the environment and the sensory equilibrium of Provence, by Luc Svetchine. In May 2009, Grand Hôtel du Cap-Ferrat reopened to impress paparazzi and luxury connoisseurs from around the world. Over the years, the guest list has included Queen Victoria, Somerset Maugham, Charlie
Chaplin, Winston Churchill, Picasso, Paul McCartney and Frank Sinatra. A magnet for royals, aristocracy, stars and billionaires, Saint Jean Cap Ferrat is perhaps the most exquisite and sought after residential location in France and a lavish home to the most celebrated personalities in the world, as well as luxury sailing boats and mega-yachts. Respect for privacy is as high as the hedges surrounding the sublime properties; an essential requirement for those who live in or visit Cap Ferrat, where the air is crisp with the fresh sea breeze. My exceptional sea view suite in the centre of the historical building has served as a private retreat to many distinguished guests. Immaculately finished in white and beige pastels, exquisite minimalist décor is exalted yet meditative, a vision of the interior designer Pierre-Yves Rochon. For the love of art and in the spirit of the entire ArtDeco property, the suite is kitted out with incredible limited edition gravures and reproductions of works
from French artists, many of whom were local to the area and regular guests at the Grand Hôtel, including greats Picasso, Cocteau, Matisse, Chagall, Modigliani and Rodin. Gorgeous spacious white marble bathrooms are complete with a decadent tub, and a generous selection of Bvlgari White amenities is re-stocked every day and as a sweet treat, Signature organic fruit jellies are left for you every afternoon in the foyer. Maximising the effect of the sunlight, French windows open onto the grand terrace from the rooms and living area of my suite, overlooking marvellous park and spa gardens created and cared for by the French Riviera’s landscape virtuoso Jean Mus. The tranquil views of the Mediterranean Sea extend to the horizon and all you can hear is the sound of the sea, singing birds and a whisper of trees moving with the wind. Everything invites you to surrender and embrace the splendour of nature and ascetic luxury, and you cannot help but sigh, “It is just perfect”.
The important bit What: Grand Hôtel du Cap-Ferrat Location: Côte d’Azur, South of France Cost: Sea view Suites Deluxe start from US$2,050 during shoulder season or $ 2,950 in high season from June 11 to September 22. Visit the website for full details. Web: www.grand-hotel-capferrat.com
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Suite dreams Hotel
Stay and ski in Dubai Joe Mortimer enjoys the finest Swiss hospitality in a Grand Chalet at Kempinski Hotel Mall of the Emirates
I
spent the first half-hour or so of my stay staring out of the floor-to-ceiling windows that look out over Ski Dubai. I surveyed the scenery and watched the skiers watching me, framed in the cosy surroundings of my expansive Swiss chalet. Behind me an artificial digital fire in the sunken living room filled the space with a warm glow. Minutes later, up on the top floor of the three-storey Grand Chalet, I was facing the other way, looking out across the hotel’s swimming pool towards Dubai’s waterfront Madinat Jumeirah. The Grand Chalet is the epitome of decadence – an obscenely luxurious suite for those who have it all and still want more. US-based interior design firm Wilson Associates has mixed cutting edge design with the warmth of a real Swiss ski lodge. Teak panelling on the walls of the living area keep the space warm and cosy, while the grand staircase that leads up to the thirdfloor master bedroom is a picture of Modernism, with elegant lights hanging down from high ceilings. I loved the fact that each of the three bedrooms comes with a freestanding oversized bathtub, perfect for a long soak after a day on the slopes, while amenities come courtesy of Molton Brown. I’m not a skier but if I were, I would have awarded extra points for the ski gear storage cupboard in the ground-floor washroom. Service is nonpareil: a private butler is available on request and the banqueting department is more than happy to serve up a five-course meal for six at your dining room table; I was content with a veritable platter of sticky Arabic baklava sweets and a king-sized bowl of fresh fruit that awaited me on arrival. The windows of the third-floor master bedroom look out onto the small patio outside K Grill – the hotel’s signature restaurant – as well as the pool area, which transforms into the very chilled-out Mosaic Club at night. K Grill specialises in grilled fish and meat (I recommend the macadamia and herb-crusted veal tenderloin with gnocchi and spring veg) but it also offers a range of pastas and vegetarian dishes and the waiting staff are only too happy to indulge specific requests: “Wheat-free bread sir? Not a problem.”
