Issue 07
TRAILERS, TENTS & TEEPEES IN TEXAS
Plus:
48 Hours: Hong Kong
Mexico’s Interior
Museum Cafes
Celebrity Vacation
Make the most of your layover
Besides the country’s busy beaches
Our favourite pre- or post-art bites
Hotel Hassler Roma, Italy
SINGAPORE S$7.90 • HONG KONG HK$43 • THAILAND THB175 • INDONESIA IDR50,000 • MALAYSIA MYR17 • VIETNAM VND85,000 • MACAU MOP44 PHILIPPINES PHP240 • BURMA MMK35 • CAMBODIA KHR22,000 • BRUNEI BND7.90 • LAOS LAK52,000 • AUSTRALIA AUD$9.95
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CONTENTS HONG KONG In 48 hours
WE’RE OBSESSED WITH
EL COSMICO
MEXICO’S INTERIOR Besides the beaches
CELEB ESCAPES Hotel Hassler Roma
MUSEUM CAFES WE LOVE Best pre- or post-art bites
Image: Nicole Franzen, Untitled
Luxury Escapes Magazine Published by Luxury Escapes, 259 Coventry Street South Melbourne, 3205, Victoria Australia Writer and Editor Elspeth Velten Publisher Jeremy Same For subscriptions sign up at luxuryescapes.com Cover Image: El Cosmico, Nick Simonite
FROM THE EDITOR’S DESK We’ve recently been ramping up our Pinterest page to keep up with all of you social media animals and in the process, I think we finally discovered exactly what Pinterest is all about. Take, for example, our story in this very issue about how drop-dead gorgeous the campground at El Cosmico in Marfa, Texas (page 34) is. Our intrigue about this unique, personality-filled property was born from a tiny little pin that one of you shared online. We caught on to your great find, and we’re (packing our bags) getting back to you with our response – research that you didn’t have to spend your own time doing, and even more eye candy from the property. But we want to share our obsessions with more of you, and learn from your own amazing ideas and daydreams. This is all about you, after all. So like and follow us on all of our social accounts, and let’s collaborate! Simply click the icons below to join us.
Elspeth Velten Luxury Escapes Editor @ElspethVelten @ElspethVelten
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MUSEUM CAFES WE LOVE A long morning of contemplating art (or being confused by it) certainly warrants a noon-time nosh. We wish we could say that every gallery has a cafe worthy of a post-exhibit visit, but we’re underwhelmed by museum sandwich shops and cafeterias all too often. Luckily for you, we’ve rounded up a list of cafes that DO make the cut–these might be worth a visit without even if you skip the exhibit. Food is art in itself, though, no?
Image: Nicole Franzen, Untitled
Image: Nicole Franzen, Untitled
Untitled The Whitney Museum NYC, USA Untitled is a Danny Meyer venture (the guy who brought us Shake Shack and numerous other amazing NYC haunts,) so it’s almost guaranteed to be great. It’s also been awarded the Michelin 2014 Bib Gourmand award for “excellence on a budget,” which should be reassuring if Meyer’s reliable name isn’t enough to incite hunger. Untitled, helmed by executive chef Chris Bradley, aims to provide a contemporary, farm-to-table take on the classic Manhattan coffee shop, and we’re digging that idea. New York staples like the rueben sandwich are available, but other dishes like poached eggs on cheesy grits, huckleberry pancakes and the Untitled burger with cheddar, roasted tomato and caramelized onions are exciting as well, and pair perfectly with Brooklyn’s Stumptown coffee (one of our favourites in NYC!). Want to dine al fresco? Untitled provides take-away picnic bags
that are perfect for a quick jaunt to nearby Central Park.
Palettes Contemporary Cuisine Denver Art Museum, USA On the ground floor of the Denver Art Museum, Palettes serves up American cuisine during weekday lunch times and dinners on Fridays. The dining room has views of outside sculptures and the impressive and unique Hamilton Building, but chef Kevin Taylor’s “Passport to Paris” prix fixe menu is the star of the show. A la carte favourites include the Colorado brie grilled cheese with French onions and cranberry compote on sourdough and the crispy eggplant gateau with heirloom tomato, ratatouille, fresh mozzarella and roast peperonata. A standout on the Paris menu is the seared diver scallops with cauliflower crab ravioli, asparagus, chanterelles, blood orange and shellfish veloute. You no longer need to take that trip to France.