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For post- (or pre-) dinner drinks, either grab a beanbag lounger and a cocktail and relax at the poolside Mosaic Club, literally a stone’s throw away from K Grill, or head up to the second floor and join the very trendy set in 1897, the hotel’s moody cocktail lounge, complete with mirrored tables, deep purple velour sofas and very well turned out staff. Try the amazing daiquiri (shaken and strained if you please) or for something a bit different, try the Chilli-tini – a chilli infused, berry flavoured twist on the traditional Martini. It would be wrong not to mention the sumptuous beds, which virtually swallowed me up and made it very hard to leave in the morning. Fussy sleepers will appreciate the pillow and duvet menu, which features a range of comfortable and orthopaedic sleep kits. Being in such close proximity to Ski Dubai (three inches of glass away) and the Mall of the Emirates, you’re in a perfect spot for early-morning runs or a ski lesson on the fresh snow, or a quick tour of the mall before the masses of daily visitors arrive. The closest I got to skiing that day was during lunch at Sezzam restaurant, where the tables are strategically placed at the bottom of the ski slope (ask for one of the window-side tables at the far end of the restaurant for the best views up the slopes). Delicious Asian cuisine comes from three sections of the restaurant – Steam, Flame and Bake (I recommend the Schezwan chicken noodles for breakfast, lunch and dinner) while you enjoy watching skiers hurtle down the world’s largest indoor ski slope. “I feel more Christmassy now than I did at Christmas time,” said my partner as we watched kids throwing snowballs at each other and zipping down the slopes in toboggans while skiers and snowboarders showed off their skills in the background. Even if you’re not a skier, the Ski Chalets at Kempinski Mall of the Emirates are a magical place to stay, and where else in the world can you combine world-class hospitality, shopping and beaches in one day?
For more hotel and resort reviews please visit: www.dotwnews.com
The important bit What: Kempinski MOE Location: Dubai, UAE Cost: from US$7,623 per night (high season) Web: www.kempinski.com
Grand Resort Bad Ragaz The Leading Wellbeing & Medical Health Resort
Experience a unique environment of healthy wellbeing.
7310 Bad Ragaz 路 Switzerland 路 Tel. +41 (0)81 303 30 30 reservation@resortragaz.ch 路 www.resortragaz.ch
London classic The Savoy recently reopened following a multi-million pound refurbishment. Gareth Rees discovers a property eager to maintain its distinguished history
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Suite dreams
The Savoy
“The Ritz may be a cracker, but The Savoy is the original grand British hotel”
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ondon is a thoroughly modern city, no doubt about it, but its current standing in the world is built on solid foundations laid down over centuries. London’s history– its institutions – are what makes it one of the world’s truly great cities. Mention the UK capital to any traveller with a tendency to romanticise, even a former resident like myself who knows better, and visions of dapper gents in Savile Row suits strolling down the Strand exuding the wartime spirit abound. Sadly, that version of London has faded somewhat. Fortunately if you, like me, are a sucker for that old world charm – an unlived memory of the halcyon days of yesteryear – there is one place trying its damndest to keep the spirit of the past alive. The Savoy reopened in November last year following a three-year renovation project that cost its owner, Saudi billionaire Prince AlWaleed bin Talal, US$351 million. If its recent history is impressive, then its pre-renovation story is astounding; the Ritz may be a cracker, but The Savoy is the original grand British hotel. Richard D’Oyly Carte, of Gilbert and Sullivan fame, opened London’s first luxury hotel on August 6, 1889, soon after employing famous Swiss hotelier Cesar Ritz as hotel manager and the godfather of modern cooking, Auguste Escoffier, to take care of dinner. It was the first hotel to be lit by electricity, the first with electric lifts and the first to install en-suite bathrooms. But most extraordinary was the list of celebrity guests. King Edward VII, Oscar Wilde, Frank Sinatra, Marilyn Monroe, Bob Dylan and George Clooney are but a few of the rich and famous who’ve stayed at the hotel. As I stepped from our taxi to be welcomed by several doormen in immaculate uniforms below a chrome portico adorned with the hotel’s famous name in gold lettering, I couldn’t help thinking, “Bogart stayed here – and Churchill”.
Our bags spirited away, we entered through the revolving doors and were soon admiring a fine view of the Thames, the London Eye, Big Ben and Westminster Palace from our regal suite on the Edwardian wing of the hotel. Interior designer Pierre Yves Rochon has done a tremendous job of maintaining the hotel’s feel of timeless luxury, utilising both the original Edwardian design and the Art Deco style of the hotel’s 1920s and 30s heyday. The Savoy’s history is alive in original features like the famous red lift, but it is still very much a contemporary hotel with pleasing touches like the heated floor tiles in the bathroom placing it firmly in the now. The American Bar – the first cocktail bar in Europe – provides an ideal setting for a pre- or post-dinner tipple, while the new Beaufort Bar offers up nightly entertainment on its very own stage – a tribute to the stars of days gone by. If there is any criticism to be made it is that The Savoy is playing up its history a little too much. Take The Savoy Grill, now run by Gordon Ramsay. Instead of pinning pictures of past patrons to the walls, the hotel should be trying to attract contemporary stars to a restaurant that serves faultless food, but lacks the atmosphere you would expect from what was once a magnet for London’s great and good. All in all, though, a stay at The Savoy will provide exactly what anyone who knows its history would expect. True sophistication and old world luxury, the type that doffs its cap and politely assists rather than slapping you in the face with its splendour and irritating you with it eagerness to please. It remains an enduring classic, awaiting the arrival of the modern-day Bogart and Bacall. RATING: Dine at The Savoy Grill, then take in one of the grandest views in London from the windows of your suite before catching a West End show for the ultimate Savoy experience.
Bob Dylan The music video for Dylan’s classic Subterranean Homesick Blues was filmed in an alley behind The Savoy.
Marilyn Monroe One of The Savoy’s regular guests, pictured with British actor Sir Laurence Olivier in 1956.
The important bit What: The Savoy Location: Strand, London, UK Cost: From US$486 per person per night. Visit the website for full price list. Web: www.fairmont.com/savoy
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Connoisseur
T
okyo’s luxury hotels offer the same efficiency and charm that you find in Bangkok. The newest is the 200-room Shangri-La Tokyo (pictured above), on the top floors of Mori Trust’s Marunouchi Trust Tower. Arrive by a hotel BMW 7 Series and you plunge down into the bowels of the Japanese earth to a subterranean carpark where you reach the main limo arrival area, complete with a posse of bowing greeters. Premier City View room 3118 shows off the hotel’s style, with interiors by designer Hirsch Bedner. You look out over Tokyo Station and the banking area of Marunouchi, and inside, you’re surrounded by 700 square feet of sand-coloured carpet with the soft outline of flowers, and walls that are tobacco, tan or chocolate, in alternating textures of wood and fabric. Sliding double oak doors reveal the bathroom, which has flecked dark-chocolate marble enclosing the basin area and the window-set oval tub, with milk chocolate flooring and white chocolate marble walls. There are 330 employees to assist, always with a bow: “Want a local walking map? What can I do to help?” In the somewhat compact gym, an omnipresent female attendant in blue is almost too eager to assist. By the pool, with typical Japanese precision, rolled blue towels are placed military-style on loungers. The Shangri-La Tokyo’s art is spectacular. Mori Trust has bought over 2,000 pieces, including a D’art screen in the lobby lounge that has 80,000 crystal glasses overlaid with 24-carat gold patterns. Throughout the hotel, there are 50 Czech-made chandeliers; two, by designer Jitka Skuhravá, each sport 30,600 crystal beads forming 780 shimmering ginkgo leaves. To crown it all, in the main stairwell hangs Táña Dvoráková’s cascading sparkling raindrops, with 486,500 crystal beads and 1,070 hand-blown crystal icicles. The silver-glass chandelier in the hotel’s Piacere Italian restaurant is, by contrast,
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Mary Gostelow
Lifestyle and luxury commentator
“With typical Japanese precision, rolled blue towels are placed military-style on loungers”