Images: Jesse Winter, M.Wells
M.Wells Dinette MoMA PS1, NYC, USA Hugue Dafour and Sarah Obraitis have brought their innovative cuisine to NYC from Montreal, and hipsters from all over the city have made the trek to MoMA’s Queens outpost at PS1 to regale in the delicious-ness. M.Wells Dinette opened after the duo’s original M.Wells location closed down, and this time the restaurant takes the form of a classroom. Long tables and desks are flanked by a chalkboard wall, and vague menus are passed around on note-
books. Trust the pair, though, and dive into dishes like escargot bone marrow, veal cheek stroganoff and pork tongue french onion soup. Selections are different daily, but on the tamer side we’ve seen braised rabbit bucatini, oysters bolognese and pork belly with clams and white wine. If available, the signature dish is not to be skipped: foie gras oatmeal features creamy oats topped with grilled foie, fruit, nuts, cheddar and maple syrup.
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Cafe 2 Museum of Modern Art, NYC, USA Although Cafe 2 is available to museum visitors only (meaning manditory admission fees,) the lunch spot is a great excuse to ramble around the world-famous MoMA and see some art. The cafe features seasonal, Italian-inspired cuisine from chef Lynn Bound like homemade pasta, a salumi selection, artisanal cheeses, various bruschette, and salads. A great place for a coffee and a snack, our favourite dish here is the creamy Anson MIlls Farm polenta, served with housemade arugula-walnut pesto and fontina cheese. Don’t be surprised if there’s a line for a spot at one of the communal tables or the window bar, but wait patiently and you shall be rewarded. Downstairs, The Modern caters to an upscale dinner crowd.
Ludwig Im Museum Cafe Köln, Germany The Ludwig Im Museum Cafe believes so strongly in clean food that they work with farmers, and even have their own farm, to ensure that every ingredient used is trusted and more fair than the last. Things like organic eggs and local sausages are just so much more pleasing to eat, and for that we thank Ludwig for their commitment to our happy stomachs. Equally pleasing to the eyes, the restaurant sits just over the Rhine River in Köln and faces the city’s skyline. Ludwig chooses herbs and vegetables from their own fields, and organic coffee beans, roasted in house, come straight from Mexico. They even bake their own bread! German wines accompany thoughtful dishes like homemade duck and fig ravioli, and meats and other proteins come are painstakingly chosen before hitting Ludwig’s plates. Image: Nicole Franzen, Cafe 2
Image: Cafe Sabarsky
Cafe Sabarsky Neue Galerie, NYC, USA To match the German and Austrian art showcased in the Neue Galerie, Cafe Sabarsky specializes in authentic Viennese dishes and traditional pastries. The cafe is elegantly designed and furnished with period objects like lighting fixtures by Josef Hoffmann, Adolf Loos furniture and 1912 Otto Wagner fabric, and draws inspiration from turn-of-the-century coffee houses that were once popular in Vienna. Sabarsky offers a beautiful environment in which to take a coffee and one of many strudel or cake options, but if you’re up for something savoury, choose from dishes like a Bavarian ham and cheese plate, goulash soup, spatzle, wiener schnitzel with lingonberries, a selection of wursts and more.
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Ray’s and Stark Bar Los Angeles County Museum of Art, USA
Images: Patina Restaurant Group
This restaurant and bar combo offers a Mediterranean-inspired menu of farm-totable cuisine, seasonal cocktails, Californian wines and artisan beers to match. Chef Kris Morningstar dishes up small and large plates like lamb belly, octopus and beef cheek, house-made pastas, wood-oven pizzas and various salads of alternative greens like brussels sprouts and lollipop kale. The agnolotti dal plin–a truffled rice stuffed pasta with hazelnuts, arugula and hen of the woods mushrooms–is a favourite. Perhaps most interesting is the restaurant’s extensive water menu. Water sommelier Martin Riese has chosen H2O from ten countries and rated them all to differentiate between taste on scales of sweet or salty and smooth or complex. At the top of the scale, a bottle of Berg from Canada will run you $20–the water comes from 15,000 year old glaciers in Greenland.