An insider’s view of the world’s most luxurious hotels Murano. Designer Andre Fu, who did The Upper House, Hong Kong, has turned this 28th-floor, double-height restaurant into a theatre for cuisine. Start with Chef Paolo Pelosi’s test tubes of tiniest on-stalk macrobiotic carrots, radishes and barely-visible beetroot, and a dipping oil heated by a nightlight below; a whole San Daniele ham is wheeled up for a paper-thin tasting slice to be carved. Jay Wetzel’s cuisine at the 52nd-floor New York Grill in Park Hyatt, Tokyo, is currently one of HOTELS magazine’s ten great hotel restaurants 2010 worldwide. Here, serious carnivores can choose such delights as a ribeye from Yamagata Prefecture – the fat melts at room temperature – with a side of, say, sautéed forest mushrooms with ricotta. Despite its age, this 17-year-old, 178-room hotel continues to innovate. GM Philippe Roux-Dessarps has turned his corner office, overlooking Shinjuku Park, into a wedding sales venue with working kitchen. Engaged couples are invited to taste trial menus but it can also be booked at any time for eight-seat private dining, with the added bonus of an interactive chef. Tokyo, like many cities, is all about location. The 24-floor Peninsula Tokyo, coming up to its third birthday, looks directly down on the Imperial Gardens. At this 314-room hotel, the show starts as soon as you enter the lobby, where there is a life-size bamboo dragon by artist Keisen Hama. Behind the front desk is a wall formed of 70 layers of clay, and above this hangs a chandelier of 1,313 pinprick lights on the ends of vertical silver-metal shafts. At any of the elevator floors above, you can look through interior windows into what appears to be a black void. It is just that – a design feature required by the local planning authority. To turn the 200-foot tall area into a masterpiece, Dutch artist Ben Jakober wrapped 24 stainless steel cones in side-glow glass fibres. Only in Tokyo would a required structural void be turned into an awe-inspiring light show. Tokyo is also about invention. The Peninsula Tokyo was the first hotel worldwide to have miniature electric drying slots in the bathroom. Insert your fingertips and, hey presto, your wet nail varnish dries instantly. Perhaps most importantly, Tokyo is about making you, the guest, feel better. All hotels have pools, and top-class spas. The Peninsula’s eight-room ESPA is decorated with Aji-ishi granite from Kagawa Prefecture and Washi paper lights, and you lie on a Clodagh Gemini fully-automated spa bed. The Peninsula has bicycles, or you can run around the perimeter of the Imperial Palace and its gardens, a memorable 45-minute circuit as it is filled with locals of all ages, many decked out in the latest sports gear. Another great base five minutes away is The Imperial Tokyo, the doyen of Tokyo’s hotels. This 1,059-room icon celebrated its 120th birthday last year and it just shows that Japanese features, be they bonsai, sake or hotels, are so often timeless.
THE NEW PERFUME
THE ALBUM: DUNCAN PALMER Duncan Palmer, vice president of design, The Langham Hotels and Resorts and managing director, The Langham, Hong Kong
A
lthough his roots are firmly planted in British soil, Duncan Palmer has travelled far and wide and lived in some of the most exotic corners of the earth during his career in hotel management and design. Today he holds the dual role of managing director of The Langham Hong Kong and vice president of design for Langham Hotels and Resorts Worldwide. The later role puts Palmer at the forefront of the planning and interior design for the major refurbishments of all
The Langham hotels and resorts worldwide, as well as three upcoming properties. But it is his role at the Langham Hotel in Hong Kong that has won him the most praise in recent years. The hotel scored 90.8 in Conde Nast Traveller USA’s ‘Gold List 2010’; was vote number eight on Luxury Travel Australia’s ‘Best Overseas Hotel’ list; included in Travel+Leisure China’s ‘China’s Top 100 Hotels’; and awarded two Michelin stars in the Michelin Guide Hong Kong and Macau for its T’ang Court restaurant.
Prior to his arrival in Hong Kong, Palmer was based at the company’s flagship property, The Langham, London, for five years from 2004 until 2009. Indeed, his CV reads like an honorary scroll of some of the most celebrated hotels in the world: The Sukhothai Hotel, Bangkok (GM), The Connaught in London (GM), The Savoy, London (GM), Mandarin Oriental Jakarta (GM) and The Oriental, Bangkok (resident manager). The list goes on and includes hotels in Manila, Macau and Dubai.
San Francisco
Photo: Hamilton Lund; Tourism NSW
I like to visit San Francisco and stay at the Mandarin Oriental. It’s in the third tallest office tower in the city with wonderful views of the Golden Gate Bridge and San Francisco Bay. It’s such a cosmopolitan city and I love to walk the streets and be amongst the wonderful architecture. You can really feel the history. I also like to get out of the city and go down to Sausalito.
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London and the south
Sydney
London has become a much more cutting-edge city, like New York but with this tremendous heritage and on a more human scale. I love the greenery – all the parks and gardens throughout the city – and I love the theatre. There are so many different types of people, plus it’s a great base to explore the rest of Europe. I also love to spend time on the English Riviera; the south coast near Torquay and Babbacombe Bay, and I love walking and driving along the coast or around Dartmoor.