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Frank Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto, Canada You may think it would be hard for Frank’s food to outshine this Frank Ghery-designed restaurant, and it’s true that beautiful Danish furnishings and an art installation by Frank Stella add to the task. (So many Franks!) But, frankly, Jeff Dueck’s cuisine reflecting the local Canadian heritage puts up a noble fight. We love Frank’s weekly prix fixe menus that are creatively themed around current exhibitions at the museum, and that the use of local produce leads to seasonal menu changes. It may not be the ideal season for a hot pie here in Australia, but we’re currently lusting over Frank’s lobster pie from the Winterlicious menu anyway. It’s got butter poached lobster, mushrooms, truffled mash, green peas and spiced lobster sauce. (Frank’s brunch menu is just as drool-inducing.) Wash it all down with an art themed cocktail; how about a “Margarita ‘Frida & Diego” or an “Andy Bloody Warhol”? We’re game.
Bixby’s
Bixby’s takes pride in its focus on “dining with local influence,” and you can be sure that produce here has been sourced from nearby. The dining room is graced with beautiful views of Forest Park, and the popular meal here, the brunch buffet, includes champagne and a la carte dishes as well. Little details like homemade pickles and horseradish stand out, and eggs benedict and the house bloody mary are clear menu winners.
Image: Courtesy of the Art Gallery of Ontario, Copyright 2014
Missouri History Museum, St. Louis, USA
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48 HOURS IN:
HONG KONG In Hong Kong on a quick layover? This buzzing metropolis-country has tons of exotic sights and foods to offer and you’ll be wanting to make the most of your limited time. We’ve put together a two-day itinerary with all of the most important stops and shops– hope you packed your walking shoes!
Image: Shutterstock
DAY 1 After breakfast, leave your hotel in Central and find the Central–Mid-Levels escalator– the longest outdoor covered escalator in the world. The walkway and escalator will take you up through Central and SoHo to Mid-Levels, with photo-opp stops along the way, and leave you in the perfect spot to check out the Hong Kong Zoological and Botanical Gardens on your way towards the Peak Tram. The gardens are free to enter and are home to primate and bird enclosures.
Image: Elspeth Velten
9:00 AM
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10:30 AM
Image: Shutterstock
Continue on towards the Peak Tram, a funicular railway that brings passengers to Victoria Peak. The tram is popular, but the line to board moves quickly in the morning. The tram deposits passengers into the Peak Tower, which is home to many souvenir shops and restaurants. For a bird’s-eye view, head to the observation deck up top–entrance can be purchased at the lower terminus with your tram ticket. If you’re on a budget, skip the Sky Terrace and just take in the views from the grounds of the Peak. There are walking trails that wend through the woodland vegetation around the peak and give way to stunning city views.
1:00 PM
Image: Elspeth Velten
Take the tram down and descend back to Central for lunch on Wellington St. at Tsim Chai Kee. There’s a fierce rivalry going on between Tsim Chai Kee and Mak’s just across the street, but we think that Tsim Chai Kee is the clear winner on portion size and noodle quality. Go for the noodle soup with king prawn wontons and sliced beef–the beef is sweet and tender, and king prawn wontons are addictive. The wonton skins are thin and delicate–just strong enough to enclose large chunks of moist, meaty prawn. Don’t expect to linger.
Continue Northwest on Wellington St. towards Graham St., the location of Central’s best traditional wet market. This street market hosts vendors selling everything from fresh produce, sauces and dried ingredients, to meats and live seafood, and provides a wonderful look into everyday life in Hong Kong. The wet market on Graham Street is known as one of the oldest continuously running wet markets in Hong Kong, but word on the street is that this market will soon be closed down due to redevelopment in the area.
Image: Elspeth Velten
1:30 PM
Image: Shutterstock
2:30 PM Now is your chance to take a ride on one of Hong Kong’s iconic double decker trams. Hop on at Central and head towards Causeway Bay, where you can spend an hour or two exploring and shopping. On the way back towards Central, your sweet tooth will thank you for making a quick stop at Honolulu Cafe. They’re known for their egg tarts–these flaky little custard treats may be some of the best in the city. This is also a good spot have a look at Hong Kong’s cha chaan tang culture, a simple and unique cuisine that’s a mix of east meets west.
10:00 PM
7:30 PM
Hit Lan Kwai Fong, the hive of Hong Kong’s night life. This small area of connecting streets is home to the largest concentration of clubs, wine bars, pubs and expat bars in the city. Don’t expect to drink for cheap, though.
Time for dinner. Above and Beyond and The Chairman are good options for Chinese food, especially if budget is not a concern. For a trendy twist, head to Yardbird, a yakitori joint dedicated to chicken. Every possible piece of the bird is available on a stick here and the place is descended upon by crowds of locals and tourists alike every night. For a traditional take on Taiwanese, head to Din Tai Fung, an upscale chain that’s been awarded a Michelin star. Peak in on the chefs speedily making dumplings behind glass near the front door and order accordingly–the place is known for its xiao long bao, or soup dumplings.
DAY 2
9:00 AM
Image: Shutterstock
Board the scenic Star Ferry and cross over to Kowloon and then hop on the MTR to head straight Tim Ho Wan in Mong Kok–the cheapest Michelin-starred restaurant in the world– for its famous dim sum. The crispy cha siu buns are the restaurant’s most sought-after offering, and one bite into the barbecued pork center yields answers to why. Tim Ho Wan opens at 10AM, but get here early because a line outside the restaurant grows quickly.
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11:30 AM After dim sum, cross Nathan Road and wander Mong Kok’s street markets like the Ladies’ Market, fashion-focused Fa Yuen Street and the Goldfish Market, a collection of colourful and busy aquarium suppliers. If you like, you can head further north to peruse the exotic and familiar blooms on Flower Market Road and check out the chirping Yuen Po St. Bird Garden.
2:00 PM Grab the MTR or walk down Nathan St. back towards Victoria Harbour and the famous Peninsula Hotel. It would be a mistake to visit Hong Kong and not take high tea in the hotel’s beautiful lobby to the music of the Lobby Strings Orchestra. Expect cakes, egg tarts, macarons, cucumber, salmon and chicken tea sandwiches, mushroom tarts, and, of course, scones and clotted cream. Consider this upscale stop when you plan your outfit in the morning, and don’t be surprised to wait on line for a bit.
Image: Elspeth Velten
4:00 PM Walk off all of those tea treats during a wander around the nearby Kowloon Park. This green-haven amongst Tsim Sha Tsui used to be an army fortress but is now open to the public and home to a Chinese garden with lotus ponds, an aviary with 29 species of birds, a rose garden, a sports center, weekly lion dance performances on Sundays and more. For a bit of an adventure, pop across the street into the Chungking Mansions for a quick look around the bottom level souk, where immigrants to Hong Kong sling cellphones, samosas and everything in between.
Image: ThePeninsula
6:00 PM Finish off your long day of walking with one more stroll–through the Temple Street Night Market, this time. It’s popular to hit the upper area of this market (around the Yau Ma Tei MTR stop) for dinner before walking back along Temple St. towards the harbour. For dinner, choose any one of the many restaurants that spill out onto the streets with communal tables; the best way to order is by pointing to what others around you have chosen. Fried oyster omelets and dishes of tiny steamed clams or mantis shrimp are popular, as are rice claypots topped with sliced meat or Chinese sausage. 18
Images: Hotel Hassler Roma
CELEB ESCAPES:
HOTEL HASSLER ROMA The famous Spanish Steps in Rome are surely visited by every tourist in town, but the chance to reside at the the very top of the incline is one that’s reserved only for those who can foot the bill. The five-star Hotel Hassler sits just above the steps and enjoys a panoramic view of the rest of the city, and past guests include TomKat, Leonardo DiCaprio, Jennifer Aniston and Victoria Beckham.
Hassler contains 96 rooms and suites with garden or city views, all with unique design and decor reminiscent of Rome’s personality and ancient history. Single, double and deluxe rooms are available, but just before the upgrade to the hotel’s line of suites, Hassler’s Grand Deluxe rooms offer guests king beds, a separate sitting area, walk-in closet, luxurious marble bathroom, sofa beds for extra guests and a private balcony. The rooms are draped in rich fabrics or accented by wooden details–each is different in its atmosphere but loyal to Hassler’s dedication to comfort and luxury. We imagine most celeb guests at Hassler opt for one of the hotel’s impressive suites, though. Suites vary in size and design–the Trinita Dei Monti suite features Swarovski crystals set into its ceiling, and the Forum suite’s walls are draped in silk. The Presidential Suite San Pietro is furnished with antiques and art, and the green marble bathroom in the Hassler Suite features a jacuzzi tub that’s surrounded by green plants and vaulted ceilings, inspired by the atmosphere of ancient Roman baths. Entry level Classic suites all feature a separate bedroom and sitting room, walk-in closets, marble master bathrooms and an extra guest bathroom.