I used to have an apartment in Sydney and I love it for the outdoor lifestyle, but beyond that, it’s the overall culture of the city; it’s very relaxed and the people are fantastic. The climate is also excellent – it’s a really refreshing place to be, especially when you’re based in Hong Kong, it’s one of the few reasons you’d want to get out of Asia from time to time. There are some great restaurants around the city and in the harbour, or you can take a boat out on the water or charter a crew for a day.
February 2011
dotwnews.com
“London has become a much more cuttingedge city, like New York but with this tremendous heritage and on a more human scale”
The Album
Bangkok
Munich
St. Petersburg
Bangkok is an excellent city to visit, not just for the great food and service. It’s also a healthy destination with a good mixture of everything. For people looking for something a bit more cosmopolitan, The Sukhothai (pictured) is a great place to stay, but then if you’re looking for something more classical you can spend a night in the Mandarin Oriental, which is a landmark hotel in the city. Then there are resorts just outside Bangkok for wellness breaks and detox programmes.
Munich is a culturally fascinating city with excellent museums and wonderful parks. It’s one of the truly great cities of Europe and it’s packed with history. You really feel like you are in the middle of Europe when you are there. I love to take the Porsche for a drive in the countryside or base myself in Munich and drive around the region. I once drove from London all the way to Munich on a road tour of Europe for eight or nine weeks – it’s great scenery and really good driving.
St. Petersburg has tremendous tradition and history. I like to stay in the old Hotel Astoria, which has been around since the early 1900s. You’ve got all the different squares and the musical and literary heritage of famous greats like Tchaikovsky, not to mention the cathedrals and other monuments. You look around and find yourself wondering why these structures were built and who the people who built them were. I think it could become one of the most beautiful cities in Europe.
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February 2011
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Final word Sustainable tourism
On the frontline Luigi Cabrini director, sustainable development, United Nations World Tourism Organisation – Spain
What is your goal at UNWTO? The volume of tourism is increasing globally and we believe that is a major tool for development. That growth must be accompanied by sustainability strategy, otherwise the pressure on the environment and the social economic impact will become an obstacle to growth. We are trying to streamline sustainability in all forms of tourism, both mass destinations and niche destinations or eco tourism. Of course it does have to be done in different ways. As an example, in mass destinations it would be enough to put solar panels in hotels. That would give you an energy saving that would be equivalent to several megatonnes. Small improvements in a big destination in terms of energy saving have a big impact.
And the smaller niche destinations? We really see that new destinations and luxury destinations have wider space to operate in this field. Why? Firstly, because they can operate at a higher price, and therefore they are able to invest more. Secondly, because there is an increasing upscale market that is looking for tourism which is friendly with nature and which puts them in contact with the wild flora and fauna. There really is a possibility for experimenting.
Six Senses One of a handful of hotel companies to have embraced sustainable development
Can sustainable development and energy savings be retrofitted in hotels and destinations?
Where does the ultimate responsibility lie – with governments, companies or with the consumer?
It is more costly but especially in the accommodation sector there is room for more energy saving and for introducing renewable energy. It is a relatively economic investment. There are examples of hotel chains – Sol Melia, Six Senses and others – where a little investment has resulted in a return on investment in a matter of two or three years. Though hotels represent a smaller percentage of carbon emissions compared to the transport sector, this is also where, with a lower investment, you can save more.
It’s a shared responsibility. I think that one should not rely ultimately on governments. Governments can create what we call the enabling conditions – a certain structure for operations – but the driving force must come from the tourism operators, pushed by the new demand from consumers. The governments can of course create incentives like tax credits, especially for small companies that don’t have the resources to make huge investments, but leadership will remain mostly with the tourism businesses themselves.
Do people accept that they have to pay more for sustainable holidays? Surveys say consumers are disposed to pay more for a sustainable holiday. Statistics differ but I think all in all, we’re seeing a positive attitude, which means they are willing to pay a bit more. Not double, but a bit more.
What about carbon offsetting? That is less popular. It’s more common that consumers look for sustainable destinations. People want to have an environmentally friendly vacation, which is a positive experience as well, and I think customers will pay for that.
Competition... WHERE IN THE WORLD? Think you can identify the location in the photo? If you do, e-mail your answer to competition@dotwnews.com and put Where in the world? in the subject line. Each month, the winner will receive a 12-month subscription to Destinations of the World News worth US$99 and two bottles of Passenger fragrance – Passenger for Men and Passenger for Women – courtesy of Paris design house St. Dupont. The destination featured in our January 2011 competition was La Croisette in Cannes. This month’s winner is Joe Mathews in Oman.
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February 2011
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