Even more extravagant are the hotel’s two modern penthouse suites, located on the top two floors of the hotel. On the seventh floor lies the Penthouse Villa Medici Suite, a newly renovated residence with a huge outdoor terrace, Botticino marble floors, a large sitting room, a dining area and a marble master bathroom with a jacuzzi tub and a mirror with an inset television. Large windows and mirrors lend an open feel, and reflect the suite’s magnificent city view onto its walls. The hotel’s top accommodation is the Hassler Penthouse. Brand new in 2012, this 400 square metre suite features contemporary decor to contrast with the panoramic historic view that the suite enjoys. There’s an elevator with direct access to the suite, state of the art music and lighting systems, a grand piano, a fully stocked bar area, a staff room with video surveillance and a staff bathroom, a kitchen with fine bone china tableware, private butler service and two bedrooms, each with a master bath. It may seem impossible to find privacy just steps away from one of Rome’s busiest tourist attractions, but Hassler has created just that.
Oh, Hassler also owns a small palace–yes, a palace–just across the street that’s even closer to the Spanish Steps. Il Palazzetto is a 16th century residence that’s been converted into four boutique hotel rooms accented with velvet and satin, lots of event spaces and two terraces. Guests at Il Palazzetto enjoy use of facilities like the spa and restaurants at Hassler. It’s perfect for parties and events, or simply for those who want to stay in a palace in Rome. It’s no big deal. Besides beautiful and spacious guest rooms, the hotel offers impressive drinking and dining options, including a Michelin-starred restaurant. The Salone Eva and Hassler Bar serve up three meals a day and drinks in an atmosphere of dark wood, red leather and mirrors–this is the perfect place for a pre-dinner Bellini or a cozy night-cap. The Palm Court offers lighter all day dining to the sound of live piano. Come here for a morning coffee, light lunch, casual dinner or cocktails and snacks in an outdoor environment surrounded by stone walls and ivy. Into wine? Visit Hassler’s wine tasting school, located in Il Palazzetto. Here you can learn about Italy’s wines and taste them for yourself.
Michelin-starred Imà go, helmed by head chef Francesco Apreda, enjoys panoramic views from the hotel’s sixth floor. The restaurant is known for its reinterpreted regional Italian cuisine and seasonal menus. Choose between tasting or a la carte menus, and think colorful dishes like sake glazed black cod with purple baby vegetables, or deer saddle cooked in Morellino wine with blackberry crust, wild mushrooms and chestnuts. Dishes are beautifully composed and photo-opp inspiring. Hassler’s Amorvero Spa offers a full menu of treatments available by appointment, a sauna, steambath and solarium (also by appointment,) a fitness center and a Rossano Ferretti hair salon. Hotel Hassler stops at nothing to make sure its guests are happy. The hotel concierge can arrange chauffeur-driven limousines, sightseeing tours around Rome and the Vatican, personal airport assistance and can suggest itineraries, all to help guests make the most of the historically rich city.
Heaven & Earth Somewhere between
At Gending Kedis Jimbaran, our 21 villas with private swimming pools offer you comfort, seclusion and privacy in an area of outstanding natural beauty. Our full service resort offers a restaurant and bar, meeting rooms, a spa and fitness center, a hair salon, and a large lagoon pool. GENDING KEDIS Luxury Villas & Spa Estate. Jalan Karang Mas Sejahtera 100Y, Jimbaran Bay, Bali, Indonesia Tel. +62 (0) 361 708906. Fax.+62 (0) 361 708905. Email. sales@gendingkedis.com
Images: Shutterstock
BESIDES THE BEACHES:
MEXICO’S INTERIOR Take a step away from Mexico’s distracting beaches and you’ll find that the culture that awaits in the interior of the country is just as exciting, if not even more rewarding. Many of the country’s most charming cookie-cutter cities follow the same formula–a combination of ancient ruins, Spanish colonial architecture, grid patterns and central squares has formed each little city into a more interesting looking destination than the last, and that’s before even digging into local handicrafts and cuisines. Traditional restaurants, street stands and markets mix with world-class upscale eateries to offer a meal for any budget, and regional changes in ingredients and influence make moving around the country exciting. Boutique hotels, art institutes and universities are drawing visitors and attention from around the globe, and although drug-related violence in the country’s north dominates most media coverage, many would say that now’s as good a time as ever to visit Mexico. Here are some inland places that we think are worth your attention, whether you hit the Yucatan beaches before or after, or ignore the all-inclusive-spring-break crowd completely.
Mexico City Mexico City is one of the largest metropolitan areas in the world and as you’d expect, its sprawling size can be daunting. The city is broken down into 16 boroughs and over 300 neighborhoods, but luckily many tourist attractions are concentrated in the historic center, including the Palacio Nacional, the Plaza de la Constitucion (or Zócalo, used to mean central square in many cities), the Templo Mayor Aztec ruins and the Metropolitan Cathedral. Check out the Museo Frida Kahlo, the Plaza Garibaldi for mariachi entertainment, colourful lucha libre wrestling downtown and the Bazar Sabado (Saturday market) for a good dose of shopping. Polanco is a trendy neighborhood with restaurants and clubs, and artsy Zona Rosa, Roma, Condesa, Coyoacan and San Angel are all worth a good wander. The Palacio de Bellas Artes houses murals by Diego Rivera and Tiffany stained glass, and the building is a piece of history itself.
Don’t miss the pre-Columbian Teotihuacan ruins just northeast of Mexico City. The Temple of the Sun, Temple of the Moon and Temple of Quetzocoatl are particularly vast in size. This enormous, architecturally important city was the largest in the America’s at its peak, and had a considerable amount of influence on the rest of life in the region–especially on the Maya people.
Guadalajara The capital and largest city of the Jalisco state, Guadalajara is one of Mexico’s cultural centers and the hometown of mariachi music. The city hosts a thriving art scene and over 20 museums and festivals like the International Film Festival of Guadalajara, and impressive murals by local artist Jose Clemente Orozco coat the walls of historic buildings including the Palacio de Gobierno and the Hospicio Cabanas. In Guadalajara’s historic center, the Metropolitan Cathedral began construction in 1558 and is a great
example of the many remaining colonial buildings in the city. Attractions are spread wide throughout the metropolitan area–to have a meal to the tune of mariachis head to Plaza de los Mariachis, or for a hip combination of restaurants, coffee houses and clubs, check out Chapultepec. There’s a huge street market on Avenida Tonaltecas in Tonala on Thursdays and Sundays where local artists vend handmade glassware, pottery and more. Head to Tlaquepaque, a colourful colonial neighborhood in the city’s southeast, for more artsand-crafts stores and restaurants. To eat, look out for Guadalajara’s specialties like birria (goat or lamb stewed in spicy sauce,) tortas ahogadas (pork sandwiches covered in a chili-tomato sauce,) or pozole (a soup with roots in ancient Aztec culture). Guadalajara is located in one of the only tequila-producing regions of Mexico, so a day trip to tour a few distilleries in the surrounding region is a good bet.
San Miguel de Allende A home to expat retirees, artists and art students, writers and locals, San Miguel de Allende in Guanajuato state has long been drawing international tourists to its maze of 17th and 18th century colonial buildings, cobblestone lanes and artisanias markets. Once simply San Miguel, the city added “de Allende” to its name in honor of past resident Ignacio Allende, a prominent figure in the Mexican War of Independence, whose childhood house in the city is now open as a museum. There’s also an impressive neo-gothic style church, the Parroquia, that was modeled off of the Sagrada Familia in Barcelona and stands in the city’s historic center, El Chorro, across from the Jardin main square. Most of the attraction of visiting San Miguel de Allende, though, is in wandering through the streets and living the city’s contagious lifestyle.
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The Mercado de Artesanias is a long stretch with good shopping, and for a break from the bustle, the Jardin Botanico El Charco del Ingenio offers a look at the local landscape. Don’t miss the Tuesday market for a chance to taste local specialties, and be sure to save a night to relax at one of the city’s rooftop bars.
Guanajuato Guanajuato is nestled in the mountains and spread over some seriously steep terrain, but don’t let that stop you from exploring the area by foot. The narrow cobbled streets are no use for cars, so most auto-traffic is contained to tunnels that run underneath the city. This leaves a maze of tangled streets for tourists to conquer. The capital city of the state with the same name, Guanajuato grew large through silver mining (some mines in the area are still active,) and the El Pipila stat-
ue commemorating a heroic miner can be seen at the top of the hill above the city. This hill serves as a great lookout over Guanajuato’s colourful buildings and can be accessed by foot or funicular. Most tourist spots in the city are located in the western Alhondiga area–the Jardin de la Union is the bustling main square of the city and is bordered by restaurants and shops, as are Avenida de Juarez and Plazuela San Fernando. Artist Diego Rivera was born in Guanajuato, and his house has been turned into a museum that’s worth a visit, too. For market lovers, the Mercado Hidalgo and Gavira Market offer local crafts and food. Local dishes include miner’s enchiladas filled with cheese or chicken and topped with potatoes, carrots and guajillo sauce, tunas de xonocostle (fruit from a local type of cactus,) and jumiles, little bugs that are eaten in tacos or as a sauce.
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Oaxaca Also the capital of the state of the same name, Oaxaca is a city of colonial-era structures and long-lasting indigenous traditions from the Zapotec and Mixtec cultures. The city follows a similar colonial plan to others we’ve discussed–it’s centered around a main square, zócalo, with a cathedral and government buildings nearby. Oaxaca state is known as one of the most exciting areas of Mexico for food-lovers and also for its mezcal, a liquor made from agave, like tequila, and the city is a great place to try both. Local specialties include complex mole sauces, spicy hot chocolates, carne asada (barbecued meats), spicy fried grasshoppers called chapulines, and tlayudas–large pizza-like tortillas. For asados, check out the Mercado 20 de Noviembre. It’s a smokey street lined with barbecue stalls and a great place for a cheap meal. The city is known to be a hub of activity and festivals, often centered in the zócalo, and is one of the best places in the country to celebrate the Dia de los Muertos in late-October early-November each year. The Mercado Benito Juarez, named for the Mexican president with Oaxacan roots, is a great place to browse clothing, leather goods, moles, fruits and flowers. Small surrounding towns are known for making handicrafts that can be purchased in the city, but are worth a visit to see artisans at work. Mezcal distilleries, or pelanques, can be visited from Oaxaca as well. Not far from Oaxaca, Monte Alban is a collection of astronomically aligned pyramids built by the ancient Zapotec people. Unlike some other ruins in the country, visitors at Monte Alban are allowed to climb much of the plaza and northern and southern platforms here. Monte Alban is the most major site near Oaxaca, but there are two or three other archaeological sites in the region also worth a visit.
San Cristobal las Casas Located in the state of Chiapas, this high-altitude city is home to proud indigenous Maya descendants and members of the Zapatista movement. Colonial architecture, a main square and the matching grid system are all present here, and some streets in the historic center are closed to traffic, making the city a walker’s paradise. The city and surrounds are rich with arts and artisans–art-house cinemas, museums and markets line the streets, and it’s hard not to embrace the city’s bohemian lifestyle. The town is split into barrios, or neighborhoods, with different artisan specialties. Check out the Calle Miguel Hidalgo, lined with jewelry stores peddling amber, and the hillside Templo de San Cristobal for a great view of the city. To eat, try antojitos (little bites) like tacos and tamales at the main public market, and sopa de pan, a traditional bread soup. Tasajo is thinly sliced beef in achiote chili sauce, and chicken with mole
and pork with pipian (pumpkin seed sauce) are also popular. The Agua Azul Waterfalls are not far from San Cristobal de las Casas in the Sierra Madre de Chiapas mountains. There’s a visually striking series of cascades and shallow blue pools full of limestone-rich water great for swimming. The cascades end in the Shumulha River.
The Sumidero Canyon is also within reach from San Cristobal. The Grijalva river has carved down into the earth over time, leaving 800 metre-high walls towering in its place. A two-hour boat ride brings visitors through the pass and past impressive waterfalls and wildlife like cultures, crocodiles, moneys and iguanas. North of San Cristobal de las Casas and deep in the jungle lie the Palenque ruins, dating back to the 17th century Mayas. There are 15 kilometres of exemplary ruins here and the area gets very busy during visiting hours. Hit it bright and early to make the most of the impressive site before the crowds arrive.
Merida In the center of the beach-heavy Yucatan Peninsula, Merida offers a dose of culture and a break from the party-centric coast. The city was built in 1542 as a walled city of white limestone buildings–several of the old Spanish gates remain, and the city’s nickname “la ciudad blanca”, or “the white city,” has also stuck around. The historic part of the city is centered around Plaza Grande and across the street sits the Cathedral de San Ildefonso, one of the oldest cathedrals in North America and made from stones taken from Maya ruins. The Plaza Grande is the center of many activities in the city and host to live music and street vendors often. Other markets worth visiting are the Mercado Lucas de Galvez and Mercado San Benito–Merida is known as the place to buy guayabera (traditional men’s shirts,) and hipiles (women’s dresses). Yucatan cuisine is exciting because it takes inspira-
tion from Europe, the Caribbean, the Middle East and indigenous cultures, and uses a mix of Maya and European ingredients. Look for cochinita or pollo pibil (roast suckling pig or chicken with achiote sauce), egg tacos with pumpkin seed sauce called papadzules, pavo en relleno negro (turkey in black chile paste), and queso relleno–edam cheese stuffed with spiced ground meat. From Merica, explore Chichen Itza, a Maya site that’s been called one of the new seven wonders of the world, and take a swim in a cenote or two–unique underground freshwater pools that provide a major photo-opp.
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Images: Nick Simonite, El Cosmico
EL COSMICO We’re currently daydreaming endlessly about embracing the Texan desert and the matching bare-bones lifestyle at El Cosmico in the cattle-ranching, art town of Marfa. The nomadic hotel and campground’s 18-acre plot offers plenty of eye-candy: vintage trailers, luxurious safari tents and Souix-style teepees are all tricked out to encourage guests to drop in and tune out–to enjoy “temporary liberation from the built world.”
Inspiration for the property’s mission is taken from the history of American hippies, nomads and bohemians. That ’70s mindset is definitely present on this ‘stead, where guests commune and chill at a hammock grove, an outdoor kitchen and dining area and at El Cosmico’s Lobby House and Provision Co. El Cosmico’s manifesto is “Mañana,” a school of thought in which practitioners recognize that tomorrow is coming, but reality is today. It’s an “exodus from a world of urgency.” Sounds to us like the perfect escape.
There are lounge areas, a reading room and Wi-Fi in the lobby, but past there the connectivity purposely ends, giving guests the disconnection that many come here for. Workshops, retreats and are held on the land regularly including building, cooking and art classes, song writing workshops, concerts and movies. Music and art festivals like the annual Trans-Pecos Festival and Mexican Summer bring revelers to El Cosmico, as well. The restored vintage trailers at El Cosmico are worth the visit themselves. Each of the seven trailers have been refurbished with birch interiors and furnishings from around the world. They’re not overly styled inside like some others we’ve seen floating around–instead they’re minimal, warm and comfortable. (We think some loud-patterned, tacky interiors seen in other vintage trailers are better off left in the past.) Each trailer contains a varied combination of cooking, dining,
sleeping and bathing features, and some even have private outdoor showers. There’s nothing better than a shower under the sun or stars.
If you want to camp more seriously, though, El Cosmico’s teepees or safari tents are Instagram gold mines that may be more your style. Stylish teepees are 22 feet in diameter and have brick floors and queen beds. Safari tents are 120 square feet with wood floors and queen beds as well. Don’t worry, these have mattress heaters in the winter. On a budget? Rough it in a scout tent or simply rent a campsite and bring your own digs. A communal bathhouse has solar and traditional showers, and some awesome wood-fired hot tubs are available for rent, too. Marfa town is within biking distance of El Cosmico, and the hotel will rent you some two-wheelers to get there if you wish to explore. In town you’ll come across cowboys and artists all at once, and the town’s proximity to Mexico lends personality as well. Galleries, shops and inspired restaurants line the streets. Other attractions in the area include Big Bend State and National Parks, McDonald
Observatory, Chinati Hot Springs, the Davis Mountains and Balmorhea State Park. Ready to embrace Mañana and disconnect at El Cosmico? We thought so. Be sure to book your visit way ahead, especially for workshops and festivals, and don’t forget to pack your flashlight and sunblock.
LUXURY ESCAPES TV Luxury Escapes reviews two of Thailand’s finest resorts! Sofitel Krabi Phokheethra Resort
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• One of Thailand’s largest pools/ access to beaches
• Centrally located near world-class shopping
• Spacious Thai/European style rooms
• Three restaurants/roof-top bar
• So Sofitel Spa and a nine-hole golf course
• Modern rooms are a calm oasis
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